News Bulletin (Castroville, Tex.), Vol. 41, No. 31, Ed. 1 Thursday, August 2, 2001 Page: 6 of 14
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6
Opinion
EDITORIALS—!
New look
A T ews Bulletin readers will
notice a difference in the size
of the newspaper this week,
with the change to narrower news-
print. The new format is generally
being accepted as the standard for
newspapers across the nation.
Paper has always been one of the
major costs in the printing of newspa-
pers, and as the large paper mills
have increased prices they charge,
printers are continually on the look-
out for ways to keep costs manage-
able. The new format is one such
measure.
With careful planning and a few
graphic changes, the news content
can remain the same even in the
slightly smaller space. Readers may
also expect to find the narrower paper
easier to handle as they read.
The News Bulletin, which has
shown a steady increase in page count
and circulation in recent years, is
committed to do more than just serve
as the only newspaper dedicated to
Castroville and La Coste. Its mission
is also to constantly seek ways to
improve; ways to better inform; ways
to make the best use of its resources
for the best results; ways to better
serve the readership to whom it really
belongs.
We believe that with precious little
serious news coverage given to small
cities and rural'communities by the
‘big city’ press, it is essential for a
small town to have a newspaper that
can be counted on.
We at the News Bulletin are grate-
ful that the readers of our area count
on us and hold us to a high standard.
Discriminating readers make for a
higher quality newspaper.
The News Bulletin wants to know
when we can do better; living up to
your trust is why we’re here.
Letters to the Editor
News Bulletin
Thursday, August 2, 2001
It’s not Jesus; it’s his fan club
There’s the bumper
sticker that reads:
A ‘It’s not Jesus I have
a problem with; it’s his fan
club.”
It’s amazing how some-
times we find the greatest
spiritual truth in the least
likely of places. I am
tional love.
You may recall Jesus’
response to the Old
Testament lawyer when he
asked of him what he
should do to inherit eternal
life. Jesus directed him to
the very law in which he
was considered an expert,
inclined to believe, however, compelling the lawyer to
Landmark Friends
gave city gift
Editor:
A correction. In last
week’s paper it was
reported that the
Landmark Inn and
myself gave to the City
of Castroville a framed
copy of the United States
Declaration of
Independence and the
Texas Declaration of
Independence.
In fact, the Friends of
the Landmark Inn State
Historical Park paid for
and donated these items
to the City of Castroville.
Owing to the fact that
the group’s president,
Robert Hancock, is
mayor and its treasurer,
James Bell is a city
councilman, the two
Friends Group Board
members present, Mary
Margaret Burges and
Dorothy Bernard, asked
me, the park’s liaison
to make' the presentation
on behalf of the Friends
to the city.
Kevin R. Young
Historical Interpreter
Landmark Inn State
Historical Park
that as unfortunate as it
may be, such a humorous
jab at Christianity accu-
rately expresses the serious
sentiment of many people.
What’s most troubling
though is that they prob-
ably have just cause to feel
that way.
If you’ve spent any time
in a church, the image in
irony of the fire and brim-
stone preacher delivering
God’s wrath from on high
through his pulpit Sunday
morning as all the while he
turns a blind eye toward
his family and children as
they fall prey to the com-
mon snares of temptation,
hurt and human frailty
Monday through Saturday
is one we cannot escape
nor deny. And though we
can forgive, we cannot
forget the harsh indiscre-
tions of high profile tele-
vision evangelists and the
blatant hypocrisy of their
answer his own question,
“You shall love the LORD
your God with all your
in the face of adversity
to defend it. In short, the
church of this generation
has exchanged the gospel
of“do unto others as you
would have them do unto
you” for the less demanding
man-made motto of “do as I
say, not as I do.”
The men in the story
Jesus told were so busy
trying to appear holy that
they forgot what it meant
How do you live your dash?
T read once of a man
who stood to speak
A at the funeral of a
friend. He referred to
the dates on her tomb-
life is not how much
we own. What matters is
how we live and love -
how we spend our dash.
the people in our lives;
if we could treat each
other with respect, and
smile more often ..
Think
stone from the beginning about that
to the end. He noted
for a
that first came the date,minute. You
A remem-
Quiet Thoughts ber that
The Rev. Anne Kolmeier this lit-
tle dash
heart,
with all
your
soul,
Guest Commentary to actually be
________________________J holy. And so,
Roland Ruiz we also often
neglect, if not
with all your strength, and avoid altogether, respond-
with all your mind,’ and ing to real needs such as
“your neighbor as yourself.” those that compelled the
Jesus then replied, “You
have answered correctly; do
this and you will live.”
