Wednesday, October 28, 2020

A lot of folks have voted early in Sabine Parish. Early voting ended Tuesday.

According to Registrar of Voters Zachery Faircloth, 3,215 persons had voted early as of the end of the business day Tuesday when Observations checked, and 581 had cast absentee ballots.

BE SURE TO VOTE TUESDAY

Election Day is fast approaching. Here are some thoughts from my wife, Laurie.

I am a Conservative Woman

I am a Conservative Woman. So what does that mean? Here is what it means to me:

I believe in family. Strong families make strong societies.

Strong families take committed, sober parents – two if possible – to create a loving, structured, calm environment, in which children can grow, learn to be team players and learn about life. When a home is filled with chaos, disorder and lack of structure, children suffer. If they don’t experience a loving, stable home life, they eventually enter society as teens and young adults who don’t grasp the concept that laws protect their and others’ rights. Sometimes the first structure they encounter is law enforcement and the court system. And sadly by that time, what should feel like a comforting help and protection is often treated as the enemy.

As a Conservative Woman, I believe in highly-trained, effective yet compassionate law enforcement.

We ask law enforcement officers to face every kind of dangerous, life-threatening criminal activity, to step into emotionally charged scenes of violence and to also enforce the simplest, most basic laws with respect and kindness. Men and women in blue should never have to doubt our elected leaders’ backing. They deserve our support and continued investment to ensure they can do their jobs safely and effectively.

I believe in work. We are designed to be productive and to create.

A person’s line of work is completely unimportant, but giving a job your absolute best is critical. Whether someone works as a janitor to create clean spaces for others, a stay-at-home mom working to provide loving care for her family, an attorney advocating for clients, an architect designing complex skyscrapers or a genetic scientist searching for medical breakthroughs, whatever it may be – every line of work has immeasurable value. It cannot be overstated:  we are made to work and give back to others through our efforts.

As a Conservative Woman, I believe you should never spend more than you make. It is true for the family budget; it is true for local and state entities. It is true for the national budget. We overspend at our own peril.

When a man and woman create life, I believe the life they create has its own rights.

Who among us has the right to take the life of an innocent? And who among us is so wise – so exceedingly discerning – to determine which baby should live and which will die? How can it be that killing a pregnant woman is considered double homicide, but when a baby is aborted or left uncared for to die after a failed abortion, it is simply considered a “choice” made by the mother?

I believe the U.S. Constitution was not written as an initial suggestion of how our constitutional republic was to begin. It was not written for judges to continually re-interpret on the shifting sands of cultural relativism. It was written intentionally to stand the tests of time. I believe it remains a North Star document with timeless principles and intent. Changes to the Constitution should continue to be made through Amendments, proposed by Congress and ratified by three-fourths of the states.

I believe we are spiritual beings.

We are designed to crave spirituality and to seek God. If we ignore this need and starve our appetite for spiritual growth, we die spiritually. We eventually become useless to help ourselves and to help those around us.

Lastly, as a Conservative Woman, I don’t care what people think of me. I don’t care if they laugh, I don’t care if they hate. I don’t care if they’re dismissive of someone like me who doesn’t see it their way, in a politically correct way, or in some other “right” way to which no one can take offense.

I will never be defined by another’s opinion, and I will never bow to unpredictable peer pressure. If or when someone shares their disapproval or disdain with me, I will listen, I will continue to love and I will continue to value that person.

Every life is designed by God with unique gifts to share with world. So, in a habit of endless optimism, regardless of whether we agree or disagree, I will diligently look for your God-given gift and will happily celebrate it with you.

And as a Conservative Woman, here are a few things I won’t do if the conservative candidate does not win:  You will not find me marching in the streets, wearing a funny hat on my head or howling my anguish into the night sky. You won’t find me down and out. You certainly won’t hear me making excuses for those who throw bricks, pipes and bombs through the windows of businesses, those who loot and drag people out of passing cars to beat them.

