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Viewpoint
El Campo Leader-News • Wednesday, June 15, 2016
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L-N Editorial
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Like MUD through the hourglass ... Like sands through the hourglass, so are the Days of Our Lives. For those who dutifully view their “stories” or daytime soap operas, the previous Monday through Friday refrain is quite familiar. Here in Wharton County, we have our own serial drama. However, our local characters are far more real – and perhaps unique – than the scripted actors and actresses popping up on our television sets. We’re talking about the Isaacson Municipal Utility District, or IMUD. The daily activities and regular board meetings at IMUD have brought us story lines over the years that would rival the scripts of our noontime “stories.” There have been accusations of theft, mismanagement, shady behvaior, questionable water bill charges, and even a fist-fight once upon a time. Heck, the doings at IMUD fall just short of the one time our soap opera darling Marleena’s face turned green and spun feverishly on her neck back in the 80’s – a byproduct of her demonic possession, if you recall. Luckily, an old priest and a young priest arrived in Salem just before Marleena’s soul was lost for eternity. It’s difficult for anyone to precisely pinpoint what all has occurred within IMUD over the years. But as Bill Shakespeare once wrote, something is definitely stinky in Denmark. Within the past couple years the IMUD manager has resigned, after pressure was applied by some concerned citizens calling for her to step down. A Wharton County Sheriff’s Office investigation is currently ongoing, but awaits more financial audits to be performed on the utility’s books. the needs of patients is invaluable. Thus far, nothing concrete has surfaced other than “discrepancies” in On behalf of Dorothy Baros, Garden Villa resident, a credit card statements for the district. big thank you goes out to all the nursing assistants who However, one audit detailed nearly $70,000 worth of losses over the years. work at Garden Villa Health Care Center. Another issue that is difficult to rationalize is IMUD reported using exYour assistance is truly appreciated. Thanks to Brent actly 13,721,200 gallons of water for four straight years – in 2014, 2013, 2012 Editor, the Leader-News: Limmer, Garden Villa administrator, for letting us know and 2011. A most sincere thank you to all nursing assistants this is National Nursing Assistants Week so we can recWhile that doesn’t necessarily point to something criminal in nature, any who provide hands-on, direct care on a daily basis to paognize them for all their hard work. reasonable person would agree those figures simply cannot be accurate. tients. Sincerely, And accuracy is something the utility district continues to struggle with. Whether it be in a nursing home setting, hospital or Helen Dolezal, niece of Dorothy Baros The latest uproar arrived this week when residents looking to participate Palacios even in a home setting, their involvement with meeting in early voting to elect board members were turned away from the polls. That’s because the names of three of the six candidates were misspelled on the paper ballots. Unless you’re a Major League Baseball player, a 50 percent success rate is considered failure. What’s worse, this is at least the second major issue with the current attempt to fill board seats, after problems electing officers about a month ago. One would think that the candidate who fails to get elected to the fivemember board could request the vote tallies thrown out – you know, because of inaccuracy and all. Alas, the IMUD problems continue. Keeping up with the issues and drama at the small utility district can be exhausting, and it’s difficult to understand how these sort of things continue to happen. One citizen who has followed the IMUD “stories” – perhaps more fervently than anyone else – recently expressed apathy about the situation. And if he’s grown tired of it, you can imagine how those less concerned with the stinkiness in Denmark must feel. All this drama is enough to cause the rest of us to feel like our heads are turning green and spinning. Opinions or views expressed by individual columnists or in Letters to the Editor are those of the writers and do not necesQuick! Please summon a young priest and an old priest over to IMUD. sarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper. Also, while the Leader-News strives for accuracy, errors may occur, and will
Letters to the Editor
Nursing assistants deserve our thanks for job well done
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be promptly corrected once they are brought to the attention of the editor.
– Jay T. Strasner
Standing together despite diversity, real American strength However great the shock of the massacre in Orlando, it is only a matter of time before we start hearing again the fact-free dogma that “diversity is our strength.” If there is any place in the Guinness Book of World Records for words repeated the most often, over the most years, without one speck of evidence, “diversity” should be a prime candidate. Is diversity our strength? Or any body’s strength, anywhere in the world? Does Japan’s homogeneous population cause the Japanese to suffer? Have the Balkans been blessed by their heterogeneity — or does the very word “Balkanization” remind us of centuries of strife, bloodshed and unspeakable atrocities, extending into our own times? Has Europe become a safer place after importing vast numbers of people from the Middle East, with cultures hostile to the fundamental values of Western civilization? “When in Rome do as the Romans do” was once a common saying.
