Airport and arsenal would be winning combination

Airport and arsenal would be winning combination
EDITOR:
Since I feel somewhat responsible for the creation of the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport, and given my risk-taking attitude, ideas come into my head from time to time.
As I have indicated before, the Trumbull corridor from the airport to the Ravenna Arsenal has energy. Why don't we bundle the airport and the arsenal for marketing as a military operations center? I don't know how we do that, but I am sure there are military consultants who present proposals to the Pentagon on an on going basis. If you examine the war in Iraq, and other areas of operation, activating the arsenal with supplies that can be shipped to points all over the world would make the government investments in those two entities pay dividends for the taxpayers and be logistically smart for the military. With U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan on the Armed Services Committee, he can find the strategy used by other areas to sell the government. We would also bring in more congressional and senatorial support because of the scope of the enterprise. We can also enlist the governor and the state government because of the economic value to our state. Think of the economic energy that would be generated bringing in military supplies to that facility, to be flown from the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport to points in the world that need our military support.
On another item, I think we should support the merger of the two visitors bureaus as discussed by the commissioners. I tried to accomplish this when we formed the bureau a number of years ago, but Trumbull County did not want to merge. At that time Trumbull had more rooms that Mahoning. We were willing to have Mahoning representation based on revenue, but that did not make the deal at that time. The visitors bureau needs to be brought into the light and I believe the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber should play a part. I offered the Youngstown Chamber of Commerce the bureau a number of years ago, but the board voted it down during the time of Wes Johnstone.
TOM CARNEY
Youngstown
X The writer is a former state legislator and Mahoning County commissioner.
Once a prisoner in his own body, cousin is free now
EDITOR:
My dear cousin has been in prison for the past seven years. He was released Aug. 5. Lloyd Washington, age 38, was imprisoned in his own body after he was struck by a car while riding his bicycle on Oak Hill Avenue in September 1996. For seven years, Lloyd lay comatose in a nursing home. He died on Tuesday. While he was in the coma, he could hear and recognize the voices of his loved ones. He would respond by blinking his eyes, squeezing your hand or even smiling. We've lost so much with his passing, but we are thankful that God has called him home, and that he is now free from his own private prison. He will finally be laid to rest on Wednesday.
The driver, a woman in her late teens or early 20s, was never tested for alcohol or drugs and was never prosecuted. In fact, three different Youngstown judges dismissed the case. It's like the justice system of Youngstown said about Lloyd, & quot;He's not worth it. He is insignificant. & quot; The driver was a White woman from a well-off family. Lloyd was a poor black man, a product of the projects. He was loved no less, however, than the driver of that vehicle. Where is the justice? My family isn't seeking retribution -- nothing will bring him back. We just want to know that Lloyd's death won't be trivialized, or his life forgotten, as it has been these past seven years.
Lloyd's potential to marry, father children, leave the confines and despair of project life, or travel the world were all zapped from him in an instant. Maybe he would never have done any of those things anyway. Maybe he would have done all of them. Lloyd left behind a devoted mother, Sharon Washington, and a loving younger brother, Kevin Washington.
As I prepare to travel to Youngstown from Georgia to bury my dear cousin, my hope is simply that the woman who ultimately killed him will have an opportunity to read this and know my family's pain.
STACEY D. WASHINGTON PASCHAL
Decatur
Skip 911; just put your lawyer on speed dial
EDITORS:
The problems between law enforcement and the community in Trumbull County suggests a way for this area to become a leader in cutting edge emergency management. This could be done by replacing 911 emergency number with the number 783 (S.U.E.) SUE could be connected to the Board of Ambulance chasers Registry (BAR) association.
In recent years traditional mourning after family tragedies and setbacks has been replaced by lawsuits. Ambulance chasers have bombarded us with media ads such as; Sue your doctor! He has insurance; Don't pay your bills and moral obligations, file bankruptcy.
People with complaints of drug sales, gang activities, burglaries, home invasions, loud music, and any other anti-social activities that make life unbearable in their neighborhood could call SUE. The BAR association could do as their motto proclaims. "Find The Deep Pockets and Shake Them."
The few honest lawyers who made it through law school with their ethics intact could continue to make a living doing the mundane tasks such as drawing up contracts and other papers needed to conduct legal business and making sure that both sides get equally fair treatment in court and events leading to court trials!
The law enforcement officers wouldn't have to waste their time trying to decide if it was constitutional to try to arrest criminals safely. Anyone engaging in criminal activity could be advised by the BAR to turn themselves in at their earliest convenience.
ROBERT J. HUSTED
New Springfield
Korean War vets memorial
EDITOR:
On July 27, several hundred veterans and friends gathered in Veterans Park on Mahoning Avenue in Austintown to dedicate the Mahoning Valley Korean War Memorial. The sun was shining, flags were flown, patriotic music was sung, many kind words were spoken and tears were shed. We paid our respects to the 119 young men from the Mahoning Valley who gave their lives in Korea many years ago. They gave their lives, so we the survivors could let freedom ring.
For all the veterans of the Korean War, please find time to visit, and say a prayer for our comrades. I would like to suggest to all the citizens of the Valley to take the time to visit the memorial and read the names of these brave young men. Freedom was the gift they unselfishly gave; pain and death was the price they ultimately paid. Every day, I give my utmost admiration to those who had fought to defend our nation. Know, my comrades that Old Glory stills waves over the land of the free. Rest in peace. God bless you.
ROBERT H. BROTHERS
Niles
X The writer is a member of the Korean War Veterans Association, Mahoning Valley Chapter 137.