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On Your Mind is the Herald/Review’s telephone opinion line and is intended as a public forum for our readers. Comments represent the opinions of callers and do not necessarily represent the opinions of the newspaper or any specific knowledge that we have. Readers may share their opinions by calling 458-0332, or by e-mail to svhoym@transedge.com or regular mail at 102 Fab Ave., Sierra Vista AZ 85635. Please keep comments less than 90 seconds. Comments are edited.
Sept. 14
I cannot forget one comment Gabrielle Giffords made, in one of the numerous articles, her publicity agent, the Herald, has inundated readers over the past several months. She said something to the effect, “After all, we still haven’t captured or killed Osama Bin Laden.” Reading that from someone who represents me in the Congress on an important military committee that can influence the security of my country hit me like a bolt of lightning. I thought this woman is not only a political novice but a political lightweight. Oh yes, Ms. Giffords, we can quickly send a couple divisions of our best troops to invade Pakistan, our ally, to capture or kill Bin Laden, hiding in the world’s most treacherous mountains, among Islamic tribes very hostile toward the U.S. and the central government. In the process, a foreign invasion will incite volatile Pakistanis, and a friendly government will topple. Giffords doesn’t show me much savvy of international affairs to be serving on any congressional military committee. If Giffords, who is actually on-the-job-training, is the best the Democrats could find to fill such a vital committee seat, then I’m very scared, especially as we’re involved in a war on terror, a war like nothing we’ve experienced before.
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It made me sick when those Democratic senators questioned the four-star general, Gen. Petraeus. It makes me not proud to be an American to see those senators sitting up there. They don’t know a thing about war and they’re questioning that four-star general’s integrity. It’s pathetic.
I’m sure that all over Fort Huachuca there’s a great feeling that now we are protected from intruders. Certainly the illegal immigrants and drug smuggling traffic will now cease. Col. Sturgeon should be put in charge of security all over the Army. A wire fence will stop dedicated intruders cold. We have us a garrison commander with vision.
To those of you who are concerned about who the siblings of James DeAnda are, please refer to the Aug. 29 obituary in the Sierra Vista Herald and you will find out.
The Democrats want to block Bush’s nomination of Ted Olsen for attorney general because he is too political and too close to the president. That hypocrisy! They didn’t mind that JFK nominated and got his 35-year-old brother, Bobby, confirmed, even though Bobby had nearly zero experience as a lawyer, and was very political and also rather close to the president. Again, different standards for Democrats who also suffer from very short memories.
Sept. 15
Giffords criticized MoveOn.org’s ad, “General Petraeus or General Betray Us?” She called it “inexcusable.” But she isn’t going to return the $6,918 that the group contributed to her campaign for Congress. She sure can talk out of both sides of her mouth.
There is what has become now a perennial debate. Are we safer today after 9/11? Democrats would argue we are not safer. However, the bottom line is we haven’t had another al-Qaeda attack on our shores for the past six years. And do you remember how most everyone thought al-Qaeda would surely hit us again no later than six months after 9/11? Now, I personally would never have the nerve to call it mere luck. I would like to think our government security agencies have demonstrated some success in protecting us from al-Qaeda. Do you think the Democrats are missing something here? Or are they up to the old petty game of politics? Sure, we’re safer, but we can’t let our guard down for perhaps generations to come.
If there are any gardeners that live in the vicinity of the Hereford post office, you might want to go into the post office and offer your services to the postmaster. The weeds in front of the post office are, as of today Saturday, approximately 8 feet tall.
Once again, there was not a “call to the public” at the most recent Upper San Pedro Partnership meeting. Not only is there this problem of inaccessibility to the public, but these people place that entry (“call to the public”) at the end of the meeting when all the members are wanting “to get out of here,” busying themselves with gathering their belongings, thinking about lunch, gossiping with neighbors, etc. Not only is there this timing problem (“Is anyone even listening?”), but they only give a person three minutes to talk. Now just who on earth is of such little value that three minutes will be sufficient expository? Even the City Council is guilty of placing other dimensions of city life in the back of the agenda where any audience attendees will probably have already left or viewers will probably already have changed channels before the “call to the public” could be part of their awareness. I’ve gone to USPP meetings and City Council meetings for quite some time — years and years. And “civics” has been part of my awareness for decades — but verily I say to you that the local politic deceives regularly.
Matt Hickman’s inept sports reporting style has struck once again. I just picked up Saturday’s (Sept. 15) Herald and was reading the over-embellished account of Buena’s loss at Gilbert. Alas, I finally found the final score in the eighth paragraph, and only by accident. Why must we endure the ramblings of a want to be novelist just to get a sports report. Stick to real journalism and leave the commentary to the editorial page. Hopefully Mr. Hickman, or is it Hemingway, will get the message. I sincerely doubt it.
Sept. 16
I thought McCain was the only person who didn’t live in the real world, by thinking that he will get the Republican nomination. Then I read in the Herald on 9/16, where Kyl said, McCain can win the nomination. What are those guys smoking?
