The Post Online Letters to the Editor

Dec. 22, 2008

To animal lovers
At this time of year we look back and reflect on the things we have accomplished during the last year. I felt that perhaps the citizens of Cherokee County would like to know what the Humane Society has accomplished.

The year 2008 has been a very productive one. Our adoption center is open in Cedar Bluff. With the help of many foster homes we have been able to find forever homes for over 55 lost, stray, hungry and unwanted animals.

With the help of donations and grant monies we have been able to assist with spaying or neutering over 175 animals. We are continuing to take spay-neuter applications and have some 40 applications pending additional funding.

With Dr. Nichols' help we had a rabies clinic that vaccinated 88 dogs and cats and raised $880 for the Humane Society. Donations have made it possible to assist many people with medical care for strays they have agreed to keep.

Having said that, it is the time of year where we begin our planning for next year. We would like to continue these programs and add more. This can only be done with your help.

Please make a tax-deductible donation to the Cherokee Humane Society, Inc. and mail your check to PO Box 99 Centre, AL, 35960. No amount is too small. Without your help we will not be able to continue these programs. Please help us help the animals.
Thank you in advance.

Ethel Sprouse
Cedar Bluff

Explanation please
The county basketball tournament for the middle school teams will be held at Centre Middle School Jan. 10-12. The high school tournament will begin Jan. 13.

Each year the host school is rotated to a different school in the county. The new Gadsden State Community College gym in Centre will be the host location for the high school tournament only.

The date and host school of the county tournament is determined each year before basketball season begins. This year, the principals of all Cherokee County schools met to discuss the location for the middle school tournament. The majority of the principals from the high schools, middle schools and elementary schools agreed to not allow Centre Middle School to hold the middle school tournament at the new Gadsden State gym.

The county tournament will be the final games for the majority of the middle school teams in the county. Allowing the middle school players to play their tournament at the new sports arena would be considered a reward to these young men and women who have worked very hard this year.

Why would the decision to hold a school's tournament at a certain location be determined by all the principal's in the county? Shouldn't that decision be made by the school hosting the tournament (with board approval)?

The host school's tournament location should be determined by the host school, not principals from all over Cherokee County. Why can no one give a viable explanation to the parents of the middle school players as to why a location was chosen which has issues such as limited parking spaces, seating accommodations, etc. when a brand-new, state-of-the-art alternative was built for this very purpose?

Tommy Moon
Centre

Dec. 15, 2008

Keep your promise
Three months ago, I accepted a spot on the Cedar Bluff Parks and Recreation Board. Since then, I have repeatedly asked the Town Council for money to help with the cost of renovating the town park. I asked for a portion of the money they town has made from alcohol sales, and they told me no.

Before Cedar Bluff residents voted to allow the sale of alcohol in August 2003, the town government – and there are members of the current Town Council who were in the town government back then, so they are among those who made promises – explained what they would do with the town's revenue from alcohol sales as follows: 60 percent for paving, drainage control, etc.; 20 percent to Cedar Bluff School for non-educational programs, such as athletics, playgrounds and activity programs; 10 percent for parks and recreation; five percent for drug and alcohol rehabilitation; and five percent for programs for the needy and indigent.

The alcohol referendum passed and the participating businesses have been selling alcohol for over four years, all the while assuming the taxes they were helping generate were being used as we were told. But after joining the P & R board, I quickly realized that none of the money, other than the school's share, is being spent the way the town government told us it would be.
Did I mention that the current Town Council even tried to stop giving the school its share earlier this year? That effort failed amid a public outcry. Then last week the Town Council voted unanimously to instruct the principal to spend over half of this year's money on something other than non-educational programs, despite what the people of Cedar Bluff were promised in 2003.

The people of Cedar Bluff aren't getting what they voted for from the Town Council. They tell me they are not bound by promises made by a former mayor; they say promises made years ago were never made official policy and that most of the money goes towards the lawyers, anyway. I say what we were promised ought to be made official town policy because that's what 72 percent of the people in Cedar Bluff believed would be done when they voted yes. At least that way, the people will eventually get what they were promised.

This year, Cedar Bluff School received over $24,000, which means the town got over $100,000. As far as I am concerned, there should be enough money left after paying the lawyer's fees for every town program to at least get a share of the money it was promised over five years ago.

The Town Council meets the second Monday of the month at 6 p.m. at the Town Hall and the number there is 779-6121. I will be at the January meeting and I would appreciate any support from fellow citizens who feel the same way I do on this issue.

Randall Clifton
Cedar Bluff

Dec. 8, 2008

Spread the wealth
It has been brought to my attention that the Cherokee County Board of Education has been taking applications for a maintenance job. So many people used their precious time, gas, and money in hopes of getting this job. Well sorry to burst your bubble, but everyone who applied will be the laughing stock of the county. I hear the job has been promised to the son of a man who works for the bus shop.

This man has himself, wife, soon-to-be son, and daughter (soon to be a school nurse) working for the school board. Mr. Johnson, don't you think other people need jobs, too? Two people from one family is OK, but not the entire family. Mr. Johnson, you are said to be a fair person, but I don't think so. Please people, just find out how many of Mr. Johnson's good old buddies are getting the “good” jobs.

Mr. Johnson, if you let the one family's son get this job, I will really work hard next election to get you out of office. I'm sure this man's son needs a job, but so do the rest of us. The pay is great for Cherokee County, over $15 an hour. So I will lick your feet if it takes to find a job for myself or pay a little out of pocket.

I know Mr. Wright may not print this, but if he does I would like to thank him.

B.J. Pounder
Centre

Bingo!
Four years ago I wrote an article in The Post about how great a casino and large parking lot with a hotel would look on the Chesnut Bypass in Centre. There were lots of people who told me, “No way, we do not need it for charity or for education.” But by a margin of about 4-to-1 they said, “We do need help for the education in Cherokee County and there are lots of charities that need help, too.”

Well guess what? There was a law passed in Alabama that says gaming is legal and it is up to your county commissioners to let it happen. The probate judge said that we would be unable to have it in Cherokee County.

Well, people let me tell you, there are 22 or more counties in Alabama with approved charity bingo gaming. There are probably 20 or more in Walker County, Jasper, and also the Birmingham Race Course. But no way in Cherokee, because the commissioners will not let it happen. The county may grow making it better for the fire departments and schools, but they say the change would be too much for Cherokee County to accept.

People, if you want change in Cherokee County you are going to have to put pressure on your county commission or vote them out. This type of gaming is happening all over Alabama and it makes jobs and helps charities.

So why not have something local without having to drive 20 to 150 miles or 350 to a gambling casino in Mississippi? It will happen in Cherokee County eventually; it may be 10 years from now, but it will happen. All you who are against this need to know that a lot of money in this county is spent on this type of entertainment.

The old Ford dealership on the Chesnut Bypass could be full of electronic bingo machines in 30 days if the county commission and city of Centre approved it. I will say if you don't like this type of entertainment stay out of it and let people who do go and enjoy it. There are people who would be glad to work in the bingo gaming facility. After getting this letter completed I found out from the commission it will not be brought up for a vote or discussion.

Had it been discussed and could pass I will be ready to put some electronic bingo machines in Cherokee County. But if you can't get stuff discussed, I'll probably go to another county in Alabama that is glad to get the business.

Carl Templeton
Centre

Truly a miracle
I am writing in regards to the letter in the Dec. 1 issue of The Post titled “An Angel and a Miracle.”

Those of you who know me well also know that I don't open up very easily. But on the morning of Oct. 27, 2008, I along with a handful of strangers saw, first-hand, the power of God at work. And what Mrs. Givens describes in her letter is just that, a miracle straight from God.

What I saw was a precious 5-year-old girl in an incredibly horrible situation; it was every parent's worst nightmare. But with the help of prayer from a few strangers calling out loud to the heavens in Jesus' name, those little blue eyes opened and the little girl began to cry. It was one of the sweetest cries I have ever heard, the cry of life, much like a newborn. And that, friends, is a true miracle.

It was only a few minutes later that the sirens from the ambulance were heard in the distance. And the Cherokee and Piedmont EMS teams were there to do the job that they do so well.
My life will forever be changed because of the true miracle I witnessed that morning. Have no doubts friends, God is very real and my new little friend is proof. Thank you to those four or five strangers on the side of the road. Your prayers were heard and answered. Thank you to the family for taking the time to call and keep me updated on the progress during what was, I'm sure, one of the hardest weeks of your lives. You are a blessed family.

Jason Cambron
Centre

Words aren't enough
The family of Madison Smith would like to express their heartfelt gratitude for all the prayers that were and are still being prayed for Madison. The support by family, friends and the community during this difficult time has been overwhelming. Words can never express how much all of this has meant to us. It is only by the grace of God that Madison has survived an injury of this magnitude.

The Smith family
The Givens family

Nov. 24, 2008

Tell the truth
In reference to the letter to the editor about the absentee votes in Cedar Bluff (“To the people of Cedar Bluff” by mayoral candidate Jimmy Wallace, Nov. 10), it appears to me and other citizens of Cedar Bluff that the town needs someone in office who knows their job.

As Jimmy Wallace pointed out very clearly, this is not the first time there has been a problem with absentee ballots. As we all know, the town clerk has control of those ballots. I do not think anyone went into town hall and got absentee ballots without her knowledge. The names of several people who picked up absentee ballots have been mentioned, but I am sure it was just another oversight that Wallace's wife was not named. Whether it was one or 31, wrong is wrong.

I know the town clerk did all the right steps in giving out absentee ballots to a couple when she first started giving out the absentee ballots, so what happened all of a sudden? Did she forget what to do? This error has cost the town and others a lot of money. The town clerk should not be allowed to have anything to do with the next election, in my opinion.

If this election had gone the other way I, like a lot of others, doubt anything would have been said. I think it is time for the current mayor and town council members to let the people know all the details of what is really going on in Cedar Bluff.

I really wish we had someone in Cedar Bluff who is as honest and truthful as Jimmy Wallace wants us to believe he is. As he has let a lot of us know, he has money. Well, that does not make him any different from anyone else in this town. Jimmy Wallace, if you want to prove you are this good law-abiding and truthful citizen then start by answering the rumors that everyone in Cedar Bluff talks about. I find it unusual that he was “Mr. Honest and Truthful” during the FBI investigations and now he is again.

This is a small town, and some of these people who are running for office need to quit telling different stories. They may have to back them up one day. This is a small town, and you cannot change from one day to the next what you tell someone without everyone knowing it. It's time the citizens of Cedar Bluff know the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

Mack Moats
Cedar Bluff

Nov. 17, 2008

Thanks so much
Our family would like to thank the merchants and citizens of Cherokee County for their prayers for our son, Ryan Kimmerling, and his family during his hospitalization at UAB. We also thank the merchants for their generosity in donations for the benefit raffle held recently.