If the vote doesn’t go my way, it will be a disappointment to be sure, but I seriously doubt I will lose any sleep, have an upset stomach or even shed a tear. But I promise you this: I’ll work harder and I’ll work smarter. I will give even more of my future self and resources to the principles I believe in because that is what a Conservative Woman does.

How ironic that one of the liberal presidential campaign tag lines is “Battle for the Soul of the Nation.” I so agree.

If any of what I have shared is something you also believe, please cast your vote for conservative leadership on Election Day. There are a lot of Conservative Women who will proudly be doing the same.

This Saturday night, Oct. 31, be sure to set your clocks back one hour. Daylight Saving Time reverts back to standard time at 2 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 1.

This is also a good time to go ahead and change the batteries in your home’s smoke detectors. A working smoke detector more than doubles a person’s chances of surviving a fire. More than 90 percent of homes in the U.S. have smoke detectors, but one-third are estimated to have dead or missing batteries.

Some folks have inquired about the wreck on Sept 6 involving Sabine Sheriff’s Deputy Ron Rivers.

We have obtained a copy of the accident report by Trooper Isaac Davis which showed Rivers was driving a Sheriff’s Department vehicle traveling southbound on Hwy. 171 in the outside travel lane. A vehicle driven by Walter Edward Dye of Zwolle was traveling southbound in the inside travel lane, approaching River’s vehicle from the rear. A third vehicle – a truck pulling a trailer and driven by Charles Lewis Britt of Noble was stopped, facing westbound in the median crossover.

According to the report, the Sheriff’s car was attempting to make a left turn from the outside travel lane into the median crossover and ran into the Dye vehicle.

The Dye vehicle then traveled into the median crossover impacting the Britt vehicle. This caused the Dye vehicle to rotate about 180 degrees counter-clockwise, overturning onto its left side, then traveling 47 ft. before coming to a rest on its left side on the inside travel lane.

While overturning, Dye was ejected from the vehicle into the median crossover. Dye was taken to Sabine Medical Center.

Britt told the trooper he was sitting in the median crossover waiting to proceed southbound and saw Rivers’ vehicle impact the Dye vehicle causing it to impact his vehicle.

The report said the accident was caused by Rivers turning from the wrong lane and being inattentive. The report said none of the drivers were suspected of drinking or taking drugs, and that no tests were given.

When Aaron Mitchell took over the Sabine Parish Sheriff’s Office in July, he inherited a lot of problems with the Detention Center. Apparently it had not been properly maintained since the day it was put in operation many years ago. And he and Chief Deputy Brad Walker are taking steps to bring the facility up to standards. They have already improved the camera system and made necessary repairs within the center.

The next item is the construction of a perimeter fence about 2,000 ft. long and 10 ft. high topped with three strands of barbed wire, including a 30-ft. automatic gate with video monitoring and intercom.

In addition, bids are currently being received to repair damage done to the Detention Center during the recent hurricane. Work includes repairs to the roofing and interior sheetrock in one dorm.

A few months ago, I was visiting with good friends Steve and Phyllis Birdwell in Marthaville. Phyllis mentioned that her fifth great-grandfather was the only Revolutionary War soldier buried in Winn Parish, and that she would like to visit his grave sometime, but didn’t know where it was. She asked if I could help. I told her I knew the perfect person who could lead us to it. I told her, “His name is Greggory E. Davis, and he probably knows more Winn Parish history than anyone. And he has also visited most of the historic sites in that parish.”

I called Gregg, and as expected, he said he was familiar with the marker, but had not been there in years and would be glad to help us find it again. So, one morning a few months ago, Phyllis, her husband Steve, my wife Laurie and I all headed to Winn Parish.

As it turned out, the marker is located at the site of the old Cloud plantation, southwest of a little place called Gansville. Gregg had already made arrangements with the property owner for us to search the nearby woods where he knew it was located. The area is now overgrown and the little cemetery is no longer cared for, so it took a little time and some good use of a machete to find it, but he did.

