Are sidewalks really needed in Newtown?
Believe it or not, beautiful downtown Newtown now has SIDEWALKS! And not just downtown Newtown, but all the way past Cornerstone Baptist Church. And these sidewalks are on BOTH sides of the road!
Talk about being uptown!
Truth of the matter is, I nearly wrecked for the 99th time during our road construction process when I saw the sidewalks. I mean, it’s not like we have a lot of foot traffic up and down Highway 70, you know!
I have to wonder just what those sidewalks cost us and how they got put into the road widening project.
Regardless, the five or six regular walkers out in the Woodland Hills and Creeks subdivisions have been spotted utilizing the new sidewalks. So has Precious Newby (our mixed breed collie/German Shepherd) who got a severe reprimand, since we’ve already lost one dog to that particular stretch of road.
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Our good community is getting gussied up all around, in case you haven’t noticed.
Major renovations at Central Church of Christ (on the corner of Morford and College) are beginning to wind down. The church has a new annex, new roof and all kinds of work that’s been done over the past four-five months and it’s looking good.
Of course, most of the county is aware of the Hardee’s renovations that closed the dining area for most of a week. In case you haven’t been inside yet, it’s all spiffy with red d??cor and an almost retro look. Check it out!
Work on the super-secret bicentennial statue is continuing apace on the post office side of the courthouse lawn. So far the base of the super-secret statue has been erected, but there’s nary an indication as to just what said statue will be.
That ‘secret’ will be unveiled during the July 5 Bicentennial Celebration downtown. Additionally, we’ll all get to check out the new mini park there which will include benches, stone walkways, decorative landscaping and an art display.
Looks like this Fourth of July will be an even larger blowout than usual by virtue of the additional Bicentennial activities. So plan to join the masses in celebrating our fair community and its 200 years of history!
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While I’m still following the presidential campaigns, the fervor has pretty much gone out of it for me. While contemplating a protest write-in vote for Hillary Clinton, an excellent letter to the editor appearing in the Tennessean persuaded me otherwise. The gist of the woman’s letter noted that while she too was disappointed and frustrated by the Democratic primary results, she would be supporting and voting for the Democratic nominee for one main reason: potential appointment of Supreme Court judgeships.
Her letter noted that as many as three judgeships could be vacated in the next four to eight years and that as Democrats and patriots we could ill afford to see the Supreme Court swing any further to the right.
Her argument made sense and proved the tipping point for me (in addition to concerns about the economy, healthcare and the continuing war in Iraq).
It’s going to be a long, long time, though, between now and the November election. Political analysts continue to nitpick this and that gaffe between McCain and Obama instead of concentrating on discussions of the issues and the differences between the candidates’ stances and plans on the trials and tribulations facing the nation.
Someone needs to let them know that here in the real world we could care less about Michele Obama’s new makeover. Instead we’re worried about the cost of filling the gas tank next week, keeping our homes out of foreclosure and if we can afford food to feed the kids!
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Speaking of political analysts, reporters and commentators, folks I’ve lambasted in previous columns, there are two who deserve to be singled out, in my mind, for their impartiality and fairness in imparting both news and analysis.
One is MSNBC ‘Morning Joe’ co-host Mika Brzezinski, daughter of foreign policy expert and former National Security Advisor Brzezinski and sculptor Emilie Anna Benes.
Mika leavens some of the harshness of host Joe Scarborough’s commentary, providing intelligent, insightful and fair commentary on all political coverage.
The other political analyst offering fair, intelligent and insightful analysis is, unfortunately, no longer with us.
My introduction to him also came on ‘Morning Joe,’ which I began catching every a.m. during the primary races. He was, of course, the constantly, infectiously smiling Tim Russert.
Although he was invariably introduced as NBC Washington Bureau chief, that only spelled out ‘suit’ in my book. Russert was also noted as the long-time host of NBC’s ‘Meet the Press,’ a prestigious news show that I’d given up watching decades ago, finding it stuffy and rather stodgy.
When Russert’s untimely death at age 58 of a heart attack a week ago Friday at his NBC office was announced, it came as a shock to all.
My respect for the man was heightened even more during the following weekend’s coverage remembering his life as a political analyst, reporter, boss, father, son and great supporter of his Brooklyn, New York hometown.
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Comedian George Carlin’s death this week was also a blow, although not totally unexpected due to his history of heart problems. While many might lambaste Carlin as ‘obscene’ due to his ‘Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television’ routine, he is better seen as a humorist that offered cutting commentary on popular culture, in the vein of Lenny Bruce and Richard Pryor.
In fact, Carlin will be posthumously honored at the Kennedy Center in the fall with the Mark Twain Prize, a lifetime achievement award presented to outstanding comedians.
Being almost older than dirt, I can remember when Carlin first appeared on Johnny Carson in shirt and tie. His evolution from his straight days of comedy into Al Sleet ‘the hippy-dippy’ weatherman and later into the caustic commentarian was fascinating to watch.
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I’m going to bring this column full circle with another ‘believe it or not.’ While the country (or is it the Democratic Party?) is evidently not yet ready to see a woman president, the United States Army is to be applauded for furthering gender equity. Why, you may well ask?
Because the Army has nominated Lt. General Ann Dunwoody to head Army Materiel Command, which entails her being the first woman to earn four-star general status.
Dunwoody, who would be responsible for equipping, outfitting and arming all the Army’s soldiers, must face confirmation by the Senate to finally bust the military glass ceiling wide open.
Dunwoody, who has 33 years of the service in the Army, is one of only two female three-star generals in the Army. Women have traditionally been denied four-star status because of legal exclusion in combat. Bravo to the Army for looking beyond that legal exclusion to grant women an opportunity to fulfill their potential.