Silent No More On Race, Racism The Right To Speak Out Policies Hurt Elderly End Fossil Fuel Use It’s About Insurance Why Hide Ebola Story? In Support…

Silent No More On Race, Racism The Right To Speak Out Policies Hurt Elderly End Fossil Fuel Use It's About Insurance Why Hide Ebola Story? In Support Of Miller 'No Worse' Is Not Ok Successful Food Drive Pulmonary Fibrosis

For far too long, silence and denial have been our paltry response to the subject of race and racism.

In the 1960s, the pen of John Howard Griffin and the passionate voice of Martin Luther King Jr. awakened us to the stark reality of how our African-American sisters and brothers were being abused and treated as inferior, second-class citizens at best.

Thankfully, with civil rights legislation, change has come slowly, perhaps just enough to inoculate the minds of many that we have moved beyond much of the evils of racism. But the tragic deaths of Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown have again shown us how the seeds of latent racial anger are still quite alive and well and have brought the subject of race back into full bloom.

Deplorable as these events are, they have provided the media an opening to help us examine our own hearts and minds. I applaud the editors of Sunday News for using the full page of Perspective Sept. 28 to feature the thoughtful words of four local citizens. Although they well might have used this opportunity to vent rancorous feelings, they did not yield to such expressions. Their analysis of us who are not people of color offers correctives for us to receive and act upon.

Also, Lancaster'sNorth Museum featured an excellent exhibit during the summer months: "Race: Are We So Different?" It dispelled myths about race and gave objective coverage of origins. The exhibit made a strong positive contribution to the quest for healthy race relations.

Charles Longenecker

Manheim Township

P.A. Hawthorne objects to the Intell/New Era publishing news - without editorial comment - about a scouting organization that prohibits gay members now forming in Lancaster County? Hawthorne charges you with "bigotry" for telling us about it?

This is gay rights fundamentalism run amok.

I attend a church in Lancaster in part because it welcomes gay males and lesbians into membership, leadership and ministry. It's called freedom of association and freedom of religion.

Evangelical Protestants and conservative Catholics have that freedom, too. They are allowed to believe the Bible, or their church, in all its teachings, and proclaim them publicly

Hawthorne has a right to object. But conservatives have a right to so believe, preach and associate.

"Political correctness" is working to damage, if not destroy, public education in America. Let's not let it abridge religious freedom and freedom of the press as well.

Edward C. Appel

Leola

I was in line at a big box store when I heard an elderly couple talking about the high cost of prescription medication and how they have to cut down on food to pay for their medication.

It's a shame older Americans who paid their dues have to live that way in the richest country in the world.

When Medicare Part D started under the Bush administration, it was a windfall for drug companies, since negotiations for the lowest price never took place. Every other modern country negotiates the lowest price for prescription drugs for their citizens. Why not this country?

Prescription drugs are cheaper in Canada, but U.S. citizens are prohibited from taking advantage of the lower price in Canada.

It's time the federal government demand negotiations with the drug companies for the lowest price for prescription drugs.

When it comes to health care in America, people should speak with one voice. In unity, there is strength. And, eventually, we all grow old.

Mike Frommer

East Lampeter Township

Kudos to the Rockefeller Brothers Fund for divesting in fossil fuels and making it clear that almost all of the fossil fuels we still have in the ground must stay there for this planet to function in a reasonable way.

That means granting permission for new pipelines is ludicrous, especially when the gas is slated for exportation, like the one proposed in Lancaster County. We must stop this pipeline.

Judy Ginter

Pequea

The recent news item citing the achievements of Obamacare was just lovely, and very revealing in what it didn't say.

There was no mention of better medical outcomes, no mention of increased coverage for the poor and indigent. The key achievements cited by the Federal Health and Human Services executive related entirely to how much insurance has been sold.

It's now clear that what Obamacare is really all about is insurance, not health care.

William Hamilton

West Lampeter Township

We have our first reported case of Ebola in the U.S., and it's relegated to Page 3 (Oct. 1)! I don't expect to see major panic, but really?

Who are the editors in charge? What are they thinking, and why are they still employed at this newspaper?

TV cameraman Neil Milton is probably a real nice guy, but how is he front-page news by comparison?

