The Press-Dispatch

November 27, 2019

The Press-Dispatch

Issue link: http://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/1188486

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 16 of 38

B-8 Wednesday, November 27, 2019 The Press-Dispatch OPINION Submit Letters to the Editor: Letters must be signed and received by noon on Mondays. Email: editor@pressdispatch.net or bring in a hard copy: 820 E. Poplar Street, Petersburg Well, it's that time of the year again. Our nation pauses to give Thanksgiving for all the bless- ings we receive. Even though we all have different persuasions and beliefs, it certainly is a good tradi- tion to reflect on the many bless- ings and good things we are show- ered with. Yes, there are segments of so- ciety that may be hurting and feel less blessed, hopefully time will come when situations get better and gratitude becomes a part of everyone's life. In reflecting what we need to be thankful for, the list is so long space may not allow this to be accomplished. Let me name a few. First- the gift of life with all it's joys and heartaches. Life, so mysterious, so brief, compared to the afterlife. When I ponder eternity, it is beyond my comprehension to dwell on it. So, I have reached a point in my life I tell myself I bet- ter be thankful every- day, and that I hope to extend my caring and love for all those I have around me and those who I will encounter. I'm thankful for family, friends, the community and this Country I am blessed to live in. I have a dear friend who in an exchange of comments during Scripture study, said that every night before he finally finishes his day, he would name 10 differ- ent things he is grateful for. That is something I have now tried to do. Works like a great soothing balm, better than the best sleep aid I know. And what about challenges and prob- lems we encounter, which is always a part of our existence? Well, after researching lit- eratures on problem solving, one thing that impressed me was an advice from a wise author. He said, write down the things that concern you. Set aside a time to reflect on them and pray for guidance. Best not to do that Points to Ponder By Rev. Ford Bond Being thankful My Point of View By Dr. H. K. Fenol, Jr., M.D. Gratitude for our wonderful lives Minority View By Walter E. Williams Scientists: Dishonest or afraid? Continued on page 9 Continued on page 9 The absolute worst case of pro- fessional incompetence and dis- honesty is in the area of climate science. Tony Heller has exposed some of the egregious dishonesty of mainstream environmentalists in a video he's titled "My Gift To Climate Alarmists." Environmen- talists and their political allies at- tribute the recent increase in dead- ly forest fires to global warming. However, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's For- est Service, forest fires reached their peak in the 1930s and have declined by 80 % since then. Envi- ronmentalists hide the earlier da- ta and make their case for the ef- fects of global warming by show- ing the public and policymakers data from 1980 that shows an in- crease in forest fires. Climate scientists claim that ris- ing sea levels are caused by man- made global warming. Historical data from the tide gauge in Low- er Manhattan shows that sea lev- els have been rising from about the time when Abraham Lincoln was president to now. Heller says that sea levels have been rising for about 20,000 years. He points out that anthropologists believe that when the sea level was very low people were able to walk from Si- beria to North America. Hot weather is often claimed to be a result of man-made climate change. Heller presents data show- ing the number of days in Waver- ly, Ohio, above 90 de- grees. In 1895, there were 73 days above 90 degrees. In 1936, there were 82 days above 90 degrees. Since the 1930s, there has been a downward trend in the number of days above 90 de- grees. If climatolo- gists hide data from earlier years and started at 1955, they show an increase in the num- ber of above 90 -degree days from eight or nine to 30 or 40. Thus, to deceive us into thinking the cli- mate is getting hotter, environ- mentalists have selected a start- ing date that fits their agenda. You might ask: "Who is Tony Heller? Does he work for big oil? " It turns out that he is a scientist and claims to be a lifelong environ- mentalist. From what I can tell, he has no vested interests. In that re- spect, he is different from those who lead the environmental move- ment, who often either work for or are funded by governments. Once in a while environmental- ists reveal their true agenda. Ott- mar Edenhofer, lead author of the IPCC's fourth summary report re- leased in 2007, speaking in 2010 advised: "One has to free oneself from the illusion that internation- al climate policy is environmen- tal policy. Instead, cli- mate change policy is about how we redis- tribute de facto the world's wealth." U.N. climate chief Christia- na Figueres said that the true aim of the U.N.'s 2014 Paris cli- mate conference was "to change the (capi- talist) economic devel- opment model that has been reign- ing for at least 150 years, since the Industrial Revolution." Christine Stewart, Canada's former Minister of the Environment said: "No mat- ter if the science is all phony, there are collateral environmental bene- fits. ... Climate change (provides) the greatest chance to bring about justice and equality in the world." Tim Wirth, former