The Coastal Point encourages the exchange of ideas. Letters to the editor must be signed by the author with phone number included for purposes of verification. Please send your letters to P.O. Box 1324, Ocean View, DE 19970.

Darin J. McCann

Well, happy Memorial Day to us.

In a swift kick to the crotch of veterans everywhere, it would seem some pinheaded doofus at the Department of Veterans Affairs recently decided to bring home a laptop and external hard drive that kept the names, Social Security numbers and birth dates of every living veteran from 1975 to the present. That equipment was subsequently stolen from the aforementioned yahoo’s home, thus putting into severe jeapordy the financial and personal lives of approximately 26 million veterans.

I’m sorry. I’m starting to feel a little sick.

As someone who was once burned by identity theft, I know intimately how much it, well, stinks on ice. You go about your business, trying to get through life just like everyone else, then you find out “you’ve” been shopping like a Gabor sister.

Now, to be fair, my bank in Connecticut at that time was very helpful. I didn’t end up having to pay for any of the charges accumulated under my name, and they put me in touch with a person from the state attorney general’s office to lodge a complaint.

That was in 1999, and I’m still waiting for a call back. Wow, come to think of it, that reminds me of this pretty girl I met in the 11th grade. She, too, asked for my number. And she, too, has yet to call me back. The only difference between the two is I think she and I really shared a moment, and I’m guessing she probably had a fall of some sort and fell into a coma. I’m betting any day now she’ll wake up and her first instinct will be to pick up the phone and call ...

But I digress.

See, since my little trip down the Fraudulent Superhighway, I’ve been extremely cautious with how I use my credit card. I only buy things on the Internet with it at established sites, and I keep an eye on it when I pay at restaurants.

And now this? We get exposed to computer nerd dirtbags with access to the entire world and the leverage to buy things with our money? We get exposed by the people who are supposed to be taking care of us?

This stinks.

Look, I know that if this information falls into the wrong hands and charges start coming up across the board that we will be taken care of in the end. In fact, veterans can contact the VA at (800) 333-4636, or visit www.firstgov.gov for more information. That’s all well and good.

However ...

I’m in the market for a home right now. Do I really need some bizarre charges to midgets-in-drag.com or airline tickets to Bornia screwing me up at the last second? How would I ever explain a credit card statement featuring giant clown shoes or subscriptions to inferior weekly papers?

I couldn’t. Who in their right mind could?

So, where we’re at right now is hoping this data is recovered, and praying that it’s recovered before it winds up in the hands of some creep with a fast keyboard and endless creativity. At a time when veterans are supposed to take a break from the day-to-day travails of life and focus on fallen brothers and sisters, we’re instead forced to waste that time worried about how many songs might be purchased on iTunes under our names or how many tickets to the next Culture Club reunion concert might be bought under our identities.

Again, that stinks.

I keep coming back to the fact that an employee brought these records home with him. My first instinct, as I’m sure it was with many of you, was that he brought them home so he could sell the information to someone else. However, investigators are putting out signals that they do not believe this individual was involved.

Well, he was involved. Either through sheer stupidity on the part of the individual, or incredible breakdowns in policy at his office, this nimrod was able to bring this information home with him where they would be in an obviously unsecured location. I would suggest that’s a problem.

There is probably a 99-percent chance that nothing will come out of this except embarrassment to the VA and a wave of fear across 26 million people who have served this nation. I’m fairly certain that there won’t be a rash of “veterans” buying computers and hot rods on the Internet, and I’m guessing that there won’t be teams of anti-military protesters camping out on all our yards with their picket signs (though that might happen anyway, if recent events tell us anything).

But it still stinks.

Community enjoying a roll

It was the best of times. It was the ...

No, it’s been the best of times for this community as of late.

Earlier this month, four students from Indian River High School went off to Orlando, Fla., to participate in a small business management corporation competition at the Business Professionals of America’s (BPA) national championships. They were led by Bennett Murray, the school’s BPA advisor and business department chairman.

