Westville editorial insulting
I don't understand why your editorial staff must resort to insults in order to justify the proposed move of Westville's location. You said, "Westville isn't really on the way to anything, unless you're south of it and the way to Columbus." The same could be said about Atlanta's long-standing paternalistic view of Columbus.
Since you brought it up, Westville long has served more people from the Albany area than from Columbus. Formal zip-code surveys at Westville in the 1990s and 2000s prove this fact. No one in Albany ever insulted us that "we are not on the way to anything."
No, location is not the problem. Rather, it's how the Westville Executive Committee has chosen to run Westville that is the real problem. I invite anyone interested in learning more to see the multiple articles at http://savewestville.wordpress.com.
But my quarrel is not with Columbus. The Columbus community embraced Westville from the earliest days with its time, talent, and gifts. We in southwest Georgia continue to be grateful to Columbus. Before you, our friends in Columbus, endorse the travesty of snatching away a cultural treasure from Stewart County, we urge you look at your own travesty, one that is about to be committed on your own cultural treasure. That treasure is the proposed site of the "new" Westville. It is the most important archaeological site in Muscogee County. At least find out how they plan not to destroy it by putting a tourist attraction on top of it.
Mac Moye
Lumpkin
Necessary force
Americans are 300 million strong. Terrorist thugs cannot take us all down! Columbus and Fort Benning have four sets of law officers, and an incredible local resource of active and retired soldiers. Our area alone could take down all 60,000 ISIS fighters. If that was the case, in addition to the heavy police presence and the Army strong contingent, every 5-year-old male and little old lady would be packing heat. We could take them! They are not invincible!
In the recent California terror incident the media reported that the entire police force and all probation officers responded to the event. Media's 24-hour coverage has hyped American overreactions. We can react swiftly and with strength to threats; however, we cannot put all law officers on a single incident, particularly one that has three terrorists, even with an unknown number of accomplices. The San Bernardino police force seemed to think the sky was falling. Yes, it was the deadliest event since the Connecticut incident, but police overreaction can leave the rest of the city vulnerable, by placing all their force on the one incident. The cops need to respond to threats with the force due the situation, not hysterically overreact like Godzilla has arrived.
Police officials should understand that street thugs see media coverage. Common criminals will begin criminal assaults if the entire police force is chasing a few folks at one location. Police officials please use sound judgement and discernment and do not react to terror events with all of your resources while leaving the rest of the city vulnerable to other terrorists and criminals.
Deborah Owens
Columbus
Benefit of the doubt
I hope the decision for a motorcycle adorned with a large CSA battle flag to ride directly behind the Prince Hall Masonic delegation during the recent Columbus Christmas Parade was merely an inconsiderate absence of decorum. This masonic fraternity is known for charity, which is a principle of Christmas. I have a proud cultural relationship with the CSA battle flag; but how it is associated with Christmas is beyond me, and it was poor form to fly it beside a black fraternity.
John Parmer
Columbus
Time of judgment?
Despite its liberality in lifestyle, baby aborting and diversity in religions, America continues to be blessed as the strongest nation on earth. Madonna, while performing in Stockholm, stated, as an outcry to the recent ISIS attack at the Eagles of Death metal band concert in Paris, "They want to silence us. And we won't let them."
Almost daily we are witnessing other forms of killings. Has our way of life come up again on God's radar screen? Is our way of life displeasing to Him who led our forefathers to this country in search of religious freedom where we could worship the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob? Unlike Israel of old we desired no kings, who, when traced through its history, were mostly selfish, evil and corrupt. They turned the people to idolatry and corruption. God often sent prophets like Jeremiah with a stern message of rebuke, calling for repentance. When they failed to amend their ways the Babylonians took them captive, although God's mercy never gave up on them.
While as a Christian nation whose monetary system carries an ensign "In God We Trust" the question must be asked, do we Christians trust God enough to believe that if our government opened its borders for the Syrian immigrants he will continue to bless and protect us even though our way of life has lost sight of the true moral principles that initially made our country great? Has ISIS come on the scene to awaken us to the fact that we need to reevaluate our lifestyle both individually and collectively and repent? Because our guide book, the Bible, says that Revelation 14:6,7 is here
Wesley B. Jones
Columbus
This story was originally published December 7, 2015 at 3:57 PM with the headline "Westville editorial insulting ."