Letters to the Editor 12-06-2001
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By -
- America's Blessed - Lockouts - Taxes - Holocaust - Christmas Spirit - Silver Lake School - School Points To Ponder - Build The Facilities
America's Blessed
Editor, Times-Union:From your HISTORY page of the Nov. 27 Times-Union, came something that also disturbed me. One of the articles on that page was black print on a gray background. After turning on more lights so it could be read, I realized that it should have been printed black on black so it couldn't have been read, no matter how many lights were on. The whole page should have been black on black so it couldn't have been read. It was a "disturbing" page.
As I drive down the highways, I see a few "God Bless America" signs. The signs came because some human beings, from other nations with another religion, did something that was so terrible for this nation. To my thinking, what those "God-fearing?" American government officials did, without ever being punished, that your HISTORY page tells about, is just as disturbing as "9/11" was. It should be even more disturbing. Those government officials were "us," surely having the only correct religion, doing to "us," who probably had the same religion. Those terrorists are now being punished for their actions. What about the "terrorists" that the HISTORY page tells about?
God must surely be blessing this nation. Any nation that has government officials in it who can get away with that kind of "justice," without the nation being punished, must surely be a blessed nation. "God Bless America!"
The Alabama governor, after having read the AP's file about the matter, said that he was "disturbed." It would be interesting to know what he was "disturbed" about. Was he disturbed about what had happened, or just disturbed that the AP was exposing the matter?
Isn't it a good feeling to know that American officials would never, never again do things that could hurt others as those officials did, that your HISTORY page tells about? "God Bless America, real good!"
Robert Stichter
Milford
Lockouts
Editor, Times-Union:In answer to Don Kollman's letter about lockouts and the police getting most of the calls, I'd like to say I'm very sorry that it hurts your livelihood. But I've needed somebody three times, due to a senior moment, in the last five years. One time I was in one of the smaller towns and didn't know anybody. It was no trouble finding a law officer there or here in town, either. Once I was at the Wagon Wheel and I just stepped inside, called the station, and the police were there before the show even started. I didn't have to find a phone book and look in the yellow pages to find a locksmith, then wait in the cold for help and not know who was coming to help me. People feel a lot safer knowing who is going to come to their aid, especially women. Many times we get locked out where it's dark and may be dangerous to wait for help. It truly is one of the best contacts people have with a police officer. Please, Mayor Wiggins, don't take this service from us. I don't want to have to call a stranger to come to my aid, if this should happen again. And a big "thank you" to the police for doing this for our community.
Julia Raypholtz
Warsaw
Taxes
Editor, Times-Union:Dear Mr. Parks:
I'm sorry you resent taxes. I do too. I sometimes think they're unfair, but how else do you think the courthouse was built? Charity? More than likely not. How do you think the city park was built? The library? The airport? U.S. 30, state highways? State and national parks? And yes, schools? Taxes. The general public pays for these things. I myself use and appreciate all of these improvements in everyday life, and looking at it that way, I no longer mind taxes so much. Would you yourself wish to finance a 100-foot portion of that highway you drive on everyday and perhaps repairs too? Probably not. Without that highway (that taxes built)what happens? Or what happens when a loved one is hurt or injured, how do you get them to the hospital if there is no highway? Or did you ever consider that the hospital itself was built by the community with tax dollars? Our community is growing and it has needs. Schools are one of them. I am willing to give you the benifit of the doubt that you are uninformed of the situation you cited in your letter on Tuesday that is developing and that comes with growth. The need for more schools is just one of them. It has been suggested that there is a growing need for more elementary class rooms in the city of Warsaw. This may be true but as the elementary schools grow in number, the middle schools grow, too. Dr. Harman suggested to the dean at Ivy Tech that they search for a new location due to growth at the middle school level, which is already crunched for classroom space, which leaves an already growing Ivy Tech campus in a bit of a pickle. They need classroom space, too. Think of it this way. Taxes to you should be considered an investment on your part. Without those taxes to fund schools there would be limited potential for kids growing up to advance themselves in a career leaving them with at best a factory job to look forward to, which pays little and therefore taxes little. With the tax dollars, we can put children through school and help them succeed financially because someday the taxes they pay will pay your Social Security and other benefits you will receive as a aging or retired citizen.