The students — Chad Brasure, Craig Conover, Tom Jurusik and Tyler Hastings — took first place in the entire nation.

We all love to brag on our students and schools, and we’re all delighted they were able to show off their skills to the nation. Congratulations to the students and faculty at Indian River High School for this great accomplishment.

Last weekend, the town of Millville celebrated its first 100 years of incorporation with a parade and party that will be remembered for a long time by those who participated and watched.

The weather was beautiful, the parade well done and the activities and entertainment all seemingly came off without a hitch. In short, it was the perfect celebration of a town that is facing unprecedented growth in its future while clinging to the goodness of its past, and it was a referendum for small-town living anywhere.

Congratulations to the organizers of the day’s events, as well as to all those who take pride in the town of Millville.

The students at Indian River High School gave us all something else to cheer about Monday night as the baseball team took on Brandywine in the first round of the state playoffs. Down 4-0 in the bottom of the seventh inning, the Indians rallied to tie the game and force extra innings, where they went on to win 5-4.

The courage to keep competing, even when all could seem lost, is something worth admiring, and the team’s persistence is something we can all enjoy.

Congratulations to the players and coaching staff at Indian River High School.

MBS luau a success, according to organizers
Editor:

I would like to take this opportunity to give thanks to everyone that made this year’s auction and luau fundraiser at Most Blessed Sacrament such a wonderful event. Without the dedication and hard work of the luau committee, our great staff at MBS, our very supportive community and the fun, generous families of MBS, the Spring Luau would not have been so successful.

To date we have raised over $27,000.00 on this event.

A special thanks to the following, in no particular order, for their support, kindness and hard work: Bull on the Beach, DJ WAX, D & D Auctions, Cathy Pasquariello, Jocelyn Snelsire, Chris Gabbard, Kelly Loeser, Kathy Goodman, Sue McMullen, Judy Celozzi, AnnMarie Wooten, Beth Ridgeway, Mike Capuano, MaryAnn Frontera, Laurie Adelhardt, Dave Crimmins, Kevin Knowles, Andrea Baker, Lauren Higgins, Principal Amelia Mike, Toni Kovatch, Bill Tidwell, Beth Riley, Jenn Scott, Rhonda Wingert, Sherry Brannon, Celia D’Orazio, Geri Cole, Jane Tribbitt, Nancy Rhodes, Tess Doyle, Kim Allison, Theresa Gabbard, Dale Loeser, Gary Adelhardt, Larnet St. Amant, Miriam Hines, Maria Brown, Katy Crimmins, Frank Donohue, Chris and Cecilia Kehne, Tom Knopp, 707 Sports Bar, Alterations by Pamela, Applebee’s restaurant, Atlantic Hotel, Avery Gallery, Barrett Chevrolet, Beach House Restaurant, Bethany Blues BBQ, Billy’s Sub Shop, Breakfast Bill’s, Comfort Inn Boardwalk, Cottage Cafe, Creative Compliments by Michelle, Deer Run Golf Club, Delmarva Shorebirds, Dennison’s Trackside Hobbies, Devon International, Fager’s Island & Lighthouse Club Hotel, Flamingo Hotel, Francis Scott Key Motel, Greene Turtle West, James E. Clubb Jr. P.A., Jeff’s Greenhouse, Jolly Rogers Amusement Park, La Hacienda Mexican restaurant, Laura Hickman, M&T Bank, Mancini’s, Mercantile Peninsula Bank, Mione’s Pizza, Ocean Pines Players, Old Pro Golf, Outback Steakhouse, Owl Creek Consulting, Peninsula Golf, Perfect Furnishings Inc., Plantation House Restaurant, Quality Inn Boardwalk, Quiet Storm Rehoboth, Raimondi’s, River Run Golf Club, S & S Liquors, St. Andrew’s Parish, Strasburg Railroad Company, Studio S, Tequila Mockingbird, The Links at Lighthouse Sound, The Peninsula, WalMart, Wine Rack, Woodhall Wine Cellars, Kelly McLaughlin, Father Protack, Viking Golf, Eileen Emerson, John & Sandy May, the Caracciolo family, Ms. Rodefer, Ms. Pilarski, Mr. MacGuinness, Ms. Curry, Ms. SantaBarbara, Ms. Kotoski, Ms. Sorrentino, Ms. Holdren, Ms. McIntyre, Mr. Venasco, the Ott Family, the Palmisano Family, Jane and Ed Dorang, the Sauter Family, the Brooks Baker family, the Knopp Family, Sister Kathleen Finnerty, the Mills Family, the Rogers Family, the Adelhardt Family, and all the families that helped clean up.

