What our Readers Are Saying

Letters to the Editor

Paper on witch hunt with teacher’s DUI

Police are called to a fender-bender accident. No one is hurt. The driver is charged with blowing a 0.098, which is barely above the legal limit of 0.08.

Yes, it’s above the limit, but this is not someone running a red light and killing a family of five in a blazing ball of fire!

Is this so newsworthy it deserves the front page, with this woman’s police “mug shot” displayed as if she’s committed felony murder? You didn’t even get your facts correct in the story.

Your handling of this matter is, quite frankly, a witch hunt. You have requested her personnel record from work. Is this relevant?

You made a big deal of the fact that she is a teacher. Is this the 1890s? Teachers are held to no different standards than office managers, clerical workers, police officers or newspaper reporters.

Joyce Rivera is a good person. She is a talented, dedicated teacher and a caring, loving, responsible mother. You have thrown her life out in the public arena, and she does not deserve this harassment.

People are charged with DUIs every single day in this town. Do you make every single one a front-page spectacle?

This deserved a line in the police report like every other DUI, and that’s all. Leave Mrs. Rivera alone. Go find some real news to report.

Lisa K. Treon
Peachtree City, Ga.

‘I’m not the Jones criticizing the coach’

My name is Carolyn Jones and I have been a teacher here in Fayette County for the past 23 years.

Over the past few months much attention has been devoted to a power struggle at Fayette County High School over Coach Webb’s position as football coach. Several students and parents have asked me if I was the person involved in this controversy.

This has caused me much distress as I have always been a staunch supporter of school sports and extracurricular activities and my sons have been involved in football and other sports at FCHS in past years.

As an employee of the Fayette County Board of Education and a teacher at Fayette Middle School, I would like to make clear that I am not the Carolyn Jones that is making accusations about the football program.

Carolyn Lane Jones
Fayetteville, Ga.

Wynnmeade HOA head has some advice

My name is Merrilyn (spelled with an “e” and two “r”s) Arnold, I am the President and not the leader of the Wynnmeade homeowners association.

I was amused by the “Advice for Wynnmeade residents” article in your paper on Dec. 1 from Mr. Sells. Now I would like to respond.

Mr. Sells would like to make people believe that he has been a victim of harassment, maligned and blamed for all that ails this community. Frankly and as usual, that couldn’t be further from the truth.

Obviously we have had issues with Mr. Sells and his tenant that lived in one of his two properties that he owns in our subdivision. That story was publicized in The Citizen a couple of weeks ago.

He was, as he stated, “hauled into court” because of this tenant and their behavior.

What he may not be aware of is that we did eventually get a nuisance ruling against his tenant in municipal court.

Mr. Sells has made it a personal matter with [the person] he disrespectfully refers to as Arnold.

The association is not a cult with followers. We are people, human beings and homeowners that want to better our community where is needed most, and if we were so undesirable after he purchased homes here, then surely we must have been before he purchased them, wouldn’t you think? Why did he bother?

If he had screened this particular tenant, he would have found out long before he came to my home to meet with our board members (at his request) from their previous landlords in this community that they were a high risk.

He chose to continue an unbroken cycle of moving them from property to property and what was a very nice home became an eyesore like the others they had lived in.

I am far from being a badgerer or a bully and I would not describe myself as one in a newspaper. My reputation as a member of this community and this city speaks for itself.

I know the majority of residents in Wynnmeade by name; they are my neighbors and it doesn’t matter to me whether they rent or own. My people skills are excellent because I base them on treating people the way I want to be treated.

Mr. Sells is the only person who has alienated Mr. Sells. That too was his choice. If he would drive through this community without the blinders on and not only to his properties, he would see that we have made much progress and that we have done it without his help or advice. He doesn’t know or respect anything about Wynnmeade and that is too bad.

One point in his statement about buying and renovating over 70 properties since meeting “Arnold and her HOA,” he seemed to have overlooked #71 and it is in Wynnmeade.

He recently renovated one of his homes after it was placed on rehab by the city. The tenant that lived there was a very nice person, but has since moved.

You see, I know the people here and the majority are relieved that someone will stand up and speak out.

