110 W. New York Ave., DeLand, FL
386-734-4622
Rinaldos say thanks
posted Sep 2, 2010 - 11:04:55am
Editor, The Beacon:
As the parents of City Council candidate Ryan Rinaldo, we would like to express our gratitude and thanks to all involved in the past primary election for our beloved city of DeBary.
Along with Ryan, we met some great and fantastic people.
We learned that we are surrounded by a caring and passionate community. We are so proud of our son, as you could imagine, and feel extremely blessed. As a young person who has grown up in our city, he has always felt the need to make a difference!
Thank you.
Robert and Anna Rinaldo
DeBary
Blood on their souls
posted Sep 2, 2010 - 11:04:09am
Editor, The Beacon:
Well, with the withdrawal of a 440-man Stryker team, the biggest mistake in the history of the United States came, arguably, to an end.
"Mission accomplished"? Four thousand, four hundred seventeen of the finest young Americans — dead! Hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqi civilians — dead!
Untold thousands of Americans and Iraqis wounded! Millions of lives destroyed. Trillions of dollars in debt dumped on the backs of the American people.
George Bush, Dick Cheney and the rest of their cabal have an immense amount of blood on their souls. God will have to judge them, because it appears no one in this world ever will.
Russ White
Orange City
Tax system should promote productivity
posted Sep 2, 2010 - 11:03:12am
Editor, The Beacon:
There is a struggle going on in America today. It is between moneyed interests and the general welfare, and is reflected in many of the major issues that affect us as a nation.
Those who possess most of the capital have the advantage, deciding which ideas are presented in the context of debates. The deficit crisis plaguing our government is presented as a simple problem of living beyond our means. This premise will inevitably lead to austerity measures such as cutting Social Security and raising taxes on the middle class and the poor.
Deficits are never portrayed as the failure of a revenue system that has woefully under-taxed powerful wealthy interests. We have been told tax cuts for the rich have been good for the economy. This is a false doctrine, because the rich are such a small part of the population. The increased demand from their purchases won't have much of an effect on the economy; however, this is not true for the middle class.
An additional conservative argument is that investments by the rich contribute greatly to economic activity. This used to be true when the tax code encouraged corporations to retain their earnings. The nature of investments today that attract the rich are frequently based on speculation, such as hedge funds. Such "investments" are one of the enemies of productive markets because they contribute to price volatility and waste capital.
During the golden era of American economics, the rich were heavily taxed, at 90 percent, but this also guaranteed strong nonspeculative investment in the economy. Back then, the wealthy could bring down their tax bill to 50 percent only if they kept their money in long-term stocks.
The high taxation also guaranteed the rich would not acquire excessive political power. Concentrated capital allows this elite class to rig markets, buy votes and undermine democratic government.
The answer to our government deficit is to have a taxation system that promotes economic productivity, and not the narrow interests of the privileged few.
Jan R. Young
DeLand
The importance of understanding
posted Sep 2, 2010 - 11:02:37am
Editor, The Beacon:
I read with amusement William Hall's commentary "Liberty and lending." No disrespect is intended by my words, but his understanding falls far short of today's world. Further, his perceived understanding matches that of 99.9 percent of Americans who have an opinion on the subject, which harkens to the days before the Federal Reserve Act of 1913.
Where he is provably wrong lies in where money comes from that is loaned by banks. The truth is, it doesn't exist until it is loaned out. It is created.
The following is the proof, courtesy of the Federal Reserve, in a file titled Reserve Requirements. Within this file are two paragraphs titled "Reserve Requirements and Money Creation."
The first paragraph deals with deposits, as stated by Mr. Hall, and the second paragraph speaks volumes as to why economies overheat.
Paragraph 2 states: In practice, the connection between reserve requirements and money creation is not nearly as strong as the exercise above would suggest. Reserve requirements apply only to transaction accounts, which are components of MI, a narrowly defined measure of money. Deposits that are components of M2 and M3 (but not MI), such as savings accounts and time deposits, have no reserve requirements and therefore can expand without regard to reserve levels [emphasis added].
"Furthermore, the Federal Reserve operates in a way that permits banks to acquire the reserves they need to meet their requirements from the money market, so long as they are willing to pay the prevailing price (the federal funds rate) for borrowed reserves. Consequently, reserve requirements currently play a relatively limited role in money 'creation' in the United States [emphasis added]."
I interpret this to mean that when you sign a note for a home, car loan, charge card, etc., the money is instantly created. In my mind, it is a license granted by government to counterfeit without the need of printing currency. One could even go so far as to say that bank robbery is an unauthorized loan, because they aren't paying interest and certainly the implied violence is wrong. Just create more money to make up the difference.
If the reader is able to wrap his or her head around this truth, most would be inclined to sigh and resign themselves to resignation that there is nothing that can be done. But, if facts such as the above become a part of the collective consciousness, in time, a knowledgeable electorate can demand competent representation. As it presently stands, I remain pessimistic in today's political environment and understanding.
Doug Bell
DeLand
ERA embarrassment
posted Sep 2, 2010 - 11:02:04am
Editor, The Beacon:
In one week in August, I received several e-mails concerning the 90th anniversary of the 19th Amendment.
While it is important to remember this historical event, it is disturbing that today, in Florida and 15 other states, mostly in the South, women are still considered second-class citizens and are awaiting the final passage of the ERA.
I have lived in Florida only since 2004, and was just recently made aware of this shocking fact by a friend. Since then, I have been on a mission to bring the subject of the ERA to the attention of elected Florida politicians, as well as current candidates, to no avail.
It would seem those with the power to finish the job do not care that Florida's women are still without this basic human right.
For example, Marco Rubio, the Florida Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, while speaker of the house, did not finish it, saying it was "not important." Last week, an Orlando FOX station asked to have questions submitted for candidate Rubio to answer that night on the air, so, I asked him why the women of Florida should vote for him, when he thought the ERA was "not important"?
My question, surprisingly, was one of four chosen, and when it was presented to him, he danced all around it, saying there was just so little time and other issues had to take precedence over the ERA.
What? Do you, as do I, find it embarrassing to live in a state that has not passed this vital legislation? As women and mothers, how long are we going to sit back and be quiet?
We, apparently, have not "come a long way, baby" in Florida, nor in much of the South.
Is it possible that endangered animals in Florida are better protected than our women? How do we raise our daughters to believe in themselves when our legislators obviously do not?
Donna Jones
Paisley
The mosque: A straw man?
posted Sep 2, 2010 - 11:01:28am
Editor, The Beacon:
It's working, both here and in the nation, as well. The right has thrown up a completely irrelevant, straw-man issue to enflame its base with hatred and fear, and the left has swallowed it hook, line and sinker.
