Letters to the Editor 09-24-1999
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By -
- New Lockers - Dalton Neighbors - Innocent Man - Beliefs - Harrowing Experience
New Lockers
Editor, Times-Union:ÊI am writing in regards to the new lockers put in at Tippecanoe Valley High School. This week ( 9-20-99) we finally received our lockers. Yes, we went four, almost five weeks with no lockers. One new rule was NO bookbags. I am sure this rule was to ensure our safety from kids bringing weapons and other unappropriate things to the classroom, but we are allowed to carry bookbags until our lockers have been finished. So this means someone can bring in an unappropriate object until the lockers are put in. That may sound strange to you, I thought so, but that is not the point I am trying to get to. When we first heard all the commotion, we first hesitated, then thought, oh, OUR LOCKERS! We thought, about time! But then we thought are they really dumb enough to bring and put them in, in the middle of school, in the middle of the main hallway at TVHS, I guess so. So they made an announcement before passing period to watch out for the lockers and to not touch them. As I was walking through the now half-shrunken hallways, I had to step over cardboard boxes, metal scraps, lockers sitting in the hallways, power cords, electric drills, just sitting in the middle of the floor, even a table saw. Now is this really a safe environment? Then on Tuesday (9-21-99) they, the company who was putting in our lockers, went and installed all the locks. Now only three or four of the classrooms in that hallway have doors. So when they went a-bangin' and a- smashin' on the lockers, it was a little disruptive and hard to hear our teacher, our teacher had to stop and wait a few times, and the class paid less attention to the teacher and more to the men putting them in, so we wasted five minutes or more trying to get everyone's attention back. Now they say they are going to replace all of the lockers here at Valley, are we going to have to deal with this many more times? Don't you think they could have thought it through a little more as to putting the lockers in on the weekend or on a school break, I mean we have waited five weeks, what's one more? So I am hoping the school will think more about this when we get more, new lockers.
Brad Ellenwood, Junior at TVHS, via e-mail
Dalton Neighbors
Editor, Times-Union:The Dalton neighbors on Winona Lake have no ax to grind with other Dalton neighbors nor the employees of Dalton Foundry. We are not trying to shut down the foundry nor would we disturb the tax base of our community. Our only agenda is to promote a healthy environment for the citizens of east Warsaw.
To say, "if you don't like it, just MOVE" is not practical nor even desirable for most of us. True, Dalton was here first, but none of us knew when we bought our home that the air was so oppressive. Furthermore, most of us have put our life's savings into these homes. We love them and we love our location on Winona Lake.
We also know that our neighborhood is not the one most affected by Dalton pollution. The 1900 block of East Market Street is a case in point. One family we know power-washes their house regularly three times a year, while their neighbor's house is so black it looks as if it's had a fire. Before air-conditioning the school, Lincoln teachers say they could write on the window sills when Dalton fall-out was coming their way. I worry about both Sacred Heart and Lincoln children playing outside.
My personal concern is the incidence of cancer in our area. When my husband was dying of cancer, Parkview Oncology told us they had more patients from our area then any other. I have documented cancer deaths in our small neighborhood, as well as those who are presently battling it, including me. The numbers are frightening. Out of 20 homes, there are 22 cancer victims (in several cases both husband and wife or parent and child). The youngest victim was only 40 years old when he died, but he grew up here breathing the air and swimming in Winona Lake.
There is no way to prove that Dalton air pollution causes cancer, but doesn't it make sense that if Dalton fall-out can pit the finish of a car in a year's time (we know it does), why couldn't it damage sensitive lungs of those who have lived here 20 or more years?
If we did not believe there were measures Dalton could take to clean up the air we breathe and the foundry properties, we would just take our lumps. We would like to believe that Dalton is also concerned about this problem.
Betty Ellison Purcell, Warsaw
Innocent Man
Editor, Times-Union:Chad Miller is an innocent man and it's not right for an innocent man to go to prison. If this can happen to him, it sure enough can happen to anyone.
There are a few of you that have to know the truth if you would just stop lying and come forward to tell the truth. It would be the right thing to do.
This is an innocent man we are talking about and the truth has to be known. I'll keep fighting for him until the truth comes out.
Christie Walters, Warsaw
Beliefs
Editor, Times-Union:This is in response to the Dennerick Flores and David Hoskins letters printed recently.
There is a saying: "Be sure to choose what you believe and know why you believe it, because if you don't choose your beliefs, you may be certain that some belief, and probably not a very credible one, will choose you."
The Bible never COMMANDS us to believe, though it COMMENDS belief. Belief cannot be coerced. If there exists a man of faith in God joined to a life of purity and moral elevation, it's not so much the believing in God that makes him good, as the being good, thanks to God, that makes him believe in Him.
Morality doesn't make a Christian, yet no man can be a Christian without it; for only morality that is clear in its source, pure in its precepts and effective in its influence, is the morality of the gospel.
In Christianity there can be no divorce of religion from morality - for justification and sanctification are forever united.
