The first week of college football gave us the peek we have all been waiting for with newly placed coaches, new key players, and some amazing gridiron action. Week one showed us who was ready for the turf and who was not. Let’s look into week two and a few ACC/SEC predictions. 

In the ACC 

• Clemson Tigers vs. Texas A&M Aggies: In the ACC game of the week, with the Tigers running for the ACC Championship and the Aggies running for the SEC Championship, Tigers win out by 18.
• Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets vs. South Florida Bulls: This is going to be an enjoyable close game, but the sting is too much for the Bulls. Georgia Tech wins by 7.
• Penn State Nittany Lions vs. Pittsburgh Panthers: It’s early in the season for this rivalry and there could be an upset in the making for the Panthers. But when the clock runs out, the big cats go home. It’s Penn State by 7.
• Duke Blue Devils vs. Northwestern Wildcats: Can the Devils pitchfork hold off the Wildcats? Not here they can’t, Wildcats by 6.
• Boston College Eagles vs. Holy Cross Crusaders: Wow! What a showing for the Eagles last week and the same this week, Boston College by 21-plus.

In the SEC

• Arkansas Razorbacks vs. Colorado State Rams: With the Razorbacks looking for win two, do they get it? Sure, by 12.
• Kentucky Wildcats vs. Florida Gators: The Wildcats looked good last week but it’s time to feed the Gators as they win by 20 points.
• Georgia Bulldogs vs. South Carolina Gamecocks: In the SEC Game of the Week, if you’re looking for an upset, this is not the game for it. Dawgs by 19.
• Mississippi State Bulldogs vs. Kansas State Wildcats: It’s a dog and cat fight but the Bulldogs wag their tails all the way home by 14.
• Wyoming Cowboys vs. Missouri Tigers: Those Cowboys are out of their field and cannot lasso the Tigers. Missouri by 21 plus.

Tie Breaker

• Texas Christian Horned Frogs vs. Southern Methodist Mustangs: It’s raining Horned Frogs all over Gerald Ford Stadium, TCU by 17.

Team/Coach to Watch

• Air Force Falcons vs. Florida Atlantic Owls: Really folks, the pros have the Owls by 12. Not sure what games they were watching this past weekend, but it’s the Falcons by 7.

See you next week!

Bill Everett is a member of the Military Order of the Purple Heart. He lives in Baker.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: College football, week two predictions – Gators up, Cowboys down

Having written this column for 16 years, I find that there has never been a time when the news and actions in Washington moved so fast. Trump is getting things done. Half the country says Trump is crazy and turning Washington on its ear. The other half of the country agrees but says that's what they like about the guy.

Here is a list of things that have happened in just a few weeks' time:

1.    After the Democrats suddenly became “free-traders” and yelped at Trump’s intent to renegotiate NAFTA, Canada and Mexico walked away. Then the Mexicans  came back to the table, realizing a simple economic fact: They sell way more to us than we buy from them. Then Trump got Canada back to the negotiating table after President Trudeau of the French heritage part of that nation engaged in  political theater and walked away. Trump lured him back by saying NAFTA had to be a three-way agreement; he knew the French would not miss a three-way.

Now Mexico is so mad it offered to pay for Trump’s impeachment.

Trump said Mexico and Canada were cheating on their deals and he wouldn't stand for it anymore. Apparently Melania got to him, and he’s a changed man.

When asked about the new Mexican trade deal, fresh-faced Democrat juggernaut and soon-to-be-Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of NY said, “You mean we sold New Mexico? What did we get for it?”

On Labor Day, AFL-CIO labor bosses sided with Canada over Trump on NAFTA. You know labor unions have become an extension of the Democrat party when they do something like that, and side with environmentalists against Trump on the jobs-creating infrastructure project Dakota Pipeline. When asked about that, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez asked, “Why does Dakota Fanning get to have her own pipeline if others can’t?”

