Published: October 03, 2008 06:16 pm            

In Your View — 10/06/08

October 05, 2008 06:00 am

Victim of abuse shares her story

Twenty times! That's how many times it took me to leave my abuser for good. Twenty times!

I will never forget my first attempt. My abuser had used his .22 handgun to punch me in the nose. He must have felt really bad about it, because I was really bloody. He willingly let me drive myself to the emergency room.

I was mortified. But somehow, I found the strength to tell someone about my abuse for the very first time. Of course, he was sorry for what he did. He even bought me flowers! So, I went back.

As time went by, the abuse only got worse, the apologies grew fewer and the flowers stopped being pretty. I found myself spending the night with my family, more than my own home. The only reason that I went back was because of the burden I was putting on my family. I praise God that they never did turn me away! Not even to teach me a “tough-love” lesson. Had it not been my silent prayers and their unconditional love, I would have eventually been killed.

My twentieth attempt of leaving him paved the road all the way to the survivor that I am today. I survived so that I can share my experiences with you. He might have meant to harm me, but God meant it for good. (Genesis 50:20) October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

Candy Goldie, Ashland



Bud Stevens seeks improved county

I see no negatives with what Bud Stevens is trying to do for this community.

The pool’s a major gamble in his life. He could sustain this office without any problems by just staying the course, maintaining the infrastructure of this county, and playing the politics.

Bud’s gamble would be say five terms as judge, $80,000 plus per year, times 20 years would be $1.6 million, not including his retirement for him and his wife.

No one is more driven than Bud Stevens to make Boyd County a better place to live. Bud Stevens is very aware.

Does Bud have all of the answers? No. but he’s trying to get us into the 21st Century, just thinking out of the box.

The remarks he made about Boyd County not having anything to offer corporate America were taken out of context, and this was a stab in the back from the news media. Did they get any clarification from him on the statement that he made about Boyd County? Once again, they won’t ever try to be part of the solution. They just add to the problems and negatives to sell papers and commercial time.

I challenge the person or persons who wrote the two Oct. 1 editorials to ride along with Bud Stevens for a few days, while he does his job as Boyd County judge-executive. They would find a very driven and smart working person.

Walk a mile in his shoes, before judging him, and see what he has done, and his ideas for the future of all Boyd County.

Bottom line: He’s bringing this project to our community for a vote, as was the “moist” vote for liquor sales. It will be up to the voters whether we want to go with any project.

Eric Brandenburg, Ashland



Flatwoods ignores its cat problem

I have read the letters in The Independent concerning cats, and I just wish Flatwoods would be as concerned as Ashland is about the problem.

I live on Espy Lane in Flatwoods, and people on the street behind me have cats that run wild. There has been at least two litters born in the last two years. One litter was born under my house.

These cats are wild and can’t be caught. They have torn the covers on my porch furniture, and there is cat hair on my furniture. When I went out to get my newspaper the other morning, there were three cats on my furniture.

That was the last straw.

I have called the city of Flatwoods and been told there is no law against cats. These owners should be responsible for the damage their cats do.

I called the Greenup County animal control and was told it could not catch cats.

I have a dog. I do not let him run in other people’s yards and do his business. I think people who own cats should be as responsible and keep their cats at home.

Joan Harris, Flatwoods



Consider all issues before you vote

It appears many people base their vote on one issue. However, it might behoove us to consider all issues before casting our vote.

These include the economy, the wars we are in, our role on the international stage, the state of our educational and healthcare systems, the environment and the health of the Earth, the national debt, the energy crisis the out-flow of jobs to other shores, the care of our children and our elders, the influence of the “fat cats” on our elected officials, the sorry state of our infrastructure, the great need for a national public transportation system, as well as an upgrade in local, urban and inter-urban public transport, the deplorable treatment of veterans, the unreachable cost of post secondary training and education, the profits of the oil companies, the chasm between the salaries and bonuses of the CEO’s and the wages of the workers, partisan wrangling, a do less Congress, the plight of immigrants, legal and otherwise, and any other item you might add.

Neither race nor gender nor religion should be the deciding factor in determining our vote. Our right to vote is too precious to allow prejudice and/or bias dictate how we mark our ballot

When one considers all this, it might lead one to believe that to base a vote on one issue is tantamount to not voting at all. A vote should be cast after considering the entire kaleidoscope of issues.

It is an overwhelming task, but it is our duty as citizens of a participatory democracy.

Douglas Mitchell, Greenup



Blame Congress, not Wall Street

Have you noticed how Congress has the media in lockstep with the belief that this financial meltdown is solely a Wall Street problem?

Remember the collapse of Enron and the prosecution of Ken Lay and his cronies? That wasn’t a Wall Street problem, that was a management problem. They were cooking their books.

Well, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac is of same story. These institutions are placed at the center of our financial crisis by incurring substandard loans to unqualified people for political gain.

The people at fault for this financial crisis don’t work for Wall Street; they work for us in the U.S. Congress.

These are the people in charge of our financial tax dollars, in charge of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Here are your Ken Lays of the Democrat-run Congress: Barney Frank and Chris Dodd, Treasury Chief Henry Paulson and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke.

B.J. Akers, Greenup

        

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