The Press-Dispatch
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/1150091
C-8 Wednesday, July 31, 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 My Point of View by Dr. H. K. Fenol, Jr., M.D. A visit with Mom Points to Ponder by Rev. Ford Bond Being a doorkeeper Continued on page 9 Continued on page 9 Continued on page 9 Continued on page 9 Minority View by Walter E. Williams What's most important? Continued on page 9 Let's think about priorities. Say that you live in one of the danger- ous high crime and poor school- ing neighborhoods of cities like Chicago, Baltimore, Detroit or St. Louis. Which is most important to you: doing something about pub- lic safety and raising the quality of education or, as most black politi- cians do, focusing energies upon President Donald Trump and who among the 20 presidential contend- ers will lead the Democratic Party? The average American has no in- kling about the horrible conditions in which many blacks live. More- over, they wouldn't begin to toler- ate living under those conditions themselves. In Chicago, one person is shot every four hours and murdered ev- ery 18 hours. Similar crime statis- tics can be found in many predomi- nantly black neighborhoods in Bal- timore, Detroit, St. Louis and ma- ny other large cities. It's not just an issue of public safety, for high crime has other devastating con- sequences. Crime lowers the value of prop- erty. We can see some of this when housing prices skyrocket in for- merly high crime ar- eas when large num- bers of middle- and upper-income peo- ple purchase formerly run-down properties and fix them up. This is called gentrifica- tion — wealthier, pre- dominantly white, peo- ple move in to renovate and restore slum housing in inner cities, causing higher rental prices and forcing low-income residents out. Also, as a result of gentrifica- tion, crime falls and neighborhood amenities increase. The high crime rates in ma- ny black neighborhoods have the full effect of outlawing economic growth and opportunities. Here's a tiny example of the impact of crime on businesses. In low crime communities, supermarket manag- ers may leave plants, fertilizer and other home and garden items out- doors, unattended and often over- night. If one even finds a supermar- ket in a high crime neighborhood, then that store must hire guards, and the manager can- not place items outside unguarded or near ex- its. They cannot use all the space that they lease, and hence they are less profitable. Who bears the ulti- mate cost of crime? If you said black peo- ple, you're right. Black people must bear the expense to go to suburban shopping malls if they are to avoid the higher pric- es charged by mom and pop shops. In low crime neighborhoods, Fe- dEx, UPS and other delivery com- panies routinely leave packages that contain valuable merchandise on a doorstep if no one is at home. That saves the expense of redeliv- ery and saves recipients the ex- pense of having to go pick up the packages. In high crime neighbor- hoods, delivery companies leaving packages at the door and supermar- Pursuit of the Cure by Star Parker The reason 'The Squad' screams 'racism' Lucid Moments By Bart Stinson Liberation Day, Guam 1944 Unfortunately, the U.S. House of Representatives is starting to look more and more like Ameri- ca's universities. Freshmen show up not to learn but to teach. They think they al- ready know it all and see their per- sonal mission is to set straight the faculty, the university administra- tors and the world. So we see it with "The Squad," the now-famous far-left freshmen four in the House — Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Rashi- da Tlaib and Ayanna Pressley — who believe they have been elect- ed to a first term in Congress to re- invent what they think is a failed America and set straight the lead- ership of their party and the na- tion. Fortunately, most Americans do not share this highly vocal four's negativism about Ameri- ca. In a new Gallup poll, 70 per- cent agreed with the statement "If you work hard and play by the rules, you will be able to achieve the American dream in your life- time." Even a significant majori- ty — 61 percent — of households earning less than $40,000 agreed. It goes without saying that im- migration is a high-priority issue on the national agenda because millions from around the world want to come here. There is no more sought-out destination than the USA, and the reason is that no nation in the world offers more op- portunity. So why is this dubious group of naysayers commanding such at- tention? The first rule on the list of Rules for Radicals, authored by famed left-wing community organizer Saul Alinsky, is "Power is not on- ly what you have but what the en- emy thinks you have." Our age of technology and so- cial media adds immeasurable power to Alinsky's advice to gain attention way beyond the support you actually have. Another Alinsky rule, "Ridicule is man's most potent weapon," pro- vides the ammunition. These four young freshmen Democrats have no interest in a public discourse of deliberation where we soberly seek what is true and what really works. Their on- ly