My hero, Blake Ringsmuth I was sitting in my living room this afternoon watching the beautiful snow fall outside our Upper Peninsula home when our daughter called from Traverse City and told me of the feature in your paper regarding the Longs and their trial (“How Much Is A Brain Worth?” 10/26). A few short years back, I too was blessed to have Blake Ringsmuth provide his legal services after I was injured in an automobile accident and attempted to retrieve the insurance money I had paid for just such an incident. From our very first meeting, Blake and his entire support staff were compassionate and committed to helping me. Like Mr. Long, I too suffered a traumatic brain injury, and due to the injury I was unable to continue in a career I adored. Too often, attorneys are given bad press, and often for very good reason; however, Blake Ringsmuth and his staff are a magnificent example of what caring for your fellow man means. You will be in my prayers, Mr. & Mrs. Long, as you travel the long road ahead. I hope you realize how lucky you were to have this fine man on your side.
Ann Kezerle • via email
No nuts, please In regards to S. Kay Rose's letter to editor, “The Gay Old Party,” 10/26: It is not about gays, straights, good old boys, holding the Bible or any of those things. It is simple: a person over the age of 18 should not be submitting sexual messages to a minor. It does not matter one bit whether it is a straight or gay relationship. Rep. Mark Foley was hitting on minors, and that is wrong! The campaign to redirect the issue about being homosexual is an obsessive tactic to subvert the fact that this man is a predator of minors. As for the statement about the Bible, religion has no part in government. Remember, keep Church and State separate. Maybe if we could remember that, we wouldn’t have these fanatical born-again religious nuts posing as preachers. They are not religious leaders; they are B rated actors at best, and their views should have nothing to do with politics. What separates us from other countries that have religious nuts controlling the government? Not much! Remove the religion from these debates and focus on the fact that this man is a sexual predator of minors.
Noah Creamer • Grand Rapids
Vote for decency On Election Day, November 7, I will vote for candidates who reflect and promote human dignity and decency. I will vote for candidates who express the best in us and not the worst. I will vote for candidates who work to improve the quality of life for all of us and not just the few. As an American citizen living in Michigan, I will vote for candidates who help make living in this country and state a joy. In other words, I will vote straight Democratic. I hope you will too. Thank you.
Mary Kazmierski • Harbor Springs
Pick Huckleberry I support Mike Huckleberry for U.S. Congress. Mike Huckleberry felt compelled to enter the political arena when Electrolux moved 2,700 jobs to Mexico. His restaurant business and the whole community of Greenville suffered due to the economic terrorism of Rep. Dave Camp-supported “free trade” agreements. Camp’s positions and voting record show his blind support of President Bush’s failed agenda. Record high gasoline and energy prices are crushing the American economy and hurting the most vulnerable. Corporate looting continues unabated, America suffers and Camp does nothing. Record deficits created by this irresponsible, spendthrift Congress must stop. The war in Iraq, supported by Dave Camp, was based on lies and deliberate misinformation. Despite the continued loss of life and hundreds of billions of dollars wasted with no progress in sight, Dave Camp wants to stay the course in Iraq. Why? An explosive report on the still-classified National Intelligence Estimate states that the “invasion and occupation of Iraq has helped spawn a new generation of Islamic radicalism and that the overall terrorist threat has grown since the Sept. 11 attacks.” Huckleberry knows we need to take immediate, measured steps to bring our troops home to protect us from true threats. Scandal after scandal, from Abramhoff to Cunningham and now Foley, it’s time to clean house. So many Washington incumbents are awash in corruption, it’s no wonder they don’t have the time or interest to do what is right for the people they serve. Huckleberry will defend your gun rights, support policies to create good jobs and insure a clean and healthy environment for all. Vote for change. Vote for Mike Huckleberry. www.huck06.com.
Dean Sheldon • TC
The high cost of ethanol Can ethanol save farms? I can’t answer that question, but I can tell you what ethanol won’t do. It will not reduce the horrendous cost of the oil based transportation economy. First, if our entire corn crop was converted to ethanol, it would be consumed in about 39 days and what would we feed all of our chickens, pigs, and cattle? Second, while ethanol burns more efficiently than gasoline, the vehicles using ethanol would have to use 25 to 30% more fuel because ethanol has only half the btu content of gasoline. Third, ethanol will not reduce pollution because the current methods of converting corn to ethanol require almost as much fossil fuel to produce ethanol as the gasoline it would replace and it would require more water than refining the same amount of gasoline. Ethanol may save some farms, but it will not solve our fossil fuel problem and it will not reduce our pollution problem and it will increase the use of resources instead of reducing them. Tax money spent on producing ethanol is a waste of money.
Richard R. Riker • Mackinaw City
Who's accountable? Now that a majority of Americans no longer believe in President Bush and his incompetent, untruthful and scandal-ridden administration, isn’t it time that we hold his Republican Congress accountable? Congressman David Camp has voted for Bush’s failed policies 97% of the time, earning his moniker of “rubber stamp Camp.” Camp has supported this disastrous Iraq war, legislation allowing loss of habeas corpus, preventing people from buying cheaper drugs in Canada, tax cuts for the rich, unfair trade policies, cuts in public education and disabled veterans, efforts to privatize social security, just to name a few. Mr. Camp has also had some ethical lapses, such as taking funds from Jack Abramoff, and trying to abridge environmental laws on behalf of a financial backer in Traverse City. Mike “Huck” Huckleberry, a small businessman and civic leader from Greenville, who saw his community devastated when Electrolux moved to Mexico, is running against Mr. Camp. “Huck” supports ending the war now, true security for the homeland, universal health care, trade policies that create jobs, not lose them, clean elections, and protecting the environment. He promises to bring integrity, responsibility and a willingness to work with both parties to bring about the change of direction our country desperately needs.
