This is Viewpoints for Sunday, July 10, 2016

Very much alive

In response to the letter written by Stella Tsa titled “Important meetings,” a correction needs to be noted: Rose Hill is not the cemetery that will be impacted. Riverside Cemetery (a not-for-profit cemetery) has been dealt a blow by Georgia Department of Transportation in the condemnation process. After years of meetings, legal fees and attempts to work with GDOT to lessen or avoid potential damages to existing graves and memorial work, some of which will be mere inches from the construction area, GDOT issued condemnation orders that will impact both sections of Riverside Cemetery.

The thought that a cemetery is only a place for the dead is utterly incorrect. Riverside is a vibrant, active part of the community and the city of Macon. We are a repository of the very history of Macon and Middle Georgia. Families still come to visit their dead, genealogists still come to research, visitors still come to hear the stories and those who are pre-planning or making at-need arrangements still find burial spaces here. Riverside has a staff of employees who live in and contribute to this city. We are very much alive and should be treated as such. Appeals have been filed and, for now, we wait.

Swearing in

I appreciated the June 28 editor’s comments about religious texts and swearing-in ceremonies, but I did want to note one minor thing. It’s my understanding that Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., swore his congressional oath in the same way all the other new representatives did, by raising his right hand in a group ceremony on the House floor. Then, to mark the historic occasion of the first Muslim’s entrance into Congress, Ellison chose to hold a separate ceremony in which he re-enacted the oath. At that ceremony, Ellison placed his hand on a 1764 English translation of the Qur’an that once belonged to Thomas Jefferson. Other non-traditional oath swearers include John Quincy Adams (a volume of Constitutional law) and Lyndon Johnson (no Bible was close at hand, so a liturgical book was pressed into service).

Easy street

Watching birds walk and hunt in our back yard got me to thinking — comparing birds and humans.

Birds: Each and every day, rain, shine, snow, in sickness and health or whatever, the birds (except the babies in the nest) individually must find food for themselves — it is a lot of work. If they don’t work/hunt/find food, they do not eat. (No welfare, no retirement.) They work every day until they die. They don’t waste any food or throw any away.

Humans in USA: Every day we can go to the refrigerator or pantry to get food — a little preparation and we can eat three or more times each day. We had to work at a job to afford the food purchased at the grocery and stored in our house. We often have excess and throw away quite a bit of food. Humans are so blessed and have it so easy compared to the life of birds.

Remembering who we are

I remain unconvinced that you can create much “art” using a nine-inch roller. However, it seems that is how we tend to color our congressional representatives and senators: Bright red or Ford tractor blue.

Additionally, many, such as Dennis Evans, believe they are overpaid, under-worked and spoiled by the benefits of their offices (“They work for us,” The Telegraph 6/27). The lack of progress overcoming the inertia of the ideological freight train and the politics of destruction, begun under the leadership of Newt Gingrich so many years ago, has brought Congress to a halt and led many to believe Evans is correct. He is not.

If the current, often rancorous debate has proven anything, it is that there are many valid concerns about the present paths and the future of this country. Good ideas, too often poorly articulated, are nevertheless offered by thoughtful, hardworking congressmen and congresswomen from across the political spectrum. Rep. Austin Scott is among those folks.

Make no mistake, I do not agree with much of Scott’s ideological stance or his occasional pandering to the “hate Obama” camp. I do admire his work ethic and ability to set and communicate his goals for those he represents in the 8th District. My limited interaction with Scott’s staff indicates that he has managed to attract and keep good people on his staff, dedicated to constituent services. No small feat.

Having recently celebrated the beginning of this great experiment we call the United States, we would do well to remember that most of us are not called upon to pick up arms to defend this country. Our obligation is in no way less important: open our eyes and minds and look closely at those we entrust with our hopes and dreams and vote.

Step away from the ideological divide, the divisive rhetoric and the nostalgia that drives the current parochial nationalism. We do not need to “Make America Great, Again,” we just need to remember who we are and what we stand for. That made and keeps America great.

Imagine

How can people believe that considering Hillary Clinton’s bizarre behavior throughout the years, she has even the slightest qualification to be the president of this country? This woman is a lifetime career criminal. Her record is open to all on the internet. Imagine, Hillary in the White House making deals for personal money while ex-president Slick Willy is chasing the girls around the place in addition to covering up for her weird gluttony. What has this country become?

Civics lesson

In his second letter of the week, Frank Gadbois made the claim that immigrants know more about our nation’s history than the average Trump supporter. Gadbois has also said in the past that the Constitution states we have a right to the pursuit of happiness. I’d be willing to bet that every Trump supporter out there knows that “the pursuit of happiness” is not in the Constitution, it is in the Declaration of Independence.

This story was originally published July 9, 2016 at 7:00 PM with the headline "This is Viewpoints for Sunday, July 10, 2016."