Print

Email story

Comment

Email editor

Humans failed the cranes

By LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Published February 19, 2007

During the day on Feb. 1, all our local and national TV stations were forecasting a strong cold front passing through our area during the overnight hours with a strong possibility of accompanying heavy rain, high winds and coastal flooding. Additional warnings were issued of possible tornados, and tornado watch and warning "boxes" were posted all over the northern/central Florida weather map. It was clearly evident that Citrus County would be in for a rough night.

So where was the Operation Migration staff at this time? Why weren't they at the Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge early in the day moving the whooping cranes to a safe location, or at least removing the netting over the cranes' pen so they could escape in the event of an emergency?

Those in charge of OM who are entrusted with the well-being of these birds, who have so much invested in time, energy, money and true dedication to save the species, were asleep at the wheel.

There is no justification for losing these magnificent birds to the storm. The birds drowned, they were not blown apart by a tornado. They could have been saved, had the people they so depended upon had the minimal foresight to take steps to prevent this tragedy.

Sophia Facciabella, Homosassa

Re: Sheriff Lt. James Martone

Sheriff's actions were correct

I do not agree with the actions of the deputy who stopped Lt. Martone nor with his corporal. Not administering a Breathalyzer test was the worst possible error either of them could have made.

What happened after that, however, happens in many accident cases. Not taking the man to jail isn't that unusual. Where was he going? Does everyone think he was going to run away? Run from a potential DUI when you have a wife, family, home! I think not. If he had killed someone, which could easily have been the outcome, that would have been a whole other world.

A report was filed describing the incident. How did we learn of it? The news picked it up like they do and informed the general public. The sheriff took action before the news got out and ballooned. If there had been a coverup, none of you would have ever known about the incident.

I reckon that all you self-righteous folks need a pound of flesh. Losing $20,000 annual salary, never being able to follow in your chosen occupation, being held up for gross public scrutiny, continuous embarrassment for your family and much more. None of us should ever forget that this man served as a deputy for 20 years. How many of you have put your life on the line for the public for even a short time?

Even though none of us might have done what the sheriff did, no matter, he did what he thought was right under the circumstances. And, get this, he stood up and told us!

No matter what was reported I would really hate to be in either the deputy's or corporal's shoes.

Frank Heath, Floral City

Loud music must be addressed

For years, the citizens of Citrus County have been under attack from heavy bass noise coming from some cars and homes. This boom box noise causes physical pain to elders and those with metal or plastic parts in their body. It almost drives them to their knees in pain.

Noise laws are not being actively enforced and as a result, people suffer physical pain from these enemies of peace. Some cities confiscate boom box cars. Contact the sheriff in writing or by phone and give your opinion. Public outrage is the only way this will be resolved in my opinion.

The noise falls under the public nuisance ordinances, noise is supposed to stay inside cars and 30 feet from property lot lines. Police in unmarked cars could do wonders in enforcing the law. Using unmarked cars and strict enforcement, Citrus County could become one of the quietest counties in Florida, with very little effort.

Sheriff Jeff Dawsy wants to concentrate on bigger type crimes, I am sure, but sometimes the small ones produce the most pain.

David E. Lauber, Hernando

Re: Faced with injustices we prefer distraction, Greg Hamilton column Feb. 11

Some perspective on Exxon Mobil

In this column, Mr. Hamilton complains about the fact that Exxon Mobil reported a profit last year of $39.5-billion on revenues of $378-billion, and that this topped 2005's obscene peak of $36-billion. He sees this as a bad thing worthy of an enormous amount of public outrage.

If Mr. Hamilton would just calm down a little and do the math, he'd see that a $39.5-billion profit on revenues of $378-billion is slightly less than 10.5 percent. I don't think any company can be faulted for making a 10.5 percent profit. In fact, I suspect that if Mr. Hamilton owns any stock, he'd quickly sell the stock of any company that reported a profit not much lower than that. I also suspect that the St. Petersburg Times, along with many other businesses, makes a profit that's in that same neighborhood, although I'm unable to easily find the Times' financial statement for last year to verify my assumption.

Yes, Exxon Mobil is a very large company. And very large companies sell very large amounts of their product. Even a small profit percentage on an extremely large revenue will produce a large profit when expressed in dollars.

If Mr. Hamilton would rather see small dollar amounts of profits, maybe he'd be happy to see Exxon Mobil split into two new companies. Then they could each report profits of $19.75-billion on revenues of $189-billion. Same profit margin, but the smaller numbers look much less obscene to narrow-minded people who can't keep things in their proper perspective.

Alfred T Barnard, Beverly Hills

Your voice counts

We welcome letters from readers for publication. To send a letter from your computer, go to www.tampabay.com/letters and fill in the required information. Type your letter in the space provided on the form, specify that you are writing the Citrus section of the newspaper, and then click "submit." You also may cut and paste a letter that you have prepared elsewhere in your computer.

If you prefer, you may fax your letter to (352) 860-7320, or mail it to Letters to the Editor, Citrus Times, 301 W Main St., Inverness, FL 34450.

All letters should be brief and must include the writer's name, city of residence, mailing address and telephone number. When possible, letters should include a handwritten signature. Addresses and telephone numbers will not be printed. The Times does not publish anonymous letters.

Letters may be edited for clarity, taste and length. We regret that not all letters can be printed.

[Last modified February 19, 2007, 06:37:16]