Letters policy
We welcome letters, but please include your full name, address and a daytime
telephone number. We edit all letters for libel, length and clarity.
Send letters to: Letters, Illinois Times. P.O. Box 5256. Springfield, Illinois
62705. Fax: (217) 753-3958. E-mail: editor@illinoistimes.com
HEY, WE WEREN’T THE RUDE ONES
I’m the host of Drinking Liberally in
Springfield. I noticed the letter to the editor that accuses the
group of not welcoming a couple who visited recently
[“Searching for friendly liberals,” Sept. 1]. That week
Drinking Liberally did not meet on the patio at Boone’s. The
group of people the couple mistook for us was, in fact, composed of
House Democratic staffers, who were not there to liberally drink.
The DL group was inside. Unfortunately, Boone’s had a large
party that night, which forced DL into a hard-to-spot corner of the
bar. Two other people had trouble finding us that night as well. I
regret that it was difficult for people to find us that evening,
but it was beyond my control, and we were certainly not the rude
group the writer referred to.
Will Reynolds
Springfield
DEFENDING OUR WAY OF LIFE
I recently watched The Constant Gardener and
was reminded of Mother Teresa’s comment that “it is a
poverty that a child must die for you [us] to live as we
choose.” What’s this mean? It mean that when the hacks
and pundits tell us we’re hated for our way of life, the
American way of life of leisure, comfort, and ease, they’re
right. For American consumerism, gross overconsumption and
materialism to thrive as part and parcel of the American way of
life, there must be unlimited slave labor and raw resources.
As much as we may hate to say it, George W.
Bush defends our way of life when he sends bombers to Baghdad to control, by
way of proxy government, the vast untapped oil supply there. When Pat
Robertson urges the assassination of the noncompliant leader of an
oil-rich country, the faux preacher stands up for American interests
and our ability to function as we do without sacrificing anything
meaningful — just our values and morals. And the conflict in
oil-rich Sudan continues unobstructed, thanks largely to the big oil
companies’ persuading the big governments that the profits to be
made from working with the murderous Sudanese government are more
important than human rights. Profits before people.
Therefore the problem is that when we defend
our materialistic way of life, we impoverish, disenfranchise, and
kill others, whether they be in Nike sweatshops or victims of our
oil wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. That may be OK, but only if
you’re unconcerned and selfish. Sacrifice is anathema to
modern America; that’s why most politicians avoid the topic,
even with soaring gas prices dominating the news.
We can either change the way we live and
start caring about others around the world or go on living as we
do. We just need to stop being liars about our righteousness and
morality.
Michael P. Ziri
Springfield
PROTECTING TEENAGERS FROM TATTOOS
Gov. Rod Blagojevich thinks anyone under 21
does not have sufficient judgment or perspective to get a tattoo.
On Aug. 10, he vetoed the provision of HB 29 that would have
reduced the legal age for getting tattoos from 21 to 18.
So why does the governor think teenagers of
any age, even preteens, have sufficient judgment and perspective to
get an abortion? Consider his logic. He stated, “As a parent,
I don’t want my daughters to rush to get tattoos on the 18th
birthdays. At that age, most kids are still in high school and don’t have the judgment or
perspective to decide on something as permanent as tattooing your
skin,” Blagojevich said. “Teenagers may not realize getting
a tattoo is a decision they’ll live with, and potentially regret,
for the rest of their lives. That’s why I refuse to support
legislation that allows teenagers to get tattoos.”
Just replace “tattoo” with
“abortion” at each occurrence above and then ask again,
why does the governor think teenagers of any age have the judgment
and perspective to get an abortion? Which decision do you think is
more likely to be “a decision they’ll live with, and
potentially regret, for the rest of their lives”? Why does
Gov. Blagojevich oppose even parental notification before an
underage girl can get an abortion?
Bill Beckman
Executive director, Illinois Right to Life Committee
Chicago
CLOSED PORT THREATENS OUR SECURITY
The impact of Katrina goes well beyond the
hiccup in oil refining and human tragedies that the media has so
far focused upon. The loss of the port can shut the U.S.
economy down, and we need to treat it as a national security threat
of the highest order.
The Ports of South Louisiana and New Orleans
are the largest port in the United States by tonnage and the
fifth-largest in the world. It exports more than 52 million tons a
year, of which more than half are agricultural products —
corn, soybeans and so on.
Nearly 17 million tons comes in through the
port — including not only crude oil, but chemicals and
fertilizers, coal, concrete and so on. Most of our rivers flow into
the Mississippi: It is a major highway, maybe the major highway. Its
security and operation is vital to us.
The oil fields, pipelines, and ports required
a skilled workforce in order to operate. That workforce requires
homes. They require stores to buy food and other supplies.
Hospitals and doctors. Schools for their children. In other words,
in order to operate the facilities critical to the United States,
you need a workforce to do it — and that workforce is gone.
Unlike in other disasters, that workforce cannot return to the
region, because they have no place to live.
The port is not destroyed, and the river is
still navigable. The people who operate the port are gone, though.
We need a major task force to reopen and operate it, as we did in
Iraq. Steel is not being unloaded to be barged north to make
airliners and washing machines. The harvest is starting here in the
heartland, with no way to ship the result to the rest of the world
that relies on American wheat and soybeans. This is genuinely
frightening.
Dan Cedusky
Champaign
WORRY ABOUT FUEL INSTEAD OF SMOKING
Instead of being concerned about smoking in
taverns and eating places, the City Council should do something
about the high cost of fuel. First of all, no more take-home cars
and pickup trucks. The police would be exempt. This along would
save a lot of money. Also, the city could starting using natural
gas, like some of the buses are doing. And for electricity, the
founding fathers should have invested money years ago so that
garbage, limbs, leaves, and grass [could be used] to generate
power. It seems that the government always waits for a crisis to
happen before it wakes up.
Danny Faulkner
Springfield
THANKS FOR SUPPORTING CAMP COCO
Because 104 children were able to attend this
year’s Camp COCO (Children’s Oncology Camp
Organization), it is with sincere appreciation that we thank
everyone who helped make camp possible. Kids from southern and
central Illinois who bravely face an array of diseases, from blood
disorders to cancer, were able to enjoy the wonderful camp
experience this summer at the Easter Seals Timber Pointe Outdoor
Conference Center on Lake Bloomington. Camp COCO is a project of
the pediatric hematology/oncology division at the Southern Illinois
University School of Medicine. With the continued dedication of
community members, along with the financial assistance from
donations, the Camp COCO golf outing and other fundraisers, we were
able to accommodate every camper who applied this year. The
physical activity and peaceful environment that camp affords these
kids is very important to the healing process.
We extend a big thank-you to the individuals,
organizations, and businesses that support our camp and the many
volunteers and medical staff who gave their time helping our
campers. Anyone interested in attending Camp COCO next year or
supporting this ongoing project can contact SIU’s
pediatric-oncology staff in Springfield at 217-545-7377.
Again, thank you for your support.
Gregory Brandt, M.D.
Director of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology
School of Medicine
Southern Illinois University
Springfield
CORRECTION
U.S. Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., recently
made an official inquiry to determine whether Congress may impeach
a high-ranking administration official such as presidential advisor
Karl Rove. Recent letters to the editor [Aug. 18, 25] incorrectly
said Frank has called for the impeachment of President Bush.
This article appears in Sep 8-14, 2005.
