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The recent letter from Jim Helbert should have been titled “Controlling deer is the best option for all hunters,” since most hunters know that by controlling deer in a lethal way, deer populations thrive. (“Controlling deer is the best option for all,” Jan. 2) A rebound effect occurs when does are left with more nutrition and are able to reproduce at an earlier age and have multiple births.
I agree with Mr. Helbert that any Department of Natural Resources person can tell you why the deer need to be managed — as his or her salary depends on the sale of hunting licenses.
Scientific evidence proves that deer are not the cause of the spread of Lyme disease. In fact, John Griffin, the secretary of DNR, recently wrote that “even a dramatic reduction in the deer population would do little to dampen the spread of the disease.”
I agree with Mr. Helbert’s statement that deer are jumping out into traffic. This is due to the fact that deer are running away from the hunters who are invading their homes with guns and antiquated bows and arrows.
Finally, I would like to address Mr. Helbert’s comments about Goucher College’s decision to kill the deer living on its campus. The president refused all nonlethal options, including those from the Humane Society of the United States. I would think that a college that promotes itself as such a humane, environmentally friendly campus would have handled this situation differently.
Animal Advocates of Howard County
Salary doesn’t dictate
person’s real worth
The gist of Walter E. Williams’ gleeful ode to rapacity, “Greed, Need and Money,” (Jan. 3) is best summed up by Marie Antoinette: “Let them eat cake.”
Or, to paraphrase Groucho Marx, “Who are you going to believe? The evidence of your own experience and that of the people around you? Or the cherry-picked figures of a Beltway pundit?”
Comparing the salaries of athletes and entertainers with CEOs is ludicrous. It is like comparing Rosie O’Donnell with Condoleezza Rice. Ms. O’Donnell makes skads more money than Ms. Rice. Does it follow from this, then, that Ms. O’Donnell is a more valuable and brighter — and hence superior — individual than Ms. Rice? According to Williams’ “market” logic, the answer is a resounding “yes.”
Arguments defending the flim-flam greedheads, such as those made in the column, are silly and will fall on deaf ears. Williams plays his tape loops over and over, oblivious of the fact that people are no longer paying attention.
Mental health first-aid training should be extended to schools and colleges
I recently read the Jan. 4 article, “Maryland to offer training in ‘Mental Health First Aid.’ ” I think this training is a very good idea, but it should also be required for those in schools and colleges who are dealing with students with mental illnesses. I was suspended from Harford Community College in Bel Air in 2005 for being depressed, which I feel was unfair because depression is an illness and is not the person’s fault. Also, it is not something that is done intentionally to harm the school. There have been many lawsuits brought by students at colleges in the same situation as I was who felt they were wrongfully suspended. I feel that the staff could deal with students in a better way, rather than by simply suspending them. According to the article, many people don’t have the training that is necessary to deal with those experiencing mental health problems. In addition, many people react negatively to those with mental health illnesses when they don’t have this training. If the statement in the article that said, “the training flows from the belief that anybody can be trained to help those suffering from mental illness” is true, then the training would be of great benefit to these individuals as well.
Bel Air
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