I continue to be disturbed by the talk of lowering the grade scale in the public schools. While I have no kids, I see and continue to see kids who have graduated, apparently with acceptable passing grades, who have no concept of spelling and grammar, can’t seem to read, can’t do basic math (they can’t even make change!) or know basic history.

What’s worse, they don’t seem to care. Nearly as disturbing is the number of dropouts who have gotten their GED. Many of them appear even less educated than high school graduates, although the GED is considered equivalent to a high school diploma. They don’t seem to care either, but they have “that piece of paper.” Lowering the grading standard is not the answer.

Frank May

Vicksburg

The last honest election?

The Vicksburg Post must enjoy having its commentary written by people who not only have a viewpoint, but also a dedication to eschewing the facts to an unbelievable degree. Cynthia Tucker of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has run roughshod over facts on a regular basis.

How, under any circumstance, she can call the Rev. Jeremiah Wright a patriot just because he wore this land’s uniform and the country betrayed him. If her view holds up, we would be required to immediately rehabilitate the reputations of Benedict Arnold and Jim Wilkinson as both of them were generals in our service. 

This month, Ms. Tucker has raced to the defense of the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN — in reality an arm of the Democratic Party) and its spreading cancer on the Republic with two columns blaming the opposition of vote suppression. I confess, yes I want, no I demand the suppression of the voter rights of Mik E. Mouse, Don L. Duck, the Ohio man registered 75 times and anyone registered at what has been labeled the “Vote Fraud House” in Ohio along with over 1 million others who are obviously fraudulent.

Should Ms. Tucker’s darlings at ACORN succeed in getting a permanent place feeding at the federal trough as was attempted in the $850 billion financial sector bailout (and likely to happen within six months), this election is very likely to be the last honest election of the Republic and that will suit Ms. Tucker just fine.

James F. Wind

Vicksburg

Wright’s perspective is valid

“What we have here is a failure to communicate.” I am convinced that knowledge of the African-American experience is just as essential for whites and other Americans as it is for blacks.

There is no correcting the accusations hurled against Sen. Obama for some Americans — they need them. Bill Ayers, Tony Rezko and the electoral histrionics of the Republican Party concerning ACORN are for the future historians to unravel.

Smoke screens aside, we should discuss what really concern some Americans, the Jeremiah Wright. Wright committed the unpardonable sin of mentioning some bills of particulars from several centuries of white supremacy.

Fox News drew tidbits from several sermons of Rev. Wright, the other media joined in without letting America listen to the entire sermons. They made Wright an angry black man, anti-white, and anti-American.

Wright did not say that the 9/11 attacks were justified or that America got what it deserved. He said the attacks were predictable. That is the meaning of the statement “chickens coming home to roost.” It does not mean that you are giving thanks for the return of the poultry. He noted that the attack was not unprecedented. He is right. It is a long-standing theological notion “that what goes around, comes around.”

In statements inarguable among sane people, Wright noted that America killed far more innocent civilians in Hiroshima and Nagasaki than were killed on 9/11 and we never batted an eye. He is correct on the math and on the innocence of the dead. Read President Truman’s declassified documents clarifying that neither of the cities were military targets and the dropping of the bombs was not needed to end the war to “save American lives.”

In his explicit three-word statement referencing God and America, Wright was suggesting that blacks owe little moral allegiance to a nation that has treated them for so long as animals, undeserving of dignity and respect. His reference was more about what God will do to such a nation than it was about what should or shouldn’t happen. In fact, the statement, if anything, was a demand that America earn the respect of black people, something the evidence and history suggests it has yet to do.

Thelma Sims Dukes

Clinton

Secession is criminal, too

When I read Sunday’s letter from Tommy Hutto, I wondered if he was aware of the fact that Sarah Palin’s husband was an active member of the Alaska Independence Party as late as 2004 and Ms. Palin spoke of her support of the party’s ideas and goals. As many people know, the expressed desire to take actions to secede from the United States could be considered to be a high crime.

That means that Ms. Palin and Sen. McCain should not be able to get the security clearances required to serve as president and vice president. Mr. Hutto may want to raise this issue with the governor and the senator.

Remember that Sen. Barack Obama was 8 years old at the time of Mr. Ayers’ actions; Ms. Palin is closer to 50 than she is to 8 and Sen. McCain is closer to 100.

Oh, never mind. They are Republicans, so the U.S. Constitution does not apply to them.

Rudy Smith

Vicksburg