July 03, 2009 03:11 pm
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Dear Editor:
It was once thought the AMERICAN REPUBLIC will endure as long as the ideas of the men who founded it continue to be dominant.
My how things have changed. Our founders have said that the type of government we have is for a religious and moral people.
The United States used to be a beacon in the world for people who came here for a better life, religious freedom, and a chance at achieving the “American Dream.”
However, when we threw God out of public life, started killing babies, accepted perverse lifestyles, accepted the idea that anything goes, we have become the most spiritually and morally bankrupt nation that ever came down the pike (2 Chronicles 7:14 - KJV)
Clifford E. Ball, Sr.
Springtown.
Dear Editor;
with all the problems in the United States today, consider the following.
A large church in Fort Worth has been excommunicated from the National Baptist Convention for their views on homosexuality.
There have been numerous complaints and demonstrations against the Fort Worth PD for their “raid” on a south side gay nightclulb (while there were several other such “raids” on straight clubs in the area.)
Clergymen, of all people, have been in the newspapers urging Hispanics, legal and illega, to boycott national census information takers.
Michael Jackson is being memorialized as a great “Celebrity” by many Americans, even with his record of pedophilia.
Every day there are individuals interviewed on television, radio, etc. that are complaining about parking citations, animal abuse and other miscellaneous illegal activity.
My question is this: Exactly what is it about the word “ILLEGAL” that the AMerican people don’t understand?
Jan Cribbs
Millsap
Behold the ump
Dear editor,
In response to the article, “Umps not beholdin’ to the eyes of the beholder,” I’d like to say,”Nice article,” and as a veteran umpire of 21 years in the North Texas area, you pretty much nailed it.
It’s funny sometimes hearing all of the stuff coming from both sides. We hear most of that stuff, but let it go in one ear and out the other. There are some young umpires out there who let some of the “Chirping” (that’s what we call the stuff coming from the dug outs as well as the stands) get to them a little bit.
Things do look a lot different from that far away, and with having to carry on the weekly gossip session and having to look through those little chain link fence holes, I can see how one might think they are the one who is correct and not the umpire who has the training and is only just a few feet from the pitch or play.
It’s kind of like being the umpire at second base with a runner on first. All of a sudden, the second baseman fields a hard hit grounder, he bobbles just a bit, finally tosses the ball to the short stop who is coming across the bag to try for the double play, but for some reason, the short stop lacked about a foot of distance getting his foot into contact with the second base! And from about 180 feet, it looked like he had that double play in the bag, to the excitement of the crowd on the right who was jumping up and down and screaming while the players were running towards the dug out. But wait, the team on the left was even more excited when the coach standing in the third base coaches box saw the SAFE sign come from the second base umpire and was giving the commands for his runner to continue on the third.
Wow, what a pickle that umpire is in for making the right call from just a few feet away! Now, half the crowd hates him and half love him. And the coach, whose short stop missed the bag, oh well, he was really mad, but, like everyone else, he was about 110 feet from second, was jumping up and down and screaming along with the other 75 or 80 fans who was hoping their team would have won that game.
They just might have if the short stop would have just took one more second to make his foot touch the bag ...
Try being in my shoes and having to listen to all of the stuff, instead of 180 feet away and having to listen to it. But, that is baseball and I will continue with my career because it is so addicting.
Keith Mears,
Weatherford
Dear editor,
As the 233rd anniversary of the Declaration of Independence brings to our remembrance the impact of that historic event, we should all be grateful to those who crafted this greatest of human freedom announcements. It took great wisdom and courage to create this wonderful declaration document. Those who signed it, in effect, signed their own death warrants, had the forces of tyranny prevailed.
The gaining of those freedoms declared came at a great cost and the preservation of those freedoms have also been costly. Who among us has not lifted the tools of defense, felt the heat of an enemy’s weapon, languished in a captor’s hell, or suffered the loss of a close relative, comrade or friend in defending the principles this cherished document proclaims.
Maybe the reading of this significant history-changing document, and then a few moments of quiet meditation and thanksgiving would give us more appreciation of the sacrifices made that we may enjoy the freedom it declared.
Even now, our troops stand in harm’s way in a land and culture far from our shining seas and amber waves of grain to keep the forces of terrorism from our shores. Let us honor them and those who have made past sacrifices defending the principles of Independence declaring by honoriong them on this most important anniversary.
Abraham Lincoln has been quoted as saying, “I have nevber had a feeling, politically, that did not spring from the sentiments embodied in the Declaration of Independence.” What a powerful acknowledgement, and one that should be sought from among those whom we choose to govern us.
Arnold Pitchford
Weatherford
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