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
MAKE HOLIDAYS MATTER
It’s not so much that Casimir Pulaski
was not from Illinois; it is that Chicago has the second largest
population of people of Polish descent next to Poland [Dusty
Rhodes, “Equal time,” May 26].
Is playing hooky on that day any different
than playing hooky on Veterans Day, Columbus Day, Martin Luther
King Day, or, if you think it’s right, Jane Addams Day?
Do our students really need another day off to
honor someone by playing Halo on their PlayStation2s?
One thing I admired about the school where I
used to teach was that on Veterans Day the students were in school.
They (the students and faculty) gave away coffee and doughnuts in
front of the school to veterans who wanted to stop by, and during
the day lessons were geared to learning about national conflicts
and the men and women who served their country. My students went to
the Vet Center and the DAV Club and spoke with men and women who
served in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam.
Maybe instead of Jane Addams, Pulaski, or
Every Other Person of Some Importance Days, we should have a day to
remember those people who are important in Illinois history.
Instead of giving students the day off, we make lessons geared to
teach them about the people of the past, not a day off so that they can skateboard and practice their video-game
skills.
Kevin Beeson
Taylorville
THE TRUTH
IS ELUSIVE
My friend e-mailed me your article
“Consider the alternative” [Joan Villa, May 19]. There
is quite a lot of wisdom there. The general media only let us know
what they want
us to know, and frequently the information is very one-sided.
Take, for instance, the falling of a leaf from
a tree. The first viewer says that the leaf fell to the ground, the
second gives a description of its having been blown by a strong
cold wind, and the third goes into great depth regarding the color
of the leaf and how it twisted and turned as it very gently landed
on the crisp snow. It is the same story but is presented in
entirely different ways.
There are always two sides to be examined to
get the correct picture. I served for six-and-a-half years in World
War II but generally only saw the one side. Now, with flashbacks on
the TV and so on, I can partly see the picture from the other
angle.
Congratulations to those who are making a
stand for the true facts, even though full truth is very hard to get.
My family and I migrated from England to
Sydney, Australia, in 1954 and now live on the Sunshine Coast of
Queensland, so I am afraid that I am slightly out of your area for
the Yard to Yard competition.
William R. J. Jackson
Bli Bli, Queensland, Australia
OUR EFFORTS RECOGNIZED
Wow! I was just e-mailed by one of the
Democracy Now! representatives about Joan Villa’s article
“Consider the alternatives.” Tonight we have one of our community
meetings: People will be so excited and overjoyed to see their hard
work in the press. The story overall was amazing and included so much
wonderful information about the community-led movements. We also saw
the piece pop up on the FCC news wire soon after. Awesome.
DeAnne Cuellar
Texas Media Empowerment Project
San Antonio, Texas
MEDIA MUST REGAIN TRUST
There was a time when newspapers, magazines,
radio stations, and television presented the news without bias and
personal opinion. The reporters competed for the scoop. But the
responsible media told the stories with simple, truthful, accurate
facts. Sensationalism was left to yellow journalism. The editors of
responsible media held their reporters to a high level of integrity
and accuracy. They did not allow the innocent to be maligned and
reputations ruined with half-truths, innuendoes, and phony
“unnamed sources” or “on the condition of
anonymity.” The “public’s right to know”
was fulfilled by reporting the story without embellishment. Only
those named were the principals involved.
In recent years, a disgraceful number of
“investigative reports” have prove misleading, biased,
opinionated and, quite often, totally false. When the malicious act
was exposed, the reporting media would print or telecast a
retraction with a vague apology. But the harm had been done and
could never be reversed.
Who are these miscreants who submit articles
that they know will do irreparable harm to innocent persons? Is
their desire for 15 minutes of fame so strong that they disregard
all vestiges of civility and honesty? Are they so psychologically
warped that they actually get pleasure from inflicting pain on
others?
These are dark days for the news media. The
public no longer trusts it for factual reporting of local,
national, and international events. It has lost its credibility.
The solution is simple: Those who have lowered their standards to
gain favor with a political party or segment of society must do
some serious soul-searching. They must return to honest reporting
of the news.
Most certainly this is not an indictment of
the entire industry. There are many, many honest newspapers and
radio and television stations that operate with integrity. And
there are those that, for the most part, are faithful to their
journalistic mission. However, for whatever reason, they allow a
few of their reporters to indulge in sensationalism.
The public has the right to expect truthful
and factual reporting of events by the media. We hope that those
guilty of yellow journalism will regain the trust of the
public by honoring that right.
John D. Kolaz
Springfield
A MEDICAL MYSTERY
When medical clinics try to control the
doctors, the doctors lose their patience. When the clinics do control the
doctors, the doctors lose their patients!
Donald E. Palmer
Springfield
VULTURES OF DEATH
On Saturday, May 7, our family received a
letter from a monument company in Springfield. This letter, which
arrived less than two weeks after my father passed away, stated
that “as a friend,” the firm wanted to assist our
bereaving family in the selection of a memorial stone.
To imply this company knew my father and
considered themselves a friend of the family extends past the
normal means of soliciting business. Businesses that look in the
newspaper under the obituaries to find families that need their
service are nothing more than vultures of death. My father was a
businessman and he taught me the greatest advertisement for a
business was the quality of service it provides.
Teri Flowers
Virden
EVERY SEASON HAS ITS REASON
School will soon be out and area festivals
will begin. In just days, the Virginia Bar-B-Que will be underway
for the 39th year with food, fun, and entertainment. What a grand
way to begin your summer.
More will follow as the weeks pass. The Jim
Edgar Panther Creek Bicycle Challenge will take place June 26 in
the recreation area just a few miles outside of town. Racing events
of nine and 26 miles will fill the day.
The Cass County Fair in Virginia will run for
a week in July, giving town folks a chance to be neighbors to the
farm animals again and see close-up the talents and abilities of
4-H members in our county.
[There are] many good reasons to visit
Virginia through the seasons. Let it be the destination for joy and
good cheer this year. You will be most welcome and not be
disappointed.
Roy L. French
Virginia, Ill.
MORE OF THE SAME, PLEASE
I really enjoyed “The tree
dancer’s poem” [Doug Bybee Sr., May 19]. Many, many
years ago I read a great article by the same author, a eulogy to a
street person. Is there any possibility you could reprint it?
Tony Moore
Springfield
STILL LOCKED AND LOADED
I am provoked by the recent compromise on
minority entitlement to filibuster. Allowing a Senate vote on
several biased judicial candidates was the cost of the compromise.
But what’s really been accomplished? One side is still
saying, “We have the right and will filibuster if
necessary”; the other side childishly responding, “If
you do, we’ll change the rules.” We’ll be exactly
at this impasse as soon as Bush nominates yet another unacceptable
candidate. The fingers are off the triggers but the guns are still
on the table.
Tim Slack
Newburgh, Ind.
This article appears in Jun 2-8, 2005.
