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May 2008 |
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Letters To The Editor
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Obama’s ties to Africa worry reader |
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Monday, 25 February 2008 |
Letter from Janice Syverson
Valley City, N.D.
After one of the debates, Mr. Obama was shown on the phone to Kenya. He seems to have ties to this country.
I am afraid that if he becomes president he may send troops to Africa. We don’t want a president with an agenda that contains sending troops to other countries. We went through that with the present president.
Africa is constantly waging war in some area. These are terrible conflicts with no clear evidence of who is worse: militias, terrorist groups, or radical sects. Their ways of intimidating villages is to kill the men and gang rape the women. These poor women are then ostracized. With HIV being at almost epidemic levels, this can also be a death sentence for the victims.
I don’t want my grandchildren sent to fight in Africa or elsewhere. We are already financially and militarily overextended. We cannot afford another war. We have troops in Europe, Korea, Afghanistan and Iraq. We don’t have resources to protect the whole world.
Russia was bankrupted by fighting on too many fronts and, if you go back in history, many empires have fallen by spreading resources too thin.
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Good time for improved communication in V.C. |
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Thursday, 21 February 2008 |
Letter from Paul Stenshoel
Valley City, N.D.
In light of the lawsuit filed by states attorney Brad Cruff, in regards to the bogus website by our ex-City Administrator, Dave Johnson: Wouldn’t this be an appropriate time to open lines of communication between the two parties at war?
I’ve always loved the line in the movie “Thirteen Days”:
"You and I should not now pull on the ends of the rope in which you have tied the knot of war, because the harder you and I pull, the tighter the knot will become..."
-- Nikita Khrushchev to RF & JFK
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Johnson web site is no parody, satire |
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Thursday, 21 February 2008 |
Letter from Duane Stahl
Valley City, N.D.
Ever since Dave Johnson and his fake web site depicting Valley City candidates as the KKK, a slum lord, and Adolf Hitler, I’ve considered writing this letter.
Mr. Johnson said the site was only a satire, a parody, and he did not intend it to be offensive. If he believed it wouldn’t be "offensive," I cannot understand how anyone could consider him capable of any position requiring clear thought.
For a number of years, I taught a mini-course about the Jewish Holocaust, an indescribably horrible period. During those years, I added information about many things, including slavery and the KKK, Joseph Stalin’s murder of millions, the atrocities of Idi Amin and the Khmer Rouge, etc. I am still appalled by Mr. Johnson’s statement that his site was just a satire or parody.
Another thing that continues to bother me greatly is the lack of response by Valley City government officials. No matter their feelings about the views of the three candidates, I expected them to say how offended they were by the actions of a top Valley City employee and how they understood the terrible effects such a web site might have on the families of Mr. Johnson’s targets. However, no such statements were issued as far as I know. At the least, I feel they showed tremendous insensitivity.
Also, anyone stating there was no political motive in placing such a web site online during the time before the election is, in my opinion, absolutely unbelievable! |
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Monday, 18 February 2008 |
Letter from Kathie Diane Shaffer
Sylmar, Calif.
It is tragic that so many citizens believe that we live in a democracy instead of the republic that our founders established.
The word “democracy” does not appear in the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, or any of our state constitutions. It does appear in The Federalist Papers where the Founders wrote about their fear of it. We pledge allegiance to our flag and to the “republic” for which it stands. A republic is rule by law. A democracy is rule by majority, which can lead to mob rule.
Our republic is organized to protect our natural or God-given rights. To protect these rights, we have a U.S. Constitution that both citizens and government officials are required to obey. Futhermore, our U.S. Constitution states: “The United States shall guarantee to every state in this union, a republican form of government..” Any other system - democracy, dictatorship, monarchy, or oligarchy - is organized to restrict individual rights to the degree determined by the whims of those in charge. Go to www.thenewamerican.com for details. Search: rights.
Unfortunately, we citizens have allowed federal officials to violate their oath of office so that about 80 percent of federal legislation today is unconstitutional, and it has restricted our rights.
Unless enough citizens wake up and demand that federal officials obey our Constitution, we soon will be living in one of the other four systems. |
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What’s V.C.’s snow removal plan? |
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Friday, 15 February 2008 |
Letter from Lowell Busching
Valley City, N.D.
I am either too late to be commenting, even favorably, on the city snow removal practices from last weekend's "snow event" and probably premature on the latest event from Wednesday.
While delivering Meals on Wheels last Monday in the extreme northeast part of town, I was amazed how well the streets, even in non-snow removal routes, had already been cleaned by 11:30 a.m. This has not always been the case so soon after other "snow events." Fortunately, since I returned to Valley City, there have been very few significant snow events, much less real blizzards, so I cannot comment on what the situation was while I was gone.
Many of the major intersections, downtown and even in outlying areas had already been sanded by noon Monday! The only exception that may have affected me on the delivery was the downhill slope to Fifth Ave N.E., which somehow had been missed up to that point. Otherwise, I personally had no complaints. The same occurred today, Thursday.
Even the downtown areas on Main and Central had been cleared for the most part and sanded by noon!
Over night, downtown is virtually a ghost town, but in the past it was sometimes days before snow was cleared from those streets and the surrounding downtown area.
Today, Thursday, the usual side streets downtown are still essentially unplowed or appear that way late in the afternoon. It has not snowed for several hours. It seems to be a consistent thing during these snow events rather then by chance. Therefore, I am wondering if there is a "master plan" to clearing the streets after a snow event, and if so, what is the reasoning behind it?
