Letters to the Editor: Nov. 9, 2003

The Naples Daily News welcomes letters of up to 250 words. We reserve the right to reject letters or edit for clarity, brevity, good taste and accuracy, and to prevent libel. No poetry, attacks on private individuals, or letter-writing campaigns, please. Writers should limit submissions to one letter every two weeks. Include a phone number and make certain you have signed your letter.

Letter of the Day — The Lord's Day in the NFL

Editor, Naples Daily News:

The thought I have here would be better served with a cartoon, but using your imagination will also work.

In the first panel we see one of those multimillionaire National Football League wide receivers catching a football for a touchdown.

In the second panel, he takes a knee, blesses himself, points to Heaven and thanks God for enabling him to score.

In the third panel, he drops a perfectly thrown pass in the end zone that would have won the game.

In the fourth panel, God is pointing down at the receiver with one hand and holding his nose with the other.

The moral of this story is: There are some things that even God can't forgive.

I thought it was clear

Editor, Naples Daily News:

Last Saturday evening (Nov. 1), I had a wonderful meal at an Italian restaurant in Bonita Springs. There is a cocktail bar located within the restaurant. I and our guests were shocked to see patrons in the bar of this restaurant smoking cigarettes. The front of the restaurant absolutely reeked from the stench of nicotine.

Interesting: the wait staff that we questioned did not understand either why patrons were allowed to smoke in the bar.

The Florida law has gone into effect. I searched the Internet to confirm what I suspected: the intent of the Smoke-Free for Health Amendment, as passed, was to eliminate smoking from all restaurants, including those with bars inside. Only stand-alone bars are exempt.

What is a stand-alone bar?

The Smoke-Free for Health Amendment clearly defines a stand-alone bar as one that predominately is devoted to serving alcohol and does not serve food with the exception of snacks like popcorn. The bar cannot be located within or share a common entryway or any common indoor area with any enclosed indoor workplace, including a restaurant.

I have only one question, directed to the owner of this restaurant: Why are you violating the law and blatantly allowing patrons to smoke? Guess the Lee County Health Department will be asking you the same question.

To you

Editor, Naples Daily News:

To those letter writers who still think the war in Iraq is nothing but a political or a personal issue; to those midgets calling themselves "presidential candidates" whose hate speeches for President Bush result in more deaths for our brave soldiers in Iraq, more hatred for America; to those Democrats who fraudulently call themselves "Republicans" and prove once and for all that dogs will always be dogs regardless of the clothes they wear; to those who still do not believe that America is under attack and we are not defending ourselves properly; to those who suffer from an incurable case of shortsightedness; to those who fail to understand the implications of terrorism on our daily lives; to those so-called "intellectuals" who poison the young hearts and minds of our children from their pulpits in our universities, colleges and even high schools; to those who fail to see the fine line that separates "truth" and "justice"; and finally to those who do not believe that protecting our borders, our language and our way of life is a worthwhile cause, I have only one thing to say:

God bless America and all the brave men and women of our armed forces around the world who willingly give their lives so you and your ilk enjoy the freedom of doing the despicable and selfish things that you do.

Shame on you.

Docs do the work, right?

Editor, Naples Daily News:

Once again, NCH Healthcare System is trying to delay the opening of a new hospital in Collier County on the pretext that the competition will not serve the poor. Besides appointing itself the final arbiter as to whether it should have competition at all, the hospital loses sight of the fact that it is the physician who renders care to the patient, indigent or not.

Speaking for the physicians in private practice in Collier County, we would never support a hospital, including Collier Regional, if it did not care for all of our patients.

NCH and Collier Regional must compete for patients; the medical staffs of both hospitals will take care of them as we always have.

Don't tell me ...

Editor, Naples Daily News:

Each year when I return from Rhode Island I hope you have done something to the newsprint so that it won't come off all over everything. No such luck once again.

As I read Phil Lewis' column about the E.W. Scripps Co., owner of the Naples Daily News, in last Sunday's Perspective section, it does not sound as though they cannot afford to improve this situation.

The Providence Journal changed to flexography some years ago and there is no problem with that newsprint. Don't tell me that it is the humidity here (as I was told once before) because we have very humid summers in Rhode Island.

Other than that grievance, I do enjoy reading the Naples Daily News.