To the editor:

I am bothered by many things these days: a yearlong pre-emptive war in Iraq that continues to take American lives, not to mention countless innocent Iraqis; a Legislature that seems more concerned with basketball schedules and “concealed carry” than the social impact of its budget crisis; a governor who thinks state-run destination casino gambling is a legitimate method for raising much-needed revenue; local developers and their enablers who won’t rest until all the green space between the Kaw and Wakarusa is covered by housing or commercial developments, etc.

But the immediate impetus for this letter is a corporate giant’s recent assault on Mark Lehmann’s small, local business, Old Home Depot. At first glance a small thing, perhaps, but, for me, it was the proverbial “straw.”

As a Christian, I know greed and arrogance, like the poor, always will be with us in this imperfect world. We must, nevertheless, strive to make things better, to make good choices; we have the “free will” to do so, after all. Home Depot should do the right thing here. Stop these ridiculous, petty attempts to rationalize its legal assault on Lehmann’s business.

For their part, Lawrencians should do (as Carl Heydman suggested in the March 14 Journal-World) what they can to support a local establishment committed to more than just turning a bigger and bigger profit. The financial “bottom line” should not be allowed to dictate all the decisions we make as individuals, corporations or societies. It does not have to be that way.

Virgil W. Dean,

Lawrence