The Press-Dispatch
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/1138510
B-4 Opinion Wednesday, July 3, 2019 The Press-Dispatch residence where the windows to their guest room and porch were located on the second floor of their residence. It also showed the convenience store that was on their first floor level. Scary indeed. • • • So let's get back to the airport. The first thing that hit me as a reminder that I was "home" was the heat and humidity when we exited the plane and headed to the arrival section of the airport via the walkway. Tempera- ture was about 90s . The airport itself was fine , lots of passengers and lots of lines clearing up the customs and im- migration area and then the baggage claim section. We had a prearranged van transport to our hotel and so for those who do international travels, you know that there is a section in the airport where different names were displayed by drivers as you near the final exit area. Within a short period of time, a person holding the name of the hotel we were to stay met us and directed us to their reception booth to wait for our van. Thank goodness for air conditioning. Thank goodness. So they loaded up our big and heavy lug- gages and off we went to the highways leading to the hotel. It was about an hour of travel. Ah, traffic was rather heavy and the driver kept apologizing for the sluggish movement of vehicles. He said it was because a lot of planes landed at about the same time com- ing mostly from places where over- seas workers earn their living. The Philippines is one of the countries in Asia that supply a huge population of workers for the rich countries in the Middle East- such as Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates. In partic- ular Dubai. Now my mind is register- ing the familiar roads I used to trav- el and drive through during the time I got my driver's license and spent 10 years maneuvering the streets of the city before I migrated at age 26. Final- ly, and finally, we arrived at the hotel. I was carefully observing my entou- rage, especially Lawrence, wife Kel- ly, their son Michael and my grand- son Andrew. They seem to look com- fortable, excited and were impressed by the reception at the lobby of the ho- tel. There were several security per- sonnel at the gate entrance, and sev- eral door greeters welcoming our ar- rival. It made me happy that their ar- rival was flavored by VIP reception which we did not experience in Ko- rea. It seems everybody in the hotel were in a festive mood , lots of smiles and lots of polite greetings. The Fili- pinos are known for their hospitality. They love to show their welcoming at- titude especially to those who come from abroad. A fter a brief process for registering, we headed to our rooms. Wow, I did not realize how great the rooms looked like. Rose and I felt the hours and hours of work coordinat- ing with our local Pike county travel agent paid off. So we settled down and refreshed ourselves and dropped to our beds for a good night sleep. Night night, I'll tell the next stories of the Philippine adventures on the next go around. Zzzzzzzzz. Wisdom of the week: Prayers make all things possible. Rose and I did that in preparation for this big adventure. Works all the time. Thank you Lord. And by the way- Happy Birth- day America. We Americans are so blessed to have a Country so gifted with many things beyond our capacity to realize. This song is now humming in my head. "O beautiful for spacious skies, For amber waves of grain…" "God shed His grace on Thee …"" Have a blessed week! Court Report FELONY Pike County Circuit Court David Lakins charged with count I possession of methamphetamine, a level 6 felony, and count II public in- toxication. Kristoffer Allen Newberry charged with battery resulting in moderate bodily injury, a level 6 felony. Scottie L. Harris charged with count I possession of a controlled sub- stance, count II operating a vehicle while intoxicated, and count III oper- ating a vehicle while intoxicated, pri- or, a level 6 felony. Beth A. Snipes charged with theft, a level 6 felony. Deanna G. Wilson charged with theft, a level 6 felony. David Lee Heichelbech charged with count I domestic battery and count II domestic battery, prior, a lev- el 6 felony. Harcourt Lee Alton charged with count I resisting law enforcement, a level 6 felony, count II operating a ve- hicle while intoxicated, count III op- erating a vehicle with an ACE of .15 or more, count IV reckless driving, causing property damage, and count V operating a vehicle while intoxicat- ed, prior, a level 6 felony. Brian C. Mesnard charged with ob- struction of justice, a level 6 felony. TRAFFIC AND MISDEMEANOR Pike County Circuit Court Patricia Coleman charged with pub- lic intoxication. Paul J. McCord charged with com- pulsory school attendance. Heather McCord charged with compulsory school