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LOST FAITH IN MACARTHUR

I lost faith in making MacArthur Boulevard better (“Mixed bag on MacArthur,” Bruce Rushton, Sept. 14) when Roberts Auto was “not allowed” to build there and a Dollar General went in instead. The straw that broke my back was the treatment of the owner of the Shell service station. That was a place you could send your wife or daughter and know they would be honest with them. How many generations went there for tire repair – or any repair – and were treated fairly? How does the city repay that loyalty? Send in the inspectors and fine them out of existence. The citizens do have memories. Austin James Springfield

SHOULD’VE STAYED IN SPRINGFIELD

Following are excerpts from a letter written to Springfield resident Martha LeMay from Nora and David Hoover, two former Springfieldians who moved to Cape Coral, Florida, earlier this year. The letter details the Hoover’s experience staying in a hurricane shelter during Hurricane Irma.

“We evacuated to a high school early Friday where internet service was blocked, so there was minimal contact with the outside. The shelter planned on 200 people with a capacity of 400. We ended up with 3,800 people – and their pets (including dogs, cats, rabbits, parrots, iguanas, two monkeys and a huge Great Dane).

“People were housed everywhere. We were among the 1,000 sleeping in the hot, stuffy gym later known as the Taj Mahal. The shelter did not provide water. It was the one thing I thought they would have.

“The gym had one outlet with four plugs and another with three plugs. You had to stand by your phone in order to charge it to make sure that no one took it.

“The shelter staff did an excellent job under difficult conditions: few staff, volunteers or resources. They asked for volunteers with medical training to assist.

“The shelter provided “snacks” – Pop-Tarts, fruit cocktail, carrots, etc. We were grateful for that – and thankful that I had packed better food in the cooler. We waited in line for 1 ½ hours for the snacks. People scammed. Some ate, threw away their plates, pretended to leave – and got another meal. Theft was noted.

“Each of us did not have a 4-foot x 5-foot spot, as the hurricane guide indicated. David and I shared it. No cots, either. We brought two lawn chairs and slept in them. Some folks brought air beds. Some became abusive to the cafeteria staff. Some shoved to get ahead in line. Fights broke out in some classroom areas because they were air conditioned – and the halls, where many, many people were housed – were not. They did not want to share.

“We are grateful to be alive and unscathed. We felt your love, prayers and support, which I am confident pulled us through.” Martha LeMay Springfield

TRUMP AND NORTH KOREA

Trump knows he can’t win reelection if North Korea remains the problem it is now. He has to do something for his own political well-being. Everyone should fear having a man like Trump in that position.

Nixon didn’t want to lose the Vietnam War before he ran for re-election. Obama came up with a surge to keep Afghanistan from falling before his re-election but this situation with Trump is far more dangerous. Military action could touch off a nuclear WWIII.

The lesson from the Cuban missile crisis was “don’t go down a road where one or both sides have to back down,” yet here we are ready to do it again.

Trump is giving “red line threats” publicly while other administrations gave them privately so as to not box themselves in.

Military action should be off the table for now unless they use conventional forces to attack us or our allies. Tom Ferrari Tovey