School meals
As president of the School Nutrition Association of Virginia, I implore our lawmakers to prioritize the well-being of our youngest citizens during the 2024 state legislative session.
Recently, the School Nutrition Association of Virginia participated in our annual lobby day where we met with dozens of state lawmakers to advocate for support of school meals for all legislation, HB686 and SB283.
HB686 and SB283 are beneficial opportunities for our lawmakers to prioritize and address food insecurity that impacts countless children across the commonwealth. Lawmakers must remember that when it comes to child hunger, we can’t wait to act. No-cost school meals for Virginia’s children reduces stigma and ensures every child has access to nutritious meals, regardless of his or her family’s financial situation. This initiative is vital for the health, well-being and academic success of our children. School meals for all also has widespread support from organizations across Virginia that advocate for our kids.
In this legislative session, let’s prioritize our children’s future, support access to school meals and make a significant impact on the well-being and development of Virginia’s youngest residents.
Larry Wade Sr., SNS, president, School Nutrition Association of Virginia, Chesapeake
Protect sharks
I wish to express my opposition to Rep. Rob Wittman’s legislation Supporting the Health of Aquatic systems through Research Knowledge and Enhanced Dialogue Act (HR4051), aka, the Sharked Act.
This bill will lead to “open season” and the mass slaughter of sharks. The International Fund for Animal Welfare states commercial fishing already kills more than 100 million sharks every year. They report, “Pelagic sharks have declined by 71% in the past 50 years.”
Why accelerate the extinction of the shark population? So “sportsmen” can enjoy culling the ocean of fish at the expense of our aquatic environment? Sharks are crucial apex predators in our oceans, playing a vital role in maintaining the balance of marine ecosystems.
HR4051 poses a grave threat to the delicate balance of marine life. It risks triggering a domino effect that could have devastating consequences for countless marine species and the communities that rely on them.
Instead we should be focusing on comprehensive conservation measures to protect sharks and preserve our oceans for future generations. This includes implementing stricter regulations on shark fishing practices, establishing more marine protected areas, and promoting public awareness of sharks in our ecosystems.
HR4051 should have never made it to the House floor and must be vetoed.
Brad Purvis, Toano
National security
Former President Donald Trump’s racist words are undercutting our national security. For 20 years I trained intelligence and police officers worldwide. Most of my students had brown skin and adhered to non-Christian religions. They admired the U.S. They believed Ronald Reagan when he said the U.S. is a “shining city on a hill.”
Not anymore.
Since the end of World War II, the U.S. built a vast, cooperative security system through NATO and other agreements. When the Soviet Union collapsed, Moscow’s puppet states modeled their security and intelligence organizations on the U.S., not the U.K. or China. I know, I was part of that training. Remember when the plot to blow up U.S. airliners in the Far East was thwarted? Hundreds of American lives were saved because of America’s worldwide system of security cooperation — built by federal agencies.
The trust took decades to build. Trump nearly destroyed that trust with a few ill-conceived words and sentences.
In 2017, I trained a Far East police force. They wanted answers and explanations about Trump’s words. The same happened a few months later when I trained a NATO ally. A student asked, “When are you going to address the orange elephant in the room?”
With the Israel-Hamas war raging, more than ever, we need allies around the world to help prevent attacks on American citizens, installations and businesses.
For those of you listening to Trump’s racism, antisemitism and his plan to dismantle the federal government, who are you going to get to negotiate and maintain international security cooperation?
David Cariens, a former CIA analyst, Irvington
West Bank
Re “Biden sanctions Israeli settlers accused of attacking Palestinians and peace activists in West Bank” (Feb. 1): The article just rubs me the wrong way. President Joe Biden has a way of doing that to sane people.
So four Jewish settlers allegedly did some things to some people. Where were Biden and company when people were slashing and burning cities like Portland, Oregon, in 2020? Oh yeah, his campaign staff were bailing some of them out of jail. However insane that was, smartly, Israel said not a word.
Four named individuals in a foreign country, an ally no less, may or may not deserve closer scrutiny by local law enforcement authorities. It is not an international concern, much less an international priority. Seriously? Biden has nothing better to do than unleash the resources of the United States government to make sure the four can’t buy American and can’t get visas to come to America.
I have but four words to say to those four named individuals should they feel compelled to beat Biden at his own silly political game. Learn. Spanish. Southern. Border.
Don Lovett, Smithfield