The Press-Dispatch
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/931535
C-12 Opinion Wednesday, Januar y 24, 2018 The Press-Dispatch Pursuit of the Cure by Star Parker Republicans must lead abortion debate Court Report CRIMINAL Pike Circuit Court Alex Poselwait charged with count I burglary, a level 4 felony, count II un- lawful possession of a firearm by a se- rious violent felon, and count III habit- ual offender. Donna S. Townly charged with count I possession of methamphetamine, a level 6 felony and count II possession of paraphernalia. In re: Special Prosecutor ISP Inves- tigation CIVIL Pike Circuit Court Absolute Resolutions Investments sues Steven Scraper on complaint. In re: Peggy Newton, as parent for BN. FV-I Inc., in trust for Morgan Stan- ley sues Eric Brigham on complaint. Professional and Business Collec- tions sues Honey R. Cates on com- plaint. Maryella R. Osgatharp sues Ken- neth M. Osgatharp for dissolution of marriage. TRAFFIC AND MISDEMEANOR Pike Circuit Court Michael Kirby charged with posses- sion of marijuana. Tylor Zane Matthews charged with resisting law enforcement. Jessica Matthews charged with false informing. Bryan K. Townley charged with do- mestic battery. SMALL CLAIMS Pike Circuit Court Pike-Gibson Water, Inc. sues Ernest Wilhite on complaint. INFRACTIONS Pike Circuit Court Guerline Amazan charged with count I failure to yield right-of-way to emergency vehicle and count II speed- ing, 58 mph in a 35 zone. Jean Amazan charged with open al- coholic beverage container during op- eration of a motor vehicle. Lee Coffman charged with seatbelt violation. Paul Freeman charged with speed- ing, 56 mph in a 35 zone. Aaron Freeman charged with seat- belt violation. Amy Freeman charged with seatbelt violation. Lisa Harbison charged with speed- ing, 71 mph in a 55 zone. Donald Hert, Jr. charged with speed- ing, 50 mph in a 30 zone. Johannon Hill charged with seatbelt violation. David Holder charged with speed- ing, 72 mph in a 55 zone. James Klostermann charged with speeding, 71 mph in a 55 zone. Casey Mason charged with seatbelt violation. Shelby Orebaugh charged with driv- ing while suspended. Sarah Pollock charged with speed- ing, 59 mph in a 45 zone. Steven Twitty charged with speed- ing, 60 mph in a 35 zone. Ronald Williams charged with speeding, 84 mph in a 70 zone. Continued from page 11 OBAMA Continued from page 11 INTRUDE Many countries in Eu- rope have hate speech laws that carry with them imprisonment. The Legal Project writes, "Since the end of World War II, many European countries have witnessed a proliferation of hate speech legislation de- signed to curb incitement to racial and religious ha- tred. Though originally intended to guard against the kind of xenophobic and anti-Semitic propa- ganda that gave rise to the Holocaust, today, national hate speech laws have in- creasingly been invoked to criminalize speech that is merely deemed insulting to one's race, ethnicity, re- ligion or nationality." How far would a hate speech bill intrude into religion? All religions ex- clude people for various reasons. Is not that offen- sive? As a Christian, how would you answer on the witness stand if you were compelled to agree or dis- agree with some of Paul's writings or the Gospel's themselves? Paul wrote to the church at Corinth, "Do you not know that the unrigh- teous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither for- nicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosex- uals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will in- herit the kingdom of God." For curiosity's sake, how many people did Paul of- fend? Just for starters, he maligned four categories of sexual promiscuity that society once considered scandalous. How far is the Western world away from condemn- ing the Gospels and the apostle as anti-Semites, homophobes, bigots, rac- ists, misogynistic and sex- ists? Some Christian writ- ers have already heaped scorn upon the faithful; so we are nearly there. So much for speaking Truth to Power or using Truth as a Defense. But truth is still a de- fense. Paul wrote the church at Philippi, "know- ing that I am set for the de- fense of the gospel." The Word of God stands as written. Christians are encouraged not to be of- fended; Jesus said, "Be- hold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves." Think about it! Continued from page 11 OFFENDED ization, but to gang recruit- ment. Already, the MS -13 gang has absorbed some of the older children. The president was soft on terrorism, but fierce in his jihad against unborn children. Military doctors were obligated to perform abortions, and the Cath- olic order Little Sisters of the Poor were taken to court to force them to fund abortions. He deployed his IRS against prolife organi- zations, and allied himself with Sodomite activists. How were we better off after eight years of Obama? Hmm. I'll have to get back to you on that. theory, from how to apply chemical peels and how to tint eyelashes. Everything, that is, but how to remove hair with a thread." It took a long fight and a lawsuit to get that require- ment