Unfortunately, we are
much like that lawyer who,
not satisfied with that con-
clusion or its implications,
pressed the matter further,
asking, “Who is my neigh-
bor?” Jesus responded with
the story of the Good
Samaritan - a story that
in many ways depicts the
state of Christianity today.
It seems, in fact, we
are very much like the
church Jesus encountered
in his day. We are willing
to preach, to reveal sin and
of her birth, then a
dash, and then the date
of her death. He said
that what really mat-
tered most was that
dash between the years,
for that dash represents
all the time that she
spent on earth, all she
had done, and said and
lived. What matters in
never know how much
time is left, are there ,
things you’d like to
change? If we could just
slow down enough to
consider what’s true and
what’s real, and consider
the feelings of others;
if we could be slow
to anger, and appreciate
others more, and love
might last only a little
while.
So, when your eulogy’s
being read with your life
in review .. would you be
proud of the things they
say about how you spent .
your dash?
The Rev. Anne Kolmeier is
pastor of Zion Lutheran
Church in Castroville.
Guns draw plenty of legislative attention
A n elected official
A writing about gun
L legislation runs
the risk of being caught
in the verbal crossfire of
those who favor placing
According to a recent
opinion handed down by
the Office of the Attorney
General, cities, counties
and other political sub-
divisions may not adopt
new rules related to the
limits on gun ownership
• and those who adamantly prohibition of handguns.
tionship. SB 199 makes
it an offense for anyone
under a protective order
or anyone convicted of
family violence to possess
a firearm.
Although legislative
issues about gun
oppose any restrictions.
The two sides differ
on the issue, but they
agree on the importance
of being informed about
gun-related legislation.
More than 80 bills
relating to gun ownership
were filed during the
recent legislative session.
Most failed to pass,
including one that would
have required persons
who are not licensed ven-
dors selling a gun at
a gun show to comply
with the National Instant
Criminal System’s back-
That
power is
restricted
to the
Legislature.
Jeff Wentworth
State Senator
Current law bans guns
from some businesses
licensed to serve alcohol;
schools; high schools, col-
legiate or professional
sporting events; hospitals
and nursing homes;
amusement parks;
churches; at meetings of
governmental entities;
racetracks; polling places
and airports. Employers
also may prohibit their
ground check. Current employees from carrying
law requires only licensed concealed weapons in the
gun dealers to run back-
ground checks on buyers
within a three-day period.
Another bill that
failed, Senate Bill 819,
would have clarified the
limitations on the author-
ity of political subdivi-
sions to regulate hand-
guns. The Texas Penal
Code currently permits
cities and other political
subdivisions to prohibit
the carrying of weapons
on that government’s
property by posting a
notice or telling someone
that he or she cannot
bring a weapon onto the
premises.
work place.
While these bills did
not pass, SB 199 received
legislative approval, SB
199 strengthens local law
enforcement’s authority
ownership
are subject
to debate, ,
gun safety
is not.
Gun-owners associations
regularly promote gun
safety at training classes
and seminars, urging par-
ents to keep their guns
under lock and key and
their ammunition stored
away from their weapons.
Gun locks also are an
option.
Thousands of Texans
are participating in
Project Child Safe by
picking up free gun locks
currently being distribut-
ed at no charge by police
and sheriff’s departments
around the state. The
locks, valued at about
$10, may be used on
handguns, many rifles
to regulate the possession and shotguns.
of firearms by family vio-
lence offenders. In 1999,
the last year for which
statistics are available,
there were 177,176 inci-
dents of family violence
in Texas.
Earlier this year a San
Antonio police officer and
the woman he was assist-
ing were shot to death'
while she was attempting
to leave an abusive rela-
Project Child Safe was
initiated by President
George W. Bush when he
was governor and is being
funded by the governor’s
criminal justice division.
Most Texans I know
support gun-safety mea-
sure that will protect
our children while at the
same time safeguarding
our right to keep and
bear arms.
Samaritan to come to the
aid of the beaten, robbed
and left-for-dead stranger
on the roadside. That kind
of holiness after all,
requires relationship build-
ing, commitment and self-
sacrifice - things we are not
too keen on offering in this
day and age.
