Letters to the Editor

Fallen heroes

Two years ago, I decided to participate in my first Cooper River Bridge Run. There I met Sid Busch, a retired senior Navy chief who runs marathons to honor fallen U.S. Marines.

The next year, rather than run, Sid and I decided to participate in the Cooper River Bridge Walk with Matt, a Marine from Pennsylvania wounded in Afghanistan who was part of Team Semper Fi. Matt was forced to walk due to his injuries, which included an external halo cast with six pins in his wounded leg. The three of us walked the entire race, finishing in just two hours.

Sid recently ran into Matt at the Marine Corps Marathon in Arlington, Va. Sid was running when someone in the crowd of 30,000 yelled his name.

It was Matt, without his external cast, healed, healthy and running in his first marathon, the Marine Corps Marathon.

Getting back to Sid: His wrist bracelet honors a fallen Marine who coincidently was in Matt's unit while in Afghanistan, a fact that we realized as we walked the Cooper River Bridge together this year. Sid presented his marathon medal to that Marine's parents upon his completion of the race.

Hopefully, Matt, Sid and I can run together next year in the Cooper River Bridge Race in honor of the Marine whose name Sid wears on his wrist.

CHARLES M. KNEPSHIELD
Country Lake Court
Charleston

U.N. targets Israel

Paul Greenberg's column, "U.N. aims selective outrage," is a timely and accurate commentary on the state of the world today.

While the Western democracies are under siege, the United Nations, with an automatic anti-democratic majority and a collection of non-governmental organizations insulated from scrutiny and regarded as above reproach by the media, combine their efforts to chip away at the legitimacy of the defensive steps the West has been forced to take. And in the case of Israel, they chip away at the legitimacy of the very existence of the Jewish state.

It behooves our administration to continue acting in what we believe is the best interests of America and democracy.

WILLIAM BILEK, M.D.
Planters Row
Hilton Head

Medical marijuana

My brother just finished six weeks of intense radiation/chemotherapy for cancer. Upon starting this treatment he was prescribed medicine for the nausea, weakness, etc., that come with the procedure.

The prescribed pills cost $102 each.

After a couple of weeks he discovered the pills were useless, and he found that an illegal substance, which he never used his entire life, made a difference.

I don't understand how we in this society can let people suffer when there is something to relieve the pain. Sure, there are problems.

I know it is ludicrous that over 1,000 shops in Los Angeles sell pot, and I also know that a lot of people smoking it don't do it for medical reasons. But all things being equal our justification for not allowing it as medicine is indefensible.

Consider alcohol. Alcohol is involved in 41 percent of the highway crashes in this country and responsible for 17,419 highway deaths in 2002. For South Carolina 50 percent of all highway deaths are attributed to DUIs.

We can defend the ban on medical marijuana no more than parking lots in front of bars.

PAT KILROY
Milton Drive
Goose Creek

Local seafood

In response to an Oct. 21 letter to the editor: Local shrimp and local fish are available at several locations on Shem Creek. There are several seafood shops that have been in business for many years on the south side of Shem Creek.

There is one seafood shop on the north side, Mount Pleasant Seafood. We have owned Mount Pleasant Seafood for 33 years. This business has been run in the same location since 1946, opened and operated by Peggy's father, Walter Toler. Mount Pleasant Seafood on Shem Creek is open every day of the year selling local shrimp, oysters, flounder, grouper and other varieties of local fish in season.

We would encourage you to come discover the many opportunities for fresh, local seafood available on Shem Creek.

While you are there, my family invites you to come see us at Mount Pleasant Seafood.

RIAL AND PEGGY FITCH
Hobcaw Bluff Drive
Mount Pleasant

Mangled trees

SCE&G has done it again — this time to me. My pecan tree was loaded with pecans. I had never seen it so loaded.

Well, I get home from work, and I'd say at least a third of my tree is gone. There go the Christmas cookies. The same with my beautiful Magnolia. Now I've got a misshapened half of a tree.

You know, I understand their need to cut around the wires, but to totally demolish these beautiful trees is just too much.

With what we pay them on a monthly basis, you would think they could hire a tree company that knew how to trim a tree.

Oh well, in about five years, my beloved trees will recover.

LISA PATE
Quail Drive
James Island