The Press-Dispatch
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A-8 Wednesday, Februar y 7, 2018 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 Last week's column centered up- on the cross as a symbol of Lent. The cross means suffering and af- fliction. It is imperative the Chris- tian understand that the manner of death Jesus would suffer dates back to Moses and the Law. The law made the Cross a "cursed thing" so the manner of death Je- sus would suffer was no accident. Deuteronomy 21:22 -23: "And if a man have committed a sin wor- thy of death, and he be to be put to death, and you hang him on a tree: His body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but you shall in any wise bury him that day; for he that is hanged is accursed of God; that the land be not defiled, which the LORD thy God giveth you for an inheritance." In the Acts of the Apostles, Luke mentions this curse and applies it to Jesus: "The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree [Acts 5:30]." In Paul's letter to the Galatians, he likewise highlights the curse: "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed [is] every one that hangs on a tree." [Galatians 13:3] Jesus became ac- cursed for human- kind's reconciliation to God. The question becomes, especial- ly during Lent, what did Jesus mean when he said "take up your cross and follow me? " The church taught "to take up one's cross" is a spiritual call to endure suffering. The phrase is an appeal to a life of deep-seated Christian discipleship that could end in death [martyrdom]. The cross is entwined with death by crucifixion; therefore, to endure the cross means to risk or face persecution and/or execu- tion. Bearing one's cross is not akin to suffering from an illness, a bad marriage, or rambunctious chil- dren. To bear one's cross means to accept and embrace the perse- cution that comes with being a dis- ciple and identifying with Christ. Much debate has encircled the ques- tion, "Should the cross symbolize a sacrificial Christ, or be empty to note Christ is risen? " The Church by the 4th century had ad- opted the cross as an icon, and the crucifix became part of the symbolism of the church. Thus, the crucifix be- came a symbol in the Orthodox and Catholic Churches. The Protestant Church reject- ed much of the iconography of the Church. John Calvin taught that to venerate a crucifix was idola- try. Therefore, the cross was to be empty to denote a risen savior. However, Christ is our sacri- fice; yet He is risen and has con- quered death. This is an integral part of communion; Paul told the Minority View by Walter E. Williams The Weekly by Alden Heuring Immigration lies and hypocrisy Points to Ponder by Rev. Ford Bond The Cross and Lent: Part II 'Whiplash' book an antidote to the Left's caricature of conservatism Heritage Viewpoint by Edwin J. Feulner I don't often use my column to tout a specific book, but this vol- ume is an exception that is really worth your time. My friend Arnold Steinberg has written a wise, engrossing history of modern conservatism, "Whip- lash! From JFK to Donald Trump, a Political Odyssey." It traces the author's journey from a preteen supporter of John F. Kennedy to a prodigal and integral figure in American conservatism. Our paths crossed early and of- ten. I was doing graduate work at Georgetown and analysis at the Center for Strategic and Interna- tional Studies when Arnie — bare- ly 20 and just-named editor of The New Guard, national magazine of Young Americans for Freedom ( YAF) — called me about YAF's opposition to trade with the Sovi- et Union. We agreed that non-mil- itary trade would allow the com- munists to strengthen their inter- nal power and to divert scarce re- sources toward armaments. Arnie's college roommate, Bruce Weinrod, was working part-time for Lee Edwards, who would become The Heritage Foun- dation's pre-eminent historian. Bruce was Heritage's foreign policy studies direc- tor before moving to major positions in government. Prior to founding Heritage, I worked as executive assistant to Rep. Phil Crane. Arnie had been instrumental in Phil's 1969 upset election and remained Phil's friend and confidante. A PhD historian, Phil was that rarity, an intellectu- al congressman. And that's what drew me, and likely Arnie, to him. A year later, Arnie's innovative media strategy was instrumental in the Conservative Party's 1970 election of Bill Buckley's brother Jim as U.S. senator — from New York, of all places. Jim Buckley's charming foreword to Arnie's book recounts that amazing story. That synthesis — between political phi- losophy and politics, between policy and campaigns — is much of what this book is about. Arnie is one of those few political strate- gists who was into politics not for money or power, but ideals. He encountered great minds such as Milton Friedman and Bill Buck- ley, with whom long ago I helped start The Philadelphia Society, an obscure group of professors and activist-intellectuals. Arnie, who became one of our youngest members and later served with me as a trustee, now outs the "PhillySoc" as the apex of Buy me love Big city life Continued on page 