This is Viewpoints for Tuesday, April 18, 2017

Question

How can we as citizens depend on our duly elected officials of this country when all they do is point fingers at each other? I don’t know how we can trust them to lead us.

Prayer for today

In a recent letter to the editor, Yvonne Miller of Macon, alluded to my “Prayer for today” published April 3. She said my prayer “fueled division” and implied that editors should censor prayers if they do not meet her standards. Furthermore, she stated that my prayer was sectarian, bigoted and directed towards the Islamic world. I plead “Not guilty” to all three charges.

My prayer called for Christians to come together “...so we can stand and fight against the forces of evil which seek to destroy us.” She concluded that I was calling Islam part of the “forces of evil.” Therefore, I must respectfully respond to her allegations. My prayer was directed to Jesus because I am a Christian minister and he is my Lord and Savior. My intention was to offer a prayer on behalf of Christians of all denominations.

Miller used her “imagination”(her words) to assume that I equated “forces of evil” with Isalm. Nothing could be further from the truth. How she can pretend to know my heart and mind is a great mystery to me.

I believe there are many “faces of evil” working against Christians and their values today. Some are secular and some have a political or religious basis. We remember the Crusades, the Spanish Inquisition, and the Jewish Holocaust to name a few. Hitler, Stalin and Mao killed millions of innocent people because they did not accept their political philosophies.

As a retired chaplain I served in the military, prison and hospice settings. My ministry included Protestants, Catholics, Jews and Muslims. None of those persons ever accused me of being sectarian, bigoted or Islamophobic. As a prison chaplain I insured that Muslim inmates could attend Jumah Prayer, and their Ramadan Fast. I attended a Feast of Eid which was a celebration at the end of their fast.

My worship teacher in seminary taught us the basics of prayer. He would critique our prayers by making helpful suggestions but he would not give them a letter grade. He said that God is the only one who can grade our prayers. I “imagine” that I might get a grade of F by Miller on my prayer.

Our Bill of Rights include: “freedom of speech,” “freedom of the press,” and the “free exercise of religion.” I am thankful to The Telegraph for allowing persons of all faith groups to submit a “Prayer for today” without censorship. Perhaps Miller will submit a prayer for publication and will be open to our feedback.

Town hall cowards

I would encourage all of you as Americans and taxpayers to be skeptical of these chicken hawks in Congress and the White House. Virtually none have served to see the horror of war or its aftermath, with many veterans with PTSD and destroyed lives, as many of us know with family members, including mine.

They want military expansion but are unwilling to meet with constituents in town halls about health care. They believe others should be brave enough to defend our beliefs, but not them. Has your congressman held a town hall or has he/she avoided it via a conference call instead? Is that the kind of coward you want in Congress?

No disappointment

I was pleased to be in attendance for Theatre Macon’s production of “The Drowsy Chaperone.” I attended the original production in New York some 15 years ago. I remember vividly that within 10 minutes after the raising of the Act One curtain, I couldn’t wait to see Theatre Macon’s production with Jim Crisp playing the lead. I was not disappointed. If there was ever a theatrical experience that was tailor made for someone, it is Jim in the role of, simply, (the man in the chair).

For all of you that have worked with Jim over the many years he has directed shows, not only at Macon Little Theatre, Theatre Macon and the Civic Club but many other venues in and around Macon, I invite you to come and and experience his performance. But not just his, the entire production was wonderful. And you will be bedazzled by Shelley Kuhen’s spectacular costumes. It was so sad to see so many empty seats. So I challenge you to come down and support Theatre Macon, Jim Crisp and the entire cast of “The Drowsy Chaperone.” I promise, you will not be disappointed.

Gospel music from her heart

What a great inspiration it was to read of Noveline Sorrell’s triumph in spite of “Eyes failing, music comes from heart” on The Telegraph’s Easter’s front page by Ed Grisamore. I still have one of her piano CDs which I play in my shop from time to time. Bless her and all who keep using the talents they have left. She is a living example of the value of storing up useful things in our brains and hearts when young. Thank you, and to Mrs Sorrell.

Obstacles to the wall

It is gong to cost more than estimated to construct a wall along the southern border. It is gong to take longer to construct the wall than projected. Some of the required land is on private property. There are thousands of individual parcels. The government will have to use imminent domain to condemn the property and take it from its owners. The owners will fight this in court and it will eventually end up at the Supreme Court. This will be a costly and prolonged legal battle. The land owners will demand top dollar for their confiscated property. The government will have to build access roads.

Some of the required land is on an Indian reservation. I do not know how the government can take land from the Indians. Some of the required land is in federal and state parks. There are restrictions on what can be built in those parks. There are environmental regulations protecting wetlands and river beds. Congress will have to approve any changes. The wall cannot be built in a flood plain. Therefore, it will have to be away from the Rio Grand or any other rivers or streams. Since Mexico is not providing any funds, Congress has to appropriate the money for construction and pay the land owners for their property.

I fully support boarder security. I hope the government develops a realistic approach for building the wall.

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