Delta employees rise above the chaos
On July 19, the day the CrowdStrike meltdown occurred, my husband and I had a trip scheduled from Atlanta to Cincinnati for a family funeral. Our return flight was on Sunday.
Thankfully, we made it to the funeral and home. There was a five-hour delay on the way up and a nine-hour delay on the way home. The Cincinnati airport was hectic, and Hartsfield was total bedlam.
From what I understand, Delta Air Lines’ management decisions made the situation worse for both customers and employees. However, the airport/customer-facing employees were exemplary. They were put into a situation they did not create but were tasked with managing. Everywhere along this arduous trek, the employees we encountered were understanding, helpful and professional. And that was everyone — ticketing agents, Sky Club employees, gate agents, flight crew and baggage handling.
It was a tough situation for Delta’s customers and their employees. I know that Delta’s reputation will take a major hit, and rightfully so. But their employees should be lauded for how they have handled this.
PAULA HUMER, JOHNS CREEK
Ukraine is not a lost cause, as Vance implies
Before he was picked to be the Republican nominee for vice president, Sen. JD Vance of Ohio argued that the United States shouldn’t help Ukraine because Ukraine is bound to lose without unaffordable increases in U.S. aid. But Vance’s math left out aid from allies, and Russian losses and force degradation.
If Russia weren’t losing massive amounts of equipment and no one else gave anything to Ukraine, he might have been right. But that’s not the reality, and Vance is wrong about Ukraine. The United States can afford to help Ukraine, and despite Vance’s cynicism, it’s not a lost cause.
JACK COOKSEY, ATLANTA
Fighting has no place in elections
In her initial speeches after President Joe Biden bowed out of the election, I was dismayed to hear Vice President Harris say we have to “fight.” Elections are not a fight; they are a competition in which the winner is the best communicator and explainer. On Jan. 6, 2021, then-President Donald Trump told his goons to fight: “You have to fight like hell.” Fists held up in a fight pose is a Trump standard.
Please, someone implore Harris to not ask anyone to fight. In a way, she asks for violence. Remove the word from her vocabulary because fighting is for thugs.
LUKE LAURENT, ATLANTA
Christian nationalism threatens democracy
My husband and I are politically active as volunteers, poll workers and promoters of civic engagement, especially voting. I am deeply concerned that most Americans are unaware of the well-funded efforts by Christian nationalists to replace our 249-year-old democratic republic with a Christian theocracy, not unlike Iran, Saudi Arabia or the Vatican.
Having recently been introduced to the documentary “Bad Faith,” I am driven to find ways to inform fellow Americans to watch this powerful documentary before the Nov. 5 election. It pulls back the curtain on what we are really fighting for (or against): a power grab in the name of religion, specifically Christian nationalism, that has been gaining recognition and the support of the religious right to replace our democracy and all it stands for with a movement of warped theology and draconian tactics.
If they haven’t already, I want to urge readers to watch the documentary and talk with friends and neighbors. I believe Americans love our country and want to preserve it for future generations.
KAREN K. COVI, BOGART
