Mr. John Kinnaird's letter in the Oct. 15, 2009, edition of The Daily Sentinel showed more of the same fear-mongering as previous letters. This type of thinking is exactly why our nation has chosen a different path over the last three years by electing Democrats to national and state seats at a greater rate than before. We should acknowledge his fine writing style, as his letter is quite eloquent. What we should not admire is his oversimplification of the Nobel Peace Prize winners he criticizes by assigning fancy labels to them (Arafat), misrepresenting the time period in which they were nominated (Carter), and making false accusations about motives (Gore) instead of noting the reason they actually won (role in Oslo Accords, international peacemaking efforts, and for encouraging governments to take a strong role in turning the tide against climate change). We also should not admire his continued use of the "sky is falling" style of politics and the same old tired rhetoric of labeling anything he remotely disagrees with as "socialist." One particular laughable point in the letter is the lumping of humanists (read: anyone to the left of Rush Limbaugh), liberals, progressives, socialists, communists and fascists into one category of folks.

Let's get real, here: The Democrats in Congress and the executive office were elected for many reasons, but particularly for three reasons: to improve the economy, to provide access to affordable health care for all citizens and to refocus our foreign policy toward diplomacy instead of aggression, thus restoring our good image in the world. While all of these haven't occurred with the speed some of us would like, it is undeniable that they are all happening. Let's stop the baseless criticism and leave it to the melodramatic Glen Becks of the world. If there is a legitimate criticism of current policy, let's hear that criticism and then hear a viable alternative solution. If there is only "hell in a hand basket" whining without actual problem solving, let's leave it aside.

We can have a good debate over whether Barack Obama deserved the Nobel or not, and we should admire those who would make a solid case either way. However, painting our president as a humanist socialist fascist dictator (whatever that means) when he is, in fact, a Christian and a moderate Democrat who was legitimately elected is simply ludicrous and doesn't deserve a place at the table. We can admire dissent, but we should find anyone camping out with the "party of no" as, at the very least, not admirable.

Stephen Wright

Nacogdoches County Democratic Party chairman

306 W. Starr Ave.

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I would like to state,that I try to walk in my neighborhood area every evening after work. It has become increasingly harder to do so because of unrstrained dogs. I have two words for the people of south side. "Leash Law"

Dennis Shumaker

2126 Clarice

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This time of year many of us who played football long years ago have fond remembrances of those days. Considerable numbers of us here in Nacogdoches played under coaches Gene B. Hale and L.H. Mathews. They arrived here in 1952. Coach Hale was athletic director and head coach from 1952 until 1965, and Coach Mathews from 1966 until 1969. Collectively they won 111 games, lost 66 and had six tied games; including three district championships, one bi-district championship and one quarterfinal win.

During those 18 years the Dragons only had two losing seasons. Unquestionably this was the most successful period of Dragon football, in Nacogdoches High School history especially considering that 16 of those 18 teams would have qualified for the playoffs, based on today's University Interscholastic League standards. Both coaches Hale and Mathews were elected by their peers to the Texas High School Coaches Hall of Honor, being the first two coaches selected that coached together for the same school. Clearly these two coaches left unparalleled legacies at NHS.

I think it would be fitting if our school board would rename Dragon Stadium — "Hale-Mathews Dragon Stadium" — in honor of these men to whom we all owe so much.

If you agree with my proposal please drop me a note or an e-mail message.

Rick Still 1962-64

3803 Buckingham Drive

Nacogdoches, Texas 75965

jrstill@sbcglobal.net

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I was recently driving on state Hwy. 69 in the rain when a car pulled up beside me and began drifting toward my car. I swerved to be missed and noticed that the girl driving the other car was texting. She never noticed that her car was veering into my lane. I have seen this happen time and again. It's not just kids texting ... adults are texting while driving, too. I guess since they're wearing their seat belts, anything's allowed. What's wrong with this picture?

Marsha Cloudy

itsmemc@gmail.com

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To the "sportsman" who drives a pick-up truck with a gun rack and an NRA bumper sticker, who dumped a sick-looking dog out on County Road 504: Why didn't you just shoot the dog instead? That would have been more humane than having him starve to death, or expecting someone else to take him to the shelter, only to be euthanized at the expense of the taxpayers. Most of the people on 504 already have dogs (some have several dogs), and they care for them properly, but they cannot afford another one. So I say, "Shame on you!"