attendance. Jerry Bob Catt charged with count I possession of marijuana, count II op- erating a vehicle while intoxicated, and count III reckless driving. William Clyde Sherman charged with possession of marijuana. Edwin Gilberto Marrero Gelpi charged with count I driving while suspended and count II carrying a handgun without a license. Sheronda Dillard charged with check deception. CIVIL Pike County Circuit Court LVNV Funding LLC sues Heather Nowark on complaint. LVNV Funding LLC sues Anthony Loveless on complaint. Midland Funding LLC sues Jeffrey Gayhart on complaint. Midland Funding LLC sues Mi- chael Watkins on complaint. AmeriFirst Financial Corporation sues Patricia L. Kendall, Opal Sermer- sheim and Pike County on complaint. Dustin Traylor sues Jane Traylor for dissolution of marriage. Brittney Simmons sues Jordan Sim- mons for dissolution of marriage. SMALL CLAIMS Pike County Circuit Court D&S Hardware, Inc. sues Michael Cardarelli on complaint. INFRACTIONS Pike County Circuit Court Scottie D. Keeker charged with seatbelt violation. Kurtis R. Oldiges charged with speeding, exceeding 70 mph. Leonel Lopez Pegueros charged with speeding, exceeding 55 mph. Brayden D. Cooper charged with speeding, exceeding 55 mph. David Reynolds charged with speeding, exceeding 70 mph. Luke A. Postell charged with speed- ing, exceeding 70 mph. Aunjuanete M. Lambert charge with open alcoholic beverage contain- er during operation of a motor vehicle. Branden R. Segert charged with disregarding an official traffic con- trol device. George R. Powell charged with dis- regarding a stop sign. Steven A. Vanpelt charged with speeding. Stephen A. Ford charged with speeding, exceeding 55 mph. Curtis D. Isaacs charged with speeding. Megan N. Blue charged with speed- ing. Matthew A. Brown charged with speeding, exceeding 70 mph. Judson R. Kidwell charged with seatbelt violation. Tia C. Hall charged with speeding, exceeding 70 mph. Aaron S. Benko charged with speeding, exceeding 70 mph. Rusty M. Graham charged with speeding, exceeding 70 mph. Dieucibon Alerte charged with op- erating with expired plates. Mitchell J. Collins charged with speeding, exceeding 70 mph. Zachary D. Johnson charged with speeding, exceeding 70 mph. Charles W. Mount charged with no valid driver's license. Cory J. Folsom charged with speed- ing. Duston J. Wampler charged with speeding. Anthony M. Woolsey charged with driving while suspended. than asking questions, she used all her time to pontif- icate and ridicule CURE's two Christian pastors. The remarkable sto- ries that these two pastors shared about growing up poor in broken communi- ties and beating the odds through struggle and faith were of zero interest to Omar. They didn't say what she wanted to hear. Pastor Mahan summed up his formula for what worked, saying, "Personal responsi- bility, strong marriages and families, and an active faith in Jesus Christ. ... Govern- ment programs will only prove successful to the de- gree that they supplement these key factors, without supplanting them." Pastor Fields talked about her determination as a young woman to not become part of the drugs, crime and despair in the community that surround - ed her where she grew up, in Baton Rouge. She shared the devasta- tion she experienced after becoming pregnant at age 17 and withstanding the pres- sure from those around her who told her to abort the child. "I had a big decision to make," she said. "Do I get rid of my baby and proceed as normal as though nothing happened ...? Or do I live the rest of my life knowing I had killed my baby? " Mahan and Fields con- veyed how they rejected abortion, how they married, struggled, home-schooled their children and are now proud parents of children with university degrees. Rather than holding up Fields' story of faith and courage as a shining ex- ample of what works, Omar mocked her. "( We) hear someone say, 'It was a choice made — up to me, to have my children and not be like other black people ... We don't get to have those kinds of conver- sations," said Omar. What kind of conversa- tions do we get to have, ac- cording to her? "The kind of systematic barriers that exist in prosperity — that's the conversation we should be having," she said. The great hymn "Amaz- ing Grace," composed by repentant slave trader John Newton, ends with "I was blind but now I see." Congresswoman Omar is blinded by hate for the na- tion to which she had the privilege of immigrating. She is blinded by the distor- tions of the statist ideology that, despite years of experi- ence and tens of trillions in government expenditures to the contrary, she chooses to believe will improve impov- erished lives. Two courageous Chris- tian pastors presented them- selves before the House Budget Committee as living examples that the faith and freedom that made Amer- ica great is still the formu- la that works — even in the most difficult and challeng- ing circumstances. We're now entering elec- tion season. Democrats are betting they can still drown out the truth and continue to sell the same failed big-gov- ernment lies to blacks. My bet is stories like those of Pastors Fields and Mahan are too powerful, even for the screaming and ranting of Ilhan Omar. Even those who were once blind are coming to see the truth. Star Parker is an author and president of CURE, Cen- ter for Urban Renewal and Education. Contact her at www.urbancure.org. Continued from page 3 ATTACKS sword to John McCain, Jeb Bush, anybody but the guy who won the election. Like the ragtag frontier militiamen who tamed the British infantry, we Deplor- ables are considered unde- serving of sovereignty, unfit for self-government. Ameri- can elites are frantically im- porting new Tories to de- nounce us, to outvote us, to help them put down our re- bellion. Now it's we who are under siege. We may have to boil a few rats, but it's our duty to out- last the siege. We do not have a right to surrender to these people who have ma- lignant intentions for our grandchildren. It's time to dig deep and call on the Spir- it of '76. As Ben Franklin reported- ly said that summer in Phil- adelphia, "we must, indeed, all hang together or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately." Continued from page 3 GOVERN the tools itself has creat- ed. Goodness, grace, beau- ty, and brotherhood do not come by force of govern- ment or will, but through God! We read of three incidents in the early chapters of the Book of Genesis where man- kind became consumed with itself and its urges, and the results were catastrophic. The eternal truths of the Gospel is the ammunition to be used in this fight for our nation and civilization. Our arms are not swords, spears, or bombs. We need the pow- er of the Spirit of God. We must encourage one another to attack secular- ism using the Spiritual tools at our disposal: the ability to think and to persuade. Tell the unconvinced to look around and discern where we are headed as a nation when everyone is entrapped in identity politics has been placed in a political group that has a grievance. Christianity was the glue that held us together as a nation, and that is being re- placed. Look at the Muslim, the Hindu, and the nations that embrace Buddhism and Confucianism. Which one is tearing itself apart? There is no more impor- tant fight than proclaiming Christ to our fractured na- tion! The survival and well- being of our family and homeland depends upon our ability to articulate the Gos- pel! It remains Good News that Christ came to save us from our sins. There are some among us who might say "Let it go, and let God sort it out-He will anyway." I'm not ready to surren- der to the elements of our era because the pain, the misery, and the evil of oth- ers encourages us to remain at our posts, as good soldiers for Christ! Are you ready to be a good soldier? Think about it! Continued from page 3 FIGHTING Continued from page 3 PHILIPPINES Continued from page 3 SLAVERY richest states and regions were those where slavery was absent: Pennsyl- vania, New York and Massachusetts. The reparations movement would be an amusing sideshow were it not for its damaging distractions. It gross- ly misallocates resources that could be better spent elsewhere. According to the state Department of Education, 75% of black California boys cannot meet state reading standards. In 2016, in 13 of Baltimore's 39 high schools, not a single student scored proficient on the state's mathematics exam. In six other high schools, only 1% test- ed proficient in math. The same sto- ry of low education outcomes can be told about most cities with large black populations. I'd like to see lawyers bring class-action suits against public school systems in cities like Philadel- phia, Baltimore, Washington, Detroit and Los Angeles for conferring fraud- ulent high school diplomas. Such di- plomas attest a 12th-grade level of aca- demic achievement when in fact those youngsters often cannot perform at sixth- or seventh-grade levels. The nation's most dangerous big cities are Detroit, Oakland, St. Lou- is, Memphis, Stockton, Birmingham, Baltimore, Cleveland, Atlanta, Chica- go and Milwaukee. The common char- acteristic of most of these cities is that they have predominantly black popu- lations and blacks have considerable political power as mayors, city coun- cilmen and chiefs of police. Energy spent on reparations should be used to solve those problems. As of 2014, U.S. taxpayers have spent $22 trillion on Lyndon Johnson's War on Poverty (in constant 2012 dol- lars). Adjusting for inflation, that's three times more than was spent on all military wars since the Ameri- can Revolution. If money alone were the answer, the many issues facing a large segment of the black