Christianity promises to make men free; it never promises to make them independent. We need to be reminded that freedom doesn't mean the right to do whatever we please, but rather to do whatever we ought. The right to do what we please reduces freedom to a physical power and forgets that freedom is a moral power.
To think, speak and do something which you do not truly believe, is impossible. Therefore, the process of creation must include belief. This is absolute faith. Beyond hoping, this is knowing of a certainty. Because of this, one cannot experience ANYTHING which is outside of God's plan.
Emily Thomas, North Webster
Harrowing Experience
Editor, Times-Union:I wasn't going to write another "Letter to the Editor," but I just feel the need to share this experience. On the morning of Friday, Sept. 17th, I was driving to work on U.S. 30 with my lights on. I had just passed Swanson's gas station in Atwood and was coming to the hill at Hoffman Lake when I hit a patch of very, very dense fog. I couldn't see the road itself, so there was no way that I could see any yellow or white lines to know if I was even on the road at all. Of course, I did what any other "safe" driver would do ... I slowed down, being afraid I would come up on a car and rear end them, plus I couldn't tell how close I was to the entrance to Hoffman Lake Estates where people are crossing over U.S. 30.
It was very intense and confusing for me to be in that fog. I don't know what made me look in my rear view mirror, but when I did, I saw two shaky headlights right behind my little car! He evidently was trying to brake when he realized I was not flying down the road at 70 miles per hour as he was. The whole being of my body knotted up in the middle of my gut and my right leg pushed my accelerator to the floor to get out of his way. The fog patch cleared and he flew around me blasting his horn and cutting over in front of me so close it looked like he was going to clip my left front.
I was feeling very paranoid by this time, wishing I would have stayed home and never got on that stupid highway, and now I'm dealing with a lunatic semi driver. He slowed down to 50 mph, then sped up to 63 mph, then back down to 50 mph for the next 5 or 10 minutes, and I started thinking, "I'm not playing this game mister." So I started to go around him and he started moving over into the left lane and, before I knew it, my left tires were way over past the line and heading into the grass. So I slowed down and got back behind him. I took all the numbers off of that truck I could find and when I got to work I called the 800 number, gave them the trailer license plate number and the trailer number itself. The man was very kind, apologized to me for having to go through that and said that they never know about these kind of things unless people call and report it. Plus, he was very upset that his driver was that aggressive and tried to run me off the road. As I told my family, the sad part is that, had I died because he plowed into me, nobody would have known that he came flying over that hill in such dense fog and plowed into me because he didn't care about driving safely for the conditions and took my life. Thank you God, for being with me.
Sally Goon, Leesburg
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- New Lockers - Dalton Neighbors - Innocent Man - Beliefs - Harrowing Experience
New Lockers
Editor, Times-Union:ÊI am writing in regards to the new lockers put in at Tippecanoe Valley High School. This week ( 9-20-99) we finally received our lockers. Yes, we went four, almost five weeks with no lockers. One new rule was NO bookbags. I am sure this rule was to ensure our safety from kids bringing weapons and other unappropriate things to the classroom, but we are allowed to carry bookbags until our lockers have been finished. So this means someone can bring in an unappropriate object until the lockers are put in. That may sound strange to you, I thought so, but that is not the point I am trying to get to. When we first heard all the commotion, we first hesitated, then thought, oh, OUR LOCKERS! We thought, about time! But then we thought are they really dumb enough to bring and put them in, in the middle of school, in the middle of the main hallway at TVHS, I guess so. So they made an announcement before passing period to watch out for the lockers and to not touch them. As I was walking through the now half-shrunken hallways, I had to step over cardboard boxes, metal scraps, lockers sitting in the hallways, power cords, electric drills, just sitting in the middle of the floor, even a table saw. Now is this really a safe environment? Then on Tuesday (9-21-99) they, the company who was putting in our lockers, went and installed all the locks. Now only three or four of the classrooms in that hallway have doors. So when they went a-bangin' and a- smashin' on the lockers, it was a little disruptive and hard to hear our teacher, our teacher had to stop and wait a few times, and the class paid less attention to the teacher and more to the men putting them in, so we wasted five minutes or more trying to get everyone's attention back. Now they say they are going to replace all of the lockers here at Valley, are we going to have to deal with this many more times? Don't you think they could have thought it through a little more as to putting the lockers in on the weekend or on a school break, I mean we have waited five weeks, what's one more? So I am hoping the school will think more about this when we get more, new lockers.
Brad Ellenwood, Junior at TVHS, via e-mail
Dalton Neighbors
Editor, Times-Union:The Dalton neighbors on Winona Lake have no ax to grind with other Dalton neighbors nor the employees of Dalton Foundry. We are not trying to shut down the foundry nor would we disturb the tax base of our community. Our only agenda is to promote a healthy environment for the citizens of east Warsaw.
To say, "if you don't like it, just MOVE" is not practical nor even desirable for most of us. True, Dalton was here first, but none of us knew when we bought our home that the air was so oppressive. Furthermore, most of us have put our life's savings into these homes. We love them and we love our location on Winona Lake.
