The Press-Dispatch
Issue link: http://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/1410581
The Press-Dispatch Wednesday, September 15, 2021 C-7 Letter to the Editor Jasper, framework of heaven To the Editor: You know, I may be new to Jasper; yet, I found out rather quickly how Jasper got her name. Many of you know of Joseph and Eleanor Enslow's mill; and that it was Eleanor who came up with this exception- al name for the village, taken from Rev- elation 21:19. There are seven mentions of the gem in the K JV of the Bible (Exo- dus 28:20, 39:13, Ezekiel 28:13 and Rev- elation 4:3, 21:11, 18, 19). Jasper is not only the foundation of heaven, but also the walls of New Jerusalem. It is "crystal clear" in Revelation 4:3 that the Lord Je- sus Christ also appears as Jasper. How can we overlook the fact that Jesus declared Himself to be the way, the truth and the life, so that in His new glorified body, He would appear "crystal clear." Also note: Jesus is the headstone in His kingdom (Matthew 21:42), as Jasper is the gemstone in our corner of Indiana. Elyne Strauss Jasper, Ind. In elections last Novem- ber, Republicans won back four of eight seats they lost in 2018. Maybe change is coming to the bluest of blue states. Star Parker is president of the Center for Urban Renewal and Education and host of the weekly television show "Cure America with Star Parker." fare, command and control, air and sea defense, testing and proving new con- cepts of operations, and airborne assault. The joint exercises are said to include approximately 12,800 troops on Belar- usian territory, with both Belarus and Russia deploying 350 armored fighting vehicles, including 140 tanks, around 110 pieces of artillery, and more than 30 fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters. Gulevich said Belarus will deploy 400 troops and 30 items of military hardware to Russia, while Kazakhstan will provide 50 troops. It appears the remaining num- ber of troops will come from Russia. But recent estimates, based on re- marks by Russian Maj. Gen. Yevgeny Il- yin, suggest that Zapad-2021 will involve some 200,000 personnel; 80 combat heli- copters and aircraft; 760 vehicles, includ- ing 290 tanks; 240 artillery pieces, multi- launch rocket systems, and mortars; and 15 warships. The numbers leave little doubt that this will be a massive test of Russian military power. The numbers are also well over the 13,000 -troop threshold allowed by the 2011 Vienna Document. In early August, more than 10,000 Chi- nese and Russian soldiers were involved in Zapad Interaction-2021 war games in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, which also showcased large numbers of equipment between the two countries. During the same time period, some 10,000 Russian land, sea, and air forces of the Northern Fleet, including 30 war- ships and submarines, conducted deep strike, defensive, and amphibious oper- ations in the Atlantic Ocean and the Bar- ents and Norwegian Seas. Additionally, there are still an estimat- ed 80,000 Russian troops and their equip- ment still in place around Ukraine that have been in place since roughly March or April of this year, after a massive Rus- sian buildup on the country's borders. More exercises are likely to be part of the typical Russian "shell game" ap- proach to military exercises that seeks to hide their true size and capabilities, ei- ther by understating the forces involved or by holding several exercises around the same time and declaring them dis- crete operations that aren't part of Zapad. The fact that the Zapad exercises will be conducted in such proximity to Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland—all members of NATO—and Ukraine does pose a threat to these nations. Especially if Russia de- cides to go from war games to the offen- sive, as it did with Georgia in 2008. Based on what we know and have seen from Russian operations in March and April around Ukraine, as well as with past Zapad operations and what has appeared in the press and other open- source outlets, we can likely expect from Zapad-2021 to see increased interopera- bility of Russian and Belarusian forces, the replacement of old equipment with new, forward deployments of Russian forces in Belarus that will remain post-Za- pad-2021, a revamping of logistics hubs, electronic warfare, the integration of ar- tificial intelligence, and hybrid warfare. For the purpose of greater security and confidence-building in Europe, Russia should welcome foreign observers and increase its transparency about these ex- ercises. But Moscow, unsurprisingly, has taken the opposite approach. Russia has held the geopolitical advan- tage in Europe since its 2008 war with Georgia, and has continued to hold that initiative with the ongoing illegal occu- pation of Crimea and the war in the Don- bas, while NATO has been left to ponder and try and deter Moscow's next move in the region. Russia also continues to try to subvert both the European Union and NATO through political and hybrid warfare. Frankly, this must change. There are five measures that the Biden administration and NATO could take to