fixed. But you can never rest easy where gov- ernment is concerned – as soon as you pluck one bu- reaucratic weed, another starts growing in its place. Which brings us back to the case of Juan Carlos Montes de Oca. His plight has captured the attention of Arizona Gov. Doug Du- cey, who noted in his re- cent State of the State ad- dress that a cosmetology li- cense requires "25 weeks [of training], more than an EMT, certified nursing assistant or truck driver." He's pushing to ease the draconian requirements for a cosmetology license. Mr. Ducey referred to the cosmetology board as "bullies." He's right. But that's par for the bureau- cracy at any level of gov- ernment. This case and many others like it show us an eternal truth: the gov- ernment's natural tenden- cy is to expand beyond its original tasks – to reach in- to the details of our every- day lives and dictate what we can and can't do. That's why we call it "the nanny state." Yes, their rules and reg- ulations may be well-inten- tioned. But that doesn't change the fact that this mission creep can cause real harm – or that we need to resist it at every turn. Hair, after all, isn't the only thing that needs to be cut. So does big gov- ernment. Ed Feulner is the found- er of The Heritage Founda- tion (heritage.org). This year, as every year, I will be joining the hundreds of thousands who will be arriving in Washington, D.C., for the March for Life. March for Life notes the anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision, Jan. 22, 1973, which legalized abortion on demand in our country. The event has taken place every year since 1973 and will continue to take place every year until this disastrous and destructive decision is reversed. Those who come to Washington ex- press the breadth and depth of the re- solve they hold for enshrining respect for the sanctity of life as part of our na- tional culture. They often brave the hostile ele- ments of winter in our nation's capi- tal. And have also braved many differ- ent political climates. Fortunately, this year, the pro-life political climate has dramatically im- proved. Operation Rescue, one the nation's leading activist pro-life Christian orga- nizations, has named President Donald Trump its Pro-Life Person of the Year. Last October, the House passed the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act. This legislation prohibits abortion after 20 weeks, the point at which it's estimated that the unborn child can feel pain. Trump has indicated that he is ready to sign the bill into law. In order for this to happen, it must pass the Sen- ate. However, there is considerable doubt that Majority Leader Mitch Mc- Connell can muster the necessary 60 votes, particularly now that the Repub- lican count in the Senate is down to 51. Nevertheless, the push should be made in the Senate, and there are in- dications that the vote will take place. Today's political land- scape is characterized by increased partisan polar- ization, and abortion is no exception. According to a 2017 Gallup poll, 71 percent of Democrats self-identify as "pro-choice" compared with 36 percent of Repub- licans – a difference of 35 percentage points. Sixteen years ago, in 2001, the gap between Democrats and Republi- cans on this issue was 26 points. The 71 percent "pro-choice" figure among Democrats in 2017 was the highest it's been in the last 17 years. The nation's highest abortion rates are among black and Hispanics, both of whom vote disproportionately for Democrats. So, as in other areas, these minority communities are not getting the leadership they need in the Demo- cratic politicians they vote for. It's why Republicans should push for floor votes on abortion. It provides an opportunity to push Democrats and raise awareness among their constit- uents about this issue. Black women constitute 6 percent of our population, yet they account for 35 percent of abortions. How can Dem- ocrats possibly be serving this com- munity by supporting and encourag- ing this disaster? It's vital for blacks, and for all Ameri- cans, to understand that abortion is not an issue that can be viewed in isolation. Lack of respect for the sanctity of life spills over into other criti- cal areas of human behav- ior. Thus it is no accident that the years since the Roe v. Wade decision have been years in which the Ameri- can family has collapsed. In 1960, 73 percent of all children were living with two parents in a first mar- riage. By 2014, this was down to 46 percent. In 2014, 54 percent of black children were living with a single parent. Sev- enty-one percent of black babies were born to unwed mothers in 2014 com- pared with 40 percent in 1960. Research is overwhelming regard- ing the centrality of a healthy family structure to success in life. There is little question that the deep issues in black communities today tie to fami- ly collapse. And at the core of that collapse is the absence of reverence for the sanc- tity of life. There is no issue more central to our national moral, physical and fis- cal health than abortion. And the par- tisan implications are clear. Republicans