2.    Trump sent Mike Pence to John McCain’s funeral. Senator McCain’s funeral extravaganza was on the same day as Aretha Franklin’s. Which one do you think started on time?

(Answer: They both did, you racist!)

3.    Our nation’s governmental bureaucracy just got around to deporting a known 95 -year-old Nazi prison guard who was living in New York. He was known to be here for decades, but the Feds are just now working through their files on this one. Democrats were outraged and got a California judge to go back to 1949 to overturn Harry Truman’s immigration policy. They are so proud of themselves they are the toast of every college professor cocktail party nationwide.

4.    Leftist protestors tried to shut down Chicago airports over the weekend, I think over ICE or something like National Anthem protests. No one ever knows. But no one from the Southside showed up since the White Sox played that night and it was Free Snub-nosed Revolver Night.

5.    Freedom Caucus leader Rep. Jim Jordan was slandered by Democrats for not doing more to stop a pedophile wrestling coach from abusing young boys decades ago. It was proven untrue, but not before the Archdiocese of Ohio offered the     coach his own parish.

6.   It was reported that Elizabeth “Pocahontas” Warren made $1 million last year. Imagine what she would have made were she not a “share the wealth” socialist. So the takeaway is that all minorities, even Native Americans, are doing better under Trump.

7.    After spending tens of millions of dollars, the Starr Investigation found us Monica’s stained blue dress. More tens of millions spent investigating Trump have unearthed no crimes, just Stormy Daniels and her seedy lawyer. Got it:powerful men are the lawful prey of opportunistic women (or vice-versa; it's hard to say). Trump talks like a lout. Bill Clinton, Anthony Weiner, Harvey Weinstein and John Kennedy were louts, and Hillary Clinton enabled them. This was costly     information that the National Enquirer or TMZ gave us for free.

8.    Socialist Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is supposed to be the next Bernie Sanders. If so, she is the worst sequel since World War II.

You should not get too near socialism in the same way you don’t want to be too close to the ape exhibit at the zoo. It was reported in the last few weeks that liberal/progressive/socialist San Francisco has had conventions cancelled because of all the homeless people there defecating in the streets. When asked to explain this failure of socialism, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez blamed Shinola.

Ron Hart is a libertarian op-ed humorist and award-winning author. Contact him at Ron@RonaldHart.com or @RonaldHart on Twitter.

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This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Trump is getting things done

During a recent newsroom discussion here at the Canton (Ohio) Repository about the Urban Meyer fiasco, our local news editor, Dave Sereno, remarked, "I don’t wanna know what you guys are doing."

It made everyone laugh because we understood what he meant.

Meyer, Ohio State’s head football coach, is in a mess of his own making because he has known for years former assistant coach Zach Smith was more trouble than he was worth, and yet kept him on.

Smith, whose estranged wife accused him of domestic violence incidents, is one for the books. Anyone else would have been drop-kicked years ago, but Meyer admits he had a blind spot for Smith because he is the grandson of Meyer’s mentor, the late Earle Bruce.

In other words, had Smith’s grandfather not been named Earle Brice, he’d be an equipment manager at some middle school and driving an Uber to make ends meet.

While coaching under Meyer at the University of Florida in 2009, Smith was arrested for drunken driving but didn’t tell Meyer. Now comes word that in 2014 he took some high school coaches to strip clubs in Florida because, what could happen?

It would be a violation of NCAA rules for Ohio State if it’s found Smith paid the coaches’ tabs.

Though Smith never has been criminally charged for domestic violence, Meyer was suspended for the first three games of the season for mishandling the accusations.

What is the limit?

In July, Meyer mumbled his way out of a reporter’s questions pertaining to a 2015 domestic violence allegation connected to Smith, and the independent investigative panel found he deleted texts pertaining to the issue from his work phone.

Instead of using his platform to make a clear and bold statement Ohio State will not tolerate abusers, Meyer at first offered a limp apology, clearly written by some committee. His second apology was resolutely better.

Of course, for people who hate Ohio State, a three-game suspension isn’t nearly enough.

