The Press-Dispatch
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/1171248
C-10 Wednesday, September 25, 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 Points to Ponder by Rev. Ford Bond An unsettling choice My Point of View by Dr. H. K. Fenol, Jr., M.D. Daring to cruise Minority View by Walter E. Williams Racist exam questions? Continued on page 11 Continued on page 11 Continued on page 11 Continued on page 11 The U.S. Department of Justice has recently sued the Baltimore County government alleging that its written test for police officer re- cruits was unfairly biased against black applicants. It turns out that black applicants failed the written test at a rate much greater than white applicants. That results in fewer blacks being trained and hired as police officers. John A. Ol- szewski Jr., Baltimore County Ex- ecutive said: "A law enforcement agency should look like the com- munity it serves. As I have said re- peatedly since taking office, I am committed to increasing diversi- ty in the county's Police Depart- ment." Baltimore City uses Municipal Police Selection Test. You can ex- amine some sample questions at its website. I'd like to know which of the questions are either unrelated to police work or racist. Many jurisdictions use The National Po- lice Officer Selection Test. You can exam- ine some of the sam- ple questions at its website. Again, I'd like to know which of the questions are unrelat- ed to police work or are racially bi- ased questions. In addition, it has been found that MPST and POST are successful predictors of law en- forcement training success and job performance. Black performance on police ex- ams is simply the tip of the iceberg of a truly tragic cruelty. That cru- elty stands front and center when one ex- amines the education that most blacks in Bal- timore receive. Sever- al years ago, Project Baltimore began an investigation of Balti- more's school system. What they found was an utter disgrace. In 19 of Baltimore's high schools, out of 3,804 students, on- ly 14 of them, or less than 1% , were proficient in math. In 13 of Balti- more's 39 high schools, not a sin- gle student scored proficient in math. In five Baltimore City high Pursuit of the Cure by Star Parker Noisy presidential politics is a good sign Generation Z role models Lucid Moments By Bart Stinson This past week has been an ex- traordinary experience for me and Rose and a group of four awesome ladies. More than 25 years ago, I had my first experience joining a brief cruise excursion to the Ba- hamas when my brother-in-law who lives in Fort Lauderdale in- vited Rose and me and my sister and brother-in law for a taste of a brief promo cruise. We had never been on one, and this spur-of-the- moment invitation for a promotion made us say, "Yes! Why not? " So we did. It was an OK experience being that it was short-lived. Then after that, our focus for travel shifted to land tours for a variety of reasons. I always wanted to travel where I'm on solid ground, and Rose has is- sues of motion sickness. Then a group of friends who I work with at Some- body's Place start- ed talking about join- ing a sea cruise just to take a break from the hectic pace of volun- teer work. I mentioned this to Rose, and my partner being the ad- venturous soul for us long as I had known her said "yes" with- out hesitation. She reasons that it is one item on her bucket list she would like to accomplish before we both kick the bucket. Me and my hard-to-control tongue started to ask her what she thinks about a cruise to Alaska be- fore the glacier melted. Well, duh, I always knew she will win this round again, as she had done many times when it comes to trav- el. You see, her ances- tors came from Spain. I think they're called conquistadors, and they have an itch for travel and seeing plac- es and conquering ter- ritories. They have no fear of the unknown and of visiting places. I came from an ancestry that is very cautious and not as daring for faraway adventures, because we want stable environments and precise order of agenda. Well. I Heritage Viewpoint By Angela Sailor America isn't just where I live, it's my home Wall Street Journal columnist Peggy Noonan bewails, in her col- umn this week, that "the sane cen- ter is getting ignored" in the cur- rent round of presidential politics. "When we talk about politics," she writes, "no one speaks of the center, which is vast and has some- thing neither way-left nor way- right has, and that is a motivat- ing love for America itself ... As a group they are virtually ignored, and yet they are the center of ev- erything." I am tempted to say that Peggy Noonan is locked in a time warp, stuck in an American reality that may have once been. But I doubt that America was ever defined by some plain vanilla moderate cen- ter that she longs for. Noonan wrote speeches for President Reagan, who emerged big time on the national scene with a speech he gave at the 1964 Republican convention