Also, we are grateful for all the participants in the bake sale held at Cherokee Medical Center and the generosity of all the doctors and employees of Cherokee Health Center. Words are really quite inadequate to express our gratitude.

Please continue to keep Ryan and Lynne and their family in your prayers.

Pat and Bill Kimmerling
Centre

The spiritual life
There is a church on every corner in this part of the country that we are so fortunate to live in. This tells me the importance of a spiritual life in the generations who came before us.

I hope that everyone who was so fired up about the elections, the economy, taxes and all of that other stuff will take an hour on Sunday morning and visit their local church. You don't even have to dress up.

There's no such thing as a 'religious right' that is made up of people who are intolerant and judgmental. We're all just fallible human beings. We know that some of the things in life are important, and that some things are not. The church is where I found my hope.

Patti Helms
Collinsville

End the Federal Reserve
When Gen. George Marshall halted the shipment of prepaid defensive arms and ammunition being sent to our ally, General Chiang Kai Shek, and delivered it to the Chinese Communist Leader Meo Tse Dong, the news of the treason did not reach the American people. That is one example of how the majority of the American citizens have remained ignorant of the treason and guilt in our own government to this day.

When Edward Mandel House, the Marxist puppeteer of Woodrow Wilson, pushed the Marxist (Communist) income taxes onto the unknowing wage earners and forced the Marxist federal reserve bank system onto our government without permission of the American people, and without the knowledge of the American voters, the newspapers failed to tell the people.

True, there are a lot of people who can't read, but there are a lot of people who can. But it was kept secret. And even now only those people who have read “The Creature from Jekyll Island” know all about the FED.

When the individual citizen finds out about the subversive Federal Reserve System he or she opines “Why don't we abolish it?”

Good idea! Support H.R. 2755. Rep. Ron Paul has introduced legislation to restore financial stability to America's economy by abolishing the Federal Reserve System. Your congressman needs to hear from you.

Martha Pearson
Centre

Nov. 10, 2008

To the people of Cedar Bluff
It's OK if the citizens of Cedar Bluff do not want Jimmy Wallace to be their mayor; I can deal with that. But it is not OK for a few people to manipulate the absentee system to get someone elected or keep someone from being elected. The absentee ballot is for voters to be able to vote when they are not able to make it to the polls to vote.

In August 2003 there were 254 absentee ballots cast in the Cedar Bluff alcohol referendum. In August 2004 there were 314 absentee ballots cast in the Cedar Bluff municipal election. In August 2008 there were 31 absentee ballots cast in the Cedar Bluff municipal election. In these elections, people who did not live in Cedar Bluff voted. People were coerced and some did not actually vote but a ballot was cast for them by others. In other words not all but a lot of the absentee votes were illegal.

The large amount of absentee ballots in the 2003 alcohol referendum and the 2004 municipal election did not have an effect on the outcome, but the 31 absentee ballots cast in the 2008 municipal election affected three seats; mayor, and the District 1 and District 2 Town Council seats.

I filed the election contest because it is against the law to solicit absentee votes and it is also against the law to vote for someone or to coerce people on how to vote. This has gone on in Cedar Bluff and other towns and cities for too long. It is time to put a stop to voter fraud.

Whether I win the mayoral race or not, at least Cedar Bluff voters will have the opportunity to see that their mayor is elected with 51 percent or more of the votes. If I had not won the lawsuit about the absentees, then Ethel Sprouse would have become mayor of Cedar Bluff with 34 percent of the vote cast in the Aug. 26 election. Sprouse may win this race, but she will have to win with 51 percent, not 34 percent.

I am sorry that Steve Lay passed away. I want to acknowledge that he had nothing to do with the illegal absentee votes.

If you elect me your mayor, I will continue to fight for things to be done right here in Cedar Bluff. Cedar Bluff has been through a rough and rocky road for the last five years: the federal investigation, the alcohol issue and lawsuit, and now this. I promise to give you stability and leadership. I will use my business and construction experience to move Cedar Bluff in the right direction.

Jimmy Wallace
Cedar Bluff

No beef with Obama, but ...
Ever since last Tuesday’s historic election, you can’t turn on your television set without hearing the network media outlets singing the praises of President-elect Obama. Now I have no personal beef with the guy, I didn’t vote for him because I didn’t agree with his policies, particularly his insistence that he was going to create a trillion dollars in new spending, but nonetheless I have accepted the results of the election, and I am willing to support him so long as he doesn’t fall too far to the left. The problem I have is with the media, in particular the coverage they have adopted since the results of the election were revealed. They have painted a picture of a modern day savior, someone who will single handedly change the direction of the country in addition to filling the pockets of average Americans with cold hard cash.

The truth is that President Obama will inherit a nation on the verge of complete collapse. Millions of Americans face the very likely prospect of loosing their homes, a devastating event which countless others have already suffered. We are engaged in an armed conflict on not just one but two separate fronts and we cannot morally just walk away from either of them. Our economy is in a shambles as we face the worst financial crisis in the history of the country, not to mention the soaring cost of energy which forces many Americans to make a weekly decision whether to pay the bills or buy gas so they can go to work the next week.

In short, a tax cut for “95%” of working Americans is not going to make much difference to the economy at this point. In the first place, it would be irresponsible of the President Obama to seek such legislation, as I am sure his advisors have already begun to convey to him. Likewise, increasing taxes on businesses that earn more than a quarter of a million dollars a year will force those companies to do one of two things, 1) they will pass the tax increase on to the consumer in the form of price increases. 2) They will “downsize” by cutting employees both of which only adds to the problem of the economy. To use a phrase recently employed by “Joe the Biden”, Mark my words… Soon after the inauguration, President Obama will begin to backpedal on the tax cut, or else it will simply never be mentioned again. This doesn’t mean that he is a liar, nor that he isn’t sincere about wanting to take the country in a new direction. It simply means that he has been overwhelmed by the reality of the situation.

Many presidents have faced near devastating crisis in the past, but none on the scale that President Obama will soon be confronted with. And the media’s portrayal of him as the savior of mankind is unfair to him, to say the least. Anyone of average intelligence knows that he cannot possibly do everything that he has proposed to do during his administration, yet he has been built up to the point that it is now expected of him. True, he will have a strong backing in the form of Democratic House and Senate majorities, but should he fail, this will only prove to be the dissolution of the democratic party. Think about it. If all goes well, they will probably be in power for many years to come. But should they fail, they will receive the full credit for the collapse of the country and the financial system.

Based on recent events, if you were going to wager as to which way it would go, how would you bet?

Richard Chumbler
Cedar Bluff

Nov. 3, 2008

Confused by conservatives
I'm a little confused. Let me see if I have this straight. If you grow up in Hawaii, raised by your grandparents, you're "exotic, different." But grow up in Alaska eating mooseburgers and you are a quintessential American story?

If your name is Barack you're a radical, unpatriotic Muslim. Name your kids Willow, Trig and Track, and you're a maverick.

Graduate from Harvard law School and you are unstable. Attend five different small colleges before graduating, and you're well grounded.

If you spend three years as a brilliant community organizer, become the first black President of the Harvard Law Review, create a voter registration drive that registers 150,000 new voters, spend 12 years as a Constitutional law professor, spend eight years as a state senator representing a district with over 750,000 people, become chairman of the state Senate's Health and Human Services committee, spend four years in the United States Senate representing a state of 13 million people while sponsoring 131 bills and serving on the Foreign Affairs, Environment and Public Works and Veteran's Affairs committees, you don't have any real leadership experience.

If your total resume is: local weather girl, four years on the city council and six years as the mayor of a town with less than 7,000 people, 20 months as the governor of a state with only 650,000 people, then you're qualified to become the country's second highest ranking executive -- and be next in line behind a man in his eighth decade?

If you have been married to the same woman for 19 years while raising two beautiful daughters, all within Protestant churches, you're not a real Christian.

If you cheated on your first wife with a rich heiress, and then left your disfigured wife and married the heiress the next month, you're a true Christian?

If you teach responsible, age appropriate sex education, including the proper use of birth control, you are eroding the fiber of society.

If, while governor, you staunchly advocate abstinence only, with no other option in sex education in your state's school system while your unwed teenage daughter ends up pregnant, you're very responsible?

If your wife is a Harvard graduate laywer who gave up a position in a prestigious law firm to work for the betterment of her inner city community, then gave that up to raise a family, your family's values don't represent America 's.

If you're husband is nicknamed "First Dude", with at least one DWI conviction and no college education, who didn't register to vote until age 25 and once was a member of a group that advocated the secession of Alaska from the USA, your family is extremely admirable?

Barack Obama made the statement "we are no longer a Christian nation; we are now a nation of Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists." Guess what? This country is supposed to be based on freedom of religion, and if anyone feels people should be persecuted because they are not Christians,then they are no better than radical Muslims.

April Parker
Centre

Oct. 20, 2008

Conservatives are capable
Mr. Wright, why do you write "naive conservatives"? ("John McCain the wrong man for the job, but don't take my word for it," The Wright Angle, Oct. 6.) Conservatives are certainly capable of fact-seeking and independent thinking. Please think again, too, because when the "devil himself" is sickened, that would be when things are going right.

We should be more concerned with the heart and mind of God. While I admit I have things to learn, I do know that God is not happy when a presidential candidate or any individual sees no harm in taking the life of an unborn child.

For God to bless our nation we must be obedient to him.

Jane Richardson
Centre

A critical time
This November is a critical time for our country. It will be the most important election of our lifetime. People really need to think. Do we really want a president who has listened for 20 years as Rev. Jeremiah Wright preached hate, a president tied to Chicago politics? What about Barack Obama's dirty deals with Tony Rezko? What about his friendship with Bill Ayers, who bombed the Pentagon and said he wished he had done more? Jim Johnson, a member of his VP committee, made millions at Fannie Mae and donated over $100,000 to the Obama campaign.

Another Obama advisor, Raines, made $90 million at Fannie Mae. Obama took $936 million in earmarks and $126,000 from lobbyists. He voted "present" over 130 times in the Senate. His wife has never been "proud" of her country, she said. Read her thesis from college, she is full of hate. That's not First Lady material. Obama recently stated in a speech that our country is no longer a Christian nation -- he said we are a nation of Christians, Jews, Muslims and Buddhists.

Obama has a half-brother in Africa living in a tin house with no water, no bathroom, and his brother lives in a mansion. What does that tell me? It says plainly that Obama is for Obama -- anything for a vote. Why would he care for our country?

John McCain has done everything for his country except die. Sarah Palin is a strong woman with ideas for reform and change for the future. She made lots of change in Alaska and hopefully she will do the same for our entire country. Maybe Palin will put Nancy Pelosi's jet -- funded by taxpayers -- on eBay.

Let's show Obama we are still a Christian nation on Nov. 4. Vote McCain-Palin and put our country first.

