The Days of One Job, One Career, Are Over

I am very disturbed by the article ``When Jobs Aren't Awarded to the Skilled,'' Oct. 20, which underscored the plight of older workers and none of the responsibilities. Most people over 40 grew up believing in the security of life-long employment and have been shocked into a career change. However, graduates expect to change careers, not just jobs, five to seven times.

There is plenty of thought pollution in the world discouraging people. For the young, the fear is that you can't get a job because you have no experience. For the 30-to-40-year-olds, it is you can't get a job because just looking means you aren't a team player. For those over 40, it is ``you can't get a job because you are too old.'' The day and age for a passive job search of sending out letters and resumes are over.

If you are not getting interviews, improve your resume and expand your methods for finding openings. If you are getting interviews, but not getting offers, seek help to improve your interviewing skills. New opportunities await everyone, including displaced older workers. Vera Ehmann, Cambridge, Mass. Certified professional resume writer.

Parents - primary caretakers

The article ``Schools as Fortresses,'' Sept. 29, concludes with the wise observation ``that parents, not schools, must be the primary caretakers of students and the primary shapers of their social and moral development.'' It should be obvious that parents, in carrying out this ``primary'' obligation, need to place their children in an educational environment that provides the ``social and moral development'' that they need.

It is in the public interest if we are to avoid the growing evil which you have described that all parents be enabled, without financial penalty, to choose schools that provide ``social and moral development'' for their children.

We need a public policy of vouchers that enables parents to provide the ``social and moral development'' that their children, and our society, need. Olin J. Murdick Essexville, Mich.

Recognize rights of Palestinians

In the editorial ``Crackdown, or Rethink,'' Oct. 24, about the Hamas's bus bombing in Tel Aviv, it is rare to see the phrase ``peace with justice'' used by the US press in connection with the Palestinian issue.

This past year has seen no end to Israeli occupation practices outlawed by the Fourth Geneva Convention and condemned by international human rights organizations. More than 200 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli soldiers and settlers since September 1993, at least 19 of whom were executed by the undercover squads that are now expected to intensify their efforts against Hamas.

House demolitions, prolonged curfews, mass arrests, and the continued use of detention without charges or trial as some 6,000 Palestinians remain in Israeli jails, have made many despair of the ``peace process.''

This is especially true in the Hebron area, where Palestinians have been forced to pay a heavy price for Baruch Goldstein's massacre of 29 Muslims at prayer last February. In the Gaza Strip the standard of living declined 25 percent during the first three months of ``autonomy.''

These are the circumstances that fuel Hamas. As you point out, the solution is not more ``iron fist,'' but political. The rights of the Palestinian people must at least be recognized by Israel (and the US), including their right to self-determination. Nancy Murray Lexington, Mass. Director, the Middle East Justice Network.

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