I’m tired of waiting for Durham and Orange counties to lift their mask mandates

No more masks

Regarding “Wake County, Raleigh to lift mask mandate. Durham and Orange keeping it for now,” (Feb. 23):

I am not happy the mask mandate is remaining in place for Durham and Orange counties. We have done everything that was asked and required of us during the pandemic, however, I believe enough is enough.

COVID cases are way down mostly everywhere in the country. It is about time for Durham and Orange counties to join most other parts of the state and do away with these mask mandates.

Two good things to note: Wake and Alamance counties are a stone’s throw away — and masks are not needed for Netflix!

Stuart Greenberg, Chapel Hill

Mark Robinson

Regarding “Lt. Gov. Robinson decries lack of discipline in NC schools,” (Feb. 23):

The writer is a retired public school educator.

Disruptive students need to be treated with wisdom, compassion and expertise by school staff. Their behavior limits their ability to learn, which sets them up for failure later in life.

Teachers and staff, as well as emotionally disturbed students, need the support of counselors, therapists, family social workers, and possibly a temporary alternative learning environment. We should be quite wary of increased involvement of “security” personnel.

It is a betrayal of the mission of our public schools to allow disruptive behavior to obstruct education. It robs students of all races and backgrounds of the opportunity to learn, subjecting them and their teachers to trauma in the classroom.

I applaud Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson for his courage in bringing up this issue and withstanding the suggestion of racism leveled against him for doing so. Action must be taken; there is no quick fix.

Barbara Manson, Durham

The greenway

The newly released Capital Area Greenway update promises for local walkers and cyclists the visual counterpart of the Blue Ridge Parkway for motorists.

Unfortunately, with each passing day the greenway’s sheltering seclusion faces death by a thousand cuts.

Bit by bit, as intrusive interruptions continue and grow, walking and cycling on the greenway becomes a tour of urban development, offering only momentary spots and segments of green.

The remedy is first to inventory greenway edges, vistas and “viewsheds” to see what we’ve got, what needs healing now, and what may be at risk.

Then, begin a collaborative and reciprocal process to mitigate existing and future incursions with designs and standards that will keep the greenway green.

Douglas A. Johnston, Raleigh

Sports betting

The Feb. 23 NC Voices op-ed by the Rev. Mark Creech and John Rustin is the most realistic treatment of state sanctioned gambling I have seen. Old men like me have pontificated over the decline of civilization since there has been civilization. The present state of our culture, however, seems particularly precarious. Gambling, particularly state sanctioned, is the promotion of the “something for nothing” ethos over the commitment to a work ethic that is the bedrock of any successful society. And, “everybody is already doing it” is the last defense for all of our worst impulses.

J. Randal Hunter, New Bern

Ukraine

So the best NATO and other democratic countries can do is sanction Putin and his friends? Clearly he knew that was coming and didn’t care. The attack on the Ukraine is only the first step on Putin’s desire to rebuild the old Soviet Union. The west’s failure to respond militarily will only embolden Putin and encourage China’s approach to Taiwan and North Korea’s towards South Korea. Had the world’s democracies stopped Hitler in Poland, WWII would have been short-lived. Our reticence to act now could lead to WWIII in the future.

Robert D. Brown, Cary

Putin’s greed

While teaching English as a second language in the Czech Republic several years ago, I had a student I shall never forget. He owned a butcher shop near my home base of Litomerice.

While sharing a lesson by a window in his shop that overlooked the cobblestone street, he shared a moment from his past with tear-filled eyes. He recalled looking from that window years earlier and seeing the turret of a Russian tank pointed directly at his and adjoining shops. Russian tanks were in his streets by the orders of Vladimir Putin.

President Biden must put into place the strongest sanctions possible. Otherwise, Putin’s greed to destroy more democratic systems of government will only expand.

Edward Walsh, Princeton, NC

Book bans

Regarding “Iran’s book bans should be a warning for US,” (Feb. 18 Opinion):

Azar Nafisi’s sobering commentary on the implications of book bans in the U.S. should be a must-read for all regardless of one’s position on the issue. It should be hard to believe that such bans are taking place across our country, but it is becoming easier to believe as book banning efforts multiply. As Nafisi warns, based on his Iranian experiences, “...I can tell you; Book bans are canaries in coal mines — indicators of the direction in which society is moving.”

That is not hyperbole. It is a disturbing fact that should give pause to us all.

Patrick Sweeney, Raleigh

This story was originally published February 25, 2022 at 11:50 AM with the headline "I’m tired of waiting for Durham and Orange counties to lift their mask mandates."