|
Letters
to the Editor Policy
What A Parade!
On Thursday, October 28 the Montrose Area Kiwanis Club sponsored the annual Halloween Parade. The Montrose High School Band lead the parade on its route. Princesses, pirates, ducks and musical instruments paraded up Public Avenue to the fire hall, where refreshments were served. Judging for prettiest, scariest, and most original costumes were held at the fire hall. Over two hundred and fifty children and adults participated in this year’s parade.
Thanks to all who came and those who watched, because it’s not a parade without spectators. Special thanks to Montrose Borough, Elk Lake and Montrose Key Clubs, Montrose High School Band, Montrose Ambulance, Montrose Firemen and Fire Police for their help.
Sincerely,
Montrose Area Kiwanis
NewsBeat “Is No More”
After being in the newspaper business all of my life (which is a “few” years) I have decided to hang up my typewriter and cease to write my NewsBeat column. It was a hard decision to make, for the newspaper “game” was actually my life. Learning the trade from the “bottom up” was my way of living. I will miss writing the column, but will continue to write on special events. My sincere thanks to Chuck and Rita (Ficarro) for allowing me to use their County Transcript for my week to week “chattering” and a great big thank you to all my readers, especially those that had an input in helping me to write NewsBeat.
May God Bless You All.
Lou Parrillo
Being Discriminated Against?
I’m writing this letter in regards to a problem my partner and I are being faced with.
Both of us moved up to Northeastern PA 3 1/2 years ago from NYC. Three years ago, we met someone who thought we would make great “Foster Parents.” At the time we were running our home as a Bed and Breakfast. Both of us love children, so we decided to contact Lackawanna Children and Youth. We were advised that if we were to go in that direction, we’d have to close the B & B.
After closing our business, we took all the classes required to become foster parents. Two months later we opened our home to three siblings (two have ADHD). They were with us for two months until their grandmother won custody of all three.
We waited four months to get another foster child. He was 13 years old, also labeled ADHD. While being in our care, we fell in love with this child, so decided to go through with adoption. When he heard this, everything started to change. He was with us for nine months and during that time, he used physical abuse on myself and threatened my partner four times. It was a heartbreaking decision, but we had to let him go.
Our next step was to drop Lackawanna and go with Susquehanna Children and Youth. Right from the start, our new caseworker stated that we might face problems getting children because... we’re a gay couple. I told her that we’ve been together for 26 years and the fact that we’re gay shouldn’t make a difference.
During that time, it was mandatory that we receive 30 hours of parenting classes, so we enrolled with St. Joseph’s in Dunmore. At our first class the instructor came right out and said, in front of all the other couples, that we couldn’t register with them because of our lifestyle.
We were with Susquehanna for only four months, faced with the same problem of not getting children. Our last resort was going with Honesdale’s Kid’s Peace. After going through another home study, our home was now open again for children.
It has been five months since we signed on with Kid’s Peace and, still no children. I roamed the internet and found hundreds of children waiting for a loving home. I’ve contacted our caseworker with over 20 names of children we’d be interested in adopting, but haven’t heard from any of them.
I took it upon myself to respond to a sibling group in Boston, MA. After talking to the children’s caseworker, she told us to call our caseworker and have her forward our home study to her. I then called our caseworker and told her about the two brothers we were interested in and asked if she could send our files to Boston. Her response was, “Why are you looking out of state, when there are so many children wanting to be adopted in PA?” Also, it would cost $2,500.00 for sending our home study to Boston.
Isn’t it strange that the second agency we were with (Susquehanna Children and Youth) is still putting out ads seeking couples to become foster parents. They claim that they had “no children” for us, yet they’re desperately seeking couples. The agency we’re now with says, “Why look out of state when there are so many children in PA?” so, why are we waiting?
Can anyone please advise us on what to do next? Are we being discriminated against, because we’re gay?
Sincerely,
Mr. Vito J. Russo
Mr. Nicholas A. Sheptak
Thompson, PA
A Rose Like No Other
The Montrose Area Kiwanis Club would like to thank all who purchased or were given roses from our recent Rose Sale. The Rose Sale raises money for the Kiwanis International Fund, which helps children around the world. The Montrose Club was pleased to sell 100 dozen roses on October 16! The community support of our projects is greatly appreciated.
