What our Readers Are Saying

Letters to the Editor

Vote Democratic, or else we’ll sue you

Fayette Democrats are already planning how to regain some measure of power in the county even if it takes a judge to do it. Judy Chidester, chairman of the Fayette County Democratic Committee, stated in The Citizen that the local Democratic Committee is looking for a candidate, “such as a black woman,” who would run simply to set up a court challenge to the way commissioners are elected in our county.

She automatically assumes that their candidate would lose and then file a lawsuit in federal court to challenge our local election process under the voting rights act.

Whatever happened to finding a good candidate with clear positions on the issues, meeting with the public to debate and discuss the issues, and then convince the voters that your candidate is the best person for the office?

This is the problem with the Democratic Party now: They can’t win the hearts and minds of the majority of the people so they are forced to win the hearts and minds of a few well-placed judges.

I know this well because, I am embarrassed to admit now, that I once was a card-carrying Democrat.

I was a member of the Young Democrats, chairman of a county Young Democrats group, worked with the state Young Democrats Executive Committee, and was a member of the county Democratic Committee.

I left the Democrats because they were fixated with winning elections instead of governing well.

In my idealistic youth, I felt that finding a good candidate that could provide true public service was more important than simply gaining power. I felt that I was in the minority in the party, so I dropped out of organized politics.

I have a suggestion for Ms. Chidester and the local Democrats: If you concentrate on providing excellent public service instead of simply winning, then you will win.

Find a good candidate who can provide real public service and then fight hard to convince us that your candidate is the best!

And if you lose the election again, listen to what the voters have told you, change your approach, and prepare for the next race.

If you continue to run to only set up the court fight, then you will continue to marginalize your party even more.

Steve Justice
Tyrone, Ga.

Blaming Republicans: Let’s look at the facts

After reading J. Frank Lynch’s article I was amused that our City Attorney said the upside to having the Republicans in charge is now they have someone to blame.

Democrats always seem to want to blame Republicans for their woes. Go back to the election of 2000.

The problems with the election and ballots were in Democratic-controlled counties. The infamous “butterfly ballot” was designed by a Democrat.

If you look across the country, most major cities have Democrat mayors, and look at the crime, and trouble big cities like Atlanta, and Philadelphia deal with.

Fulton County is in horrible shape. Schools in horrible shape, test scores much worse than state average. But who are the commissioners? Democrats.

It seems that these downtrodden cities, counties, and even states would finally vote to change their condition.

But we will continue to hear Cynthia McKinney blame Sonny Perdue, or even George Bush, for the problems in her district, instead of working with city leaders, and county commissioners, and saying what can WE do to fix our problems.

It was a Republican that ended slavery. Without Republicans in Congress the Civil Rights Act would have never passed. It was Southern Democrats that voted against it. It was a Republican Congress in the 1990s that balanced the budget. Most of our budget problems now stem from 9/11.

Look at that electoral map. You will notice that most the problems are in the blue counties.

Carl Thompson
Peachtree City, Ga.

Isn’t it time F’ville got its own liquor store?

In view of the overwhelming approval of drinks by the glass in the county recently, we believe the time has come to allow the citizens of Fayetteville the opportunity to drink responsibly in their own homes without having to give the tax revenue generated by these sales to Peachtree City, Riverdale or South Fulton County.

We understand that there are certain negative aspects of having a liquor store in the city, but the city’s refusal to pass an ordinance that would allow for the legalization and licensing of liquor sales is not deterring people from drinking (as evidenced by the many new up-scale restaurants in town), [but] it is just costing the city untold amounts of lost tax dollars and making it a little inconvenient.

In an effort to facilitate change, we are circulating a petition for a city referendum that would allow all registered voters in Fayetteville to cast their votes for or against the legalization and licensing of the distribution and sale of distilled spirits, packaged for off-premises consumption.

This petition, signed by 35 percent of the registered voters, is the first step in the long process. If there are others out there who feel our time has come, please contact your city council members.

In answer to your question, yes, we do have something to gain from this.

We are hoping to open the first package store in Fayetteville.

John and Diane Minaberry

Fayetteville, Ga.

What’s wrong with church? Look in mirror

David Epps ends his column of Nov. 12 with the question, “Why do people choose to have no church family?”

Alas, perhaps church families choose not to have them.

It seems to me homosexual children of God are often made to feel unwelcome in our pews.

Simply wanting to worship and serve with their partners and children, they are greeted by divisive brochures in the narthex, by repeated sermons from Leviticus, by offers of “limited” church membership, by regular updates on the progress we are making as we take “the moral high-ground.”

