Traverse City Record-Eagle

Your Views

March 19, 2010

Letters to the Editor: 03/20/2010

Officer gets a vacation

Taxpayers dollars are being wasted on investigating the officer's accident on Cedar Run Road. My question is if the officer wasn't injured, why did he not help police the accident?

There is only one answer considering what happened after the accident: The taxpayers are paying for the officer's vacation and the investigation.

Harold Eickholt

Kalkaska

Lives can be saved

It has become the routine of some, including Record-Eagle editorial writers, to bash our representatives McManus and Schmidt for legislation that, in Schmidt's case, would allow firearms in the trunks of automobiles on college campuses.

This is because firearms in the trunks of automobiles somehow pose a threat to students. What nonsense.

A bill co-sponsored by McManus would allow guns in college dorms and classrooms.

I wonder if it occurs to any of these critics that the traitorous shooter at Fort Hood didn't pick one of the firing ranges or the post police department.

He chose a place where he knew the occupants would be unarmed. From Columbine to Mumbai to Virginia Tech to Fort Hood, the lesson is clear: Unarmed victims are preferred by these cowards.

Two courageous and highly trained police officers arrived on scene at Fort Hood within three minutes and ended the rampage -- a fabulous response time.

But the killer had 10 minutes to commit mass murder before police arrived.

Ask the critics how many lives could have been saved if even one of those in the readiness center were armed or could have retrieved a weapon from the trunk of their car?

Steve Lauer

Traverse City

Plant fuel for a plant

The use of wood for fuel in northern Michigan has a short history. Short because within a few decades every tree within easy reach was cut until the land was bare -- Fayette, an Upper Peninsula town in an area that was clear-cut, comes to mind.

Traverse City Light & Power could change that pattern -- start by planting street trees and contract for the trimmings from those trees.

The volume of fuel would be estimated accurately. Jobs would be created, street trees increased. Match the size of the power plant to the source of the fuel, not the other way around.

Robert Foulkes

Empire

Flags and responsibility

On Feb. 19, Traverse City said farewell to U.S. Army Sgt. Dillon Black Foxx.

I would have liked to attend the services but had other plans I couldn't change.

While driving out M-37 from 14th Street, I noticed flags not lowered to half staff.

I went into the places to remind them to please lower their flags.

Thank you to those who did.

When you put our flag up, you have certain responsibilities that go along with it.

What would you do if that had been your husband, father or son?

Ron Akers

Interlochen

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