called "A Time for Choosing." That speech's message was the exact opposite of idealizing some moderate political center. Reagan conveyed that our nation is about ideals, about right and wrong, and the willingness to fight and sacrifice for these ideals. The same time as that Repub- lican convention, Rev. Billy Gra- ham spoke to 29,000 in Columbus, Ohio. "The country is disturbed," he said. Young people "are desper- ately wanting someone to tell them this is right and that is wrong." I am on and off airplanes all the time, in constant motion around this great nation. I talk to fellow Americans constantly — at work in a variety of communities, in ho- tels, in airports. Americans are, in general, not happy with the state of affairs. It has been over 15 years since more than 50 percent of Americans told Gallup that they are satisfied with the way things are going in the na- tion. If the political stage is polarized, it is because the nation is polarized — not because politicians are ig- noring some "vast" political silent majority in the center. Several years ago, Pew Re- search Center reported just how increasingly polarized Americans have become. The gap in opinion between Re- publicans and Democrats regard- ing government activism in wel- fare was 47 points in 2017 com- pared with a difference of 20 points in 1994. The gap in opinion between Re- publicans and Democrats about the problem of discrimination was 50 points in 2017 compared with a difference of 13 points in 1994. The gap in opinion between Re- publicans and Democrats on the immigration issue was 42 points in 2017 compared with 2 points in 1994. Overall, on 10 different politi- cal issues that Pew tracked from 1994 to 2017, the average gap be- tween Republicans and Democrats increased from 15 points in 1994 to 36 points in 2017. There is no vast political "cen- ter" that is being ignored. Americans are deeply divided about what the country is about and is going to be. For sure, the status quo is not an option. Fiscally, there has been dramatic expansion of government over the years, with it entering in- to practically every aspect of the lives of private Americans. Social- ly, there has been vast deteriora- tion of the traditional values that preserved the American fami- ly and our respect for the sancti- ty of life. We may recall Abraham Lin- coln's prophesy that "A house di- vided against itself cannot stand." Lincoln was talking then about slavery. Today, we have a house deeply divided — a major part now defined by socialism and sec- ular humanism, and the remainder true to the vision of the founders, a free nation under God. As Lincoln said back in 1858, we can't stay divided. We'll become "all one ... or all the other." I've noticed an emerging theme in university advertising for pro- spective students, whether on hometown highway billboards or in airport displays in distant cit- ies. The ads show images of young people who appear to be in their late teens or early 20s, and the text promises that higher education will turn them into role models. I would hope some of those clev- er, diligent youngsters will, in due time, become role models for their contemporaries, and for those who come behind them. The most ex- traordinary among them may even serve as inspiration for their el- ders. But the idea that a universi- ty can mass produce role models on demand is silly. It puts the cart before the horse. You really ought to be an achiev- er or an overcomer before you in- spire anybody. And so university advertising ought to emphasize the worth of intellectual growth and competence, the nobility of a quest for truth and wisdom, rather than speculating that acclaim will follow on its heels. You would hope for your young- ster to acquire a robust spirit of in- quiry at college, and a stubborn re- liance on evidence. You want them to grow into courage of their con- victions, not a timid conformity to fashionable opinions. If they are eventually admired for these traits or for the achieve- ments that result, if others come to admire them as role models, that's nice. But prestige is no sub- stitute for virtue or accomplish- ment, and sometimes it's a hollow counterfeit. Approval-hungry adolescents, eager to be accepted into the tribe of smart ones, are especially sus- ceptible to apostasy from their Christian faith within weeks of arrival on campus. I assume that the "role model" advertising is based on research that prospective students find it persuasive. Opinion surveys and focus groups must indicate that high school seniors are motivated primarily by the desire to be role models rather than to penetrate the mysteries of science or to mas- ter the discipline of critical think- ing. College, for such students, will be about self. That would be consistent with the messaging of the current Dem- ocratic presidential candidates, and with the manner in which the mainstream Liberal media have framed students' economic issues. Excessive student