Martin Cheek’s column,
”
Teachers, please show a kid some kindness,
”
was a moving story and thank you for publishing it.
Dear Editor,
Martin Cheek’s column, “Teachers, please show a kid some kindness,” was a moving story and thank you for publishing it.
There is kindness shown to kids in school, although we seldom hear about “kindness news.”
Let me explain: Some time back one of my students (I am a volunteer English as a Second Language instructor at the Gilroy Citizenship/Educational Programs) told me that a Teacher (and I capitalized Teacher) found that one of her first graders had no way of getting to school because both parents were farm laborers and had to leave early to work and could not find someone to take the child to school.
The Teacher discovered that the youngster needed transportation to and from school. At her own expense, and with parental permission, she provided transportation for the youngster for his first and second year of school. I have tried to find out the name of the Teacher, but thus far I have not been able to do so.
As the years have passed, I wonder who that Teacher was and how that student is doing. If I knew who the Teacher was, perhaps she is retired or moved away, I would nominate her for the Teacher of the Century.
There are many, many more well motivated Teachers than there are demeaning ones. I can and I do testify to this because I had many kind and generous Teachers all during my public school career. (Do you hear me Mrs. Milne?)
Edward P. Sanchez, Gilroy
Society gets a handle on tobacco and we’re going to legalize pot?
Dear Editor,
We just about get one addictive harmful product out of our space when another one comes along.
Tobacco restrictions have reduced the hospitalization of asthmatic children. It has saved lives from cancer and other disease. Well, let’s just smoke marijuana because “it makes sense” and “it’s safer”?
Guess what? Marijuana will cause the same illnesses and more.
Just reported in London, singer George Michael was sentenced to eight weeks jail time for his latest impaired driving conviction. He also was fined about $1,200 and banned from driving for five years. The judge chewed him out for not dealing with his “addiction to cannabis.” George was found slumped over the wheel of his Range Rover after he crashed into a Snappy Snaps shop in London. Do we need more impaired drivers on the road? No.
Columnist Lisa Pampuch should quit smoking that stuff and clear her head so she can see the danger in “marijuana for all.”
I know she loves taxes, but if it’s legalized it will still require law enforcement to raid non-franchised growers. No taxes will be collected if home grown pot is allowed. It’s a lot easier than making whiskey. Federal law is being ignored with the advent of “medical marijuana” being allowed by local authorities. No FDA approval required. No testing for efficacy, potency, or purity is required.
These outlets have a veritable delicatessen of varieties. What other federal laws would we like to ignore? Thank YOU, Lisa, but no thanks.
NO on Proposition 19!
John Herren, Gilroy
Supporting a mosque next to Ground Zero ignores the obvious
Dear Editor,
Recently, I read the column that Ms. Pampuch wrote regarding the mosque in Manhattan and the comment where she states that we “improperly presume viewpoints that we cannot know about the other victims.”
If Ms. Pampuch would be so kind, please tell us why it is that we cannot know what the viewpoint of the other victims is. Why Mrs. Pampuch, tell us why! I’ll help you out, it’s because “THEY WERE MURDERED”!!
It is because of “our basic core principles “that this mosque of your friends should not be allowed not only there or anywhere else in that area. Every time I hear the word Muslim, the first thing that comes into my heart is the sound of all those beepers sounding off and the vision of the airplanes hitting the buildings.
You also forgot to mention the people that were “MURDERED “at the Pentagon, and the “heroic passengers “of the other plane which because of their actions and sacrifice most likely saved hundreds of lives.
Ms. Pampuch, why don’t you go to your friend’s country and write columns of negativity as you do here and see how quickly they’ll boot you out.
My older brother is suffering from Parkinson’s because of the exposure to agent orange, my brother two years older than me was killed in Vietnam and I was going to be sent to Vietnam except because of his sacrifice, I was sent to Germany. My youngest brother also served, and his wife also.
How many Muslims have died in service of our nation? If some have died for this country I doubt that the list is numerous in comparison to our other American soldiers, and on the contrary, there was that Muslim officer recently who killed several American soldiers on the Army base in Texas.
How many Muslims took to the streets in protest of what their brothers did on 9/11? How many Christian churches are there in their Muslim empire? What do they do to those who convert to Christianity?
Ms. Pampuch, what you need to do is write another column and apologize, not only to the people of this area, but to all the families that lost loved ones on 9/11, and then apologize to all the families who have sons and daughters who have served and died to establish those “basic core beliefs” that you seem to take so lightly!
Last but not least, for your information every handful of soil of this great and wonderful nation “IS HALLOWED GROUND!” And actually, what should be done, is to close every mosque and for every mosque they want to reopen, their Muslim country has to allow one Christian church to be opened.
Fernando P. Sanchez, Gilroy
