Dear Editor,

On April 16, 2016, Choctawhatchee Electric Cooperative held its 75th Annual Meeting at the co-op’s operations center near DeFuniak Springs, Florida. Upon the marking of this important milestone, and on behalf of our board of trustees and staff, I thank our members for their many decades of trust and support, which has led to our success.

The CHELCO story unfolded in remarkable ways, filled with the kind of can-do optimism that characterizes electric cooperatives across the nation. Throughout all of the ups and downs of the past 75 years, CHELCO has stood ready, willing and able to provide the electricity and related services that our members need to power their homes and businesses.

We are proud of the past 75 years and want to share the CHELCO story with our membership. To this end, we will be releasing a written history this summer. Copies will be made available at all six area offices, in addition to an electronic version on our website, www.chelco.com.

Be sure to look out for more information on the booklet’s availability in our monthly CHELCO News, electronic newsletter and social media. Until then, be sure to check out the 75th anniversary video online at www.chelco.com.

Since our incorporation in August 1940, the seven cooperative principles — Open and Voluntary Membership; Democratic Member Control; Members’ Economic Participation; Autonomy and Independence; Education, Training and Information; Cooperation Among Cooperatives; and Concern for Community — have guided our way and forged our business culture. Even in the most difficult times, we have stayed true to our mission — providing safe, reliable and affordable power to our members.

CHELCO’s organizers built a strong foundation from which we continue to derive strength today. As a cooperative enterprise, we are called to a higher purpose than other businesses. We have a “members first” philosophy that revolves around standards of accountability, ethics, integrity and good governance.

In looking ahead to the next 75 years, staying true to our founders’ vision of “seeking first to serve our members” will be our inspiration. We will achieve this goal through hard work, dedication to co-op principles and the assistance of our electric cooperative partners.

I hope you not only enjoy our story, but learn something new about the organization that has been powering Walton and Okaloosa counties for three-quarters of a century.

What's your view? Write a letter to the editor or tweet us.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: LETTER: Powered by our members for 75 years & counting

I support Curt Schilling… Like it or not, what he said is a personal decision. But it is completely in his right to express it.

We are entering a very dangerous time in US history. Conflicting opinions are being met with such fierce opposition and censorship that a common and respectful dialogue can't even get out of the gate.

When a free person expresses an opinion about a very unusual and extremely controversial topic — such as which bathroom a self-declared transgender person wants to use — and is then ridiculed, condemned and ultimately fired from ESPN for expressing said opinion, then the decline of the First Amendment and subsequent decline in our freedoms has begun.

God help our great country as the fighters of political correctness seek her demise.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: LETTER: ESPN analyst has freedom of speech, Crestview man says

Dear editor,

Again we are hearing from the illogical liberal left Democrats regarding a $15 per hour minimum wage.

Consider this: a small business having four employees, with one being a new hire, at $8 per hour; one being with the business for two years makes $10 per hour; the third has been there seven years and makes $12 per hour; and the manager makes $15 per hour.

With a federally mandated minimum wage of $15 per hour, each now makes that minimum wage. Now, the business is spending an extra $15 per hour — $120 a day, and about $840 a week; $3,360 a month, $40,320 a year — which either comes out of the business owner's pocket or prices of the business' products must also increase by at least the same percentage of about 50 percent. 

Also, the fact that many union contracts are tied to the minimum wage, if it goes up, their contracted wages go up — no matter how much money they are already being paid.

And you wonder why we, as a nation, can no longer compete with other country's lower cost of labor.

Also, did you notice that the business now has four minimum wage earners, and the least deserving, new hire, is the most rewarded?

And you wonder what is happening to the ever-diminishing middle class!

Liberal government of Democrats, and even Republican-controlled government only know how to drive up inflation. Never once has anyone in either group, or those liberally educated economists, shown a plan on how to deflate the cost of living by lowering wages across the board, along with a lower cost of living, allowing our country to again compete in a worldwide free-enterprise market.

That is because the first step in this process is lowering the cost of government (federal, state and local), which every small business supports with its paid taxes!

