Guest Commentary: Keep Thanksgiving alive in your heart

By Glenn Mollette, Guest Commentator

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Joe Biden or Donald Trump will never visit me in my home, stand beside me at the funeral home or dance at my wedding. I will not be receiving any calls from either of them to pray for me during sickness or to check on how my children are doing. I probably will never sit in a room with them to visit, laugh and tell funny stories or just to hang out over a cup of coffee.

I do not personally know either one. I welcome the opportunity to visit with either of them, but doubt it will happen.

I feel like I know them because I have seen them on television my entire life and heard them speak. I have been very emotional about them these last few months and felt very convicted about my vote.

I have written words, spoken words and stood on the firing line for my candidate. Most importantly, I voted. I have also received my share of emails, and real mail from people just as adamant about their candidate, often expressed in very colorful words.

Sadly, over the last few months, I have seen people who, I have known for many years, take as strong or stronger stance than I've taken. The distance between us has grown farther and the climate colder. Acquaintances, life-friends, school buddies and even family.

Both of our candidates have campaigned in their own, and different ways. The issues have been heatedly debated and argued.

As a nation, we have stressed ourselves to the max over these political candidates. And, while our vision for our nation has not changed, or our love and support for our preferred candidate has probably not dwindled, we must make a concerted effort to keep friends, family and the hopes and spirit of Thanksgiving alive.

As strongly as I feel about our nation and our leadership, I will not throw my friends and loved ones under the bus.

My father was a Republican and my mother was a Democrat. They both voted and life went on. They were married for over 60 years. They did pretty well. They didn't divorce over an election or politics. I do not remember them even arguing about an election.

This election was important to all of us, but I'm not going to stab my mother in the back or cut my father's throat for Joe Biden or Donald Trump. By the same token, I have played sports with people all through school, sang in choirs, danced with friends, prayed and wept with people at hospitals and funerals, baptized thousands of young and old people alike. I'm not going to throw these people in the lake or smash somebody's car. I am not going to try to destroy somebody's business or life for Joe Biden or Donald Trump. Nor will I attend any Thanksgiving or other holiday meals refusing to be civil and gracious because of opposing political feelings and beliefs in the room. Why would any of us? For Joe Biden or Donald Trump?

I refuse to let this election kill Thanksgiving or any of the friendships and relationships that I share with real people in my life. Life, our friendships, our relationship with God and the personal work and service of being a good human being are most important to me.

The Thanksgiving season is here. Life doesn't always go our way, but we all have a lot to be thankful for this year. Keep this good season alive with gratitude. Most of all extend Thanksgiving to all others. If it's not reciprocated, then it's on them. Keep Thanksgiving alive in your heart.

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Dr. Glenn Mollette is a syndicated American columnist and author of American Issues, Every American Has An Opinion and ten other books. He is read in all 50 states. The views expressed are those of the author and are not necessarily representative of any other group or organization.

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This article is the sole opinions of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of PhotoNews Media. We welcome comments and views from our readers.

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Christmas Parade in Philo December 4

A group of four women in Philo are pooling their collective talents to organize the first annual Village of Philo Christmas Parade. Julie Pioletti, Lisa Quinn, Cindy Schweighart and Lori Donovan are working together to bring a few hours of holiday cheer to friends and neighbors in the village.

The parade will make its way through town starting at 7 p.m. on December 4. Organizers are tying up one last detail before releasing the official route, which should be announced in the next week.

"We selected a route that allows for plenty of parking and open spaces to allow for social distancing," Pioletti said. "We need to confirm that we can use one more space before the map is posted."

The organizers want to light up the streets of Philo to put fellow residents in a festive, holiday mood and infuse the Christmas spirit throughout the village.

"We would like to take this time to invite you to participate in what we believe will be an exciting and memorable parade!" organizers said in a release. "We hope you will take the opportunity to decorate your golf cart, car, etc. with lights and festive decorations!"

