My Word

When I was growing up, one of my best friends was Meme Greenwell – her dad, Richard “Puss” Greenwell, was a teacher, football coach and later principal for Shelbyville High School. Her grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. S.V. Greenwell, lived on Henry Clay Street – where until recent years the storm door still featured the “G” on the front.

I remember “Puss” talking about his brother “Jake” who was killed in World War II.

I’ve heard local and state officials say – off the record, of course – the only thing Kentucky has going for it is cheap energy.

The Alpha Natural Resources Co. says they may close 11 coal mines in West Virginia and lay off 1,100 workers. They found out they can ship coal by sea from the country of Columbia up the east coast for about half the cost of shipping it by rail from Kentucky. What’s more, they say it is easier to get out the ground and burns more efficiently. As if we didn’t have enough to worry about.

In 1923 Ataturk told the new country he forged from the Ottoman Empire, “No matter how great they are, political and military victories cannot endure unless they are crowned by economic triumphs.”

Truer words were never spoken.

If we survive the multitude of messes we’re in — the conflict between Russia and her former satellites, the surging power of the Islamic terrorists, our impossible national debt, and an oppressive and dictorial government — will we turn back to the economic system that built this country?

When Mitchell Howard Payne entered Southside Elementary in 1957 as a second-grader, he was among the first blacks to integrate the Shelbyville school system.

I usually sat or lined up beside him because students were often in alphabetical order in those days. That was a blessing because we have remained friends all these many years. When the 1957 building was demolished over the summer, we reflected on our experiences.