Letters to the editor – Monday (12-29-08)

Published 12:00 am Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Special thanks to a community with a heart
Since moving to Salisbury in June 2006, my wife and I have been humbled and blessed by the commitment of those living and working in Rowan County. We have lived in several communities throughout our officership and have never seen such support and determination in a community for those less fortunate. We’d like to offer thanks to our wonderful community and appreciation for allowing us to serve here!
We offer thanks to the United Way and its staff who tirelessly work to better our community. Their willingness to go the extra mile shows their dedication and commitment to assist the many agencies who serve those in need.
We offer thanks to the many volunteers in our community. While some help at the Salvation Army, many also work and support other programs here in Rowan County. We appreciate all you do to help our wonderful community, and it is through you that we, the agencies, are able to help more people than we could have without you.
We offer thanks to the businesses, corporations and media who support our wonderful community. It is through you that we accomplish much! Your support never goes unnoticed.
We offer thanks to the donors who continuously offer support unselfishly to the less fortunate. Your generosity knows no equal, your sacrifice is noted!
We offer thanks to our advisory board, which guides us throughout the year. Your support, your ideas, your concerns are the backbone of where we are headed. We appreciate everything you do; we cherish your commitment.
We offer thanks to Salvation Army staff who work hard throughout the year. We appreciate every one of you.
We offer thanks to everyone for your friendship, your love and your support. We look forward to working beside you throughout this next year!
In Christ always.
ó Majors Robin and Pamela Starr
Salisbury
The Starrs lead the Salvation Army of Rowan County.Let’s try another ‘simple solution’
Every morning my cousin calls to check on me. Well, today (Dec. 26) he was about an hour late. So I asked him where he had been.
He said he had gone to town to exchange a Christmas gift. “Did you get a shirt too big?” I asked.
“No,” he said, “it was a necktie I exchanged.”
“Didn’t you like the color?”
“It was too tight,” he answered.
So I called my sister-in-law to tell her and she said, “Did you read today’s letters to the editor?”
I hadn’t, so I read them, and then I called her back.
We decided if Lee Kennedy (“Simple solution for drunken driving”) wants to shut down something, he needs to shut down rude behavior. And a good place to start would be all these retail stores.
If he can get that shut down, he can work on ignorance next.
ó Whitey Harwood
Mocksville
Your support helped ease pain
On Dec. 23, the Salisbury Post ran an article about our beloved yellow Lab (Salinger) having to be euthanized after exposure to a rabid raccon. Fred and I would like to thank everyone who was involved.
The animal control officer could not have been any kinder and went above and beyond the call of duty; she was as heartbroken as we were. The staff at the animal shelter were kind when we came out to say our last goodbyes to Salinger. No contact could be allowed, but it helped to see him one last time and let him know we loved and cared. The shelter staff aren’t villains; they have great big hearts but have a job to do , and it’s not always easy to do. The staff at Rowan Regional Medical Center has been good to me. Considering I am terrified of needles, the first go-round (of rabies shots) was awful. They hurt and have made me sick on a couple of occasions. Thanks to the couple in Rockwell we got (our new dog) Buddy from. He is good for Katie, and she isn’t so lonely. Thanks to Rowan Animal Clinic, which was faced with two crying adults after being told of our choices, and they were hard. Salinger was a member of our family.
A heartfelt thanks to Fred’s former co-workers at Salisbury-Rowan Utilities, my sororiety sisters for their cards, prayers, phone calls, our neighbors on Bee Line Drive and Godbey Road who have expressed how much they will miss him and, most of all, to our families who have tried to be strong for us when we couldn’t.
We both urge all pet owners to check your pets’ shot records closely. You do not want to go through this.
ó Karen Smith and Fred l. Mowery Jr.
Salisbury
Abandoning pups a cowardly act
Last Sunday I met with some fine folks at Mt. Vernon Presbyterian Church at Woodleaf to discuss some work on their parking area. I went back on Monday to get some measurements, and two little pups came up to me. Their ribs were showing, and I could tell they were hungry. I bought some food at the store, came back and fed them. I found a box and put leaves in it for them to sleep in that night.
I went back the next day to feed them. They seemed so happy to see me, I picked them up and placed them in my truck and brought them home with me. Two of our employees saw them and gladly took them to give them a good home.
To those who throw their little animals out like that, it is a crime. You who do this must not have little children or they might wind up thrown out in some parking area because they are no longer wanted.
To you who do this to your animals, you need to be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.
I am sure the fine people there at the church won’t mind if I check on their property for cowardly people who come there and throw their animals out. I will be checking by there often, day and night, and if you are caught, you will be prosecuted. To the cowardly people who do these things, here’s to you a sad New Year.
ó Hubert Kyles
Cleveland
Just be thankful you have a job
Over the many years I’ve subscribed to and enjoyed the Salisbury Post, I’ve rarely responded in anger to any article or editorial. This will be no exception.
In 2008, we followed an historic election for president. We followed a fight by our fellow county members against annexation. And I followed with my fellow veterans the fight for our right to health care and a meaningful acknowledgment of the service we have rendered to our country.
But I feel compelled to answer the Dec. 17 letter from Christine Granniss headlined “Working retail is no holiday …” This county is one of the hardest hit by an economy most of us had no hand in making. Many of us have seen our 401(k) evaporate. Many of us are laid off. Many of us face foreclosure or other loss of our homes.
Ms. Granniss wrote on your editorial page complaining about some of the things she encountered on her job.
Yes, there are people that without a coupon may not be able to afford an item. Yes, there are people who may complain when there are 20 cash registers and only five open. Yes, there are people who grump because they are asked to show an ID, but that comes with your job.
And, to the challenge Christine Granniss offered ó show me the job. There are thousands of us out here who have applied for every job from Kohl’s to Walmart and all points in between and have no job. So, instead of complaining about the difficulty of the job, my suggestion would be to kneel down to God and thank him for a place to work and a means to help your family and our struggling economy.
A.J. Moore
Salisbury
Photograph is
Christmas ‘miracle’
Well, Ronnie Gallagher, I don’t know how you did it, but you have pulled off, in my humble estimation, a great miracle during this glorious Christmas season which I did not think possible: convincing our area head football coaches to stand together for a memorable picture (4B, Dec. 25). To top it off, you found a way to get Coach Young (West Rowan High) and Coach Pinyan (Salisbury High) to stand together, smiling, with arms draped around each other ó a true miracle considering these two have been known to be fierce rivals.
As a local sports nut and one who feels privileged to live in a county with top-class high school athletic events, I’m sure you already know how valuable all of our coaches are to their respective schools and to our community as a whole. We are truly blessed to have such superb coaches in our midst. I learned this firsthand while serving on the school board. Coaches and educators alike are role models for our athletes and students, and are called upon to achieve lofty outcomes which are very hard to come by. But, regardless of wins or losses or exemplary test scores in the classroom, our student athletes learn much about discipline and hard work while participating in sports and other school related extracurricular activities.
Like you, I continue to thank all of our coaches and educators for the tremendous jobs they do. Regardless of their records and test scores, our coaches and their respective teams, as well as our educators, deserve our thanks and continuous support.
Gallagher, hats off to you and your staff for yet another excellent and memorable year’s worth of Salisbury Post sports coverage. And congratulations to the West Rowan Falcon football State Championship team and to Coach Scott Young and his entire staff for being named N.C. Coach of the Year!
ó David Aycoth
Salisbury