Get dates right about slavery in New World

Recent articles in your paper, by both local writers and The Associated Press, regarding the existence of slavery in North America cite 1719 as the year Africans were first imported as slaves.

Yet, if “Historic Beaufort County: An Illustrated History” by Michael C. Taylor, published by the Beaufort County Historical Society in 2005 is accurate in its accounts, the true date is 1576 — nearly 450 years ago.

As Taylor writes, “With six ships and over 500 colonists including African slaves, (Spanish explorer) de Ayllon left Santo Domingo in 1526” to establish a settlement in the Lowcountry area: “the town of San Miguel de Guadalupe, the first Spanish town in the United States (sic) ...”

It is important that in this day and time, the record remains correct.

The impact of melting icebergs

Regarding your article about “ocean mixing”: the article did not explain what drives the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) current and why it is slowing down.

When warm, salty water flows north and south from the equator, it freezes and turns into icebergs. In order to freeze, it squeezes out the salt.

Cold, salty water is very dense and therefore heavy and plunges to the bottom of the ocean. This dense water plunging at both poles is the engine that drives the worldwide current that is called the Thermohaline conveyor belt.

I picture it like a Niagara Falls under the water, and the current like a boat on the river that flows to the falls.

The reason that the AMOC is slowing down is because the freshwater icebergs are melting and thus diluting the salty, dense water with fresh water, making the plunging or “underwater Niagara Falls” weaker because the water is less dense or heavy. When the current stops, an ice age will ensue.

The melting icecaps also affect the earth-warming process because white ice reflects the sun while dark water absorbs the sun. Also, CO2 is absorbed by cold water, and as the water warms it will be released in addition to frozen methane at the ocean bottom, which is 20 times more climate-warming.

The scientists predict that the AMOC will not collapse this century, however “our uncertainty about that prediction is high.”

Election system ruining America

The people of America are the only ones losing in our current government political battle. This political fighting is going to doom America. We need a totally new way to elect people to the government that will get people working together.

The current system only enables the division in the executive, legislative, and possibly the judicial branches. It may just need a high-level selection committee of smart, level-headed, reasonable and non-approachable members to nominate people for election to high-level positions in our government.

Today, all that is needed is money, people with power and money, and a great orator to get elected to these positions. Our disgusting media doesn’t help matters. Just look at all the people in high-level government positions that don’t belong there. Somebody needs to do something in a hurry or shut the lights out in America when it’s over.

A different wall

I have an idea ... why not take the $5.7 billion and hire 76,000 Border Patrol agents at a generous salary of $75,000 each. Along an approximately 2,000-mile border, that would place an agent every 138 feet (I am sure they’d have some interesting conversations). Kill two birds with one stone ... secure the border and help the unemployed.