I have a suggestion for resolving the issue of those individuals who want to exercise their freedom to not use appropriate protective/safety equipment that might reduce or prevent injuries.
Before such individuals would be allowed to use the new Central Durham skate park, they would be required to sign a legally binding release that:
1. Absolves Durham and its residents from any and all legal and/or financial responsibility for injuries that result from failure to wear appropriate protective equipment that could have reduced or prevented injury.
2. Acknowledges they will not be eligible to receive any public funds/assistance for the treatment of injuries that result from failure to wear protective equipment that could have reduced or prevented injury.
I am greatly concerned that Durham is not enforcing its rule/ordinance requiring use of protective/safety equipment. To me, failure to enforce the rule/ordinance exposes Durham to greater risk/liability than if it had no rule/ordinance at all.
VERNON NEECE
Durham
Mitzvah Day
Friday, Christians all over the Triangle, including myself, celebrated the birth of Christ. Many of us celebrated by eating perhaps a bit more than we need, imbibing more than we should and buying gifts for others that they might want but do not necessarily need.
Many of our Jewish brothers and sisters, on the other hand, were volunteering in hospitals with the sick, serving food to the hungry, and giving out blankets to the cold or homeless. It causes me to wonder, What Would Jesus have been Doing had he been here Friday to celebrate his own birth?
GINGER SANDERS
Durham
Uncaring senators
The letter writers defending Republican senators seem to have avoided what happened during the last two Bush terms. Republicans had an opportunity to offer legislation to provide health care coverage for the more then 30 million Americans who do not have health care coverage. They did not offer any legislation but they did remove a portion of the health care we offer to veterans. Remember the Walter Reed Hospital investigation? Republicans care only for themselves and those companies that donate money to their campaign efforts to stay in office.
If a single Republican senator cared about the uninsured in their own states they would have supported health care reform. Since those Republicans are owned by the insurance companies they didn't care about the hundreds of thousands of their own constituents without health care.
ALLAN LANG
Durham