9 Continued on page 9 Continued on page 9 Continued on page 9 Continued on page 9 Continued on page 9 A conflicted farewell to my favorite girls basketball team Lucid Moments by Bart Stinson High school girls basketball fans in our city bade farewell Saturday to three magnificent seniors, the likes of whom we're unlikely ev- er to see again. It was an especial- ly sentimental occasion for me be- cause one of them is my own six- foot-plus granddaughter. Both of my granddaughter's classmates were under-sized, but indomitable and lightning-fast. They were a once-in-a-generation guard duo who produced a thrill- ing style of play, game after game. The winters are going to be a little greyer without them. I've watched all three girls play since about fifth grade and, like the rest of my fami- ly, I've got a chunk of emotional in- vestment in them. My granddaughter was much larger and more powerful than the other fifth-graders, but she was a gentle child who recoiled and apol- ogized when she bumped into op- ponents. It took years to get her to be aggressive and contentious. Her mother often beseeched her to "play big! " But this past weekend, she blocked an All-American oppo- nent's shot twice in a row, foul- ing her on the second one. That, combined with four others called against her as she bat- tled a larger girl for po- sition, sent her to the bench with two min- utes remaining, bring- ing her basketball ca- reer to an end. Although recruiters have been in touch, she says she doesn't want to play college basket- ball. That's partly be- cause she's going to enroll in a difficult academic major (pediat- ric nursing) and will need to de- vote herself wholeheartedly to cal- culus and organic chemistry. But it's also because, as she says, "bas- ketball gets on my nerves." Hey, I'm a Hoosier, one of the priesthood of all believers. My heart beats to the rhythm of a bouncing round ball against hard- wood. I shout intemperate remarks at good men trying their best to officiate a complicated, fast-paced game in real time. I second-guess coaches behind their backs. I think I know what my granddaughter means. There's probably no other sport in which young athletes have less control over their des- tiny. It's a very diffi- cult game to offici- ate. It's easy to get it wrong, and quite com- mon. A mediocre or distracted basketball official can, with in- tegrity and the best of intentions, reward sly misbehavior or crush a diligent youngster's soul. Simultaneously. Players are at the mercy of coaches who are, alas, only human. If the basketball coach doesn't rec- ognize or respect your abilities, the team's plays won't permit you to shine. You may not even get off the bench and into the game. Your excellence will remain latent. Contrast this to swimming, golf, tennis or track and field, where coaches and officials play a much more limited role, and the athlete is captain of her own fate. Do you know who Lily King's coach is? I have no idea. I understand the argument that My Point of View by Dr. H. K. Fenol, Jr., M.D. President Donald Trump report- edly asked why the U.S. is "hav- ing all these people from ****hole countries come here." I think he could have used better language, but it's a question that should be asked and answered. I have a few questions for my fellow Ameri- cans to consider. How many Nor- wegians have illegally entered our nation, committed crimes and bur- dened our prison and welfare sys- tems? I might ask the same ques- tion about Finnish, Swedish, Welsh, Icelanders, Greenlanders and New Zealanders. The bulk of our immigration problem is with people who enter our coun- try criminally from Mexico, Cen- tral America, the Caribbean, A fri- ca and the Middle East. It's illegal immigrants from those countries who have committed crimes and burdened our criminal justice and welfare systems. A large number of immigrants who are here illegal- ly – perhaps the majority are law- abiding in other respects – have fled oppressive, brutal and cor- rupt regimes to seek a better life in America. In the debate about illegal immi- gration, there are questions that are not explicitly asked but can be answered with a straight "yes" or "no": Does everyone in the world have a right to live in the U.S.? Do Americans have a right to decide who and under what conditions a person may enter our country? Should we permit foreigners land- ing at our airports to ignore U.S. border control laws just as some ig- nore our laws at our southern bor- der? The reason those questions are not asked is that one would be deemed an idiot for saying that everyone in the world has a right to live in our country, that Amer- icans don't have a right to decide who lives in our country and that foreigners landing at our airports have a right to just ignore U.S. Cus- toms and Border Protection agents. Immigration today, even when legal, is different from the immi- gration of yesteryear. People who came here in the 19th century and most of the 20th century came here to learn our language, learn our customs and become Ameri- cans. Years ago, there was a guar- antee that immigrants came here to work, because there was no wel- fare