Robertson’s legacy
I’m not capable of pretending I’m not happy to hear Pat Robertson is dead. The damage he did to American politics cannot be understated. His influence on the growth of the Religious Right in tandem with the Reagan administration obliterated any separation between church and state; his legitimization of homophobia has undoubtedly inspired hate crimes by individuals and deadly policies by the government; his blaming of natural disasters on the whims of an angry God betrayed a disdain for the human species I doubt most Christians would otherwise entertain; and his other egregious and unmistakable bigotries against people of color, women and any other religion (or, worst of all, none whatsoever) made the world a more bitter, untrusting place where finding the “other” and “removing” them became the meat and potatoes of conservatism (and even some liberalism) from sea to blood-soaked sea.
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But while it can feel satisfying to know he’s gone (a bit like finding out the stepdad that beat you every night for years can’t hurt you anymore), our focus should be toward the future. His death has presented the United States with an opportunity to undo the damage he did — to love one another and respect one another irrespective of identity both deliberate or inherent — even when those who licked his boots still walk among us.
Martin Luther King Jr. told us the moral arc of the universe bends toward justice, but I don’t think it does so by gravity.
We must bend it.
John Belmont
Winston-Salem
Get over yourself
Did Michael Logan not learn as a child that if the majority don’t want you on their team, go home?
He seems to want to bully his way into a position by any means possible. Is he channeling Mr. Trump?
He even had a Republican lawmaker change the law to hopefully obtain his coveted position on the Guilford County Board of Education.
Since that plan backfired, he’s now filing a lawsuit.
Get over yourself, Mr. Logan. It seems to me that it is you who is holding up progress by the school board.
Tennie Skladanowski
Greensboro
Attacking Goebel
In school board member Bill Goebel we have a wonderful example of a man who, in his life and work, demonstrates the very best of old-fashioned Republican virtues: honesty, thoughtful analysis, real concern for all the community, self-sacrifice, open-mindedness.
Instead of thanking their lucky stars that such a shining example of positive Republican values has stepped forward to serve, members of the Guilford County Republican Party (who time after time after time insist on wrong choice after wrong choice) attack Bill Goebel.
It seems to me that they must object to all his virtues. What does that make them?
Joan S. Weiss
Greensboro
Fueled by fear
Difficult times call for deliberate action. When it comes to funding children’s education, action must be not only deliberate, but effective. This begs the question of why our legislators are proposing school voucher programs — yet again. In SB 406-HB 823 public dollars would be used for scholarships, really vouchers for private schools, identified as “nonpublic’ in the bills.
Anyone caring about the future must ask why this and why now? A backward glance to our unhappy past sheds light. It may be that parents and students are not running toward “quality education” but away from public schools.
Public education is not perfect. Challenges are enormous: closing racial gaps; feeding hungry students; making sure every student is served, whether they develop typically or with special needs.
Private schools are described as a positive alternative. They’ve been boosted by the school-choice movement, referenced in the bills’ motto: “Choose Your School, Choose Your Future.”
But is this really about choice? Or a more deeply rooted false, pernicious belief that excellence is found only in “whiter” schools?
This is a notion without research to back it up. In fact, there are no data to prove that outcomes are better in “nonpublic” schools. However, data aren’t driving discourse. Instead, divisive fears fuel the political debate. Fear will win the day if this legislation is enacted.
Privilege comes with responsibility, the adage says. Democracy is our privilege. We can do better than SB 406-HB 823. Tell legislators: Public dollars are for the public.
Robin Lane
Greensboro