READERS WRITE

Advance voting

Remember: Voting is a privilege

I voted in October in Gwinnett County, spending about one hour in line. All the workers were courteous and efficient. I realize how fortunate I am that I retired this year and so have extra time to vote, but if I had needed to take time off from work, I would have done so, as I have at times in the past. How important is three, four, even five hours of one work day every four years?

The article “America will get my vote” (News, Nov. 2) says it all to me. Taking their oath of citizenship, then being able to vote, means everything to the people in the piece —- the woman who worked an eight-hour shift at Hartsfield and then stood in line five hours sets a great example for some of us who may have forgotten what a privilege our vote represents.

Thank you, Gwinnett County, for working so hard under sometimes overwhelming circumstances.

ROSEMARY CHISOLM

Norcross

Early voting meant no lines on Nov. 4

I just wanted to thank everyone for waiting hours on end to vote early so that I would have no wait on election day. I honestly don’t believe Michael Phelps or Usain Bolt could’ve gone through the lines faster than I did.

The longest part was touching the boxes of my choices for candidates. I left my house at 8:30 in the morning and was walking back in at 8:45 a.m.

SAM DAVIS

Powder Springs

With election over, Americans must unite

As of Wednesday, there were electoral winners and losers, joy and sadness, celebration and resentment. Instead of allowing religion to divide us politically, people of faith must take the lead in helping bring our nation back together after this election season. As Jesus said, “A house divided against itself cannot stand.” Here’s my appeal to my brothers and sisters of any faith: Regardless of who you supported, who received your vote and who won or lost, at the end of the day let us come together as one people. Let us bind up each other’s hurts and move forward in prayer for our new political leaders. Let us work to reunify this nation that God, for a time, has entrusted to us, and let us by our words and deeds do our part to make gentle the life of this world.

DAN BROWNING

Decatur

CT scans for smokers may not be best bet

Your news report (“Savvy solution?” Living, Oct. 29) would have readers believe that CT scans are a proven way to find and treat lung cancer early when it can be cured, but the evidence at this time is far from certain. CT scanning may eventually be shown to be a good bet for current and former smokers, but this won’t be answered until large ongoing studies in the U.S. and Europe have published their findings.

For this reason, no major medical organization recommends screening for lung cancer. The story failed to mention that patients who undergo testing may require follow-up exams several times per year to monitor worrisome areas in the lung, or biopsies for larger abnormalities, most of which will be determined to not be cancer. A biopsy of the lung is no stroll in the park and post-procedure hospitalizations are not uncommon. Current or former smokers who are considering getting a CT to look for early lung cancer should have a careful and complete discussion with their doctor about the potential risks and benefits of getting tested before going into a scanner. And most important, if you are a current smoker, the best thing you can do for your health is to quit smoking.

Dr. OTIS W. BRAWLEY

Brawley is chief medical officer of the American Cancer Society.