Letters to the Editor

Editor:

This is a long overdue letter. Now that I am not driving, I depend on friends and the LW Minibus service to get where I need and want to go.

I have found the LW buses to be convenient, and all the drivers are friendly and helpful.

I am on the B and D bus routes and want to thank the bus drivers and friends so much. I really appreciate all you do for me. The on-call bus is great too.

Thelma Kieffer Mutual 4 Editor:

The latest statistics show COVID-19 has infected 290,718 and claimed 5,312 lives in Orange County. We have no idea how many of those have occurred within our community.

My husband works full-time, using our patio as his primary “office.” Last week, a few people had an extended conversation near our home. Sitting on our patio, my husband chose to put his mask on. We then heard, “You can always spot the Democrat.” The comment, apparently intended as a slur, surprised us.

Is wearing a mask a matter of being Republican or Democrat now? Don’t each of us want to stay safe to avoid being a statistic? As the saying goes, we’ve heard worse insults from better people.

Rhonda Goldberg Mutual 12 Editor:

This is the story of two opposing voter registration booths. One is covered with signs attacking the other party, name calling and fearmongering, going so far as to suggest the other side has no use for God.

Nothing whatsoever about what it plans to do for the American people.

The other booth invites anyone to register to vote and has information about how their party is working on ways to improve people’s lives.

It makes no slanderous statements about the other side. I’m proud to be a member of the Democratic Party.

Jacquie Clarke Mutual 5 Editor:

I read with interest the letters to the editor over the past two weeks regarding the sign at the LW Republican Party red tents near Clubhouse 6.

I was ready to stay out of the discussion until I read David Harlow’s letter (Sept. 16). I couldn’t care less what the Internet has to say since we know how truthful a lot of stuff on the Internet is.

I might ask if I should also go to the Internet and look up what the Republican Party thinks about people of color, women, Jewish Americans, LGBTQ Americans, Nazis, Proud Boys and any of a dozen others I can think of.

I’m more interested in what my neighbors, the people I live next door to, think.

And that sign tells me what the LW residents who belong to that club think of me. Or does it just tell me what the people who man that table think?

As long as we keep this kind of stuff up, nothing will change, and it will just drive a bigger wedge between neighbors. I’m asking the LW Republican Party to please remove that sign going forward. I think it would go a long way.

Carole S. Damoci Mutual 12 Editor:

I am writing in response to David Harlow’s letter (Sept. 16) that defended the “validity” of a Republican Club banner displayed in its booth stating, “The Democratic Party has taken God out of America.”

One wonders how his members would feel if the Democrat Club hoisted a banner reading: “The Republican Party supports racism, fascism and pseudo Christianity” and to support that, recommended the viewing of the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol or the Proud Boys March in Charlottesville. Puhleez!

It is time to return truth and decency to civic discourse. Remember, those who paint with a broad brush eventually get smeared.

Suzanne Dunwell Mutual 6 Editor:

Judging from several letters in the last issue (Sept. 16), there seems to be confusion for some as to the principle of separation of religion (church) and state, which was a concept shared by all of our founding fathers.

This principle in no way implies “godlessness” as to those who support it, but rather a desire to protect the right of others to worship a god of their own choice in a manner of their own choosing.

Also, Democrat is a noun and democratic is an adjective. Hence, one says Republican Party rather than republic party.

Stan Brinton Mutual 3 Editor:

I find that David Harlow’s support (Sept. 16) of the offensive, and, more important, untruthful and divisive signs make me wonder if you, and all Republicans who think like you, would believe Elizabeth Winslow (Sept. 16) and other Christian Democrats who stood in front of you and swore on your Christian Bible that your large signs are blatantly false?

Seems as though you would rather put your trust and faith in channeling the Internet and rejecting the actual words of your neighbors and community.

The language of the large signs is wrong, disruptive and has no place in a democratic and pluralistic society. We are all Americans. Get rid of them.

Jeff Colflesh Mutual 6 Editor:

I totally agree with the letter written by Elizabeth Winslow (Sept. 16). Good for her for standing up to hate.

It is abhorrent that the Republican (Club) chooses to further further hate and division by putting up a sign in the Clubhouse 6 parking lot that suggests that if you are a Democrat, you have no values and don’t believe in God.

There are so many things wrong with that sentence, the first being the implication that if you don’t believe what it believes, you are liberal and godless.

This is America; people are allowed to have different viewpoints. When did it become a patriotic banner to goosestep and all fall in line behind a single thought (didn’t we fight a war to end that kind of thinking)?

