Common Sense

Dear Editor, I would like to thank the staff of The Advocate-Messenger for allowing the "letter to editor" section of your newspaper to exist. This allows me, along with the community, to gather the views and opinions of my neighbors. I think that this community is lucky to have evolved to where we are today. As a child, I remember when "The Sunday Blue Laws" were strictly enforced. These were times when nothing was allowed by the religious leaders of that day except to attend church - no movie, no gas station, no grocery store, nothing.

Dear Editor: The Biblical view regarding any matter is very simple. There are only two views, those who believe and those who do not. The Bible refers to these as the believers and unbelievers. What's more interesting is how someone who knows nothing of Christian principles or (convictions) has the ultimate authority on what Christian views are. Christian views are those of the one with the ultimate authority, God. Our one commandment is to love God with all our heart and soul and to love our neighbor as ourselves.

Last Friday afternoon, the subject line “10 deals to mend broken resolutions” popped up in my Gmail inbox. As I clicked on the New Year's-themed Groupon temptation, one of the deals caught my eye with two words: hot pants. These magical pants, called Zaggora HotPants, boasted that they could make a person drop up to two dress sizes in two weeks. Naturally, as with any lady who unrealistically keeps that favorite pair of jeans from freshman year of college as motivation to work out and someday fit back into them, I immediately clicked on it. The description said the biker-like shorts have technology that “smooths thighs and other dimple-prone areas.” “It's like they're talking right to me,” I thought, as I looked up other reviews of the product.

Dear Editor, In retrospect, it's now obvious that even before we had scientific evidence that smoking cigarettes was harmful to a person's health, common sense should have warned every person that inhaling smoke into one's lungs often and for extended periods of time couldn't possibly be healthy for the human body. After you put enough smoke into your lungs, the lungs cannot fight the effects or heal themselves any longer, and irreparable damage usually occurs. We shouldn't have needed scientists to tell us this.

Dear Editor, When I was raising my children and contemplated a decision I had to make relative to their upbringing, I often made the decision based on "what would my father have done?" Because he died before my children were grown, I couldn't ask him for advice, so I had to resort to the time tested method of determining what he would do based on what he told or allowed me to do or prohibited me from doing. When I hear the liberal politicians and the ACLU lawyers argue that we can't determine original intent of the framers of the Constitution as it relates to issues such as "separation of church and state," the wording of which is not found in that document, I realize the lack of common sense in those individuals we have elected to establish law, and also some of those who use the law in the pursuit of justice.

Typically, late fall brings with it seasonal colors and cooler weather. For area firefighters, the season signals the beginning of chimney and space heater-related fires. "One of the biggest problems we see is people storing combustibles too close to the heat source," said Mike Rupard, Jessamine County Fire District chief. Chief Charles Brumfield of the Nicholasville Fire Department said those types of fires are expected when the weather turns colder. "We see an increase of fires that are started from auxiliary heating appliances like space heaters and chimneys," he said.

What will it take until we get the message? The DUI message is drilled into our conscience through various mediums. Nothing good ever comes from drinking and driving. That should be common sense, but there are still some people who ignore the messages, and do so with oftentimes tragic consequences. We are shocked when we see on the news where a DUI event somewhere else has shaken that particular community. In August 2006, it was our community, Jessamine County, that was left numb with the news of the deaths of three children.

Effective as of about 10 a.m. Friday, the use of fireworks is banned in Clark County until further notice - the latest response to the intense heat and dry conditions. Judge-Executive Henry Branham issued the executive order, signed and dated Friday, to include the use of fireworks in the previously issued burn ban for Clark County. The order was issued upon recommendation by Clark County Fire Chief Ralph Ladson, it states. “A ban has been issued for all of Clark County ... on the following: use of fireworks, any and all outdoor burning, including campfires, bonfires, warming fires and open pit cooking,” the order states.

Adam Edelen, Democratic candidate for state auditor of public accounts, spoke to the Clark County Democratic Women's Club picnic at Beech Springs Market Aug. 1. He spoke about growing up in Meade County, his service on the boards of the United Way and KET, his 10 years of experience in the private sector and his service in state government. The former chief of staff to the governor, Edelen also worked in Kentucky's Department of Homeland Security. He promised common sense, accountability and transparency in the office if elected.

Dear Editor, Milton Reigelman and Michael Denis can sell themselves a pseudo-intellectual bill of goods where the Second Amendment is concerned, but I prefer common sense. Although my military training never exceeded that offered by JROTC, and I have not owned a gun for some years, it is patently obvious to me that an armory used for storage of weapons for "collective" use is a tactical and strategic weak point. Much easier to shut down a militia by capturing a single armory than rounding up or fighting its individual members who had their guns - where?