Sound Off for Sept. 6, 2020

Vote no

I am a U.S. citizen and Mississippi resident and personally believe in the existence of some form of a spiritual God. I will never vote for a state flag imprinted with the divisive message “In God We Trust.” It discriminates and alienates residents of this state whose beliefs do not include an omnipotent creator God; atheism and Buddhism, two of the most prominent, to make the point. The official state flag must be inclusive.

Absentee voting

I’m over 65 with health conditions that make COVID-19 especially dangerous to me. Therefore, I may qualify for an absentee ballot. Let’s assume I get said ballot and vote via mail-in. What’s to keep me from voting in person on election day? What mechanism, if any, is in place to disqualify one or both of my votes?

Population facts

Each day, we are provided COVID-19 data for each of the six coastal counties. Harrison County has more residents than just about the other five counties combined (208,000 vs. 251,000). The total cases for Harrison County make up 1.6% of the population. Whereas, Jackson and Greene County are 2.9% each. Stone County is 1.7% with lesser a percent for Pearl River and Hancock counties. But, it is recommended we keep wearing the masks to help beat this crap.

Possum assistance

We in west Jackson County are so fortunate to have a very polite, professional police force. I started down the hall at bedtime only to meet a teenage possum sitting in the hallway. Not knowing how to extricate him, I called the sheriff’s office. They told me someone will be right out to help. Soon two young officers. Arrived and removed the critter! Thank you!

Need to address racism

Does anyone really think that a white police officer would sit on the neck of a white man until he died or shoot a white man in the back seven times? This does not condone violence in any way, but it does call for a national conversation about the need for change, a change in the way we view racism, a change in the way police and communities of color communicate, a change for good.

To submit a Sound Off, email soundoff@sunherald.com

This story was originally published September 4, 2020 at 3:05 PM with the headline "Sound Off for Sept. 6, 2020."