A request for pastors
to speak on Trump
On Sunday, Aug. 4, as I drove home from church -- I live on the far west side of Fayetteville -- I counted the number of churches I passed. There are 11.
Some are quite large. There's a very big new one at the intersection of Wedington and Interstate 49.
And some appear quite small. Most of them might be fairly labeled as non-mainstream denominations, and I'd hazard that many of their clergy and congregations would welcome being called "evangelical."
I recalled how, during the previous week, the leadership of Washington National Cathedral, the bishops of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Baltimore and clergy from a wide array of denominations had vigorously spoken out against Donald Trump's tweets about that city, which he called "disgusting, rat and rodent infested." The bishops and clergy in their letter characterized the tweet with these words: "It was horrible, demeaning and beneath the dignity of a political leader who should be encouraging us all to strive and work for a more civil, just and compassionate society."
On this particular Sunday morning, I ruminated on how Mr. Trump's contentious language at his rallies -- referring to the influx of asylum seekers as "an invasion" and laughing it off when someone in the crowd shouted out "shoot them" -- had now led to this horrific effect: 21 dead in El Paso, gunned down by a young man whose own treatise linked him to Trump's creed of hate.
I now call on the ministers of those 11 churches I passed -- indeed, on all clergy in Fayetteville and everywhere -- to be brave enough to step into their pulpits and into the public eye and urge their followers to recognize and reject Trump's divisive ideology.
David Jolliffe
Fayetteville
When it comes to laws,
what is real 'red flag?'
In light of recent mass shootings, it is clear no one is safe. Only police and the military need these terrible weapons of mass destruction and civilians have no legitimate use for them. We must get serious about gun control now. The only solution is to give the government including the police and military, complete power over us. We as a people are not smart enough to know what is good for us. We deserve a safe environment where we can raise our families without fear. We need red flag laws!
How can these terrible weapons possibly serve the public? When only the government, including police and the military, have these "advanced" weapons, they will have complete power over us. Is that what you want? I think it's important to remember: They work for us, not the other way around. When you give them complete power over us you are no longer free and your liberty and rights are in peril. There is nothing more dangerous to liberty and freedom than a government that has complete power and control over the people they are supposed to protect and serve.
Sadly no one can control mass shootings unless magically there is a way to control everything everyone does everywhere. The sad reality of that is there is no way any government can control things to the extent they eliminate all evil or protect everyone or guarantee their safety. Even if we give government complete control over everything they will fall short.
Freedom can be messy. People having the ability ("freedom") to do stupid crap from time to time is just something we have to put up with. It is part of the cost of freedom.
So what is the real "red flag?" Your freedom is at stake. To each his own, but personally I am not willing to trade personal liberty and freedom for a little bit of security.
Jeff Cook
Springdale
Commentary on 08/09/2019