A truly insane election

This has got to be the strangest election season I have ever seen. Seventeen Republican candidates, all politicians except one, and he wins. Another Clinton waiting to be crowned. Trump was laughed at, scorned and dismissed for months all the while winning states. Flash in the pan, he will burn out, wait till he misspeaks. Damn, he is still there. An old “socialist” from Vermont is giving Clinton a run for her coronation.

Let me tell you. After many years of voting for Ross Perot, Ron Paul and Gary Johnson and being ridiculed and called crazy for leaning Libertarian I have one thing to say: Who are the crazies now?

Why do I feel the magician is waving a hand telling me “Look here, Look here” while his other hand is in my pocket? Wasteful talk of bathrooms and hot wives and who is lying to whom. All the while the economy is on a fine line, salaries have been stagnant for decades, and our soldiers are dying again over in that waste of space called the Middle East. The next president could be responsible for replacing three or four Supreme Court justices and a large swath of other federal judges. We are being invaded across our southern border, with 100,000 or more expected again this summer. Legal immigration, Yea … Illegal immigration, Nay.

I wish we could take care of the world. Our current president is trying and we are sinking down to their level rather than raising them up. Face it; we are out of the resources to take care of everyone.

What the future brings is very foggy right now. A choice for president between Mao and Mussolini, and both scare the crap out of me. Good luck, all.

What’s the story?

I have always been interested in city council meetings and school board meetings after I retired five years ago. I take pride in my city and feel that everyone should have the same sense of pride.

However, with the previous and current on-goings with the superintendent and school board I have now started being reserved about the pride I once proudly wore. I realize that folks move on (losing the good ones to other school systems), resign or retire, but am I the only one who questions why we go out of district or state to find highly qualified administrators? Is the Mr. Ben Braaten any relation to Ms. Rebecca Braaten, assistant superintendent, and if so, does nepotism take place? There are so many young hires with little experience in the classroom while those experienced are being overlooked. I have realized that the good ol' boy alliance hasn't ended after Dr. Phillips left. God Bless those who chose to stay on to work with our future!

Beyond the call

I would like to take the time to thank the Columbus police dispatcher and Officers Zachary Cole and James Overby, who came to my sister’s home on a distress call.

Her dog had died and was lying on the kitchen floor. She didn’t know what to do. She called animal control and was told that they couldn’t come until the next evening. Another animal removal agency in Columbus removed everything except dogs and cats.

I recommended she call 911 out of desperation. The 911 dispatcher expressed her condolence and apologies, and told my sister that she would send an officer. I stayed on the phone with her until they came because of her emotional state. When the officers came into the home they introduced themselves and she explained to them what was going on. They told her, they would wrap the dog in a blanket and remove the animal. Officer Cole and Officer Overby were very caring and compassionate. I appreciated them, and I am very thankful to Columbus Police Department. I know they had many other things they could have been doing, but they decided to help her.

I want to take a minute of my time to say, “Thank you for a job well done.” My sister can’t stop praising the dispatcher and the two officers for their magnanimous efforts. (I apologize because I didn’t get the 911 dispatcher’s name to properly thank her for her compassion and thoughtfulness).

On behalf of Ms. Temeta Cordero:

Skill and courage

We would like to express our deepest gratitude to the volunteer fire departments, forest service, sheriff‘s department and police officers of Stewart County and the surrounding area. On May 15, a fire started on our farm property. Our barn was saved due to the efficiency and skill of our local volunteer fire departments. The fire was rapidly contained with minimal property damage.

We soon learned ours was not the only fire they were facing. Their hard work and dedication resulted in these larger fires being swiftly extinguished. In a county with limited resources, these workers did an amazing job. Their courage and actions are commendable.

We would also like to thank Clay Cadenhead and his family for stopping to check on us and returning to help deal with hot spots after the main fire was extinguished.

Many thanks to these professionals, volunteers, and friends for keeping our community safe and making it a place we are proud to call home.

This story was originally published May 18, 2016 at 2:00 PM with the headline "A truly insane election."