Trying to right historical racial injustice simply increases present-day bigotry

Goals of diversity, equity increase racism

My thoughts on University of South Carolina President Harris Pastides’ Presidential Commission on University History:

It’s a terrible thing to politicize the university in any way. It should be a place to achieve a higher education and set goals. Engaging in political issues is never good. It always appears to be partisan, and the university should not appear to support one political view over another. This is wrong and it affects the students’ rights to express opinions and speak freely.

Reading about the commission’s goals, it is ironic to me that these goals for “diversity, equity and inclusion” are the exact opposite of what its results will likely be. These activities are actually more divisive and they promote racism — not eliminate it.

I disagree with erasing our history through name changes. Naming new buildings for whomever you want is fine, but taking away from history already there, you hurt my feelings. Our prior leaders had flaws, but they were exceptional in their day for what they achieved and what they did for the state. We should not forget that.

I love Carolina. I hope it will remain the school that I remember.

- Barbara E. Boylston, Charleston

The past happened, so we have to remember

There is no reason to change the names of buildings, tear down statues or mutilate things that depict the past. History cannot be changed. Buildings and statues at the University of South Carolina and elsewhere represent a time we would like to forget but must remember to never let it happen again. Former Gov. “Pitchfork” Ben Tillman and former Sen. Strom Thurmond are not to honored for their part in keeping bigotry a part of our culture. It happened.

- Ann C. Harkey, Columbia

That’s not what Biden said about vaccines

Wait, what? Last week, Gov. Henry McMaster, forbade South Carolina health officials from going door to door to promote COVID-19 vaccinations. “Enticing, coercing, intimidating, mandating, or pressuring anyone to take the vaccine is a bad policy,” he said, declaring the decision about whether to get the vaccine a personal choice. (July 11, 8A, McMaster spars with White House over vaccine push”)

This verbiage grossly misrepresented President Joe Biden’s vaccination outreach plan. Standard public health practice recognizes that forcing fails. You present reliable information, model behavior and enlist supportive, trusted leaders. The point is to protect the immune-compromised, to prevent vaccine-resistant strains and to gain herd immunity. The point is to save lives, as many government-required laws are designed to do.

Just days earlier, McMaster appealed a federal court’s preliminary injunction of the unconstitutional South Carolina Fetal Heartbeat Act. saying, “the right to life is the most precious of rights. … We must protect life at every opportunity, regardless of cost or inconvenience.” (July 7, thestate.com, “Gov. McMaster, Republicans appeal injunction that stopped SC’s abortion law”)

So, Governor, the government cannot tell citizens to get a shot that will protect tens of thousands, but it can remove the right of personal agency from the state’s women?

Which is the truer right to life?

- Julie Lumpkin, Columbia

We need to train kids to drive better

Motor vehicle crashes remain the second leading cause of teenage deaths. Teens are 10 times more likely to be in a fatal car crash than adults and most of the fatal teen crashes occur within six months after obtaining a license. Twenty-five percent of 16-year-old drivers are involved in a car crash the first year of driving, according to insurance company GEICO. Do you care?

If you care, demand better driver and traffic safety education for South Carolina.

▪ Legislators need to reinstate the proviso to again offer driver education in high schools.

▪ Commercial car instructors should be required to receive more professional instruction before they teach student drivers. it is possible now to become certified without a college course. High school teachers should be required to complete 12 semester hours of college driver and traffic safety education courses.

▪ The state should raise the required age to take driver education training from 15 and 16 to 17 and 18..

▪ Commercial driving schools should not be allowed to conduct the eight required hours of classroom instruction in a single day, which most schools currently do. The high school classroom requirement is 30 hours of classroom instruction (usually taking six weeks).

I hope that we all care. And if we do care, let us insist on these high school and commercial car driver training improvements.

- Joe Sabbadino, Taylors