Michael Fussle
Warsaw
via e-mail
Holocaust
Editor, Times-Union:Just a thought. The 9/11 equivalent occurred every day for four years in relatively recent history ... 4,000 dead x 1,460 days = 5,840,000 murdered. I am referring, of course, to the Holocaust toward the Jews during WWII.
David B. Ekholm
Warsaw
Christmas Spirit
Editor, Times-Union:Whenever I declare that Christmas will soon arrive, I hear retorts such as: "Don't mention it!" or "I hate Christmas!" which leads me to think, "Well, what do we have here in these United States, a nation of atheists?" I don't believe that those individuals who claim to resent Christmas actually "hate" that holy day. I think that it's all of the commercialism they hate, such as displaying Christmas trees and Christmas cards for commercial purposes at the end of September or in early October. Of course, the merchants have to take a chance on selling their products whenever they can. They are out to make a living like everyone else. They are not in business for their health.
However, to me, Christmas is a wonderful time of the year, especially for the kiddies, although sometimes I wonder if even a child always appreciates the piles and piles of expensive gifts that are heaped upon him. When my great-niece was 2 years old, she received enough gifts to fill a boxcar. The living room was so jammed with her Christmas gifts that one could hardly find the tree. After my niece had plowed through the avalanche of presents, ripping off the wrappings to see what she had received, she suddenly disappeared. Later, we found her in the kitchen by the stove joyfully banging two pot lids together.
I, for one, once discovered that a lavish, expensive gift at Christmastime doesn't always fulfill a mortal's expectations and gratifications during the yuletide season. Years ago, I worked in a grocery store in Leesburg and there was a poor farm lady who came in to trade. Well, she took a liking to me and during the Christmas season, she brought in an item enclosed in a brown paper bag. She handed me the bag and I opened it to discover a container of home-canned peaches. The farm lady, with a bright, cheery smile lighting her face, beamed enthusiastically, "Don, I brought you this can of peaches for Christmas because I like you!" Well, I shall never forget that dear soul and her precious can of peaches. She had no money to spend on a gift, so she showed her liking for me with the peaches. Her thoughtfulness touched me as deeply as though I had received a check for a million bucks - honest!
During the Christmas season of 1942, no matter where you were, near your radio at home, on the street or near a jukebox or a dance hall, you heard the plaintive, familiar sound of Irving Berlin's enduring ballad, "White Christmas," the song that Bing Crosby immortalized in the move, "Holiday Inn." While on vacation in Hawaii, Irving Berlin wrote "White Christmas." He wrote it as joke; that is, he knew that he would never see a white Christmas in Hawaii, so he wrote about "dreaming of a white Christmas."
I wonder if this year, Irving Berlin's "White Christmas" will reach the eager, auditory senses of our valiant servicemen in Afghanistan? If they are stationed in the hot, torrid section of Afghanistan, like Irving Berlin, our armed forces will also have to dream of a white Christmas. But I'll bet that our brave boys of the bombing brigade would rather relinquish dreams of a white Christmas if they could bring into reality the fact that they have captured one Osama bin Laden and the al-Qaida and present them to the USA as a yuletide gift, all wrapped and bound in fancy Christmas paper and bright, colored ribbons.
Don Kaiser
Warsaw
Silver Lake School
Editor, Times-Union:To the Warsaw School Board, I have a few questions for you and some comments. How many of you remember the names Dave Caudel, Billy Shepard, Ken Vanderpool, Bobby Salyers, Billy Salyers, Ron Prater and other young people from Silver Lake? How many of you remember Billy Salyers was the first Silver Lake resident killed in Vietnam, and that there was talk of raising a statue to keep his memory alive? My guess is none of you. The names listed are from the 1966 senior class of Silver Lake High. That was the last year of the high school in that small town south of Warsaw. How many of you school board members have visited these towns during working hours and seen the closed gas stations, boarded up buildings and struggling businesses where once sat a drugstore, hardware and thriving small town life? Do you remember when everybody knew their neighbor, met together at every school play or basketball game because their son or daughter was the star of the play, a cheerleader or a member of the team? Since consolidation started Claypool, Atwood, Mentone and the other towns around Warsaw have become just suburbs of people who don't know their next door neighbor. Towns that have lost civic pride and a purpose that drew them to one another's homes and businesses. When you steal a town's schools you steal a town's spirit. Too many towns have lost their spirit and their effort to survive. Let Silver Lake keep what town spirit it has left. Leave the school alone.
