Enjoy your Marvel Comics

(In response to: ‘Burke named founding father,’ a letter by Bonnie Beltramo, The Citizen, March 4, page 7)

Dear Editor,

Bonnie Beltramo takes me to task for a supposedly mistaken quote she said I attributed to one of our “Founding Fathers.”

Please read my words again BB. I did not “assign” it to anyone. I did say, and I quote: “To paraphrase one of our Founding Fathers…” That means one of our Founding Fathers said it, but did not necessarily coin the phrase, as it were. I don’t think it is that great a leap of faith to think that one of our Founding Fathers quoted Burke since he was often quoted, well published and was a supporter of the colonies and all these people lived and struggled in the same time period.

Digging a little deeper I found multiple sources that dispute the origins of this statement as being made by Burke at all and list numerous times a saying of this type was made throughout history going back hundreds, perhaps thousands, of years and can be found in the scriptures. Modern day historians tend to give modest credit to Burke as penning this most recent revised statement, but in fact it is likely that he merely put to slightly different words a long thought ideal. Burke’s original text can be found in his letter of 1770 titled: Thoughts on the cause of the present discontents. His statements in that letter never mention the words “All that is needed in order for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.” The author of those exact words seems to be unknown, at least according to numerous sources on Google.

Let’s try another one.

“Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.” Obviously John F. Kennedy at his inaugural address 1960. How many times has that been quoted?

Sorry BB, but when faced with the decision to go with noted and published historians vs. a local woman who gets her political slant and ideals from her “little alien friend” in the bread aisle at Bueche’s, I’ve gotta go with with the historians. Enjoy your Marvel Comics.

Paul S. Lucas

Sex ed. without

agenda, bias

(In response to: ‘Sex education survey: District seeks opinions,’ The Citizen, Feb. 25, page 5)

Dear Editor,

Kudos to the Brandon School Board, Dr. Outlaw, and AD Dienes for looking at adding sex ed to the curriculum. My question to Trustee Chartier is this: If the parents don’t have the “conversation” with the kids, where would you like the kids to get their information from?

My wish is the school district will add some form of sex ed without agenda and bias. Personally, I don’t expect the school to teach or relay any new information to my kids, I will have already done that. What I would like is the school to educate any child who doesn’t have the luxury of having a parent or guardian who is willing to do it.

The word abstinence scares me when you pair it with unaware, hormone-driven teens. Will this mean an increase in STDs, pregnancies, and abuse? I hope not, but as a parent and community member, I’m not willing to take that chance.

Susan Tower

Paddy

(In response to: ‘Sharin’o’ the Green: Anonymous donor keeps match alive,’ The Citizen, Feb. 25, page 3)

Dear Editor,

As a journalist, you should get names correct. Patty is the nickname for Patricia, my sister’s name. The Irish in me gets offended when someone uses a female nickname for St. Patrick. Patrick in Irish is Padraig; Paddy is the nickname for St. Patrick, the 5th century missionary in Ireland.

Myth: St. Patrick banished shakes from Ireland.

Myth: No Christians were in Ireland (about ¼ were Christians).

True: St. Patrick added the powerful Irish symbol, the sun, to the cross creating the celtic cross.Shamrock pops up in England in the 16th century from the Irish word seminar (clover). St. Patrick using the Shamrock to explain the trinity first appeared in the very late 12th century- early 13th century. The “Wearing of The Green” was introduced by Irish revolutionaries about 150 years ago.

Shirley Zanoni