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County needs leaders who will think, dialogue, investigate
Huge change is under way. Some of it is good. I hope the editorial
staff will listen to my grandmother, who often told me not to wear my
heart on my wrist.
Don’t worry about Jack Reese or his opinions (“Reese critical of local
news coverage in The Triplicate,” Dec. 9). Our community has suffered
from hyper-sensitive editors who were unwilling to think out loud.
Editors have also missed the boat on inviting our leaders to voice
their thoughts in the paper regularly. Jack Reese is a guy who is
either “all over the map” or “capable of seeing all points of view,”
depending on one’s own view.
Del Norte County needs leaders who will think, dialogue and
investigate, before they make final legal decisions. We citizens will
be helped by leaders like Donna Westfall who are willing to ask
questions and try answers without fear. Donna and Jack are both damn
near fearless. In 13 years of reading The Daily Triplicate, I have
never seen a regular comment by any local leader. They always count the
cost of such public thinking and decide it is too expensive to bother
with.
Both articles and letters in The Daily Triplicate have indirectly
raised questions about what it means to be male or female, patriotic or
an environmentalist. One-sided opinions have been put forth on growth,
airport expansion, and business with complete disregard for the other
opinions.
Does The Daily Triplicate realize gender is a matter of degree? Can a
past soldier think our current wars are dumb without being
anti-American? Is it possible that chasing an outdated business model
that is failing most everywhere it is implemented is a bad idea? Is it
wise to naively foster the political plans of one group, while
disregarding the impact of those plans on another group?
I hope our editors will realize wearing one’s heart on one’s wrist is
bad for the newspaper business and bad for people who read newspapers.
James R Barrett
Crescent City
Some local businesses are driving customers away
After reading the Saturday article (“Local Gas Prices Fall — Slowly,”
Dec. 6) I must admit it made me see red with the admitted price fixing
and the lame excuses for the higher fuel prices we experience, higher
than anywhere else it seems.
It certainly speaks poorly of the attitude of the station owners and
distributor. But, on a larger scale it points out one of many reasons
not to support many of our local businesses.
I remember the late Bill Stamps, yes, “Sweet Old Bill,” and how he used
to preach to us to shop locally so our money would stay in our
community, passing from hand to hand and benefiting us all. Well, it
doesn't seem to work that way anymore. Now it seems many of our
businesses, big and small, have an attitude of charging higher prices
and giving less in return.
You can drive in any direction and find cheaper fuel. In any direction
groceries are cheaper, produce is of better quality and cheaper, and
selection is better. You like to eat out? There is more selection in
any direction and best of all, eating establishments are open; no
mysterious closings when the tourists are gone or the fishing is good.
Often out-of-town businesses are cleaner and better maintained. And,
seldom do you have to wait for service while an employee discusses
local news with a friend.
In short, many of our local business owners and managers do not cater
to the customer. Instead they seem to think we should thank them for
their higher prices and lesser service. They must be blind not to see
the flocks of our citizens driving north, south and east to do their
shopping. Can they not see the dollars going elsewhere that could be
spent here?
Of course, some of our local businesses are outstanding. Good service,
reasonable prices, well maintained establishments, and a friendly
environment. And they seem to do well, as they are always busy.
Unfortunately, they are in the minority.
Our business community should take a good hard look at how they do
business here in Crescent City. Perhaps they should ask themselves if
they are driving business away as are the station owners and the
distributor!
Donald Helsel
Crescent City
Thanks to all who helped son involved in DUI-related crash
My 21-year-old son, Zachary Stone, was a passenger in a serious one-car
rollover on Washington Boulevard near Pebble Beach Drive on the evening
of Nov. 8.
The 22-year-old driver was allegedly intoxicated and driving too fast
on a wet curve. Anyone that saw the wreckage thought that the occupants
were dead as the car was upside down, the roof was flattened and the
engine was on the other side of the road. The Fire Department had to
extract them and they were rushed to Sutter Coast Hospital, where the
driver had broken ribs. My son had to be airlifted to the trauma center
in Redding with a broken neck and a closed head injury. He spent three
weeks there and is now at home recuperating.
I want to thank all Crescent City emergency response personnel involved
in this incident. Everything happened so quickly, but I did get four
names to commend: Officer Grey of the California Highway Patrol and
EMTs Christopher Hunt, Dennis Boydstun and John Crawford.
Thank you, Sutter Coast Hospital emergency department, the fire department and Cal-Ore Life Flight.
The driver of the car is now in jail awaiting sentencing and I only
hope that he’s learned cause-and-effect after this. I am an alcoholic
who quit drinking when I turned 50 (I am now 52) and am actively
involved in promoting alternatives to substance abuse.
Thank you all!
Rita Daley
Crescent City
Bush shouldn’t be allowed to pardon himself or his cronies
During the eight years in which George Bush has resided in the White
House, violations of national and international law have become the
rule of the day and abuses of presidential power have exceeded that of
any president in modern history.
Should Bush be allowed to pardon himself and his cronies at the last
minute before leaving office, in order to make himself and his gang
immune from due process of law, it will clearly set a dangerous
precedent for any who follow in his footsteps. It will be only a matter
of time before the abuses and violations become dangerous beyond what
anyone may dare to imagine, and this must not be allowed to ever happen
again.
Robert Humphrey
Brookings, Ore.
Thanks for community’s help during long hospital stay
My family and I would like to thank our family, friends, church, the
football players, and the Del Norte community for all their powerful
prayers and support during my recent bout with oral cancer again. We
are so proud of the caring place and people that we are blessed enough
to call home. Thanks to all, I made it through a 14-hour surgery and
two more surgeries in the following weeks. I was at Stanford Hospital
for a month in ICU. It is wonderful to be back home in God’s country.
We want to thank all who organized and helped with the Del Norte High
Football Tailgate BBQ fundraiser on Oct. 10. We also want to thank all
who organized the prayer service for me that was held at St. Paul’s
Episcopal Church.
The donations raised helped us tremendously while we
were at Stanford. Thank you to all who have helped us in so many ways.
A special thank you to my fellow coaches and players for keeping me
abreast of the games, the calls from my players along with the CDs of
the games — it meant a lot.
Thank you to all who sent cards. I enjoyed reading them. Again, thank
you all for your prayers and support and help. Prayers are very
powerful.
And now a little note that I hope will help others. My oral cancer was
from chewing tobacco and smoking. I have now lost 4 inches of my left
jaw. I quit chewing over 20 years ago and I only chewed for a couple of
years. Please don’t take the chance. If you chew or smoke, please think
about quitting, and if you don’t chew or smoke, do not ever start.
Steve Luis
Crescent City
Exhibits showcase artifacts recognizing Coast Guard, vets
It has been a pleasure to work with the Crescent City Post Office and
The Daily Triplicate to develop exhibits recognizing the Coast Guard
and honoring all veterans. The displays have allowed us to show respect
to those who served and to showcase a small part of the artifacts which
will fill the St. George Reef Lighthouse Maritime Museum, currently
under development at the harbor.
Special thanks for the success of the exhibits go to Michele Thomas and
staff of The Triplicate, including the front desk workers who were very
supportive of the effort; Tracy and crew at the post office; Rick
Hiser, Michelle Radison, Alice Towers, Del Norte Office Supply and the
Wright’s Frame Shop, and the Del Norte County Historical Society.
Many inquiries were made at the post office about the display featuring
veterans commemorative stamps issued since WW I and how to obtain them.
All of the stamps in the exhibit were ordered from Mystic Stamp
Company, 9700 Mill St., Camden, NY 13316, mysticstamp.com, 800-433-7811.
Guy Towers
Crescent City
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