This is Viewpoints for Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2017

Not on the menu

I have just listened intently to President Obama’s farewell speech in the city of Chicago —and was very much saddened by his delivery. I kept thinking to myself — “the saddest song, and the greatest sin, are all the things that might have been.” A capable vessel with a twisted ideology.

Before I spend time in the appraisal of his phrase let me mention two things that come to mind. First, it is the water logged and deteriorating log, floating down the river with 10,000 varmints clinging as best possible to it’s untimely condition and every one of them thinking they are guiding the ship. What an insight. Not one time did this departing chief executive make mention of any abilities (for himself or others), that Almighty God had (or would be) extending. My other mention would be that of a funeral, where the minister was expected to elevate the deceased for deeds of renown and to the surprise of everyone, his first words were — to the shock of attendees — “there is none great but God.” Obama never mentioned God in his closing remarks.

Many have been guilty of such omission and all have encountered “a not so pleasant aftermath.”Check it out. I will not bore our readers with all the obvious errors in his beautiful oration. If you have been awake over the past eight years, and with an IQ of 13 or more you would have readily recognized the stretch, the wild pitch, the egocentric thrust of the economy, jobs, global conditions, trust, rights and more, all twisted to match the fancy of someone who’s only job in life was to “organize.” President Obama is a very intellectual soul, but his recipe for humanity (in America at least), is not on the desired menu for most citizens. That much has been proven.

Going back in time

It will take many years (up to 12 years, i.e., graduation) to see if current efforts will work well (we don’t know the details). And, without religious education (especially Christian), children will continue to be “indoctrinated” by liberal ideals and a lack of morals. They will be taught that we all come from monkeys, and thus have only instinctive morals, but they will never be told that evolution is a racist theory.

And, why doesn’t anyone take blame or responsibility for the damage to these children. Young men/women, face the rest of their lives in significant ignorance? At least someone should blame “climate change.” That seems to be the catch all for almost everything.

Thankfully, I was educated in the 1950s ‘60s when we prayed daily and pledged to the flag, had assembly weekly (boys had to wear white shirts and ties), and I learned to read, write, and memorize. And, we learned untainted history. Then, when I took some courses in a university in the ‘80s, I was told pilgrims first came to this land for commercial reasons, in order to sell their wares to others (to who?), but I was taught in grade school that they came to establish freedom of worship and leave an oppressive government. Which view was correct? The former is the liberal view. Very, very sad, indeed.

Advice for Pecor

In the Jan. 12 letters, Charles J. Pecor applauds Mike Ganas’ Jan. 9 vow to fill The Telegraph with as many of his letters as possible in 2017. Pecor hopes that Ganas’ letters will “drive out some of the ramblings of Faye Tanner, or Travis Middleton, or Jerry Norris,” as well as “some of the verbiage in David Mann’s rambling screeds against Dr. Bill Cummings,” adding that “I think we got the point long ago that Mann does not agree with Cummings’ views on religion.”

It’s true that The Telegraph has published, in print, a grand total of four essays by me that referenced Cummings, as well as one online only, since October 2015. But this was not a monologue but an evolving conversation (Cummings gives his views 52 times a year); each of my columns approached the subject from a different direction; and two of the four were only secondarily about Cummings, being primarily about other columnists who had discussed him, one of whom had directly attacked me, forcing me to defend myself.

The irony here is that Dr. Cummings himself, both publicly and privately, has expressed great appreciation for my writing about his ideas. I believe this is because he is among those who are capable of thinking seriously about some very serious matters. Perhaps that group does not include Mr. Pecor.

I have a very simple suggestion for Mr. Pecor that might do wonders for his peace of mind: When he sees something by someone whose writing greatly bothers him, don’t read it.

Four seasons

It’s kind of spooky living in a part of Georgia where one experiences the four seasons in the same month — in the dead of winter.

He who will not see

Mike Smith made a claim that President Obama is the worst president in his lifetime. Here are some of the accomplishments of this “worst” president.

1. President Obama’s stimulus package put money in Mr. Smith’s pocket.

2. Osama bin Laden is dead.

3. Saved the American automobile industry.

4. Unemployment dropped from 10 percent to 4.7 percent.

5. Over 11 million jobs created.

6. Dow Jones increased from 8,000 to over 19,000 points

7. Budget deficit reduced from $1.4 trillion to $600 billion.

I’m sure Smith will be unmoved by this list because there is none so blind as he who will not see.

Bike lane safety

Bike lanes across Georgia including Hwy. 96 do make it safer for bicyclists and motorists. Recently, my riding buddy and I rode from Perry to Hawkinsville and back on Ga. 224 and Hwy. 341. No bike lanes, but drivers were safety conscious and polite giving us the three feet Georgia law requires.

Bike lanes add an extra margin of safety. But please remember we still need a buffer in case the bike lane is full of gravel, broken glass or debris. On two lane roads with no bike lane if motorists wait a moment the cyclist will get as far right as possible making it easier to move past us.

With a bit of patience we will all get where we are going safely. I’m impressed with the care and politeness of motorists in our area.

This story was originally published January 17, 2017 at 9:00 PM with the headline "This is Viewpoints for Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2017."