Letters to the Editor

Letter to the editorLetter to the Editor

This letter is to the residents of Paulding Village and Paulding County, served by Paulding EMS.

My name is Con Shuherk and on Friday, June 17, 2016, I resigned my position as an EMT for the Village of Paulding.

I have done this in response to the wrongful termination of Brandon Shuherk, from the Paulding Police Department at the direction of Mayor Greg Reinhart.

My son, Brandon Shuherk, was informed by Chief of Police, he was being dismissed from the police department, that it was not performance related, that he had been doing a great job as an officer, and he and the Assistant Chief did not agree with the termination. It was the mayor’s decision, was the only explanation given.

I would like to say that I believe the termination was un-ethical and it was personal against my son for doing his job and the mayor should be held accountable for his actions that have resulted in the loss of my son’s job and income.

If anyone would like to contact me, I would be happy to discuss this further with them.

—Con Shuherk, Paulding, OH

Letter to the editor

Concerning the opinion column from Stan Jordan in the June 21, 2016 issue, titled “Outlaw those killing machines”.  I want to correct the many misconceptions in this column. Too many people are misled by this type of information concerning guns. There have been no “automatic weapons” used in any of the shootings as stated. Civilians cannot legally purchase automatic firearms over the counter in the United States.  In order for a civilian to own a fully automatic firearm, it cannot be a new gun, it must be on the pre 1986 list which will probably cost $20,000 or more. One must be finger printed by local law enforcement and the proper paperwork signed by the Sherriff must be submitted to the ATF along with $200 for a tax stamp, this process may take several months. The AK-47’s and AR-15 rifles offered to the public are NOT fully automatic they are SEMI-Automatic like so many other rifles. The public has been programed to be scared of this style of rifle.  The statement “these guns are made to kill people” is also false. The shooters involved in these mass shootings have an agenda all of their own.  If you take the guns away from them they will find another way to accomplish their deed, the Boston marathon for instance, and law abiding citizens will suffer in the long run. Many people do use these semi-automatic rifles to hunt. Many shooting sports also use these rifles in competition sports. More people are killed each year by drunk drivers, auto accidents, and babies killed by abortion just to name a few. The number of people killed by “this style” of rifle is far less – do your own research and find out the facts. I understand people still die from gunshot wounds, but look at the true facts and real numbers. Let’s focus on the real problem – guns are not it. It is interesting that at the beginning of this same page in the first opinion story, a story was told of a bombing mission against the Germans and we will rally around the flag about that and I am in total agreement with that, however when it comes to the other side of the page the opinion is to disregard the freedoms that my relatives fought and died for in some of those same battles.  The same precious freedoms I also served for and am not willing to just hand them over when they came at such a high cost to so many. The same freedom that allows each of us entitlement to our opinions. If you choose not to own a gun I have no problem with you exercising your right, but don’t tell me I cannot because you don’t agree with my opinion or my taste in firearms.  If you do choose to own a gun educate yourself on gun safety, learn how to use it correctly and properly, teach your children safety also.

—Marty Grimes, Paulding, OH

Letter to the Editor

Dear sir:

I am responding to the recent editorializing by Stan Jordan about gun ownership. As I write this, I am watching the video; “Innocents Betrayed” by “Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership” on Youtube. This video, and also the book documents the disarming of populations by governments in the 20th century and the subsequent genocide of those populations by those governments or a foreign invader. Last century, approximately 170 million disarmed people were murdered by there own governments or foreign invaders. The names Stalin, Hitler, Pol Pot easily come to mind. Recently on the internet, once again, are a flurry of reports and pictures of U.N. vehicles on American highways. Also recently there has been a huge influx of middle eastern males into this country who have a different mindset than the indiginous population. Some of these have a fervor to enlighten the American to their way of thinking even if they have to behead them in the process. Personally, I believe all Americans should be trained as the Swiss are; each and every one, who is able, in the training of military weapons and should keep a fully automatic assault weapon in his home.

—Phil Piersma, Antwerp, OH

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

It’s interesting to look at the court results in the paper and see that at least 60% of them are for seat belts, yet none for texting while driving. Even in that, so called, two month crackdown on distracted driving, I think I only saw one or two. So, I guess its OK to text and drive, but illegal and more dangerous to not wear your seat belt? I think this is a farce of a law, and just showing how our country is becoming a dictatorship, rather than a democracy.

Now, I believe in wearing seat belts and won’t drive without them. The cars I learned to drive in didn’t even have them, but the first car I bought did, but I didn’t wear them until a few weeks after I bought it. I was at a Defiance shopping center and a person pulled in front of me from a side lane and I bumped him in the side, not going fast, but my face hit the steering wheel. The friend with me said I was white as a sheet, so you can say I was scared straight. Had I been going faster I would have been killed or injured. Never drove without belts again. But, to have the government say you have to wear them or we are going to gouge you out of more money for us to waste, isn’t right. When I rode motorcycles, they passed a law requiring us to wear helmets, which was contested and defeated. Wearing seat belts should be a choice, you are only hurting yourself, unlike texting, where you can hurt or kill others along with yourself.

I can’t believe that many people per week can be caught this way. How do they they determine? The belts in my car are the same color as the interior and mounted in a way that you may not see them clearly, but I’m wearing them. This is just a way, obviously, to get more money, supposedly to be used wisely, but by the conditions of our roads, isn’t. There isn’t a day I drive I don’t see many people texting and driving, all over the road. How about doing more to get these addicts and fining them and saving lives and injuries instead of harassing drivers that can only hurt themselves? It’s their choice and government should not infringe on this. Remember, before he took over their countrys Hitler took away the peoples’ rights with the promise to take care of their every needs. Yeah right, but it seems America is headed that way.

—Gregg Gorman, Paulding