Letters to the Editor: Readers respond to Burlison letter, Mohammadkhani joining RNC

Burlison's letter smears public education

Having worked in both public and private education over a period of 40-plus years, I would like to comment on the piece by Eric Burlison in the April 28 Opinion section, titled "It’s time to expand education freedom and choice in Missouri." Many of his statements were false and negative without any supporting evidence. For example, "Lots of families are stuck in failing government schools where their children are too often indoctrinated with woke ideology."

I choose a more positive and realistic approach. Parents are in charge of the school via their vote for school board members. They are in charge of their children they send to school. Yet, teachers still have to teach them how to line up, how to use the bathroom, be kind to each other and sit quietly. Then they can begin teaching.

Public education systems serve diverse populations with varying needs, backgrounds, and resources. Criticizing without understanding these complexities can oversimplify issues.

Many educators work tirelessly with limited resources to provide quality education. Criticizing them without acknowledging their efforts can be demoralizing.

While it is important to identify areas for improvement, framing critiques constructively and engaging in collaborative efforts for positive change can and does lead to more effective outcomes in public education.

Sue Rollins, Springfield

Message of student protesters has been twisted

I admire the students that are protesting to end war. During the Vietnam era amid widespread student dissent, Harry Kalven (1967), in a report at the University of Chicago, wrote that campuses should cherish a diversity of opinions. Should that cherishing include every opinion is a matter for debate.

Just as it happened in the '60s, I see the original message from the students at Columbia being twisted, possibly somewhat their fault. They initially were arguing for divestiture, some radicals joined the movement as pro-Palestinian or anti-Israeli. Soon those polarizing voices became loudest and the loudest 20% claim to be speaking for the other 80%. I agree with divestiture but there is a separation between campus and State just as there is separation between church and State. Pastors don't shy away from politics. It's a social phenomenon that leaders in all industries get seduced by these trappings. Stopping WAR by disabling the Johnson military industrial complex does not mean you're anti- or pro- any one side or the other. This is an existential struggle.

So what happened? The media. Media outlets employ thousands of correspondents that need the next hot lead. Media outlets have to sell advertising, too, and to sell more ads, they have to attract more viewers/readers. Sensationalizing stories through the polarization of audiences is something the media has learned from leaders at the very highest level in our country.

The students came forward with humanitarianism at heart, not a geo-political debate in mind. Studying people of the world unite!

Dr. Gregory W. Dlabach, Strafford

Criticism of Israel is not antisemitism

Antisemitism has long existed in the United States, but whether it is increasing or not is hardly proven by the anecdotes in Leora Arnowitz and David Oliver's article "Rise of Antisemitism." What has definitely increased is criticism of Israel and Zionism, especially among younger Jews.

Equating anti-Zionism with antisemitism is absurd. The criticism of the Zionist project began among Jews themselves at Zionism's inception in the late 19th century and continued through the 20th. Certain Orthodox Jews have always denounced it, as have secular Jews such as Victor Klemperer in his Holocaust diary "I Will Bear Witness," the Holocaust survivor Dr. Gabor Mate, and even Albert Einstein who called future Israeli prime minister Menachem Begin a "terrorist," among others.

The pro-Palestinian protestors today who are attacked by police (sometimes using tactics worthy of Nazis) include many Jews. After Israel began its genocidal campaign of indiscriminate bombing and outright murders of civilians, attention has finally focused on the Zionist state's decades-long policy of apartheid against Palestinians both in Gaza and the West Bank. Those policies long predate the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas. In fact, that uprising was the logical result of extreme repression which had turned Gaza into an open-air prison.

It is unfortunate that pro-Israel lobbying groups have managed to convince most of Congress that any condemnation of Israel will tar them as "antisemitic." As a result, the United States finds itself among a small group of nations which not only refuses to condemn Israeli crimes, but which continues to aid in the commission of those crimes. It is up to our media to set the record straight, but given the very biased coverage so far, I am not hopeful.

Tom Kara, Norwood

Keep U.S.-made pesticide available to MO farmers

Farmers in Missouri depend on a steady supply of glyphosate, a critical component of modern agriculture. Glyphosate controls harmful weeds and saves millions of tons of valuable topsoil because of its essential contribution to conservation practices. Not only that, glyphosate also helps keep consumer food prices low.

Passing HB 2763 this legislative session will keep liberal trial lawyers from bankrupting producers of essential herbicides like glyphosate. Farmers must have the American-made products they need to supply families with fresh, healthy food. Costly, frivolous litigation is a threat to our safe and locally produced food supply.

Without this legislation, Missouri farmers will be forced to rely on China, which is the only other producer of glyphosate, making our nation’s food security wholly dependent on a rival that doesn’t share our values. We’ve outsourced manufacturing and let China dominate for decades. Is our food supply next? Having to import a product that is used on 66% of corn and 91% of soybean acres in Missouri will significantly drive-up costs for farmers and consumers.

This bill protects our principles of individual liberty and economic freedom by supporting farmers and equipping U.S. agriculture to thrive in an increasingly competitive global market.

I urge our State Senators to support this crucial bill. With the session ending soon, we must quickly protect our rural communities from being hollowed out by liberal lawyers assisting Chinese communists.

Blake Hurst, former president of the Missouri Farm Bureau

Here's an idea for future Springfield sales tax

The 3/4-cent sales tax for Springfield is expiring. Originally approved in 2009 to bail out the Police and Firefighters Pension Fund, the tax has served its purpose (mostly) and is no longer needed. So, what should we do? Sure, we could just let it expire, and save everyone money, but what fun is that?

I like Police Chief Williams' idea, which is to build a racetrack for police and city employees to practice high speed driving and other safety training. It should only cost $5-6 million, plus the cost of the land. In fact, if they put in seating and concession stands, maybe painted some numbers on the vehicles, I'm pretty sure people would pay good money to watch the training exercises, and it could actually be profitable!

Bob Grand, Springfield

Mohammadkhani appointment to RNC is a red flag

There is plenty to be concerned about in the news that controversial Springfield school board member Maryam Mohammadkhani is going to represent Missouri Republicans as a member of the Republican National Committee. She is relatively new to the political scene and, by her own admission, uninformed. Still, she sings the same old, tiresome song about making America great again and protecting children from a nonexistent socialist agenda.

Most concerning, to me, is the company she keeps. Her school board race endorsements included ultra-conservative organizations like Back on Track America PAC and Christians Uniting for Political Change. I don’t know what the Springfield National Education Association was thinking when it decided to back Mohannadkhani.

Worse, her RNC nomination was engineered by Freedom Principle MO, one of public education’s worst enemies. The platform excerpts related to education in the May 6 News-Leader article are hair-raising. Vouchers, vouchers, vouchers.

Here’s the thing: vouchers are a cover term for robbing public funds to secure funding for unregulated private schools. They are a scam. Proponents want to use public money to build a reactionary, conservative wall around children whose families believe “all” means everyone but themselves.

If you believe every child deserves a high-quality education paid for by a caring public, please vote for Democratic candidates up and down the ballot in November.

Donelle Blubaugh, Springfield

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Letters to the Editor: Readers wary when politicians and education mix