Winston-Salem Journal LTE TU 11/27/12

Serious concerns

I must respond to the letter “Hyperbole doesn't help” (Nov. 16):

No, I do not believe the signatures of 2,500 people opposing the proposed Reynolds High School stadium can be correctly labeled as hyperbole. Neither Mount Tabor nor West Forsyth high schools has a major regional hospital within walking distance, nor are in ambulance routes or in already congested areas.

Parking is a major problem for the proposed stadium and there is also a water issue. Having lived in West Highlands for over 50 years, I have seen water standing in the area many, many times. Hanes Park was closed this past summer for almost a week because of flooding.

Thank you to Huber Hanes III (“Stadium proposal is a Hawthorne curve ball,” Oct. 21) for telling it like it is. Surely the powers that be will listen to the neighbors who live here and know that a stadium in this tight location would cause endless problems.

JO ALLMAN

Winston Salem

Avoid closed meetings

The easiest way to avoid blowback from what is said in a closed meeting is not to have a closed meeting (“Effort by some on council a waste of time,” Nov. 21). That is not always possible; for example, when bidding matters are being discussed, outside activity could thwart the public good.

North Carolina law requires that minutes taken at closed meetings be sufficiently complete that someone not present can tell what transpired. I would suggest that these minutes be published when the activity being discussed is complete. For example, when a legal decision is affirmed by the council in public, the minutes from the closed meeting should be published. Closed meetings are to prevent interference in the public good; they are not to protect elected officials’ views and actions.

One other word about closed meetings: State law says they are to be called for a specific purpose and outlines the purposes for which they can be called. Briefing sessions, conducted as closed meetings, are not legal under N.C. law — something the Journal might want to investigate.

DOROTHY MATHEWS

Rural Hall

Our president

Barack Obama is the president of the United States, and how about showing respect for the man. Even if we don't like him and didn't vote for him, he is our president. When we say demeaning things about our president, think about the message we are sending to the rest of the world. I love my country but I am disappointed in my fellow Americans who continue to berate the president.

The election is over. Mitt Romney didn't win. We can come up with reasons why he did not win but does it really matter now? The American people chose Barack Obama and that's how it is. We need to get over it and move on.

We are Americans living in the greatest country in the world. Let's all act like grown-ups and work toward being united and not divided. Americans have always pulled together and that is what makes our nation so great. It is time for us to put our differences aside and get with the program and start acting like Americans.

GLENDA SOUTHWORTH

Lewisville

Hope for Israel

I’m Jewish. My Israeli family unequivocally deserves security. But so do Christian and Muslim Palestinian families. Those families, made refugees when we Jews forced them out of their homes and villages, continue to suffer under an Israeli occupation that South Africans recognize as worse than Apartheid.

With hope, the Gaza cease-fire will end both the horrible rocket attacks that terrorize Israelis and Israel’s terrorism of Palestinians that is — with our help — of 10- to 100-fold greater magnitude. Israeli peace group B’tselem reports that Israel has killed over 30 times more Christian and Muslim Palestinian children as Palestinians have killed Israeli children. Further terrorizing and killing Palestinian families is not the way to achieve peace nor is it consistent with our American values.

The idea that Israel’s violence is somehow moral or justified doesn’t make sense to me when Israel is responsible for most of the civilian deaths and when Israel is killing men, women and children who we Jews had made refugees in the first place. While Israel claims it only targets militants, if Palestinians targeted only Israeli soldiers by bombing their apartment buildings (as Israel does to Palestinians), killing entire Israeli families in the process, we would be horrified and clearly see the immorality of the action.

There is hope. We Americans know that Christians, Jews and Muslims can live peacefully together. Instead of our giving unconditional support to Israel for extinguishing more Christian and Muslim Palestinian lives, let’s give Israel unconditional support for repatriation of those refugee families.

STEVE FELDMAN

Winston-Salem