The Reader's Forum

Skateboarders

I am writing to you because Winston-Salem should have more skateboard parks. Many people judge skateboarders because they skate on other people's property. Most do not mean any harm, they just want to practice. If we had a place to skate, nobody would judge skateboarders.

I love to skate, but there is nowhere to skate. The community provides people with places to practice football, baseball and soccer, to name a few. A skateboard park would keep teens off the streets, provide a place where skateboarders can legally practice and generate jobs and money.

Skateboarding is a sport. It takes a lot of skill, strength, balance and endurance. More and more people are skateboarding now. It would be nice if there were a skateboard park in Winston-Salem.

BRADLEY STEWART

Winston-Salem

Didn't rule it out

I grow weary of reading that the supporters of Dan Besse continue to criticize Ted Shipley, candidate for Winston-Salem City Council member in the Southwest Ward, for pointing out what is absolutely a factual event in Dan Besse's council record. And that fact is that Besse said in 2008 that he would not rule out a proposal to tax homeowners to make up for a deficit in the budget of our local transit authority.

Admittedly, thanks to federal grants, no tax increase was necessary and it was never approved. Regardless, if Dan Besse wants to put this issue to rest, he should say that he would never support a tax against homeowners to make up shortfalls in the transit authority's budget.

The Journal articles "Tax-rate increase floated to expand city's bus service" (May 28, 2008), "Finance committee favors expanded bus service" (May 30, 2008) and "Buses may get a raise" (June 10, 2008), show the truth: Besse did indeed entertain the idea of increasing property taxes to make up for the nearly $404,000 shortfall in the transit budget created by massive increases in fuel charges.

TIMOTHY R. MOORE

Advance

Vietnam redux?

In his book A Soldier Reports, Gen. William Westmoreland describes asking President Lyndon Johnson for an increase in troop strength for the war in Vietnam. He told Johnson that there was no way to win the war without the requested troops. Johnson refused for political reasons. Westmoreland saluted and returned to his war using attrition tactics. Johnson rewarded him by promoting him to chief of staff of the U.S. Army and the war raged on, resulting in tens of thousands of dead and casualties for American forces. I was one of the wounded.

Gen. Stanley McChrystal has requested more troops, saying the situation in Afghanistan is in danger of becoming hopeless without the increased troop strength. President Obama refuses to make a timely decision. Troops continue to be killed and maimed while politicians wring their hands and debate what to do. After McChrystal made his views public in a speech in London, Obama's advisers were angered and shocked.

I pray the military leadership we have today will have the moral integrity, honor and courage to stand up for the troops who are in harm's way in Afghanistan, unlike Westmoreland, who traded honor for promotion.

Obama also needs to state clearly what our definitions of "victory" and "mission accomplishment" are and then embrace the correct strategy the military says is necessary for them to be able to win this war.

We owe it to the troops and their families.

RALPH CHAPPELL

Winston-Salem

Right for Winston-Salem

I cannot vote in the race between Winston-Salem City Councilman Dan Besse and challenger Ted Shipley, as I live in the deep Southside. I look forward to voting for Shipley in the future.

I have had the opportunity to speak with Besse a few times. He always does his homework and brings a good argument to the table. Besse is right for Winston-Salem.

As an unabashed Libertarian, I would cast my vote for Besse.

SEAN OLIVER

Winston-Salem

Not much there

Let's take a look at the Sept. 29 Journal. Section A contained 18 pages, 10 of which were 25 to 100 percent filled with advertisements. There was a lot of repeat news we've heard from two or three weeks ago (the ballpark). Where is the real news?

Section B had a mere 10 inch by 1 ½ inch advertisement on one page and a smaller advertisement on another. Larger print takes up extra room; I assume the Journal had that figured out when the format was changed, let alone with a recent rate increase.

I understand that advertisements help pay the bills. I used to enjoy reading my paper, but now about the only thing I look forward to is the comics and those are getting too cramped to read.

I went through the Journal in about 12 or 13 minutes, whereas I usually spend about 45 minutes or so reading the Journal. Not much to read about.

WAYNE BLIZARD

Yadkinville