Letters to the editor
Thanksgiving message to our troops
(Written in 1961, 49 years ago)
The necessity for keeping the defenses of our nation strong and alert has placed you a long way from home on a holiday that is traditionally a family affair. Your family, along with millions of other Americans, will thank God this day that you protect our country.
Traditionally, Thanksgiving stands for your neighborhood church, friends and family, the smell of fall in the air, your favorite college football game, turkey and pumpkin pie. But it also stands for much more…
A nation founded on the principles of a hard won freedom, a nation of plenty with equal opportunities for all. We thank God this Thanksgiving that there have been in the past and that there are those now willing to risk all that they hold dear that it might remain so. Thanksgiving is an American holiday and you are celebrating it in the finest possible way.
Have a great Thanksgiving.
William R. Ingram
Colonel USAF, retired
Polson
Give generously
Last evening I attended a Moroccan dinner, hosted by Co Carew and Bill Starkey, held in a special room at the Oasis “Mecca Marketplace” on Main Street which, by the way, is filled with most exotic and unusual items. This gathering was a fundraiser for Mission Valley Aquatics (MVA).
There were about 25-30 of us gathered, and the evening had the feeling of friends getting together to share a delicious meal, good conversation and celebrate community spirit.
I was struck by the warm community feeling and support surrounding this planned aquatic center. Misinformation often accompanies expensive local projects of this nature, so these gatherings are very helpful in giving the true facts. And Tana Seeley, project director, does a thorough job in her excellent presentation.
Most reading this letter probably know of the plans for Mission Valley Aquatics. But I wonder how many of us really see the full value to our valley of this wonderful facility. This is for everyone. It is not designed to be a rather exclusive sports facility out of reach to many.
This aquatics center is meant to be one of the backbones, in form, of the transforming movement in this valley from need to solution; from pain to healing; from isolation and divisiveness to communities coming together and working in harmony for the common good.
This is not the first meeting I have attended on fund raising for MVA. And many of the people who are enthused about this project are often not those who make the headlines. Some are. I sat next to Joe McDonald, who surely has made headlines recently with his retirement from the presidency of SKC. And hearing from others, I realize the deep commitment people have to advancing programs for our youth, for advancing health facilities for seniors, for advancing interaction between communities, and for advancing the general welfare in this beautiful area of our state.
What a wonderful opportunity we have, right before us with MVA, if we just reach into our pocket books and pockets giving whatever we can to see this fine facility become a reality.
This is an appeal, direct and without any hesitation in asking for more public support with money.
Our communities in this valley deserve to have Mission Valley Aquatics become a reality. It is hoped that construction can start by next June. Give and give generously. Check out MVA on this website: www.mvaquatics.org.
Bob McClellan
Polson
Happy meals
In San Francisco, a city board of supervisors voted 8-3 to prohibit fast food restaurants from toys as in “Happy Meals” that have more than 600 calories. Well, their price is decent and, you rich idiots, some families can’t afford a $7 hamburger.
When a state allows a group of health food nuts to regulate what a person or child can or can’t eat, we have allowed communism to take over our brains and bodies too. Happy Meals may be the only treat some child may get, toy included. They sure as heck aren’t going to eat it!
Have you ever been poor? I was 14 years old before I even got to taste a restaurant hamburger and fries. It was good! I did not die from it and somehow have survived bacon, butter, and potatoes for 79 years.
Are they next going to put a government bracelet on every person and child to be sure they don’t overeat or watch TV over an hour a day? If people carry a few extra pounds, that’s their business.
It’s legal to smoke marijuana, but no french fries? Wow, whose brain will go first? It’s time we stop being brainwashed, stand up for yourself!
Wilma Bick
Ronan
Why I love Polson
I should have written this letter years ago. So many good things and acts of kindness have come and gone. Two recent events have prompted me to finally say something.
Not long ago, my wife and I took my brother, who was visiting, to Ricciardi’s. After dinner, I reached for my wallet, which wasn’t there. My big brother promptly offered to “bail me out” when Angel, our waitress, said, “No problem, just catch us next time you’re in.” I never even signed my ticket.
