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Letters to the Editor Policy

No More Dirty Political Tricks!

The 2003 Commissioner’s race was sent off with unsigned ads in a local Shopper that criticized the current Susquehanna County Commissioners. Recently, residents opened a copy of a nasty character assassination letter sent to a candidate for Commissioner. The accusations in the letter are unsubstantiated; it was unsigned.

On several different nights this past week, a person or persons drove from Tiffany Corners to Choconut ripping up the majority of signs put out by Candidates for offices or their supporters. The signs were removed from public right-of-ways and, private property. Theft and Trespass are the names for that spree. It may be teenagers with too little supervision. It may be adults with sinister motives.

I urge the voters of Susquehanna County to be vigilant and report any suspicious activity of this sort to the State Police. Take a description of the vehicle and the license number. These people are taking away your precious right to support the candidate of your choice. Will the next step be intimidating masked thugs standing outside the voting place?

To the Candidates: My vote will go to the Candidate that has refrained from mud slinging and negative campaigns. My vote will go to a Candidate that has a positive attitude and is willing to learn. Show me your history of listening and learning about the County and its possibilities. Show me that your positive attitude toward life will lift the County, not drag it down.

Sincerely,

Carolyn Doolittle,

Choconut Township

Music To My Ears

This letter is addressed to the fine workers of PENNDOT, in sincere appreciation of the fine work done by all, especially this winter, out there at all hours and most holidays, keeping the roads safe as they can, plowing, cindering and fixing the potholes this spring.

And, not to forget Bill Gorski and his crew, keeping Ellsworth Drive open for the jail, recycling, and all other activities up this road. The 4 a.m. sound of the plow was music to my ears! To all you dedicated men, thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Our next step is for traffic control, at probably the most dangerous spot in our county, as anyone who drives Rte. 29 is well aware.

Sincerely,

Audrey R. Halliday

South Montrose

Choosing to Live With ALS

May is ALS Awareness Month, and we hope you'll take a few moments to give some thought to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. If you're not very familiar with that disease name, we understand. We were only mildly aware of Lou Gehrig's disease until March 2001, when it hit our family like a sledge hammer and Steven received a diagnosis of ALS at age 35.

That's the way ALS is. Scientists have some ideas about what causes it, but they don't know for sure, so it usually strikes out of the blue. It hits adults in the prime of life, and it can strike anyone.

ALS starts with generalized muscle weakness, and eventually leads to virtually complete paralysis. For most people, it progresses pretty rapidly, and it takes away the ability speak, then the capacity to breathe without assistance. The average survival is three to five years, though with newer respiratory equipment available, life expectancy is gradually increasing.

ALS entered our lives just as Steven was enjoying the greatest potential for growth in his sales career in the telecommunications industry. He was looking forward to many years in his role as father of our now 5-year-old son, Christopher.

Needless to say, we initially struggled with what this diagnosis meant for our family's future. We've held on to a positive attitude, and every time we hear that prognosis of three to five years, we remind ourselves that no one really knows how long someone will live.

Whatever the number of years we may have, we're determined to make it a time of quality, with a focus on our child. If ALS has a blessing, it's that it's helped us focus on what matters most.

Backing up our determination and our hope are the services of the Muscular Dystrophy Association. As the world's leading provider of services for people with ALS and the research to defeat the disease, MDA gives us an important rock to lean on.

MDA offers the 30,000 Americans with ALS the best in expert medical care through its 29 MDA/ALS centers at major universities and its 230 MDA outpatient clinics across the country. It also helps people buy needed equipment such as wheelchairs and communication devices, and provides a steady stream of information about medical care and research findings.

To date, MDA has spent $140 million in ALS services and a worldwide research program seeking a treatment or cure. MDA-funded scientists are conducting several clinical trials of drugs that could affect the disease progression, and are pursuing every lead that comes up.

We've found particular comfort and strength by connecting with others who have this horrible disease through an MDA-sponsored support group. Support groups allow us to learn from ALS "veterans" and to share information with those just joining the fight.

We've chosen to see ourselves as living - not dying - with ALS. We're grateful to all of you whose support enables MDA to help us keep fighting.

Sincerely,

Steven and Jennifer Bishop

Arvada, Colorado

EDITOR’S NOTE: Steven and Jennifer Bishop serve as co-chairpersons of MDA's ALS Division. Information about ALS and MDA's ALS program is available at www.als.mdausa.org or by calling (800) 572-1717.

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR POLICY
Letters To The Editor MUST BE SIGNED. They MUST INCLUDE a phone number for "daytime" contact. Letters MUST BE CONFIRMED VERBALLY with the author, before printing. At that time you may request to withhold your name. Letters should be as concise as possible, to keep both Readerâs and Editor's interest alike. Your opinions are important to us, but you must follow these guidelines to help assure their publishing.

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