The letters on this page are written by the UUSDBA members and friends and were published in the News-Journal Letters to Editor. The most recent letter is at the top of the page. Scroll down for other letters printed this year. The opinions expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily of the general membership of the UUSDBA or the UUA. Permission to reprint these articles has been obtained from the News-Journal and the authors

THE DAYTONA BEACH NEWS-JOURNAL LETTERS TO THE EDITOR and COMMUNITY VOICES

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PUZZLING CONTRAST IN SUGGESTIONS
August 22, 2010
CAROLYN WEST, Ormond Beach


Two letters on your Aug. 17 Opinion page certainly present a contrast in tone, and apparently in intent as well.

In one, League of Women Voters President Sandra Horikami urges readers to explore the issues and research the candidates before voting. She suggests a visit to the local League website (www.lwvvc.org), which features questions/answers and other information about candidates and ballot issues.
The league website also includes a description of the nine proposed constitutional amendments to the state constitution that will appear on the November ballot, as well as background and a pro/con discussion of each.

In contrast, in his "Community Voices" column, Ray Sanchez of The Volusia 9.12 Project speaks of "the forces of tyranny (that) are at hand" and suggests that Congress and the White House "have capitulated to socialist and radical ideologies." He thinks that such capitulation should shake Americans "to the core." Nowhere does he mention specific examples that led him to such conclusions or why he thinks that "only a spiritual revival of American values can strengthen our political will."

Sanchez also offers an organizational website (www.volusia912.org ), which includes a listing of candidates. However, I could not locate specific stands or statements by local candidates, nor reasons why some of them are "preferred" or "approved" by The Volusia 9.12 Project.

I also looked for the nine proposed amendments that will appear on the November ballot. The only discussion about these proposed amendments to the Florida Constitution was an attack on Amendment 4, with no pro/con discussion or specifics, and support for Amendment 9. There was heated discussion supporting repeal of the 17th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution (which established the direct election of senators by popular vote.)

It makes me wonder why Sanchez would fan the flames of fear of tyrants and loss of American ideals, while others in his organization support efforts to block or overthrow the voices of the voters and the will of the people.

Deltona, House by House
BY ED KOLASKA, ORMOND BEACH
August 15, 2010

I read the Aug. 10 story about Matthew Armon, and I feel his pain. I have been following the foreclosures in the Sunday editions of The News-Journal for quite some time. Over the past year, I have noted that 25 to 35 percent of the Volusia County foreclosures are in Deltona.

I have wondered to myself how any city can survive, financially or aesthetically, with the lack of income and upkeep of all these vacant properties. Deltona is, obviously, one of the most affordable cities because of the low housing values due to all the foreclosed properties. But the statisticians who come up with all these general analyses do not take into account the underlying details.

I know Deltona received several million dollars from the federal government to assist in buying up these foreclosures to resell them, but that dollar amount is a mere drop in the bucket to what is needed to solve the overall problem. I hope that Matthew's plea to the City Commission provides a spark to generate short-term, and long-term, plans to dig Deltona out of this quagmire. These leaders should look to individuals like Matthew to overhaul the city one house at a time, one block at a time. Incorporating a plan to revamp the infrastructure must also be implemented.

Thanks for a short, well-structured article by Mark Harper

FRAMING TRANSGENDER ISSUES ON NEUROSCIENCE RESEARCH
By DAN KENNEDY , COMMUNITY VOICE
March 25, 2010 posted in Editorials

A March 14 lead article in The News-Journal discusses a genotypically (i.e. genetic inheritance) and phenotypically (i.e. internal and external genitalia) female child who basically feels that he is a boy. I use the terms "he" and "his" not only in respect for the wishes of the child and his family (as did the N-J), but also because there is neuroscience research in support of his gender identification as being valid.

The article refers to some "experts" believing that some parents "are just indulging bizarre behavior," while others hold that everyone is "hardwired" at birth with a male or female brain. The latter opinion appears to be well supported by research.

While cognitive psychology was one of my areas of interest during a university career that combined education and psychology, I am not a neuroscientist. However, it is my understanding that neuroscience research has provided clear and strong evidence that humans (and other animals) are born with sexually dimorphic brains. People are born with male or female brains that are clearly distinguishable by structural and organizational characteristics at gross, cellular and molecular levels. For the large majority of people, the brain type (i.e. female or male) is compatible at birth with their genotypic and phenotypic sex type. However, a male brain type is also physically compatible with a genotypical and phenotypical female, and vice versa, and that does sometimes happen.

There is a critical period in utero when human brains become sexually dimorphic (i.e. male or female) due to chemical/hormonal functioning, and this cannot be changed, at least not at the present state of medical science. A hormonal malfunctioning during the critical period can give a physically female infant a male brain, or a physically male infant a female brain. Current scientific research would certainly indicate that this is what accounts for transgender feelings. In a sense, Mother Nature is not always perfect. Kennedy, Ed.D, lives in Ormond Beach.

The Associated Press report "Rio fights stench": Nearly 80 tons -- yes, 80 tons -- of various species of fish were washed up on a "popular" Rio De Janeiro beachside lagoon "offending" joggers' olfactory senses, leading the city to fight the stench with disinfectants.

Which, of course, will upset more environmental function. The Rio environmental secretary speculated that increased levels of a "harmful" algae may be the immediate cause of the sudden die-off last Friday.

So, isn't it insightful (the mental state that is) of the me, me, me jogger set? Their narrow-minded concern for their olfactory senses rather than the environmental awakening from tons of dead fish washed up on a popular beach this should have engendered? What an inconvenience! They could have jogged around the stench and pretended it didn't exist.

Lucky for us it was a "popular" beach or we never would have heard about it, because such incidents are and have been occurring and ignored worldwide, including here in Florida, where business interests are able to squash the deleterious effects of algae bloom from hitting the media as much as they should.

Which raises the question: Are these joggers getting healthy to devote their lives to helping the Earth's dilemma or just to eat the next meal? And raise more selfish offspring whose only concern is me, me, me, and the hell with what's happening to our planet, as long as I get mine?

Offending their olfactory senses. Really.

REALISTIC ROUTE TO SOLVENCY
March 1, 2010
By EDWARD FLANAGAN , Ormond Beach

In her Feb. 15 letter "Social Security solvency" Dorothy Guardagnino offers an interesting and useful challenge. Doing the math, her suggestion of deducting $1 a month from 56 million Social Security checks would collect about two-thirds of a billion dollars a year. Unfortunately, that wouldn't pay the interest on our current national debt for one day!

Over 15 years ago (when the national debt was one-third of its present size), The Concord Coalition was doing the math and sponsoring the Debt Clock to portray the speedy rise of our nation's expenditure of other people's money. It now seems clear that most of us have little concept of the place value of millions, billions and trillions.

Reality will kick in when taxes have to rise steeply (or more money has be raised from foreign sources) to replace trust fund surpluses being spent, year after year, on useless wars, unnecessary entitlements and much more. But Washington will continue to cut taxes as long as special interest sponsors are allowed to contribute big bucks (as free speech?) to elect the Dodds, Shelbys, Leibermans and their overpaid colleagues.

February 4, 2010
GAMBLING FOR EDUCATION:

Wow! With Gov. Crist's budget plan, as an out-of-luck gambling parent, I can do what I love most and still get my kid an education!

L.M. VAN PETTEN, Ormond Beach –B