Hats off to Gentleman Joe
Dear sir:
Thank you very much for the wonderful article on Mr. Joe Bonefeste [“Il Professore,”
September 11]. This gentleman, who is 81 years young, is a fascinating conversationalist
whom we consider a dear friend.
This past Fourth of July we had the honor of enjoying a band concert with
Mr. Bonefeste on the Statehouse lawn. He is certainly a delightful man who has
achieved success in many fields, including education, politics, language, military,
music, and so much more.
To Mr. Bonefeste we would say, we salute you and appreciate you, not only
as a friend but for all you have done for our community, especially as manager
of the Municipal Band. You are an example to all of us to keep learning and
growing all throughout life.
Sincerely,
Rich and Dawn Stuemke
Springfield
Listen to the music
Dear editor,
I appreciated all the articles in your September 11 issue, especially the
memorials for Illinois war casualties and the bio on Bonefeste. He was principal
of Dubois when our “kids” were in elementary grades.
I was particularly taken with the letter from Gypsy Starwyn. Tolerance touches
so many tangents, doesn’t it? For a country that boasts of its tolerance of
various religions, some of them surely have a time of it! I do agree with her–plus
some.
There are too many with overly soft feelings who wail about dern-near anything,
and too many case-chasing lawyers to sue for them over these irrelevant nothings
too. I often wonder what my dear old grandpa would have done. Probably pour
a draft over them and say, “Here, cool off, we all got troubles. Come on now,
not so gruff, join the fun, have a beer, and listen to our player piano.”
Yours Truly,
Dr. Mary L.W. Midden
Springfield
What are we afraid of?
To the editor:
Isn’t it strange that in a country founded on religious freedom, so few of
us feel free to discuss our religion?
In the United States it’s OK to be Christian, or even Jewish or Muslim. But
mention that you study Wicca or tell a new acquaintance that you are Pagan .
. . and suddenly you are a Bride of Satan, a Witch, a lost, bewildered soul
desperately in need of “saving.”
From my studies I have learned that Pagans are truly tolerant people. They
don’t go out looking for new “members” because their Higher Power, unlike most,
doesn’t need money. Most practice their ceremonies outdoors, in the most
beautiful cathedral of all! Their goal seems to be to take care of Mother Earth
and do as little damage as possible to other Beings while we are here. Sounds
pretty healthy, doesn’t it?
I agree with Gypsy Starwyn. . . . If someone’s faith, sexual preference, skin
color, or language bothers you, ask yourself, Why? What are you afraid of?
Sincerely,
Barbara Comfort
Springfield
George Bush, party pooper
To the editor:
I didn’t read the article about the Republican candidates for the U.S. Senate
[September 11] because the Bush regime has denied me the freedom to even consider
a Republican candidate.
Illinois Rep. Jan Schakowsky–in her recent speech entitled “How Badly Do You
Want to Win?”–asked the Campaign for America’s Future whether they want a different
president in 2004 badly enough to actually do what is necessary to win the election.
Ms. Schakowsky acknowledges that voters are also fed up with the Democrats,
but she replies that they had better get over it–like it or not either George
W. Bush or the Democratic nominee will be our next president.
In his 1949 book, 1984, George Orwell had it all right, except for
the date. The Bush “spin doctors” are using Big Brother’s tactics and those
who support Bush don’t even recognize them. As Schakowsky points out, the Bush
administration disguises their true motives at every turn: “They lied about
the reason they took our sons and daughters to war. They spend millions of dollars
in campaign ads saying they are for a prescription drug benefit under Medicare.
They call their dirty air legislation ‘Clear Skies,’ and their plan to give
the timber companies our trees ‘Healthy Forests.’ They call their job-killing
economic program a ‘jobs program.’ They say they are for peace when they are
for war. Millions of children are left behind under their miserly ‘No Child
Left Behind’ education bill. They tout a child tax credit and then silently
drop it in favor of more tax cuts for millionaires.”
The book 1984 should be recommended reading for every American citizen,
even if checking it out of the library puts you on an FBI list of suspected
terrorists.
To vote for a Republican candidate for any major office is a luxury we can
no longer afford as long as the Bush regime is in power.
Please withhold my name from print–I don’t want to lose my job.
Sign me,
Sincere Springfieldian
Editor’s note:
Jan Schakowsky’s speech was reprinted in the July 21 issue of the Chicago-based
political magazine In These Times. It’s available on-line at http://inthesetimes.com/comments.php?id=287_0_1_0_M.
No mini nukes
Dear editor:
It’s time for us to be concerned about nuclear weapons at home as well as
in Iraq.
Congress is about to pass a bill approving construction of mini nuclear weapons,
designed for use in the battlefield.
I, for one, think this is a mistake.
America should be taking the international lead in calling for nuclear disarmament.
We shouldn’t be building new nuclear weapons at home and denouncing them abroad.
It’s time for our country to step forward and insist on a world free of nuclear
bombs. As a first step in this direction, the plan to build miniature nukes
should be voted down.
J. Wexler
Half a million per soldier?
To the editor:
Bush and Cheney have just asked for $87 billion more of our hard-earned tax
dollars for the next installment on their war. Most of it, $66 billion, will
go to “the military action in Iraq.” That comes to almost half a million–$470,000–for
each of our 140,000 soldiers stationed there. That money will buy a lot of bullets.
. . . Where does the rest go? The funny math just never stops since big oil
took over the White House.
David Singelyn
Chatham
This article appears in Sep 18-24, 2003.