Mike Spurlock
Warsaw Grad 1966
San Antonio, Texas
via e-mail
School Points To Ponder
Editor, Times-Union:I would like to thank Chuck Sauders for his opening statement at the Monday, Nov. 5, 2001, board meeting. It seems he agrees with Silver Lake in keeping our school here. One of the board members personally e-mailed me concerning questions I wrote in a previous letter to the editor. He stated he was speaking for himself as an individual, not for the whole committee. In his view there are three areas that are wrong with our school: small size, age and condition of the building and lack of handicapped accessibility. Out of all these I agree with only one and that is handicapped accessibility, which can easily be taken care of. You do not need an elevator for handicapped people for the simple reason that if there is ever a fire you cannot use it anyway. The others I do not agree with and here is why: small size - it does not matter on the size of the school or rooms. Smaller class sizes in my opinion are much better than larger ones, the children get a better education because they have a chance to have more one-on-one. So those lacking in some areas will get the help they need instead of constantly struggling to keep up. Age and condition - Personally I think the condition of the school is great, it has not been condemned, we are allowed by the state to teach in it. The age - I don't think it is right to condemn something that is old. Take for example the Warsaw courthouse, it was built between the years of 1881 and 1884 but we are not telling people they cannot work there because of its age or building a new one. These are beautiful points in history, which should remain untouched until absolutely necessary, and as of now it is not necessary for Silver Lake Elementary School.
I am not against the building of a performing arts center, auditorium, physical education facility and football stadium, or renovations. I do, however, think that the 41+ million-dollar price tag that goes with it is totally injustice and it is not the correct time for it.
Now for my points to ponder about the meeting on 11/5/01. They said the reasons they need a performing arts center/auditorium - 1) Students have to travel and it can be dangerous. - Our children will have to travel over two very dangerous intersections to Claypool! 2) It will bring in more business to Warsaw if we have this. - Our town is a growing community, we need our school to bring in more businesses. You take our school and you take businesses with you. 3) They need this for the community and children - We need our school for our community and for our children. We are a growing town.
I am not picking on the performing arts/auditorium, all the speakers basically said the same things, so these points go toward all of them.
There have been a lot of letters to the editors on the subject of the school board meeting and proposals. I am simply saying that if you vote for all these new facilities on the reasons they gave you, then I think you have no alternative than to vote for Silver Lake School to remain where it is. Because our reasons are the same as theirs. For our children and our community. Mainly because our children of Silver Lake deserve the best and the best is right here in our town with our teachers.
Angela Fulton
Silver Lake
via e-mail
Build The Facilities
Editor, Times-Union:I am writing in reply to a letter sent by a fellow Marine, Lance Cpl. Jerry D. Williams. I also played four years of athletics at WCHS. I think that it's about time that the football team, the wrestling team and the track team are recognized, and facilities for these sports are built. I disagree with his comments of not having a Thanksgiving and Christmas. I have missed multiple holidays since I joined the Marine Corps, but this doesn't mean I was unable to celebrate these holidays. Because of friends and family who sent me cards and care packages I never felt unable to celebrate. I also understand his concerns about those persons less fortunate, but I believe that at least one Marine is helping those families in need, Gunnery Sgt. Morales, who is collecting toys for the Toys For Tots program is helping. I for one, when visiting Warsaw, will look at the stadium, if it is built, with pride, especially if it is flying the national ensign atop its flag pole.
I wish this young Marine and all of my other fellow soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines and coast guardsmen a happy holiday.