The whole "not-at-Ground Zero; not-a-mosque" is a total distraction. There is absolutely no discussion going on about the real issues that should be the focus of the electorate this close to an election.
The Democrats should be hammering the Republicans on their total bankruptcy of coherent ideas on the economy, immigration, and the other issues Congress should be addressing.
One can only hope the Democrats are playing rope-a-dope, letting the Republicans punch themselves out over this nonissue. Then, right before the election, they will bring the focus back to the real issues, and the American people will wake up to how truly ridiculous most of what the right has to offer (or, actually, not offer) really is.
It worked the last time.
Russ White
Orange City
Conservative vs. liberal economics
posted Sep 2, 2010 - 11:00:53am
Editor, The Beacon:
Over two Sundays, I watched the Republican leaders of the House and the Senate refuse to answer the question "How will an extension of the Bush tax cuts be paid for?"
Their dance around this issue was far more entertaining than anything Tom Delay did on "Dancing with the Stars."
Of course, they couldn't actually answer the question without making glaringly obvious the hypocrisy of their stance that nothing should be done that isn't first paid for. Extending these cuts will add three-quarters of a trillion dollars to the debt. One can argue tax policy and economic philosophy forever, but there are two facts everyone should become familiar with: 1. When Republican/ conservative fiscal policies control the American economy, the gap between those at the top and the rest of society grows exponentially, the middle class stagnates, and the percentage of people living in poverty rises; 2. When Democrat/liberal fiscal policy controls, the gap between those at the top and the rest of society stabilizes or shrinks, the middle class expands, and the number of people living in poverty shrinks.
These are demonstrable historical realities. As Yogi Berra said, "You could look it up."
Or, perhaps, maybe Sen. McConnell and Leader Behner should quote Richard Pryor: "Who you gonna believe? Me, or your lyin' eyes?"
Russ White
Orange City
The poor will always be with us
posted Sep 2, 2010 - 11:00:16am
Editor, The Beacon:
The Orange City orator is at it again. Russ White finally quite the hate-Bush syndrome. Now it's hate all Republicans.
I quote him: "The Republicans have destroyed the American and world economies." This was done while they were in control of Congress and the White House.
The big complaint Brother White has was the $1 trillion deficit the Republicans accumulated over eight years. He evidently completely missed the fact that his party has totaled over $3 trillion in only 18 months. The extended amount for the next 10 years will be $14 trillion.
The next point is the never-ending Democrat complaint that Bush gave the wealthy a tax break. The fact that the 5 percent of wealthiest taxpayers pay 47 percent of the total tax burden does not seem to matter.
I would ask the White Writer: How many non-paying taxpayers create jobs, build businesses or hire people? None. It is the wealthy who do these things.
If you think unemployment is bad now, wait until your Democratic buddies allow the Bush tax advantage to expire. You will see unemployment double.
Keep something in mind: The rich have their money. If there is no incentive to invest, they will just put it in the bank, or foreign countries.
Did voting Democrat for the past 40 years reduce poverty? It only increased the number of poor. Give them enough to exist and they will become dependent on you. This is the Democratic principal.
Walt Mentzer
DeLand
DeBary's positive side
posted Sep 2, 2010 - 10:56:54am
Editor, The Beacon:
I would like to take the time to thank the DeBary Art League and Sandra Wilson for the candidate meet-and-greet they hosted before the Aug. 24 election.
I would also like to thank Mr. John E. Evans for being the moderator of this event.
It was also very pleasing to see almost 300 citizens who wanted to know who the candidates were and make the right choices. All in all, it was a great night for DeBary.
The second reason I am writing concerns me very much. The media are the first to jump in their vehicles whenever DeBary has one of it's "meltdowns" as of late, but if there is something positive that happens, it either gets little press or is shelved all together. This is very disheartening and one-sided journalism.
Please take a hard look at the positive aspects of our lovely city. If the powers to be decide to "act out," then we deserve the criticism we get. If the city comes together and has a very positive moment, please give us the kudos as well.
Editor's note: Meister was a candidate for election to the DeBary City Council, but was knocked out in the primary.
Personal with Coach Dick Morland
posted Sep 2, 2010 - 10:55:30am
Editor, The Beacon:
I was fortunate to be one of the 1953-57 basketball players under Coach Morland during his time as head coach at Stetson University.
Coach taught us lifelong lessons about how to face and conquer challenges. Most of us stayed in touch with Coach, and we are saddened by his passing. In spirit, he will be joining other members of the 1953-57 Basketball Hatters who have gone before him.
The 1956-57 basketball team was especially close to Coach Morland, and Coach was very close to this team. There are seven of us remaining on this planet out of 11 who won the right to play in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) tournament in Kansas City, Miss., by ousting what is now Georgia Southern in district play.
This was the first year colleges had to win their NAIA district conference and were seeded, rather than selected by a committee to play in the finals in Kansas City.
The NAIA finals of 1957 became a significant event when Tennessee State University won the tournament. You can read more about it at en.wikipedia.org, and a wonderful documentary of the uphill battle of historically black Tennessee State efforts to break the color barrier for the first time in the 1957 tournament was shown on The History Channel a few months ago.
Stetson won the first game, beating Wayne State (Nebraska). Next up was Pacific Lutheran, the tournament No. 1 seed. We lost.
Pacific Lutheran then faced Tennessee State University, and Tennessee won by one point and went on to defeat Southeastern Oklahoma State for the championship. This was one of three NAIA titles won by Tennessee State.
We will surely miss our annual reunion with Coach Morland. Our last “team meeting” with Coach was the memorial service Aug. 21 at Stetson's duPont Ball Library. A few of us old players were with him at this service.
Buz Reynolds
New Smyrna Beach
Remembering Dr. Morland — Coached Addams Family’s ‘Lurch’
posted Sep 2, 2010 - 10:53:50am
Editor, The Beacon:
In recent weeks, among the many fine individuals who have been called to a better place, are two whose lives could be pretty well meshed together.
We speak of UCLA's John Wooden and Stetson University's Dr. Richard Morland. Both were fine gentlemen and family members and both were educators, a point that was most prominent in their careers as basketball coaches.
There probably are few remaining in the DeLand area who had the pleasure of working with Dick Morland. I joined Stetson in 1953 as the radio voice of the football Hatters and the basketball Hi-Hatters, working at the then-owned Stetson radio station WillS. ???
Dick had started coaching at Stetson in 1952, and I had the distinct privilege and honor of working with him for the final four years of his Stetson coaching career. In 1956, he elected to retire from coaching and join the University's administration; it was tough on basketball, but great for the university.
Dick's teams averaged about 15 wins a year, including earning the mythical "State Championship" in the mid 1950s, when his team defeated Florida, Florida State and Miami all in the same year.
