Letters to the editor

Deputy was next best thing to an angel

On Friday, Aug. 15, my husband Lee and I were on our way to the Sierra Surgery Center, where he was scheduled to have an important and much needed, out-patient surgery.

As we were going west on College Parkway, we heard a loud pop. It sounded like a rock had hit the bottom of our car. We had to assume that everything was fine at the moment, because we didn't have a lot of extra time to stop and look.

We were headed west on Arrowhead Drive when we heard another pop. At that point we stopped, and my husband got out of the car to look and realized we had a flat tire.

We didn't want to stay parked on Arrowhead, a busy street, so my husband drove slowly for another few hundred feet and turn right on Emerson, where we parked.

We looked across the street, and there sat an angel. The angel just happened to be a Carson City Sheriff's deputy, and he just happened to be sitting there monitoring the traffic of the busy intersection. Talk about timing!

When he saw our flat tire and found out we didn't have a cell phone, he offered to help. He first called the dispatcher and asked them to call for road service. He apologized for not being able to help with the tire, but said they were not allowed to help with such things because of liability. I'm sure if he could have he would have.

After my husband explained that he had a surgery scheduled, the officer called the surgery center to tell them Lee would be late. I think he said "Don't start without him." Just Kidding!He then offered to drive him to the surgery center. I agreed to stay with the car and wait for road service, which took only 10 minutes. The tire was soon fixed and I made it in time to give Lee a kiss and a hug before he went into surgery.

As the Valley Towing employee was fixing the tire, the officer drove up to see if the road service had arrived and to tell me that Lee had been delivered safely to the surgery center.

We want to give a special thank you to Officer Gary Denham. He was so needed and appreciated that day.

And to the rest of the officers, "Don't you dare tease Officer Denham by calling him "Angel."

Thank you to all the Carson City Sheriff's Department staff. We are so lucky to have you, and appreciate all of you. By the way, we are getting a cell phone tomorrow, because the Sheriff's Department has a lot more important things to do than deliver old men with white hair around town, and I'm getting whiter by the day. Stay safe.

JUDIE HARTWICK

Carson City

Qualified to win a war?

I don't understand how McCain can stand before America and say he knows how to win wars when he lost two jet fighters and spent most of the Vietnam War in captivity. Wonder what George Patton would say about that?

AL WRIGHT

Carson City

Budget cuts are destroying lives

Hello Government Officials!

I was going to write and call all the right or wrong people, but I thought I'd save some time and ask the question here in our great newspaper. WHAT ARE YOU DOING? I have been disabled for a short time, and have no insurance, unable to work. There are a lot of us in this mess. Some facing this mess. You have cut or should I say taken our medical, mental health, housing, and energy assistance. My next question, WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO? Do you know you are hurting and destroying people's lives? Wake up! All of you folks who think you are secure in life, think again. We need these services badly. If you can answer these questions honestly and straight forward, please, I'd love to hear it. I'll be at my home or living on the Carson River.

TERRY HOOSE

Carson City

An American in need of affordable health care

Mr. Bob Shaw is certainly entitled to his opinion regarding a national health care plan. However, I'd like him to consider the Americans who are in a position like mine. I'm a widow on a fixed income and I pay over $700 a month for health insurance. Paying that premium is difficult for me but not having insurance is kind of like living with a ticking bomb. I sure don't expect Mr. Shaw to help pay my premiums, I want an affordable premium to pay myself. Luckily, I'll be on Medicare soon, but, the $42,000 I've spent on insurance since my husband died is a big chunk out of my retirement security.

By the way, Mr. Shaw, John McCain's middle name is Sidney just in case you want to include it next time you write about him and Barack Obama.

SANDRA HAWK

Minden

Obama too liberal for his tastes

Change is good and at times can be bad or disastrous. Changing a diaper is very good. Coloring hair from gray to auburn is fine but gray to orange " questionable. Leadership change in our South American neighbors, Iran, and North Korea would be good.

In America what is firing up (with exuberating passion) liberals and the young new voters? The answer regarding the young is the socialist educator has taken over many of our educational facilities and brainwashed our young. Most liberals believe there is no limit to government spending and control, unlimited freedom of speech and self expression " regardless who it offends. Now comes along a presidential candidate whose political platform is change. A superb elegant speaker with a lot of gusto and unfortunately enough BS to fertilize America's farm land. This golden throat gentleman has said many eye opening statements and then tries to explain "what he really meant." He customizes his speeches to location and audience. He now speaks he would defend the Constitution and abide by the superior courts decisions. He made himself quite clear in his earlier statements he favored a ban on handguns. As president he knows there is a great chance one or two Supreme Court justices will retire. He favors legislation giving legal status/amnesty to illegal immigrants and supports a socialized national health care system. The Canadian medical professionals and general population have absolutely nothing good to say about socialist medicine. He also has mentioned nationalizing oil companies is a possibility. He now says he would council with the military regarding troop withdrawal. Talk about change!

