EMS

I read with interest Bianca Phillips’ article “No Room in the ER”
(July 30th issue) and was pleased to see how well it laid out the
serious overcrowding issues at Memphis-area emergency departments and
the detrimental effect this has on the Memphis Fire Department’s
ability to deliver care.

I am writing to urge Phillips to reconsider the use of the term
“ambulance driver” — an antiquated term which many of us in EMS
find offensive. This term has not been accurate since the days of
untrained attendants driving hearses owned by funeral homes. The EMTs
and paramedics who serve the citizens of Memphis and the rest of the
country are well-trained medical professionals who deserve to be called
by the titles they’ve earned. After all, police officers are not known
as “police car drivers” and firefighters are not known as “fire truck
drivers.”

Kevin Spratlin

Memphis

The Census

This is in response to Mary Cashiola’s recent column on the upcoming
2010 census (In the Bluff, August 6th issue): Article 1, Sec. 2 of the
Constitution teaches that the only function of the census is for a
determination of head-count for apportionment of representation. That
is it!

There is a hidden agenda, as the government wants more and more
control over citizens by learning their economic status, race, etc.
When government tells us it wants information to “help” any given
group, it assumes every individual who shares certain physical
characteristics has the same interests or wants the same things from
government. This is an inherently racist and offensive assumption.

According to the 2010 Census Bureau website, there are many needs
concerning the census, so many questions on the census are followed by
a list of “community benefits” gained from answers given by citizens,
including education, government, planning, social services, employment,
housing, banking, etc. I don’t know how one can separate this agenda
from something akin to a socialist or communistic agenda, but I do know
that attempts by government to plan society are antithetical to liberty
and, therefore, should be shunned.

Charles H. Gillihan

Bartlett

On Health-care Town Halls

The chaos and near-violence that earmarked the recent town hall
meeting hosted by Congressman Steve Cohen at Bridges had to be the
funniest story I have read [on memphisflyer.com] this year. Even
funnier is Cohen’s comment: “I expected it to be a lot worse.” Yet, he
still called the meeting? Hilarious!

Why are people so easily duped by the perceived opportunity to “have
our voices heard”? Politicians listen to two things: election-day votes
and, in the case of the American Revolution, a stout oak stick upside
their skulls. Leftists like Barney Frank and Nancy Pelosi are quickly
provoking Americans into the type of activities Cohen admitted to
expecting.

We don’t need meetings to hear what the public wants. We want
police, fire protection, roads, schools, and utilities. We want
criminals kept in jail, regardless of prison conditions. We want Jesus
Christ returned to the important position our Founding Fathers placed
him in, and we want government out of our pockets.

Anyone who wants more from government needs to get the hell out of
America. There’s your town hall meeting.

Tommy Volinchak

Memphis

Jackson Baker has written a thoroughly disgusting piece about
protesters at town hall meetings on memphisflyercom. He repeatedly used
the term “tea-bagger” in referring to people who oppose the current
health-care legislation. As I’m sure you know, “tea bagging” is a term
that refers to a form of oral sex. Just because CNN allowed one of
their commentators to get away with using that term doesn’t make it
okay for your writers. The Flyer and Baker should be ashamed and
should apologize for such a vulgar transgression.

Jim Ogden

Memphis

Editor’s note: Baker did apologize on the website
for using the term. You are wrong, however, in your assertion that the
phrase began with a CNN commentator. Ironically, the first use of the
phrase in the mass media was by Fox News reporter Griff Jenkins, who
was reporting on some of the initial tax-day protests. Signs using the
phrase “Teabag Washington!” were quite common, so the phrase itself was
not initiated by the media. David Shuster of MSNBC pointed out the
double-meaning of the phrase with a series of jokes in a report on
April 13th.