Thank you responders
Dear Editor,
I wanted to take a minute to thank are local Brandon EMS and Oakland County Sheriff officers.
On Dec. 26, 2017 I had a very bad flair up of an old disk injury to my lower back. I was in extreme pain like an electrical cord was connected to my back and then plugged in to the wall socket. I could barely breathe. A pain that cannot be described.
The crew that came to my house and transported me to the hospital was 100 percent top notch.
I did not get any of their names I hope they read this they will know who they are.
The level of compassion and professionalism was second to none!
I just wanted everyone to know how lucky we are to have such a great asset in our community.
They even offered to come by to help me get back in the house when I was released from the hospital. What a great crew. Two big thumbs up.
I want to offer my most sincere thank you.

Scot Wolfe Ortonville
Ortonville Luminaries
Dear Editor,
I’d like to thank all the volunteers that came out Friday that assembled over 1,100 luminaries; Girl Scout Troop 70153, Boy Scout Troop 139, Mark Butzu, Karen Sleva and Tom Skornicka Jr. The cold temperatures didn’t hinder the volunteers that distributed them on Christmas Eve thanks to Ron Allen, Tom Skornicka Jr, Dan Eschmann, Troop 70153 and Troop 139. I’d especially like to thank all the residents that helped light the streets of our village that made it glow in the fresh fallen snow.
Wishing you all a healthy and prosperous New Year,
Coleen Skornicka, council member
Lifetime resolutions, stay well
Dear Editor,
No one ever gets out of this world alive. Resolve, therefore, to maintain a good sense of values.
Take care of yourself, good health is everyone’s major source of wealth. Without it, happiness is virtually impossible. Resolve to be cheerful and helpful. What you give to the world comes back to you. Resolve to listen more and talk less. No one ever learns anything by talking. Be cautious in giving advice. Wise men don’t need it and fools wont heed it. Resolve to be tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of the weak and wrong. Sometime in life, you will have all of these. Do not equate money with success. The world abound with big money makers like Donald Trump, who are miserable failures as human beings. Resolve to not procrastinate another day, for it is the thief of today’s peace of mind and tomorrow’s happiness. Resolve to be the person you want to be-Today. Hello to Bonnie B. and Sylvia R.
Ken Davis, Brandon Township
Seven days in Ortonville
Dear Editor
One of the best movies of the 1960’s is Seven Days in May. In this thriller, top generals plot to take over the government in a coup to prevent the President from signing a nuclear disarmament treaty. Democracy and the Constitution win out, civilian control of the military is reassured.
“I remember feeling satisfied that civilians exerted control over the military at the end of Seven Days in May,” long time Brandon Township resident Bonnie Beltramo shared, speaking on phone while on vacation in Paris, France (a generous one-way gift from local admirers).
“Well, I find myself in the opposite position today,” Beltramo continued. “According to the magazine Vanity Fair, some Republicans have speculated that Chief of Staff General John Kelly and Secretary of Defense General James Mattis might tackle Trump if he goes for the nuclear football.
“Will Trump overreact to some imagined slight, stumbling us into a nuclear conflagration? Or use war as a deflection to his legal problems?” Beltramo reflected from her pied-a-terre on the Left Bank. “Do we need open rebellion of the generals to prevent the president from needlessly pushing the button? I hope we do not need a mutiny in the White House,” Beltramo paused. “I hope my grandchildren live to see their own grandchildren.”
Beltramo’s return to Ortonville is uncertain, as she is discouraging the pace of donations for her return airfare: “Don’t be in a hurry,” she said, speaking over the chirping of her pet parakeets.
Bonnie Beltramo