Pull the flag

Let’s not rush to give credit where it’s not due. Gov. Nikki Hayley of South Carolina doesn’t deserve any praise for being the driving force for the removal of the Confederate flag from the South Carolina statehouse grounds. Certainly let’s not hail her as the “face of the new South.” That flag had been flying there with her knowledge and tacit support throughout her incumbency, and we never heard her speak out for its removal until the political pressure and public outcry over the church slayings became so hot that she had to respond to protect her political image. Both she and her political ally, Sen. Lindsey Graham, were certainly aware of the words used by William Thompson to describe this flag as he originally designed it, “ … as a people, we are fighting to maintain the heaven ordained supremacy of the white man over the inferior or colored race; a white flag would thus be emblematic of our cause … ” and then later boasted that, “this new flag would be hailed by the civilized world as the white man’s flag.”

While the flag was later redesigned into the present red “rebel flag,” it began and remained a symbol of racist pride to many Southerners and, unfortunately, to some other Americans.

Let’s not forget that, and above all, let’s not hasten to exalt those politicians, who, by their silence, and fear of political consequences, allowed it to wave for too long. Let’s just celebrate its removal when it’s gone.

Ted Owens

Redmond

The beaver attack

The Bulletin presented a minor news story in a recent paper that I predict will create an all time high response from your readers — “2 Men injured in beaver attack.” Somewhere near the Lava Island Falls can be seen the ghost of Charles Darwin. It might be interesting to know the price for the involvement of Bend Fire Department.

Tom Littlehales

Bend

Overlooked and inconvenient facts

Robert Perry’s “In My View” column published July 1 misses the mark in several ways. In his column, Perry criticizes The Bulletin editors for expressing concern about the Legislature’s proposal (HB 2566) to make it easy for parents to opt out of annual standardized achievement testing. Here are a couple of inconvenient facts overlooked by Perry. First, the Common Core curriculum goals (currently limited to language arts and mathematics) were developed by a consortium of state governments and voluntarily adopted by states as a means of establishing similar expectations for what students across the country should learn. The Common Core goals are not perfect, but they are a pretty good first effort. Anyone who reads them carefully will find them quite reasonable. Second, the Smarter Balanced standardized tests are of the highest quality ever produced. They take a bit longer to administer because they ask students to write out answers to some questions rather than just respond solely to more typical multiple-choice items. If the tests are administered and scored correctly (a source of some concern), we will have much better information about student learning.

While the federal government has endorsed the new standards and tests and created some financial incentives for state participation, there is no hidden “conspiracy.” HB 2566 has subsequently become law and will take effect in spring 2016. It’s yet another poor public education policy promulgated by a Legislature that rarely does its due diligence in such matters.

Ron Smith

Bend

Blame for post office problems

Jack Peterson’s In My View comments of June 30 neglect to mention that Congress has created the huge deficit for the United States Postal Service by requiring enormous pension payments for 75 years into the future. Nor does he mention that lobbyists for UPS and other delivery companies support doing away with the post office.

I have been selling on eBay for 16 years and have always shipped packages via the post office. Two-day affordable delivery to the East Coast for about half the cost of UPS is excellent. I have yet to lose a package or have one arrive damaged.

Congress needs to get rid of the pension requirement and keep the USPS operating without pension stress.

Barbara “BJ” Thomas

Bend