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letters for libel, length, and clarity. Send letters to Letters, Illinois Times, P.O. Box
5256, Springfield, IL 62705; fax 217-753-3958; e-mail editor@illinoistimes.com. PICTURES TOLD THE WRONG 1,000 WORDS
I thought your story on the coal issue was the
most balanced that I’ve seen reported [Bruce Rushton,
“The return of King Coal,” March 23]. I appreciated the
opportunity to provide you with information. I do take issue, however, with the pictures
included with the article. There are several hundred acres of land
in Macoupin County that have been subsided over the years, and the
land has been successfully farmed and the structures have been
restored and replaced by the coal company. Why are there only
pictures of the temporary problems to the surface? One has to dig
deep into the article to find Dan Barkley’s quote that this
situation is temporary and that permanent repairs to restore the
surface to premining conditions will occur once the company is
finished mining in that area. Since a picture is worth 1,000 words,
many readers looking only at the pictures will come away with a
very different impression of longwall mining. The fact is that there is over 30 years of
successful longwall mining experience in Illinois with no permanent
damage to the surface land. This same result can be expected in
Montgomery County. Phil Gonet President Illinois Coal Association THANKS FOR SUCH GOOD COVERAGE
I was surprised and pleased to read “The
return of King Coal.” Bruce Rushton did a professional job of writing the feature, and I am
impressed with all [his] research. We are all landowners who have lived on
ancestral farms, and have a passion to save the land of our fathers
and grandfathers. It is a cause that we have been working on for
almost a year. Thanks for your paper, which gave such good
coverage to a topic that needs to be discussed publicly. People
need to be informed! Catherine Edmiston President, Citizens Against Longwall Mining Abingdon THANKS FOR “GETTING IT”
I’ve read a couple of dozen very
positive reviews of Kris Kristofferson’s This Old Road, but yours was
the best [René Spencer Saller, “Our Wild
American,” March 16]. My much older hippie-rebel brother gave
me my first Kristofferson record, Me
and Bobby McGee, in the early
’70s, when I was about 13 or 14. I was at a point in my young
life when I was ripe for opening my mind to new ideas, and I guess
my brother wanted to introduce me to something that wasn’t
bland, safe, and conservative. So here came Kris, this gorgeous,
craggy, bearded poet with a voice from the bottom of a barrel and
just enough of a hint of danger and rebellion in his lyrics to
completely draw me in. That was it for me. It’s been over 30
years now, and I still feel the same way about him. And I think This Old Road is
his best stuff yet . . . being “at least middle-aged”
now myself, I can really appreciate his older, wiser, and sometimes
sadder but still hopeful outlook on life. Thank you so much for
“getting it”! Amy Chapman Greenwood, Maine AN ART FORM IN ITS OWN RIGHT René Spencer Saller’s review of
Kris Kristofferson’s new album got the attention of an
Internet group of the most diehard Kris Kristofferson fans on the
planet. Saller’s writing skills are tremendous —
she is a person who really has listened to Kris’s new album,
and I can tell she really gets it. Her review is an art
form in its own right. Kris takes his craft very seriously, and
obviously Saller does, too. So, on behalf of a rather large group
of Kris’ fans, thanks for the substantial effort that she
took to accurately review Kris’ album, in a very artistic
kind of way. Reading the review is the next best thing
I’ve found to listening to Kris’ new album. Mark Howe New Palestine, Ind. Owner,
KrisKristoffersonFriends@yahoogroups.com CONGRATULATIONS TO BLUES CLUB Hats off to the Illinois Central Blues Club
for a most excellent birthday bash [March 25]. I really had a great
time there and enjoyed everything. Food, drink, friends, family,
and blues! Wow, what a wonderful day! Happy birthday! Here’s
to the future. The Illinois Central Blues Club has been
instrumental in keeping this true American music alive and well in
central Illinois. While some people know of the Blue Monday shows
at the Alamo, not too many people realize just what this club does
to maintain this form of music. Not only do they keep and maintain
a large collection of blues CDs and LPs in our public library
system, but they also help to maintain music in our schools. I strongly urge you to come down to the Alamo
on a Monday evening and see what it’s all about. Granted,
there is a $2 cover charge, but where else can you go to hear great
music at that price, enjoy good company and good libations, and
help to keep the blues alive while maintaining the music in our
schools programs at the same time? Walt “Blind Melon” Foster Springfield MAKING ILLEGAL ALIENS LEGAL We have a lot of illegal aliens. They get to
use services for which they aren’t paying taxes. If you want
to make the illegals legal, I have an answer. If they are not
engaged in felonious activities and wish to gain citizenship, here
is a way that those unhappy with the strain might feel evened out.
If a member of an illegal immigrant’s immediate family
(brother, sister, mom, dad, son, or daughter) serves a full term in
the U.S. military with an honorable discharge, citizenship should
be awarded. [My proposal] is not perfect, but I tried to think of
something where all sides might feel that they receive something
for the balancing of accounts. Seems fair to me. Patrick Johnopolos Springfield STORMS DIDN’T JUST HIT SPRINGFIELD I certainly sympathize with those people and
businesses in Springfield who suffered loss from the tornadoes. I
also commend all the businesses, churches, and organizations that
have so generously donated to help those who suffered loss.
However, do these people realize that the tornado hit Sangamon
County, not just Springfield? The small towns and villages all
around Springfield have also suffered much loss and devastation. I am personally aware of two particular
incidents in which people from surrounding cities were told they
did not qualify for assistance. Only those people living in the
city limits of Springfield were eligible. When Wal-Mart was handing out free chainsaws
and equipment to assist in the cleanup, two volunteer firefighters
from Loami went to Wal-Mart to get a chainsaw to assist their
residents with the tree damage. They were told they would have to
pay for the chainsaw. Only people living in Springfield were
eligible for free merchandise. Another resident of Loami took off work on
Thursday to apply at the Red Cross for one-time temporary
assistance. She and her family had been living without power from 7:
45 p.m. Sunday, March 12, until 8:45 p.m. Tuesday, March 14. They
were spending their money on kerosene to help heat their house and
taking the kids out to eat as there was no refrigerator to keep
food and milk. After spending five hours waiting to talk to
someone, she was told she did not qualify for assistance because
she had a job and she did not live in Springfield. Luckily, the
food pantry at Loami was able to come to her assistance to help
feed her family. I think Springfield residents should realize
that it is all the volunteer firefighters in these small towns
surrounding Springfield that risk their lives and go out on the
country roads to “spot” tornadoes during bad weather.
Loami was actually the first one to spot a funnel cloud and
immediately notified the weather service. Two of these volunteers
were definitely in harm’s way when the windows blew out of
the truck in which they were sitting. Power lines were down all
around them. They were forced to sit in the truck and pray for the
best. If you take a ride through the country, it
looks like the farmers have planted aluminum. Every farm has
damage. Silos, sheds, barns, and other outbuildings lie in shambles
over the fields. Some people lost everything. They have no house to
live in. Please remember those who live in the country
and in the small towns surrounding Springfield. They deserve to be
helped. Judy Walsh Loami
This article appears in Mar 30 – Apr 5, 2006.
