Are you smurfin' me again? Liberal pablum in the local paper? Just shoot me.

I just read the opinion page of today's The Selma News, for which I write a weekly column. I was amazed at the letters to the editor this week. Though I like and respect Ray Jacklitsch, I am bewildered at his suggestion that the public and media are "lynching" Mayor Hester for his comment about a lynching. He is correct that there is little uproar about other issues in town, however, wrong is wrong and jumping on a situation such as this one is not the wrong thing to do. When you have a bombastic man attempting to steamroll over others and neo-fascist like run a town, then it is merely the law of sowing and reaping.

Ray's comment that baffles me, however, is that if the Jernigan building was spruced up and made prettier that the abhorrent behavior that was witnessed earlier this month at a town council meeting would improve. That is just plain absurd. Bad behavior is not brought on by an ugly room. It is brought on by an ugly heart.

I also read with interest the letter from Dr. Walt Caison. He and I do not see "eye to eye" on a good many things. For instance, his use of the term "democracy" in his letter. We do not live in, have never lived in, nor will we ever have a democracy in this country. We are a REPUBLIC. There is a HUGE difference. Another big difference in opinion is the reference to the use of the word lynching as part of "America's racist heritage." Sorry, but the word does NOT have racist connotations, the term was NOT used in reference to someone of another race, and lynchings were not always racially motivated in this country. So PLEASE STOP perpetuating the lie and racial guilt. That makes no sense. An educated man should have sufficient reasoning capability to see this simple point and concede it.

What I do agree with Dr. Caison about is the asinine complaining by Chucky Hester regarding the fact that there was a large crowd at the meeting for the public hearing. I agree that the approach by Hester is arrogant, laced with intimidation (just not from the lynching commentary), and suppression. Hester was obviously either afraid of or angered by the crowd of people who attended the meeting. Participation in the governmental process and just plain exhibiting citizenship should never be something for an honest man and good elected representative to fear or over which to take umbrage.