Letters to the Editor: Everyone should follow the rules of the road
Everyone should follow the rules of the road
In response to Alexander Tunks' letter in the Oct. 5 Sentinel, thank you, Alexander, for standing up and promoting bicycling in Holland. As in most places, there is more to be done to make public roads safe for everyone, no matter the mode of transportation.
A good start is to know and follow the bicycle laws. Everyone — motorists, cyclists and pedestrians alike — needs to know what our bicycling laws actually say. When I looked them up, I found significant inconsistencies between the actual laws and common practice. Since we're all part of the traffic mix, we need to be consistent with the rules.
Sue Kropscott
Holland
Facial lines have fallen in pleasant places
We are a nation consumed with appearance. The search for the fountain of youth did not end with Ponce De Leon’s Florida expeditions in 1513. The search continues today.
The media of print photos, billboards and television all share the same bad news. I do not look as good as I ought. I am not thin enough, my height is not tall enough, I am not sun tanned enough, my hair not wavy enough. Will I ever enter the place where I am considered enough?
There are creams that promise to hide wrinkles, darken or lighten your skin tone, and those that hide, cover or eliminate blemishes. Plastic surgery is another profitable business as many are looking for the surgical fountain of youth.
One magazine advertisement pictured a sports car with a scantily-clad model standing in front of the car. The caption indicated the car was from Ferrari and the body was from the name of the plastic surgeon.
The Psalmist writes: “The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.” (Psalm 16:6) When I am satisfied with how God made me — with all of my perfect flaws — I can truly begin to live a released and youthful life as I gracefully mature in my own unaltered skin. The contoured wrinkles have indeed developed in pleasant places.
Now, some may argue that I used to have a vanity streak when I was wearing eye contacts. I say how it makes my life view so much easier to enjoy, but they sometimes smudge just as my glass eyewear would.
Also, a few years ago I was trying to take out a contact in one eye while coming back from Michigan's Adventure, which did not have a contact in. A trip to a health service proved it was not even on that eye. When I went home I noticed the hardened, curled other contact lens by my sink.
I went back to my eyeglasses.
Keith J. Welch
Holland
Israel is not to blame
In response to Ray Buursma's recent column "The Choice Belongs to Israel," in reality, the choice belongs to Hamas.
Unfortunately, the Hamas mantra "from the river (Jordan) to the sea (Mediterranean)" leaves no doubt that their intention is to eliminate Israel. In other words, there is no room for a two-state solution. They say Israel should no longer exist. But Israel is not the one that killed innocent women and children. The horrific details do not need to be repeated here. One has to wonder why no other Arab nation in the region has any interest in helping the Palestinians. Not Jordan, not Egypt, none. Could it be because they don't want Hamas coming along with the Palestinians? Even the head of the PLO, Mahmoud Abbas, does not want to govern the Gaza Strip. (Of course he has been in power since 2004, and they have no elections there. Hamas would muscle him out, just like they did in Gaza in 2007.)
Hamas is simply using the Palestinian people as shields.
One also wonders where the hundreds of millions of dollars have gone that the U.S. and many other countries have given to the Palestinians over the last thirty years or so. The U.S. has contributed $5.2 billion since 1994 through USAID and other organizations. Just in the last couple of years, the U.S. has contributed $618 million. Much of these funds get funneled through Hamas, and instead of helping the Palestinian people, they are buying rockets and mortars from Iran and Syria. Israel protects its citizens with rockets, Hamas protects it rockets with citizens.
Steve Woiwode
Holland
With time and perspective comes wisdom from the pandemic
The purpose of this letter to the editor is to examine insubordination — defiance of authority; refusal to obey orders.
There is a conflict between the Ottawa County Board of Commissioners and the Ottawa health director. The director is being charged with insubordination.
As a retired executive, I believe I can clarify this troubled situation.
On Feb. 5, 2020, the news of the Diamond Princess broke. When I read that article, immediately I knew a pandemic was in America’s future due to my association with a public health nurse and research I completed in 2009.
To reduce transmission of this virus, masks in grade schools were recommended by the CDC. At that time, it did not make any sense to many of us. Myself included. Children were not becoming ill.
The Ottawa health director followed "best practices" and required masks in grade school students.
Ottawa Impact was established as a direct result of the mask mandates.
Today, if a person researches this issue, he/she will learn that children are the vector for the transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 or COVID-19 virus. (Risk factors for SARS-CoV-2 infection and transmission in households with children with asthma and allergy: A prospective surveillance study) I suggest reading "The Premonition" by Michael Lewis to learn how this was discovered.
The Ottawa County health director was not insubordinate in requiring masks in school-age children.
But many, many parents were upset.
The Ottawa County Health Department held its ground, yet these same parents demonize the director and department.
The role of the Ottawa County commissioners is to hire good people and then get out of their way so they can do their jobs.
During my career as a retired executive, I am guilty of thinking that I alone had the answers, then in fact I knew nothing, but the great people I supervised did know and did have the answers.
As I grew, I came to fully appreciate those individuals whom I supervised, and I learned how to bring out their best.
I hope Ottawa County board members can quickly learn this same lesson.
Tom Horrigan
Grand Rapids
Thankful for emergency service people
My wife and I would like to praise K & R Towing and Repair on Interchange Drive in Holland.
On Friday, we were on our way home to Indiana from a very nice trip to Michigan, (which included the impressive President Ford Museum) and we had a tire blowout on I-196. A very helpful and personable 911 operator reached out to K & R on our behalf.
Their driver, Keanan, courteously and bravely (with semis whizzing by) towed us to the shop. There, Matt, Ben and Brad were super helpful and friendly. We felt much better once Keanan arrived, and our good feelings that we were in good hands were confirmed upon arriving at their shop. Ben drove nearly a half-hour one way to get a replacement tire and then put it on. Brad and Matt kept us informed and treated us like family.
It’s always stressful to have car trouble out of town. We are thankful to the Lord that our new friends at K & R were there for us.
Mark Risley
Fishers, Indiana
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Letters to the Editor: Everyone should follow the rules of the road