If all of this wonderful advice was his intention when he bought his properties here, then maybe he and I would have met only for me to say, “Thank you, Mr. Sells, for making a difference,” and that would have been fine with me.

I wish him good luck and prosperity with his future business ventures and I will continue to represent this community to the best of my ability with the truth.

Merrilyn Arnold
Wynnmeade
Peachtree City, Ga.

Bad manners and all, Free Speech is a necessary forum in our democracy

A big “thank you” to the respondent of the “Free Speech/Bad Manners” piece.

I too, have read some of the morose, inane and hateful comments intermittently over the years. I agree that individuals who voice their opinions should have the fortitude to reveal themselves, proving that they truly believe in their cause or opinion.

In our society, sensationalism corrals readers, in turn, the readers look at the advertisements. Advertisements apparently fund a good deal of the paper. So, we can guess why The Citizen may lean toward airing some of the more shocking responses.

Unfortunately, this is where my agreement ends. Even the most malevolent and stupid individuals have the right to author a letter that will potentially be heard.

The Citizen, with or without ethical judgment or taste, has the choice to present sense or nonsense to us. We, the readers, have the right to skim and scan over the ridiculous and find the helpful and good items that are offered in The Citizen.

Do I think people should be prevented from using this forum (take or leave anonymity) to lash out at those who have wronged them? NO!

Censorship is wrong. Everyone has the right to be heard, good or bad. Everyone also has the right to read or not to read.

Do I wish people (educated and uneducated alike) would formulate more positive and productive discussions? YES!

Fortunately, we the people have no right to force others into “proper” editorial behavior. We the people have the choice (and common sense) to breeze over these negative ventings in hope of finding a good yard sale or bargain.

I am thankful that we live in a society that allows for these rights and choices. I also want to thank the men and women that are preserving these rights and choices through their service in our armed forces.

Thank you for reading MY diatribe, or not.

Patti Miles
Fayetteville, Ga.

Traffic snarls? It’s mostly bad drivers

Ah, yes, another great letter about the traffic woes of our dear city. This time, let’s change it up a bit, shall we?

Because, although I am a Fayette County resident, I am quite tired of my neighbors downing our Coweta County friends.

The traffic problem is not their fault; obviously it’s a problem of poor planning, or at least growth far outreached the plan in this case.

On the other hand, while we sit on our high horses looking down and placing blame, we don’t address something that could at least make the drive a little less stressful: Drivers.

Not just drivers: Fayette county drivers.

Today, on my way to work, I had to cross the dreaded Ga. highways 74-54 intersection, and the cars were quite backed up heading towards Coweta County.

As I approached the intersection, and the light turned yellow, I braked because cars were backed up into the intersection, and I would have blocked traffic even further.

The large “Illegal to Block Intersection” sign was just one reason for my, well, obeying the law, but I also had no desires to perturb other drivers as they had to maneuver around me to make their turns.

So, I was right. Whoever the lady in the SUV behind me was, the one who so readily mashed down on her horn and kept inching on my bumper as if to push me into traffic, well, I believe she was wrong.

And those people in front of me, who had pulled into the middle of the intersection for fear of waiting three minutes of a red-light; those people who forced cars making a left onto Hwy. 54 to swerve or just wait, I believe they were wrong also.

Remember, folks, “Illegal to Block Intersection.” Not a hard concept.

Well, after my short wait for the light to change in my favor, I proceeded through the intersection to wait in a small line of traffic.

As I was sitting there, I spotted a man with his dog in his lap trying to get into our lane of traffic. His dog, in his lap. The man, apparently letting his dog look over him, out the window, over the steering wheel, as he drove.

I realize many people do this, but it doesn’t make for good driving. Also, many cars were whizzing by in the right lane, which every PTC resident knows ends at the entrance to the Smokey Bone’s/Staples shopping center.

These cars were pushing up to the red light, then cutting into traffic in tiny gaps I wouldn’t think could accommodate a Mini-Cooper, let alone a Chevy Trailblazer.

Or, they were stopping in the lane, blocking any traffic that would be turning into the center, so that they could get into the left lane.

Refer to the quote above about, “many do it,” because I’m getting tired of repeating myself.