Sincerely,
Montrose Area Kiwanis
In Response
Regarding the reprinted article “He Does Not Mourn” October 20, 2004.
I was very disappointed, but not surprised by the reprinted article by the unknown to me (and probably most) novelist E.L. Doctorow. After reading the article written by him, I am not surprised I have never read any of his novels. In fact he may be a very good novelist, but as a commentator on this issue he seems to fall very short of entertaining or interesting.
It seems very obvious from the start that he does not know President Bush at all, and probably has never even met him. If he has met the President and knows him personally, then I do apologize, and perhaps I am wrong in my observations. I do not believe that to be the case however. He presumes to live inside the heart and mind of this President, and understand the workings of his soul, which he determines to be totally self serving and ignorant of all around him. I do not agree! Just because President Bush does not carry a string of reporters with cameras with him every step, to display to the world his personal actions minute by minute, does not mean he does not care. More so it means he truly does care when he goes to visit the wounded servicemen and women, and the families of the killed and injured, and does not need or want it reported that he did so, or what transpired at those meetings. Letters from those who happened to be nearby and see the President comforting and praying personally with those people tell the real story. Those letters do not make the print however, since that would not be news of interest in most editors’ minds.
Personally I do not need to see photos of coffins of dead servicemen to realize the cost of freedom. I do not need to see the coffins or bodies of the thousands killed by terrorists over the past 30 years to realize the threat that grows against us. September 11 was not the wakeup call, it was the blanket being torn off, and someone yanking you out of bed onto the floor and dousing you with ice water, after you had ignored the alarm, the call, the recall, and the warning after that.
The US has been attacked in various ways by terrorists at least 19 times since 1979, but we were too happy in our dreams and warm beds, and few actually woke up until the September 11 attack. Even after that, some managed to refuse to understand the threat, instead looking for ways to blame the President, though he was barely in office eight months.
I cannot even pretend to understand the ramblings of this “novelist” as he goes on to blame the President for loss of overtime pay, black lung, pollution, high cost of health insurance, and the 35 million (in which he includes himself) living in so called poverty.
It should be quite easy to see that I have taken offense at this article, and hopefully it was reprinted just to make people think, and not because anyone at the County Transcript thought it was a really great article. Personally I feel it is a sad commentary on the condition of the author’s life. When one can so easily call the President a liar with no evidence or facts to back it up, and when one can so easily declare the President does not care or mourn; when he continues to say the President is only in it for the power and rewards for himself and his friends, I would have to surmise that he is in some personal misery of his own soul.
Maybe he has not noticed the rapid growth of the economy, real growth. Maybe he has not noticed that those rich people getting tax relief are you and me (if you pay taxes). Maybe he has not noticed that though not perfect, homeland security is working. Maybe he has not noticed that the so called insurgents in Iraq, and not Iraqi insurgents, but terrorists, many or most not even Iraqi, and being led by a well known terrorist who trained terrorists in Iraq (oh, wait, I forgot that there were no terrorist training camps in Iraq). Maybe he forgot that the President clearly stated the purposes for going into Iraq, of which WMD’s was the very smallest mention.
I guess he did not notice that we did not start this war, but at least this President is going to stand up and fight back, offensively. The war against terrorism is not one that can be fought defensively, unless like this novelist, the body count piled up by the terrorists is the one not mourned, and is an “acceptable loss.”
I have met the President (you know the quick say hello, handshake type) at one of those “carefully screened rallies” (which believe me were not screened), and I have heard him speak, more from his heart than from a paper. It is my opinion that he does care, he does mourn, he does suffer. Most importantly he does pray, not paper prayers, but real prayers with people and for people. He stands up proudly with the courage of his real convictions, which do not change with the wind, and show the strength of character within. This is how you lead a nation, and show the world you are still the greatest nation in the world, despite all attempts to break her down, from without and within. Sure we are not perfect, but I will bet that there were no articles like Mr. Doctorow’s being written about Iraq’s former dictator while in office.