Was he a great coach. I thought so, others may not have. He was very methodical; he knew the talents of each player, what they could do and when they could do it, and he used that knowledge to win games. If ever there was a predecessor to Wooden's approach to the game, it was Dick Morland.
He probably coached two of the greatest opposites on the court: Stetson's No. 1 multisport athlete John Imgrund, and a hulk from West Virginia named Ted Cassidy, with whom only Dick's patience and teaching ability led to the creation of a fairly effective basketball player. Ted later found his role in life as the one and only Lurch on TV.
Cassidy provided one of my most interesting moments in 1956 after I had assumed the managership of the radio station. A call from the university told me they had a student interested in getting into radio, and would I please meet him and give consideration to hiring him.
You never deny the boss's request, so I answered affirmatively. Shortly thereafter, the student arrived at my office and stood in the doorway. I looked up and could no longer see the door. The student, Ted Cassidy, at 6-10 and near 300 pounds, blocked all surrounding elements.
In a voice some four octaves below bass he said he was there to secure a job. I simply said, "Which one do you want?" My mommy raised no dummies.
In 1957, Dick called me to the athletic offices in Hulley Gym and introduced me to a young man from Georgia named Glenn Wilkes, who had been named to succeed Dick as head coach.
For the next 40 years, interrupted from time to time by health problems, I had the honor of working with one of the nation's great coaches in Wilkes.
Dr. Morland's family included daughter Laura, a schoolmate of our sons, and wife Jessie, who worked with me during my days as editor of the DeLand Sun News.
Dick spread his talents over a wide field. He was a gentleman, a scholar, a family man, an educator and a coach, and he played all roles well. He will be missed.
Dick Westervelt
DeLand
New name for Chess Park?
posted Aug 13, 2010 - 10:54:24am
Editor, The Beacon:
Ever since the park alongside the Volusia County Historic Courthouse was created, my first thought (of course, for those who know me/us) was thinking of a name that would fit the cause.
Thus, my suggestion is, "The Chess Shire Cat Park." We are always promoting teamwork and togetherness in DeLand; why not share this park on certain days for chess, leaving it to be enjoyed on other days by those who just want to sit and enjoy the view. Maybe even a cat or two would be welcome.
Thanks for listening.
Jeannine Colletti
DeLand
Doesn't like Stetson's new look
posted Aug 13, 2010 - 10:53:52am
Editor, The Beacon:
I was told by a local friend that an ill wind had blown through the Stetson University campus.
This morning, a quiet Sunday, took me slowly past our much-loved college ... twice.
I was horrified to see every word of the report was true! It seems most of the grand old oaks we've all loved have indeed disappeared. I saw a lot of tall, possibly mature palms in the area between the library and Elizabeth Hall where the oaks had been. I remembered enjoying walking in their grand old presence on my way to either venue, and how I'd always enjoyed seeing the students on blankets doing their homework, and how we all basked in the glorious shade they provided.
I think I saw a very handy parking lot by the music school, that not only we concertgoers, but I'm sure the decades of music students, friends and families have utilized, covered with dirt? Apparently morphing into something quite different.
Have I finally gone completely "round the bend," or has this really happened? Did a tornado blow through town while I was in New England last week? And I didn't hear a word?
An ill wind from one of those states north of us, so fraught with sudden killer storms? Perhaps from the state of North Carolina?
DeLand has always had two marvelous things that made it special: its trees, and Stetson, with it's lush old-growth campus.
I dare you to go down and have a look. While at it, check out the "work" being done around the front entrance. And, what's happening to the ECHO-funded native-species-only landscaping around the president's residence?
Tere McLaughlin
DeLand
Use common sense to help schools
posted Aug 13, 2010 - 10:52:37am
Editor, The Beacon:
We have many educated people working in the school system who do not have the know-how or common sense how to correct problems in our schools.
Students who disrespect their teachers and cause other problems should be taken out of the regular school system and put into reform schools, where they will be taught respect.
There is no need for cops in schools; we just need a hotline to the cops for quick response.
Parents will have to pay for the reform schools, just like public school.
Joe Romano
DeLand
Mayor should be at City Hall
posted Aug 13, 2010 - 10:51:46am
Editor, The Beacon:
As a DeBary resident for more than 51 years, I would like to put my 5 cents (inflation) into the mayor's City Hall problem.
First of all, when they built the new City Hall, the mayor's office was in it, up on the second floor — probably 10 feet by 10 feet, not much bigger than a closet — nothing was said.
I would expect to see the mayor in City Hall if I went there for a complaint or something. Where else would you expect to find the mayor of your city, whom you voted for? Not in his pickup truck alongside City Hall or at a local restaurant or in the VFW parking lot. I've never heard of a mayor being kicked out of City Hall.
Second, as for the three council members who voted him out of City Hall, I would fire them, and throw in the city manager too. Talk about penny-ante jealousy, nitpicking, etc. What kind of Mickey Mouse situation is this?
Third, the mayor should be the head man of the city ... period. We don't need the extra expense of a city manager. And as for the four council people, they should be voted in by the four districts where they reside (split the city into four parts), not citywide.
It's time we do away with city-manager government. Have our four zone council members be elected within their districts and the mayor citywide as the head man.
Fourth, Mayor Bob Garcia is a real pleasant gentleman who always has time to talk to the people. I've talked to him many times around town. I've seen him at funerals, veterans services, etc. He's the mayor of the people and for the people.
In closing, stop making DeBary a laughingstock. If you don't like it here, the answer is simple: Get the hell out.
Silvio F. Spiconardi
DeBary
Reinstate the draft
posted Aug 11, 2010 - 2:13:16pm
Editor, The Beacon:
I read about all the suicides of our troops in the civil war we are participating in (Iraq and Afghanistan). That's a terrible thing, but it's been going on for years! Why is it now such a front-page story? Congress and the news media should have been concerned early on.
We should reinstate the draft. I was drafted in 1959-61, and sent to the 14th Infantry in Hawaii. I almost made it to Southeast Asia.
I served a mandatory two years with the National Guard after discharge. Without the draft, I probably would've been sent back as the war escalated.
There is no reason for a soldier to have to serve two or three tours in a hellhole like that!
Jerry Cooley
DeBary
Don't further delay the Walmart center
posted Aug 5, 2010 - 11:12:53am
Editor, The Beacon:
An open letter to District 1 County Council Member Andy Kelly:
The challenges opposing the construction of the Walmart distribution center in South Putnam County still linger after five years.
Original opposition by Volusia County focused on increased truck traffic on U.S. Highway 17, urban sprawl, possible environmental concerns, and effects on wildlife habitats.
