Thank a teacher
Re: “Who’s to blame in death of starved boy?” May 11 Open Forum.
Two letter-writers want to spread the blame for the death of the malnourished 7-year-old, and well they should. The one government organization funded and designed to protect the health and welfare of children obviously failed.
We realize that sometimes the signs are hard to see. But the one person who was objective, operated outside the family circle, and saw the child on a regular basis as to his personal condition and behavior was his teacher.
We’ve learned that even as a modern, caring society, parents often fail in their parental responsibilities, and social services do what they can to provide authority that supersedes even parents. But they can’t act unless they get the information they need to investigate. Family, friends and neighbors are often too close to the parents, and might harbor a bias. But teachers are the one special group of observers who can provide not only objective oversight, but are educated and trained in noting health, behavior and parenting problems of their young students.
The majority of credible reports to social services come from teachers, when they notice physical and mental abuse while teaching and working with their young progeny day in and day out. This child’s teacher reported problems to authorities several times but those problems were apparently ignored. This teacher not only provided the education as required, but the oversight for the safety of the child the government didn’t, and was ignored.
So next time you see a bumper sticker that says, “If you can read this, thank a teacher,” you might want to also thank them for the special oversight they provide for all our children.
Keith Francis, Morrison
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In defense of congressional hate-crimes bill
Re: “Congress overdoes it on hate crimes – with no end in sight,” May 9 Al Knight column.
Contrary to Al Knight’s assertions, it is both appropriate and laudable that the House of Representatives passed a bill addressing hate crimes. Hate crimes send a message – to the individual victim and all who share the victim’s characteristics – that certain kinds of people are not safe or welcome in our midst. These crimes, designed to intimidate whole communities, have a unique impact and can spark widespread neighborhood conflicts damaging the fabric of our society. They merit a priority response from both local and federal law enforcement.
Under the proposed law, the vast majority of hate crimes will continue to be prosecuted locally. The passage of national legislation is nonetheless imperative. Indeed, the bill has been endorsed by every major law enforcement association in the country.
State hate crimes statutes (where they exist) vary widely in their breadth and impact. Victims who are protected in some states are unprotected in others. When state and local authorities cannot or will not address bias-motivated crimes as such, the federal government must have jurisdiction to step in and do so. Passage of this federal law will also encourage Americans to report hate crimes to law enforcement.
We applaud the efforts of the federal government to demonstrate its resolve to deal with violence based on prejudice.
Bruce H. DeBoskey, Regional Director, Mountain States Office, Anti-Defamation League, Denver
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Immigration numbers
In every story I see about illegal immigration, in either the print or electronic media, the estimated number of illegal immigrants in the U.S. is 12 million. Where does this number come from?
According to a recent news story, the Border Patrol has caught between 800,000 and 1 million people sneaking across the border in every year from 2000 to 2006. Using an average of 900,000 per year caught, that means if they catch 50 percent of the people trying to cross the border, we have added 6 million illegal immigrants since the beginning of 2000. I seriously doubt they catch half the border crashers. If they catch 25 percent, we have added 18 million illegals. I think 25 percent is a little high, don’t you? If you use a more believable 10 percent catch rate, we have added a whopping 56 million illegal immigrants in this century alone.
In light of these numbers, I think some enterprising investigative journalist should look into this 12 million estimate and get back to us. I doubt it will happen. If the American people knew the actual numbers involved, the immigration debate might take a different course.
Charlie Reynolds, Denver
