Published: August 17, 2009 07:57 pm      

LETTERS: Aug. 18, 2009

Reader tells sad story about abandoned dog

This letter is to the person who abandoned the black and brown dog on the southbound exit ramp from Eastern Boulevard in Clarksville on July 25. I want you to know what your dog did on the last hours on this earth, so you can live with it for the rest of your life — I have to.

I was coming home and exiting from Interstate 65 and saw the sorry fella sitting along the highway and immediately knew what had happened. He had been dumped. Dogs do not sit alongside a busy road, watching traffic, unless they have been tossed out and are waiting for their masters to return.

I veered across several lanes of traffic, stopped and backed up. I was unable to get him to come to me — he was very frightened. He ran down the hill and across a creek — wise enough to not go across the traffic.

Critters who are unable to fend for themselves are very important to me. I came home and continued to worry about him because I knew he would continue to wait. Wait for what? Wait for you to return.

After about four hours, I knew I had to go back. By then, it was nearly dark and starting to storm. I made four passes, but could not locate him, nor could I see if he had been hit. I could only assume he had sought shelter from the thunder, the lightning and pelting rain, when he should have been inside a warm, dry, safe home.

The next morning I returned to search again. He lay where he had been sitting. Someone had swerved and hit him on purpose. It was obvious he had not run into traffic. There was very little blood — just a sweet dead dog that you disposed of in a cowardly way.

I moved his stiff, beautiful body over into the grass after I pet him and cried over him and told him how sorry I was there were jerks like you in the world.

And you know what made it even worse?

Not one person stopped in their busy hurrying to and fro to see what had happened. The world is turning into such a cold-hearted place nowadays, and then later someone throws a dog off the Clark Memorial Bridge and leaves a box of puppies next to the highway. Do people not realize these creatures have tiny, beating hearts that know love and brains that understand fear?

The animals I choose to bring into my life stay with me until they move on to the Rainbow Bridge, and even in hard times, they have eaten when I didn’t.

After writing this letter, I had to go wash the blood from my hands from your pet — that is something you will never be able to do.

— Paulette Kershner, Jeffersonville





‘Public option’ a must in health care, reader says

We need to have a strong “public option” in any health care reform legislation that comes out of Congress in the coming months. Also, we need for the government to be able negotiate with the drug companies from a position of strength.

I would like for President Obama and his administration to make sure that those things happen. I’m hearing reports that the White House is negotiating away the core principles of meaningful health care reform in order to have some version of a health care reform bill to sign. I hope that this is not true, but I am concerned enough to write the president and say as much.

I would be much happier if we were talking about changing over to a single-payer system, but since we aren’t even allowed to have that discussion, a robust “public option” is the next best thing.

The legislation that comes out of Congress needs to cover everybody, and should be available sooner rather than later. I don’t want to hear any more nonsense about triggers and co-ops. We’ve been trying to get national health care reform since the Truman administration for God’s sake! How many more people have to get sick and die?

President Obama campaigned on the promise of meaningful health care reform for all. I supported him during the campaign, and I support him now, but if he gives away the store to get a crappy bill passed, he’ll lose my support in a hurry. I suspect that will happen with progressive liberal types all over the country. It was people like us who voted for change in the first place.

The Republicans have been wholly unhelpful to the president’s agenda since day one. I can’t for the life of me see why he’s continuing to let them frame this whole debate.

I have a good job and I have a bad health care plan, and that’s because the insurance companies — and the drug companies — have all the power in these types of relationships. If me or my wife get sick, it will probably bankrupt us, and we’re some of the “lucky” ones! What a truly crazy system we’ve allowed. Please help us have a much improved system.

Thanks for hearing my viewpoint.

— Craig MacInnes, Jeffersonville



Baron Hill or Barren Hill?

The recent article on Baron Hill "getting heat on health care" caught my attention. The article quoted Rep. Hill as saying that with regards to health care reform, "The war's on . . ." and later labeling constituents who vocally disagree with said reform in its nascent state as "political terrorists." Much of the article detailed citizens' frustrations in trying to contact Congressman Hill.

All this talk of "battle" and political dissent reminded me of the actual Battle of Barren Hill. Not well remembered, this skirmish took place outside of Philadelphia in May of 1778. Maj. Gen. Marquis de La Fayette (known political terrorist/patriot) acting under the orders of another well known political terrorist/patriot (Gen. George Washington) led an artful retreat after a reconnaissance mission went wrong. With quick thinking and bravery La Fayette saved the majority of his troops to fight another day. I won't spoil the story by telling who won the war but, suffice it to say, that the hill outside of Philly is today known as Lafayette Hill.

My point is, one man's political terrorist is another man's patriot. So let's not silence anyone's opinion in this important debate. If you are for reform let the folks in Washington hear it. If you're against reform, shout it from the roof tops.

Hopefully someone will listen.

— Al Knable, New Albany

  

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