Hearing after hearing, all delaying the project, negated these objections and they were all set aside as having no meaningful impact. Now one more barrier remains: the Volusia County Council can make one more final appeal, and it was mentioned as an agenda item for the council meeting scheduled for Aug. 5.
Why?
This is no longer the boom times of 2005. We are now in the lingering recession of 2010, affecting Putnam County and all neighboring counties.
Does the council not realize both counties are faced with unemployment above 12 percent?
Did the council not hear that Skinner’s Wholesale Nursery, adjacent to Volusia County and employing between 60-100 employees, many from Northwest Volusia County, closed permanently last month?
Do members of the council not see acres and acres of ferneries sitting idle in Volusia County?
Does the council not know that, because of the decline of fern production, Volusia County’s largest agricultural product, farm workers are traveling everyday to Flagler County, and as far as Jacksonville seeking work?
Is the council not aware that when distribution facilities such as Walmart enter an area, they draw employees from as far away as 50 miles? Look at your map. Volusia County could have the highest percentage of employees hired by the new distribution center.
When Volusia County approved the construction of new Walmarts, like at the corner of Mason and Nova Road, did they consider truck traffic to these new stores?
Move the new proposed distribution center 5 miles, 10 miles and even 20 miles further north — the same trucks will be still traveling on U.S. Highway 17.
After five years, does this council want to continue to vote against job growth?
The entire region needs stable economic growth. It is time for Volusia County to help, not hinder a project that will provide benefits to the entire tricounty area.
I ask you not to further delay this project. Thank you.
— Buchan has lived in Putnam County for 45 years.
Is it about water, or control?
posted Aug 5, 2010 - 11:11:34am
Editor, The Beacon:
So, we are running out of water again. About your article on water in the Aug. 2-4 issue, I have lived in DeLand for 50 years, so I have seen a lot.
More than 20 years ago, they said we were running out of water and they had to control it. We still have water after the thousands and thousands of new homes have been built here in the past 20 years.
The real difference is, they were saying we had a great global ice age coming. Yes, another ice age was coming and they could prove it.
Orange growers were going out of business, and no one would plant new trees because it was going to be far too cold to grow orange trees in DeLand ever again.
They were wrong then, and they are wrong now. Any honest weatherman will tell you it is a toss of the coin when they try to predict the weather more than 10 days or so ahead.
Today most people believe predictions that go out 50 or 100 years, because some expert said so. The record high temperature in Florida was 109 degrees and the low -2.
Why don't we hear about record highs every day, if we are in a crisis? We did have a lot of record lows this winter.
One large volcano erupting can create some unbelievably cold weather around the world (volcanic winter).
My great grandfather measured 7 inches of snow in Kissimmee in the late 1800s.
I hope I am not the only one who can see through this politically motivated science. Whenever you hear Sustainable Development, Livable Cities, or Smart Growth, you better hold on tight to your wallet and your freedoms as an American. It is all about money, power, and control.
If you research "UN Agenda 21" you will see it is about worldwide control, using the environment as an excuse.
Every drop of water that has ever been on Planet Earth is still here in one form or another.
With a little common sense and today's technology, Florida should never need to worry about water shortages. Of course, we do have a shortage of common sense.
Keith Wilson
DeLand
Defends Prof Langford
posted Aug 5, 2010 - 11:11:03am
Editor, The Beacon:
I am amazed The Beacon would give space for "Less" Stoll to take exception to Professor Langford's discussion of telephone courtesy. I don't think a high-school education would have improved this good ole boy's intelligence or manners. His 90 years don't give him full rein to demean the professor's attempt to improve social dialogue.
This gives me a good sounding board for expressing my offense at the demise of civility in our culture. There are too many bleeps and/or nonbleeps in every form of media today. It has now trickled down to Facebook where anything goes and usually does. It is disgusting and unnecessary.
I commend Professor Langford and The Beacon for his weekly attempts to educate; yes, teach all who are willing to learn proper English, pronunciations and manners.
Marion Reid
Orange City
The costs of shopping at Walmart
posted Aug 5, 2010 - 11:10:02am
Editor, The Beacon:
Keep shopping at Walmart, if you’re willing to pay the price — and it don’t come cheap!
Also, while you’re shopping at Walmart, please embrace the regressive nature of “business as usual” politics in Florida. Get used to the fact that in Florida, the door is shut after the horse escapes.
We have been a reactive state for much too long; we wait until there’s no water left to begin dreaming up ways to “fix” the water woes. We wait until an area floods, then we install drainage and retention ponds. We wait until the schools are bursting at the seams, then, we build more schools or bring in portable classrooms to accommodate the influx of people moving to Florida.
We’ll put in a Walmart distribution center, then improve the infrastructure to accommodate the volume of semi’s carrying Walmart goods.
It's nice for you to sit back in your editorial office and beg the county to appeal the Walmart ruling.
I implore the county not to appeal, but to spend the money instead to help widen U.S. Highway 17. While you're at it, tell those residents in Putnam County, who need jobs, possibly to save their houses from foreclosure, that we in Volusia County don’t need a distribution center — and to go back farming potatoes on the land.
Look around your editorial office and try to figure how many items were purchased at Walmart. How do you think Walmart supplies its retail stores? Through distribution centers. Everyone wants to shop there, but no one is willing to pay the price. The price includes distribution centers — in your backyard!
Not only heavy truck traffic, but unfair labor practices, gender discrimination, and more jobs to China are typical of business as usual at Walmart.
Get real, editors; the next time you or your family and friends are in Walmart shopping, realize what you are perpetuating. You have no one else to thank but yourselves.
Clinton K. Van Cleef
Glenwood
Focus is on the wrong young people
posted Aug 5, 2010 - 11:09:01am
Editor, The Beacon:
I am saddened and disgusted by the national news coverage being given to a spoiled 20-something-year-old.
Here are a few 20-somethings worth knowing about: Justin Allen, 23; Brett Linley, 29; Matthew Weikert, 29; Justus Bartlett, 27; Dave Santos, 21; Chase Stanley, 21; Jesse Reed, 26; Matthew Johnson, 21; Zachary Fisher, 24; Brandon King, 23; Christopher Goeke, 23; and Sheldon Tate, 27.
These 20-somethings gave their lives for you this week.
Lindsey who?
Editor's note: This statement, whose author is unknown, has been widely circulated on the Internet, and was sent to Ms. Edge by her son in the military. She wanted to make sure Beacon readers had a chance to see it, too.
Reasons to keep beach driving
posted Aug 5, 2010 - 11:05:06am
Editor, The Beacon:
As a parent and a grandparent, my heart aches for the children lost here this year. I think everyone is sad at the loss of a child.
I grew up here, and spent a lot of time in my youth and early adulthood at the beach. As a single parent for many years, I spent most of my days off at the beach. It was one of the few things I could afford to do.
