Letters to the EditorThursday, September 4, 2008
Caught by a bird In his Aug. 28 column, Bryce Donovan wrote, "The prize ornithological catch in the Francis Beidler Forest is what is known as a prothonotary warbler... ." The prothonotary warbler also helped catch a communist agent in the State Department. In the late 1940s, members of the House Committee on Un-American Activities quizzed Whittaker Chambers, a confessed communist agent, in a closed session about his relationship with Alger Hiss. Chambers said when Hiss worked at the U.S. State Department Hiss gave classified government information to him to pass on to Moscow. Chambers told the congressmen several personal things about Hiss in order to convince them of Chambers' association with Hiss back in the 1930s. Chambers related Hiss' excitement one day at having seen a prothonotary warbler in the Washington, D.C., area. This was an extremely rare sighting. Later, when the committee questioned Hiss, who steadfastly denied knowing Chambers, one of the congressmen was sitting quietly at the end of the table taking it all in. When it came his time to ask a question, the congressman seemed to be more interested in Hiss' bird watching than his association with a communist agent. He asked Hiss if he had ever seen a prothonotary warbler. Hiss fell into the trap. He related how and when he had seen the bird and how thrilled he was, even to that day, since the warbler was hardly ever seen anywhere, except in the Deep South. FRANCIS X. ARCHIBALD Privileged few The College of Charleston and other state-supported colleges, universities and technical schools are authorized to permit persons age 60 and over "to attend classes without payment of tuition ... if these persons do not receive compensation as full-time employees." When I went to the admissions office at the College of Charleston, I learned the unfortunate news about a piece of legislation passed recently in Columbia (see Article 5, section 59-11-320). It states that people 60 or older who work full time may no longer take tuition-free classes at any state-supported institution. People who are retired but receive full-time benefits also do not qualify. There is no distinction made in this piece of legislation regarding the level of compensation. Perhaps the Legislature believes that seniors who must work or who have had some sort of illness or injury and are receiving benefits, or seniors who have been forced into early retirement and may have a severance package of a year or two or those who have a minimum-wage job can afford the $1,000 per course. To carry this logic through to its conclusion, the Legislature then surely believes that those with trust funds, inheritances, large stock portfolios or other means of support, excluding employment, are the seniors who would suffer a hardship if paying tuition. These people can simply pay $25 (even the $10 admission application fee is waived) and take courses all day long at the college or any other state-supported institution in South Carolina. I am self-employed and do not receive compensation as a full-time employee. (I am classified as an independent contractor who works on commissions and has no definite or regular income.) I do not have the benefit of group health insurance and must pay all of my own Social Security taxes. I rely totally on myself for support and am almost halfway past 60 and do not qualify for the tuition-free program. If I were a woman who did not have to work in order to support myself, I would be starting classes this week. JANE RIES Negative on cars I am curious as to why your Aug. 19 article on "Buyer satisfaction" was so negative on the performance of U.S. automakers, particularly GM. As the accompanying data and explanation indicate, the "margin of error (is) plus or minus two points ..." The spread between the touted leaders, Lexus, BMW and General Motors (Buick, Cadillac and Saturn), was 87-85, which is within the margin of error. Applying that margin of error at the limits could result in GM-87 and Lexus/BMW-85. I do not understand the bashing of American industry when the data show a statistical tie. I have owned many GM autos, as well as quite a few imports. My GM products over the past 20 years or so have consistently delivered greater value and performance. TOM SECREST Gus Cacioppo The passing of Gus Cacioppo last month brought to mind an event in the life of an outstanding man, a superior musician and my friend. Several years ago, the late Sam Lyons called to book my Sugar Hill band for a Palmetto Ford Christmas party at the Elk's Club. Sam baited the hook: Bring a saxophone and you get a bonus. I called Gus, and then called Sam again and told him to write the check. Gus sat to my right on stage, and as the band breezed through a typical Bob Wills playlist, Gus warmed to the occasion. Reaching "Milk Cow Blues," he nodded to me, indicating that he was ready to take a ride on the tune. For years, Gus, who once fronted a full-size orchestra, had told me that he had always wanted to sit in with a Western swing band. That night he was "cooking." He blew everyone away each time he took the spotlight. After completing the engagement and while getting ready to pack, I handed Gus an envelope. "What's this?" he asked. "Your check," I replied. Without missing a beat he added, "You mean to tell me that I get paid for having this much fun?" "Yes, my man," I said. As we got to the door, several Palmetto Ford employees came over to tell us how much they enjoyed the show. One asked, "Are you fellows going back to Nashville tonight?" "Never," we replied, almost in unison. AL WALL Tragic event On Aug. 3, my husband and I received the dreaded middle-of-the-night phone call every parent fears. Our 25-year-old son, Ben, had been killed instantly in a single-car accident on Bennett's Point Road in Colleton County. We want to thank the Colleton and Charleston County public officials who assisted at the accident scene and with follow-up procedures. We also want to express our gratitude to the volunteers who assisted the public officials early that Sunday morning. We want to thank the unknown person who made the 911 call to report the accident. We want to thank the members of the community for all the strength and support they have provided our family during the past few weeks. The outpouring of love for Ben and his family has been incredible. The effect this young man had on the lives of so many has truly humbled and amazed us. To us, he was "our boy, Ben," and we will forever be thankful to have had him in our lives. ANNE C. BURRIS Time for action Now that we have two Democratic U.S. senators, who are nominated for the presidency and vice presidency, as well as Sen. Hillary Clinton, promising to change things for the better in America, we need to look at the past two years during which the Democratic Party has controlled Congress. When they took over in 2006, Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi also promised change. But no major bills were passed to solve our many problems, including the unpopular war in Iraq. How can we possibly rely on the politically popular promises now being offered by candidates who were in a position to make the necessary laws to help the American people? What did they do for two years? They ran for office. It's time to look for action and not promises. Please vote in November. PHIL SIEGRIST |
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