The Press-Dispatch
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/1325545
Observations By Thomas Sowell A vote at the crossroads What makes the special election vote in Georgia his- toric is not just the specific is- sues or the spe- cific candidates for the Senate who are on the ballot. As a na- tion, we are at a crossroads in the history of Ameri- ca. And if we take the wrong road, we may never get back again. If Georgia voters send two Democrats to the closely di- vided U.S. Senate, that will give the Democrats control of both houses of Congress, as well as the White House. Senate Democrats' lead- er, Senator Charles Schumer, has already announced what he has in store, if the Demo- crats get a majority in the Sen- ate. So has President-elect Joe Biden. And it goes way beyond specific policies. It includes in- stitutional changes that can be permanent, and almost guar- antee one-party rule in this country, as far out as the eye can see. If more than 10 million peo- ple who are in this country il- legally are given the right to vote — and most of those votes are almost certain to go to Democrats — that is a ma- jor new political reality that will be with us for generations. In a democracy, a majority of the voters can change the government. But, by giving millions of illegal immigrants a vote, the gov- ernment can cre- ate enough voters to get a majority. That is the oppo- site of democracy. More import- ant, it is irrevers- ible. Nor is that the only irrevers- ible institutional change the Dem- ocrats have on their agenda. The Democrats' agenda, if they get a majority in the Sen- ate, includes turning a city — Washington — into a state, with two Senators. It is no co- incidence that Washington voters have been voting over- whelmingly for Democrats for decades. If the city of Wash- ington gets the same pow- er in the Senate as the state of Georgia or Texas, that is another major institutional change that is irreversible. Among the groups like- ly to be hurt most by Demo- crats' dominance of both hous- es of Congress and the White House is the black population that has been the most loyal to the Democrats for many gen- erations. In some fields, loyalty brings rewards. But, in pol- itics, any group whose votes can be taken for granted by one party may not have their interests taken seriously by ei- ther party. One party doesn't have to work for their vote and the other party sees little chance of getting it. There is no more vital inter- est of black Americans than the education of black chil- dren. The whole future of the race depends on the quality of that education, more than on any other single factor. In many public schools in low-income minority neigh- borhoods, most of the stu- dents cannot pass tests in mathematics or English. In some ghetto schools, nobody passed either test. But data from New York and Washington show that most of the students in char- ter schools in these very same neighborhoods pass these tests — often at a rate sever- al times that in the local pub- lic schools. You can get the data for New York City from the Inter- net web site of the New York State Education Department. Parents and others who care about the education of black children should check out how they do in regular public schools compared to how they do in charter schools. When charter schools suc- ceed where traditional public schools fail, that is welcome news to everyone to whom black education matters. But it is bad news to failing pub- lic school bureaucrats and to teachers unions, since charter schools attract students from unionized public schools. There are more than 50,000 public school students on waiting lists to get into char- ter schools, in New York City alone. The education estab- lishment is using every dirty trick in the book to keep those students from actually trans- ferring into charter schools. It is the same story in other cities across the country. Another tactic is that, in- stead of trying to bring the other schools up to the char- ter school level, many poli- ticians — seeking teachers union support — have been imposing laws and policies to bring charter schools down to the other schools' levels. These politicians are almost all Democrats. President-elect Biden has already assured teachers unions that there will be no more federal money for charter schools. The Trump administration gave more than $ 9 million to a charter school network in New York's ghettos. Do not look for that to happen in a Biden admin- istration. Georgia voters have a lot of responsibility, not