We have already lost so many of the rights we had to the beach in the past. When I was a kid, my parents would come home from work and, since we had no AC, we would go down to the beach where it was cooler. My parents would sit in the car and drink a beer and watch us kids play.
Most of these things are not allowed anymore. Heaven forbid that you drive on the beach at night and drink a beer down there. What sinful people we were!
We used to be able to build fires and roast marshmallows or hot dogs. No longer!
A few years ago, my husband had a business trip to Naples. Since I had not been there before, I wanted to see the beach. I didn't want to go to the beach, just see it. We took a drive, and there were so many condos, you could not see between to even view the beach.
We decided to go to the public parking lot and walk down. We parked in an isolated parking lot (I was worried about the car as we were traveling), and walked down a wooden walkway, in approximately 100-degree heat. This walkway was about 500 feet; it was nice, with trees and benches, to rest.
There was a young mother with a child and all that you need to carry to take a child to the beach, trudging along and trying to balance her load and watch her child. When we finally — soaking wet with sweat — got down to the beach, I got to see it. It was pretty and almost empty. There were about three families spread out by the walkway, and a few people in front of the condo next door. This made me so grateful for our beach, and its easy access.
There are so many other reasons why I am against banning beach driving, including the danger of crossing A1A, and preserving an affordable day for young families — not to mention a lack of funds for parking lots.
I have one more point: I see pictures all the time from beaches all over Florida, and most of them look empty. Recently, there have been a lot of pictures of Volusia County beaches and they always look packed, perhaps because it is easy and convenient to get to.
I personally believe this is exactly what some who are calling for the driving ban are looking for — a nice quiet beach all to themselves!
I agree with posting more signs about the drive-free areas of the beach, and making it a special children's beach to attract families. If the kids like it, then the parents will want to go to that section.
Pat Wilson
DeLand
Pat Wilson
DeLand
Take responsibility for yourself
posted Aug 2, 2010 - 10:31:03am
Editor, The Beacon:
Poor Walter Mentzer. He says he's been a "Christian counselor" for 40 years and he hasn't figured out the answer to his "clients'" (as he calls them) constant question. He says they constantly ask him "why aren't their prayers answered."
The truth is, there's nobody listening to their prayers.
He knows that throughout the history of mankind there has never been an occasion where a warrior who lost a hand, arm or leg had the limb grow back despite tons of praying ... not once! Now, that would be proof of a prayer answered.
In his last letter, he mentioned reading one of my "condemning" letters. He's obviously referring to my pointing out that there are more than 70 churches listed weekly in The Beacon, none of which pay property taxes. These parasites live off the backs of all the other taxpayers who have to pay higher taxes because churches don't pay theirs, yet they expect to receive all services. How can they live with themselves?
He also did what most religious people love to do, and that's to resort to name-calling. He called me "our local complaining atheist." The only thing I complain about is churches not paying their fair share of taxes.
He's wrong about my being an atheist. I have written about my being an agnostic, so he should know better. An atheist is a "believer" just as much as a religionist is. They believe there is no God.
An agnostic doesn't bother with "beliefs" that can't be proven. He takes full responsibility for his actions and he takes good care of all those he loves and cares for. He doesn't go around begging, as religionists constantly do.
So there it is, Walt; tell your "clients" (do they pay you?) to spend less time praying and more time working out their own problems instead of dumping them on some mysterious ghost.
Edward Chapdelaine
Orange City
What happened to discipline in schools?
posted Jul 28, 2010 - 10:19:02am
Editor, The Beacon:
Are principals and superintendents baby boomers?
Why do principals and superintendents allow school children to abuse their teachers with dirty foul language?
Is this the way schoolchildren and their families talk to each other? Did this disrespect start with the baby boomers?
When did students start to wear caps in school and classrooms? What's with the phones and water bottles in classrooms? Why are undershorts being shown? No dress code? No more rules?
Go to the principal's office!
What happened to discipline; two-day suspension, kicked out of school? How can a teacher teach when there is no discipline, no principal to back the teacher up?
When the kindergarten children get older, are they going to be like these school kids or worse? I was in school during the 1930s and '40s. I feel like I just woke up from a long sleep. I'm 80 years old.
Joe Romano (Mano)
DeLand
Tired of being called ignorant
posted Jul 28, 2010 - 10:18:23am
Editor, The Beacon:
If for any reason I would cancel my Beacon subscription, it would be I am sick and tired of Richard Langford calling me ignorant.
Anybody calling me Mr. Stoll has the wrong person. That was my father's name.
I have gone by Les or Less since quitting school in seventh grade when my father broke his leg and I had to help on the farm.
But I have always felt in my 90 years I didn't need a so-called professor to educate me.
Lester 'Les' Stoll
DeLand
Beach-going public, you're on your own
posted Jul 28, 2010 - 10:17:06am
Editor, The Beacon:
Regarding beach driving: tradition, safety and a marketing ploy.
Well, our County Council performed in true and tried pattern: a) state public concerns; b) procrastinate on a decision; c) pass it to administration; d) hire a consultant; e) spend taxpayer money; f) create a well-paying professional job; g) improve local economic statistics.
Summa summarum: No decision, no change, no immediate political accountability.
Thus, beach-going public, again it comes down to personal choice and individual judgment; it is up to you to take control of your life.
Volusia County, indeed Florida, has many beautiful beaches without vehicular traffic on the sands. They are a great deal safer for children, sunbathers and sandwalkers. Parking can be found within relative short distances. We are still equipped with two feet for locomotion. Walking can do wonders to slim wastelines, indeed, improve general health.
You are "on your own" with your common sense, and without complex new regulations.
Enjoy the safe beaches!
Dr. Gisela Oeffen
DeLand
Questions credit given for poison-ivy cure
posted Jul 28, 2010 - 10:16:28am
Editor, The Beacon:
I'm obligated to point out a glaring error in the information related in the commentary written by Father Tom Connery (The Beacon, Weekend edition July 22-25), in which he told a story about his run-in with poison ivy.
After telling at length about his contacting, ignoring, itching, ignoring, frantic scratching, and eventual swelling of his arm, he decided to do something about his affliction.
What did he do? He went to the emergency room where they took care of him. He didn't say anything about being grateful to them for their care and the cure.
Instead, he said "The remedy? Jesus." His error? Giving credit to the wrong entity.
All I can say, it's a good thing he went to the emergency room, rather than just kneeling down somewhere and praying. His trip to the emergency room was the right decision.
Does he have health insurance? Why?
Edward J. Chapdelaine
Orange City
New view of Roosevelt
posted Jul 28, 2010 - 10:15:55am
Editor, The Beacon:
You don’t know where you’re going until you know where you’ve been. Public-school textbooks leave out what you’re about to learn.
