Sweetwater Reporter (Sweetwater, Tex.), Vol. 111, No. 249, Ed. 1 Sunday, September 6, 2009 Page: 4 of 18
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Viewpoints
Page A4 ■ Sunday, September 6, 2009
DEDICATED TO PROUDLY DELIVERING LOCAL NEWS SINCE 1881
Sweetwater Reporter
Not knowing... IS worse!
j ^ 1 J 1 I % > 1 The designations of var- to take the time - or to tumor can cause at least ovarian, not includir
i0Us months as “_ volunteer for something mild depression. Until a those found to have ce
A ______ Awareness Month" _ that is not a diaenosis of cancer has vical or uterine diseas
P.O. Box 750/112 W. Third
Sweetwater, Texas 79556
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managing editor
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production mgr.
EDITORIAL POLICY
The editorial section of the newspaper is a forum for
expression of a variety of viewpoints. All articles except
those labeled “Editorials” reflect the opinions of the writ-
ers and not those of the Sweetwater Reporter.
Letters to the Editor
Dear Editor,
Texans have always been strong and independent.
Though never perfect Texas always represented what
is good. Texans used to be known world over for their
kindness, generosity, and good humor. Lately, however,
darkness has swept over this great state.
August 30,2009 a group ot so-called Texans rallied on
the steps of our capitol calling for secession. Rather than
representing freedom, honesty, and respect for people,
ideals that make Texas the greatest, they spoke hatred.
Candidate Larry Kilgore pointed to the American flag
above the capitol anil said, "I hate that flag up there.... 1
hate the U.S.!" The Texas Observer wrote, "The audience
...included bikers wearing Confederate memorabilia, Alex
Jones conspiracy theorists carrying those Obama-as-
Joker signs...." Do those people represent Texas? The
world thinks they do.
When people claiming to represent Texas spout hatred
against the U.S. and condemn the American flag our
parents and grandparents died defending the issue is no
longer right/left, lmeral/conservative, or who sits in the
Whitehouse. The issue is what is a Texan. Have we for-
gotten our heritage? Why do Texans let hate-mongering
"foreigners" from the north and east destroy all that is
good and right in this great state? Isn't it time Texans
woke up? Do we really want the world to think this is the
kind of people who live in Texas?
Isn't it time we stop destroying all that is good in Texas
and stand up as a people who love liberty and respect
our fellow Texans? Arc we a good people or a hateful
mob? I count my fellow Texans as brothers and sisters,
too important to denigrate bv hateful actions and speech,
even though I often disagree with their politics. Let us
remember our Texas heritage and stop tearing ourselves
apart. Let’s show the world that in Texas even though we
make an art out of disagreeing at the end of the day we
care deeply for our state, our flag, each other, and man-
kind more than anv other group of people on earth. Texas
is the greatest. Make it so!
Ted Gresham
Lufkin, TX
Dear Editor,
The area’s future lake at Cedar Ridge is important for
the future of Abilene and surrounding cities. The lake
location will be approximately 15 miles east of Stamford.
The lake will be fed by the Clear Fork Of The Brazos River
with its watershed that extends almost to Snyder to the
northwest and Maryneal to the southwest.
Whereas ground water is scarce and limited, our future
additional water depends on the surface water of The
Clear Fork Of The Brazos River to provide 11s with potable
water. As meager as it is, this is what we have to work
with.
The proposedTenaska Corporation of Omaha, Nebraska
coal fired electric generation plant would sit in the center
of the watershed (seven miles west of Trent on north
side of I-20) of Abilene’s future Cedar Ridge Lake. The
multibillion dollar corporation Tenaska operates natural
gas plants in Virginia, Oklahoma, Alabama, Georgia,
Washington and Texas. Tenaska has zero experience in
transporting, unloading and firing coal, and managing
the resulting waste materials of a coal fired electric gen-
eration plant.
This 765 Megawatt coal fired plant will produce 400-
1500 tons of ashes daily. Tenaska has never operated
a coal fired plant and therefore has no record of safely
disposing of 1,000 tons of toxic and mercury laden ashes
daily. The Tenaska plant map shows the ash pit to be
located beside Stink Creek which is a large tributary
of The Clear Fork Of The Brazos. Would 1,000 tons of
ashes be left each day to scatter in the prevailing winds to
Sweetwater, Abilene, Anson, Haskell, Roby, Winters and
Ballinger or washed down Stink Creek into the Clear Fork
to flow to Cedar Ridge Lake and Fort Phantom Lake?
And what about the impurities of the smoke stack (the fly
ash)? Fly ash is toxic, radioactive and contains mercury
that is heavier than air that will fall back to the ground
within a few miles radius of the smoke stack. The nearest
towns will receive the most pollution.
Some people have been led to believe this will be a
clean coal plant. Clean coal can not be found anywhere
on earth. The term "clean coal" is an advertising slogan of
the coal industry. The only definition that we have been
able to find for clean coal Is found in the glossary of the
Western Canadian Coal Company. Their definition of
clean coal is: "Coal that is sized, washed and dried and
ready for shipment to the customer”. Sized, washed and
dried does not eliminate any of the pollutants produced
in combustion of the coal. The pollutants are just as great
as they would be if the coal was never sized, washed and
dried.
