READERS

Readers: Grieving for attacks on places of worship

Letters to the editor
Editorial cartoon

Grieving for attacks on places of worship

Delaware Churches for Middle East Peace is in solidarity with the Muslim community of Delaware in this time of horror and grief brought about by the terror attack on the mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand.  

At least forty-nine people were murdered as they gathered in prayer and worship. The white supremacist who took their lives targeted them because they were Muslim immigrants.

We have once again experienced the slaughter of men, women and children congregating in places of worship. A church in Charleston, South Carolina, a synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and now mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand are no longer places of sanctuary, rather targets for hate.  

The people who left their homes in Christchurch, never to return, set out to do what so many of us do on Fridays through Sundays: They set out to be in fellowship with others as they worshiped the Lord their God.     

Our prayers are indeed offered for those murdered in Christchurch as well as their families and community. We grieve for them, and we grieve that once again hate and bigotry have been served by an awful act of terror.  

We are mindful of the words of the poet: “Any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.” It tolls for this denial of our common humanity.   

—William B. Lane, Chair, Delaware Churches for Middle East Peace

Voting integrity more important than ease

Delaware is considering proposals to allow early voting and same-day registration. Are our elected representatives (and senators) willing to accept the risks involved and address the challenge of maintaining the integrity of our elections? This is not a game!

The devil is in the details. Voting is a right that requires responsibility from the voter, as well as from the election process. Free and fair elections are the bedrock of our governing system and “making it easier to vote” is secondary to the integrity of the result.

Opportunities for fraud could offset legitimate votes cast in Delaware. Any law that is adopted must clearly address the process for assuring the identity, citizenship and current residency of a voter. Any less than clear verification of all three points is an invitation to voter fraud.

Severe penalties must be in place to protect against this – even with a solid process.

Poll workers would need “real time” access to the electronic voter records and the ability to determine that a person had not already voted in early voting, at a different location or by absentee ballot. Until these problems are fully addressed, early voting and same-day registration should not be considered.

—Carole Burdge, Wilmington

UD students out of control in Newark

Kudos to the Newark Town Council for taking a stand against the outlandish behavior of students of the University of Delaware who have turned Newark into a place no family could possibly live. The University’s presidents, both past and present, should have recognized the problem of boisterous students ruining the quality of life in the city.

There is room for both town folk and students to live side by side and enjoy all that Newark has to offer — and leaders of both the city and the university should continue to work together and curb offensive and obnoxious behavior.

It is also time for the General Assembly to take a look at the money it gives to the University and consider the fact that perhaps the University has gotten too big and maybe it is time to cut back on its grants to the University. The State needs to help Newark become a city again and not a playground for young people passing through and using college as an excuse to have boorish behavior.

I grew up in Newark, went to Newark High School and graduated from University of Delaware. Partying seldom got out of hand and academics meant more then than it apparently does now.

City Council, the General Assembly and the trustees of the University of Delaware: Give us back our town. College is for learning, building relationships and finding out about independence, but not a place for out-of-control partying and misbehavior. 

—George Mills