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THE MADISON COUNTY (GA) JOURNAL. THURSDAY. DECEMBER 31.2020 — PAGE 5A Opinions Satirical letter shows trouble in cherry picking Bible Dear Editor: This satirical letter to a former radio host was written some 20 years ago by a Mr. Kent Ashcroft. The letter has been circulating since then on the Internet, but perhaps it is unfamiliar to some of your readers. It highlights the problem of “situ ational” use of the Bible as a final authority. How can some parts of Leviticus be deemed as unchanging when other parts have been discard ed as archaic? There are any number of activities that were once deemed sinful and against God's law, but are now seen as harmless. While this letter was meant for just one person, it is a reminder that many people cherry-pick the Bible in order to judge their neighbors, instead of loving their neighbors as themselves, as Christ commanded in Mark 12:31. Too many Christians today have substituted an idolatrous worship of “the Bible” for a relation ship with a Living God. They reject the teachings of Jesus. I pray that they will receive the gift of discern ment (first Corinthians 12:10) from the Holy Spirit soon, before they hear “I never knew you, depart from Me.” (Matthew 7:23.) Dear Dr. Laura. Thank you for doing so much to educate people regarding God's Law. I have learned a great deal from your show, and I try to share that knowl edge with as many people as I can. When someone tries to defend the homosexual lifestyle, for example, I simply remind him that Leviticus 18:22 clearly states it to be an abom ination. End of debate. I do need some advice from you. however, regarding some of the specific laws and how to best follow them. a) When I bum a bull on the altar as a sacrifice, I know it creates a pleasing odor for the Lord (Lev 1:9). The problem is my neighbors. They claim the odor is not pleasing to them. Should I smite them? b) I would like to sell my daughter into slavery, as sanctioned in Exodus 21:7. In this day and age, what do you think would be a fair price for her? c) I know that I am allowed no contact with a woman while she is in her period of menstrual uncleanli ness (Lev 15:19-24). The problem is, how do I tell? I have tried asking, but most women take offense. d) Lev. 25:44 states that I may indeed possess slaves, both male and female, provided they are purchased from neighboring nations. A friend of mine claims that this applies to Mexicans, but not Canadians. Can you clarify? Why can’t I own Canadians? e) I have a neighbor who insists on working on the Sabbath. Exodus 35:2 clearly states he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated to kill him myself? f) A friend of mine feels that even though eating shellfish is an Abomination (Lev 11:10), it is a lesser abomination than homosexual ity. I don’t agree. Can you settle this? g) Lev 21:20 states that I may not approach the altar of God if I have a defect in my sight. I have to admit that I wear reading glasses. Does my vision have to be 20/20, or is there some wiggle room here? h) Most of my male friends get their hair trimmed, including the hair around their temples, even though this is expressly forbidden by Lev 19:27. How should they die? i) I know from Lev 11:6-8 that touching the skin of a dead pig makes me unclean, but may I still play football if I wear gloves? j ) My uncle has a farm. He violates Lev 19:19 by planting two different crops in the same field, as does his wife by wearing garments made of two different kinds of thread (cot ton/polyester blend). He also tends to curse and blaspheme a lot. Is it really necessary that we go to all the trouble of getting the whole town together to stone them? (Lev 24:10- 16) Couldn’t we just bum them to death at a private family affair like we do with people who sleep with their in-laws? (Lev. 20:14) Sincerely, Dena Chandler Carlton Daniel Blackman is the best choice for Public Service Commissioner Dear Editor: First and foremost, the Public Service Commission of Georgia should respond to the needs of the people of Georgia. After all, this is a public service board. Our citizens deserve reasonable util ity rates, decent Internet service throughout the state, and leaders who incorporate the protection of our natural resources into every decision about how and where we get our energy. We are a sun- filled state, full of opportunities for harvesting solar energy. We have young people ready and wait ing to put their technological skills to use and farmers with plenty of open land to capture solar energy. In the upcoming run-off election, voting for Daniel Blackman for Public Service Commission would be a step forward: Electing a per son who is concerned about all Georgians and willing to put inno vation to work. He is a man with heart, someone concerned deeply about fair access to safe energy. In a recent public statement, the incumbent Bubba MacDonald stated fervently that he is “not a social worker.” In and of itself this is a rational claim: he sees his role as one that drives business interests. Fortunately, Daniel Blackman does not separate these two inter ests. He sees the need for inno vation, technology and resilient infrastructure to address the basic needs of our fellow human beings. In his view, businesses should ben efit, but so should individual citi zens. There is one big difference between the stances of MacDonald and Blackman. Do we really want to contin ue to subsidize dangerous and costly power plants that are way beyond their budgets? And why do Georgians pay so much more for electricity compared to the national average? Do ordinary rural Georgians deserve access to the Internet that is dependable, affordable and consistent? I urge everyone to vote for Daniel Blackman for Public Service Commissioner in this election. It is a vote for pursuing fair utility prices, good Internet service, and a commitment to public service, not special interests. Sincerely, Michael Hill Comer Buffington...cont d from 4A Even many of Trump’s own sup porters have balked at these calls for violence. But Tramp hasn’t. In fact, he has egged on those who would do violence in the name of politics. Over the weekend, he Tweeted a message to supporters to rally in Washington on Jan. 6. “Be there, will be wild” he said. Protesting is one thing, but Tramp’s Tweet is a thinly-veiled call for people to threaten Congress as they accept the vote of the Electoral College. According to some administration insiders, Tramp has mulled the idea of declaring martial law because he lost the election. Some observers believe that Tramp wants to foment violence on Jan. 6 as a cover to declare martial law. Such a move would ensure vio lence in America. I’m doubtful that Tramp would seek to use the military and even if he did, it’s unlikely the military