So, I think that while our city really needs to hurry up and do something about the lights and traffic going to and coming from Coweta County, we also need to deal with a major problem that is only making a bad situation worse: Drivers.

Awful drivers. People on cell phones, people putting on make-up in the rear-view, people eating, reading, drinking, petting the dog and practicing road rage; people doing just about anything to avoid actually paying attention to the road.

By the way, I’m only 20. I’ve never had a speeding ticket and the one accident I had was a person running a stop-sign to hit me. I figured before anyone asked, “Who does she think she is?” I’d go ahead and respond.

I think I’m a defensive driver who is sick and tired of having to be overly defensive because you can’t hang up the phone for five seconds and pay attention to the cars around you.

Stop blaming everyone else because you have to sit in traffic. People have survived worse, and if traffic is ruining your day, then you should consider yourself lucky.

Go take a defensive driving class, a course on deep-breathing for relaxation, and deal with it. Just don’t hit my car on the way there, please.

Meghan Slagle
Peachtree City, Ga.

Stem-cell debate: ‘I don’t believe in souls’

I’m sorry, but I’m not entirely sure what paper Trey Hoffman has been reading. I never once called his position on stem-cell research “imminently defendable.”

In fact, I specifically wrote in my first response that anyone who believes an embryo is a human is clinging to their fundament, rather than looking at facts.

I did say that I wasn’t going to debate the merits of embryonic research with people who believe in souls, because no one can reason with faith. It is based on a lack of evidence, not the existence of it.

Defending a belief is impossible, so Trey keeps saying the same thing over and over again, hoping that I’ll catch on. I probably won’t, because I don’t believe in souls.

Trey implied in his last letter that embryos are human because they have souls. I cannot argue against this in the same way I cannot argue against those who believe the pyramids were built by aliens. None of our research has yet turned up souls, or alien footprints.

Also, I did not call Trey’s position honorable. I said I was honored to disagree with a person as thoughtful as Rick.

Next, for a quick taste of just how viable an alternative adult stem cells are, Trey might want to read this month’s issue of Scientific American. In it is an article about a man tirelessly lobbying against the government ban on funding new lines of embryonic stem cells.

Why does he do this? Because the research shows that adult stem cells are basically useless in creating transplantable tissues used for a diabetes cure.

When the evidence is extremely strong that the alternative just isn’t good enough, why cut funding for research into a much better option?

It only makes sense to deny the world a myriad of potential cures if you believe in a soul that is somehow created at the moment of fertilization.

Which brings me to the Catholics. I’ll agree that it was naive of me to imply that all Catholics agree with everything the pope says. It was silly. I apologize.

But Trey claims the catechism of the Catholic Church is part of the “tip of the iceberg” of Catholic belief. This is wrong.

The pope wrote in the catechism that it is the “sure norm” of the Church’s teachings. Any belief that is contrary to a teaching in the catechism is error, as far as Catholicism is concerned.

Sure, you can disagree with the pope, as long as you aren’t also disagreeing with the catechism of the Catholic Church.

Also, you can believe anything you want that isn’t contradicted by the catechism. This is why I called the Catholics the most consistent Christians.

They have a big book to tell you what you can and cannot believe. The rest of the Christians play it by ear, in comparison.

Finally, a quick question [about]“natural law.” I’m curious what law you’re talking about.

I’ve experienced a few natural laws, such as gravity, the laws of thermodynamics, and the fact that, one day, everything that exists will cease. What have these to do with “issues of life”?

I am but a victim of circumstance. When my opponents lobby against science and reason, even for noble ends such as catechisms and churches, I have no choice but to rally against them.

Jason Crain
Fayetteville, Ga.

Yankee is as Yankee does

I have lived in Georgia for 32 years and I have never been called a Yankee one time. I think the reason is because I came to Georgia to “assimilate,” not to take over and change Georgia or let them know how Yankees do things.

So far [Citizen columnist] Lindsay [Bianchi] is a good example of why we (after 32 years I am one of “them”) hate Yankees.

First of all, learn the accurate history of the Civil War. Hint: The war was not fought to free any slaves and many blacks fought on the Southern side, free and slave, to defend their homeland. Second: Leave our Southern icons, including our Confederate flag, alone.

