Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor (December 09, 2005)

Thanks Ruby Hill Giving Thanks Committee

Editor,

Our Valley has been blessed once again by the generosity of the people who live here, and the dedicated work of the Ruby Hill Giving Thanks Committee.

We recently received our portion of the money generated by the Ruby Hill Charity Ball. This unheralded group put their efforts into raising money for four local nonprofit organizations and raised $260,000 to assist in helping deserving groups.

ValleyCare Health System is very honored to have been a recipient of $100,000 dedicated to the neonatal intensive care center in ValleyCare. This money will help tremendously in allowing at-risk babies and their parents to stay in the Valley for their services and not have to travel out of the Valley for services.

Donna Garrison and her committee deserve as much credit as anyone can bestow upon them. With nothing to gain and a commitment to make our Valley and its deserving a better place to live, they go about all the hard work of putting this event together and then giving all the money to groups that help people.

We are blessed by having a group called the Ruby Hill Giving Thanks Committee. They can take your breath away with their generosity and concern for our Valley and many of its citizens.

On behalf of the Board of Directors, Administration and employees of ValleyCare, we offer them our sincere gratitude and thanks for all the work and the wonderful gestures they have made on our behalf. May their Holiday Season be filled with joy and happiness. Ken Mercer Vice President, ValleyCare
Trying is half of peacemaking

Editor,

The recent controversy over Jennifer Hosterman's decision to join the "Mayors For Peace" organization seems incongruous with this time of year when many of us are focusing on the teachings of Jesus.

As a Christian I can only speak to that faith, so I call on Christians everywhere to remember and review Matthew 5:9: "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God."

Much of what man does today ends in hate and violence. Complete strangers kill each other as religious factions try to wipe each other out, tribes exterminate neighboring tribes, nations try to eradicate other nations, and on and on it goes. It seems as if hate, in some form or another, is the world's pastime and that peace is the last thing many people want. These examples of hate all begin with the absence of having a desire for peace.

Peacemaking doesn't mean seeking peace at any cost. A peacemaker is not an appeaser or one who doesn't take a position on anything. He's not a doormat.

A peacemaker is one who endeavors to establish a right relationship between estranged parties. The "peacemakers" are those who not only live in peace with others but also do their best to preserve peace and friendship among mankind and to restore it when it has been disturbed.

The peacemakers are those who have love for all of mankind and they attempt to do everything possible for the advancement of peace everywhere. The term "peacemakers" includes all who endeavor to make peace even though they fail.

I, for one, applaud Ms. Hosterman for at least trying. Shelley Twarowski Ridgevale Road No more Wal-Mart haters

Editor,

I was so angered by Tricia's letter to the editor that I just had to write. Do people really think Wal-Mart is evil? It appears that Tricia does, as she expresses such hatred toward the store and support for the movie "Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price." There is one small fact that Wal-Mart haters tend to overlook: no one holds a gun to these employees' heads. They apparently willingly fill out a job application, attend an interview and show up for work each day after they are hired, and are free to quit at anytime. I'm not sure why we need to trash this company for providing jobs. No they are not dream jobs that yield six -figure incomes. Yes it's hard to make a living, especially in the Bay area. The jobs are filled perhaps by men and women who apparently do not have the skill-set and/or education to perform other higher level jobs. If not for Wal-Mart, many of them may be on public assistance.

Will I rent this movie? Absolutely! I'm going to watch it with my 12- and 6-year-old children. I want them to understand that by going to college and working hard, they won't have to settle for a career as an associate at Wal-Mart. Dana Titus Muirwood Drive

E-mail a friend a link to this story.