interest is selling their dogma. So, following the advice of Alin- sky, they get attention not by de- veloping quality ideas for public policy reform and engaging in thoughtful discourse about these ideas but through sensational hype of dogma and character as- sassination of those who disagree. As a result, the discussion is not about the merits of the so- cialism they are selling, about their big-government answers to health, housing, education and lifting up the poor, but about an- swering their charges that anyone who does not agree with them is a racist. Attacking the messenger, rath- er than discussing the message, is a well-established tactic of those whose aspiration is political power rather than seeking truth. Demagoguery is an age-old threat to freedom and the demo- cratic process. There will always be those who long for power and will try to get it with heat rather than light. There is only one weapon I am aware of to fight this. And that is doing the hard work to inform peo- ple and get the truth to them. The opposition to socialism, support for freedom, is not about being racist. It's about believing in human potential, the uniqueness of ev- ery single person, and that no sys- tem serves human potential better than freedom. This is not dogma. There's tons of research and data that supports this conclusion. And it is this that has made and makes the USA so great. The task is particularly formi- dable among our youth, where so many have abandoned tradi- tional faith, and among our poor, These past few weeks have been quite remarkable for me and my family. I had a chance to visit my 103 year old mother on the week- end of July 4. She lives in an assisted living- long term care nursing facility in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Cana- da. I have shared her stories be- fore and just wanted to update her status for those who had met and known her, when she visited our Petersburg area in the 1980s and 1990s. So she remains pretty much independent, her eyesight is good, reads without eyeglass- es, she feeds herself, walks with a roller-walker, and has continued to have good memory. To our amazement she remem- bers lots of details, although now she tends to repeat questions. She is hard of hearing, but if you speak loud enough, she catches on. She has excellent health from the standpoint of cardiovascular, GI and GU systems. She is up and about and has good balance. She dresses up with little assistance. She continues to do her daily prayers, attends Mass provided by a priest once a week celebrat- ed in the facility. She enjoys see- ing lots of pictures in her room about fam- ily members which my two sisters update. Fortunately, two of my wonderful sisters visit her daily taking turns despite their busy schedules. Mom even does ac- tivities like artwork and painting under the supervision of the activ- ities director. She no longer joins group travels because she requires more supervision for getting in and out of the facility van. So, what was her secret for her long life? Well, I think first of all. God des- tines our time on earth. On the other hand I also attribute her lon- gevity to her good genes, and the lifestyle she led during her yester- years. I remember she never has spoken ill of anybody, she never uttered bad words, she is always kind and loving to all. Seems like she never held a grudge against anybody and did not hear her gossip. She knew when to speak up if bad things are happening around her, but in a correct and prudent manner. She was ever courte- ous and loving to my father and to all of us the children. She was our go to if we felt up- set or had issues. She never smoked or drank al- cohol. Did she live a perfect life? No, she had her share of trials and tribulations like everyone else. But she always took them in stride and humble submission. Proof of this truth is she has lived a good life of 103 years. I don't need anymore truth to add to this. So I hope to live long- like her, but imperfect me, I'm not sure if I will. My mom's name is Asuncion Kimpo Fenol but every- body calls her Sunshine because The anniversary of the World War II Normandy invasion was observed with solemn gravity this past June, and rightly so. But July 21 passed without mention in my town again. On that morning in 1944, an enormous American flotilla ap- peared on the horizon off Guam carrying soldiers and Marines who would end the islanders' 31-month ordeal of Japanese oc- cupation. They were stubbornly loyal to Uncle Sam, these Guamanians, and some paid the ultimate price, usually by beheading. The most celebrated martyr was Father Due- ñas, a patriotic Catholic priest and resistance figure whom the Japa- nese executed just days before the U.S. fleet materialized off the coast. The Catholic boys' high school is named for him. My daughters took hula lessons from a middle-aged local police officer whose arms were pocked with numerous vaccination scars. The Japanese had used her and other Guamanian infants for med- ical experiments. In the light of history, it's appar- ent that the U.S. government had let these people down. We made a conscious decision not to fortify Guam, despite