That is why, at one point, employees in government were referred to as servants of government or of "We the People.” Today, these same jobs are the highest-paying jobs within our job markets, and yet no one can figure this out!

Why do you think the Washington D.C. area is booming with the richest white-collar counties in America, and your vote will not change what is happening! It might slow this process down or speed it up, but won't fix it!

I will leave you with an Albert Einstein quote that illustrates what I just said: "The significant problems we have cannot be solved at the same level of thinking with which we created them.”

What's your view? Write a letter to the editor or tweet us.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: LETTER: Lowering wages would help the U.S. economy

Dear editor,

The impact that meat consumption has on the environment is astounding. Did you know that just one family of four can make a difference? If the family of four decided to use ‘Meatless Mondays’ as part of their weekly meal planning, that could be equated to removing a car from the road for three months.

That is significant!

About 30 percent of Earth’s land surface and one-third of the entire planet’s fresh-water supply are used to raise cattle, pigs and chicken for human consumption.

For example, in the United States, it takes approximately 2,000 gallons of water to produce one pound of beef in comparison to 26 gallons of water to grow 1 pound of tomatoes!

Not only can meatless meals help the environment, but they offer many health benefits as well. Animals are mass-produced at higher rates than ever before and, with that, they include added hormones and antibiotics to keep the animals healthy enough for us to eat.

The best option is to purchase free-range and grass-fed meat, but most important, support local farms by buying from local farmers markets.

Not only that, eating authentic organic produce also reduces the amount of chemicals that would otherwise be consumed.

All of these options are a win-win situation for the environment, and for the good of our health.

What's your view? Write a letter to the editor or tweet us.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: LETTER: Family dinner idea — Meatless Mondays, anyone?

Yesterday I was watching the Daytona 500 from my home. (I would have gone but I spent all my money on the Florida Lottery Tickets last week.)

Great race, but saw car No. 38 is sponsored by the Florida Lottery Fund. Now how could that be? I was under the impression that the lottery money — part went to the winner and part went to the Florida Schools, but to be sure I look it up on the FloridaLottery.com and found the following:

●65 percent used for prizes

●26.8 percent Transferred to Education(that's not very much)

●5.5 percent paid to Retailers

●1.4 percent goes to Vendors

●1.3 percent used for Operating Expenses

Total: 100 percent

So I am assuming that I am now a stockholder in sponsoring NASCAR Front Row Motorsports Car No. 38.

That was really not what I had in mind about how my money was to be spent, but seeing how I'm a stockholder now, do I collect my winnings if No. 38 wins any races?

And if they do not win but come in at third, do I get $5 or a free ticket? (By the way, No. 38 came in at 11th in the Daytona 500.)

So little Johnny and Sally, if you're wondering where your school supplies went this morning, it's because we had to buy a few sets of tires for No. 38's next race.

What's your view? Write a letter to the editor or tweet us.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: LETTER: Do Florida Lottery ticket holders know they're supporting this?

Dear editor,

On Veterans Day, in the papers and on TV, we saw vets getting thanked for their service.

Just one veteran from Crestview was told to get out of town.

William "Uncle Bill" Lundy was the last surviving Florida veteran of the Confederate War. There once was a nice memorial on Highway 85, with the best-known battle flag of the Confederate States proudly flying over it.

Sadly, the NAACP made it their mission to get rid of all Confederate memorials in an attempt to erase and re-write history. They joined atheists in their war on prayer and Christian symbols.

The August meeting at the George Whitehurst building, which was paid for by Crestview taxpayers, was a farce.

We were treated rudely; people standing in the back with their Confederate flags were told to remove them from the building.

No one in the audience was allowed to speak, with threats to be escorted out of the building by a cop if they did.

Those who had asked to speak (before the meeting) were treated rudely, except the very few who wanted the monument moved. They were welcomed warmly by City Councilmen Bill Cox and Shannon (Hayes).

On Nov. 7, we attended the new Lundy Memorial dedication in Auburn; it was very sad for the family.

The NAACP may have won the battle, but we shall fight on.

I have lived in Crestview 69 years. I know a lot about war.