Gail Dorsett
Centre

Oct. 13, 2008

Stand for something
I have always been the type of person not to get too involved in politics. But after the last eight years, enough is enough. I am in agreement with Mr. Obama on one issue, and that is our education program needs to be overhauled. That is all I'm in agreement with. We don't need to start with the pre-school kids and work up. We need to start with the very top of our educators and work down.

Without a doubt, young adults have missed out on some of the things I was taught in school, like prayer. What happened to the majority rules? What happened to American history? We studied and debated the Constitution. We had to memorize The Bill of Rights. We learned what our forefathers endured and about the blood that they shed to guarantee us the freedom we have enjoyed in the country. We were taught that congress runs this country according to what we, the people, wanted.

I was taught that Congress has to power to veto any bill and they also have the power to override the president on anything he chooses to veto. But for eight corrupt years, we have sat back and let the president of the United States be blamed for everything that has gone wrong. If the president has that much power, we are under a dictatorship. I don't believe, according to the Constitution, that he does. And besides that, I don't believe it is possible for one man to put this country in the mess it's in today by himself.

So let's put the blame where it belongs: Right square on the shoulders of the divided Congress. We need legislators and statesmen who will protect the Constitution, especially the Second Amendment. We need more mavericks, not politicians.

In 1953 I took and signed an oath that stated, “I, Creig F. Payne, do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same, and that I will obey the orders of the president of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the uniform code of military justice. So help me God.”

After signing this oath as every other person entering the military has to do, I want to say this: Neither the president nor any officer has the authority to order me to commit an unlawful act. They also don't have the authority to tell me I can't keep and bear arms according to the Second Amendment.

No, I am not a supporter of Obama and I can only hope and pray that any true American who loves this country and respects the Constitution and wants to keep his freedom to keep and bear arms to hunt, target, practice or to protect his family and all the little children of the world. I urge you to think about your kids and grandkids before you vote. Obama has voted for every anti-gun bill put before him. Check it out. Think before you vote, before it's too late.

1st Sgt. Creig F. Payne (Ret.)
Centre

Oct. 6, 2008

Palin selection a mistake
John McCain's selection of Sarah Palin as his running mate may seem to be a bold decision, but as it is studied more closely and the record of Sarah Palin is examined, one wonders.

First is the vetting process. McCain's staff admits that the vetting team went to Anchorage only a couple of days before the announcement, and that McCain interviewed her only once. Govs. Pawlenty and Romney have said that their vetting went on for months. It is well-known that McCain wanted Sen. Joe Lieberman on his ticket, but advisors told him to forget about it.

Joe Scarborough said that McCain told a few of his close friends in the Senate that he would love to go to the convention and tell the right wing where to go, but he ended up giving them precisely who they wanted for vice president. Is McCain his own man?

Palin's record is fair game. If elected, she will be one heartbeat from the presidency. While mayor of Wasilla, she sent highly-paid lobbyists to Washington and accepted every expensive earmark she could get her hands on. She was for the bridge to somewhere before she proclaimed it to be a bridge to nowhere. She accepted every dollar her state received for that project and then allocated it elsewhere. She has said that the war on Iraq is “God's Task,” and admitted she hasn't thought about it very much. As mayor, Palin tried to get books banned from Wasilla's library because of “inappropriate language,” and threatened to fire the librarian because she did not cooperate. Then there is that ethical investigation presently underway, which ties Palin to the firing of a high-level state official who refused to terminate the employment of her state trooper brother-in-law.

One of the first decisions a presidential candidate makes is the choice of running mate. McCain's decision was rushed and purely self-serving. Barack Obama's was well-thought-out and carefully studied. It is a stark contrast to McCain's, both in the process and in the person selected. Obama's selection indicated that he recognized his background in foreign policy was not his strongest asset, which shines light on his ability to make a choice for the good of the country, rather than a purely political selection designed to appease a power-wielding arm of his party. Joe Biden has a long career in foreign policy, with a vast knowledge of history. And has the superb diplomatic skills, which our country needs at this critical time.

When Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, he said to a close friend that he had just given away the Democratic Party in the South for at least a generation. But who can deny that the wave of positive change brought about by that ground-breaking legislation has been amazing. It was forward thinking, done for the good on the country, and positioned us for the future. Barak Obama's nomination carries on that legacy of ground-breaking leadership, confidence, capability and competence.

Dollie Cooper
Gadsden

Sept. 29, 2008

Obama not the best choice
This is the most important election in years. So many people are getting all the facts wrong and believing all the lies. If you think Sen. Barack Obama is some great savior you should just look up his voting record and his associations.

This man and his party have done nothing more than prey on your fears and promise you the moon and the stars. He wasn't even a senator when the war was voted on.

He has voted "present" to most all of the major issues during his short time in office. Remember, he's only been a senator for three years and he has spent most of that time campaigning for president.

His associations also make me wonder. His close ties to Tony Rezko, a convicted felon, James Johnson, forced to resign from Fannie Mae, and Franklin Raines, also forced into early retirement from Fannie Mae. All crooks, all tied to Obama. You can vote on hearsay or you can get the facts at SourceWatch.org.

Don't believe what you have heard. Look it up for yourself and ask "what has he really done" other that align himself with millionaires who have taken money from us taxpayers and lined their own pockets.

Obama wants to line his pockets, too. "Change" is exactly what you will have left if you vote for Obama.

Michael D. Chambers
Rome, Ga.

Left-wing liberals the problem
To the person who accused McCain of voting against firefighters (Letter to the Editor, Sept. 15), this is just more left-wing propaganda. If you have proof of this then why don't you give links?

Next to the "Way to go Lily" person (Sept. 15): Go ahead and vote against all corporations of America, the very ones that provide jobs for people. I am sick of hearing this tax cuts for the rich. I am not rich, hardly make $45,000 a year, my wife and I combined, and I got a rebate in the first tax cuts by Bush and so did every other person who paid tax. So these are facts madam, not made-up talking point lies by liberal left-wing Democrats.

What about the big energy bill by the Democrats to restrict drilling within 50 miles of the coast, where most of the oil is? The majority of people in this country want to drill. So when you keep paying $4 per gallon for gas, thank your Democratic friends in Congress.

One thing I can tell you that Republicans will not do and that is trash the military people of this country like Rep. John Murtha and Sen. Harry Reid. Nor will they go to other countries and trash this country like Barack Obama and Jimmy Carter have done. I myself can not see how anyone could vote for a Democrat when they have trashed this country the way Jimmy Carter has (so much for born-again Christian! I believe Jimmy needs to be born a third time.) I will not vote Democrat because I believe in God Bless America, not God D**n America.

Leroy Hindman
Cedar Bluff

Sept. 22, 2008

USA needs Obama
I believe there are glaring contrasts between Barack Obama and John McCain. Despite rampant rumors, Sen. Obama may clearly be the more moral man of the two because as a Christian -- he and his wife are NOT Muslim! -- he remembers the 'least of these' in major speeches and in his work to help those who are in need.

I have often found that any and all decisions based on fear are the wrong decisions. Fears and uncertainties about the future create their own reproductive cycles of indecision and negativity. The simple truth is that Obama DOES honor the flag, DOES takes oaths on the Bible, and IS NOT Muslim. He has captured the vision for the youth of our country. The future belongs to the younger men and women who will carry the torch of freedom for ALL Americans, not just the wealthy.

Obama stood alone to oppose the war in Iraq and has plans to bring our soldiers home with honor.

I strongly feel that now is the time to take our country back from those who enslave us with high credit card rates, high oil and gas prices, corporations that own health care systems and charge increasingly high rates for services and premiums, and the lenders at the banks and street corners hawking easy money that will take your homes and futures and bind you in a cycle of poverty without impunity.

I believe Barack Obama is the president we need at this time in history. He is a tried leader who rose to the United States Senate despite terrific odds. I look to the day when we can unite behind a man who is proven and believes that all government rests in the hands of an almighty God who holds the whole world in His hands.

Gloria Allenstein
Gadsden

No senility in White House
Do you want a president who thinks there's an Iraq-Pakistan border? Or that Czechoslovakia is still a country?

McCain seems confused about chances of success in Iraq. For years he has supported increasing troop strength in Iraq saying he believes the strategy is working. Is this the kind of leadership America needs? Think about it, voters. We can't have senility in the White House. McCain has spent the last four years spouting rosy and empty rhetoric about the Iraq War. He has constantly offered overly positive observations of our role and progress while simultaneously changing his position on strategy and needed strength.

McCain says he supports American troops but votes against their interests. He vocally worked to defeat the new G. I. bill; once it passed he tried to take credit for it. He voted against requiring Iraq to start paying its share of defense. Come on, McCain! We need to stop sending billions of dollars daily to Iraq when we the people in American are suffering!

Senility is not what we need today. Vote for Obama. He has a young and active mind. He will remember what he voted for and will not fall asleep while negotiating with enemies.

Gesna Littlefield
Gadsden

Sept. 15, 2008

Vote on November 4
It is my understanding that some people in Cherokee County, as well as across the country, are planning to stay home on the day of the presidential election (Nov. 4). They do not like either candidate. I hope these people will reconsider their decision.

I implore everyone to get out and vote. The stakes are higher this time than they have been in a long time. If you don't vote you will lose your voice in our government.

When you stay home on election day, it gives the one you disliked the most an even better opportunity to win. Your vote does count! We live in a democracy and we have the right to choose who we want to run our cities, counties, states and federal government. If we don't like those people then we have the right to vote them out of office.

Some of you may be saying that you cannot cross party lines. "Once a Democrat, always a Democrat," or "My parents were Republicans so I have to be a Republican." This may be the time when you decide to cross-over as you vote in this presidential election.

I want to remind everyone that the stakes are high, so please put your feelings aside and vote on election day.

Ron Thomas
Centre

McCain on firefighters
When faced with a choice of supporting an increase in funding for firefighters, law enforcement and emergency medical personnel OR enhancing tax breaks for people who make over $1 million a year, Republican Sen. John McCain chose to side with the wealthy. Rather than vote to support needed services he voted to continue tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans.

For years, John McCain has repeatedly voted against funding for law enforcement. This is one area we should be funding to protect our citizens and property. Vote Democrat on Nov. 4!

G.R. Sandlin
Hokes Bluff

Way to go Lily!
Congratulations to Lily Ledbetter for her presentation at last month's Democratic convention in Denver. Women need to pay attention to her remarks, especially regarding the future of our nation. The Supreme Court justices who ruled against her are the same kind of justices Sen. John McCain has promised to nominate for the court if he is elected president of the United States. We do not need more justices who favor corporations over individuals, and who do not support women's issues.

If you have any ideas about supporting McCain for president on Nov. 4, remember this: He is a man who has voted with George W. Bush and Dick Cheney 90 percent of the time! Please think twice before marking your ballot for McCain. The justices that McCain would nominate to the United States Supreme Court will be there after your grandchildren become adults.

