Opinion

WhileYouWereGone: Now No. 2 party school? (The Post: Opinion)

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 06:48:00 +0200

The same academic year The Princeton Review named Ohio University the second biggest party school in the nation, the number of alcohol- and marijuana-related violations increased for OU students. It's exactly the image OU administrators seemingly have been working to abolish in recent years.The same academic year The Princeton Review named Ohio University the second biggest party school in the nation, the number of alcohol- and marijuana-related violations increased for OU students. It's exactly the image OU administrators seemingly have been working to abolish in recent years.

9/8/10 (The Post: Opinion)

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 06:46:00 +0200

PostLetter: Princeton Review falsely stereotypes OU students (The Post: Opinion)

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 06:41:00 +0200

After reading 'After brief fall, OU Climbs to number 2,' I couldn't agree with Dr. Kent Smith more. As a student who abstains from drinking entirely, I completely feel the pressure to prove I'm here not to party but to learn.After reading 'After brief fall, OU Climbs to number 2,' I couldn't agree with Dr. Kent Smith more. As a student who abstains from drinking entirely, I completely feel the pressure to prove I'm here not to party but to learn.

Dollars & Sense: Push cart away from Wal-Mart for real rollbacks (The Post: Opinion)

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 06:29:00 +0200

Have you ever spent a whole week eating nothing but PB&J and spaghetti you've dressed up with a spoonful of expired marinara sauce? You're not the only one.Have you ever spent a whole week eating nothing but PB&J and spaghetti you've dressed up with a spoonful of expired marinara sauce? You're not the only one.

PostEditorial: Volume Down (The Post: Opinion)

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 06:20:00 +0200

Nearly every student who went to a late-night house party this weekend in Athens was at risk for a minor misdemeanor. It does not matter if it wasn't your house, it was your first offense or you live on a street inhabited solely by Ohio University students.Nearly every student who went to a late-night house party this weekend in Athens was at risk for a minor misdemeanor. It does not matter if it wasn't your house, it was your first offense or you live on a street inhabited solely by Ohio University students.

Post Graphic: Welcome Back (The Post: Opinion)

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 18:33:00 +0200

Metaphorically Speaking: The Sign Game (The Post: Opinion)

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 18:18:00 +0200

Dorm Daze: Dining halls tempt students to pilfer produce (The Post: Opinion)

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 09:33:00 +0200

Editor's Note (The Post: Opinion)

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 09:10:00 +0200

State natural resources agency is helpful – and it pays for itself! (Athens News :: Letters)

Wed, 23 Jun 2010 20:51:30 +0200

To the Editor:

I recently visited the Ohio Department of Natural Resources’ offices on East State Street (across from Bob Evans). There I met with Tom Donnelly, a law enforcement supervisor, for a brief, yet very informative, interview. Thanks to him, I learned much about the ODNR and what they’re about in just the short amount of time I was there. He explained such topics as the purpose of the wildlife divisions, the education/training that it takes to become a wildlife officer, and what the job consists of.

Rep. Charlie Wilson’s a lapdog for this crummy president of ours (Athens News :: Letters)

Wed, 23 Jun 2010 20:49:39 +0200

To the Editor:

So, this is the president who was to make the oceans recede and heal the planet. How clueless he appears now, how useless in stopping even one drop of the tens of millions gallons of oil now poisoning the Gulf Coast. Instead, he chooses to magnify the damage by killing thousands of Gulf jobs with his order against further drilling. This is the same president who routinely trashes the Constitution and Rule of Law, and whose propaganda and transparent lies are oppressing private-sector medium and small business, our major sources of real American jobs.

Obama must be kidding when he talks about ‘excess’ (Athens News :: Reader's Forum)

Wed, 23 Jun 2010 20:47:06 +0200

The President has just declared himself as the “Last defense against excess.” If he really believes that, then he is clearly delusional!

If he does not recognize the spending he has done as excess, we are in big trouble as a country. Between cash-for-clunkers, bank bailouts, automotive company bailouts, cap and trade, Revamped Healthcare, continuing the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and stimulus, he has spent more than any president in the history of our country… by far! This is fact and not wanting to hear it does not change it!

While I can see that his intent may have been good and the need in most cases real, his analysis, prioritization, and common sense was lacking to say the least and his timing was atrocious. He is just the last in a line of many presidents who have been told by their economic advisors that the government needs to stick their noses into the economy to keep it on track.

