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God bless our firefighters
We want to publicly thank the Fox Chase firemen for their great job at saving our home on Thanksgiving Eve. At 2 a.m., we awoke to, at first, the smell of smoke and then the smoke. We checked the house and saw nothing but smoke and smell. Then the smoke alarms started sounding.
We called 911, which immediately switched us to the fire department. Seemed like all the information they needed was the exact address — of course, by now the smoke alarms were fiercely sounding and whoever answered could surely hear them.
It seemed like five minutes until our street filled with four fire trucks and a captain’s car, and we are about two miles from the station.
One after another, the firemen came into our house, going mostly upstairs, where the smoke seemed to be strongest. They checked everything; the rooms, closets and cellar were checked by one fireman after another. A thorough search was made throughout, and rechecked again.
We were afraid they would leave us with this condition, but one officer assured us they would not go until this was solved.
Then one fireman came up from the basement, having solved the mystery. The motor to the house heater had caught on fire, and that brought the smoke throughout the air ducts, permeating the house. He assured us the situation was taken care of.
As usual, while the rest of the world sleeps, our firemen are there at any hour to save lives, and in this case, homes. Thank you all, and God bless.
Bob and Anne Cahill
Fox Chase
Don’t discriminate
against Christians
Christmas is an important Christian celebration, but there seems to be a movement in this country to remove the spirit of Christmas as well as its name from society.
Several large retailers, who benefit greatly from sales during this time of year, have taken anti-Christmas steps. They have refused/decided not to use the words Merry Christmas in their advertisements or in their stores.
There are some groups that want to remove the words Christmas tree and replace it with holiday tree. There was even an unsuccessful move to rename the Christmas tree in Washington, D.C., the "holiday tree."
The Christmas tree is a European tradition brought to America by immigrants and symbolizes everlasting life (ties to Jesus Christ), since it stays green even in the darkest winter.
And there are schools that discourage or prohibit children from saying "Merry Christmas" or giving out cards that portray the true meaning of Christmas.
There would be no Christmas without Christ. In my humble opinion, those who wrote the Constitution never intended the "establishment clause" to be interpreted to ban the meaning of Christmas.
It seems to me that those who want to secularize this time of year are discriminating against Christians.
George J. Weber
Holmesburg
Here comes Santa Claus,
and vendors
My family and I attended the Mayfair-Holmesburg Thanksgiving Parade. The parade was terrific and the weather was great. I had no problem giving a donation for next year’s parade.
Unfortunately, when Santa came along, he was totally surrounded by vendors. I had to walk around them with my grandkids to let them see Santa (the main person they came to see).
This is not safe. They had been waiting patiently on the pavement. We were between the vendors and the truck carrying Santa. Can’t the vendors be made to walk behind Santa’s vehicle?
Joan Corcoran
Feasterville
The retailers that
stole Hanukkah
Why is it that major retail chains Wal-Mart, Kmart and Target have decided not to sell one thing for the holiday of Hanukkah? Aisles and aisles of Christmas stuff are all around, but not even a dreidel can be found at these retail stores. At each store I asked, I was told that they had no Hanukkah items and would not be getting any in. WHAT??!! So you mean to tell me that they feel that Hanukkah is not a holiday worth selling items for?
I am appalled at these major retail stores and ask, where is your holiday spirit, or does your holiday spirit only go for Christmas?
I must applaud Dollar Tree stores though. They do have in most of their stores some Hanukkah stuff. Thank you for remembering that not everyone celebrates Christmas!
Heather Evans-Smith
Castor Gardens
In defense of
the prison guards
I just read the Nov. 24 article about the five correctional officers charged with beating an inmate. I worked with all of the officers.
I can tell you firsthand that those officers would never do such a thing like that. This sounds like the ‘old inmate game’ of getting paid — pushing officers to the limit with their mouth, and if that fails, to strike an officer just to force officers to be compelled to use physical force to protect themselves.
I observed this many times. Any officer(s) who would go into a cell block area and beat an inmate would have to have a death wish. Each cell area in PICC holds approximately 60 to 80 inmates, and they are out and about most of the day.
Like I said, I know and worked with these good officers, and they do not have a death wish. I hope the administration and union stand by these good men.
Anthony "Tony Irish" Porta
Sebring, Fla.
Officer’s widow
is most appreciative
They say in a blink of any eye that our lives can change forever. On Oct. 28, we all learned firsthand how very true these words are. This was the day in which we lost a husband, a brother, a son, an uncle, a friend and our beloved "Officer Jim," a day that will be carved in our hearts forever.