Sharilyn Rider
Hokes Bluff

Aug. 25, 2008

Dems for Obama?
Election time is drawing near. What are the good people in Cherokee County, who are staunch Democrats, going to do when it comes time to vote for president? I cannot see a vote for Obama, a man who includes among his friends people such as Jeremiah Wright, Louis Farrakhan, William Ayers and Bernadette Dorhn (both terrorists), embezzler Tony Rezko, and others against the American way of life, such as MoveOn.org.

The arrogance of Obama is disturbing. I don't understand what his change is about. He wants higher taxes, more government handouts, and a draw-down of the military during war time. Obama wants to bring the troops home at a time the war is going our way. Violence is down 75 percent and the Iraqi government is beginning to stand on its own. Iran is wanting to terrorize their part of the world with a nuclear bomb. Their plan is to go from Israel to the United States. Barack Obama has a history of opposition to the Second Amendment and is for partial-birth abortions. He wants us to inflate our tires instead of drilling for oil.

He believes in the Marxist philosophy of redistribution of wealth. One of his half-brothers, in Kenya, is a Luo activist and a militant Muslim. Abongo "Roy" Obama is a follower of Odinga, a Marxist who reportedly has made a pact with a hard-line Islamic group in Africa to establish Shariah courts throughout the world.

Obama does not have the experience to govern a world power. He told a crowd in Germany that he was a citizen of the world. We need a citizen of the United States. Obama's friends are radicals, Marxists, communists, embezzlers and freeloaders. Obama attended Trinity United Church of Christ for 20 years, a church that teaches Black Liberation theology based on the teachings of radical thinkers such as Stokley Carmichael, Malcolm X, Frantz Fanon, W.E.B. Dubois and James H. Cone.

Senator John McCain may not be the Democrats' first choice, but he may be their only choice.

Ron Thomas
Centre

Any religion should do
After reading the Aug. 11 edition of The Post, I was driven to write in by two articles: "What does it mean to be an American?" (page 4) and "Supremacists hope Obama win prompts backlash" (page 6).

On the first, I think most of us have forgotten what's important about being American. We should accept each other for who we are, not because of where we come from or the color of our skin. Also, we are a country with different religions, races, ethnic backgrounds and ideas. Our common belief is "freedom" — the freedom to choose who we want to be an say what is on our minds. Most of all, we have the freedom to vote for our leader.

That brings me to Barack Obama. White supremacists seem to be forgetting that Obama is half white. He is not black.

The second thing reminds me of a conversation I had with a friend about Obama. He said he doesn't want a Muslim running the country. I was shocked! Obama's religion (he is not Muslim) should have nothing to do with voting for him. The fact that he worships a god at all and believes in a higher power is more than enough for me.

Blanche Pettry
Cedar Bluff

Aug. 11, 2008

Support Tony Wilkie
I need to speak out about the upcoming election in Centre. I have lived here for 45 years and have seen good and bad from our city government. The saddest thing I see right now is that we need industry in our town. We have an industrial park that is empty and we are losing our young people to other towns and states -- not because they want to but because they have to make a living.

I know there is room for growth here. We don't have to be just a retirement town -- we can be a growing town and an industrial town! A place where families want to live and make a living and raise their children -- a place where they can hope their children will stay close to make a living.

We need someone in office with a voice loud enough and eager enough to go out and convince industry to come here to our great city. None of us is perfect -- just forgiven. The Bible says in 2nd Chronicles that if we humble ourselves and seek His face and ask forgiveness of our sins -- he will heal our land.

Let's pull together and pray, and vote for the one person who is bold enough to make our government work for us and not against us. I think Tony Wilkie is our man for mayor and I will work for and support him in this election. I will also trust him to be fair and aggressive in doing good things for our city.

I challenge the voters in Centre to vote for the growth we have room for and a great need for. As a citizen who wants to be part of good things to come I ask you to vote for Tony Wilkie for mayor of the city of Centre.

Oma Lee Brannon
Centre

Care Care awareness
No matter where the presidential candidates are on the campaign trail, the issue of skyrocketing gas prices is always a top concern. We applaud senators McCain and Obama for discussing vehicle maintenance as a way to save energy, citing proper tire inflation and regular tune-ups as steps motorists can take to be part of the solution.
You can’t control the price of gas, but you can control how much gas you burn. Performing simple and inexpensive vehicle maintenance does not only save gas money, perhaps as much as $1,200 per year, but it also improves a vehicle’s safety and dependability. In fact, according to the survey by the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association, 75 percent of drivers said they are maintaining their vehicles better because of rising gas prices.

These simple gas-savings maintenance tips can add up to serious savings:
_ When tires aren’t inflated properly, it’s like driving with the parking brake on, and can cost a mile or two per gallon, according to the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Web site

_ An air filter that is clogged with dirt, dust and bugs chokes off the air and creates a “rich” mixture – too much gas being burned for the amount of air, which wastes gas and causes the engine to lose power. Replacing a clogged air filter can improve gas mileage by as much as 10 percent, saving about 15 cents on a gallon.

Before you hit the road, make sure your vehicle is running efficiently. To help you, visit the Car Care Council’s Web site at www.carcare.org.

Rich White, executive director
Car Care Council

Aug. 4, 2008

Disappointed
I was quiet disappointed in our Cherokee County law enforcement on Thursday, July 24. At approximately 11:10 a.m. when Collinsville Police requested that Cherokee County divert traffic from Highway 68 because of a dump truck rollover with road blockage, the dispatcher for Cherokee County repeated to the officer that Collinsville had requested assistants. The officer said that a trooper from DeKalb County was probably en route. Then he stated that if the trooper needed him he would call him. From my 17 years of experience working wrecks, the trooper is committed to the scene and not responsible for traffic control. If the traffic diversion was not needed to protect the patient, responders or travelers, it would not have been requested.

To put icing on the cake, as I type this note I hear Cherokee County try to dispatch someone to a man with a stick around children. One stated he was en route to a call on the "mountain" and another went "10-6" for an oil change.

I am fortunate, I think, that I live in the City of Centre, but I have property and a tenant in the county. What gives? And is there some explanation, besides "lack of revenue?" Putting an oil change over a dispatched call has nothing to do with funding and refusing mutual aid is unheard of.

L. Lamar Williams
Centre

Healthy attendee
I had the good fortune to be able to attend "The Healthy Woman" kickoff on July 22. The exhibits were many and all passed out information. The highlight of the night was the speaker, Dr. Suzanne Metzger, who was an absolute delight to listen to. It may have been billed for women but there were several men there supporting their wives. My friend and I had the pleasure of sitting at a table with Mr. Lanny Starr and his wife, Linda, who is associated not only with the Healthy Woman Advisory Council but with the County Extension Service. It was a very informative and fun evening that was made even better by the chocolate shoes that were part of our desert (which we ate first!) I would encourage women and anyone who loves them to attend the next Healthy Woman event, you may even get the chance to get one of the terrific door prizes.

While attending the above event I learned about the Extension Service's "New Leaf" program. It is a class that meets once a week that teaches health and fitness through weight control. They are in the process of getting together enough people for afternoon and evening classes, in addition to the one they are now having in the mornings. We may all look at the magazines, the ads for the gyms and say "I wish I looked like that" but it truly is more important for us to be healthy. If you want to be healthier and in turn help your family become healthier this is definitely the way to go. You get great support from the Extension Service staff , make friends, get lots of informative literature and the price can't be beat, it's free.

Cynthia Causey
Centre

July 28, 2008

More VFD response
In response to Shirley Willis' letter in The Post ("Patriotism all year long," June 30, I am the fire chief of the "unpatriotic and apathetic" fire department she alludes to. I feel I should explain how sickened our department was when we read her attack.
First of all, we never received a call or message from Mrs. Willis concerning a flag to hang in Cedar Bluff. We have since investigated the claim an found that the flag was placed on the pole the week before Liberty Day by Cherokee Electric. Mrs. Willis' flag was never given to us and we had no knowledge of any of this until her letter appeared.

Secondly, the firefighters and I at the Centre and Cedar Bluff fire departments do not lack patriotism, nor are we apathetic to our communities. As a "weekender" you may not be familiar with our operations, but the 250-plus firefighters in Cherokee County are volunteers and do not receive any sort of compensation. Personnel are not at the station 24 hours a day, but they do answer calls from their homes at all hours of the day and night. The Centre FD is manned Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and because Flag Day fell on a Saturday (June 14) there was no flag flying. A proponent of flag flying should know that flags are not to be flown overnight unless they are lit, so it was not raised the night before. I assure you that a flag is flying at the department whenever someone is on duty.

As a member of the Cherokee County Fire Honor Guard, I have the honor of presenting the flag at numerous functions, including a few weeks ago at Liberty Day. We still get goose bumps and misty eyes from hearing the National Anthem. We have American flag patches sewn onto all of our uniforms and I can honestly say that all our firefighters are proud of our flag and the freedom it symbolizes. Some of our firefighters are veterans who fought for that freedom -- the same freedom that gives you the right to write falsehoods and misguided opinions.

I hate to sound bitter, but you have upset many people with your ugly letter. The week of the Fourth of July was especially hard, knowing that your letter was being read by thousands during the most patriotic time of the year. I challenge Mrs. Willis to get to know the local fire departments and the people who serve on them before making hurtful comments about them. I hope she gets to enjoy her weekends here, knowing that a group of CARING, UNSELFISH, PATRIOTIC firefighters are protecting her and her home on Weiss Lake.

Kevin Ware, chief
Centre Fire Department

Letter misunderstood
My recent letter to The Post was completely misinterpreted. It was not about the fire department and was not intended to "ridicule" anyone, especially the fine people who work for the fire department. I have friends who work there! It was totally about my efforts to get the American flag raised at the Weiss Mart. The fire department was mentioned ONLY to show what I was being told when I kept checking with the owner of the marina to see why the flag was not yet flying. I'm assuming now that what I was being told was not really the reason the flag was not up. But since I could get no response from anyone else, this was what my letter was based on.

I was shocked that instead of showing support and a sharing of concern that the flag was not up, I was referred to in a response as a "selfish" person. Something just doesn't feel right about that.

Shirley Willis
Cedar Bluff

July 21, 2008

Weiss Mart response
In response to “Rude at Liberty Day” (Letters to the Editor, July 14), I want to take the time to encourage the local community to search for the truth and not accept what others claim occurred on Liberty Day. Other than the part of Ms. Ballew’s letter which states the owner of the Weiss Mart did not allow more than 10 people in the store at one time, the other statements are lies. There are two sides to every story, and we ask Ms. Ballew for a public apology for the lies and accusations stated in her letter.

“Truth resides in every human heart, and one has to search for it there, and to be guided by truth as one sees it. But no one has a right to coerce others to act according to his own view of truth.” -- Gandhi

Patel family, Owners
Weiss Mart Marina
Cedar Bluff

Liberty Day reply
In response to the letter written by Kandace Ballew (“Rude at Liberty Day,” July 14) we would like to clarify some things about Liberty Day for her and other readers.

