Letters to the Editor September 29, 2009

I would like to compliment the Harbor Art Gallery on the salmon feed it put on Saturday.

Kathy Dean did a great job of putting it together. Sammy Gensaw did a wonderful job cooking the salmon. All the food was delicious and the people were friendly and happy.

Thank you Harbor Art Gallery for another great get-together.

Thanks to fellow surfers for helping out my son

Once again I have been reminded why I have chosen to raise my son in my home town of Crescent City. This past Sunday seemed like the perfect day to indulge his newest passion, boogie boarding. I suited him up, made him wear his life jacket, and stood by the water’s edge like a cautious mother. He was out with several other surfers, catching some great waves, and was full of smiles.

I noticed other kids were out in the water too, without life jackets, and I started to wonder if I really was too overprotective making him wear his. The next thing I knew, he went from being chest high in the water to disappearing! I had no idea where he was, the waves had taken him farther out. At this point our community helped my son. The surfers around him began to guide him back to shore. As a matter of fact several surfers on shore went out to ensure that he made it safely back, which he did. One surfer even came up and gave him a few tips and reminded him to ask for help if he needs it in the future.

I cannot tell you how appreciative of our community I was during those moments and now. I owe the surfers a big thank-you for helping a fellow enthusiast out. We won’t be going out anytime soon without a life jacket, an overprotective mom, and a surfer or two!

Teacher Joanne Hoffard at charter school does great job

I want to express a deep thank-you to a very special teacher that has really touched our lives.

First, let me preface this by saying, my husband and I both got horrible educations here in Del Norte County, both because of what our fathers did for a living.

No matter what I did, I got bad grades until I got in to Sunset and then I excelled. My husband kind of stayed lost in the shuffle and just managed to pull himself out in Humboldt County.

There was no way we were going to put our children through that. So after an attempt at another school, we enrolled our daughter into Pacific View Charter School, a satellite out of Humboldt County, and there we met Joanne Hoffard.

What a great teacher. We go in once a week and Joanne has all her work ready and our daughter is not forgotten about like at the other school we tried. She helps our daughter out with the things she needs and even tutors from 1 to 4 every schoolday if the child needs it.

Government employees don’t want government health care

One real problem I have with government health care: none of our employees want to be on it, from the president on down to the Congress.

They tell us national heath care is good for you, but we do not want it for us?

No basis for claim sirens are abnormally frequent

In response to Darrin Worman’s Sept. 24 letter, “Frequent sirens make city appear as if it’s in distress,” did not The Triplicate visit this question several months ago when a reader expressed similar sentiments in a letter? As I recall, that individual closed the correspondence with the comment (about emergency service responders and “their” sirens), “Peace keepers indeed.”

The responses rebutting that person’s complaints were without exception much the same as the recent replies from Triplicate readers regarding one person’s complaints about the harbor foghorn.

Let us consider the letter-writer’s position regarding emergency sirens. He believes the sirens make the city appear as if it is in constant distress. He tells of a city official who informed him that fire personnel are dispatched on any ambulance call. He has assured us that the reality of all volunteer fire personnel responding is a race to see who gets there first. He recently witnessed multiple emergency vehicles responding to a “false alarm.” He authoritatively informs us that Crescent City “effectively” has many times the “normal” emergency vehicle traffic and noise of a "normally" run city.

Fact: Fire personnel are not dispatched on all ambulance calls. Whether or not fire personnel are dispatched depends on the type of medical emergency in question. Speaking of questions, emergency personnel do not have prior knowledge as to whether or not a request for their assistance is a “false alarm” until they arrive on scene and make that determination.

Crescent City “effectively” has many times the “normal” emergency vehicle traffic and noise of a "normally" run city? Compared to where?

Who am I to challenge the letter-writer’s assertions? I’ll tell you who. A paramedic with nearly 20 years experience in my profession. I have worked as a paramedic in communities, big and small, throughout California. And my excellent emergency services colleagues with whom I have worked side by side during my tenure as a paramedic in Del Norte County — ambulance personnel, firefighters, Search and Rescue, Park Service, law enforcement officers, Coast Guard, hospital staff — are among the finest that I have had the privilege to associate with anywhere.

I love peace, quiet here even when I hear sirens, foghorn

In response to the letter from Sept. 24, “Frequent sirens make city appear as if it’s in distress,” I would like to comment that in case I, or anyone of us in this community, are in need of emergency assistance, I hope 10 emergency vehicles, with sirens going as loud as they can get, come to the rescue!

Our emergency workers do a great job for this community, and they all deserve our thanks, not complaints! Also, when a call comes in, it is treated as a full-on emergency until otherwise proven. I think everyone who reads this may agree that if it is you, or your family calling, that you hope help gets there ASAP!

Maybe some people are overly sensitive to noise, but I bet that if they were in need of those emergency vehicles, they wouldn’t be complaining about noise. Also, after moving here from Los Angeles County, I can personally say that I love the peace and quiet here in Crescent City, even when I hear the sirens, and the foghorn too!

First responders want to save lives, not be heroes

This letter is a response to Darrin Worman’s letter (“Frequent sirens make city appear as if it’s in distress,” Sept. 24).

I visit Crescent City every year and hope to move there soon. During my recent visit I too noticed that there are more sirens now than in the past. But as a retired police officer I know that each of those sirens is driven by a dedicated public safety officer who wants to arrive at the scene ASAP and render emergency assistance (CPR, fire suppression, police protection etc.)

Mr. Worman you are right, each responder wants to arrive first, but not because they are racing with the others or to be a “hero.” They want to arrive first to save a life when seconds count.

After 24 years as a police officer (and six years of retirement) I hate sirens (each time I hear a siren my blood pressure still goes up), but I will take the noise because that noise means help is on the way with a dedicated person who may someday save my life or yours.

Baucus health bill written for insurance companies, not us

Senator Baucus has introduced a health reform bill that was written by a past chief counsel for one of the medical insurance giants — the same corporations that have given him millions in campaign contributions.

The Baucus bill is for the insurance industry — not the American people. It will not solve the disgrace which is our current medical insurance situation.

Senator Sanders has a bill that would provide Medicare for All. Please urge our senators to support it and to oppose the Baucus bill. In the House, Rep. Weiner's single-payer health-care amendment will get a vote and Rep. Kucinich’s has an amendment to allow the states to enact single-payer health insurance. Please contact Congressman Mike Thompson and urge him to support the Weiner and Kucinich amendments.

We need real reform that will work for the citizens. We’ll never get it as long as the insurance corporations are involved. Please keep the pressure on for single-payer. “Medicare For All” is the best way to control costs and to cover all Americans.