Doing good for its own sake

I have truly seen goodness! With the vicious vitriolic politics that have occurred over the past eight years, heightened to an all-time peak this past year as the election approaches; news mostly filled with horrors in the Middle East and spreading into Europe; hatred and killings here at home, last night I saw it.

I was picking up my granddaughter at Shiloh Reformed Church in Faith after a mission trip.  What I saw was amazing! Joe Hudson, whom we have known since he played football at SHS with the team my husband coached, and his team of men and women with about a dozen middle high school students pulled in the church parking lot with a huge van filled with ladders, saws, drills, etc. packed to the hilt. Tired, but still filled with an energetic spirit as they started unloading all the equipment.

They were coming in from West Virginia where they had fixed up a house for an elderly woman, whose family members had gradually all died, leaving her alone and helpless. I picked up my granddaughter with her little box of tools and delivered her home. This group of people had given their time and energy, not for glory or fame, but simply for goodness.

Despite all of the ugliness that we see on a daily basis, despite the politics that are no longer about the common good, goodness still exists. It is about going to WV, Indian reservations, tornado or hurricane sites, wherever, and doing good,  just for goodness itself.

— Barbara Andrews

Salisbury

Clinton ill-served by the VFW

As a lifetime member of the VFW I was disgusted with the way in which they treated Hillary Clinton in her meeting with them. They gave her a cool reception only after being asked to remain polite. They then cheered on Donald Trump as though he was some sort of hero.

Mind you, this is a man who insulted all of our POW veterans and a senator war hero who himself was a POW and endured years of torture for his country. (“He’s a hero because he was captured. I like guys that weren’t captured.”) Mr. Trump later went on to denigrate a Gold Star mother and her husband. Mr. Trump is a man who had to starch his shirts to keep his shoulders up off his rump when it was his time to serve.

I served as a U.S. Marine in Vietnam and I realize that the VFW does many good things for our veterans. However, the vitriolic partisanship displayed at these forums only divides our country. Republicans are no more patriotic than the Democrats, and all of us are proud Americans. In the future I hope that the VFW thinks before it acts.

— Keith P. Hensley

Salisbury

About that cash sent to Iran …

OK … so let me get this straight: Ummm … Iran is our enemy; they promise to turn Israel into ashes; their ayatollahs support Sharia Law, and if/when they get nuclear bombs, the United States, meaning our dear little grandchildren, will have even more to worry about than we do. Lots of us won’t be here then (hopefully).

Rolling right along … in our attempt to “slow down” Iran’s quest for the bomb, we paid them between $1 billion and $1.5 billion (check it out; there are some ins and outs in this deal, but that’s the bottom line). Of course, we have every reason in the world to trust them … right?

Now … in January, as has come to our attention, we delivered $400 million to Iran under cover of darkness, at midnight. Strange, you might say? No! Not at all! Seven Americans, hostages of the Iranians, were released the same day! No! You might say … the U.S. does NOT pay ransom for prisoners. Ask Danny Pearl. Or his family.

Finally, I might ask you … What do you think might occur when our enemies know we DO pay ransoms? Is it because:

A. This administration cares deeply for we, the people?

B. Because we just plain like the Iranians and want to improve relations?

C. The POTUS, wants to leave office, leaving a legacy?

I report, YOU decide. Just sayin’ …

— Kathryn Dews

Salisbury