By Staff
Jaycees thankful for support
Editor,
On behalf of the Hartselle Jaycees, I would like to express our sincere thanks to everyone who helped make Depot Days Dunkings a success. This project raised $5,000 for the Boys and Girls Club of Hartelle.
The Jaycees would like to thank Americ Rental for the dunking booth. We would like to thank Hartselle Police Chief Ron Merkh and Morgan County Coroner Russ Beard for being good sports and targets. We would like to recognize the faculty members of the Hartselle elementary schools that served as targets: Robin Varwig, Ben Hughes, Debra Harvel, Lisa Halbrooks, Sherry Harrison, Jonathan Bragwell and Susan Hayes. We would like to thank the Hartselle High School varsity cheerleaders for their time and support.
In addition, the Jaycees would like to thank the community for its support of our organization.
Dan Bennich
President, Hartselle Jaycees
We can't take God out of America
Editor,
Somewhere down the road, we as parents let the reality of God's existence erode away. It is more obvious now than ever. The nations school system is a prime example of such erosion. I would like to elaborate on this with the following examples.
In a public school in St. Louis, a teacher spotted a fourth grader, Raymond Raines, bowing his head in prayer before eating his lunch. The teacher ordered him to stop and then sent him to the principal. The principal informed Raymond that prayer was not allowed in school. After Raymond was caught on three more separate occasions, he was segregated from other students, ridiculed in front of other students, and finally sentenced to a week in detention.
In a Saratoga Springs, New York kindergarten school, Kayla Broadus was holding hands with two other classmates before eating lunch. They recited the prayer, "God is good, God is great, thank you, God, for this food." A teacher severely reprimanded her, reported her to the school administration. The principal sent a letter to her parents, informing them that their daughter wasn't allowed to pray in school, aloud, or with others.
In Lynn Lucas Middle School, near outside Houston, Texas, on two separate occasions, five other students were recipients of the similar treatment. Two sisters carrying Bibles were informed that they could no longer bring "vile material" into a classroom. They were sent to the principal who called the mother stating that he intended to report them to Child Protective Services for child abuse. When the mother went to the school, the teacher threw the Bibles in the wastebasket, shouting, "this is garbage."
At the same school, school administrators confiscated three students' books with covers displaying the "Ten Commandments". They ripped the covers off, threw them in the garbage, and informed the students that the Ten Commandments constituted "hate speech."
In California, legislature mandated that all seventh graders take a three-week immersion course in Islam. Students were required to adopt Muslim names, play jihad games, dress in Muslim garb, and, ironically, pray to Allah.
These are only a few examples of the anti-God, liberal tactics that's going on in today's schools. What's wrong with this is that we as voters, vote people in office that appoint liberal judges to courts. These judges strip all of our God given rights away, while showing their compassionate side by relaxing laws that eases the punishment on hardened criminals, sex offenders, and murderers.
Everywhere you look, you see, "God Bless America." Every piece of currency has "In God We Trust." Our founding fathers would turn in their graves if they knew what has happened to the constitution that they wrote, believed in, and then signed their names to it. God doesn't need to bless America. America needs to "Bless God."
Mike Dowdy
Hartselle
Park and Rec appreciate flags
Editor,
Hartselle Parks and Recreation extends a sincere thank you to Cmdr. John Paul Johnson and American Legion Post 52 for the donation of two American flags.
The flags are being flown at Grady and Margie Long Park and Sparkman Civic Center. Both flags are very beautiful and we are proud to fly them.
Once again, thank you Cmdr. Johnson for your generosity. Everyone visiting our facilities will benefit from your kindness.
Hartselle Parks and Recreation