Behind the Curtain
I am writing in response to the Feb. 1 “Bluegrass Politics” column, which mentioned me as a potential gubernatorial candidate in 2007. I was flattered by Mark Nickolas’ piece, and certainly appreciate his assessment.
However, I felt compelled to elaborate upon one detail listed in the column.
Specifically, Nickolas mentioned that I “raised $1 million for John Kerry’s presidential campaign.” That is not entirely accurate. I was indeed Kerry’s 2004 State Chairman and was very much involved in organizing a May 2004 Louisville event that collected more than $1 million, but I was part of a collective effort. Specifically, Matthew Barzun, a very talented young businessman (and Kerry relative) raised far more than I did, and local lawyer and former state Attorney General Fred Cowan made more phone calls than me and raised as much. Many others were also involved, but I feel compelled to mention these two individuals in particular.
Nevertheless, I was honored by Nickolas’ kind words, and I hope someday soon I can live up to the confidence he and others appear to have in me.
Jack Conway
Crazy Pills
ATTN: Roxy Lentz:
It was announced several months ago that work on a form of birth control for men would take years to develop because it must be 100-percent effective and have no side effects whatsoever. This infuriated me because the prescriptions for women are definitely NOT 100-percent effective and side-effect free. Aside from listed complications (increased risk of stroke, heart disease, etc.), some forms of birth control have caused uterine cancer, infertility and even death.
When a woman goes on any form of prescription birth control, she is tampering with her hormones. The way most work is by tricking the body into thinking that an egg has been implanted on the walls of the uterus already, creating a state of false pregnancy. Then, when you take the placebo pills, you end the “pregnancy.” This cycle can make some women behave a more than a bit irrationally.
Twice, when in serious relationships, I have taken birth control. Both times, I have become withdrawn, angry, over-emotional and completely without a sex drive. Both times, the relationship ended within a few months of starting birth control. This isn’t just a random occurrence. Many of my friends have reported similar experiences. One was affected so badly, most of her friends thought she was going crazy. When she went off the birth control, everything went back to normal. So perhaps “Lucy” is waiting for the type of birth control they’re creating for men.
Lee Banks
Joe Public Arena
Billy Reed’s article questioning the location du jour of the new arena site (Jan. 25 LEO) was right on target, but fell short of stating the obvious. I believe that the LG&E site is being pushed by the various players to kill two birds with one very big stone. The LG&E site has long been an eyesore on our revamped riverfront. To put it simply, this is a good opportunity to get the average taxpayer to help pay for the relocation of LG&E’s poorly placed and likely antiquated facilities. In my career as a professional land surveyor, I have seen the high cost of utility relocation firsthand, and let me tell you, brother, relocating a major electrical substation in a downtown environment is no cheap endeavor. If a new arena is truly necessary, yes, build it downtown, but don’t force the most expensive site possible on Joe Public without the honesty such expenditures deserve.
Joel Latto
Dark Brown Humor
That was great commentary from Carl Brown recently (Jan. 25 LEO). As always, he made me think and gave me a couple of good laughs, too. This time it was very dark humor. You know, we were all suckered into the war. That’s pretty obvious now. I remember telling my friends in the fall of 2002 that I was sure there would not actually be a war. All that war talk was just campaign rhetoric, I insisted. Surely, we would not go into something like this without the support of our allies. Going it alone means we pay for the whole thing by ourselves, in lives and money. Fooled me! Now we have to pay up.
Tom Louderback
Applaud Changes at LEO
Welcome back, Rapper. Hate to see you leaving, John Y, but good luck in your run; you’ll have my vote and support. Mark Nickolas’ columns look really interesting. Dr. Jones is always an interesting read, but I’ll have to tell you that I attended UK in 1965-66, went to every home basketball game, sat in Memorial Coliseum to watch the championship game with some seven- or eight-thousand people on closed TV. There were no Confederate flags that I saw, and mainly it was just a basketball game. But I understand what you are saying about Rupp. Finally, welcome in Billy Reed. I do think that your questioning, along with the usual disarray of the Louisville legislative delegation, will kill the arena proposal altogether. I will, however, argue about the airport expansion. What scandal? That has to be one of the biggest success stories of our community’s history. Outside of the complaints of property owners who just wanted to hold up the taxpayers for excessive reimbursement, I see no “scandal.”
Anthony W. State
