This is Viewpoints for Thursday, October 5, 2017

All take a knee

The American flag is a symbol of our country. It was after the American Revolution that the flag began to be displayed as a generic symbol of the United States. It is most always displayed in government facilities, but can be displayed by civilians.

I tread lightly here because the actions by some members of the NFL to take a knee during the national anthem has caused so many emotions throughout the country. Having worked for the federal government for almost 30 years, the flag was a constant reminder of why we worked every day to protect our great country and I was very proud of the small part I played in doing that.

The flag is not just the symbol of warfare, it is the symbol of our country. All of our country. We all be taking a knee before the flag until we can stand up as American citizens and say with conviction that we are upholding the first sentence of the second paragraph of The Declaration of Independence: “We holds these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among those are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.”

eEdition

I love the eEdition. Reading it every morning with my breakfast coffee is a great pleasure. I even read the ads (something I never did with the paper edition) because they are big and enticing on my computer screen. When my subscription is up, I’ll definitely be renewing. Thank you. Thank you, for moving The Telegraph into the 21st century.

Prediction?

It can be verified that I am transmitting this letter to The Telegraph on Oct. 2. I’m watching the news on this horrific shooting on FNC and so far they are reporting what actually happened. I’m going to change channels to MSNBC and CNN and I can guarantee that before the sun goes down, they will have blamed the whole thing on President Trump. They will say that his presidency is making people do terrible things. Next, they will give airtime to the usual left-wing gun control nuts.

They will criticize Trump’s initial statement on the shooting as too little, too late. They will count the victims of this shooting, tally the race count, and paint the shooter as a bigoted, racist, anti-Semitic homophobe who was inspired by Donald J. Trump to kill and maim hundreds of mostly white country music fans who were attending a weekend concert series. I hope I’m wrong, but I’ve lost all faith in these two cable channels.

We are sick

We live in a country that is in deep trouble. Our society is very ,very sick. No one can assemble in any public event without fear. It has happened in theaters. It has happened in schools. It has occurred in churches and in concerts. A lone man with an automatic weapon and a desire to go out in a blaze of mayhem destroys innocent lives without a thought. Our society is being destroyed by the power of a gun lobby and a government, both state and federal, that it has bought and paid for.

No one needs an automatic weapon, yet thousands of them are floating around in our society just waiting. Waiting for the opportunity to be used.

The Second Amendment begins “A well regulated militia.” Nothing is “well” when it comes to guns and they are hardly “regulated.” Congress was even considering a bill to allow silencers to be available to all. Our society and country are sick.

God’s gifts

I have nothing against athletes and actors. They have a God given talent. This talent was a gift to be used by each one for good, but each one much choose how to use it. Some have chosen to use their gift in a wonderful manner by giving pleasure to many through sports and wonderful films, plays and charitable work which is beneficial to their soul and the souls of those they touch. Others have used their talent for other things such as promotion of sex, violence, immoral lifestyles and disrespect of others and the good things of our country, imperfect that it is.

We as receptors of this talent must embrace the good and renounce the bad. We have a tendency to fall into idol worship and forget about worshiping and giving thanks to the God who made all this talent available for our benefit.

My greatest concern here is for the youth of today. What is going to happen to their souls as they are surrounded consistently by images and sights that make my heart as a faithful Catholic and Vietnam veteran cringe. Be it for me to judge as I have contributed to this mess myself. May God forgive me. But, I continue to pray to the God who will make all things right.

Turning blue

Republicans want to repeal the estate tax and eliminate deductions for state and local taxes. The estate tax only affects our rich as estates are taxed at a rate of only 40 percent. That’s only after the first $5.49 million that is exempt from any taxation. Plus couples that are lucky enough to inherit $11 million which is not taxed.

Our president wants to reduce the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 15 percent. Repeal of the deductions for state and local taxes and radical changes to the mortgage interest deduction would not pass muster with Democrats.

Hedge fund managers and private equity executives who receive “carried interest” and pay taxes on capital gains should have to pay taxes on income instead of on capital gains. Their “special tax treatment of fees” should be ended.

The tax plans for congressional Republicans only serve to favor the rich. We need tax reform that favors all Americans instead of just the top 1 percent . Our middle class needs more favorable taxation and all of us need universal Medicare for every American. But don’t hold your breath.

The ‘Big Bang’

My theory is that the Big Bang theory is not in conflict with the Bible. In Genesis there was darkness across the face of the deep void. (sounds like a black hole). Then God said, “Let there be light” (the current big bang). God has always existed, so he might have seen billions of these Big Bangs.

This story was originally published October 4, 2017 at 9:00 PM with the headline "This is Viewpoints for Thursday, October 5, 2017."