Adopt a pet in Kirsty’s honor
I am saddened to read of the passing of Kirsty Waller, director of the Valley River Humane Society. She was a wonderful caregiver to so many animals at the shelter.
I met Kirsty once when she delivered to me a mother cat and her five little kittens. It was way past the closing hours of the shelter, and she looked tired.
She told me everything I had to do to foster these kittens, along with the mother. It was a beautiful experience for me, and I still think of the sweet kittens.
The animals at the shelter always came first to her.
The best way to honor Kirsty’s memory is to open up our hearts and adopt a dog or cat and give it a loving home. My sincere sympathy to her family.
Louise Vingle, Murphy
Young men help woman
On Jan. 10, I fell in Nationwide parking lot and could not get up. Two young men (I did not get their names) stopped and helped me.
I want to thank them again for being Good Samaritans.
Betty Jean Hogan, Brasstown
Health plan has few providers
I would like to warn citizens in western North Carolina about new HMO policies sold through healthcare.gov for 2023.
Aetna has been an excellent insurance in this area for a long time. I know since I’ve done medical billing and management in this region for more than 20 years. However, this year Aetna CVS Health has sold HMO policies through HealthCare.gov, when they do not have a network to support the patients with this insurance coverage.
Almost all claims generated from facilities such as Angel Medical Center, Harris Regional Hospital and most health-care provider’s offices will be denied as out-of-network, when the facilities are in-network with Aetna Medicare and Commercial plans.
Angel Medical Center in Franklin is a critical access hospital, serving Macon and surrounding counties. On the Aetna CVS Health website, they have one medical provider in-network within this entire facility.
DLP Harris Regional Hospital in Sylva is completely out-of-network. Keep in mind, these HMO policies have zero out-of-network benefits.
This means Aetna CVS Health is accepting premium tax credits from our government and premiums from policyholders with few to no providers in western North Carolina.
When an insurance company is accepting tax credits and premiums for HMO policies with no out-of-network benefits and no network to support those policies sold, that appears to be an obvious ploy not to pay claims. It is criminal for any person or business to take money for products or services they are unable or unwilling to provide.
Why should it be any different for insurance companies? I have sent this information, along with screenshots, to every elected official that I could and have filed a complaint with the N.C. Department of Insurance. You can visit www.ncdoi.gov to file a complaint.
Karen Williams, Franklin
Remove the roundabout
Regarding the roundabout issue … safer? What accidents?
What I do see is the ruination of our beautiful downtown area.
Blairsville, Ga., has one at the center of town, and it seems to create quite a danger to pedestrians.
Murphy had a roundabout in the past, and it was removed for safety reasons. Hello!
Claudia Autrey, Murphy
Balloons or ballistics?
The balloon wasn’t so much the problem, but having our coordinates does. What do we do now?
We should be safeguarding all sea borders and upper-altitude areas so we can see any future rockets coming and the objects, like weather balloons, should have a clear identification on them and color, as well as other countries balloons should be labeled. Any outsiders should be ushered out, or shot down.
We need a fleet of jets and bullets made to protect our country and shoot any rockets or other objects coming in before they get to U.S. land.
Shelley Dietrich, Murphy
Don’t leave self behind
I read of a family packing their vehicle for a vacation, and being in a hurry they piled everyone in the car and rode about 10 miles down the highway, when one of the kids said to mom and dad, “Hey, where’s Racheal?” In their panic, they had left her behind.
The story in the Bible tells us that when Joseph and Mary had packed their belongings and traveled three days someone asked, “Where is Jesus?” They had left behind the Son of Man, but when they returned to get their son, Jesus was speaking in the temple doing His Father’s work.
How many times have you gone somewhere, and when you arrived at your destination you had perhaps forgot a piece of luggage that was left behind? I can’t count the times I have left my wallet at home and didn’t know until I got back home. Thank God, I never got stopped by the police.
My wife Jane and I saw the movie Left Behind, where families that knew Jesus Christ as their Savior vanished with millions of other believers, and those who were left behind had to deal with the awesome question of the truth they had heard from their loved ones about Him.
You can’t put a Band-Aid over the truth of the gospel and expect God to bless your life. You are headed straight to hell without any hope of eternal life in heaven.
The last thing you don’t want to do is be left behind when Christ comes back to gather His own. Whether you believe in the Bible or not, God’s purpose and plan for mankind is coming sooner than we can imagine.
Are you ready to meet your Creator? Today is the day of salvation, for tomorrow is promised to no one.
Frank Combs, Blairsville, Ga.
On kindness and Jesus ...
Finding religion today entails something very different than what Jesus taught long ago. Today, people are guided into thinking Jesus’ main goal
for them is “kindness.”
Kindness was certainly an important part of what Jesus taught, but his program went far beyond psychological sensitivity to others. In addition to kindness in private relationships, he wanted public kindness.
