Letters to the Editor

0 Comments | Oakland Tribune, Jan 14, 2009 | by Anonymous

Heartfelt thanks

WE CAN'T seem to get away from all the bad and depressing things that are happening around us, but it is a special kindness I would like to tell you about and say publicly, "Thank you."

My parents have been longtime residents of Fremont, but my father passed away in 2007. My mother stays active but is alone.

Over the holidays, she became very ill and was alone with no one to fix her a meal.

I live in Georgia, so I started calling restaurants in Fremont to see if anyone would deliver some good ol' chicken soup to my sick mom.

I spoke with the owner/cook at Dina's Family Restaurant on Fremont Boulevard and he said he would do it for me.

On Dec. 30, 2008, this restaurant delivered chicken soup and a chicken salad sandwich to my rather confused mom. She did not know it was coming and couldn't figure out who had sent it until the man said it was from "someone in Georgia."

Again, my heartfelt thanks to Dina's Restaurant for going out of its way to do, without hesitation, something special and kind. It meant a lot to my mom and she truly enjoyed it.

There is still goodness.

Cindy Martin

Newnan, Ga.

Now hear this

THE TIME to be concerned about what you have is while you have it.

Once it's gone, there is nothing more to be concerned about. Our government and its people must realize this.

Not too many years ago, our economy was flowing like water over a dam.

Today, our economy is all dried up like most of the reservoirs.

Arnold Corbett

Fremont

Education budget cuts

CALIFORNIA SCHOOLS have consistently ranked low in performance compared to many other states, and now the governor is proposing to decrease the number of school days in a school year.

If the school day were lengthened, the students wouldn't have to lose any time at all and might even have more time in class.

My grandchildren attend school in Tacoma, Wash., and this year their district increased the school day by 20 minutes. This was done to avoid having to extend the school year into summer vacation to make up for missed "snow days."

I realize that this could disrupt bus schedules (for districts that still have buses) day care and some work schedules, but if it can work for Washington, why couldn't it work for California?

Gail J. Nelson

Newark

Adopt An Angel thank you

I WOULD like to thank the many, many people who contributed to Adopt An Angel this past Christmas.

We had expected a tough challenge because of the current economic situation. But people opened their hearts and touched ours. We had a projection of 600 children, but surpassed that number.

These victims of circumstances beyond their control woke up on Christmas morning to shiny bikes, dolls, remote-control cars, school supplies and basic clothes and shoes.

We have tried to send personal thank you's to the donors who left names and addresses on the tags, but there are always too many who slip through the cracks or who contribute through their companies or organizations.

So, to those, we especially send our heartfelt appreciation of their selfless good deeds.

May this new year prove to be better for all.

Georgia Butterfield

Fremont

Newspaper bankruptcy

SEVERAL EDITORIALS have mourned the loss of newspapers in the U.S.

The New York Times, Chicago Tribune, and Los Angeles Times are all in financial trouble. What could be the problem?

The New York Times? Judith Miller rewrote propaganda from the Bush administration and convinced Americans of the dangers of Iraq that did not exist.

The New York Times sat on leaked information that the Bush administration was illegally spying on Americans without warrants. Its rational, "so as to not bias the 2004 presidential election."

Reporters at The Washington Post won a 2008 Pulitzer Prize for their coverage of the Walter Reed Hospital scandal. Those same stories ran at www.salon.com in 2005.

And there was comedian Stephen Colbert's performance at the White House correspondent's dinner. First, the media didn't report on it, but when the video went viral on the Internet, the media finally mentioned it and said his performance was "inappropriate."

Any resemblance to independent reporting disappeared from the American media when President Clinton signed the Telecommunications Act of 1996.

The public is catching on. The American newspaper industry has been brain-dead for years. All that's happening is Americans are removing the life-support.

Elaine Belval

Fremont