Andrew Mellon, secretary of the Treasury under Presidents Harding and Coolidge, knew tax relief would help the nation’s economic health, so under his influence, the top income-tax rates dropped from 73 percent to 25 percent.
As a result, federal revenue increased and ushered in the prosperity of the 1920s. Unemployment dropped to 1 percent.
When banks began failing in the 1930s, due to making loans on stocks with no control and then having to call those loans, the economy went south.
Mellon was forced to rethink tax rates, and was coerced into a tax hike, which provided only one-fourth of the tax which really gained income, the excise tax.
Then came FDR, who wanted to keep wages higher to give the consumer greater “purchasing power.” He also had to keep prices higher to keep businesses, especially farmers, afloat.
He paid farmers for producing less or nothing at all. He also destroyed wheat, killed six million pigs, and destroyed 10 million acres of cotton to create a shortage and raise farm prices.
The result? The food lines of the 1930s.
Historian Jim Powell said “farmers were actually worse off under FDR’s National Recovery Act causing higher consumer prices and higher prices for manufactured goods.” We would have recovered from the Depression much sooner without all of FDR’s “deals.” Read The Roosevelt Myth by John T. Flynn.
Was he a socialist? You make the call.
Jim Mize
DeLand should be ashamed of Walmart color decision
posted Jul 28, 2010 - 10:15:22am
Editor, The Beacon:
Walmart turned down for new color? I read this article, and all I could do was shake my head in shame for all the people involved in this decision.
What is this world coming to if we can't accommodate one company to change its "stripes"? What does it matter what color it is, if it isn't in bad taste and doesn't blind you when you come near the building?
In my opinion, it's all about Walmart getting to build on the north end of town against the wishes of some DeLand officials.
I have never lived any where where Walmart hurt the businesses of the community. The north end of DeLand had become a dead zone. No new companies were building or improving their stores until Walmart built on the north end.
You should be ashamed of yourselves for not being better people, and letting Walmart change its color. I have seen other stores that look a lot worse than the color Walmart was asking for.
How much revenue has Walmart given to DeLand since it was built? None of their stores are ever empty or not busy. How much money have they given to charitable organizations?
Shame on you!
Gwen Masur
Lake Helen
Clarifying Fish Hospital history
posted Jul 28, 2010 - 10:14:35am
Editor, The Beacon:
I wish to correct some of the facts and clarify some of the statements made by Rick Tonyan in the Weekend edition of July 22-25.
The West Volusia Hospital Authority did not buy Fish Memorial Hospital. It was donated to the authority by the DeLand Medical Foundation, with the authority picking up the indebtedness.
This occurred during the period when Richard Heard was authority chairman, and was masterminded by Ed Talton, the previous authority chairman. It was probably in 1987 or early 1988.
Fish Memorial continued to operate as a hospital on East New York Avenue for several years under the management of the West Volusia Hospital Authority. This was not a financially successful operation.
When the DeLand Medical Foundation bought Fish Memorial Hospital, the sale contract included a clause that required it to remain a general hospital at that site.
In 1989, while I was chairman of the authority, I visited Dr. Schildecker, chairman of the Fish Trust, to request permission to have that clause canceled, and allow the authority to move the license to Orange City to build a hospital on land that had been donated for that purpose. He verbally agreed to this, with the stipulation that the name must remain Fish Memorial Hospital.
I was no longer a member of the authority when they entered into a co-venture with Florida Hospital to build the new hospital. Florida Hospital later bought both Fish Memorial and West Volusia Memorial hospitals.
Bernice Fishpaw
DeLand
Who will curb illegalities Downtown?
posted Jul 28, 2010 - 10:13:51am
Editor, The Beacon:
Citizens and merchants of DeLand, once again our fair city and wonderful Downtown have been negatively thrust into the media spotlight.
The recent incident that occurred after the Tropical Nights festivities has been covered by all the local newspapers, as well as several TV-news stations.
As a fellow citizen and Downtown merchant, I am not only appalled, but absolutely disgusted that the City of DeLand has taken no action, at any level, to curb the illegal activities that continue to plague our city.
I am, of course, referring to the assault that took place on the corner of Rich Avenue and the Boulevard shortly after midnight July 17. An underage patron of the Halftime bar was accosted by the religious group that congregates Downtown every Friday and Saturday. An assault then occurred.
This is just one of many instances and problems that seem to always have one common denominator: the Halftime Sports Bar serving underage patrons, and the street preachers who harass and intimidate pedestrians and passing motorists.
As far as Halftime, and the history it has of serving minors, this would logically appear to be criminal activity on the part of the owners of this establishment. It has become almost laughable to the citizens who continue to read about the many incidences that occur involving underage patrons who admit they had been drinking at Halftime.
As far as the religious group is concerned, I am in complete agreement with free speech and the right to peacefully assembly. However, I do not support any group that yells, harasses and intimidates anyone else.
There are laws on the books in the City of DeLand Municipal Code (Chapters 20 and 21) that address this type of intrusive behavior. Again, no authority of the city appears to want to enforce these laws.
I have had many folks say they will no longer shop Downtown due to this group, because of their noise and harassment. That means they are now infringing on the right of others to be able to shop, walk, browse or earn a living in a small business.
Unfortunately, in these trying economic times, this is not acceptable, nor can we afford to have every fringe group come out of the woodwork and upset the economic balance of our Downtown.
I strongly urge all merchants and shoppers alike to contact the authorities if this behavior continues. If they say they cannot do anything, recite Municipal Codes Chapter 20 and 21, and insist you want something done.
Stewart Hendricks
DeLand
'Use our brains' on beach-driving question
posted Jul 28, 2010 - 10:12:48am
Editor, The Beacon:
Another little life was snuffed out on our beaches. Sadly, County Council Member Joie Alexander's words come back to haunt me (I hope they do her), when she said children cross the road, and you don't take up the road, or something to that effect, as reported in our Beacon.
I ask you, as a mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and teacher, is it cheaper by the dozen? And what a price we pay for little lives snuffed out, due to "prosperity." Their last moments spent enjoying the safety of our beach!
I can no longer enjoy going to our beaches with their blood in the sand to haunt me. Not even the water was to blame. How very sad.
When will we ever learn? Cars do not belong on the beach! For the love of God, and our children and, yes, they are "ours" — our future.
Say "no" to cars on our beaches. You had a problem allowing dogs on the beach, even in a car; hey, we never heard about a dog on the beach hurting anyone yet.
Let's get out of the sun and use the brains and the common sense God blessed us with, and save the children he blessed us with.
Thank you, County Council Member Carl Persis, for taking a stand.