First of all, none of the police were chewed out by either of the Mr. Patels. Second, they had good reasons for limiting the number in the store. First, for fire code purposes; second, to be able to give the customers the service they deserve, and third, to prevent theft. Fourth, the bathroom was closed because it cannot handle the crowd. There were nine porta-potties outside plus hand-washing stations were there for that reason. Also, the helicopter rides and the kid's fishing tournament was cancelled by the Liberty Day Committee, not Mr. Patel.

Mr. Patel did not charge for parking and the $2 for the music was the Committee's decision, as we were trying to raise money for playground equipment.
Unfortunately, we did not have the volunteers to man the ticket sales and take up money. At no point was Chief Walden told to clean that night. The Liberty Day staff takes care of clean-up on Sunday which when we arrived, the Patels had already cleaned in front of the store and they furnished garbage bags for the rest of the clean-up all over the town. Regarding parking, police officers were not told to give tickets to those parked on the road.

Mr. Patel and his family are United States citizens and are very much aware of our traditions. As for the other accusations, we don't believe they happened. If your day was ruined it was not the accusations you made on Mr. Patel that caused it, but the fact you did not get the truth about the entire situation. If you are so concerned about having a day to enjoy, then volunteer and see for yourself just what it takes to make Liberty Day happen. We want to have a good day that can be enjoyed by all.

In closing, we would say that the entire staff at Weiss Mart were nothing but helpful to those of us planning and carrying out Liberty Day. Mr. Jay Patel attends Park and Recreation Board meetings and was the one who got his distributors to donate prizes for the raffle we had Liberty Day, plus banners to advertize the event. The entire Patel family is very much for helping the park and has many good ideas on how to raise money and improve not just Liberty Day but the park and town.

Nell Oliver, secretary-treasurer
Cedar Bluff Liberty Day

Living in Cherokee
One of the reasons I wished to move to Centre was because of Tim Sanders "Road Apples." Any time we made a trip into Cherokee County looking for a place for our family to call home, I insisted on getting a copy of The Post. My husband thought it was a great idea because of all the real estate listings; he had no idea (until now) that it was because I had a thing for the way Mr. Sanders used words. I just want to say thanks for all the smiles and interesting conversations the column has brought about.

More recently I had the pleasure of meeting the owner of the Stylorama Beauty Salon. To be honest, when I first saw the name I thought that would be the place Marge Simpson would go to get her hair done, but I was very impressed. I went in the salon looking and feeling old and ugly, but by the time Marie was through with me I felt at least 10 years younger -- and looked it! Thank you, Marie, for working miracles.

Some folks may be unaware that our local library has an ongoing book sale where you truly never know what treasures may be found. Several issues of "The Saturday Evening Post" from the 1950s made it into my home for a nominal fee (a bit of history to share with the younger generation). Another great plus of going to the library is that you have the pleasure of meeting the librarians, who are generally always smiling and ready to help. Thank you, ladies, for helping to make reading even more pleasurable.

Thank you to the folks at Piggly Wiggly for always being so polite and helpful. You are one of the few places that can truly say it provides "service with a smile".

I truly appreciate the help I was provided by the Humane Society when I had questions about pets left in cars. When I was told that temperatures could reach over 110 degrees in less than 10 minutes inside a car, it made my decision to speak up about it a lot easier.

It has been a long time in coming but thank you, Miss Judy, at CCH. Your sense of humor and genuine love for the students was sincerely appreciated. Thank you, also, to the folks at the fire and police departments, you made a very tense and difficult situation easier to deal with.

Y'all make living here in Cherokee County, Alabama a pleasure. Thank you.

Cynthia Causey
Centre

July 14, 2008

What you talking 'bout?
It seems Shirley Willis has been grossly misinformed regarding the American Flag at the Weiss Mart (“Patriotism all year long,” letter to the editor, June 30). Although it was noble for you to donate the flag, Mrs. Willis, it certainly does not give you the right to ridicule the Centre Fire Department. They had absolutely nothing to do with hanging the flag. You definitely owe them a public apology. They were never asked to put the flag up, but be sure to know if I had asked them to, it would have been done. They have never failed to answer any call for service in this county, and never will.

You are in error to assume that because the Centre Fire Department was not flying the flag on Flag Day that it was for a lack of patriotism. Did you ever think that maybe they were out saving lives and property and simply did not have the time to raise their flag?

You have angered a great number of citizens in Cherokee County by your thoughtless and selfish letter. The people here love and support their fire departments and always will. When you attack one of us, as you have done, you attack us all.

In closing, I want you to know that should your lake home ever catch fire, the blaze will be fought by the best, most patriotic firefighters in the state of Alabama. You should also know that if one of those heroes should give the ultimate sacrifice while saving your life or property, their casket will be draped by the very flag you so carelessly wrote about.

Chief J.P. Curry
Cedar Bluff Fire Dept

Rude at Liberty Day
During Liberty Day festivities the owner of the Weiss Mart did not show good hospitality. He chewed out the police and other people for stupid stuff. He would not allow more than 10 people in his store at a time, and no one was allowed to use the bathrooms. There were no helicopter rides and no kids' fishing tournament because of him, I was told. He tried to charge people $5 to park and $2 for admission to see the fireworks, and he told the band Rebel Yell to leave as soon as the fireworks were over so that no one could stay and hear more music.

He told Cedar Bluff Police Chief Steve Walden that he wanted the yard cleaned right after everyone left, instead of the next day, and he ran off people in the motel rooms because they went to Liberty Day instead of staying in. He also came out after the fireworks were over and told everyone to get off his property if they were not customers. Basically, he was flat-out rude. He even told swimmers they had to change clothes in the parking lot or leave, and he asked the police to write tickets to anyone parked on side of the road.

People in Cherokee County enjoy the show that Liberty Day offers every year and we would like to enjoy a day of family fun without someone ruining it because they are not friendly. The owner of the Weiss Mart is from another country and certainly does not have to participate in American traditions, but he should show respect to others who do. Maybe if people stopped shopping at his store he would realize that if he can treat us poorly, then two can play at his game!

Kandace Ballew
Gaylesville

June 30, 2008

Holiday and highways
All available troopers will be on duty during the Fourth of July holiday travel period, enforcing traffic laws, assisting motorists, and serving as visible reminders to drive safely. In addition to routine patrol operations, enforcement plans include license and sobriety checkpoints, saturation and line patrols, and operation of laser speed detection devices (LIDAR) from stationary vantage points.

According to Public Safety Director Col. J. Christopher Murphy, troopers will especially target those violations that frequently factor in crashes and generally constitute “aggressive” driving when two or more are combined – unsafe lane changes, following too closely, failing to yield the right of way and speeding. Troopers, including special “Task Force Zero” DUI enforcement teams, also will actively work to identify and apprehend drivers impaired by alcohol or drugs during the period.

Murphy said Alabama is committed to sustaining gains in highway and traffic safety during the upcoming holiday and throughout the year.

“The goal of troopers and our partners in local law enforcement is to save lives and safeguard all motorists on Alabama’s roadways,” he said.

Murphy urged motorists to make safety a priority and to buckle up on every trip. He also addressed officer safety, issuing a reminder about the state’s “move-over” law. This law requires motorists on multi-lane roadways to move over one lane when passing stationary, roadside emergency vehicles with emergency lights activated.

The official Independence Day 78-hour travel period begins at 6 p.m. Thursday, July 3, and ends at midnight Sunday, July 6. Last year there were nine traffic fatalities – eight vehicle occupants and one pedestrian – in Alabama during a 30-hour Fourth of July holiday period.

Public Information/Education
Alabama Department of Public Safety

Patriotism all year long
Seeing that the Weiss Lake Marina at Cedar Bluff had a flag pole but did not have an American flag flying, my husband and I donated a large flag to make sure there would be one flying for Flag Day.

The flag was donated approximately six weeks ago. We were very disappointed to see that the flag was not flying when we were in Cedar Bluff a few weekends ago. We checked to see why it was not up and we were told that the Cedar Bluff Fire Department didn't have equipment that reached high enough to put it up and that they had given the flag to the fire department in Centre since they had equipment that could get it up.

Still hoping to get the flag up by Flag Day, I made a call to the Centre Fire Department to check on the status. I left my message concerning attempts to get the flag up and my phone numbers on their automated answering machine but never received a call from anyone there. On Flag Day (June 14) we were again at our lake house in Cedar Bluff and noticed the flag was still not up. Ironically (or maybe not) when we drove into Centre we noticed the fire department there didn't even have a flag flying on Flag Day.

This lack of patriotism and apathy may be OK with some, but it's not OK with me. I think it's a shame!

This episode reminds me of a quote I read long ago: "The death of democracy is not likely to be an assassination from ambush. It will be a slow extinction from apathy, indifference, and undernourishment." -- Robert M. Hutchins

Shirley Willis
Cedar Bluff

June 9, 2008

Conspiracy fact
Great! Hillary Clinton is going to "fix" the "mistakes." Bill Clinton is the one who made the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

News: Those weren't mistakes, pardner! Those were major treason. That is why he was impeached, remember? See, The New American from Feb. 3, 1997. But the managed news, on the other hand, played down the treason and created a circus with the titillating "Oval Office incident." That held the public's attention away from the president's business dealings with the Red Chinese weapons dealers. See The New American again: "Apparently, Mr. Clinton was unable to discern a possible conflict of interest in a meeting that enriched the business prospects of a major Democratic National Committee contributor and personal friend."

After the Chinese friend donated $639,000 to Clinton's legal defense fund, Mr. Clinton appointed him to a White House advisory body, the Commission on U.S. Pacific Trade and Investment Policy. This friend of Clinton's was closely allied with Mr. Clinton's visitor, who was a major player in communist China's military industrial complex.

Read it and weep, for the victims of the handed-down betrayal still in the current White House. Conspiracy is no theory, it's a fact. How many of the weapons Clinton armed the hostiles with have killed Americans that Bush has sent in his war against the Constitution? His goal is the North American Union, part of the New World Order.

Martha V. Pearson
Centre

Congress to blame
Today, people are blaming the oil companies for high gas prices. We are awash in oil, but the U.S. Congress refuses to allow drilling in the huge tracts offshore and in Alaska. Congress is the culprit, not the oil companies!

There is nothing in the U.S. Constitution that authorizes Congress to meddle in our marvelous free market system that was working very well without federal interference. However, massive interference has stifled production of oil and nuclear power. Visit www.thenewamerican.com for details.

In addition, Congress is mostly legislating in areas unauthorized by our Constitution. Foreign aid and regulating education are just two of many examples. In areas where Congress is authorized, it has created several major disasters. Our military is dispersed in many countries around the world, but it is not protecting our southern border to keep out the illegals. In addition, Congress gave up its power to declare war to the President. Therefore, we now have perpetual war to achieve perpetual peace as George Orwell wrote in his classic novel, 1984.