In so many ways, we fail gay Christians. And in failing them, we fail ourselves and we fail our Lord.

“Why do people choose to have no church family?” Perhaps the answer is in the mirror.

Susanne Sports
Peachtree City, Ga.

Where have all the pumpkins gone?

It appears that a 16-year tradition known as the Pumpkin Walk is dwindling away and I speak for many people when I say what a sad thing this is.

For years Fayette Countians have enjoyed the wonderful tradition of visiting the Fayetteville Square where hundreds of school children have creatively carved and proudly displayed their pumpkins for all of us to see.

It is an activity that has people together for a magical evening of good, clean, free fun. In a time of rapid growth, we can still have the feeling of a small, close-knit community.

The event has always taken place due to the effort of the local schools and Main Street, but over the last two years the school board has not encouraged participation, leaving it up to the individual teachers to get involved if they desire. Consequently, the number of pumpkins has dropped dramatically.

I realize the schools are under pressure to achieve important educational goals but to what end: To abandon their participation in a beloved annual tradition?

The activity could be incorporated into a lesson plan, such as an art project or book report and can be made a homework assignment. The logistics of getting the pumpkins to the courthouse square can be handled by the P.T.O., parent volunteers, and willing teachers.

I had the opportunity to represent a local church at this year’s event where we raised money for the Fayette Youth Protection Homes and we asked residents to sign a petition urging those in power to save the Pumpkin Walk. We collected over 700 signatures.

How many more came for the walk but didn’t bother to stay because there was literally nothing to see? Everyone went home disappointed.

If you are reading this now and feel the same way I and hundreds of other do, please contact the Fayette County Board of Education, your principal, and your P.T.O. president and let them know it matters to you and your family.

The schools shouldn’t view this event as a burden. It truly is a gift from them to the community, a wonderful way to teach children the importance of being part of a community and how they can make a contribution. What a powerful lesson to learn that doesn’t come from a book.

Beth Riley
Fayetteville, Ga.

Free Speech is really just bad manners

I have unfortunately read the Free Speech column several times in the last few weeks. I feel bad every time.

There is nothing “fair” about this column; it is unseemly in every way. It is seductive in its anonymity. It is an evil in our community.

People are encouraged to write mean, hateful, and awful things and inflict hurt upon others because they will never suffer the consequence of their ugliness.

If a name were attributed to many of these comments, people would not say them. Many of the recent contributors would be ashamed of themselves if friends knew their name.

To the many anonymous people who have inflicted pain on others, I ask: “Do you feel good as you stand in church on Sunday? Can you not believe that there is a “god” above who sees your heart and knows your name whether The Citizen prints it or not? Is your life so empty that you feel a need to make another human being feel badly? You hurt many more people than just a previous writer with your viciousness.

The Citizen should be censored for fueling such hateful discourse. Free Speech is no positive forum for discussion. It is a diatribe of mean-spirited commentary from people who are unhappy and can lash out and inflict hurt on others only because their name is not printed.

Our community would be better served without a column that fuels hurt, does little to promote intelligent discussion on issues, and gives people the anonymity to say mean things that they would not want attributed to their “good” name.

Even the best people are lured by the seductiveness of being “bad” if one never has to face the consequences of unseemly actions.

Please consider a stop to this column and encourage people to “say nothing, if they can’t say anything nice”.

Do NOT print this if you do not print my name!

April DeGennaro
Fayette County

Liberal’s mischaracterization of the Right more than fantasy: It’s personally bitter

I am forced by my sense of fair play and honesty to reply to the quarter-page-plus of historical and theological generalizations and extreme conclusions by Mr. Tim Parker published in The Citizen Nov. 17.

The article opens with another imaginary scene, common among the Left, of the President at dinner with Jerry Falwell, Gary Bauer and White House Counsel Alberto Gonzales.

Mr. Parker demonstrates the Left’s unique ability to make the bitterness and anger in politics today appear to come from the Right.

If I were the President I would have stopped reaching out to liberal politicians a long time ago. I would have grown very weary of showing a willingness to consider their views only to have my hand bitten each time with their vitriolic attacks.

“But, Mr. President, what of all this talk about bringing the country together? What about traditional American politics where important issues are hashed out, where viewpoints are aired and in the end we reach some kind of national consensus?”

What you really mean, Mr. Parker, ”Where are the good ol’ days when liberals could make noise like they are trying to be bipartisan and then shut conservatives out of the picture, going on to roll over them like our views were worthless.

The scene continues with Mr. Parker stating in graphic language what a terrible job 48 percent of the nation thinks the President is doing.

