The Press-Dispatch
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/1228200
The Press-Dispatch Opinion Wednesday, April 1, 2020 B- 9 Coronavirus vs. Christianity Letter to the Editor ally cannot be measured. During this time of Lent, we in America are resisting the flesh as we refrain from coffee, meats, sugar, and a host of other delicacies while in other parts of the world, Christians face per- secution and death. Currently, the govern- ments in more than 50 na- tions are hostile to Chris- tianity. In May, 2019 The Guardian ran the headline "Persecution of Christians 'Coming Close To Geno- cide' In Middle East." The world has turned a blind eye to Christian per- secution. What is missed as we Americans practice Christianity in relative peace is many fellow believ- ers face ostracization, tor- ture, financial ruin, impris- onment, and death for their testimony of Jesus Christ. The lottery of life has placed each of us in a na- tion and given us a culture to live within. The question arises, "Are we being faith- ful to Christ as we live and practice our faith while we embrace "cheap grace" that is actually spiritual pabu- lum? " Continued from page 8 RESISTANCE it or not. We need to pause and have time to examine the whys, the hows and the what-to-do. We need to seek help from a Higher Power, how- ever you might perceive it to be. I have my own be- lief system but I can't im- pose that on others. How- ever, we can all agree that the virtues of love, respect, caring, good will, consider- ation, cooperation, forgive- ness and sacrifice will all help and save us. Let's not count out opti- mism, hope and prayers, for they have proven to al- ways work. • • • Practical things to do: follow the guidelines on how to be safe from the current pandemic, nourish well, sleep adequately, read good books and scripture, watch wholesome movies, exercise, listen to good mu- sic, connect socially via dif- ferent electronic media. Thank goodness for Skype, Facetime, Viber, YouTube, Hulu, etc. Try to stay away from any undue or prolonged stress. I'm op- timistic things will get bet- ter. Peace to all. Continued from page 8 DIFFICULT cent in Mississippi. One concrete example of this fraud is the fact that Balti- more's Frederick Douglass High School has a gradua- tion rate of 70 percent while not a single student tested proficient in mathematics and only 3 percent did so in reading. "The Secret Shame" re- port didn't say why the black/white achievement gap was smaller in con- servative cities compared to their progressive coun- terparts. But permit me to make a suggestion. An Ed- ucation Week article re- ported that in the 2015 -16 school year, "5.8 percent of the nation's 3.8 million teachers were physical- ly attacked by a student." The Justice Department's Bureau of Justice Statis- tics and the Department of Education's National Cen- ter for Education Statistics show that in the 2011-12 academic year, there were a record 209,800 prima- ry- and secondary-school teachers who reported be- ing physically attacked by a student. A National Cen- ter for Education Statistics study found that 18 percent of the nation's schools ac- counted for 75 percent of the reported incidents of violence, and 6.6 percent accounted for half of all reported incidents. These are schools with predomi- nantly black student pop- ulations. My guess is that part of the reasons black academic achievement is greater in conservative cit- ies is that schools are less tolerant of crime whereas schools in progressive cit- ies make excuses. Walter E. Williams is a professor of economics at George Mason University. Continued from page 8 EDUCATION cussion. This is a time for immediate action to save ourselves before mortal damage is inflicted, so we can live to see a better day. Star Parker is president of the Center for Urban Re- newal and Education and author of the new book "Nec- essary Noise: How Donald Trump Inflames the Culture War and Why This is Good News for America," avail- able now on Amazon.com. Continued from page 8 BLACKMAIL Korea was testing 10,000 to 20,000 people per day at a time when the U.S. had not reached that level cumulative- ly. South Korea created 600 testing sites, including drive-thru test centers, where people didn't need to leave their cars and got results within hours. Seoul immediately began the testing of asymptomatic people, rather than restricting testing to those with severe conditions or a history of contact with affected regions or people, as in the United States. South Korea isolated and treated pa- tients with mild or even no symptoms, which constrained further spread and minimized the impact on hospitals. On March 20, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized a new test that could detect the coronavirus in about 45 minutes with test kits to be- gin shipping by the end of the month. South Korea already has a 10 -minute test kit and plans to export 300,000 kits per week. President Donald Trump has re- quested medical assistance from South Korea. However, South Korea's effective testing program comes at a cost of Or- wellian high-tech surveillance. A fter the 2015 MERS outbreak, South Korea developed new proce- dures and revised laws to enable more aggressive contact-tracing. The gov- ernment was given the ability to access citizens' credit card records, cellphone GPS data, bank records, and the wide- ranging network of security cameras. South Korea has the highest pro- portion of cashless transactions in the world and one of the world's high- est rates of cellphone ownership, along with millions of security cameras. During dangerous epidemics, au- thorities have warrantless access to the private data. Once someone is confirmed with COVID-19, the government can re- trace their movements and alert, no- tify, and if necessary, quarantine oth- ers who may have come into contact with them. Quarantined people are re- quired to download a monitoring app that alerts authorities if they break iso- lation. As South Koreans move about the country, they receive new geograph- ically linked alerts about those who have been infected. The granularity of the information is impressive, if not intimidating. An in- dividual's movements, purchases, and images can be minutely detailed, in- cluding whether they were wearing a mask or not at a given time. South Korea should be commend- ed for implementing a quick and ef- fective response that curtailed the spread of COVID-19. Even before there were many cases in the country, Pres- ident Moon Jae-in's administration brought together government agen- cies, reached out to the private sector, and took bold action. That effort was in contrast to the slower pace and less urgent warnings of the U.S. government. Because of the slow and limited nature of COVID-19 testing in the United States, the extent of the virus and the number of infect- ed citizens was not well understood. Washington was also hampered by cumbersome rules which—unlike in South Korea—constrained the private sector from responding to the need for tests. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention took the lead in cre- ating test kits, but initially produced faulty systems with lengthy vetting procedures. The CDC also insisted on narrow cri- teria for testing individuals, focusing on those with strong symptoms with recent travel to China, rather than the less restrictive protocol in South Ko- rea, which enabled detecting infected people with few or no symptoms. Finally, the South Korean govern- ment's warrantless access to person- al data enabled effective epidemic re- sponse, but with a Big Brother inva- siveness that would be anathema to American standards of personal pri- vacy. Bruce Klingner specializes in Kore- an and Japanese affairs as the senior re- search fellow for Northeast Asia. Continued from page 8 LESSONS Letter to the Editor: Hebrew 10 :25 says, "not giving up meeting together as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one an- other and all the more as you see the day approaching." To neglect Christian meetings is to give up the encouragement and help of other Christians. We gather togeth- er to share our faith and to strength- en one another in the Lord. Difficul- ties should never be excuses for miss- ing church services. Rather, as diffi- culties arise, we should make an even greater effort to be faithful in our at- tendance. Acts 2:42, "They devoted themselves to the apostles, teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer." New believers in Christ need to be in groups where they can learn God's Word, pray and mature in faith. Acts 1:14, "With one mind, the apostles kept praying together, with them were the women, including Jesus' mother Mary and His brothers." We are called to pray, seek His guidance and to offer comfort and encouragement to each other. It doesn't mean sitting around, staying home and doing nothing. Sa- tan would love nothing more than to disrupt the church. Satan himself de- sires to be worshiped. Though the An- ti-Christ may not have arrived yet, ma- ny false prophets and ministers have. Satan's work is unfolding and his de- mons are at work. Look at what he has accomplished with COVID-19 virus. He has practically put a stop to wor- ship and the meeting of Lord's people. It's not too hard to imagine one world government, one economic system, having the mark of the beast. Imagine if a foreign country devel- ops an antidote for this virus and the vi- rus gets worse, and they hold it our for the highest bidder. For power, the Anti- Christ could then appear. We need to wake-up and repent of our sinful ways. Perhaps like Nineveh, grant us a re- prieve. The time is near. The Rapture could happen any day. The word says to draw closer to Him and He will draw closer to you. II Chronicles 7:14 needs to be on our lips daily. Today is the day of salvation. Rick Cannon Adam Scales (812) 354-8488 adam.scales@infarmbureau.com Court Report TRAFFIC AND MISDEMEANOR Pike County Circuit Court Arnold Clayton Newland charged with possession of marijuana. Tiana S. Poindexter charged with reckless driving. Miguel A. Gelpi Oquendo charged with knowingly or intentionally operat- ing motor vehicle without ever receiv- ing a license. CIVIL Pike County Circuit Court Hoosier Accounts Service sues Ja- mie Hancock on complaint. Hoosier Accounts Service sues Rob- ert Moore on complaint. Darren F. Wendel sues Tanner May on complaint. Mariner Finance, LLC, successor in interest to Personal Finance Compa- ny, LLC sues Dereck Vickers on com- plaint. Schuyler Smith sues Norfolk South- ern Railway Company on complaint. Ashlyn Bull sues John Bull for dis- solution of marriage. INFRACTIONS Pike County Circuit Court Tiffany N. Chadwick charged with speeding, exceeding 70 mph. Kurt J. Schnautz charged with speeding, exceeding 70 mph. Dayvon Shavoia Lang charged with speeding, exceeding 70 mph. Joseph A. Mitchell charged with speeding, exceeding 70 mph. Courtney M. Brody charged with speeding, exceeding 70 mph. Zane Collins charged with operating with expired plates. Susan P. Chute charged with speed- ing, exceeding 55 mph. Katiedid vs... by Katiedid Langrock Confessions from the bathroom Confession No. 1,039 Topic: coronavirus Dearest Porcelain Goddess, I bow before you, or rather, sit upon you with earnest gratitude for the physical sepa- ration you afford me from my children. We are a couple of weeks into our shel- ter-in-place mandate, but the "in place" aspect seems to elude my kids. They are never sitting still in one place — unless by "in place," the mayor meant my face, in which case, yes, the chil- dren do this often, as they crawl all over me, making a fort out of my body and a lookout tower, their favorite place to perch, out of my head. If only they could shelter "in place" on something else, the way I have opted to shelter- in-place on you, dearest toilet, as long as the heavens will allow. I didn't think it would be like this. I pictured something akin to the von Trapp family, a merry household con- necting via song and sewing our cur- tains into clothes. A fter all, medical folks do keep referring to our fight against COVID-19 as a war. I thought there would be random dancing by nightfall and pillow fights and pup- pet shows, just as all wars have. But despite the idyllic imaginings of fam- ily time spent together, the reality has been far less "The Sound of Music" and far more "The Hurt Locker," with friendly fire being the cause of most casualties. The bangs and booms and crashes and screams and cries are perhaps the least expected part of this semi-quar- antine. Have my children always been this loud? This explosive? This acci- dent-prone? This daredevilish? I say you offer me physi- cal separation, as opposed to peace, because the children are currently banging on the bathroom door, demanding to know why I ate so much coconut if it gives me tum- my troubles. I do not have tummy trou- bles. But I did eat a lot of co- conut. I've been learning a lot about myself in the past two weeks. I don't like what I see, and it's only par- tially the fault of the poor lighting in here. I am not cut out for this whole home-schooling/work-from-home/ isolated existence. It's making me co- conuts. I, like my children, don't ex- actly excel at being "in place." I enjoy activity, freedom and experiencing new things. Semi-quarantine allows for very little of those. So when I went grocery shopping today, I found my- self buying foods that could possibly create experiences. I bought a coconut and dragon fruit and fixin's for tacos. The children oohed and aahed at my purchases. I knew I had to make this wonderment last, so I milked each experience. I asked my kids whether they could guess the mythological ani- mal the spiny pink and green fruit was named after. "A unicorn! " yelled my daughter. "A dragon! " yelled my son. "That's right, a dragon," I said. "Why not a unicorn? " my daughter squealed. Then she proceeded to cry for the next hour. She only calmed down an hour later because I told her the coconut had been purchased for her because her favorite character on "Jake and the Never Land Pirates" says "oh, coconuts" all the time. We went out- side to crack it open. I used a screwdriver to make three holes and pour out the liq- uid. The children drank it. They were impressed. Then I used a hammer to cut the coconut in half and scoop out the meat. I told them we were pirates on a desert island. The children began to cry. "So we are deserted and away from our friends even in our imaginations?! " They sulked away. I had failed again. I ate the coconut meat myself. "Luckily," I thought to myself, "we have Taco Whatever-Day-It-Is this eve- ning." I taught the kids how to cut pep- pers. My son almost lost a finger, but we made the meal unscathed. We sat to eat. The children refused to touch the meal. They'd had a meeting; they don't like tacos anymore. I'd better go; it's late, and my daugh- ter needs the potty. Groundhog Day starts tomorrow at 7 a.m. Like Katiedid Langrock on Facebook, at http://www.facebook.com/katiedid- humor.