The Buffalo News : Opinion

All the flag waving and patriotic speeches do not amount to much for combat veterans and their families living with the dreadful aftermath of war. Full access to the health care services they need for recovery should be paramount in the hearts of a grateful nation.

High gas prices reportedly led Tennessee farmer T. R. Raymond to replace his tractor with two mules.

Dear Boss,

The 39 percent of American households that have cats as pets would be appalled if their lost cat were shot by an animal warden (“Animal warden’s cat slaying defended,” July 10 News). It’s unlikely that the cats in the laundry room were feral since feral cats are fearful of people and avoid them. In addition, any mother cat might defend her young from harm. Even if the victims were feral cats, shooting them was inappropriate and inhumane.

The America Gaming Association, of all people, reported in May that gambling losses at commercial casinos in America increased from $19.7 billion in 1998 to $34.1 billion in 2007. That is quite a jump in less than a decade. How much higher will it go if we allow the building of more casinos, especially in populated areas? The total losses reported have been $271.4 billion in the last 10 years.

By their nature, feral cats generally avoid contact with humans. Killing such cats is an ineffective control measure since the ones that inevitably remain breed to fill environmental capacity. Trap/Neuter/Return is a humane strategy to decrease the number of free roaming cats. Any kittens or sociable stray cats that are trapped are placed for adoption into homes. After sterilization, healthy adult feral cats are returned to their environment where caregivers provide care for them. In the short and long term, this decreases the population of such cats.

Single-sided deafness is a type of hearing loss where there is no functional hearing ability in one ear. This condition can cause many problems such as headaches, irritability, tinnitus, difficulty distinguishing where sounds are coming from (resulting in possible safety issues) and decreased attention during conversation.

Yep. It’s here! The 40th anniversary of the epicenter of the 1960s counterculture. Who would have thought those bearded or braless, long-haired, tie-dyed, doped-up 25-year-old hippies would one day be collecting Social Security and living in 55-plus retirement condos?

On May 4, with tearful hugs and kisses, I said goodbye to a special member of my family. This was the day that Dodger, the yellow lab puppy we had been raising for Guiding Eyes for the Blind, left our home to continue on his journey to become a guide dog.