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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
THE SNOWBALL CANDIDATE
This is a response to Charles Hershey [“Dennis the menace?” March 4]. There’s a reason why Dennis Kucinich isn’t getting much media coverage. Anyone who has watched the debates or read the content of his national security plans on his Web site [would conclude that] the guy is an incredible fringe whackjob who’s the most unelectable candidate running for president today. [He] so embarrassed the heck out of his own district with his ridiculous anti-war, cut-and-run, head-in-the-sand, turn-national-defense-over-to-the-UN-type policies that he doesn’t even have a snowball’s chance in Hades to keep his own House seat! The only thing he’s been good for is to remind the masses why we shouldn’t elect liberal-authoritarian Democrats. If John Kerry tries running with that kind of platform, he will lose in a total squash.
Steven Lucas
Springfield
KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK
What fun to take a look back at the Cooking School of the 1930s [Bob Cavanagh, “The school for wives,” Feb. 19]! While I’m not quite old enough to have been one of those who attended, I was a Latitia Hoffman pupil. She taught dancing to everyone, and no one who danced for her will ever forget her grace, charm and upbeat style.
I even remember some of the lyrics for the cooking school dances, including
this one, sung to the tune of the “Sidewalks of New York”:
“Morton Salt, all around the town
. . . If you have a family,
Use the iodized kind . . .
Remember, ask for Morton’s
It’s the salt without a fault.”
Bob Cavanagh, keep up the good work.
Barbara Dickerman
Springfield
PINING FOR THE PINES
I am leading a large group of citizens, organizations, and clubs to save an endangered Pine Plantation in Litchfield that was established in the 1920s [see Linda Hughes, “Speaking for the trees,” Feb. 26]. It is the most unique and pristine area for hiking, fishing, trail riding, birding, and picnicking. The city of Litchfield has voted to use this site for their new water treatment plant, when they have other city-owned land that could be utilized. The alternative sites would not destroy many endangered plant and animal species like the inhabitants of the Pine Plantation and surrounding area. No other cost analysis was done on any other site but the Pines area. We even requested this issue be put on the ballot. A petition was circulated with over 2,200 signatures, council meetings were standing room only, hundreds of calls were made to city officials, and yet they all fell on deaf ears.
I want to address the frustrations that have occurred with obtaining information from the State of Illinois, especially the Department of Natural Resources, and other entities. It took me three weeks to find the State Forester and two weeks to find the “incorrect” District Forester. Additionally, EPA and DNR had answering machines where you just left a message in some cases. It is very hard to do business with the state or obtain information via an answering machine or pay phone. I work for the state and get home between 4 and 5 p.m. So you can imagine how difficult it is for me, as many others, to do business or obtain information from the state.
They are trying “to do more with less” — like everyone else. DNR is so strapped for help that due to the budget cuts and lack of communication flow, our endangered Pine Plantation is going to be destroyed forever! I have utilized e-mail to the fullest extent possible, but there still is a “gap.” They need more employees and experienced ones to carry out their jobs! Our local representative and Congressman also do not respond to e-mail or our calls for assistance. Maybe if our state representative had spent time in his “own” district and not the sewer district in Sangamon County (which is not his district) he would have been able to answer his mail or his constituents.
Obtaining any information was difficult, if it was obtainable at all, from the entire Litchfield Lake file being misplaced or lost at DNR, to some of Litchfield Library’s 1900s newspaper microfiche being stolen, to a LLCC report being misplaced or lost, and finally to the hoops the city of Litchfield has made me jump through for even the simplest of information. It seems there is more here than meets the eye. I have learned the hard way that you “can’t fight City Hall,” however, I would like to suggest that maybe the governor’s ethics test be given to not just state employees, but to all municipal employees as well.
The Civilian Conservation Corps, University of Illinois, National Guard, 4-H Clubs, and many others have utilized these pines either for conservation studies or for training. With federal and state dollars that were possibly used for this Pine Plantation, Litchfield Lake, and surrounding area, why has the information been so difficult if not impossible to obtain? Red pine is an endangered species in Illinois, as are other plant and animal species in this area. So how can “anyone” just destroy them? DNR only checks their database for any endangered plant and animal species that have been reported, they do not go physically to a site for a thorough inspection. If no one has reported them to DNR, they really don’t exist. If you don’t call DNR to report an eagle or other endangered species sighting, then they have nothing on their databases to report. Now I know why I have never seen the buffalo roam, a black bear, cougar, elk, or timber wolf, because many of Illinois’ native animals are extinct!
It is a shame that so many communities have lost and will be losing valuable forest and lake areas due to urban sprawl and development. Many cities are environmentally irresponsible and we do not have any state or federal agencies that can help us when municipalities mismanage our environment. Can anyone help our endangered Pine Plantation and the surrounding wildlife area?
Kelly J. Robbins
Litchfield
MOVED BY PASSION
After my emotions subsided after viewing the violence inflicted upon Jesus [in “The Passion of the Christ”], I remembered Judas’ fear, the Jewish leaders’ fear concerning the overthrow of their religious establishment, and the crowd’s feelings of fearful betrayal upon misunderstanding the freedom Jesus was talking about.
Mostly, though, I remembered to take responsibility for my own personal fear. I’d unconsciously projected my fear of not being good enough onto others, attempting to make them “bad guys” (in the attempt to make me feel like a “good” guy). Recognizing this helped me accept — that is, love — myself better, even my fear, resulting in more love and understanding (and less fear) for myself and for others, too.
Michelle Sullivan
Chatham
LITTLE THINGS COUNT
On Feb. 17, I attended the City Council meeting because my son was requesting an ordinance change that he believes would solve a zoning problem. Mayor Tim Davlin read the request and asked for a motion, a second, and then asked for a vote. He did not ask if there was anyone present to speak for or against the motion, so I immediately spoke up and said that my son wants to make a small presentation.
My son made his short presentation, but the council appeared uninterested and it became apparent that the motion was a dried-up issue to them. The only alderman who asked a question was Frank McNeil — thank you for showing interest. I realize vital budget issues were on the minds of the aldermen, but this issue is very important to my son as he and his family have had to deal with this problem the entire time they have lived at this address.
Chuck Stoeckel
Springfield
This article appears in Mar 11-17, 2004.