But what is the limit of a boss’s responsibility for an employee?

As an assistant coach, Smith made a six-figure salary, which he’s now squandered because he wasn’t mature enough to handle his good fortune.

If you’ve ever wondered what privilege looks like up close, this is it.

But truth be told, we all enjoy privilege in some form. The question is, what are we doing with it?

Even with its numerous inequities and injustices — and there are many — the fact you live in America puts you ahead of the game in more ways than you can possibly understand.

People literally are killing themselves to get here, because they know how good we have it compared to so much of the world.

Food chain

It can’t be argued some of us have more privilege than others. For some folks, there seems to be no limit on screw-ups, flubs, do-overs and restarts. They careen through life with impunity and dare the rest of us to say something about it.

People who don’t want to admit they enjoy privilege like to pretend they did it all themselves, but the notion of the self-made man is a myth better suited for poetry and western movies.

Hard work can never be discounted, but none of us gets where we are without some help along the way.

That help, however small, is called privilege. Sometimes it means you were given a 10-yard head start by virtue of your race, or gender, or talent, or birthplace.

Sometimes, it just means you picked the right parents.

Now, you can argue you aren’t privileged, but your time would be better spent in being grateful that you are.

When it comes to privilege, Zach Smith was born near the top of the food chain. When someone like him blows a golden opportunity, it leaves a bitter aftertaste. 

Reach Charita M. Goshay at 330-580-8313 or charita.goshay@cantonrep.com. 

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: By any name, it’s still privilege

With the announcement of a sixth military branch called the Space Force, one wonders where this new branch will be headquartered and where the numerous daily operations will be located.

Will headquarters be located on the Space Coast at Cape Canaveral, or located at Johnson Space Center in Houston, or located on the Eglin facility? How exciting to finally see space exploration take flight.

With space being a universal domain and many countries desiring to "conquer" space, it makes sense to turn our attention to it.

Will space exploration be used for peaceful purposes or will it become weaponized? What type of testing is going on in space and how do we and other countries keep space debris from falling to earth? What will NASA's role be in this new military branch? These are all questions that need to be answered.

We don't need another space station rotating at approximately 254 miles from earth, so what are the goals? Will we see space flights from earth to a lunar space station available to daring explorers? Do we have the desire to explore space? With SpaceX, Blue Origin and the SpaceShip Company taking reservations for space flights, space exploration seems to be anticipated by many. One stated goal is to send astronauts back to the moon.

Not much is known about the Space Force. We do know that this new branch would absorb the duties of the Air Force's Space Command.

Presumably, some of the leadership from this division would be transferred to the new branch.

Sen. Bill Nelson is against this new branch, as he feels that space exploration and oversight belong to the Air Force. On the other hand, the House Armed Services Committee voted 60 to 1 to approve the Space Corps. This will mean the Air Force is no longer overseeing the domain of space.

The financial aspect should be taken into consideration as it will cost millions of dollars.

If there is a possibility that the main operations could be located on part of the Eglin facility, it would certainly help our local economy with many new jobs.

No matter where the facility is located, there should still be local contractors working on this project, which will stimulate our local economy. Hopefully, Crestview and the surrounding area will get many new jobs.

Janice Lynn Crose, a former accountant, lives in Crestview with her husband, Jim; her two rescue collies, Shane and Jasmine; and two cats, Kathryn and Prince Valiant.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Space exploration may increase local jobs

Do you ever have one of those weeks where things just go wrong? And it's frustrating, yet funny when you reflect back upon the circumstances?

We played musical smoke detectors this week. I stayed up late chatting online with a friend in Hawaii, then went to bed only to be awakened in 2 and 1/2 hours by blaring smoke detectors, on and off from one end of the house to the other. The animals were not fans of this loud noise.

I jumped up and determined there was no fire in the house. So I pulled out the 9-volt batteries and the step ladder. I thought the culprit was the detector outside the master bedroom, so I changed that battery and we all settled back to sleep.