Jeannine Colletti
DeLand
We need concrete-plant jobs
posted Jul 21, 2010 - 11:31:33am
Editor, The Beacon:
In all probability, the objections and resistance to the proposed acquisition and rezoning of property on west State Road 44 to establish a concrete and asphalt facility will be successful.
City government's objections, given a zoning plan, will trump the downturn in the economy, the reduction in the tax base and an elevated unemployment rate.
In times such as these, it would appear that our priorities ought to be re-examined by those who have established themselves as our leaders.
The folks who put our leaders in their positions of authority should watch them closely. Almost anyone can do a good job when nothing special is challenging the status quo. If you haven't been paying attention, I think our economic barn is on fire and now is the time for real leadership to emerge.
Politicians love to rail against the loss of employment to low-wage nations, based on the "greed" of corporations. They have created fancy name like "outsourcing" and "offshoring" to distinguish the phenomenon.
We should have the economists at Stetson University develop a term (maybe they have one) for a community that places a higher priority on aesthetics than unemployment.
One thing we can accept: Martin Marietta is probably going to be successful in locating somewhere in Central Florida that meets their logistical needs. If it is some other community, and the only problem was our city's stubborn loyalty to a zoning plan, we are being led by the wrong people.
Harry J. Taft
DeLand
We can't stop growth, but let's direct it
posted Jul 21, 2010 - 11:30:55am
Editor, The Beacon:
Who cares? We do.
This relates to the article "DeLand fights concrete, asphalt plant" in the July 15-19 issue. After being a resident on Grand Avenue for 24 years, we knew progress would creep up on us, but to what extent we did not know.
I don't believe anyone in Glenwood, as well as anyone living on any part of Grand Avenue, would want a concrete plant near them. We do live near State Road 44, and it is not any different living here than it would be living in the heart of Glenwood. It is still somewhat peaceful and serene, notably not like it was 24 years ago, but still peaceful.
We still get bears, hawks, owls and occasional deer. Unfortunately, due to progress, we see many get killed by the on going traffic we now already have.
I am not going to try and stop progress; we all know it is impossible with a growing community like DeLand, but at least we can try to direct the way in which it goes. It is true the cutting down of these woods may generate revenues and growth, but at what cost?
DeLand is known for its beauty. Part of that beauty comes from its trees. That is one of the reasons we settled here. If we are looking at the efficiency of a market, we are looking at the wrong kind. This growth is based on robbing the woods of its biodiversity and its capacity to preserve what this area still has left — trees!
Again, we know we cannot stop progress, but we do feel you could put this beautiful area, also known as the "scenic route," to a much better, more enjoyable use.
Mr. C. Allan Watts, the attorney representing Martin Marietta, discounted the aesthetic concerns of everyone. He stated that it was a classic "not-in-my-backyard" issue. Well, Mr. Watts: Put it in your backyard!
Peggy Mault
DeLand
Bicyclists, cars can share the road
posted Jul 19, 2010 - 10:33:18am
Editor, The Beacon:
As a longtime member of the "spandex crowd" (those who ride lightweight bicycles on the road), I would like to address some of the comments I have heard and actions I have seen while out touring the countryside.
Specifically, some motorists seem to question, and even take offense at, anyone who would want to ride a bicycle on a roadway while a "perfectly good" bike path is nearby.
In fact, along Grand Avenue between Glenwood and DeLeon Springs, I (and many others) have been subjected to insults and aggressive behavior. One driver, to prove his displeasure, swerved multiple times to block our path.
It is a good question: Why would anyone want to ride on the road when there is a brand new, wide and smoothly paved pathway parallel to the road? Why would anyone want to risk being hit by a car going 30 mph when there are no motorists allowed on the bike path?
Believe it or not, the answer lies in safety. When one or more bicyclists are going 18 to 25 mph on a bike path, there is a significant risk in going around pedestrians using the same path who are virtually standing still. This is especially true when children are involved or, worse yet, with dogs on or off leashes. One of our group was sent to the hospital last year when several small dogs charged him and got tangled up in his bike.
Furthermore, I have counted more than 25 driveways that cross the above-mentioned bike path. Homeowners leaving their driveways and pulling up to the road typically stop directly across the bike path as they await oncoming traffic. There is really very little rubber (about the size of a quarter) making contact with the road on a racing bicycle tire. So, at 20 mph, a full emergency stop in front of a wall of steel and glass is not a fun proposition.
Still, cars are allowed to go 30 mph along Grand Avenue. Isn't there a hazard in a car passing a bike at that speed? Yes, there is, but it is far less of a hazard than the hazards found in the above-listed situations.
The bicyclists on the road are typically going 18 to 25 mph. Therefore, a car doing the speed limit is approaching the bikes from behind at only 12 to 5 mph. The fact that the bicyclists are usually going in a straight line makes the job of the motorist much easier, as the motorists ease to the center of the roadway to allow a safe and lawful 3-foot separation between them and the bicyclists they are passing.
I wholeheartedly support the decision to build the bike paths. They are excellent and safe places for slow-speed bicyclists, dog-walkers, joggers, romantic couples, and mothers with strollers and young children.
Just don't ask those who are going at speed to join in the mix.
As long as bicyclists ride near the shoulder, and cars passing them give them a bit of a leeway, we can all travel together without putting anyone at undue risk.
Steve Mesibov
DeLand
Respect is fiscally neutral
posted Jul 19, 2010 - 10:32:37am
Editor, The Beacon:
July 1, 2010, is the day I started early retirement. The reasons for this decision have nothing to do with the Volusia Teachers Organization, my boss, Andrew Spar, or the VTO members.
I loved that job, and the staff and members I worked with for five years.
I have spent 36 years in the field of education: 10 in Miami-Dade, 21 in the classroom in Volusia County, and five at the VTO office. In those 36 years, I have seen quite a change.
During my 31 years in the classroom, I worked for just two principals whom I admired and respected, one in Dade and Jack Duncan, here in Volusia. Both gentlemen led their schools with input from faculty and staff. We worked on everything as a group. Faculty and staff were respected and treated well. We looked forward to coming to work, and went above and beyond without being asked. We worked as a family. We stood beside each other in good times and bad. Where did those days go?
I am retiring now because I can no longer stomach what I see in this district as “man’s inhumanity to man”; something displayed by many of the school administrators and district staff.
As I leave, there are many things I simply cannot understand.
• I cannot understand why teachers are blamed for all of society’s ills.
• I cannot understand why principals refuse to have person-to-person conversations with their teachers and staff instead of committing everything to records of counsel, letters of caution or reprimand.
• I cannot understand why teachers are falsely accused by their students, then administrators back up the students and their parents when the teacher, the professional, has ample documentation to support what really what took place.
• I cannot understand the retaliation displayed by administrators because a teacher disagrees with that administrator.
