Loss for state, legal profession

On behalf of the State Bar of Georgia, I would like to express condolences to the family, colleagues and many friends of longtime Columbus attorney Morton A. Harris on his recent passing.

During his distinguished career, which spanned more than a half-century, Mr. Harris was a partner at the Hatcher, Stubbs, Land, Hollis & Rothschild law firm for the past 20 years. He earned a stellar reputation in the practice of tax, business, employee benefits, estate and trust law, as well as for his staunch advocacy on behalf of the economically disadvantaged.

He served his profession as president of the Harvard Law School Association of Georgia and as an officer and council member of the American Bar Association Taxation Section, and his community in many capacities, including terms as president of the Columbus Jaycees and the Kiwanis Club of Greater Columbus. He was also president of the Small Business Council of America, and he and his wife established the Morton A. and Judye S. Harris Scholarship Endowment Fund at Columbus State University.

All Georgia lawyers are grateful for Morton Harris' lifetime of service and are inspired by his many contributions toward promoting the cause of justice and upholding the integrity of the legal profession in our state.

Robert J. "Bob" Kauffman

President, State Bar of Georgia

Promoting hate

I am a retired soldier currently serving as a DA civilian. The following comments are purely my own and do not represent the organization I work for.

Since my retirement in 2005 I have worked in the Antiterrorism and Emergency Management fields here on Fort Benning. The article I am concerned about was titled "Local group organizing trip to commemorate Million Man March." I had to read this article twice to actually believe what I feel it is promoting.

Did anyone at the Ledger-Enquirer do any research before promoting this event and publicizing it in this paper? The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) is a nationally recognized organization that tracks hate groups in the United States. Many federal and state organizations use the SPLC website information while conducting hate crime investigations throughout the U.S. On the SPLC website, the Nation of Islam (NOI) and Louis Farrakhan are listed as a Black Separatist Hate Group. What I cannot understand is how this paper would promote this organization and the hatred it stands for.

This article also advises the public that they will be soliciting corporate donations to support this trip. Please research this group/organization and make your own determination if this article was appropriate to be published. It is my opinion, that the U.S. military or federal government would never support or promote such hatred to any of our service members or their families. I am very much looking forward to a response after you have conducted your research of this organization and what it stands for. Thank you for your time.

Terry Wydra

Cataula

Close the park

I'm not homeless, just down on my luck. I have had to go to the water park and get food from the volunteers. While I am grateful, the atmosphere was uncomfortable for me. Some of the people would throw the food away, rush volunteers before they could geet food out and get loud, curse and be obnoxious.

Some who go to the park act as if they want to fight. I always felt police presence was needed.

I say close the park to feeding. Also, volunteers should coordinate their efforts. Last Thanksgiving food was practically given away at five or more locations close to the Uptown area. Some places had tons of food that no one took advantage of. Volunteers do a great job, but some people are just greedy and go from one place to another the same day. Some people are homeless by choice. Stop enabling.

Shara Greenly

Columbus

Important local asset

Your editorial of August 11 makes the point that none of us knows exactly what the situation is concerning St. Francis' financial health. The filing of the Community Health lawsuit only serves to prolong access to the complete story. Given the current legal action, St. Francis is prohibited from delivering their side of the story.

Regardless of the lawsuit there are thing we all know if taking the time to consider them. St. Francis is a tremendous asset to Columbus and the surrounding area both medically and economically. Thousands of patients have benefited from their care there. Hundreds of employees receive paychecks because of the jobs they create. Merchants who do business with St. Francis rely on that income to survive. It's important for all of us to support the efforts currently being made to guarantee that the future of St. Francis has a strong financial footing.

It would be nice if the things in the healthcare arena were like they were years ago, but they are not. Insurance companies are merging with one another. Pharmaceutical companies are being bought to form even larger companies. Hospitals everywhere are finding it necessary to create strategic partnerships to guarantee that future health services will still be available.

In the course of my work as a healthcare consultant I have had the opportunity of working with most all of the national hospital companies and it is my feeling, once the financial issues are resolved, LifePoint would be an excellent partner for St. Francis and Columbus. Their culture of patient care, physician relations and community involvement are a perfect fit for the culture of Columbus.

For the future of St Francis and what it means to Columbus, we should all support the efforts currently being made.

George Atkins

Columbus

This story was originally published August 13, 2015 at 3:58 PM with the headline "Loss for state, legal profession ."