Lo and behold, in 25 minutes — one was blaring again. This time I dragged the ladder into our bedroom and changed that battery and went back to bed. In less than half an hour, you guessed it, blaring from the smoke detectors.

All of the smoke detectors are connected as they are hard wired with a battery back-up, so when one goes off, they all go off, with a cacophony of sound. This time it sounded as though the detector across the house was the culprit, but that same one outside the bedroom door was also screeching. I had just changed all the batteries Jan. 1. How could they fail? Perhaps a bad battery?

Once again I dragged the ladder to the hallway outside the master bedroom and put in another battery. There was a blessed silence, however, I was no longer interested in going back to bed as I figured the silence wouldn't last.

Changing that battery worked.

The moral of this story is to make sure that your batteries are fresh when you change them to ensure your smoke detectors are in proper working order. I recommend changing smoke detector batteries every Jan. 1 as that is an easy date to remember.

As well as having working smoke detectors in your home, you also need to have at least one, if not two, working carbon monoxide detectors in your home. Stay safe Crestview!

Janice Lynn Crose, a former accountant, lives in Crestview with her husband, Jim; her two rescue collies, Shane and Jasmine; and two cats, Kathryn and Prince Valiant.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Smoke detectors make for a frustrating night

Corruption.

In every scandalous story, in every branch of the government, the one common theme is corruption.

People in power are being caught using their influence to shield themselves from the laws they either voted to pass or swore to uphold.

It seems like the dotted line of crimes, lies and cover ups are filling in every day and many of those lines lead directly back to President Donald Trump.

Recent proclamations from our Twitter Feed in Chief and his advisors try to encourage President Trump’s supporters — who he knew all along would still support him if he shot someone on 5th Avenue in New York City — not to give up their misplaced faith in one of the biggest cons in political history.

His supporters see the news reports and court actions but they are given plausible deniability with dodges like:

• "Alternative facts"
• "Facts evolve"
• "Truth isn’t truth."
• "What you are reading and seeing isn’t really happening."

And after his former campaign manager was found guilty on eight of 18 counts against him and his attorney pleaded guilty to campaign finance violations and implicated Trump himself in the crimes, the president tweeted, "Michael Cohen plead (sic) guilty to two counts of campaign finance violations that are not a crime."

Trump swore in front of cameras that he "did nothing wrong." He told a FOX News reporter who was granted access to the president for an interview on White House grounds that he knew about the payments "later on" and that they came from him personally.

He said he was glad they didn’t come from the campaign funds because that would have been "a little dicey."

A little dicey? It doesn’t matter whose funds you use to pay off marital infidelities with porn stars to influence elections, that’s more than a little dicey.

I know the FOX News apologists will try to show their viewers shiny things and talk about Barack Obama’s tan suit and Hillary Clinton’s emails while someone chants "lock her up" in the background. But there is no disputing the fact that more and more people from Trump’s inner circle are going to jail for what they did to get him elected and now his attorney has implicated the president directly.

This is the same man who has cheated on all three of his wives and bankrupted several companies. Yet, he has the full faith and trust of his supporters, many of whom consider themselves Christians.

All presidents lie, but none of them have ever done it with the intentional force that Trump has to distract people from other more serious controversies of the day.

That’s why I was shocked when listening to the Tony Perkins radio show this week when a woman called in and said she knew President Trump did a lot of things that were "questionable," but she "appreciates that he brings truth back into politics."

After I almost drove my pickup into a ditch, I tried to call 911 but they wouldn’t send anyone because they said irony was obviously already dead.

You want to throw Hillary Clinton in jail but all of the felonies Trump has been involved in personally are just "questionable." I hope this lady is on the jury if I ever get put on trial.

The first two members of Congress to endorse Trump’s campaign are both facing corruption charges. Michael Flynn, Paul Manafort and Michael Cohen have all pleaded guilty or been found guilty by a jury.

