News opinion 2008-05-06 Andanh.com

City needs to take care of parking lot Tue, 6 May 2008 12:22:43 -0500
The city should practice what it preaches when it pertains to the out-of-control vegetation growth in the city-owned parking lot between College and State streets. The lot, which was reconfigured and repaved last year, is being overtaken with weeds in some of the plots that were designed for flowers and plants. It was completely understandable that the city didn’t plant anything in the lot last year because of the drought, but a year later, with perfect conditions for planting, the landscape boxes are overcome with out-of-control weeds. This is somewhat disturbing considering the city has code enforcement officials that don’t hesitate to cite anyone who has weeds growing out of control or has grass over a certain height. It is their prerogative to do that and there has to be some standards, but the city should also set the tone for others on their own property. If they are able to cite people and fine them for not complying with code, then they should be held to the same standard. A lot of money was put into the designing and improvement of the new parking lot between these two streets and it is a shame the city has let it get out of control. With the downtown going through major redevelopment efforts, it makes no sense to have this newly configured lot overcome by weeds. City officials could take a look at Circus Square Park, which is just now getting finishing touches, including landscaping, as an example of what the greenspace in the city parking lot can be. We believe that the city should lead by example and this situation in the heart of our downtown raises some serious questions about how well they are doing that.

As Maine goes Tue, 6 May 2008 12:20:17 -0500
AUGUSTA, Maine — It is only partially true that in presidential elections “as Maine goes, so goes the nation.” The term emerged in the 19th century because at the time Maine held its elections for statewide and congressional offices in September, not November. The proximity of the September-November voting made Maine a bellwether for forecasting how the rest of the country would vote. In modern elections, held with the rest of the country in November, Maine chose Richard Nixon over John F. Kennedy in 1960; Hubert Humphrey over Nixon in 1968 (it went for Nixon in 1972), Gerald Ford over Jimmy Carter in 1976, Al Gore and John Kerry over George W. Bush in 2000 and 2004, respectively. Maine’s two senators are “moderate” Republicans and the state has a Democratic governor. This is no conservative bastion. At the GOP state convention last weekend, at which I was invited to speak, the crowd, more than 2,000 strong, was enthusiastic but represented a small portion of Maine’s electorate. According to GOP state chairman Mark Ellis, self-identified Republicans make up the smallest number of Maine’s voters (28 percent, he says) with about 32 percent registered Democrats, and 34 percent Independents. Five percent belong to the Green Party. Ellis told me the Republican Party is in “dire straits” in Maine, “as it is in all of the Northeast.” Too many see the party “caving in” to liberal demands, he said. Party activists believe “we should stand firm.” Ellis says the division between social and economic conservatives has become wider and only Sen. John McCain can hold it together with his appeal to moderates. One of those moderates is Sen. Susan Collins, who is running for a third term. In her speech she got off several crowd-pleasing lines. Referring to Barack Obama’s problems with his former pastor, Jeremiah Wright, Collins said, “When Republicans distance themselves from their pastor, all it means is we’re sitting in a pew in the back of the church.” In a reference to Sen. Hillary Clinton’s claim of coming under fire while visiting Bosnia as first lady, Collins said, “He (McCain) does not need to embellish his record with tales of being under fire. He has been under fire.” In an interview, I asked Collins the main reason Republicans lost their congressional majority and are struggling to regain a political foothold in what looks like a big year for Democrats. She said, “There was an explosion of and increase in spending.” In an implied criticism of President Bush, she said, “The president has taken a hard line against spending only in the last year.” Despite some polling that does not favor Republicans, Collins predicts McCain will be the next president. She thinks it would help him if he spoke more about the sacrifices he’s made for the country. Asked whom she’d like to see as McCain’s vice presidential pick, Collins said that someone with executive experience in business “would be helpful.” “Mitt Romney?” I asked. Romney received a warm reception from delegates when he gave the keynote address Friday night. Collins said she “likes” Romney. After the rancor between Romney and McCain during the primary campaign, however, it might take a dose of pragmatism reminiscent of the Kennedy-Johnson shotgun political wedding to make that happen. Ralph Peterson is a middle school principal in Richmond, Maine and a convention delegate. He agrees that “McCain needs a solid conservative running mate” and mentions Romney as a good choice. “People of conservative beliefs want our beliefs defended,” said Peterson, who thinks Romney would defend them. If the state GOP platform is any indication, it appears the party is moving rightward. A large majority of delegates defeated amendments to the platform that would have defined marriage as something other than a contract between a man and a woman and also defeated one that would have liberalized the party’s pro-life position. This was a reflection of the conservative activists who dominated the convention rather than a sign that the thinking of a majority of Maine residents, who consistently elect center-left politicians to state and national office, has changed. To be a conservative Republican in Maine takes a lot of stamina; something like enduring winter up here. Many at the state convention wished that as the nation has gone for conservatives in several recent elections, so would go Maine. But that may take a little longer than the always-late arrival of spring.

