Dear Editor,
I am humbled by all the love and support our family has received
from the Gilroy community and neighboring cities.
My cousin, Sgt. David Gutierrez, received a farewell send-off
just as he deserved. People showed their love and respect in ways I
will never forget in my whole lifetime.
Sgt. Gutierrez’s family members say thank you to Gilroyans for kindness
Dear Editor,
I am humbled by all the love and support our family has received from the Gilroy community and neighboring cities.
My cousin, Sgt. David Gutierrez, received a farewell send-off just as he deserved. People showed their love and respect in ways I will never forget in my whole lifetime.
The priest from Saint Mary’s Church, Father Tad Terembula, spoke some inspiring words of encouragement and wisdom. I’m very proud of the City of Gilroy with their highly trained peace officers and fire department that made this massive crowd of cars and pedestrians move with ease and safety. I also want to commend and thank the military personnel for their sensitivity to our needs in time of sorrow and stress.
Our aching hearts in such need of direction were made to feel secure. For days we were able to feel safe and comforted by their positive and strong presence.
A big THANK YOU to all those kind and caring residents of Gilroy who lined up on First Street in our path to the cemetery. Their manifestation of love and support during our greatest need will be embedded in our hearts forever.
A great big thank you to all the little school children that waived American flags and smiled as we drove by. I could not see you clearly beyond my tears of gratitude. However, I hope you felt my sincere thanks when I blew kisses out the window to each and every one of you.
I must not forget to thank the VFW members who donated their time and space to bring our family several hours of peaceful family time together. A special thank you to all those wonderful people that donated the delicious food and volunteered their time. Each and everyone of you lightened up our pain and grief more then you will ever know. I thank you on behalf of the David Hector Gutierrez family.
Dolores Mendez and family
Dear Editor,
We would like to thank the Gilroy community for their welcoming home of our cousin Sgt. David Hector Gutierrez. The procession from St. Mary Church along First Street to the cemetery was incredible and very emotional – from the students of St. Mary and Brownell schools to those who were paying their respects along First Street.
We also would like to thank Gilroy’s finest, the police and fire departments, and the local VFW chapter.
This was truly a hero’s welcome. David is gone, but not forgotten. May he rest in peace.
Ernie F. Gonzalez, Gilroy
Those were the ‘Bonanza Days’ when Gilroyans had unfettered fun
Dear Editor,
Columnist Erika Mailman is rarely worth reading (even on the throne), but the Bonanza Days headline (Jan. 5) caught my eye. The kids’ parade was on Saturday, and the big one on Sunday; I would so like to see our Memorial Day grow into this. I still have my first-place (kids’ parade) trophy.
The big parade had several bands from all over the area (Los Trancos Woods was the best), low-rider cars blasting tunes (my overall second favorite entry), classic cars, horsemen, and of course, floats. The Clampers annual entry were my favorite – people who know how to have harmless fun (terrorists, by today’s restrictive laws).
This was another fun event that the Establishment (the court system through frivolous lawsuits and subsequently, the insurance industry) drove into extinction. For those who remember a more free time in our not-so-distant history, it can cause some resentment, too. Strong resentment.
They didn’t have a stack of rules back then. Even if you weren’t yet 21, you could have a couple beers during the Parade; now at any age you’d get arrested for having an “open container” in public. You pulled up your El Camino – or whatever you would create your own grandstand out of – and a couple folding chairs, and you had people piled four deep, from the cab top to the curb; now, you can’t park on First Street or across a sidewalk or even along parade route sidestreets. There were high advertisements signs along First Street which you could climb to get the bird’s eye view; do that now, you’ll get hit with “trespassing” or some other trumped-up charge for thinking without permission.
Some groups of observers – those who arrived real early for the best spots – even brought small barbecue pits and grilled sausages; now, you’d have the fire marshal shutting them down and calling for their prosecution.
A lot of us then “skateboard punks” would cruise alongside between the participants and the spectators; now, the police would confiscate their boards. Some car clubs would blast music – I remember one time they somehow did this in unison; now, the department of injustice would label them a “criminal street gang” and harass them, searching their vehicles, cuffing them in public, etc.
I’m surprised today’s floats don’t require seatbelts. How times have changed. (Keep electing Democrats like Anna Caballero and Elaine Alquist to the state legislature, and it’ll keep getting worse.)
The Establishment outlaws fun any time they can get away with it. Councilman Peter Arellano (who is running for county supervisor – remember that) tried to shut down Fourth Of July with a proposed firework ban (getting only one vote – his).
If you remember the Bonanza Days Parade, or even the first 10 years of the Garlic Festival, share your memories. These are what community events should be like.
Alan Viarengo, Gilroy
Assistance from Gilroy police saved the life of injured Red-tailed Hawk
Dear Editor,
I wanted to thank the Gilroy police for helping to save the life of a young Red-tailed Hawk. While walking near the levee and Uvas Creek recently, my dog located a hawk that was “grounded.”
Not knowing what to do, I phoned the Gilroy P.D. non-emergency number. They took my information and knew how to relay it properly. A lady from South County Animal Rescue called to say she had received the hawk and the type of care it was receiving. She stressed the importance of remaining with an injured bird or animal until help arrives to insure it can be located.
Thanks again Gilroy Police Department for making my day.
Lois Armstrong, Gilroy
President Obama can’t just wave a magic wand – give him a break
Dear Editor,
A year ago, if we had read in the paper that employers were hiring again, that health care legislation was proceeding without a bump, that Afghanistan suddenly became a nice place to take your kids, we would’ve known we were being lied to.
Back then, we recognized that the problems Barack Obama inherited as president wouldn’t go away overnight. During his campaign, Obama clearly said that an economy that took eight years to break couldn’t be fixed in a year, that Afghanistan was a graveyard of empires, and would not be an easy venture for us.
Candidate Obama didn’t feed us happy-talk, which is why we elected him. He never said America could solve our health care, economic and security problems without raising the deficit. Instead, he talked of hard choices, of government taking painful and contentious first steps towards fixing problems that can’t be left for another day.
Right after Obama’s election, we seemed to grasp this. We understood that companies would be happy to squeeze more work out of frightened employees, and would be slow to hire more. We understood that the banks which had extorted us out of billions of dollars, were lying when they said they would share their recovery. We understood that a national consensus on health care would not come easily.
Candidate Obama never claimed that his proposed solutions would work flawlessly right out of the box, and we respected him for that. But today, the president is being attacked as if he were a salesman who promised us that our problems would wash off in the morning. He never made such a promise. It’s time for Americans to realize that governing is hard work, and that a president can’t just wave a magic wand and fix everything.
Ellie Light, San Felipe
