The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
Dear Editor
To the pet-owner who dumped the puppies at my parents' farm this week:
In case you are wondering about their future - yes, my parents will see that the puppies have food, water, and a warm place to sleep for now.
Yes, we will try to find them good homes.
Yes, we will be very sad when we have to take them to the animal pound (the no-kill shelters are full), because we know what happens to most of the large-breed dogs since they are often not adopted.
Yes, you could have avoided this situation by having your female dog neutered.
Fran Work
Gladstone, IL
Dear Editor:
We're Not in Mayberry Anymore
I know I will be accused of prudery for this column, but so be it. I've been called worse.
I grew up in the golden age of television: Captain Kangaroo, Leave it to Beaver, The Hallmark Hall of Fame, Gunsmoke, I Love Lucy and The Andy Griffith Show, to name just a few. You can find most of them in reruns on TV Land or Nick at Nite.
These shows were not only entertaining; they reinforced values taught in virtually every home in America.
Today, the average parent trying to shield children from sleaze almost has to block every channel but the two aforementioned cable networks.
What raised my ire this week was an obtuse little talk show host named Lionel.
This minor player on the talk radio stage - who sounds like Joe Pesci and thinks like Howard Stern - was lamenting the provincial nature of anyone who would take offense at a sleazy commercial for the new television series, "Desperate Housewives," being broadcast just prior to a televised sporting event.
"Desperate Housewives" is a new prime-time soap opera about beautiful suburban women whose lives seem to revolve around sex with anyone but their husbands. It's sort of like a broadcast TV version of HBO's now-defunct "Sex in the City." Let's just call it "Sex in Suburbia." Nothing new here. "Dallas" was every bit as salacious twenty years ago.
The difference is the nature of the commercials advertising the show, as well as when as where they are shown.
For the last three decades, the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) has provided America with what has become a sports tradition at the start of each week.
It's called Monday Night Football. Two generations of families have enjoyed this tradition together.
Fathers and sons have bonded while cheering for their favorite teams.
The commercials have been legendary, especially those leading up to and during the Super Bowl - a game that has become worth watching for the commercials alone.
Remember Mean Joe Green tossing his jersey to the adoring kid in the Coke commercial? It was heart-warming. It was wholesome. It was family-friendly.
Unfortunately, those days are gone. Welcome to the 21st Century, where CBS dishes up Janet Jackson's bare breast at halftime and ABC advertises "Desperate Housewives" to the family audience tuning in for Monday Night Football.
And to top it all off, this is done in such a way as to cheapen the game and one of its heroes.
This brings me back to the talk show. In a fit of blue-state snobbery, Lionel asked how anyone could possibly be offended by the commercial in question. After all, it doesn't show anything but the woman's naked back. There's no nudity. Why would anyone be offended?
I'll tell you why, Lionel. There are millions of people in this country and around the world who are trying to raise their children to believe that a lifetime of traditional, monogamous marriage to one spouse (of the opposite sex) is a worthy goal and one of the keys to a happy, normal life.
These folks don't want to sit down with their children to watch a football game and have their values assaulted by a sleazy commercial depicting a promiscuous woman trying to entice a football hero into abandoning his commitment to his team in order to have illicit sex in a locker room.
So, don't tell me that this is "no big deal" just because it "doesn't show anything." The lack of nudity is not the standard.
The issue is what we are conveying to our children about what is right and noble and desirable in life. That should be our standard.
The television network executives who bombard our children with social sewage are constantly telling their viewers, "If you don't like what's on, turn it off." They should be careful what they wish for.
Doug Patton is a freelance columnist who has served as a speechwriter, policy advisor and communications director for federal, state and local candidates, elected officials and public policy organizations. His weekly columns are published in newspapers across the country and on selected Internet websites. Readers can e-mail to dpatton@neonramp.com.
Time for Toys for Tots
Dear Editor,
The Hamilton-Walters Detachment Marine Corps League is busy preparing for the distribution of Toys for Tots on Saturday, December 18 at 8:00 a.m. at the Burlington Memorial Auditorium.
In preparation, we are inquiring the local community to help Toys for Tots by donating new toys at any of our drop locations.
You can drop off new toys at any of the following places of business.
