READERS WRITE: SEPT. 9

McCain’s services stir memory of traitorous behavior

The services last weekend for the heroic Sen. John McCain can’t help but stir memories, for those of us who served in the military in the 1960s, of Hanoi Jane Fonda. It’s ironic the heroic patriot is now dead, while the treacherous and seditious Ms. Fonda stumbles along her self-aggrandizing path in freedom. Let’s not forget what a great patriot her father Henry Fonda was, enlisting during World War II and winning the Bronze Star. That the narcissistic, look-at-me, traitorous daughter permanently besmirched her father’s good name is nearly as sickening to recall as the widespread embarrassment and harm she caused our troops. Some may forget, but we remember.

BOB KENNY, ROSWELL

Trump besmirching Reagan’s shining city on the hill

I read a letter that extols “The silent majority still stands with Trump” (Readers Write, Sept. 2). “He may be undignified and immoral, but he is bringing back morality.” Can an immoral man really bring back morality? What about the wonderful Reagan quote that our country is “a bright shining city on the hill” – an inspiration to the world? Our Constitution and Bill of Rights have been an inspiration to the rest of the world, which is why millions, including my own parents who extricated themselves from the dangers of the Middle East after World War II, want to come here. Sad to say, the Trumpian model of destroying our most trusted alliances, denying climate change, destroying our environment, constantly denigrating our free press and admiration of despots just reduces our country to the miserable category of another Third World country ruled by an immoral strongman.

DR. SALPI ADROUNY, JOHNS CREEK

Sensationalized Buford story foments turmoil

Buford schools under the guidance of the former superintendent enjoyed high school graduation rates of 90 percent or better. I suppose that statistic had no place in the story, “Suit: Buford schools chief made racist rant” (News, Aug. 22), since the article’s prime intent was to provoke crisis. Since the accusation of a disgruntled employee and a tape of a supposedly racial rant by the superintendent deserves front-page coverage, it serves the express purpose of fomenting turmoil. It doesn’t offer a solution other than turning out all the present commission members and replacing them with people who want their pictures in the media. If a county government is not stealing taxpayers’ money and is providing excellent education for all its students, it sounds to me that some citizens want to change everything for the sake of change – not to make things better. There are ballot boxes available to make changes, which make sensationalizing of this sort unnecessary and divisive.

JACK FRANKLIN, CONYERS

No easy solution for U.S. firearms crisis

From a recent letter: “Most shootings are done by people who did not legitimately own their guns. Crooks will have their guns no matter what” (“Second Amendment remains as safeguard,” Readers Write, Aug. 31). Often stated and probably true. But why? I think it’s because there are between about 265 million (Politifact 2015) and 355 million (Washington Post, 2017) firearms in the U.S., increasing at about 27 million per year (New York Post, 2017). The NRA leadership and their weak-kneed toadies in Congress and the White House have made it distressingly easy to obtain firearms, legally or illegally, and the enormous supply keeps the price manageable. As a result, police officers know they could be shot on any call to any community. That’s a paramount reason for the police shootings of citizens we see in the horrific videos. I have no solution. We’ll be sleeping in this bed for a long time.

ART BOWLING, DECATUR