Sheriff hopes to honor fallen deputy
On Feb. 2, 1922, Walker County, Ga., Deputy Sheriff John "J.C." Parrish was shot and killed while investigating a moonshine operation near Kendrick Switch in the High Point community of Walker County.
Parrish's 14-year-old half-brother, Cecil Parrish, also was killed. Thomas Partain died in the gunfire.
I am working to have Parrish's name engraved on the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial wall in Washington, D.C.
Parrish was never married. His sister, Emma Parrish, married Ben Autry (Autrey) in 1894. Their children were Rose (1896), Ada (1897), Charles (1899), Henry (1903), Mary Dorothy (1905) and Melvin (1910).
I am trying to locate descendants of Emma Parrish Autry - grandchildren, great-grandchildren, cousins, nephews and nieces - to include them in the application for consideration of Parrish's name to the Memorial Wall.
Adding the name of one of our fallen deputies to the Memorial Wall is priority for me as sheriff of Walker County. Contact me at 706-638-1909, ext. 1231; swilson@walkerso.com or P.O. Box 767 Lafayette, Ga. 30728.
Steve Wilson, Sheriff
Walker County, Ga.
Just endorse a Libertarian
Last Sunday's Free Press editorial "An Unconscionable Choice" was a great summary of the negative issues presented by candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. What is not understandable is why you did not recommend a third-party candidate as you did (for Gary Johnson) in 2012. If anything, voting for Libertarians Gary Johnson and Bill Weld makes more sense in this election than it did in 2012. Both Johnson and Weld are far more qualified than the Democratic and Republican candidates for President of the United States.
H. Gary Pope
Trump can't shadow Clinton
If Hillary Clinton's victory as the first female president is ever diminished because her clown opponent made it easy to win, the best qualifications of any prior presidential candidate are disregarded. Missteps in her career have been publicly scrutinized and investigated at a congressional level with responsibility taken by her for mistakes. Her opponent litigates, intimidates, shortchanges, strong-arms, deflects, denies everything and takes no responsibility for proven accusations.
His sideshow of depravity is a new low. Sixteen of the brightest partisans allowed this buffoon to out-shout and out-smart them. His campaign is based on hyperbole, bluff, unattainable promises, grandiose plans with no details, arrogance, lies and inflammatory rantings to rile his base. His party is silent. They watch their history of service be co-opted by a manic outsider.
Good guys usually win, and hotheads usually perish into obscurity in a puddle of their own hogwash. We can hope.
Jan Shapard
Murfreesboro, Tenn.
Krugman misses on climate math
In a recent Times editorial column, New York Times columnist Paul Krugman addresses climate change as: "by far the most important issue facing America - if Democrats take the Senate, we might take the minimum action needed to avoid catastrophe."
Hmm. It appears that Mr. Krugman feels we've reached the point where we can simply fine-tune our activities and, voila, the Democrats save the world, to include even the Republicans that thrive within it. After all, don't enough of them have to survive in order to provide the tax base to pay for their recommended cure? And to make sure it's more palatable to the masses, they could even label it the "Affordable Care Act" for our climate.
Although it's within his area of expertise -Krugman's an economist, not a climate scientist - he fails to tell us what his "mad scientist" calibration might cost. It goes to show with some people, their ceiling on arrogance is matched only by the steeple-like presence of the one on their sophistry.
If Republicans are, as implied, the party of "no science," then Democrats surely qualify as the party of "mad science."
John Brown
Ooltewah
Key issues in mayor's race
Three areas should be addressed for Chattanoogans before the March 2017 municipal elections:
1. The mayor ran on a platform of transparency, yet he and his inner circle were using an app "WhatsApp" that deletes messages immediately. This is contrary to his campaign promise and threatens adherence to the open records policy.
2. The bike lanes proposed for M.L. King Boulevard are being jammed down our throats. Why not have bike lanes on the March ballot so that citizens of Chattanooga can vote on whether they want them or not?
3. The Violence Reduction Initiative is not working. There have been numerous shootings all year. I have a difficult time understanding why the City Council would throw "good money after bad" since most Chattanoogans feel this is not working. Why not use that money to hire officers and have a more visible presence in the city's troubled areas?
Mark Shapiro
GOP needs votes to stop Hillary
Hand-wringing Republicans who vow not to vote for Donald Trump need to wake up! Not voting, or voting for a third party, is a vote for Hillary and a third term of Obama governance.
The next president may appoint three or four justices to the Supreme Court. They will be far-left appointees who will serve for life or retirement. Can you say Chief Justice Barack Obama? You also may be saying farewell to your gun rights.
Hillary favors open borders between North and South America. Can you say hello to 16 million illegal aliens? She will want to give them welfare and probably your job if you still have one. Like Obama, she will continue to raise employer taxes and issue regulations increasing costs to employers who haven't bankrupted or moved overseas.
Repeal Obamacare? No, it will continue to cost more and deliver less until it finally dies. Then, you can say hello to socialized medicine and your new doctor, No. 49821, at your next appointment in late 2017. Welcome to the Hillarylight Zone.
Horton Herrin
Dalton, Ga.
The GOP blew it; vote for Hillary
Republicans have had a majority of GOP-appointed Supreme Court members for more than 40 years. They have controlled the U.S. House of Representatives since 1994 except for four years. They control the U.S. Senate. They control the governorship, state senate and state house in Tennessee.
I am a Christian, an American and a Democrat in that order. Those who say we should jail our political enemies have their priorities out of order. Third World dictators jail enemies not patriotic American Christian politicians.
There are many reasons to argue Trump is unworthy of the presidency: the birther issue, women's issues, Russian connections, tax evasion audits, and "the wall." Giving this man the presidency with no checks and balances is not what our Christian founding fathers had in mind.
America needs a change: Vote to give back the Supreme Court and Congress to the Democrats. Vote for Hillary.
Randall Price
Trump is better than Hillary
Many of our representatives in government have questionable practices. But what concerns me is the way the Clintons are above the law and her position on key issues: with classified emails, questions about the Clinton Foundation, a single-payer health insurance plan, Second Amendment restrictions, appointment of Supreme Court justices - the list goes on and on.
Trump by no means is perfect, but he is better than Hillary. If you want to complete the socialistic change in our government, then vote for her. But be informed on what your vote represents.
Big media has been trying to sway the vote. If Donald has a hangnail, it's front page. If Hillary destroys 30,000 emails, you might find it's buried.
I will vote on a candidate's merit. We need term limits and a balanced Supreme Court that enforces the Constitution and does not legislate from the bench.
Brad Case
Signal Mountain