News opinion 2008-06-26 Andanh.com

Drug task force does a lot to better our area Thu, 26 Jun 2008 11:50:02 -0500
The South Central Drug Task Force serves to get drugs and those who sell them off the street in our region. Citizens who appreciate the importance of this effort will undoubtedly be delighted that it has secured the necessary funds to continue operating. Director Jerry Smith said that after the federal Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant was cut nationally from $250 million to $170 million, the task force didn’t think it would receive enough funding to survive - it was only expecting about $30,000 from Kentucky’s portion of the funding. But the Kentucky Office of Drug Policy, which distributes these funds, told the task force it would receive $130,000 this year. The task force could receive more money if Congress passes a bill to increase the Byrne funds. Smith said the task force will still have to tighten up on some things but is just glad it can continue the war on drugs. We commend the Kentucky Office of Drug Policy for seeing fit to supply these funds to the task force. It obviously understands that the task force serves a very important role. Each year, this task force, the Bowling Green-Warren County Drug Task Force and other law enforcement agencies conduct raids after months of surveillance and undercover work to put the drug pushers and methamphetamine manufacturers out of business. In the past week, nearly 20 drug dealers and those attempting to buy mass amounts of materials to manufacture methamphetamine were apprehended. The Bowling Green-Warren County Drug Task Force has also been instrumental in disrupting those making methamphetamine. So far this year, 15 methamphetamine laboratories have been found in Warren County compared to nine in all of 2007. This shows the need to continue funding these drug task forces. We don’t want these drug dealers and manufacturers in our region and that is why agencies like the drug task force are an important investment in the quality of life in our community.

Imus, be careful Thu, 26 Jun 2008 11:49:11 -0500
For a guy who makes his living as a professional talker, the topic of race seems to leave Don Imus oddly tongue-tied. In case you haven’t kept up, the pioneer “shock jock” has been broadcasting a new morning show on WABC-AM since last fall, months after he was fired from MSNBC and CBS Radio for cracking that the Rutgers University women’s basketball team looked like “nappy-headed hos.” He returned to work with profuse on-air apologies and a pledge to foster an open dialogue on race relations on his new show. On Monday he fostered the sort of dialogue he had not counted on. Or maybe he had. Listening to the on-air chatter that has stirred up another racial eruption, I had to wonder whether it was just another bonehead mistake or a brilliant publicity stunt. On Monday’s show, sportscaster Warner Wolf was talking about how the Dallas Cowboys football player formerly known as Adam “Pacman” Jones no longer wants to be called “Pacman.” The former “Pacman” is turning over a new leaf after having been suspended for a season and arrested six times. Then Imus inexplicably injected race into the conversation: “What color is he?” asked Imus. “He’s African-American,” said Wolf, sounding a bit bemused. “Well, there you go,” said Imus. “Now we know.” Huh? “Now we know” what? Imus did not say. The omission left the rest of us to wonder whether Imus was expressing some sort of soft bigotry of criminal expectations in regard to black athletes. It should surprise no one that the Rev. Al Sharpton, who led the campaign to have Imus fired last April, popped up to call the new remarks “very disturbing” and say “we are looking into this.” Jones said he was upset by the remarks and would “pray for” the radio star. But Imus insisted that his critics had heard him wrong. On his radio show the next day, Imus said he was trying to “make a sarcastic point” about unfair treatment of blacks in the criminal justice system but had been misunderstood. He said he actually was defending Jones, who Imus thought was being picked on because of his race. “What people should be outraged about is that they arrest blacks for no reason,” Imus said. “I mean, there’s no reason to arrest this kid six times. Maybe he did something once, but everyone does something once.” He also pointed out how his program’s cast is now more diverse than ever. It includes a black producer and two black co-hosts - one male and one female. Still, after his troubles last year, you might think Imus would be extra careful about clarifying what he means the first time he says it, especially about race, instead of letting his insinuations (“Well, there you go; now we know”) hang heavily in the air. But, if he was looking for attention - and what entertainer isn’t - he could hardly have dreamed up a more slippery way to do it. Even his explanation exposed deep racial wounds. For example, just as it is offensive to imply that blacks are more criminal than whites, it is also offensive to imply that blacks are arrested “for no reason,” if you don’t back up the assertion with some facts. If “there’s no reason to arrest this kid six times,” that, too, begs for explanation. Otherwise, Imus seemed to be committing the same offense of which Sharpton often has been accused: exploiting serious issues like race, crime and over-pampered athletes - and shedding more heat than light. Ironically, if Imus wants to put his edgy humor to the cause of fostering a helpful dialogue on race, he needs to get serious. He could take some valuable tips from George Carlin, a master of the art who died Sunday at age 71. The envelope-pushing Carlin will be sorely missed by those who appreciate humor that also makes you think. Whether you agreed with him or not, you knew where he stood. Imus, by contrast, has a self-defeating habit of shooting from the lip - and firing blanks.

A budget, almost Wed, 25 Jun 2008 22:55:00 EST
It's dangerous, we suspect, to say what we're about to say, which is that the Metro Council has validated Mayor Jerry Abramson's approach to budgeting by proposing to add only $8 million to his plan for 2008-09.

Frat rats Wed, 25 Jun 2008 22:55:00 EST
The Eastern Kentucky University administration was absolutely right to oust Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity from the Richmond campus, following an assault that put 23-year-old Brent Whiteside into a hospital. Any punishment for individuals remains to be decided.

Home is pretty nice, if you take time to notice Wed, 25 Jun 2008 22:55:00 EST
I was born and reared in a great American city in the midst of such everyday marvels as the Empire State Building, Grand Central Station, the Chrysler Building, the Brooklyn Bridge, Central Park, the "Great White Way" (a.k.a.. Broadway), Lincoln Center, the United Nations, Riverside Church, Striver's Row, the Apollo Theater, museums galore, and on and on and on.

Spray parks vs. pools Wed, 25 Jun 2008 22:56:00 EST
I could not believe my eyes yesterday morning when I read in The Courier-Journal that the Metro Council is proposing to add $750,000 to the Mayor's proposed budget for spray parks at Breslin, Shelby and Wyandotte parks.

Jeffersontown gasoline policy abuse Wed, 25 Jun 2008 23:15:00 EST
I have been on the Jeffersontown City Council for almost three years now, and for the past two years (after finding out about our car and gasoline policy), I have asked the mayor repeatedly to change this policy.

Berman disputes JCTA race claims Wed, 25 Jun 2008 22:59:00 EST
At last Monday's meeting of the Jefferson County Board of Education, the Jefferson County Teachers Association shared with the media a list of teaching staff that they claim were nonrenewed without cause or proper evaluation.

Flood of unheeded warnings Wed, 25 Jun 2008 23:00:00 EST
Fifteen years ago, a disastrous flood swept through the Midwest, causing an estimated $20 billion in flood damage, nearly 50 deaths and untold trauma to the hundreds of thousands whose homes were damaged or destroyed.

Angry George, gentle George Wed, 25 Jun 2008 23:00:00 EST
Two personae always seemed to be in uneasy coexistence during George Carlin's preposterously long and fertile comic career. Both George Carlins could amuse and both could be trenchant, but they came at their targets from wildly different angles.

The invisible hand... Wed, 25 Jun 2008 21:27:00 EST

Direct Kick: When do kids get to be kids?

Chinese Dir