Wearing mask shows strength, compassion
At a produce market, out of 12 customers and three employees, I was the only one wearing a face mask. Everyone not wearing one has an excuse. Our president thinks it makes him look weak, but the opposite is true. Wearing a face mask is not for your protection, it is to protect others. By not wearing one, you are stating that you do not care about your fellow human beings.
Just because you feel well does not mean you do not have the virus, and not every virus test is 100%. If you are infected, just talking can release between five and 5,000 virus particles, coughing about 30,000 and sneezing about 50,000 particles spewing out at around 200 miles per hour. It is possible that as few as 1,000 virus particles can infect a person.
Wearing a mask stops most of the particles. Do you care about your family, friends and other human beings? A mask shows strength and compassion not weakness. Please wear one.
Richard Volkwein
Praying for those who made the ultimate sacrifice
I was a peace-time soldier, having served in Germany from 1955-1957. While there, the best soldier I ever met was Robert L. Hopkins.
I pretty much forgot about him until I saw his name in an old address book.
Wondering if he may have been in Vietnam, I had my daughter check the Vietnam Wall in Washington, D.C.
Sadly, he was there: Panel 5E, Line 6, February 6, 1966.
On Memorial Day, I will pray for him and everyone who did not make it home.
Ed Foster
Dayton, Tennessee
Virus victory garden a pandemic plus
Some good news to come out of the pandemic is huge numbers of people planting vegetable gardens, many for the first time. Nurseries, seed companies and garden centers, considered essential businesses, have experienced a surge in business. With time on their hands, worry about food shortages and a need to connect with nature, folks decided to get outside and start planting. Thus, the era of the COVID Victory Garden.
To those new to gardening, don’t give up when something you try doesn’t work. You will have setbacks and failures but also great rewards. Be prepared to get hot, tired and have a high water bill. Invest in a good hose and watering can. Mulch your beds with straw or chopped leaves to preserve moisture. Buy a rain gauge and monitor it regularly. Read “Rodale’s Organic Gardening” for tips on soil fertility and alternatives for dangerous pesticides. Inspect your plants daily for problems before they get out of hand.
As a lifelong gardener, I have felt planting a seed, nurturing the plant, harvesting and preparing the fruits of your labor to be enjoyed at a meal fulfills us like nothing else. Body, mind and spirit all benefit.
Alison Hoffmann
Signal Mountain
Return freedoms that were taken
Very sadly, the coronavirus has exposed the fact we are no longer the USA. We are now the “Divided States of America.”
The one group, the endless shut-down faction, is led by New York, Illinois, Michigan, Washington, and California, etc., with their capital city located in Los Angeles. The other group, the freedom faction, is led by Georgia, Tennessee, Florida, South Dakota and others.
Our freedoms were ripped away from us last March. Now, how slowly these freedoms are being returned to us in some states. Some governors and mayors seem oblivious to the fact the Constitution protects our freedoms. Many are setting themselves up like tyrants and declaring that they have the “final word,” and if you dare to disobey their “orders,” you could be punished with fines, arrest or even imprisonment.
The facts are in: This virus did not overwhelm our health care system, the curve has been flattened, and millions of Americans did not die from this virus. So now it is high time our freedoms are returned to us, and as adults, we must be given the “freedom” to function safely from here on out, without the state controlling our every move.
Jerry Johns
Ringgold, Georgia
Obama’s legacy will be corruption
I thought Barack Obama’s legacy in future American history books would be just a footnote as the first African American president; all of his so-called accomplishments are being erased. But now I see Obama’s true legacy will be as the most corrupt American president in modern times. The first American president (with the aid of his sycophants in the FBI, DOJ and CIA) to attempt to sabotage his successor.
Ralph Rabus
Ringgold, Georgia
Socially distant from God? Don’t be
Fear God, not the god of fear! The good thief asks of the other thief, mocking, taunting Jesus, “Have you no fear of God?” (Luke 23:40). Fear of God is holy awe, one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The beautiful hymn “Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence” lends itself to this meditation of our Lord: “Of you our hearts have spoken, seek his face” (Psalm 27:8).
Our heavenly father tells us … “If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, pray, seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14).
“But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the power to become children of God” (John 1:12). “Repent and believe in the Gospel” (Mark 1:15).
Von Memmingen
Hixson
Business over life Republicans’ mantra
For years, the Republican Party has preached about the sanctity of life and how every life is precious. Now, in their haste to restart the economy, Republicans, led by President Trump, have loosened the restrictions on nonessential businesses before we have met the White House guidelines for reopening and before we are able to test enough people to be able to contain the coronavirus.
This means that we will have more deaths from COVID-19 than we would have if we had been more patient about reopening the economy. People with compromised immune systems, underlying health conditions and the elderly, just to name a few, are now at greater risk of dying prematurely. Clearly, the Republican Party values the sanctity of life, as long as it does not interfere with business.
Jim Olson