Viewpoints/Opinions uHuann a Nmorat MYRA C. REGAN ROBERT BRIDGES Publisher Editor Members of the Suwannee Democrat editorial board are Myra C. Regan, publisher, and Robert Bridges, editor. Our View is formed by that board. OUR VIEW Suwannee Democrat OUR VIEW will return next week. FROM OUR READERS To the Editor: As a member of the Church of Christ I would like to respond to Mr. Troy Wadford's letter con- cerning water baptism in the Oct. 22 edition of the Suwannee Democrat. But before I do I would like to note how much I appreciate his zeal and conviction of what he believes the Scriptures teach concerning water baptism. This type of zeal is to be commended for I was beginning to won- der if it had all but died, for nobody seems to be aroused by doctrine anymore. Now concerning Mr. Wadford's letter, he had said that "This is a deadly heresy that needs to be exposed!" False doctrine does in fact need to be exposed for the Bible teaches this very clearly (Rm. 16:17-18; Rev. 2:2). He also wrote that "Faith in Christ plus anything equals Hell!" Mr. Wadford do you really believe this? Mark 16:16 says "He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be con- demned." The record says "he that believes (faith) and (+) baptism saves" but you say anything plus baptism is from hell. Mr. Wadford you have stated that you "...have a lot of questions for people who believe that bap- tism saves." I would be humbled and honored to answer your questions. But let me pose this to you instead of a pen and paper answer. Would you be willing to expose the heretical teaching of wa- ter baptism in a public debate? For if it is hereti- cal and from hell as you say, you or anyone of your belief should easily expose me as the heretic as you claim. Let me propose the Propositions: The Scriptures teach that water baptism, to the penitent believer, for the remission of sins saves. Affirms: Mr. Parsley Denies: Mr. Wadford The Scriptures teach that faith in Christ alone combined with nothing else saves. Affirms: Mr. Wadford Denies: Mr. Parsley I can be reached at 386 497-4406 or gmpars- ley@gmail.com. In truth and love I humbly wait your response. G... -. Parsley Branford To the Editor: I can not tell you how pleased I was to read that there would be a showing of the WIZARD OF OZ tonight @ 6:30 in the Millennium Park, with blanket and pizza in hand I drove from McAlpin @ 5:30 to Live Oak to secure a spot on the grass for my mother-in-law and my nephew's. Think- ing this would be a wonderful night to take the kids out and watch a movie under the stars with other family's and create a memory that would last a life time. Recalling my own childhood SEE FROM, PAGE 11A BIBLE VERSE "I desire to do your will, 0 my God; your law is within my heart." - Psalm 40:8 Please address letters to: Letters To The Editor, Suwannee Democrat, PO Box 370, Live Oak, FL 32064. Please include your full name, address and daytime phone number. We ask this so we can verify your let- ter and discuss any questions about it with you. Rant Want to vent? Our hotline is open 24/7. Suwannee Countians, it's time to speak your mind! How? By ,., ll,,.v the Suwannee Democrat Rant and Rave hotline. The hotline never closes and is your way to let it out. You can let everyone know how you feel -- as long as you ex- press yourself in a respectful way. Note: In written entries to Rant and Rave, errors in *.".. 11i*.. grammar or punctuation are those of the authors. Being homebound I'm at the mercy of public TV (no dish). A few months back this guy came on TV, said he was the CEO of his own company - and knew that Florida had to be run like a business he had projected a seven-year plan to turn Florida around. Later he came on again and said he had learned his lesson, something about Medicare fraud. This woman came on TV and the mudslinging really got started. I have a solution for these problems. Freeze the pay - Social Security did not get a cost of liv- ing raise this year or 2011. Starting with Congress, limit the terms to one year. That gives enough time to fulfill campaign promises and/or line their pockets. Bring the one-year term for Congress on down to state, county, city, level, and by the way are the taxpayers still paying the tuition for private schools if the family can't afford it? This is Pat and I approve this Rant! I also loved how the Suwannee Democrat endorsed Billy Maxwell for Commissioner. They made the right choice. When the previous writer said vote Oxendine, doesn't he mean vote George Burnham? After all we all know that is who is pushing Oxendine against Maxwell because of the Lake Louise issue. Billy Maxwell will work for all the peo- ple, not just for the one who thinks he owns the lake. Have a nice day. Tonight as I was watching the homecoming halftime show, where the attendants marched out and the queen and the king were crowned. I was somewhat confused, because as I was standing in the reserved section and the alma mater was playing, I didn't understand why people were march- ing out on the field during an anthem. Maybe the band di- rector and the other folks in charge of music at halftime, can come up with a different song other than the alma mater which is a respected anthem, that we should all stand at at- tention for. So, news analyst Juan Williams was fired from NPR for admitting he "gets nervous" when he sees Muslims on air- planes. He shouldn't have been penalized, but educated. My son lives in Barcelona, and a terrorist attack there was recently thwarted because a Muslim family in a predomi- nately Muslim apartment complex spotted a handful of men trudging up and down the stairs hauling buckets of smelly stuff. They called the authorities. Muslim attacks thwarted by Muslims are fairly common. In fact most Muslims un- derstand that their faith is not a license for murder, and be- lieve this strongly enough to stick their necks out, and, at their own peril, report the guys with the fuses and the chemicals and the smelly stuff. But fanatics on both sides would rather not acknowledge this. Sarah Palin, Bin Laden, Glenn Beck and Al Qaeda all share one core belief, that every Muslim is a potential sui- cide bomber. Spreading this belief helps both camps keep up with recruitment needs, amassing their private armies of frightened sheep. The rest of us know better. The rest of us know that the world is full of good and bad people of all shapes, sizes, and religions. Juan Williams forgot this fact, but in a world where the bleating grows louder every day, you can hardly blame him. The lies on TV toward Mr. Boyd are there via "60 Plus Association". Look up on Google and you will find "this is a Drug Manufacturer funded unit that wants no National Health, private Medicare, against Elder