Friday’s Letters to the Editor

• Property owners need proper notification

Once again, big money prevails over property rights. (“Farmer tries to block dump,” Tuesday). The Department of Health and Environmental Control quickly approves a landfill without contacting the neighboring landowners.

An announcement in the newspaper does not suffice as a reasonable attempt to contact interested parties because it doesn’t ensure that parties who should be interested are made aware that their attention is needed now. This point was brought up at the meeting with DHEC following the permitting of the University of South Carolina biomass furnace project.

If Heath Hill had been involved in the landfill planning process from the beginning, he would have had real opportunities to ensure that his water would not become contaminated, his property value wouldn’t decrease and his neighbor’s property wouldn’t be seized by eminent domain.

For those whose job it is to assess the impact of a project on a community, I suggest you send someone to meet with those people who are immediately affected by the project and seek their approval and recommendations before making the general public announcement that’s required by law. It’s a less costly and smarter thing to do.

RODNEY LENZ

Columbia

• Miley’s parents have ruined a role model

Parents do have a right to be angry over the Miley Cyrus photo controversy. After all, it is the parents who have added to the success of the Hannah Montana franchise by buying the CDs, concert tickets and endless merchandise.

The reason parents have done this is because Miley Cyrus has been considered one of the few safe havens in today’s warped entertainment world.

I blame her parents for allowing their 15-year-old child to be exploited in this way. Especially after her father has expressed in the past his intent to preserve Miley’s integrity as a role model for young girls.

I realize my 10-year-old daughter will see these images on television or perhaps displayed with the magazines at the grocery store. However, there is no reason for a local newspaper to feature the fracas prominently on the front page as a leading story. That honor should be left to Vanity Fair and The National Enquirer.

DANA FLEMING

Columbia

• True Christian pastor doesn’t damn anyone

For the life of me, I cannot understand why the media do not approach the Rev. Jeremiah Wright with the following question: As a man of the cloth who preaches Christianity, answer this: Did Jesus, while on the cross after being condemned by his own, damn the Jews, damn the Gentiles, damn the Romans?

No. He simply asked God to forgive them, for they knew not what they did.

Does Wright believe he is above Christ, and it is his duty to damn America and its beliefs, or should he follow the teachings of the man who will judge him?

True Christians have their priorities in order. They do not seek their 15 minutes of fame at the expense of their brothers. God will judge in his time. May he have mercy on us all.

LARRY DAIGLE

Columbia

• Chesney had great show despite injury

After reading and hearing negative comments about the Kenny Chesney concert, I was disheartened by those who thought his performance was poor or substandard.

I have had the privilege of being backstage at many concerts, meeting performers. I can say, without a doubt, that you will not find that many artists who have the kind of dedication, passion and just plain love of the fans of South Carolina to put on a show after receiving the type of injury he sustained. And to be able to put on the great performance he did was outstanding.

Come on, people, when you are hurt at work, not many of you would keep working like that, with such a physically demanding performance. Those who complained would probably be the first to say, “Take me to the hospital now!”

Hats off to Kenny! I’m waiting for the next time you come to South Carolina.

CHUCK McMILLION

Gaston

• Schools should know of blood-borne infections

I am writing in response to the April 21 article, “House to consider HIV/AIDS proposal.”

In a school setting, fights and scuffles involving blood can happen, and even an accidental nosebleed can result in contact with another person’s blood. The school nurse needs to know the names of individual students who have any sort of blood-borne infection so that when there is a situation in which transmission of the disease could have occurred, the appropriate actions can be taken to reduce the likelihood of transmission.

The nurse should be the only person at the individual school level with this knowledge, and appropriate disciplinary action should be taken if the nurse slips up and allows student names to be known by other people.

Student, teacher and staff safety should be paramount. We must have faith that the school’s nurse has the maturity and discipline to keep sensitive student information to himself or herself.

CHRIS CRANFORD

Lexington

• USC faces should be deeper shade of red

As the University of South Carolina pinches pennies and looks to increased student fees for tens of millions of dollars in new projects, its athletics department wants to modify team colors to display a true garnet.

Of the 814 colors on the chart, the Gamecocks shade will leap from number 201 to 202. I suspect my red long johns fade more than that amount during their monthly laundering.

This presumably would necessitate new uniforms and other school paraphernalia and color displays, the cost of which was not reported. Funds already have been spent by the university’s licensing office to consult an outside licensing company on such a momentous decision.

I am far more concerned with the shade of garnet that some faces ought to be for even considering such a waste of time and more money.

Since USC is in a belt-tightening mode, I believe it’s obvious where a few notches could be eliminated.

BOB BENTLEY

Greenwood