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Letters to the Editor

Focus graduation speeches on students

After 40 or more years listening to graduation speeches for first grade through college and including a medical school and as a family member, student, teacher and administrator, I feel I have become an expert on what should be included in the speeches and what shouldn’t be included. Please make the speeches personal. Include accomplishments of individuals and groups using actual names of the students parents teachers, but concentrate on the students and parents. Thai is their day. It’s not the principal’s, superintendent’s or school board’s day. One of the most boring ...

Many sacrificed so US could be better

A while ago, I read in the opinion section a letter written by someone who seemed scared and worried about the daily chaos coming in the news from the White House. I worried they might not have someone to vent to like I do. Who knows what other private stressful events have happened in their life? In times like these, it’s easy to forget how important it is to have someone to talk to and vent. In the last quarter century, we as a society have endured 9/11, COVID-19, and now, seemingly, a commander-in-chief drunk on power playing with our lives like a monopoly mogul. To the ...

Nation built on freedom, equality

Freedom and democracy are not gifts, they were established through great effort and maintained by much vigilance. It is a matter of honor being an American citizen upholding our Constitution. Our National Anthem and flag are symbols of a unique concept in human affairs. For the first time in man’s history, a national community has been built on the principles of individual freedom, responsible government and human equality. When we pay homage to our anthem and flag, or recite the Pledge of Allegiance, we are stating a dedication to our heritage and acknowledging our resolve to ...

Autism is not a disease to be cured

Rosemary Kennedy, the eldest daughter of the Kennedy family and aunt of RFK Jr., was lobotomized in 1941. Born with a lack of oxygen at birth, she experienced developmental disabilities, seizures, emotional outbursts and possibly autism — traits deemed “difficult” for a prominent family to manage. At 23 years old, she was subjected to a barbaric lobotomy performed by the infamous Dr. Walter Freeman, known for his “ice pick lobotomy.” The procedure involved inserting an orbitoclast behind the patient’s eye into the soft frontal lobe and severing connections with a ...

Proud to have served and be an American

Memorial Day will be here soon (Monday, May 26). I am extremely proud to be living in such a great nation. As a veteran, I will never forget the extreme sacrifices made by many so we may live in a free nation. I remember back in the 1960s and 1970s when people seemed not to appreciate us in the military. I was very young then and could not understand this attitude. Today, things seem to have taken a very positive outlook on veterans. Veterans are often thanked for their service, given discounts in many stores and restaurants. It makes one very proud to have served their country. On ...

Memorial Day a time to remember

When you are out and with your family and friends on this Memorial Day, take the opportunity to take in one of the parades in Altoona or around the area. These are parades that we hold to honor our veterans past and present on Memorial Day. At Alto-Reste Park, there is always a wonderful ceremony that a lot of people attend. As you drive through Alto-Reste, all you see are American flags in every direction. Each flag honors a veteran who proudly served, fought and died defending our country to give our families the rights and freedoms we have today. Please take time to remember our ...