Dear Editor;
I broke my hip in a fall at my home, and I have been a patient at Pocahontas Memorial Hospital.
I just want people to know how wonderful the care has been here and how thankful we should be to have this hospital in our community.
I feel so blessed to have a place like this to recover in.
Everyone and everything has just been wonderful – the care, the food, the nurses, the doctors.
In addition to the great staff that has been here for years, there are also some of the nicest young people I’ve ever met working here.
Louise Barnisky
Marlinton
Open response to Jamie Strauss:
Your recent criticism of the Mayor, the general history of America (or at least your view of it,) has prompted me to provide a different and “less enlightened” point-of-view for your consideration.
The Mayor’s right to speak freely is protected and guaranteed by the Constitution’s First Amendment. I am not aware of any legal act that limits his speech in the Times, with the possible exception of newspaper policy (whatever that is).
I hardly think we have to wait for a riot in our hometown before we can form an opinion and share it publicly. The right to think and speak about City, County, State or Country is also American and, “so far,” guaranteed by the rascal Constitution.
Your remarks about COVID-19 would be unnecessary if not for the Socialist/Communist Chinese release of this pandemic plague a few months ago. Your focus could be better directed to stopping such events than criticizing a local politician that did not live up to your expectation.
A country is always made up of easy and difficult times, as we have experienced, while obtaining the current freedoms that we enjoy. The Civil War, as an example, killed about 600,000 young Americans to provide a correction to slavery. I am unaware of any other country willing to sacrifice so much, in order to end this abomination.
Heroes are not used often to extend their political point-of-view. They are often pictures of integrity, honor and dedication to service. Their statues are a way to heal the wounds of war and show a true love of country.
I love my Country.
My six-year service was an honor and not a burden. Service to America since the beginning, through two World Wars, has seen America free countries from bondage. Each challenge was against other countries that denied the basic human rights that we enjoy and protect here today.
Our heroic soldiers defeated the German Socialist (Nazi) system, the Socialist/Communist invasion of Korea, and so many others. It appears that this same Socialist doctrine is alive and well in America today. It even appears to have moved into Marlinton.
No Socialist/Communist country today is open to immigrants, where people try to get in, instead, they are sneaking out of Socialist countries, just to get a little sunshine in America.
Just try and sneak into Cuba, China, Russia, Venezuela.
The Pocahontas Times has a 600-word maximum for their articles. Your admonishment of Mayor Felton was over the limit. It appears they broke their own rule or you bought space in which to put your letter.
If you bought the space, it becomes an advertisement.
What are you trying to sell?
Your letter has signs of being schooled/educated. You must have missed the civics, state and American history classes.
You, however, clearly worked overtime on Marx, Lenin and Chairman Mao.
However, there is still hope: dust off the Bible, the writings of Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, Lincoln, Thomas Sowell, Larry Elder, Walter Williams or Shelby Steele.
Maybe the dim bulb will become brighter since there is always hope in America.
Robert F. Hickson
Cass
Editor’s note: The 600 word maximum pertains to Letters to the Editor.