push back on Putin and strengthen Eu- ropean security. First and foremost, the United States acquiesced to Russia and to German in- terests over the Nord Stream 2 pipeline— something it did not do for its closest neighbor and ally Canada when it blocked the Keystone pipeline. The Biden admin- istration could now push Chancellor An- gela Merkel of Germany, the one NATO ally that has sway with Putin, to demand unfettered access for NATO observers to the Zapad war games. The Biden administration could also enhance its role in the upcoming DE- FENDER-Europe 20 rapid-enforcement exercise to approach the level of NATO's robust REFORGER exercises, which were conducted during the Cold War. It can also enhance rapid-reinforcement ex- ercises geared for NATO front-line coun- tries, such as Poland, the Baltic States, and Romania. Third, NATO could carry out rap- id-reinforcement deployments to both Ukraine through Poland and Romania and Georgia through Turkey and/or the Black Sea. Fourth, the Biden administration could push NATO countries to enhance their tripwire forces in the Baltic and Poland and in the Black Sea region. Russia react- ed allergically to the peaceful presence of the British destroyer Defender in wa- ters near the Crimea coast, and an en- hanced naval presence in the Black Sea could push back on Moscow in an unex- pected area of operations. Lastly, the Biden administration could reverse the decision of the first Bush White House by forward-deploying the- atre-level, nuclear-tipped cruise missiles on United States surface combatants and submarines. These measures would have the im- pact of giving an aggressive pause to Rus- sia's advantage, providing comfort and enhanced security to European friends and allies, and wrestling the strategic ini- tiative from Russia in Europe, where it has largely had a free hand since 2008. Zapad-2021 provides an open opportu- nity for the Biden administration to ex- hibit a stronger stance on Russia, but it's unlikely that Biden will take advantage. He's too busy dealing with fires in other parts of the world. Alexis Mrachek is a research associate in the Douglas and Sarah Allison Center for Foreign Policy. Court Report FELONY Pike County Circuit Court Joseph J. Wootan charged with count I possession of methamphetamine, a level 5 felony, and count II possession of par- aphernalia. Stephanie J. Navarrete charged with count I possession of methamphetamine, a level 6 felony, count II resisting law en- forcement, count III possession of par- aphernalia and count IV possession of marijuana. Hector F. Leiva Ramirez charged with count I possession of methamphetamine, a level 6 felony, count II resisting law en- forcement and count III possession of marijuana. Jerome Sims charged with count I op- erating a vehicle while intoxicated, en- dangering a person less than 18 yrs old, a level 6 felony, and count II operating a vehicle while intoxicated, endangering a person. Domenic Migliarese charged with in- timidation, a level 6 felony. Amelia Grames charged with neglect of a dependent, a level 6 felony. Aaron Joseph Craig charged with ne- glect of a dependent, a level 6 felony. TRAFFIC AND MISDEMEANORS Pike County Circuit Court Lamonte Hobby charged with posses- sion of marijuana. David L. Cooper charge with knowing- ly or intentionally operating a motor vehi- cle without ever receiving a license. Allayni Wright charged with operating a vehicle with an ACE of at least .08 but less than .15. Jenny F. Byrd charged with interfer- ing with a drug or alcohol screening test. CIVIL Pike County Circuit Court LVNV Funding, LLC sues Brenda Vi- an on complaint. LVNV Funding, LLC sues Timothy Hill on complaint. SMALL CLAIMS Pike County Circuit Court Hoosier Accounts Service sues Mi- chael E. Shoemaker on complaint. Hoosier Accounts Service sues Aaron T. Nowark on complaint. INFRACTIONS Pike County Circuit Court Jeri L. Riggs charged with speeding in a school zone. Marie A. Smith charged with speeding in a school zone. Janice Miles charged with speeding, exceeding 55 mph. Gary L. Horrall charged with speed- ing, exceeding 55 mph. Eugenia V. Hadley charged with speed- ing, exceeding 55 mph. Kylie J. Schepers charged with speed- ing in a school zone. Audrey S. Howard charged with speed- ing, exceeding 55 mph. Stephen M. Sullivan charged with speeding, exceeding 55 mph. Bradley J. Hawthorne charged with seatbelt violation. Crystal T. Frederick charged with speeding, exceeding 55 mph. Anthony Pride charged with driving while suspended. Brianna M. Copenhaver charged with speeding, exceeding 70 mph. Ryan L. Herald charged with speeding in a school zone. Taylor E. Skelton charged with speed- ing in a school zone. Kelvyn A. Acton charged with speed- ing, exceeding 70 mph. Larry T. Davis charged with speeding, exceeding 30 mph. Marvin D. Wagler charged with speed- ing, exceeding 30 mph. Stephanie K. Noblitt charged with speeding. Amanda L. Schweizer charged with speeding, exceeding 70 mph. Jessica M. Hart charged with speed- ing, exceeding 55 mph. Maria R. Chestnut charged with speed- ing, exceeding 70 mph. Shayleigh C. Deno charged with count I driving