If he were honest he would have noted that 52 percent of the nation is happy with the job he is doing. The last time I looked, his favorite President, Mr. Clinton, never had a majority of the country in favor of him running things.

Most of the article is indeed, IMAGINARY, as it becomes pure fantasy. Dr. Falwell becoming the chief justice of the Supreme Court would be a major step down from the lofty position of being a “preacher.”

The Left has never been able to grasp the thinking process of someone who believes in a solid basis of truth rather than the fluid truth that moves like the water in my waterbed, with every shift of our being.

He continues his imaginary meeting with an attack on religious views that are rather commonly held by many. Remember the 52% of the country who voted for the President?

John Calvin is presented as the standard of all that is wrong with Dr. Falwell and those who would have the lack of audacity to agree with him.

Of course, and I speak from years of teaching church history on the college level, Dr. Falwell’s views, and mine, would line up more with those that Mr. Calvin persecuted than with his. Had Dr. Falwell been preaching in Calvin’s day he might already have suffered the fate of those 58 others.

Mr. Parker continues by leaving the impression that the Religious Right would like to see laws passed that require people to go to church. How far from the truth could one completely uninformed individual get?

Mr. Parker’s imagination continues to run wild as he concludes that more tax cuts would only hurt the deficit. Again he shows his ignorance of history.

Honesty would compel him to admit that each time taxes are cut the economy improves and the growth generates more, not less, revenue.

From that he moves on to accusing the President of starting a “foolish” war.

Excuse me, but I was, no imagination needed here, at the White House on Sept. 11, 2001. I remember running from the White House, the smoke rising from the Pentagon and watching the military jets circling the city to protect it from possible further attacks.

Mr. Parker, we did not start this war. Anyone who aids those who attack us must be dealt with or you will soon lose your right to speak so critically of your leaders.

By the way, your leaders won’t be people with a sense of moral values but men and women determined to control your every thought and action as they have in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Closing remarks concerning Karl Rove and Senator Miller suggest an attempt of the Right to control everyone’s morals and that anyone who fails to hold Mr. Parker’s views must need to present arguments to attest to their own sanity.

As I consider the bitterness underlying this article and the inability to live, as conservatives have for half a century, as the minority opinion in Washington, I am impressed with the continued ability of the Left to accuse the Right of that of which they are so guilty.

It would be wonderful if the Left would truly consider keeping the political battle within the realm of ideas and philosophy of government rather than the bitter, personal attacks upon those of a different opinion. But then, that would truly be living in an “IMAGINARY” world.

Larry Spencer

Fayetteville, Ga.

Parents can only hope, do their best

[The] news of the death of a Sandy Creek wrestler reminded me of the heavy responsibilities being a high school coach carries with it.

My first love (my first crush) ran out to catch a pass on his high school spring training football practice field and fell, dead. The previous week’s physical could not identify the hidden weakness of his brain aneurysm.

Everyone had done what was available to make certain students were safe but we cannot know or control every risk in life.

My college roommate’s brother was a quadriplegic from a football helmet injury. Helmets have since been redesigned but too late for him.

While still at Booth Middle School my son, Patrick, was at the wrestling meet at McIntosh High School where the Sandy Creek wrestler re-injured a previous football injury and also became paralyzed.

I held my breath when Patrick joined the football and wrestling teams in school and even when he raced up and down the basketball courts, knowing his repaired heart passed the doctor’s standard for safety but knowing that challenging yourself, that living life, carries risk in itself.

All we can do is our best and hope that is enough to ward off catastrophes.

But it is not a guarantee.

Understand that decisions are made in what appears at the time to be in the best interest of our students and teams. Disappointments must be accepted and life moves on, often to what we never realized was what we were really meant to do all along.

At a cherished friend’s funeral, I said that I believe we all have a “To Do” list in life but only God knows what is on it. Peggy had done all the things on her list, so she was allowed to go out to play.

The rest of us still have work to do in this life.

Kathie Cheney
Peachtree City, Ga.

Story about some parents critical of FCHS football coach contained bias

Let me start out by expressing my outrage at the biased opinion in your [story]. I was at the Board of Education meeting, and I was the first speaker after Ms. Jones. This is to demonstrate the bias of this article.

You go forward to express the views and opinions of Ms. Jones in great detail, but you neglected to do any follow-up with any of the speakers that followed her and you also went as far to take quotes from a woman who did not even speak at the meeting.

Ms. Jones made a lot of accusations about members of the Touchdown Club that are untrue and downright lies.

