Letters February 27, 2008

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

By Planet User

Real winners
I would like to respond to Jake Nichol’s quote last week: “We were excited to read that The Snake River Grill received the Wine Spectator’s award of excellence - until we figured out that it was not the real deal…”

We at the Grill think you should remain excited for us, because it is true that the Snake River Grill, here in Jackson, did receive the Wine Spectator’s award this year as well as many years prior.

As well, we are equally excited for the Snake River Grill in Louisiana because, while it did not receive the same award, it is our sister restaurant, managed by the same owners, August Spier and Chef Jeff Drew.
- Jeff Drew, Chef/Partner -
SRG Jackson

Republican for Obama
Millions of us Eisenhower Republican will vote for Obama in Nov. But I’ve never heard of a Republican for Hillary. Obama can beat McCain, just as Eugene McCarthy could have beaten Nixon in ‘68. Hillary is analogous to the loser, Hubert Humphrey.

Obama has “the power to see ourselves as others see us.” (Robert Burns)    He has “a decent respect to the opinions of mankind.” (Tom Jefferson)  There’s no doubt in my mind he’s the candidate whom the world wants us to elect. I’ve joined the Democratic Party so as to vote for Obama at their County Convention on March 8. And the following week, of course, I’ll re-enroll in the GOP.
- Bob Morris
Teton Village

Lovin’ the Peace Corp
This week is Peace Corps Week. To join in this celebration, I would like to share a little about the Peace Corps and my experience as a volunteer.

President John F. Kennedy established the Peace Corps in 1961, 47 years ago, to promote world peace and friendship. The Peace Corps has served in 139 countries with over 190,000 volunteers since its inception. Currently, there are 8,079 volunteers in 74 countries. The average age is 27 and the eldest is 80. Peace Corps Volunteers work in education, health, business, information technology, agriculture and the environment.
I accepted an invitation to Peace Corps as a volunteer in Nepal, and began my 12 week training in September, 2002. During training, I was introduced to Nepali culture and language, natural resource management and more.

Language was definitely the most challenging aspect of training. I also learned to eat with my right hand. Traditionally, most Nepali’s use the left for “using the facilities” since toilet paper is a privileged item.

After training, I worked with a Forest Office in Hetauda, a small town near India. This was not my idea of the picturesque Himalayan town where I thought I belonged. However, I soon learned that being a volunteer is partially about letting go of romantic international ideals. It’s about making the best of situations. Part of being a volunteer is about embracing the opportunity to experience a new culture and a new part of the world. In doing so, some of my favorite activities were biking to the outdoor market to buy vegetables and fruit and teaching English at a Buddhist Monastery.

However, I also had to get used to doing my laundry by hand, no running water or refrigerator and extreme heat. It seemed like I had to do without and cope with so much but, what I received in return was much more.

I completed my Peace Corps Service in September, 2004. Due to civil unrest, all volunteers were evacuated from Nepal and the Peace Corps Nepal program is no longer in operation there. However, we are hopeful for a peaceful Nepal in the future. Namaste.
For more information, visit www.peacecorps.gov.
- Melissa Boyd
Jackson
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Letters February 27, 2008 | Planet JH News Article: Letters To Editor

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