I am writing on behalf of the delivery people - namely UPS, FedEx and DHL, many of whom work over 12 hours a day at this time of year to bring packages to us.

The greatest problem they have when it gets dark so early, with many days of rain and possible fog, is unreadable or nonexistent house numbers. Many times there are numbers but no lights shining on them, which make them useless. Please check that your house, not the mailbox, has readable numbers at night, not only for those delivery people, but also for emergency crews. We never know if we might need them one day.

Pauline Boise

Albany

Thanks for good sense

It was Thanksgiving morning when I remember to give thanks to those who are important in my life as well as the important things that truly matter. Sitting in my comfortable recliner and watching the Macy's Day parade on television while reading the paper was my morning ritual. During this process, I came across the Young Voices section in the paper and the article written by Benjamin Williams. What an extremely well-written article. Mr. Williams, I am "thankful" you will soon be old enough to run for a school board position!

I just thank God that in time, life will evolve and the problems with our school system and the ongoing wars between the players will end. I just hope it can end faster than the war in Iraq. I just cringe to think of the value system our students are learning from the leaders of their educational structure.

Mr. Williams, you by far are more mature and talented than those at the helm. You are most correct in the fact that the focus has been on personal agendas, lawsuits, fear of lawsuits, fighting others and overall control.

The war in Lebanon may last longer than the war in Iraq if we do not regain focus on the goal. Mr. Williams, you are so correct, the focus needs to be on the duties and job responsibilities assigned, and that is providing quality education to our students.

Those involved must remember their fiduciary responsibility must be focused on the students and their education. These sidelines, three-ring circus acts, must come to an end. I just pray that maybe the adults involved will also see the error of their ways and again step up to the plate and conduct themselves in a manner other than the clowns at the circus.

I am not here to pass judgment on who is right, who is wrong, or who I want and don't want to continue in their assigned capacity. Each person is entitled to stay; however, they are assigned a job and it is time they acted in a professional manner and took ownership to the circus they have created.

In closing, I must summarize that at least one student has been able to overcome the lack of leadership within our school structure and has been able to rise above the leadership of our school system. Mr. Williams, I commend you and will be voting for you when you run for school board, or who knows, one day come back as our superintendent. This thanksgiving I gave thanks to God for giving Lebanon such a bright young man as Mr. Williams.

Todd Gestrin

Lebanon

All in the family

There has been some talk recently in this paper regarding races in our society. One of the reasons I am a committed Christian is the biblical history that all races are really a deception and that we are really one family.

Historically we all descended from one family that was saved from a worldwide flood 4,700 years ago by God. As time passed, that family formed the nations and the so-called "races" of the Earth today. We know by modern science that people change over time and adapt to their environment, which eventually emphasizes different traits because of special environmental factors. This plainly explains the differences we see today and is consistent with our unified past stemming from one family.

I know that not everyone is willing to believe this "history." Both Christian and secular people have trouble with it, but if the Bible is true historically we are one family.

Yes, it is true that in the Bible God called the Jews to remain separate from the other people groups around them, but it was not because of skin color that they were to remain separated - it was because of behavior. We should follow that example.

Jeff Bromley

Albany