Letter to the editor: Colin Powell’s time has come.

Colin Powell’s time has come

Sometimes it is necessary to convince men or women to serve their country. Now the draft of one man could have a great impact on this nation’s future.

In these times of so much strife around the globe, and unrest in our country, perhaps it is time that the Republican Party do all it can to convince Colin Powell to throw his hat in the ring and run for president. In the past, he has resisted all efforts to get him to run, but now he needs to put his personal feelings aside and answer his nation’s call for a leader the nation can rally behind and one who can lead this country like it hasn’t been led in years.

I know of no other public figure — black or white or male or female — who has earned as much respect as Powell. In order for the Republican Party to convince him to run, the extreme right wing would have to make several concessions; if not, the GOP’s chance of drafting him would be next to nil.

It sure would be a pleasure to go to the polls and vote for a person whom one truly respects instead of picking the candidate who is the least offensive.

Herb Hardin Orlando

Thanks — with a caveat

Thanks to David Schillhammer for his fine efforts to recover the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra from its bankrupt state in 2000 and to lead it to the prominent position it is in today. The Orlando arts community, and classical music lovers in particular, owe him a deep debt of gratitude for his fine work.

However, what will not be missed is how before each concert he sauntered on stage and began his exchange with the audience. Invariably, he would jam his hand into his pants pocket, thereby creating a much less than professional appearance.

I’ve always found his pre-concert stage presence to be inconsistent with the actions of an organization striving for excellence. There is a common paradigm across the upper-tier orchestral organizations throughout the world with respect to which personnel can appear on stage before a concert, and in what order. The executive director is not included.

I hope the orchestra board of directors will establish and enforce a policy stating that the executive director does not appear on stage pre-concert.

Joe Brann Orlando