OpinionSeptember 20, 1999
SPEAKOUT
I ATTENDED the Jackson School Board Meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 14 and must admit that I was impressed with the turnout of parents, faculty, and students of this fine community. I have known the victim's family all my life. The young man who was victimized has a reputation in the community as being a very well mannered, clean-cut, individual. ...
Will will we show forgiveness?
I ATTENDED the Jackson School Board Meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 14 and must admit that I was impressed with the turnout of parents, faculty, and students of this fine community. I have known the victim's family all my life. The young man who was victimized has a reputation in the community as being a very well mannered, clean-cut, individual. I would agree. The situation that occurred was a horrible act to say the least. There were several individuals at the meeting who condemned the school and the community because of the lack of action. I agree that the action of the investigation into the showing of the video on school property is dragging and must be concluded before other important facts are lost or misplaced by non-truths. I'm a proud member of the Jackson community but must wonder when will we forgive these boys? They have already been sentenced for their acts and have or are paying for their actions. Their families are also paying. I would venture a guess that they will never forget or repeat this type of action. On a positive note last night, I was proud of the young lady who stood up and expressed her views to a crowd that largely opposed her. I have never seen this senior girl before, and I did not agree with many of the things she said. But I commend her for having the courage to stand up for her views. She spoke very professionally and conducted herself in a very respectful manner. She would not acknowledge hecklers and would not enter into a mud-slinging contest. Many of the adults who thought it was OK to heckle her and the board members should note this commendable action.
Parents have suffered too
I JUST want to tell you I know several of the boys and parents that participated in the Jackson incident and I think it's very unfair that people are calling in and saying they are not responsible. They have suffered over this situation since the day it happened. There have been many, many tears and heartbreaks over this situation. I also know the boy, the victim and his family, and it's time for it to rest. Everybody has suffered, and no one is taking this lightly. It has been taken to heart, and there have been lots of prayers said for both the victim and the children who participated in the event.
It's time everybody knew
I'M GLAD somebody has finally spoken out on what things are going on in Jackson. I think it's time that they need to be told, and it's been covered up for too many years.
Coach can set the standards
THE HAZING incident in Jackson will be a test of character for the Jackson High School football coach. Although it may be that the school board is prevented from taking action due to some complex, legal ramifications, there is nothing to prevent the coach of the football team from taking action on his own. Will the coach do the morally right thing and set a good example for the kids, or will he cop out for the good of the victories?
School can't solve all problems
THIS IS in response to the article about what happened over in Jackson. It's no surprise again that the school is taking the blunt of a lot of the blame. This is crazy, yet again. The school is a scapegoat. All of the responsibility goes to children who did this and mainly the parents. The school cannot solve all the problems. This was done during non-school hours on non-school grounds, and the parents should be held responsible, not the schools. It's getting old, the schools taking all the blame.
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Don't blame all for a few
I JUST finished reading one Speak Out section in Tuesday's paper, and it amazes how so many seemingly intelligent people can jump to so many stupid conclusions so fast and so ill informed, most of them by reading one article ready to shun the town and condemn us all. They said things like "I always thought Jackson held higher ideals that this" and "These youth in Jackson are so neglected" and "What happened to these hometown values they're always bragging about?" Oh, and let's not forget "Any responsible person would boycott the football games." Well, where do I start? First of all, Jackson youths are not neglected. Even some of the boys who did this have loving parents. A few I know personally, and some of the parents have apologized to the Venables for their sons' actions. Also, the Venables are longtime family friends of ours, but being a teen-ager I also know a lot of the football players. The torture those seven boys put the Venable boy through is incomprehensible, and they should be punished and kicked off the team but the other 50 players on that team work themselves to death and deserve to be supported. It isn't right or fair to give up on the whole team because of a few players actions. Just like it isn't fair to judge a town by the morals of a few citizens. It upsets me that people were so quick to generalize all Jackson youth, Jackson values and how could the people of Jackson let this happen. Everyone in Jackson is outraged as much as people everywhere about what happened, and no one I know would ever dream of ever doing anything like this to anyone. The blame here goes to the perpetrators and their parents, not Jacksonians in general. And let's not forget about the politics in this. The people in power that are trying to cover it up and act like it never happened. What's new there?
Don't keep the old bridge
I'M CALLING about the barge-bridge combination suggested in Laura Johnston's column. I really don't want to see two bridges from out of my window. I'd prefer to see only one. I don't think if we're spending all this money for a new bridge that we need to spend more money repairing the old bridge. My vote is to tear it down so that we have one nice bridge to look at and we have our Mississippi River scenery back.
It was much more than a prank
IF A MAN who pulled another man behind a truck had only pulled him but didn't kill him, would it have been a prank? According to my dictionary, a prank is a mischievous or frolicsome act. But what the young man in Jackson endured was hardly a prank. Psychological trauma from such an incident can last a lifetime.
Poor control of parade traffic
THIS IS in reference to the fair parade. In the last two years, the traffic has normally been routed from Marsha Kay and Kingshighway. The policeman this year let the traffic come out on the parade right at Mary Louise Lane and Kingshighway as the parade goes into the park. He was letting the traffic out on the kids who were standing out there trying to catch candy. Also, a police sergeant went speeding down there, and there were kids running back and forth across the street. That did not look good. We tried to get his attention on several occasions, but we couldn't so two other ladies approached him about it, and he said there would be an accident if he didn't allow the traffic to come out onto Kingshighway as he was doing. I have sat in that same spot for the last two years, and that traffic was not let out like it was this year. I don't think it was very fair, and it was disappointing. There were senior citizens nearby, and they were a little disgusted at the situation themselves. If you have a job to do, be civil and respectful to everybody, not just to a few. It really looked bad when the police chief himself went speeding down there. I hope next year this situation won't be repeated, because there were many children who could have gotten hurt.
Saving bridge isn't far-fetched idea
YOUR ESTEEMED editor recently took credit for instigating the mayor's movement to preserve a portion of the old Mississippi River bridge. Perhaps he is responsible for his honor the mayor's formally proposing to do so, but the idea is not all that original. It also occurred to me, and when I mentioned it to friends I encountered quite a few other people who had the same idea. Evidently, many people don't think the idea is all that far-fetched. It would provide a totally different view of the river. A person would actually be out, above the river, far different from simply sitting on the bank on the other side of the floodwall. Plus, the view from the seminary is marred by an industrial facility. It is not all that scenic. Has anyone around here been to the East Coast or West Coast? The piers on both coasts are popular recreational facilities. We're the only inland cape in the United States. Why can't we have our own version of a pier? Light it at night along with the new bridge. It would be a great place for jazz and pop concerts and exhibits of local artists and craftsmen. It couldn't cost that much to maintain the surface. The traffic would be mostly limited to foot traffic. There are hundreds of ways for a person intent on committing suicide to do so. The suicide issue is a bunch of hogwash. Also, the river view isn't the private domain of a few people. Its potential recreational uses are limited only by one's imagination. Mr. Sullivan could tee off from the end of our new river pier for a hole on the front lawn of old St. Vincent's Church. What a magnificent water hazard.
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