As a Calhoun County resident that travels Highway 431 every day, I know firsthand of the dangers of the intersection at Lenlock Lane. An ABC employee, is technically correct in his statement that alcohol is a legal product. But he is dead wrong, when he knows for a fact that this is a very dangerous intersection.
By allowing this new ABC store you are only adding to the possibility of additional fatalities.
One look at this location you will not only find a busy and dangerous intersection but churches’ front doors. For all of us who know the two families who lost their precious young sons to an alcohol-related accident at this intersection, we say “Stop the building of this ABC store.”
Drive past this intersection and look at the two crosses that honor these two young men and pray that we don’t have to put more there.
Norman Johnson
Alexandria
The elements of style
It’s back to basics if we’re to trim the nation’s longest constitution. Criteria for writing are in a little classic, The Elements of Style, by Strunk and White who cite “sixty-three words that could change the world.”Vigorous writing is concise. A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts.
This requires not that the writer make all his sentences short, or that he avoid all detail and treat his subjects only in outline, but that every word tell.
Have we a Thomas Jefferson or an Abe Lincoln who can apply these criteria in writing a constitution that is vigorous and concise? It’s past time for a Tom Corts or a Wayne Flynt to give it a try.
Kathryn and John Vanderford
Jacksonville
Hoods
We’re almost there. “Hoods” approved (not here yet ... so DO hold your breath). Test burn done. I haven’t heard anyone say it yet — maybe I just missed it. What do you suppose will happen if there is a release and citizens are killed and/or injured? Why ... what happened to Monsanto/Solutia? Yep! Lawsuits! I’ll sue. It may take years, but I’ll collect. Let’s just hope I never have reason to.John Tidball
Anniston
Short history lesson
So many points need to be addressed in the letter published April 9 but this letter only addresses the mistakes written concerning the Six Day War. Thus, a short history lesson.The truth is, in the years leading up to the War, Arab nations refused continually to acknowledge Israel’s legitimacy.
Palestinian guerrillas backed by Egypt and Jordan were continually attacking civilians and soldiers in Israel. Syria regularly bombarded Israeli farms from the Golan Heights.
In April 1967, Israel shot down six Syrian fighter jets. This was in retaliation for particularly heavy shelling from the Golan.
Syrian was then warned against further attacks.
Syria then appealed to Egypt, and Nasser moved 100,000 troops close to Israel’s southern border, ordered the United Nations observers out of the Sinai and closed Israel’s only outlet to the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aqaba. Israel had made it clear to Egypt a decade before that such a closure would be considered an act of war.
Shortly thereafter, Egypt and Jordan placed their two armies under a joint military command.
To say that Israel “admitted that it faced no threat from any Arab state,” is simple ignorance of history.
Rick Finch
Oxford
Petting zoo not perfect
Has anyone in this area been to a prison camp lately? The traveling zoos do not have the capability of properly caring for their animals. The big cats especially are treated cruelly. They are caged in an area almost too small to even turn around. Where do you think these animals stay at night when the zoo closes down?
Do you think they are released in a huge pasture, where they can feel real earth under their feet and see a sky not distorted by cage bars?
What about the monkeys? Scientific research has proven the monkey species is as intelligent as a three- or four-year-old toddler. The monkeys have no room to sit, no toys to play with, no interaction with other monkeys, and are taunted day after day.
This is the life these animals lead in traveling zoos. This has to stop! Please think twice about visiting places that allow and condone inhumane treatment of animals.
Together we can stop not only this kind of animal abuse, but others as well.
Wendy Connell
Anniston
Death penalty
And, of course, there is no recourse if the executed was found to be innocent by new evidence, as has happened time and time again.There is not one shred of evidence that an innocent person has been executed, I think your statement above is wrong. Prove to the public that an executed person has been proven innocent time and time again. That comment is just rubbish. Prove it, then print it. You are just misguiding people about the issue.
Judy Bennett
Monroe, Ga.
A visit with Mr. Arafat
As an American Jew, I am proud of the actions of Adam Shapiro, the young man who visited Yasser Arafat. He is not an “apostate,” but someone who is acting in the proudest Jewish tradition, regardless of his personal beliefs. Those who call him traitor or threaten his family would do well to examine the destructive role of Israel to us in the American Jewish community. Please use the actions of Shapiro to focus more attention on the heroic resistance of Palestinians who have been undeservedly libelled as nothing but suicide bombers.
Jesse Bacon
Seattle, Wash.
