Opinion

That was quite a drug bust out near Southville this past week.

The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office and the Kentucky State Police task force that worked together to take a million dollars worth of marijuana and thousands of dollars in ill-gotten cash out of circulation in Shelby County is most commendable.

The deadline is less than a week away for the final slate of candidates for this year’s General Election, and we’re concerned that the list of those interested in public service won’t grow at all.

The races for Simpsonville City Commission and the Shelby County School Board are drawing far less attention than they did in 2008. No new blood or – worse – new ideas have emerged.

In an effort to argue that religious freedom is under attack in our country, Chuck Souder of Shelby Christian Church used the recent Supreme Court ruling in favor of Hastings College of Law (Christian Legal Society v. Martinez) to illustrate his charge (“Yes, America, you’ve come a long way, baby,” July 9).

I found his explanation of this ruling rather strange, since he neglected to mention the central issue in the case and managed generally to distort the ruling and its effects.

In a county that is woefully underrepresented by African-Americans in its leadership positions – School Board Chair Brenda Jackson is the only truly public figure – we embrace those who step forward, who share ideas and commitment, as touchstones for all.

And today we celebrate the accomplishments of two people with good ideas.

The Humane Society’s new headquarters looks like a pretty hopping place.

There are hundreds – perhaps thousands – of unwanted animals in need of care and treatment in Shelby County, and the society through its private fund-raising and a generous donation for Shelby County Fiscal Court now has a facility that should help address those needs.

You may have heard country singer Miranda Lambert describe in her sweet and twangy voice the story of “The House That Built Me.”

She tells of knocking on the door of the home where she grew up and explaining to the person who answers about how she learned life in the building’s nooks and crannies and yard, where she learned music and buried her dog.

One of our fellow residents has seen a dangerous situation and has done something about it.

He won’t admit that or take credit, because that might not be culturally appropriate in his organization. But we can see the difference his efforts have made.

We speak of Tim Wafford, supervisor of the state highway garage in Shelby County.

We read these reports and get evermore ill, not just for the images they create but for the law that allows them to occur. In the past week, two men riding 2-wheel vehicles on county roads have been involved in serious accidents when they weren’t wearing helmets. One of them died, and the other almost did. Both of them might be walking around today if not for collisions involving their 2-wheel vehicles and taking the full force of traumatic impact on their unprotected skulls. We won’t paint the full image, but you know how it

Chicken Little seems to be alive and well and living in Shelby County.

At least that is what we fear.

Those weather sirens that have been blaring away recently in late-evening and early-morning hours are supposed to tell us the sky is falling, but so far they have proven to be nothing but, yes, false alarms.