LETTERS

Our Father, please hear a Police Officer's Psalm

The Lord is my protector, I shall not fear no want.

He allows me to rest my weary eyes after work and to be with my family.

He leads me throughout the city to do my job.

He guides my path upon the streets and avenues.

He restores my soul; for His name's sake.

He guides my weapons, so I may never harm the innocent;

But defend them and myself from any harm.

Even though I walk so close to the shadow of death,

I fear no evil; for the Lord is with me;

Every time my badge is placed upon my chest,

I am reminded that he is with me to give me comfort.

I pray that I will see the facts and truths as Solomon did for the people.

Even though I am not to judge others,

I must make a decision that will affect those around me;

So my father, I pray you will show me the way to do my duties and uphold the law.

Allow me to be a good spouse, parent, and police officer all the days of my life,

And I will dwell in the house of my Father and Lord forever. Amen.

THOMAS GOLDSWORTHY
Patrolman #119
Biloxi

Murphy clearly wants the best for Hancock

In the upcoming race for sheriff of Hancock County, the people voted for a change. The people of Hancock County are good, honest, stable, hard-working and some of the most hospitable on the Coast. We deal with problems in Hancock with an air of concern and family.

It is with heartfelt confidence that we take a more serious look at the upcoming election between Ray Murphy (R) and Steve Garber (D). While both are fine men in their own right, we must look beyond personality and popularity and vote for qualifications. It is imperative that the people of Hancock County, especially those who live in the north part of the county, see that an educated, professional person be elected to office.

We must see that the new sheriff is one of experience in the arena of law enforcement. Someone well-educated in modern techniques with an understanding of the inner workings of the judicial system. Someone who is concerned with the education of Hancock's children. Someone who will not look the other way when facing rampant drug use. And most of all, someone who will support the deputies of Hancock who so patiently and honorably do their jobs with little or no pay.

With all due respect and with good intent, we must support Ray Murphy for sheriff. His qualifications far supercede those of his opponent. Mr. Murphy, with a will of iron, has battled for this office for the past several elections. Someone who has this type of "stick-to-it-ness" must want what is best for law enforcement in Hancock County.

So, my fellow voters, let's make some progress for the year 2000. We citizens place the badge on the sheriff. He is our servant and works for us. Let's give Ray a chance to put away the criminals, use his 25 years of knowledge, skills and experience and make Hancock County shine like the badge upon the sheriff's chest.

LARRY SMITH
Bay St. Louis

Why elect a candidate who would sue the city?

In response to the Sept. 20 letter written by Richard Hannah about who should be the new sheriff for the citizens of Hancock County, I believe he was wrong about a few things.

Yes, the citizens will be voting on Nov. 2 for a new sheriff, but let's get it straight. Wouldn't we rather have a sheriff without a record of suing the city, putting horse stables in residential neighborhoods, and trying to charge citizens for parking their cars? Is this what we want for sheriff in our town?

Ray Murphy has run numerous times before and with all his experience never came close to being sheriff. That tells me that the citizens are looking for new ideas and someone that we can trust. With all that Ray has done in the past, can we and are we now supposed to trust him as our new sheriff?

I know that Steve Garber can and will do the job right for the citizens of Hancock County. Steve is an honest, hard-working man and is not trying to take the citizens for a ride. He has fresh ideas I think we can all work and live with. Let's give someone who has a clean record a chance. Steve, you have my vote.

TERESA OSBOURN
Bay St. Louis

Nothing beats decades of on-the-job training

I could not pass up the opportunity to write and tell you of my experience with the Tax Collector's office and the Circuit Clerk's office in Gulfport.

I help out many elderly and handicapped people when needed and have never failed to receive excellent service and assistance for these individuals.

In an area where everything has speeded up and changed so rapidly as our Mississippi Coast, I can honestly say that Sylvia Stoffregen, with her 28 years of working her way up in the Tax Collector's office, has had her on-the-job training and then some.

Sylvia and Gayle Parker, with her 34 years of experience in Justice administration, with seven of those years in the Circuit Clerk's office, are two of the most helpful and dedicated women I have had the pleasure to know.

I think the reason for this is the overall experience we receive when we understand every aspect of a department because we have been there, done that sort of thing. They both go out of their way to take care of problems personally. Their dedication and commitment to the community is surpassed only by their genuine interest in helping people.

The experience these two women have achieved has brought these two departments to a superior level of management. I cannot conceive of anyone replacing these two dedicated, respected public servants with any more commitment and genuine concern for people.

Let's keep our courthouse running efficiently and progressively with Sylvia Stoffregen and Gayle Parker.

LONDA J. THORSTENSON
Gulfport

Bike paths would help traffic and cyclists too

A letter published on Sept. 20 stated that we do not need sidewalks on Lorraine-Cowan Road as no one walks there.

No one seems to walk or ride bicycles anywhere on the Mississippi Gulf Coast because you might get run over by a car! We need more sidewalks and we need a bike lane built on every road. This would cut down on the traffic congestion, not to mention improving our health through exercise.
I have often wanted to ride my bike along the beach or in town, but you cannot safely do so for a very long distance. There are too many cars.

We have such beautiful weather here most of the year. Why can't we be more like cities such as Toronto and Seattle? These cities have terrible weather and yet they have extensive bike lanes throughout the city that are used by thousands of people every day as a convenient method of transportation, a way to reduce traffic congestion, and an excellent way to exercise.

SHERYLE JOHNSON
Saucier

'Boondocks' employs tools of great literature

John Ribar's letter regarding "Boondocks" was headlined, "It's a comic strip, not great literature."

It is possible to make a case for the literary merit of "Boondocks," if one wishes to. The strip employs literary ambiguity, irony and satire - classic devices well known to students of literature and favored by Emily Dickinson, Jonathan Swift and John Dryden, to name only three "greats" - and it uses these to communicate complex responses among Americans, white, black and in-between, regarding racial issues.

Far from "exacerbating racial prejudice," "Boondocks" requires some contemplation before we can fully "get it;" and this is a classic criterion for literary merit.

Aside from questions of literary craft, to say that "Boondocks" is "bad" or "not entertaining" is to misunderstand the point of the strip; it is also to invoke frequently subjective standards of taste and quality.

Like the tradition of African-American protest writing from which it arises, "Boondocks" is social commentary. It is written less for purposes of aesthetic appreciation or entertainment than to help us understand ourselves and the society we have created and sustain through public policy and individual action.

We white Americans, and we Coastians, need angry, frustrated, black Huey to remind us of how we've gone wrong and continue to go wrong.

After all, is Huey's anger misplaced when a reader can open The Sun Herald on Sept. 18 to read a letter from the local mother of a black child who was excluded from play by her classmates because of her race?

This is what I ask of what I read: "Don't tell me what I want to hear. Challenge me. Make me think." I loved "Boondocks" because it met my requirements for great literature.

CARROLL CAMPBELL
Biloxi

Mr. Webster, may I introduce to you ...

As I was researching Al Gore via an online encyclopedia, a glitch took me to the dictionary, which brought up: "Algor mortis" - "the cooling of the body after death."

Did Webster know Al?

ARMOND 'SI' SIMMONS
Pell City, Ala.