Category Archives: Opinions
Courier Letters to the Editor 7-22-20
If you have a heart, wear a mask
Dear Editor,
When it comes to the issue of people refusing to wear a mask to slow down spread of the coronavirus, it’s nothing new.
Going back to the Old Testament, there was a man named Noah. For 120 years, he preached to the people that a great flood was coming. None paid him any attention. Why should we? Ain’t no such a thing as rain! Not a single soul saved, except Noah, his wife, three sons and their wives, along with the animals that were on the ark.
Until the late 19th century, when people were admitted to the hospital for surgery, 50 percent would
Supporting the right to survive
Ron Barnett’s recent column hit the nail squarely on the head. To make things clear, everyone who refuses to wear a mask should be issued a T-shirt printed with the sentence, “Your life doesn’t 
matter to me.”
All those who wear masks should wear a T-shirt imprinted with the words, “Your life does matter to me.”
No matter what your beliefs are, most Christian denominations do teach that it is important to love your neighbors and to be kind.
And most religions preach kindness to others. Apart from devil worshippers — and although I am not familiar with their belief system, I am assuming they care about somebody. Or at least they may love their dogs.
Years ago, there was a country song that asked, “Would Jesus wear a Rolex if he came to Earth
Moving won’t solve social isolation
Our experiences with the coronavirus have changed many of us. We’ve been locked down, scared to 
shop, startled at the number of people who refuse to wear a mask in public, and worse, we’ve been socially isolated.
Now we want something new. My email confirms it: Many of us believe we want to live in a different
‘There’s a lot of stupid floating around’
I wasn’t planning on writing about the coronavirus pandemic anymore, unless there seemed to be an urgent need for it.
After hearing the latest reports, it’s clear to me that there is.
Most people around Pickens County seem to be taking the attitude that, well, we did the shutdown, so we took care of the problem and now we need to go back to the way things used to be.
Unfortunately, things, as I write this, are worse than they have ever been, even before the shutdown.
In fact, South Carolina is one of three states that some experts say needs to go back into shutdown mode, or else it’s going to get
Founders’ views of a free press
America’s Founders regarded a free press as so vital to the new nation that they took care to include that right in the First Amendment to the Constitution.
Founders spoke glowingly about the press as a pillar of democracy and guarantor of liberty. Thomas Jefferson, for instance, famously wrote in 1787 that “were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter.”
George Washington framed the issue of free expression in almost apocalyptic terms: “If freedom of speech is taken away, then dumb and silent we may be led, like
Choosing to manage our time more wisely
In this modern world in which we live, the access of information is becoming an addiction. For many people, technology is emotionally stimulating entertainment, and as it continues to advance, 
we wonder if the intent is to influence us within this evolution of pleasure enhancement.
It’s amazing to consider that only 70 years ago the concept of computers controlling the masses seemed more like science fiction but now it has become a reality. Who would have dreamed that in this short period of time that most everyone would be connected
American Legion needs your help
I came across an unusual confab outside the coffee shop today. What was different this time was the presence of younger veterans.
“We’ll help you,” a young vet said to the group. “All you have to do is contact us and we’ll be here. Or there. Or wherever you are.”
I pieced together what was going on. The senior veterans were concerned about being able to form a funeral detail. One of their group was in the hospital and it wasn’t looking good, either for the veteran or the local American Legion Post itself. The younger veterans, probably
Courier Letters to the Editor 7-8-20
Human capital
Dear Editor,
We are capital already as humans. You can sell your time now, but people don’t notice that everything they do can be translated to money somehow.
Most Americans aren’t taxpayers, and most taxpayers are living paycheck to paycheck. They want to entertain themselves and not have a godly good time like they should.
Americans spend more time watching TV, surfing the internet and listening to the radio than they do working.
Americans need to focus more on passing down wealth to their offspring.
Jordan Cooper
Clemson
Will life ever be normal again?
The experts can’t agree on when (if ever) the coronavirus will completely vanish, or if they’ll be able to create a vaccine and when it will actually be safe to eat in a restaurant. Will this be like the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic, with a mild first wave, followed by a deadly second wave months later? Just today there was snarling among the experts about whether asymptomatic people (those with the virus but no symptoms) can actually pass along the germs.
What if it takes a very long time to return to normal? I think we need to be prepared for that, for having a new
Letters to the Editor
That grand old flag
Dear Editor,
It’s a grand old flag with 50 stars of white in a field of blue. With red and white stripes, too.
It’s a grand old flag that proudly waved with holes from the battle blown through there at Fort McHenry when the British tried to our young country to take. A grand old flag waving as our troops faced the Bertha Gun in World War I. Proudly waved over Iwo Jima and at Normandy on D-Day. In Korea, she flew proudly as we held the ground. It was there in ‘Nam when Uncle Sam kicked ol’ Papa Ho’s hiney around. Flying over the land proudly while back home some were marching in the
