Toys for Tots coordinator
Toys for Tots of Cherokee County is seeking an individual to take over the duty of local coordinator. Beginning in 2008, John Evans held the position for 10 years. In 2018, Don Slifer assumed the role. In 2020, this author took over and is overseeing the program through 2022.
The local program has a core of extremely dedicated volunteers who have been volunteering their time every year, some for more than 15 years.
The duties of the local coordinator are to be a liaison between the local program and the National Foundation in Virginia; oversee and delegate duties as they relate to fundraising; toy collecting, sorting and bagging; and registration of children and distribution of toys.
Any prospective local coordinator will need to submit an application to the National Foundation and will be subject to a background check.
Annual training is held in
Virginia, usually in September, and is required for any new coordinator.
Ideally, it would be beneficial for the candidate to shadow the current local and assistant coordinators throughout the 2022 campaign to see the inner-workings of the program and be positioned to take over in 2023.
If you are interested in considering the position of local coordinator, please email Cherokee County Toys for Tots – murphy.nc@toysfortots.org – or call Susie Evans, assistant coordinator, at 828-837-3035 for detailed information.
Barbara Hudson, Murphy
The writer is local coordinator for Cherokee County Toys for Tots.
Time for new beginning here
When we are thrust into this world of sin at birth, a new beginning starts that will last until we die. Yes, this life here is not for the faint of heart. The struggles and challenges are new each day, and some days it’s not worth getting out of bed.
The turmoil, violence and hatred and anger cries out from every crevice of life because of the sin nature that we inherited when we entered an imperfect world, but praise God there is hope for all who will come as you are and receive the gift of eternal life when you lay down this life into the next life full of promises from a God who cannot lie.
God has been preparing a place for His people. A chosen people who will reign and rule with Jesus Christ for eternity.
This word eternity means an infinite duration, where life will exist forevermore with Jesus Christ as our ruler and King. There will be no debate and questioning about His supreme authority over all things. Our task as believers in Christ will be to worship and serve Christ whatever He commands. We will gladly do this, because we will be like Him in all matter with a spiritual body that will never die, never grow weary, never run out of energy, but will maintain a healthy body free from all sin and diseases in a perfect world.
Did you grasp the last two words, a perfect world, because of what Jesus did on the cross to reconcile us back to Him? Sadly, those who choose not to follow the narrow path of righteousness will live an eternity totally separated from their Creator, God.
Only a fool says there is no God. Are you part of this crowd?
Frank Combs, Blairsville, Ga.
Trump’s non- insurrection
A recent Cherokee Scout letter to the editor titled, “Trump must be indicted,” argues that he should be indicted for inciting an “insurrection.” The letter praises the Jan. 6 committee’s implicit goal to bar former President Donald Trump from running for office under the 14th Amendment.
Further research debunks the letter’s talking points on the mostly peaceful U.S. Capital incursion.
Foremost, the committee’s origination is unconstitutional under enumerated legislative powers in Article One to the U.S. Constitution because congressional powers to investigate are limited to inquiries that are only “in aid of the legislative function” – not judicial
functions.
Even if the committee was constitutional, the committee violates the former president’s judicial rights. Due process is the legal requirement that the state must respect all legal rights that are owed to a person.
u All committee members voted to remove Trump from
office during bogus impeachments, including Bennie Thompson, the chair. The speaker appointed Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger to the committee – malignant never-Trumpers. This isn’t a fair bipartisan operation – it’s Stalinesque.
u Cross-examination is not allowed of witnesses. Cross-examination is the greatest tool for discovering truth that man has ever created. And when someone wants to prevent vigorous, even brutal cross-examination of his case, that’s a giveaway that it’s weak. Looking at you, Cheney.
u Kash Patel, acting secretary of defense chief of staff, testified under oath to the Jan. 6 committee: “Mr. Trump unequivocally authorized up to 20,000 National Guardsmen and women for
us to utilize should the second part of the law, the request,
come in. But those requests never did.”
Trump unsuccessfully provided legal arguments against certification of the election, as did congressional Democrats following the elections of 2000, 2004 and 2016. Those efforts were unsuccessful, but the national media did not characterize them as “undermining our democracy.”
Terry Payne, Marble
2nd look at rails to trails
In response to the article “Recycling rails into trails” by Abigail Hickman (Aug. 24 edition of the Cherokee Scout), I admit that I have in all ways enjoyed Abigail’s many previous articles.
From her tales of nights out with new neighbors to her tender words relating to the unnamed soul recently found dead in the forest, her pieces of prose have been a source of joy, and each one has been both well written and thought provoking. Her track record is impressive, and I’m certain her many articles are well received.
This piece, however, is not one of them. The article in question is filled with conjecture and speculation, and is not in keeping with her many finer former works.
When the subject of the interview is quoted as stating that a similar project (Virginia Creeper Trail) is generating “$60 million” in economic benefit, there is no factual data included to uphold David Vanderlaan’s assertions. Just because we like the way something sounds or feels does not make such assertions factual. I can speculate that this lack of verifiable data indicates there is none. As Jack Webb of Dragnet used to say, “… just the facts … only the facts.”
As for selling the high-quality steel to recyclers to fund the project, it does not belong to the proponents of the rails-to-trails scheme. That metal has a rightful current owner, and it is theirs to hold or sell as they see fit (pesky private property).
This article is little more than an example of “truthiness.” This is where a narrative conforms to our subjective opinions or our hopes and wishes. Nonetheless, such narratives lack any verifiable data that proves out the hypothesis. An old adage states thus, “If it sounds too good to be true … it probably is.”
S. McKnight, Murphy