Letters, Oct. 3, 2012: American morality; Pro Art store; Thanks to Belle mayor
Doing the right thing should be the norm
Editor:
I read the Australian prime minister commented that America is in decline. The top-down cover-up of the rape of children at Penn State University by the best and brightest leads me to think he may be right. There will always be Sanduskys in the world. But the most grotesque aspect of this case is the systemic Penn State response that enabled Sandusky to rape more kids. Is the television revenue that important? If it is, then we really have gone over the edge.
College sports should be an opportunity for young folks to get an education. We've turned them into a huge business and that is a shame. The victims in State College were literally enslaved to that business. Being humane and having a sense of decency should not be victimized by the financial bottom line, but we do it every day. Our society has always had freaks, but there have been different periods of time when "doing the right thing" was a cultural norm. Has doing the wrong thing become the norm? Are image and money the only gauges we can use?
I applaud the NCAA for staring down a huge and powerful institution. I hope that we all hear the message. Ultimately, it's up to you and me. Let's make doing the right thing a daily event. The politicians and pundits will spin the Penn State issue to their advantage. The talking heads will have us glued to the television for hours to listen to every angle of the debate. Awe-inspired people like me will write letters to their editors. But, it's still up to each of us to choose a good direction. We have something very important to learn from such a horrible crime.
Carl Hostler
Scott Depot
Pro Art store gone but not forgotten
Editor:
Jack and Tracy Trail and Victor Weigand, co-owners of Pro Art art supply store, were very good friends and supporters of the Charleston art community. Their store on Summers Street closed abruptly about five months ago, leaving a deep void. For a long time after their closure, I found myself automatically grabbing the car keys to run to Pro Art to replace a tube of paint and get new brushes or take some art to Victor for excellent matting and framing. Since Jack and Tracy are both artists, they could be counted on to discuss art techniques and products and encourage creativity. No other store in the nearby area comes close to what they offered and area artists have had to scramble to try to replace them.
When Pro Art auctioned off its assets, many artists told me they had not seen or heard from Jack, Tracy or Victor since the closure. All told me how much they missed them and appreciated all they had done through the years.
It was inevitable that an individually owned small art store would have difficulty competing with large chain stores and the Internet. My only wish is that they could have had a planned closure that allowed them to receive the gratitude and best wishes they deserved from the art community. Thanks Jack, Tracy and Victor.
Mary Lou Wiegand
Charleston
Belle mayor makes Thursdays special
Editor:All the residents of Belle should be very proud of Mayor Buck Chestnut for organizing the musicians and singers for the seniors age group every Thursday evening. It's fantastic.
The musicians were great and so were the singers. There is a lot of talent around the area.
Nashville would be envious of the talent I heard and enjoyed very much. Hats off to Buck and all the performers.
Myrtle Brown
Charleston
Doing the right thing should be the norm
Editor:
I read the Australian prime minister commented that America is in decline. The top-down cover-up of the rape of children at Penn State University by the best and brightest leads me to think he may be right. There will always be Sanduskys in the world. But the most grotesque aspect of this case is the systemic Penn State response that enabled Sandusky to rape more kids. Is the television revenue that important? If it is, then we really have gone over the edge.
College sports should be an opportunity for young folks to get an education. We've turned them into a huge business and that is a shame. The victims in State College were literally enslaved to that business. Being humane and having a sense of decency should not be victimized by the financial bottom line, but we do it every day. Our society has always had freaks, but there have been different periods of time when "doing the right thing" was a cultural norm. Has doing the wrong thing become the norm? Are image and money the only gauges we can use?
I applaud the NCAA for staring down a huge and powerful institution. I hope that we all hear the message. Ultimately, it's up to you and me. Let's make doing the right thing a daily event. The politicians and pundits will spin the Penn State issue to their advantage. The talking heads will have us glued to the television for hours to listen to every angle of the debate. Awe-inspired people like me will write letters to their editors. But, it's still up to each of us to choose a good direction. We have something very important to learn from such a horrible crime.
Carl Hostler
Scott Depot
Pro Art store gone but not forgotten
Editor:
Jack and Tracy Trail and Victor Weigand, co-owners of Pro Art art supply store, were very good friends and supporters of the Charleston art community. Their store on Summers Street closed abruptly about five months ago, leaving a deep void. For a long time after their closure, I found myself automatically grabbing the car keys to run to Pro Art to replace a tube of paint and get new brushes or take some art to Victor for excellent matting and framing. Since Jack and Tracy are both artists, they could be counted on to discuss art techniques and products and encourage creativity. No other store in the nearby area comes close to what they offered and area artists have had to scramble to try to replace them.
When Pro Art auctioned off its assets, many artists told me they had not seen or heard from Jack, Tracy or Victor since the closure. All told me how much they missed them and appreciated all they had done through the years.
It was inevitable that an individually owned small art store would have difficulty competing with large chain stores and the Internet. My only wish is that they could have had a planned closure that allowed them to receive the gratitude and best wishes they deserved from the art community. Thanks Jack, Tracy and Victor.
Mary Lou Wiegand
Charleston
Belle mayor makes Thursdays special
Editor:All the residents of Belle should be very proud of Mayor Buck Chestnut for organizing the musicians and singers for the seniors age group every Thursday evening. It's fantastic.
The musicians were great and so were the singers. There is a lot of talent around the area.
Nashville would be envious of the talent I heard and enjoyed very much. Hats off to Buck and all the performers.
Myrtle Brown
Charleston
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