Guest Commentary | We need to all stop biting each other

by Glenn Mollette, Guest Commentator

Democrats have proven once again that they can find fault in President Donald Trump.

Faults and flaws were found in him before the election. Many years before politics there were never any rave reviews about him being perfect.

During the recent impeachment trial, Democrats and Republicans hammered home their perspectives and interpretation of Trump's speech given on January 6th to those who came to Washington to protest. Once again, Americans either agreed or disagreed with the outcome of the impeachment trial.

Surely most Americans will agree there is no such thing as a perfect President.

Was John F. Kennedy perfect? Was Richard Nixon perfect? Bush Sr. or Jr? Obama? Go back through history and you can't find a perfect person sitting in the oval office. President Joe Biden is no exception.

You may remember what the Bible says, "All have sinned." Another verse says, "No one is righteous. No not one." There will never be a perfect President. Some will be better than others. Some will be much better and some will be much worse.

There are no perfect politicians.

Almost any politician will disappoint you...

Do you think Nancy Pelosi is perfect? I don't. Is Mitch McConnell perfect. He is not, nor are any of the other members of the House or the Senate. Some are better than others. Some try harder, work harder, try to live disciplined lives more than others. Some try to work harder for their districts better than others. Some are good moral people and excellent parents. Some may not be so great. Almost any politician will disappoint you, eventually. It's bound to happen; they are imperfect people.

We have to come to grips with the fact that perfect people are not to be found.

I thought my mom was pretty perfect but I'm very prejudiced when it comes to my mother. My heart would never allow me to see anything wrong with her. Love is like that. Love often sees no wrongs. Sometimes we are like this toward a child, grandchildren, a spouse, our minister, or priest. There are people that we often hold in such regard that even if they are doing something wrong and we know it's wrong, our hearts have a hard time seeing that it's wrong. Too often love is blind.

Americans want someone to love and respect. We want to be loved. We like holding people in high regard.

The people we direct it to enjoy the feeling when we make them feel special. It's all good to some extent. Truthfully though whoever you are enamored with will eventually disappoint you if you look and listen long enough. Human beings, all of us are capable, and often say the wrong thing.

Use the wrong language. Get angry. Say hurtful things. Do things that are often regretted. We make mistakes in words we use and things we do. All of us.

As 2021 moves forward, so must we.

Joe Biden is President of the United States. It is likely Donald Trump will run again. In the meantime, we need to all stop biting each other and get this country healthy, back to work, back in the restaurants, churches and kids back in school.

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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 The Sentinel. We welcome comments and views from our readers.

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College Notebook | Former SJO player knocks one out the park

Micah Downs finishes sixth at CCIW meet

College Notebook on the Sentinel Last February Micah Downs went 4-1 at the IHSA state wrestling meet at the State Farm Center to bring home a bronze medal for the Rockets. This February, a freshman wrestling at 184 pounds for Millikan University, Downs finished sixth at the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin conference meet in Rock Island on Saturday.

Dowling hits first college homer

Well, that didn't take long.

Former St. Joseph-Ogden softball player Bailey Dowling cranked the first home run of her college career this weekend. A starting shortstop for the University of Alabama, the true freshman when yard for a two-run shot to put her team up 3-0 on Valentine's Day against Louisville (0-2). The Crimson Tide went on to win 4-0, which was the exact result of their three-day, four-game schedule this past weekend.

Here is the video of Dowling hitting the ball out of the park on Sunday.

🚨 Outta Here! 🥎🚀 https://t.co/C9GEPs3cx8 pic.twitter.com/U8lAe2qtvA
— Alabama Athletics (@UA_Athletics) February 14, 2021

After four contests Dowling has tallied 4 hits in ten appearances at the plate, scored three runs and delivered three RBI for one of the country's top softball programs.

Kaiser notches 6 kills for Parkland

Katie Kaiser contributed 4 blocks and 6 kills in match two of Parkland College's doubleheader against the JV squad from Lincoln College. Ella Godsell, a freshman with the Cobras, had 11 of the team's 49 team digs. The former Rocket volleyball players helped undefeated Parkland (7-0) sweep the visiting Lynx in both matches, 3-0.

Kaiser, a sophomore, and Godsell travel to Quincy, Ill., for an M-WAC match against John Wood CC on Wednesday, February 17, at 6:00 pm.

Former Spartans keep Parkland team undefeated

The Parkland women's basketball team improved to 6-0 on Sunday after rolling over John Wood Community College, 62-41.

Peyton Crowe scored 12 and Bree Trimble added another 11 points in the Cobra's home win. Crowe the team's top rebounder with nine boards. She was also credited with four assist and two steals.

Trimble lights out against Maryville

When he was in high school Brandon Trimble dropped 44 points in St. Joseph-Ogden's Class 2A semifinal against Breese Central. Now a junior at Lindenwood College in St. Louis, the sports management major scored 24 points and collected six rebounds in the Lions 83-69 win over Maryville College on Thursday.

