Lovely County Citizen: Opinion

DBoB
05/23/13

DBoB
05/16/13

Citizen Forum (05/23/13)
Here in Eureka Springs and Northwest Arkansas, your branch SWEPCO has become an embarrassment to AEP. It's had a 345 vV powerline in the works since 2007 but left us only 30 days to fight for the quality of our lives. One proposed route would have its right of way only 75 feet from my deck before running through the woods destroying the value of my property and that of my neighbors. ...

Citizen Forum (05/16/13)
I wish to submit my public comment regarding the proposed 345 KV Transmission Line, which SWEPCO wants to run through the pristine forests of northwest Arkansas. Let me begin by saying that I never write public comments. I am moved to do so because I care immensely about the amazing forests that surround my community. ...

Citizen Forum (05/09/13)
1. Does the SWEPCO application to APSC clearly justify the need for 345,000 Volt lines for NWA? No, the SWEPCO Application describes only what they want to do, with no justification of why they want to do it for the benefit of the citizens of Carroll County. ...

Citizen Forum (05/03/13)
Before the start of the Great Recession, the Southwest Power Pool (SPP) identified the need to increase transmission capacity in Carroll County, Arkansas and issued a NTC (Notification to Construct) on the date Feb. 13, 2008. We've been kept in the dark until now of their plans, so I want to do some quick math...

Citizen Forum (04/26/13)
Before the start of the Great Recession, the Southwest Power Pool (SPP) identified the need to increase transmission capacity in Carroll County, Arkansas and issued a NTC (Notification to Construct) on the date Feb. 13, 2008. We've been kept in the dark until now of their plans, so I want to do some quick math...

Citizen Forum (04/12/13)
As many of you already know, SWEPCO is trying to run a 345-kva-transmission line from close to Bentonville, to near Berryville. Bottom line: no one wants it on his or her land! Be that as it may, my wife Beth and I feel that we have given quite enough to the public good. ...

In support of picturesque ruins (04/12/13)
As has been said here before, there are warring impulses in people that butt heads often but especially in Eureka Springs. To quote Vernon Tucker, "The are two kind of people in the world, those who want to tell everybody what to do and those who want to be left the hell alone."...

What in the world do vegans eat? (04/05/13)
Have you ever looked at a vegan in puzzled bewilderment, wondering "Oh my gosh! What do they eat!?" Or maybe you have a family member who is now a vegan and you are worried sick that they will not get enough protein? Well, if done correctly, they will have plenty of protein and nutrition. ...

Lively Entertainment (04/05/13)
This weekend features a new Eureka Springs band comprised of some well-known and well-loved musicians, and an established group from Fayetteville with a new name. Following are my recommendations for what I believe will be the best live music and entertainment in town this weekend...

The Village Writing School (04/05/13)
Does every adage, every bit of homespun wisdom, have an equal and opposite adage? "Absence makes the heart grow fonder," but "out of sight is out of mind." "There's no place like home," but "you can't go home again." "Birds of a feather flock together," but "opposites attract." "Look before you leap, but "he who hesitates is lost."...

Notes from the Village (04/05/13)
First of all, I'm thrilled about the additional page that the Lovely County Citizen is devoting each week to the literary arts in our area. And I'm grateful to the advertisers on this page who make it possible. Thank you. The Village Writing School...

The Natural Way (04/04/13)
Salty dog -- eat it, drink it, lick it or just call someone by that name. Salt was so expensive long ago that a common way of describing a person was "worth their weight in salt" or as "salt of the earth." Salt is a requirement of life, serving as a way to keep our bio-electric-mechanical bodies working. It has as well been vilified in the last couple of decades...

Citizen Forum (04/04/13)
A person should really take all the global warming hype with a grain of salt. It is not settled science. The fact that many scientists do not agree with the doomsday global warming folks should tell us something. We need to be reminded of "Climate Gate."...

