Published: February 21, 2008 10:25 pm            

LETTERS: Feb. 22, 2008

Reader: Support Safe Climate Act



Who yet is unconvinced of global climate change? The recent unseasonable warmth with thunderstorms and tornadoes giving way to frigid temperatures including freezing rain and snow should be convincing proof.

Our U.S. Congressman, Baron Hill, has yet to declare support for the Safe Climate Act (SCA), which spells out specific measures to reduce carbon emissions. Hill’s declared opponent in November, Republican Mike Sodrel, has also failed to make this part of his platform. Only Democrat Gretchen Clearwater of Bloomington, seeking the Democratic nomination for Hill’s seat in Congress, has endorsed the SCA.

Touted as one means to reduce our dependency on foreign oil, ‘clean’ coal has lost the support of major financial backers. They at least have the wisdom to see that reverting to an even dirtier energy source is bad business. Coal requires major expenditures of energy to mine, transport and process. All of these, along with carbon capture and sequestration (questionable technologies at best), require energy which also releases carbon.

Clean, sustainable energy sources such as wind and solar involve proven technologies in widespread use around the U.S. and the world. To avoid leaving the world uninhabitable for our children and future generations, we need to elect leaders willing to make the hard decisions. Please contact Congressman Hill and Mike Sodrel to make them aware that you support the Safe Climate Act.

— Vaughn L. Zeller, New Albany



Reader: Who needs cheerleaders?



It appears as if the undefeated, No. 1 ranked team in the state of Indiana, the New Albany High School boy’s basketball team, does not need cheerleaders.

When the Bulldogs played in the Hall of Fame Classic in New Castle, the other three teams all had cheerleaders there, but evidently, the school officials at NAHS thought a girl’s game was more important.

Don’t get me wrong, I think the girls should be represented too, but with as many cheerleaders as we have, why can we not have half of them go to the girl’s game and the other half to the boy’s game?

There were no cheerleaders at Jennings County and Evansville Central games among others. The reason they were not at Evansville Central could not have been the girls’ game, because the girls were not playing then.

But maybe we are lucky they didn’t not show up. Why is it that, when they are not there, we have more cheering, led by a couple of girls and a couple of boys who have more spirit in their little fingers than all the cheerleaders combined?

— Donna A. Wall, New Albany

        

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