Letters to the Editor: July 16

The Courier Press welcomes opinion letters up to 500 words from readers. Writers are limited to one letter, per topic, per month. Concise letters and those that offer a new perspective or add depth to the discussion of an issue are more likely to be printed. We reserve the right to reject letters at our discretion or edit for grammar, punctuation, length and clarity. Personal attacks, form letters or letter-writing campaigns are not accepted, and self-promoting letters from candidates for public office will not be published. If we receive numerous letters on one topic from various authors, we may select only one to be printed. Any congratulatory letters must be matters of public interest and will be tightly edited.

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Dear Editor,

It's not hard to see where the Trump administration is going.   The republican party has crumbled under his intimidation and vindictiveness for fear of their futures. That fear for their physical  welfare is not unreasonable considering the violent nature of many of his cult followers who have heard his messages and know where he is coming from.  When he said he could shoot someone on 5th Avenue and not lose any voters seems to be true. He has surrounded himself with sycophants that will follow him wherever he takes them. There is a movement here that has a bigoted narcissistic sociopathic tendencies. They punish descent, stifle the media and attack the courts  while downsizing the government so that corporations can privatise and take control of the economy and the people. Couple this with a serious climate condition that they will ignore means we are racing to the bottom and this will be to our peril

Kent Gallaway

Readstown

***

Dear Editor,

After returning home at the end of America’s day, it was time to reflect on the wan’na be’s 4th Ward parade, telling stories, driving through other towns and, of course, stopping for ice cream with a new-found flavor.

We turned on TV with Wheel of Fortune followed by the 4th at the capitol -- USA. There was a the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial with all of the wonderful music and songs.

This brought back memories of my first trip to Washington, D.C. There I was a boy scout on our way to the National Jamboree. What an adventure camping at Valley Forge. Our closing ceremony was capped off with a candlelight ceremony with 52,000 scouts from around the world.

In harmony these simple words:

On my honor I will do my best

to do my duty to God and my country

and to obey the scout law;

to help other people at all times;

to keep myself physically strong,

mentally awake and morally straight.

Scout Law

Trustworthy

Loyal

Helpful

Friendly

Courteous

Kind

Obedient

Cheerful

Thrifty

Brave

Clean

Reverent

It’s Taps, “End of the Day.”

I salute the boy scouts of Troop 320 and the cub scouts of Pack 320. It’s an honor and privilege to serve you. Cub Fun.

Tom Nelson

1st class scout

Patrol Leader

Milwaukee Council, B.S.A.

1957 National Jamboree

Valley Forge, PA

***

Dear Editor,

My husband and I endure Scott Walker’s weekly column despite Walker’s continuous jabs at President Trump and, by extension, roughly half of all readers. Walker’s insults continue despite recent (and apparently insincere) calls to unity. We take it in stride, knowing Donald Trump and his policies are not perfect.

Not content to simply insult conservatives, Walker turned his sights on Christians and the Word of God in his July 9 column. This is a step beyond politics. It is a step too far.

Walker starts by falsely stating the Constitution contains an “explicit separation of church and state.” The Constitution contains no such language. The phrase “separation of church and state” is first found in a private letter sent from Thomas Jefferson to the Danbury Baptists in 1802. These Baptists were concerned about government interference. I happen to agree with Walker that private Christian schools should not seek government funding for this very reason.

Walker then shockingly asserts the Bible teaches pi equals three. My husband and I never heard such a thing! The Bible does not purport to be a math textbook. We do, however, believe it is perfect and without error. So what explains this apparent discrepancy in I Kings 7:23?

One plausible theory is that rounding was used. The rounding of numbers is a very acceptable practice. Why, Walker even rounded pi! Pi is not 3.141 as he writes, but rather an irrational number which goes on for infinity. Better not let Scott Walker program your GPS, which requires using pi to 15 or 16 digits! Walker does not even follow the accepted standard for rounding, as 3.14159 rounded to three decimal places is 3.142, not 3.141.

Walker calls for literacy standards. One important component of reading comprehension is reading an entire section for context. Since the I Kings 7 passage continues that the basin was “a handbreadth thick, and its brim was made like the brim of a cup, as a lily blossom” what, exactly, was being measured? The text doesn’t tell us. Did they measure the inner or outer diameter? Was the circumference measured inside, outside, or underneath the brim? We don’t know, but neither does Scott Walker.

Let’s do a little calculation, assuming they measured the outer diameter. The stated 10 cubits would be 180 inches. Horse lovers know that a handbreadth is 4 inches. So we’ll subtract 8 inches (2 handbreadths - one on each side) to determine the diameter of the inside of the bowl. This equals 172 inches. Multiplying 172 x pi (3.14) equals 540.08 inches, or 30.004 cubits, within 4/1000 of what the Bible says. That’s pretty precise.

I was actively involved in Christian education for almost three decades. Never, and I do mean never, did I come across a math curriculum for Christian schools that teaches pi=3. So where is this hypothetical Christian school Walker is talking about? Or was Walker’s column simply a straw man argument to disparage God’s Holy Word and those who believe in it?

Ann Brom

Prairie du Chien