Examples of "major" side streets downtown that appear to have low priority are Second Street through the downtown area, Third Street, particularly past the Post Office and Times-Record, and the street past the Senior Center. Final snow removal on the Senior Center street may, at times, take several days, making it sometimes difficult for the seniors to get from the parking lot or nearby senior housing to the Center. This street seems to have a very low priority.
You would think the business district would have priority after the snow emergency routes, but sometimes even they are delayed in clearing.
Since this is consistent through all snow events, I am wondering what the reason is for this? Surely it does not appear to be happenstance.
Some residential streets are cleared almost immediately over and above the emergency routes, whereas others go for days without a plow even running down them one time. Perhaps there are reasons for this that we are not aware of?
A real surprise for me the last week has been the rapid clearing of the alleys in the downtown area, which includes the alley between my house and the businesses on the other half of the block. By 1:30 p.m. Monday, the city plow had made not one, but two runs through the alley! This is almost unprecedented on this heavily traveled alley. It was done again today at some time! In the past it has sometimes gone days before clearing by the city. Residents have sometimes cleared portions with their snow blowers in desperation.
I thank the street crew for their fine work so far. I hope this continues. It helps make life more tolerable here in the winter. However, any comments the city could make on the "master plan" for snow removal would be appreciated. |
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WSI practices rile Jamestown woman |
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Thursday, 14 February 2008 |
Letter from Linda Brown
Jamestown, N.D.
Well, we all read about WSI in the paper nearly everyday because of problems with that organization. If I remember correctly, the initials stand for Workforce Safety Insurance - now in my opinion, that means they provide insurance coverage to injured workers. WOW!! Apparently WSI workers do not know what those letters stand for. Instead, they keep denying benefits to one individual after another, including myself.
I had filed a claim with them in February 2007 for severe wrist and elbow pain (carpal tunnel syndrome). First they took care of the physical therapy I had for my elbow, but nothing was ever done about the wrist pain, where the elbow pain was originating from. I kept in contact with them until November, when they told me it was approved to have surgery. WRONG!!! Two days before surgery, they called to let me know it had been denied because it wasn't proven to be carpal tunnel. They knew my wrist was in pain, but they wouldn't accept the carpal tunnel diagnosis.
Then in January this year, the pain was starting to get so intense I had to go back to my physician and was once again referred to a surgeon in Bismarck. This was on Jan. 31. On Feb. 1, my doctor's office received a notice that the left wrist injury was approved for surgery. WRONG!!!
I had some questions to ask WSI and left a message with my case worker on Monday. Today (Friday, Feb. 8) she called to tell me it was not approved. I argued with her that my nurse would not tell me it was accepted if she hadn't gotten the documentation, but it didn't matter to this caseworker. She said she is the only one who can authorize this claim, and denies anyone would have sent such a notice.
This ended up with me calling my doctor in Bismarck again and having Medical Records fax them another copy of the diagnosis the doctor had dictated. I called my WSI caseworker back to tell her a copy is on it's way. She told me she won't get it until Monday (if she's there) because it goes straight in to the imaging department. Apparently that department is off limits to her until it's scanned???? So now I have to wait until Monday to see what the outcome of her decision is. If history repeats itself, she will call two days before surgery and tell me it's denied again. I would love to know WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF WSI? If it'’s not to help the injured worker, what's it for?
From what I've been reading, it sounds like employees and employers are just paying insurance dues so the WSI people can get better bonuses. Am I close to being on track? So anyone out there looking to draw insurance from WSI, take it from me, you'll be fighting the battle of your lifetime. They do not want to cooperate.
I have now gone with the only other alternative I know - I contacted Gov. Hoeven with hopes this issue will be resolved - FAST!!!!
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Republican fed up with Bush Era |
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Wednesday, 13 February 2008 |
Letter from Paul Stenshoel
Valley City, N.D.
Mike Huckabee and Ron Paul (bold) are the better choices for the Republican Party.
Fortunate son George Bush and his business partner, Dick Cheney, have done a great job setting back my Republican party to an all time new low. Never have we seen such shyster type characters in office since the Nixon and Agnew administration. And the sad thing about it is; I don’t think they really even care what we think! What they intended to get accomplished in their stint in the White House was done with eloquent finagling, great skill and ever so common everyday deceit, which they proved to be very good in all.
Not only that, they set-up the Democrats, should they take office, for sure doom, which smells strikingly familiar as to that of the Jimmy Carter Era. To quote the comedian Robin Williams: "I think I am having Vu Deja, (I don’t ever want to (%x!/*#y) go there again.)”
The best thing that could happen to this country is that another Republican gets voted into office so they can clean up the huge mess left by their predecessors, and I am not talking about Songbird McCain either. We need somebody with some real Christian morals and backbone, with an agenda that doesn’t solely patronize the war-mongers and the financially fortunate.
I think we can all agree now that the arrogance in our foreign policies, and the milking and manipulation of our middle class has taken us down a road of darkness and deceit, far away from anything close to resembling greatness. I’d hope for nothing less that my children might get a chance to see this country roll back and find the greatness that it once enjoyed. Then they could feel as I once did, that America was once a great nation and looked upon as such.
We as the public have a lot to learn from the Bush Era: We need to look deep down through all the weeds, at the messages and actions they sent out on our behalves, and ask ourselves, ‘Does this represent what we the people of this country are all about!’
I don˙t know about you but, the Bushs are the furthest thing I want to come into people’s minds when they think about who we are in this country. Can I paint the picture any clearer, that I am a little perturbed with my party?
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