Trash in beautiful places

I spent Father’s Day with my family driving to some of my favorite places in the canyon. I was looking forward to seeing a small lake that is nestled in the trees above Idanha. Most people call it JoJo lake and others call it Bruno lake. It is not quite summer so I assumed it would not be visited too much. So much for assumptions.

I have had many people complain to me about how the roads to these places now have a locked gate across them. “We can’t go anywhere” they say. After looking around and in the lake, I think I know why people are getting shut out. There are pop bottles, beer cans, shotgun shells, toilet paper (ick!), articles of clothing, fishing bobbers, cartons and so much more.

As I see it, if people want to keep going to these beautiful places then they need to start picking up after themselves. I have lived and hiked in the Willamette Valley all my life and I was always taught to bring out what I took in. I will take a garbage bag on the next trip but I really hate picking up after people who should know better.

As far as the gated roads, try to keep your vehicles where they belong and quit tearing up the countryside, vandalizing equipment and road signs, and they just may open up again.

Russell Blumenstein, Scio

Palestinians have rights

What is needed on the subject of Israel/Palestine is an open discussion of the issues, not acronyms.

For instance, do people really think that Palestinians should have less human rights than Israelis? Is it OK (does it square with American ideals of equality) that our tax dollars, $14 million every single day, go to fund roads on which only Israelis can drive, land which only Israelis can buy, and a wall to separate human beings from each other? In South Africa, they called that apartheid.

Unconditional support for the injustice done Palestinians is surely one of the major reasons for 9/11. Our nation’s continued blind support of racist Israeli policies, like the fawning of all three presidential candidates at AIPAC recently, is not in the American interest.

June Forsyth Kenagy, Albany

And again, World War II

Larry Crompton (Mailbag, June 10) is right, some people need to study history more. In particular, Larry needs to study what the situation was just prior to World War II. He states that we could have avoided World War II if we had just invaded Germany, like George W. Bush did Iraq.

If Larry is such a big scholar of history, he would know how ridiculous this would have been. Germany had a massive army, hundreds of submarines, and a large air force. England had very little of these. Also, the United State had very inferior armed forces at the time.

For us (England and the United States) to have attacked Germany then would have been like finding a hornet’s nest in our yard and using a small stick to poke into the hole.

Joe Blankenbaker, Albany

Who are the detainees?

The news media are full of statements of concern for the civil rights of the detainees at Gitmo. At this juncture, it would seem appropriate to define who or what a detainee is.

To me, a detainee is an enemy soldier trained by al Qaida or the Taliban to kill our soldiers and to do as much damage as they can to the United States and its interests. It should be noted that some of the more hardened of the detainees even attempted to do harm to our people while incarcerated.

To me, it would appear that civil rights should be granted only to citizens of the U.S., certainly not to those who wish to harm us.

I do not understand the thinking of those people I call “soft heads” who feel sorry for the enemy, even to the point where they expose us to their potentially nefarious deeds.

Anyone, be he a citizen or not, who wishes to do harm to this country and its people is a traitor and should be dealt with harshly and firmly.

Allan Jay Silver, Albany

Do right by the animals

I want to share a story my sister told me. She got a “free kitten.” Actually she found the little guy in the briar bushes; he was a throw-away. Anyway, it came time to get him fixed, so she made the appointment with her vet. By the time she paid to have him neutered, shots and tested it was almost $200. She called me and chuckled, so much for a free kitten!

The point: When you see that free- kitten ad, make sure you can financially afford to do the right thing and get him or her spayed/neutered and shots.

Too many people make the mistake of getting that free kitten or puppy and then find they can’t do the responsible thing, so they abandon the little guys, or don’t get them fixed and they have more litters.

I’ll bet if the animals could pick up the phone and make the appointment with the veterinarian, they would. People are responsible for the overpopulation problem, not the animals.

It just breaks my heart to see all these kittens and puppies born when there just aren’t enough good homes and then the animals pay with their lives.

Shelters and rescue groups are just run ragged, and truly there is no excuse. There is help for low income, or those who can’t afford to pay the full cost. Go online and search for low-cost spay/neuter programs, or call a nonprofit for advice or help. Please, be part of the solution, not part of the problem.

Mahatma Ghandi said: “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.”

Sharon Roosa, Lebanon

Unlucky Friday, but help came

On this past Friday, June 13, in the afternoon, I was walking to the Post Office on Washington Street, when I tripped and fell on the sidewalk beside the apartment complex on Sixth and Washington. I want to thank the lady walking with her children and the gentleman in the white pickup truck that stopped to help me.

Thank you, Sir, for your T-shirt to soak up the blood pouring from my face and the sanitizer to put on my face. I really didn’t think anyone would stop to help me.

And to the woman, thank you so much for walking me home, you’re both my angels, and may God bless and be with you. I love you both for your kindness and caring.

The CT scan showed no broken bones. I have lots of cuts, scrapes and bruising and a very sore body all over.

And thank you to my daughter, whom I called to bring bandages and stuff after she got off work. She took the time off work and took me to Urgent Care and then the hospital for the CT scan. My other angel for the day. I am glad to see such caring people out there.

Sonja Oakley, Albany