Great people surround us
On April 8, my husband, Bill Belian, and I went to John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown to enjoy an Easter event.
Shortly after arriving, my husband lost one of his contact lenses, so he and I dropped to our hands and knees in an attempt to find the tiny round plastic device that aids his vision, and was also very expensive. In just a matter of minutes, several folks were standing around us, asking what we were looking for.
After explaining what happened, each one dropped to their knees to help us in our search. They could have just walked by, as the event was quite busy and there were plenty of other things these folks could have been doing, but they chose to assist us in our search.
We did find the missing lens. It’s wonderful to be reminded that there are kind people all around us and it’s with a sincere heart that we thank David Hensley, Alex Budzinski, Kaylea Hughes, Mitchell Stone and Elizabeth Belz, who was also the Easter Bunny for the event.
Anngee Quinones-Belian, Murphy
Failure in Afghanistan
John Kirby, a Pentagon spokesman and President Joe Biden’s mouthpiece, recently talked about the successful withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Among the things missing from the report were 13 service people killed and 48 wounded, with many limbs missing.
Also, a couple of thousand Americans were left behind.
Also, about 100,000 allies were left behind.
Also, about $9 billion of military equipment left behind, which made the Taliban one of the largest arms dealers in the world.
If this makes the operation a success, what would constitute a failure?
Bill Poprosky, Andrews
Ends do not justify means
Sorry, Bart O’Sullivan. Your rationalization of supporting veterans with alcohol sales/consumption, as expressed in your April 12 Cherokee Scout guest column, is flawed. The end simply does not justify the means.
Your references to veterans’ post-traumatic stress disorder and suicide need further research, which can be found at mentalhealth.va.gov/suicide_prevention.
As stated, “Compared with veterans who screen positive for probably PTSD alone, veterans who screen positive for both probable alcohol use disorder and probable PTSD may be at increased risk for suicide and were three times as likely to have a history of suicide attempts.
“Veterans who screened positive for both AUD and PTSD were also more likely to screen positive for major depression, generalized anxiety disorder, suicidal ideation and a past suicide attempt than were veterans who screened positive for AUD alone.
“Compared with male veterans characterized as moderate drinkers, male veterans with lifetime AUD – both those who reported current hazardous drinking and those who abstained from drinking – had increased odds of screening positive for symptoms of PTSD, suicidal thoughts and past suicide attempts.”
Therefore, encouraging alcohol intake – the most common type of substance use disorder in the United States, according to the National Institute of Drug Abuse – to support veterans seems hypocritically inappropriate, considering many of them are enslaved by the struggling with this drug. There are far better ways to help.
We’ve enacted our concern for precious veterans through many years of monthly donations to the Wounded Warrior Project and a Christian organization with a veterans outreach program.
So, maybe it’s you, Bart, who should consider “filling your mind” with better veteran-support options than through the alcohol nemesis. I’m sure Shepherd’s Men in Marietta would welcome your and letter-writer Sarah Wright’s direct donations.
Plus, giving without getting something in return, other than great satisfaction, is always worthwhile.
Tamara Phillips, Murphy
Treat LGBTQ just the same
In response to Deni Shepard of Franklin’s letter to the editor in the April 5 edition of the Cherokee Scout.
You say you “have nothing against the LGBTQ community,” yet you would like to keep people from seeing anything related to that community in a public library. No one is forcing you or other people into looking at displays or books that the library offers. And the library is most certainly not displaying “sexual explicit materials,” either. You are free to ignore items or displays within the library that offend you.
You also stated, “We must respect and honor the ethics of our community and its concerns.” Our communities are more diverse than many realize. Public libraries are for everyone, and everyone deserves to be able to access and read stories about themselves.
Our LGBTQ community members are entitled to the exact same representation as everyone else.
Evelyn Nastos, Marble