Penalty shots: Show your Randolph County pride

The last few weeks have proved that our country is still in a bitter divide over racial, social and cultural issues.

Statues are coming down, torches are going up and urban disturbances are on the rise.

As Confederate monuments are removed and trucked under the cover of darkness to various locales, it sours the memory of our heritage.

Should we remove our statues of Popeye because they are offensive to sailors? Should we cover the monuments to our war heroes out of sensitivity to the victims?

This is the age when America is offended by everything.

Let's get things straight, I am not a supporter of and do not condone hate groups. With the exception of Native Americans, at some point in history we were all immigrants.

But in a sense, what is happening across our nation borders on ridiculousness. Perhaps the high-water mark came when ESPN announced Aug. 23 it was removing Asian announcer Robert Lee from announcing the University of Virginia's home football opener due to his name.

We, as a human society, are getting it wrong on the national level. But we can get it right on the local level.

Randolph County is saturated with rich, cultural heritage. The variety of festivals and celebrations throughout the year is proof of this.

Saturday's kickoff to the state's bicentennial celebration should remind us of the importance of maintaining our integrity and our traditions.

I've stated before in this space that we have good people in this county and the positive compliments we have received from the eclipse tourists are something to build on in the future.

Pretty much every day, I peruse the national headlines and see a lot of what's going wrong with our country. The failures of leadership, the breakdowns of social services and the people who just don't care enough to make a difference.

Some day, hopefully, we'll get it right on the national level, but I've always been a firm believer of "control what you can control" and our corner of the world could be an example for others to follow.

Be the change you wish to see in the world. If enough people believe in that, they will change the world.