Today Belgium, tomorrow the EU (Athens News :: Commentary)

Wed, 23 Jun 2010 19:39:19 +0200

Bart de Wever, the Flemish politician who promises the “evolutionary evaporation” of Belgium, is now the political king-maker in Brussels. The bureaucrats and politicians of the European Union, who also hang out in Brussels, will therefore have a ringside seat for the dismantling of the Belgian state. They should pay close attention, for their own turn may be coming.

De Wever’s New Flemish Alliance won 28 percent of the vote in Dutch-speaking Flanders, the northern half of Belgium, in the national election on June 14. Elsewhere that would not be an impressive result, but in the highly fragmented Belgian political system it counts as an avalanche.

A long struggle will now ensue while the many Flemish and Walloon parties struggle to form a coalition with a parliamentary majority. It’s always a struggle, because there is very little by way of shared identity between the Flemish and the French-speaking Walloons. (After the 2007 election, it took 200 days to negotiate a coalition, and then there were three governments in three years.) Belgian politics has reached a state of semi-permanent paralysis.

Don’t read more into county Dems’ chair election than is actually there (Athens News :: Letters)

Wed, 23 Jun 2010 19:33:00 +0200

To the Editor:

It is true that, as Athens NEWS Editor Terry Smith says, "The only reason a political party should exist is for the public good" (The NEWS, June 17). Presidents Washington, Lincoln and Franklin Roosevelt met that test. But there is a second test necessary for creating honest government for all the people, even though some voters did not believe in the achievements of those three seminal presidents. The people, helped by the press, have to watch for eight years the daily performance of any president and the many Congresses that are supposed to be making laws that serve the public good during a Presidential term of office.

The reputations of the remainder of the (44 total) presidents were a mixed bag of honesty, lying, private deal-making and in three or four cases, theft from the public treasury. Some were in the game mostly for personal power, which was perceived by the voting public sooner or later. Most of the average senators, members of Congress, governors and presidents practice "politics as usual."

Come to next town hall meeting, ye Athenians, and help improve our polis (Athens News :: Letters)

Wed, 23 Jun 2010 19:31:27 +0200

To the Editor:

Athenians, are you concerned about the state of your city?

Would you like to see more police and fire staffing, better code enforcement, safer bike and car traffic, a new building code, and improved streets and sidewalks?

Do you want to help promote harmony between long-term and short-term residents in neighborhoods where trash and litter laws, parking regulations, and noise ordinances are respected and violations are dealt with swiftly and fairly?

With all this unemployment, we can’t afford draconian clean air regulations (Athens News :: Letters)

Wed, 23 Jun 2010 19:29:40 +0200

To the Editor:

With one in 10 Americans out of work, we as a nation do not have the luxury of choice – we need every job we can get.

Congress must reject job-killing energy legislation and work against the federal EPA’s overreaching effort to regulate GHGs under the Clean Air Act. The Murkowski resolution, recently rejected by Sen. Sherrod Brown, would have protected small businesses, state infrastructure and budgets here in Ohio. It would have protected employment and the economy from the dangers of the runaway EPA regulation of GHGs under the Clean Air Act. Congress must support good legislation, like the Murkowski resolution, to move our state forward.

Letter writer confuses Old, New testaments in defending gays (Athens News :: Letters)

Sun, 20 Jun 2010 19:17:30 +0200

To the Editor:

I would like to express my point of view by responding to the June 14 letter submitted by Shawn Bailes titled “There’s Nothing Boastful About Gay-Pride Events as Letter Stated.”

To begin with, science doesn’t tell you what’s morally wrong about homosexuality. Parents, peers, mentors and media are all influences that make the difference apparent between what’s morally right and wrong. To anyone interested in a point of view other than mine on the matter of faith-versus-science, please revisit Athens NEWS columnist Dennis E. Powell’s article of April 5, 2010. He puts it in real simple terms: “Science is not a system of morality” and “Science doesn’t take us everywhere we need to go.”

As far as “what’s normal” in the matter of sexuality, the Bible clearly explains that it is NOT normal for God’s children to be homosexually involved. Those who choose to indulge in it and support homosexuality are not in right relationship with the God of Jesus Christ. That’s not an “opinion”; it’s a Bible truth. Please read the first chapter of the letter to the Romans and then be so bold as to reply, “St. Paul was just another religious zealot expressing his own distorted opinion about gays.”