My husband crawled across Africa, Sicily and Europe with a machine gun on his shoulder. He was a survivor of D-Day. Our son served a year in Vietnam — the longest year of my life! — and I lost a brother-in-law in WW2.

I fly a Confederate flag in my yard. I'd like to see more flags flying, and a fund to put the largest flag that's made to go in the Lundy Memorial Gardens.

I hope true Southern people will rally together come Election Day and vote these lily-livered traitors out of office.

We need to replace the entire city council, mayor and city attorney with local people — preferably born here.

Thank you for your service, Uncle Bill Lundy.

What's your view? Write a letter to the editor or tweet us.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: LETTER: No 'thank you' for this veteran: Bill Lundy

Crestview City Council Members:

My name is Kevin Bishop. On August 6 2015, I attended the special meeting regarding the Confederate Battle Flag that is currently flown over the William Lundy memorial in Crestview. I have lived in Crestview for nine years. I also work two jobs, volunteer, shop, dine, and worship in the Crestview area. I was unable to stay for the entire meeting because I had to leave for work. However while I was at the meeting I witnessed some very disturbing actions by the council.

First of all, guests were asked to fill out comment cards if they would like to speak during the meeting. On the back of the comment cards were instructions. The last of the four instructions read: “All presentations shall be limited to three minutes unless further time is granted by the council president. Large groups may have one (1) speaker with a time limit of up to 10 (ten) minutes.” For some people this rule was followed precisely. For other people/groups this rule was simply ignored. The NAACP made two ten minute presentations in the time I was in attendance and several of their group spoke for three minutes on top of the 20 minutes they were allowed to speak. I ask why the unfair practices by the council?

Another disturbing thing that I witnessed was at one point a few moments after the start of the meeting, Councilman Hayes asked for anyone in the room to remove any confederate flags from the room. Why I ask? Even the citizens whom spoke in favor of removing the flag from the memorial stated that anyone had the right to own and fly a flag on their own property and they would never be asked to remove them. So why would the council make someone remove it from their own hands in the meeting. Did it offend someone? It is our right to keep and fly our flags. If offending someone is all it takes to remove our rights then why didn’t anyone ask the NAACP members to take their NAACP logos out of the room because racism offends me? And yes by definition the NAACP is pure racism. NAACP stands for National Association for Advancement of Colored People. I support equal rights for everyone but I will never support special right for any group. If this group only helps “colored people” then they obviously discriminate against all other races. On August 28 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. made a speech known by most today as the “I Have A Dream Speech.” Dr. King’s speech was about civil rights and EQUAL rights for all people regardless of the color of their skin. Dr. King would be embarrassed today of the goals of white suppression of the NAACP. If the group did not promote racism it would be the NAAAP (National Association for Advancement of American People). So, in my opinion, if anything should be removed, it would be the logo that depicts racism at its core.

The next thing that I notice that disturbed me about the meeting is that from even before the start of the meeting, Councilmen Bill Cox and Shannon Hayes’ body language showed that they had already made their mind up that they wanted the flag removed from the memorial. The bias was shown beyond body language. At the end of any person or groups presentation supporting removal of the flag, Councilman Hayes thanked the person or group for their time and input. At the end of most of the presentations from people or groups supporting keeping of the flag, Councilman Hayes didn’t thank them at all but rather made comments like “And next we have…” or “moving on..” or anything but thank you. The job of the council is to represent the people’s best interest not their own interest. If any member of the council cannot make an unbiased decision based upon the law and the wants of the majority of the citizens, then that councilman need to either remove themselves or be removed from the council.

I am not going to give a history lesson on the origin of the flag, the purpose of the Civil War, origins of slavery, or why it is asinine to relate the flag to racism. I am going to say that William Lundy and all other confederate war hero’s deserve the respect of flying their battle flag over their war memorial in the city of Crestview. I am not asking you to fly the KKK flag or the Black Panther flag or the NAACP flag or even the American flag as these brave men did not fight under or for these flags. These men’s battle flag needs to fly in memory of these men and the heritage of this community. After all it is their memorial!

