Officer, Can You Spare a Ride?

The village of Pinehurst has been a frequent stop for me and my family over the past 21 years. My son, who is now 20, was born at Moore County Regional Hospital, so I guess I should be an honorary resident by default.

During my recent visit this past Sunday morning, Oct. 7, I was out for my morning ritual of going for a run around Lake Pinehurst when I was caught in a sudden thunderstorm accompanied by a cold torrential downpour.

As I made my way home, the unthinkable happened. A Pinehurst police officer pulled up next to me and asked, “Hey, boss man, you need a ride?” I was stunned that anyone would even consider offering me a ride, as I was thoroughly soaked.

I failed to get the officer’s name, although I did thank him for his consideration and kindness. Please pass my thanks on to Pinehurst’s finest for his community service. I only wish I would have asked him to turn the lights and siren on as he pulled up to my in-laws’ home.

Glenn J. Gargano, Raleigh

Elect Wilkins

I urge Moore County residents to vote for Steve Wilkins for U.S. Congress.

Steve has several positives in his favor. He has never served in political office. He is also a hard-working, conscientious family man, anxious to do his part to represent the people of this district and our best interests.

Steve served our country for 22 years in the U.S. Army and retired as an Army officer. He will put people before politics.

We have a unique opportunity to elect a resident (and a good one) from Moore County to be our Congressman. I hope the citizens of this county will work hard to help make it happen by voting for Steve Wilkins on Nov. 6. Steve will make us proud.

Gerald Galloway, Whispering Pines

Dear Bubba

I recently had to write a letter to an organization where I knew no one and they only knew me as Customer No. 2744108, one of those situations where, in the old days, we simply said “Dear Sir” or “Gentlemen” as the opening salutation.

But no more. We now know that at least half of the people who first read our letter are not men — and for that matter none of them would describe themselves as descendants of minor European nobility entitled to the honorific “Esquire” or “Gentleman” after their names.

But we want to be comfortably polite, don’t we? We need a new, all-purpose, salutation. What we know is that if our letter is read at all it will be read by a person (although this may be changing as I write due to proliferation of optical character recognition systems).

So does “Dear Person” have that ring of politesse? Does it convey an appropriate degree of collegiality? Seems a little cold to me, but no worse than addressing someone by their job title: “Dear Customer Relations Specialist.”

I know that in Japan, that is exactly the way people are addressed routinely: Mr. Deputy Manager of Steel Tube Fabrication Department Jones.

But in America we favor the folksy touch; we go straight to first names in a heartbeat.

So we need a nice, all-purpose, generic first name that everyone will accept as gender-neutral, as sufficiently polite for all commercial circumstances — and most circumstances dealing with state and local governments — and I think I have the perfect one: Bubba.

Everybody wants to be Bubba. Bubba isn’t just brothers, it isn’t just shrimp!

If we could choose, we’d all be Bubba, wouldn’t we?

Bob Bramwell, Pinehurst

The List Goes On

Our economy is not improving under the first-term leadership of President Obama.

Consider the following: more than 8 percent continuous unemployment; $6 trillion in new debt; one in six live in poverty; 46.6 million now on food stamps; fewer Americans working than when President Obama took office; gas prices have soared;

Food prices on the rise; household income dropping by 8.2 percent; pending tax increases due to elimination of the Bush tax cuts on Jan. 1; Middle East completely out of control; companies closing their doors; inflation due to printing money; borrowing/debt continues, leading to national ratings drop;

Downsizing our military; immigration in free-fall; voting is now a joke open to anyone; crime on the rise; insurance and medical costs are about to go through the roof; Social Security is nearly bankrupt; over 47 percent on some sort of government aid: food stamps, welfare, medicare, medicaid; towns/states on the verge of bankruptcy; out-of-control government spending with no end in sight.

Now how can anyone conclude the economy is improving and we are better off now than when he took office?

People, wake up before it’s too late. President Obama hasn’t earned a second term, needs to be fired, and replaced by a proven business executive, Mitt Romney, to put America into recovery mode.

William Walters, Pinehurst

Pray for Andrew

I love the youthful outlook. Without God, Andrew Soboeiro sees the homosexual as a victim of discrimination. Without God, adultery is a like option.

Andrew will find that the young lady whom he would marry will almost certainly demand for him to totally comply with a law that he sees as totally useless. She feels that she is damaged or endangered both mentally and physically if he is unfaithful to her with either another woman or a male friend. She considers the marriage vow sacred.

Does Andrew notice that most citizens demand that people be arrested for murder, theft and false testimony under oath? “Natural law” is the basis for most civil law, and must be grounded on a religious base.

A Muslim base gives you Sharia, but a Christian base gives you the laws that you know in our current system. Atheists skip the first five laws, but many demand the protection of their liberty and property rights, as reflected in the last five commandments.

“Honor your father and your mother.”

“You shall not murder.”

“You shall not commit adultery.”

“You shall not steal.”

“You shall not give false testimony.”

“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

The Christian sees that a wise God set the standard that makes man and society function at peak efficiency. Pray for Andrew and our country.

Bob Mason, Pinebluff