Thank you all.

Michele H. Knopp
Luau Committee Chair
Most Blessed Sacrament Catholic School

St. George’s is a true family in itself
Editor:

Imagine a place where everyone knows your name, says “hello”, and has your best interest at heart? This place is not a social club, but a place that you feel welcome and loved. This place does exist and it sits at the corners of Route 26, Omar Road, and Powell Farm Road in Clarksville. This place has a name and it’s St. George’s United Methodist Church.

Having a child or family member that has heart disease is a horrible experience and it seems to never go away. My daughter, Morgan Steele, recently underwent her second heart operation at A.I. DuPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington. This second procedure was riskier than the first, so you can imagine that my husband and I were under a tremendous amount of stress. Morgan had been added to dozens of prayer chains throughout the community and our hopes were high that the surgery would go well.

The morning of the surgery came around and we were sitting around the hospital room waiting for the doctor to come in and explain the procedure to us. There was a knock at the door and I was stunned at who entered. It was our pastor, Mike Hurley. He left Clarksville at 5:30 a.m. so that he could be with us as Morgan underwent the surgery. This was the most thoughtful gift that I have ever received and I will remember it for the rest of my life. Mike stayed with us through the five-hour procedure, offering great conversation and support.

Morgan’s heart accepted the surgery and we were able to come home one day later. As we entered church the next Sunday, we were flooded with words of encouragement, concern and hope. Knowing that you matter is the best feeling in the world. This experience is an example of the importance of family and friends, the strength of a community and the power of prayer.

Be supportive of your family and all members of the community, as your time on Earth can be shortened at any time. If you would like to be a part of a loving church family, I extend a warm and welcoming invitation for you to join us on Sunday at St. George’s. May God bless you and your family.

Kristen Steele
Dagsboro

The best little parade in Millville
Editor:

Thumbs up to everyone involved in centennial Saturday celebrating 100 years of Millville, Delaware. Their first parade ever on Route 26 in Millville was a five-star event, along with the activities at the fire hall.

How fast Millville is growing — can you imagine how many people will be at Millville’s next parade in 2106?

I am sure they have formed a committee and plans are under way for the next parade.

George F. Eckert
Bethany Beach

Odyssey team thankful for community support
Editor:

The 2006 Indian River Odyssey of the Mind teams would like to thank everyone who contributed to our car wash/bake sale on May 13 at Hocker’s Super Center. It was a very successful day and we want to thank the community for helping our need.

Our thanks go to Gerald Hocker and Hocker’s Super Center for allowing us to have our event at their store. We also want to thank all of the parents, coaches and team members for their support in so many ways. Odyssey of the Mind is all about “teamwork” and that was certainly proven that day.

The teams should be competing in the Odyssey of the Mind World Finals at Iowa State University when this is printed and we hope to bring back some “placing” teams (they are already winners) along with many good memories. They will be competing against teams from 40 other states and 20 other countries. This is a wonderful experience for them all.

Please wish them good luck.

Lisa Christian, Ruth Ann Marvel
Odyssey of the Mind Booster Parents

Gay population again bumped back
Editor:

The recent picket of a military funeral in Seaford by anti-gay Baptists from Kansas demonstrates how unchecked hate can only grow and seek new victims.

For many years the funerals of countless gay people have been cruelly picketed by this same church, which seems to have no belief as important to them as hatred of gays. Now they are picketing presumably heterosexual military persons, whom they say died as God’s punishment for America’s “acceptance” of homosexuality. (Huh? I was not aware that we who are gay are very well accepted, if our legal inequality is any indication.)

