In July 26 issue, Russell County News
By Barbara Sharp Zimmerman, Columnist

Readers often respond to this column; when they do, perhaps they deserve a response, or at least some notice.

First, I’d like to thank Vicki Robertson for her vigorous defense of my points of view. She said I gave her courage, and she’s the type of reader I really appreciate. She and a great many others tell me they agree with many of my opinions, and that gives me the courage to plow on in the face of criticism – both warranted and un.

Old buddies, Diana Gamblin Dalton and Jack Jordan Phelps, emailed me about my column on growing up in Jamestown. Diana remembered a scary character from the 1950s who wore a coat even on the hottest of days and was rumored to carry a butcher knife on her person.  Jack assured me that growing up in Jamestown was the way I remembered it and more, noting “I loved the old Jamestown even when we claimed there was nothing to do.”

One dear reader, a friend who reminded me that Kese Lawless always said only monkeys would show their name or face in public (gets me on both counts), so I won’t use her name, called to say she disagreed with my stance on the moist issue in Jamestown. She also said she would’ve canceled out my vote, until she found out the moist issue, if it got on the ballot, would only be voted on by those living in the city limits of Jamestown, which I don’t. So much for what I think.

Then, there’s the writer who took me to task on the issue of abortion – a subject about which I have never written to this point. He assumes that I am pro-abortion, though I am not and never have been. I could never have had an abortion, even in the days when pregnancy was a possibility. Of course, it’s easy for me to say that I am not pro-abortion now – just as it is easy for any man to proclaim abortion never, ever should be allowed under any circumstances. I believe that if men could get pregnant, abortion would be an indisputable right.

So, I am pro-choice, because I believe such a decision should be between a woman and her God, and because I cannot know all of the circumstances, such as incest, rape, the status of the fetus or the drug addiction of the mother, that would put a woman in the position to consider having an abortion.

To that writer, I would also say that since you assume I support abortion because I plan to vote for Barack Obama for President, can I assume you support continuing the senseless war in Iraq and flip-flopping on any number of issues because you plan to vote for McCain?

To another writer who maintains that Americans have no understanding of what’s really going on in our nation, I’ll be sure to refer those who have to choose between eating and having enough gas to drive to work to your reassurance that the economy is not in the tank.

But your idea that the stock market has rebounded to record levels is a bit premature, since the market is still way below where it was before Bush attacked Iraq. As for the U. S. being in the war for Iraqi oil, I would direct you to a recent Herald-Leader column by Derrick Z. Jackson, headlined, “Looks like Iraq war was only about oil, after all”.

What’s that? You say you don’t read the papers? Or news magazines? Just Fox News, eh? Well, that explains it.

Then there’s the clueless lady who wrote a response to one of my Russell County News columns to the Russell Register. That was clue number one. Clue number two was her claim that Bill Clinton could have prevented 9/11 by taking out Osama bin Ladin.

Hello? Seven years later, George W. Bush and his lock-step lackies still can’t find the guy.

She goes on to maintain “something had to be done when we were attacked on 9/11.” Yeah, but attacking Iraq, which had nothing – NOTHING – to do with 9/11, is like slapping your sister because you can’t find your brother who committed the wrong.

Saddam Hussein did not help train and harbor the terrorists, as this writer insists; that has been proven over and over and publicized everywhere but Fox News. . .

Finally, there is the writer who wrote to make me out the wicked witch of Nut Hill. I could not possibly respond to all of the inaccurate statements made in this letter; that would fill the entire paper.

Suffice it to say that I do not recall ever meeting this man, but I believe I may have observed some of his untoward behavior. I am not opposed to July 4th fireworks, but the ones that disturbed me were in June, between midnight and 1 A.M., and, judging by the ugly yelling at me, they were meant to disturb. The SUV that “lives” at this neighbor’s house has been “living” there unused and unmoved for two years.

Those “friendly and wonderful” pets have not only come after me, they did the same to a man who was doing some work for me and one of the little darlings bit a passing jogger, who called animal control.

Also, I do not have a fence, just a gate, which I have opened numerous times to let people with boats get out of bad situations they shouldn’t have gotten into in the first place; the gate is set back to allow for normal turning around. And contrary to what this guy says, I do get along with my neighbors, though I challenged one who built a boat storage garage in violation to Corps of Engineers regulations which govern our community.

And, oh yes, please do keep those amusing, even misguided, cards and letters coming. I love’em!