After 15 games in his first season, he is averaging 11.5 points per game. Since the start of his college basketball career starting in 2019, Trimble had scored 20 or more points in eight games.

Baker 2nd at the Grand Valley Big Meet

Eastern Illinois University sprinter Riley Baker is just a half second off the qualifying for the NCAA Division II track & field national championships. The junior turned in a 48.99, good for a second place finish, in the 400-meter run to assist the EIU men's track team effort at the Grand Valley Big Meet on Saturday in Allendale, Michigan.

Baker and the Panthers host the Friday Night Special at the Lantz Indoor Fieldhouse this weekend.

Coursey posts strong start for Redbirds

Last Thursday, Andrea Coursey started her senior season with the Illinois State University softball team on fire. The St. Joseph-Ogden product padded her stats with a pair of hits in ISU's road game against North Florida. One of three hit by the opposing pitcher during the game, she was left on base on all three times in the 4-0 shutout and season opener.

Lincoln Land streak ends, Taylor leads team in assists

The Lincoln Land Loggers drop a heartbreaker to rival Illinois Central College 85-62 on Sunday. Sophomore Maclayne Taylor, who competed in volleyball, cross Country, track and basketball at St. Joseph-Ogden, lead the team with six assists and contributed seven points in the loss. The loss ends a 5-game win streak for the now 6-2 Loggers.

Know a Unity or St. Joseph-Ogden graduate playing at the collegiate level? Let us know their name, sport(s) and where they are playing. An email or a link to their social media account for interviews is a big help, too. Send The Sentinel a message to us at sports@oursentinel.com.

Cast your bucket where you are

by Rick Jones
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)

The Co-Moderators of the 224th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) say churches need to step out of their comfort zones to bridge the divide in race relations across the country. Ruling Elder Elona Street-Stewart and the Rev. Gregory Bentley participated in a Zoom webinar initiated and co-sponsored by Westminster Presbyterian Church in Richmond, Virginia but attended by many more congregations. Participants represented 33 different churches, many Presbyterian, but also Baptist, Methodist, and Catholic.

There’s an inverse relationship between charity and justice.

Ruling Elder Kenna Payne and member Noah Morgan moderated the online event reading questions from participating members on the role of the church in their communities and how to build community relationships. The Co-Moderators say it’s hard work, but churches don’t always have to start from scratch.

"Cast your bucket where you are. If you look around your community, you will find an organization or an institution that is livng into the Matthew 25 vision," said Bentley. "We don’t have to re-invent; just look at what’s already going on and move alongside and make it all it can be."

Street-Stewart says Westminster is in a community steeped in history and she suggests the congregation consider that as they seek equity.

"You are in a place where you can lead conversations about memorials or street names," she said. "You can bring honor to persons buried in cemeteries that are segregated or don’t have headstones. These conversations can touch your community in deep ways."

The Co-Moderators told Westminster members that the needs are all around them.

"There’s an inverse relationship between charity and justice. If you need a lot of charity, there’s a lot of injustice. At some point, you’ve got to deal with the cause," said Bentley. "That’s when we put our hands to the work of justice. We have to ask the tough questions. Why do we have so many hungry people when we live in a land of plenty?"

One Westminster member asked how churches and individuals can get connected with other groups without stepping on toes.

"You have people that are part of charter organizations that have been around for generations. Start talking with members of those organizations,” Street-Stewart said. “Find out wha the opportunities are to learn or participate.”

Some of the discussion centered on how the church can be more connected to the community. Bentley said, "You gotta just do it."

"I’m more concerned about being hospitable than being welcoming and polite. Hospitality is inviting someone into your life, creating a safe space to work and build together," he said. "That means you have to risk discomfort, risk going outside where you may feel you have some type of expertise. It means taking the risk of being misunderstood, ridiculed or even severing relationships we’ve had in the past that have been holding us back from where God wants us to be."

Street-Stewart adds that it means more than just opening the doors of the church to the community.

"The need is to be there to participate in community activities, such as supporting someone else’s child in a sports program or arts project," she said. "What does the artwork or pictures in your building represent? Are they white or do they represent the full diversity in your community? What type of music is played at church? Do the books in your church library represent you community?"

Street-Stewart adds that churches need to provide multiple language support and ensure that their building is accessible with numerous ways to participate.

Both Street-Stewart and Bentley told the church members that starting this kind of work can be scary and overwhelming, giving members a sense of vulnerability.

"It’s like starting an exercise program. Everything hurts. You must change what you’re doing in order to change your thinking. If you do it long enough, your thinking will change," said Bentley. "You have to work through all of the resistance or excuses like ‘We’ve never done that before.’ Change your behavior and do it because it’s right."

To change thinking regarding white supremacy, Bentley suggested the six Rs: Remembrance, Remorse, Repentance, Repair, Reconciliation and Resurrection.

"There is a lot of mythology about ourselves that suggests we are the greatest and well-intentioned," he said. "We have to look at ourselves as we are. We don’t have to lie about America in order to love America. For it to become all it can be, we have to tell the truth, even if it makes us uncomfortable."