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Sound Off! calls published April 16, 2008
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• Reason for missing flag

This is a reply to the flag (not flying). The management and staff at Ceres Christian Terrace would like to apologize to anyone we have offended while our flag was down due to roof repairs and replacement. We had sustained extensive roof damage during the series of storms the area had. And the roof repair and replacement took about five weeks or a little more to complete, during which time we had several large pieces of equipment and cranes in and around our flagpole area. We want to thank our tenants for all their cooperation during this time.

We also appreciate our flag flying and all it represents. One member of our staff is a veteran and some of the staff have husbands who are veterans and one of the staff has a son serving in the Armed Services currently, and is a Blue Star mother.

We love our country and again we are sorry if any of the tenants did not fully understand why we had not put up our flag. We thought we had communicated the problem to everyone's understanding.

• Alien reference offends reader

I have been a Ceres resident for 25 years and I love Ceres. I was really upset to see "Drug sweep hits Ceres" article in the newspaper on April 9. It's talking about all these Mexicans that were caught up in this big old drug sweep and at the very end it has to say "four of the suspects were illegal aliens from Mexico." I think that's a bunch of bull crap. It doesn't say, "oh, this German guy beat up this person and he was here illegally from Germany."

One of my friend's brothers got into a fight with his girlfriend and stepped outside and beat up the mailman that was out there and it didn't say that he was white. It didn't say anything about him being illegal. So if you guys are going to be printing stuff that who's from Mexico, then when you print stuff about people from Germany or from Quebec, put that they're illegally from wherever the hell they're from. Don't just be targeting Mexicans.

(Editor's note: Hold on there - We publish facts. The four suspects had INS holds, which means they broke the law to be here in the United States which is a relevant fact to the story. And when there is ever a case where a suspect is an illegal alien from countries other than Mexico, we will duly note that they, too.

However, in the case of the white guy beating up the mailman, we believe you are referring to the article on Shane Douglas Collins of Feb. 16, 2005 titled, "Hate crime charged in mailman assault." The first paragraph notes his affiliation to a white gang: "A 21-year-old Modestan with ties to a white skinhead gang is being charged with a hate crime in connection with a savage beating of a Ceres mail carrier on his route Wednesday afternoon." Caller, your memory fails you miserably.)

• Go to manager first

I'm calling about the article about Ceres Christian Terrace not flying the American flag. I am very offended with that because number one, I also am a tenant at the Terrace. Also, my husband was a veteran. My children are all fighting for the country and my grandchildren. I don't know who wrote the article but if they live there they know that we've had some major damage to our building; we've had roofers here for the last five weeks with big trucks. We've been roped off so we couldn't even get in the front door half the time. The storm blew off our roof, blew down our fence, blew down our trees and we're just now getting it taken care of. And I feel like if they would have just went into management ... the new manager is just as good. They are very patriotic. If you come in around the Fourth of July and you will see that. And I agree, nothing is more beautiful than a flying flag in the wind; but one thing is more disgraceful than a tongue that wags and doesn't have the guts to stand up and say hey, why is the flag not up.

Most of us found out why the flag was not flying.

• Drivers reckless around schools

Ceres residents or any other persons driving in Ceres, the Police Department needs to regulate the speed limit in front or around a school. Drivers drive 50 mph in front of Central Valley High School. People ride right on your bumper with no regard for the speed limit. Signs are posted. How on earth did people like that get a license? Ceres Police need to start by cracking down on these people. This is another issue that I am seeing of the four-way stop on Central nearest Don Pedro School. Drivers do not stop long enough or if there is a student waiting to cross, they don't want to wait. People are in too much of a hurry. Some of them should get tickets.