Living two miles east of the Anniston Army Depot, I have issues that need resolution. In 1997, the U.S. ratified treaties that guaranteed the destruction of the chemical weapons stockpile at ANAD as well as the other seven installations across the country that store these weapons. Do the local politicians and even the governor of this great state think they can hold up this process much longer? Obviously, they do, as there seems to be no effort locally to address the issues at hand. This area was provided, at no small expense, sirens and public address systems for our immediate notification in the event of emergencies. If it’s really quiet outside, no rain, no wind, no traffic on the nearby highway, I can sometimes hear the weather alerts from those sirens. The voice message does not reach my area. My household was provided with a neat little emergency radio. It stopped working a couple of months ago.
If there is a release at the depot, and if the siren happened to be heard in my neighborhood, what, exactly, are we supposed to do? The incumbent politicians and EMA haven’t made much effort to keep us informed. Holding out for protective hoods? One neighbor is in her 80s, another in his 90s. There are many children in this area. What are they going to do with a bunch of protective hoods if they can locate them and if they recall the training(?) that came with them?
I have heard commercial radio programming dedicated to informing the citizens of surrounding counties. Conspicuously absent is mention of Calhoun County. Why?
Cute little signs around the community tell us, “Nuff said.” No doubt, enough said about many issues, but if anything has been said on the issue of response to an accident or incident at ANAD, the information didn’t reach my neighborhood. No, enough has not been said on the appropriate issue.
I am confident in the workers at ANAD and based on the successes at Johnson Atoll and Deseret, I am confident in the systems in place to destroy the chemical stockpile. I am convinced at this point, that “burn it and forget it” is the best policy.
However, I am aware that no system is perfect and that an incident can occur.
Politicians whining for more money aren’t going to be much protection in an incident. Information and education will be of much more benefit.
David Austin
Wellborn Community
Politics and prayer
We know Dean Young (candidate for Secretary of State) wants to push his religion on everyone, as he professes that Alabama is a “Christian state.” He wants everyone to believe they should have the same religion as he, and if they do not, they are wrong and therefore not acceptable in his eyes. His schoolyard bullying belies the character of a true, humble Christian.
His modus operandi is to threaten, intimidate, insult and to browbeat people into taking “right ground,” i.e., strictly his narrow point of view, in Alabama politics. What he would like to actually come out and say is that he fallaciously believes that all Christians are Republicans, and all Democrats and those who don’t rally behind him are God-hating heathens, doomed to eternal damnation, no less.
It is purely incomprehensible to him that one can actually “not” be a Dean Young supporter — or a Roy Moore supporter for that matter — and still believe in God, be a true Christian and have basic moral values!
If we want to be preached to, we will go to church. But, what we want is a qualified Secretary of State, and we’ll look elsewhere and not in the direction of Dean Young, the radical religious bully.
We need leaders who support inclusion, not exclusion. Alabama needs true statesmen, not more audacious self-promotion in God’s name.
Pamela Mays Decker
Springville
Commissioner
I have known Dale Harbin for many years and consider him to be my best friend. He has earned my friendship, respect and admiration. My many conversations with him have proven that he is committed to the people of Calhoun County. There have been times while serving on the Calhoun County Board of Education that Dale could have taken the easy route, the path of least resistance when faced with difficult decisions. He stood fast to his convictions ensuring that the students in Calhoun County came first. Not politics, not friendships but the students.
I have confidence that Dale will make the right decisions at the right time for Calhoun County.
He won’t embarrass, bring disgrace or subject the county to possible legal liabilities by exercising poor judgment to appease the wishes of a few individuals.
Dale has served you faithfully on the Calhoun County Board of Education for many years. He will continue to serve you in the same manner as your County Commissioner.
Dale has earned your respect and your vote. Return to the polls on June 25 for the good of Calhoun County and cast your vote for Dale Harbin.
Gordy Stinson
Brunswick, Ga.
A visit
How nice Mr. Wheat gets to visit with his family. Too bad the families of those murdered can’t visit with their loved ones. I know you’re supposed to stick by family members in times of trouble. However, sometimes you’re supposed to have the sense to keep your comments to yourself.
His family can say what they want in his defense. Others, however, are more than aware of the circumstances surrounding the whole incident.
His family would do well to go back to their abodes and keep quiet. Unless their reason is to enflame the general population more than they already are, they would be smart to keep quiet.
Mr. Wheat will most definitely have his day in court, that’s the American way. Hopefully the ghosts of his victims will be there also to oversee that justice is served.
Alice Allen
Norwalk, Conn.
Signs
Thanks to George Smith for his column (“They all do it,” July 6) concerning candidates and their supporters littering our public right-of-ways with campaign signs. While I must point out that Mike Rogers is in fact a state Representative (District 36) and not a state Senator, I agreed with everything else that was discussed. I was a part of a group of JSU students who tried to help keep these signs off the public roads in 1998, and although I consider myself to be very politically active, I have no intentions of ever helping any candidate to put signs anywhere but on private property by the property’s owners.
I was troubled to learn of how much work the Anniston Public Works Department has to do just to try to clean this mess up.
I want to challenge any candidate who wants my vote (and many others, I am sure) not to put signs on public property — there are plenty of homeowners who would be happy to display them in their yards.
I also want to challenge others to join me in picking these signs up off the public right-of-ways when we see them and return them to their owners — maybe we should include a bill with their return.
Nicki Arnold-Avila
Saks
