July 31, 2020

As promised, today kicks off the return to publishing twice a week on bdcradio.com. The news is rolling in, and it’s more than can be comfortably covered in one weekly column. Until further notice, we’ll post Observations on Wednesdays and Fridays. Thanks for reading.

Many City Hall’s east wall is blooming with a new mural that features flowers and hummingbirds.

It’s the first mural to be painted in the Cultural District, and Mayor Ken Freeman is hoping there will be more to help beautify downtown Many.

Talented artist Angela Osborn designed and painted the mural on City Hall’s white wall in the alley way leading to the drop box for water payments and other city business.

The mural features vines and flowers and a colorful hummingbird sampling the nectar of the flowers.

Freeman and Cultural District Chairperson Mary Brocato are delighted with the whimsical mural and both hope more will be painted on buildings throughout downtown Many.

“We’re hoping people will like the mural so much that they will be inspired to have a mural painted on the side of their businesses or even their fences,” Freeman said.

“Angela has worked for several weeks to paint this beautiful mural. Rain, extremely hot temperatures have all worked against her, but she’s finished and we could not be more pleased with the results,” Brocato added. 

The 38-year-old artist did not start painting seriously until she was 27 years old.  However, she won her first art contest as a kindergarten student at Florien Elementary School. That was the start of something big for her – becoming an artist.

Osborn graduated from Queen City High School in Queen City, TX.  Her mother, Marilyn Spohrer Osborn, taught special education at Florien and Pleasant Hill in the Sabine Parish School System.     

Ms. Osborn received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Fine Arts from Northwestern State University in 2012. She studied under renowned artists and art teachers Clyde Downs and Brooks DeFee.

The Many mural is Osborn’s third mural to paint. She has now painted two outdoor murals and one indoor mural. Before murals, Osborn painted landscapes and portraits. Her other outdoor mural can be seen in downtown Montgomery, LA. It was this mural that led the Cultural District members and Mayor Freeman to select Ms. Osborn to paint Many’s first mural.

Ms. Osborn’s third mural can be seen at the Magnolia Bend Wedding and Event Center in Grant Parish.

The talented artist also works in watercolors, oil, acrylics, drawing mediums and printmaking. She is a member of Many’s Depot Art Guild.

Merchants, restaurant owners, shop keepers, homeowners and building owners who would be interested in perhaps having a mural painted to help beautify Many should contact Mary Brocato at (318) 617-5239 to obtain more details and information. 

“We live in a great small town and we can make it even better by adding some beautiful murals to our town. So please, if you know of an area where a mural would look good, contact Ms. Brocato right away,” Freeman concluded.    

Larry Patrick, former Principal at Converse High School, called to our attention the following writing by Carl Derrick, an older classmate of Patrick’s and former student at Converse.

We were impressed and felt it worthy of sharing. Thanks to Larry for calling this to our attention. Mr. Derrick’s article follows:

If you’ve ever sat in that northeast corner, second floor classroom, Converse High School for Civics class under W. G. Simmons, then you are most likely not comfortable with the unrest being demonstrated throughout our country during these times. It was there we, as teenagers of the ‘60s, learned to appreciate our founding fathers, our Constitution, our military and the sacrifices they made, how our government worked and what it meant to be good citizens.

Waking up on the day after high school graduation, there was only one thought in most of our heads. What’s next? What’s next usually meant get a job, to some it meant go to school – either college or vocational (trade school), maybe even get married. But first and foremost, it meant taking steps to independence and making a life of our own. We separated. We went separate ways and experienced many different roads in life during our early years. Most of all we, at one point, became self-sufficient.

While making a life during those years, there was not a thought of approaching prospective employers with hair dyed bright blue, or green or yellow, no rings in our noses, no pins through our tongues nor any other body adornment. Oh, maybe a small inconspicuous tattoo. Certainly there wasn’t any one of us trying to make a life starting with such radical appearances. During those days if one had red hair, it was natural.

