Letters to the editor: 04/26/01

Legislation bypasses due process

To the Editor:

"Probable cause" is determined through "due process" and that paperwork, which the liberal, socialistic mentality considers a mere bothersome formality. Do we really feel comfortable allowing "emergencies" to possibly be a means whereby our constitutional rights are destroyed?

I believe we have watched these things occur worldwide. Passive acceptance of this isn't appropriate. I commend Marge Carpenter of Haywood County and Bob Hensley of Wake County.

Linda J. Morris

Webster

Clinic volunteers appreciated

To the Editor:

This faith-based health care clinic, which opened in February, provides medical care and medication assistance to low-income, uninsured people in Jackson County. It is operated solely on volunteer and donated time, equipment, money and services.

I'd like to thank the task force members for a great plan; the Good Samaritan Clinic of Haywood County for inspiration; the doctors and nurse practitioners for the care provided; the community; hospital; and health department nurses for their patient advocacy; Cullowhee United Methodist Church; and the Western Carolina University School of Nursing.

I'd like to thank Society of Nurses in Advanced Practice, Harris Regional Hospital, the medical community and the Jackson County Department of Public Health, all partners in this effort.

The advanced practice nurses have helped to organize and staff the clinic; the hospital has provided x-rays, labs and other tests; local doctors have lent their expertise with patients with special needs; and the health department hosts the clinic.

I'd also like to thank our patients for donations, encouragement and patience with long waits.

If interested in volunteering, please call Anne Thurston at 586-0432 or Marie Fowlkes at 586-6563.

Sincerely,

Judith Hallock

Interim Director

'Greater Tuna' is a riot

To the Editor:

The powerful Howard Allman and the versatile Tom Dewees, under the fine direction of Jeff Bachar, have come together with a comic tour de force that is guaranteed to keep you laughing for the complete two hours.

From the moment Thurston and Arles go on the air from radio station OKKK to wake up the town of Tuna, Texas, population 73, until they turn off the station for the night, you can pretty well bet on a belly laugh at least every three minutes. Arles and Thurston are a small town "John Boy and Billy Show" way ahead of their time.

Allman and Dewees portray 24, count them, 24 different characters in the two-hour span, playing small children to tottering old ladies, the leader of the local KKK to the church lady in charge of getting dirty words out of the dictionary, words like "nuts" (pecans) and "snatch" (to grab). Then there's the old woman with her teenage son missing a few synapse connections, driving over a dead dog to cover up the fact that the dog was poisoned by accident.

Rebecca Henson, Dana Kelly and Linda Sossamon deserve great credit for being the dressers. Many of the character changes take place in a matter of four seconds, and these gals have to have shoes, dresses and hats for the proper character ready to throw on the hurried actors as they rush from character to character. It's a matter of debate as to whether this play could have been possible before the invention of Velcro.

At times Allman reminds one of a cross between Jonathan Winters, Robin Williams and a drunken Marlon Brando. Dewees is a great mixture of Jim Neighbors, Mr. Haney and almost every actor out of Green Acres Š yes, even Ava Gabor.

Bachar has done a masterful job of directing in "Greater Tuna." He also does a fine job of introducing the show and displays a wonderful, dry sense of humor.

"Greater Tuna" will be showing through Saturday at 7:30 and Sunday at 3 p.m. Do yourself a favor and make it a point to catch one of these five performances. You may even want to go back for more. It's really that funny.

Mack Mangham

Balsam

Inexperience is hurting county government

To the Editor:

As you are aware, our present county manager cannot pass the requirements asked for in his ad for a manager. Come on, why should be keep him when we could hire an experienced manager for the same money? The money spent on solid waste garbage hauling is an example of waste. Storing garbage in a hole in the ground, then calling it a "landfill" is a perfect example of hiding the facts by calling it by another name.

Professional managers can easily see that with a $30 million payroll and expenditures, a new $34 million improvement budget is living on credit cards beyond our means.

Our taxes will probably double again, next year, to pay for this year's lack of management.

Thank you,

Frank Young

Cullowhee

Cemetery flower thefts are disgraceful

To the Editor:

I would like to ask why this needless act was committed. I am asking that whoever is responsible for taking these lilies, please bring them back and there will be no questions asked. If this person can lie down at night and sleep with a clear conscience, then I guess I can live with it; I just hope they can.

I think it is shame and disgrace that to this once loving and caring community that one can no longer show their respect by placing flowers on friends' or family members' graves without worrying that someone will steal them. What has happened to people? Do we actually have people in this community whose minds are so idle that they can't find anything better to do than to steal from the deceased?

If someone had wanted a lily that bad, all they needed to do was to call me and I would have bought them one. It seems that our small town family and the way things used to be is just an old, faded memory.

Mary Sue Allison

Dillsboro

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