Letters to the Editor Tuesday

Posted: February 25, 2013 - 10:34pm  |  Updated: February 26, 2013 - 12:05am

I consider myself a relatively considerate driver — no tailgating, allowing people into traffic and acknowledging when others reciprocate.

So I wasn’t expecting a bout of road rage while driving to work along the 1400 block of East 33rd Street. After all, it was a little after 8 a.m. on a Friday morning.

Having sat patiently for the school bus to fill with its kindergarten cargo, I proceeded on my way only to be brought to a halt 50 yards further on.

Two cars driving in opposite directions had pulled to the middle of the road and stopped window to window. I sat patiently again, waiting for one or the other to move or pull over, they had clearly seen me.

Nothing... I honked my horn and was greeted with a filthy look and a tirade of abuse. After which money was exchanged for a small paper wrap. And finally I was allowed pass.

How rude and inconsiderate of me to interrupt their important, tax-free business transaction on my way to put in a solid days work.

Without searching it out, I routinely see drug dealing and participation going on in broad daylight throughout Savannah. The fact that there are neighborhoods I dare not enter after dark in the city, in which I am raising a four-year-old daughter, is, quite frankly, disgraceful.



Erect life-saving barrier on I-516/Lynes Parkway

Maybe now the Department of Transportation, be it state or federal, will build some sort of a barrier in the median of I-516/Lynes Parkway to keep cars from jumping the median and crashing head on into others.

I have asked them before in writing to consider that request, but the excuse at the time (10 years ago) from the DOT engineers was that the footprint was not big enough to accommodate a guard rail. Just do it!



Remove party labels after candidates’ names

Too many people today vote on a political party basis. They really don’t know the candidates’ views or qualifications and still vote for them because of their party affiliation.

I have always paid attention to the candidates themselves and voted for the person that I think represents me. I don’t care what their party is.

What I consider a major flaw in our voting system today is that most ballots let people vote a straight party ticket, either Democrat or Republican.

Is this really an informed voter?

If party affiliation wasn’t on the ballot, voters would have to know who the candidates are before they endorse them.

Voting for the future of our country is too important to be decided by an electorate that doesn’t take the time to examine the issues and make a decision based on the qualifications of the candidates.

Maybe if we didn’t have a D or R or I on the ballot, it would encourage voters to take a closer look at the issues and the candidate.



Today’s teachers should join the 21st century

Why do most teachers continue to teach our students in the same way they themselves were taught in school when there wasn’t even the Internet?

The other day when I was monitoring some students bubble in their answers to a standardized test, I had a flashback to when I was in elementary school when we also bubbled in standardized tests.

That was more than 40 years ago. And we are still doing it in school.

Can you imagine how our world would be if our technology hadn’t changed in 40 years?

When I was in Europe we went on a tour in Italy and stopped at a former university which was used hundreds of years ago. Even though they had writing tools at that time, the students weren’t allowed to write anything down while the professor lectured. It was considered cheating. They were expected to learn it just from what they heard.

I remember in my early years of teaching when some of the first students with computers at home would bring in their writing assignments, which were written on the first word processors. The teachers refused to accept the papers. They said by using the word processors they were cheating.

The only time students pick up a pen or pencil is when they are doing school work.


Computer Teacher

Bartlett Middle School


‘Savannah Bridge’ recognizes people, area

Now that it’s almost official, let’s remind folks of the overwhelming aptness of “the Savannah Bridge.” “Sa-wan-wa” was the Algonquin Indian word for “south” and thus the Savannah Indians who lived along the river at one time were “those in the south.”

The river took its name from that tribe, and on his arrival in Georgia, General Oglethorpe “marked out a town, and from the Indian name of the river, which run past it, called it Savannah.” Thus “the Savannah Bridge” recognizes and honors not only the river it crosses, but also the early indigenous occupants of the region, the town which is now our city, and “the south” which we hope to embody and preserve.



‘Gateway Bridge’ inspires

How about something a bit more imaginative than Savannah River Bridge? It’s recently been described as a “Lowcountry portal into Georgia.”

St. Louis has their Gateway Arch. Why not our “Gateway Bridge?”


Richmond Hill

Let state take over Bacon Park Golf Course

In regards to Elmo Weeks’ article on Bacon Park Golf Course (Feb. 24), I feel it’s time we take a look outside of private management of the course.

Savannah is one of the top tourist destinations in Georgia and the United States. One area where Savannah has lacked is in the funding of state parks. Skidaway Island State Park is bare bones compared to other state parks.

What better for the tourism of Georgia and Savannah than to have Bacon Park Golf Course designated as a state golf course?

State funding will give the course the means necessary to become a showcase for tourists and local players, especially with accommodations nearby and downtown just minutes away.