Sgt. Danny E. Baker
United States Marine
via e-mail
[[In-content Ad]]
Latest News
E-Editions
- America's Blessed - Lockouts - Taxes - Holocaust - Christmas Spirit - Silver Lake School - School Points To Ponder - Build The Facilities
America's Blessed
Editor, Times-Union:From your HISTORY page of the Nov. 27 Times-Union, came something that also disturbed me. One of the articles on that page was black print on a gray background. After turning on more lights so it could be read, I realized that it should have been printed black on black so it couldn't have been read, no matter how many lights were on. The whole page should have been black on black so it couldn't have been read. It was a "disturbing" page.
As I drive down the highways, I see a few "God Bless America" signs. The signs came because some human beings, from other nations with another religion, did something that was so terrible for this nation. To my thinking, what those "God-fearing?" American government officials did, without ever being punished, that your HISTORY page tells about, is just as disturbing as "9/11" was. It should be even more disturbing. Those government officials were "us," surely having the only correct religion, doing to "us," who probably had the same religion. Those terrorists are now being punished for their actions. What about the "terrorists" that the HISTORY page tells about?
God must surely be blessing this nation. Any nation that has government officials in it who can get away with that kind of "justice," without the nation being punished, must surely be a blessed nation. "God Bless America!"
The Alabama governor, after having read the AP's file about the matter, said that he was "disturbed." It would be interesting to know what he was "disturbed" about. Was he disturbed about what had happened, or just disturbed that the AP was exposing the matter?
Isn't it a good feeling to know that American officials would never, never again do things that could hurt others as those officials did, that your HISTORY page tells about? "God Bless America, real good!"
Robert Stichter
Milford
Lockouts
Editor, Times-Union:In answer to Don Kollman's letter about lockouts and the police getting most of the calls, I'd like to say I'm very sorry that it hurts your livelihood. But I've needed somebody three times, due to a senior moment, in the last five years. One time I was in one of the smaller towns and didn't know anybody. It was no trouble finding a law officer there or here in town, either. Once I was at the Wagon Wheel and I just stepped inside, called the station, and the police were there before the show even started. I didn't have to find a phone book and look in the yellow pages to find a locksmith, then wait in the cold for help and not know who was coming to help me. People feel a lot safer knowing who is going to come to their aid, especially women. Many times we get locked out where it's dark and may be dangerous to wait for help. It truly is one of the best contacts people have with a police officer. Please, Mayor Wiggins, don't take this service from us. I don't want to have to call a stranger to come to my aid, if this should happen again. And a big "thank you" to the police for doing this for our community.
Julia Raypholtz
Warsaw
Taxes
Editor, Times-Union:Dear Mr. Parks:
I'm sorry you resent taxes. I do too. I sometimes think they're unfair, but how else do you think the courthouse was built? Charity? More than likely not. How do you think the city park was built? The library? The airport? U.S. 30, state highways? State and national parks? And yes, schools? Taxes. The general public pays for these things. I myself use and appreciate all of these improvements in everyday life, and looking at it that way, I no longer mind taxes so much. Would you yourself wish to finance a 100-foot portion of that highway you drive on everyday and perhaps repairs too? Probably not. Without that highway (that taxes built)what happens? Or what happens when a loved one is hurt or injured, how do you get them to the hospital if there is no highway? Or did you ever consider that the hospital itself was built by the community with tax dollars? Our community is growing and it has needs. Schools are one of them. I am willing to give you the benifit of the doubt that you are uninformed of the situation you cited in your letter on Tuesday that is developing and that comes with growth. The need for more schools is just one of them. It has been suggested that there is a growing need for more elementary class rooms in the city of Warsaw. This may be true but as the elementary schools grow in number, the middle schools grow, too. Dr. Harman suggested to the dean at Ivy Tech that they search for a new location due to growth at the middle school level, which is already crunched for classroom space, which leaves an already growing Ivy Tech campus in a bit of a pickle. They need classroom space, too. Think of it this way. Taxes to you should be considered an investment on your part. Without those taxes to fund schools there would be limited potential for kids growing up to advance themselves in a career leaving them with at best a factory job to look forward to, which pays little and therefore taxes little. With the tax dollars, we can put children through school and help them succeed financially because someday the taxes they pay will pay your Social Security and other benefits you will receive as a aging or retired citizen.