Jim Healey was a man who derived pleasure from the simple things in life, watching TV shows, spending time with family and friends, smoking a cigar, and most of all, protecting his second family on his Mayfair beat.
Most every day he would come home and tell me some story or other of how he teased the "ladies at Stutz’s" or how Eddie was doing at Eckerd Drugs, how Noah’s Ark took care of our dog, how the waitresses at the Mayfair Diner took care of him, how cute the girl was at Rita’s Water Ice who made him his gelati, his friends at the banks, and so on and so forth.
He spoke so often of Kevin and Kathy at Infinity Jewelers, I felt that I have known them, even though we had never met. This was a job that he took immense pride in, protecting all of you, whom he considered an extension of his family. His face would light up every single time he told me a story, for he truly loved each and every one of you.
There were only two things that Jim was absolutely adamant about — throwing away food and saying thank you. In fact, "waste not, want not" was his most famous saying, but never before saying thank you.
Every single person who knew him, knew that if he or anyone in his family did any one thing for you, all he expected was a simple thank you. He never wanted a gift or a card, just a thank you. There was never a time that I could recall, even if it was reheating a dinner for him, that he ever forgot to say thank you. This simple act spoke volumes of the man that each of us had come to know and love. He was just one of those rare individuals who gave much more than he ever took and truly made such an impression by doing so.
So even in my darkest times of sorrow, I thank God that he chose me to share my life with such an amazing man. Many people have told me that most people in life never get a chance to experience a marriage that Jim and I were so lucky to have shared. I know for certain that I am now a better person, that aside from the immense pain in which I now suffer, I will look back on each day as a gift and make him proud.
I wish there was a way that I could meet and hug every one of you who have touched both my heart and our families’ hearts by your kind words, your gifts, your cards, your words of support and this extraordinarily outpouring of love that you have shown to us.
You have literally held us up in this time of sorrow and your unwavering support is how we get through each and every day. So, on behalf of my beloved husband and our family, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts. God bless you all.
Michele Healey
Morrell Park
Two years later,
the pain continues
In loving memory of my son, Stephen G. Fuhrmeister
Sunrise 2/6/84-Sunset 11/27/03:
WHO YOU’D BE TODAY
Sunny days seem to hurt the most
I wear the pain like a heavy coat
I feel you everywhere I go
I see your smile, I see your face
I hear you laughing in the rain
Still can’t believe you’re gone
It ain’t fair you died too young
Like a story that had just begun
But death tore the pages all away
God knows how we miss you
All the hell we’ve been through
Just knowing, no one could ever take your place
Sometimes I wonder, who you’d be today
Would you see the world
Would you chase your dreams
Settle down with a family
I wonder what you would name your babies
Some days the sky’s so blue
I feel like I could talk to you
And I know it may sound crazy
Sunny days seem to hurt the most
I wear the pain like a heavy coat
The only thing that gives me hope
Is I know, I’ll see you again someday
Some day, Stephen, someday . . .
— Lisa Fuhrmeister
Bhakta for Congress?
Danger, warning, caution!
The following is an ideological alert to the voters of the 13th Congressional District concerning the candidacy of Raj Peter Bhakta (Are his congressional hopes really a reality?, Nov. 24 edition).
This individual is a stealth liberal, and not the sort of standard-bearer the GOP needs. The main clue in all this is Mr. Bhakta’s statement that he seeks to be "a new face and a progressive voice."
Moreover, the article also says that Mr. Bhakta accepts the Supreme Court’s decision legalizing abortion. Translation: I support the social and economic goals of the secular left, including the left’s holiest sacrament, abortion on demand. Although not stated in the article, you can also be sure that this self-styled progressive voice supports the hottest items on the progressive agenda — homosexual marriage.
Mr. Bhakta postures as a conservative by attacking the size of the federal budget, but, ladies and gentlemen of the electorate, don’t be fooled. His stance is all bluff and bluster and rhetorical sleight-of-hand. A true conservative not only wants to protect and conserve the natural environment, but also the greatest natural resource any nation can ever have — its unborn children — because they are the future of that nation.
So, ladies and gentlemen, I suggest we either consign Mr. Bhakta to a quick political oblivion or flush this radical turkey out into the open and into the proper political party for birds like him.
George Tomezsko
Hollywood, Pa.