Comments (9) Add comment
BaconPark Uncensored
BaconPark Uncensored 02/26/13 - 02:37 am
Bacon Park's True History - the one they don't want you to know

Mr. O'Loughlin is the last surviving Bacon Park Comissioner and here's the truth they try to hide from the public about all those unlicensed landfills, sewage spills and why a regional recreational area is chewed up with development.

Here's the "tell all letter" written to an Eidtor of this newspaper.

Resolution unanimous – Bacon Park reduced Quick Sale or Swap

Dear Editor:

As the last surviving Bacon Park Commissioner, I appreciate the recent letters and sports columnist who have expressed interest in the truth and history about what has happened not only the Bacon Park Golf Course but the state of the entire Bacon Regional Park.

For too many years city attorney, Jimmy Blackburn along with Savannah’s city managers have provided “jaded legal advice” to the detriment and swapping off of Bacon Park lands. On April 22, 2010, Savannah’s Mayor(s), city council had Bacon Park land declared as nothing more than surplus property.

Our former city manager, Don Mendonza left a legacy of a common looter. Thirty years ago the city of Savannah violated their covenants and the Georgia Constitution by dismantling the Bacon Park Commission and allowed the public and developers to begin using Bacon Park for landfills (3), sewer operations and storm water diversion out of the 4th district.

The locations of these unlicensed landfills were deliberately located on the original entrance into the golf course off Skidaway Road, behind Benedictine Military School and off Beaumont and Central Avenue destroying the original Bacon Park Camp Grounds. Sewer operations can be found in the Bacon Park Forest and the golf course

It was the late 70’s in a meeting of the Bacon Park Commission that city manager Don Mendonza swore there would never be another Bacon Park Commission and began breaking down and dissecting the land up into landfills, sewer operations and selling it off to developers.

The Donald Ross design was altered to accommodate storm water diversion out of the 4th District known as the Casey Canal Project. The 15 original lagoons and land have been stagnated with the pollution of storm water sediment and a sewage spill that produced a large fish kill in Hayner's Creek. That’s why there is such a repugnant odor and golfers are forced to wade ankle deep through fairways absorbed with contaminated soil.

In recent years, the conversion of hundreds of thousands of dollars in grant awards and revenues to restore Bacon Park has been diverted. Organizations that have had an expressed interest in restoring Bacon Park reviewed the squandering and swapping off of its land and were shocked to find the pollution and altered conditions left by storm water and sewer operations and the total destruction of natural resources for greed.

The truth is funding resources are no longer available to Bacon Park as long as it remains in the hands of the city of Savannah and any organizations who have looted, destroyed and coveted Bacon Park land.

As the last surviving Bacon Park Commissioner, I support and I am petitioning the Chatham Delegation to enforce the provisions of Bacon Park’s covenants and constitutional amendment to de-annex Bacon Park out of the city limits and see it declared a “Regional State Park.”

Mr. Joseph O’Loughlin
Bacon Park Commissioner

(I was appointed to the Bacon Park Commission in the 1960’s by Chatham County Commissioner Arthur Solomon and City Alderman Woody Chambers. I served until 1975 when the Bacon Park Commission was dismantled by city manager, Don Mendonza and the city started breaking down recreational areas and selling Bacon Park off. )

1a12 02/26/13 - 06:15 am
"Maybe if we didn’t have a D or R or I on the ballot... "

then some people would simply vote for the "B" or "W" candidate, as they do now.

u9027 02/26/13 - 08:22 am

One Adam 12, you in the W or B column?

Thinkitover 02/26/13 - 09:14 am

Why not the Florence Martus Bridge? Florence Martus was the Waving Girl. She was known for welcoming and saying goodbye to Savannah River mariners for over 40 years. In a way that is what the bridge does now.

StillBill2 02/26/13 - 09:50 am

A poll tax is unconstitutional and should be. How about a poll TEST prior to casting a ballot? Just some simple straightforward questions about our form of government. No pass, no can vote. Can't you just hear the ACLU going berserk?

hs0427 02/26/13 - 11:05 am
Mr. Laing...

don't feel bad. I called the police to report several drug dealers trying to sell drugs to me while I was at a stop light. The police officer asked me if I purchased the drugs....when I said no, he asked me what I wanted him to do!

1a12 02/26/13 - 09:07 pm
I'm in neither

column. I vote for who I think will do the best job. Would've voted for Herman Cain in a second...and for the record, I'm caucasian.

TheVoluntaryist 02/27/13 - 08:59 am
I don't vote for none of

I don't vote for none of these factions of the state. If people voted on principles instead of these criminal gangs this country would not be in the mess it is now.

patuuk 02/27/13 - 07:53 pm
Gateway Bridge...not bad

I'm leaning towards Getaway Bridge.

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