Re the April 28 story State may pass anti-bullying law: I am all for it. However, there needs to be a provision that requires all administrators to recognize bullying regardless of how long it has taken place and allow the victims to defend themselves without fear of repercussion. It is unfair and sends a message to the bully that the victim will not retaliate for fear of suspension.
A few years ago my son was bullied over a few months at Manatee Bay Elementary. He finally broke down and admitted that another boy was punching him in the arm during recess and flinging him against the wall while teachers weren't looking. When I called his fifth-grade teacher, she would not do anything because my son had not come forward sooner.
I called the vice principal, and she was wonderful. Not only did she call the bully into the office, she also notified his parents. She recognized bullying, intimidation and the pattern of harassment. She assured me that it would never happen again.
The bully apologized to my son, who finished the school year on a good note. I thank Myra Hernandez. She is an asset to Broward County Public Schools. As for the teacher, she needs a lesson in sensitivity and compassion. The Broward School Board should retrain teachers and staff.
ANA MARIA IRIZARRY-ROY, Weston
No new stadium
With everything going on -- high food and gas prices, tolls going up on the turnpike, education cutbacks and insurance increases -- why is there still a question as to who should pay for the Florida Marlins' stadium?
Miami-Dade County residents don't have a say in the matter, but really -- who wants to explain to the children that we can't afford to drive anywhere, but the Marlins have a new stadium? Who wants to explain that we can't eat rice, but the Marlins have a new home?
SUSAN BANERT, Miami
Schools vs. prisons
Another brilliant bit of legislation has come out of Tallahassee. Lawmakers proposed slashing educational funding but decide to spend $300 million to build more prisons. Of course, they will need to hire more guards. I guess they figure that the people who will be affected most by education cuts will turn to crime. The state wants to be prepared.
It would probably be a good idea for teachers to receive double majors in education and criminology. Do only people who are not in government see anything wrong with this picture?
Palmetto Bay
Simplistic writer
Jonah Goldberg is The Miami Herald's weakest syndicated columnist. His April 29 column on patriotism, Time's dangerous environmental war, starts with a weak straw-man argument. He defines what is wrong about Time magazine's statement that, ''Green is the new red, white and blue'' simplistically, not realizing that it is a symbolic statement, just as the Iwo Jima picture is symbolic.
What could be more patriotic than trying to stave off disaster and ensure the future of the American way of life? Global warming could end life as we know it and force our children to suffer great hardship because of our inaction.
I expect much more from a professional journalist.
ROB SMITH, Fort Lauderdale
Grateful to teachers
Re Warren Zucker, who wrote the April 24 letter, Rubio wrong: Twenty-eight years ago, Zucker was my English teacher at Southwood Junior High. I want to thank him -- and all of my other teachers at the Old Perrine Elementary on U.S. 1 and 184th Street, Moton, Pinecrest, Southwood and Palmetto Senior High -- for the outstanding education that I received. I am grateful and indebted to all of you.
ROBERT D. RUTAN, Homestead
Vote for Clinton
The draft was in force during the Vietnam war. I had two sons of draft age. One was assigned the No. 72 and the other No. 123. They were not drafted because they were in college. Thousands of young men fled to Canada to avoid being called for duty.
If John McCain is elected while the war in Iraq goes on, you can be sure this situation will be repeated. We have lost more than 4,000 troops.
Vote for Hillary Clinton.
EVELYN SMITH, Hallandale
Public-access TV
The state Legislature apparently will miss the opportunity to revisit the Consumer Choice Act of 2007 and address its unintended consequences on public-, educational- and government-access cable TV (PEGs).
The bill has potentially legislated out of existence PEGs, once the great promise of cable-TV franchise agreements with local governments. Only one public-access channel remains in Florida. In addition, PEGs now may be voted away with a majority vote of not just all poll respondents, but all subscribers, in a service area.
PEGs are burdened with programming requirements not applicable to commercial TV; they must be on air at least 10 hours every day, and with at least five hours of nonreruns and not including ''bulletin board'' announcements.
Meantime, states such as Illinois have ensured that PEGs can't be ''channel-slammed'' into hard-to-find, triple-digit, high-tier channels unavailable to basic subscribers who don't have converters.
Florida should do the same by adding a provision to the bill that PEGs not be numerically separated from other basic service channels. In addition, the state Legislature should delete the provisions allowing for elimination of PEGs, as well as for minimum programming requirements.
Further reductions in the ranks of professional journalists in the state of Florida, like those announced recently by Media General in Tampa, make causes such as PEGs, which relate to open government, all the more important now.
MARK HART, statewide organizer, Florida Media Coalition, Tampa
Career criminal
Re the April 11 story Arrest made in death of vendor: The Miami Herald would do a great service to the community if it printed the criminal history of Timothy Evans, charged in the shooting death of Mariem Frissolo.
The paper should include the names of the judges who allowed this career criminal out on the street several times. The public ought to know who they are so that that when election time comes around we don't make the mistake of returning them to office.
HENRY D. CASTRO SR., Miami