U.S. Undersec- retary of State for Global A ffairs and the person most responsible for setting up the Kyoto Protocol said: "We've got to ride the global warming issue. Even if the theory of global warming is wrong, we will be doing the right thing in terms of economic policy and environmen- tal policy." Not all scientists are dishonest and not all news reporters are left- ists with an agenda. But one won- Pursuit of the Cure By Star Parker Trump and black outreach Peace through strength President Donald Trump recent- ly launched his black-outreach op- eration — called Black Voices for Trump — in Atlanta. The objec- tive, of course, is to move more A f- rican American voters to the Re- publican Party. There is good rea- son to believe Republicans can at- tract more than the 8 percent of the black vote they got in 2016. The headline, logically, is the good economic news — a robust economy that has produced a his- torically low black unemployment rate. However, religion is also a sub- ject that should get more attention from Republicans. A new survey from the Pew Re- search Center focusing on the role of religion in society shows an enormous disconnect between the religious attitudes and behav- ior of blacks and their political be- havior. Looking inside the Democratic Party, 66 percent of white Demo- crats say churches and religious organizations "have too much in- fluence in politics," compared with only 30 percent of black Demo- crats who have this opinion. Thirty-seven percent of black Democrats say churches and re- ligious organization "do not have enough influence in politics," com- pared with 10 percent of white Democrats. Forty percent of black Demo- crats feel it is a "bad thing" that religion is "losing influence in so- ciety," compared with 23 percent of white Democrats. The 37 percent response by blacks that churches "do not have enough influence in politics" is identical to the response of Re- publicans. In a Pew survey of last year, 75 percent of blacks, compared with 49 percent of whites, said religion is "very important." Given that roughly eight out of 10 blacks identify as Christian, ac- cording to Pew, how can we under- stand their disproportionate sup- port for a Democratic Party that views the importance of religion so differently than they do? The huge migration of black vot- ers to the Democratic Party came with the civil rights movement. In 1964, Lyndon Johnson won 94 per- cent of the black vote, compared with John Kennedy, who got 68 percent in 1960. Since 1964, 85 to 90 percent of the black vote has gone to the Democratic presidential candi- date. But the country and the Demo- cratic Party have changed dramat- ically since 1964. The civil rights movement was a religious, moral movement to end racial discrimination and achieve equal rights under the law. The civil rights organization that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. founded was called the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. According to one historical ac- count: "One of his (King's) most trusted aids urged him to drop the word Christian from the new organization. It was argued that such an explicit religious refer- ence would alienate Northern lib- erals, whose support would be cru- cial in the years ahead. King was adamant, however, and the word Christian remained." King's famous "I Have a Dream" speech was less a political speech than a pastor's sermon. In 1964, less than 10 percent of babies born were born to unwed mothers, compared with more than 40 percent today. Seventy-five percent of American adults over 18 were married in 1964, compared with 50 percent today. In 1973, the Roe v. Wade deci- sion made legal abortion part of American cultural reality. Religion and politics parted company, with the Democratic Party leading the way to the secu- larization of America. The moral wasteland capturing America today disproportionately hurts poor communities, whether we are talking about what children hear in the broken public schools they are forced to attend or the impact of a prevailing culture of Americans have a lot to be thankful for. All who have been born in the United States have won the lottery of life. Through no achievement of our own, Amer- icans have a standard of living that has few rivals worldwide. The ancients, included those born just a century ago, would marvel at the innovations and com- forts afforded those who live with- in the boundaries of the nation. Through government initiatives and charities, no American needs to go hungry or lack a place to live. Much of what we hear of the homeless is due to emotional and mental instability and not to lack of employment. Granted there are those who deal with acute health issues and other challenges, but to live as a vagrant as many in un- derdeveloped nations do is often a choice, not something forced up- on them. Billions of dollars are earmarked through federal and state monies to combat homelessness and men- tal health issues. Other than the 24 or so developed nations, this does not take place in most nations of the world. Being thankful living in Ameri- ca should rise above one's station of life when one examines the problems living in underdeveloped nations. As mentioned, be- ing born in America is due to the lottery of life, and not merit. Yes, one can fixate on what is wrong with America, and all the grievous "sins" of our fathers, but Ameri- ca is a great place to live. The constant drumbeat of the