Soap Box Derby coming back, and this time even better

It was a cheerful moment on seeing Mr. Chester Jackson and two of his Soap Box Derby crew on the front page of the Sunday paper. The article sent my mind back some 65 years when a few of us from the East Highland area would rush down 13th Avenue as the crowds gathered on both sides of the street waiting for the sound of the whistle. When it sounded, youth sitting behind steering wheels in their individual Soap Box Derby contraptions would go flying down the hill to 13th Street. My buddies and I would rush down the hill to see who had won …

When it was all over we headed back up the hill wishing we could have been part of this great event; nevertheless, there was no anger, bitterness or jealousy in us. We were just excited and had a desire to build our own contraptions, which many of us did. Because we were not able to go down a hill, we each had to have someone to push us, as we raced in the alley between 22nd and 23rd streets. It was a lot of fun.

This is a new day now, and the community must salute Mr. Jackson and the supporting groups who are making it possible for young black boys to participate in the future Soap Box Derby races of Columbus, Georgia.

Partners in peace

Columbus Council this week welcomed a delegation from our sister city Taichung, Taiwan, of recent top high school graduates from all around that democratic nation. Mainland China, known as People's Republic of China (PRC), is not free.

Freedom House, a U.S.-based non-governmental organization, researches and rates nations on democracy, political freedom and human rights. Of 195 countries rated, Taiwan scored 91 out of 100, behind only Japan's score of 96. Only 45% of nations were rated free and 30% partially free. Hong Kong and Singapore were rated as Partially Free, while Mainland China was rated Not Free. Taiwan’s score placed it ahead of France, the U.S. and Italy in 27th, 28th and 29th places, respectively, as well as South Korea in 42nd place.

The delegation will be here for ten intense days to learn how we do it, followed by a trip to the Governor's Office in Atlanta and then three days in Washington, where they will tour the White House and Congress and various sites in the city.

Happy Home World International is a not-for-profit organization to promote world peace in a unique way by promoting The Family Table as the means for all people worldwide to be able participate in the peace process. It is where by example the little ones learn character expectations, and all members learn and practice empathy, i.e., the Golden Rule.

It becomes obvious in today's political climate that all children must learn it before little punches become big punches. True power for peace lies in our grass roots.

Taiwan is south of Korea and Japan living under the threat of annihilation by nuclear devastation. These kids have legitimate concerns about peace and they aim to participate in achieving it.

Low-road appeal

When the president-elect became the president, he should have become the leader of all Americans. Instead he maintained a continuous campaign mode that has resulted in a bizarre six months of unprecedented presidential behavior.

Mr. Trump's July 28 speech to law enforcement promoting police brutality is the latest example of the alarmingly fascist, un-American tone of the President. His galvanizing rhetoric, a combination of red meat and propaganda, is aimed solely at his base. It always infers a dangerous enemy or some pernicious obstacle that real patriots must overcome in order to "make America great again." Such behavior damages our democracy, especially when spewed from a charismatic personality. It is also corrosive to the American psyche in that it appeals to a more base nature in us all.

In my opinion, Mr. Trump has loosed a new zeitgeist of division, xenophobia, and hatred in our country. We are more divided today than I have seen in my lifetime. Furthermore, this hyper-division has not benefitted America either at home or abroad. It has been done solely for Mr. Trump's personal aggrandizement.

Character in a leader does matter. Facts matter. Our Constitution matters. Supporting the rights of all people, however onerous at times, is our best protection of our own rights.

I would suggest that we all check facts, especially when hyperbolic language is used, and be willing to listen to other points of view. I urge our legislators to work together in regular order on centrist issues that benefit all Americans.

Let’s fill a need

Columbus has the perfect match. The diamond of healthcare in Columbus was bought and shut down by Columbus Regional, attempting to move $-making services "up the hill."

Today the full facility sits empty, five floors of services. So since the taxpayers own Columbus Regional, and Columbus Regional owns the empty Doctors Hospital, Why not donate the facility and establish it as a Columbus Regional veterans medical facility?

All donating should find a way to gather tax relief from the donation, plus jobs and more jobs, more wages into supporting services, restaurants, motel/hotel … Plus five floors of Class A vet medical services.

It's a win-win.

This story was originally published August 3, 2017 at 2:08 PM with the headline "Soap Box Derby coming back, and this time even better."