Considering Nolan County's 14,812 inhabitants along
with 156,11(1 inhabitants of Fisher, Jones, Haskell, Taylor
and Runnels counties' for a total of 170,928 inhabit-
ants, more needs to be considered than short term jobs
to construct the plant and the few jobs it would take to
operate the plant. Pollution does hot recognize counts
lines. There is no possible way the Tenaska plant can be
beneficial in any way to
Abilene and surrounding towns that could outweigh
the potential damage it promises for the fifty years plus
of its possible life. Its ultimate water requirement of
10,000,000 gallons every day would also put a great
stress on the water sources of this drought stricken area.
Rogers L. Dennis
The designations of var-
ious months
Awareness Month”
become tiresome,
but there are a few
worthy of note. One
of the “Awareness’es
for September is
gynecologic oncol-
ogy, something well
worth spending a lit-
tle time considering.
Contrary to popular
belief, this is not a
subject for women
only. In many
cases, symptoms
of cancers effecting
mostly women are notice-
able by any person in the
family. Last month, Bob
and I celebrated the eight
year anniversary of my
diagnosis.
Men and women alike
joke that getting the oppo-
site sex to the doctor takes
somethingsimilartoanAct
of God. There are very few
people who enjoy visits to
a physician; in fact, I have
it on good authority that
getting a doctor to make
such a visit is even harder.
Unfortunately, this trait in
both of 11s gives diseases
such as cancer an oppor-
tunity to grow unchecked,
so that by the time the
tumor is found, life may be
threatened. Thankfully,
we have become more
aware of the danger signs
of various forms of can-
cer, hopefully leading to
earlier diagnosis and more
cures. Many of the warn-
ing signs, however, are not
only very subtle but slow
to appear, sometimes so
slow that we don’t notice
them. This is when family
and friends can help.
Cancer is a word that
frightens people. When
spoken in conjunction
with the health of a friend
or loved one, many hear
it as a death knell. Each
year, however, more peo-
ple survive it, going on to
lead normal, active and
healthy lives. The key is
early detection and treat-
ment. Clinical tests, such
as mammograms and
smears, have received
enough publicity that
everyone is aware they
should be done. These
are not normally consid-
ered a topic of conversa-
tion, but at least annually,
spouses, significant others
and close friends might be
wise to inquire. At times,
the inquiry alone will be
enough to get her to the
doctor, especially when
made by someone who
cares. As a person who
procrastinated about these
tests for many years, 1 can
understand not wanting
BOUT SIGHT
lisa
Peterson
to take the time - or to
volunteer for something
that is not a
pleasant experi-
ence. However,
the tests take less
than thirty min-
utes; a diagnosis
of cancer takes a
minimum of five
years to over-
come.
The most
deadly cancer for
women still has
no specific test.
Ovarian cancer is
the fourth lead-
ing cause of cancer deaths
among American women,
with more cases diagnosed
annually. Statistics show
that 50% of the women
diagnosed with this can-
cer after it has spread to
other organs will die from
it within five years (source,
Ovarian Cancer National
Alliance). Early detection,
however, raises the sur-
vival rate significantly.
The problem with diag-
nosing this form of can-
cer - as with many oth-
ers - lies in its ability to
remain hidden until it
lias spread through the
abdominal cavity. Its
symptoms, when there
are any, are so similar to
those of aging that most of
us do not pay attention to
them. The most common
ones include abdominal
pressure, bloating, weight
gain or loss, and fatigue.
One of the gynecologic
oncologists that Bob and 1
worked with added to that
list a change in tempera-
ment and attitude. It is
his belief that a growing
tumor can cause at least
mild depression. Until a
diagnosis of cancer has
been made, however, these
symptoms appear benign,
and to be simply a part
of life.
Many of these changes
are very gradual, and most
of us are not sufficiently
narcissistic that we note
each minor change. Once
again, this brings in the
spouse, significant other,
or close friend. What is
frustrating as a weight
gain may be recognizable
to them as an apparent
localized growth. I fought
what I believed was simply
gaining weight for several
months, before discussing
it with my husband, and
following his advice to see
my doctor. Thankfully, the
doctors we have practic-
ing here are well aware
of the dangers of ovarian
cancer, as well as its many
manifestations, and of the
presence of a Gynecologic
Oncologist as close as
Abilene. The tests needed
are also available here,
making diagnosis simpler
and easier.
Gynecologic Oncology
is a fairly new medical
specialty, but cancers spe-
cific to women are as old
as history. The idea of
dedicating a month to the
specialty is extremely new,
but the need for awareness
of these cancers is not. No
one wants to consider the
possibility of dealing with
cancer; I know I did not.
However, when you real-
ize that 1 in 8 women will
be diagnosed with breast
cancer, and 1 in 57 with
ovarian, not including
those found to have cer-
vical or uterine disease,
the need for the special-
ty - and for education -
becomes apparent.
