Sweetwater Reporter (Sweetwater, Tex.), Vol. 112, No. 238, Ed. 1 Monday, August 23, 2010 Page: 4 of 10
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Viewpoints
Page 4 ■ Monday, August 23, 2010
Sweetwater Reporter
DEDICATED TO PROUDLY DELIVERING LOCAL NEWS SINCE 1881
1—x Sweetwater 1
Reporter
■ tWIENIBER
| m A 2010
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EDITORIAL POLIGY
The editorial section of the newspaper is a forum for
expression of a variety of viewpoints. All articles except
those labeled "Editorials" reflect the opinions of the writ-
ers and not those of the Sweetwater Reporter,
Hamilton
GUEST COLUMN
No regrets for
Preisdent Obama
BEVERLY HILLS—God bless America, and how's
everybody?
President Obama said Wednesday he has no
regrets for endorsing the mosque near Ground
Zero. Reaction was swift. Three members of the
Minnesota Vikings just flew to Washington to ask
the president if he's going to play for America or not
this year.
Brett Favre rejoined the Vikings on
Tuesday after three teammates flew
down to Mississippi and confront-
ed him on his cotton farm. That's
where he trains. Ordering minorities
around the field is something you
must do year-round or you lose your
edge.
Arnold Schwarzenegger ordered
AfQIlS t'ie National Guard to the Mexico
8 border Thursday and vowed to halt
illegal crossings. It will help his
career. Anytime a governor enforces
immigration law Hollywood calls
him a Nazi, and with his accent, he'll get work.
Roger Clemens was indicted for lying to Congress
about his use of steroids. He needs a new defense.
Nobody bought his original story that he grew up
during the Nixon administration, which makes him
generationally pre-disposed to lying to Congress.
Malibu police said that Mel Gibson wasn't drinking
when he crashed his Maserati into a hillside Sunday.
Reaction was swift. Governor Schwarzenegger just
signed a new law making it a crime to text racist
rants while you're driving on a canyon road.
President Obama arrived at Martha's Vineyard
Thursday hoping to put the mosque controversy
behind him. It got worse. Yesterday he angered
Massachusetts locals by endorsing the building of a
convent just two blocks from Jack Kennedy's sum-
mer cottage.
The Pew Research poll said one-fifth of Americans
think Barack Obama is Muslim and a third think he's
Christian. He has the exact same religion George W.
Bush has. Three times a day he drops to his knees on
a carpet and tunes into Sports Center.
The White House denied poll perceptions that
President Obama's a Muslim Friday, insisting he's
a Christian. He rejects going to church in favor of
playing golf on Sundays. He should learn how to
erase text messages before he loses his Nike con-
tract.
The Pentagon withdrew U.S. combat troops from
Iraq Thursday and put them back in Kuwait after
a seven-year war to bring democracy to Iraq. The
evacuation raised alarms. For one scary moment
the Emir thought the U.S. was bringing democracy
to Kuwait.
The State Department sent the Ground Zero
mosque imam to the Middle East this week to
promote the United States. He's a goodwill envoy.
As soon as he tells his first joke, everyone will real-
ize it's just another failed attempt to replace Bob
Hope.
The CIA claimed success in retarding Iran's nucle-
ar program Thursday, saying U.S. spies sneaked
faulty supply parts into Iran's nuclear supply chain.
Many are upset. It's unseemly for the CL\to pass out
cigars every time we arrange a nuclear accident.
Prince Charles launched a new Green campaign
Thursday by recommending five-minute showers
for all. He might never make king. Queen Elizabeth
is eighty-five, and she's certainly not going to die
before she is old enough to host Saturday Night
Live.
Iowa egg farms were blamed for an outbreak of
salmonella poisoning Friday that causes people to
suffer from vomiting and nausea and diarrhea. The
industry sprang into action. The Egg Council just
hired Marie Osmond to do commercials showing
photographs of herself before and after the omelette
to show how much weight she lost.
Argus Hamilton is the host comedian at The
Comedy Store in Hollywood and speaks to groups
and organizations around the country. E-mail him
at Argus @ArgusHamilton.com.
THE IDLE AMERICAN
Way back when
Persons of a certain age
waxed melancholy recently
upon the death of a musi-
cal icon, Mitch Miller. He
of "follow-the-bouncing-
ball" fame, along with
his orchestra, was
much in the nation's
entertainment spot-
light with a weekly
TV show on NBC
in the 1960s. Miller
died a year shy of
his 100th birthday.
My Uncle Mort,
who just turned
98 years of age,
remembers a
lament associated
with the popular
musician. A half-
century ago, Mort
made this observa-
tion: "In the days of my
youth, my life was one of
wine, women and song.
Nowadays, it's Metrecal,
the old gal and 'Sing Along
with Mitch'."
Tony Bennett credits
Miller with providing the
impetus to get his career
"off and running," and in
1955, Mitch had a number
one hit with "The Yellow
Rose of Texas."
It is that time again.
Their loins girded, edu-
cators are at their posts,
ready to greet youngsters
and their bright shiny faces
in classrooms throughout
the land.
In short, school has
started.
Dr. Don
Newbury
One elementary school
teacher, listening to recita-
tions of Henry Van Dyke's
"America for Me" poem for
the zillionth time, claims
that times do occur when
teachers "tune
out."
A fifth grader
caught her atten-
tion, though, with
his recitation of
the first verse.
"'Tis fine to see
the old world,
and travel up and
down, among
the famous
places and cit-
ies of renown.
To admire the
crumbly castles
and the statues
and the kings. But now I
think I've had enough of
AMPUTATED things."
She's pretty sure he
meant "antiquated."
