Peninsula Daily News
CommentaryViewpoints
Peninsula Voices Continued from A10 $8.5 million in uncompensated care in 2010, (“HospiNot a human right? tal Upgrades With Three In response to the March New Ventilators. Board Eyes Financial Challenges,” Feb. 2 letter “‘Christian duty’?”: 18), I am confused. If you believe that the We rely on the PDN for government should provide caretakers and support sys- our local news. I need more information, tems for people who have had an unwanted child, then and I look to the PDN to help me have a clear underyou mark the box on the standing of financial inforvoting ballot. Abortion is not a human mation. What does OMC need to right. do to maintain the current Neither is health care level of services to this compaid for by other humans. munity? If abortion and free Should I be concerned? health care is a choice, let Look what happened to those using it or abusing it the OlyCAP dental clinic. pay for it. Neither the state nor fedIf someone sins, the eral governments are going Christian way is to confess to help us unless we, the citand take care of it, not run izens, know what we need in and get an abortion and let health care services and others pay for it, and not then make our voices heard bad-mouth others who disto our legislators. agree with you. I am told that letters to Our America and the our legislators make a difworld are changing. ference, but we need to have The writers of the Bible current, understandable were prophets. information to write those You might not believe, letters. but there are a lot who do. Please help us underThom VanGesen, Port Angeles stand local health care finances and how we are Health care finances being affected locally. Tommie Schwent, I am a retired registered Port Angeles nurse who is on Medicare. I want health care Drill more services available when I Notice any spike in gas need them. prices lately? When I read or hear We are more and more about the spending cuts or dependent on foreign oil. proposed spending cuts to When there is turmoil in health services at the state countries that sell us their and national levels, I get oil, the prices increase. very concerned about the Whether the increases financial stability of Olympic Medical Center, physician are from speculators or the clinics and other health turmoil itself is irrelevant. facilities in Clallam County. We are getting hosed by I think I understand the increased gas prices at the delivery of health care. pump, and it isn’t going to What I don’t understand get better anytime soon is the financial aspects of without immediate action. the delivery of care. There is a solution to this When I read in the PDN dilemma: Drill for oil right that the hospital purchases here in the United States. equipment and spends There’s lot of oil in the money on building designs United States — such in the and at the same time it had Arctic National Wildlife Ref-
Our readers’ letters, faxes
I am shocked, shocked THE LINE FROM a movie that best describes the life philosophy of Americans is from “Forrest Gump,” according to a new survey. The DDB Life Style Study asked Americans what movie line best describes their life philosophy, and 26 per cent chose “Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re going to get.” Twenty-one per cent chose from “The Wizard of Oz” (“There’s no place like home”), and 8 per cent chose “Carpe diem,” or seize the day, from the movie “Dead Poets Society.” The rest of the Top 10 movie lines: n “Get busy livin’ or get busy dyin’.” (“The Shawshank Redemption”) n “Fasten your seat belts. It’s going to be a bumpy night.” (“All About Eve”) n “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn.” (“Gone with the Wind”) n “Today, I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the Earth.” (“The Pride of the Yankees”) n “May the Force be with you.” (“Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope”) n “What we have here is a failure to communicate.” (“Cool Hand Luke”) n “Show me the money.” (“Jerry Maguire”) Peninsula Daily News sources uge — not being tapped because of environmental concerns. Why not tell our senators, Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell, as well as our congressman, Norm Dicks, to start immediate legislation to allow for more drilling here in the United States right away? I’ll bet the prices of gas will go down immediately if they even threaten to drill here. Ken Westby, Sequim
Fluoridation issues Jim Leskinovitch [an Olympic Medical Center commissioner] in a Feb. 18 letter to the editor [“For oral health”] claims the National Research Council (NRC) “did not find an association between fluoridated drinking water and cancer in 50
human studies and six animal studies.” His reference, without date or place, is not checkable and varies significantly from NRC’s current publication. NRC’s relevant publication is Fluoride in Drinking Water: A Scientific Review of EPA’s Standards, published in 2006. This may be accessed at http://tinyurl.com/4kdo6hc. This report clearly associates fluoride with cancer but stops short of claiming proof of causation. More evidence is called for. On page 286 of the Web copy, under findings: “Among the disease outcomes that warrant separate study are osteosarcomas and cancers of the buccal cavity, kidney, and bones and joints. . . . “Fluoride appears to
Sunday, March 13, 2011
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have the potential to initiate or promote cancers, particularly of the bone, but the evidence to date is tentative and mixed. . . . “As noted above, osteosarcoma is of particular concern as a potential effect of fluoride because of (1) fluoride deposition in bone, (2) the mitogenic effect of fluoride on bone cells, 3) animal results. . . . “Several studies indicating at least some positive associations of fluoride with one or more types of cancer have been published since the 1993 NRC Report. . . . Several in vivo human studies of genotoxicity, although limited, suggest fluoride’s potential to damage chromosomes.” Is it worth the risk of using a substance where there has not been one double-blind study to support effectiveness, and yet it may cause cancer? Jim Bourget, Port Angeles Bourget is president of Clallam County Citizens for Safe Drinking Water.
