U.S. aid to Hamas
The U.S. has threatened to cut all financial aid to the new, democratically elected Palestinian government because Hamas holds a majority position. Hamas has been labeled a terrorist organization for killing hundreds of Israeli civilians – but then why not attach a similar connotation to Israel’s IDF (Israel Defense Forces), which has killed thousands of Palestinian civilians, in order to allow Israel to maintain its occupation of Palestinian land?
Hamas has agreed to indefinitely honor its ongoing truce if Israel will return to its pre-1967 borders. If Hamas would agree to accept the existence of Israel at these borders and renounce violence, there could be a peace deal in the future. It appears Israel’s priority is its continued presence on Palestinian land, not a peace deal that would finally end the half-century of violence and bloodshed.
Greg Horak, Aurora
Teaching mathematics
As a retired math teacher with 30 years in public schools, I’ve read articles about high school graduates who need remedial math in college as very disturbing. I have taught grades 5-12 so I have some opinions.
Elementary teachers – bless them for being able to teach all subjects – sometimes don’t like to grind out the basics of math; it’s not exciting. Math is an “inverted pyramid” that starts at the bottom and works its way up. If the bottom isn’t solid, students, lacking the skills in multiplication and fractions, are doomed in higher-level classes, which can lead to failure or dropping out.
Possible solutions are 1) less use of calculators in the elementary and middle school levels; 2) revert back to the “grind-it-out” basics in elementary schools; and 3) administrators placing math-based teachers in the elementary schools primarily to teach nothing but math.
Paul M. Clary, Westminster
Brents settlement
Re: “Brents case costs Aurora; City settles with four of serial rapist’s victims for $60,000 each,” Jan. 31 news story.
It is true that the women who were raped by Brent J. Brents will spend their lifetimes in counseling and probably on numerous medicines. I only wish the attorneys for those women had demanded the court to order the city to also pay for these women’s medicines and counseling related to the rapes, for their lifetimes. Let’s look at estimated costs for one woman for 10 years:
The total costs for only 10 years, and not counting the costs of more than one medicine, are $122,628. I only hope these women can go on in their daily lives and that they have some really good medical insurance policies to help defray the costs.
Jeanne Marie Bushur Morris, Denver
Wandering cats
I heard on the news recently that someone is shooting cats in one of Denver’s suburbs and cat owners can’t possibly understand why. Perhaps it never occurred to them that their beasties really don’t have a divine right of defecation wherever they may wish.
Dog owners are required to clean up after their pets. Cat owners seem to have the strange idea that their neighbors should welcome the opportunity to provide litter services for their stinking critters.
House cats live longer, stay healthier, and don’t get shot at. So wise up, cat owners, and prevent problems for yourselves, your pets and your neighbors.
Nancy Camp, Denver