No, instead we prefer
to engage in debate in
order to prove that we are
right, instead of merely liv-
ing a life that reveals we
are righteous. Even within
Christendom, we’ve become
a superficial figment of our
own spiritual delusions. We
prefer to focus our attention
on the intellectual theologi-
cal debates of the day - pre-
millenial versus post mille-
nial rapture of the church,
a.
lavish lifestyles and marital sinner, to point the finger
affairs, of righteousness in the face
Yet, there is a more sub-
tle but far greater and
more damaging injustice
that is being perpetrated
today under the banner of
Christianity. In the zeal
and fervor to prove the *
veracity of our faith to a
world we claim as a mis-
sion field but dare not
trust, we have rendered our probably not into our home, praying “if only God would
Christian faith non-effec-
tive by neglecting the very
principle on which such
faith is founded - uncondi-
of a society gone bad and
to flaunt our knowledge of
Holy Scripture, but at what
cost? In our passion to justi- predestination versus free
fy ourselves as good people, will, the role of women
we’ve abandoned the very
source of any and all such
goodness - Christ-like love
Yes, we might invite a,
neighbor to church, but
in church - the list goes
on and on. Meanwhile, our
neighbor (perhaps even the
one in the pew next to us)
suffers quietly and alone
Yes, we are likely to talk send a Good Samaritan my
about truth, but probably way.”
not so inclined to live it and Truth is; he has. It’s you
even less likely to stand and me.
Congress studying new retirement laws
id you know that
■seventy-six million
_ Baby Boomers will
retire within the next 15
years? Less than half of
more small businesses to as a “catch-up” for older
offer retirement plans. This taxpayers. It’s a way of
spells good news for all more fully preparing them
hard-working Americans. for retirement.
Current
them have the savings they contribution
need for retirement.
Did you know that half
of all private sector
employees still do not have
any retirement coverage?
And that only 20 percent
of all small businesses offer
pension plans? These are
startling facts that point
to a serious problem. We
need to reform the way the
limits on
pensions and
IRAs are
stuck at 1980s levels.
‘ Let’s take for example
the standard 401(k) plan.
With the current limits, a
person could set aside more
in 1986 than they could
today. That just doesn’t
make sense. The new
.11 In addi-
Henry Bonilla tion to the
T T 7 - IRA limit
U.S. Congressman reforms,
employees
government handles retire- retirement plan is going
ment security and we need to reform the books and
get it done soon. increase the current $2,000
Congress is considering IRA contribution limit to
a bi-partisan plan to fix $5,000. This will make
this lingering problem. The a huge difference when
Comprehensive Retirement you’re saving for your
Security and Pension
Reform Act is going to
change the way we deal
with retirement. Under
this plan, Americans will
be able to set aside more
in their IRA or 401(k)-type
plan. This plan is going
to modernize pension laws
and provide regulatory
relief that will encourage
future.
would become vested and
eligible for employer
matching contributions in
three years, rather than
five. What’s even better is
that 401(k)-type pensions
would be made portable
so employees could more
easily roll over and con-
solidate retirement savings
when they change jobs.
These are real changes
that are going to make
a real difference in your
retirement savings. If
the Federal government
We’re not just increas- is in the way - holding
ing the contribution limit
We’re also going to give
back Americans from sav-
ing more money for retire-
taxpayers age 50 and above ment - then we ought to
an opportunity to contrib- do everything in our power
ute $5,000 to an IRA to change the system.
immediately beginning in Passing the Retirement
2001. No phase-in would Security Act will bring us
apply to this contribution. one step closer to securing
This contribution is meant America’s future.
News Bulletin
The News Bulletin is published by
Legacy Newspapers, Inc., of Castroville, Texas,
Thomas Barnes & Albina Valencia-Barnes, publishers
Typesetting - Catherine Tschirhart
Photography - Jeff Wilton, Bob Perreault
Circulation - Stella Besa, Warren McDaniel
Reporters - Julie Dunnavant, Adelina Gonzales
Advertising Sales - Toni Bloomfield, Kathy Benavides
Office Manager - Katrina Gorden
News Editor - Natalie Spencer
Accounts Manager - Albina Valencia-Barnes
Editor - Thomas Barnes
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Serving Castroville, LaCoste
and Rio Medina
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Castroville, Texas 78009
538-2556 • Fax 931-3450
The News Bulletin is published
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501 Madrid Street, Castroville, Texas,
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the post office in Castroville, Texas.
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Barnes, Thomas. News Bulletin (Castroville, Tex.), Vol. 41, No. 31, Ed. 1 Thursday, August 2, 2001, newspaper, August 2, 2001; Castroville, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1689416/m1/6/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Castroville Public Library.