Anniston Star
Letters
June 16, 2003

Burn preparation

In a bizarre editorial titled "Time to Burn the Stockpile" (6-9-03), The Star called for the burning to begin without even mentioning the facts that the schools will not all be overpressurized until October, nor will any of a number of other essential safety items be in place for months to come, such as individualized plans for our special needs population.

Isn't it ironic that the self-styled "attorney for the most defenseless" of the community's citizens (our children and handicapped) would fail even to mention them in its helter-skelter rush to incinerate within the next few weeks?

The plan to burn only on weekends and during non-school hours until all the schools have been overpressurized is so utterly absurd as to be laughable, except that it just isn't funny. If there ever is a major accident our best hope is that it happen during school hours on a school day, where at least our kids will have reasonable hope of protection, but if an incident occurs during non-school hours or during a weekend they'll be just as vulnerable as the rest of us.

With this kind of "leadership" from the local newspaper, mayors, and Congressman, no wonder Anniston enjoys the dubious distinction of being "Toxic Town USA" (Newsweek) and "the worst city in America" (Forbes.com).

I'll say it one more time: No burning until all safety measures are in place because our children's safety comes first!

Rufus Kinney
Jacksonville