Broken promises, broken laws and broke lives (Athens News :: Commentary)

Sun, 20 Jun 2010 19:15:52 +0200

Federal authorities are investigating whether officials of the government south of the border participated in a citizen's kidnapping and torture — Canadian authorities, that is, investigating the possible role of U.S. officials in the "extraordinary rendition" of Canadian citizen Maher Arar. "Extraordinary rendition" is White House-speak for arresting someone and secretly sending him to another country, where he is likely to be tortured. Arar revealed that, for the past four years, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) has been investigating possible roles of U.S. and Syrian officials in his rendition and torture. This announcement follows the U.S. Supreme Court's decision that it will not consider Arar's case, ending his pursuit of justice through U.S. courts.

Arar is the Canadian citizen seized by U.S. officials while changing planes in New York, heading home from a family vacation in September 2002. He was secretly sent to Syria by the Bush administration, where he was held for almost a year in a gravelike cell. He was repeatedly tortured, then returned home to Canada, without charge, a broken man. In 2004, the Center for Constitutional Rights filed suit in U.S. federal court on Arar's behalf as he recovered in Canada. While his legal case came to an end this week, his fight against impunity continues.

Don’t forget that Hocking College is more of a business than a college (Athens News :: Letters)

Sun, 20 Jun 2010 19:12:25 +0200

To the Editor:

Having some experience with Hocking College, my guess is that the problem may be that their new president still hasn't got it through his head that this institution is a business, not a school. The board is used to folks who were very good at running roughshod over any one they encountered if it would make a buck.

Perhaps he is taking the mission (such as it is) too seriously.

People who live out of town but work in Athens do receive some services (Athens News :: Letters)

Sun, 20 Jun 2010 19:11:35 +0200

To the Editor:

Responding to Mr. Dennison's letter in this past Monday's edition:

I've lived in the area and worked inside Athens for more than 30 years. I've long suffered the “taxation without representation” he refers to.

I say you do get things for your money. You get streets that are maintained and plowed of snow. (Well, pretty much.) You get streetlights and traffic signals that almost always work, and police and fire protection while in Athens. We also get parks and quite a few other things we so often take for granted. We're even getting a traffic circle.

Sometimes the best part of a game has nothing to do with the score (Athens News :: Letters)

Sun, 20 Jun 2010 19:10:34 +0200

To the Editor:

On Tuesday night, my 7-year-old son’s team was playing for the championship in the Athens Sandlot Baseball League. New to Athens, we found this program to be incredible both in terms of skill development and instilling strong life and character lessons that will help these young athletes far beyond sports.

The Angels got off to a great start and were leading my son’s team, the A’s.

At a critical juncture in the game, with the A’s trailing, my son was on the way to second and arrived nearly simultaneously to the throw. The umpire called him safe.

Quit being so judgmental about man who hasn’t been convicted (Athens News :: Letters)

Sun, 20 Jun 2010 19:06:04 +0200

To the Editor:

My son, John W. Perry, II, has been in the Southeast Ohio Regional Jail since April 1, 2009, when he went and turned himself in. He was in the same jail block for over a year and had not been in any fights. Then they moved him to another block where he ends up in a fight and gets charged with assault. Then he ends up in another block where he ends up being taken to Grant Medical Center in Columbus, and they have to do surgery and put a metal plate in his jaw.

Ending the Gaza blockade is call for renewed Israeli-Hamas war (Athens News :: Letters)

Sun, 20 Jun 2010 19:05:00 +0200

To the Editor:

Why would anyone who supports the Palestinians support the effort of the misnamed Freedom Flotilla to break the Israeli/Egyptian blockade of the Gaza Strip? Bob Sheak, an emeritus sociology professor at Ohio University, does so because he values, “human rights and non-military solutions in international affairs” — at least, that's what he says (“Israel's Blockade of the Gaza Strip Should Be Ended,” Reader’s Forum, The News, June 17).

Follow this line: As Professor Sheak demands, the blockade is lifted; Hamas, with the help of Iran, professor Sheak and others, re-arms to the teeth; Hamas (once again) attacks Israel; Israel defends itself and wipes out Hamas, and in so doing reduces Gaza to a wasteland.