Yet, the Republican-controlled Congress still hasn’t forced Trump to show his tax returns so we can know that he isn’t compromised by one of America’s enemies. He is the first person to serve in the White House since Richard Nixon not to make his tax returns public. I doubt there is a three-year audit underway. Trump doesn’t want to show them and, truth be told, Republicans in Congress probably don’t want to pour more gasoline on the wildfire that appears to be consuming this administration.

Steve Schmidt isn’t blameless when it comes to the state of today’s Republican party. In fact, he was the member of the John McCain campaign that gets the most blame for bringing Sarah Palin onto that ticket — a person whose crazy antics and fake patronization of the religious right — opened the door for a candidate like Trump to be taken seriously.

Schmidt recently left the Republican party due to his disagreements with this administration and his frustration with senators and representatives who have compromised their morals and ethics to try to protect Trump. Schmidt said this week’s court action with Manafort and Cohen are proof that this administration is finally paying for its crimes.

"What it shows is a presidency in crisis, but also the absolute moral and character rot that meanders through American politics in this hour of our nation’s life," Schmidt said. "The bill is coming due for Trump with regard to his many years of lawlessness and arrogance."

It remains to be seen what the final chapter will be. No Republicans have stepped up to do anything about the Cohen charges or Trump’s literal admission that he paid off mistresses and lied about it.

I think voters are tired of this show. A Blue Wave in November would be a fast way to get the reality show that has taken over the White House canceled.

I go back and forth on whether I expect to see a Blue Wave on the horizon. But seeing Republicans staying sheepishly silent after these revelations could add to the momentum across the aisle.

Kent Bush is publisher of Shawnee (Oklahoma) News-Star and can be reached at kent.bush@news-star.com.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Republicans sheepishly silent after recent revelations

Southeastern Conference and the Atlantic Coast Conference College Football season kickoff is a little less than a month away.

Most college football sports writers hope a team other than the SEC or ACC will win it all.

There are two SEC teams who are not even near the top: Tennessee (4-8 last year), and Vanderbilt (5-7 last year). It's feared they will repeat last year’s performance, and it seems that all the good players out of the state of Tennessee have gone farther south or east to play football.

Most of the sport writers are looking at Notre Dame or Oklahoma to win the National College Playoff. I’ll call it as I did last year (and a lot of you said that can’t happen, nor would it happen): Alabama versus Georgia in 2017, and this year it's Alabama versus Clemson.

There were other things I said last year:

Watch the UCF Knights. They went undefeated and our governor signed a proclamation declaring the University of Central Florida the undisputed best team in the state of Florida – after beating Auburn (who beat Georgia and Alabama in regular season) in the Peach Bowl 34 to 27. This left Florida and Florida State at a standstill, plus was a big vote for the UCF team to be in the National Playoff.

Did you know that UCF broke every attendance record each week? And for their game with Memphis on Dec. 2, 2017, even Disney World attendance was down by 25 percent. People were at the game.

“Keep your eyes on this team.” The Florida Atlantic Owls are coached by Lane Kiffin. He spent one year as a Tennessee head coach, three years as USC head coach, four years as Alabama's offensive coach. He is now declaring his Owls a big contender.

Last year they were 11-3, but he now wants to have his team play any SEC team at home. This year they're opening with Oklahoma then Air Force. I’ll bet the Owls will win one of those games.

Here is what I think is going to happen in the SEC/ACC for 2018:

• Tennessee new coach Jeremy Pruitt can beat Florida at Knoxville. This could be a very messy game, but the Tennessee Vols win it by one point.
• Georgia again has a great year.
• Mississippi State becomes the upsetting college of the nation.
• Alabama again is in the playoffs with Georgia, Clemson and Miami.
• Alabama will face Clemson for the national championship.
• Florida State will play over its head, but lose the ones that count.
• Virginia Tech is still looking for that big game to turn things around; it's Notre Dame at home
• Just about everyone goes to a bowl game in the ACC. If you get the chance, take a good look at Clemson's schedules.

