It is far too seldom that any appreciation is shown to our police and firefighters. As to their hesitation to accept these gifts, you must understand that there is an element of our society that would like nothing better that to harm these public servants.

As a sad example, I point to an story printed the next day about an incident in Dallas. It seems that an 18-year-old took cookies laced with LSD to several police stations and as a result some officers were sickened.

So as you can see, being cautious about one’s own safety unfortunately has to be considered before accepting gifts.  

I would encourage Kendall to share this with her son and friends, and hope they are not affronted by the response they received.

George Bermudez
Camas

Vote for realists
I’m 100 percent for clean air, open land and alternative methods of transportation, but it seems as if I’m alone in being a realist.

I’m disabled. I can’t hop on a bus, spend several hours to get to a grocery store and then carry my things home.

Not everyone can live right above their work or close enough to bike. Not everyone can simply replace their cars with something that gets 100 mpg.

We have to tap all available sources of oil, letting the common person afford the gas to get to work, the farmers to drive their tractors and truck drivers to deliver the goods our country needs.

But all the while, we should also be financing true alternatives to oil, to gradually end our dependence on fossil fuels.

Light rail will never solve our problems. We could never finance enough track to fill the county.

Why can’t we learn to compromise? Let’s vote for only those who are realists.

Darryl J. Persin
Vancouver

Gas-saving tips suggested
Recently a friend of mine passed on a suggestion for saving gas by driving differently.

The new rules include using the gas pedal sparingly.

Consider looking ahead for red lights, slowing down without having to use the brake.

Drive within the speed limit or less, use the cruise control whenever possible, and plan ahead for stop signs, letting the car’s weight assist.

Besides using less gas with these suggestions, safety on the road is an extra benefit. See how far you can coast in low-traffic areas. To make it to my garage, I have found I can coast three blocks from the last stop sign.

Laura Lake
Orchards

Get acquainted with races
I urge everyone to vote in the top-two election Aug. 19. Vote for your real choice for each position. Voting to give your real choice a weak opponent may well defeat your choice.

Our cherished blanket primary has been abandoned after decisions by the federal courts. Instead, we have a preliminary election in which not only the major parties participate, but anyone interested in seeking office. The November ballot follows with the top two vote-getters.

Get acquainted with the candidates and the issues. Attend the candidates’ night forum for the Clark County Commissioner District 1 race sponsored by the Forum at the Library and the League of Women Voters at 7 p.m. Thursday in the Clark Public Utilities community room at 1200 Fort Vancouver Way. Other races with three or more candidates will be presented by the League on Aug. 5 at 7 p.m. in the commissioners’ hearing room on the sixth floor at 1300 Franklin.

Daniel M. Ogden Jr.
Vancouver

Bring back sales on July 5
Every year I, with dozens of other passionate pyros, budget to indulge my childhood obsession and wait outside the “Big Tent” as early as 7 a.m. July 5. My son and I get up early to purchase large quantities of fireworks to be used next year on the Fourth of July at a significant discount. The 5th of July is a 15-year tradition for us. The discount lets us entertain our friends and family with a spectacular fireworks show without spending a fortune.

It’s not clear to me why the City of Vancouver has chosen to stop the sale of fireworks on July 5. Merchants love the chance to unload excess inventory, consumers love the discount, the state collects the sales tax … where’s the problem? Is this a first step to restricting the fireworks laws we currently have? People like fireworks and most are responsible with them. Why mess with what works?

Doug Trimble
Vancouver

Despicable deeds timeless
In his July 9 letter Dennis York said, “True heroes insulted,” in the reporting of “bigoted Jesse Helms sharing his date of death on July 4 with Thomas Jefferson and John Adams.”

True, Helms was despicable, but if you read your history and historic documents you will find Jefferson was a bigot, fornicated with his slaves, and planned extermination of the native tribes as an integral part of Western expansion.

Adams had a few faults as well.

Roben D. White
Vancouver

‘Carless’ woes explained
Any sympathy most readers might have had while reading the July 6 story “Commuting in Clark County: Without a car, you’re stuck” probably went out the window when they read that the man featured as “carless” in the story had recently gotten “out of jail.” Are you joking?

Generally these are the people who drive around with no insurance and no license and bald tires when they do get a car. When you get hit, it is going to jack your insurance because these people don’t have anything to forfeit. For 100 or so years now in America, you can have at least 12 years of free education, and the ones who don’t pay attention certainly don’t belong behind the wheel of a car.

Curtis A. Paulson
Vancouver