That is one thing in which he excels " a particular virtue. He speaks of his admiration and love for his country and then makes statements like, "It's embarrassing when Americans go to other countries like France and can't speak French." How about the millions of America's immigrants who speak NO English at all? Is racism entering the political picture? Read his book "From Dreams of My Father" and you make the call. The more the golden throat speaks the more obvious its fools gold.

WILLIAM LEPORE SR.

Minden

Second hand smoke can kill you

About three weeks ago, conservative radio ranter Rush Limbaugh mentioned that second-hand smoke, according to a researcher, theoretically a physician, is not truly harmful. My, my, and I've so often heard otherwise ... enough so that I surmise that Dr. Theoretical is mistaken.

But I'm no doctor, so I'll cite a couple who've treated me, and they seem to be highly respected in northern Nevada medical circles. They would be Drs. Lambert and Juneau. They and their office help were always adamant that second-hand smoke isn't good for you. Not at all. Perhaps ultra-bad! Kill ya?! Maybe it's in the air, and in West Virginia second-hand smoke blends better, even gets along just fine ... but here in the West our air doesn't blend so well with toxic fumes.

Me, I don't care about second-hand smoke, especially a cloud of it when I'm in a casino trying to play a machine. Saves me money when I leave. As for conservatives, I am one, but I wouldn't ban smoking, that'll come with the liberals. No, they want to fund education with tobacco money. So I guess that it's just easier to go along, bury a few thousand extra folks a year, and agree with Limbaugh's researcher from Helvetia, West Virginia, that something that stinks, burns your eyes, makes you cough is perfectly all right.

But normally I don't mind cigarettes, because they're like guns. They're generally harmless if not pointed at you. I believe our freedoms are getting thoroughly enough stomped on without taking away another one. I'm only against those who say it's wrong but say that we'll allow it if there's money in it for us! So to Limbaugh's Dr. Yes " I'd like to introduce a region full of Dr. No's!

NOEL KREFT

Carson City

A dog's eye view of park developments

Hi, it's Ozzie the dog again. My mom just came back from a Parks4Paws meeting. That's the new slogan for a dog park in Carson City. My mom says things are moving forward slowly. Parks4Paws' group is printing up T-shirts and bandanas with the new logo on them. Citizens of Carson City will start seeing people wearing them and they'll want to buy one for themselves and even a bandana for the dogs of Carson.

Everyone will also be seeing coin jars and flyers around town. There will be a Web site that people can look into for details on upcoming events.

By the way Parks 4 Paws is doing some really fun events that include us dogs. Aug. 13 a Pups Parade was held for us dogs. About 40 dogs with their people showed up at Fuji Park for a parade, hot dogs and prizes! Everybody had so much fun. The next event is a Paws-a-thon to be held on Sept. 20. Your people can register to walk and get a T-shirt. For extra prizes they can collect donations as well. We dogs are included. I'm going out with my mom to collect donations. I don't know how many laps I can walk but I'm participating. For more information, e-mail parks4paws@yahoo.com.

In November there will be a wine tasting/silent auction for our people.

The meetings for Parks 4 Paws is the second Monday of each month at the community center in the Bonanza Room. Take your people by the leash and have them join Parks 4 Paws to get a designated dog park in Carson City. Have your people e-mail my mom at dogparkcc@yahoo.com.

ozzie the dog

ilona strull

Carson City

Democrats offer no solution for energy problem

Letter writer Jeane Timmerman is correct in asking for a "common sense" energy policy, but the effort is hampered by the people who do not use common sense, and we, the voters keep sending them there. They did show a modicum of proper judgment when the republicrat-led Congress sent a bill authorizing drilling in ANWR, but then President Clinton vetoed the bill in 1997. If he had signed the bill, we might now be receiving a daily supply of one million barrels of crude, and we would not now have this shortage.

Everyone (I think) now knows that the Pelosi-Reid led Congress is denying the public what we need, and it shall likely only get worse. This does however, underscore the characterizations of Senator Reid by the Washington Times as "the leading name caller, and obstructionist," followed by the human events publication that called him "mean and nasty." We sent him there!

VERNON M. LATSHAW

Gardnerville