See you next week!

Bill Everett is a member of the Military Order of the Purple Heart. He lives in Baker.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Get ready for the college conference games

Back in the olden days, when adults wouldn’t have been caught dead going out on the town in a backward baseball cap or yoga pants, Aretha Franklin was one of the many legendary performers who played the Baby Grand, a nightclub here in Canton, Ohio.

Franklin was not the megastar she would become. My aunt and my late mother met her, recalling that she was gracious, even inviting them to her dressing room after her show.

Last week, 2018 continued cutting a swath, as Franklin died on the same date Elvis did. And, like Elvis, no matter where you go in the world, her voice is synonymous with America: Our youthfulness, our optimism and our swagger.

Because she sang for presidents, popes and kings, her story reminds us of the endless possibilities this country offers to talented people who have the drive. You didn’t even need to understand English to recognize her voice because no one else sounded like her. No one.

True treasure

Because we’re only 242 years old, America’s wealth is not found in ancient titles and crowns. It is in our ingenuity, our belief that we can always do better. It’s found in our brash willingness to try what no one else would dare.

Our identity, our true treasure, is found in our arts. Every performance by Aretha Franklin was a master class in blues, gospel, jazz and soul — genres that sprang from American soil.

She showed us how to use our voice and talent to support those quintessentially American principles of justice and equality. Her music was the soundtrack of an era filled with upheaval and hope. She risked her career through her public support of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. at a time when he was viewed as a problem, not a prophet.

She also was an ardent supporter of Angela Davis, a political activist and black communist who was tried and acquitted of a judge’s murder in the 1970s, and who still scares some people.

It was risky even then. Today, she would be boycotted, and flayed on talk radio.

Music is a mirror

Franklin’s music was more than a body of love songs; they were a clarion call for equality; to elevate and empower womanhood. Because music is a mirror of our culture, her demand for “respect” not only still resonates, but is still very much needed. While America has changed markedly since “Respect” enthralled the world in 1967 — after all, she performed at a black president’s inaugural — it’s clear some things have not.

Last week, a woman was publicly called “that dog” by the current president of the United States. In many cases, women still make less then men for the same type of work. The necessity of a #MeToo movement makes it abundantly clear respect is still wanting.

Yet, Franklin’s own life reminds of of how much can be overcome. A black, motherless child who became a teenage parent, she had three strikes going in, yet she embodied the persistent American dream that hard work, character, and talent are the only arbiters that should matter.

Still, she knew it wasn’t the case for people who listened to her music and supported her in places like the Baby Grand, long before the rest of America did.

It was for them she sang.

As much as we might be enthralled with its pomp and circumstance, we Americans have always chafed at the idea of royalty … with one exception: Long live the Queen. 

Reach Charita M. Goshay at 330-580-8313 or charita.goshay@cantonrep.com.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Aretha, the voice of America

Crestview is constantly growing with new housing developments as well as retail and eating establishments.

When we lived in Texas, we lived in a town almost exactly the size of Crestview. Marshall, Texas has an abundance of hotels/motels as it is right off Interstate 20, with some good restaurants and a Walmart. For needed household items, such as a new dryer, we had to drive to Shreveport, Louisiana.

Here in Crestview, we have lots of amenities for a town our size with most everything available. Of course, since we are human, we want more options available, myself included.

One thing that is desperately needed is relief from the traffic trying to get through town. I live at the north end of town and rarely venture to the south end because of the terrible traffic. We need real traffic solutions now, not in 10 more years.

When we moved here over 12 years ago, we were told traffic solutions were on their way. We are still waiting.

Fortunately, new restaurants and shopping are being built in both ends of town. In the Northcrest shopping center, there are new retail businesses alongside Publix. Wendy's in the same center seems to do a very brisk business.

In the south end of town, Popeye's Chicken is waiting for final permits from the Department of Transportation in order to open for business. In the middle of Crestview, in the Bent Creek shopping center, Pepper's Mexican Grill was set to open in August, but they are waiting for city permits and estimate a September opening.