We also know that our neighborhood is not the one most affected by Dalton pollution. The 1900 block of East Market Street is a case in point. One family we know power-washes their house regularly three times a year, while their neighbor's house is so black it looks as if it's had a fire. Before air-conditioning the school, Lincoln teachers say they could write on the window sills when Dalton fall-out was coming their way. I worry about both Sacred Heart and Lincoln children playing outside.
My personal concern is the incidence of cancer in our area. When my husband was dying of cancer, Parkview Oncology told us they had more patients from our area then any other. I have documented cancer deaths in our small neighborhood, as well as those who are presently battling it, including me. The numbers are frightening. Out of 20 homes, there are 22 cancer victims (in several cases both husband and wife or parent and child). The youngest victim was only 40 years old when he died, but he grew up here breathing the air and swimming in Winona Lake.
There is no way to prove that Dalton air pollution causes cancer, but doesn't it make sense that if Dalton fall-out can pit the finish of a car in a year's time (we know it does), why couldn't it damage sensitive lungs of those who have lived here 20 or more years?
If we did not believe there were measures Dalton could take to clean up the air we breathe and the foundry properties, we would just take our lumps. We would like to believe that Dalton is also concerned about this problem.
Betty Ellison Purcell, Warsaw
Innocent Man
Editor, Times-Union:Chad Miller is an innocent man and it's not right for an innocent man to go to prison. If this can happen to him, it sure enough can happen to anyone.
There are a few of you that have to know the truth if you would just stop lying and come forward to tell the truth. It would be the right thing to do.
This is an innocent man we are talking about and the truth has to be known. I'll keep fighting for him until the truth comes out.
Christie Walters, Warsaw
Beliefs
Editor, Times-Union:This is in response to the Dennerick Flores and David Hoskins letters printed recently.
There is a saying: "Be sure to choose what you believe and know why you believe it, because if you don't choose your beliefs, you may be certain that some belief, and probably not a very credible one, will choose you."
The Bible never COMMANDS us to believe, though it COMMENDS belief. Belief cannot be coerced. If there exists a man of faith in God joined to a life of purity and moral elevation, it's not so much the believing in God that makes him good, as the being good, thanks to God, that makes him believe in Him.
Morality doesn't make a Christian, yet no man can be a Christian without it; for only morality that is clear in its source, pure in its precepts and effective in its influence, is the morality of the gospel.
In Christianity there can be no divorce of religion from morality - for justification and sanctification are forever united.
Christianity promises to make men free; it never promises to make them independent. We need to be reminded that freedom doesn't mean the right to do whatever we please, but rather to do whatever we ought. The right to do what we please reduces freedom to a physical power and forgets that freedom is a moral power.
To think, speak and do something which you do not truly believe, is impossible. Therefore, the process of creation must include belief. This is absolute faith. Beyond hoping, this is knowing of a certainty. Because of this, one cannot experience ANYTHING which is outside of God's plan.
Emily Thomas, North Webster
Harrowing Experience
Editor, Times-Union:I wasn't going to write another "Letter to the Editor," but I just feel the need to share this experience. On the morning of Friday, Sept. 17th, I was driving to work on U.S. 30 with my lights on. I had just passed Swanson's gas station in Atwood and was coming to the hill at Hoffman Lake when I hit a patch of very, very dense fog. I couldn't see the road itself, so there was no way that I could see any yellow or white lines to know if I was even on the road at all. Of course, I did what any other "safe" driver would do ... I slowed down, being afraid I would come up on a car and rear end them, plus I couldn't tell how close I was to the entrance to Hoffman Lake Estates where people are crossing over U.S. 30.
It was very intense and confusing for me to be in that fog. I don't know what made me look in my rear view mirror, but when I did, I saw two shaky headlights right behind my little car! He evidently was trying to brake when he realized I was not flying down the road at 70 miles per hour as he was. The whole being of my body knotted up in the middle of my gut and my right leg pushed my accelerator to the floor to get out of his way. The fog patch cleared and he flew around me blasting his horn and cutting over in front of me so close it looked like he was going to clip my left front.
I was feeling very paranoid by this time, wishing I would have stayed home and never got on that stupid highway, and now I'm dealing with a lunatic semi driver. He slowed down to 50 mph, then sped up to 63 mph, then back down to 50 mph for the next 5 or 10 minutes, and I started thinking, "I'm not playing this game mister." So I started to go around him and he started moving over into the left lane and, before I knew it, my left tires were way over past the line and heading into the grass. So I slowed down and got back behind him. I took all the numbers off of that truck I could find and when I got to work I called the 800 number, gave them the trailer license plate number and the trailer number itself. The man was very kind, apologized to me for having to go through that and said that they never know about these kind of things unless people call and report it. Plus, he was very upset that his driver was that aggressive and tried to run me off the road. As I told my family, the sad part is that, had I died because he plowed into me, nobody would have known that he came flying over that hill in such dense fog and plowed into me because he didn't care about driving safely for the conditions and took my life. Thank you God, for being with me.
Sally Goon, Leesburg
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