ENERGY
More drilling in the U.S. won’t solve fuel crisis
As front-page stories recently pointed out, the Gulf Coast is still feeling the economic and environmental impact of the BP oil spill one year later. Despite this wake-up call about our dependency on oil, many still clamor for more drilling as the means to solve our energy crisis.
It’s a losing proposition, as new oil is simply sold on the global market (where customers in China and India place increasing demand on supplies). If we’ve learned anything from last year’s disaster, and the current unrest in the Middle East driving up gas prices, it’s that we must end our addiction to oil and other fossil fuels.
Steve Valk, communications director, Citizens Climate Lobby
POLITICS
One married couple’s stance on gay marriage
I was glad to hear that the Republican-controlled House has hired a local law firm to defend the Defense of Marriage Act. I was saying to my wife during an argument about the dog, “We’re not fighting because we disagree about the dog. It’s that gay couple down the street. The fact that they’re together ipso facto hurts our marriage. I want to keep the dog, even though he’s tearing up the flower bed.”
My wife and I are united to stop gay marriages because we know they must be hurting ours. The Republican Party tells me so, so it must be true. And since my wife and I are heterosexual, I’d like this law firm and the Republican Party to see that only gay people who are (or intend to get) married get taxed for the attorneys’ fees that taxpayers will otherwise have to support. It would really help our marriage. It would defend our marriage.
Ed Buckley, Decatur
SUNDAY SALES
He’s come to appreciate limitations on libations
After the laxity of California, it has taken me 10 years of living in Georgia to get used to our laws about liquor sales. But I have adjusted, and now I am doubtful about changing the law. The sight of bloated customers waiting in line to buy beer with which to immobilize themselves on Sunday is something I find revolting. A little bourgeois morality wouldn’t hurt. Norman Ravitch, Savannah
MARTA
Other cities’ mass transit feels safer than Atlanta’s
I take MARTA because of convenience, but always with concern for my safety.
I don’t remember a time when there was not someone soliciting money, using a cellphone, or speaking loudly (with every other word, profanity). More than once, my family and I were approached by individuals who were intoxicated or mentally unbalanced. Once, a MARTA employee was nearby but said nothing. All of these behaviors are very threatening to MARTA riders.
I have taken the Washington, D.C., trains, and the subway in New York City — and have always felt safer than when I rode MARTA. In other cities, passengers are on the train for the purpose of transportation. MARTA often has riders there for the purpose of solicitation (or because they need a place to hang out). These issues must be resolved before MARTA can be considered safe.
Deborah Cantrell, Marietta