A citizen who does not obey the Constitution would quickly be arrested. However, Congress truly is a criminal enterprise because it continues to violate our Constitution after taking an oath uphold and defend it. We must demand that Congress obey the Constitution, or we soon will see the destruction of our nation.

Nancy Barker Brennan
Camarillo, Calif.

June 2, 2008

Save your skin
Did you know that one in five Americans will be diagnosed with skin cancer in their lifetime? Surprisingly, melanoma is on the rise in our country, particularly among young people. Sadly, people don’t always realize this disease can be life-threatening. In 2008, 62,480 Americans will be diagnosed with melanoma with 8,420 people dying from the disease.

There are three simple steps to reduce your risk for skin cancer. First, start early. It is never too early to teach a child about sun protection, and to protect them from the harmful rays of the sun. If you are a parent, grandparent, or caregiver, you have the unique ability to instill healthy habits to protect them for life.

Secondly, never stop taking care of your skin. It is important to protect yourself from harmful UV rays even as an adult. Dermatologist Dr. Daryl Rigel says “simple behavioral changes can make a big difference” in your risk for skin cancer, as sun exposure is linked to most cases. Also, be sure to have your skin checked by a dermatologist annually. Dr. Rigel suggests that your birthday should be a reminder to have your “birthday suit” checked!

Finally, know this: a family history of skin cancer raises the risk for skin cancer for all members of the family. Be sure to tell your health professional if someone in your family is diagnosed with cancer. He or she may recommend more frequent screenings.

Enjoy the warm weather summertime brings, but don’t forget to follow these tips and save your skin.

Mary Sessions
Wife of Sen. Jeff Sessions
Prevent Cancer Foundation

Get the facts straight
Those who make derogatory slurs against another should have their facts straight and know what they are talking about and not list a website proving their statements are out of line and wrong ("Promises he can't keep," letters to the editor, May 26 edition). Is it morally wrong for Mr. Stever to attempt to disillusion others, but that seems to be the norm for some of our elected officials and their constituents.

Those elected to public office should better serve the people than that; when it comes time for reelection they should not have to attack other candidates with false statements or have their constituents do their dirty work for them in an attempt to keep their office.

In the revenue commissioner's race, Harrell Whitner has had to be very strong to hold his composure due to attacks from constituents from John A. Roberts. Harrell Whitener is well-versed in the Alabama Constitution concerning property tax laws and will not make a statement he cannot back up. Title 40-7-25.3 of the state code proves rollbacks are a part of the constitution and section 40-9-19 offers tax exemptions from state ad valorem taxes, thus his slogan "Roll Back Taxes". If elected he will Roll Back Taxes.

In closing I ask what has Mr. Roberts done in 14 years and what does he promise if reelected? The race for revenue commissioner has only one purpose and that is taxes. Harrell Whitener gives us all hope of lower taxes and that includes everyone, even the current revenue commissioner and his staff and constituents. I urge you to vote for Harrell Whitener.

Donna Rhodes
Cedar Bluff

Exercise your rights
One June 3 you will have the opportunity to go to the polls and exercise your right as an American citizen. The freedom has been guaranteed through our Constitution and Bill of Rights, and many have died or shed their blood to forever make it possible for us to vote.The tragedy is that many do not take advantage of this privilege.

I encourage each of you, yes, I challenge you, to exercise your right to vote for the candidate of your choice.

The polls will be open in Cherokee County from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Melvyn Salter
Judge of Probate

May 26, 2008

Promises he can't keep
I am writing this letter in regards to some political ads that are currently being run in the The Post. The ad that Mr. Whitener ran most recently was the one about “rolling back taxes.”

This ad really concerns me because I feel that Mr. Whitner is trying to lead the people of this county to believe that he can just magically “roll back your taxes.” I don't know how much Mr. Whitner knows about the laws of the state of Alabama, so he might actually think if he were our revenue commissioner that he would have the authority to actually “roll back taxes.”

If this is the case, I really think that he should get educated on the revenue commissioner's job and how it works before making promises that he cannot possibly keep. He is trying to mislead our good citizens into believing that he can single-handedly lower everyone's taxes if he gets elected the office of revenue commissioner. Come on Mr. Whitner, the people of this county are not the fools that you are playing us for.

I just want to take this time to suggest to all the people of Cherokee County that they might want to do a little research on this matter before putting their confidence in Mr. Whitner's unrealistic promises. This information is readily available in the state of Alabama's website: http://www.ador.state.al.us/advalorem/index.html.

It clearly states in the Code of Alabama that the methods that are used to calculate your taxes are governed by the state of Alabama. This is not something revenue commissioner has any control over. The revenue commissioner has to abide by the laws of the state or be held accountable. Therefore, Mr. Harrell Whitener has no means to just take it upon himself and “roll back taxes” unless he wants to “go to jail.”

We might suggest to Mr. Whitner that he should be running for governor instead of revenue commissioner if he is going to help us on our taxes. At least then he would have a better chance at success.

I would like to close this letter with the hopes of putting a thought in the minds of each and every one that reads this. Do we really want someone in the revenue commissioner's office who puts out propaganda and untruths such as this to get elected, do we want someone who will try and mislead us. I know that taxes are expensive, but we all to have to look at what we as citizens gain from the proceeds of these taxes. We have police protection, schools for our children, we have roads to drive on, and these are just a few of the benefits that we have due to property taxes.

It's not like we are just throwing our money away. So citizens, now that I have opened your eyes, let's all really think very carefully about our decision before going to the polls to elect a revenue commissioner.

Jim Stever
Centre

May 19, 2008

Worst Senate ever
There have been numerous articles and editorials written about the ineffectiveness and lack of action by the Alabama Senate over the past few weeks and many different reasons have been given for this situation.

The major factor impacting the Senate is the same issue that developed when power was stripped from the lieutenant governor when Steve Windom was elected to that office. That power was not returned to Lt. Gov. Lucy Baxley when she was elected. Even though she was offered support to help her regain that leadership, she refused because she did not want to “ruffle the feathers” of those she believed could assist her in becoming governor.

Many had hoped that Lt. Gov. Jim Folsom, Jr. would regain the power of the office. He had served in that capacity and with the power of the office had managed the Senate in a respectable manner during his first term. He, like Ms. Baxley, chooses not to use his power as lt. governor to again accept the responsibility of leadership for the Alabama Senate.

Leadership is an awesome responsibility and many people do not want to undertake that responsibility because it requires tough decision -- decisions that sometimes “ruffle feathers”. So now we continue to have a leaderless Senate, with 35 members trying as individuals or as loosely joined caucus, to “run” the Senate. Each year for the past decade, the Senate has become progressively worse and now the press, along with many of the senators themselves, are calling this Senate the worst ever.

If you want to fix the Senate, then return the power to the lt. governor who must answer to all the people of the state, not just the 140,000 or so who reside in a single district. Then the responsibility lies with someone accountable to all.

Yes, we have had lt. governors in the past who some did not agree with, but at least someone was in charge. The responsibility was centrally located and the public knew who to look to for leadership. Today, that does not exist and everyone points a finger and blames the other. Until a few in the Senate are willing to give up power and return it to the lt. governor you will continue to see “the worst Senate ever” in Alabama.

Gerald Dial, Lineville
Former Dist. 13 senator

Sewage treatment, too?
I had to smile as I read Dewandee Neyman's letter to the editor in the May 12 issue of The Post concerning this "big city" girl's letter of April 21.

Actually, I grew up in an Indiana town about the size of Centre. The hog farmers there would make you WISH for chicken houses. People knew how the places smelled, which is why most hog farms were solitary operations on hundreds of acres with no residential areas anywhere near them. Kind of like, "If you can't stand the stink then stay away from the farm."

The point of my "vent" about the smell was that it affects the property values and our quality of life. Several neighbors have stopped by, either to let me know they are angry about our "overnight" development, or to ask me, "Well, you eat chicken, don't you?" I have six beautiful Rhode Island red hens that provide eggs and the smelliest old billy goat this side of Birmingham. However, their pens are as far from the neighbors' homes as I can get them.

Maybe Mrs. Neyman was sitting on the toilet reading her copy of The Post that day. Does that mean a sewage treatment plant in your backyard is OK, too? Think about it.

Lori Webb
Cedar Bluff

May 12, 2008

Thank the farmer
I had to smile as I read Ms. Webb’s concerns about the smell from the poultry houses near her home ("Raising a stink," letters to the editor, April 21). I wondered as she wrote her letter, was she munching on chicken fingers, chicken salad, chicken nuggets, a chicken sandwich or eating an egg? Does she grill chicken on her grill?

Being a big city girl I suppose she thinks food comes from the supermarket. I suppose Ms. Webb had rather her food be grown and shipped from a foreign country. Of course those countries do not have the strict regulations that U.S. farmers are required to follow.

The U.S. farmer produces an abundance of food and consumers pay less for food than any other consumer in the world. Agriculture is the nation’s largest industry covering more than 250 career areas. In the U.S. around 24 million people produce, process, sell, and trade the nation’s food and fiber.

The next time Ms. Webb puts food in her mouth and clothes on her back she should give thanks to the farmer who put it there for her.

Dewandee Neyman
Tucker’s Chapel community

Daddy vs. father
I am writing in regards to the letter "Judges' bad judgment" (letters to the editor, April 21). First of all, I want to say that any man can father a child, but it is very important for a father to be around for the nine months that the mother is carrying the child. Although the child is in the womb, he or she learns to recognize voices and if someone other than the biological father is around during this time the child will know his voice as the father.

Once this child is born, it just so happens that another man had stepped up to the plate to become a part of the mother's life. They became common-law husband and wife. This man was the first to cut the cord and the first to hold the child. So this child knows him as his daddy.

You see, not every man can be a daddy. This takes someone special. He too gets up in the night to feed the child and change the child. He also supports the child. This child and this man have a bond that no one can ever break.

So did the judge make a bad call? I don't think so. DNA tests are easy to acquire over the Internet, but it is my understanding that to hold up in court they must have an impartial witness, the procedure must be videotaped, hands and equipment must be sterilized, and every step must be documented on paper. It's up to the judge to decide if all these requirements were met. If you don't know all the facts, you can't say if the judge was right or wrong.

This is about who is the child's daddy, because a daddy is more important than a father to a child.

A.A. O'Shields
Leesburg

May 5, 2008

What about the issues?
In recent weeks, I have been handed several sheets of paper by some of the candidates running for the position of revenue commissioner that can only be described as smut sheets.

The people circulating this trash evidently don't know enough about the issues facing our county to debate them with any intelligence, because all they do is try and sling mud at their opponents. I wonder what they would think if personal things about their past were exposed for everyone else to see. Maybe these candidates should clean up their own houses before they let someone else talk them into tearing down someone else's reputation.

