Paddy found safe and sound

Thanks to the Trib for its help in locating our dear collie, Paddy, who went missing after she was spooked by loud fireworks in our neighborhood on New Year’s Eve.

A Lost and Found ad ran in the Trib on Jan. 5. A letter to the editor ran that same day. I received many calls from concerned citizens and that was much appreciated. And by Jan. 7 we had heard from two nice folks who had taken Paddy in and planned to return her to us.

At first, we feared Paddy was dead because we received a call earlier that day from a couple who saw a dog matching Paddy’s description. Sadly, that dog had been hit and was picked up by city refuse the day before. My family was heartbroken at this sad outcome but, luckily, that was short-lived because that afternoon another phone call revealed Paddy had been found.

These two good Samaritans, whom I only know as “Michael” and “Tina,” had read about Paddy in the Trib. They had picked her up and kept her warm, safe and secure until they could locate us. They were an answer to prayers and we thank them from the bottom of our hearts. Thanks to everyone who called and helped in our search to find our beloved pet Paddy.

LaNelle Gallant

Waco

Behind closed doors

The so-called “health care debate” seems anything but a debate. All the negotiations have been between Democrats. Most of it has been behind closed doors. Yet we know that there have been successful deals to buy Senate votes and to shave future cost estimates so as to hide them.

The message I get out of these clandestine meetings is, “Trust us, we know what is good for all America.”  If we can trust them, then why in the world do we have “open meeting” laws requiring public bodies to conduct business in the open, not in seclusion?

I doubt that in 227 years future generations will look back in history and say our current politicians had just as pure and singular motives as those patriots who conceived and brought our Constitution into being in 1783.

Sidney Pitts

McGregor

Editor's note: The letter that appeared here and in the Jan. 16 edition of the Tribune-Herald, attributed to Ellie Light of Waco, seems to have been a spam-like letter that was not written by a local citizen. We have removed it from our Web site. We regret the error.

New pecan rules absurd

Thanks go to Glenda Allbright for her Jan. 12 letter about pecan-washing.

I was constable in the McLennan County Courthouse for 24 years. In that time, I saw many bills passed in Austin that were not to my liking. This one, though, stands out as one of the worst. No more pecan pies at Thanksgiving and Christmas?

It makes me wonder how our state representatives voted on this. I believe we are slowly losing our rights to everything, including our food!

Bill Donaldson,

Waco

* * *

I have been doing pecan business with the Ledbetters for two generations and so far I’ve never heard of any health hazards caused by unbleached pecans. It came as a big shock to me that the health department would put a family out of business to enforce a law that I — and most of the people I have talked with — consider unreasonable and dangerous.

I owned and operated a beauty salon for many years and I am familiar with bleach and the dangers it can cause. I certainly would not recommend that anyone try to eat anything that has been washed in bleach. I would not buy pecans or any other food that was washed in bleach either.

Kathryn Place

Crawford