Politicizing Fears of Children

* Dennis Prager makes an important point in decrying the use of children for political publicity during the Democratic convention (Commentary, Aug. 23). As a teacher as well as a citizen increasingly concerned about the use of susceptible youths to sell everything from jeans to candidates, I too deplore this growing commodification of childhood.

Prager’s larger point about this being a purely Democratic phenomena, however, rings quite hollow for those with eyes and ears for the kinds of campaigning used recently by both parties. For example, the same week the Democrats put children on the stage of their convention, one could watch on C-SPAN as Gov. George W. Bush and Dick Chaney campaigned in Texas, where they stood amid a crowded stage surrounded by cheering supporters holding hand-painted signs--with few of these “supporters” looking to be older than 10. In fact, readers need only turn to Page A14 of the same edition to see yet another picture of Bush posing for the umpteenth time next to a little girl in what looks like a kindergarten class.

While blaming the Democratic Party for all of society’s ills seems to be a requirement nowadays for hosting an AM radio talk show, Prager needs to look again at that halo of children Bush often wears during photo ops before making a charge that only “liberals” use kids as political props.

STEVE GEDIMAN

Woodland Hills

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Pager’s attitude is “if we ignore it, it will go away.” This seems to be the Republican way of refusing to accept the fact global warming is real; drugs and guns in our schools are real; the potential death sentence smoking poses on our children is real; strangers preying on our children are real. The education of our children about these hazards is not a loss of innocence, it’s the avoidance of ignorance.

And if the adult community refuses to listen to the pleas of their peers, then the pleas of our children cannot be ignored any longer. They depend on us as parents to protect them from the real dangers, and we are failing them. Question your children about things that frighten them, listen and act.

KATHY MILLER

Placentia