A couple of days ago, I needed a specialized tool for all of 10 seconds. After calling and calling on six friends and two hardware stores, no luck, my last stop was NAPA. I found the tool, but hesitated.
The young man at the counter asked why I needed such a specialized item and when I informed him it was probably a 10-second job and the first time I’d needed one in 30 years of building and remodeling, he came around the counter, handed me the tool and said, “Bring ‘er back when you’re done.”
Gerry Ouellette
Polson
But wait, there’s more!
In the time between submitting my first letter and the paper’s printing, my wife and I were right in the middle of the McDonald’s Drive Thru when my battery died. Two young men came rushing out, pushed us through and when Mary and I went in to pay for our food, the young man that helped push my van said there was no charge! He said it was the least they could do to help make our day better.
That’s why I love Polson.
Gerry Ouellette
Polson
Main Street response
I read an article in the Reader’s Digest a while back that said no matter what we do, 25 percent of people will b!#% about it.
The letter to the editor about the stop signs on Main Street from Sandy Johnson is a good example. The reason the signs are there is to slow down traffic, make it safer for pedestrians and cross traffic. Also, to try to cut down on jay walking. I, for one, hope they stay up.
As to her complaint about merchants running out of food at the block party, what a crock that she didn’t come down just for the food! If that were the case, why is she complaining? She also complained that it was too cold to wait around for the drawing at 8 p.m. Was it that much colder at 8 p.m. than at 6 p.m. when she arrived?
This woman sounds like the 25 percent I mentioned at the top of this letter. Some people are just angry at the world around them. A number of people put time and effort into making the block party a success. I am sorry Ms. Johnson found it such a pain in the @$$.
Russell Stone
Polson
Safety first
Recently, Nov. 18, a letter writer complained about the new four-way stop signs on Main Street. In contrast, I find them a welcomed addition which should have been done long ago. Slowing down the speed on Main Street has been stated as the desirable reason. Personally, I have found that it takes only a few seconds longer now to drive the length of Main Street — trip time is barely an issue.
Actually, it was not speed that was the biggest problem, rather, it was the difficult and unsafe task for drivers trying to cross over Main Street. Generally the visibility of oncoming Main Street traffic was so obstructed that a side street driver would have to pull out over the pedestrian crosswalk in order to see if crossing was feasible and then wait there illegally in the crosswalk. Getting into traffic from a side street was always a gamble which put both pedestrians and vehicles at risk.
The bulbouts are decorative but don’t seem to add to safety — since if cars stop (which they now do), pedestrians don’t need the bulbout. Also, I wonder about the difficulty of vehicles with long loads making right hand turns and dragging over the bulbout — wait and see.
The public would benefit with three more sets of four-way stops. One is at Seventh Ave. and Main. This is a major intersection with considerable east-west traffic and drivers deserve a safe chance to cross. A second is at Seventh Ave. and First Street East — same reason. The third is at Fifth Ave. and First Street East because there is considerable courthouse traffic and also from the nearby school. This last intersection also has more pedestrian traffic because of the courthouse and the school.
Safety should be a priority. Stop signs are cheap. Life is not.
Gene Johnson
Polson
Main Street thanks
I like the stop signs on Main Street. It gives me a far better chance to get across Main Street safely when I need to, both in the car or as a pedestrian. I can’t speed on Main Street any more and rear-end one of the diagonally-parked cars backing up from the curb.
The sidewalks are all smoothed out now so I have less chance of tripping on the concrete. Thanks for the improvement.
We totally missed the block party because we were camping out-of-town, so I wasn’t disappointed by the shortage of food. But I have attended other events downtown where there was plenty of food. It’s tough to plan for a crowd. It could have rained, people stayed at home, and the food would have gone to waste.
Our Main Street is a great Polson attraction and I’m pleased that so many of the merchants are still excited about being there, providing wonderful merchandise and services for our shopping pleasures and especially for providing the new sidewalks and street.
Atta boy!
Sharon Coppedge Fulton
Polson