LETTERS TO THE NEWS-PRESS

12/25/05

Happy ending thanks to an angel

Unfortunately you hear this all too often in Santa Barbara these days: Recently, I was involved in an automobile accident.

On Oct. 13, another car hit my car on the freeway headed north close to the El Sueno exit at about 7:45 a.m. My car rolled and landed on the roof. I was dangling by my seatbelt, unable to get out.

I had many guardian angels come to my rescue that day, but there was one I'd particularly like to thank. Unfortunately, I didn't get his last name. He said his name was Don and that he was an off-duty medic. He approached my car with absolutely no regard for his own safety. The car was still running and, for all he knew, could blow up, but that didn't stop him for a moment.

He reached in and braced my neck until other emergency personnel arrived and were able to extract me.

I was told that from the time my car hit, until I was in the ambulance, was about an hour. Don never left me. He never moved his arm and hand from bracing me. When I felt panicky, he calmed me. The strength of his voice and words gave me strength and courage I didn't know I had.

I'm sorry I wasn't able to get your last name, Don. But, my husband and I both want you to know we are profoundly grateful for your courage, compassion and medical expertise. We keep you and yours in our prayers.

In this world where there is so much hate, war and general disrespect for human life, it fills our hearts to know that where there is one "Don" there are hundreds of thousands more like him and I am privileged that I was chosen to have him come into my life. Don and his spirit will be in my heart forever.

Donna Pellerin, Santa Barbara

Use of all energy sources essential

The proposals for oil and gas development off California's coast need to be allowed. We greatly need to use our resources.

Those who oppose oil and gas need to quit using them, power deprived from them and the products dependent upon them. Does it make sense to oppose that which we need and use? The use of things we oppose shows poor logic or chicanery.

The increasing cost and foreign dependence are directly related to responsible opposition. We need to find and develop every source.

It takes a day to produce oil and 20 million years to make it. This time difference makes it necessary to come up with alternative sources. In the meantime, we must use available sources to complement our needs.

Floyd L. Clawson, Ventura

Will's words on ANWR don't wash

This is in response to George Will's column on the ANWR proposal. He said the footprint of the oil companies will total 2,000 square acres, one-fifth the size of Dulles Airport. He uses this fact to illustrate how little an impact the oil drilling will have on the environment.

However, Mr. Will then goes on to talk about how much oil we will get out of this project. He says there are an estimated 10.4 billion barrels of oil to be had. Impressive.

After this, he talks about how much daily production we can get out of 2,000 square acres: 1Êmillion barrels a day. This is nearly the total we get from Saudi Arabia. A compelling argument. But, let us consider this further:

Let's assume we can get as much oil from 2,000 square acres as can be had out of all of Saudi Arabia. I must accept this because I have not researched it. I hope Mr. Will did. But if we accept this, are we expected to believe that extracting 1Êmillion barrels of oil from the 2,000 square acres will have little or no impact on the environment? This seems inconceivable.

I'd hope that in California we are smarter than to waste dead trees printing such drivel from a Washington insider.

Keith Jones, Santa Barbara

Rudi Schulte made life better for many

A great one has moved on. Readers should take their children to "The Aviator" and "Tucker: A Man and His Dreams."

Yes, we had one of the same great breed in our midst. I am proud to say that I have been a neighbor both here and in Bass Lake of Rudi Schulte.

Men of his type improve their own lot by improving the lot of others. His belief in the primacy of the individual, coupled with social responsibility, is an inspiration at a time of confused values.

Thousands of his neighbors have enjoyed the great Dos Pueblos and have enjoyed the hospitality wrought by his civic virtue. All of us are advanced by his medical breakthroughs.

The Schulte family is hopefully comforted in our respect as we send blessings in this special season.

A.J. Tarman, Santa Barbara County

Mexico should look at why people leave

I am writing about the Mexican government's protests over immigration reform. It's amazing that Mexican politicians have time to criticize the U.S. trying to clean up the border, which is a mess, yet have no time to address the corrupt system that drives people to immigrate illegally.

Illegal immigrants come to America because Mexico is so screwed up. Rather than criticize its own policies and attempt some type of reform, the Mexican government protests a border fence as a new Berlin Wall. If these officials had studied history, they'd understand that the Berlin Wall was erected to keep people in. Perhaps Mexico should build one since a recent study found 40Êpercent of adult Mexicans, or 42 million, want to come to the U.S. Why don't they address why these people want to leave?

Local activists are even more pathetic in their attempts to blame the U.S. for Mexico's economic problems. They and the Mexican government should be working to improve their economy rather than trying to legitimize their own illegal behavior by claiming we need cheap labor. Their veiled attempts to label anyone who is anti-illegal immigration as racists mask the real problem: Mexico's refusal to take responsibility for its people and economy.

If people were fleeing the U.S., our government would try to figure out why and stop the trend.

Mexico apparently wants its citizens here, perhaps to lower societal costs like education and health care, and sees no problem with people fleeing the country like passengers off a sinking boat. It's a pathetic situation and Mexico is the cause, not politicians trying to solve the problem.

Dare Holdren, Santa Barbara

How will open border protect U.S.?

In the ongoing debate about having an open U.S. border, one hasn't heard one word from the bleeding heart liberals on how America would be safer by having no control on who comes in. Is this because outsiders have no interest in a secure America or in helping to keep the bad guys out?

Is America doing the right thing by allowing free movement across the border, thus delaying the development of a true modern republican form of government in Mexico?

With all of the guest workers who've come from and gone back to Mexico, you would think that by now greater changes would have taken place, that it would be a model for other developing countries to follow.

Instead, we hear daily how the Mexican government has failed the people or is it the other way around? Who controls the birth rate in Mexico, is that the fault of the U.S.?

Why does the U.S. have to be held accountable for the Mexican economy and this question termed a racist one? Over the years, how much foreign investment money has been spent in Mexico; will they always be helpless? All we hear from the south is gimme, gimme and gimme.

Richard Williams, Solvang