Authorities should review
‘scare tactic’ solicitations
I read Elizabeth Cook’s July 8 column (“Scary letters cause aunnecessary grief”) with great interest. I spent the month of July visiting with my mother and experienced this unbelievable flood of extortion in her mailbox daily. She receives three to seven pieces daily of this “begging” and “scare-tactic” mail. My mother gets very concerned over the contents of these letters, not understanding this is a scam being orchestrated by these people for obtaining self-centered “donations.” I spoke to the Salisbury postmaster and requested this type of mail not be delivered to her address, but they cannot do that because of postal regulations.
There is so much untruth in these mailings, it seems that some government organization with authority could do something to stop this flow of garbage. In my opinion, this is only well planned and executed extortion aimed at the elderly. Reading this garbage, it does not take a person long to determine the methods employed by these writers are definite scare tactics aimed at confusing and upsetting the elderly over issues near and dear to them in an attempt to extort money from them.
If this is not illegal due to the methods of solicitation they utilize, then it definitely should be. Where are the people in authority who need to be mindful of the elderly people’s welfare against these scam artists? I can personally attest that a normal lay-person is helpless to stop this flow of “begging mail” because I have also tried to no avail. Again, this has to be just short of criminal extortion, and some agency with authority should take up this task. Should there not be a “no mail” list same as the “no call” list?
ó Ron Kenerly
Omoa, Honduras
‘Coolers’ for inmates?
Recently, several ladies in the Gold Hill Airpark joined their efforts and constructed 132 “neck coolers” for our troops to wear to get relief from the insufferable heat in Iraq and Afghanistan. Thank you, Pam, Becki, Diane, Donna and Jan for a job well done and for such a good cause.
Now that I have read that the Yadkin County jail was closed due to the heat wave we are experiencing here, I wonder: Were we remiss in not considering the plight of these jail inmates whose only relief from the heat was provided by fans and lots of pure, cool drinking water? In retrospect, could we not have stitched a few extra “neck coolers” for these lawbreakers to make their lives a bit more comfortable while they pay their debts to society? We could then send their fans and pure, cold water to the defenders of our freedoms in Iraq and Afghanistan!
ó Anne Kennedy
Gold Hill
Protect pets from the heat
I am glad some of the houses I see have put their dogs in the shade. You better know that at 100 degrees-plus, they can’t drink the water even if they have it, it’s so hot. But some are still out there, tied up with no shade and no water. I think their owners should be fined if caught.
Also, the media scares all the old people about it being so hot. Just turn to “Mayberry” or “Judge Joe” and stay cool, drinking water or juices. The hot weather has been here all these years, and you have, too. Back in the ’50s, we didn’t have 20,000 news reporters needing a job and telling you about anything. My dad said he walked uphill both ways in the snow barefooted and it didn’t hurt him. Stay out of the news and you will be a lot better off.
ó Harold Holder
Rockwell