Japan's obvious ex- pansionist ambitions. As a result, the Chamorro peo- ple there endured unimaginable mistreatment at the hands of a fierce foe, and when the U.S. Na- vy returned to reclaim the island, it was at the price of physical oblit- eration. Most of the island's priests were interned in mainland Japan, and the laity filled the vacuum. The invaders sent Japanese priests to the island but most locals consid- ered them spies and avoided them as much as possible. Local police were put in a terri- ble position between their indig- enous kinsmen and the invaders. "Interrogator" became a very bad word, and some families struggled for years after the war to exonerate their elders of collaboration with the Japanese. But some locals did collabo- rate. Every society has opportu- nistic individuals alert to poten- tial advantages of alliance with in- truders. And Guam was no excep- tion. Some took Japanese names, but some of the most valiant patri- ots also had Japanese names, so the surname is no indication today of the disloyalty of one's ancestor. Navy frogmen worked in dark- ness to dismantle underwater Jap- anese mines and obstructions at the edge of the reef on the inva- sion beaches. Men in one southern village carved and concealed a canoe that the Japanese had forbidden for security reasons. When the time came, these men uncovered their boat and paddled out to the fleet where suspicious U.S. sea- men pulled them aboard under gunpoint. They eventually made their way to the map table, where they were debriefed about Japanese troop dispositions and fortifications, most of which were built with forced Chamorro labor. Deep in the jungle, local work- ers turned machetes against their guards and labor overseers as Americans came ashore at Agat and Asan. There is a national park at the Asan invasion site now. Most of the visitors are Japanese. Amer- icans are strangely indifferent to the valor, the sacrifices and accom- plishments of the Greatest Gener- ation there. The truth is that many Ameri- cans have grown cold to the repub- lic whose flag those lads carried. Patriotism has been purged from popular culture and from K-12 ed- ucation, for the most part. If we believe that America "was never that great," as one MSNBC Democrat opined, there's nothing stirring about the unyielding patri- otism of the Chamorro people dur- ing their ordeal, much less their deliverance by young Americans at the cost of lives lost and bodies maimed, futures forfeited. When we hear the word "door- keeper," we often think of the men who once stood at the entrance of hotels and apartment buildings who literally opened the door for people entering the building. Doorkeepers, like elevator oper- ators, and even bank tellers have been replaced by automation or so- phisticated security systems; nev- ertheless, each were indispens- able to a world gone by. The men who were employed as doorkeepers did more than open and close a door and give a sun- ny greeting. The doorman was the first person a resident or customer would meet upon entering a build- ing; therefore, their job was of up- most importance. A given requirement was a cheerful personality that bright- ened-up the coming and going of people. The doorman also carried bags, opened car doors, and gave directions. Many were a walking information center who knew ev- eryone in the building and all the businesses in the surrounding ar- ea. The psalmist understood the importance of the doorkeeper when he wrote, "For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness. For the Lord God is a sun and shield; The Lord will give grace and glory; No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly." In the local church, the doorkeepers are the ushers and are of- ten taken for granted, but they should never think that their min- istry is unimportant. Any act of service that directs people into fellowship with Jesus is a worthy ministry. I ponder what would an adver- tisement read if the church were to advertise a job opening for a doorkeeper: "Wanted - Doorkeep- er; Permanent Position 24/7, with Heavenly benefits, Send your re- sume to God." Does the job sound interesting to you? Under what circumstanc- es would you go looking for such a position? I am not suggesting that you become a greeter at the local Wal-Mart, but at the place where you are in your life! ADVERTISEMENT Have you ever con- sidered that you are the doorkeeper/ush- er to your soul! Are you up to the task? Have you considered what the attributes of a good doorkeep- er are? The first attribute is that the doorkeep- er needs to control admission. He/she decides who and what will be allowed into the building, and who/what will be de- nied access. The scripture places the bur- den upon the faithful to watch over their own souls, and those with whom they are in charge. The heart is the door to the soul; it controls who and what we let in our lives. Parents know they are the guardians of their children and control what and with whom they interact; likewise, we are the guardians of our souls. We need to control the influences that we al- low in our lives. This includes what we watch, hear, and read. What we