Letters to the Editor Enabling the Disabled To the Editor: Eileen Loh-Harrist's article on "Disabling the Disabled" (Cover story, July 15th issue) was one of the best pieces of journalism I've ever read. The Memphis Center for Independent Living, ADAPT, and Mid-South ARC, among others, have been trying to get this message out for years. The treatment of persons with disabilities in Tennessee is a travesty and a blatant violation of basic civil rights. Your bravery and honesty in writing about the state's neglect, incompetence, and flagrant ignoring of federal laws offers hope to those with disabilities who have waited years for someone to listen. A next step would be to follow the money trail through the nursing-home industry and to agencies receiving dollars for TennCare service delivery. I'm sure the greed factor is prominent on this trail as well. Keep up the great work! Tom Buggey RISE Project Director University of Memphis Persistence Pays To the Editor: I have read everything Debbie Gilbert has ever written in The Memphis Flyer. But the most poignant, meaningful, and beautifully written of all was "Just Do It: What I learned from two not-so-ordinary people" (First Person, July 15th issue). She wrote: "We learned, through our parents' example, that you don't give up, no matter how bad things are ." Her words caused me to recall the following precept of President Calvin Coolidge: "Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan 'Press on!' has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race." Thank you, Debbie Gilbert. Arthur H. Prince Memphis Who's On First? To the Editor: This past weekend, WREG-TV Channel 3 news kept slamming Jerry Lawler's girlfriend (Politics, July 15th issue) by saying, What kind of "first lady" will she make, etc., etc. They used the term "first lady" numerous times. To the best of my knowledge, the term "first lady" goes to the wife of an incumbent. Since they are not married, I would think the phrase would be "first girlfriend." Channel 3 should do their homework. Joe Mercer e-mail (Memphis) The Memphis Flyer encourages reader response. Send mail to: Letters to the Editor, POB 687, Memphis, TN 38101. Or call Back Talk at 575-9405. Or send us e-mail at letters@memphisflyer.com. All responses must include name, address, and daytime phone number. Letters should be no longer than 250 words. Editor’s Note "You're too young to have a stroke." That's what all of my doctors said. But during the last week of June, I became one of the 600,000 Americans who will suffer a stroke this year. It all started on a Monday as I was typing the Letters to the Editor column. My fingers were not doing what my brain asked. Instead of hitting "i," I was hitting "e." And it happened time after time -- with different letters. Then I noticed my speech was starting to slur. At first I was the only one who noticed it, but over the next few days it got much worse. On Tuesday, my doctor admitted me to the hospital. They ran lots of tests, sometimes more than once. They wanted to know the cause. After a week they gave up. "Sometimes we never know what causes a stroke," one of my neurologists said. This much they know: A tiny vessel going to my brain clogged. A small part of my brain died from lack of oxygen. It is the area known as the communication center which we use for speech and typing -- two pretty important functions for a newspaper man. I once could type as fast as I could talk. Actually that's still true, only now I do both very slowly. I'm home now. Going to speech therapy three times a week. I should have a full recovery. (I told U of M football coach Rip Scherer I want to be there to ask the tough questions after the Tigers' season opener against Ole Miss September 4th. "I hope," the coach said, "there won't be any tough questions after Ole Miss.") I'm very lucky. I want to thank my family, the doctors, the staff on the fifth floor of Baptist East, and all my friends who have called, sent flowers and cards, and kept me in their prayers during this tough time. Most of all I want to thank the good people at Contemporary Media for letting me know that they love and miss me. Special thanks to associate publisher Bruce VanWyngarden and managing editor Susan Ellis for doing my job so well while I recover. I will be back. But enough about me. We said good-bye to Eileen Loh-Harrist last month. Eileen filled in capably while we did a national search for a reporter to replace Jacqueline Marino. Eileen is an excellent reporter, a veteran of several Associated Press bureaus, and she has now moved back to New Orleans with her husband. Eileen did important work while she was at the Flyer. We will miss her. And we welcome new staff writer Ashley Fantz. Ashley comes to us from the Columbia (Missouri) Daily Tribune. She is a graduate of the journalism school at the University of Missouri. We look forward to working with her.