Published: July 29, 2006 09:37 pm      

Our Readers Speak - July 30, 2006

Coal company’s savagely pillaging mountains



When a person is sexually assaulted, they are held down by their attacker and savagely ravished. The residents of Coal River have been treated in a similar fashion. We have been held down by the coal company’s gates and guards while our mountains have been savagely pillaged and plundered. There is very little difference. Both attacks are by outlaws and villains.

Edwin Sweeney wrote in his book, “The Appalachians,” “A gentle breeze coaxed leaves to the grounds as if to make a protective blanket for the ground and inhabitants. Distant ridges were visible and the hills offered a similar sense of protection.”

The strip-mining application by Alex Energy for Fulton Creek of Clear Fork makes a mockery of Sweeney’s musings. Poor old Don Stover and the others buried in the Fulton Creek cemetery might like their blanket of leaves and the protective ridges, and they might not like to hear the rumblings of a coal conveyor line and a load out.

I would like for each candidate vying for election to the West Virginia Legislature this November to answer this question: Why do we have to have mountaintop removal strip mining since there is no energy crisis in the United States? (After all, we do export coal to countries overseas.) I would like to hear our candidates try to explain the excessive enclosure of southern West Virginia by industry at the expense of the public who might want to go walking or ginsenging.

Let’s hear from Weeks, Sumner, Kiss, Thompson, Mahan and anyone else who wants to contribute an answer.

Shall we dance, West Virginia?



Richard A. Bradford

Edwight



Thank you, Beckley Little League



As a coach, parent and huge fan of Little League baseball, I’d like to respond to a recent letter concerning Beckley Pony League. I’ve spent the last eight years coaching Tee Ball and Pony League – six years as manager of a Pony League team.

I’ve observed first hand how the head of the Pony League, Ms. Campbell, reacts to problems around the field. I’ve never, ever heard her “scream” at anyone on any occasion at the field. I can say for certain that the last thing that Ms. Campbell wants to do is to go around eavesdropping on “private conversations” and then creating a new conflict just for the sake of creating conflict. She has enough on her hands without attacking parents with no cause. She does not get paid for putting in 50-60 hours a week on and off the field. Beckley Little League is not her “job,” it is her service and in the past eight years my family and I have seen her serve our kids with selfless devotion.

I played baseball from Little League, through college and into industrial league. As a player, coach and parent, I’ve learned through the years that there are going to be occasional bad calls in a game. As a Pony League coach, I’ve learned that there is a way to handle a bad call and I’ve also learned that there are times, at this level, when you shouldn’t handle them at all — just let it go. Frank and Norman are not professional umpires, but they also do an outstanding, thankless job. They know the basics and handle the games well enough, including the pitching machine rule.

This was my last year of Pony League. I will miss it immensely and I deeply appreciate the time and effort that people like Ms. Campbell, Mr. Donnell and Mr. Parker put in on and off our fields. Without great volunteers like these people, our kids would not have the awesome opportunity to play America’s greatest game — baseball. Thank you, Beckley Little League.



Randy Hunt

Beckley





New board needs to take charge



It appears that the Fayette County Board of Education needs to get the horse before the cart. They are currently taking applications for a new superintendent and are delaying their appointment of a representative on the board from the Valley District. Even worse, several individuals have even said they were going to wait for the state to fill the vacancy.

You would think that their first order of business should be to fill the vacancy on the board so the people of the Valley District would have some representation. After all, this board is required to have at least one of the five members to be from the Valley area. Any action taken by this board would be tainted by not having a vote from the Valley District.

The Fayette County school system now has in place an acting superintendent who has been an associate superintendent for several years and is quite qualified to run the school system. He also has an experienced office staff to assist him should it become necessary. There should not be any urgent need to hire a superintendent until after the Valley representative is in place and can take part in the hiring process of the superintendent.

The new board needs to take charge. The most logical thing for them to do would be to meet and select a representative from the pool of candidates who can represent the interests of the Valley District. If they wait on the state, it would appear that members are not capable of doing their jobs or that they are trying to pass the buck, thus, overlooking one-third of the county’s residents.



Don Hutchinson

Powelltown



Think about how you want to be treated



Cora has Alzheimer’s disease. She lives alone in a small apartment, and her son, Joe, checks on her daily. Joe also helps his mother keep up with her appointments, and takes her to them. He has to take time off from work to do this. Today, Cora has an appointment. Joe must help her get ready. Cora is a very private person. She really doesn’t want her son (or anyone else) to see her undressed. So, Joe has to talk her into bathing. That takes a few minutes. Then, after the bath, Cora wants to wear her favorite outfit. Joe sees the favorite outfit as inappropriate, and must spend a few minutes convincing his mother to wear something else this time. Just as Joe gets her ready to go out the door, Cora says, “I’m hungry. I haven’t had anything to eat today.” Cora doesn’t remember that she has already had breakfast. So, Joe has to grab something for his mother to eat. As Cora finishes her second breakfast, Joe notices that her pants are wet. Now, the whole bathing and dressing process starts over. Finally, Cora is ready again.

Cora’s appointment was at 10 a.m. She and Joe arrived at the doctor’s office at 10:10. They are told by the receptionist that the doctor cannot see Cora today because she is late for her appointment. They reschedule, and are able to arrive the next time at the appointed time. This time the doctor is running late, and Cora and Joe have to wait 45 minutes.

The people in this story are fictitious, the situation is not. I know this doesn’t happen in every office, but it does happen. As facilitator of an Alzheimer’s Support Group, I have heard the stories. I am asking doctor’s offices and other places of business that require appointments to be a little more flexible with these people. Caregivers of people who have Alzheimer’s disease are already stressed. Think about how you would want to be treated.



Terri Tilley

Beaver