I did not and I have not seen any attempt by you to cover any of these issues. Apparently you only seem to be interested in trying to stir up as much controversy as possible to advance your column, and the truth be damned.

The only attempts by anyone in the Touchdown Club that has tried to influence the coaching staff this year has been Ms. Jones herself, with threats of lawsuits and petitions to have [the Fayette County High School football coach] removed.

If Ms. Jones would put just half of her effort into supporting the program instead of trying to force her own agendas on it, she could do great things for Fayette County High School.

These and other facts that you failed to even attempt to investigate are why I now feel as though you and this paper are biased against the truth and like so many other papers throughout the country you only print those parts of the story that are inflammatory and will push your paper.

As a new resident of Fayette County let me say that I am not only disappointed but deeply ashamed as the the lack of morals in your column and paper.

Richard Ford
rford34@comcast.net

Kids couldn’t have a better man as coach

This letter is about the parents who want football coach Tommy Webb fired because of his record at FCHS. I think this whole thing is just sour grapes on the part of the parents.

I have known Coach Webb and his family for many many years, and have followed his career through his years at Riverdale High School and Jonesboro High School.

He turned a losing program around at Jonesboro in just two years and said the hardest part of it was to change the thinking of the players around from losing to winning.

At that time Jonesboro High School had a proud tradition of losing and in two years he had them in the playoffs.

Many things have to fall right to have a successful program including having good athletes, attitudes and sometimes a little luck doesn’t hurt.

If my son was only a tenth grader, I would not be surprised his playing time was limited. When I was in high school not many tenth graders played in the varsity games and we only had three grades in the school at that time compared to four today.

FCHS plays in a very tough region, and if the kids will believe in their coach, the wins will come in time. If I had a son, I would be proud to have Tommy Webb as his football coach.

I hope that Coach Webb is given the time to turn this program around and even if it doesn’t happen you could not have a better person in charge of your kids.

Randy Clokey
Fayetteville, Ga.

Some Church stands are nondebatable

Mr. Jason Crain is a polite, gracious individual who has provided a well-reasoned and sympathetic defense for those who support embryo-destroying research. He has even gone so far as to say my position (which is the position of the Catholic Church) is honorable and imminently defensible.

I have only a few quibbles with Mr. Crain. One is that he objects to my “stereotyping” supporters of embryonic stem cell research (ESCR) as “villainous.”

Well, perhaps I used rather strong language in my previous letter, but my characterization (not a stereotype) was directed not at the vast majority of people who innocently and sincerely wish for a cure.

Rather, it was directed at political and scientific demagogues who know the truth but persist not only in demanding ESCR, but also in painting their opponents as medieval cretins.

The truth is that embryonic stem cells are very hard to work with and have yet to produce positive results.

The other major truth is that adult stem cells have already been examined for 20 years and have cured over 50 diseases.

When you know you have a viable alternative to a technology that has yet to pan out, why insist on continued destruction of embryos?

My answer now as it was then is that these people are members of the “Culture of Death,” and see death as the answer to a variety of problems.

Whether it is killing unborn children who are an inconvenience, or pulling the plug on the very ill or elderly, or picking apart embryos in search of a medical cure, these people view some forms of life as an obstacle whose only solution is death.

You can complain about stereotyping and over-the-top rhetoric, but when my opponents in this debate are advocating the destruction of life, even for noble ends such as medical cures, I have no choice but to describe them with the harshest words.

Regarding Mr. Crain’s statements about the Church, it is rather insulting and simplistic to suggest that we Catholics agree with the Church’s teaching on life just because the “pope says” or because it is written in the catechism. Such things are important, but they are the veritable tip of the iceberg.

The sacredness of life is an all-pervading teaching of Jesus Christ and his Gospel. Every soul is sacred and if one believes that souls are created at the moment of conception, it is difficult not to see all forms of human life as sacred and touched with the spark of the divine.

Some of the Church’s teachings are debatable even among loyal, obedient Catholics. I am free to disagree with the pope on his policy regarding Iraq, for example. But on issues of life, there is no room for compromise, either with the Church or with natural law and right reasoning.

God bless Mr. Crain and all those who sincerely disagree with me on this issue out of compassion. But please don’t let compassion blind you to the reality of the situation.

Some people cite compassion as the reason for abortion, saying it is more compassionate to the mother or the child to deny the child life. But that is nothing but an unfortunate perversion of a noble sentiment.

Taking [any] form of innocent life for any reason is always and everywhere reprehensible and repugnant to human dignity.

Trey Hoffman
Peachtree City, Ga.