Readers write: Letters to the editor, October 12, 2017

The underlying issues
in our current events

Here are my observations about what underlies current events:
Those who insist on violence to address human problems are mad-dog cowards.
Believing that U.S. big media and our government are honest enslaves you.
Effective gun control is by community coercion — not by imperfect law enforcement.

Government is as sensible as the lowest strata of the society it governs.
Humans, motivated or pacified by information not personally verified, create hell on Earth.

None of mankind's institutions have ever solved our
biggest enemy — human
irrationality.

Civilization's institutions (government, religion, education, etc.) all fail by hiding their imperfections.

—Stuart Thompson
Wasilla

Taking cues from Trump

I read where North Korea is emulating some of President Trump's leadership skills as, apparently, Kim Jong Un has promoted his younger sister to a top government position.

— Ken Flynn
Anchorage

DeVos is on the right track
with education changes

It's not all about all the children, just theirs.

The question I have is that if it is about the children, then why is it the Anchorage School District, the teachers union, and left-leaning politicians come unhinged at the thought of caring and responsible parents having the freedom to choose a learning environment and education that is best for their children?

Secretary DeVos supports a plan that will put an end to the lottery system and will give all parents an equal ability to access an education program that is equal to or better than their neighborhood public school; there are no winners and losers, only winners.

Our public school system can not and will not solve the social problems it is facing; it's time to separate the two.

Fifty-plus years ago there wouldn't have been a good argument in support of vouchers, but that's not the case today.

— Clinton Hodges
Anchorage

Big mistake with Cole

Big mistake — Dermot Cole leaving the Dispatch. BIG MISTAKE!

— Hal Rohlman
Sterling

A reminder about the power
of family interactions

Wednesday morning's nature/hunting story gave me an unexpected reminder about the consequences of family interactions. While Ms. Cunningham wrote about duck decoys, she noted the comfort children absorb when hearing their elders speaking to one another around the dinner table. That struck a responsive chord with me, remembering my own feelings hearing my mother and aunts conversing over dessert and coffee while the men and children migrated to outdoor chores to help Grandma's winter preparations.

Now in the grandparent role, I'll value a little more of that time around the table with the women adults, hoping that a child hears that "general sound that all is well" as so elegantly described by Ms. Cunningham.

— Becky Faunce
Anchorage

The views expressed here are the writers' own and are not necessarily endorsed by Alaska Dispatch News, which welcomes a broad range of viewpoints. To submit a letter under 200 words for consideration, email letters@alaskadispatch.com, or click here to submit via any web browser. Submitting a letter to the editor constitutes granting permission for it to be edited for clarity, accuracy and brevity. Send longer works of opinion to commentary@alaskadispatch.com.