must help lead blacks and Hispanics out of the darkness in which the Democratic Party is hold- ing them hostage. Star Parker is an author and presi- dent of CURE, Center for Urban Renew- al and Education. Contact her atwww. urbancure.org. Area artist donates 200-hour artwork Evansville Mayor Lloyd Winnecke claps during the unveiling of Gibson Coun- ty artist Bob Zasadny's fiberglass and resin sculpture of a treble clef Jan. 20, when a group of Zasadny's friends gathered on the second floor of the Vic- tory Theatre to unveil the 9-foot, 125-pound gift. The work took more than 200 hours to complete. Mayor Winnecke, Maestro Alfred Savia and Zasad- ny spoke to contextualize the important place of the piece in this community. Zasadny hopes to inspire others to follow their dreams and find the passion to do what they love. His other public pieces can be viewed at Oakland City Uni- versity, the Evansville Airport, Audubon Park in Henderson and the North Gibson High School in Princeton. SOUNDING THE ALARM According to Ringle, the person with the responsibility to sound the alarm is whoever notices the threat first. If a person is in the church congrega- tion, for example, they should not wait for the pastor to notice and announce the threat. If they see something unu- sual, for example, a person walking into church with a rifle, it's the person who notices who should yell "lockdown" or some other alarm that will tell people to flee. People do not have to wait for a person to begin shooting to justify sounding the alarm on suspicious behavior, he said. FLEEING If possible, getting completely away from the threat is the best option. He warned against allowing conditioned thinking to stop a person from saving their own life. For example, students should not think that, if they hear gun- shots, that they must stay on the school campus. In that moment, no place is too far away from the threat, he explained, and leaving campus to stay alive is a valid response. Sometimes students need to have that explained, he said. The same is true, he said, for adults in a workplace. Should there be a threat, the first concern should be staying alive. As a person exits the building, they should certainly warn anyone they see along the way, and encourage others to join them, but if a person refuses to flee or will not be moved, the person sound- ing the alarm has every right in that ex- treme circumstance, to save their own life. CHOOSING THE BEST PLACE TO HIDE When the threat is between the per- son and an escape, the next option is to hide, and preferably behind a locked door. "No victim of a shooting so far has been found behind a locked door," Ring- le said. In workplaces and other public spac- es, there are often too few locked doors, but sometimes bathrooms will be an op- tion that locks. If a locked door isn't available, choose cover, he said, over concealment. Cov- er is something that, if you are shot at, could stop or slow a bullet. When hiding, the best case scenario is to make where you are at look unoc- cupied by turning off the lights if that is safe to do without drawing attention. COMMITTING TO STAYING ALIVE Also, hide on your feet, such as stand- ing or crouching, and if possible, with a weapon, or think of what you might im- provise as a weapon if it comes down to a choice between you and the shooter. "If he starts shooting through the door or breaking it down, are you going to give up? " he asked. Several attendees were from area churches—one said after hearing of a mass shooting in a church, he became more aware of safety. Another said a per- son threatened the church he attends, and while the verbal threat had been re- ported to police, it had motivated his at- tendance at the event. Other attendees were area teachers using their snow days to become more aware of how to protect the children in their care. Others worked in a local business with a pharmacy, which they felt in- creased their risk of coming into con- tact with armed intruders. "It's your responsibility to be as pre- pared as possible. You can't say, 'I work at Toyota, it's Toyota's responsibility,'" Ringle said. Putting thought into how to sound the alarm, flee, hide or fight could save the life of the person who prepares and those around them, he said. "There's the best thing to do, and the wrong thing to do, and then doing noth- ing, which is always the wrong decision." SHOOTER Continued from page 10 REAL ESTATE TRANSFERS Robert Bryon Maxfield conveys to Ricky Lee King and Stephanie Jo King, real estate as recorded in Pike County. Clarence Louis Beck, Colleen G. Ervin, Jennifer L. Cor- nett, Vicki L. McClure, Peggy D. Williams, Kristeena C. Rhodes, Martin Beck, and Sandra Beck convey to Kev- in E. Hornby and Christina M. Hornby, real estate as re- corded in Pike County. Latasha Henson conveys to Solar Sources Mining, LLC, real estate as recorded in Pike County. Kimberly S. Ahrens conveys to Solar Sources Mining, LLC, real estate as recorded in Pike County. Christopher J. Kramer conveys to Kameron T. Birkle and Miranda G. Birkle, real estate as recorded in Pike County.