Sadly, now heterosexuals know firsthand how we have been treated all these years.

In response, Delaware House Bill 371 would ban such demonstrations — but only at military funerals.

In the name of God, how is hate speech at gay and transgender funerals any less disrespectful to the deceased or devastating to the bereaved than at a military funeral? Once again, our Delaware lawmakers are endorsing a second-class status for its gay and transgender citizens.

Douglas Marshall-Steele
Milton

Dogs bark due to longtime neglect
Editor:

County Councilman Vance Phillips’ proposed legislation to control the widespread problem of incessant dog barking is long overdue.

As an owner of a German shepherd dog for over 11 years, I can assure you that properly trained and monitored, dogs do not bark incessantly.

Acquiring a domesticated animal and then depriving it of such basics as proper diet, training, companionship and medical care is a form of cruelty that demands accountability. Until such time as the negligent and/or indifferent owners of these dogs are brought to the attention of the proper authorities, this cruelty will continue.

Make no mistake, this is a “quality of life” issue for many of your fellow citizens and their families who are subjected to the misery of constant barking and howling by neglected dogs, but this legislation also addresses the quality of life for these very same long-suffering animals.

I urge you to please contact the Council at (302) 855-7742 to express your support for this humane and decent proposal.

Joseph E. Rock
Selbyville

Bill should be released, put to vote right now
Editor:

Why hasn’t Sen. Thurman Adams released House Bill 170 that will provide two new at-large seats on the Sussex County Council from committee? The Delaware Senate needs to be able to vote either up or down for this very important legislation. He has been asked and doesn’t seem to want to explain this reluctance. All persons living east of Route 113 in Sussex County deserve fair and equitable representation on our county council.

As it presently stands, the council consistently votes for uncontrolled growth, as is shown in their decisions, which are usually in a block 4-1 vote with Councilman Cole the dissenter. Cole consistently votes for sensible growth to protect those undeveloped areas east of Route 113.

The attack on those areas not yet built upon, many of which are known as environmentally sensitive, are seriously in danger under the present regulations — especially with the decisions that are being made by this council.

Adams’ recent Senate Bill 304 is an effort to quiet all those citizens who want change on our council. SB 304 does not offer any relief or equitable representation on our council until redistricting after the 2010 Census, and this redistricting would not effect change on the council until 2012.

This is unacceptable to me and many other citizens living east of Route 113 — especially in those areas that have or will have uncontrolled growth in the near future.

We need to have Adams release HB 170 from committee before the end of this legislative session, just days away. We need to have fair and equitable representation now, not in the distant un-repairable future.

Passing HB 170 will allow two additional at-large seats on the county council and provide those of us living east of Route 113 the opportunity to elect persons who just might live east of Route 113 and who will represent our interests with managed growth as one of those important issues that are seriously impacting our lives and property.

So senators and fellow citizens, we need to have HB 170 released now for a Senate vote to enact legislation to allow two at-large seats on our Sussex County Council. Six years is far too long to wait.

David Kramer
Frankford

CBS calls for bill to be released immediately
Editor:

They are not illegal immigrants; they are good citizens of Sussex who have waited more than 10 years for local representation.

Is it right to deny them?

Is it because they aren’t native-born Sussex Countians?

They are registered voters, and taxpayers, and they want a chance to help select the members of the Sussex County Council.

But one Delaware state senator is holding up a bill that promises them that chance. He wants them to wait until 2012.

HB 170 was overwhelmingly approved last June by the House of Representatives and HB 170 could bring some balance to the Sussex County Council for years to come.

But Sen. Thurman Adams has not yet released House Bill 170 for a Senate vote.

Why are the people of Sussex still waiting for their rights?

Adams can be reached at Legislative Hall, PO Box 1401 Dover, DE 19903; Dover, (302) 744-4318; Bridgeville, (302) 337-8281; e-mail, Thurman.Adams@de.state.us.

Joan Deaver, President
Citizens for a Better Sussex