University will regret its cuts to funding for OU, Swallow presses (Athens News :: Letters)

Sun, 20 Jun 2010 19:04:02 +0200

To the Editor:

So many great universities have great presses. Thus, I can't help but think how someday Ohio University will pay dearly to regain even a portion of reputation lost after Ohio University Press and Swallow Press are no longer funded.

Israel’s blockade of the Gaza Strip should be ended (Athens News :: Reader's Forum)

Wed, 16 Jun 2010 20:30:18 +0200

The Gaza Freedom Flotilla is the name given to the six vessels and the 700 aid volunteers on board the vessels, with representatives from 40 different countries, including members of parliaments.

The goals of the flotilla’s participants were threefold: to bring non-military supplies to Gaza, to focus the world’s attention on the miserable conditions under which the great majority of the 1.5 million Gazan people live, including 800,000 children, and to expose the brutal and illegal Israeli naval and land blockades of Gaza that have compounded the suffering of the Gazans.

While still in international waters, 80 miles from the Gaza coastline, Israeli commandoes and helicopters attacked the vessels in violation of the internationally recognized Law of the Sea. According to accounts from some of the 600 aid workers on the lead ship Mavi Marmara, Israeli soldiers tossed stun grenades on the deck, shot rubber bullets from above, used live ammunition, killing or injuring some of the passengers, pushed people to the ground and stood on them. Some of the aid workers resisted with pipes, chairs and other items they picked up on the boat, but they had no military-type weapons. By the time it was over, at least nine of the aid workers of the Mavi Marmara were dead, shot at very close range 30 times altogether by nine-millimeter bullets, at least 30 others were wounded, and the rest on the Mavi Marmara were handcuffed and taken into custody under humiliating circumstances, though released within a few days.

Iran: The Sanctions charade (Athens News :: Commentary)

Wed, 16 Jun 2010 20:05:47 +0200

The mountain labored for a year and a half, and finally gave birth to a mouse. On June 9 the U.N. Security Council agreed on a fourth round of sanctions against Iran, for its alleged attempt to build nuclear weapons, that will cause Iran no grave inconvenience. But that’s only fair, since the crime of which Iran is accused has not been proved either.

In November 2007, all 16 U.S. intelligence agencies contributed to a National Intelligence Estimate saying that Iran had stopped work on nuclear weapons in 2003. It was a bureaucratic preemptive strike, intended to head off real air strikes against Iran by the Bush administration. And even now, the U.S. intelligence agencies haven’t changed their view.

In March 2009, the director of national intelligence, Dennis Blair, and the Defense Intelligence Agency’s head, Lt-Gen Michael Maples, told Congress that Iran did not have highly enriched uranium for bomb-making and had not made the decision to produce any. They also testified that Iran's missile program was not related to its nuclear program.

Voinovich supports bill that will increase our dependence on oil (Athens News :: Letters)

Wed, 16 Jun 2010 20:00:52 +0200

To the Editor:

As the oil spill disaster continues to pour oil into the Gulf of Mexico, U.S. Sen. Voinovich, D-Ohio, voted on Thursday, June 10, for a misguided bill that would have increased Ohio’s dependence on oil by more than 42 million gallons in 2016, and cost consumers billions at the gas pump.

The U.S. Senate thankfully rejected the proposal, introduced by Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski and backed by Big Oil, which would have blocked new rules requiring cars and light trucks to use less oil as well as other common-sense actions to reduce America’s dependence on oil and other fossil fuels.

Have courage and support local art programs like Kennedy Mus. (Athens News :: Letters)

Wed, 16 Jun 2010 19:59:50 +0200

To the Editor:

The painter Henri Matisse once said, “Creativity takes courage.” Like Matisse, I believe that it takes bravery to be an artist and even more bravery to view art. I’m writing to ask people of Athens — not just OU students — to be courageous in supporting the arts programs, more specifically the Kennedy Art Museum.

Art programs offer beauty to participants but can also provide a chance to further education. “Young Children and the Arts: Making Creative Connections” says that art plays a central role in cognitive, motor, language and social-emotional development. In these ways alone, it’s clear to see that art encompasses a broad spectrum of education and is essential for anyone looking to expand their minds.

See ya, Dems; shut up, dogs; anti-tax stooges; HC malaise (Athens News :: Editor's Notes)

Wed, 16 Jun 2010 19:58:23 +0200

An ungainly crowd of issues have been elbowing one another in my brain, so obviously we’re overdue for my periodic grab-bag “Editor’s Notes” column.