Michael Fussle
Warsaw
via e-mail
Holocaust
Editor, Times-Union:Just a thought. The 9/11 equivalent occurred every day for four years in relatively recent history ... 4,000 dead x 1,460 days = 5,840,000 murdered. I am referring, of course, to the Holocaust toward the Jews during WWII.
David B. Ekholm
Warsaw
Christmas Spirit
Editor, Times-Union:Whenever I declare that Christmas will soon arrive, I hear retorts such as: "Don't mention it!" or "I hate Christmas!" which leads me to think, "Well, what do we have here in these United States, a nation of atheists?" I don't believe that those individuals who claim to resent Christmas actually "hate" that holy day. I think that it's all of the commercialism they hate, such as displaying Christmas trees and Christmas cards for commercial purposes at the end of September or in early October. Of course, the merchants have to take a chance on selling their products whenever they can. They are out to make a living like everyone else. They are not in business for their health.
However, to me, Christmas is a wonderful time of the year, especially for the kiddies, although sometimes I wonder if even a child always appreciates the piles and piles of expensive gifts that are heaped upon him. When my great-niece was 2 years old, she received enough gifts to fill a boxcar. The living room was so jammed with her Christmas gifts that one could hardly find the tree. After my niece had plowed through the avalanche of presents, ripping off the wrappings to see what she had received, she suddenly disappeared. Later, we found her in the kitchen by the stove joyfully banging two pot lids together.
I, for one, once discovered that a lavish, expensive gift at Christmastime doesn't always fulfill a mortal's expectations and gratifications during the yuletide season. Years ago, I worked in a grocery store in Leesburg and there was a poor farm lady who came in to trade. Well, she took a liking to me and during the Christmas season, she brought in an item enclosed in a brown paper bag. She handed me the bag and I opened it to discover a container of home-canned peaches. The farm lady, with a bright, cheery smile lighting her face, beamed enthusiastically, "Don, I brought you this can of peaches for Christmas because I like you!" Well, I shall never forget that dear soul and her precious can of peaches. She had no money to spend on a gift, so she showed her liking for me with the peaches. Her thoughtfulness touched me as deeply as though I had received a check for a million bucks - honest!
During the Christmas season of 1942, no matter where you were, near your radio at home, on the street or near a jukebox or a dance hall, you heard the plaintive, familiar sound of Irving Berlin's enduring ballad, "White Christmas," the song that Bing Crosby immortalized in the move, "Holiday Inn." While on vacation in Hawaii, Irving Berlin wrote "White Christmas." He wrote it as joke; that is, he knew that he would never see a white Christmas in Hawaii, so he wrote about "dreaming of a white Christmas."
I wonder if this year, Irving Berlin's "White Christmas" will reach the eager, auditory senses of our valiant servicemen in Afghanistan? If they are stationed in the hot, torrid section of Afghanistan, like Irving Berlin, our armed forces will also have to dream of a white Christmas. But I'll bet that our brave boys of the bombing brigade would rather relinquish dreams of a white Christmas if they could bring into reality the fact that they have captured one Osama bin Laden and the al-Qaida and present them to the USA as a yuletide gift, all wrapped and bound in fancy Christmas paper and bright, colored ribbons.
Don Kaiser
Warsaw
Silver Lake School
Editor, Times-Union:To the Warsaw School Board, I have a few questions for you and some comments. How many of you remember the names Dave Caudel, Billy Shepard, Ken Vanderpool, Bobby Salyers, Billy Salyers, Ron Prater and other young people from Silver Lake? How many of you remember Billy Salyers was the first Silver Lake resident killed in Vietnam, and that there was talk of raising a statue to keep his memory alive? My guess is none of you. The names listed are from the 1966 senior class of Silver Lake High. That was the last year of the high school in that small town south of Warsaw. How many of you school board members have visited these towns during working hours and seen the closed gas stations, boarded up buildings and struggling businesses where once sat a drugstore, hardware and thriving small town life? Do you remember when everybody knew their neighbor, met together at every school play or basketball game because their son or daughter was the star of the play, a cheerleader or a member of the team? Since consolidation started Claypool, Atwood, Mentone and the other towns around Warsaw have become just suburbs of people who don't know their next door neighbor. Towns that have lost civic pride and a purpose that drew them to one another's homes and businesses. When you steal a town's schools you steal a town's spirit. Too many towns have lost their spirit and their effort to survive. Let Silver Lake keep what town spirit it has left. Leave the school alone.
