05.02.10 Sunday A.indd - Wise County Messenger

4A WISE COUNTY MESSENGER, Decatur, Texas, Sunday, May 2, 2010OPINIONOTHER VIEWSImmigration debate takes center stageObamaand mediahyperventilateover new lawBy FLOYD AND MARYBETH BROWNPresident Obama, the media,liberal elites – and evensome Republicans – haverushed to decry Arizona’simmigration enforcementlaw with shocking hyperbole.This bill is constitutional,and it addresses apressing issue at the statelevel because the federalgovernment has shirked responsibilityfor years. Whilethe critics would have youbelieve enforcing America’simmigration law is thesecond coming of fascism,the Arizona law properlyemphasizes enforcement ina manner that upholds theConstitution and basic principlesof human decency.Nevertheless, EugeneRobinson, the WashingtonPost columnist, denouncedthe law by saying, “Arizo-Continued on page 9AArizona:Your appointedgovernor is acowardBy TINA DUPUYAn hour south of Tucsonyou’ll find desertedsilver mines used to makeConfederate bullets in thelatter days of the Civil War.The settlers of the regiontried and failed to gain thefederal government’s protectionfor their businessinterests. They were at warwith the Apache tribe anddesperate to have federaltroops present so they couldexcavate in a place namedafter the Aztec word for“silver-bearing.” The fedsignored them.The then-residents,numbering in the thousands,probably by countingeveryone twice, decided tosecede from the Union. Sowhen Arizona cries foul atthe federal government’sshortcomings, this time it’snot new territory.Continued on page 8AYOUR VIEWSVote for Quanz andHowardAs we go to the polls to vote for schoolboard members, let’s think seriously aboutcandidate qualifications. Ruby Quanz andJerry Howard bring experience to thesepositions as they are the incumbents.Both have served as classroom teachers,school managers, dealt with TEA rules andregulations and worked side-by-side withclassroom teachers for years. They knowwhat we need.Ruby and Jerry are interested in preparingthe youth of our school system for lifethrough better education. They will manageour campuses, finances and curriculumto the best advantage for all students.Both will focus on the needs to prepareour students for the future and will not beinfluenced by input from relatives that arepresently employed by the district.Please vote for education, not turf.Robert TalleyDecaturThanks for cleaning upI would like to thank whomever pickedup the old recliner that was dumped alongsidethe railroad tracks on Old DecaturRoad outside of Alvord. Whether it was thecounty, or a kind individual, thank you foryour effort. It did not go unnoticed or unappreciated.Rose StuberAlvordTopic of turf will crop upI thought we had a bond election thatspoke loud and clear that this communitydoes not want turf at the expense of taxpayers.Perhaps we won’t see this happenopenly, but I predict that this topic will appearon the agenda of a school board meetingrather quickly if either Jerry Howardor Ruby Quanz is defeated.Will turf come before crucial maintenanceprojects that have been noted sincethe community committee met severalyears ago, prior to our successful bond electionthat brought us Young Elementary?This committee was told by the schooladministration at that time not to worryabout the maintenance issues; that themaintenance issues would be handled. If“handled” means pushed aside, then, theyhave been handled.Will turf come before maintaining ahealthy reserve fund which provides thefinancial security for the district? Gary Micinskihas guided Decatur School Districtto becoming a sound and enviable districtfinancially. It is imperative that our financesremain strong.Turf is not a bad idea or one that mostwould veto. However, now is not the time,and it is certainly not the time to replacestrong educators and reasonable schoolboard members like Ruby Quanz and JerryHoward.Merle FosterDecaturWhy the cover-up?An April 25 article, “Exit Agreement”pays Stone $150,000” stated, “The BoydSchool District will pay SuperintendentGreg Stone $150,000 for agreeing to resign.”What? Why?First of all, thank you Wise County Messengerfor filing an open records request toget the information that should have beenpublic information from the beginning. Unfortunately,there are more questions thananswers in the information.If there isn’t “any wrongdoing whatsoever,”as the agreement states, why thepayoff? Let Mr. Stone fulfill his contract fortwo more years. If not – fire him. It’s thatsimple.Why the confidentiality clause? I see ared flag. What’s the $150,000 secret? Thereis definitely wrongdoing here, and it’s tothe taxpayers.Madeline SnowBoydTea party full of bigotsLet’s play a little mind game here in“red-city, red-county, red-state, Texas.” Itwon’t take long. Choosing a topic I know isnear and dear to all whose claimed partyallegiance begins with a “T,” let’s use ourimaginations. With a nod given to the consumersof green tea, it’s a simple fact thatthe largest percentage of tea consumed inthe world is black tea. One may safely betthere will never be a “black tea party.”Let’s suppose that the folks gatheringnear our nation’s capitol on the anniversaryof the Murrow Federal Building bombingin Oklahoma City were of African ancestryin whole or in part rather than being100 percent Caucasian. What if they weremostly Mexican or Puerto Rican or any of aslightly darker complexion? I won’t mentionthose of American Indian ancestryas that has been tried already, and we allknow how that “protest” ended. A quotecomes to mind: “The only good Injun is adead Injun.”Here’s another stretch. Suppose the 16percent, or more than 30 million citizensof 21st century America who are self-describedagnostic, atheist or none-of-theabovein the religious category descendedon D.C. and its nearby Virginia suburbs.Suppose they were armed with those Communist-designedand built AK-47 assaultrifles many tea partiers seem to love. Whatthen?Now imagine that a few white membersof Congress were surrounded by thousandsof angry people from either supposedethnic group, and one of the protestersproceeded to spit on one of those congressmenfor not voting in accordance with hisdesires.Would the protesters be seen as merelypatriotic Americans voicing their opinions,or as an angry, potentially violent andeven insurrectionist mob? After all, this iswhat bigoted white tea party protesters didrecently in Washington.Wouldn’t those members of Congressstanding on the balcony above showingsigns of support for whichever group wasthreatening their fellow members be guiltyof sedition and insurrection? In any pointof law with which I am familiar, there areseveral members of the present U.S. Congressguilty of precisely that.Simply put, today’s “tea partiers” areclearly the most bigoted, white people inAmerica. Moreover, from all indications,they do indeed “cling to their guns andBibles” and make all self-respecting Americanswho value our Constitution sick totheir stomachs.Ken HughesDecaturAbout LettersThe Wise County Messenger welcomesletters to the editor. The deadline is 5 p.m.Wednesday for publication the followingSunday. The deadline is 5 p.m. Friday forpublication the following Thursday.Letters are printed on a space-availablebasis on the editorial page.All letters must be signed, and writers’names will not be withheld. Letters shouldinclude a return address and daytimephone number. Letters should not exceed400 words.Send letters: To the editor, Wise CountyMessenger, P.O. Box 149, Decatur, Texas76234, or drop them by 115 S. Trinity in Decaturweekdays between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.Letters can also be sent by fax, (940) 627-1004, or e-mail, news@wcmessenger.com.