I HEREBY DECLARE THAT I’m no longer a member of the Athens County Democratic Party. I’m going independent.

However, I will remain a Democrat where state and national politics apply. This is mainly because I detest state and national Republicans so much that the Dems have a mountain of work to do if they’re going to get me hating them as much as I do the GOP.

Students should leave comfort zone, learn about this area (Athens News :: Letters)

Sun, 13 Jun 2010 20:46:54 +0200

To the Editor:

Imagine coming home from a long day at work, you decide to take a nice relaxing shower, you close your eyes, and let the warm water soothe your aching body. Opening your eyes, you make a startling discovery. The water you thought was cleaning you is actually orange! Unfortunately, this scenario isn’t far-fetched. In some regions of the southeast Ohio, water is still being contaminated by old mines dating back to the 1900s.

Because there wasn’t much regulation back then, mines were abandoned and coal was just tossed to the side of the road, causing its elements to run off into the streams over the years. Today there are still oil, gas and heavy metals, like iron, that can be found in area streams causing the water to be highly acidic and turning it orange.

There are plenty of local sources for good, healthy organic food (Athens News :: Letters)

Sun, 13 Jun 2010 20:43:38 +0200

To the Editor:

When you take a bite of your hamburger, do you know what you’re eating? Yes it’s food, but where did it come from? Were pesticides and synthetic fertilizers used on the vegetables? Was the cow raised on a factory farm with hundreds of other cows living in close quarters? Was the cow treated with antibiotics or hormones?

If you don’t know the answers, then you aren’t alone. Many people have no idea what they are eating. What we eat shouldn’t be a mystery, and it doesn’t have to be. When buying locally, you can ask the farmer these questions.

The Gaza freedom flotilla: Framing the narrative (Athens News :: Commentary)

Sun, 13 Jun 2010 20:41:47 +0200

They called it "Operation Sea Breeze." Despite the pleasant-sounding name, Israel's violent commando raid on a flotilla of humanitarian aid ships, which left nine civilians dead, has sparked international outrage. The raid occurred in the early-morning hours of May 31, as the six vessels laden with humanitarian aid were still in international waters, bound for Gaza, where 1.5 million Palestinian residents are in their third year of an Israeli-imposed blockade. Israel has, from the outset, sought to limit the debate over the attack and to control the images.

Israeli military boats and helicopters raided the vessels and took control of the flotilla. Nine of the activists on board the largest vessel, the Mavi Marmara, were killed at close range by Israeli commandos firing live ammunition. Nineteen-year-old U.S. citizen Furkan Dogan was shot once in the chest and four times in the head. Israel commandeered the six vessels and arrested the roughly 700 activists and journalists, hauled them to the Israeli port of Ashdod and kept them out of meaningful communication with family, press and lawyers for days. The Israeli government confiscated every recording and communication device it could find, which contained almost all the recorded evidence of the raid, allowing the state to control what the world learned about the raid. The Israelis selected, edited and released footage they wanted the world to see.

No, the sound of an incessantly barking dog is not music to the ears (Athens News :: Letters)

Sun, 13 Jun 2010 20:40:06 +0200

To the Editor:

Ah, late spring. Windows open, warm weather.

But wait. What about those folks who've been letting their dogs bark outside during the winter when closed windows deadened the sound some.

They might not know that their neighbors mind. Maybe they just don't realize they're disturbing people by letting their dogs go on barking. They wouldn't throw trash in other people's yards or park in their driveways. They might not know what an intrusion the uncontrolled barking is.

People who live elsewhere but work in Athens shouldn’t be taxed in city (Athens News :: Letters)

Sun, 13 Jun 2010 20:38:58 +0200

To the Editor:

I have a question for the city of Athens. When are you going to allow non-city resident taxpayers to vote on these levies that put additional strain on our pocketbooks? A resident of West Virginia, I pay the city of Athens 600 some odd dollars annually, and get absolutely nothing in return — no representative, no choice, no ballot on what tax is levied against me.

Athens County Dems panicking over prospect of bigger GOP minority (Athens News :: Letters)

Sun, 13 Jun 2010 20:37:53 +0200

To the Editor:

I read with interest Athens County Commissioner Lenny Eliason’s comments (The NEWS, June 7) about the November county commissioner’s race. He states there are “huge implications” if one more Republican gets elected to a courthouse office. Currently, there are two Republicans out of 11 officeholders in our courthouse. That is 18 percent of the officeholders being Republicans. One more Republican brings that percentage up to a very dangerous 27 percent. (The Democrats now have 82 percent of the county courthouse offices. One more Republican official would bring that number down to a frightening 73 percent. An apparent loss of control here.)

