Veronica Zimmermann, our daughter, died in a space of four short seconds on Oct. 26, 2008. The first three seconds were at a speed of 78 mph, and the impact into a telephone pole lasted one second.

When my sister Amy called me at my desk in the newsroom and gave me the word that I’d better get to Los Angeles, my wife, my wife’s hound and I packed in a second and sped south.

“Ahhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!” The sound of my husband’s deep-voiced yell of shock and surprise pulled me out of my reading reverie. And then he did it again, even longer and louder, “Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!” I jumped up from my dining room chair and headed to where my husband was standing in shock staring into the kids’ play area (what for most people is their den).

Summer School

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, 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.”

Drive drunk, hit a petestrian and kill him, and what do you get?

California today is ungovernable.

Dear editor, The facade has cracked, exposing the ugly side of the “powers that be” in this community. Aren’t we all sick and tired of leaders who pursue their own personal gain and bend to the will of those whose plans are driven only by greed?

Dear editor, The current grim situation caused by out-of-control drug lord activity in Mexico brought again to my mind that the U.S. government should shut down the Drug Enforcement Agency and decriminalize drugs.

Dear editor, I would like to address this letter to the person or persons who came into my yard and stole my birdbath and several statues. The angel statue you took was my mother’s. She passed away a few years ago. You probably took my items to a yard sale or the flea market, or maybe have enough nerve to put my items in your yard. So, let’s see, what have I learned from this? I will no longer put anything in my yard. Thank goodness I have a sprinkler system; you’d probably steal my hose and sprinkler if I didn’t. You should be ashamed of yourself. How tacky of you.

No matter how things turn out in Iran in the immediate future, a huge statement has been made by the Iranian people that they want more freedom, and my belief is that in the future we will see the manifestation of their courageous actions.

Everyone has a person who influenced their lives above all others. Just about everyone I know can identify someone who has been instrumental in making them the person that they are -- from the grandpa who taught him how to ride a bike, to the elderly neighbor who taught her how to make really good brownies. We all have someone who has been a constant source of support, a good shoulder to cry on, and an endless supply of good advice.

What politically-themed issue makes you want to scream?

As Jillian Jones stated in her June 17 article, Former Napa Police Chief Dan Monez is considering a run for supervisor next year against Brad Wagenknecht, the slow-growth advocate who has represented District 1 for the last 11 years.

Fire out your thoughts here on your topic of the day that is not covered through a Register.com article or opinion item.

Death will forever be the mistress of life, and Michael Jackson apparently chose to marry her to avoid a pasty-faced and less than stellar comeback tour.