Letters to the Editor 7-17-14

Keep the lights on
Editor: One month ago yesterday, my house on Pheasant Drive burned down. My family and friends, who were in for my son’s graduation, were out of the house. Sadly, my dogs were not, and none of the three survived the fire.
On behalf of my family, I would like to extend my most sincere gratitude to everyone who reached out to us to help, to comfort, to feed and clothe us. The entire town of Healdsburg wrapped its arms around us, and let us know that we were not alone.
If there were room to thank every single person who reached out to us, I would gladly do so; but in the absence of that, I’d like to say that our town is filled with people like Cathy, who sent me off to the hotel with clothes and toothbrushes; my friend, Mary, who brought me a sweatshirt when it got cold that night; the lovely and incomparable Merete, who brought all of my children into her shop and not only clothed them, but made them feel loved and cared for in doing so, and then gave me file cabinets; my friend Christine, who dropped off shopping bags with clothes for me and my husband, and in the right sizes; the Dry Creek Inn, who were as gracious and helpful as anyone could hope for; my lovely friend, Michele, who didn’t let me go more than two days without letting me know she had not stopped thinking of us; Gerry and Laurie and the entire Prune Packers organization, who made sure we were okay that very day; my sons’ dad, who brought me baby pictures of our boys, knowing I had lost everything to the fire; the firefighters who fought so hard to save the unsaveable, but who made sure I didn’t lose my business as well as my home; my neighbor, Dave, who tried like hell to put that damn fire out and almost got hurt himself doing so; Diane and Tia, for being my lifeline in every possible way; and the friends, family and even strangers who contacted us to make sure we knew we were not alone, and that they were there for anything we needed.
To each and every one of you who reached out to us, we will never be able to thank you all enough for what you’ve done for our family. We are okay, and getting better each day, in large part thanks to you.
And to the residents of Pheasant Drive, please keep the lights on – in about a year, we’re coming home.
Amy Covin, Gary O’Flanagan, Benny Shakked, Dean Shakked, Garrett Donahoe and Jourdan Weiks
Healdsburg
A great show
Editor: As one of the pastors of Healdsburg Community Church, I want to thank the American Legion for providing a great fireworks show to celebrate the 4th. It’s our privilege as a church to provide parking space for spectators willing to donate any amount to worthy causes. This year $1,220 was collected in parking donations with all funds benefiting Healdsburg Food Pantry and the American Legion fireworks. Thanks to all those who parked at HCC! Keep us in mind next year if you need a space to park for the show and want to give back to the community. On a personal note, as new resident it was my first time seeing the fireworks. I can now say with confidence both the show and the traffic after the show were impressive.
Rev. Dean Kladder
Healdsburg
Les Mis a must see
Editor: We have seen Les Miserables in London and San Francisco, but have never seen a better performance than what we enjoyed at the Raven. Wonderful music, acting, timing, staging. We are so lucky to have this in our small town. Get there if you can!
Cathy and Dave Anderson
Healdsburg
Why
Editor: Do to conflicting activities I couldn’t go riding with my cycling partner on the Fourth of July so he rode alone. He was coming back in from Alexander Valley on Lytton Springs Road when he was hit in the shoulder by a Coke can. As he regrouped from the initial shock he looked up to see a small white pick-up truck, with a large streaming American flag in the back, speeding away. He couldn’t get the make of the vehicle. I wish I was there so maybe one of us could have gotten the make or even a partial on the license plate. Fortunately my friend didn’t get hurt, but since he is still rehabbing from knee replacement surgery I can’t help but think what could have happened if he had gotten knocked off his bike.
Being a cyclist my first reaction was anger.  What kind of person does this? It made me think of all those guys in pick-up trucks dressed in camouflage clothes with guns in a rack and the obligatory American flag speeding around the country side yelling “America for Americans!,” thinking they’re patriots. With all of the crazy Tea Party shenanigans the word “patriot” has gotten more associated with right wing extremism than Americanism.
As my anger subsided and I thought this thing through, I realized that it was wrong of me to stereotype one group of individuals. Just because a guy in a hot-rod pickup truck, with an American flag, burns rubber and likes to show off doesn’t mean he’s unpatriotic. He may be a little immature but he doesn’t deserve to be profiled because of it.
Now it would be nice if those two who threw the Coke can would turn themselves in to the Healdsburg police and agree to do a couple of hours of community service but that would assume that they think like normal people which they obviously don’t. I think there is a certain amount of mental illness associated with people that do things like this and, thank goodness, most people don’t deliberately try to endanger another human being.
Regardless of these two bad apples, I think most of us had a great Healdsburg Fourth of July. The Rotary duck race and kid’s costume parade at the plaza was wonderful, the stands were packed for the Prune Packers (they won 5-4) and the fireworks were awesome as usual. I think the festivities made us all feel a little more patriotic.
Michael Haran
Healdsburg
Where’s the evidence
Editor: Regarding the upcoming election to remove fluoride from Healdsburg’s water:  Before I could decide to do that, I want to know what are the provable deleterious consequences of the many years of Healdsburg’s fluoridation. Is there evidence to show that we should stop fluoridating our water? I know that the amount in our water is minuscule compared to the amount in areas that have often been used to “prove” that fluoridation is harmful. We have had fluoride in our water since 1958. Is there evidence that there has been harm? If not, why would we change what dentists almost uniformly approve?
Carolyn Moore
Healdsburg
Thanks to the voters
Editor: Independence Day in Healdsburg has always been a blast — pun intended. Fireworks, food, winetasting, block parties, family fun. I remember, as a kid, when my dad would pile my brother and me into his old green pickup, and drive us from our home in Dry Creek to the high school. We would park in a prime-time location and then hang out in town with friends for the afternoon, before heading back to the truck at dusk to watch the light show.
That memory brought a warm smile to my face this year as my wife and I pulled my 3- year-old daughter through the Kids Parade in the Plaza put on by the Healdsburg Sunrise Rotary club — of which I’m a proud member. Healdsburg is amazing. Its mixture of old and new makes it a vibrant place to grow up, raise your family, and retire. We are blessed to call it home. And in this time of national pride, I think we can all agree that our local pride is stronger than ever.
Personally, I am proud to not only come from this place, but also have the opportunity to give back. As both a civic-minded resident and a candidate for County Supervisor, I was honored to have received so much support from the residents of Healdsburg during last month’s primary election. I am excited to be advancing to the General Election, set for November 4, and over the next several months I’m committed to working harder than ever to reach back out to the residents of the Fourth District to hear their voices, ideas and concerns about the future of Sonoma County.
For those voters who supported another candidate, I hope you’ll give me the opportunity to earn your support as I work to bring a fresh perspective and real leadership to the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors. Thank you.
James Gore
Healdsburg