social justice wearies, the "snow- flakes" and the "wokes" drown out and ignore the strides for equality and fairness in American life. The equality afforded and demanded by law towards women and ethnic groups in America is not found across the nations of the world. If people are having hearing problems, there are programs to provide you with specialized equipment so that you can have some form of communication at home. For the poor, there are pro- grams that will make available low or no cost phone and internet service. Underemployed or dis- abled, there are programs to fur- nish medical insurance at low or no cost. A lot may be wrong with Amer- ica, but much is right. Freedom of conscious and speech is enshrined almost as an idol; how- ever, the Chinese Com- munist filter the inter- net, regulate speech, and have begun issuing social scores, similar to our credit scores to their citizens. This will impact where they can live, jobs they can apply for, and a host of other social amenities. Sure Americans gripe about the taxes, the unending demands for more from those who seem un- appreciative, but what is missed is where did this giving spirt and value come from? Our Christian ancestors impart- ed to their generation frugalness, hard work, and a charitable heart that was ingrained within our cul- ture. Christian charity and mis- sion work took the values of giving to the masses through nursing and hospitals, rescue missions, and so- cial activism to clean up the urban cities of corruption and blight. Where they successful? Look Continued on page 9 Heritage Viewpoint By Romina Boccia Continued on page 9 Continued on page 9 The America that we cherish and hope to pass on to the next generation depends on the prom- ise that we have a military strong enough to protect it and every- thing it stands for. Without that kind of military might to defend us from our enemies and to deter potential adversaries, everything that America is and was meant to be could be lost — our freedom, our prosperity, and our very way of life. Unfortunately, our adversaries are spending heavily to increase their capabilities while our armed forces are understaffed and using equipment that's outdated and on the verge of retirement. China and Russia are both working to over- take the United States as the dom- inant world power. We know that their purpose is not to use their militaries for defense, but to put more of the world under their con- trol. While some may want to argue that we already spend too much on our military, an honest look at the shortages in our ranks and equip- ment shows the very real need for increased and sustained funding. The Heritage Foundation's recent- ly released 2020 Index of U.S. Mil- itary Strength independently as- sesses readiness and capabilities of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines, and provides that neces- sary honest look. What does the assessment show? The U.S. Navy has 290 ships in its battle force while Communist China has a fleet of 300 and grow- ing. The average Air Force fight- er aircraft is 28 years old. The Ar- my's primary tank was introduced in the 1980s. Our allies are limited in their ability to assist us because they cut their own militaries even more than we did after the Cold War. We're only capable of fighting on one front, yet we have two large potential adversaries in Russia and China. The list goes on. As our military has kept foreign invaders from our shores and tak- en the fight to terrorists on their own soil, some Americans have taken for granted that peace is just the natural state of things. It's not. The American people must always understand how much our mili- tary protects everything they care about, from their families' safety to their dreams for the future to al- most everything about our Amer- ican way of life. They must under- stand that being ambivalent about the state of our military is being ambivalent about their own free- dom. That's why it's critical that they understand what our armed forc- es require to do their jobs. A mother in Iowa needs to know if the Air Force can't get her daughter enough training time in a jet fighter, making her job more risky than it has to be. The parents in Pennsylvania need to know when their son's Ar- my unit is called into battle wheth- er it's equipped with the best avail- able weapons and technology to ensure victory and a safe return home. And the parents and grand- parents of every child in Ameri- ca should understand that if they want these children to grow up in a free nation, they must ensure our military has the ability to stop those who would do them harm. The good news is that since 2017, Congress and the Trump ad- ministration have stabilized mil- itary budgets and provided the increased funds needed to make some significant improvements in readiness in every branch. The bad news is, two years of in- creased funding isn't enough to see a change in size and capabil- ity large enough to ensure that our military can meet the grow- ing threats around the world. The problem of underfunding isn't new, but it's become more concerning as our adversaries are making huge investments in their militaries and are aggressive- ly working to expand their reach across the globe. As George Washington said in his first annual address to Con- gress, "To be prepared for war is

Articles in this issue

Links on this page

Archives of this issue

view archives of The Press-Dispatch - November 27, 2019