We read the recent article titled “Hamilton County residents asked to help fight mail theft” with great interest — and from a victim’s perspective.
We belong to a group of residents who have fallen victim to mail thieves over the past several months. Our mail carrier persists in leaving packages crammed into mailboxes … sticking out far enough to tempt passing vehicles to help themselves. Larger packages are delivered to the front of the garage — easily scooped up by anyone driving up, run over unseen as we back out and subjected to inclement weather.
We have expressed our concerns and provided pictures to courteous Post Office supervisors to no avail. All we ask is secure mail and package delivery: mail and small packages enclosed inside the mailbox and larger packages placed on the porch.
Mail theft reduction should begin with secure deliveries. We hope that as law enforcement works to solve the crimes, the Post Office will take its responsibility seriously to train carriers regarding their roles in theft prevention.
Don and Valerie Bowers
Ooltewah
Are we really that important?
I don’t feel well. In fact, I feel awful. Call my doctor. Ring, ring, ring. Finally an answer. Your name and date of birth. “Your call is very important to us; can you please hold?” After what seems like an eternity, I give up.
Onto my next option … doc in the box. Same drill. Name, date of birth and what is your insurance. I now am cleared to talk to someone. I again am told how important I am. Finally, I am told my condition is too serious to be handled by their service, and they recommend I go to an emergency room.
At the emergency room, I go through the same drill. Name, date of birth and insurance — after an extensive wait. I am again told how important I am. Finally, I get examined and told I need to be admitted. But, and it’s a big but, we have no rooms available; we will have you wait on a gurney in the hallway. No worries; you are important to us.
I’m sure many of you could put your name on this letter.
I have no idea how to solve these issues. We need to have a discussion. There’s a solution out there — somewhere. Remember, I am important.
Irv Ginsburg
‘Apples and oranges’ does apply to Biden
I have read so much about Joe Biden’s top secret documents not being as big a deal as Donald Trump’s, including the cartoon in the paper showing that they are apples and oranges. I agree they are apples and oranges.
What Trump did is inexcusable. He took a number of top secret documents with him when he left office. They were, however, in a somewhat secure location. I don’t think many people have access to his home in Florida. My understanding is that it is a gated, exclusive, private location.
Biden on the other hand has top secret papers scattered in a couple of places, and they have been there at least since he left office as vice president more than six years ago.
For a man who takes top secret documents very seriously, it is not reflected in his actions. He obviously has been very lax in paying attention to these documents. Allowing these papers to be in a garage or in a closet in his office is inexcusable.
I agree it is definitely apples and oranges.
Chuck Meeker
Cleveland, Tenn.
Living gay life not a departure
I am trying to take advice from Barton Goldsmith’s column on Sunday, Jan. 8, and take a deep breath before responding to Star Parker’s column of that same date.
As a person who still tries to evaluate what is reality and what is not, I agree with Ms. Parker’s denouncing the many misrepresentations George Santos has made. But as a gay woman, I strongly disagree that to honor gay relationships with the rite of marriage reflects a detachment from reality.
The lives of those of us who are gay just aren’t such a departure.
Lynn M. Hodge
Many groups share in blame for slavery
For Bradley Gitz: It looks like a lot of blame was shared by several groups in the profitable business of slavery. One group which shared in this, but is seldom held to account, are the (British) Jews, who owned most of the ships which transported slaves from Africa to the Americas.
Reports are that conditions on these ships were not so bad that a lot of slaves died during the crossing (which would not have been profitable) but bad enough that some did.
Darcy Rau
Tullahoma, Tenn.
Documents crisis a Dem distraction
Classified documents found. What breaking news.
The news media dropped everything to cover this story. Everyone has an opinion about it.
In my opinion, the Democrats spun this up. Why? The border is a real crisis, and [the Dems] are doing nothing about it.
The president went to the Southern border; it was all cleaned up with no migrants around.
Biden received a lot of backlash for this do-nothing visit.
The politicians seem to create a new crisis if they can’t handle the old one. Thus, the media now 24/7 on the classified documents.
In my thinking the documents will be a nothing burger.
I have seen it before, and here it is again.
Ruth Cote
Hixson
Legislators failing state on gun safety
Tennessee now averages 1,273 gun deaths and 2,220 gun injuries annually, which is the leading cause of death among children and teenagers.
We need comprehensive legislation to keep us safe from gun violence. Um. What if I/we could hold our state legislators responsible for deaths and injuries caused by the irrational loose gun laws they enact?
Every incident involving a gun that results in a death or injury should trigger (pun intended) a barrage of protest phone calls to our representatives. Shame on them for putting Tennessee at the bottom for safety involving guns. Or we could just vote the weasels out.
SueCarol Elvin
Is McKamey policy deliberate deception?
I write this letter as a former resident (Go Lions, Red Bank High, class of 1966).
Surely, some of your readers found themselves aghast upon reading “Chattanooga’s McKamey Animal Center drops breed labels for dogs in its care” (Jan. 7, Times Free Press). Virtually every public shelter is overcrowded with large Molosser breeds and their mixes, aka pit bulls, animals that are subject to “misconceptions,” according to the story. Your readers may wish to know that trauma surgeons have no such misconceptions. Since 2011, about 15 peer-reviewed published studies in medical literature have raised the alarm as to the increasing morbidity and mortality from dog attacks.
In any other business or commerce, the animal shelter’s practice would be termed as “withholding pertinent information,” “deceptive practices,” or “deliberate misrepresentation.”
There are more than 700 Americans dead from dog attacks since 2005, 38 of them children in the past two years. Comments that breed labels are “virtually meaningless and that dogs are individuals just like people” represent much of today’s surreal humane/no-kill movement. A great donation driver for a good-hearted public, but devoid of morality and conscience.
Bonny Thomas Lee
Roanoke, Va.
