Dirt bikers need to be reined in

I am glad to see that Baltimore City State’s Attorney Ivan Bates and Police Commissioner Richard Worley are recognizing the threat that Baltimore’s dirt bikers present — both to others and to themselves (“Dirt bikers on notice: Baltimore authorities warn against illegal dirt bikes, as advocates seek changes,” April 24).

This past Sunday night just after 6 p.m., I turned left from Hanover Street onto Pratt Street immediately in front of the Baltimore Convention Center. I then looked in my rearview mirror and saw several dozen dirt bikers racing up behind me. I slowed down, and within seconds they were streaming past my car on either side like a swarm of bees. Several of them ran right up to within a few feet of the rear of my car before breaking away, either trying to display their skill, scare me or both. A slight miscalculation would have sent them crashing into the rear of my vehicle. As I watched, they approached the intersection of Pratt and Charles streets, where the traffic light was red. Only a few of them stopped with the remainder racing pell-mell through the intersection as approaching cars on Charles braked abruptly. Indeed, given the speed at which they were moving, most of them would probably have found it impossible to stop without losing control of their bikes.

These dirt bikers have become a common sight on Sunday nights on Lombard, Pratt and the northbound Jones Falls Expressway. A greater police presence is definitely needed. If more isn’t done to get this problem under control, I fear it will end the same way the tolerance of the squeegee workers did — with an accident or angry incident that leaves someone seriously injured or killed.

— Jefferson Gray, Reisterstown

A defense of OP (older people) against ageist assumptions

As Andrew B. Frank points out in his commentary, “Overcoming ageism in politics and beyond” (April 14), older people or “OP” are stuck with a real bummer of a stereotype.

Consciously or not, we are all influenced by stereotypes, which may be misleading and in need of revision. Take forgetfulness. It is not surprising if OP are forgetful sometimes. They have many more years of memories packed into their heads. For example, some of us actually remember a time before television. And after that, a period when there were only three TV stations all broadcasting in black and white and only during prime viewing time. (In off-hours they broadcast something called a “test pattern”).

Moreover, it is important to realize that today’s OP are more active and youthful than their predecessors. Seventy is the new 50. Not so long ago, the idea of “Senior Olympics” or “The Golden Bachelor” would have been literally unimaginable. It is also sensible to bear in mind that it is a huge mistake to attribute all the supposed characteristics of a group to a single member of that group. Each individual should be evaluated separately based on his or her own merits. Frank mentions several famous historical figures and leaders who were OP. It’s not hard to find others — authors, musicians, artists, scientists, athletes and political leaders. In these very fraught times, it is especially important not to pin an inaccurate ageist label on our presidential candidates but to view them as individuals.

— Sidney Turner, Catonsville

Instead of wasting our time and tax dollars, Trump ought to retire

How much money have we, the American taxpayers, spent and continue to spend on protecting our country from Donald Trump? And what percentage of civic discourse — printed, spoken, or online — has been and continues to be wasted on this wannabe-dictator clown (“Trump hush money trial transcripts to be made public,” April 23)?

How dare he suck up all the oxygen in the country and, simultaneously, why have we let him control the country’s narrative for a decade? Where have been the loud, public voices standing up and saying, “You, sir, are a total jackass. You will not destroy our country. Go back and eat your McDonald’s hamburgers and play golf in your private fantasy land and leave our country alone.”

— N.L. Bruggman, Jarrettsville

America absolutely needs more conversations on climate

I was intrigued by the plea from letter writer Cheryl Arney who asked The Baltimore Sun’s readers to have climate conversations and summarize them in letters of their own (“Your Earth Day assignment: Talk about climate change,” April 19).

I actually had a brief conversation a week ago with a stranger at a college event that was related to climate. We briefly discussed public opinion on climate change. He then spoke intensely, saying we will need to “get money out of politics if we want any progress on climate solutions because the fossil fuels industry has too much cash to inject into politics.”

I replied that this is an issue, but then I said “we should probably work on both issues at the same time, because we can’t wait until our election funding problems are solved to address climate change.” He replied, “OK, yes, we can work on both things.”

This conversation, which did not really reach full agreement, was interesting to me and keeps returning to my memory. I learned that addressing climate change is not just a matter of dealing with the few people who don’t think it is real.

There are also many people who are concerned about it who debate the right ways to fight the problem and which thing to do first.

I also learned that some people who desire climate solutions have become angry and upset because of the decades we have spent doing very little about the problem. The people who think it is fake must also be angry and upset because they can’t see why the rest of us are concerned about it.

I was left feeling that many millions of climate conversations will need to happen and that it will be important for these conversations to be respectful and caring. — Chris Wiegard, Chester, Virginia