Letters to the editor
Thank you
On Oct. 1. my 15 year old daughter, Chasya Ritter (Chasya is Hebrew for Protected by God), was flown by LifeFlight to Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital in Spokane where she underwent six hours of emergency brain surgery to remove a two-inch blood clot caused by an aneurism.
Thanks in no small part to the swift response of the local emergency medical personnel involved (St. Luke’s Hospital ER, Ronan EMTs/Ambulance and the LifeFlight team) she was recently able to celebrate her “Sweet 16” here at home this last Friday (11/5), barely a month after it happened.
She has 100 percent fully recovered and only needs a cane to help her walk while she works on her left ankle and foot which were affected. She improves by the day though and soon, there will be no trace that anything happened at all except for her scar (which the MDs hid very well – you can’t see it unless you move her hair).
Her family would also just like to say thank you to all the people who were praying and who provided support while we were going through this tough time.
Scott and Donna Ritter
and family
Ronan
Think pink
We would like to thank the parents, community, fans and businesses for their donations to our Think Pink, Breast Cancer Awareness Fundraiser. With your support and generosity we were able to raise enough money to pay for at least five free mammograms at St. Luke Hospital and purchase our team pink uniform tops that the team will be able to wear year after year. We are hoping to make this an annual fundraiser to raise awareness.
Thank you.
Charlo Lady Viking Volleyball Team
Charlo
Take back America
Now that the elections are over, let’s look at some of the Washington rhetoric which inspired the ‘will of the people’ to propel new faces into the halls of power.
“We need to take back America.” “We need to reduce the deficit.” “The present administration is spending us into oblivion!” “What happened to good old American values?” How does any administration in power counter these sound bites effectively defending their actions? Impossible, I say, we are a nation with a political system ruled by greed, fear, selfish interests, and beholden to special interest groups heaping huge financial contributions upon individuals and political parties.
Great segments of the American population are hurting right now in many ways. And when in such circumstances we are given the opportunity to vote for new leaders we will always vote for change. Why not? That is a most natural reaction.
But what did we really vote for? Do we really know? Do we really want to step up to the plate with what it will take to cure the ills? Do we know what some of the sacrifices will entail? I wonder.
Let’s just look at one item, the huge deficit. Already on the news, from both parties, we are hearing some of the rhetoric addressing the deficit and how to bring it down. Cuts being considered: Social security; welfare; Medicare; Medicaid; entitlements of all kinds; government grants to all segments of society; this list goes on and on. They might even tamper with the military budget.
And it will not be popular with the American public. Why? Because the cure will seem to many to be more painful than the disease. We like our ‘entitlements.’ We like our government ‘bail-outs.’ Not to the large corporations and financial institutions, but we like ‘em for ourselves! We like government sponsored social programs that help us, feed us, educate our children and act as ‘foster parents.’
“We need to take back America.” “We need to reduce the deficit.” “The present administration is spending us into oblivion.” “What happened to good old American values?”
Well, for many, the cure may just be more painful than the disease. I guess we’ll know in a few years.
Bob McClellan
Polson
A question
What happened to the radiation that lasts thousands of years? Sixty-five years ago, Hiroshima, Japan was leveled by an Atomic bomb. Recently, I received a series of photographs through the Internet, depicting Hiroshima as one of the most beautiful and modern cities in the world. This was followed by current pictures of Detroit, Michigan with it’s vacant homes, empty factories, broken windows, missing roofs and crumbling walls.
A question followed: What has caused more long term destruction — the A-bomb, or the US government programs created to buy the votes of those who want someone to take care of them?
Could we not apply this locally also? Do we have businesses in town, struggling to stay afloat, while at the same time are we giving out more free entitlement money than we take in?
It is no secret that we are being taxed into poverty! Who is waging war against us?
Jim Sisler
Big Arm
Polson problems
A lot of people are wondering what was the reason behind stop signs on every street down Main? This is a really dumb idea.
I will not be traveling down Main Street any more to avoid all the stop signs, therefore, the businesses downtown will not get my business unless I really need to go there. I feel you are taking away from the businesses downtown because there will be a lot of people avoiding Main Street because of this. I know many people have told me that. It is sad because there is no reason for this. If we needed to spend money, why don’t we put another light at the corner of 2nd and U.S. Highway 93 and a light at the Cemetery Road? That’s where we need more stops.
Also, I arrived at the Main Street Block Party to enjoy the things going on at 6 p.m. a little disappointed to find that all the food was gone. They only planned for 200 as I was told by the people serving the food. Well, everyone knows that when Polson has something, the whole town comes out of the woodwork. We try to be supportive of these things. It was very cold and we had to wait around until 8 p.m. for the drawings.
Well, it was too cold to have to wait, so we went home. We didn’t go just for the food, we went for support and to see the new Main Street. Maybe next time they will be more prepared as everyone knows that more than 200 people show up for Polson functions. Thank you.
Sandy Johnson
Polson
Smokeout
The Great American Smokeout was established in 1977 by the American Cancer Society to highlight the dangers of tobacco use and the challenges associated with quitting. This annual event raises awareness about the deaths and chronic diseases caused by smoking. Every year, over 1,400 Montanans die from tobacco-related illnesses.
Tobacco users who call the Montana Tobacco Quit Line are seven to 10 times more likely to quit than those who try to quit on their own. Montana’s Tobacco Quit Line, at 1-800-QUIT-NOW, offers free help to Montanans who want to quit using tobacco; including up to four weeks of free nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), (patches, gum or lozenges) and prescription medication discounts.
There are many benefits of quitting smoking, including: Food will taste and smell better, you will have extra money to save or spend on things other than cigarettes, you will set a good example for your children, do better in physical activities, have less wrinkling/aging of skin and ultimately, you will live longer and better.
Be prepared for difficult situations, feelings or activities that make you want to smoke. Most setbacks occur within the first three months after quitting. Most people try several times before they finally quit. When you give up smoking, you will go through a process of recovering from an addiction. The following withdrawal symptoms are common: Feeling irritable or nervous, feeling tired, trouble sleeping, cough, dry throat, dizziness and trouble concentrating and wanting to put something in your mouth. Some ways to deal with these symptoms include: Exercising and deep breathing, going to bed early, drinking plenty of liquids and using cut celery, carrots, cough drops or chewing gum as an oral substitute.
Why not make November 18 the first day of the rest of your smokefree life?
Diana Schwab
Polson