Support local pet shelters

To the Editor:

As the movie "Marley and Me" sweeps theaters across the country, my thoughts turn to the thousands and thousands of little "Marleys" that will be bred in sleazy puppy mills and sold to excited families. Sadly, however, "Marley" will eat too much, poop too much, bark too much, chew too much and generally just not work out. So off to the nearest overflowing shelter he will go, to live out a life of loneliness behind bars or be euthanized, his body tossed in a pile like trash.

Animals are not disposable toys; they are living creatures that feel sadness, grief and suffering. Before buying that "designer" dog, or cat, please visit a shelter. Look into those beautiful faces and consider rescue instead.

There is a human being accountable for every abandoned, abused animal existing in a small shelter cage, or put to death because there is no more room or no more money to feed them or treat their sickness or injuries. Spay and neuter, consider adoption, and support your local no-kill shelter. No kindness is too small.

Southern Illinois Pet Society works tirelessly to save hundreds of unwanted, abandoned, injured and abused pets 24/7 on very meager funds with only a handful of dedicated volunteers. SIPS receives no help from state or federal programs, grants or big corporations. Monumental feed and vet bills grow daily. Tax-deductible donations are appreciated beyond words.

Contact: Southern Illinois Pet Society at 342-6675 or www.southernillinoispetsociety.org.

Teri Clarke

Jonesboro

Obama thinks we'd be fine without him

To the Editor:

This Inauguration Day we swear in a president who says the world would be just as well off if we, and he, had never been born. Women chose to have us, but if they had aborted, or never conceived by using contraception or fulfilling a same-sex orientation, they would have exercised equally worthy choices.

But none of us, including Mr. Obama, would ever say to our spouse, children, other relatives, friends, acquaintances or even a stranger in line, "It's good that you were conceived and given a chance to be born, and that you became the person you are now, with whom I can share time; but it would be equally good if you had never been, and if we'd never met, for that would follow from the laudable exercise of one's sexual/reproductive rights." Nor would any of us, Mr. Obama included, say to another person: "It's good that I exist and spend time with you and so many others; but it would be equally good if I had never existed, or known you, or anyone else who has filled my life."

So why do we, Mr. Obama included, who genuinely care about ourselves and others, let ourselves be seduced into supporting an anti-people, otherwise known as inhuman, agenda?

Lydia Hazel

Makanda

Blagojevich not to blame

To the Editor:

I think it is high time for someone to speak up for that good old American constitutional right that a man is innocent until he is tried and found guilty in a court of law. Now, I've no doubt that Mr. Fitzgerald will find some way to justify all the hullabaloo that his premature news conference aroused.

Blagojevich is, and always was, an excellent example of a Chicago politician and voters should have known that when he was elected. It wasn't his fault he was saddled with a cadre of Democratic members of the Illinois House of Representatives who hated the governor more than they hated the Republicans. If Speaker Madigan had not desired to run the governor's office, we might have been amazed at how good Blagojevich was as a governor.

Now we get all the Republicans, half of the Democrats and this newspaper jumping up and down to throw him out of office by any method handy. Truly un-American!

I'm sure he will be found guilty of something (but not of his profane language to his wife about a U.S. Senate seat.) But I will never forgive the people who have caused our state to be the laughingstock of the nation. The governor could never do anything to equal the damage that the Republicans and other crucifiers have done to Illinois by their pretrial demonizing. About all they have accomplished is to give the worldwide media an opportunity to shame Illinois.

John W. Mulkin

Carterville