• I cannot understand why “star athletes” too often get passing grades for little or no work. Some of these “star athletes” have been known to accuse their teachers to cover up their lack of responsibility to their education. The star is rarely disciplined or held accountable.
• I cannot understand why it is the teacher’s fault when a student does not come to school.
• I cannot understand why it is the teacher’s fault when a student chooses to fail.
• I cannot understand why, when a teacher has tried to communicate a concern with a parent, it is OK for the parent to turn around and blame the teacher.
• I cannot understand why, when a teacher gives every opportunity to a student to do the work — is available to assist students before and after school, and even during lunch — and the student still does not step forward to take advantage of these opportunities, the teacher gets blamed by administration for “giving too many Ds and Fs.”
• I cannot understand why students are permitted to have iPhones and iPods at school and in class, when it is clearly against school policy. Many parents do not think twice about texting or calling their children any time during the school day. And, woe unto the teacher who asks the student to turn off or put the electronic device away. If the item is confiscated, the wrath of the parent is on the teacher, with no support from the administration.
• I cannot understand that some administrators verbally abuse, discipline or admonish teachers in the presence of other staff, parents and/or students. Why is this allowed to continue to happen? Who is setting the tone that leads administrators to think this is acceptable behavior?
• I cannot understand why administrators twist accusations made against teachers and then report the teacher to Professional Standards either to placate a parent, or for what seems to be their own personal satisfaction.
Teachers should be respected. Respect is fiscally neutral. If the district cannot pay teachers with additional money, it certainly can pay them with respect and support.
In many cases, teachers have better credentials and more experience in the educational field than do their administrators. They chose to stay in the classroom where their heart and dedication to education lie, instead of moving "up" to the main office or the district level.
Teachers have the knowledge, yet their input does not matter to many administrators and district staff. For some perverse reason, the truly knowledgeable teachers are often and unfortunately seen as a threat, so their administrators bully them into submission in subtle and sometimes not so subtle ways. These teachers soon learn to stop offering solutions, to stop questioning. How sad, and what a waste.
I see the future of education continuing on a downward spiral. I chose to retire this year as I do not want any part of that. I see an increase in robotic education, where teachers must stay “in fidelity” and with the script. I continue to see teachers written up, admonished, and blamed for the failure of their students, instead of the district requiring its students and their parents to take an active role in their education. And, sadly, I see this School Board continuing to permit this to happen.
From my vantage point, education seems to be spinning out of control. If the School Board does not commit to working with our teachers to take back our schools, Volusia County Schools will be doomed to failure.
Together we can do anything. Divided, we most certainly cannot.
Sandi Schwirtz
DeLand
Let's work together on cat problem
posted Jul 19, 2010 - 10:32:02am
Editor, The Beacon:
I help cats. I pay to have them spayed or neutered, and to get them shots. Then I find them a home. I do this with the help of some friends, quietly, and pay for it out of my tiny pension.
I never tell anyone about this mission, because I am afraid people will dump cats at my door, and I will be overwhelmed. I know many other people who do this, one cat at a time, and we keep each other's identities a secret.
Why can't DeLand, Volusia County and the other cities all work together to solve the big problem of pet overpopulation? Why can't we have some place where all cats and dogs could be spayed and neutered for a small fee no matter where we live?
Why is there one set of animal services for the city of DeLand and another set for the residents of DeLand who live in the county? We all share the same zip code. It is very frustrating for an animal lover to see the deep need to spay and neuter unwanted animals but encounter a “that's not my problem” mindset.
It is easy for people to point fingers at different agencies, organizations and groups, and criticize their policies toward animals.
What we all know is that we have a large overpopulation of cats throughout all of Volusia County. Why can't we work together to solve this problem in a humane way?
I know we have the ability to find a solution to this problem, if all agencies and governments worked together, instead of putting up boundary issues or reacting in a cruel, indifferent way.
I know we could find volunteers to work toward a solution. There are so many wonderful animal lovers here. I would certainly volunteer for this group.
Editor's note: If any readers would like to get in touch with the writer of this letter, please send your contact information to info@beacononlinenews.com and we'll pass it along to the writer.
Appreciates The Beacon
posted Jul 19, 2010 - 10:30:54am
Editor, The Beacon:
I would like The Beacon to know how much I, as a lifelong resident of DeLand and Orange City, appreciate the newspaper.
You serve those of us in the area very well, and are always on top of the local news stories. Growing up in the 1950s and '60s, it was the Sun News that serviced our area. When the Daytona Beach News-Journal bought out the Sun News, things went slowly down hill for us on the west side of the county.
I no longer subscribe to the News-Journal and have no intentions of ever doing so again.
I also appreciate you giving your readers the option of commenting on the daily stories that are printed. It is the personal in-the-know of people who allow the rest of us an insight into the character of many of the people and their situations, and — in many cases — could be helpful tool to our local law enforcement.
Keep up the good work, as you are greatly appreciated.
Dorinda Vandervort-Palmer
Orange City and DeLand
Loves Horton's 'Off the Beat'
posted Jul 19, 2010 - 10:30:24am
Editor, The Beacon:
Jen Horton's column "Off the Beat" has become the first column I read after receiving the paper.
It is absolutely laugh-out-loud funny! Just finished "Nudie man" and "Sad, but true." Hysterical! There is humor in everyday life.
Karen Wallace
Deltona
Who's got a clue now?
posted Jul 19, 2010 - 10:29:56am
Editor, The Beacon:
When religionists don't have facts to back their views, they usually resort to name-calling and smoke screens. In Dick Smith's letter (Beacon, Weekend Edition, June 17-20), he wrote about my reply to Al Everson's earlier letter, saying "Mr. Chapdelaine doesn't have a clue."
He wrote, "Chapdelaine claims the First Amendment proves our Founding Fathers deliberately excluded religion from our government and that our government cannot endorse any religion."
His very next sentence was, "It's true our Founding Fathers walled off religion from the federal government ... ." So, he agreed with me! Evidently I do have a clue. He didn't have to go on and on and on, but he did.
From there, his letter rambled around all kinds of smoke-screen issues, wasting a lot of expensive news space. His mission was to insert religion into our federal government as his fellow religionists have been trying to do since our country was founded.
My original statement remains intact. Also, Smith made no reference to the fact (there's that word again) that one of America's first official documents, the treaty with Barbary pirates of 1797, states, in part, "... as the government of the United States is not in any sense founded on the Christian religion ... ."
This treaty was signed by President John Adams and ratified by Congress. This is a fact, and it proves my statement to Mr. Everson. It should also prove it to Mr. Smith, but it won't. Religionists don't like facts. They like fairy tales.
Edward J. Chapdelaine
Orange City
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