In the caption for the photos of the safari, one was, “the not often seen, several cat makes off with a meal”. There was only one cat, not several cat. Could she have meant a Serval cat?
For all these many years I have been proud to be just an American. Apparently I have been wrong for more than 83 years. How can I explain that to our Defense Department when now I must admit to having been a Scotch/Irish American since my birth?
I look forward to the Home and Business Expo every year. What a great showcase of local products and services, as well as an opportunity to mingle with friends, neighbors, and business people. The best and most amazing surprise yesterday was to see Dr. Hamilton, the podiatrist, standing behind a table, giving out information and talking to people about his business. Even as a new doctor in town, he probably has plenty of patients already, so I think it’s wonderful that he was willing to sacrifice a Saturday to meet the public. He is very approachable and very personable, and I think we’re very lucky to have him. (And I hope he tells all his buddies in other medical specialties to come practice in Sierra Vista, too, because we could use them!)
Sept. 17
To the person who was unhappy with the “Cut and Run” editorial cartoon of our glorious President Bush, I say they should do a little research on his glorious service record while he was in the Air National Guard. Of course finding his record may be impossible since his good conduct service records have been lost in the darkness of political night. The only lives that King Bush has been able to risk are those of the personnel serving in the Armed Forces of our nation. Bush has been, and is, a curse unleashed upon America.
I’m writing about the hype being played up as outrage of the GOP about the ad MoveOn took out about General Petraeus. With the airwaves full of Limbaugh, O’Reilly, and Hannity spewing hateful propaganda and lies about liberals/Democrats on cable and talk radio, the complaints and demands for apology from the right are almost comical. Perhaps the hypocrisy is lost because it has become a GOP standard recently. I think if the Republicans wish to start playing nice they first need to clean up their own back yards. What is good for the goose is good for the gander.
I feel I have to respond to the individual’s complaint about barking dogs in the Pintek, Riddling and Nevada area. Yes, there are a lot of dogs in this area and yes some of them do bark throughout the night (I live east of these streets). However, many of us who do have dogs control their barking by confinement or training devices. When my dogs bark, I get up and go outside to check them. I ascertain if there is a real reason for barking or if they are just barking in response to other dogs. We do have a real problem with coyote packs, illegal traffic and late night road traffic in this area and this causes some of the barking. The person’s solution to go out and patrol this area to “take down addresses with barking dogs” is not the solution. The second he/she pulls up to my home, my dogs are going to start barking because he/she has no business there late at night and the dogs are going to let me know that they are there! This person needs to know that I called the sheriff on two separate occasions when someone stopped for a prolonged period in front of my property late at night.
Once again, the television audience has been subjected to another low-life, self-righteous celebrity who thinks she can use the entertainment venue of an awards show to make her opinions and political feelings known to us. I don’t have a problem with free speech when it’s done in a forum where I can chose not to listen, or watch, or read it. However, I do have a problem when celebrities get to spew their babble freely, every time a reporter sticks a microphone in their face or some television show provides them with a free soap box, just because they’re supposedly famous. Instead of an awards show for self-important celebrities, how about an awards show for all the great military men and women who lay down their lives every day to protect our country and the freedoms we enjoy. The next time our country is attacked unjustly by some radical group of people, let’s call on Sally and her creepy celebrity friends to step up and protect us. There’s a good comedy show in the making.
Concerning the phone call in OYM today about the Mexican people selling tamales in food store lots: The lady calling in is strongly opposed to this. As far as my wife and I are concerned we can’t wait to find these people, especially the lady in the red SUV. Her tamales are fantastic, better than anything in the stores. We buy a minimum of two dozen whenever we see her. I hope these people are there for a long time selling their tamales because they are wonderful. If you haven’t tried them, don’t knock them.
I’m a Sierra Vista resident and I went to the Oktoberfest on Saturday evening with my children. It was my first trip there. I was highly disappointed. I saw one stand there that had German food. As I walked though the millions of unsupervised children there I could not find any crafts or anything that was German. It was all American or southwest. What’s an Oktoberfest without German? We listened to the music and it wasn’t German either. What’s wrong with this town? If you are going to have a German festival, have German stuff.
The folks at the junction of Calle Encina and Kachina who are having problems with trespassers should support the city of Sierra Vista’s plans to develop a parking area and legal access to Garden Canyon Wash. With legal access there should be less trespassing on private property. Your property is then protected and public access to Garden Canyon Wash is assured.
Obviously there are divergent opinions on the Mountain View Golf Course. The facts are: The course has shown steady recovery under the direction of Marco Spellacy. It has recovered to perhaps 50 percent of its former status as “one of the gems in the U.S. military’s stable of golf courses.” The remaining 50 percent of the recovery will depend on the continued dedication of the maintenance staff; favorable weather conditions; adequate financing and removal/eradication of the moles and squirrels that have devastated many parts of the course. If the moles and squirrels are left unchecked they will continue to mitigate the maintenance staff’s best efforts. The design of the course is in the opinion of knowledgeable golfers “the best in Cochise County”. I, as well as the many others who have played Mountain View over the past 20 years, have seen the decline during the 1990s as well as the improvements over the past two years. It still has a long way to go to regain the “gem” status that Mr. Patten referred to. It is not a matter of whether the glass is half full or half empty; it’s getting one’s head out of the sand and seeing the total golf course with open unbiased eyes.
