Beware the ‘boo birds’
Re: “Acton assaulted our personal liberties during the pandemic, March 16: Phillip Derrow’s take-down of Dr. Amy Acton and her response to Covid reminds me of my high school coach. He used to say before a game, “Don’t pay attention to the boo birds.”
So, what is a boo bird?
Coach was aware some spectators have strong opinions about how players perform, and in the USA, are free to shout them out.
It doesn’t matter if they ever played the game or played the game in a different time zone or understand what is happening on ground level.
New Albany resident Philip Derrow is a retired business owner. He was a two-term member of the New Albany-Plain Local Board of Education.
In fact, if you want a mind-bending experience, see if you can get a sideline pass to watch an Ohio State University Buckeyes football game.
From the field, you will notice that the game is way faster and more violent than what you see from the stands. Mistakes that are so easy to yell from the stands occur in a micro-second.
The difference is stunning.
The question I have for Derrow, who writes as if he is an all-around expert is, “Who is he?”
Is he an expert on the pandemic? Or is he a “boo bird?”
Andrew Solovey, Circleville
History being erased
I am an Army veteran, having graduated from Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning, Georgia in 1970. Many of my classmates were Black or Hispanic, as were many of my platoon in Vietnam. I also saw many women serving in Nam.
Our current administration is now scrubbing the Arlington National Cemetery website of pictures and commentary/history of these groups.
I find this to be an insult to those who have served our nation honorably and particularly egregious to those who gave their lives in that service.
The military is the last great melting pot in this country.
One of its lessons is how to get along with people from all walks of life, rich or poor, regardless of skin color, religion or other background. To try to reduce (or eliminate) that history because of some ill-defined concept is straight out of the pages of the book “1984.” We should celebrate our differences, not deny them.
Bill Music, Dublin
What leads a dog to kill?
Re “VICIOUS: An investigation into how Ohio laws fail thousands of dog attack victims,” I want to thank you for the well-researched article on dangerous dogs and the lack of meaningful restrictions.
A couple years ago, I lost a dear friend who was living out of state when she and her tiny dog were mauled to death by a pair of pit bulls. A brave man tried to intervene and wound up losing an arm. I am told that a neighbor, on a different occasion, witnessed the dogs’ owners giving the command, “Kill!”
Though there are several factors that may lead a dog to be vicious, it would be difficult to argue that one of those factors isn’t the dogs’ (and owners’) involvement in a dog fighting ring.
More: ‘Vicious’ investigation into dangerous dogs produces results, praise
Why else would a dog be trained to kill?
If these dogs had learned to follow that command, it is no great surprise they engaged in such an attack. They were doing what they had been trained to do. In my opinion, the owners who trained them are absolutely responsible for the horrific results.
What information is available on the existence of these rings?
Sue Robinson, Newark
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Amy Acton critic can boo but doesn’t know what he’s saying | Letters
Read the full article here