Mike Spurlock
Warsaw Grad 1966
San Antonio, Texas
via e-mail
School Points To Ponder
Editor, Times-Union:I would like to thank Chuck Sauders for his opening statement at the Monday, Nov. 5, 2001, board meeting. It seems he agrees with Silver Lake in keeping our school here. One of the board members personally e-mailed me concerning questions I wrote in a previous letter to the editor. He stated he was speaking for himself as an individual, not for the whole committee. In his view there are three areas that are wrong with our school: small size, age and condition of the building and lack of handicapped accessibility. Out of all these I agree with only one and that is handicapped accessibility, which can easily be taken care of. You do not need an elevator for handicapped people for the simple reason that if there is ever a fire you cannot use it anyway. The others I do not agree with and here is why: small size - it does not matter on the size of the school or rooms. Smaller class sizes in my opinion are much better than larger ones, the children get a better education because they have a chance to have more one-on-one. So those lacking in some areas will get the help they need instead of constantly struggling to keep up. Age and condition - Personally I think the condition of the school is great, it has not been condemned, we are allowed by the state to teach in it. The age - I don't think it is right to condemn something that is old. Take for example the Warsaw courthouse, it was built between the years of 1881 and 1884 but we are not telling people they cannot work there because of its age or building a new one. These are beautiful points in history, which should remain untouched until absolutely necessary, and as of now it is not necessary for Silver Lake Elementary School.
I am not against the building of a performing arts center, auditorium, physical education facility and football stadium, or renovations. I do, however, think that the 41+ million-dollar price tag that goes with it is totally injustice and it is not the correct time for it.
Now for my points to ponder about the meeting on 11/5/01. They said the reasons they need a performing arts center/auditorium - 1) Students have to travel and it can be dangerous. - Our children will have to travel over two very dangerous intersections to Claypool! 2) It will bring in more business to Warsaw if we have this. - Our town is a growing community, we need our school to bring in more businesses. You take our school and you take businesses with you. 3) They need this for the community and children - We need our school for our community and for our children. We are a growing town.
I am not picking on the performing arts/auditorium, all the speakers basically said the same things, so these points go toward all of them.
There have been a lot of letters to the editors on the subject of the school board meeting and proposals. I am simply saying that if you vote for all these new facilities on the reasons they gave you, then I think you have no alternative than to vote for Silver Lake School to remain where it is. Because our reasons are the same as theirs. For our children and our community. Mainly because our children of Silver Lake deserve the best and the best is right here in our town with our teachers.
Angela Fulton
Silver Lake
via e-mail
Build The Facilities
Editor, Times-Union:I am writing in reply to a letter sent by a fellow Marine, Lance Cpl. Jerry D. Williams. I also played four years of athletics at WCHS. I think that it's about time that the football team, the wrestling team and the track team are recognized, and facilities for these sports are built. I disagree with his comments of not having a Thanksgiving and Christmas. I have missed multiple holidays since I joined the Marine Corps, but this doesn't mean I was unable to celebrate these holidays. Because of friends and family who sent me cards and care packages I never felt unable to celebrate. I also understand his concerns about those persons less fortunate, but I believe that at least one Marine is helping those families in need, Gunnery Sgt. Morales, who is collecting toys for the Toys For Tots program is helping. I for one, when visiting Warsaw, will look at the stadium, if it is built, with pride, especially if it is flying the national ensign atop its flag pole.
I wish this young Marine and all of my other fellow soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines and coast guardsmen a happy holiday.
Sgt. Danny E. Baker
United States Marine
via e-mail
[[In-content Ad]]
Have a news tip? Email [email protected] or Call/Text 360-922-3092