Polk County Enterprise (Livingston, Tex.), Vol. 120, No. 13, Ed. 1 Thursday, February 14, 2002 Page: 4 of 22
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EDITORIAL
PAGE4A
THE POLK COUNTY ENTERPRISE
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 14,3M2,
Letters to the editor
a
Learn from the children
■ *
My wife and I look our four
daughters to the park today. We
had * wonderful time, but ia retro-
spect I wish we had not gone to the
play pound on this particular date.
Thm* were several children at
Mfpttk aad it was a beautiful day.
It appeared as though it was one of
the kid’s birthday. A picnic table
hdd been decorated in such a man-
ner that it was obvious a party was
soon to take place.
. We quickly realized that all of
the children were not there to at-
tend the birthday function. Some of
the kids were being supervised by a
group of teenagers playing basket-
ball and the others were with a
group of adults who were busy
preparing for the party.
The children were having a great
time. The first part of our visit was
spent on the slide and swinp. The
children were all playing topther
and extremely courteous to one
another. They ran and laughed as if
they didn’t have a care in the
world. This portion of our after-
noon I enjoyed. It was not until my
spouse and I were at the merry-go-
round with all the children that I
began to feel as though something
was wrong. I was spinning the kids
around and was forced to stop the
wheel on more than one occasion in
order to allow a parent to remove
one of the children. At fust I
thought the ladies were concerned
for their safety, but 1 soon realized
this was not the case.
A young boy ran to the merry-
go-round and yelled, "We’re start-
ing the birthday party,” and all of
the children jumped up and rushed
to the picnic table. Since they had
lost interest in the merry-go-round,
my wife and I began to gather our
daughters because it was time for
us to leave.
I couldn’t help but notice as we
walked away that the adults at the
table were removing some of the
children and instructing them to go
away. It surprised me at first to see
little kids being turned away from a
birthday party, even though they
may not have been a part of the
group that came to the park for the
purpose of having such a celebra-
tion. I could not help but stare as I
watched in dismay and realized
what was happening right before
my very eyes. Only four or five of
the children were forced to leave
the table, and each of them was
black.
There are so many strengths that
we possess as a result of our differ-
ences, but there is even more which
is beneficial to us as a body of peo-
ple that is connected to those things
we have in common. We teach the
same lessons about truth and fair
play to our children. We talk about
the "Golden Rule” and how it is not
right to do harm to others. We natu-
rally show sympathy for those who
experience unavoidable suffering. I
guess what disturbs me the most
about today’s experience is the fact
that what occurred was contradic-
tory to one of our most fundamen-
tal and universal values - our abso-
lute duty to care for, rear, and be
good to children.
Dr. King spoke about the day to
come when little black boys and
girls would play and hold hands
with little white boys and girls. I
believe if he were alive today he
would not utilize the word
“dream.” The term, by definition,
refers to that which is not real.
When a child wakes up crying as a
result of a nightmare, we as parents
respond by saying, "It’s only a
dream.”
I suggest to you that Dr. Martin
Luther King had a vision. He could
see and proudly spoke of an ideal
and unique image of the future for
the common good. Regardless of
how we refer to it, we as a human
family have not progressed to this
state of being. I am certain of only
one thing when I ask myself,
"Why?” It is not our children who
are to blame.
Penny was probably the most
adorable child at the playground
today. She told me that her mother
had fixed her hair before she came
to the park and that she was 4 years
old. Penny was a happy child with
a beautiful smile, until she was
made to leave the picnic table and
told to go away.
I doubt I will ever forget the look
that was on that baby’s face as she
walked away. All she wanted was a
piece of cake.
B.S. Humphrey
16261 FM 787 W.
Cleveland
Found the right guy
To the editor:
I would like to share with the
readers my experience of love. All
of my life I was looking for some-
one to love me. We all grow up
looking, searching for the same
thing. Someone to comfort us, be
friends with us, help us, build us
up, mc>ve us, and believe in us.
Someone we can count on to be
there and never let us down. Some-
one who won’t make a promise and
break it. Someone who’s always
honest with us, even when it hurts.