just for Georgia but for America, and not just for now but for future generations. Thomas Sowell is a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University. His web- site is www.tsowell.com. The Press-Dispatch Wednesday, Januar y 6, 2021 B-7 where to go — no other com- munity available to you. Now there is, and that opens up a world of opportunity. Some awful things as well, but some beautiful things." That meant that even during this pandemic, people found new ways to help oth- ers. Volunteers used the inter- net to find better ways to do- nate their time. Young people brought food to the elderly. Zoom and Slack taught us that not being in the office sometimes works as well, or better. Businesses had new tools with which to adapt. Restaurants moved to take- out and delivery, aided by apps like UberEats and Grubhub. Such healthy adaptation rarely makes news, because reporters seek out problems. Many worry loudly about climate change. Some claim the environment keeps get- ting worse. A dismayed CBS correspondent mourned, "Biodiversity is reportedly de- clining faster than any time! " Even if that were true, says Norberg, "We have nev- er made this much progress against pollution. The six leading pollutants, the ones that used to pollute our lungs and forests and rivers, they've declined by some 70 %! " In January of this year, when President Trump an- nounced the assassination of Iranian Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani, "World War III" trended on Twitter. The Selec- tive Service website crashed for fear there would be a draft. "People think there's more war," I say to Norberg. "But we've forgotten the wars that we had in the past! When I grew up in the 1980s, there were more wars, and battle death rates were four times higher." Less war is one reason peo- ple keep living longer. A fter COVID-19, that trend will con- tinue. "We have this tendency, for good reasons, to focus on problems, because that's our way of solving problems," says Norberg. "But then there's the risk that we'll just despair and think it's hopeless and we give up. That's not the solution to our problems. "Just cheer up and be hap- py? " I ask. He answers, "Be a little bit grateful for what we have." John Stossel is author of "Give Me a Break: How I Ex- posed Hucksters, Cheats, and Scam Artists and Became the Scourge of the Liberal Media." 2020 Continued from page 6 highest U-Haul rates. In No- vember 2020, U-Haul rental from Los Angeles to Houston was $4,907. From Houston to Los Angeles, it was $1,784. From San Francisco to Dal- las, the U-Haul rate was $5,290, and from Dallas to San Francisco, it was $1,655. Perhaps all this augurs a new conservative wave, just as the Proposition 13 tax revolt in California in 1978 would be followed two years later with the election of Ron- ald Reagan. Maybe Georgia voters will pay heed to lessons learned in California and Georgia will stay red in the January Senate runoff elections. Star Parker is president of the Center for Urban Renew- al and Education and host of the new weekly television show "Cure America with Star Parker." LESSONS Continued from page 6 I hope it wells up within you, overflowing into the lives of others. May Love be always with you." • • • New Year's resolutions. Year after year, we all hear the same thing. A new year means turning a new page in our life. We hope and pray that this new chapter in our lives will get better. Let's all try to get rid of the old bag- gages that have impacted our lives negatively, and do our best to make some changes that will make us healthier and happier. Let's name some of them. I know I sound like a broken record, but I'll share them anyway. Here it is: Let's nour- ish well and eat healthier and not overeat. Let's do our best to maintain an ideal weight through proper nutrition and regular exercise. Let's get in- to a habit of proper balance between energy expenditure and rest. Make sure you get adequate sleep. In this time of the pandem- ic, follow the guidelines is- sued by the health experts. You all know what they are. Avoid excessive worrying. Trust and have faith that we'll come out of these diffi- cult times we're in. Set aside a time to meditate. Make sure you do not become iso- lated and disconnected. Quit smoking if you do. Absolute- ly do not ingest any harmful and addicting substances. There is so much more, but I'm sure you will come across more good tips from various sources. Humor of the week: Here's what somebody's list for the New Year's resolution is: I'll not be angry