"I've been reading online about some of the comments to the editor about the gambling in the fire halls, and people calling for investigation by The Herald-Mail. The Herald-Mail's not gonna investigate anything. For some reason, fire halls do no wrong in The Herald-Mail's eyes."

- Williamsport

"I'm calling about this black Lab which got shot by an officer on Oct. 15. First of all, my sister has three and a few friends have had Labs and I don't know of anyone with a Lab who had their Lab bite someone. The main thing is I can't understand why the officer couldn't have gone back another time or called instead of shooting the dog."

- Smithsburg

"I see somebody's crying about the police not working on big crimes, and running speed traps. Well, if you concerned citizens would cooperate with the police more and give them some good legitimate information once in a while, you wouldn't have to worry about the bigger crimes. As for me, they can come in my neighborhood any time they want and set up speed traps. I would welcome them. And besides that, the police are doing their job with bigger crimes."

- Hagerstown

"Citizens of Maryland and state employees, let's remember this at the next election. This government has furloughed and/or laid off, with much more to come, many state employees, which will create a cutback or elimination of some vital services to the citizens of Maryland. They've also cut back or eliminated some vital programs that are very important to many citizens in Maryland, which while not cutting very much, if anything, to the prisoners. No, I'm not a Republican."

- Hagerstown

"I think that enormous American Flag at the new Centra Bank on Longmeadow Road is cool. Every morning when I see it, it makes me feel good."

- Hagerstown

"On Wednesday, Oct. 21, I would like to thank the people at Robinwood center who helped me locate my 88-year-old husband, who got turned around while I was parking our car. They were so helpful, and did it with a smile. Even the sheriff showed up. There are still lots of caring people out there who are willing to help us seniors. Bless them, and thank you all."

- Hagerstown

"I just want to thank you editors of Mail Call for allowing people such as myself to call in to Mail Call, letting out one's frustrations and stating, you know, comments on different issues and topics. And also I would like to say this comment and all. I feel some people do have a life after the workplace. I mean, some employers out there act as though they own you. I mean, I feel it's your business what you do after you leave."

- Greencastle, Pa.

"This is in reference to the Maryland state employee who was upset about Gov. O'Malley cutting his benefits. How do you think we feel, people who are on disability, on Social Security, who are not getting a raise this year, but yet our Medicare's still gonna be increased? How do you think we feel?"

- Brownsville

"If you want a preview of what a horror government-run health care would be like, just check out Thursday's front page; 120 million doses of swine flu vaccine promised, 13 million delivered. And after a campaign for months by government and the media hyping up the threat, with special emphasis on the danger to children, they're surprised - yes, surprised - that more people than they expected want to be vaccinated."

- Frederick, Md.

"Senior citizens, please be thankful for what you have. It seems that most bus trips are filled with senior citizens, and they are going to casinos. You must not be hurting too much or you wouldn't have money to gamble. The paper is full of ads going to casinos. Think about this before complaining."

- Hagerstown

"This is calling about the Hagerstown person who wrote talking about The Herald-Mail can't find one doctor who's against universal health care. Well, I can't find one doctor either, but I found several ... on and on I could go. Need to show that there are more doctors - any doctor that has 10 or more years experience and is 65 and older has told me several times ... do not want universal health care."

- Hagerstown

"There was a lovely wine tasting event, it was a fundraiser for Girls Inc. There was a large turnout at Cortland Mansion in Hagerstown, and The Herald-Mail was not there to, you know, to cover the event. And they were notified, and I was quite surprised by that. This is the first event. Girls Inc., you know, is a very worthwhile organization ... I think they should have had pictures and a story."

- Oak Ridge

"Leonard Pitts, you are so right about karma. This is in reference to your articles about Rush Limbaugh."

- Martinsburg, W.Va.

"I have a question. Is it illegal to sell stuff that you get from a food bank? If it is, please call and let me know what the phone number is or how to get in touch with the people that would prosecute them."

- Hagerstown

"I just moved to West Virginia seven months ago. I was born and raised in Hagerstown. I don't know if it's a coincidence or if it's actually the truth, about Hagerstown being No. 2 on the ugliest men in the country list. Hmm, I guess it's a coincidence. I mean, ever since I left, it made that list?"

- Hagerstown

"The City of Hagerstown has spent countless thousands of dollars and made repeated efforts at rebuilding South Potomac Street and its adjacent sidewalks, yet a short block away, the alley the city and county require visitors to the county library to use is so much in disrepair that it is dangerous to drivers and pedestrians."

- Hagerstown

"I was just calling as a resident of Hagerstown, Md., and a citizen here, I feel that - I saw in the morning paper where they're gonna - this lady was calling in about having $7,600 reimbursed to them to pay for their dog that was shot by our police department. I feel as though as a citizen, we do not have that kind of money."

- Hagerstown

"So you want the president to fail, but that's not gonna have any effect on the country. If the president can't manage the Afghanistan war, we go on and on, we never find bin Laden and the people who did 9/11 to us, and it happens again. He doesn't make it work with health care, and 45 million continue without heath insurance, maybe just die in the street. That's fine with you - and the economic crisis, we can't continue with the progress we're making with that, and people go without jobs."

- Hagerstown

"Get this one: My neighbor called the law on us because we put our leaves behind our fence. Top that off, the deputy actually arrived to the call. ... Tell me. We raked our own leaves and put them behind our fence, they called the sheriff and the sheriff actually responded. And nothing was done."

- Smithsburg

"This is to clarify the words 'public option' in the upcoming, shove-down-your-throat, health care bill. Those two words mean that the government will be competing in the health care department and eventually wipe out any competition in the health care insurance fields. ... There is positively nothing 'public' about this choice, and the government hasn't succeeded in anything lately."

- Hagerstown

"I'm a strong supporter of separation of church and state. I still cringe when I think of the one Jewish girl in my middle school class many years ago, having to listen to our mandatory morning Christian prayer. But I think there is something vaguely disgusting about building a plywood box around that cross out in the Mojave Desert."

- Chambersburg, Pa.

"This is on a new politician. I see where a guy named Cort Meinelschmidt, it's in Friday morning's paper on page 3, he's running for John Donoghue's seat. I think we need someone else besides ... he's for helping the small business people and cutting taxes. Donoghue says down here that he and Sen. Don Munson protect what matters in Washington County, such as a new state police barracks. We don't need a new state police barracks."

- Hagerstown