Opinion

To the editor:

It's been my experience that most people like to complain more than encourage.

I have lived in Anderson County my entire life; specifically Corinth Road.

I remember when there were times that we wouldn't see a county road truck for days after a snow. This past Tuesday the county road truck graded and dropped cinders on our road even before daylight.

When I proceeded to Highway 512 and then to Highway 395, I found both of those roads un-graded.

I couldn't help sucking in my gut when the Marine recruiter walked into my office a month or so ago to invite me to boot camp for a week.

Marines, those rock-ribbed hard-guys with square jawlines, have always had that affect on me.

I wish I were 30, 40 or even 50 years old again. On a more practical note, I wish to be able to complete the remaining 1,000 miles of the Appalachian Trail this summer and then be able to find some reasonable employment when I return to the Bluegrass.

-Jay Cason, staff writer

In this time of world strife and economic uncertainty, I wish for peace, simplicity of spirit and a greater awareness of love for family and friends.

School board member Lee Hahn hit the nail right on the head.

Speaking during last Monday's board of education meeting, Hahn insisted that, when new lines are drawn to determine where students will be assigned to attend elementary school, the decision is final and no waivers will be granted. Period.

Let's hope the rest of the board agrees and puts to bed the silly notion held by a handful of parents that each of the three elementary schools are not equally qualified to teach our kids.

The standing ovation I received during Monday's forum on proposed changes to Saffell Street Elementary School is appreciated.

Unfortunately, I don't think it was deserved.

Last week I called out the small group of parents who oppose mingling Saffell students with those from the other two schools because of their wrong-headed fear that doing so will force their children into schools with "county" kids. In short, children these wrong-minded parents consider to be rednecks.

Gregory Harp Jr. is gone, but his memory will live forever among those who did what they could to help him recover from a devastating accident last summer that shattered his face.

It's a rare person these days who can so capture the heart of a community. As we conduct our busy lives, the pain and misery of those around us rarely makes a blip on our collective radar screens. That wasnt the case of Gregory, who shared only a small fragment of his life with Anderson Countians but whose circumstances brought us closer together.

Welcome to the holiday season, the craziness has begun.

Traffic jams, maniac shoppers, frayed nerves and rude behavior will soon become commonplace during what is supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year.

The key to enjoying the holidays is patience and forgiveness. Forgive those who dont drive well, who cut in line and give you dirty looks. Be patient with those who live in their own world and have no consideration of others. Try not to allow the nitwits to ruin your holiday.

That a kid on a skateboard was allegedly punched in the face and kicked by an adult shouldn't come as a shock to Anderson Countians.

Nor should it be a shock in the not-too-distant future when a skater is hit and killed by a vehicle.

After all, we, the adults of Anderson County, are the ones who collectively have ignored our children's pleas to build them a safe place to skateboard, away from traffic and bar-room bullies who allegedly assault them, as happened last Friday afternoon behind Main Street.

Like a lot of other people, I've long had a weird fascination with La Cosa Nostra, the Mafia.

That widespread fascination existed long before "The Untouchables" hit the small screen in the late 1950s, or Mario Puzo published his American classic "The Godfather" in 1969.

It probably started in the 1920s and 1930s, when newspapers and radio stations began sensationalizing Italian gangsters with monikers like Frank "The Enforcer" Nitti, Salvatore "Lucky" Luciano, Giuseppe "Joe The Boss" Masseria, and most famous of them all, Alphonse "Scarface Al" Capone.