toward any- body. I'll just get even. l'll do a regular program of exercise next year. I'll use my three exercise machines once I get my clothes dryer fixed. I'll get rid of all my junk food once I run out of them. I have a friend who said he will lose weight by eating on- ly once a day. But all day. I promise to cut back on checking my cell phone from 300 times a day to 299. Hey, that's progress. Everyone have a blessed 2021! PROMISES Continued from page 6 PREPARED Continued from page 6 PASSION Continued from page 6 Court Report FELONY Pike County Circuit Court Kevin Kendall charged with count I sexual miscon- duct with a minor, a level 5 fel- ony, and count II possession of child pornography, a level 6 felony. Willie Lucas Montgomery charged with domestic bat- tery committed in the pres- ence of a child less than 16 years old, a level 6 felony. Aaron Richardson charged with count I battery against a public safety official, a level 6 felony, count II resisting law enforcement, a level 6 felony, count III resisting law enforce- ment and count IV operating a vehicle while intoxicated. TRAFFIC AND MISDEMEANORS Pike County Circuit Court Morgan A. Cox charged with possession of marijuana. Greg A. Price charged with count I driving while suspend- ed, prior, and count II posses- sion of marijuana. CIVIL Pike County Circuit Court Discover Bank sues Lisa Brewster on complaint. LVNV Funding, LLC sues Jamie Poselwait on complaint. Professional and Business Collections sues Jordan Mel- hiser on complaint. INFRACTIONS Pike County Circuit Court Kevin M. Coomes charged with speeding, exceeding 70 mph. Bradley S. Johnson charged with speeding, exceeding 70 mph. Gabriel A. Porter charged with operating with expired plates. Ross A. Stratton charged with speeding, exceeding 70 mph. Andrew M. Payne charged with speeding, exceeding 70 mph. Cory A. Pierce charged with no valid driver's license. Denise A. Batemon charged with speeding, exceeding 70 mph. Ashley B. O'Brien charged with speeding, exceeding 70 mph. Annette C. Phillips charged with speeding, exceeding 70 mph. Harley J. Millard charged with speeding, exceeding 70 mph. Gabriel J. Hofmann charged with speeding, exceeding 70 mph. Grace H. McCuiston charged with speeding, ex- ceeding 70 mph. Donald W. Thomas charged with speeding, exceeding 55 mph. Grace E. Brandle charged with speeding. Bethany A. Lindsey charged with speeding, ex- ceeding 70 mph. Michael E. Schantz charged with speeding, exceeding 70 mph. Kyler Ray Lee charged with operating with expired plates. Tara J. Scales charged with speeding, exceeding 70 mph. Christian L. Pylypec charged with speeding, ex- ceeding 70 mph. Sarah E. Land charged with speeding, exceeding 70 mph. Colin L. Fletcher charged with speeding, exceeding 70 mph. Zachary S. Eckert charged with speeding, exceeding 55 mph. Tabetha C. O'Bannon charged with speeding, ex- ceeding 70 mph. Kayla B. May charged with speeding, exceeding 70 mph. Rhys Darrington charged with speeding, exceeding 70 mph. Thomas J. Cohoat charged with speeding, exceeding 70 mph. Micah D. Overholt charged with speeding, exceeding 70 mph. Meet D. Shah charged with speeding, exceeding 70 mph. should "tremble at the word of the Lord." They were consid- ered radicals and were perse- cuted, in some cases even ex- ecuted. They sought safety in the New World. One Quaker named Robert Hodgson be- gan to preach to crowds in New Netherland (today, New York), but for that was arrest- ed and flogged. Peter Stuyve- sant, director general of New Netherland, subsequently forbade people from allowing Quakers into their towns or giving them shelter in their homes. When his strictures were challenged, he is said to have responded, "We derive our authority from God and the West India Company, not from the pleasure of a few ig- norant subjects." On Dec. 27, 1657, Tobias Feake, the sheriff of Vliss- ingen, New Netherland (to- day known as Flushing, New York), and the town clerk, Edward Clark, drafted a peti- tion calling for acceptance of the beliefs of others and their right to accept Quakers into their towns and homes. They persuaded 28 of their fellow citizens to stand with them in signing the petition. More importantly, the petition they drafted, known as the Flush- ing Remonstrance, survives as one of the most beautiful and inspiring statements of the American spirit. In rejecting the prohibition against receiving or entertain- ing Quakers, the signatories of the Flushing Remonstrance stated: "We desire therefore in this case not to judge least we be judged, neither