Earth vs. Flying Saucers (04/04/13)
The annual Ozark Mountain UFO Conference takes place in a week or so, which begs the question, What are UFOs and why are so many people interested in them? The military claims to have dismissed its research into UFOs as recently as this past month, when a a memo dating to the famous Roswell crash was shrugged off by the Air Force as irrelevant and second-hand...

Citizen Forum (03/28/13)
In response to Quiet Walker's letter I would like to say that I never stated that our bike has "open " pipes, I said they are loud. I cannot or will not try to dispute your statement about percentage of motorcycle accidents being head on collisions but I will say that there have been numerous times where I feel our noise has helped us avoid an accident while riding in traffic on local streets, not just there but in any town. ...

The trouble with money (03/28/13)
"To walk in money through the night crowd, protected by money, lulled by money, dulled by money, the crowd itself a money, the breath money, no least single object anywhere that is not money, money, money everywhere and still not enough, and then no money or a little money or less money or more money, but money, always money, and if you have money or you don't have money it is the money that counts and money makes money, but what makes money make money?"...

Citizen Forum (03/21/13)
I would like to open this letter by stating that I have great respect for Mrs. Kathryn Lavender, Eureka Springs High School Principal. I have had the privilege of working side-by-side with her as an administrative assistant at the high school in 2011 and 2013...

Garbage in, garbage out: Why what you say matters more than how you say it (03/21/13)
The subject of constant Republican debate since last November has been how to re-cast and re-shape the GOP message to appeal to that huge bloc of voters who cost them the Presidential race and didn't do them any good in Congress either -- primarily Latino voters, black voters, LGBT voters, women voters and the youth vote...

Citizen Forum (03/14/13)
When you quoted me in regard to the deer hunt wrap up, you forgot the middle and most important line, when I said, "I'm an animal love and a crack shot, but I will not kill an animal as long as we have a grocery store down the road." Mickey Schneider...

Next time you do that, at least kiss me first (03/14/13)
Monday night, the Eureka Springs City Council officially approved a certificate of public convenience and necessity for Cody Steussy of Abundant Transportation and Eureka Springs Limo. This will allow Abundant Transportation to run taxis in Eureka in competition with David "Fuzzy" White's Eureka Taxi...

Citizen Forum (03/08/13)
This letter is in response to the article about the deer hunt and alderman Mickey Schneider's comments regarding the hunt. I am quite taken aback by her negative comments for the citizen's who were against this hunt, it was like she was rubbing salt and sticking her tongue out to these citizens. As a alderman she should be respectful off all citizens of Eureka Springs...

TANSTAAFL and the sequester (03/08/13)
It's hard to decide what's the stupidest part of the now-ongoing "sequester" that went into effect at midnight last Friday. It's like a Candyland of Idiocy. But we can talk about it a little bit. Let's start with the fact no country in the world has ever successfully fixed its economy through austerity measures. That's not how economies grow, apparently. Anybody who can read a newspaper for the past couple years can see how well it's worked in Greece, for instance, or Spain...

Citizen Forum (02/28/13)
Beloved by some, but despised by most, is the unmuffled engine roar of Harleys riding through downtown Eureka Springs. Say the word pollution and everyone in Eureka Springs will tell you they are against it, whether it be releasing raw sewage into Leatherwood Creek, exhaust fumes, or injecting foreign fluoride into our drinking water. ...

Editorial (02/27/13)
Scam: [skam] (noun) 1. A confidence game or other fraudulent scheme, especially for making a quick profit; swindle. In a recent "thought piece" in the other newspaper, the author referred to the process by which the school district championed for and got a new high school -- leaving behind the former, crumbling, 60-plus year old structure -- as a "scam."...

Editorial (02/21/13)
A meme currently going around the Internet shows a picture of a cute kitten with the following caption: "In 1968 the U.S. minimum wage was $1.60. If it had kept up with income growth and distribution overall, it would now be $21.16 per hour. Instead it's $7.25. The kitten is only here to get your attention."...