Someone who knows our thoughts
and helps us accomplish our
dreams. Someone who’s consider-
ate of our needs and is willing to
sacrifice theirs above ours. Some-
one who loves us when we are
wrong and helps us want to be
right. Someone that says “I love
you" and gives us flowers just be-
cause. Obviously, I am a woman.
Well, I searched and searched
iahd I just couldn’t find the right
guy. Until now! My special guy is
6ur Heavenly Father. He has loved
me even at my worst. He has en-
couraged me to want to be my best.
He has made me laugh and He has
made me cry. For all those wonder-
ing, yes, God does have a sense of
humor. For those that think God is
boring, take a moment to look at
the sunset. He says He loves me
and takes care of all my needs. He
even gave me flowers one day.
They were purple wildflowers that
grew in the winter right outside my
bedroom window. He gives me
hope that one day love will conquer
all the hate, pain and suffering of
this world. The greatest gift of all,
breaks His promises. My hope is
that all could experience this kind
is that He loved me first. He sacri-
ficed lo I could have life. He never
of love. His love is eternal. He has
never let me down and I trust Him
with all my heart.
Kim Beck
145 Pine Lane
Onalaska
Voter needs help
To the editor:
I am a registered voter in Polk
County. I will be voting an absen-
tee ballot for the March Primary. I
would like to receive any available
information on all the candidates
running for office.
Do you have a number on the
League of Women Voters or the
local Democratic or Republican
parties or know of any other way
an out-of-town voter can get infor-
mation on candidates?
I want to be an informed voter,
but am having difficulty getting
information.
Any and all help will be greatly
appreciated.
Dennis Preis
Mesa Regal RV Resort
Site No. 2085
Mesa, Ariz. 85205
or
PMB 12208
222 Rainbow Drive
Livingston 77399
(The League of Women Voters
of Texas has published a Voter’s
Guide outlining all statewide races
that can be viewed on line at
www.lwvtexas.ore. The Enterprise
is incorporating the League of
Women Voters guide and informa-
tion on local and district candi-
dates in a voter’s guide that will be
included in the March 3 edition of
the Enterprise. We included your
Zip codes in the letters above so
that local parties or candidates
may contact you. - ed.)
Animals are a gift
Something in the air
To the editor:
I am writing this on behalf of the
stray, unwanted animals. Many of
these animals are dumped on road-
sides in isolated areas where food,
water and shelter are unavailable
This is a very inhumane act. These
animals are God’s creatures and I
believe He has trusted us to care for
them
On any given day on Old Provi-
dence Road, and especially on Gal-
loway Lane West, one can See ani-
mals gazing down the road in both
directions, no doubt hoping their
beloved family will come back for
them
These animals will love with a
love that is more than love, if given
a chance. It does not matter what
we look like or what we wear, they
will keep on loving their families.
The story is told of a man who
had a terminal illness. Their dog
had recently died, so he decided to
replace it for his wife. She was
really not pleased when he pre-
sented it to her, but she said, “OK,
but no sleeping on my bed!"
The day her husband died, dark
set in. She staggered to bed, which
felt so big and lonesome. She be-
gan sobbing and had soaked her
pillow with tears. Just then she felt
something moving on the bed. “I
was about to scream, when I felt a
cold nose on my trembling hand. I
threw my arms around the thick,
hairy neck and hugged and hugged
him,” she wrote.
According to her testimony, the
dog had never been near her bed. In
the days and months that followed,
she realized the dog she had not
wanted was a gift of love from
God. Not only did she have a com-
panion, she learned love and accep-
tance.
She wrote, “Thank God for pro-
viding a friend when I felt alone,
and for the comfort of a cold, wet
nose!”
I am thankful that the SPCA is
now here to make life better for our
pets and to help people choose a
dog or cat that will bring joy and
happiness to the lives of older and
younger people alike.
A Kansas State University study
found that adding a pet to a stable
home can improve both a child’s
IQ and his social development. The
more the child interacts with the
pet, the bigger the impact on his
life. (What a way to go!) And so it
goes.
Flossie S. Keels
Route 15 Box 710
Livingston
A challenge to Democrats
To the editor:
I would like to issue a challenge
to the Democrat Party of Polk
County. Let’s have an election year
of clean, honest, positive
campaigning and leave behind the
lies and threats and negatives. Let’s
all just explain our beliefs and ex-
pound our candidates’ qualifica-
tions. Then it’s necessary to trust
the voters to pay attention and vote
their beliefs.