debt is por- trayed as sneaky fine print for the college graduate who feels be- trayed to discover that borrowed money must be paid back. It's re- defined as a societal crisis that should be addressed by every- body, not just the people who vol- untarily borrowed (and spent) the money. Thus financially responsi- ble alumni who repaid their stu- dent loans, as well as blue-collar Deplorables who never went into debt, must shoulder the burdens of runaway borrowers. This is the sort of economic pol- icy that discourages thrift and re- sponsibility not only for individu- als, but for institutions. Higher ed- ucation needn't drive a hard bar- gain in faculty salary negotiations if they predict that, in the long run, it's government money. Tu- ition and student borrowing sky- rocketed after the Obama regime nationalized student debt. If Generation Z youngsters want to become role models by spend- ing other people's money, they're late. The Baby Boomers have beaten them to it. And the prob- lem with such socialism, as former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher famously observed, is that "eventually you run out of oth- er people's money." Take it from a grizzled, fast-fad- ing Boomer: you'll regret it. I hope these newly enrolled Gen Z un- dergraduates dig deep and apply themselves to high achievement that will genuinely deserve admi- ration, and position themselves as constructive or even inspirational role models. But first, they've got a lot to learn. There is no culture or people now, or in the past, who have been immune to the effects of suicide, in- cluding pastors and spiritual lead- ers. The recent suicide of Pastor Jar- rid Wilson reminds all of the faith- ful that the struggle for redemption can exceed the outward pressures of life and entail inward struggles that are not shared. Jarrid was an author, mental health advocate, and an associate pastor at Harvest Christian Fellow- ship in Riverside, California. He talked many times about his own depression and used social media to share his battles. He was a co-founder of the An- them of Hope, a non-profit orga- nization for mental health, so the ques- tion arises, why? On- ly God knows the an- swer. Wilson posted on the day of his death, "Loving Jesus doesn't always cure suicid- al thoughts. Loving Jesus doesn't always cure depression. Loving Jesus doesn't always cure P TSD. Loving Jesus doesn't always cure anxiety. But that doesn't mean Jesus doesn't offer us companion- ship and comfort. He ALWAYS does that." He also posted he was officiating a funer- al for a woman who had died by suicide. "Offici- ating a funeral for a Je- sus-loving woman who took her own life today. Your prayers are great- ly appreciated for the family." Why did Jarrid lose hope? He had blogged earlier in the summer that he had dealt with "severe depression throughout most of my life and con- Continued on page 11 Editor's note: This week marks the beginning of new columnists courtesy of the Heritage Founda- tion. Each week will bring different voices on a variety of topics. Do you consider America to be your home, or just the place you happen to live? Sept. 22 has long been a mean- ingful date for me and my family. That's the day, in 1862, when Abra- ham Lincoln issued the prelimi- nary Emancipation Proclamation. This year, as that date ap- proached, I was listening to one of my all-time favorites, Luther Van- dross' "A House Is Not a Home," when the question popped into my head: Do I consider America to be my home, or just my house? I know many in our country feel marginalized—as though America is not the loving, accepting, nur- turing place that we often dream of. But in real life, no homes are idyllic all the time. There are ten- sions, stresses, arguments, and di- visions—even in lov- ing families. So, looking at America with realis- tic eyes, is it truly my home? If I posed that ques- tion to billionaire en- trepreneur David Steward, entertain- ment giant Tyler Per- ry, or my boss—Kay Coles James, the president of The Heritage Foundation—I'd wager they'd all have the same answer. Each of these leaders has dem- onstrated that they view Ameri- ca as not just a house, but a home. Each has lived a real-life success story in this country. Rooted in humble beginnings, with the odds at their faces, each stepped beyond the walls of their community and the limits of their circumstances to explore, trail- blaze, and ultimately conquer the unknown. Empowered by emancipation, they have undertaken the all-American pursuit of happiness and left a lasting mark—a leg- acy, if you will—on the American identity and our nation's culture. Today, they stand as beacons of light, a shining exam- ple to the next generation of what we can accomplish with our God- given talents, the freedoms we en- joy, the opportunities available in our nation and, yes, a whole lot of determination. As a community, we must be courageous enough to deal with the tragedies we have suffered as