Magical venue
We are retired grandparents who have been visiting Traverse City several times a year since 1990 when our daughter married and moved there. When our two granddaughters arrived, visits became even more frequent.
Besides our family time together -- which is always about making wonderful memories -- one of the best times I can ever remember happened Friday, July 4, when we attended our first Beach Bums baseball game with several family members.
In these difficult economic times, Michigan residents should be proud that the Wuerfel family has created this magical, clean, affordable venue. We rate your ball park and entertainment a definite 10!
It was exciting to see the Beach Bums win. When the time came for the video screen to start showing America's patriotic songs with music ("God Bless America") and the planes from the Blue Angels show did a fly-over, we were all very, very touched and humbled. What a wonderful tribute to our well-deserving veterans -- and Toby Keith performing on his video -- what could be better!
Charles and JoAnne Stinchcomb
Commerce Township
No religious test
Sen. John McCain said recently, " ... since this nation was founded primarily on Christian principles ... personally, I prefer someone who I know who has a solid grounding in my faith. ... I just feel that that's an important part of our qualifications to lead."
Article 11 of the Treaty of Tripoli, unanimously approved by the Senate, signed by John Adams in June 1797, states: "The Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion." The treaty itself was an extension of the principles enunciated within the Constitution. Article VI, Section 3, of the Constitution is clear that, "No religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States."
The First Amendment assures not only a separation of church and state, but the right of any person to practice any religion -- or no religion.
Many Americans not only fail to appreciate the structure of what is America, but in their own misguided form of Christianity fail to understand the values of the Jew called Jesus Christ.
Paul Van Valkenburgh
Buckley
Decaying township
I have been a resident of Acme Township for almost my entire life, which I have been proud of up until the last few years. The township seems to be decaying before our eyes. As an adult (nearing 30) with a well-paying job and minimal living expense, I find it appalling that I am unable to afford housing in the township that I love so much.
There simply is no affordable housing in Acme Township. We must diversify and expand so that people who want to live and work in Acme are able to do so. We need to build toward a future before it no longer rests in the township's hands.
Kimberly Levi
Williamsburg
Nuclear energy is clean
It takes a while to become aware of the negative effects of an energy source like coal. Conversely, we developed nuclear energy exactly for its negative effects, the bomb and radiation.
Now, after 50-plus years of nuclear development and technology, we've learned its positive advantages, clean energy. But we're still fearful of its terrible negative powers and rightly so. However, in those same 50 years, our United States Navy has used nuclear energy without accident, and our scientists have worked out double-safe systems for handling uranium.
France's electricity is 80 percent nuclear. They even sell nuclear energy cheaply to other countries. Here in the U.S., nuclear energy supplies 20 percent of our electricity safely and without carbon dioxide emissions that coal-fired plants are adding to our air.
That carbon dioxide is causing rapid climate change, plus giving us all kinds of illnesses and deaths from respiratory problems. But carbon dioxide emissions are not regulated.
To learn more about both nuclear and coal-fired electric production, read Power to Save the World by Gwyneth Cravens.
We owe it to future generations to study what we are doing to Mother Earth, and to act upon what we learn.
Marian Gyr
Empire
Outstanding open house
We really appreciate the job done by the Northwestern Michigan College Aviation Division for an outstanding open house on July 4. They hosted a wonderful event, which included talks by a Blue Angels pilot and crew chief as well as two F-15E pilots who recently returned from Afghanistan. Also on display were several aircraft. It was great seeing people of all ages enjoy the morning, from seniors who flew in World War II to youngsters who looked admiringly at the pilots. You could see their pride in America's military.
Traverse City and NMC can be proud of the morning and we look forward to it being a regular part of the air show weekend.
Steve Constantin
Traverse City
No eavesdropping found
My decision to respond to a letter to the editor is based on the need to correct inaccurate and misleading information provided by Deputies Kiessel and Bankey on June 28. Agency telephones installed in 1998 came with a key pad noting a "Private Out" that allowed access to an additional outgoing line. Sheriff's employees were trained on this feature by the vendor.
An external investigation by Michigan State Police, reviewed by the Michigan Attorney General's Office concluded (April 17) that there had been no eavesdropping violations within the Leelanau Sheriff's Office. On May 12, the recording system in question was removed by the county's Information Technology Director (my request).
It has been wrongfully alleged that the sheriff's department had control of this system -- only the IT director had the ability to regulate this equipment. I never had the ability to access recordings from my computer nor have I ever queried the system through the two work stations that had been capable of retrieving recordings.
During this campaign season, one can only speculate as to the motives for releasing misleading information; what is essential is that the citizens of Leelanau County get accurate and true information regarding their sheriff's department.
Sheriff Mike Oltersdorf
Suttons Bay
The writer is sheriff of Leelanau County.
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