Citizen Forum (02/21/13)
In his State of the Union address the President said, '"For the sake of our children and our future, we must do more to combat climate change", and "If Congress won't act soon to protect future generations, I will." Meaning more EPA regulation. Obama is right about the necessity for immediate action. ...

Citizen Forum (02/14/13)
Lately I've noticed some interesting things amongst friends, colleagues, and others. We share a great fear of being embarrassed. This fear keeps us from speaking the truth we hold in our hearts. It also stops us from speculations, from imaginings, from trying something new...

On why we should have a full-time mayor (02/14/13)
At its last meeting the City Council authorized the city attorney to draft an ordinance saying that the mayor's salary would go from $18,000 to $36,000 effective Jan. 1, 2014. Immediately questions were raised by some as to the appropriateness of doubling the pay of what has always been considered a "volunteer" position, comparable to the aldermen themselves. The pay is not commensurate with the work, but that's showbiz, which is to say, volunteerism...

Citizen Forum (02/07/13)
Isn't it ironic that 13,000,000 black babies have been killed through legal abortion since 1973? And you say Dr. Martin Luther King, the leader of the Civil Rights Movement, was in FAVOR OF killing more black babies? Do you really think Dr. King would be proud of the fact that 60 percent of all black pregnancies in New York City end in abortion? I really think Dr. King would be fighting the new civil rights fight -- the right for all babies to be born...

Where is the ice cream man? (In anticipation of summer) (02/07/13)
"Ice cream man, ring your bell, Play the music I've learned to love. Ice cream man, ring your chime In the afternoon so fine." -- Jonathan Richman The lack of ice cream trucks in Eureka Springs during clement months is a jagged hole that should be filled instead with wholesome frozen goodness!...

Citizen Forum (02/01/13)
The brutal death of a young woman (allegedly) by Victor Acuna-Sanchez has pointed to the gaps in the law enforcement and judicial systems here in Carroll County. The judge in the case released this man on his own recognizance without bail, in spite of a series of arrests and no-contact orders for domestic violence immediately preceding his last arrest...

On Dr. King and the right to choose (02/01/13)
Thinking about the recent MLK celebration and what he stood for and died for makes you wonder about a lot of rights we take for granted and how fragile such victories are. While current trends in civil rights legislation tend toward LGBT or immigration issues, all the old prejudices remain in place. You want proof? This week, on the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, thousands are expected to march in Washington and hold prayer rallies all across the country against this landmark decision...

Citizen Forum (01/24/13)
Three months ago, I opened an account at the Community First Bank of Eureka Springs. The account's purpose was to raise money to build a new hospital. Sadly, due to a family fiscal emergency in Minnesota, I have been forced to close this account. I was the sole donor to the fund since I opened it...

To the NRA: When is enough enough? (01/24/13)
When the subject of gun control last raised its head here, it was to suggest the NRA, which has long fought any sort of dialogue on the topic, much less any legislation or research, needed to regulate itself, to take on the task of self-determination before someone else did it for them...

Citizen Forum (01/17/13)
More people are killed in auto accidents than by guns. Yet I see no real effort to train or control the idiots who get behind the wheel of their autos and proceed to talk on the phone, text, eat or even be intoxicated and/or any combination of the above, not to mention the many other activities that distract drivers from their job and obligation of driving competently...

How you die is as important as how you live (01/17/13)
Doctor-assisted suicide should be a medical option for anyone over 18 and in their right mind. If you read the headlines, you will have seen the story earlier in the week regarding deaf twins in Belgium who chose to be euthanized after they were told they are going blind and would not be able to see each other again...

Letter from the editor (01/17/13)
Dear Readers: Two issues back, I made a mistake in how I dealt with an issue I wanted to address in the paper -- namely, the fact that the Citizen does and always has supported marriage equality. The problem was that rather than devote an entire editorial to it, or write an article, I took a shortcut and wrote a brief "letter to the editor" under a pseudonym, so I could then state the paper's policy as a response...

Citizen Forum (01/09/13)
I see that your competitor the Independent has officially declared itself the only newspaper in Arkansas to support marriage equality. The Eureka City Council approved a resolution in November supporting the same issue. Why has the Citizen not done so as well?...

