To the Editor:
Fred, it's nice to remember (though its after September) President Bush.
Remember: Bush withdrawing press passes to the White House briefing Room, from those who upset him(or Cheney, or Rumsfeld, or Rove) ?
Remember: an 80 year old woman, who had earned the respect of the world for her jounalism. Her name was Helen Thomas and she had held pride of place in the front of the briefing room having served there through eight Presidents. Bush had her kicked to the back of the room where her probing questions could be ignored.
Remember: A Pullitzer prize winning journalist, also a woman, Maureen Dowd whose press pass was revoked by the White House without any given reason.
Remember: the Health Care Companies contrived demonstrations at Town Hall meetings:  Fox News(?) is still actively helping to organise these and the Tea Baggers charades
Remember: That Cap and Trade might just start to clean up the belching smoke stacks fueled by dirty coal. It might just help to keep our country, including Morgan County, beautiful.
Remember:  the health care insurance companies acting as 'death panels' by refusing to pay for treatments.
Remember: the U.S. drug companies whose price you pay may well be five times that charged in countries where there is bulk negotiation on drug prices.
Fred: your memory is too short and too selective.
Perhaps you should join those thoughtful Republicans who are distressed by the effect of the ultra right on their fine party. These last are the people who will hopefully lead the GOP for the good of our country.
Donald Kerr
Good Hope
Via e-mail

To the Editor:
Height, like size, does matter, but only when expressed in relative terms. It's a matter of definitions. Two hundred and fifty or 215 feet, from where to where, relative to what? From the bottom of a hundred foot ravine, a 250 foot mountain may not look too bad.
However, it is not height or size that matters but the concoction of ingredients making up the mountain. What matters is the rotting garbage, the stench, possibly toxic waste and groundwater contamination, dense traffic and the devaluation of property that matters. Bottom line in what matters is the destruction of a way of life in Morgan County that would allow the mountain to be built regardless of height or size.
Sliced, diced, smothered or covered, a landfill is a landfill is a dump, forever -- a bad recipe for our future. We should not buy into any half-baked ideas. Count the cost!
Gerald H. Wood
Madison
Via e-mail

To the Editor:
Don’t forget, they lie for a living.
I think we forget capitalists can be ruthless criminals and not just the upstanding citizens they portray. And don’t give me that tired speech about how they helped to build this great nation. Maybe they did once but they’re destroying it now! Their love of money is at the root of all the evil and misery in this country. Always has been, always will be. Fact is most of the evildoers in the world are capitalists, no matter what their politics or religion is.
Osama Bin Laden is a capitalists first and a terrorist second. So is Dick Cheney! While some blame the president, liberals and socialism, capitalists go right on ruining our lives and our economy with booms, bust and out of control debt. While many blame government and politics, the A.B.A. goes right on forcing itself on the will of the people and the government. Foreclosing on homes, taking jobs and bankrupting small businesses. While you’re worrying about Muslims and Mexicans, Sony is selling the pop-culture lifestyle of decadence and sex to your children and ruining your family values. While you’re worrying about the government pulling the plug on grandma, Signet is pulling the plug on you! Instead of condemning the capitalists like we should we’re gorging ourselves on lies and misinformation coming from their media empires! It’s no wonder why all the blame seems to point in every direction but theirs. Pretty convenient! Let’s not forget we’re dealing with professional liars, thieves and murderers who do this for a living.
Christopher Murray
Madison
Hand delivered
 

To the Editor:
On behalf of Hand in Hand Ministries, Inc., we would like to thank the fabulous Bearfoot Hookers for donating their time and musical talents toward the fundraiser concert held at Round Bowl Springs Park in September. We thank Jon Tonge,  (Bearfoot Hookers and Dog Ear Books), for arranging for the concert to be held there.  It was enjoyed by all and we even had some audience participation!
We also greatly appreciate all the businesses in the community that donated items and/or services for our fundraiser. These businesses included Chick-fil-A; Ingles; Cracker Barrel; Madison Fitness Center; Cecelia’s Bakery, Athens; Mary Sue Alexander; Quality Lube; Amici’s; Madison Car Care; GiGi’s Salon; Kim Raines’ Massage; Kelly Channell Photography and Bulldog Brew.
Furthermore, we thank all the people, including some of the future residents of the group home, who volunteered their time in making cookies, selling raffle tickets/food and helping to clean up following the event.
Last but not least, we thank those from the community who attended this event, supporting our endeavors to raise funds to build the first two group homes in Morgan County for mentally and/or physically challenged adults. Hope to see you at our Festival of Trees fundraiser the first weekend in December!
Bonnie Mason,
Secretary-Treasurer
Meredith Holloway,
Executive Director
Hand in Hand Ministries

To the Editor;
Fox New's slogan fair and balanced.  Hannity was discussing the President's health care initiative the other night, and he was fair and balanced only if you are wealthy, have a job that provides health insurance, have military insurance, retired with insurance benefits, don't have a serious pre-existing condition, or you are just willing to pay for what you have and can afford to do so.
Hannity was interviewing patients at one of the finest cancer care hospitals, Dana Farber.  They all were wringing their hands about what they will do when Obama takes away their doctor.  Obama has promised that this will not happen, but Hannity won't accept this promise because it is not in his job description.  He does work for Fox News.  It was very dramatic.  I can empathize with these people because my dear wife has cancer, and we too want to keep all her doctors.  We believe we will be able to.  But where was the compassion and concern for all the people and children who are the have-nots who are sick and desperate for good health care to save their lives?  Hannity did not say anything about the people who are suffering a devastating illness without any health care insurance.  He did not interview anyone with cancer that does not have access to health insurance because that would have made his argument against Obama's initiative not worth a piddle.
Do Fox News and conservative billionaire owner, Rupert Murdoch, even care about the have-nots?  If they do, I am sure you will let me know, and I hope you will be explicit.
Barry Lurey
Madison
Via e-mail

To the Editor:
On Monday, Oct. 26, five days before Halloween, I spotted my first brightly lit, fully decorated Christmas tree downtown. As much as I realize that holiday glitz can fill a void in some lives and that merchants have to take advantage of every potential shopping day, can we please, PLEASE, just one year, give Thanksgiving a chance? Doesn't a day of thanks merit standing on its own, without the tinsel trappings of Christmas to shore it up? Heck, Thanksgiving doesn't even require any decor; its celebration is held around the table, in a volunteer kitchen, visiting with family, no obligatory gifts in tow.

Pamela Hall
Madison
Via e-mail