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Letter to the editor

Todays Letters: Community must want to help itself

North Greenwood is everyone's concern editorial, Dec. 12

The trouble in the North Greenwood community in Clearwater is a result of their own doing. Any time the police go into their "hood" to do their job, they are assaulted by the very people they are there to protect, with claims of "racism and brutality" as well as threats of violence by the ever growing mob that encircles them.

No white officer can dare enter without fear for his or her own safety, and any black officer who attempts to arrest another black is labeled an "Uncle Tom." On top of all that, there is the unspoken code of the hood that "snitches get stitches," so finding the perpetrator is made that much more difficult.

So, without law, there comes lawlessness. People on bicycles approach passing cars trying to sell drugs; others drink alcohol openly in public; children are out roaming the streets late at night, and they amble aimlessly into the street in front of traffic without even looking. I've lived in Clearwater for more than 20 years and I've seen it all.

Things there will not change unless they want them to. But why should they? They have what they want: the freedom to do as they please without regard for others or the oppression that comes from the white man's rules.

The people who have taken over North Greenwood through fear and intimidation of law-abiding citizens living there don't have any respect for anyone, including God. So don't expect too much good to come from their neighborhood church groups, either.

Lance K. Piscitelli, Clearwater

Open hearts will open doors to dental careand Dentists smile on the needy editorial, Dec. 6, story, Nov. 28

More dental care needed for some

I want to thank the St. Petersburg Times for printing the story and thank the compassionate dentists who have formed the nonprofit program called Gulf Coast Dental Outreach to serve the dental needs of the needy.

I called the county health department in my area to make an appointment and was given a number to call. I was told by the dentist I talked to that because of the publicity given their program, they had been flooded with calls and were not making any new appointments until April.

My purpose in writing this letter to the editor is to encourage every dentist who is aware of this program to sign up and donate money or time to this very worthy program so that the program can grow and serve those elderly who need work done on their teeth but do not have the money to pay for such work. If more dentists would participate, it would not be necessary to wait four months for an appointment and have your dental problem worsen.

Many of us are not on welfare, homeless or asking for sympathy or pity. Many of us have exhausted our savings and are living on a fixed income that barely covers our basic needs. The cost of living has escalated astronomically and our Social Security income has gone up 2.3 percent this year, which amounts to $10 to $30 a month depending on your Social Security income. The medical insurance premium for 2008 has risen to $96.40 per month - nearly $100 a month taken out of our Social Security income.

The dental programs offered by the Medicare supplemental insurance companies are a joke. If your teeth are perfect you can get them cleaned, but for any extensive work the companies I checked with pay only a very small percentage of the total bill. The last dentist I went to a year ago wanted $2,400 up front before he would even start the work and offered no payment plan. That's egregious.

It is incongruous to me why Medicare and the insurance companies do not realize and accept the fact that problems in the mouth can affect the whole body and cause problems that can lead to expensive operations, long hospitalizations and cost them (Medicare and the insurance companies) thousands of dollars. Any dental problems could be fixed at much less cost and there would be no invasion of the body requiring more expensive treatment.

So thank you again, you good dentists who have started a program to help others. May it spread all over the world.

A. Pauline Browne, Tarpon Springs

Rockettes kick off a multifaceted show theater review, Dec. 9

Rockettes review off religious mark

A recent review carried in your newspaper, written by Marty Clear, a Tampa freelance writer, was incongruous, and apparently Mr. Clear is ignorant of certain facts. Is Mr. Grinch, alias Mr. Clear, trying to steal our Christmas?

In his review, I give him credit for observing the "precision and athleticism" of the Rockettes and giving them due honor for the hours they spend perfecting their profession. Unfortunately, Mr. Clear, who professes to be a "performing arts writer," maneuvers his review into bashing the Rockettes copywriters for using "local references to Ybor City and local sports teams."

Mr. Clear's crowning "bah humbug" comes when he speaks of a "religious epilogue" of the living nativity scene, which comes at the end of the program. He is of the opinion that it "is awkwardly out of character with the rest of the show."

Like Mr. Grinch, perhaps Mr. Clear is unclear about the "reason for the Christmas season" in the first place.

Anyway ... Merry Christmas one and all!

John R. Thompson, Palm Harbor

Big thank you for dinner for vets

A big thank you to American Legion Post 275 for honoring World War II veterans with a dinner on Pearl Harbor Day. Your thoughtfulness was most appreciated.

John "Jack" Bandoni, Palm Harbor

Your voice counts

You may submit a letter to the editor for possible publication through our Web site at www.tampabay.com/letters, or by faxing it to (727) 445-4119, or by mailing it to Letters, 710 Court St., Clearwater, FL 33756. You must include your name, address and phone number. Letters may be edited for clarity, taste and length.

[Last modified December 13, 2007, 22:28:07]