Rob't Cuenod Greenwalt

1063 County Road 504

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Thank You from Alzheimer's Association

On behalf of the Houston and Southeast Texas Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association, I want to thank our sponsors, volunteers and all those who gave up their Saturday morning, for making Memory Walk 2009 a great event; we had nearly 200 people show up to support our cause.

We want to thank Elyce Rodewald and Dr. David Creech of the SFA Piney Woods Native Plant Center for allowing us to hold our event in such a great place. We received many positive comments from the walkers, many of whom had never been to the center before, on a perfect location for a walking event; the Pilot Club for always doing a tremendous job of handling our registration process; Chick-fil-A for providing breakfast chicken biscuits; Starbuck's for serving coffee and pastries; and the Jones House for donating a night's stay. We especially want to thank The Daily Sentinel for being so supportive of our efforts. Your staff has never hesitated to publicize or cover one of our events; do feature articles addressing issues that affect families dealing with this disease; or volunteer their time to serve on local boards or committees that benefit the entire community.

Our award winners this year are Nacogdoches Medical Center being the Team Raising the Most Money; Team Curves for having the Largest Team; and Jill Ornelas, being the Individual Raising the Most Money, who also received a one nights stay at the Jones House Bed and Breakfast.

So far, we have received approximately $25,000, and we still have money coming in. To me, this indicates a couple of things. First, it says that there is an increased awareness about Alzheimer's, and that more lives are being touched every day by this devastating disease; many of those walking on Saturday were doing so in memory of a loved one that had Alzheimer's disease. Secondly, it tells us that people are willing to support the programs and services of our local chapter. Part of our mission is to educate the public about Alzheimer's; to facilitate an early diagnosis and prompt treatment for the patient; and to provide assistance to the families and caregivers.

We are proud of the services that we provide throughout East Texas. However, we are not naive to the fact that there are many more who need our services If anyone knows of someone that could benefit from our programs, please have them contact us at 569-1325 or 800-272-3900.

Robin Dawley

Regional coordinator

Alzheimer's Association Houston and Southeast Texas Chapter

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Proposition 10 is a disaster in the making.

Beginning next week during early voting and at regular voting Nov. 3, the people of Nacogdoches will have the opportunity to sustain or reject 10 proposed changes in the city charter.

Nine of the proposals are reasonable and needed. The 10th, dealing with referendum and initiative, is a disaster in the making. If passed as proposed, it would require 15 percent of the registered voters or 2,500 signatures, whichever is higher to get an initiative or referendum on the ballot. These numbers are ridiculous and I'm sure both the city commissioners and the charter review chairman know that.

In the last 20 years only six times have there been more than 2,500 people who even voted in any city election. Generally only 400 to 800 people are concerned enough to come to the voting booth. Twenty-five hundred signatures of registered voters? This is nonsense and an affront to Nacogdoches citizens. It is simply an effort to continue to limit public input by setting an impossibly high number.

Leon Hallman in a recent article in The Daily Sentinel was quoted as saying that he favors a "representative democracy," rather than a more direct form of democratic government. In other words, elect officials, let them do their thing and don't rock the boat. Attend commission meetings and talk to your commissioners. That was tried during the prison debacle, and it didn't work. During one commission meeting a commissioner was even heard to comment, "I don't know why the people think they can tell us what to do." I do. It's called freedom and real democracy.

Hallman also said that a referendum or initiative would require a $10,000 special election. That's not true, and since he was chairman of the charter review committee, he should know it. The issue would be required to be scheduled at the next regular election.

Why are the city commissioners so worried about allowing the public a voice? They need only be concerned, if they are unresponsive to the majority of the people. The proposed amendment would only serve to silence the voices of the citizens, and I think they know it.

Presently, it only takes three commissioners to decide any issue, and they are not infallible. Of 340 "home-rule" Texas cities, of which Nacogdoches is one, 85 percent have reasonable and workable referendum and initiative provisions in their charters.

Proposition 10 is simply an effort to continue control of Nacogdoches politics by the political machine, visible and invisible, that have so long governed with little or no accountability. It should be decisively voted down so it can be revised.