Stop acting like a Yankee and you will not be treated like one. My Mama always said, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.”

Try it, Lindsay, and perhaps someday you will say as I do that although you were not blessed to be born here, you are Southern by the grace of God.

Michele Hamlin
Atlanta, Ga.

Why Santa Claus is bad for children

Who is Santa Claus?

He is a mythical creature who all year long watches over our world of children, seeing if they are being naughty or nice.

Then when Christmas comes along, he takes his list and travels all over the earth dispensing gifts for the good and coal for the bad.

Down our chimneys he magically enters our homes, he leaves his gifts, and then shoots back to the roof where his reindeer and sleigh await.

This is the story we tell our kids. This is the world we tell them exists. This is the lie we are guilty of. And, it is a lie no matter how you use it.

Sure there might have been a St. Nicholas of the past, but certainly we all know who fills our stockings.

So our children are raised inside this idea, and parents not only enjoy pulling a deceptive veil over their children’s eyes, they feel they are doing the right thing.

They feel that kids deserve to have this innocent and magical childhood. They deserve to feel this happy when they see Santa at the mall, or when they write him a letter.

And, the parents have just as much fun playing Santa as the kids have believing in him.

But like I said, it is a lie. The feelings kids have about Santa come from a false source [and] thus are false emotions. Once the truth is revealed, they are left with only the memories of that so special feeling.

As adults, the Christmas nostalgia such as music, stockings, trees, food, and presents bring back a bit of that mysterious and exciting childhood world.

But what is Christmas? Is it not the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ? Where has Jesus gone in the Christmas mix? What does Jesus think about Santa Claus?

The Bible clearly states that lying is a sin. Heck, it is one of the commandments. And, what of the commandment, “Thou shall not worship false idols”? Is Santa not a false god in our children’s minds? He is an all-knowing being who will judge and reward or rebuke accordingly.

So how could Jesus want us to lie to our children and create a false perception of reality? Is it not our job to prepare our kids for life?

Does Santa prepare them for anything other than a good first experience in being let down? Do we not tell our children that lying is OK if it is for fun?

What happens to the parents’ credibility with their child? Yet Santa is a widely taught tradition throughout the Christian community.

As a Christian and as a parent, I have become appalled at this tradition and am a bit disappointed as I see all of these parents lie and deceive their gullible children.

Well, I will not lie to my child. I will not deceive my child. I will raise her and her unborn brother inside the knowledge of truth and reality.

I say this because people are accusing me of bad parenting, and I won’t tell my daughter that Santa is real. What a crazy and disturbing time we live in.

Tim Wallace
Newnan, Ga.

Why rush in PTC to bring back smoke?

Why was the Peachtree City Council in such a rush to bring tobacco smoke back inside our businesses?

For over six years I have supported separately ventilated indoor smoking, but we learned from our six years of smoke warning signs that our requirements did not stop the smoke from spreading to the nonsmokers.

We tried. We set up reasonable requirements that basically got written out of the final sign ordinance.

My husband’s shirts still smelled of smoke in spite of their honest attempts to meet all of our original requirements.

Smoke seeps through and this requires much more sophisticated knowledge than we had.

When we asked local air conditioning and heating companies to help, they begged off. Stopping indoor smoke was more than they would attempt to do.

So Thursday night our PTC Council voted to amend the smoking ordinance that only went into effect Oct 18. They accepted a blanket proposal that once again allows indoor smoking in separately ventilated smoking lounges that meet certain criteria.

We must rely on the careful oversight of our elected officials and city employees to have closed the loopholes that can make good intentions meaningless words.

It is a shame that seven years of hard work and sacrifice only gave us a few weeks of smoke-free air (in all but bars) for just a few weeks.

What was the rush to bring back the smoke? I certainly hope the loopholes are closed because this is the standard we may be facing now throughout our state.

If someone has the expertise to understand separate ventilation loopholes, please look at this issue and let me know if you can see any potential problems that might have been missed. The amendment has not yet been signed. We still have time to voice our concerns.

Kathie Cheney
Peachtree City, Ga.