ethnic and age diversity of my students. Following the World War II GI Bill, college students now include career changers and married/divorced mothers and fathers. My undergraduate sociology courses, in a so-called fluff area, in addition to lectures, readings and exams, required every student to do several computer data analyses to test their ideas. To do so was time-consuming for them and me, and it was an added expense to a university education. But such research was necessary for them to appreciate the science of sociology. Still, this may not have improved their abilities in decision-making or civic leadership for which Bob Herbert’s commentary calls. Glenn A. Harper, Port Angeles
Overusing ‘Nazi’
I had to laugh out loud at the March 9 letter, “Nutrition Nazism.” College students It is dark humor indeed From a distance, every- to wonder how the tens of body else’s work looks sim- millions who lost their lives to the National Socialists ple. would feel about comparing I confess that my 30 their tragedy to some years of experience teachbureaucratic effort to preing sociology in a large public university is limited, vent kids from getting fat and smoking or somehow but my students were linking the White House’s remarkably different from the image given in a March “Super Bowl Sunday menu” to steps that led to the mil8 PDN column by New York Times columnist Bob lions who froze to death in Herbert [“College Students Stalin’s gulags. Learning . . . Anything?”] I’m often amazed at how One of the major probcasually people can use such lems at my college was the a radical and obtuse comparneed for financial aid. ison in daily conversation. For my students, many I had a teacher in grade of any lost hours spent on school who said: “Once the studies were spent at vari- Nazis are brought up, all ous kinds of work that intelligent, civilized converlimited partying. sation is over.” You, too, would be Jeremiah Morgan impressed by the gender, Port Townsend
Peninsula Daily News Rants & Raves Compiled By Lee Zurcher
Rave of the Week MANY THANKS TO the gentleman who found and turned in five sheets of Forever stamps I absentmindedly left on the machine in the lobby of the Port Angeles Post Office. I was relieved and overjoyed to find what this good person had done! His honesty and courtesy astound and excite me. There really are good people out there!
. . . and other Raves A BIG THANK-YOU to Pam on East Fourth Street [Port Angeles]. She shoveled all of our walks after the big snowstorm.
who always make sure our driveway is plowed during snowstorms. What a great place to live! HUGE RAVE TO Blue Mountain Veterinary Clinic (especially Dr. Meg Gordon), Port Angeles, for the compassion, professionalism and top-notch care for my cat, William. I brought him in, and he was immediately treated for a blocked urethra. Without their care, he wouldn’t be here, more cocky and active than ever! They now have a loyal client and proponent. A VERY MELODIOUS rave for Port Angeles’ orchestra members, and congratulations on their recent awards.
Rant of the Week
TO THE TWO men at the YMCA, Olympic Tire and later Bruce’s Specialty Auto who all took care of our elderly mom when she got a flat tire. Thank you! The Port Angeles community really looks out for our elders. This is a great place to grow old.
THIS IS A rant to everyone who witnessed me being T-boned by a truck at the intersection of Eighth and Lincoln streets [Port Angeles] Monday morning and didn’t stop to see if I was OK. Not one person stopped.
A BIG RAVE for the Joyce community (especially Linda and Barb) who once again came to the aid of my mother and me during my recent hospitalization. Also, for Steve and Jeremy,
RANT TO THE Port Angeles Post Office. The collection box on Front Street between Liberty and Jones [Port Angeles] has been broken now for weeks.
. . . and other Rants
Hope the Post Office can get it fixed soon. A BIG RANT to Olympic National Park for [on occasion] closing Hurricane Ridge Road. Our community raised money to keep it open. They need to hold up their end of the deal! DO WE NOW refer to attempts to control the behavior of others as a social skill? Seems more indicative of a personal sense of loss or control to me. The integrity to speak honestly is a fine contribution to social interaction. As for tact? If you want coddling, get a wet nurse. RESPONSE TO “SHAKE your bootie and be sassy” [from a March 6 rant]. As a cheerleader and in defense of the coach, her main goal was sportsmanship toward others, smile and have fun. “Shake your booty and be sassy” is a term we use to show excitement and emotion during a routine. Oh, and the short skirts are provided by the school! IN RESPONSE TO the [March 6] rant about the food at the Sweet 16 party: The next time you’re lucky enough to get an invitation to one of the casino’s parties where they provide free food, free games, free prizes,
please turn it down. Those of us who thought it was a great party don’t care to rub elbows with ungrateful cranks like you. MY RANT IS for the person or persons who come by my place like a thief in the night to put your garbage in my trash bin. You are even too lazy to bag or separate it. Come on, get a life or, better yet, get your own trash bin.
I have even seen many law enforcement vehicles ignoring this basic law on many occasions. It is quite irritating. I WANT TO know why our local mail carriers find it OK to talk on their cell phones and deliver mail. It’s just as dangerous for them as it is for us.
A RANT TO a doctor’s office that won’t complete a sports physical form based on a 3-month-old FAA physical. RANT TO CERTAIN indiYou may have succeeded in viduals who resort to bullying removing more money from my and harassing senior citizens wallet, but you failed in putting over insignificant issues. it in yours. Folks, we all make mistakes I took my business elsewhere. in all areas of our lives, so cut ________ some slack and quit wasting time and energy on such negative (CLIP AND SAVE) pursuits. Get a grip, already! PLEASE, PEOPLE, DON’T jaywalk right in front of my bumper, even if it is downtown. You are playing Russian Roulette with my reaction time. BIG RANT TO persons owning [two] dogs chasing deer and barking at 6:30 a.m. in the morning on Toad Road [Sequim]. Please keep your dogs home. I WAS WONDERING why there are no signs along the highway in Clallam County that say: Keep right except to pass. It is the law and should be enforced, as it causes traffic congestion.
To participate, call our Rants & Raves hotline at 360-417-3506 (works 24 hours a day), e-mail us at letters@peninsuladailynews.com or drop us a postcard, 305 W. First St., Port Angeles, WA 98362. Keep comments brief — 50 words or less. And, please, no libel, no responses to letters to the editor or news stories; no personal attacks on individuals or on businesses identified by name; no thank you notes to your favorite restaurant, dry-cleaner, grandchild (we simply don’t have enough room for those); no inaccurate information or unverified rumors; no calls for boycotts; no political endorsements; no charity fund appeals; no commercial pitches. Don’t forget to tell us where things happen — Port Angeles, Chimacum, Sequim, etc.