Iran’s enrichment program

The article in the Oct. 2  issue about Iran’s nuclear program (“Obama’s tough talk is good news for Israel, depending on what it means”)  might have been made more clear if it would have said that Iran, as well as the United Nations’ IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency),  have said that Iran already has enriched uranium to the 20 percent level.  What seldom seems to be made clear is that the difficulty in centrifuge enrichment is from zero to 20 percent.  The 20 percent to 90 percent (required for a nuclear weapon) enrichment is relatively easy and can be accomplished very quickly.  

Harvey J. Schramm, Brentwood

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 Football team’s name deserves critique

When someone in the public spotlight makes anti-Semitic remarks or otherwise denigrates the Jewish people, we are quick to respond.  And when the offending person belongs to a particular group, we often ask other members of that group to condemn and repudiate the insulting remarks. This is as it should be. It also should be that when one of our own denigrates another group of people, we speak out the same way as we ask others to do.

Dan Snyder, who is Jewish, is the owner of the football team known as the Washington Redskins. “Redskins” is a name that is widely recognized as pejorative and is extremely hurtful to many Native Americans. They and a host of other persons and groups have called for the team to change its name. We should join that call regardless of who the owner is, but because Snyder is Jewish, we should feel an added obligation to do so.

Bob Costas, who spoke up last year about the horrible events 40 years earlier at the Munich Olympics when others at the 2012 Olympics remained silent, has now spoken forcefully about the name of Snyder’s team. Costas’ comments have brought the controversy once more to the fore. Let’s not miss another opportunity to add our voices to this rising chorus.

Marilyn Lipman, Chesterfield