Sure, young people’s actions changed during the ‘60s, ‘70s, ‘80s and so on. Styles changed, hair length changed, there was a Hippie movement. Products of https://batanabio.com/ are great for moisturizing dry hair caused by hair dyes. An unpopular war in Vietnam. A period of protests and even some riots.

There was a lot of focus upon communism and socialism, poverty and income inequalities – some recognized groups or individuals embraced those ideas and tried to effect changes nationally to those lifestyles and governing choices.

How many remember the Louisiana gubernatorial election of 1991? Louisianans were faced with a choice for governor consisting of a seasoned politician who had already served multiple times as governor and had allegedly been associated with graft and corruption in state government, or a radical young fast riser, most notably known as the Grand Wizard of the Klu Klux Klan in Louisiana. Not very pleasant choices for most conservative citizens of the state. It became necessary to vote for the long term good of the state and state politics.

Today, many consider our presidential choices much the same. A business man with no political experience, now President Trump, rallied a surprising victory over Hillary Clinton during the 2016 presidential election. Every day since, he has faced the strongest Democratic opposition to his office. There have been numerous allegations of collusion, corruption and malfeasance in office leveled against him. He has survived it all and is the Republican candidate for president during the presidential election facing the country in November 2020.

The apparent Democrat of choice will be Joe Biden. A lifelong career politician who has been in the nation political spotlight for around 40 years who is embracing a far left agenda and now after 40 years pledges to “change America.” Some consider this agenda as America’s plunge into socialism, high taxes, and focus on government involvement and interference into individual freedoms.

The 2020 presidential election is fast approaching without the benefit of either party’s national convention taking place due to the COVID-19 pandemic. These are trying times. America is possibly at the cusp of changing forever. Our children and grandchildren may never be able to experience a life as we knew it, and are now experiencing a confinement as we’ve never seen before.

I’m thankful for those who sat in that northeast corner, second floor classroom, Converse High School, in W. G. Simmons’ Civics class, and millions of others throughout the United States who sat in similar classrooms and were taught to love their history, their government, their Constitution, Bill of Rights and the founding of this nation upon Christian principles and values, [I’m thankful for] those who are “good” citizens and are determined to keep our citizens free and independent. As a proud veteran and a constitutional Christian conservative, I believe this presidential election is not limited to Trump vs. Biden. This election is about freedom. This election is about individual freedoms vs. politics and big government controls. I’m reminded of an old Barry Goldwater quote, “A government big enough to give you everything you want, is big enough to take everything you have.”

You might like to think this election lies in the hands of voters. Ultimately the election is in God’s hand. I’ve read the book. I know how the story ends. I also know God allows his disobedient children to be punished. Don’t take November 3 lightly. Prepare for it.

“If My people, who are called by My name will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” – II Chronicles 7:14.

When you go to the polls on November 3, you may not be enthused about your choices, but just remember, you’re voting for the America founded on Christian principles, the America you’ve known and loved, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and your children and grandchildren’s future. One candidate says “Keep America Great.” The other candidate pledges to change America.

As for me, I’ll pray that God will send a great revival and He will change the hearts of Americans and Keep America Great.

For better or worse, a doctor who practiced recently at Sabine Medical Center is in the national spotlight. Dr. Stella Grace Immanuel joined about a dozen other doctors outside the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday, July 27, to talk about their experiences with treating the coronavirus.

Her remarks and statements made by the other doctors about the use of hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19 sparked vigorous debate on social and news media. Locally, some treat Dr. Immanuel as a hero who makes lots of sense and others are frustrated she is getting any publicity at all.  

As is too often the case nowadays, the issue seems split along political lines. In general, conservatives have been praising the doctor and her associates’ position, and liberals are berating her.

The topic was made worse for conservatives when Pres. Trump openly praised her reference to the drug as effective against COVID-19. Some media outlets that appear to publicly support former Vice-Pres. Joe Biden’s run for president piled on after Trump’s mention.

