This is Viewpoints for Sunday, June 12, 2016

Many thanks

As we continue to heal from the loss of husband, father and friend, we want to express our sincerest gratitude for each thought, prayer or deed of caring you have shown our family. Each day we continue to be strengthened by a kind word, expression of sympathy or memory recounted. We are heartened that the people of this community that meant so much to him and that he fought so hard to serve continue to treat him with the same love, dignity and respect after death as they did while he was alive. In one of Lonzy’s parting expressions to the community he said, “To those who loved and, yes, even those who disliked me, I want to say thank you for the improvement you made in me as a person.”

Our family will continue to have beautiful memories of how many people came to show their respect, of all who worked together to make his home-going service seamless, the kind words spoken during the service, the tributes provided by city, state and national leaders including the heart-warming send off by the Fire Department. Just for everything and to everyone we want to say that we are most appreciative. Lonzy F. Edwards Sr. was a pastor, attorney, community leader and businessman, but most of all to us he was a committed, supportive and caring husband, father, grandfather, family member and friend. Tears still come and probably will for some time yet, but we are thankful he no longer carries the weight for the concerns of this world and he has found peace and rest with the Lord. Thank you.

Bonding levels

I am writing regarding the seemingly capricious policies involved in setting bond for people arrested for various crimes in Macon. On May 7, The Telegraph reported that a previously convicted felon was arrested for an amazing string of offenses ranging from assaulting convenience store employees to destroying thousands of dollars of property, a felon carrying a gun as he made terroristic threats and a litany of other offenses. His bond was set at $3,150, which means he can be out of jail and continuing his crimes for a payment of $380 to a local bondsman. If I were the employees of the convenience store I would be very fearful, and if I were the deputies who caught him I would be angry and frustrated with the court.

In the same edition of the paper it was reported that another man was arrested for stabbing and beating a puppy to death and is being held on a $13,180 bond. While acknowledging that the cruelty to the puppy was awful, the crime was nothing compared to the those of the other man, yet his bond was four times higher. I would suggest holding the first man on $25,000 bond or more.

Simply reading the crime reports in The Telegraph in any given week will illustrate what is a terrible problem. It is time for the courts to develop some sort of rational guidelines regarding bonding levels in Macon.

Disgrace

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell recently said, “the two biggest threats to our national debt are Medicare and Social Security.” You want to see both cut back. Senator, do you remember that both are funded by FICA deductions from paychecks and thus have nothing to do with the national debt. You are a disgrace to the Senate.

Wrong conclusion

Dr. Meeks starts her column titled “How are the prisoners?” pushing agenda of the week, with a famous quote by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, “You can judge a society by how well it treats its prisoners.” The quote is correctly attributed, although implying a simplistically incomplete “truth” as many others make the same statement substituting “women , children, animals, elderly, veterans, etc.” for “prisoners,” depending on which ax you desire to grind.

Fairly (remember “fair and balanced”) judging (assessing) a society is a very complex assignment not achieved as Meeks would infer. She then says “before you can answer the question ... we need to ask ourselves whether or not we care?” Dr. Meeks, how about the victims, and do we care about them? The inference Dr. Meeks tries to indicate by the quote and questions she asks is that Fyodor would condemn our society due to our criminal justice system, as proven by his having been sent as a prisoner to Siberia, and his later acclimation as one of the world’s greatest novelists, some writings probably based on personal experience.

She conveniently ignores that some “Fyodor authorities” state that “he accepted his punishment as a necessary atonement for a serious crime,” turning to religion for redemption. Your selling spiel is flawed although it encouraged me to do some research beyond my engineering specialty, becoming more difficult due to political correctness and “triple speak,” in my assessment.

What’s the point?

The headlines read “Clinton becomes first woman to win nomination for president,” without mentioning anything about her qualifications. Isn’t that a rather sexist comment? Based on that, what’s the purpose of voting for her?

Vote count loss, PR win

The Telegraph’s editorial “What does it take to involve citizens in the voting process?” Well, it is clear it is not changing polling stations nor promoting one’s right to vote. It is also clear that all the NAACP organizations operating in the U.S. and, of course, the Georgia Coalition for the Peoples’ Agenda and Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law have to protest publicly in order to keep their positions and race agendas alive to sustain power of the people. Such organizations, more than the people, keep racial uproars active.

It is also pathetic the excuse they used to bring attention to themselves in moving a voting station from a sheriff’s office for it seems voting in church facilities also intimidated voters. And after all the trouble they went to obtaining 400 people to sign a petition to move the precinct. If they paid people to sign the petition or not, all was not lost for all the publicity it afforded them.

Question

This transgender law is getting out of control, and who is behind it? None other than our dear leader, President Obama. I wonder if he will let boys use the same bathroom as his daughters or let them shower together?

This story was originally published June 11, 2016 at 4:00 PM with the headline "This is Viewpoints for Sunday, June 12, 2016."