Letters to the editor

Be grateful for the gift of medicine

I was reading an article about Vice President Dick Cheney the other day, and it just reminded me how blessed America is; we have so many medical advantages. Without medicine, people like Dick Cheney would not have the health they do today.

As Terrence Hunt said in his article, doctors administer electrical shock to Cheney's heart to restore normal rhythm; Vice President Cheney has had four heart attacks, quadruple bypass surgery, electric shock therapy for his heart, two artery-clearing angioplasties and an operation six years ago to place a defibrillator in his body.

With the help of many specialized doctors and skilled surgeons, Vice President Cheney is still going strong today. He is working to defend our country alongside President Bush and many other hard working men and women of America.

Due to the knowledge and medical advances we have today, people like our vice president are leading normal lives. Although America has the means and funds to gain these advances, many third world countries do not have even the least specialized pieces of equipment that doctors have in America.

These countries must manage far worse diseases and sicknesses and for this, Americans should be thankful. We are blessed in so many ways, medical superiority being one of them.

With this in mind this Christmas season, remember to be thankful not just for the wonderful gifts you will give and receive, but also for one of the greatest gifts of all Ð medicine. Thank goodness we have it!

rebecca gansberg

Carson City

Evergreen staff has been good to patients

I am a resident of Evergreen Mountain View Care Center and the recent news coverage both angers and frustrates me. I have lived here for over a year and have never seen patient abuse or neglect. What I have seen is countless acts of kindness and love from a dedicated staff coping every day with very sick and oftentimes difficult patients.

The TV coverage was inaccurate and inflammatory and your headline misleading. If this is one of the worst nursing homes in the nation, then the rest of them must be heaven.

There is always room for improvement in any organization, but Evergreen has a dedicated, professional, caring staff that has helped me and countless others to better physical and mental health.

You should be writing about those heroes who spend their days caring for others, rather than tearing down their efforts.

BILL COWEEPRESIDENT OF THE RESIDENT'S BOARD EVERGREEN MOUNTAIN VIEW CARE CENTER

Carson City

Beware of Christmas decoration thieves

We have a Grinch in our neighborhood. My husband called me on his way to work this morning at around 2 a.m. to tell me that he noticed that our Christmas decorative lawn decorations were missing. I didn't want to believe him so I looked out the window and saw the sad sight!

The large polar bear, small polar bear, and the sea lion were all missing! All that was left was the light-up igloo and decorative candy canes. How could anyone be such a scrooge as to steal someone's Christmas decorations?

I'd like to have them take a look at my 4, 5, and 10 year olds' faces as I have to tell them that someone did something so evil as to steal our lights. I will now take down the rest of the outdoor decorations because I do not want them taken as well. Part of the fun of the Christmas season is to drive the neighborhoods and check out all the pretty lights. I am writing this to warn all the citizens in the Sutro area of Dayton to be aware of this.

I have filed a police report and hopefully these people will get caught!

VANESSA COBB-ADAMS

Dayton