Letters to the Editor
Take this time to reflect on true meaning of Lent
Wednesday, March 22, marked the beginning of the season of Lent, a time when Christians work on our own need for conversion. Each of us has a tendency toward selfishness and laziness that belies our identity as followers of Jesus Christ and leads to much suffering in the world. The traditional Lenten practices of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving are valuable means of renewing our commitment to care for each other.
We would do well to complement our three traditional Lenten practices by reflecting on why so many of God’s children suffer so much need. The charity enabled by our almsgiving is good and honorable, but our call is to go deeper. In this world of abundance and in this wealthy nation of ours, we must consider how injustice contributes to the vastness of unmet needs.
That is where Bread for the World comes in. Bread is a nonpartisan, Christian organization working to persuade our nation’s leaders to eliminate injustices that contribute to hunger and poverty. Think about what we can accomplish together! What suffering could be alleviated by eliminating discriminatory provisions in our nation’s programs for nutritional assistance? How many more children in poor nations could grow up strong and healthy as a result of improvements in our nation’s international food-assistance programs?
To learn how Bread for the World can support your congregation’s work to help poor and hungry people, please join Holland Bread for the World for an informational gathering at 10 a.m. Thursday, March 9, at Third Reformed Church in Holland. Our main speaker will be Mike Goorhouse, president/CEO of the Holland/Zeeland Area Community Foundation and member of the national board of directors of Bread for the World. Refreshments will be served, so please help our planning by sending an RSVP to hollandbreadteam@gmail.com.
Mary Johnson
Holland
Gun pushers need to look in the mirror
After the multiple shootings at Michigan State University, we performed the national rituals of wringing our hands, praying, and placing flowers and tokens in memoriam. But this sorrow has not translated into resolve. In the 24 years since Columbine, we have taken little action that addresses the root cause of mass shootings. Leading the world in guns and gun deaths, a shooting on a Michigan campus was predictable, and our continued inaction makes another shooting inevitable.
America had 91 mass shootings in the first 54 days of this year, and two remedies are frequently offered: either gun registration and restrictions on particular weapons and ammunition, or psychological treatment for potential mass murderers. The first is feasible, while the second, alone, is not. We are simply unable to find and treat every potential gunman. It’s a red herring and a stalling tactic. The lobby for gun manufacturers offers a third option: arming "the good guys." Their solution: more guns, not fewer.
The NRA has given over a million dollars to 14 Senators, all Republicans, the party supposedly protecting life. Is it any wonder Congress ignores the majority of Americans who want sensible gun regulation? Congress can’t even enact something as sensible as banning high-capacity clips or AR-15s. No citizen needs a weapon of war just so they can feel the thrill of obliterating a target in a cloud of smoke—moreso if it means carrying students out of classrooms in body bags.
The 1994 Federal Assault Weapons Ban existed for one decade; mass shootings fell then rose again after it expired: compelling evidence that sensible gun regulations work. To legislators wearing AR-15 lapel pins and your gun-lobby funders, start supporting sensible legislation that stops this tragedy. Stop staring at the problem, and look in the mirror. YOU are the problem.
Richard Kamischke
Grand Haven Township
Thank you to those who value protecting the health of our most vulnerable
Just over one year ago, I was diagnosed with Stage 3b colon cancer, and received chemotherapy. During this time I would continue to drop off my 7-year-old son at school, who, along with all of the other students and teachers, were wearing masks. They did this each school day without complaint. Why? Because he and others wanted to protect those most vulnerable. My son wanted to protect his grandparents, his teachers, our elderly neighbors, and yes his own dad.
Protecting those most vulnerable to diseases, infections, and other maladies is the role of the leaders and staff at the Ottawa County Department of Public Health (OCDPH). They sacrificed aspects of their own lives to protect our well-being during a global pandemic. This was in addition to what they do day in and day out. They protect us. The water we drink and the food we eat. Their motto is not survival of the fittest. Their values are equity, integrity and excellence.
What the folks at the health department were not prepared for was to be verbally attacked, ridiculed and threatened for doing their jobs by their own neighbors. People they go to church with, pass by in grocery aisles, and share parks and beaches with. They and their families have been traumatized due to misinformation, dog whistles and outright lies.
The trauma continues with the potential hiring of Nate Kelly — a person who mocked Michiganders with hearing challenges, while advocating for people to be sent horse dewormer, neti pots and HVAC systems to protect against COVID-19. Imagine being part of a team, facing unimaginable consequences, only to see their effective leaders replaced by someone who goes against science and evidence-based practices, endangering our lives, and the lives of our children.
I would like to say thank you to the nurses, staff, and leaders of the OCDPH for your expertise, wisdom, and dedication to protecting our community. Thank you for showing up each and every day.
On a personal note, I challenge the Ottawa County commissioners and leaders of Ottawa Impact to visit the Cancer and Hematology Center of West Michigan in Holland. Meet with the hundreds of your constituents dealing with cancer and having compromised immune systems. Get to know them and listen to their pain and hope. Just one thing: It’s mandatory to wear a mask.
Brian Highstreet
Holland
Doomed to repeat it
In 1919, Mussolini coined the word "fascism" from the Latin for "fasces," wooden rods around guess what? An axe blade! And the first thing Mussolini did to define his term was dress his street muscle in black shirts and send them to physically remove elected local officials who had different political beliefs from their meetings. The Italian dictator could easily have borrowed from Ottawa Impact's contract statement! "When local government ceases to preserve and protect the rights of the People, the People must act to reform their local government." Capital letters are never used idly. Substitute the word "state" and you've got the USSR.
As an Ottawa County taxpayer since 1972, I couldn't help but compare the Jan. 6 coup to November 1917 when the one freely elected government in Russian history seated in the Winter Palace was forcibly shut down by the Bolsheviks.
“Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”
Susan Lovell
West Olive
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Letters to the Editor: Gun pushers need to look in the mirror
