Letters to the Editor for Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Wind power the ultimate green source
I am told that many of the citizens and political leaders in Central Virginia are completely against the construction of wind energy turbines along our ridges. These same folks must acknowledge that the reason they have electricity to power their TVs and refrigerators is that the citizens of West Virginia and Kentucky are suffering through the environmental catastrophe of having some of their entire mountains and mountain communities destroyed for the coal under them.

Citizens, I invite you to begin to take responsibility for your electric power use and consider what the effects of coal mining would be on the beauty of our Blue Ridge Mountains.

Would we like to see our ridges and mountain communities destroyed for coal? Would we want to see our streams made lifeless and blackened with toxic coal mining wastes? Do we need more sulfurous smoke in our skies and more carbon dioxide in our atmosphere from coal burning power plants?

Or would we prefer to see instead a line of great wind turbines producing clean energy from the wind when you look across our beautiful mountains? I know where I stand.

Presently, I don’t own any land along the crest of the Blue Ridge or on the higher ridges, but I invite any reputable wind energy developer to survey the land I do own in Nelson County for a possible commercial wind energy site. And furthermore, I ask all other electric power-using citizens of Central Virginia to join me in this invitation. Finally, I demand that our political leaders make Central Virginia as inviting as possible to said wind energy developers or tell the citizenry of West Virginia and Kentucky that they care nothing for them and their mountains, mountain communities and rivers.
MICHAEL TABONY
Gladstone

A false premise
Since the 1930s, the government in this country has used its control over public schools to teach children that cannabis, or marijuana, is “bad.” In our Southern culture, “bad” things must be avoided; countervailing information becomes taboo and unwelcome.

In reality, however, cannabis constitutes one of the safest substances for the human body in the entire universe.

One can overdose on aspirin, caffeine or even water; no one has ever overdosed on cannabis. The only charge against cannabis really supported by research is that it impairs concentration. But this is merely part of the definition of “intoxicant.”

Eaten, cannabis is even safer than when smoked.

On the contrary, prohibition causes major problems for society and for public health.

Criminals enjoy a monopoly on the nation’s biggest cash crop; law enforcement is diverted from serious matters to chasing harmless cannabis users.

Most importantly, current policy seriously degrades individual liberty and our founding ideal of the individual as master of himself insofar as he does not impinge on the liberty of others.
BRIAN LUEDKE, RN
Lynchburg