Is YSU lecture moderator guilty of bashing gays?

Is YSU lecture moderator guilty of bashing gays?

This past Saturday evening, I had the opportunity of getting to see Anderson Cooper. He was the guest speaker at a public forum sponsored by Youngtown State University and held at Stambaugh Auditorium.

Anderson Cooper is a very respected, world-renowned journalist and currently a TV anchor with CNN.

So I felt fortunate to get my hand on a ticket as seating was sold out in two hours.

The moderator for the event was introduced as a teacher from the university. So Mr. Cooper began speaking by talking about all his life experiences, which were very interesting. Then it was the moderator’s turn to ask questions of Mr. Cooper. The questions began, and soon the moderator says to him, “I understand you’re gay?” and of course Mr. Cooper answered the question, while being put into an awkward position. He certainly handled the situation like the gentleman he is.

You have to question why anyone would ask such a personal, rude and inappropriate question to another person.

Was the moderator trying to publicly humiliate Anderson Cooper or was it gay bashing? He certainly owes him a public apology for his bad behavior.

Not too long ago, in June, people were gunned down and died for being in a gay bar. So sad!

Harriet Walsh, Canfield

Moderator asked crude question to CNN’s Cooper

Last Saturday, I, along with three of my friends, had the pleasure of attending Youngstown State University’s Skeggs Lecture Series at Stambaugh Auditorium starring CNN anchor Anderson Cooper. Mr. Cooper was addressing a full house and was not only extremely interesting but very humorous as well.

The individual who I believe said he taught at the university was asking Mr. Cooper questions before he opened the questions to the audience. One of his questions to Mr. Anderson was regarding Mr. Anderson’s sexual orientation and his “coming out” to the public.

I, along with many others in the audience, believe this question was totally uncalled for, as well as being rude and crude. Mr. Anderson’s sexual orientation is his business and the business of no one else. We were sitting close to the back of the auditorium, and from that distance we could see Mr. Cooper’s face turn a scarlet red.

What kind of an opinion must Mr. Cooper have of Youngstown now? Don’t we have enough stupid and embarrassing things that happen in this town that already have made national news? Do we need to have one more black mark on our town because of some idiot who doesn’t have the sense not to ask questions that are completely out of line? I, for one, am completely ashamed of YSU for allowing those questions to be asked.

Mary Ellen Kovalchik, Youngstown

Hoover made big impact on YSU education students

I read with great sad- ness of the passing of Dr. Randy Hoover in The Vindicator recently. I was in a number of Dr. Hoover’s classes as both an undergraduate and graduate student. He could be controversial and even combative in the classroom, but it was his wit and wisdom that most of his students will remember.

I consider him a true mentor, and he had a profound effect on the way I taught and coached for 30 years. He has had a lasting effect on the Valley because of his impact on so many teachers. Many of them then passed a little bit of Dr. Hoover on to their students.

He could anger you in class, and he loved heated discussions but you could never question his heart and his love for education. He will be greatly missed.

Wally Ford, Austintown

How disrespectful to kneel during national anthem

In recent weeks, we have seen so many professional athletes refuse to stand for the national anthem , and now it seems to be spreading to the college and high school events. How outright disrespectful can you be? You disrespect the Marines who put the flag on Mount Suribachi, you disrespect all who died at Pearl Harbor, you disrespect all those in Arlington National Cemetery. How dare you ungrateful people turn your back on those who have died to give you the rights you have?

You protest in the name of oppression. You don’t know the meaning of the term oppression. Go to North Korea, Islamic Middle East or Venezuela. There you will find the true meaning of the word oppressed. You live in a country that has given you everything, by people who have given everything so you can burn its flag, disgrace its name and riot in the streets. Yes, there are things wrong in this country, but this type of action only shows our enemies how divided and vulnerable we are.

Jim Eidel, Beaver Township

Diversity and unity can co-exist in United States

In our country for many years now, diversity has been the mantra preached by political, social, and educational people in authority. When did the mantra of “unity” become obsolete? I think that diversity and unity can co-exist only if one does not overpower the other.

Years ago legal immigrants arrived at our borders (including my grandparents) hoping for a better life. They were of diverse languages, religions, educations and political backgrounds. My grandparents were eager to assimilate and learned the English language, worked hard, educated their children, supported the government, and eventually became loyal citizens. They maintained their diverse special religious and cultural holidays and traditions but were very happy and proud to become citizens of the United States of America.

We are not a country like Canada with provinces speaking different languages. We hopefully will not become a country where various cities or states adopt different laws and values very different from those that our country was founded upon.

I agree with the ideology of presidential candidate Donald J. Trump: “We must be very careful that we do not permit people into our country who do not desire to assimilate and support our values.”

Yes, diversity and unity can co-exist in a thriving Republic but when diversity continues to out trump unity, we will begin to fall just as many great republics have in the past.

Shirley McMahon, Canfield

Here’s a true email scandal

I’m tired of hearing about Hillary Clinton’s emails. As secretary of state, she had no authority to issue military force in the Benghazi incident, and the GOP knew that.

If you want an email scandal, go back to 2007. Karl Rove set up a private server in the White House in 2001. There were numerous scandals in the Bush administration. One was the unmasking of CIA specialist Valerie Plame. Another was the purging of eight U.S. attorneys.

In 2007, Rove’s operation admitted to having deleted at least 5 million emails. In December 2009, technicians who examined the server reported the number of emails deleted to be 22 million. If any evidence in those emails tied Rove and others to the above-mentioned scandals or other criminal activity, this is nothing less than obstruction of justice, which Nixon would have been impeached for if he hadn’t resigned. You tell me, who should be in jail for erasing emails.

In closing, is Trump actually a “closet communist”? He praises Putin for his leadership who praises him in return. Since when do we praise someone who runs a dictatorship? Keep in mind the political ad stating how Trump will take the shirt right off your back. If elected, he might take your guns just as quickly. A vote for Trump might be the last vote you ever get.

Robert McKay, Grove City, Pa