LETTERS
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WATCH WHAT YOU RECYCLE A recent opinion (“The recycling drop-off”) by James Krohe Jr. in the Dec. 10 Illinois Times discussed Lake Area Disposal’s decision to close their recycling drop-off facility due to costs exceeding revenues. I understand these costs include a fair amount of time and effort to remove items that are either put into the wrong bin or do not belong in any bin.
I certainly hope that some way can be found to keep this facility open. If that does happen, then I urge folks to abide very closely to guidance as to what items can and cannot be dropped off, per the signs on the bins. This will help minimize operating costs and increase the chances of the facility remaining open.
In the meantime, please remember there also are do’s and don’ts regarding what can and cannot be put into the blue boxes under the curbside recycling program, regardless of who is the waste hauler.
Guidance on this can be found on the City of Springfield’s website or by contacting your waste hauler. I just did the former and, to my chagrin, found I’d been placing certain improper material in my blue box. I will practice what I preach from now on, for sure. Dick McLane Springfield
GUN CONTROL CONT’D I take issue with the Dec. 10 letters to the editor written by Sarah Thomas and Nancy Long. In reply to Sarah’s first point, the areas in the country with the least gun control have the lowest crime rates. In reference to concealed carry and shootings in Chicago, strict gun control and the gang violence make concealed carry less effective. Since criminals and terrorists will always have access to guns, the Second Amendment affords us to have the right to own guns to defend ourselves and our loved ones.
In regards to Nancy Long’s article, the Oklahoma City, Sandy Hook and Charleston shootings were all in gunfree zones where no one was allowed to have guns to defend themselves. Also, strides have been made to make it more difficult to access schools and in many cases, teachers, staff and others have been trained and allowed to carry guns to defend against intruders. Terrorists come here to kill Americans regardless of where they can access firearms. They also use bombs and other weapons for that same purpose.
The lie is that gun control will stop mass killings. Properly trained, law-abiding citizens allowed to carry are more of a deterrent since shooters don’t like opposition. Law enforcement cannot respond quick enough to stop a shooter. Tyre W. Rees Springfield
THE BEAT GOES ON On Dec. 10, two letters from Sarah Thomas and Nancy Long appeared in Illinois Times, exploring the problem of gun violence in America. Both letters were spot on. On Dec. 17, there was letter offering a rebuttal from David Barnett. I believe his faulty logic deserves a response.
Barnett claims that the shootings in Chicago continue even after concealed carry was allowed because it is difficult to get a gun there. One must jump through hoops to get a gun. Yet if you really wanted a gun, you would jump through the hoops to obtain one. It seems to me that there is a more logical explanation; that concealed carry doesn’t solve the problem there.
Barnett reassures us that terrorists can’t buy guns legally. But how can you tell who is a terrorist? They don’t wear T-shirts which say “I am a terrorist.” People on the no-fly list are not allowed to board airplanes but they can still buy guns. How logical is that? Fortunately, the state of Connecticut has closed that loophole.
What really frustrates me is that despite all the mass shootings that have occurred, we are unable to talk about preventative measures because the gun lobby monopolizes the discussion. Each time something happens, we mourn and say prayers, and then all is quiet until the next massacre. If we talk about keeping guns out of the hands of those who shouldn’t have them, the NRA alarmists say that we want to confiscate all guns. Under these circumstances, there is no chance for compromise so the carnage continues. Or, as Sonny and Cher used to say, “The beat goes on.”
Today kids have gun drills at school. When I was in school there were no gun drills because people didn’t bring guns into school buildings. The change since that time has not been for the better. Marty Celnick Springfield
