How to minimize ‘fright factor’
Kurk Kirby, the Vancouver man cited for the unlawful carrying of a weapon, isn’t responsible for others’ paranoia. I’d be watching the furtive-looking man hunched over in the corner of the mall wearing his sunglasses and hood pulled over his ball cap, not the man openly carrying a gun. If more people chose to open-carry, the “fright factor” would be kept to a minimum.
In the April 15 story, “Heat builds on both sides of open-carry gun debate,” I disagree with Heidi Yewman, who would only like to see police officers open-carry. Just because a person is in law enforcement doesn’t mean he or she is stable (officers pull guns on unarmed people). Yewman mentions Columbine. If at least one teacher had a gun, injuries and deaths could have been kept to a minimum. She does not feel safe in Starbucks when people with guns sit next to her. Bare feet and puppies in Starbucks are unsanitary, guns are not. What about people with conceal-carry permits? They sit beside her, are in grocery stores next to her in line, and she doesn’t even know it. Does she feel unsafe then?
People who open-carry and conceal-carry are some of the most law-abiding residents in Washington. These people do not intend to do harm.
Liz Elfring
Yacolt
Correcting vocabulary statistics
The April 18 Columbian contained two stories addressing the relationship between poverty and school achievement. However, the statistics cited are at variance. In the story, “Tennessee project strives to improve kids’ vocabulary,” we are told that vocabulary size for more affluent kindergarten children is at least three times that of children of poverty. Vancouver Superintendent Steven Webb’s opinion column, “Poverty-affected schools deserve support,” gives a difference of six to seven times (3,000 words vs. 20,000.)
This discrepancy may be due to the way “word” was defined. Major researchers in this field (I.S.P. Nation, Paul Meara, Scott Thornbury) have estimated the vocabulary of a typical 5-year-old to be 5,000 keywords in the native language. A keyword is the basic dictionary entry: swim is one keyword that includes its various forms such as swimming, swimmer, swam. Twenty-thousand keywords is the estimated size of an educated adult vocabulary in the native tongue. Rarely do learners of a foreign language get beyond 2,000 keywords in a foreign language.
Both the Tennessee project and Webb are correct in stating the need to boost vocabulary in children of poverty. Let us be sure to include English Language Learners in that equation, as their vocabulary size is even smaller.
Claire Smith
Vancouver
Age discrimination goes under radar
With so much talk about racial discrimination that seems to still plague our nation, age discrimination seems to have taken a back seat. I am in my early 70s and worked for a senior facility as a commercial driver for the residents for shopping, appointments, road trips, etc. I thought of myself as a model employee: no driving infractions, never late, enjoyed the interactions with the residents and was complimented on my driving skills by many. I felt very confident with my job and, to my surprise, or should I say shock, I was terminated with no explanation.
I was replaced, to the best of my knowledge, with a 40-something with no commercial license and no bus driving experience. It seems that age discrimination, much like racial discrimination has not been eradicated. It’s elusive and hard to prove, but it’s out there.
James L. Tyrrell
Vancouver
Be active in governing our nation
If we want to return the government to its role as provided for in the Constitution, then it’s necessary that we become the “people” for whom the Constitution was written. This Republican form of government was designed for a moral citizenry that’s able to govern themselves. It was a citizen’s responsibility to be an active participant in the governance. Power resides with the people and they chose to relinquish certain powers to the states and the federal government.
This is a far cry from the state of citizenship today. While we look to improve the quality and character of those who represent us, we must also look to improve the character, morality, and independent thought that is within each of us. As we begin this election season with a desire to return to traditional American values, we must ask ourselves questions, as well as those who are running for office. What have I done for my community? Have I joined others to seek solutions rather than looking to the impersonal institution of “government” to solve problems.
As our nation experiences problems and faces challenges ahead, my hope is that each of us recognizes our inherent nature and stands tall to become that which we are meant to be.
Lynn Costello
Vancouver
Obama ill-equipped to lead
Even saying his name makes me gag. It is time to label him for what he is — a socialist bent on destroying our government and our capitalistic society. He doesn’t have the smarts to know how to run a business, much less a whole country.
The people he has duped into thinking he is some kind of messiah are utterly ridiculous.
I hope to God that we can throw him out of office before he does irreparable damage. If you think times are bad now, wait until all his “remedies” come to pass. You will be in for a rude awakening.
I think all of the Obama lovers will rethink their thinking.
Jim F. Ermis
Washougal
Praise the RN
As an aged iron lung polio survivor on a ventilator, I have been in and out of Southwest Washington Medical Center quite a few times. I have good outcomes. Even our Washington, D.C., politicians understand that term. This time it took an abdominal surgical procedure to patch me up. A desperate measure.
I saw energetic, young registered nurses who are mostly Clark College graduates, and about as many men as women. To get through the two-year course, they need to be smart and disciplined. I was on Firstenburg Tower fourth and fifth floors. There, they do 12-hour shifts and don’t sag very much, even after 10 hours.
Some invasive procedures are done better by seasoned nurses and respiratory therapists than doctors. We don’t need a doctor to start a difficult IV or insert a tracheostomy tube. The Firstenburg Towers fourth and fifth floors are fast-paced and not for all RNs, but at least good experience for new nurses.
When the paramedics took me home, the two young male RNs that had taken good care of me stood at the door at attention bidding me goodbye. I felt like somebody.
Jerry Daniel
Vancouver