Concerning the caller in today’s OYM who was so upset that another actor could possibly get in the White House … look what the last one did? Well, the last one just straightened out the country. What’s wrong with that?
Why does CVS Pharmacy make you wait in two lines to get your prescription filled? At least when you take a number on post there’s one line and you can sit down while you wait. The time just flies by when you can sit down and read a book while you’re waiting.
Sept. 18
To the reader who thought teachers were on a “hefty pay schedule,” wow. When was the last time you were in a classroom? You have no idea what a teacher’s day or week is like. The teachers at the school I’m an aide at get a 20- to 25-minute lunch, no coffee or bathroom breaks. They are supposed to teach children the state standards, which by the way can change at the drop of a hat and are generally alone with at least 20 children, all day long. Not only are they responsible for the standards, they have to help “raise” the children in the classroom whose parents can’t, won’t or haven’t done the job they are supposed to do. Such as set boundaries, teach self-control, empathy, sympathy and not to mention ABC’s. Here is my suggestion for you, go volunteer at an elementary school for two weeks. If you can stay that long, do everything the teachers does, shadow them. Then call back in and talk about something you really know about.
To the person who seems to think “Darwin’s theory of human biological evolution is as full of holes as Swiss cheese,” quoted by Carl Sagan, “It is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is, than to persist in delusion no matter how satisfying and reassuring the delusion may be.”
Who went to the Asian, Philippine, Korean, Mexican and, oh yeah, German Oktoberfest and liked it? I remember when it was strictly an authentic German affair.
I have a wonderful idea. Let’s re-establish the military draft and immediately draft all the members of MoveOn.org and those of similar organizations and send them to work with all their friends in Russia, Iran, Venezuela, China and North Korea where they will most certainly learn how to cook the books and more lower paying skills.
In reference to the food drive: Since Fort Huachuca is also having a shortage of food for their families and since the post is a part of our community, I think it would be good if the food was shared with the post.
I would like to ask you to please do an in depth article on the take over of Limelight. I think the newspaper owes this to a community that has supported Limelight for many years.
This is just my opinion about all the hoopla over health care and whether it’s 46 or 47 million. Does anyone really believe the illegals give the correct number or are even included in the census? Then I have some oceanfront property in Bisbee. The illegals are in the shadows; no count is ever going to be accurate. My oceanfront has a dock, too.
Sept. 19
The “On Your Mind” section of the newspaper is a joke because: 1. It is true that Herald management really believes all those inputs, from very nutty and nearly real, represents useful insights into our community. 2. Don’t you know the people who call OYM criticizing everything from Giffords to Fort Huachuca’s MWR are either a bit out of sorts or shills for some activist group that is seeking legitimacy? 3. OYM provides solid empirical evidence that it is easier to be hateful than thoughtful. 4. The people who read OYM contribute to the mindless cycle of foolishness my actually writing back about the original foolishness, thus giving eternal life to the mindless cycle of foolishness. 5. To discontinue OYM would provide a lot of people already with too much time on their hands, with even more time on their hands, and no idea of how to use it constructively. 6. So many people would have to find other ways to prove to the world they really are hateful fools rather having the matter open to some speculation. 7. Herald management is really incapable of doing something really positive with print space that might be freed up if OYM disappeared.
In regard to the OYM of Sept. 11 and our city attorney, it’s high time citizens demand his removal and a full investigation occur of all our illustrious city officials. Responsible development has been abandoned to line the pockets of a few. Developers are allowed to build without concern for water, schools, parks, and other necessities of neighborhoods. Whereas the county is mandated for gray water plumbing, the city ignores it. Vote these bums out of office.
Sept. 20
Today after posting a package at the UPS Store I almost witnessed a head-on collision. A tailgater behind me tried to pass me in a no passing zone. I tapped my brake to warn him after seeing an oncoming driver going about 80 mph. He would have passed me and run head-on into this other car. This stretch is one of the most dangerous in the area. I think we need some police deterrent here to stop the speeding.
Sept. 21
How come your newspaper on Friday morning has a Saturday dateline on the front page?
EDITOR’S NOTE: The error as to which day it was is due to a previously used template of electronic pages being used. The date was changed, but unfortunately the day was forgotten. During the proofing process, the problem was missed.
Was wondering if anyone knows what happened to the nail/manicure shop on Second between Bartow and Wilcox that closed. The phone has been disconnected with no new number and the shop has been cleared of all furniture and equipment. Not a way to treat longtime customers.
Perhaps I’ve been hooking my air conditioner up incorrectly. I never knew there was a water line involved. Please, Mr. (Bisbee Planning and Zoning Commissioner Jeff) Harris, if you can explain how an air conditioner uses more water than a swamp cooler I sure would appreciate it.
Work, work, work wrote on Oct 3, 2007 8:25 PM: