The Press-Dispatch
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/1323379
C-4 Wednesday, December 30, 2020 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 Race for the Cure By Star Parker Points to Ponder By Rev. Ford Bond Warnock will take Georgia in wrong direction What would our nation look like if every day, every American — of every background and ethnicity — were to wake up with the conviction that they are 100 percent responsible for the circumstances of their lives? No blame, no victimhood, no ex- cuses saying that what is happening to them is because of someone else. It touches, I believe, the heart of Christianity. At any given moment, you may not have control of what is outside of you. But you have control over what is in- side of you. Change what is inside first, and then you will change what is outside. We have faith in a loving God who wants us to take responsibility, and when there is failure, there is forgive- ness and another chance. Too many in our country are pay- ing a great price by listening to politi- cians on the left who are telling them the opposite. Consider the black Rev. Dr. Rapha- el Warnock, who is now running as a Democrat in one of the U.S. Senate runoff elections in Georgia. Warnock is a poster child of the left, which embraces the view that the world is unfair, controlled by rac- ists and exploiters. And for some reason, Warnock, like so many of this point of view, chooses to zero in on Israel, the very model of success through personal responsibility, as a problem rather than a solution. Just last year, after visiting Israel, he affixed his signature to a Group Pilgrimage Statement on Israel and Palestine. That statement identifies Israel as an "oppressive" regime, accuses Is- rael of segregation, speaks of mili- tarization "reminiscent of the mili- tary occupation of Namibia by apart- heid South A frica" and of "excessive use of force" by Israel in Gaza. These total distortions of the truth in service of a left-wing political agenda should be a wake-up call for those thinking of casting their vote for this individual. Regarding the reality of Israel, we can turn to the nonpartisan organi- zation Freedom House in Washing- ton, D.C., which annually rates 210 nations around the world as being "free," "partly free" or "not free." Israel is the only nation in the Mid- dle East rated "free." But Warnock and his colleagues ignore oppression throughout the re- gion and only choose to attack the one country that is free. This freedom is enjoyed not only by the Jewish citizens of Israel but al- so by the nearly 2 million Arab citi- zens of the country. In my first visit to Israel, I couldn't help but notice the amazing diversity, with Jews from all over the world — white, brown and black. Regarding the situation in the West Bank and Gaza, where Pales- tinian Arabs live, their absence of freedom and prosperity is their own choosing. They control their future, not Israel. Rather than aspiring to build better lives for their citizens, they choose regimes that set a pri- ority to destroy Israel. In 2005, for example, Israel uni- laterally withdrew its presence from Gaza. The Palestinian regime there was free to start building a nation. Rather than doing this, it started lob- bing missiles into Israel. The Pales- tinian Authority prime minister an- nounced, "We are telling the entire world: today Gaza and tomorrow Je- rusalem." Israeli settlers who were displaced when Israel withdrew moved inland, started irrigating the desert with desalinized water and, within five years, were exporting $50 million worth of organic potatoes, carrots and peppers a year. I wrote about it then, quoting the late Art Linkletter, television person- ality and outspoken Christian, who observed, "Things turn out best for people that make the best of the way things turn out." I said then that Linkletter's obser- vation captured why Israel has grown and prospered and why Palestinians have languished. The same is true in America. This Christmas, let's choose free- Continued on page 5 Continued on page 5 Continued on page 5 I have a feeling that everybody felt the same way I did in celebrating the Christmas tradition that we have al- ways looked forward to. So many families and friends I know really fol- lowed the social distancing mandate. This was the first time I heard fam- ilies getting together in very small numbers. Year after year, we held gift exchanges in our house since we have a big family. The memories of children and grandchildren showing excitement, unwrapping gifts then clapping hands, laughing and smil- ing as these surprise and mysteri- ous gifts were pulled out of boxes and gift bags were absent. I did not hear any of that this past week. We certainly miss that. I miss the big meals Rose always prepared because she loves to cook. Now we mostly enjoyed leftover delights and recycled menus. There was no rea- son to prepare big meals. Church service was also strange be- cause the number of attendees was much less and the atmo- sphere was notice- ably somber. Try singing and pray- ing with masks on. It certainly muf- fled the sounds from everyone. We used to greet and shake hands and say 'hi' to everyone after the ser- vice. This time, everybody just quiet- ly greeted each other and then went their separate ways. I hope this does not happen again next year. • • • As I reflect on this, I try hard to see the positives of the situation we're in. May- be the Good Lord wants us to have more time to reflect on the real meaning of Christ- mas. For all these years, the frenzy of shopping, buying, partying, and the non-stop urge to travel just came to a halt. In my opinion, I think we were heading into a state of relentless pressure and stress to do stuff, to a point it was probably hurting us. I'm not trying to be a Grinch, but My Point of View By H. K. Fenol, Jr., M.D. Zoom Heritage Viewpoint By Daren Bakst Left attacking transparency at the EPA? Continued on page 5 Continued on page 5 Continued on page 5 Give Me a Break By John Stossel Naughty vs. Nice Eye on the Economy By Stephen Moore Lockdowns are the great unequalizer Be prepared for Christ so how do you prepare for Christ? How do you prepare for a guest of such stature? Six hundred years before the birth of Jesus, Isaiah wrote, "For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is giv- en; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His gov- ernment and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and es- tablish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forev- er. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this." This passage proclaims that the Christ [Messiah] will be from the house of David, and He will deliver his people from their sins. Let us examine the expectations of the Judeans at the time of Jesus's birth. Judah was under the iron fist of Rome, and the faithful knew that God had promised a Messiah. They knew His would be a warrior, yet a Man of Peace; He would be ar- riving from the clouds as the Ancient of Days, yet He was the son of David. Though these attributes seem contradictory, each has a proper place in the role of the Messiah. The zealots saw the coming Messiah as a man who would restore Israel, throw out the Romans, and restore Israel politically. Another group believed that He would give the true interpretation of the law and would inaugurate Isra- el's ethical revival; still others saw Him as a prophet who would clean the temple and install the true high- priest. Though there was not total agree- ment in the character of the Christ, He would comfort those who need to be comforted and restore Israel and its tribes. It is also clear that there will be a new world ruler in the mes- sianic age. So at the time of the First Advent, what was life like? For the typical person in Judea, Rome was the political factor. On a day-to-day basis, few probably would come into contact with a Roman sol- ider or official. However, every- one knew Roman power was there. Though Herod was the king, every- one knew that Rome was the power behind the throne. Rome had brought prosperity, but at the same time, it was a foreign rule over a people who sought their own ruler. This one fact-the desire to have no foreign rule-was the foundation for the zealots who would be constantly agitating the people to rebel against the Romans. The climax would come in 66 AD when a revolt would break out in Jerusalem. The Hebrews in Judea were an eth- nic people who disliked the Greeks and the Romans, for they felt their presence polluted the religious cul- ture. In other words, the political land- scape was similar to what many feel is present in America today. The question still remains, "How do we prepare? " You have to prepare your mind and heart to receive what God is to give. I often use the phrase "expectations" and "narrative." Ladies have the expectation that their beloved will be prince charm- ing, and they will be swept away on a white horse; men will claim they have no expectations, but we know better. The oft misused Christmas theme is "there was no room at the Inn for Mary and Jesus," so the analogy is that the world has no room for Jesus. That is not the case. Caesar Augus- tus had declared a worldwide census, and all had to have their official cen- sus taken in their home city. Joseph was from Bethlehem, and so were thousands of other travelers. This would be like trying to find a motel room within 30 miles of Indianapolis on 500 weekend. Good luck. Also, allow me to remind you that the local inn was not the Hilton or even Motel 6. Inns had shared rooms and no privacy. Often many would sleep to a bed. But there was a sta- ble – and that was just right for God. The Son of man was born in a sta- ble – not because there was no room – but because He was born in sim- ple and humble means. He came as a servant – not as a king. Will you open your garage to Jesus? The Environmental Protection Agency is trying to promote trans- parency by making it easier for Americans to see how it makes reg- ulatory decisions. Many on the left, however, are at- tacking those efforts. Two current examples highlight this campaign against open government. First, there's the EPA's final cost-benefit rule under the Clean Air Act, which would require the prepa- ration of a cost-benefit analysis for significant air pollution regulations. Transparency is a primary compo- nent of the rule. It would require that information be provided to the public regarding how the agency conduct- ed and used cost-benefit analysis in a rule-making. Even this sim- ple rule is under at- tack, and the truth isn't going to get in the way of the left's message. Recent media re- ports have parrot- ed leftist talking points, inaccurate- ly asserting that the rule would prohibit or limit certain ben- efits, known as "co-benefits" or indi- rect benefits, from being considered in Clean Air Act regulations. Actually, the final rule should have placed limits on the abuse of indirect benefits, but unfortunately, it didn't do so. Some context might help illuminate this resistance to the rule. To some leftists, if an air pollution rule does much more harm than good, that's perfectly fine. For example, the Obama administration's EPA thought it was unnecessary to consider billions of dol- lars in costs when it issued its Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) rule. It didn't even matter Who should have been on Santa's naughty and nice lists this Christ- mas? NAUGHTY: I'd give lumps of coal to: • Federal bureaucrats, whose rigid rules delayed COVID-19 tests. The CDC wouldn't allow private com- panies to sell COVID-19 tests until the CDC's own test didn't work. • President Donald Trump, for talking about cutting that red tape, but not doing the hard work needed to get enough of it done. • Gavin Newsom, Calif. governor, for eating with several other fami- lies, unmasked, while his state for- bade that. • Trump for refusing to say that he'd accept the election results. • Speaker of the House Nancy Pe- losi, for — after her party made it ille- gal — getting her hair done and then criticizing the salon owner. • Senator Ted Cruz, for killing a bill that would've given asylum to Hong Kong resi- dents fleeing the oppressive Chinese regime. • Denver Mayor Michael Hancock for tweeting: "Pass the potatoes, not COVID," and "Host virtual gather- ings instead of in-person dinners..." as he was boarding a flight to join his family for Thanksgiving. • Government's foreign poli- cy bureaucrats, one of whom ad- mits "playing shell games" to trick leaders into leaving more American troops in Syria. • Most Republicans, for refus- ing to criticize the president when he lied. • Teachers unions for putting the kids last. Before they would return to work, Los Angeles' union demand- ed "a moratorium on private schools, defunding police, increasing taxes on wealthy, Medicare for all..." Catholic schools opened to help kids. Union leaders helped them- selves. • Almost all Republicans, for shutting up about debt once Trump was the big spender. • Rioters who hijacked Black Lives Matter demonstrations, wreck- ing lives and spreading hate. • Antifa's violent goons, and to- day's Proud Boys for being destruc- Democrats and their liberal eco- nomic advisers obsess about income inequality. Will someone please tell them that no act in modern times has widened the gap between the rich and the poor more than the lock- downs going on right now? Diane Yentel, the president and CEO of the leftist National Low In- come Housing Coalition, said, "The majority of the up to 17 million house- holds at risk of losing their homes this winter are people of color." Politico reported that minorities and the poor have "been more vul- nerable to job and income losses from the ensuing economic crisis, in large part because Black and Lati- no workers are over-represented in the service industries wiped out by shutdowns." James Parrott, an economist at the New York City New School, said that what the Unit- ed States is experi- encing is "the most lopsided economic event imaginable." The National Restaurant Associa- tion said that 40 % to 50 % of restaurants may go bankrupt in the months ahead if their stores don't reopen immediately. Two of the U.S.'s most iconic restaurants, the 21 Club in Manhattan and the Cliff House in San Francisco, announced they had closed their doors perma- nently after nearly 100 years of business. As they die, so do hundreds of jobs in these cities. The workers out of work aren't rich. Overall, 15 million middle-income peo- ple work for bars and restau- rants. Even Jeff Bezos, the found- er of Amazon and arguably the planet's richest man, com- plained that the lockdowns exacerbate inequality. With tens of billions of dollars of added profits, Amazon has been the world's biggest beneficiary from locking down brick-