Lastly, I have to argue with Mr. Doctorow’s belief that the United States is ceding its role as the last best hope of mankind. She is not ceding her role as the most prominent nation in the world, the most helpful, charitable, giving and forgiving, teaching and providing nation in the world. The role of the “last, best, and only hope for mankind” belongs to someone far greater, more powerful, more understanding, forgiving and loving than any man or nation. That of course would the One this President (along with a lot of the rest of us) prays to on his knees.
Sincerely,
Lanny Leonard
Jackson, PA
Honesty Is Appreciated
On Friday night, October 29, I lost a very expensive ring at the Oakland Tavern. After backtracking myself, the two young ladies working there had found my ring and were holding it; I was a complete stranger to them. Upon my return to the tavern and inquiring about the ring, they returned it to me.
Folks, honesty is still alive and well, and I deeply appreciate the actions of these two employees that night. A heartfelt thank you goes out to these two young ladies for bringing credit upon themselves for their honesty and helping a stranger unknown to them.
Sincerely,
Robert L. Butts
Mgr. Annex 04
DG21 Bx 24
FPO AP 96595
Don’t Worry, We’ll Be There
This is an open letter to one or more unknown persons. I realize that these persons will probably not read this letter, which is assuming they have the ability to read. The subject of this letter is more than personal. The subject involves a group of people who have dedicated themselves to rushing to the aid of other people, sometimes complete strangers; the Volunteer Fireman and Ambulance members. These people train and respond to all types of emergencies day and night, in the cold and heat, in the rain, snow and ice. Now they knew when they joined the Fire Dept. that this was the job. They knew that they may have to leave family during parties, holiday dinners, even church. So what is the big deal? They are not looking for anything, no pat on the back, not even a thank you.
They sometimes go out of their way to be actively involved in community events. For example, the Fire Dept. Ambulance crews take the ambulance out on the streets during Trick or Treat time to help light up the streets and keep the children safe; they do this in conjunction with the local police departments. They purchase large quantities of candy out of their own pockets and hand it out to the kids. Unfortunately sometimes during the Trick or Treat an emergency occurs that requires the ambulance to respond. This was the case last Sunday night. While handing out candy on the street to a lot of scary little persons we were dispatched to transport a seriously ill person from their home to Wilson Hospital. These volunteers responded immediately, again leaving what was a lot of fun. We, myself included transported a very respected member of our community to Wilson. While returning we were dispatched for another serious emergency, and took that patient to Barnes-Kasson ER.
Now, these events alone are not why I am writing this letter. But because of those emergencies and the time it took to complete both calls our personal vehicles were left unattended, parked next to the fire station. When we returned we found that the person or persons who I hope will read this letter had covered our vehicles with eggs. A lot of fun for them, a lot of work for us. It was just what we wanted to do, respond to two emergencies, treat and transport two seriously ill people to the hospital and then come back and enjoy trying to clean off the eggs. But I don’t want these persons to worry. When they fall off their skate board, smash up their vehicle, overdose on drugs or alcohol, the same people who had to clean all the eggs off their cars late at night, will be right there to treat and transport you, too.
Sincerely,
David Scales Sr.
Susquehanna, PA
Give Them A Refund?
Thank you for the good coverage of the Bridgewater Township meeting by Margaret Meckwood. The company Bendix Corp. has caused so much damage (that continues) with environmental effect and loss, why should any tax benefit or refund be allowed?
Signage, in any community may not need an ordinance for control, but an appeal for consideration of placement, size and maintenance appropriate to that community’s environment. All local governments could encourage such, without the “law and order” process of ordinance and penalty. Many properties in our area “cry out” for better care.
Sincerely,
Paul W. Gere
South Montrose, PA
Back
to Top
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 Readers' and Editors' interest alike. Your opinions are important to us, but
you must follow these guidelines to help assure their publishing.
Thank you, Susquehanna
County Transcript
For questions, comments and
submissions contact us at:
info@susquehannatranscript.com
©
|