would follow his command. But it’s still a sober, sad beginning to 2021. ••• If the nation can avoid this politi cal violence, the year 2021 may be a year of hope, a new beginning. As the vaccine for the pandemic began to slow its spread, there’s hope that our lives will return to normal. There’s hope that we can again gather with friends and family. There’s hope that our jobs and economy will stabilize and provide less uncertainty. There’s hope that we can bury the political divisions that have haunted 2020 and find a path toward a more bipartisan spirit in public offices. • •• And yet. I’m worried. We may indeed have a glorious rebirth in 2021. In fact, we may enter a decade like the “Roaring ‘20s". We all want to forget 2020, close the door on it, move forward and not look back. But I fear the seeds of something sinister were sown this year, seeds of a terrible fury that someday in the future, will ripen with vengeance and violence. Only history will tell us if 2020 was an aberration, or the beginning of the end. Mike Buffington is a co-publisher of MainStreet Newspapers Inc. and the editor The Jackson Herald. He can be reached at mike@mainstreet- news.com. Have a letter you want published? Email zach@mainstreetnews.com with your letter to the editor. Please include a first and last name, town of residence and phone number for verification purposes only. There is no word limit, but long letters may need to be abbreviated due to space limitations. In Memory Dec. 27,1932 -May 7,1954 Killed by a drunk driver HAZEL SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY Applications & Appeals We Do All The Hard Work! Hynes & Associates LLC Disability Advocates Call 678-935-3923 • SSIHelp.org 16 Years Experience • No Fee Unless Approved Whatever happened to patriotism? Once again, in these volatile political times, I must imme diately establish that I am not a Republican or a Democrat. I have voted for candidates from both parties over the years. I thought, and always have, that we are supposed to vote for the candidates who are best qualified and most likely to do the job they are elected into at the highest level. I consider myself an American voter. I always will vote for candidates who will serve and protect the United States of America. That being said, I would like to throw out another puzzling question I have. Whatever happened to patriotism? I grew up in the fifties and sixties. I was raised to be proud to be an American. Television action shows and movies made it clear that we faced two formidable enemies in WWII, Germany and Japan. Shows from the sixties and seventies made it clear that we had another formidable enemy, Russia. I remember watching news clips of the Russian premier Nikita Khrushchev pounding on the podium at the United Nations Assembly with his shoe and vowing, “We will bury you.” I lived through the Cuban Missile Crisis, when Russia put nuclear missiles in Cuba, just miles from Florida. That with news media coverage of Cold War incidents left no doubt in my mind who the enemy was. The news agencies of the world kept the public aware of what was going on internationally and nationally. The news media kept us informed about our enemies, foreign and domestic. The media kept crooked politicians in line. Were it not for the media, Richard Nixon would have gotten away with illegal activities while being President. My patriotism led me to join the United States Navy in 1969, even though I did not know how to swim. I served my country for four years in Naval Security. I knew Russia still had only one goal, to destroy and bury our country. They still do today. Do not doubt that for one instance. Then in 2016, our intelligence and every allied intelligence group in the world revealed how Russia had influenced our presidential election through social media manipulation. Our media once again put the news in front of the U.S. public. Unfortunately, the winning Presidential candidate had already unleased a campaign of misdirection. He was the first person I ever heard use the term “fake news.” I believe it was the day after the news aired his discretion admitting to an interviewer that he could sexually assault women because he was a “star.” After that, any time the media tried to hold him responsible for his continuing blunders he would say it was fake news. In the 2020 Presidential election, amazingly millions of American again voted for Trump. Thank God, millions more voted for Joe Biden and we will once again have a real presi dent who puts our nation first. I am proud, as a Georgian, that our state voted for Joe Biden and let the world know we are not just another racist and bigoted state. As to explain why so many people still voted for Tramp, I have a few thoughts but they would take hours to explain but all are very legitimate reasons based on facts, not crazy, made-up reasons. To show the world we are sincere about being a progressive state, leader of the South, we need to seal the deal by voting in two new Senators in January. In addition to their making money off the pandemic news while keeping Georgians in the dark about the pandemic, I am deeply troubled as a patriot. Our Republican Congress voted to put sanctions on a Russian oligarch, Oleg Derispaska (and six others linked to Putin and Tramp’s supporter, Paul Manafort), who headed the social media manipulation in 2016. Tramp had the Senate vote again and surprise, Perdue and the Republican senate voted to remove the sanctions and allow this true enemy of the U.S. to renew his financial gains. Readers should be reminded that Section 3 of the 14 th Amendment of the Constitution forbids members of Congress from supporting rebellion and supporting our enemies. The Republican backed “Texas Lawsuit” was an attempt to nulli fy American votes and choose a dictator to replace a legally elected President. Does this not violate Section 3 of the 14 th Amendment? Where are our patriots? Veterans and parents and children of veterans seem to be a likely source to right the above wrongs. They have fought and served our country, vowing to protect our country from threats, foreign and domestic. Jan. 5, 2021 is the next opportunity for all American and Georgia patriots to send a message to the country and the world and vote out the two Tramp supporters, Perdue and Loeffler. I for one can’t wait until next week’s election results come out. I hope to see lots of patriots standing up for our great Democracy. Sincerely, Cliff Craig r $ 5 00 0FF Ticket Of ‘20" Or More. Valid with coupon Mon.-Thurs. only. La Hacienda Commerce La Hacienda Braselton 173 Steven B. Tanger Blvd. 5391 Highway 53 706-335-7458 706-654-0070 The Original Mexican Restaurant! Not affiliated with any other restaurant. Fun By The Numbers 8 2 9 5 3 1 8 2 6 4 9 7 4 5 3 7 1 3 6 5 9 3 2 8 4 7 5 3 8 6 2 4 7