David Kuhn

Manheim Township

Of all the rites of autumn, the one that brings surprising refreshment to me this year is the opportunity we have in the general election.

Having Brett Miller, a candidate of integrity, to support in the 41st Legislative District has bolstered my hope. Knowing Brett for more than 20 years, I am confident that he can handle the challenges that will come.

During his nine years as an East Hempfield Township supervisor, Miller has steadily led the second-largest township in Lancaster County out of troubled waters into financial stability. Without increasing taxes or reducing services, this township operates with a budget surplus, thanks to the careful direction of Miller, who chairs the board. His achievements in East Hempfield Township are indicative of future success in representing the 41st District.

School districts in Lancaster County have benefited from his 26 years of service, both as guidance counselor and track and field coach. Strengthening young people to make wise choices as they build a future is a hallmark of Miller's leadership, both academically and athletically. Many students have risen to a challenge that Miller, friendly yet focused, has given them. The perspective gained through his career has prepared him well to deal with statewide education concerns with a common-sense approach.

To the voters of the 41st Legislative District: Get to know Miller, and you will lay aside cynicism. He is a watchdog for the taxpayers, believing that government should abide by the same financial boundaries as we all do. It's called living within your means.

Hope to see you coming out to the polls Nov. 4 and voting for Brett Miller.

Patricia Novak

Manor Township

As a conservative, I don't normally read Gil Smart's column. But the headline on the Sept. 28 column about overzealous spanking and domestic abuse caught my interest. The headline doesn't do the column justice. "NFL no worse than any other institution" sounds as though that makes it OK, and it's not.

I first heard this "no worse than" language in regard to Bill Clinton's indiscretions. It was said they weren't new, as other presidents had done this same kind of thing, and therefore nothing was wrong with his actions.

I was appalled at this tacit acceptance; I think we all should be.

While Smart neither condones nor criticizes the NFL's response, I think he missed the point by not saying that "no worse than" does not normalize the indiscretions.

They're still wrong.

George Nettleton

Willow Street

St. Leo the Great Catholic Parish would like to thank the residents of East Hempfield Township for their generous contributions to our 50th Anniversary Food Drive for Water Street Ministries last weekend.

The combined efforts of our door-to- door canvass of homes in East Hempfield Township and the donation drop-offs at St. Leo the Great Catholic Church by its parishioners yielded 7,654 pounds of nonperishable food and shelter supplies to support Water Street Ministries! This outpouring of generosity filled the Water Street Ministries truck to the top and was much more than we anticipated

We would also like to thank our partner churches in the Hempfield Food Pantry and the authorities at East Hempfield Township for their support of our efforts.

Thank you to everyone for helping those less fortunate in our area!

Dan Sahd

St. Leo the Great Catholic Parish Food Drive Committee

Last month was Pulmonary Fibrosis Awareness Month in Pennsylvania. It was coordinated with Global Pulmonary Fibrosis Awareness Month.

Pulmonary fibrosis is a rare, progressive lung disease that creates scarring in the lungs. The scar tissue builds up in the walls of the air sacs of the lungs, and eventually the scar tissue makes it hard for oxygen to get into your blood. Low oxygen levels (and the stiff scar tissue itself) can cause people to feel short of breath, particularly when walking and exercising. There is currently no treatment or cure for this terminal disease.

An estimated 40,000 people die each year from pulmonary fibrosis - approximately the same number who die annually from breast cancer. And there are about 48,000 new cases diagnosed each year. Although pulmonary fibrosis typically affects more men than women ages 50 to 70, it can affect anyone. The life expectancy for those living with this disease is typically three to five years from diagnosis. People living with PF literally suffocate to death. I know because I watched my mother pass away from this disease in 2011, and now I am living with this same disease.

Please pay close attention to your body and how you feel. Symptoms of pulmonary fibrosis may include a dry hacking cough, heaviness in the chest, fatigue, weakness, shortness of breath (walking, talking and even while eating), dizziness, clubbing of fingertips (thickening of the flesh under the fingernails, causing the nails to curve downward) and loss of appetite.

If you experience any of these symptoms for an extended period of time, you just can't shake that cough, please see your doctor.

Diane Reichert

Valley Township

Chester County