Editorial: Letters to the Editor
Address suicide
To The Editor:
What is it going to take? Every minute of every day in the United States someone has had enough. Their life seems useless, painful, meaningless, hopeless. They are someone’s mother, father, sister, brother, grandparent, friend.
On Saturday, Oct. 4, 400 people came together at Triad Park in Kernersville to share stories, offer support, and raise money to help support the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. AFSP supports research to improve the understanding and prevention of suicide. According to AFSP, a life is lost every 13.3 minutes to suicide. That is almost 40,000 preventable deaths a year in the United States. But none of this was covered by local media.
Why? Because no one is willing to talk about it. The stigma that is attached to suicide and mental health illness has kept a muzzle on the kind of discussions and education that could help us save the lives of our loved ones. Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death for Americans, and costs society approximately $34.6 billion a year in combined medical and work loss costs according to CDC statistics. But let’s not talk about it. And while we are not talking about it, we can expect the number of losses to climb. More loved ones will experience a loss that will leave them struggling with grief reactions including guilt, anger, abandonment, denial, helplessness, and shock. But let’s keep that to ourselves too.
Melissa Thompson, Salem College student
Gay marriage not justice
To The Editor:
It is with much sadness that I see the dismantling of morality in our American culture. Not only are our President, Judges and Senators captive to the deception of gay marriage as justice, so are many of our churches.
I know my words are publicly unpopular and will be scoffed at, but individuals and societies who do not stand on the truth of God’s word in Christ through Holy Scripture will crumble.
Standards for equality are eroding fast. Every once forbidden practice will now want and be demanding equal rights and recognition. The devil is clever and the USA is succumbing.
Our hope is in repentance and gratitude to our Creator shown through holy living. I am so grateful for the steadfast values of Lloyd Presbyterian Church. Though many won’t, thanks be to God that we all still have time to turn and be saved.
Rev. Laura Spangler,
pastor, Lloyd Presbyterian Church
President deserves support
To The Editor:
I want to thank The Chronicle for all that you have done to educate the citizens of our area about the candidates and the importance of voting.
I am most appreciative for your introduction to “Our Picks” in (the Oct. 23) edition. It is an example for us. Every word you wrote rang true.
I am ashamed of the National Democratic Party, the NC State Democratic Party, the Democratic candidates running for office, the media in general, and for all of us who celebrated over President Obama’s two unbelievable victories in 2008 and 2012.
We have not supported our president when he needed us most. We retreated like cowards instead of openly celebrating his unprecedented accomplishments against tremendous odds. Thank you.
Charles F. Wilson
