A recent letter unfortunately, represented many Americans whose collective memories apparently do not include tales of their own families. Immigration is our way of life. Unless you are a full-blooded native American, you are essentially an immigrant.

Like the millions who flee across our borders under inhumane conditions, our ancestors came to this country at one time or another. Under the best circumstances, they came for economic opportunity, a chance for education, and to provide a better life for their children. Under the worst, they came hoping simply to survive the financial, political or social turmoil in their own countries.

Finally, it's a myth that Latin-American immigrants in particular are stealing American jobs. How many of your children, your friends or their children, work in Delmarva poultry plants? In construction? In mushroom fields? In kitchens? How many native Delawareans are clamoring for these jobs?

The Delaware Republican Party showed some serious gall recently. It imported one of the nation's most radical senators for a fund-raiser and even bragged about it.

Rick Santorum is infamous for having taken more lobbying money than any member of Congress. He has tried to eliminate overtime pay. He voted to give $2 billion in tax breaks to oil companies while they are making record profits. And his charity has been used to pay political aides hundreds of thousands of dollars.

I could go on. He took two lobbyist-paid private jets in the same week he proposed ethics reform on the Senate floor. He makes arcane comments about the gay community. But your letters page is only so big.

A recent letter attempted to characterize the Indian River School District as a generous hostess, saying that students and families of Jewish, Islamic or any other religion should happily accept the offerings of Christian prayers with good grace. That analogy is a false premise.

If Indian River were a private Christian school, then it would have the right to offer Christian prayers and any other religious ritual it desired and expect them to be accepted. But this is a public school. Even if the majority of students come from Christian backgrounds, the school is for all the people, for the study of subjects outside the bounds of any one religion.

To say no one was forced to listen to prayer is ridiculous. Are we to expect a statement at school board meetings, graduation, etc., to announce: If you are not Christian, leave the room. Again, the school is public, meaning all of us.

There was other skewed argument is about Jewish children wearing yarmulkes. That is equivalent to students wearing crosses, or head scarves as a silent testament to faith. No one has asked Christian children to refrain from wearing crosses, praying silently, or reading scripture on their own time.

There would have been no lawsuit if the requests of the non-Christian families had been heeded. Instead, they were effectively run out of town by the intolerance of some within the Indian River school system. That does deserve compensation.

The American Civil Liberties Union is not anti-Christian, but against any attempt by any group that wants to exert power by virtue of numbers to silence, convert, demonize or otherwise impinge on the civil liberties of those in the minority.

We have many fine private religious schools to serve those who want a particular viewpoint. Indian River School is a public institution funded by taxpayers from many backgrounds, and is meant to function as a secular community, so all are respected.

The Indian River school board will accept this eventually, but it is unfortunate it has driven families to sue in order for justice to be done in that community.

Why must murderer Charles Cohen get first-page press with his ludicrous request to go free to spread Christian ministry? I got home from representing our state in Orlando, Fla., at the annual National Organization for Victim Assistance conference, only to read this disturbing article. Have you thought about the anxiety and outrage that victims and survivors like me feel after reading this?

Seeing Cohen's picture and re-reading the horror he inflicted produces additional pain for victims trying to move on with their lives. Cohen does not deserve more attention. Why was there a hearing? Life in prison should mean just that. He gave up his rights when he decided to kill.

If there was even a hint that my late husband's murderer, Donald Flagg, would be given a second chance, it would destroy me and my family. He also claimed to be insane. Perhaps one day Flagg will come forward, see the light and decide to preach Christian ministry.

Your recent article headlined "Sex offenders poorly monitored in Delaware" focused needed attention on what has been called a silent epidemic by the American Medical Association. One in four girls and one in six boys experience some form of sexual abuse before age 18. Victims include infants, toddlers, young children and teens.

Unfortunately, the people responsible for abuse are not easily identified, so laws have been enacted to provide information about sex offenders to the public through a sex offender registry. While this tool can be used by parents to enhance child safety, more needs to be done.

Most people who sexually abuse children look and appear to act like everyone else. It's hard to face the fact that someone we know, and even like or love, might sexually abuse a child. But the truth is that in 90 percent or more of cases, the child knows and trusts the person who commits abuse.

Those who sexually abuse children could be their parents, siblings or other close relatives, family friends and acquaintances, and those with easy access through their schools, sports teams, religious organizations and other settings.

Parents must learn prevention messages they can share with their children to reduce the risk for abuse. They also need to learn the behaviors to watch for in those who interact with children and how to assess situations that might place children at risk.

Finally, we need to advocate for prevention training and policies to increase child safety for youth organizations, so children can go about just being kids.

Sen. Joe Biden, in his bid to be president, opens his mouth and inserts his foot. The News Journal does its best to give it the liberal spin by reminding us how great he is.

One reader said Canada's health care system is enviable, but that depends on who you ask. Many Canadians debate among themselves whether their system is really the way to go. While the government pays the financial costs, citizens pay in wait time. MRI procedures can take months to schedule.

A few private practices are open for citizens, who are allowed to get private insurance policies that generally will cover 80 percent. The debate then turns to inequality in health care because people who can afford to use private practices are rich.

Most of Canadian health care funding comes from lottery proceeds and taxes. In the United States, most states have allotted lottery proceeds to different purposes.

Canada's health care system may look enviable, but one has to take the whole into consideration. If we did this here, we would have to pay severely in taxes.

Young adults about to get the boot from their parents' insurance should look in the Yellow Pages under insurance. You can work with a specialist to find benefits you need at a price you can afford. That is what I did after I graduated college until I had a job that offered benefits.

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