These two candidates have run for public office several times in the past and have never been elected. They don't campaign for the best interests of the people of Cherokee County. All they do is complain about someone's salary or who they are married to. These are not the important issues; improving our county, economic development, schools, roads and promoting our natural resources are the important issues. Do these candidates know anything about any of these things?

They talk about ethics, but I wonder if they even know what the word means. Maybe they should ask the person backing them for his advice?

Sarah Bright
Centre

No bad judgment
I am writing in response to the letter to the editor in the April 21 edition of The Post ("Judges' bad judgment").

This is a testimony. I have four kids who have an absent father. A lot of the things mentioned in the first case in the letter are some of the same things I am going through with my ex-husband.

But, if I am correct, I know the family mentioned in the letter. Those kids were taken care of at all times by their mom and I, too, remember the time drugs were involved in the father's life. But do you not believe God is capable of changing a person? Even if he is behind on child support payments and has the kids he still pays every month towards the balance he owes! He has straightened out his life and I, for one, am very proud of him. As a matter of fact, I think we'd all like to see the county's addicts get better, but how can we if all we do is throw the past in their faces?

I can understand why someone would be upset if these facts are the only ones they know of, but that's not the whole case. On the stand the mother stated that the reason for not allowing her kids to play sports and it wasn't the reason described in the letter on April 21.

The children were old enough to tell the judge where they wanted to live and he is capable of providing for their needs since he is no longer spending his money elsewhere -- thank God! So don't blame the judge because, believe it or not, they know what they're doing.

To all the addicts out there, it can be done. If it weren't for this man's courage and willpower, my children wouldn't have the father figure they have now and for that I am truly grateful. Thanks for giving back.

Dione Hall
Centre

April 28, 2008

Porn on page 14?
I usually pick up The Post every week, but normally do not have the time to read it cover-to-cover. However, the week of March 31, I had more time and read the Just for Fun page.

This page had many interesting items and puzzles, but I was appalled when I saw the cartoon, "Edge of Adventure," for that week. Thinking I may have interpreted it incorrectly, I asked a number of friends to tell me what they saw and the response was the same each time. Many, including me believe it was pornographic and in very poor taste.

This page may be viewed by children and that cartoon was definitely for adults only. It's possible that your editor overlooked the content of the cartoon, so please be more vigilant of what you print in the future. Your audience consists of readers both young and old.

Fran Whiddon
Cedar Bluff

Senate Bill 426
Many of you are probably not aware that illegal immigration costs our state $112 million last year alone. Many are probably also not aware that the average illegal immigrant household receives approximately $30,000 in government benefits every year but pays only $9,000 in taxes, costing taxpayers $21,000 per household each year. Are you aware that Alabama is one of four states in the nation that has not passed comprehensive illegal immigration laws? Can you imagine what it might cost if we let needed legislation die without getting passed? Alabama would become more of a magnet than it already is for illegal immigrants.

We cannot afford to wait for the federal government to protect our resources. We must do everything within our power to protect our state this legislative session. Senate Bill 426 punishes businesses that knowingly hire illegal immigrants and allows tax dollars to go toward law-abiding citizens' needs rather than illegal immigrants' needs. Please urge your representatives to pass SB426.

Jane D. Bedford
Mentone

Thanks to EMS
April 4 was a very active day, weather-wise, across Alabama. Though much damage was caused by straight-line wind and not tornadoes (although there were some tornadoes) the bottom line is still the same: damage. Our hearts go out to those who were injured or had their property damaged.

Fortunately, the Rock Run community was spared any direct hits, but the emergency sirens were sounded here.

Several weeks ago I wrote the editor of The Post concerning the siren being non-operative in the Rock Run community after failed attempts to EMS for reparation of same. The non-productive attempts were not the fault of EMS but were more a lack of clarity regarding jurisdictional authority. We would like to thank our very capable, able and dedicated EMS personnel for getting the siren back in operation.
It is to this end this letter is written. Thanks so much!

Tonya Pike
Rock Run community

April 21, 2008

Judges' bad judgment
I am writing because I have a few concerns with our court in Cherokee County. I know of two different cases were two different judges awarded children to the wrong parent. The first case was a father who was awarded custody from the mother. The mother has always taken care of the kids, took them to the doctor, dentist, games, and paid for everything. She never once complained.

Then the father decided that after years of not taking care of them, not paying one doctor bill, not helping with a babysitter, not paying child support (he is thousands of dollars behind),and he even choose drugs over his family, got custody of the kids. It was said the custody changed because the mother could not always afford to let her kids play sports. Now you tell me what is wrong with that picture?!!

The second case involved a one-year-old. The mother is not sure who the father is, so she told one man he was the father, then told another one that he is the dad. So one dad took it upon himself to have a DNA test. It came back 99.9 percent positive that he was the father. So about seven months ago a judge agreed, and told him to pay child support and laid out visitation rules.

Now the other man wants to be the dad so he filed a case and without presenting any DNA information the same judge took the baby away from his biological father and gave custody to someone else. The biological father has all the means to take care of the baby, and the baby was not in any harm.

So my question is this: How can a judge take a child away from his own parent and give him to someone unrelated for no cause?

I would like any feedback, good or bad, that anyone might have.

Tracy Clifton
Cedar Bluff

Raising a stink
Have you been around County Road 75 near Cedar Bluff lately? If you drive about three miles past Harton's Store, your nose will be greeted by what is first thought to be something dead and rotting. If you open your windows or sit on your porch to watch the birds feed, your nostrils will be assailed by an overpowering stench.

Oh, but it's only the six HUGE chicken houses that were just built and put into operation last fall. I can't wait to see (and smell) what it's going to be like when it gets HOT outside.

We have just paid off our home and nine acres of property in 2007, hoping to retire here, raise our pygmy goats, fish and enjoy visits from out-of-state family. We even put in a swimming pool to enjoy with our friends and family. We cannot do that now. The smell is so horrible that I can't even bear the stink when I am cooking out on the grill. We were working in our garden the other day and a friend who was helping us had to leave because she could not stand the smell.

Most of the homes in our area are mobile homes. Would these smelly chicken houses have been built near someone's expensive lakefront home? Why were they approved here without some sort of impact research?

I have all my windows closed as I write this and I can STILL smell it! I retired here in 2003 after 20 years in Atlanta. So much for my "sweet home Alabama."

Lori Webb
Cedar Bluff

March 31, 2008

Bank on my support
Last week, there was a rather harsh letter written and published concerning the customer service at the Centre branch of Union State Bank ("Banking in Cedar Bluff," letter to the editor, March 24).

It is true that everyone is entitled to their opinion and that my experience may be very different from someone else's concerning Union State Bank in Centre. But after reading the article I felt compelled to say that all of the staff at Union State Bank in Centre has always been exceptionally kind to me. I have banked with them for over 15 years and have been treated with respect and consideration, no matter who I was dealing with. I am proud of my relationship with Union State Bank in Centre.

I grew up in Birmingham, where you were “just an account number” at most banks. But my bank, Union State Bank, has always made me feel like I was important to them. I just wanted to express my appreciation to all the people at the Union State Bank in Centre for all they do and continue to do.

Kym Black
Centre

Don't eliminate incentives
The economic stimulus package that Congress approved and President Bush signed into law last month did something besides promise tax rebates to most Americans. It included important incentives for businesses so they could continue to grow and create jobs. But a bill passed earlier this month by the state House Education Appropriates Committee would eliminate these incentives for businesses in Alabama. The incentive would increase the deduction that businesses could take on the depreciating value of equipment. That might not sound like a big deal, but it would save Alabama businesses about $59 million.

Bush and Democratic and Republican members of Congress wanted businesses to have these incentives to help shore up Alabama’s and the nation’s economy. The committee bill would remove this incentive for Alabama businesses.

As state director of the National Federation of Independent Business, Alabama’s largest small business association, I believe it would be a serious mistake if the Legislature were to approve the committee version of the bill.

Small businesses continue to lead growth in the U.S. economy, and small businesses create most of the country’s net new jobs. Here in Alabama, small business accounts for 97 percent of the state’s employer firms and about 51 percent of the workforce.

Legislators sometimes assume that a business is a business, but this is wrong. Seventy-five percent of NFIB members in Alabama have fewer than 10 employees, and almost 70 percent have annual sales of $500,000 or less.

Small businesses operate on thin profit margins, so every cent counts. For some, the higher deductions allowed under the federal law could be the difference between building up or falling behind.

I believe that small business is the heart and soul of Alabama’s economy and that when you make things harder for small businesses, you hurt the working families that depend on them.

Rosemary Elebash
State Director, NFIB/Alabama
Montgomery

March 24, 2008

Banking in Cedar Bluff
One of my relatives who has lived in Centre for over 15 years -- and who has been banking with Centre’s Union State Bank office for all those years -- has recently encountered what they consider to be a serious, ongoing problem involving the quality of service and the lack of competency by some of the employees at that bank.

As in all cases, there is at least one good apple in the barrel: Thank you, Susan Kelley for your help, you are wonderful! However, because of ongoing problems with customer service issues, my relatives feel they have no other choice -- even with high gas prices -- but to drive out of their way to the Union State Bank in Cedar Bluff.

A big "thank you" to all the employees at Cedar Bluff’s Union State Bank: Dora Norton, Becky Terry, Gail Simpson, Shirley Woodall, Jenny Moore, Pat Eaton. You guys are great! Cedar Bluff’s branch of Union State Bank has an exemplary staff. They are always kind, caring, and knowledgeable.

Misty Inman
Centre

High gas prices
If gasoline prices hit $4 per gallon as many economists predict, an estimated 65 percent of American car owners say they will dramatically change their driving behavior, according to a survey conducted by Opinion Research Corporation for our association.

According to the survey, 91 percent of drivers are driving less and 75 percent are maintaining their vehicle better because of rising gas prices. Other specific behavioral changes were carpooling (31 percent), purchasing more fuel efficient vehicles (30 percent) and making greater use of public transportation (24 percent).

Driving less might not be an option for you, but performing simple and inexpensive vehicle maintenance will not only save gas money, perhaps as much as $1200 per year, but will also improve your vehicle’s safety and dependability.

The Car Care Council offers these gas-savings maintenance and driving tips:

_ Check your vehicle gas cap. About 17 percent of the vehicles on the roads have gas caps that are either damaged, loose or are missing altogether, causing 147 million gallons of gas to vaporize every year.

_ When tires aren’t inflated properly, it’s like driving with the parking brake on, and can cost a mile or two per gallon.

_ A vehicle can have either four, six or eight spark plugs, which fire as many as three million times each 1,000 miles, resulting in a lot of heat, electrical and chemical erosion. A dirty spark plug causes misfiring, which wastes fuel. Spark plugs need to be replaced regularly.