Paul H. Risk

prisk@sfasu.edu

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Thanks to the Sentinel for reporting on Proposition 10 today. The meeting several weeks ago had a standing-room-only crowd who were overwhelmingly opposed to the unrealistic and unattainable requirements for an initiative to be brought up for a vote. Mrs. Warthan presented eloquent and persuasive arguments for more realistic requirements. The only voice in favor of the high number of signatures offered the lame excuse that special elections cost a lot of money, and expressed the feeling that making it too easy would lead to having frivolous proposals. My own representative on the city council expressed the timid view that the recommendations of the committee shouldn't be amended, but offered no plausible reason why this should be so. Here is a message for them: Voter apathy will not be changed by offering a realistic procedure for voting on initiatives, and a reasonable requirement for signatures will not produce a flurry of frivolous proposals. It is utterly incongruous to have officials willing to accept the result of an election where only a few hundred voters cast ballots, but to require 2,500 signatures to have an initiative considered. If the initiative should be controversial, with some voters for and some against, it could be necessary to contact up to 5,000 citizens to obtain the required number of signatures. Without an army of motivated and well-trained volunteers, this couldn't be achieved. If Proposition 10 passes, the message to Nacogdoches citizens will be: "Here is the procedure for getting an initiative on the ballot. Sorry that the conditions can't be met." And there will never be an initiative proposed. If it is voted down, we can hope for a more enlightened proposition to be drafted in the near future.

R. Max Walton

2220 East Starr Ave.

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I feel obligated to point out several important oversights in the article concerning the gifted and talented program being biased towards white students. Firstly, the idea that the ethnic division of GT students will match that of the student body is absurd. This has been a problem for a while now: The people inventing policies for the schools have simply no idea of how statistics work. Any properly judicious GT program will be too small a portion of the student population to function as a relevant sample. Gifts and talents are sporadic: While they may occur according to particular trends, reality will never exactly match the statistical model, and attempting to make it do so is foolish, even hubristic. Secondly, teachers have little say in which students may enter the GT program. They must administer a screening to all students, which is then evaluated by a prescribed rubric. The results are handed in to the office where they undergo further processing. Several other steps are required before the final decision, which is handled by committee. It is also possible for parents to nominate children and older students to nominate themselves for the program. Third, the decrease in advanced placement students and increase in dual-credit students suggest that smart students are opting for the courses that provide tangible benefit. Lastly, the GT program at Nacogdoches ISD is barely worth getting into at all. I was in it for my entire school career, and I was profoundly disappointed and underserved. The teachers are not the bad guys here. These failings are the fault of an administration more concerned with what looks good on paper than what's best for its students.

Paul Ryan Blackwell

420 County Road 252

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Proposition 11, which deals with eminent domain, is on the ballot for the Nov. 3 constitutional amendment elections. It is the last of 11 constitutional amendments and will help in achieving eminent domain reform and prohibiting the taking of one private entity and giving it to another.

Proposition 11 is a response to the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in the Kelo versus New London case in 2005. In that case, the court ruled that the city could take property to expand their tax base, but the court ruled that states could pass their own laws. Proposition 11 is Texas' response to ensure that future takings are for legitimated public use.

It is very important to vote for Proposition on Nov. 3. Everyone in Texas who owns property could be affected by the Kelo ruling and Proposition 11 is a positive step for the future of Texas.

Michael Meador

Nacogdoches County agricultural producer

P.O. Box 631664

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I felt strongly that I must publicly thank those that work for/in "this city" for saving my husband's life. The emergency medical technicians who responded Oct. 8 to our emergency were so terrific in reviving him, several times — before getting him to Nacogdoches Memorial Hospital. I wasn't in control but the staff at Memoral was, thank God. A very special thank-you to Dr. Lyle Brown and his staff — all of them. His intensive care unit nurse, Martie, in my mind, is really an angel walking on earth. Thanks to Sean and Michele for listening to all my questions and giving me answers I could understand. My husband is strong, and he is a fighter. This might have taken the steam out of him for a little while, but he will recover. And to think I owe this to those who work for/in "this town" truly humbles me.

Chris Hollyfield

110 Carolyn St.