Letters to the Editor for 8/18/08

Community comes to clinic's aid

The Free Clinic of the Twin Counties, serving Carroll, Grayson, and City of Galax, wishes to thank The Gazette for publishing a timely article when the Free Clinic was in dire need of funding.

At that time, a proposal was before the board to out of necessity consider closing down the clinic.

The response to your article was immediate. A groundswell of grassroots support began to take place.

Individuals were calling and stopping by to make contributions the very next day, and for days and weeks to follow.

Our flapjack breakfast fundraiser held at Applebees on the first Saturday morning of every month has been well attended, bringing in more funds and contributions. We are no longer in debt, and are operating in the clear.

We now know that we have a community that cares about the hundreds of people living in our midst without health insurance.

With the opening of the clinic a year ago, our community now has a place for people to go. Where once there was a spark of hope, now there is a bonfire of possibility.

Plans are underway to provide dental care as well, and to open a pharmacy where patients may go to get lowee'cost prescriptions.

We also look to assist people in getting jobs and career development.

The continuing ongoing financial support of our community will be vital to meeting our operational and long-term goals.

When the article came out in The Gazette, those of us who work at the clinic and have come to know the extent of need have been truly amazed and grateful to witness the heartfelt response we have clearly seen.

So thank you to The Gazette, and thank you, community. Thanks to you, healing is taking place.

Dina Slusher

Executive director

Free Clinic of

the Twin Counties

 

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Donations helped library project

 

A special thanks to all of those who were instrumental in renovating the Grayson County Public Library’s conference room.

Thanks to women of the fiber guild —Sandy Troth, Ruth Anne Sawyers, and Kathy Hill — who supplied ideas, materials and labor to paint the room.

Kudos to Bette McGee, Barbara Moncrief, and Adam Webb, who worked tirelessly with Grayson County Administrator Bill Ring, to envision the finished results.

Professional suggestions and assistance from Sarah Price and Tom Hagis facilitated the alterations.

The generosity and help from Willis Rotenizer enabled Friends of the Library members Kyle and Bruce Noble and Carroll Hill to install new flooring.

The staff thanks Tim Walker for all his endeavors.

The support of all members of the Friends of the Grayson Library, as well as patrons of the library, by actively participating in the bake sale and silent auction, made the renovations a reality.

Autumn Anderson

Independence

 

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Police ruined couple's visit

 

Traveling through from Ontario, Canada, in our camper van, my husband and I decided to spend June 14 enjoying your Leaf & String music festival.

We parked on the east side of North Jefferson, between Stuart and Webster, which is a section of street with no parking signage at all.

Imagine our shock later, when we found our home on wheels gone!

Local residents who confirmed the police had towed our van kindly helped us by locating and driving us to our camper, which cost $150 cash to retrieve.

We were given no explanation, written or otherwise, as to why we were towed.

To make matters worse, the act of towing broke our shifter cable. We were delayed three days before it was fixed, forcing us to miss a prearranged, long-anticipated event in Raleigh.

The folks at Fender’s Body Shop could not have been kinder, trying to help us get back on the road as quickly as possible.

We thoroughly enjoyed the people of Galax who we got to know and the bright side of the Galax country welcome, but the high-handed treatment by your police department has taught us the dark side of your welcome, too.

We do not plan to come back.

Doreen Hartley

Paul Tamblyn

Kingston, Ontario, Canada

 

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Could chemicals be to blame?

 

Have you noticed the lack of fireflies, no more night music from peep toads and thumper frogs?

Could the loss of our hemlocks, due to adelgid infestation, be caused by the loss of natural predators? Are you experiencing an increase of damaging insects?

And how about the National Academy of Sciences’ recent news on pesticide sprays killing honeybees, quoting a Supreme Court case holding people who spray trees liable for damages to beekeepers.

Let’s look at possible causes. If we are observing some effects of causes, then what are the unseen effects? Contamination in our county is changing the air, water and soil. What we are seeing is a disruption of the system put in place by Divine Order.

The ecological balance of who eats whom in the food chain is gone. Predators are active without opposition.

Disulfoton and dichlorophenyl are chemicals in Diee'syston, a preemergent restricted herbicide, being used in Grayson county by 50.6 percent of tree farms. Beside being a ground water pollutant, residues are found in vegetables, fruit and nut crops.

Having a class 1 toxicity rating, signifying it as highly toxic, documented as a human health hazard, this pesticide is required to have a buffer zone.

Its environmental contamination affects not only soil and water, but accumulates in fish. Exposure to contaminated air, water and food has caused neurological damage.

Another Agent Orange pesticide, Dimethoate, used as an aerial spray here by almost 40 percent of tree farmers, is documented as being hazardous to honeybees with aquatic/animal toxicity.

Residues are detected in green beans, spinach and baby food.

Residues on rose crops are documented to cause miscarriages, nausea and health problems for women laborers.

Use of this pesticide also requires, by law, a buffer zone. This sprayed pesticide ends up in our atmosphere, falling back in rain/snow, further poisoning water and soil.

Documentation has been forwarded to The Gazette with this letter for truth in disclosure.

When food becomes scarce, will you be able to gather the wild greens, dandelions, plantain, sorrel, cresses? Consider tomorrow by not using chemicals today.

Theresa Rogers

Elk Creek