Letters from Readers

 Ruth Lewis

I did not find statements about Kellie’s visit to Indianwood accurate at all there were numerous complaints from residents about the effects of the poorly  care given and the health issues some quite detrimental given to residents comments from residents in Indianwood

Carol Scarola

Who wrote ‘Final Thoughts’ in the Martin County digital newspaper?! It was stupid, ignorant…..and the facts were incorrect!  We need to stop posting this kind of ‘print’ in our local circulation!!

My reply is in this edition's "Final Thoughts"

Chuck

First off, I would like to thank you for your tireless, and often thankless, dedication to producing FRIENDS and NEIGHBORS. Having been married to a professional journalist/reporter who wrote for one of the oldest and largest newspapers in the Northeast, I understand the long hours, tireless research, pavement pounding, nonstop phone calls and emails one must endure to survive in this chosen career. A career that ensures the freedoms of our democracy, guaranteed by the Constitution and one that is under constant attack by this incoming administration who, if they had their way, would silence all their critics and stifle opinion that is not shared by them. We would end up with the type of news agencies that are present in Russia, North Korea, and China to name a few where the only news one sees is that which is approved by their controllers, and any dissenting reporting would be met with imprisonment, poisoning or merely ‘disappearing’.

Having gotten that out of the way, I thank you for the coverage and the inclusion of the videos relating to the Collins incident. This smacks of the same heavy-handed ruling class of the aforementioned incoming administration. The use of scare tactics, overblown and inaccurate reporting of the truth, and the belief that the Police ‘force’ can be used to their own personal advantage. Kind of like the politician that gets pulled over for speeding, and the first words out of their mouth are, “do you know who I am”? Similar to calling the Police Chief as though he is his personal protector.

That being said, after watching the videos I was left with more questions than before I watched them. One being, that I was under the assumption that taking videos in public spaces was not an illegal or prohibited activity. Mr. Pryce was engaging in a valid, legal, and Constitutionally protected manner, which is related to his profession in real estate/development. Secondly, I have to wonder if that ‘treehouse’ is a permitted structure, and if its presence so close to the public right of way is in any violation of city code. It certainly is an eyesore, in my opinion, and I’m glad I am not one of his neighbors who must endure the sight of it on a daily basis. One can only wonder if a neighbor of his would choose to erect something that he objected to personally, would he utilize the code enforcement officials as his own personal regulatory division, as he did with the Police Department. And on a very minor note, since he is the face of local politics, I would assume that he would be aware that when the American flag is displayed vertically, the stars are to be in the upper left corner.