some got it all wrong

I received a lot of flack from some of our readers for writing my comments in the editorial entitled YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN THERE. The editorial was printed January 31^st of this year.

In case you missed it, my comments suggested that churches should have directed their Wednesday night congregation to attend the Meet the Candidates event at the Seymour Middle School hosted by the Seymour Rotary Club and SMS.

First let me state for the record that religion and politics have been together since the beginning of time.

It’s no secret that from the start of our nation's history, grand political and social movements – such as abolition to women's suffrage to civil rights to the current struggles over abortion, gay marriage and the presidential race – have drawn upon religious institutions for moral authority, inspirational leadership and organizational muscle.

I agree with several individuals that commented that it was either a calculated move on the Rotary Club’s decision to plan the event so that attendance would be low, thus better predicting who would benefit from lackluster attendance.

Maybe one should look at the motives of the Rotary Club membership.

One comment said;

We live in the south. The Bible belt if you will. Lots of people DO go to church on Wednesday nights. That said, I think it would have been a little bit smarter for whoever planned the event to plan it on a night other than Wednesday, especially if they were looking for a good turnout.

Another comment;

. . . whoever planned this event, should have planned it on a night other than Wednesday. There are 5 other days of the week that church is not held and they could have just as easily planned it for one of those nights. As long as I've been alive, Sundays and Wednesdays have been church nights/days.

And another comment;

. . . fuss at the meeting planners for not respecting people's beliefs and convictions to attend church on Wednesday nights, especially since there are also 52 Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays a year to plan civic town meetings.

And another comment;

There are 260 times each year that a town meeting could be scheduled that would not interfere with church.

Here is another comment chastising me for my comment;

Shame on you for calling out churches. I attended the meet the candidates at SHS two years ago - perhaps if some of the candidates had not been so rude two years ago, I might have made more of an effort this time.

A real shame. Some alleged rude candidates kept this individual from hearing what all the NEW candidates have to say. Not a good excuse, in my opinion, to miss the opportunity to be better informed to cast an educated vote.

And finally,

Next year maybe they will think about planning it on another night besides Church night. I would loved to have been there.

Maybe someone should tell this person that sheriff’s are not elected each year.

I take voting very seriously and believe everyone should. It’s the only true time you have an opportunity to direct your community, your country to stay or get on track.

With that said, I am always very pleased to hear your comments, pro or con.

For those that don’t have the time to write a letter and send it through the US Mail, you can always send comments to me at publisher@seymourherald.com.

Or if you choose, you can leave comments directly on the www.seymourherald.com website.