Greene on Obama; Henderson mess; UNT shooting; Bike trails; Fixing education

Greene on Obama

Richard Greene’s column raises serious questions about his judgment regarding presidential leadership (“Our lack of strong leadership has rendered us unsafe,” Dec. 13).

Greene argued that President Obama is weak leader because he has not exterminated Islamist terrorism. He further stated that several (all?) of the current GOP presidential candidates exhibit the mark of strong leadership, chiefly because they’ve pledged to get tough on Muslims.

This argument posits that Obama has done little to combat the Islamic State group. In fact, the president has ordered so many airstrikes that the Navy and Air Force reported they’re short of bombs. He has wisely not initiated a ground war, which in Iraq proved costly in every way.

Greene says the U.S. is looking for a “strong leader.”

Not so long ago, some European nations clamored for the same. What they got instead was unbridled aggression, persecution of the innocent and ultimate devastation.

Strength without smart thinking is a recipe for disaster.

Henderson mess

Thanks to the city for the mess at North Henderson Street and White Settlement Road.

This was all done for that ridiculous sculpture on the roundabout?

It’s as bad or worse than the Man With a Briefcase in Burnett Park.

The Seventh Street Bridge was embarrassment enough. Now we have what looks like a tin can ready to launch into space.

Traffic is terribly affected. Whoever came up with the White Settlement detour must not have any sense of how it would affect the flow.

Sticking a tin can on a roundabout and making people drive around it is a cartoon, not culture.

We have some corrupt planners and serious nepotism at taxpayer expense.

UNT shooting

I was taken aback by the shooting death of a 21-year-old University of North Texas student by campus police when city police were on the way.

Judging from published statements, the student was destroying property and threatening the UNT officer with a hatchet.

I support law enforcement officers to the fullest, giving the benefit of the doubt regarding the propriety of their actions, until proven otherwise.

But I have questions:

▪ Did training and protocol require a shoot-to-kill reaction?

▪ Was there time for the officer to act in a less deadly manner?

▪ Should reason and judgment have taken priority?

Bike trails

I’ve read about how proud Mayor Betsy Price and the City Council are for adding all the new bicycle trails.

I wonder how many will use these trails. Maybe a few thousand?

I’m not against bike/jog/walking paths, but I question the priorities.

I travel on Bryant Irvin Road and West Vickery Boulevard almost daily. The condition of these streets is worse than a country road.

These streets are badly in need of resurfacing and repair. In contrast with the trails, these streets are traveled by hundreds of thousands of motorists.

Maybe we need new leaders.

Fixing education

As one who spent 40 years in education and holds three college degrees and nine Texas teaching certificates, I can unequivocally state that getting rid of the No Child Left Behind program was long overdue.

Replacing it with the Every Student Succeeds Act is a step in the right direction. Although this new approach may help, it doesn’t address the real problem.

Most members of Congress and state legislators are lawyers, not educators. What really needs to be addressed are the abilities of each child. Each child is different, with individual strengths and weaknesses.

No one program can adequately address all children’s needs. Rather, educators need to be able to address those needs without hindrance from any political entity.

Until this happens, schools, not Congress or state legislators, will get the blame.

This story was originally published December 18, 2015 at 5:49 PM with the headline "Greene on Obama; Henderson mess; UNT shooting; Bike trails; Fixing education."