Today, after generations in the West have been indoctrinated with the rhetoric of multiculturalism, the borders of Western nations on both sides of the Atlantic have been thrown open to people who think it is their prerogative to come as refugees and tell the Romans what to do — and to assault those who don’t knuckle under to foreign religious standards. The recent wave of refugees flooding into Europe include Muslim men who have been haranguing European women on the streets for not dressing modestly enough, not to mention their sexual molestation of those women. Smug elites in Europe, like their counterparts in America, are not nearly as concerned about such things as they are about preventing “Islamophobia.” Legal restrictions on free speech in some European countries make it a crime to sound the alarm about the dangers to the culture and to the people. In the lofty circles of those who
Thomas Sowell see themselves as citizens of the world, it is considered unworthy, if not hateful, to insist on living according to your own Western values or to resist importing people who increase your chances of being killed. But if you don’t have the instinct for self-preservation, it will not matter much in the long run whatever else you may have. America’s great good fortune in the past has been that Americans have been able to unite as Americans against every enemy, despite our own internal differences and struggles. Black and white, Jew and Gentile, have fought and died for this country in every war. It has not been our diversity, but
our ability to overcome the problems inherent in diversity, and to act together as Americans, that has been our strength. In both World War I and World War II, the top commander of American troops who went into combat against the German army was of German ancestry — Pershing and Eisenhower, respectively. So too was General Carl Spaatz, whose bombers reduced German cities to rubble. Whatever their backgrounds, they were Americans when the chips were down. Today, that sense of American unity is being undermined by the reckless polarization of group identity politics. That affects not only how Americans see themselves, but how others in our midst see America. Some people demand American citizenship, as if it is an entitlement, while burning the American flag and waving the flag of Mexico. And the apostles of “diversity” and “multiculturalism” watch in silence. That includes the President of the United
States. Probably most people in most groups are decent. But if 85 percent of the people in Group A present no serious problems and 95 percent of the people in Group B present no serious problems, that means you can expect three times as many serious problems when you admit immigrants from Group A. Unfortunately, there is remarkably little interest in the relevant facts about crime rates, disease rates, welfare dependency or educational deficiencies among immigrants from specific countries. Most debates about immigration policies are contests in rhetoric, with hard facts being ignored as if they didn’t exist. Tragically, the massacre in Orlando seems unlikely to change that. Too many people have too much invested in their own particular position to change, especially in an election year. www.creators.com
Jay Strasner...................................................Editor & Publisher THE EL CAMPO LEADER-NEWS (USPS 169520) is published semi-weekly on Wednesday and Saturday for $48 per year in Wharton County; $63 per year out of county; and $87 per year out of state; and $48 per year for the online edition only, by Wharton County Newspapers, Inc., 203 E. Jackson St., El Campo, Texas 77437. Periodical postage paid at El Campo, Texas. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to the EL CAMPO LEADER-NEWS, P.O. Box 1180, El Campo, Texas 77437. © 2016 Wharton County Newspapers, Inc.
979-543-3363 Fax: 979-543-0097 Website: www.leader-news.com Email address: lettertoeditor@leader-news.com
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El Campo Leader-News • Wednesday, December 21, 2016
www.leader-news.com
L-N Editorial
Viewpoint
lettertoeditor@leader-news.com
Santa Claus not real? We say ‘Bah, humbug’ Saint Nicolas, Father Christmas, Pere Noel, Santa Claus. There are various names that cultures happen to attach to the benevolent patriarch associated with this time of year. And despite his worldwide popularity and universal love, lots of doubt continues to surround the existence of the jolly fellow. Ask any fourth grader about Santa and you’re likely to get a mixed response. Many kids who reach the age of 10 or so begin to doubt Santa – their faith either corrupted by classmates or older siblings. Some of the kiddos probably still believe in him, and at least a handful of those are likely motivated by the acknowledgment that if they continue to believe, an extra load of presents will appear on Christmas day. Perhaps the most popular investigation into Santa being real or not real appeared in a letter to the editor published in an 1897 edition of the New York Sun newspaper. Dear Editor — I am 8 years old. Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus. Papa says, “If you see it in The Sun, it’s so.” Please tell me the truth, is there a Santa Claus? Virginia O’Hanlon 115 West Ninety Fifth Street The savvy and erudite editor of the Sun penned a now-famous response to that inquisition. We’ll paraphrase some of our favorite lines: Virginia, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds ... Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus! Life without faith and hope would be a horrible world indeed. An old journalism professor once instructed us that the duty of a newspaper was to “Afflict the comforted and comfort the afflicted.” Remembrance of that duty has come into play several dozen times over the years. But sometimes it’s not only newspaper employees who apply themselves to comforting the afflicted. We learned recently of an unexpected and delightful act of generosity by an unnamed donor from our community a few days ago. This jolly fellow stopped by the police department (we cannot confirm if he traveled by 4-wheel drive pickup or sleigh, mind you) and dropped off 10 $100 bills for the police officers to distribute among suffering members of our fair city. “Love, generosity, devotion,” remember? The officers gathered to identify 10 families who had fallen on hard times and could use a little boost this holiday season for presents and whatnot. Policemen and women found that distributing the funds brought them an unexpected level of joy and appreciation. Many of the recipients, initially concerned when catching sight of the officers through their peep holes, saw their nervousness quickly turn to relief, shock and happiness as they realized their holidays would be a little less of a struggle this year. Hugs were exchanged between officers and citizens. Tears of joy fell on a few cheeks as well. Sudden friendships erupted. Back at the newspaper, our investigative team searched the parking lot for signs of reindeer droppings, but nothing turned up. No reports of elves roaming the town in recent days, either. A quick check of the police department’s surveillance tape also indicated no visitor dressed in red velvet or sporting a long white beard. However, what we did get was 100 percent confirmation of that New York Sun editor’s claim from 123 Christmases ago: Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. And he lives right here in El Campo, Texas. – Jay T. Strasner