Commissioner Eliason needs to explain to the voters what are the “huge implications” of having 27 percent of the county officeholders being Republican and what will happen when the Democrats go from 82 percent of courthouse officeholders to 73 percent.

There’s nothing boastful about gay-pride events as letter stated (Athens News :: Letters)

Sun, 13 Jun 2010 20:35:33 +0200

To the Editor:

In response to John Campbell’s June 10 letter to the editor headlined, “Toles Cartoon About Foxhole Choices Misses the Most Obvious Opinion.”

I have known John Campbell as a mentor for years while growing up and I highly respect him. However, we seem to have differing opinions when it comes down to the subject of homosexuality and pride in what groups of people share.

I believe that it's very important for people to understand that the display of “gay pride” is NOT bragging about one's sexual orientation. Rather, it's the celebration of a group of people's ability to express who they are without persecution from anyone, including religious zealots. Please understand that this is not an accusation of intolerance with the gay community; I simply wish to address the ignorance associated with the events that may come off as risque to some.

GOP wastes its resources on attacking rather than helping (Athens News :: Letters)

Wed, 09 Jun 2010 21:49:35 +0200

To the Editor:

As a citizen of the United States, I am appalled at the behavior of the Republican Party, as well as some of the Democrats who are more concerned with getting re-elected than being interested in the people whom they represent or what is best for the nation. They are too busy criticizing President Obama to actually work with him to help solve our problems.

All of that money that is being spent to oppose the Democratic Party could be used for good. The Republican Party stated when President Obama was elected that they would take him down. Many of the problems that we now face were caused by the last administration. However, the Republican Party seems to have a short memory. It is much easier to blame someone else than to take responsibility for our own mistakes.

I can’t help wonder if President Obama’s skin had been of a different hue, would he be facing all of this opposition?

If the U.S. House and Senate don’t start working together, they will eventually destroy our nation. Consider unemployment, crimes, racism, foreclosures, two wars, all of the catastrophic events that have hit our nation in the last few years, the latest being the oil spill crisis.

Congress has a lot more crucial things to be concerned about than being re-elected, accusing the other party, and criticizing everything that President Obama is trying to do that might help our country move ahead. Congress seems not to realize that America is teetering on the edge of disaster.

Zelma L. Coleman
Athens

Drive back along memory lane raises some dicey questions (Athens News :: Letters)

Wed, 09 Jun 2010 21:47:41 +0200

To the Editor:

Memorial Day observations on a trip back to Athens, Ohio and while reading the local papers:

How can the U.S. Rt. 33 new highway bypass a town like Nelsonville and expect the local economy to flourish in the future?

There are out-of-business gas stations in Nelsonville now.

Have Lancaster and Logan’s economies been helped by similar bypasses in the past?

Saturday on the same Rt. 33 between Nelsonville and Athens we saw no less than five Highway Patrol cars that might make that section the greatest speed trap in the world. I drove 50 miles per hour or less the entire time, which itself is a hazard.

That turns me off and should turn off many potential economic benefits if Gov. Strickland’s thousands-of-jobs quote is believable.

Finally, I read other articles and opinions in the local papers, saying how well-behaved OU students were back in the ’70s or whenever, presumably during Halloween and St. Patrick’s Day. Yes, OU once had to move spring break to cover St. Patrick’s Day.

I remember the students who shut down Ohio University in 1970 with violent demonstrations about Kent State and the Vietnam War. Instead we read the quote in The Athens NEWS, “Students went out of their way to avoid attracting the attention of authorities.”

Please, we must continue the sacred OU traditions of getting drunk, taking over the streets and starting fires.

David Paynter
South Jefferson Street
Huntington, Ind.

Drive back along memory lane raises some dicey questions (Athens News :: Letters)

Wed, 09 Jun 2010 21:47:41 +0200

Gulf oil-spill crisis will impact our lives in numerous ways (Athens News :: Letters)

Wed, 09 Jun 2010 21:46:07 +0200

To the Editor:

The old gold standard argument in economics was guns versus butter: Which would give more "bang for the buck" in providing for economic stimulus. I always argued for butter. It seemed that we might have human needs covered better if we did not break everything. The break-everything people supposed we would be better off replacing more things. Someone suggested perhaps we start with demolition of property owned by the guns-and-break-everything advocates. I am certain that a peaceful agreement was never quite reached.