In Burlington, Iowa, Big K-Mart, McDonald's on Roosevelt and Wellshire Dr., Wal-Mart Supercenter, Wendy's, Billup's Tire, Farm King, Fareway, ShopKo, both HyVee stores, Arby's, Imagine That Toy Shop, Burlington Apartments and the Burlington and West Burlington Post Offices, Big Lots, Ryan's Family Steak House, Petal Pusher's, YMCA and YWCA, Direct Maytag, Carlos O'Kelly's, Applebee's, VFW-10102 and both Dollar General stores.
In Henderson County, the Raritan State Bank, Bank of Stronghurst and the Oquawka Banking Center.
Registration will begin on Monday, November 22 through Friday, December 10.
Des Moines County residents may register at the Peace Mennonite Church, 2700 Division Street, from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m..
They will be there only one Saturday, December 4 from 12 noon until 4:00 p.m.
Henderson County residents may register at the Raritan State Bank, the Bank of Stronghurst and the Oquawka Banking Center during regular bank hours.
We are also taking monetary donations for the purchase of new toys from local businesses that help support Toys for Tots.
Please mail to Toys for Tots, P.O. Box 1385, Burlington, Iowa, 52601.
If you have any questions, please call Todd R.Lange, D.C., at (309) 924 - 1561.
Picture This
Sit back, close your eyes, and picture this. For today, for just one twenty-four hour period:there is no heat, electricity, or running water in your home.
Windows are missing - doors don't shut securely. You have no television, computer, fax, or phone. There is no mail delivery. There is no bathroom - toilet, shower. You have no toilet tissue, Kleenex, deodorant, or toothpaste.
There is no refrigerator, freezer.
The stove doesn't work.
The cupboard shelves are bare.
If you are fortunate, someone may give you a bag of rice.
You get some water in a polluted stream and build a fire from sticks.
The bowl of rice has to feed your family for the whole day. Each of you gets a few spoonfuls.
Water to drink is limited. Your furniture consists of straw mats on the floor.
You have no job.You have no medications to take for your aches, pains, and diseases. There are no doctors or hospitals.
Part of your family has been dragged away by the enemy. The enemy could return at any moment. They must not catch you in prayer or reading your Bible.
You have no bank accounts, savings, and only ten dollars in cash.
You have watched your friends, one by one, die. There was nothing you could do to help them. You have no transportation.
There are no more pets in your home. Clothing for you and your family is anything that will keep you warm.
And as you close your eyes in the dark, you remember how it used to be - those hundred and one things you just took for granted. They were just part of your life.
But now that they are gone, you realize how you were blessed - how much you had to be thankful for.
By Elaine Slater Reese
Dear Editor:
Looking at the Positive Side of Life
After all of the negativity preceding and extending after the election, it is nice to look at the positive aspects of life.
If you have not been to the Branson area recently, you have missed a lot.
We have been there three times in the last year and can't wait to go back again.
The thing which makes it attractive is the hospitality and friendliness of the people.
Most of them, like my wife, look at the positive side of life and appreciate it.
Of course women enjoy going into every shop in town. While guys are spending most of their lives waiting on them, it is interesting to visit with people on the outside benches.
For example, one day there was a woman from northern Michigan on one side and a man from southern Texas on the other side.
It was like we were all a happy family in solving life's problems.
Most resort areas are very pricey. However, when you listen to a sales pitch about time shares, vacation plans, etc. for 90 minutes, it becomes a very reasonable vacation.
For example, we saw three very good shows, (Pierce Arrow, Songs of the 50's and the Les Brown Orchestra) for a total of $18.00! The highlight of the trip was the Daniel O'Donnell Show.
Of course, there is a wide range of costs for resorts, motels and restaurants. Some are clean and comfortable at very reasonable prices.
We went to one huge seafood place which advertised all the lobster and seafood you could eat, which was barely edible, whereas, some of the small mom and pop places were very good. You cannot always tell a book by its cover.
It reminds one of some politicians and others who like to put on the big front, without much substance.
In my opinion, the people you find in the rural Midwest are "basically" the good down-to-earth types. What you see is what you get, there is not pretense, and they maintain their sense of humor.
It is very difficult for some people to look at the positive side of life this year.
When you have no job, no place to stay, no food and serious illness, things do look pretty bleak.
There is more of this type of situation in the Macomb area than most of us could imagine.
As you well know, many organizations need extra money at the Holiday Season and one does not always know which ones are completely legit.
Some of the ones you can always be sure of are: Salvation Army, Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity, Loaves and Fishes Food Pantry and the various churches.
The bottom line of this message is that we were put on this earth to see God, to be genuine human beings, and to help others be able to look at liFe in a more positive way.
Weyman George
Macomb, IL