
Thursday, March 12, 2009
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Letters To The Editor

Response to letter:
Dear Editor,

This letter is to respond to the letter someone named J.R. Dunworth wrote. I don’t live there so I don’t know who that person is, but I would like to ask him this question.

Does J.R. Dunworth live in Holly Springs or does he or she just work there and drive back to another community?

There was some mention of stopping someone from becoming an addict by preventing them from taking a drink as a child.

I am not certain, but I could probably say that no one is addicted because they started as a child, because if they did they probably would not still be alive.

I feel that one way to prevent someone from making bad choices is to provide them with some type of job opportunity or some kind of quality of life.

This is just my opinion, that when you have few good jobs, little opportunity for poor people, this in turn leads to little or no hope for the future. I think there is reason to believe a number of people will make bad or poor choices based on these circumstances alone.

I agree with J.R. Dunworth about the comment that no amount of money will change someone, if they don’t have the will and desire to change.

I also feel that if you are in an environment that is productive and thriving and you have a place to work that pays a decent salary, and a good community to live in, that you probably would make better decisions in your life.

I don’t think that someone from a small town like Holly Springs should be compared to any rich celebrities. What we are talking about is poor people with little money, few jobs, little hope and little help.

Good roads and highways are important to a community. What purpose are the roads serving if you are driving back to a place where the streets are not safe because of addicts who are burglarizing businesses and homes to get money?

I don’t know of any survey of the rate of people being rehabilitated that have been to prison but I don’t think that percentage is very high. I am pretty sure that some of us know someone who has been in and out of prison more than once or twice.

My question to J.R. Dunworth is this. Why isn’t he or she advocating stronger sentences for drug dealers instead of suggesting prison time for addicts?

I know the numbers aren’t that good for people who have been to rehab facilities, but one life saved is one life saved. A life should not be compared to a percentage or dollar amount.

We the people elect officials to go to work for our causes and concerns.

Why should church organizations do the work of our elected officials?

We need more people like Dr. McMillan and the concerned citizens to come forward to try to make a difference.

Holly Springs has lost quite a few educated people, who have had to leave there to go to other cities for better opportunities, but would have loved to stay in their hometown.

I understand that a lot of decisions are based on money, power and politics. This is a human issue that needs to be addressed now.

I have lost friends, family members, former classmates to this escalating problem. Many of us have the obituaries to prove this.

I love Holly Springs. I have many fond memories of growing up there. Holly Springs is to me a peaceful, quiet town, with a lot of good people.

There is this one negative problem that is keeping a lot of positive things from happening there. This is my opinion and my opinion only, I am not speaking for anyone else.

I live in a city where there are numerous crimes committed every day. We can’t close our eyes to what is going on in all of our towns, cities and neighborhoods. A city is nothing without law-abiding, concerned citizens, and caring people.

We are taught in school to be good citizens; letting your voice be heard is one way of doing that.

God Bless
Doris W. Parker
Memphis, Tenn.

P.S. Thanks to The South Reporter for having this format for us.

Red Cross Month:
To The Editor:

You may be aware that March is American Red Cross Month. As one of the nation’s best known humanitarian organizations, the Red Cross has been at the forefront of helping Americans prevent, prepare for and respond to large and small disasters for more than a century. Families and communities depend on the Red Cross in times of need; yet the Red Cross depends on the support of the American people to help sustain the foundation.

Each year during the month of March, we formally recognize the Red Cross and its essential humanitarian role in our community and the role of the North Central Mississippi Service Center in making our communities a better place. As always, we focus on the spirit of the volunteers, donors, partners and employees who support the Red Cross mission of humanitarianism.

In the past year alone, the North Central Mississippi Service Center, headquartered in Oxford and serving the counties of Calhoun, Grenada, Lafayette, Marshall, Tate and Yalobusha assisted 104 families with temporary housing, food, and clothing assistance, helping 535 individuals affected by fires and other natural disasters; issued 4,739 certifications in First Aid, CPR, AED, and Aquatic Health and Safety courses; helped facilitate 106 emergency messages between active duty military personnel and their families; held disaster training sessions in this area for 235 persons and reached another 965 through health fairs and informational displays emphasizing individual disaster preparedness; and took a lead role in victim assistance during last year’s tornadoes in Lafayette County and in the aftermath of Hurricane Gustav providing assistance to nearly 300 victims affected by the storms.

Red Cross volunteers are the core of the Red Cross, with its nearly 200 local volunteers donating their time and energy to selflessly serve those in need, demonstrating the compassion and generosity for which Americans are known.

Thanks to all of those businesses, individuals, and groups that assisted us during this past year by sharing of their time and/or financial resources to enable us to help others in times of need.

Sincerely,
James T. (Bebo) Howell
Executive Director
North Central MS Service Center

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