The News Courier encourages letters to the editor. Submissions should be no more than 400 words and include name, address and telephone number for verification. Submissions that do not meet requirements are subject to editing. Writers are limited to one published letter every 30 days. Send letters to P.O. Box 670, Athens AL 35613 or email to adam@athensnews-courier.com. The deadline for letters is Thursday at noon.

To the Tanner community:

Like many of you, I was saddened to hear of Mr. Owens’ retirement. I was again disappointed when I learned that Mr. Cleveland would no longer be at our school and in our community.

Neither of those things weighed on me the way the events of the past several months have. When Mr. Owens left, I was sad but I knew that the community that raised me was still one heartbeat.

When Mr. Cleveland was reassigned, I was confused but I knew that we had seen confusion before and it had only made us stronger. I think about all of the things we have celebrated and mourned together, and I know that there is no other place in the world like Tanner. Lately, that confidence and pride has been robbed when I see that same community being torn apart.

Last fall, we were introduced to some things that we had never experienced. So far, we haven’t responded well. We were introduced to a principal whose style of leadership is much different than Mr. Owens’ style of leadership. We responded with fighting and bickering, which is uncharacteristic of who we’ve always claimed to be.

I cannot, for one moment, speak on what it is like to work for Mr. Gordon, but I assure you that you are not the only employee in this town or county who does not like their boss on a personal level. That alone has never been grounds for conspiring to fire anyone. I have no right to advocate nor reject his style of leadership because I’ve never worked for him, and as much as I would like him to be like Mr. Owens, his performance is what matters most for our children.

When the process began to hire a new principal, many of us supported Mr. Cleveland and we argued that was what was best for our children. Our personal agendas seem to be more important now. Almost a year later, we are conspiring to take someone’s job. We have abused social media, personally attacked one another, and openly disrespected the principal of our school.

Is that what we wanted for our children?

I can’t change your feelings about the administration, but I want to remind you that our character is on display to the rest of the world. We need reconciliation on both ends.

Sincerely,

Keith Shoulders II

Tanner

Tailpipe terrorism

Dear Editor:

We are a lawless land. I once thought just about everything was against the law.

That was before my case against loud assault pickup trucks.

They roar, reverberate, cackle, thunder and rattle past my house with more ferocity than the Krakatoa volcanic eruption, once thought to be the world’s loudest noise.

Young males of our species spend thousands of dollars installing tailpipes aptly named as Cherry Bomb, Hot Rod or Molester 24-7, all designed to make their pickup trucks as loud as they can be.

And the law is powerless to protect us. I’ve lost so much sleep that I am now declaring myself to be a victim of tailpipe terrorism.

Sincerely,

Wayne C. Forsythe

Madison