Gun control, a viable charge?



The story goes that the reason Japan did not try to invade California after or coinciding with the Pearl Harbor attack on Dec. 7, 1941, was because they figured that all Americans owned deer rifles and knew how to use them.

Whether this is true, this does point out one of the values of our gun-owning right, the right to bear and keep firearms.

Our forefathers who put this country together seemed to have thought out their ideas before including them in our Bill of Rights. This is no ordinary piece of paper to be messed with.

Our yahoos in Congress and the Supreme Court certainly shouldn’t need reminding of rights and wrongs concerning this country and its legal citizens, but unfortunately this is not the case. There is concern about our newly forming national administration body, among whom are some purported to favor strong gun control and who have, in the past, introduced legislation in state or federal legislatures to eliminate gun ownership and the right to carry them.

No reasonably smart politician from our area of the U.S. would even think of pushing for or publicly acknowledging his or her support for such an idea. That is, if they were interested in being re-elected.

Still, as we are realizing more each day, there are many positioned people who have agendas and ideas that don’t make good sense to the rest of us.

For those among us who don’t favor guns being available or owned by regular citizens, please look at the overall picture.

Rifles and shotguns are owned principally for hunting by people very familiar with them.

Most pistols are kept for protection or as collectibles. Those who carry pistols must have training and be licensed to handle small arms.

Undoubtedly, some gun owners shouldn’t have them because they are unstable and quick tempered. The same holds true for auto owners.

Gun-use training and licensing weeds some of this type out of the ownership picture and teaches safety in keeping and handling guns.

Many gun owners are active in target or skeet shooting done in designated areas.

Now, once again you will hear that guns don’t fire themselves and kill people, but people fire the guns that kill other people.

Automobiles also kill because of their drivers, despite the enforced safety laws.

There are accidental gun deaths every year, mostly from poor safety practices, but uncountable hours of outdoor target and hunting projects afford enjoyment to thousands of experienced men and women, nationwide, who practice the utmost gun safety.

The National Rifle Association is a large organization with lobbying power and is noted for protecting gun ownership rights and, for the most part, the members are a stable group.

In my opinion, they would have even more public support had they occasionally used different tactics.

At times, they may use scare tactics in their attempts to garner public support concerning legislation.

However, this organization and its work are part of the reason gun control has not become a reality. Like many other groups, this one has to stand up and yell loud and push hard with whatever legal means are necessary to retain and protect its cause.

Even if all of the owned guns were confiscated, criminals would always be able to obtain guns to perpetuate their evil deeds against people who no longer would have guns for protection.

If a victim injured an attacker with a baseball bat or kitchen knife, would some start a “get rid of bats and kitchen knives” program?

The Japanese won’t be planning another sneaky attack on us, but many thieves, rapists and terrorists would feel more at ease attacking us boldly if they knew we had no protective pistols, shotguns or deer rifles.

Think about each of the rights given to us as American citizens, how long they have worked for us, and who is experienced and trusted enough to tell you which rights you need to do without!

This gun right, and others as well, may be jeopardized from time to time by powers that be, so be alert and protective and thank God for our smart founders and their common sense.



Monte Swatzell

Cleburne



Single-member districts will help CISD



America is a land of diverse cultures — people who have come here seeking a better life and wishing to be a part of this great nation and its people.

Without equal representation and equal access to government, minority groups will never believe they are truly a part of our community or this nation’s people.

There is strength in diversity. Diversity built America and made it great.

The current ethnic distribution of children in the Cleburne school district, according to district records, is 57.4 percent white, 35.8 percent Hispanic, 5.4 percent African American, 1.1 percent Asian/Pacific Islander and 0.3 percent Native American.

Cleburne ISD school board members are elected by an at-large system. Anyone living anywhere within the CISD limits may run for any seat on the school board.

This has allowed under-representation of minorities on the board. The current makeup of our board is 100 percent white.

Three board members, Brad Mead, Brad Allen and Teddy Martyniuk, live within .87 miles of Gerard Elementary School; two, Stu Madison and Jennifer Dugger, live within 2.3 miles of Gerard; and of the remaining two members the farthest, M.J. Larrison, is 4.36 miles away according to Yahoo maps.

In the absence of single-member districts, our school children and parents are unequally represented because most school board members live primarily in one quadrant of the district.

In contrast, city council members are elected by single-member districts. One council member is elected from each district.

Our outdated, at-large election of school board members does not provide equal representation for the Hispanic, African American, Asian/Pacific Islander or Native American parents and children who live within our school district. This unrepresented group makes up 42.6 percent of our school community.

CISD has seven board seats and seven elementary attendance zones within the district.

This is a good place to start to implement single-member districts. However, when we introduced the idea of single-member districts to some of our board members the immediate response was that they were very opposed to single member districts.

Do the current all-white school board members think they are the only ones capable of making sound decisions for the district’s children? Are there not good Hispanic and African American parents who could serve the interests of the children just as well?

The board recognizes the need for better representation and has discussed the possibility of each board member adopting a different elementary school and thus a different attendance zone.

This in no way addresses the issue of underrepresented minorities because the board still remains 100 percent white, and all live in close proximity to each other. The board does not represent a true cross-section of the ethnic makeup of the community.

Now is a good time for the school district to tap into strength through diversity and implement single-member districts, where one board member is elected from each of the seven attendance zones.

If we’re all about the best interest of the children, then let’s get together and peacefully make the change from at-large to single-member districts so that all the children and parents can have equal say about their children’s education.



Harold Gentry

Cleburne



Thanks from DCA



The Downtown Cleburne Association and the Cleburne Chamber of Commerce wish to thank those who helped produce another huge Christmas parade, with special thanks to the city of Cleburne and the Texas Department of Transportation.

Many individuals helped in many ways in the production of the 20th year of the popular event.

The floats this year were spectacular. Many were large, colorful displays; others were creative masterpieces. All contributed to the celebration and joy of the season.

More than 400 participants walked, marched or rode in the parade.

Young and old lined the parade route.

We especially want to thank the parade participants for taking the time and working so hard to make the parade such a special occasion for Cleburne and our children.

And thanks to Premier Lawn and Ag for the use of a John Deere four-wheeler, which was a great help during the staging of float entries.



Maxine Ammons

Jackie Vinson

Co-chairs

Downtown Cleburne

Association