Letters to the Editor (Dec. 29)

Having pride in pit bulls

Can anyone please explain to me why the town of Stafford is utilizing a pit bull on its police force as a drug-detection dog while the city of Andover thinks the breed is so dangerous that it must toughen laws against one specific breed of dog?

I am disgusted by breed-specific bans or laws. Each dog is unique, just like each person, and pit bulls are no more dangerous because of their genetic makeup than any other breed of dog.

Punish the abusive owners of dogs that force them to be aggressive, not the dogs. Bravo to the Stafford Police Department for recognizing the value of a dog regardless of its looks and DNA. Shame on you, Andover.

U.S. wrong on embassy decision

Eleanor Roosevelt served as the first U.S. representative to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights. Appointed after her husband’s death by President Truman, Mrs. Roosevelt was a major voice in writing the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948). She called it “the international Magna Carta of all men everywhere.”

Contrast the work of Eleanor Roosevelt in the United Nations with that of Nikki Haley, who harangued and bullied her fellow representatives of countries that voted, nearly unanimously, against the United States decision to move the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. It was supported by nine nations — several small former (and continuing) Pacific Island dependents, and two Central American nations with right-wing governments.

In recent years, the Jewish Voice for Peace has been active in the United States and Israel and around the world to try to change the apartheid policies of Israel in the same way that the world’s people helped to end apartheid in South Africa: through boycott, divestiture and sanctions. We feel sure that Eleanor Roosevelt would have spoken out strongly against the Israeli occupation of Palestine, and the United States support for the attempt by Israel to take Jerusalem for itself.

Looking for responsible government

Nearly every day “another shoe drops,” according to Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., referring to the shenanigans going on in Washington D.C. The same could be said about state and local governments in many cases.

We are indeed seeing a great deal of chaos resulting in mismanagement of nearly every aspect of representative government, most of which is accomplished with great fanfare but even greater untruth. All of this is a disgrace to our beautiful country and to our forefathers, who created our beloved Republic with the rules for its governance.

This reminds me of a book by William Golding, “Lord of the Flies,” about a group of pre-adolescents stranded on an uninhabited island and how they attempt to govern themselves, with disastrous results. There hasn’t been any cannibalism in the nation’s capital, of course, but there has been graft, corruption and sexual harassment in the halls of Congress and elsewhere.

We all long for honest representation with freedom and justice for all. To achieve this, every eligible voter must go to the polls and cast his or her vote.

Graciousness the year around

Reading through the E-Eagle this holiday season, I’ve read the “Share The Season,” Op-Ed and Opinion Line entries describing voluntary acts of kindness. I had one such experience that deserves recognition.

One hot, humid July morning, my truck began overheating. I turned on a side street, let it cool, then driving one block every few minutes to prevent engine damage, I made it to Bill’s American Muffler, where they discovered a leaking O.E. heater core connector. They contacted South Seneca Car Care’s service manager, Mitch. He came down, blocked both heater hoses shut, and I drove to their shop. I had another problem: I wasn’t wearing my leg braces that morning, so I couldn’t get out of my truck until I got home.

I was waiting in my pickup. Then, unexpectedly, Mitch and a mechanic brought a chair out and carried me into the cool waiting room. That’s where I met the busy owner, Coleen, who took time to give me cold water, as did Cindy at Bill’s. They carried me back to my now-repaired truck. Thanks to all that helped me that day, a tough day, but could’ve been so much worse.

This story was originally published December 29, 2017 at 4:18 AM with the headline "Letters to the Editor (Dec. 29)."