Letters to the Editor: Traffic fixes, PGA non-profit status, book bans questioned | Opinion

Allow mayor to act

There was an interesting recent Hilton Head Island town meeting where several members of the Greater Island Council (GIC) spoke to the mayor and Town Council urging them to forfeit their due diligence regarding the Town Study currently in the news concerning island traffic and the U.S. 278 project.

They ignore the fact that three lanes of bridge traffic merging into two lanes of island roads will create the same morning traffic bottlenecks that exist now.

The S.C. Department of Transportation requires the Town Study results be submitted to them by the end of the year, so I urge the GIC to practice common sense and not act like a second board undermining our HHI governance.

The majority of citizens want the mayor and council to handle the responsibilities that they were elected to handle.

This is a very important and serious impact issue that should not be pursued by any political group to exert control over our elected officials.

Lyn P. Bullard, HHI

Opt-out, don’t ban

The Beaufort County School District has pulled 97 books from the shelves of the public schools to review their age-appropriateness for students.

These books are part of censorship attempts that are coordinated by politically motivated groups outside of education and target books written by or about marginalized groups such as LGBTQ, people of color, different cultures, etc.

These books are important to help students understand the lives of people different from them. Beaufort County is not very diverse racially (79% white at last census) or politically and these books can help educate on racism and discrimination.

Many of the topics are uncomfortable to read and to deal with: violence, sex, sexuality, gender identity, but are part of reality in our world. Students should have access to understanding the realities they’ll face in life.

School librarians are highly trained in evaluating and selecting materials that meet state educational guidelines.

It is appropriate for parents to have control over the materials to which their children have access and the county’s book opt-out form is designed to provide that control.

It should not, however, be acceptable to restrict other students’ access to reading about topics that may be of significant importance to their own emotional, cultural, racial and ethical development and identity.

Mike McClure, Bluffton

Theater of absurd?

Perhaps the most absurd thing I’ve learned in the last few months is that the PGA is a non-profit, tax exempt organization.

Barrett Davidson, Beaufort

Buying respect?

When the PGA agreed to merge with LIV, it was, in essence, a statement that money was more important than the lives of women who are living in brutal and oppressive conditions,

There is no incentive for the Saudi government to make meaningful changes in the area of human rights if they can buy their way into respectability.

Anyone over 40 remembers when people of color were not allowed to be on the golf course and women could not have independent membership at courses.I guess the players have no problem with the sports struggles of Saudi women today.

Maybe this is a time for women to stand up for the women who cannot speak for themselves. Women can pressure the sponsors of the players and tournaments to invoke their moral clauses and withdraw sponsorships.

To support this new organization is the same thing as watching your neighbor beat his child, and then inviting that neighbor to be on the board of a child’s soccer league.

That should never happen.

Pamela Williams, Columbia

This story was originally published June 11, 2023 at 6:00 AM.