Editor, The Beacon:
I was dismayed by the wording of a letter demanding action be taken regarding Deltona City Commissioner Loren King.
In America, we still are fortunately allowed the right to an opinion. Our words can speak volumes, but our actions say more. This is another reason why history is important and also character.
Years ago, a person’s worth was measured a great deal by the merits of their character. That doesn’t seem to be taken into consideration much today. Instead, a fragment from the past is blown out of proportion and used to bludgeon to death reputations or cancel out something. Why has it come to this?
Perhaps we should look to the past for better insight and thought before we pass judgment. The 1895 poem “Judge Softly” by Mary T. Lathrap advised us to “. . . Just walk a mile in his moccasins before you abuse, criticize and accuse.” How do we do that? Well, we might try actually talking to other people for a change, getting to know them, and better understanding their pasts before hitting that delete key.
Mr. King isn’t the enemy here, our fear and ignorance are. This military-service veteran continues to serve all of us by his time and devotion to our country and its ideals. Those same ideals are part of the reason he’s no longer a part of the group some people want him canceled.
The important thing missed in the fuss is the fact that the man made a conscious decision to disassociate himself from the Oath Keepers when he didn’t like the direction they were going. Doesn’t that say much more about the man than his past affiliation?
I don’t know about the rest of you, but I like to take stock in real things and the redemptive actions of people rather than discounting their true worth.
Larry French
Deltona