_ An air filter that is clogged with dirt, dust and bugs chokes off the air and creates a “rich” mixture – too much gas being burned for the amount of air, which wastes gas and causes the engine to lose power. Replacing a clogged air filter can improve gas mileage by as much as 10 percent.

These simple vehicle maintenance steps can add up to serious savings. To learn more about how to maintain your vehicle and reduce your fuel expenses, visit www.carcare.org.

Kathleen Schmatz, President & CEO
Automotive Aftermarket Industry Assoc.

Feb. 25, 2008

Drive safely
My name is C. Q. One night just a few weeks ago I was out for an evening walk near my home on Northwood Drive in Centre. I am always leery of the vehicles that speed through my residential neighborhood, often at double the posted speed limit. But this time I was caught by surprise. It seemed the car came from nowhere. The next thing I knew I was thrown several yards off the street into the wooded lot behind my house. The pain was excruciating! I lay in that spot, my pelvis shattered. Imaging my plight as I laid there thinking this was the end.

I could see my family in the distance searching for me. I knew they must be worried sick. Hours, then days went by! I reached out and covered myself with leaves during the freezing nights. If it had not rained I might easily have died from thirst. Finally I rallied enough strength to drag myself through the woods and across the yard. When my family saw me they ran to my aid, carrying me into the house. Oh, what a sight I was, bloodied, broken, covered in mire, dehydrated and next to starvation. But they were there for me and slowly they nursed me back to health.

Now, such a short time later, I am well on my way to recovery. Though I will be crippled for life, I am not bitter. I don't hold any animosity. Really, my story is no big deal -- many people could care less since I'm just an old house cat. My family just hopes that mine will be a cautionary tale, that my story might give some people cause for thought. Next time the victim might not have paws and claws. Might your driving habits one day such anguish cause?

C.Q. “Comquat” Orndorf
Centre

Work for better govt.
Concerned Alabama voters who want a means of improving our state government by seeing REAL reform and accountability measures put on the ballot should contact their state representative, as well as the members of the House Constitution and Elections (C&E) Committee, NOW and tell them to work immediately to get HB423 approved by the committee, sent to the floor for open debate, approved by the full membership, and sent to the Senate.

Our legislature hasn't yet passed such legislation, and it still isn't likely to in spite of all the rhetoric we hear.

Many legislators will resist passing HB423 unless they feel that their positions as office holders will be threatened in the 2010 election cycle if they don't comply with our wishes, It's up to Alabama voters to make them comply and give us a way to have a government we can respect and take pride in. It will require a groundswell of voters demanding that this bill be passed to get it passed. If we want a better government, we have to actively work for it.

Don Seibold
Wetumpka

Feb. 18, 2008

Conserve in Cedar Bluff
All of us are aware of the current situation the water industry is experiencing these days. It's not uncommon to turn on the news and hear a story about the ongoing water wars between Georgia, Alabama and Florida. There are few water suppliers in the Southeast that have not been impacted by the current drought.

Another factor of this shortage is the rapid residential and industrial growth that the Southeast has enjoyed over the past few years. We have all been made aware that the water we have been taking for granted for so long isn't abundant anymore. Some are only seeing minor problems, due to the cooler months we are experiencing. But with summer and high demand a few months away, we find ourselves facing a potentially critical situation which will take everyone working together to prevent reaching a point where there isn't enough water to meet basic needs.

We are asking all our customers to conserve water in order to lessen the demands that we are placing on our very limited sources. We have in place a Water Conservation Plan, including different phases of water restrictions depending on the severity of demand we are experiencing. We are not assured that rains will come in sufficient amounts to replenish the water table and recharge the aquifers that supply us. We know it will take months of above-average rainfall to replace the water the drought has taken away.

If these conditions persist, we will be forced to enact higher levels of use restrictions. We want to assure you that we are doing everything we can to prevent any disruptions in your water supply. Our crews are always on the lookout for leaks which steal reserves. If you notice leaks please call 256-779-6359 or 256-779-7285. We need your help to protect our stored water and keep our losses to a minimum. Now more than ever, every drop counts.

Another way of helping us is to make sure that you are maintaining your own water system. We often get calls about high water bills. These are usually due to a situation in the customer's home or workplace involving leaks in service lines, faucets, and a common area for water loss -- the bathroom toilet. You can determine the location of a leak by isolating sections of line and watching the flow indicator on the water meter, or by using a form of dye or food coloring in the tank of the commode to indicate flow past the tank. Although you are paying for this water, the wasted amounts created can go a long way toward lessening the total demands we have on our reserves if we all get involved.

Hopefully, the rains we have received will help replenish our water reserves. But it will take long periods of above-average rainfall to do much good. We assure you that we are by no means out of water, but we do feel that you deserve to be kept up-to-date on the situation so you can help conserve water and become part of the solution.

Jeff Harrell, Manager
Cedar Bluff Utility Board
& Solid Waste Authority

Feb. 11, 2008

A great man gone
On Jan. 18, the communities of the Coosa River Basin lost one of their greatest advocates and a true hero of the Coosa and Weiss Lake. Ray Kelley of Gaylesville died at age 77 after a prolonged battle with cancer. Among his greatest legacies will be his nearly 50-year battle to restore the Coosa River and Weiss Lake.

Ray was raised on the Chattooga River in Gaylesville and as a young man he saw the health of his river decline as a result of upstream pollution. What had been his fishing and hunting grounds had become a dumping ground. In a 1962 hearing to address water pollution flowing to his Alabama home, Ray told officials simply: “All we want is clean water down there, where our fish will live.”

For the next 46 years, without fail, that is what Ray fought for with a tenacity and steadfastness that became legendary among environmental regulators and activists in both Alabama and Georgia. Debby Berry, founder and president of the Smith Lake Preservation Committee, said that Ray could be like a “bulldog without a bone!” and Weiss Lake Improvement Association president Carolyn Landrem added, “When he got his teeth into something; he hung onto it.”

In the early 1990s Ray was a founding member of Alabama Water Watch and the Coosa River Basin Initiative. He later served as CRBI board president for several years, and served on both CRBI and AWW boards until his death.

In the early days of AWW, he volunteered up to 20 weekends a year, traveling around the state teaching citizens how to monitor the streams in their communities. Even during his long illness, he rarely missed AWW or CRBI board meetings.

Kelley also realized long before many that the fortunes of communities in both Alabama and Georgia would depend upon enough clean water flowing across the state line. Said fellow CRBI founder Jerry Brown: “Ray's world was bounded by the river basins- not superficial, political lines that humans have drawn on top of the creation. Ray bounded back and forth between Georgia and Alabama seamlessly.”

Thus, Ray became one of the Coosa Valley's strongest environmental advocates. He didn't get that way by studying environmental science or marching for Greenpeace. In fact, he spent his working career making electric transformers at the General Electric plant in Rome — an occupation he linked to the cancer that ultimately took his life.

Ray became an advocate because when he saw a problem, he didn't sit on his haunches and expect others to solve it. He leapt at the problem and sunk his teeth into it like the bulldog that he was.

Ray will be missed, but his legacy of a cleaner Coosa River and Weiss Lake remain and inspire all of us who care for these special places.

Joe Cook and Cheryl Garner
Coosa River Basin Initiative

Feb. 4, 2008

Thanks to so many
On November 10, I had a serious accident and was in the hospital, and then in rehabilitation, until Jan. 8. I want to thank the doctors at Erlanger Medical Center in Chattanooga, Tenn. for putting me back together. Also, to the churches, family and friends who sent many prayers on my behalf, I am thankful. The visits and kindnesses are more than I can ever repay.

Last, but not least, I have to thank the people at Cherokee County Health and Rehabilitation Center, whose facilities are second-to-none. Thanks, also, to the personnel who cared for me. They not only cared for my physical needs, but with a smile and a few kind words they kept my spirits up, as well. They give a new meaning to the word "kindness."

A special thanks to my wife, Jean, and my home congregation, the Menlo Church of Christ.

W.E. "Dub" Watwood
Gaylesville

Propane problem
Last spring, my mother received a notice from Heritage Propane stating that since she had not purchased gas for an extended period, they would be removing their tank. When my mother called to inquire about the letter she had received, she was accused of buying gas from other, cheaper companies in the area. She told the man she spoke with that she wasn't buying propane from anyone, that she had gone to all-electric heating and only kept the propane as a back-up in case the power went out. But the man told my mother he was following company policy and would be removing the tank.

So, after 30 years, that tank was removed, leaving my widowed mother without a tank.

It doesn't surprise me to hear that Heritage Propane has a company policy to gauge people, because of their bad business practices. But it amazes me that state law protects businesses at the great expense of the citizens by allowing these companies to charge whatever they want and forcing people to buy because they do not own their tank. This really hits the poor and elderly.

If you talk to the people at Heritage, they simply justify their practices by claiming, "it's company policy." We don't need companies like this.

Jerry L. King, Jr.
Centre

Real change
Most presidential candidates are campaigning using the buzz word "change", a rhetorical word that could mean anything, or nothing and is boring to hear repeatedly. But the masses may be persuaded by such nonsense. If true, that's sad.

Only one candidate is campaigning for our freedom, our liberty, and for returning to and governing in accordance with the U.S. Constitution, which granted us rights both as individual citizens, and as states which joined together to create the United States of America. Our Constitution places strict limits on what our federal government can do. Those limitations, as well as individuals' and states' rights have been ignored and/or abused by our government whenever convenient for government for too many years.

I urge everyone to ignore what mainstream media and both major political parties say about him and to vote for the one candidate who may represent America's last hope, Congressman Ron Paul from Texas.

Don Seibold
Wetumpka

Jan. 28, 2008

Share the rebate
I am retired and living on Social Security. I feel I am being discriminated by the federal government because, just like when the president proposed rebates to stimulate the economy in 2001, we poor are being left out of the latest rebate.

We paid taxes and Social Security all our lives and to be left out is definitely discrimination because SS was funded by our contributions. I understand the government is going to borrow from SS to fund the rebate, which President Bush hopes will stimulate the economy.

This time, the retired citizens of the USA should share in the rebate. I also believe that the government owes us our fair share of the first rebate, plus interest. If one citizen gets money back, we should all get money back -- not just the working class and the wealthy. I believe this rebate will, again, be taken from SS, because the government is constantly "borrowing" from SS and it is going broke. I wonder why?

I realize that taxes pay government expenses and I am not against that. However, the USA is the only country in the world that pays medical bills, housing and food for illegal aliens, all while average Americans have difficulty qualifying for government assistance. It still holds true that the government is for the rich and to hell with the little man.

Our elected officials should be looking after the retired as well as the wealthy, and they should remember that we put them there and we can remove them. People on SS are not dead. We buy stuff and pay taxes, too. Today's working class citizens will be retired, someday. Just like those of us who have been forgotten by the government. If retired citizens don't get part of the rebate, then no one should get any.

Parker Ray Tinsley
Leesburg