School vouchers and charter schools Our founding fathers argued that the common public school is the foundation of a free society. For example: “The advancement and diffusion of knowledge is the only guardian of true liberty.” James Madison, 1825, Letter to George Thompson.
DEAR ABBY: I’m writing because I need some guidance. My 21-year-old son, “Dennis,” is involved with a young woman he met in college. She is physically, verbally and emotionally abusive to him. Dennis is very intelligent -- a straight-A student, to be exact. We gave Dennis the best life we possibly could. His dad and I have been together for 26 years and raised him in a nurturing, Christian environment with strong family ties. When Dennis went away to college, it seems like everything changed. His girlfriend has notable mood swings, becomes upset when he is near family, is very disrespectful and the list goes on. Recently, I told Dennis she’s no longer welcome to our home. Now he has distanced himself from us, which is hurtful because he has younger siblings. I want a close relationship with him, but I refuse to tolerate his girlfriend. Am I wrong?
DEAR ABBY: I ran into a friend at the chiropractor’s, and he persuaded me to change my plans and not go to the movies but to join him on a walk on the beach. We set plans to meet by the beach and, as I was approaching the street corner, I saw him not wait for me but cross the street while he was on his phone.
DEAR ABBY: I am in my 60s, single and childless. I was raised by parents who had issues, and I did not have a nurturing childhood. As a result, for decades I had a chaotic life and turned to alcohol and drugs to soothe my emotional pain.
‘A person must never stop learning’ Dear editor, Arriving at adulthood doesn’t mean that an individual should stop learning. A person must never stop learning.
The Shawnee News-Star opinion page offers varied opinions on many topics. The viewpoints expressed in the columns, guest commentaries, letters to the editor and editorial cartoons are those of the authors and artists. “Our View” editorials are the opinion of the News-Star.
Do you make a difference in the world? Does anyone care about what you do? Are some people more important than others? We all ask ourselves these questions from time to time. Some people wonder about them more than others.
Growing mental health crisis means more Oklahoma kids at risk of addiction The Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust (TSET) is creating awareness of the growing teen mental health and vaping issue with the launch of a new educational message from their Behind The Haze brand. According to Mental Health America, approximately 54,000 youth in Oklahoma experienced at least one major depressive episode in the past year.
DEAR ABBY: My husband’s best friend groped my privates several years ago at a party. It was traumatizing. I have never forgotten how abused and dirty it made me feel. I told my husband about it when we got home, but he’d had a lot to drink and told me I must have been imagining things.
DEAR ABBY: My father considers himself a deeply religious man. He believes that anyone who doesn’t conform to his beliefs is going to hell. He told my gay sister she is going to hell. At my brother’s wake and celebration of life, he announced to everyone that my brother was going to hell because he was an atheist.