Today, to the degree that we argue over the value of families versus fish, we are missing the point entirely. Unless of course we are families who do not eat fish. But even then it affects us even if we do not know it. We will pay more for fuel at the pump, both for the loss of Gulf Coast oil and the charges BP will pay. We will pay for the cleanup and lost jobs and failed businesses that depended on healthy fish. We will pay more for pork, beef and chicken as people eat less fish due to reduced availability and higher prices. Our fish will now more often come from other countries, our U.S. jobs and dollars leaving our ports with all of the inherent consequences. We will eat more antibiotics with our farm-raised fish. Jobs will be lost in tourism, motels and travel as people vacation elsewhere.

We have now poisoned our own well of natural wealth once again. This is not an argument of families versus fish, but one of fish versus fossil fuels. Or as someone suggested, fish versus fossil fools.

Tom Schwendeman
Millfield

Gulf oil-spill crisis will impact our lives in numerous ways (Athens News :: Letters)

Wed, 09 Jun 2010 21:46:07 +0200

Do-it-yourself graduation advice: Learn from the news (Athens News :: Commentary)

Wed, 09 Jun 2010 21:43:02 +0200

It’s mid-June and the season for college graduations is almost complete. Many commencement speeches have been delivered, and a few have been, um, less than perfect — such as the one by NBC’s Ann Curry that apparently was prepared with some degree of confusion as to which Wheaton College she was addressing. A good reporter and a good person, she wasted little time in apologizing.

I’m not big on graduation advice. When I did write one column on it, my main point was that all advice should be taken with a grain of salt. With that in mind, I do have one tidbit of advice to humbly offer: Keep up with the news.

Newspapers remain among the best bets for reliable reporting amidst all of the clutter and fluff in the “new media“ out there, and there is much to be gained from following the news carefully and thoughtfully.

Toles cartoon about foxhole choices misses the most obvious opinion (Athens News :: Letters)

Wed, 09 Jun 2010 21:41:51 +0200

To the Editor:

Regarding the Tom Toles cartoon featured in the June 1 edition of The Athens NEWS, page 5: My answer to the question posed, “Who would you want to be in a foxhole with?” is “neither.”

In the first place, I decided a long time ago not to put myself in a foxhole shooting at anyone. I believe the world still needs people like that.

Secondly, I don’t go around bragging about my sexual orientation, so as far as I’m concerned, keep your sexual orientation to yourself. I keep my sexuality “in the closet” and the bedroom as a matter of modesty. Thank God for modesty!

In the third place, if you are open-minded enough, you can find biblical reasons for Christians to avoid foxholes and homosexuality.

If all you can do is show your gay “pride” by going around displaying it to everyone, you are causing your own problems.

John K. Campbell
Jacksonville, Ohio

Ongoing Gulf of Mexico oil spill raises a number of troubling questions (Athens News :: Letters)

Wed, 09 Jun 2010 21:40:13 +0200

To the Editor:

The stupidity of British Petroleum brings me close to tears, and their catastrophe has now continued for more than 60 days. Engineers who have given the world so much sure pulled a booboo this time. Most of us older ones, you know the old fogies who like Andy Rooney, recognize that often engineers solve one problem only to create two new ones.

Did BP use its best procedure or its cheapest one to try to solve the problem? In your pursuit of the golden shekel, what are your plans now? Will you continue to try to spin the truth? My suspicion is that you will pay your hot-shot leaders, the ones in the $1,000 suits of organic material, huge bonuses, retire them, and then go into insolvency after paying nice stock dividends. And your gift to us is higher taxes to pay for the cleanup.

For many years to come, the shrimp and oyster beds along with the tourist industry will lie wasted. It may even extend up the Atlantic Coast and could even destroy my beloved Delmarva Peninsula. Thousands will lose their livelihoods. What are your plans, big polluter? Will you try to turn your mess into a sort of Disney creation, maybe All NEW Doomed World?

More than 2,000 years ago, an exceptional man, Siddhartha Gautauma (Buddha), uttered what is now known as the Golden Rule. Does it ring a bell, big poobahs?