Mary M. Easthope • Lake Leelanau
Regrets vote for Bush I VOTED FOR BUSH I know. Just saying it out loud, much less seeing it in print, is embarrassing enough. America is stubborn. So am I. Knowing when to admit you are wrong and then trying to rectify it can be difficult. I’m trying now. I made a decision based on fear and chose to put Bush and his regime in office. I am sorry for that. This is a public apology. The archaic idea of hurting those who hurt us is an easy one to embrace. I can’t help but imagine what a different time we would be living in, if America had just turned the other cheek after 9/11. What if in our mourning and loss we had simply suffered quietly with dignity, instead of seeking revenge? A retribution we now know was really unattainable and empty of solace. For a brief second we held the world’s attention with our grief. We had an opportunity to bridge the differences between religions, cultural ideals and intolerance. What changes could we have made? We will never know because our government and presidency used the pain and fear Americans felt after 9/11 to create their own agendas. Add the twisted practices of the lobbyists and the frenzied media machine, and what did we get? Greed, lies, betrayal, increased national debt and total intolerance of our own country. Worse yet, I feel personally responsible. I did this with a single vote. I have power. You have power. I never felt that, until I made this ghastly mistake. What difference does one vote make? Multiplied it makes all the difference. I am not turning a blind eye to Saddam’s “reign of terror.” But there are other countries being tormented under such tyranny, and what are we doing for them? Bush and his party would rather see us buried in debt and death, than to admit they made the wrong decision. Who has that kind of pride, such a killing pride? What will it take to turn the tide and recreate a country with the potential to help people rather than hurt them? Maybe I’m just fooling myself to think our country was ever based on anything honorable. Dreams die hard and I wait for a day when the majority -- the people as a whole -- get to decide whether we go to war or where our tax dollars go. THE PEOPLE who decide, instead of a dictator and his “posse” dressed in a thin disguise, of a war-torn, raggedy flag of democracy and capitalism.
Christy Moore • Empire
Spare the doves On November 7 the fate of the mourning dove is in our hands. We can choose to allow this precious gift to be used as live target practice or we can choose to spare it from senseless slaughter. Mourning doves are believed to mate for life; both male and female help feed and raise the young; the mourning dove is Michigan’s State Bird of Peace; this is the bird quite often depicted with an olive branch in its beak. There is no good reason to shoot doves! Doves are not over-populated, they do not damage property or crops, they are not a viable human food source; while on the other hand there are good reasons to protect this species: they are peaceful backyard friends, birdwatchers seek them out, doves are a song bird, not a game bird, and a vast majority of Michigan citizens and a majority of Michigan’s hunters oppose dove shooting. Until I moved to Cheboygan from San Diego in 1970, I had never heard the “song” of the mourning dove. I couldn’t believe a BIRD was capable of making such a haunting sound. I fell in love with that bird immediately. This bird is a “sitting duck,” excuse the pun. Unlike the duck, there’s not enough meat on this bird to warrant killing. Please join with others and vote a resounding NO on Proposition 3.
Karen Martin • Straits Area Concerned Citizens for Peace & Justice
Bad cartoon I seldom write letters to express my feelings about something I read in print. However, the latest copy of the Express had a cartoon (?) that my husband and I found extremely offensive (“The City,” 10/19). I don’t think there is anything redeeming (amusing) about cartoons that make fun of any religion. I would hope that in the future you would be more sensitive to this sort of thing.
Sally S. Bales • Charlevoix
Go Jennifer “WE LOVE OUR GOV” is the slogan on the lapel pin I wear proudly. It must be attracting some attention. I am getting phone calls from unknown opponents of my view. They vehemently accuse Governor Jennifer Granholm of “doing anything to keep her job.” One caller claims “public education lost millions” during the past four years in Michigan, while another declares that “jobs are running away,” all because of Granholm. I must admit that I am surprised to find my vote is so important that I have been targeted with five such unwelcome canned messages. One caller said he was Lee Iacocca and claimed I should know more about energy consumption - although the rest of his message was garbled. Yes, I am devoted to Gov. Jennifer - though not related nor indebted to her, except as a long-time advocate of women’s rights to equality and respect. I met her only once. But I have watched her carefully and listened to most of her important speeches. I never caught her in a lie or leaning towards self-aggrandizing. She won honors from the association of 50 state governors when they met in Michigan two years ago. And most of those were men. I will continue to sing our Governor Granholm’s praises because she is trying so hard to solve some mighty tough problems. She is courageous. She is steadfastly supported by her husband and growing family. She symbolizes marvelous Michigan.
Marjorie Barrett • Glen Arbor
CORRECTION In a recent issue, Sharon Unger stated that state Sen. Jason Allen voted against a tipping fee proposal to halt Canadian trash, however, a Senate bill has never been introduced to the floor on which to vote.
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