Editor:

 Last week I witnessed a rare act of courage and kindness.

 I was driving west on the Mid-Cape Highway, the single-lane stretch between Orleans and Brewster. Fortunately and surprisingly, traffic was light. Without warning and for no apparent reason, the SUV in front of mine made a sudden and complete stop and its flashers came on.

 A young, 30ish woman jumped out of the driver’s side and disappeared in front of her vehicle. There is no way I could drive around; I could do nothing but wait and watch.

 A moment later she emerged on the passenger side with both her arms wrapped around what looked to me like the lid to a 50-gallon trash can. Wait! Could it be a giant turtle or tortoise?

 She shuffled off the tarmac to the right roadside shoulder with her heavy load, stumbled and fell full frontal onto the thick weeds. But she immediately picked herself up, brushed herself off, returned to her vehicle, and without so much as a smile toward me she sped off.

 A rare reptile saved from an almost certain death by auto? A heroic act of courage and compassion! I was left gobsmacked and heart-warmed.

Peter A. Schaible
Brewster

Editor:

 Mr. Trump, you are no Mr. Rogers! Has anyone reading this article ever heard Mr. Trump talk about children, the wonder of all the children in our midst? They are all our children! Children have no voice. We want them to see all the attributes Mr. Rogers teaches in his programs on public television. Who is your neighbor? Mr. Rogers illustrates how each individual has dignity and deserves our love. What do our children see and hear around them? Name calling, hatred, unkindness, suspicion and fear of the other who is different in any way.

 A Cherokee story “Two Wolves.” One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people. He said, “My son, the battle is between two wolves inside us all. One is evil — it is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority and ego. The other is good — joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith. The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked, “Which wolf wins? The old Cherokee simply replied “The one you feed.” 

 Who and what are we feeding by eliminating public television? 

Ruth Campbell 
Orleans

Editor:

 On behalf of the East Harwich United Methodist Church, we would like to thank Mr. Michael Steven Theoharidis. Mr. Theoharidis completed his Eagle Scout Service Project through Boy Scouts of America in June here at our church.

 In noticing that the old fence was rotting and falling apart at the East Harwich Union Cemetery, Mr. Theohardis replaced the fence around the cemetery, giving it better structural integrity and a cleaner look. Six hundred feet of the old fence was removed and replaced with all new fencing.

 We wish Steven much success in his future endeavors and trust he will continue to serve his community well.

Becky Newton, administrative assistant
East Harwich United Methodist Church

Editor:

 The July 10 editorial “It’s the Climate” demonstrates why we need an open dialogue on climate change. Climate activists have worked feverishly and largely successfully to silence debate on this issue, allowing them to put forward several fallacies, including. 

 (1) There is an “accepted” science of catastrophic climate change even though these predictions are based on dysfunctional computer models with no empirical backing. Science means testing ideas against evidence, not creating artificial “consensus.”

 (2) Severe weather events are becoming more frequent when in fact everything we are experiencing falls within the natural variability of weather. What has increased is the number of people, the number of structures, their value and the hysterical news coverage accompanying each event. 

 (3) Reducing America’s “carbon footprint” to “net zero” can positively impact the climate. The US now emits less than 15 percent of global CO2, and the US policies pursued to date (costing more than $2 trillion) are no more than a rounding error in the global CO2 balance. 

 In fact, the planet has warmed only slightly — just over 1 degree Celsius — in the last hundred or so years with mostly positive effects. Far from being a pollutant, CO2 is a life-giving gas resulting in greater crop yields and drought resistance. 

 Before Chatham goes further down the road of wasting taxpayer money on ineffective “carbon reduction” steps, let’s have an honest, open and civil debate about the issue. 

Bruce M. Everett
North Chatham

Editor:

 Recently I requested a better understanding of where the select board stands regarding the 374 Main St./Tech School lease. I'm sure I am not the only one missing a more fulsome explanation of what is required of the town to create the change of use. An explanation of the board's reasoning for the lease in the first place, given MGL Article 97 constraints, is reasonable. Yes, it was put up to a vote. But was sufficient homework put into effect at the time to create a fully informed vote?

 I realize discussion is not possible at a select board meeting unless on the agenda. I ask that the board become conversant regarding the Tech School scheme. When one considers how many towns will benefit from using the proposed satellite campus (more than 12) given a $1,000 per month paltry rent for 50 years; when one considers the betrayal of the many taxpayers who funded a $630,000 repayment to the Land Bank so that 374 Main St. might always be conservation land; when one considers that MGL Article 97 was created just so that conservation land could not be corrupted, then one should expect transparency from the select board and, considering all the vagaries of Article 97, a good explanation as to why the select board recommended a vote at town meeting in the first place. Also, there needs to be a discussion of replacement land.

 I hope to stand before the board and benefit from its explanation of all the considerations that require its participation.

Matt Sutphin
Harwich