Letters to the editor: Horror in the Middle East, vouchers and more

Compassion, not bombs, beget peace.

Politicians must find quick solutions.

The disgraceful, unjust acts against humanity in the Holy Land have left many speechless. My heart aches for all the innocent lives unjustly taken from us in Palestine and Israel. I'm concerned that these events may lead to endless imbalanced and cruel reactive actions that, in turn, cause more harm to humanity.

As an Ahmadi Muslim American, I urge our politicians to actively find a quick and just solution to this conflict before more innocent lives come to harm or are lost. Politics moves slowly, so I suggest starting with a simple policy of Prophet Muhammad: no harm must come to women, children, the elderly, the sick, and valuable animals — especially in war. We must remember that compassion, not bombs, beget peace.

Let's pray that may God have mercy on us with His unfailing love and great compassion.

Hidayatullah Ahsan, Round Rock

As Hamas seeks to destroy Israel,

most people yearn for a just peace

As a staunch progressive who watches in horrified amazement as Republicans choose irrational ideology over facts, I am similarly appalled by Democrats who blame Israel for Hamas’ barbarism.

Pro-Palestinian marches after the recent massacre condone senseless murder. Far-right Israelis have been vindicated. Hamas sympathizers embolden those who say negotiating with the Palestinians is impossible; containment is the only solution.

Hamas wants to destroy Israel. Those who justify its actions equate the wishes of a terrorist organization with the goal of most Palestinians — and most Israelis — who yearn for a just peace.

Barbara Chiarello, Austin

Support groups searching for common

ground and peace in the Middle East

Injustice breeds indignation and instability, which invariably leads to insurrection. As such, it is no surprise to anyone who has been to Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories that a bloody Third Intifada has erupted. Israel's apartheid practices and repression of the Palestinians, especially since the formation of Israel's current far-right government last December, made another Palestinian uprising inevitable.

The horrendous taking of Jewish life is the futile and violent response of a beleaguered people who have lived under a suffocating blockade for decades.

Rather than provide more weapons to Israel, our government should support organizations like "Women Wage Peace" and "Alliance for Middle East Peace" who are helping Israeli Jews and Palestinian Arabs find common ground and hopefully achieve an eventual political solution to their longstanding territorial dispute.

George Aldridge, Austin

Leave the work of counseling in

schools to those who are qualified

Re: Oct. 8 commentary, 'Chaplains in schools: Bad for students, bad for democracy'

I'm in fervent agreement with the article "Chaplains in schools: Bad for students, bad for democracy."  Chaplains should not be playing counselors; it's out of their realm of expertise.  As the article states, leave mental health care services to those who are qualified. 

My concern is that chaplain counselors will be tempted to practice what they preach with vulnerable students through prayer, biblical references, use of religious terminology, promoting church attendance and more. Using a counseling session as a pulpit is a real possibility and that would be grossly unacceptable and unlawful in a public school.  Children might be confused and upset, especially those being raised in a secular household. 

With all due respect for chaplains, school counselors are in a better position to help at-risk kids. Mental health counseling is outside the purview of chaplains and should not be considered as a viable option in our public schools.

Valerie Goranson, Round Rock

Expanding private schools would raise

questions about pay and retirement

No one has discussed this topic but what would happen if a widespread School Choice Bill passed? If private schools expanded, more teachers would be employed by them as public schools might downsize.

Private schools, unlike charter schools, are not accountable to the public. They can spend their money on whatever. They also are allowed to discriminate and pick and choose their students. This does not serve the public good if they use our tax dollars.

Private schools can underpay their teachers or pay them well. It's up to them. Private school teachers are not in the state teachers retirement system. How will this affect contributions to the Teacher Retirement System which will decrease?  How will this affect public teacher and private teacher retirement?  The Legislature should give this all more thought.

Joanne Brininstool, Austin

For 1 in 5 kids living with hunger,

school meals fuel health and success

The school year is in full swing, meaning bustling hallways and classrooms full of students. For many kids, it also means the return of an important source of nutrition: school meals.

National School Lunch Week, October 9-13, is an opportunity to highlight the importance of school meals – convenient, reliable, and the healthiest food of the day for many kids.

School meals are a lifeline for the 1 in 5 kids in Texas living with hunger, helping nourish their bodies and minds – fueling them for academic success and good health. For parents struggling to make ends meet amidst high food costs, school meals help stretch their monthly budgets to cover necessities.

It’s not too late, check with your school district to see if you may be eligible to receive them for a reduced price or at no cost, and fill out the form to apply.

Mia Medina, No Kid Hungry Texas Senior Program Manager, Austin

Statesman photographer is an artist;

His spectacular shot made my day.

Re: October 4 article and photos: 'Look at all the pets at the Blessing of the Animals' 

I have been enjoying Jay Janner’s photography in the American-Statesman for many years. He is a talented artist with his camera, and I almost always have one of his pictures stuck on my bulletin board. But Sunday’s picture in the piece about the service for blessing animals was over the top.

Sometimes spectacular pictures come from just being in the right place at the right time, or call it luck, or divine intervention or whatever. The shot of the dog peeing on the hem of the clergyman’s vestments really made my day. That should get Janner an award among newspaper photographers.

Mary E. Milam, Austin

Allred would fill a void for young,

working Texans and Texans of color

I firmly believe that young Texans are lacking a voice in the U.S. Senate.

On the issues we care most about – health care access, affordable education, climate change, gun violence, and more – we have a senator in Ted Cruz who refuses to do anything helpful. Instead, he spends all his time acting as a pundit, only talking to the farthest-right fringes around the country on his podcast or cable news.

Last month, I endorsed Colin Allred for Senate. Not only do I know and respect Colin as a fellow young Texas leader, I also know he has what it takes to defeat Ted Cruz.

When he’s in the Senate, he’s going to work across the aisle to bring home real, meaningful wins for working Texans and Texans of color. I hope you’ll join me in working to make that future a reality.

Zohaib Qadri, Austin City Council member

We can't let the governor destroy

public education for school vouchers

Greg Abbott will not take no as an answer for school vouchers although it has been turned down by the legislature. I am against my tax money going to religious and private schools, especially when teachers pay and the state pension plan were not given any of the money from the huge surplus the state has.

How much do these extended legislative sessions cost the taxpayers? If Greg Abbott is so dead set on this, he could use some of the donation money he gets to set up scholarships. We cannot let him kill public education in Texas. The United States has always had high literacy rates and this is because of historically good public k-12 education.

Michele Missner, Austin

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