Wednesday, Jan 18, 2017
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Bird loss to turbines overstated

Your articles on birders opposing wind turbines are missing some essential information (“Birders look for allies to fight wind turbines,” Jan. 19).

Decades of research on bird/turbine interactions already exist, including extensive radar studies done in Europe.

Less than one bird per turbine is killed in a year. In contrast, a typical skyscraper, with its glass windows, can kill thousands of birds per year.

The opponents of wind power have seized on the bird issue, even though it is factually wrong, because it is emotionally moving. I saw a slide show that listed wind turbines as a threat to native bird species, along with domestic cats and habitat destruction. Turbines only have an impact on a few thousand birds a year, while other causes kill hundreds of millions.

We need wind power to replace old polluting sources of energy such as coal and nuclear power. The fire at Davis-Besse should remind us that every nuke plant has the potential to kill millions of birds and people in the event of a meltdown. Davis-Besse's application to renew its license for another 20 years should be denied, in part because wind and solar energy can safely and cleanly replace the power it generates.

No power source is perfect, but I'll never forget watching birds and wind turbines interact at wind farms in New York state. I saw crows and hawks flying in and out between the wind turbine blades as they turned quietly and majestically in the wind.

Birds have harnessed the clean, bountiful energy of the wind for millions of years. We humans are just beginning to do so.

Both birds and humans will benefit if we stop generating radioactive pollution, mercury, and climate-changing carbon dioxide for our own selfish benefit.

Joseph DeMare


Placing wind turbines on school grounds is not safe for children, nor is it a good use of resources (“Turbine plans in area spark disputes among neighbors,” Jan. 17).

Wind turbines need on-site maintenance at all times, which would put students in Oregon City Schools at risk. The district is planning to install six turbines, two each at three schools.

Who would be responsible for any psychological damage this would cause the students in Oregon schools? How does this affect a school district's insurance liability? Are these new or refurbished turbines?

Who would be responsible when there is a problem? How have the fire department and emergency medical squads in Oregon addressed these concerns?

I believe that if the school board and parents research the risk to children and realize there are consequences to placing turbines near schools, they would reconsider.

Linda Yonkof


My wife and I were in the Toledo area visiting friends when the comment was made that someone at The Blade must be a dog lover.

We picked up the Jan. 8 Blade, where on Page 2 was a story titled “Nazis put tail on man over dog's trick salute.” The dog, named Hitler by its owner, could give the Nazi salute and apparently bark “Heil Hitler.”

In the Readers' Forum, there were seven letters about dogs.

On the front page on Section B was the story “Dog rescued last month from river ice euthanized.”

In the Today's Log section, there was a listing with pictures of 11 dogs available for adoption.

And there was something I have never seen in a newspaper: a listing of 10 dogs killed by the Lucas County Dog Warden, which included the breed and description of each dog and reason each was put down.

Finally, there were 11 ads for dogs in a classified section.

Is The Blade going to the dogs? Sure seems like it.

Jeff Koehler

Put-in-Bay, Ohio

It should not be necessary for the City of Toledo and Toledo Board of Education to cut services and raise taxes to balance their budgets. The simple answer is to tie all wages and expenses to tax receipts.

If tax receipts go down, wages and expenses should be cut by the same percentage. If tax receipts go up, then wages and expenses should increase by the same percentage.

Raising taxes and cutting services only drive businesses out of the city. City employees demanding high wages and benefits only hurt themselves. If the city is forced to lay off members of unions, then unions lose money in the dues they collect.

Selfishness and greed on the part of city politicians and employees can destroy the city. But the city can prosper and increase employment and prosperity by using common sense. If the present course continues, Toledo will become a ghost town.

If the city can save money by turning trash collection over to Lucas County, why not turn the police and fire departments over to the county, too?

Fred J. Krumm

Hannaford Drive

The recent Sylvania Invitational Speech and Debate Tournament at Southview High School was great. Students had spent several hours after school and into the evenings researching, dissecting, and analyzing their subjects (“1,100 students vie in Sylvania speech, debate tournament,” Jan. 16).

At the debate, the excitement began each time the team entered its assigned room to square off with its next opponent. The debate and its crossfire rounds were intense and exciting.

If you are looking for an event to attend between the conclusion of the Super Bowl and the beginning of the March Madness basketball tournament, attend the speech and debate state finals on March 3 and 4 at Whitmer High School.

Kevin Rupp

Assistant Principal

Southview High School


The news of the Philadelphia abortionist operating a dangerous clinic for years is a reminder of an industry that is unregulated and hidden under a heavy cloak of political correctness (“Philadelphia abortion doctor charged with 8 murders, including 7 babies killed with scissors,” Jan. 19).

Stories about women harmed by unsanitary equipment belie the safe-and-legal mantra we have heard through the years. Postabortion syndrome, with its mental depression, is largely ignored by media.

New data from the Guttmacher Institute say that black women have 30 percent of the abortions performed in the United States, even though African-Americans make up about 12.4 percent of the population. This is fulfilling Planned Parenthood pioneer Margaret Sanger's vision of limiting minority population.

This January, we are reminded that women have been given broken promises of abortion on demand.

Chuck Childers

Finch Street

The Jan. 15 Readers' Forum letters “Terror has no boundaries” and “Distorted take on Pakistan” questioned Blade op-ed columnist Amjad Hussain's analysis of U.S. drone attacks in Pakistan (“Pakistanis believe U.S. is destroying their country,” Jan. 10).

Both writers should acquaint themselves with Afghan history, from the first Afghan War up to U.S. training of mujahideen, including Osama bin Laden.

We need to shed the self-destructive view that there are only two views in the world, our view and the wrong view of the rest of the world. The media tirelessly promote it.

History is never written and Hollywood films are never produced that show that we, too, can be wrong.

V. N. Krishnan

Bowling Green

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