According to Cloud’s war records, he stated that he volunteered in the Militia of South Carolina and at the time was living in Wilkes County, GA. This tour of duty lasted about a month. Then he went on another tour of duty from White Hall in South Carolina to Rayborn’s Creed. In the same winter or early the next spring, he enlisted under Captain Lenn Marbary for 18 months and served at a fort on the Aquechee River. After this enlistment, he received a discharge and returned to his father’s house in Georgia.

Next, he was drafted in the Militia of Georgia. The tour lasted two weeks during which he marched from Wilkes County, GA to Cherokee towns where the party killed some Indians and burned two Indian villages.

He next enlisted as a cavalry scout against Indians in the upper part of Georgia where he served 18 months. Following this tour, he was discharged, but went into South Carolina where he volunteered and served six months. The command marched to St. Mary’s to attack St. Augustine, after which the unit was dismissed. He served two more tours in Georgia and South Carolina and remained in the service until the surrender of Lord Cornwallis. He said he served as a Private the whole time.

After his time in service, Cloud went to South Carolina where he married a Cherokee Indian named Elizabeth “Betsy” Lacey. They had children and later moved to Kentucky, which they left in about 1815 to move to Louisiana.

The soldier was born in 1740 and family members said he was 6 ft. 2 inches, weighed 200 lbs. and had one black and one blue eye. He never wore glasses, but was said to be able to shoot a cat squirrel out of the tallest pine tree when he was nearly 100 years old. He died four days before his 100th birthday on Feb. 1, 1840. He was a fifth generation American.

It is interesting to note that in December 1835, Mr. Cloud friends’ Davy Crockett of Tennessee and Ben Milam of Kentucky stopped by to visit him on the way to the Alamo. They spent a week there, which included the hunting of raccoons to be used for coon skin caps.

Here is Phyllis’ direct ancestry, birth years noted, to John Cloud:  Phyllis Dowden Birdwell, 1960; daughter of Dorothy Gandy Dowden, 1936; daughter of Rosa Montgomery Gandy, 1903; daughter of Minerva Rebecca Weldon Montgomery, 1870; daughter of Elizabeth Caroline Cole Weldon, 1845; daughter of Manerva Villars Cole, 1824; daughter of Virginia Ann Cloud Villars, 1784; daughter of John Cloud, 1740. It is quite interesting that the direct lineage is completely female back to Mr. Cloud.

Louisiana’s High School Graduating Class of 2020 earned an average ACT composite score of 18.7. The Louisiana Department of Education released the scores.

Louisiana’s score is at an all-time low since the state granted all students access to the test in 2013. This is the third consecutive year ACT composite tests scores have decreased. The score for the 2016-17 school year was 19.6. It had dropped to 19.3 for 2017-18 and to 18.9 for 2018-19.

And the news is even worse for Sabine Parish with a score of 17.8 for the class of 2020.

“Our Louisiana students are as talented as any across the country,” State Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley, a native of Converse, said. “This continued decline in scores should trigger our thinking about flipping this trajectory.  When students score higher, they open additional doors of opportunities for themselves and their families.”

A score of 18 is the performance level at which students admitted to college are generally not required to retake high school courses. A score of 21 will earn schools an “A” grade in the state’s high school rating system in 2025. Louisiana calculates its ACT data using the “best score” calculation used by colleges and for school letter grades. ACT calculates Louisiana’s average score for all public and private school students anticipating graduation that year using a student’s “most recent score.”

It was a fun Social Distance Social in downtown Many Saturday night and we hear over $1300 was raised for Project Celebration. The event included free music by The Turn-Ups, a karate studio demonstration, a Sabine Runners 5K, the Great Chili Cook-off and various prize giveaways.

The 5K, Chili Cook-off and Grand Prize giveaway were held to benefit Project Celebration in recognition of October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

Cold weather put a damper on crowd turnout, but it was absolutely perfect weather for enjoying chili.