Polk County is now infamously
noted for its “dirty politics." Is it
only the party leadership here or do
the average Democrats condone
lies, threats, destruction of signs,
destruction of property, illegal and
degrading manipulation of nursing
home and mentally handicapped
votes, paying for votes, delaying
the mailing and counting on absen-
tee votes, lawsuits, etc.? Do we
want to teach our children and
grandchildren that to disagree ex-
cuses venomous behavior?
A few days ago the international
chairman of the Olympics said,
“Champions are not just those who
win, they are those who believe in
competing fairly." President G.W.
Bush continually urges, “Put aside
politics and let’s do what's good
for this country.” No matter what
one’s party, surely we all recognize
and appreciate class versus crass.
Presidential speeches are now not
filled with continual campaign
bragging or lies, but filled with
honest Texas talk liberally doused
with recognition for others and
their contributions.
Now each of you can sit down
and pick apart this letter word by
word and we can sell a few news-
papers, and we can go on to earn
our tarnished reputation. Or we can
each make the decision to not belit-
tle this basic precious American
right - the right to vote. After the
ugly presidential election, I was
particularly touched by this quote
written on the walls of the Lincoln
Memorial: ‘Though passion of
ideals may have strained our ties, it
must not break our bonds of affec-
tion."
Margie Hamilton
314 Marie Lane
Goodrich
Too many lawsuits
To the editor:
The news tells of up to 1,300
people in New York who are
poised to sue the city for their neg-
ligence during the cleanup of the
9/11 tragedy. They are angry about
the fact that the city didn’t jump
right in and consider the personal
comfort and well-being of the fire
fighters and business owners. The
tab for the possible suits runs into
the billions of dollars.
We have lost a great deal of our
American spirit since the protest
days of the 60s. I remember vividly
when people would do what they
had to do without regard to their
“rights.” I remember particularly an
incident which happened when I
was a youngster in elementary
school. Purely by accident, I in-
jured a fellow playmate during a
softball game between the boys and
the girls. He ended up in the hospi-
tal. But he, his father and mother,
and everyone connected With the
game gave not a single thought
about lawsuit. The forgiveness was
broad and deep, knowing that an
accident had happened over which
no one had control. If the boy’s
father had been inclined to sue, we
would have stood to lose our home,
our car, our savings (what little that
was) and everything else. We have
been grateful to God that the man-
ners of those days were not yet
tarnished by greed and vengeance.
Today, the purveyors of prod-
ucts, and everyone else who can,
protect themselves with vast
amounts of insurance, application
of warnings on packages, and staffs
of learned attorneys ready to mount
defenses. Our national psyche is
one of proactive protection against
everything known and unknown. It
truly is a shame that so many think
that they can only get satisfaction
through the courts. Lord knows, the
courts are busy enough with real
law breakers - why do we have to
burden them with lawsuits against
our brothers and sisters over things
which no one had control?
I sympathize with the “first re-
sponders" (the fire and police peo
pie). They did their duty by helping
their fellow Americans. But the
City of New York had no real con-
trol over the tragedy of Sept. 11.
The city was as shocked as anyone
when the towers went down.
I suspect the “first responders”
are saying that while the victims
are getting money out of the calam-
ity, why don’t they? And the ques-
tion is well stated. Perhaps there
should be a fund set up for the fire
and police people who did so
much. But does it have to come
through a lawsuit in the courts?
How about bringing it up with the
Red Cross and other charities
which are funding the victims?
What is fair for one is fair for all.
The “first responders” are victims,
as well.
We are just too litigation-
oriented. There are other ways to
solve problems.
Jack Dorwin
Route 8 Box 566
Livingaton
To the editor:
Have you noticed, about this time
each year the days seem to be get-
tin’ a little longer and the animals a
little friskier? The squirrels leap
about, high above the ground,
chasin’ one another along their tree
limb highways. What do you sup-
pose is goin’ on with these minia-
ture high wire performers? Concur-
rently, the wood ducks and martins
are returnin' to their summer
nestin’ boxes to do nature's pro-
grammed chick raisin’ duties. The
tips of the lilies are pokin' their
heads through the leaf-covered
grourid and the whole animal and
plant world starts to anticipate that
spring is just around the comer.
