November 10, 2005

ValleyViewpoints

Thanks for in-depth article on our church

Editor,
The congregation of the Almaden Hills United Methodist Church would like to express our deepest appreciation for the in-depth article on our 45th anniversary celebration. Thank you to your staff reporter, Sheila Sanchez, for such a thorough and accurate article that included our history, challenges, goals, outreach, and new pastor. We are very proud of our long history of community service and outreach as part of our spiritual commitment. Ms. Sanchez captured this commitment beautifully.

Judy Demko,
chair AHUMC Church Council

Kudos to a local small business

Editor,
As fans of Mexican food, we’ve always enjoyed take out from Taco’s Al Pastor (in the Safeway shopping center). Though the restaurant changed hands recently, we were happy to find that the food is as good as ever.

But on Saturday night when I called to make an order, we found that the new owners had even more to offer. On the line I heard the unmistakable sound of live Mariachi music. I just love Mariachis, so I hung up the phone, packed up the family and we headed over. For their grand opening event, Tacos Al Pastor was featuring Mariachi San Jose Youth Ensemble while serving free sodas and margaritas. They even had face painting for the kids. Instead of eating in, we went to a Mexican fiesta right in our neighborhood.

If you enjoy Mariachi music as much as we do, Mariachi San Jose will be playing at Tacos Al Pastor every Saturday night in November at 6 p.m. They are a group of young men and women whose fantastic horn-, guitar- and violin-playing and singing is way beyond their years. Thank you Tacos Al Pastor for bringing them to Almaden.

Bonnie Olmsted
Grapevine Way

Daughter’s slumber party was ‘hell on earth’ too!

Editor,
Regarding the opinion piece on slumber parties at hotels (October 21, 2005): Just had to write and say that I did that same slumber party with my daughter and friends nine years ago and I remember it like it were yesterday. It was “hell on earth.” My condolences.

Karen Davis
Almaden Valley

A Veterans Day thank you

Editor,
It is fitting that we celebrate Veterans Day only a few days after Californians and millions of other Americans exercised our constitutional right to vote. Without the sacrifices our brave men and women in uniform have made during our nation’s lifetime, we would not enjoy the free elections and democracy that we too often take for granted.

Two hundred and twenty-nine years ago, the founders of our nation ignited a chain of events that would forever change the world when they declared, “that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

And for the last two hundred and twenty-nine years, courageous men and women have taken up arms to secure, defend, and maintain these core values upon which our nation was founded. Throughout the course of history, American men and women have shown, time and time again, that these core values are worth fighting for and dying for.

Today there are more than 25 million living veterans who have served our nation in times of peace and war. At this moment, almost a million and half of our sons, daughters, neighbors and friends are serving in our armed forces. These dedicated men and women represent our resolute dedication to achieving a lasting peace and protecting our basic freedoms.

Over one million men and women in uniform have died in service to our country, and over a million and a half, have sustained injuries—some injuries serious enough to affect these individuals and their families for the rest of their lives. Our nation will always be grateful for the noble sacrifices made by these veterans. We can never adequately repay them for the price they have paid in service to our country, but we can honor and respect them, as we do today.

Therefore, on this Veterans Day, on behalf of my family and myself, I offer our deepest appreciation and gratitude to the gallant men and women of the armed forces.  Through your selfless dedication, hard work, and sacrifices, America continues to be blessed as “the land of the free and the home of the brave.”

Thank you and God bless.

Senator Abel Maldonado

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