The first step to han-
dling any problem is to
recognize it, and the same
is true with cancer. There
are many of us who are
surviving it; my story is
not at all unique. Sadly,
the converse is also true;
there are many who are
dying from it. If there is
a woman in your life that
you do not want to lose,
take the time this month
to talk to her. When was
her last annual check up?
While the tests included
there will probably not
find ovarian cancer, they
will find many others.
How is she feeling? Have
you observed any changes
in her, and if so, have you
discussed them? Why are
they happening? Take the
time - today - to sit down
and consider her (your?)
health. The gift of life is
too precious to squander
bv not paying attention to
health.
“Cancer" can be a fright-
ening diagnosis; however,
with the assistance of our
medical professionals and
the resources they com-
mand, it does not have
to be a death sentence,
especially when diagnosed
early.
Lisa Peterson is the
Counti/ Attorney for
Nolan County. Comments
about this column may he
e-mailed to editors sweet-
waterreporter.com.
Some people need a bam
Some people need a barn
even though they may not
have any practical justifi-
cation for it. It’s like 1—-
some people have a /
church group or a —.
club that their lives [
revolve around even 1 ||
though it might not
be a daily thing, but
in the lives of coun-
try folks "the barn" is
daily. Always. There
are some of us who
grew up with the
barn playing such a
major part that we
still have to have one.
Even now I might call
someone's house and say
something like, “Is Butch
there?" and the answer
might be, "No, lie's at the
barn," or, “Ile’s on his way
to the barn." Or, "He's
coming from the barn."
Way back when, like two
centuries back (that still
doesn't fit my mind at all.
If you spend a big part of
your life with the eighteen
hundreds being the last
century, it’s hard to adjust
to the nineteen hundreds
being the last century. A
few weeks back I told Skip
and Buffv the house they
were asking about was
built in 03 and ended up
having to say, "No, no,
it's not six years old. It
was built in 1903 and it s
a hundred and six years
old!" My bad. as the kids
saw Change comes hard
lor hard-headed folks!)
Stan
Anyway, back in 1880 and
1890 when the first brave
and adventurous people
moved in around
here and decid-
ed on a place to
settle, they might
build the barn first
and then build the
house. I know of
one woman who
was born in the
family’s new barn
because the house
wasn’t built yet.
Every country
JOhnSOn P'ace had a barn.
Some were small
and some were
large, with the major-
ity being in between. If
they were early-built, they
were box and strip style,
where the 1" x 12" boards
were nailed up vertically
and then a 1" x 4" board
was nailed over each crack
between them. A lot of
early houses were built
that way, too. Later on,
barns were built more like
houses are now with verti-
cal stud boards covered by
1" x 12" boards nailed on
is. Now, a barn is probably
metal and unless it has a
hayloft-barn shape, it can
be hard to tell whether
it’s a barn, shop or store-
room.
As good as some of the
new ones are, though,
when 1 think of a barn
I’m remembering those
old barns. Our barn,
Papa Johnson’s barn,
Granddaddy Rudd’s barn,
Uncle Herbert’s barn, and
how they looked, smelled
and even how they felt. I
remember harness hang-
ing in Papa Johnson’s barn
and wondering how long
it had been since it was
used. We played in barns,
worked in barns, and later
on just sat in barns to
reflect. Old falling-down
houses are sad, and old
falling-down barns can be
even sadder.
P. S. I still have this on
the northwest corner of my
old desk, and I guess it s
horizontally. If the barn
was painted, it was proba-
bly red, but most were not
painted at all. After money
spent for livestock, living
costs, feed, seed, various
band tools and equipment,
there might not lie money
left for house or barn
paint. A big, neat, well-
kept painted barn was a
real sign of affluence. Still
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ol lex as Iik (Periodical Postage Paul)
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Postmaster: Send address changes to
SWI.I rWATliK RI.PORM K
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SWI I I SUM K r.\ 7M.VV.
City iXdivery VMHlpcr month. V*MN)
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SJMHi By mail In Count) Rates
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Kates 'months $30 00, ft months
$HHOO 12 months M W m
good to use it again here:
"Do not let any sweet-talk-
ing woman beguile your
good sense with the fas-
cination of her shape. It's
your barn she's after."
Hesoid (CA 800 B. C.)
<■ Stan Johnson 2009
Stan Johnson lives and
works in Nolan County.
('omments about this col-
umn can he emailed to
edit or (u sweetwaterre-
porter.com.
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Editorial:
As a matter of policy, the
Sweetwater Reporter will
publish corrections of errors
in fact that have been print-
ed in the newspaper.
The corrections will be
made as soon as possible
after the error has been
brought to the attention ot
the newspaper's editor at
236-6677.
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Rodriguez, Tatiana. Sweetwater Reporter (Sweetwater, Tex.), Vol. 111, No. 249, Ed. 1 Sunday, September 6, 2009, newspaper, September 6, 2009; Sweetwater, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth559656/m1/4/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Sweetwater/Nolan County City-County Library.