By Staff
Shows: Day late, dollar short'
To the editor:
Congressman Ronnie Shows was a day late and a dollar short with his kind words for Judge Charles Pickering. He waited evidently for the mumbo, jumbo liberal Democrats to make sure they would not let Judge Pickering's nomination be approved by their committee.
It is their committee because the traitor Senator Jeffords turned his back on his Republican constituents and gave the Senate majority to the Democrats. I wonder what the Democrats had on Jeffords.
The liberal Democrats are for the party. The Republicans are for the country. Congressman Chip Pickering needs your vote, both Democrat and Republican, in this upcoming election. I have many Democratic friends. Please vote for a true bloodied Mississippian and a Christian. God bless President Bush, Congressman Pickering and Judge Pickering.
James F. Watkins
Laurel
Hearts go out to Culpepper family
To the editor:
I am an EMT at Bassett, Neb., where the recent tragedy of Tim Culpepper took place. This tragedy affected not just those of us who responded to the call, but the entire town. We are a very small town in northcentral Nebraska and all of our fire crews and EMT's are volunteers. We received a lot of volunteer help also from local citizens who brought the rescuers food, water, etc. during the long ordeal.
Many of us sat all day at the site where he was killed on Monday, April 22. A big feeling of helplessness filled us all. Mr. Culpepper has become a part of each and every one of us forever.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family. Words could never express the sorrow we have. May time and and God's love heal you all. Timothy will remain in our hearts forever.
Chelsey Beegle
EMT, Rock County Ambulance Association
Bassett, Neb
via e-mail
Whatever happened to Liberty Church Road?
To the editor:
On Feb. 5, 1997, your paper had a list of roads to be paved and bridges to be replaced. In 1997 the bridge on Liberty Church Road was to be replaced and the road paved in the year 2000. The bridge and road are still the same.
I wish you could get someone to check into this matter and find out if the county ever got the funds to do the work and, if so, what happened to the funds. I wish you could find out why the county always drags the road right before it comes a big rain.
A few years ago I asked a county man why they did this and he wouldn't say. Please help if you can. I have a copy of the paper that the road paving and bridge programs was in.
Donald Thomas
Toomsuba
Public expects responsible journalism'
To the editor:
This letter is in response to Austin Bishop's article in the April 20 edition of The Meridian Star. Mr. Bishop entitles his article "West ruling begs for answers." The theme of this letter is intended to be that the public begs for responsible journalism.
After reading his article it seems apparent that Mr. Bishop is not interested in answering the question of why West Lauderdale played an ineligible player, but rather why someone would turn them in to the MHSAA for doing so. Most reasonable people will agree that the answer is because they broke a rule that may put an opponent at a disadvantage.
Here's a question for Mr. Bishop  if you did not know that "apparently Carthage had turned the Knights in and that the finger is being pointed at Southeast Lauderdale for getting the ball rolling," would you have even written the article? Why do I ask this question? Because you want your readers to be mad at somebody, but obviously not at West Lauderdale.
Here's another question for Mr. Bishop. Did you contact anyone at Carthage or Southeast to get a statement before writing your article? A partial answer is I know for a fact that you did not contact anyone at Southeast that is in a position to respond to your concerns about West Lauderdale's dilemma.
Mr. Bishop claims he wants answers. He is quoted in his article as saying, "I'm not interested in suggestions and rumors, just facts." Here is a fact, Mr. Bishop, concerning your biggest problem with W.L. being turned in, which is the timing. The fact is the principal of W.L. and the assistant coach of the Knights were told of the ineligible player as early as Feb. 16, 2002. A red flag should have gone up at this point giving W.L. a chance to clean up their own act. Many people in The Meridian Star coverage area and in the district 5-3A classification waited for a West Lauderdale response for many months. W.L. apparently chose not to do an internal investigation. They broke a rule, they were turned in and they were sanctioned, after having the entire season to take care of the rules violation themselves.
Mr. Bishop defended, I quote, "one of the finest high school baseball coaches who ever sat in a dugout," and the player and his family. Perhaps, I should have started this letter off in defense of Southeast. If Mr. Bishop had bothered to contact the assistant principal at Southeast, you would have found out that neither he nor anyone else there had done anything improper.
Please, in the future, Mr. Bishop, when you beg for answers for you and your readers, do not bury your head in the sand, but rather be a responsible journalist and get both sides of the story.
Mark Taylor
Meridian
via e-mail