U.S. government, military must stop bin Laden

U.S. government, military must stop bin Laden
EDITOR:
I am a 13-year-old student at Volney Rogers Junior High School in Youngstown. I've been reading the articles in the newspaper daily. My family and I have also been watching the local news coverage each evening. The articles and news reports help us to understand what is going on.
The innocent people of the United States who died because of the terrorists selfish acts will never be able to see how America is responding to the loss of family members and friends. I feel angry and sad for everyone who got hurt.
I only hope that the U. S. government and military will get to bin Laden and the people who helped him before they kill more American people.
I will continue to read the newspaper articles, watch the news reports and pray for the safety of all the people in the United States of America.
KYLE KIRALY
Youngstown
X The writer is a student in Mrs. Madelyn Sell's 8th grade honors English class at Volney Rogers Junior High School in Youngstown.
Children at risk if they disobey rules of the road
EDITOR:
This letter may seem somewhat unimportant, considering the events that have happened within the last month, but I am concerned about the safety of school-age pedestrians.
There seems to be a problem with the way our children are taught how to cross a street. I commute through Struthers every day about the time the middle school and high school children are dismissed from school. Every day I worry about whether a child will step out in front of my vehicle. It has happened many times. That is my reason for writing.
Most of the kids who cross Sexton, for example, which is a busy street, do not look to see if a vehicle is coming or not. These are older children who should know better.
Unfortunately, Ohio law says pedestrians have the right of way if they are at a marked cross walk or at an unmarked intersection crossing. Some of the children cross wherever they feel like it. Then I think it is a matter of common sense and common courtesy. The latter of which most children nowadays seem to have little knowledge of.
The other day, for example, I had the green light to proceed down Sexton traveling east, and a group of children were about to cross Sexton on Fifth Avenue traveling north.
They did not stop at the corner to observe if any vehicles were coming or not. When I proceeded, carefully, one youngster almost walked into the side of my car, then yelled at me -- again, a lack of courtesy.
The Department of Transportation says how a pedestrian should cross at an intersection:
"Some intersections have no pedestrian signals. If you need to cross, watch the main traffic signal. Wait until traffic going in the direction you want to go has a green signal before you begin to cross. Watch out for turning vehicles."
Would it be so hard for parents and schools to reinforce the unspoken "rules of the road"? I would hope that if they see this letter, they might discuss it again with their children. I have children of my own, and I know they don't see this as a priority, but it could be life threatening if a less experienced or less cautious driver were in the same circumstance.
LORI WILLIAMS
Youngstown
Does auto racing count as a sport?
EDITOR:
I love sports and always have -- from the time I was10-years-old to now in my 80s. But I have never considered racing cars a sport. Wonder what the public feels about it?
RUTH CALLAHAN
Youngstown