Honor anniversary of Clara Barton’s 200th year by continuing the good work she began

Clara’s 200th

“You must never think of anything except the need and how to meet it.”

These words from American Red Cross founder Clara Barton — whose 200th birthday anniversary we marked in December — continue to serve as a guiding light for today’s Red Cross volunteers, donors, and partners, who exemplify her compassion and devotion to helping others.

That’s where our Red Cross community – or people like you – step in to provide help and hope.

This year, the Eastern Chapter of the Red Cross of South Carolina responded to nearly 300 disasters in the region, assisting 1,000 people by distributing more than $212,000 in direct financial assistance following local disasters.

This continues to be a time to take care of each other, and what better time to honor Clara’s lifesaving legacy than when we celebrate her 200th birthday?

Visit redcross.org to learn more about how you can make a difference.

Michael Hesbach, Myrtle Beach

What really divides us?

In the past, you could tell who was anti-establishment. People railed against the government to protest the war in Vietnam.

As far as we knew campaign finance, Political Action Committees, Super PACs and the quid pro quo power of lobbyists didn’t factor into the equation. We didn’t know about corporations stockpiling profits offshore.

The majority of people were unaware that think tanks like The Heritage Foundation, Brookings Institute and thousands of others serve to orchestrate social policy and political strategy.

Now it’s a very different game. Does being anti-establishment mean we don’t think the government is doing right by its citizens?

That we need stricter regulations over corporate taxes, campaign finance, protecting the environment, limiting and labeling food ingredients, oversight of worker conditions, and aspects that impact our every day life?

Or does it mean we’re so against the government having any control over the welfare of its citizens, personal liberty and protection of individual rights to the end of absolute corporate control at the citizens’ and nation’s expense?

Did we get to this dubious line in the sand by happenstance or could it have been deliberately constructed to further divide us?

Beverly Rubin-Watrous, Myrtle Beach

Too close for comfort

I have lived in my home for 20 years. This is the first time this year that we are having multiple commercial airlines and some small aircraft flying over our homes daily.

What shocked me the most were the three commercial airlines that were flying so low over our homes that I could not believe my eyes.

I have a close friend who now lives in Virginia who has flown in and out of the Grand Strand many times to visit family and all of his flights were over the ocean.

I have called and spoken with the airport director twice about what I have seen. I also sent him a letter and did not get a response, but what can he say?

I also sent an email recently to the FAA. No response yet.

Sarah Stephens, Murrells Inlet

Keep it clean

I have noticed that, more and more, the Opinion page cartoons in The State contain profanity, e.g., the Dec. 19 edition.

I believe this to be very inappropriate. It isn’t necessary, and it could very well lead others, especially young people, to think that using profanity is “cool” if the newspapers promote it.

Let’s do our part to clean up society, not dirty it.

Samuel J Grant Jr., Darlington