Letters to The Editor
October 2, 2020
Posted by Sheila Harris
DISCLAIMER: The editor of The Barry County Advertiser reserves the right to edit or withhold from publication any letter for any reason whatsoever. Letters to the editor reflect the opinion of the author, not necessarily that of The Barry County Advertiser or its staff.
Email letters to the editor to [email protected].
Dear Editor,
The September 16, 2020 letter from Mr. Jerry James has kept us thinking for days about the power of positivity and the dark and light sides of history, about how we balance all these things. Perhaps in writing a response we will figure out why all this matters enough to keep us thinking for days.
Mr. James challenged Ms. Harris and her writers “to move us by writing positive articles and positive news,” to which she responded with “however, writing about the positive does not mean that the negative doesn’t exist,” and that response triggered a long cascade of memories of the many pieces of history which were kept from us until we were shown them as adults or stumbled onto them via friends, books or articles. It made us angry for a long time to know, for instance, that the United States has invaded Latin America more than 100 times, mostly in support of American businesses.
We have gradually let that anger fade into the background by reading more of the history being unearthed these days and simply accepting that our country has a lot to account for and that human beings are still struggling to find their highest role on the planet. We all have to stay positive and hopeful to keep going every day, but experience has taught us that there is a strange relief in knowing the details of the past, as grim as they can be, perhaps because we otherwise have to live with a feeling of secrets in the air that we are not allowed to talk about and which stifle our ability to move forward. This was Emory Melton’s paper, and he was not afraid to write about the dark side of local history.
We are grateful that Ms. Harris was willing to open some closed doors, if only because the Advertiser suddenly became much more interesting. We know that a positive story, with no mention of working through failure, will never satisfy our longing for the deeper truth. Nor will it help us find our way through our own struggles or grow a stronger, more effective society. We hope that she will be able to continue what she has started, and that other people will see the value of balance and step up to write letters to the editor, because they too make the paper more worth reading.
Sincerely,
Neal and Gerry Wass
Verona
Dear Editor,
In your editorial response section, the word “passion” was used in reference to us as a “blood-thirsty lot.” The word “passion,” lifted out of Acts 14:15 is “homeopathis” (Greek). It essentially means “human,” with no reference to evil. Paul was saying we are not gods, we are humans, just as you are. We are to worship God, not man. If you read the whole section, you will understand.
A blood-thirsty lot? No! Paul would not agree with you. He would refuse to be included in your blood-thirsty lot. Yes, he would agree that he was once a vicious persecutor of Christians, but was changed inside and out. (See Acts 9:1-20.) I am now the follower of the Lord.
Are we no better than a blood-thirsty lot? What we need, like Paul, is to seek God’s forgiveness and cleansing. In this hour of uncertainty and turmoil, let us all turn to the God of grace, mercy and peace! (1 Timothy 1:2)
Roger Rehfeldt
Shell Knob
Dear Editor,
I was one of millions of boys who joined the Boy Scouts of America. A proud day in my life was when I was awarded the Eagle Scout badge in 1939. Our troop had two scoutmasters while I was there. Both men were honest God-fearing men. From them, we learned about honor and patriotism.
It is disheartening to see how some attorneys are depicting scout leaders and the Boy Scout movement. They are a threat to the future of Boy Scouts of America. If successful, the scouts will disappear.
It is time for those of use who owe so much to scouting to show our support.
Ralph C. Kelley
Cassville
Posted by Sheila Harris
DISCLAIMER: The editor of The Barry County Advertiser reserves the right to edit or withhold from publication any letter for any reason whatsoever. Letters to the editor reflect the opinion of the author, not necessarily that of The Barry County Advertiser or its staff.
Email letters to the editor to [email protected].
Dear Editor,
The September 16, 2020 letter from Mr. Jerry James has kept us thinking for days about the power of positivity and the dark and light sides of history, about how we balance all these things. Perhaps in writing a response we will figure out why all this matters enough to keep us thinking for days.
Mr. James challenged Ms. Harris and her writers “to move us by writing positive articles and positive news,” to which she responded with “however, writing about the positive does not mean that the negative doesn’t exist,” and that response triggered a long cascade of memories of the many pieces of history which were kept from us until we were shown them as adults or stumbled onto them via friends, books or articles. It made us angry for a long time to know, for instance, that the United States has invaded Latin America more than 100 times, mostly in support of American businesses.
We have gradually let that anger fade into the background by reading more of the history being unearthed these days and simply accepting that our country has a lot to account for and that human beings are still struggling to find their highest role on the planet. We all have to stay positive and hopeful to keep going every day, but experience has taught us that there is a strange relief in knowing the details of the past, as grim as they can be, perhaps because we otherwise have to live with a feeling of secrets in the air that we are not allowed to talk about and which stifle our ability to move forward. This was Emory Melton’s paper, and he was not afraid to write about the dark side of local history.
We are grateful that Ms. Harris was willing to open some closed doors, if only because the Advertiser suddenly became much more interesting. We know that a positive story, with no mention of working through failure, will never satisfy our longing for the deeper truth. Nor will it help us find our way through our own struggles or grow a stronger, more effective society. We hope that she will be able to continue what she has started, and that other people will see the value of balance and step up to write letters to the editor, because they too make the paper more worth reading.
Sincerely,
Neal and Gerry Wass
Verona
Dear Editor,
In your editorial response section, the word “passion” was used in reference to us as a “blood-thirsty lot.” The word “passion,” lifted out of Acts 14:15 is “homeopathis” (Greek). It essentially means “human,” with no reference to evil. Paul was saying we are not gods, we are humans, just as you are. We are to worship God, not man. If you read the whole section, you will understand.
A blood-thirsty lot? No! Paul would not agree with you. He would refuse to be included in your blood-thirsty lot. Yes, he would agree that he was once a vicious persecutor of Christians, but was changed inside and out. (See Acts 9:1-20.) I am now the follower of the Lord.
Are we no better than a blood-thirsty lot? What we need, like Paul, is to seek God’s forgiveness and cleansing. In this hour of uncertainty and turmoil, let us all turn to the God of grace, mercy and peace! (1 Timothy 1:2)
Roger Rehfeldt
Shell Knob
Dear Editor,
I was one of millions of boys who joined the Boy Scouts of America. A proud day in my life was when I was awarded the Eagle Scout badge in 1939. Our troop had two scoutmasters while I was there. Both men were honest God-fearing men. From them, we learned about honor and patriotism.
It is disheartening to see how some attorneys are depicting scout leaders and the Boy Scout movement. They are a threat to the future of Boy Scouts of America. If successful, the scouts will disappear.
It is time for those of use who owe so much to scouting to show our support.
Ralph C. Kelley
Cassville