communi- ty would have been solved. There's another possible repara- tions issue completely ignored: Blacks as well as whites live on land taken, sometimes brutally, from American Indians. Do blacks and whites owe American Indians anything? Walter E. Williams is a professor of economics at George Mason University. gle or a home run, your job remains the same: Take complex topics of policy and make them understandable for your readers. Help them see beyond the headlines to what really matters. It's easy to scan those headlines and feel over- whelmed. From tax cuts to foreign policy to immigra- tion reform, it's tough to un- derstand what's going on. That's where the colum- nist comes in. There's a tsunami of information out there, from tweets to talking heads. It's the columnist's job to cut through the noise and take a position. Then he has to explain why — in the hopes of persuading others to do likewise. That takes "serious con- templation." The late, great Charles Krauthammer de- scribed a lengthy column- writing process of writing an outline, dictating his thoughts, having them tran- scribed, and editing them for several hours. Then he'd sleep on it before doing a fi- nal edit. We live in a world domi- nated by instant responses. Is it any coincidence that it's also an extremely divided, polarized world? More than ever, we need the tempered, thoughtful voice of a colum- nist to keep us from capsiz- ing on a choppy sea. It's been my goal and pleasure over the last four decades to share a layman- friendly conservative per- spective on current events and hopefully advance our ideas. If I've managed to do that, then I consider my ef- forts as a regular columnist to be time well spent. Onward! Ed Feulner is founder of The Heritage Foundation (heritage.org). Letter to the Editor Proud to be from Otwell, USA On conservative views To the Editor: We have all heard the Lee Green- wood song "Proud to be an Ameri- can," yes, I am proud to be an Ameri- can. We live in a country where we are free to make choices. Our rights and freedoms are guaranteed in the Bill of Rights, the first 10 amendments of the U.S. Constitution. Our country's con- stitution is the oldest written consti- tution in operation in the world and a model to other countries. I am also proud to be from Otwell, Ind. As our country's 243rd birthday is celebrated this week on July 4, In- dependence Day, I cannot think of a better place to celebrate than in Ot- well. The community spirit for July 4 is still going strong 60 years after that first Ruritan Club celebration. The Ruritan Club was formed in 1957 by a group of gentlemen who had a vision for the community, an unincorporat- ed village. Since 1957, the community has established a volunteer fire depart- ment, which has grown from a fire en- gine and a tanker housed in the Ruri- tan Club Building to a growing, mod- ernized fire station. A water and sew- age system was also established. In recent years, the town has seen a vet- eran's monument built, along with se- nior citizen housing and other commu- nity improvements. A fter the closure of our high school in 1974, Otwell residents stepped up and formed the Community Center, uti- lizing and maintaining our OHS Gym. As the gym was always the center of ac- tivities for our school, it is still the cen- ter of many community and family ac- tivities. It is a first-rate facility in this area and has been meticulously main- tained. If you are proud to be an American, and want to celebrate our country in a spirited, family-oriented atmosphere, then attend the July 4th activities in Otwell. It is a wonderful time to see old friends and make some new ones. I know where I plan to be this July 4. I am going to be in my hometown, Otwell. Kim Anderson Elliott To the Editor: Although I live in Vincennes, I am a subscriber to your newspaper be- cause of its conservative opinion page. The Press-Dispatch is the only newspa- per in the area that provides this, giv- ing its readers information that would otherwise be unavailable at the local level. Columnist Bart Stinson has given me much valuable insight into how, when and why the culture war is at its present level. His column of the June 26 issue, titled "Depravity as a Civil Right" has proved the most valuable to me, supplying information that I had only conjectured...names, dates, statistics concerning the Gay Pride movement. And the near-future polit- ical issue regarding Gay Pride, NAM- BL A, was only a suspicion in my mind. Thanks to Mr. Stinson, I now know that the plan to try to legalize pedo- philia is tied in to what has taken place in recent years. Thank you and your staff for your editorial courage. I am near cancel- lation of my beloved lifelong newspa- per here in my hometown because of its over-the-top, left-leaning politics. What a sad affair. Valerie J. Sweeney Continued from page 3 LEGACY