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Illinois Times, P.O. Box 5256, Springfield, IL 62705; fax 217-753-3958;
e-mail editor@illinoistimes.com.
PERVERSE AND UNBALANCED Nothing can stop me, not even Doug Bybee’s
nonsense, from loyal readership of your publication, which I’ve been
doing weekly for about the last 25 years. It doesn’t take much
energy, I can report from experience, to periodically begin reading one of
his meaningless, rambling screeds, realize nothing has changed, and move to
one of many good features, commentary, or information sources elsewhere in Illinois Times. My question is, why do you persist in making us go
through this ritual? This man is either deliberately perverse or arguably
unbalanced. His writing doesn’t reflect well on the Illinois Times we’ve
come to know and respect.
Nelson
Rose
Springfield
A CATASTROPHE OF GLOBAL PROPORTIONS
Two years ago, the secretary of the Department of
Energy asked the oil industry to report on the future of the world’s
supply of fossil fuels. It took the industry two years to get back on this,
and what they came up with is a sad commentary on their unwillingness to be
truthful with the American public. Until recently, they have denied the
fact of global warming. And now, predictably, they are denying the reality
of “peak oil” — the coming peaking of oil production.
There is no question that the depletion of oil and other fossil fuels is a
hard reality. The American public has a right to know, and it is dishonest
to deny them this truth. It is a fact that 90 percent of the world’s oil
has already been found, and what is left will be harder to extract and more
expensive to extract and will entail the release of more carbon emissions,
thus increasing global warming. Saudi Arabia, whose oil fields are
“old and tired,” has the world’s largest known oil
reserves. The Saudis will not tell us whether they have reached peak oil.
It is a carefully guarded secret. In the U.S., oil production peaked in the
early 1970s. It is estimated that the world’s production of oil will
peak when one-half of the oil has been extracted (as in a bell-shaped
curve), and the supply of oil will begin to decline sometime within the
first decade of the 21st century. We may have reached it already. The 21st century will be an apocalyptic one. Not only
do we have to contend with global warming, but it is simply secondary to a
much larger coming reality — the end of cheap, plentiful oil. Some
are predicting a global economic meltdown. The question remains: Do we have
the visionary leaders to deal with these complex issues, or are we simply
going to war to get oil? That would be a catastrophe of global proportions.
Beni Kitching Springfield
GET ME OUT OF HERE, QUICK! After reading Thursday’s Illinois Times, I decided to get a
load off my chest again. I have been telling anyone and everyone who would
even half-listen to me much of what was in your paper this week [Jim
Hightower, “Democrats cave again,” Aug. 23]. Franklin Delano
Roosevelt told us that we were stronger than we thought we were. He
led us boldly in the face of fear and taught us to face those fears and be
strong. The current people in charge today are doing the
opposite. We are now to fear anyone who looks different, has a different
religion, or speaks with an accent and are to fear each other as well.
Adolf Hitler did exactly the same thing. The idea then was to have the
German people fear the Jews, the Russians, Jehovah Witnesses, Communists,
gays, and all others who were in opposition to the Nazi party. For God’s sake people — wake up! The sand
is rapidly leaving the hourglass. The Germans had a system of concentration
camps. We have “Camp Cheney” in Cuba. There is a Web site that
tells about funds given to Halliburton to build concentration camps here in
this country, each one to hold a minimum of 500 people. Habeas corpus has been
suspended. Eavesdropping [is being done] without warrant, [and] other
things Americans have taken for granted for many, many years are gone with
the wind. People don’t seem to care anymore. The only
important things are this month’s house payment, car payments, and
something to put away for next year’s vacation. I am 71 years old. I have cancer and a mild heart
problem. I hope I’m not around much longer, as I fear what will happen next.
Lee Archer Springfield
LEARNING TO APPRECIATE NATURE Thank you for Jennifer Fishburn’s excellent
article “Getting children outdoors” [“Plantwise,”
Aug. 23]. My own parents appreciated nature, and as children we were
essentially forced to love it with Mom’s rule “Once you go
outside in the morning, don’t expect to come back inside until
it’s time for supper and a bath.” Back then I just thought that
was how Mom kept the house clean, but now I realize how lucky I was to have
spent my childhood catching insects on the sidewalk, helping in the garden,
and romping through the little strip of woods that adjoined our local park.
Thirty years later, I own the Wild Birds Unlimited
Nature Shop in Springfield and am thrilled each time a parent or
grandparent comes in to pick out a bird feeder for a child, hoping to
instill a lifelong love of nature, as my own grandparents did when they
gave me a feeder for my fifth birthday. Wishing to inspire this appreciation in more
children, Wild Birds Unlimited is proud to be a national sponsor of the
National Wildlife Federation’s Green Hour program. Plus, we have a
special “Pathways to Nature for Kids” section on our Web site,
www.wbu.com/springfieldil, devoted to activity ideas and education.
Additionally, every customer’s purchase in our shop makes a
difference, since we donate a portion of the sale to our Pathways to Nature
Conservation Fund, which supports conservation and education projects
locally and nationally. Thanks to Ms. Fishburn for bringing up this subject,
to the community for the support of our projects, and to Mom for kicking us
kids outside all the time!
Wade
Kammin
Springfield
SOME IDEAS TO CURB GUN VIOLENCE The local protest against handgun violence on Aug. 28
poignantly reminds us of America’s problem with gun violence that
continues to occur. It appears that public support is there to attack this
problem. The question is “Are gun enthusiasts willing to work on this
problem?”
The rejection of any kind of gun control by gun
enthusiasts gives way to the thought that it is aversion to all gun
legislation, rather than true concern for home and family, that is the
issue here. The mere suggestion of legislation to close existing loopholes
is met with rabid resistance. Some also seem unusually fond of being able
to carry a gun around town with them, suggesting that no one is going to
shoot you if they think you have a gun. If the very people raging
against gun control legislation cannot present themselves as open and
reasonable, why should we entrust them with lethal weapons? Aren’t
they proving to us they are incapable of reasoned behavior? Why don’t
they support legislation that moves to a safer environment for gun
ownership? Many proposals are out there which do not interfere
with protection of property and self yet have yet to become national
policy. Requiring a background check for all gun sales, making it illegal
for gun shows and individuals to sell to anyone who shows up to buy a gun,
is one of them. Other proposals include forbidding any use or possession of
automatic and semi-automatic firearms; holding all first purchasers liable
for crimes committed with his or her gun until resold by a licensed dealer
using background checks; having all gun owners go through a licensed gun
dealer for any resale of guns they possess; forbidding gun ownership of
anyone arrested for domestic violence; making it a mandatory nationwide
“cooling off period” where the purchaser must wait five days
before receiving the gun he or she purchases. The rate of firearm deaths among kids under age 15 is
at least 11 times higher in the U.S. American kids are 16 times more likely
to be murdered with a gun, 11 times more likely to commit suicide with a
gun, and nine times more likely to die from a firearm accident than
children in 25 other industrialized countries combined. Surely we can do
better than this.
Anne Logue Springfield
This article appears in Aug 30 – Sep 5, 2007.
