Letters To The Editor

Had a great opportunity to go door to door and meet Quincy citizens in District 5 helping to get signatures for the recall of their commissioner Anissa Canidate.

Everyone I met was very friendly and welcoming and very anxious to sign the recall petition.

The citizens in this district were very upset and disgusted with what is happening in the city and in their district:

1 - $20,000 salary raises, health insurance and retirement benefits their commissioner voted for causing

2 - their utility bills to go up so high

3 - the lack of experienced policemen in Quincy due to low pay/high crime

4 - roads in need of repair

5 - lack of code enforcement in their neighborhood

It's too bad these commissioners who make decisions for this city are not required to meet with the people they represent face to face and try to justify their $20,000 raises.

They just sit up on the dais and make decisions with no care about their districts, only themselves and how much money they can make from the city.

What a shame!

All in all, it seems Commissioner Anissa Canidate is not appreciated by the constituents in her district as there are over 150 names already on the recall petition.

So now she has the choice of fighting against the people in her district and trying to keep her $37,000 a year job or stepping down and giving someone who cares about District 5 and the city of Quincy a chance to make some good changes.

Paula Phillips Quincy, Florida

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February is not only Black History Month but also includes Valentine’s Day.

It would be great if the entire Black History Month were used to show love to our neighbors, regardless of race, creed, color or national origin.

I submit that we can celebrate Black History because love prevailed over hate.

There are those who hate us and want to make us hate them.

They want to delete black history from our schools, hearts and memories.

We must not allow either trick of the devil to win.

Wealthy philanthropist and politician, Nelson Rockefeller, who gave $100,000 to bail-out Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and black youth from a Birmingham Jail said: “We’ve got to make love a reality in our own country. When the great spiritual leader, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, finds himself in jail today because he had the courage to love, we have a long way to go in America” (Biography of Nelson Rockefeller published by Stanford University ML King, Jr., Education and Research Institute.)

Yes, we do have a long way to go in America. Let us start now by rejecting the rhetoric of hate, division violence and civil war orchestrated by racists organizations and politicians.

Dionne Warrick’s song is still right: “What the World Needs Now Is Love. It’s The Only Thing There is Just Too Little Of.”

Today, we must stand where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. would stand.

He said: “ I have also decided to stick with love, for I know that love is ultimately the only answer to humankind’s problems. And I’m going to talk about it everywhere I go.”

Dr. King also said, “Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.”

It is tempting to hate but hate destroys the hater.

Those who hate us will dig ditches that they themselves will fall into.

We must build bridges for a better tomorrow.

Tell the history of our people and of all the “good” folks of other races, colors and nationalities that helped make it possible.

Take the opportunity to show love to someone this month.

Your act of love might touch the heart of a would-be racist.

No, it is not easy to love your enemy.

Remember, include stories in our Black History about other races who helped us in our struggle, so our children love themselves but don’t think everybody else is our enemy.

Marva Davis, Quincy Florida

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I cannot believe it is February already and Healthy Heart month!

I decided to think about healthy hearts a bit out of the norm this year.

By asking myself do I love what I do? And I can say I absolutely love being a volunteer coordinator for Big Bend Hospice and matching our patients and their families with the best volunteer for them.

We really do have the best volunteers.

I know often it seems as if it is just me sending a mass message and the first response I get - I'm like ‘it's a match.’

But there really is a lot more that goes into it behind the scenes.

I speak with the caregiver and find out specific things and look for things that the volunteers may have in common with the patient and the family.

We often get volunteer requests with no advance notice and Big Bend Hospice Volunteers answer the call, and then there are those desperate times when I'm begging, but those are few and far in between and sometimes we just can not fill the request.

Those are the worst, but I always do my best.

I even actually pray over my volunteer requests and miraculously my prayers are answered.

The caregiver either calls and cancels because they were able to make other arrangements or I get that YES from one; sometimes two or more of our awesome volunteers.

The volunteers give so much of their time and talents and I want this to be just as fulfilling for them as it is for the patients and families that we serve.

I use the word serve because I think of this as a ministry to be there when someone needs you the most and they often are isolated and alone.

A ministry is not just leading a religious community, as the word means to provide information or services about an organization or cause.

Our volunteers provide very important services, and their presence alone is the best ever.

Not to mention the in-kind donations of blankets, air conditioners, heaters, and anything you can think of.

This has truly been a blessing to all.

When things seem to get tough you all inspire me and others with your caring and generous nature.

We often get all kinds of praise for our volunteers, and I know that is not the reason the volunteers choose Big Bend Hospice to serve.

It is their warmth, compassion, and empathy that does not go unnoticed.

I know you were not thinking of a letter like this for a healthy heart month but this does everyone's heart some good.

Thank YOU Big Bend Hospice Volunteers - you definitely help me have a healthy heart

Kelly Williams Big Bend Hospice Tallahassee, Florida

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Gadsden County Times Legals – 2/10

CAT TALES: A Tale of Two (Very Different) Kitties

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