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Opinion
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- Written by: Voris Brumfield
More than 408 people attended the eight-performance run of the 2011 Renaissance Pageant & Feast held at the Middletown Community United Methodist Church.
Thanks to the people of Lake County who supported this annual event.
Special thanks to the Lake County Marketing program, the local media and Hardester's Market Middletown staff, who were amazingly patient and cooperative, while helping load more than 225 pounds of ribs, eight cases of cider, four cases of potatoes and 240 pounds of chicken.
This 100-percent volunteer production included a story and decor by Laura Lamar, music and drama directed by Claudia Listman, and cuisine coordinated by Voris Brumfield.
The performers, singers, community members and people who made the back of the house run and kitchen smoothly are thrilled to offer a glorious production setting off the Advent Season.
Join us next year, huzzah!
Voris Brumfield is pastor of the Middletown Community United Methodist Church in Middletown, Calif., and one of the pageant's organizers.
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- Written by: David Gebhard
Instead of sending our youth out to fight and die for our country, how about allowing them to live for our country.
War should be reserved for self defense only, instead we need to elect leaders who can achieve consensus with our neighbors. Tolerance and empathy should be accepted tools.
Humans are the same under the skin. Our varied environments have made small differences in our color skin, nutrition and cultural habits.
The true cost of war is now becoming apparent. Young men are returning with PTSD, which we used to call shell shock or battle fatigue, and need help their whole lives the families of these young men will pay a stiff price for the rest of their lives.
We seem to forget the old cliché, violence begets violence. We need leaders who have peace as a priority, nay a necessity. I realize that that this message is
War is an abomination. War has the devil laughing and angels crying.
I realize we all know these things, but we seem to be taking war for granted. The U.S. has been using war for a foreign policy, now we have a holy war, the worst kind, for instance the Hundred Years War and the Crusades.
Let us save our best young people for peace, not war. Let us wage peace, war on pollution each other.
Americans used to take great pride in not being aggressors, instead we were defenders of human rights and democracy around the world. The world’s respect and admiration were boundless. As many immigrants came here for our freedoms as our economic bounty.
Somehow our identity has blurred, and we are getting stingy, wanting to limit immigration, which is how so many of us got here in the first place.
Immigrants have always renewed our cultural vitality, added to our identity and reputation. We were always proud to be a melting pot for the world. Are we getting to be paranoid? Are we afraid of losing our country to our immigrant newcomers?
As long as we curtail our schools we deserve to be paranoid, but not from within, as our foreign competitors pour money into their school systems, they insure that they have a place at the economic forefront tomorrow.
We, on the other hand, are insuring that our children will grow up in a fading power, as our economic might is slowly eroding.
Creativity and innovation have made us the powerhouse we presently are, but without education we are following in the footsteps of our third world neighbors in guaranteeing our children a secondary role in global economics.
Military might follows economics eventually, for instance the mighty Soviet Empire fell economically while trying to keep up with us.
So excuse me if you already knew these things, but we all need to remember them when school budgets are cut and wars are used for foreign policy.
Our priorities are skewed, instead of cutting spending and taxes, we need to invest in our future.
Do not waste time saving greedy bankers, save our children’s future. Save our schools, reinstitute auto shops, homemaking, wood shops, and all the electives that keep kids in school.
David Gebhard lives in Lakeport, Calif.
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- Written by: Karen Turcotte and John Randall Williams
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- Written by: Danielle Morgan
I looked up quotes on loss, searching for the perfect one to no avail.
So from my heart I say: Isaiah Neil was always kind to me, to my girls. But what always touched me was how he was with his daughter and how he loved his wife.
He was such a loving father. I know. Not because I spent a great deal of time with his family but because the little time I did made such an impact. It was the little things he did for his daughter … buttoning her up or smoothing her hair. Always a watchful eye.
I never had the chance to see him with his new son but I have no doubt he was just as loving. I remember when he was going to propose to his wife and the twinkle of mischievousness in his eye. Oh, how he loved his family.
I'm sorry I can't say something profound or magical or something to take the pain away from the family and close friends. All closer than I.
I can only say, it was my pleasure to have a glimpse of a good man. May God hold Isaiah Neil.
Danielle Morgan lives in Placerville, Calif.