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EYE ON THE VALLEY: Ricketts rides off into council
sunset EYE ON THE VALLEY: In memoriam of John Paul II By Chris Graham/AFP Shenandoah Valley residents will be able to pay their respects to Pope John Paul II at Reynolds Funeral Service chapels in Stuarts Draft and Waynesboro. "The idea was to provide a place for members of the general public to mourn the passing of the pope who might not feel comfortable going to a church or somewhere else to do so," Reynolds Funeral Service spokesperson ... ROCKINGHAM BEAT: From the WSVA newsroom ... By Karl Magenhofer Police investigate infant's death City man arrested for stabbing Pair will face jury for embezzlement Trucker ID'd Men get jail time for scheme OBITUARIES: April 06, 2005 No obituaries were reported to The Augusta Free Press. AROUND TOWN: Community-news notebook By Chris Graham/AFP King named EMU athletics director Holocaust survivor to speak at BC Steel Magnolias at The Paramount VIEWS ON THE NEWS: What a concept The news business gets bigger, and its collective mind gets smaller. We raise that issue in the wake of the recent coverage of, well, every significant and insignificant news story to come across the airwaves and see the light of day in newsprint since the advent of 24-hour television news and the Internet. Take, for instance, the wall-to-wall treatment of the passing of Pope John Paul II. Newsworthy? EDUCATION TODAY: Distance education By Stephen Winslow There is no denying that the popularity of distance education is on the rise. Distance education has spread from colleges to earlier grades. According to the Associated Press, the first federal study of distance education shows that students in more than one-third of U.S. school districts take courses over the Internet or through video conferences. WORLD ACCORDING TO: Politics ... where this writer stands By John Rudolph Some writers have been telling readers as of late their political aspirations. So without further adieu, I guess it's my turn to start talking and telling why I am where I am today. Below are just some examples of why I ended up being where I am now. Being that I am a Republican, it's rather odd that I was raised over in the U.K. under parents who were staunch supporters of British Labour ... GUEST VIEW: Three hundred billion dollars lost? By Matt Chancey I had to chuckle a bit after reading the report that the IRS is short $300 billion. Most of this lost money, the IRS says, is from people not declaring all their income on their tax forms. Now, before I go further, let me say that I do not think it's right for people to cheat on their taxes. I have never cheated on my taxes, nor do I plan to start. I've got six mouths to feed besides my own, and I can't afford to do jail time ... GUEST VIEWS: Letters to the Editor By Harold A. Maio Laughter, the best medicine? By Leslie Meaux Kudos for the coverage By Armond Simmons An immigration parable
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Guest Views The Augusta Free Press
Laughter, the best medicine? Laughing about something helps (War of the Words, April 4 AFP). The humor is appreciated. The statistics on sanity are, however, not about "sanity" versus "insanity," they are about degrees of mental wellness. Like some physical illnesses, some mental illnesses are very serious, some much less so. And even the most serious illnesses occur in degree: One-third of people diagnosed with schizophrenia recover, and it is a very serious illness. We tend to stereotype mental illness maliciously, even to suggesting it is a generic singular. Our stereotyping has done great harm: Deaths in America's mental institutions far surpass the total of deaths in every war we have every fought (www.insightmag.com/news/2001/08/06/National/Forgotten.Dead.Of.St.Elizabeths-161224.shtml). Conditions in state mental institutions are far below those in general hospitals; many states are presently addressing the failures of their entire mental-health systems. People still speak far too often whispers about this health problem, one we have yet to integrate into our health-care system. Joke on, when mental health is fully integrated into our thinking - and our humor, and maybe our approaches to it, will improve. - Harold A. Maio, Fort Myers, Fla.
Kudos for the coverage Thanks for the media coverage on the Zirkle Mill issue (Group continues effort to preserve Zirkle Mill, March 31 AFP). While we receive significant coverage in Shenandoah County, it is important that this story is reported in the Frontier Culture Museum's backyard. - Leslie Meaux
An immigration parable You're a Mexican corporation. You have two cows. Your two cows break through the fence and graze with U.S. cows. Your two cows eat less grass and give a lot more milk to U.S. pasture owners. U.S. pasture owners get rid of two U.S. cows. Two U.S. cows protest to Congress to enforce existing laws that prohibit your two cows from grazing illegally in U.S. pastures. The U.S. Pasture Owners Political Action Committee contributes milk funds generated from your two cows to congressional campaigns. Congress determines that your two cows contibute more than two unproductive U.S. cows to their most crucial reason for existence - to remain permanently ensconced in their seats of royalty. Congress ignores immigrazing laws. Congress is happy. U.S. pasture owners are happy. Your two cows are happy. Your Mexican Corporation is happy. - Armond Simmons, Pell City, Ala.
The views expressed by letter writers do not necessarily reflect those of management of The Augusta Free Press.
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