Tops Markets neglected to tell many of closing

Dear Editor:

My husband works for the Tops store in Kent and he found out the store was closing by watching the 11 o’clock news. What kind of way is that to let employees know the store is closing for good in less than 24 days? Tops union workers say they will try to relocate the employees, but the consensus of the staff is that they don’t want to continue working for a company that lets the nightly news tell them that they’ve lost their jobs. They handled that situation very poorly and will therefore lose a lot of company loyalty!

Jennifer Opphile

Kent resident

Board used inaccurate facts about SpongeBob

Dear Editor:

On Jan. 26, the Daily Kent Stater editorial board weighed in on the recent SpongeBob controversy with Dr. James Dobson of Focus on the Family. The underlying premise of the article was the need for tolerance of the rights of gays and lesbians. Unfortunately, the board used two opposing definitions of tolerance to make their case. 

Initially, they used the correct definition of tolerance which states we affirm that everyone has the right to express their opinion and hold their own beliefs, but we don’t have to agree with those beliefs or accept them as valid. In other words, I’ll fight for your right to have and express your opinions and beliefs, but I don’t have to affirm or believe them. This is true tolerance. Yet the board criticized people, including Dr. Dobson, for their so-called intolerance by using the new, but incorrect definition of tolerance which says that not only should I affirm your right to express your opinions and beliefs, but I must also accept them as true. That’s not tolerance, it’s indoctrination. But that’s the only way misguided people can criticize and attack a virtuous man like James Dobson.

The board didn’t even bother to find out what Dobson actually said. They simply repeated misinformation from other news stories that intentionally misquoted Dobson in order to make it look like he said SpongeBob was gay and dangerous to children. In reality, Dobson said that a group with a pro-homosexual agenda was producing a children’s video with many popular cartoon characters that was to be distributed to elementary schools nationwide. Part of the accompanying program involved children signing a contract that affirmed the validity of homosexual relationships. Dobson said he thought parents should know this fact before their kids participated in or signed anything. He didn’t attack cartoon characters or say they were gay. That was the result of perversion in our “unbiased” media. Sadly, the editorial board was either duped by or totally ignored this fact. Ultimately, the right to express your opinion isn’t diminished by misrepresenting facts, but your credibility certainly is.

Joel Wymer

Kent resident

Professor says ‘thanks’ to KSU grounds crews

Dear Editor:

Please join me in extending a big “thanks” to the grounds crews who worked in cold, snowy weather to clear the miles of sidewalks and thousands of steps across the campus after recent snowstorms. It is tough work shoveling snow, chopping ice and spreading salt. Show your appreciation. Give them a smile and a “thank you” when you pass them.

Tom Schmidlin

Professor, Geography Department