Just Sayin': Titanic failure in judgment, nonviolence, electronic umpires

Slide shows titanic failure in judgment

Last Sunday’s annual Massapequa street fair, as usual, had amusement activities for children. One item was not so usual.

This year, they had an attraction with gigantic blow-up slides for the children. The slides were on a replica of the ill-fated ocean liner Titanic. It had the name "Titanic" on the side, complete with smokestacks, pitched at a 45-degree angle as if it were sinking.

How offensive and distasteful to make a slide for children, glorifying an event that claimed more than 1,500 lives in the frigid waters of the North Atlantic in 1912.

This is the equivalent of making a replica of the Twin Towers for the kids to slide down. Can you imagine the outrage that would ensue if they made a Twin Towers slide?

If anyone had ancestors on the Titanic and saw this inflated slide, they especially would be furious.  I plan to contact the company to advise it to discontinue this insensitive slide. I didn’t have any ancestors on the Titanic, but it’s the principle.

Richard M. Rizzo, North Massapequa

Power of nonviolence can bring peace

Imagine a world dedicated to the ideals of nonviolence taught to us by two of the greatest men of the 20th century, Mahatma Gandhi and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Nonviolence means that we oppose war and militarism. It means that we redirect our spending on weapons and military contractors to programs that reduce poverty, protect the earth, build peace and advance social justice all over the world. It means supporting efforts to resolve disputes peacefully and justly. It means drilling nations in how to organize a boycott, strike or blockade. It means crafting plans of civilian-based defense built on nonviolent resistance. Nonviolence brings to light all practices and policies that help humanity deal with conflict in just and fair ways. The power of nonviolence finally gives the world a chance for lasting peace.

Jules Jacobs, East Islip

I recently witnessed a dozen Riverhead students planting pinwheels on the high school lawn spelling out "Pinwheels for Peace." I immediately thought of the song "Blowing in the Wind" and others such as "Give Peace a Chance" and "Peace Train." I thought of all the great people who died for peace such as the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. I got these students' message -- "Let there be peace on Earth, and let it begin with me."

Warren Mcknight, Riverhead

It's time to change to electronic umpires

After watching bad balls-and-strikes calls by home-plate umpires, I have switched my support and now favor electronic balls-and-strikes calling in Major League Baseball. Pitchers and hitters who are trying to be precise are constantly thwarted by human umpiring. It's as if it doesn't pay to get really good at what you do because you are subject to random inaccuracies of umpiring. If players' knowledge and good eye for the strike zone are constantly not rewarded because of human umpiring, we might as well watch a dice game.

Ron Greenfield, Wantagh