system; they worked, begged or starved. Today, there is no such assurance. Because of our welfare state, immigrants can come here and live off taxpaying Americans. There is another difference be- tween today and yesteryear. To- day, Americans are taught multi- culturalism throughout their pri- mary, secondary and college ed- ucation. They are taught that one culture is no better or worse than another. To believe otherwise is criticized at best as Eurocentrism and at worst as racism. As a result, some immigrant groups seek to bring to our country the cultur- al values whose failures have led to the poverty, corruption and human rights violations in their home countries that caused them to flee. As the fallout from Presi- dent Trump's indelicate remarks demonstrates, too many Ameri- cans are afraid and unwilling to ask which immigrant groups have become a burden to our nation and which have made a contribution to the greatness of America. Very unfortunate for our nation is that we have political groups that seek to use illegal immigration for their own benefit. They've creat- ed sanctuary cities and states that openly harbor criminals – people who have broken our laws. The whole concept of sanctuary cities is to give aid, comfort and sympa- thy to people who have broken our laws. Supporters want to prevent them from having to hide and live in fear of discovery. I'd ask wheth- er, for the sake of equality before the law, we should apply the sanc- tuary concept to Americans who have broken other laws, such as robbers and tax evaders. We should not fall prey to people who criticize our efforts to combat illegal immigration and who pomp- ously say, "We're a nation of immi- grants! " The debate is not over im- migration. The debate is over ille- gal immigration. My sentiments on immigrants who are here legal- ly and who want to become Ameri- It's almost Valentine's Day, and just like the other five Valentine's Days I've spent with Jill, picking out a present for her has been... next to impossible. Thankfully, I was accidentally listening to her during a conversation and got a good gift idea from that mistake, but up until that point, I was riding the struggle loveboat. It's just nev- er easy to condense feelings into a physical object, even for the love of your life. I'm sure I'm not the only per- son who has trouble giving good gifts, so I wanted to share some dishonorable mentions from my short list of Valentine's gift ideas. Maybe you can get away with one of them and stay one step ahead of the doghouse this year! First on the list is... CHICKEN NUGGETS They say the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, and that's true for the ladies as well. Who doesn't love that bloated feeling you get after forcing down the last chicken nugget from that greasy cardboard bucket? Plus, the more you buy, the better price per nugget you get, so it's easy on the wallet to surprise your roman- tic interest with a pile of breaded chicken leavings bigger than their head! Don't forget to dress it up a little by drawing a heart on the top of the nugget-stack in their favor- ite dipping sauce. Next up... A LIVE CACTUS It's a metaphor! Everyone knows the juice of the cactus has saved countless thirsty desert travelers, so when you look at it that way, you're telling that special someone "Without you, I would die of dehydration." If you want to go the extra desert mile, get a fan- cy pot full of exotic sand for hous- ing the cactus. Every time your lover feels that gritty feeling in their hair, their mouth, their arm- pit, or anywhere else sand can get lodged, they'll think of you. And just like a good life partner, cacti are low-maintenance! What could possibly go wrong? Living in a big city. Rose and I recently came back from a brief break from this rather tough cold weather We attended a wedding of a dear friend's daughter in Or- lando. At first I did not understand why that city was chosen by the parents of the bride, but when the acknowl- edgments of guests during the re- ception was made, I understood better. The attendees came from different parts of the world and Or- lando made sense since it is a well known city to practically everyone in the planet. Now here's what Rose and I went through. The drive to find places like the church and hotel and re- ception became a challenge for us. Even though we had an excel- lent GPS device, it got confused at times because of construction tak- ing place in that city. Also, there were so many vehicles driving at a fast pace it scared me because everybody seems to be in a hurry. Add to that, there were many cameras on practically every traf- fic light. We were warned they take pictures rather generously if you make small errors, like trying to outpace orange caution lights. My brother in law who lives in Flori- da told me the fines generally are $250 each offense. And the law will send you a picture of when and where they happened. If you want to contest the offense, you will spend a ton more to defend your- self. So, most of the "offenders " just bite the bullet and pay the fine. Another item, while driving and when you are focusing to be on the