Dear John: Thank
you so very much
Dear House Speaker John Perzel:
On behalf of the Northeast Churches Community Food Cupboard and the needy it serves, we thank you for helping us provide Thanksgiving meals for families in our area.
A total of 321 Thanksgiving meals were distributed. This serves as an example of how the state government can work together with faith-based organizations to help those in need.
This year saw a large increase (100 more families per month) in the number of families needing emergency food assistance in our area.
Without your help, the food bank would have not have been able to provide both Thanksgiving and Christmas food packages this year.
Many food banks now have their clients choose between Thanksgiving and Christmas food packages. Thanks to your assistance, we will be able to provide food on both holidays this year.
Many of our volunteer staff would like to thank you in person when you join in helping us with our Christmas basket distribution on Dec. 20. We look forward to working in partnership with you to help those in need in our Northeast Philadelphia community.
Our prayers for continued blessings for you and your family during this Christmas season, and best wishes for a happy and prosperous new year.
Larry Thum
Food Cupboard ministry coordinator
Councilman fires back
at ex-civic leader
I normally don’t respond to a letter from a Bucks County resident like Bernice Sikora, but her Dec. 1 letter (as usual) is so venomous it requires a response.
If Ms. Sikora still lived in Bustleton, she would know that I have never besmirched the character of George Weiss or any Greater Bustleton Civic League board member.
If Ms. Sikora still lived in Bustleton, she would know that I was not the reason Mr. Weiss resigned as president of the league.
If Ms. Sikora still lived in Bustleton, she would know that my actions in upgrading the zoning in Bustleton have the overwhelming support of both the general membership of the civic league as well as the residents of the affected area who are not members of the league.
If Ms. Sikora still lived in Bustleton, she would also know that this remapping was done with full consideration of the Bustleton community and no consideration for developers who have themselves shown no consideration for the Bustleton residents their tear-downs have harmed.
I am not surprised that Ms. Sikora disagrees with me on this or any other matter.
Brian J. O’Neill
Councilman, 10th District
From Jackie, more
food for thought
Thank you so much for your stories and letters about Jackie the pot-bellied pig. From them, we have learned:
• The Saunderses are the pig’s owners.
• Shawn Glynn is the complaining neighbor; our Councilman Brian O’Neill supports Glynn. His aides, at taxpayers’ expense, have appeared three times in court against the Saunderses.
I find that troubling because:
• The Saunderses lived there before Glynn, yet O’Neill supports Glynn.
• Glynn is the only neighbor who is bothered by the pig, yet O’Neill supports Glynn.
• The Philadelphia Health Department inspected Glynn’s complaints and found no problems, yet O’Neill supports Glynn.
• Philadelphia Animal Control inspected the Saunderses’ yard due to Glynn’s complaint and found no problems, yet O’Neill supports Glynn.
• Other neighbors have had problems with Glynn, yet O’Neill supports Glynn.
It seems to me our councilman does not understand even the basic idea of right and wrong and whose side he should be supporting.
We all know whom Shawn Glynn will be voting for. How about you?
K.J. Zebroski
Bustleton
What about the
rest of us?
Regarding your Page 1 story last week (All fired up) and related editorial highlighting how gays are arming themselves for protection: Assuming you wrote this article for the common good, not out of political correctness, perhaps you can now do a similar write-up that will include all Americans, regardless of their sexual orientation. After all, there are 38 states that allow law-abiding citizens to carry concealed weapons. Various studies have shown that major crime has decreased in these states.
Furthermore, surveys of criminals have consistently shown that they are most terrified of only one thing: that their intended victims might defend themselves with a weapon. Eighty-million Americans own guns. Defensive use of these guns is estimated at approximately 2.5 million cases annually — about once every 13 seconds.
In New Orleans, in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, the rules of society that keep most criminal elements in check broke down. Bands of armed looters, robbers, rapists and killers roamed the streets. Local authorities, unable to stop them, instead confiscated lawfully owned firearms from peaceable citizens who simply wanted to stay in their homes and protect themselves, their families and their homes.
Government officials who couldn’t protect innocent citizens instead trampled their civil rights by taking away their firearms in violation of the Second Amendment. Fortunately, the NRA filed a lawsuit in Louisiana federal court to stop the unconstitutional confiscation of lawfully owned firearms.
U.S. District Judge Jay Zainey agreed with the NRA and granted a temporary restraining order halting further gun confiscation and ordering confiscated firearms returned.
Leo Iwaskiw
Somerton
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