He wanted religious people to resolve fraught issues in criminal and civil law, economics, marriage and family, and international relations (Samaritans and Romans). In other words, he wanted good citizenship.
Jesus was opposed to easy divorce, but you would never know it from the blessing regularly given to it by priests and pastors today.
He was also opposed to walking away from other kinds of commitments, like debts.
Today, churchgoers even want to withdraw entirely from public society and commune only with elect Christians. But Jesus wanted people to engage in cooperative policymaking and organized civic services, like adult education.
He set an example for participation in civic affairs by delivering judicial and public health services himself, and engaging in public debate over things like taxation.
Kimball Shinkoskey, Woods Cross, Utah
VRHS starts new chapter
After a beautiful service Saturday celebrating the life of Kirsty Waller, we will begin anew.
We would like to thank everyone who attended the service or watched by live feed. We would like to give a special thanks to each and everyone who helped to organize the service. To the community, thank you for your support, outpouring of love; you are truly amazing.
Thanks, Theresa at Townson-Rose Funeral Home, for your grace, empathy and the compassion you expressed to us all.
Our prayers will continue for Kirsty’s family, Gilly, that God will embrace you all with His love and comfort in the days to follow.
We begin a new chapter in continuing without our beloved Kirsty. While we know that we each can’t imagine our days ahead without her, we are very fortunate to have a dedicated staff in the shelter and thrift store to continue our mission.
You set the bar high, Kirsty, but we will not waver with our commitment to saving the lives of each and every precious dog and cat that comes into our care. It is our passion.
Jeff Manson and all of us at the Valley River Humane Society, Marble
Meth an issue since 1893
Methamphetamine, or meth, is a powerful stimulant that gives the user a strong euphoric and energizing high. Meth was first developed in 1893 and used in World War II to keep the men of the Allies and Axis forces awake.
It wasn’t until 1919 the process to make meth was streamlined and crystal meth was developed. In 1970, meth was outlawed in the United States.
Meth can be so addictive a person may become addicted after just one use. Over time, the person using meth will keep chasing their first high by using more building up a tolerance requiring more and more. Some signs of meth use to look for are weight loss, irritability, meth mouth or rotting teeth, dilated pupils, excitement, confusion, sleep problems and aggression.
Prolonged meth use can cause a dramatic shift in one’s behavior. When someone uses meth for a long time, they can experience hallucinations causing them to see and hear things that are not there. They can become delusional and paranoid thinking people are out to get them. This is called meth psychosis.
When someone stops using meth, they may exhibit withdrawal symptoms. Some withdrawal signs to look for are depression, irritability, changes to sleep patterns, increased appetite, anxiety, paranoid thoughts, low energy and trouble concentrating.
If you or a loved one are struggling with addiction, reach out for help before it’s too late. Find treatment and end the web that traps someone in addiction.
To read more on the subject, visit https://www.narcononnewliferetreat.org/blog/understanding-meth-addiction.html.
Matthew Goodson, Denham Springs, La.
The writer is with Narconon New Life Retreat Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation and Education.
Gun control kills people
Let’s say it aloud: gun control gets people killed.
“There is no comparison whatever between an armed and disarmed man; it is not reasonable to suppose that one who is armed will obey willingly one who is unarmed; or that any unarmed man will remain safe” – Niccolò Machiavelli, The Prince (1537).
The left will never admit that it has blood on its hands; but it’s time to enforce civil rights, including the Second Amendment, which is the foundation for the Bill of Rights.
Compliant suburban moms, looking for Utopian remedies, embrace California as the perfect model for their agenda. Every outrageous gun and ammunition demand is on the books. Consequently, with people disarmed from gun policies, they are easily slaughtered.
Gun control bills roll out the red carpet to more violence in the inner cities. Chicago has excessive and restrictive gun laws, yet accounts for 6.8 percent of all gun homicides. There are more than 740 gun control measures distributed among the 50 states, territories, D.C. and within the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco & Firearms. RAND Corporation’s research on gun control bills determined that well-designed gun initiatives, including the 1994-2004 “Assault Weapons Ban,” impacts were negligible in reducing gun violence.
Examine homicide and weapons usage data from the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting Program:
Gun violence incidents numbered 45,000 during the deadliest year on record. This figure is spurious because 54 percent were suicides and 20 percent were unintentional shootings.
On average, 14,000 homicides occur annually. When a gun is the weapon, 57 percent are handguns, while 5 percent are rifles and shotguns, including semiautomatics. Long rifle “Assault Weapon Bans” are pointless because handguns comprise the “killing fields” for homicides – not rifles and shotguns.
Gun control is a scheme of the powerful to deprive the powerless of the right to self-defense. Stay safe.
Terry Payne, Marble