A sign like that is offensive and needs to be taken down, as it is a violation of our code of conduct, and by having it in a public common area, it implies that those are the views of GRF because they let it stand.

Free speech is always allowed, but you can’t yell “fire” in a crowded theater nor should you be able to spew unfounded lies and hate under the pretense of being a political sign Republicans, rather than trying to attract people to your party through hate speech, how about having some policies that people like and post them on your signs? Shame on anyone promoting that kind of behavior.

Adrianne Rosenfeld Mutual 14 Editor:

I am writing to express my support for the wise lady that resides in Mutual 8 (Sept. 16). Her comments pertaining to the offensiveness of the LW Republican Club signage “The Democrat Party has taken God out of America” was spot-on.

When I saw the signage hanging from this club’s tent, I wondered why any club in Leisure World would be allowed to make such a bigoted statement. I looked up the meaning of the word “bigotry,” and according a definition from Oxford Languages, it is defined as “obstinate or unreasonable attachment to a belief, opinion or faction; in particular prejudice against a person or people on the basic of their membership of a particular group.”

I believe the posting of this signage is not a matter of freedom of speech but a hateful, bigoted statement that is intended to depict others in a very negative way. The posting of words is really no different from a person sending a letter speaking derogatorily against people of different faiths, sexual preference or race. I would say that no organization or person should have the right to use Trust Property to expound statements that propagate hate and untruths.

Shame on all of us and the GRF if this is the type of statement we are willing to tolerate. In the last year, this community stood up against racism and let it be known it was not acceptable. Slogans and or statements made by any narrow-minded person should have no place in our community.

Keith Goodner Mutual 17 Editor:

Margaret Humes, my loving wife for 40 years, passed into her loving Savior’s arms on Aug. 25. This, as most of you know, is devastating to those who have suffered the loss. I was deeply grieved by Margaret’s passing and physically and emotionally a wreck.

I believe and take great comfort in the fact that because of her faith in Jesus Christ, she is now in the presence of her Savior.

My family was a source of constant support and encouragement. I don’t know what I would have done without them, and the LW community has been an incredible blessing to me.

Margaret was very active in many LW clubs, volunteer groups and her church fellowship. It’s through these groups that she made many friends.

I, through Margaret’s passing, have reaped the benefits of those friendships.

The love, compassion, kindness and generosity that has been shown me has been nothing less than overwhelming.

I thank each one of you throughout the community for the cards and words of encouragement, the provisions, and, yes, your prayers.

To my neighbors, what can I say—words oftentimes fall short of the depth of gratitude I feel for those around me; thank you just doesn’t seem adequate.

It seemed whatever my need was, it was met. To my church family,your prayers and support have helped sustain me through a very difficult time of spiritual testing. Please accept my heartfelt gratitude for all you have done. It is deeply appreciated. May God bless each of you.

Pastor Bruce Humes Mutual 15 Editor:

I read the article from someone who shared her feelings about Sept. 11, 2001 (LW Weekly, Sept. 9). For 61 years, I have written a Christmas letter and sent the letter as well as a photo collage to my friends and relatives.

Last year, I gathered all the past letters and collages together into a book of our 60-year marriage and gave each of our five children a copy.

I would like to share part of the letter from 2001.

“2001 has been a wonderful year and a time of sorrow. We mourned with our nation on Sept. 11. I turned the TV on when I woke up and saw the plane crash into the second tower. One of our sons and his wife were on vacation in the New York area.

“I was compelled to call all my children. I had to hear their voices, to know that my world was still intact. I really had not realized how many planes flew over our head until the air above us became silent. It was a strange and frightening time.

“My niece Kristi graduated from Cornell. Thank God she didn’t take one of the first jobs offered or she might have been in the World Trade Center on Sept. 11.”

We have a lot more free time since COVID-19 entered our lives.

If anyone would like to start a two-page letter and two-page collage of their family life to share with their children, I would be glad to show you what I did and offer any help if needed. I am in the phone directory.

Marjorie Dodero Mutual 9 Editor:

In the Letters to the Editor section in the LW Weekly newspaper of Sept. 16, David Harlow is asking our gentle readers to enter “Has the Democratic Party rejected Christians?” on the web and read the search response.

My goodness! One could replace Democratic with Republican and also get negative viewpoints.

What comes next? Each party sitting on opposite sides of the central aisle at their place of worship?

Having one building for each party at the religious location?

Have GRF remove all participants of one party or the other from Leisure World?

Perhaps David should go to the written view of his religion, the Bible, and follow Jesus’ teaching about the turning of the other cheek/forgiveness.

Can not we all just get along?

W. H. Smith Mutual 15