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Springfield, IL 62705; fax 217-753-3958; e-mail editor@illinoistimes.com.
REMEMBERING MOLLY IVINS
Politics, she said, is nothing you can leave to politicians:
“Politics is about you and me.” Molly Ivins, courageous
and funny in her writings, never stopped asking Americans to take
responsibility for their country, to get out there and fight to make it
better. She will be desperately missed by many. Molly Ivins died of breast
cancer on Jan. 31.
Anne
Logue
Springfield
A PUZZLING CHANGE
I
used to pick up Illinois Times. I did the crossword first, and then I read the rest of
it. Where is my crossword puzzle? The sudoku is too tough for me.
Jackie Barnes
Taylorville
ENEMIES ALL AROUND US While calls for impeachment of George W. Bush, our
worst-ever president, continue to grow in volume and intensity, I would ask
a single question of those who continue to insist that Bush has done
nothing to deserve impeachment. That question is: “Do you believe it
is constitutionally acceptable for this or any administration to hold a
prisoner who is not charged with any specific crime, deny that prisoner
access to legal representation, and then, once discovered that the prisoner
is a victim of mistaken identity, simply release the prisoner with no
explanation or apology?”
This president would prefer that, instead of leading
the way, we simply adopt some of the very same methods of our enemies that
we claim to despise. Kind of reminds me of Walt Kelly’s Pogo: “We have seen the
enemy, and he is us.”
Ed Lazarus Springfield
CONGRESSIONAL COWARDS Question of the day: Who appropriates the money to
finance Bush’s war? Answer: Congress! Correct! Cut to the chase: The inaction of Congress, [its
failure] to yank a knot in Bush’s tail, speaks louder than all of the
daily diet of hot air coming from individual members of this elite group.
The $9 trillion national debt is the result. It’s a classic example of “talk a lot but
do nothing.”
Bernard Reichart New Berlin
BE HEALTHY WHEN YOU OVEREAT I am overweight. It is my fault. I eat too much. I
also try to buy better food. It is not easy. Why are there so many
“frosted” cereals? Sugar is cheaper than grain and heavy so it
makes cereal cheaper. Do they not think that we can sweeten our cereal? I
don’t use sugar. Even worse are the other ingredients. Even most
“heart healthy” cereals have sugar as the second or third
ingredient. Some have soy additives. Many foods contain cotton or palm oil.
They are worse than lard. If you buy a “mechanically separated”
meat product, put it back. When you remove an animal’s intestines,
hide or feathers, then strip off all the rest with a machine, you end up
with all kinds of bits they would rather not list. Read labels and don’t eat anything that you
would not add to the food yourself. If we are going to overeat, let’s
at least overeat better food. Patrick Johnopolos Springfield WHATDIDIDOWRONG, CITYCOUNCIL? Today I closed my bar. The rush of nonsmokers into
clean-air bars never happened, as suggested by some City Council members.
Some said that only bars in bad locations would close, but my bar has been
on South Sixth Street for more than 35 years under many successful owners.
Some said that bad food would cause bars to close, but I have sold more
than 150,000 chicken wings in the last 14 months — from a high of 360
pounds a week down to only 160 pounds per week since October. Some said
that bad management would close lots of bars, but my bar manager of two
years, Chris Krofchick, has more than 20 years of bar and restaurant
management experience (not to mention my 30 years). I have advertised. I have
marketed. I have had fundraisers for sick children. I have collected more
than $25,000 in sales taxes for the city and state. I have purchased more
than $150,000 in wholesale goods from local food and beverage distribors.
Now a nice chunk of my live savings is gone. And two great fulltime
employees and several parttimers are unemployed. So tell me, City Council, what
did I do wrong? David Irvin Owner, George Ranks Springfield
BARS AREN’T “PUBLIC” PLACES I do not want to subject my family and myself to
secondhand smoke while at the mall, while eating at a restaurant, while
watching a theater production or movie, or while shopping for food, as
these are all public places — places that allow all people of all
ages through the front door of the business. I, however, understand that a bar is a place that
only allows adults over the age of 21 to enter and make purchases of
alcohol for consumption — and so should not be considered a public
place. Many bars also sell tobacco products. If you’re 21 and sitting
in a bar drinking, then you have made the choice to be there. If the person
sitting next to you is smoking, it is because they choose to and the owner
of the business has made the choice to allow smoking. You, too, have
choices. You can choose to stay. You can choose to open a smoke-free bar,
or you can choose to leave. If tobacco is to be the new social evil, let’s
just ban the sales and use as we did with alcohol [during Prohibition].
Wait — that would just lead to another repeal amendment. Walter Foster Springfield
THE WORD FROM EASTERN EUROPE Word is coming from a Bulgarian news agency that
President George W. Bush is preparing for an attack on Iran’s nuclear
facilities before the end of April. There is a buildup of U.S. forces in
the Balkans taking place in two U.S. Air Force bases in Bulgaria and in
Romania’s Black Sea coast. There is also a buildup taking place in
Central Europe, in the Czech Republic and Poland. America’s Italian
bases are also being beefed up. There is an understanding that these bases
will be used in the event of an attack on Iran. There is absolutely no proof, only conjecture, that
Iran is building nuclear weapons in these facilities. It will be another
preemptive strike against a sovereign nation that poses no threat to us.
And it would not surprise me if Bush uses a staged provocation as an excuse
to invade. This is madness. Iran has a large, battle-hardened
army. In addition, engaging in a wider war in the Middle East could send
oil screaming past $200 a barrel, with gasoline at $10 a gallon. Such a war
could also draw in other nations that possess nuclear weapons. This is a
very dangerous step. We, as a nation, cannot allow this to happen. If we
don’t do something now, and Bush is allowed to take this step, the
nation and Congress may be too distracted to take action. Bush may be
banking on this. Congress must be willing to stand up to this
administration, take bold action, and do its constitutional duty. And the
American people must be willing to back them up. Impeachment and removal
from office of this president and vice president, however it is done, is
mandatory. We cannot afford to wait. Beni Kitching Springfield
LET’S LAUNCH A PETITION DRIVE In response to Talma Brown’s letter
“Insight needs competition,” in the Feb. 8 issue of Illinois Times, I say,
“Hurray!” and “Tell it like it is.”
What I cannot understand is why the Springfield City
Council allows itself, time after time, to continue approving this
franchise without even allowing the citizens of Springfield to even vote on the issue. Why? Is the council so afraid that continuation of the
franchise will have as little voter support as the invasion of Iraq has? Or
could it be that, with growing citizen disapproval of Insight’s
policies and practices, that the mayor, council, and city administrators
are running scared of possible corporate retaliation, mainly in the form of
a potential lawsuit so huge that it could leave Springfield bankrupt, for
years, even decades, to come? Why don’t the people of Springfield start a
petition drive, with the message being: “If you want freedom of
choice and open competition in your cable television viewing, sign below,
to tell the Springfield City Council and Insight Communications how unhappy
you are with the corporate cable service.” What could it hurt to let
a united voice tell the council what we, the people, of Springfield
think?
Norman Hinderliter
Springfield
This article appears in Feb 8-14, 2007.
