Musings

EDGEWATER -- I saw a recent report from ABC News' Diane Sawyer that I found troubling: Our 4 million miles of roads ranks us 20th in the world behind places like Malaysia due to deterioration and poor maintenance. How sad is that?

I was a bit taken aback that someone even had done a ranking of road conditions in the countries of the world, but was not terribly surprised to hear this country wasn’t doing very well. Most states I have been in have many poor roads causing accidents due to pot holes, narrow shoulders, fraying asphalt and other factors.

I read where a group of so-called Christians protested to Lowes so much about them sponsoring a new television program called All American Muslim that Lowes pulled its sponsorship. Now the Muslims are protesting to Lowes about this not being fair.

EDGEWATER -- Here we are in the joyous season of Christmas. I’ll tell you right off the bat that I am definitely a scrooge. I don’t mind celebrating Jesus’ birth which was the original idea behind this whole thing.

EDGEWATER -- You know that old adage about history repeating itself? Well, I feel like it is “déjà vu all over again” as Yogi Bera would say, with the Occupy Wall Street protests.

EDGEWATER -- I was watching the coverage on the news about the recent tragic death of race driver Dan Wheldon thinking how ghoulish a society we’ve become. Yes, we all are stunned and saddened when these horrible things happen but we, also, demand faster cars in the races, more tricks during airplane shows and other such things that eventually lead to someone dying trying to entertain us.

Republican Eric Cantor has the nerve to call the demonstrators against Wall Street a “Mob.” That tells me that he is afraid of the American people who are rising up against the politicians and just may get him and others ousted from their cushy congressional seats.

I don’t know about you but I am so tired of other people making decisions for me without asking if I want them.

By DARLENE VANN

EDGEWATER -- I am as touched by the events of 9/11 as everyone in this country is as I was that horrible day but I don’t think the survivors and families need to be reminded yearly with footage of that disaster and continuous news coverage.

They have never forgotten, most likely never will, but maybe the nightmares have started to diminish somewhat until they turn on a television or look at a newspaper before, during or right after 9/11 whatever year it may beat the time.

We should mark the disaster with the moment of silence of when the first plane hit the Twin Towers. Those people who were there that day should be remembered and they are in the hearts of all the citizens of this country. I personally do not want to watch people jumping from the burning towers or the towers falling ever again. That horrible sight will always be in my head. I don’t need to be reminded what happened that day 10 years ago. Does anyone?

I heard on television where Piers Morgan of CNN was doing a show questioning if the government and media went overboard in their evacuations, warnings and media hype preceding Hurricane Irene. Now that gets my goat.

Have you been watching the program Sister Wives on TLC (Brighthouse channel 45)? It is an eye opening show which has introduced us to a polygamist family consisting of a man, his four wives and their 16 children. They did not have to do this show and out themselves.