The Great Chili Cook-off First Place trophy went to McBryde & Associates agent Micheline Foster. Taking Second Place was Sheriff Aaron Mitchell, who entered a unique beef brisket chili, and Third Place was awarded to Community Bank of Louisiana for a white chicken chili made by Sharon Blake. All the judges and chili samplers reported having a great time tasting all the wonderful chili entries. John Migliore was the lucky winner of the nice Yeti cooler Grand Prize donated to the Project Celebration fundraising effort by Boise.

MORE DELICIOUS CHILI UPCOMING

Mark it down NOW:  If you missed the Great Chili Cook-Off or simply want more great chili, be sure to attend the Foy Motors Chili Cook-Off to benefit Project Celebration at noon at the dealership on Thursday, Oct. 29. The business is located at 1095 San Antonio Ave.

Foy employees will vie for First Place and tickets to taste all are only $5. Foy Motors will match all funds raised at the event to benefit Project Celebration as they recognize October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

Please call (318) 431-6299 for more information.

PURPLE IN THE PEWS

“Purple in the Pews” will give all churchgoers the opportunity to help victims of domestic violence in Sabine Parish.

Attend church on Sunday, Nov. 1, wear something purple to signify your support for victims of domestic violence.  After church, enjoy lunch or dinner at Bayou Crawfish, the popular restaurant located  on San Antonio Avenue in Many.  All those wearing purple will have a portion of their meal cost donated to Project Celebration, the organization in Many that supports victims of domestic violence.

The owner of Bayou Crawfish, Jennifer Anderson, is a strong supporter of Project Celebration and wanted to do something significant to support domestic violence victims.  She came up with the idea of “Purple in the Pews” for Sunday, Nov. 1, to encourage people to attend church and to wear purple, then enjoy a meal at Bayou Crawfish knowing that a portion of the cost would be donated to Project Celebration.

“Purple is the official color of Project Celebration, and we love Jennifer’s idea of encouraging attendance at church while at the same time showing support for domestic violence victims by wearing purple,”  said Cheryl Wooley, chairman of the board of directors for Project Celebration.

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month and the “Purple in the Pews” event on Nov. 1 is the culmination of a month-long series of fundraisers.

Anderson said she was delighted to be given the opportunity to raise funds for Project Celebration.  She said some restaurant employees in the past had been victims of domestic violence, and she was very aware of this problem not only in Sabine Parish but throughout the state and country.

 “I want to do everything I can to help, and I thought ‘Purple in the Pews’ was the way for our restaurant to help out in a significant way. I hope lots of people wearing purple will come to dine with us so that we can help these people who need our support,” Anderson concluded.

Reservations for the Nov. 1 Purple dining event can be made by calling (318) 431-1503.

Be sure to say that you are participating in the Purple dining event to help fund Project Celebration. Reservations are helpful in obtaining a table and dining time, but not mandatory. 

A special thank you to Mary Brocato for the above article.

We send our heartiest Get Well Wishes to Mayor Ken Freeman and wife Mary Ellen, who both tested positive for COVID this week. Our most recent report is that their symptoms remain mild and for that we are most thankful.

We also send our best Get Well Wishes to Gary Elam, who works for the Sabine Sheriff’s Dept. He recently tested positive for COVID as well.

Prayers are for mild symptoms and a quick recovery for all!

A safe and Happy Halloween to all this weekend!

Trick-or-Treating at businesses will be on San Antonio Ave. in downtown Many this Friday, Oct. 30 from 3 to 5 p.m.

Many neighborhood Trick-Or-Treat is scheduled for 5 to 7 p.m.

All Trick-or-Treaters, including adults, are required to wear masks!

That’s it for now. Please share your ideas and thoughts for future columns with me by calling (318) 332-8653 or by email to robertrgentry@gmail.com. I love to hear from you. To save, send or print today’s column, please click on the appropriate icon below. To see Observations of recent years, scroll through the pages below. To see older, archived ones, please visit our Facebook page. As always, thank you for faithfully reading.

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