Block · one region of the page, as the scanner read it. It may hold a whole story, part of one, several, or an advertisement; stitching blocks into articles is the next step. Text is supplied OCR.
Page 7 · column 4 of 7 · from the scan, no model involved
By Bkn Jones
Rappahannock News Writer
Well, I guess it serves me right for being so opinionated and quick on the trigger. Here I am. surrounded by redskins, the wagons circled, flaming arrows coming in from all directions, and John Wayne ain’t nowhere in sight. So this is what Custer felt like. Served Custer right, too. Well, nobody ever said that writing an opinion column in Rappahannock was going to be easy. For instance, I’m sure that someone took umbrage at that reference to “redskins” in the second sentence.
A wiser man would probably not engage the criticism my comments have been receiving, but if I were a wiser man I would keep my mouth shut anyway. Calvin Coolidge, known as “Silent Cal”, once remarked “A man cannot get in trouble for something he didn’t say.” It was one of the few times Coolidge was not silent. His remark is arguable, however. There are times that troubles can get worse if one doesn’t speak up.
Besides, the folks who read this column deserve a little verbal jousting. It is our version of Hardball. Or better yet, WWF rasslin’. So here goes:
Jim Oyster, who signed his comments “James Oyster, J.D., L.L.M.” opined that I oppose the “Faith Based Initiative” because it is unconstitutional. I do not. I oppose it because it is a stupid idea. Mr. Oyster says that applying Jefferson’s thoughts to the First Amendment’s “establishment clause” is somehow a “liberal interpretation”, comparing Jefferson’s thoughts on the matter to those of Ted Kennedy on some more recent matter.
This, he says, is in conflict with the view of “strict constructionists.” Are you still with me? Well, what puzzles me is that “strict constructionists” rely upon what is known as “original intent”
92.2%