Open Forum

The Feb. 5 Open Forum article "Videotaping schools" was no surprise because we all know what dirty tricks this school board is capable of. Board member Lew Hudson's motto is "what we do we do for the kids." Yes, Lew! Staging the classrooms with extra kids to make them look overcrowded at Washington Middle School, Franklin Middle School and Baxter Elementary is teaching kids -- "teaching them to cheat and lie." But I guess that's OK because it's for promoting the referendum. Dishonesty for a purpose is OK but don't tell your parents. Let's see, when did board member Jan Moran's four more years of excellence end?

A school fact sheet Nov. 4, 1997 states, "The great benefit with Mississippi Horizons is the space it finally gives us at Washington and Franklin. There were over 1100 students in each building. Now after taking 300 students out of each building we have three buildings for our middle school and junior high age youngsters that are not overcrowded." (Fact) The '97-'98 school year had more District 181 students than 2001-2002 school year, 7367 in '97 and 7359 in 2001. Yet they keep saying we are so overcrowded at 19-25 students per room, down from over 30 in '94. We must postpone this referendum so everyone will have a chance to vote next November. The next meetings for "People for postponement of the March 12 referendum" will be at the Brainerd Public Library, Saturday, Feb. 16 at 2 p.m. and Saturday, Feb. 23 at 5:30 p.m. See you there.

Marv Begin

Fort Ripley

Bush's speech

On Feb. 12, 1943, a few days after the battle for Guadalcanal was won, and a year and four months before British and American troops landed in France, President Roosevelt spoke to the White House Correspondents Association.

"Unless the peace that follows recognizes that the whole world is one neighborhood and does justice to the whole human race, the germ of another world war will remain as a constant threat to mankind."

On January 29, 2002 I listened to the George W. Bush State of the Nation speech, I may as well have been listening to Ariel Sharon, or Saddam Hussein. I heard "my leadership," "American security," "our faith," "the evil foes," "the Evil Axis," "My bipartisanship," etc.. Then his ratings came out, and I find over 80 percent of the Americans are fools.

Dennis G. Gordon

Nisswa

Groundhog Day

Vice President Dick "Oil boy" Cheney came out of his bunker on Feb. 2. He saw his shadow. This means we will have six more years of war.

A. Martin

Merrifield

Blind-sided

I am writing to urge all voters eligible to vote in the March District 181 school bond referendum not to be blind-sided by what seems to be the Baxter school board. If you vote "yes," you will be voting to close Brainerd's local neighborhood schools in favor of letting the children get lost in a large Baxter middle school. Our school board has gone against the Brainerd City Council's comprehensive school plans, choosing to go with one big school rather than our current neighborhood schools. I will agree that our schools need some work, but this referendum is going to close them to the children permanently. Do we really want to start busing the children rather than let them walk to their school? Do we really want one big Minneapolis-like middle school in Baxter? Don't be blind-sided in March. Please vote "no" until the referendum will really benefit the children.

Teresa Sarff

Brainerd