I guess it's just nature at work,
because every living thing seems to
be caught up in this same spirit of
renewed vigor and growth. I’ve
also noticed tha: about this time
each year young men seem to dis-
play a similar spirit of aggressiv-
ness. They tend to express their
renewed enthusiasm by runnin'
around the piney woods in their
pickup trucks with the windows
rolled down and the heater on high.
They’re wearin' their cowboy hats,
cocked just right for that best-foot-
forward look. Go figure that one!
You don’t suppose it’s to attract the
fillies, do you? For you city slick-
ers who may be a little slow
catchin’ on, I’m talkin' about the
guys and girls, not the horses.
I’ve heard it said that, “In the
spring, thd young man’s fancy turns
to love.” May be, but I never got
the chance to find out cause I lias
always too busy muckin’ out the
horse bam about this time of yfar
to even recognize that loooooVe
feelin’, let along apply iL Animals,
however, have this inner sense of
timing and seem to smell spring
just around th* comer, and that
frisky spirit staru showin’ itself
through renewed, interest in dhe
another. We older folks like To
think we're smarter than both the
animals and the younglings and ire
know there’s still a cold rain or two
lurkin’ just over the rise and theiie-
fore ignore this urge for fun ahd
foolishness. Did I just hear myself
say, "We’re smarter than the aAi-
mals and the younglings? Gudss
some of us old dogs could learii
some new tricks after all!
I don’t know about you, fat
every time I get around a bam ahd
smell the livestock, the musty hay,
sweaty horse blankets, old leather,
and the straw mixed horse manure,
I start thinkin’ RODEO time ahd
trail drives! Being an old
writer/poet, however, my country
brain starts crankin' out “cowboy”
poems as opposed to conjurin’ up
amorous thoughts. Due to the
length of this commentary, how-
ever, I didn’t include a poem. If
you’re my age, I hope you enjby
the article. If you’re younger, jdin
the squirrels. Anyway, have a little
fun each day and be sure to give
thanks'to God through Jesus Christ
for the privilege. i
Edward C. Huey
337 County Rond
Goodrich
Do you have an opinion?
The Polk County Enterprise encourages readers to submit letters expressing
their views and opinions. The leners will be published in the Enterprise’s
“Letters to the editor” column otrThursday or Sunday. 3
The letters may be written oq anjr subject or issue of general interest. Letter^
must be accompanied by! a name and irtaftog addrest and will, be subject *#
editing for grammar, punctuation, spelling and length. Letters must include *
telephone number for verification. We will not publish the telephone number. 5
Readers should keep their letters brief and to the point. Each letter should
contain no more than 650 words. Letters exceeding that length will be subject
to editing or withheld from publication.
Letters will also be subject to editing for libelous statements and
commercialism.
This column is not meant as a forum for political candidates, although we
welcome comments from the public concerning campaign issues. During
election campaigns, we will not allow reference to specific local candidates.
Letters may be submitted in person; mailed to “Letters to the editor,” Polk
County Enterprise, P.O. Box 1276, Livingston, TX 77351; sent to the.
Enterprise by fax to (936) 327-7156 or sent via e-mail toj
polknews@livingston.net.
Deadline for letters is 5 p.m. Tuesday for Thursday’s newspaper and noon
Friday for Sunday’s newspaper.
POLK COUNTY
ENTERPRISE
ALVIN HOLLEY, PUBLISHER
Telephone Number 936-327-4357
(USPS 437-340) r
WEBSITE: www.EasfTexasNews.Com
E-MAIL: polknews@liviggston.net i
Texas 77351 under the Act of Congress of March 3,1987. Entered as Periodical
Matter at the Post Office at Livingston, TX.
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White, Barbara. Polk County Enterprise (Livingston, Tex.), Vol. 120, No. 13, Ed. 1 Thursday, February 14, 2002, newspaper, February 14, 2002; Livingston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth789235/m1/4/?q=+%22Amarillo%22+%22streets%22: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Livingston Municipal Library.