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CONTACT US AT P.O. BOX 1027, ATHENS, GA 30603, LEnERS@FLAGPOLE.COM
OR VIA THE “TALK BACK TO US” LINK AT FLAGPOLE.COM
RADIO REASONABLE?
I was most disappointed when, a few years
ago, WGAU (AM 1340) changed its evening
talk show programming: it eliminated Bruce
Williams and Jim Bohannon, who were inter
esting, witty, informative and respectful to
their callers. Now each weeknight it gives us
three hours of Laura Ingraham, and during the
day, eight of Neal Boortz, Rush Limbaugh and
Sean Hannity. Thus "Athens' news and weather
station" gives Athens a total of 11 hours of
conservative talk radio with its hate-filled
invective and distortions.
Why does WGAU, if it indeed wants to
be "the station Athens depends on," ply its
Athens listeners, many of them liberal, with so
many hours of rabidly conservative programs
once its morning local news is over? To reflect
the community it wishes to serve, this local
"news" station should at the very least include
national political talk shows that are more
balanced, civilized—and, I must say, truthful.
Patricia McAlexander
Athens
OR! QUERY
There he goes—once again, Ort has piqued
my curiosity. In his "Athens Street Names and
Other Explorations" column [Aug. 26], Ort
writes: "Now, have /all ever heard of Lakeview
Street?" Well, of course I have! But that's not
why I'm writing. Ort also writes, "There is no
lake in evidence on Lakeview Street"—true
enough, my man—"but there used to be one
there..."
I've seen that lake marked on an old map
of the neighborhood, but thought I heard
once that it had never actually been built—
the implication being that some early 20th-
century (or thereabouts) developer had just
named the street for the lake that he or some
one planned on building. But how do I know
they never actually built it? I guess I assumed
so, partly since it's not there today.
Well, Ort, what
can you tell me? Was
the lake real? Are
there any definitive
maps or, better yet,
old photos? Maybe
someone in town still
remembers seeing it
there—or never see
ing it there? You've
whetted my appetite
for ale before, dear columnist, now satiate a
reader with history!
Isaac Boone
Athens
HEALTH CARE!
I have just read your sarcastic little article
["Yo Mama Obama," Pub Notes, Aug. 19] and
I feel obligated to comment. I would appreci
ate your answer back and I'd love for you to
actually publish my comment since it is clear
that only certain views are currently being
supported by the Flagpole.
To begin with I am certainly not saying
that the current state of health care is 100
percent super, but it is good. It also is 100
percent better than what socialized national
care will be. The government is not capable
of running national businesses. It spends too
much and is too inefficient and too cold and
unreasonable to be able to handle health care.
This 50 million uninsured number that you
quote is also not quite true. Some of those
included in this count are illegals and should
get health care in
their own countries.
Some are only tempo
rarily without insur
ance and will upon
getting a new job or
getting married to a
spouse with insur
ance be once more
covered. Some simply
choose not to waste
money on insurance because they are young
and healthy and would rather spend money on
other things. So please don't pretend that this
number is really true because it isn't.
In your article you mock socialism or
people thinking that is what is happening. I
tell you I grew up in a socialist country, and
they did have socialized medicine. One day my
grandfather had a stroke and we called for the
ambulance to come and take him to a hospital
one mile away. They did not arrive for five
hours. When they finally arrived they asked for
his government ID. We could not find it. He
was by this time barely able to move the right
side of his body. The ambulance crew looked
him over and then left him there because we
could not provide ID. When we finally located
his ID and called them back they only took
three hours to show up. They took him to the
hospital, where they said it was too late to do
much for him. They checked him into a com
mon room with three other patients and left
him. The nurses never turned him or bathed
him and he was paralyzed. He developed huge
sores all over his body from not being cared
for. The family had to go and feed him and
bathe him. In conclusion he died like a dog
there.
My other grandfather got cancer and when
he went to the hospital they told him he was
too old to receive treatment and they sent
him home to die. And so he did.
Thus, personal experience tells me that this
national health care program will lead to more
abuses, and people going without treatment,
than being uninsured in this present system
does.
And if you think that it will be different
because this is America, or for whatever other
reason this will be different and better, I
assure you it will not. This government could
not handle Social Security, Medicaid, Freddie
or Fannie or the postal office. It will botch
this up too, and by then we will be sooooo
deep in it we will be unable to overturn it...
look at our tax code as a last example of gov
ernment meddling.
P.S. One day you may be thankful that
people like me didn't and won't ever give up
our guns!
Catalina Horescu
Email
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Russell Forum for Civic Life in Georgia presents
8009 Community Public Policy Institute
Convening
Moderating
Issue-Framing:
Essential Tools for Engaged Citizens
October 15-16,2009
Participants will learn to:
• Build awareness of active citizenship
• Explore how to find public common ground
• Develop an issue for construcfive deliberation
• Identify "the problem behind the problem"
Who should attend?
• Students building leadership skills
• Members of civic or community organizations
• Individuals interested in vibrant civic life
• Policymakers
Details & registration:
• Registration costs: 2-days $50,1 -day $25
• Registration deadline September 25,2009
• Scholarships & registration info at:
http://tinyuri.com/kjskvd or call 706-542-5756
October 15-16, 200? Russell Library - University of Georgia
For more information call 706-542-5766
Russell Forum
t^ussel Forum for Gv>c Ltfe in Georgia
is a dvfc engagement enterprise
based at the frichard Bw Russel Library
for Pofitkxi Research and Studfes.
The Univer^y of Georgia Libraries
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706 354 6454 • 706 748 4857
1100 Jennings Mill Plwy. • Athens, GA
(Located oft 316 behind the Markets at Epps Bridge, facing Home Depot)
4 FLAGPOLE.COM • SEPTEMBER 2,2009