November 29, 2007 05:16 pm
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Don’t ignore ‘SAD’ signs of depression
As we begin to experience, and enter, the winter season, many fellow Hoosiers will begin to experience what is called “seasonal affective disorder,” or SAD. It’s seasonal depression experienced when levels of serotonin dip due to a lack of sunlight.
Depression this time of year, as we approach Christmas, can be severe enough. If you add SAD to the mix, it can be devastating.
If you find yourself losing interest in things you normally love, sleeping more often, and isolating yourself more often, and self-medicating, you may have these conditions.
The best recommendation I can share is to seek the help of a well-trained professional. He or she will help you with coping tools and/or prescribed medications that do help.
Don’t take depression lightly. It can be totally devastating and lethal. I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas.
Albert Worth
Kokomo
Jury duty cannot be taken lightly
A few weeks ago, a trial was conducted in Howard Circuit Court in which a 47-year-old man was charged with the sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl.
Evidence was presented by the prosecution (that was not disputed by the defense), proving the man did in fact have multiple sexual encounters with this child over the course of a night, including testimony by the child.
The prosecution also displayed that the defendant was in fact aware of the age of the child at the time of the crime. In the end, the jury concluded that the man was not guilty of sexually assaulting this child.
One of the jurors told a police detective that they felt the child was “too experienced,” which should have had no bearing on their decision of guilt or innocence.
I have always believed in and defended our criminal justice system, even when I have felt like a victim of it as a law enforcement officer. I have never spoken out over the outcome of a trial before, but in this case, I feel that it’s necessary for our community to know that this jury did not take their responsibility seriously.
Being selected as a juror is a duty that cannot be taken lightly. It is a responsibility that few look forward to, but must be taken seriously by all who are called upon to serve.
As a citizen and a law enforcement officer, I am, at the very least, disappointed that this took place in the community I serve and where my family lives. We deserve better.
Maj. Don Whitehead
Kokomo Police
Eventually, America’s debts will come due
We are, by present accounts, the richest nation on earth, yet we are by the same accounts in debt to the sum of an unimaginable $9 trillion.
This debt is due largely to our inability or refusal to pay for the services or things we wish to accomplish. Taxes to the average American are a sort of dirty word. We cringe from them, always have, always will.
Our ancestors, in their refusal to pay the English tax on tea, entered us into the Revolution, which eventually led to our freedom.
Our representatives, knowing our feelings concerning taxes and knowing they need our votes to continue their present positions, cater to our desires and let us continue in this present impracticable situation by, instead of insisting that we pay our debts as they come due, borrow from whomever is willing to lend us the money.
Surely we must realize that this money will eventually have to be repaid and that while we are using it, we are paying interest on it. The interest we are paying is a drain on our resources and only benefits the countries who are receiving it.
When we have calamities, storms in Florida, floods in Louisiana, fires in California, the first thing that comes to mind is, what is the government going to do about it? We don’t seem to realize that these extra services are resulting in new bureaus, and these new offices require technology and people to operate them.
This kind of thinking can only result in larger and more unmanageable government. How long has it been since we have heard mention of a balanced budget?
Harold Droll
Kokomo
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