SHOW SOME MERCY
As employees and a business owner in the Highlands, we were approached by a nice lady from the Original Highlands Neighborhood Association with a petition. The petition was against Wayside buying the old Mercy Academy property. She informed us that Wayside Christian Mission was planning on purchasing Mercy and placing 350+ drunk, homeless men into the old school. We already have a small population of homeless men in the Highlands. They beg for money and loiter outside the businesses. So three of us reluctantly signed the petition. After she left, we questioned ourselves and wondered if we made the correct decision.
That evening, as we watched the news, we realized we were misled about Wayside’s intentions. Not once did the nice lady mention that Wayside was planning on placing women and children. We would have never signed the petition if we were correctly informed. We just wonder how many other businesses were lied to. If we could, we would to take our names off the petition against Wayside. It sounds to us like it would be a great place for the families, especially the children.
Morgen Arnold, Sidney Shea & Sylvia McKnelly, Shear Artistry Salon
KEEP THE HIGHLANDS SAFE
In the Sept. 10 LEO Weekly, Keith E. Lewis wrote a letter to the editor concerning the Original Highlands Neighborhood Association trying to block Wayside Christian Mission from relocating a homeless center to the Highlands. I live in the Highlands and work downtown, and I drive by homeless shelters every day on my way to work. They are always surrounded by questionable looking individuals. I also encounter plenty of homeless, drunks and crackheads while walking downtown.
To be quite honest, I don’t want them on the streets in my neighborhood. I know many people, including me, won’t feel as comfortable walking the streets in the Highlands if there is an increase of homeless or crack addicts in the area. It would mess with the safe, friendly, carefree vibe of the Highlands.
The Highlands does not currently have a homeless, drunk or crackhead problem, so why not relocate the mission to a neighborhood whose streets are already sprinkled with these individuals. Somewhere like Old Louisville or Third Street by Churchill Downs?
I’d really like to know if this person (Keith) is a Highlands resident. I’m guessing no. If he was, would he still be so eager to have a homeless shelter a few blocks away? We Highlanders are not snobs. We just love where we live, love our community, and we want to keep it the happy, peaceful, beautiful place that it is. The Original Highlands Neighborhood Association should really have the final say on this one. It is our neighborhood, after all. Why can’t people leave us Highlanders alone?
Jessica Foss, Louisville
SMOKING SHOTS
I frequent Roger Baylor’s establishment (New Albanian Brewing Company in New Albany), and if the fine selection of beer is any indication, he knows his beer. He is pretty good at turning a phrase, too. Oh yeah, the food is good, too! Logic, being what it is, can be applied to support many positions. As E.B. White said, “The problem with life is one thing leads to another.” Consider this an example.
Would you be open to me using my legal guns and ammunition freely in the New Albanian Brewery? Possibly you think the fans moving the air might make it more acceptable when the bullets are flying indiscriminately around the room? Guns and ammunition are also legal, and yet I am not allowed to go into public places and wantonly fire my weapons. I am restricted as to where I can do that.
Since secondhand smoke kills, should others be free to smoke and subject others to such danger? I remind you that “smoking bans” do not ban smoking anywhere other than where it might endanger others. I agree demonizing either side in this issue does not move us in a direction of finding a solution. However, claims by some business owners that business will suffer if smoking is no longer allowed is also a form of demonizing others, in this case the suggestion that non-smokers are taking away their livelihood by supporting smoking bans in public places. Has this happened anywhere? Given the lack of political will in New Albany and the regressive thinking of our mayor, it is clear Roger will not have to buy any “Do not smoke” signs in the near future.
But I wonder, are you counting how many customers you lose because of the smoke?
Ed Karasek, New Albany
ANGEL’S EMBARRASSMENT
We are simply asking that Kentucky votes be counted:
Denise Harper Angel has still not responded to demands from Louisville voters by dropping her lawsuit against Scott Ritcher and the Board of Elections. The media has largely been absent in covering this story. Why is that?
Angel’s lawsuit is based on a law that was designed to protect voters from fraudulent candidacies. She’s using it to disqualify real voters, our neighbors and her own constituents from participating in the democratic process. What she’s really doing is wasting our time and alienating voters who have gone out of their way to be involved in the community. Eighty-three percent of the voters she aims to strike from our ballot petition are her fellow Democrats.
PageOneKentucky.com calls the lawsuit “a laughable embarrassment” and says Angel and the Kentucky Democratic Party should be ashamed. Our time and her efforts would be better spent talking about her positions and goals.
Please help bring attention to this important democratic issue.
Angela Orend, Louisville
Note: LEO Weekly devoted a full page to this story in its Sept. 10 issue.
BETWEEN RED AND BLUE
Here in Kentucky, where McCain is leading 57 percent to Obama’s 33 percent, all pundits agree this is a so-called “safe state.” Safely red by presidential standards. So it is a perfect state for an independent movement, especially a progressive one. Ralph Nader is polling 6 percent nationally and is on the ballot in 45 states. He is serious and, with where our country is headed, very relevant.
Also, give my regards to Mr. Yarmuth. Northup is craving to get her hands back on his power, and that cannot happen. Keep up the good fight.
Johnny Masters, Sparta, Ky.
SAVE ALASKA
Gov. Sarah Palin gave every citizen in Alaska a $1,200 rebate, which she financed by taxing the oil companies. The oil companies, of course, just tacked it onto the price of the oil they sell. So the cost of the oil sold in the lower 48 was higher by the amount of the rebate. Therefore, the rest of the country paid for the rebate to the Alaskans. Aren’t you happy to have helped, especially when Alaskans don’t pay an income tax?
But please don’t think we are being screwed — Sarah Palin believes in abstinence.
Doug Thrasher, Louisville
NAILIN’ PALIN
There’s only one plausible explanation for Sarah Palin. Terry Southern, one of the creative forces behind “Dr. Strangelove,” crawled out of an unquiet grave and created her on a satanic typewriter that brings fictional characters to life. While I tried to share the justifiable jubilation of our nation’s hard-working and unheralded comedians over their unexpected good fortune, my heart sank when I realized the civilization-crumbling implications of her candidacy being taken seriously by anyone registered to vote or licensed to drive. The pit bulls of America shake their lipstick-smeared jowls in embarrassment.
Vincent J. Callahan, Louisville