They have pictures of their progress on their Facebook page and will announce their opening on Facebook. If Pepper's food is as delicious as it is at their Shalimar location, this place will be packed.

Have you eaten at the new Chick-fil-A? I haven't had the chance, as every time I drive by the place is packed. I drove by this evening and both drive through lanes were jammed. So was the lobby, which is great for business. That is also good news for residents as more businesses will want to move to Crestview.

We now have several new fast food and sit down restaurants from which to choose. Let's continue to support businesses in Crestview so we keep adding new choices, but let's not forget our favorites.

Now if we could just get a Longhorn Steakhouse!

Janice Lynn Crose, a former accountant, lives in Crestview with her husband, Jim; her two rescue collies, Shane and Jasmine; and two cats, Kathryn and Prince Valiant.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview growth includes new restaurants

Earlier this summer, the Trump administration broke a promise regarding a path to citizenship for thousands of foreign-born men and women who have committed their lives to serving and protecting us through the military.

The administration said the decision to discharge some foreign-born, active-duty military personnel was a matter of national security because their personal information could not be confirmed easily.

Immigrants have been recruited to serve in America’s military since 1775, because they are needed. According to a Heritage Foundation report published in February, three-fourths of Americans age 17 to 24 are ineligible to serve due to problems ranging from obesity to having a criminal record to being under-educated to being unable to pass a drug test.

As a result, the Pentagon is unlikely to reach its recruitment goal of 80,000 for 2018.

In the midst of ordering these discharges, the commander in chief, a beneficiary of five draft deferments, also found time to antagonize Americans who could have dodged their obligation but who didn’t.

It takes a special, immeasurable kind of gall to punish people who want to serve while also disparaging those who did.

American heroism

At the outbreak of World War II, 20-year-old George H.W. Bush postponed college to join the Navy, where he became one of the youngest fighter pilots to serve.

On Sept. 2, 1944, the Japanese shot down Bush’s plane. He was the only one of nine Navy airmen who avoided capture. The others not only were beheaded, but parts of their bodies were eaten.

During his presidential inaugural address 45 years later, Bush described his ideal America as a place of "1,000 points of light," a country in which citizens and organizations engage in volunteerism and community service, which he described as "duty, sacrifice, commitment and a patriotism that finds its expression in taking part and pitching in."

Yet, this phrase recently was made fun of by the current president, a person who had no record of public service until 2016, and who also uses Sen. John McCain’s name to gin up boos from people who are demanding more civility.

McCain, a Navy pilot like Bush, was shot down in Vietnam, where he suffered five years of disfigurement and torture as a prisoner of war.

Some of the same people who once lauded McCain for his service now contend he was no American hero. Neither, they say, is former Marine Capt. Robert Mueller III, who earned a Bronze Star with Valor, a Purple Heart, two Navy Commendation Medals and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry before he went on to serve as director of the FBI.

How did we get to this place, where serving one’s country becomes a means by which to be insulted?

How did we come to be this particular America?

Then there’s Charlottesville

We recently passed the one-year anniversary of Charlottesville, no longer just a city, but a byword for the kind of bare-fanged hatred that no longer feels the need to stay cloaked.

The shameful spectacle of torch-wielding neo-Nazis and other various and sundry terrorists openly marching through an American city reminds us there are all kinds of light.

Light enlightens us. It also exposes us.

It can illuminate and heal, but also burn and destroy.

It can show us the path on which we will find honor and character or it can blind us to the truth.

Because America is one of the few flickering points of light in the world, if we are not vigilant, if we lose sight of that light, if we forget what happens when people give up even a crumb of freedom to sate the monsters of despotism, we’ll soon find ourselves staggering in darkness.

Which shall we choose?

Reach Charita M. Goshay at 330-580-8313 or charita.goshay@cantonrep.com.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Time to choose your source of light