When "off the record" really matters (01/09/13)
One very common event in the daily life of a journalist is receiving information "off the record." People often call or walk up to let you in on some tidbit of gossip they think might be of interest, whether it's the "real" truth about some public event everyone else thinks they're already familiar with, or some information completely out of left field that can turn into a real story...

Citizen Forum (01/03/13)
Editor: Although I'm personally very happy with the way Lake Leatherwood Park exists today and use it frequently, I understand the need for certain improvements there that will attract more people to enjoy its quiet beauty. In other words, this will be an unselfish invitation for others to enjoy another of our local gifts. ...

The Hail Mary pass and starting the year off on the right foot (01/03/13)
A Hail Mary pass in American football refers to any very long forward pass made in desperation with only a small chance of success. We awoke Wednesday to see not one but two big Hail Marys pay off: In Washington, the passing of fiscal cliff legislation that averts enormous tax hikes and spending cuts, and probably an immediate economic recession; and locally, what appears to be a successful eleventh hour effort to get together $75,000 to save the Passion Play, by Rev. ...

What makes a news story? (12/27/12)
It was a big year in Eureka Springs and a big year everywhere. So many big stories broke it has been difficult narrowing down the list small enough to include everything in even two end-of-year issues. With the exception of the indomitable Chip Ford, the entire staff of the Citizen left en masse midway through the year to start its own newspaper. ...

Citizen Forum (12/21/12)
Even though it received scant local support and relatively few Eurekans attended, Eureka Springs is the poorer for having lost CICA International Summer Music Festival, which is relocating to Dallas. The move is a necessity, but it is a sad turn of events for our town...

Happiness is a warm gun? (12/21/12)
We all recall the tragedy Jan. 8, 2011, when U. S. Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and 18 other people were shot during a public meeting in Tucson (six dead, 13 wounded); or the mass murder at the movie theater in Colorado this July 20 (12 dead, 58 wounded); or the massacre at the Sikh temple in Wisconsin on Aug. 5 (six dead, four wounded); or the disgruntled gunman who on Sept. 27 killed five employees of the company in Minneapolis where he'd worked for a dozen years before losing the job...

Another View (12/13/12)
I'm sure that by now most everyone has learned of the decision made by the Elna M. Smith Foundation to close the Great Passion Play after 45 consecutive seasons. This is a sad time for many of us who love the Great Passion Play, respect its purpose and appreciate all it has done for the development of tourism in Eureka Springs. ...

Citizen Forum (12/13/12)
A Great Big Thank You to everyone who helped to make our Holiday Island Fire Department Auxiliary White Elephant and Bake Sale a success. All of you - the ladies auxiliary who sorted, priced, baked goodies, set up the sale and worked the sale - the fire department who hauled and lifted, hauled and lifted - and all the wonderful people who came and supported us by buying our treasures - made the day a great success. Thanks again and have a Very Merry Christmas...

On monkeywrenching city politics and why it's so dumb (12/13/12)
One of the most persistent as well as most frustrating aspects of covering City Council for the newspaper is watching in silence from the sidelines. (Perhaps silence is not the best word; one alderman complained that the keyboard of the laptop being used to type up the meetings by the reporter made too much noise and TV watchers at home were complaining. Now the typing is done in another corner of the room. That's the sounds of news being made, incidentally.)...

Adamson's World (12/13/12)

Free Verse (12/06/12)
Repetitive Tasks My mother had patience for repetitive tasks - ironing with Faultless Starch, sanding out water rings and taking out stitches. We wore handmade clothes because mother liked to sew. She always said "Pretty is as pretty does" because a good mother doesn't...

Citizen Forum (12/06/12)
Thanks for Thanksgiving potluck Editor: The 39th Community Thanksgiving Potluck was a wonderful success and appreciated by all who participated. Many attended this year for the first time and contributed generously to the abundance of lovingly prepared dishes from turkey to dessert...

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