Rivermont a model for county schools and more letters to the editors

Letters to the Editor
Letters to the Editor

Rivermont a model for county schools

My wife and I appreciated two recent positive TFP articles about Rivermont Elementary School.

We have more than 50 years combined experience in public education and have been volunteering at Rivermont for the current and past two years.

The environment at Rivermont is very child-centered, and as we are reading with individual students, the teachers, staff and administrators speak to us and express their appreciation for our efforts to help the children with their reading skills.

Each morning when we arrive at Rivermont, we are greeted with friendly and helpful staff members, and as we walk down the halls to our designated area, we also observe a variety of artwork and classroom activities creatively displayed on the walls.

The teacher with whom we work, Ms. Sarah Crabtree, exhibits a positive, encouraging and enthusiastic approach to learning with the children. She, other teachers and Principal Nikki Bailey are an inspiration to us and show the possibilities for the future of all Hamilton County Schools.

Dr. Robert A. and Diana Smith

Trump fact-check box is required

I support a recent writer's suggestion of a daily Trump fact check box on the TFP front page (Sunday's letters, "Trump 'fact check' needed"). Politifact.com. reports 83 percent of what Trump says is half true, mostly false, false or pants-on-fire.

I don't worry about unimportant things that are easily verifiable. I do worry about having confidence in what he says on important matters that are not. How can we have confidence that he's not lying? Trump's words for what he says are "truthful hyperbole." Kellyanne Conway's are "alternative facts."

Your readers need a way to evaluate what he claims without wasting time on minutia like crowd sizes. All politicians stretch the truth but 83 percent? Really? It sickens me that our president's constant lies make an idea like this necessary.

Nancy Bishop

Birchwood, Tenn.

Are you next on Trump's list?

Everyone wants to be safe from terrorist attacks. But we have to think through how our safety is approached. Violent attacks in the U.S. have been carried out by citizens, legal residents or people from countries not on Mr. Trump's list.

This recent executive order will likely cause us more problems than it solves. It strengthens the ISIS position that America is anti-Muslim, and it confuses our allies. But, more troubling is that this order is based on religion.

Martin Neimoller, a prominent German pastor who spent seven years in a concentration camp, said right after World War II, "First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out because I was not a socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out because I wasn't Jewish. And they came for me, and there was no one left to speak for me."

We should oppose this order because the next one might be for me or you.

William H. Taylor

Collegedale, Tenn.

Why oppose keeping U.S. safe?

Have we finally gone crazy? Why would any American be opposed to any American president doing whatever it takes to make our country safe from jihadist terrorists? Why is this so hard to understand for some people? This should have taken place many years ago, probably back to President Jimmy Carter's term. And it surely should have happened under George W. Bush within a few days after Sept. 11, 2001.

Where were the demonstrations when President Obama restricted immigration for six months on persons from Iraq?

Why were there no demonstrations following the news on Christians being slaughtered in many areas of the Middle East?

This is insanity to not want our government to properly check the backgrounds of these people. How can the U.K., Germany and France condemn our actions when they have seen so much violence in their countries? Even many, many peaceful Muslims want to have radicals identified so they, too, will not be harmed. Wake up, America!

Robert Westmoreland

Buyer's remorse? Not on your life

Someone asked, "How many of you Trump supporters now have buyer's remorse?" Why should we? President Trump is keeping his campaign promises. Which one are you opposed to - bringing back jobs, keeping out terrorists, stopping the influx of illegal drugs, deporting illegal criminals or taking care of our people before we take care of the whole world? It all makes good sense to me!

Nina Reed

Dayton, Tenn.

Do we hold high moral ground?

Does anyone believe the U.S. government always holds the high moral ground?

If your family is killed by a foreign occupier, does it matter whether the bullets were made in Moscow or Missouri?

Are you willing to go to war over what some NATO treaty country does? Why does the U.S. still commit to defending some of these foreign countries long after World War II? Some of these treaty partners are like kids who pick fights, then call their big brothers to whip the kids they threatened and harassed. Are you willing to send your loved ones to die for a foreign government's arrogance and stupidity?

Just as America's entry into World War I was to protect the interests of Wall Street, are you willing to die for the big bucks of crony government/corporations/military contractors who measure results by the billions they make in war profiteering? Do they really care about you, or are you a line-item in their profit-and-loss column?

I learned never to trust those who wave the flag fastest, pray loudest, and claim patriotism is whatever they say it is.

Stephen Greenfield

Cleveland, Tenn.

Trump election is illegitimate

John Lewis stood his ground against attack dogs and KKK thugs. He was right then, and he is right now. He will not be intimidated by a small-handed New York blowhard. Trump is illegitimate for the following reasons:

1. Hillary Clinton got 2,900,000 more votes than he did.

2. James Comey used his office as FBI chief to skew the election to Trump. Comey slipped in a derogatory comment when he announced that Clinton would not be indicted. This is prosecutorial misconduct. Comey then doubled down by announcing that he was reopening an investigation on Clinton, based on zero evidence, while early voting was in progress.

3. Russian interference in the election was significant. They hacked Democrats and provided that material to WikiLeaks and Julian Assange, the pervert hiding out in an embassy to avoid extradition to Sweden to face rape charges. The Russians distributed disinformation and fake news to sabotage the Clinton campaign. So Trump can thank Vladimir Putin and the KGB, Jim Comey, Julian Assange and the undemocratic dysfunction of the Electoral College.

Terry Stulce

Ooltewah

Comfortable with Trump's policies?

I think I have some understanding why so many people responded positively to Donald Trump.

Now I would like to ask them, if they are comfortable with the way he is displaying his power. Do you admire him treating people with blatant disrespect?

Does his preoccupation with issuing executive orders, regardless of their negative impact on so many, appeal to you? Would it be more sensitive to establish a better immigration policy?

I appreciate that he might seem to be exuding power, but I wonder whether he is the kind of person you should seek to address your legitimate grievances.

Becky Young

Signal Mountain

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