What is justice for the fugitive mother? Tue, 6 May 2008 12:20:22 -0500
She was arrested at 19, when she tried to sell drugs to an undercover cop. She pleaded guilty, hoping for probation. Instead she was given the maximum - 10 to 20 years. One year later, she said, she jumped a fence in prison and met her waiting grandfather in a car. And for the next 32 years, she led a secret life. She changed her name. She married a man, raised three children. She lived a comfortable if quiet existence in Southern California. And she did no more wrong. Two weeks ago, at age 53, she was approached outside her home. It was the police. Today, Susan Lefevre sits in a California jail, awaiting extradition to Michigan for the prison sentence she walked away from more than three decades ago. She had served one year of her stiff sentence for drug-trafficking. She told an interviewer her behavior back then was “inexcusable,” but it was the behavior of a foolish kid, despondent over the death of a Vietnam War boyfriend. Since then, she told The Associated Press, “I’ve tried to be exceptionally good.” The question is: What is justice? Throw her back in jail to teach her a lesson, or say it is obvious she has already learned it? First, a few facts. Her crime was selling heroin. She took $600 from the cop. She said in her interview that she pleaded guilty because her family was ashamed and didn’t want a trial. Michigan authorities, however, have claimed she was a drug dealer earning large profits. After a year in the Detroit House of Corrections, she said, she felt she couldn’t take it anymore and arranged an escape with the help of her grandfather and another relative. After eluding authorities for several weeks, she fled to California and began a new life. She said she never told her husband of 23 years. She never told her children. She was, by most accounts, a good member of the community, did some charitable things, trained as a hospice nurse. She was also, all that time, a fugitive. So what to do? What is justice? Her attorney plans to petition the governor to commute the rest of her sentence. Corrections officials say the rules demand she serve at least 51/2 more years behind bars. Supporters say, “It was a nonviolent crime. She’s not a threat to the community.” Critics say, “If we let her off, we might as well let everyone escape from prison.” Some add that a middle-age, suburban white woman is receiving far more sympathy than, say, a 30-year-old black male. Others say that has nothing to do with it. I say justice should be blind, but it isn’t. The same crime does not always draw the same sentence - not from one state to another, or from one court to another, sometimes not even from one minute to another. Sentences are meant to be served out, but we hear constantly of people freed due to overcrowding or technicalities. We hear about 15-year-old murderers who are let free at 21, whether they’ve learned a lesson or not. We hear about drunk drivers back behind the wheel despite 30 or 40 arrests. Which is worse: someone who escapes but does no more wrong - or someone who is released under the rules, then goes right out and does wrong again? Lefevre is not likely to repeat her crime. I would think the exposure of her past is already a certain punishment to her (especially in the world she now lives in). If probation, limited travel and community service were also imposed, perhaps that would be enough. Besides, putting her behind bars at this point costs taxpayers a good deal of money. Then again, if I were behind bars, I might look at it differently. Which only proves that you can change your name, you can change your past, but you will always see things from your side of the wall.

Editorial: Derby tragedy Mon, 05 May 2008 23:26:00 EST
The fatal breakdown of the filly Eight Belles that marred Saturday's Kentucky Derby was heart-wrenching, but it is neither the first such racetrack tragedy nor even the most shocking.

Budget IS policy Mon, 05 May 2008 23:27:00 EST
The no-new-tax obsession -- promoted in Frankfort by top Republicans like U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell and Senate President David Williams -- has real consequences for real people, including some of Kentucky's most vulnerable citizens.

'No longer magical' … Mon, 05 May 2008 23:27:00 EST
Having grown up in southern Ohio with a father from Maysville, the Derby was always somewhat of a big deal in our home. After watching it occasionally on television in previous years, I decided to watch Saturday.

An enigmatic contest Mon, 05 May 2008 23:28:00 EST
he first: Hillary Clinton found a compelling voice and a plausible strategy only after she had squandered her chances of winning the nomination without a divisive struggle over superdelegates and convention rules. It took a series of defeats to galvanize her campaign and help her put forward a better self.

A 'Green' Rx to save carbon: city density plus transit Mon, 05 May 2008 23:29:00 EST
Earth Day this year was a lot different from the first observance in 1970. Back then, we faced highly visible smog in the air, towns combating toxic waste sites, and a Cuyahoga River on fire.

'Illegal' is more than a word Mon, 05 May 2008 23:29:00 EST
On March 30, The Courier-Journal ran an article about the terms we use to refer to certain groups of people, to each other. We appreciate The C-J and public editor Pam Platt for raising this important issue and candidly exploring the power of words, particularly in the media.

Five myths about college Mon, 05 May 2008 23:30:00 EST
Congratulations! You've spent thousands of dollars on test-prep books and enrichment camps and sunk hundreds of hours into applications, to say nothing of enduring countless sleepless nights -- and it all paid off.

Left out Mon, 05 May 2008 23:12:00 EST

Become a Hot Spot blogger Mon, 05 May 2008 23:32:00 EST
The Courier-Journal is seeking young writers for the third cycle of its Hot Spot blog. Fifteen to 20 high school seniors and college students from throughout The CJ's circulation area (Kentucky and Indiana) will be chosen to blog about subjects mostly of their own choosing.

Hillary Clinton "still standing" Mon, 05 May 2008 23:14:00 EST
If only the tragic death of "Eight Belles" at the 2008 running of the Kentucky Derby were truly the eighth and final bell tolling for humans to wake up, then the tragic death of this beautiful horse would be worth it.

Phyllis Diane Morgan Guinan
Phyllis Diane Morgan Guinan, 55, of Mertie Lane, died on Saturday, April 26, 2008, at her home after battling cancer since 2004.

Invictus Maneo: Kentucky Democrats should vote for Obama
What began as a passionate debate has become a divisive argument.

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