How delighted to read about “Big” Mike Fiss, who was featured on the Dec. 17 cover of The New Times. The tribute regarding his illustrious career is highly appreciated by those of us whose lives he touched.

His early morning shows featured pupils from Liverpool’s Craven Crawford Elementary School annually, giving them inspiration, incentive and interest for pursuing careers in the area of communications. The highly successful stem cell researcher, Dr. Michael Zwick, of Emory University and the late Bill Leaf of WSYR-AM 570 are two of the many pupils whose careers were launched by appearances on the Big Mike show.

Congratulations and best wishes, Big Mike, as you continue with your long career in communications.

—Dr. Bessie Noble, Ed. D.

Syracuse

Editor’s note: Each week, we receive on average three handwritten letters using “all caps” with excellent penmanship on yellow legal paper from one of our most interactive readers, Richard Lindsay, from North Syracuse. Since we have limited space to run Letters to the Editor on a weekly basis, we thought it would be unfair to give Lindsay an unequal amount of ink on a weekly basis (although we enjoy reading his almost-daily missives), so we decided to hold off running his letters and gather a collection of his insights from a given week and run it as a bullet-point series. So without further adieu, we present the inaugural... 

Lindsay Line

I’m writing in response to Tom Kahley’s article “What the Truck” in the October 8 issue of The New Times. I read his article and followed right along until I was thrown off by his ending where he talked about “…wait until you actually pull into the mall and be greeted by the egregious ‘No smoking on the premises’ sign and ponder the Constitution.’” I’m curious—why are “no smoking” signs “egregious?” 

For those that don’t know, “egregious” means that these signs are bad or offensive in some way. How are they bad? And whom are they offending? “No Smoking” signs don’t condemn people who do smoke, they don’t say “No smoking on premises because smokers are bad people.” Generally speaking, people who smoke don’t seem to have much of a problem with the signs or with smoking in designated areas for that matter.

The Tobacco Control and Prevention Programs that often provide these signs not only save lives by encouraging and helping people to quit smoking; they significantly lower the amount of second hand smoke that other people are exposed to; and they save money by lowering the costs of health care needs. 

As far as the Constitution is concerned–w hy would “no smoking” signs make you ponder the Constitution? Smoking is not a right protected by this document, however, the right to breathe clean air and to live in a healthy environment is protected and these signs are a way to remind people of that.

—Samantha McCarthy

Prevention Education Specialist for the Madison County Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse

Governor David Paterson’s town-hall appearance at the Civic Center on Nov. 11 sparked much local interest. He rightly sounds the alarm on the monumental task of eliminating present deficit State spending in the next few years. The issue that I submitted in advance for discussion focused on our State prisons. As we look for ways to cut government expenses and also “green” our environment, our vast prison system should not be ignored.

In many State prison sites, re-instituting vegetable or dairy farms could provide food for the inmates and even perhaps their immediate neighbors. Composting, recycling, and other energy saving approaches are proving successful in Oregon and Washington State by involving inmates in constructive efforts. The greenhouse model at Jamesville Correctional Facility could also be utilized in several of our State prisons, if some creative thinking were allowed.  

Many of these “greening” ideas could assist in teaching inmates important life skills. If their various ideas and suggestions were honored in planning processes, remarkable savings could occur. An Associated Press article from Washington State mentions that inmates from a minimum-security facility raise bees, grow organic tomatoes and lettuce, as well as compost 100 percent of food waste. As one administer commented, “it reduces cost, reduces our damaging impact on the environment, engages inmates as students and it’s good security.” In one prison facility in that Northwestern State, 8,000 pounds of organic vegetables were raised this year.

At an Oregon prison, inmates recycle scraps from old prison blues to make diaper bags for women’s shelters and dog beds for animal shelters. It seems there is no lack of possibilities if inmates take an interest in the work. 

One other suggestion for our Governor: encourage merit time legislation giving more incentives to inmates, easing the stress on corrections officers and reducing the number of inmates at a faster rate. A merit system has often been proposed, but up to the present has garnered little interest from the majority of state legislators. The current pieces of legislation on this issue are A-3230 in the Assembly, and S-1701 in the Senate.