Educators are urged to
have pens and pads at the
ready. What their students
say and do can make a
book some day.
One distinctive group
of youngsters typically is
identified by just two let-
ters—"PK."
They are, of course,
"preachers' kids," whose
words and deeds are on
display daily in their
worlds of "fish bowl liv-
ing."
Rev. Robert Mattson,
who frequently preaches
and/or sings at funerals,
is often accompanied by
his li-year-old son, T J.
While his dad is at work,
he typically busies him-
self by reading or playing
electronic games in a quiet
room adjacent to the sanc-
tuary.
At a recent funeral, just
as Mattson entered the
sanctuary, his son offered
this encouragement:
"Knock 'em dead, Dad,"
he said.
A nameless boy of yes-
teryear just didn't "gee-
haw" with arithmetic.
The teacher rattled off a
series of multiplication
questions. To the young-
ster, they sounded like
so: "Billy, tell me what's
two turn two, what's two
turn three, what's tw o turn
four?"
The youngster's blank
stare lingered as if set in
stone.
"Mrs. Wilson," he
whined, "You can stop
right there—I don't even
know what 'tootum' is!"
Here's wishing teachers,
at all levels everywhere,
the very best in this new
school year, and the same
wish goes for students,
too.
May students regularly
hear an inspiring quote
which can be attributed
only to anonymity.
It reads: "When the
world says, 'Give up,' hope
whispers back, 'Try it one
more time."'
A final mention this
week concerns Henry V,
ruler of the Holy Roman
Empire some 500 years
ago. Many of his quotes
have survived the ravages
of centuries. Even then,
who knows how many of
his statements were origi-
nal? One Internet source
credits him with the "I
came, I saw, I conquered"
quote. Many folks think
it was Julius Caesar who
first strung these words
together, albeit in Latin,
during his rule in the late
"BC" years.
Tabbed as the "wise
ruler," Charles V came up
with this gem: "I speak
Spanish to God, Italian
to women, French to
men and German to my
horse!"
He's also credited with
a similar quote; "Italian
is the language for opera;
French is the language
for love; German is the
language for war; English
is the language to train
horses, and Spanish is the
language to speak with
God."
Dr. Newbury is a speak-
er in the Metroplex. Send
inquiries and comments
to: newbury@ speaker-
doc.com. Phone: 817-447-
3872. Website: www.
speakerdoc.com.
<3e«W5. am
y
1
THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY
GUEST COLUMN
he convent at Auschwitz
is by
Recently, I found myself
on Fox News defending
the "Ground Zero mosque"
before I'd fully
thought it through.
Truth be told, when
someone called to
set up the "hit," I
thought they were
talking about anoth-
er mosque project
I'd heard about on
the radio. So there
I was, invoking the
First Amendment,
arguing that our
enemy is terror-
ism, and that the
only way we would
ever win that fight
gaining the support of the
overwhelming majority of
Muslims who are not our
enemies and who we need
to respect as friends. All
true.
Then the mail started
coming in. I don't need
the latest Time poll to tell
me that 60-plus percent
of Americans are against
the project. My e-mail told
me that.
When I discussed it with
my son later, he asked me
whether I actually agreed
with what I'd said on tele-
vision, and the fact is that
I do. Nothing I said was
wrong in my book. We can't
make Islam our enemy, or
we will find ourselves in a
war that, frankly, terrifies
me. So what's wrong with
my position, and that of
the president of the United
Susan
Estriolt
States, who waded into the
fight entirely of his own
accord?
Just this:
the convent at
Auschwitz.
Some years ago,
an order of nuns
announced plans
to build a convent
at the infamous
death camp, and
a community I
am very close to
— the commu-
nity of survivors
and their chil-
dren — strongly
protested the
plan, How could they? It
wasn't a matter of "right."
Presumably, the nuns had
as much right as anyone
else to build a convent
wherever they wanted. But
for those who survived the
Holocaust, and for those
of us who are committed
to presening the memory
of the millions who were
lost, building a convent
on the site was just not
appropriate.
It wasn't about being
anti-Catholic. I'm not anti-
Catholic. It wasn't because
I'm still smarting from
what Pope Pius XII might
have done but didn't. I
don't want to rehearse the
history of anti-Semitism,
play blame games or fan
flames of mutual distrust.
It just seemed very clear
that of all the places on
the planet to build a con-
vent, Auschwitz shouldn't
be one.
The Nazis who chose
to march in Skokie, 111.,
some years ago precisely
because so many survi-
vors lived there assuredly
had the First Amendment
right to do so. But what a
hostile, negative and cruel
thing to do, reinforcing yet
again — as if any reinforce-
ment were needed — just
what kind of people they
are.
The presence of a
mosque two blocks from
Ground Zero, in the home
of a former Burlington
Coat factory, clearly strikes
many of those who lost
loved ones on that horrible
day in the same way that
the convent at Auschwitz
struck me. It doesn't mean
that Islam is our enemy.
It's not a matter of right.
Tolerance is a two-way
street.
The Time poll also found
that one in four Americans
thinks Barack Obama is a
Muslim, slightly less than
the percentage of peo-
ple who think a Muslim
should not be allowed to
be president.
Clearly, we have a long
way to go on both sides of
the street.
To find out more about
Susan Estrich and read
features by other Creators
Syndicate writers and car-
toonists, visit the Creators
Syndicate website at
www.creators.com.
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Sweetwater Reporter will
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Sweetwater Reporter (Sweetwater, Tex.), Vol. 112, No. 238, Ed. 1 Monday, August 23, 2010, newspaper, August 23, 2010; Sweetwater, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth229249/m1/4/: accessed July 6, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Sweetwater/Nolan County City-County Library.