Several media are now reporting Dr. Immanuel was sued for malpractice stemming from a 2019 incident at Sabine Medical Center. But we have not seen any follow-up reports yet on the current state of that suit.

Dr. Immanuel says she has successfully treated more than 400 patients for COVID-19 working as a primary care physician in Houston.

“This virus has a cure,” the doctor said while gathered with fellow doctors near the Supreme Court. “It’s called hydroxychloroquine,” she stated.

The video, which highlighted a medical assembly who called themselves “America’s Frontline Doctors,” was quickly censored by social media, the World Health Organization and the FDA.

In a broadcast interview made at Rehoboth Medical Center with a Houston TV station, Immanuel shared, “We see patients Day 1, we put them on hydroxychloroquine, they come back Day 7, Day 10 and they’re negative. It eradicates the virus. It is a cure,” she adamantly explained, stating, “I don’t know why people are getting crazy about this!”

Dr. Anthony Fauci, Pres. Trump’s go-to guy for all things COVID, says hydroxychloroquine has not been proven effective yet in treating coronavirus disease.

In the Houston broadcast interview we watched, when she was asked about her ministry and belief in demons, Dr. Immanuel thanked TV network CNN for widely publicizing her online videos, and says because of their exposure she has been able to help people from across the globe. “I’m not worried [what people think],” she explained. “Let me be clear, demons exist,” the doctor said.

One of the biggest demons we currently see is the deep desire from some folks to shut down any opposing views. We have always believed the best way to preserve free speech is through more speech – the sharing of more ideas instead of fewer. People aren’t stupid.  

We tip our hats to San Antonio Antique Mall & Café (the former Many Pawn Shop) who, during a rainy downpour Tuesday evening, went out of their way to accommodate a Pink Sisters board meeting. You may recall Pink Sisters of Sabine serves local breast cancer patients with support and encouragement, tote bags of helpful items to use during treatment and other help.

The coffee shop provided a great meeting place to gather with social distancing, and the hospitality of owner Tiisha Vines and her staff was topnotch and greatly appreciated.

If you have not visited San Antonio Antique Mall & Café, you are missing a real treat. They have transformed the building’s interior and carry lots of cool antique, vintage and new items as well as boutique clothing and more. It is well worth your time to stop in. Lots of treasures wait inside to be discovered.

We hear the Pink Sisters plan to mask up for a “San Antonio Stroll” downtown during the next Social Distance Social live music extravaganza in front of Sabine Theater. It is Friday, Aug. 21 and will feature The Turn-Ups with special guests on tap this time.

Congratulations to the Rev. Jay Begbie on his new pastorate serving Grand Ecore Road Baptist Church in Natchitoches.

I sometimes attended Grand Ecore Road Baptist many moons ago during my days as a Northwestern College student.

Pastor Begbie has been a real boost in Sabine Parish for a long time, working alongside congregants at his former church, Bethsadia Baptist Church. During his time at Bethsadia, the church grew from a few faithful to many who met, and they often had outreach events, such as revivals, downtown chili cook-offs, block parties and more. Begbie was also one who envisioned and helped hold the Sabine 2020 revival event this past spring at Many High School. It was very well-attended.

Sabine’s loss is Natchitoches’ gain, and we certainly wish Jay and his wife Sissy all the best in their new church.

For any of our Natchitoches readers, Grand Ecore Road Baptist Church is located at 1700 Washington St., and Pastor Begbie may be reached at PastorBegbie@outlook.com or at (318) 613-7640.

That will do it for this last day of July. Thanks for reading. Call or write me to share your ideas for future articles. Call (318) 332-8653 or send an email to robertrgentry@gmail.com. I always love to hear from you. To save, send or print today’s column, click on the appropriate link below. To see recently archived Observations, follow the pages below. To see older, archived columns, visit our Facebook page.

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