Bus rider lost her truck

On Dec. 21, my wife had her truck stolen from the Twin Lakes park and ride. She works at Seattle Children’s Hospital in Seattle and spends four hours a day in her commute.

Because Children’s Hospital pays for her bus pass, she has chosen to take the bus and it has saved us greatly in gas costs. Metro Transit takes no responsibilty for damage or theft by the signs that they have posted in their parking lots.

I want to know who has the responsibilty. Cameras watch us everywhere, on the roads, in stores, in our work places and probably where most people don’t know. I do not understand why these park and rides are left so unprotected. All the money we have saved by her riding the bus is gone now because we have to buy another car to support our family. This is going to be a very costly Christmas for us and I think someone sould be held accountable for it. Merry Christmas, bah humbug.

Tom and Kathy Giebel, Federal Way

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Christmas Eve with patients at Madigan

‘Twas the day before Christmas.

One day upon learning that I was planning a visit to Madigan Army Hospital, a friend and employee of Madigan thought it was a very good idea and encouraged me and my small contingent to visit patients at this time of year.

It was after making arrangements to visit Madigan Hospital to bring some Christmas spirit and cheer up the patients there, that me and four angels from the Federal Way area ascended on the nine-story nursing tower of Madigan Hospital on Dec. 24, Christmas Eve.

We visited four floors of hospitalized base personnel patients, retired veterans, dependents in the pediatrics ward, there were wives of two servicemen hospitalized as well.

We were allowed to visit the five regular troops in the psychiatric ward. They sat calmly around the table and they engaged in discussion with us. They were very glad to have us visit them. We gave each of them token gifts of appreciation, as we did for all the patients; we greeted and wished a Merry Christmas and a happy holiday season with a prosperous 2008.

The token gifts we gave to patients included commercially wrapped muffins, chocolates, one-pound bags of premium mixed nuts, a variety and choice of candy bars, Christmas cards and telephone gift cards so that they could call their families.

As you might expect, there are fewer patients in the hospital on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. The staff tried to release as many of patients as were able to go home and be with family and friends.

We were elated and really glad to see three patients being released to go home while we were there.

There must have been 20 to 30 patients including those who had a contagious condition. We opted not to enter the contagious rooms, but left our tokens of appreciation for them.

We also “treated” (pun intended) the staff, working the nurses’ stations who were very reciprocal to our visit.

This visit inspired us with a light-heartening feeling and gave us joy that really made our day. We are thankful for the opportunity to help in some way.

You too can be active enough to serve your community and your fellow man — and you can help make changes for the better. You also have the power to stop wrongdoing and what is not good for America. Search your soul and stand up; become a humanitarian.

Would you like to meet and talk with some Iraq war veterans? If you would like to see the war come to end, join us on the corner of South 320th Street and Pacific Highway South from noon to 1 p.m. Sundays. Bring a friend, bring a homemade sign or use one of our spares.

We would like having you show up and let the world know how you feel about this ongoing and never-ending war. Help save our soldiers.

Thank you.

In solidarity,

An eight-year U.S. Air Force veteran

Carroll C. Fisher, Auburn

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Boo to more traffic in FW

Bah humbug…more traffic in Federal Way.

Why? Because supposedly the City of Federal Way is willing to “mitigate” (in many cases, mitigation can simply mean an agency receives money from a developer if the agency will go along with the developer’s plans).

Even though you live in Federal Way, the proposed development of North Shore Golf Course will likely personally affect you.

Did you know that just this week, the City of Tacoma issued a Determination of Significance (DS) concerning the proposed development of North Shore Golf Course into 860 housing units, and the city fails to include recreation, transportation and schools in the scope of the DS. Quote: “The City of Federal Way (etc) has reviewed the proposal and determined that through proper conditions of approval, the applicant will be able to mitigate for impacts associated with recreation, transportation and school impacts.”

So, I hope you don’t mind me, my current NE Tacoma neighbors and the 1,720 more vehicles (average of two cars per household) traveling through your community to get to the freeway…or your schools. Yes, I said schools. Currently, some NE Tacoma students decide to “choice” and attend Federal Way and Fife schools — shifting our school, traffic and taxation problems to your city and your county while we continue to pay Pierce County (rather than King County) taxes.

You’ll be patient with us, won’t you? Given NE Tacoma schools are already at capacity, you wouldn’t want your 5-year-old kindergartener traveling off NE Tacoma hills and through the Port of Tacoma to Tacoma schools across the water would you? You won’t mind waiting another light or two or three or four to get through one Federal Way intersection to let your NE Tacoma neighbors add to your traffic problems, would you? It will bring back fond memories of waiting in line and traffic lights doing your Christmas shopping.

Oh Christmas…that reminds me…why would the City of Tacoma wait until the week prior Christmas to start the 21-day public comment period? Why can the builder resubmit and resubmit additional application papers and conveniently force public comment period during the Christmas break? Convenience or collusion — you decide.

I love Christmas and the warm feeling I have toward my neighbors, but it feels like “bah humbug” when the “big boys” try to bully (or should I say bulldoze) our neighborhood and try to shift our focus from the true meaning of Christmas and instead dealing with a bunch of legal jargon and some developers that (in my opinion) are trying to fill their own Christmas stockings.

Sandra MacDonald, NE Tacoma