It is not too late for your business or organization to register a float for the parade. There is no fee for this year's participants as there will not be a judged competition or entry contests.

The applications for entries are due November 20. All parade motorized entries must have a "lighted component to the float". In the event of severe and potentially dangerous weather - ice or snowstorm, driving rain with lightning - the parade will be cancelled.

One more thing - Santa imposters will not be permitted on parade entries. The official Santa Claus will be there and will appear at the end of the procession.

For more information contact Julie Pioletti at piolett1@yahoo.com or call 217.649.2156.

Spectators are asked to observe the current public health recommendations during the parade.

Statewide stay-at-home order, not if but when

Repeatedly this week, Governor J.B. Pritzker has put the citizens of Illinois on notice that he may have no choice but to issue a second statewide lockdown if the COVID-19 metrics continue to rise at an alarming rate. It is clearly obvious by the accelerated surge in positive cases he will in all likelihood announce another mandated shelter-in-place order in days ahead.

"The numbers don't lie. If things don't take a turn in the coming days, we will quickly reach the point when some form of a mandatory stay-at-home order will be all that is left," Governor Pritzker said. "With every fiber of my being, I do not want us to get there. But, right now, that seems where we are headed."

Hospitalizations are at an all-time high with cases increasing by 459% since October 1. As of Wednesday night, there were 5,258 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 around the state. Almost 1,000 individuals, 956 were being cared for in ICUs with 438 of them on ventilators.

In a preemptive move to reduce a possible strain on treatment and the spread of COVID-19, the City of Chicago issued its own stay-at-home advisory starting Monday.

The preliminary seven-day statewide test positivity from November 5-11 exceeds the 8% mitigation trigger point established in the governor's Restore Illinois plan which is now at 13.9%.

On Tuesday, as cases in The Sentinel's area of coverage in Champaign County fell to a two-week low of 23, the Illinois Department of Public Health began asking residents to enter a voluntary a quasi-quarantine by working from home if possible and to only go out for essential activities - such as grocery shopping, visiting a pharmacy or getting a COVID-19 test. The state agency also asked people to limit travel especially to areas experiencing high positivity rates and to limit gatherings - even small groups - that mix households for the next three weeks, including through the Thanksgiving holiday.

As of today, there 43 active cases in the communities The Sentinel serves and and another 600 in Champaign County. The Champaign-Urbana Public Health District is reporting two new additional COVID-19 deaths bringing the total to 39.

The news comes three days after the district agency reported eight deaths between November 5 and 11, including a female and a male patient in their 50s, a female in her 60s, two women in their 70s, two men in their 80s and a 90 year-old male succumbed to the viral infection.

Champaign County, which is in Region 6 in the IDPH COVID-19 Resurgence data tracking, is showing a 7-day rolling average of 2.0. Subtracting out the testing from the University of Illinois' rigorous testing protocols, the county's positivity is at 8.7.

As of Monday only Moultrie County was showing a rolling positivity rate below Champaign's number.

Clark County was at 12.1, Clay 18.1, Coles 12.4, Crawford 9.9, Cumberland 14.7, DeWitt 12.7, Douglas 12.2, Edgar 13.6, Effingham 21.7, Fayette 26.7, Ford 11.6, Iroquois 18.2, Jasper 11.8, Lawrence 11.3, Macon 16, Moultrie 8.6, Piatt 12.6, Richland 16, Shelby 14.2 and Vermilion County was at 12.2 on Monday.

Fayette County record some of the highest single-day positivity in the county with four days between October 30 and November 9 above 30.0.

Last Friday, 15 tests performed in Crawford County yielded seven confirmed cases for the highest single-day positivity of 46.7.

On Tuesday Pritzker asked his constituents to show restraint and do the right thing voluntarily to fight the surge and need for him to issue another shelter-in-place order.

"It's critical to remember that nothing makes a bigger deterrence in this pandemic than when a community decides to protect your own by wearing masks, by avoiding gatherings, by temporarily closing high-risk, high-exposure business until we get to a place where it opens again."