to condemn least we be condemned, but rather let every man stand or fall to his own Master … "Therefore if any of these said persons come in love un- to us, we cannot in conscience lay violent hands upon them, but give them free egresse and regresse unto our Town, and houses, as God shall per- suade our consciences, for we are bounde by the law of God and man to doe good unto all men and evil to noe man." Feake and Clark paid a heavy price for this act of con- science: they were imprisoned and fined. But their spirit of re- sistance prevailed. Eventually the Dutch West India Compa- ny ordered Stuyvesant to "al- low everyone to have his own belief." A little over 100 years later, the right to freedom of belief was codified in the Bill of Rights. Indeed, we tend to think of Thomas Jefferson as the father of our freedoms for having inspired the Bill of Rights, or James Madison for having drafted them, but the path to those freedoms was paved by ordinary citizens, such as the 30 who signed the Flushing Remonstrance. Winston Churchill said, "The future is unknowable, but the past should give us hope." As we wait to be al- lowed to return to our church- es and synagogues, we should remember that small band of 30 citizens in Flushing, New York, and remind ourselves that the American commit- ment to liberty does not de- pend on singular individu- als such as James Madison or Thomas Jefferson, or on a president or governor, but it depends fully on the love for liberty each one of us holds and the lengths we are will- ing to go to uphold it. Katharine Cornell Gorka serves as Director of the Feul- ner Institutes's Center for Civil Society and the American Di- alogue. RUTLEDGE Continued from page 6 come in every way a mod- el citizen in prison. He in- structs young Black men how to avoid the mistakes he made. What gave Rutledge hope was his inner convic- tion that "maybe there was a purpose to my life. Maybe there were still things God wanted me for." This epipha- ny is what has kept Rutledge from the torture of total de- spair after 40 years behind bars in a maximum-security prison in Alabama. Prison normally hardens men's souls. Rutledge has softened. As Folsom and his wife, Anita, wrote in their bi- ographical book "Death on Hold," "There may be no in- mate in the United States who is more rehabilitated than Mitchell Rutledge." A f- ter 40 years behind bars — two-thirds of his life — with virtually no personal free- dom and only knowledge of the outside world from T V in prison, he has paid his debt to society. Trump and/or Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey must act with justice and mercy. It would be a victory for our penal system that a man can serve his time and be rehabilitated. Rutledge puts it well: "The prison system does not reha- bilitate inmates. The prison- ers have to rehabilitate them- selves." Everyone, including the warden, has spoken up on his behalf. The famous line from Tim Robbins in "The Shawshank Redemption" is, "You have to get busy living or get busy dying." Let Rutledge get on living. Freeing a 60 -year- old Black man, who has re- formed his life against all odds and poses no threat to the public, would be an appropriate and justified use of presidential power by Trump, highlighting his righteous crusade for civil justice reform. Redemption is a beautiful thing. Stephen Moore is a senior fellow at the Heritage Foun- dation and an economic con- sultant with FreedomWorks. He is the co-author of "Trum- ponomics: Inside the America First Plan to Revive the Amer- ican Economy." and there is little anyone can do. The bottom line is don't become a patient or you will die alone. I am not prognosticating but I fear we are in the mid- dle of a societal, cultural, and geopolitical reset that began on 9/11 and the church has not found its voice, and may be so far marginalized that it can muster no voice. Darkness has the world in its grip and only the Light of Christ will save us from this evil. My solution is for the mass- es to protest in front of the governor's mansion, invade the Statehouse, and force the hospitals and nursing homes to allow loved ones to be com- forted. I'll be in the front be- cause this is something I be- lieve in, and I have no fear of CVOVID because you can protest and COVID will not bother you. Time to call out their hy- pocrisy and false narratives. I emailed the governor al- most four weeks ago. I am still waiting on a response. Think about it! 812-354-8500 • ads@pressdispatch.net SERVING THE ENTIRE AREA PETERSBURG & WINSLOW