while suspended and count II speeding, exceeding 55 mph. Joseph W. Ridao charged with seatbelt violation. Eric W. Bush charged with improper or no turn signals. Michael D. Huddleston charged with speeding, exceeding 70 mph. Amanda G. Kelly charged with speed- ing, exceeding 70 mph. Susan M. Shields charged with speed- ing, exceeding 70 mph. Tristan A. Witham charged with speed- ing, exceeding 70 mph. Carpell L. Cradler charged with speed- ing, exceeding 70 mph. Jason B. Gandhi charged with speed- ing, exceeding 70 mph. Nicholas P. McLaughlin charged with speeding, exceeding 70 mph. Ryan J. Henry charged with speeding, exceeding 70 mph. Mirari R. Miracle charged with speed- ing, exceeding 70 mph. Juan C. Lara charged with speeding, exceeding 70 mph. Vamski K. Duvvuri charged with speeding, exceeding 70 mph. Haley D. Collins charged with speed- ing, exceeding 55 mph. Ryan N. Parkman charged with speed- ing, exceeding 70 mph. Kelsey M. Deaton charged with speed- ing, exceeding 70 mph. Ryan M. Pickard charged with speed- ing, exceeding 70 mph. Andrew G. Bowers charged with count I disregarding lighted signal and count II operating a motorcycle without prop- er permit/endorsement. Fredy Clawson, Jr. charged with speed- ing, exceeding 70 mph. Austin D. Wilde charged with speed- ing, exceeding 70 mph. Meredith E. Echols charged with speeding, exceeding 70 mph. Michael A. Davis charged with speed- ing, exceeding 70 mph. Joseph J. Wootan charged with unsafe lane movement. Tocorra L. Clark charged with speed- ing, exceeding 70 mph. GRIP Continued from page 6 shall be declared ineligible for one year." Subsection d reads, "Any player, umpire, or club or league official or employee, who shall bet any sum whatsoever upon any baseball game in connection with which the bettor has a duty to perform shall be de- clared permanently ineligi- ble." Should Rose be rewarded for deliberately and repeated- ly violating the rules? No one is impervious to temptation. Humans look for an easier way when things are tough. The devil recog- nizes this human weakness. A fter Jesus fasted 40 days in the wilderness, he was starving. The devil tempted him and said, "If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread. Jesus stood fast and replied, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God." You could say Jesus knew the rules of the game and re- fused to take a shortcut. God knows people will even cut corners to get to heaven. Jesus said in John's Gos- pel, "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber ... Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pas- ture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly." By this passage Jesus says there are people trying to con their way into eternal life and heaven. This puts the cheat- er into the company of the thief and murderer which is the description he gave of the devil. If you want to get to heav- en, you must follow God's prescribed way to get there. Moses came down the moun- tain with 10 Commandments from God, not 10 good sug- gestions. Jesus gave his dis- ciples a New Commandment. There are no shortcuts on the road to eternal life. Any attempt to build a new road puts you in company of the thief and murderer. Jesus says, "And then I will tell them plainly, I never knew you: begone from me, you doers of wickedness." Cheaters never win. Think about it. ernment will have any money to pay benefits 40 years from now. But now, the crisis isn't 40 years away. It is five years away because of Biden's gar- gantuan debt plan. The Democrats say they want to impose drug price controls to pay for some of these costs, but that will have two negative effects on seniors. First, price controls are linked to less innova- tion and slower races for the cures for diseases that afflict seniors, such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. Second, price controls may limit ac- cess to lifesaving and pain-al- leviating drugs, as we see in other countries. This scheme only endangers the health of seniors. I'm all for saving money on drug costs, but given the success of Operation Warp Speed, and the thousands of lives (mostly those over the age of 65) saved through this vaccine, why would we want to slow the development of new drugs? Seniors are by far the big- gest losers from the Biden scheme of adding trillions of dollars to our national debt. Democrats say they will pay for their $ 3.5 trillion debt scam by taxing the rich. Uh- huh. The Wall Street Journal recently reported that even if you took every penny that the millionaires and billion- aires have, that still wouldn't pay for the mountain of new spending Biden wants. The piggy bank that they will raid is the Social Security/Medi- care fund. Now who's throwing grandma from the train? Stephen Moore is an econ- omist with FreedomWorks. He is also a co-founder of the Committee to Unleash Pros- perity and a Washington Ex- aminer columnist. CHEATING Continued from page 6 CLIFF Continued from page 6 WAR GAMES Continued from page 6 HEATING AND AIR 812-789-3065 jmcdonald@alltradeheatingandair.net or admin@alltradeheatingandair.net WE TEST. SO IT RUNS.