In the spring of 1953, Billy Graham came to Chattanooga for one of his revivals. He was here for 26 days. He was 34 and already famous.
Now that he has gone to be with his God, I am inclined to reflect on him and his life.
He was a fascinating human being, his public notoriety and acclaim notwithstanding. He and his message had so much profound appeal and impact on so many people for so long.
What I find worthwhile to consider is what appears to be the reality of the prevalence of the public, not to mention powerful people today, who seem to be so glaringly lacking in the qualities he displayed. Following his example, a simple explanation for this is that he so profoundly believed in and was so devoted to his spiritual and personal convictions and was so intensely sincere in expressing them, the words he used seemed almost secondary.
Becky Young
Signal Mountain
How many more have to die?
How many? How many more? How many more of our children? How many more of our citizens? How many more have to be slaughtered before we say enough?
No one in this country needs to own military-style assault rifles. They are not made for hunting. They are not made for target shooting. They are made for the sole purpose of killing human beings.
To the Republican politicians, who are so afraid of the NRA and losing their support, I say, “You are cowards and complicit in every single murder committed by these guns.”
Every time I hear some politician say, “This is not the time to talk about gun control,” or “Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims,” I wish someone would stand up and slap the stupid clean off of them.
So, once again, I ask, “How many more?”
John Logan
Left uninterested in Trump success
Definition of brainwashing: Repeat a lie enough times until it’s believed. President Trump did not say he believed Putin. He merely said he asked Putin about meddling and relayed what Putin’s response was. And, what did Obama do about Russian meddling? Not a thing until he was leaving office, when he had known about it for months or even years prior.
Russia has been meddling in our democracy for decades. Now, Democrats are acting like it’s something new, and saying Trump is doing nothing to protect the American people. Have you ever heard of MS-13 gangs? We heard nothing about them under Obama because they were pouring in our open Southern border. Under Trump, they are being rounded up and arrested. It’s a fact illegals commit more crimes per capita than American citizens.
Trump is trying to secure our borders and keep us safe with no help from the left. He’s also proposing new gun control measures. All who only listen to leftist media are not getting 99 percent of the good this president is doing for the country. But you don’t want to know. You want to continue in your hatred.
Gianina Agosta
Dayton, Tenn.
Arming teachers? Too many misses
Arming teachers is a bad idea.
In the wake of the deadly school shooting in Florida, President Trump, the NRA and others have suggested arming classroom teachers with guns as a means of protecting children from gun violence. But should we?
Police, many of whom have a military background and are highly trained and gun-range qualified, miss their suspect more than 70 percent of the time. According to a 2008 RAND Corp. study evaluating New York Police Department training, between 1998 and 2006, the average hit rate during gunfights was 18 percent – less than one in five bullets hitting their mark. When suspects did not return fire, police hit their targets 30 percent of the time. Even if we accept the higher figure, which would be unlikely for the average teacher with intensive training, 70 percent of bullets fired in a school shootout would miss their target.
And in a building as complex as a school, how do the cops know who the good guys are and aren’t when they enter an active shooting situation? It would just add to the chaos and delay response, allowing the real shooter(s) to continue their rampage.
Donald R. Shopland
Ringgold, Ga.
‘In God We Trust’ a founding concept
Columnist David Mislin (Feb. 17) asserted the national motto “In God We Trust” does not reflect “universally shared historical values,” and he stated it was a “political, economic and religious perspective” held by Trump and the GOP. But I will defer to a Democrat, President John F. Kennedy, who in February 1961, said:
“This country was founded by men and women who were dedicated or came to be dedicated to two propositions: first, a strong religious conviction, and secondly a recognition that this conviction could flourish only under a system of freedom.
“I think it is appropriate that we pay tribute to this great constitutional principle which is enshrined in the First Amendment of the Constitution: the principle of religious independence, of religious liberty, of religious freedom.
“No man who enters upon [this] office can fail to recognize how every president has placed special reliance upon his faith in God . While they came from a variety of religious backgrounds each of our presidents has placed a special trust in God. Those who were strongest intellectually were also strongest spiritually [and] the guiding principle and prayer of this nation has been, is now, and shall ever be “In God We Trust.”
Marcia Swearingen
Florida school had armed deputy
It is hard to fathom what point Glenn McCoy was trying to make in his cartoon published in the newspaper on the Free Press page on Feb. 24. The cartoon showed armed guards at an airport, jewelry store and bank, but an “Honor System” at a school.
What universe does Mr. McCoy live in? At Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, there was an armed sheriff deputy present. He did not deter the boy with the AR-15. Now it appears that there were three other deputy sheriffs at the scene during the shooting, but they did nothing. There also was a deputy sheriff at Columbine High School. At least he tried to do something, firing at the boys before they entered the school, but he missed and 15 children were murdered.
Keith J. Reisman
We have to pay for our safety
Improving background checks and mental health support is laudable but will not solve the mass shooter problem. The system in place is a behemoth. It is centered on the idea that we could somehow magically prevent anyone with murderous intent from getting a weapon and attempt to make it safe everywhere. It is like trying to keep water from pouring through a sieve.
A very effective method to make our public schools safer is to close all access to student traffic – except specially equipped portals. Each student portal would be equipped with metal detectors and two or more “special police officers.” If an alarm sounds, the portal traffic stops immediately until the issue is resolved. This is easily accomplished with a “man trap” door. Additionally, anyone found trying to illegally pass into the school with a weapon – any deadly weapon – is immediately arrested. No, not a prison – prisons keep people in. This plan keeps deadly weapons out. There are many details to work out, and, you guessed it, the taxpayers would likely foot the bill for it.
Do you really value your children’s lives? Time to put your tax dollars where your mouth is.
Terry Munn
South Pittsburg, Tenn.
Democrats: Party of being opposed
Democrats are generally opposed to the following:
Tax reform, tax cuts, NRA, Second Amendment, our president, strong vetting for immigration entry, blocking terrorist countries from entry, eliminating the lottery system and chain migration, building a border wall, exporting illegals, ICE, sealing border-law loopholes, GOP education priorities, charter or religious schools, right-to-work laws, anti-abortion efforts, more transparency, oil exploration, pipelines, higher spending on military, military parades, smaller government, traditional marriage, business owners choosing to sell and voter ID laws.
Someone, please tell me what they do support.
Donald Stewart
Signal Mountain