With the fiscal crisis upon us, it’s time for some serious consideration of our immense State prison system, heavily populated by our black and latino brothers and sisters. This moral dilemma now includes a financial and ecological dimension that cries out for recognition.

—Frank Woolever

Syracuse

Sarah Palin is a replica of Senator John McCain. She represents everything that America shouldn’t be and is not deserving of one of the top political positions in our nation. She supports the dangerous dependance on foreign oil, and is not interested in making health care an affordable right for all Americans, just a privilege for the wealthy only.

—Charles R. Smith Sr.

Syracuse

Shame on John McCain for his claims of “America First.” Sarah Palin is clearly unready for the job of vice president. She has not only tried in a recent speech to revive the “Iraq-9/11” wheeze that even Bush doesn’t try to foist off on us anymore. She doesn’t even know what “The Bush Doctrine” is (“preventative defense,” or, “Hit them even if they never hit first, because they might hit us. . . one of these days”). Even the normally pliant Charlie Gibson of ABC News seemed impatient with her stumbling attempts to weasel her way out of giving an answer to a basic question she clearly did not know the answer to. 

Enough! We cannot accept having someone one heartbeat away from the presidency who doesn’t even understand what the lies and disastrous policies that brought us to a failed series of wars are. Moreover, we absolutely cannot respect the judgment of the man who is willing to choose someone so plainly incompetent just to get himself elected.

—Timothy Liebe

Syracuse

Sarah Palin: You and I have never met, but I want you to know that some people are saying you are not qualified to become president, if it should come to that. And I think you should show them how wrong they are! 

Woman to woman, my advice is to go to Europe right away and make a lot of speeches about your inspiring political ideas, including your thoughts about going to war with Russia. The cheering crowds you draw would make Obama’s look like chopped liver! 

Speaking of war, I think it’s great that you’re already considering it, Sarah. We could really use a war! (By “we,” I mean the American people, the ones you want to give government back to.) And we stand ready for a compulsory draft to provide the “people power” for the next one, no matter what the facts may be. 

Let’s face it: No facts could ever compete with your remarkable grasp of history and current affairs—and science, I might add! The main thing is to defend democracy in foreign countries: countries near Iraq’s rich oil fields, such as Georgia, that is. Just say the word, Sarah, and we will fund a war with Russia! Or with Iran, or Denmark, or any other nation that disturbs your vision of a beautiful new world.

—Suzanne Abrams

Syracuse

Sarah Palin recently said that the war in Iraq is “God’s task.” Just last year she was quoted saying, “I’ve been so focused on state government, I haven’t really focused much on the war in Iraq.”

Palin has actively sought the support of the fringe Alaska Independence Party. Six months ago, Palin told members of the group—who advocate for a vote on secession from the union—to “keep up the good work” and wished the party luck on what she called its “inspiring convention.” 

Palin wants to teach creationism in public schools. She hasn’t made clear whether she thinks evolution is a fact. She also doesn’t believe that humans contribute to global warming. Speaking about climate change, she said, “I’m not one who would attribute it to being man-made.”

Sarah Palin is the new cheerleader for the 2008 neocons as they fall in lockstep to whatever the Republican Party puts on the platform. I’m a Vietnam veteran and I wouldn’t think of voting for anyone just because of their war record. They wave “their” flags and espouse “core family values” while clutching their beloved assault rifles to their bosoms. In this season of hurricanes, it’s the usual ill wind that is blowing in from the Republicans that we as a nation should fear the most!

This is the woman the Republicans want to help bring “change” to America? Go home, Sarah: Don’t pretend to believe that you are capable of changing the real complex problems that we face as a nation. 

—Raymond Farrington

Syracuse

I made my showbiz debut way back when I was 5 years old, singing one of the best-known American songs of the Great Depression, “Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?”

I’m humming that tune in my head as I write this. But times have changed, as anybody who’s bought a gallon of gas lately knows. So nowadays I’m singing, “Brother, Can You Spare a Ten?”

Why should you give me $10? Because that money will go a lot further with me than it will in your car, believe me.