Citizens. If 1 out of 7 in the county are in the Poor class and 1 out of 6 are Impoverished, they are the ones that need a Na- tional Health System most. The better off Christens don't care about them. Those people should be out and voting to keep their interests alive. When my boss got the Bush Tax break, he went out and hired two men (at 50K) to work on his Antique Cars and bought a warehouse to hold them. Guess that is the trickle down effect they talk about. Also, where were you when Bush was building up the National Debt? Remember, he started with a zero Deficit and left with an$800 Billion Deficit. You did not say any- thing because your taxes were down. Twice, in the past week, I have had students from Suwan- nee County Schools come to my door soliciting funds for their schools. When asked, neither knew why their school wanted the money, nor what was to be done with the mon- Rave ey. One student had a catalog and a form on which none of the lines had been filled in identifying the school, teacher nor student. The other young person had nothing except an outstretched hand extended for a donation. The one student thought that his school was going to use the money to donate to n.iiiciliiii" and the second believed that the money was to be used for field trips and that some man was going to wear a fairy costume all day if they met their goal. Sadly, she didn't know who the man was to be nor even what the target goal was. Administrators and teachers; if you are going to send your students out begging for money, please be sure that they have a clue as to why and that they understand how to do so professionally, prepared with forms, catalogs, re- ceipts, and, perhaps even a rehearsal of their presentation. I know it isn't tested on FCAT but a valuable life lesson just as well. Wow! I have been out of school for 27 years now and it is amazing to me that this is the first time I've seen this, that from the middle school all the way up to the high school Homecoming attendants, no African American boys nor girls. Hmmm. What's happening? We're still living in Suwannee County I guess. Racism is always around. Ms. Glenda B. Williams, Supervisor of Elections, is try- ing to force me to go to church, making me go to the church to vote. That is not correct. I think that anyone that has to go to church to vote that their vote should be void. Thank you. I am not an expert on anything and this is strictly per- sonal opinion. The lady about immersion baptism is cor- rect, thank you. Ajudge is sworn on the Bible to uphold our constitution. Both documents separate church and state. Matthew warns of lusting for political power. Invoking God in a policitcal campaign just doesn't seem right, on moral or legal grounds. Radicalism and fanatacism of any belief is always dangerous to everyone, or is this simply another ex- ample of what length political candidates will resort to for their well paid, powerful gravy train positions? Our county & country are in dire straights from the greed, lust, and un- caring incompetence of our leadership. Wrapping it in a "coat of many colors" just makes the insult to the common person even worse. Hi I have two children that go to Suwannee schools, they are on the same bus route, there are four or five students on each seat. I have a 14-year-old daughter that is gorgeous, that has been told that she cannot ride the bus, that she has to walk. We pay the taxes for the school buses, I don't un- derstand how we are having four and five students to each seat, it is a danger. It is also dangerous to have a 14-year- old girl to walk four or five miles across town, I mean all the way across town to go to school. I just wish we could figure out a way to get these children on the bus. It is gonna get cold. There is also a four-year-old girl that lives next to me. The five-year-old is in kindergarten, and they are not allowing her onto the bus either, her mom has to take her to school. I was just wondering if they could just put some- thing in the paper, get it a roar or something to get folks to pay attention. It is too dangerous now a days to have them walk back and forth. To the person who said that they will be voting against school taxes: I agree with you on some of the things you said. The school board members do get paid too much. BUT I don't agree with this tax raising your taxes. If you knew anything about taxes you would already know that they are already figured into the taxes you pay. And if we vote against it, we will be losing teachers not school board members. Why would you want the children to suffer, by having to be CRAMMED back into a classroom? I am vot- ing FOR the tax! I would like to address the full page ad in last Friday's Democrat funded by the Police Benevolent Association of Florida asking voters of Florida to vote against Rick Scott. How many times have you been phoned by the PBA and asked to donate to their benevolent fund for their members and their families who have been injured in the "line of duty." Is a full page ad in probably every paper in the state of Florida putting those donations to good use? I would suggest that next time you are called, express your unhap- piness at how they spend their money. We all know that the Department of Corrections has one of the largest and most powerful unions in the state of Florida and yes, they would be unhappy with Rick Scott if he closed some of the pris- ons. Prisons are "big business" in Florida. Just look at all the money being put into them and where do you think that money comes from? Yes, from the taxpayers of the state of Florida because taxation is the only way that the state funds their programs. Politicians talk about their creating new jobs. The only way that new jobs can be created by politi- cians is to create more bureaucracy in government and tax the people of Florida of fund those jobs. SEE RANT & RAVE, PAGE 11A QUESTION OF THE WEEK Are you following the ONLINE OPPORTUNITY * Poll Results (10-22-10) W world Series on TV? A 60 percent vote is now required to amend the state constitution. Do you I Yes. think that is the proper threshold? No, it should require a higher percentage. -- 62% No, I like football. O No, I'd rather watch cable news. O No, I'd watch anything before baseball. O No, I'd rather read than watch TV. Yes, it's just right. -- 22% No, it should only require a majority vote. -- 16% Don't know. -- 0% This poll is not scientific and reflects the opinions of only those In- ternet users who have chosen to participate. The results cannot be assumed to represent the opinions of Internet users in general, nor the public as a whole. www.suwanneedemocrat.com I FRIDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2010 PAGE 6A * SUWANNEE DEMOCRAT/LIVE OAK