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Read facts before disarming citizens Sometimes someone inadvertently performs a public service by bringing an unbelievably stupid homas and dangerous idea to the surface, where it can be exposed for what it owell is. The New York Times can be credited — if that is the word — with performing this public service in a recent editorial against proposals to allow law-abiding citizens to carry concealed guns. They refer to what they call the National Rifle Association’s “fantasy that citizens can stand up to gunmen by shooting it out.” Nobody has suggested any such thing. Data collected over many years — but almost never seeing the light of day in the New York Times or the rest of the mainstream media — show many thousands of examples of people defending themselves with a gun each year, without having to pull the trigger. If someone comes at you with a knife and you pull out a gun, chances are they will stop. The only time I ever pointed a gun at a human being, it was when someone was sneaking up toward me from behind a shed in the middle of the night. I never fired a shot. I just pointed the gun at him and told him to stop. He stopped. Actually having to shoot someone is the exception, not the rule. Yet the New York Times conjures up a vision of something like the gunfight at the OK Corral. Concealed guns protect not only those who carry them, but also those who do not. If concealed guns become widespread, then a mugger or a car jacker has no way of knowing who has one and who does not. It makes being a mugger or a car jacker a less safe occupation. Gun control laws are in effect occupational safety laws — OSHA for burglars, muggers, car jackers and others. The fatal fallacy of gun control laws in general is the assumption that such laws actually control guns. Criminals who disobey other laws are not likely to be stopped by gun control laws. What such laws actually do is increase the number of disarmed and defenseless victims. Mass shootings are often used as examples of a need for gun control. But what puts a stop to mass shootings? Usually the arrival on the scene of somebody else with a gun. Mass shooters are often portrayed as “irrational” people engaged in “senseless” acts. But mass shooters
T S
are usually rational enough to attack schools, churches and other places where there is far less likelihood of someone being on the scene who is armed. Seldom do we hear about these “irrational” shooters engaging in “senseless” attacks on meetings of the National Rifle Association or a local gun show or a National Guard armory. The fallacy of believing that the way to reduce shootings is to disarm peaceful people extends from domestic gun control laws to international disarmament agreements. If disarmament agreements reduced the dangers of war, there would never have been a World War II. The decades leading up to that war were filled with international disarmament agreements. As with domestic gun control laws, the agreements were followed by peaceful countries and ignored by belligerent countries that built up huge war machines, such as in Nazi Germany and imperial Japan. The net result was that the belligerent countries had every incentive to start wars, and that they inflicted devastating losses on the peaceful countries that had drastically curtailed their own military forces. Eventually the Western democracies got their act together and turned things around, after they belatedly beefed up their military forces. But thousands of lives were lost needlessly before that happened. World War II was in its third year before Western forces won a single battle. Undaunted by history, the same kind of thinking that had cheered international disarmament treaties in the 1920s and 1930s once again cheered Soviet-American disarmament agreements during the Cold War. Conversely, there was hysteria when President Ronald Reagan began building up American military forces in the 1980s. Cries were heard that he was leading us toward nuclear war. In reality, he led us toward an end of the Cold War, without a shot being fired at the Soviet Union. But who reads history these days, or checks facts before leading the charge to keep law-abiding people disarmed? www.creators.com
Jay Strasner...................................................Editor & Publisher Shannon Crabtree ................................................News Editor Nancy Unrein ..................................................Office Manager Shelly Schulz ...........................................Production Manager Quala Matocha .................................................Lifestyle Editor Chris Wimmer .....................................................Sports Editor Jody Larimer ....................................................News Reporter Keri Mahalitc .........................................................Advertising Diana David ............................................Classified Advertising THE EL CAMPO LEADER-NEWS (USPS 169520) is published semi-weekly on Wednesday and Saturday for $48 per year in Wharton County; $63 per year out of county; and $87 per year out of state; and $48 per year for the online edition only, by Wharton County Newspapers, Inc., 203 E. Jackson St., El Campo, Texas 77437. Periodical postage paid at El Campo, Texas. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to the EL CAMPO LEADER-NEWS, P.O. Box 1180, El Campo, Texas 77437.
© 2016 Wharton County Newspapers, Inc.
979-543-3363 • Fax: 979-543-0097 Website: www.leader-news.com Email address: lettertoeditor@leader-news.com Opinions or views expressed by individual columnists or in Letters to the Editor are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper. Also, while the Leader-News strives for accuracy, errors may occur, and will be promptly corrected once they are brought to the attention of the editor.