Letters to the Editor: April 1, 2018

Children offer insight for adults to consider on this Easter holiday

Words “out of the mouths of babes” give new meaning to the Easter holiday.

A few years ago, leaving a church service, a little girl was overheard telling her mother she didn’t see Jesus floating up to heaven like she said she would. Her older brother told her while they were sleeping, Jesus floated to heaven and woke up the apostles, angels, saints, and the pope to help Him deliver Easter baskets to the children in the world.

People overhearing this chuckled, and an elderly man said, “Maybe kids should run the government;” instead of building nuclear bombs, delivering Easter baskets would be a lot sweeter.

Happy thoughts “from the mouths of babes.”

• Mary Lou Jurina, Youngstown

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Two Vindicator drivers thanked for rescuing daughter after accident

I wish to thank two of your delivery drivers who did something wonderful for my family.

Not too long ago, on another day when our weather was bad, my daughter was coming home from work. She has worked at Astro Shapes in Struthers for almost 20 years.

She was coming down Leffingwell Road between state Routes 46 and 62. She hit black ice, went off the road and rolled her Jeep. Your drivers Dierre and Veronica Cospy found her upside down and got her out of the Jeep.

By the time police and her brother got to her, the Jeep was smoking. It was totaled.

She is the sole support for her three sons. They would be lost without her. She touches so many lives. She works midnights and sleeps while her boys are in school. She would sleep in the car while they were at practices.

Again, thank you Dierre and Veronica for your quick actions to help her. This serves as a reminder that the actions you do can save a life.

• Edna Gillam, Salem

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WYSU deserves support from Valley listeners

WYSU Radio, which broadcasts from the campus of Youngstown State University at 88.5-FM, will begin its semi-annual, on-air fundraiser Wednesday. In addition to being an outlet for National Public Radio shows, the station carries a significant amount of local programming, which merits mention and support.

While some public radio stations across the country have opted to jettison classical musical programming in favor of an all-talk format, it is a credit to the station and the university that listeners in Northeast Ohio and Western Pennsylvania can still find an FM station that provides this offering throughout the day.

Local hosts Barbara Krauss and Gary Sexton skillfully program their shows with both the instantly recognizable and the lesser known pieces in classical music. Both are genuinely knowledgeable about the composers, compositions and performers they feature from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays. They provide just enough commentary to enlighten the listener without ever overwhelming or upstaging the music.

Jazz aficionados are not forgotten. “The Jazz Sofa” with Rick Popovich airs on Friday and Saturday nights.

In addition, WYSU provides a thought provoking “fix” for the news junkie in some of us. NPR’s “Morning Edition” runs weekdays during morning drive time, and “All Things Considered” is available for the commute home.

If the cable news “talking heads” covering one news story for three hours are beginning to frustrate, NPR provides a reliable, credible, and informative alternative with in-depth coverage on a variety of news stories.

WYSU lives up to its slogan, “radio you need to know.” It’s difficult to tune in without learning something new. It is a well-run organization with a small staff and budget.

It is worthy of listener support.

• LuWayne Annos, Youngstown
• LuWayne Annos is a member of the WYSU Advisory Board

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God bless the wisdom, passion of young people

As I begin my seventh decade as a citizen of the greatest democracy ever, I am proud to say I have seen wisdom in those who will follow after me to preserve this wonderful nation. I see it in the passion and the words and the actions of the thousands of young people who marched, and spoke in the name of March For Our Lives.

They did not attack the right to bear arms guaranteed by the Second Amendment. They asked only for greater safety in their schools through the enforcement of existing gun laws, for verifiable background checks, for national databases registering firearms, for limitations on additions to semi-automatic rifles that convert them to automatic weapons of war. They did not overreact and resort to blaming all gun owners for the slaughter of friends, family, classmates and teachers by assault rifles. Wise.

They did not riot against nor even criticize legitimate gun owners. They asked only that our government protect their rights to life and liberty as they gain the education that will enable them to participate more fully in the life of our democracy.

They came to Washington to plead with legislators to protect them. Few elected to lead even listened. Many, including the chief executive, arranged to be elsewhere rather than hear righteous and reasoned arguments above the threats of monied lobbyists who offer no reasonable agenda to deal with gun violence. Like too many in government, Congress listens to cash instead of courage, takes the easy road instead of the high road and does so with the smug arrogance of self-entitled elitists.

The days of do-nothing legislators are numbered. The kids are smart. They are in touch. They can, as they have demonstrated today, organize their masses to action in less time than a congressman can poll big donors. They tweet lucidly and build significant consensus. Those who are old enough, and those about to be, will vote. They will vote their conscience, and not the talking points of some remote party hack. Anyone who believes they won’t stand up and be counted, that they won’t remember the dissembling and flip-flopping of today’s politicians, is dumb enough to be in Congress. At least for the time being.

God bless the wisdom of the children and give them strength to carry on.

• Jim Cartwright, Canfield

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School districts should support student rights

I applaud The Vindicator for covering the area’s school walkouts on March 14 and the March for Our Lives on March 24.

As a teacher, I celebrate students and care deeply about their rights and safety. As a Boardman alumna, I was especially inspired by the reporting on the five students who walked out of Boardman High School despite facing punishment.

They are the future leaders of this community, and I am ashamed that Boardman schools punished them instead of joining them. The fact that some districts forbid students to walk out for 17 minutes yet permit outdoor events like football games and Relay for Life proves that these districts were not worried about student safety – they were worried about allowing their students to participate in a democracy.

Like many in my generation, I hope to soon have a family and raise them in the Youngstown area, and school districts that are committed to standing up for student rights and safety will be the districts that we favor.

• Allison Davis, Boardman