Letters, faxes, and e-mail

I had the opportunity for the second time to attend the march marking an anniversary of the famous 1965 march in Selma.

Sunday's events were well attended by national politicians and leaders of prominence who surely help to highlight the importance of this historic occasion and get front-page coverage in media outlets across the country. While I would not offer such praise in years past, I do feel the media did a much better job this year of also focusing on some of the unsung heroes of this period.

I would like to continue to attend this event in the future as long as I am physically able to walk across the bridge, which I hope will be for many years to come.

I would also like to make a pledge to bring children of every race each year and would ask others who go to do the same. I think by exposing our youths to this legacy firsthand, we can more fully open a dialogue on improving race relations in this country. I feel we should expose our children to this history early to help them understand our country's painful past. That will help us continue to grow into a more tolerant society.

A few years back, I had the opportunity to visit several of the concentration camps in Europe. When visiting Dachau concentration camp, I was able to bring along some friends who were not of the Jewish faith. I think it was a very eye-opening experience for them and a very invaluable tool in teaching religious understanding.

While this may not be as geographically practical as a trip to Selma, I do feel strongly in making this analogy. The only way we can bridge many of the divisions in this country is to teach our children firsthand, through such events, of the painful mistakes that have been made.

Martin Weinberg

Mountain Brook

Agent's death avoidable mistake

The death of Italian agent Nicola Calipari was the result of an egregious, but totally avoidable, mistake.

Calipari and other agents had just successfully negotiated the freedom of Giuliana Sgrena, a 56-year-old journalist for the communist newspaper Il Manifesto, who was being held hostage. Sgrena and two of the agents were injured as well.

This tragic incident should be fully investigated to determine why supposedly experienced agents would totally disregard the coalition forces who manned a highly visible and commonly familiar checkpoint in western Baghdad. Why did they attempt to run the checkpoint as soldiers tried to warn the driver to stop?

The soldiers were doggedly alert, having experienced past checkpoint violations that turned deadly. They also were following orders of standard operating procedure. They gave hand and arm signals, flashed white lights, fired warning shots and finally shot into the engine block to bring the intruding vehicle to a halt.

These brave, professional coalition soldiers should be paid tribute for their outstanding performance of duty. They place their lives on the line while guarding against unauthorized incursion in an effort to protect those whose lives are placed in their hands.

I hope those responsible for this unnecessary tragedy, caused by a flagrant disregard of checkpoint regulations, will be brought to justice.

Armond "Si" Simmons

Pell City