I also wonder if all the GOPsters who have been loudly yelling “too much government control!” have learned anything or are they doomed to repeat the mistakes of the past?

Harry Snavely
The Plains

OU students should do more to support the locally based economy (Athens News :: Letters)

Wed, 09 Jun 2010 21:36:45 +0200

To the Editor:

Do Ohio University students support local business? This concern came up after a trip to Companion Plants, the herb nursery on the outskirts of Athens, for an English 151 project. Sadly, I am still fairly unfamiliar with the town’s commerce and its impact on the local economy, even though I have lived in Athens since the fall. I assume that most of my fellow students feel the same, and I would like to see the students of Athens buy local.

Understandably, OU is also a business, striving to receive a piece of the pie of the student demographic of Athens through their dining halls and markets. However, I do recall the mission statement that was repeated many times at freshmen orientation: “Athens is now your home.” The university could be doing more to encourage students to discover Athens, to learn about the economy of the town. It seems that, instead of dining at Salaam restaurant or buying greenery from Companion Plants, college students would rather get OU “Grab n’ go” or spend their meager buck at Wendy’s or Wal-Mart.

Some students might say that these local stores are too expensive to frequent, and that a burger is burger whether you get it at Burger King or Casa Nueva. This is untrue; every dollar spent at Casa, the Village Bakery, the Union or any other local businesses goes right back into the Athens economy. Also, local businesses support local, organic farms that produce healthy, delicious food that everyone can enjoy.

It’s a great feeling when you buy something you know is real, something that represents the outcome of hard work and perseverance. This is Athens, and we, as students of OU and as members of this community, should uphold the integrity of this town by supporting local businesses to the fullest extent.

Adam Rich
Atkinson House
Athens

Baseball-crazy family visits all 30 MLB parks (Athens News :: Commentary)

Wed, 09 Jun 2010 21:32:14 +0200

These old ballparks are like cathedrals in America. We don’t have big old Gothic cathedrals like they do in Europe. But we got baseball parks. — Jimmy Buffett

“We’re going to every ballpark in America!” the little girl shouted to us with a big smile early one evening in June 2005.

I turned to my boys, John and Billy, their mouths open wide as they watched the traveling baseball family head off toward Cincinnati’s Great American Ball Park. We had parked our car next to the family of three, mom, dad and the little girl of maybe 9 or 10. Like us, she was wearing a baseball cap and glove and practically dancing with excitement.

Here’s why NAMI opposes plan for new headstones at Ridges (Athens News :: Letters)

Mon, 07 Jun 2010 05:43:37 +0200

To the Editor:

Thursday's article on the nature of the debate concerning how best to honor and respect persons buried in the old Ridges psychiatric hospital cemeteries captures most of the essentials of the disagreement. But I feel I should expand a bit on our position in opposition to the Lockhart proposal.

There are a lot of troubling aspects with high court nominee (Athens News :: Letters)

Mon, 07 Jun 2010 05:41:45 +0200

To the Editor:

Re: Elena Kagan- Any Unreported Issues?

President Obama’s selection of Elena Kagan as the Supreme Court Justice replacement for John Paul Stevens appears to have limited resistance, especially since there is significant avowed support by Republican congressmen. Such Republican endorsements are to me puzzling since several basic principles differ between the Democrat and Republican parties. In some ways Supreme Court replacements are of greater long-reaching influence than presidents since presidents are limited to two terms versus lifetime appointment.

Ridges cemetery proposal may be well-meant, but is misguided (Athens News :: Letters)

Mon, 07 Jun 2010 05:38:51 +0200

To the Editor:

As a member of The Ridges Cemetery Restoration Committee, and as an Athens County resident who has worked on this well-known project for the past 10 years, I am very disturbed by the tactics being used by an outside, out-of-county group that is determined to come in and make changes to the three cemeteries. (See front-page article, Athens NEWS, Thursday June 3.)

Students should take advantage of multiple donation sites around town (Athens News :: Letters)

Mon, 07 Jun 2010 05:37:49 +0200

To the Editor:

In the past few years, a trend has developed that allows Ohio University students to show their concern for some of our families in Athens County. There are many in our area who cannot put food on their tables at mealtimes. Even those families who have members who are working at lower-paying jobs are having problems. This is where the OU students in the past have come forward and helped make a difference. How? By donating leftover canned goods and other non-perishable food items as well as toiletries, paper items, etc.