Kevin Bishop has lived in Crestview for nine years. He also works two jobs, volunteers, shops, dines and worships here.

What's your view? Write a letter to the editor or tweet @cnbeditor.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Here's why the Confederate flag should fly at Crestview memorial

Dear editor,

Thomas, clearly both you and the cartoon missed the point.

Center for Medical Progress critics, including presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, along with Democratic senators who voted against the bill to defund Planned Parenthood, all realize that conversations regarding the selling of body parts were nothing more than advanced marketing research.

Clearly the Democratic Party leadership will stop all efforts to defund PP. With no moral objection to a "woman's control of her body" — to include selling the fetus body parts — the next step will be to help women monetize the value of their unborn fetuses. 

Based on a range from 18 to 22 months, a woman can use control of her body to produce at least two fetuses per year for the market.

This will allow PP to develop a breeding program that will ensure a steady flow of fetuses for harvesting.  

Imagine the benefits of a breeding program where PP is able to ensure a fetus' healthy development to include, but not limited to, the selection of the sperm donor. 

Clearly, this is a program whose time has come.

And, the good news for the American taxpayer is that by continuing to fund PP we are helping. 

PP's continuing control will help transfer the wealth of those most able to afford market price for body parts to those most willing to produce harvestable fetuses. And, it will confirm for PP that their original thinking — that America lacks a moral compass — is correct.

What's your view? Write a letter to the editor or tweet us.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: LETTER: Soon, women can profit from their fetuses

Dear editor,

In reference to the Holocaust, Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, “Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act.”

The silence today in America is deafening.

Despite the release of hours of video and transcripts documenting the callous, methodical bartering of human body parts from abortions over drinks, one is hard pressed to find scant mention outside of social media circles.

Despite (Planned Parenthood's) managers and directors detailing how pregnancies are chosen to fill orders, procedures dictated to preserve desired samples — nothing.

Presented with laughing technicians parsing through hands, hearts and entire bodies, there is no outcry.

C.S. Lewis once said, “the greatest evil is not now done…in concentration camps and labor camps … But it is conceived and ordered (moved, seconded, carried and minuted) in clean, carpeted, warmed and well-lighted offices, by quiet [wo]men with white collars and cut fingernails and smooth-shaven cheeks who do not need to raise their voices. Hence, naturally enough, my symbol for Hell is something like … the office of a thoroughly nasty business concern."

How prophetic he was.

The Nazi Adolf Eichmann said he would "leap laughing into the grave because the feeling that he had five million people on his conscience would be for him a source of extraordinary satisfaction."

I wonder if you “Little Eichmanns” are just as satisfied, as you have far surpassed him and get rewarded and praised while other voices are discounted — or worse, ignored all together.

Bonhoeffer also noted “the ultimate test of a moral society is the kind of world that it leaves to its children” or at least the ones it does not kill and parse out to the highest bidders.

Will we even show up for the exam?

What's your view? Write a letter to the editor or tweet us.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: LETTER: Silence about Planned Parenthood is deafening

Dear editor,

There is an effort to stop the invocation at Okaloosa County School Board meetings.

There will be a 5:30 p.m. prayer vigil Monday, Aug. 10 at the Okaloosa County School District office. The address is 120 Lowery Place in Fort Walton Beach, just off Eglin Parkway, before you get to Highway 98.

At 6 p.m., we will attend the school board meeting and, even though it is not on the agenda, we will seek redress in section 4 of the agenda and address the board concerning efforts to stop the board meeting invocation.

There must be unity in the Christian community; we must come together to protect religious freedom. Freedom for other religions does not mean that we must forfeit our rights.

Pastors, please announce this in your services.

In addition, please email or call the school board members; let them know where you stand on the issue. Go to http://www.okaloosaschools.com/district/school-board-members for email addresses.

Please create a spreadsheet for a petition with a simple statement like, "We want the invocation to remain part of the Okaloosa County School District school board meeting commencement."

Then have blocks for (supporters') names, addresses and signatures. Signers need to be Okaloosa County residents.

What's your view? Write a letter to the editor or tweet us.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: LETTER: Support prayer at Okaloosa school board meetings