October 11, 2019 Issue, Page 4 of 12

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Page 4 The Elk City News, Elk City, Oklahoma Friday, October 11, 2019 Hidden pain - hunger Opinion Page “ElkCituNews Serving Western Oklahoma since 1901 Glynda Lomax is a Chris- only one slice, there wasn’t money to buy food? How tian author and podcaster enough for them each to many times do you think Chess mavens should who resides in the Ozark Mountains of Northern Ar- have two. Each day, the hun- ger in their stomachs grew you walked past a woman or child with fresh bruises more painful and their des- check out new club kansas with her two very bossy dogs. She wrote her hidden beneath their cloth- peration increased. Only the ing? How many times today first About Life.column in new baby had enough to eat. did you pass someone with a 2003 for a newspaper in To add to the misery, there smile on their face that hid a Dallas. She is planning her was abuse in the home as broken heart? Did you look next book, well. The woman hid bruises close enough at them to see beneath her clothing so oth- their pain if it was there or “We cannot live only for ers would not know that her did you look down and hurry ourselves. A thousandfibers young husband often lashed past, hoping to save the time connect us with our fellow out at her in his own frustra- it takes to interact with an- men.” ~ Herman Melville tion. other? help them to hang on one One evening after a week We live in a desperate more day, it may help them During the deep freeze of with almost no food at all, time, problems are all around to see the world is not made a northern winter in the mid the couple visited with their us and we can add to the up of only cold people, that 70s, a young couple lived friends. The other woman problem or we can become there are loving people too. with their new baby in a looked at her and saw the part of the solution, no mat- Something so small to you small suburban tract house. sadness in her eyes, but ter how small our part may may be someone else’s sav- A little over a dozen people appeared for the Times were hard and he had asked no questions. She had be. Who are we if we do not ing grace. The offer of food first Chess Club at the Library gathering. not been able to find work. problems of her own and didcare enough to even inquire or assistance of just a kind To add to their misery, they not want to know what was about another’s pain or sor- pat on the back can make so The club meets Fridays in October. Submitted had lost their only vehicle wrong. The girl sat on the row? What does it say of us much difference to someone photo. and barely had any food. dirty couch and on the clut- if we are so callous we can By Don Munsch, Editor They were even doing their think only of our own prob- who tered coffee table before her, feels alone and afraid. Tomorrow, as you go I got introduced to chess four decades ago. laundry in the bathtub to she saw a cupcake one of the lems, our own situation? about your business, do A neighbor down the street who was my age asked me save money. small children had left half What kind of humans will Just down the street there eaten. Though it was coy- we be if we begin to think yourself a favor - look for to play chess, and I got hooked on the game. New to the lived another young couple ered in drool, after days of only of ourselves? What the need around you. Make neighborhood, I made a friend and found a game to enjoy. the suffering of others your We were in the fourth grade then, and it was just before with four children. They hunger, the girl desperately kind of communities will we were receiving government wanted to ask for it, but she live in if we have no chari- business, too. Look for the the video game craze swept the country. Space Invaders, hidden pain and hunger and Asteroids and Pac-Man soon began to pop up in conve- assistance and struggled ev- didn’t. She sat the duration ties, no churches, no friends, ery month to pay all the bills. of the visit within reach of no helpful neighbors, no dare to get involved. Those nience stores, and then video arcades and home video game who are unwilling to involve systems — remember Atari? — became all the rage. The couples visited with the food without saying a kind strangers on the street? each other often and were word, wishing desperately Everyone would walk about, themselves in the pain and Some years later, I worked in a video game arcade. But the video game craze never took of hold me the way generally each other’s only their friends could know of seeing to their own needs, struggles of others rarely it did my friend. I occasionally played video games, and social outlet. their plight and help, but she uncaring of the plights of help anyone but themselves. working at the arcade was just a job in my college days and As the winter deepened, knew her husband was too those around them. Those who do receive an- money ran out for the cou- proud. No one noticed the How close are we to liv- other blessing as well — it’s during a break from college. Truth be told, I liked sports hard to think about your own better and if given the choice, I would rather play a board ple with the baby, and their look in her eyes and they left ing in a world like that right game over a video game. Like chess. small food supply dwindled with hunger pangs deepen- now? problems when your atten- The Elk City Carnegie Library has introduced Chess away. Finally, with two feet ing and walked through the Many go to homes in the tion is on someone else’s. As Club at the Library, being held from 4:30-6 p.m. Fridays in of snow on the ground, they falling snow to their home evening where no kind- Duguet said, “The smallest the month of October. Players must bring their own chess were down to several slices in silence that night. It was ness or love is shown and good deed is better than the sets and boards, librarian DeAun Ivester said. of bread and some condi- days later before they finally even a smile from a stranger grandest good intention.” Chess Club is open to young and old and is free. New ments. Day after day they had more food. can mean a great deal. Just players are welcome to join. tried to survive on bread with How many times this week a smile may help another “You cannot plow a field “We’ ve got everything from experienced players to be- a smear of condiment on it. did you walk past someone to see there is hope some- by turning it over in your ginners, so that they’re able to learn how to play,” Ivester Some days they would eat who was hungry or had no where in the world, it may mind.” ~ Author Unknown said. Ivester said a patron approached library staff and sug- gested the club. The library is just doing it for October to see whether it takes off. FCC can help with prison cellphone problem “And then we'll see if they want to continue to do it a couple of times a month or something,” she said. The Oklahoman, Okla- 2016, the agency said. Stitt wants the two sec- wouldn’t affect prison staff, The first meeting drew 13 people, and Ivester was pleased homa City The DOC director at the retaries and the DOC boss Gov. Kevin Stitt is look- time used those totals to to pursue all possible tech because they use radios to to see the turnout. Changing the subject to books: The Elk City Public ing for ways to crack down underscore the need for the solutions, “including geo- communicate. Schools board approved the English Language Arts Read- on the use of contraband government to allow the use location systems, cellphone ing List at its meeting Monday. cellphones in Oklahoma’s of signal-jamming technolo- jammers, micro cellphone Only federal agencies can Looking at the list, people should recall classic books prisons. gy in certain parts of prison. jammers, controlled access obtain authorization to jam that were on an elementary, middle school and high school It’s a worthwhile pursuit, It’s a call that’s been made systems and hybrid systems reading list from their schools. There’s a reason they call although the most effective for years from corrections ..” He called it “a technol- public airwaves -- state and them the classics — universal themes and ideas never get tool may rest with the fed- directors nationwide. ogy issue that must be an- local prisons cannot. In a stale. eral government. In Oklahoma, gangs have swered with a technology S.E. Hinton’s “The Outsiders” appears on the seventh Following a string of used the phones to carry out solution.” story last week about the grade list, as does Mark Twain’s “Tom Sawyer.” No one gang-related fights at six kidnappings, murders, as- The officials also are to jamming tests in South Car- doubts their status as classics, as they have stood the test of prisons during a recent saults, drug buys and money look at how the federal pris- time. But then there’s “The Hunger Games” from Suzanne weekend, Stitt has issued an laundering, officials say. In on system deals with illegal olina, The Associated Press Collins. Will that book — or the trilogy of books in that executive order for the sec- the latest case, they were cellphones. said the Federal Communi- series — have staying power? Does a book have to be more retaries of public safety and used to coordinate the fights In April, the Department than just a New York Times best seller to become part of a digital transformation and that left one prisoner dead of Justice for the first time cations Communication has classic collection? Who decides which books become clas- the acting head of the Cor- and led to a systemwide conducted a pilot test of mi- shown “willingness to work sics and end up on the reading lists of secondary students rections Department “to ex- lockdown, cro-jamming technology at a one day? plore all possible technology Cellphones often are state prison in South Caro- on the issue.” Just questions, mind you. Generally speaking, classics solutions ... in order to abate smuggled into prison by lina. The DOJ said results become classics because they are universally respected by the safety concern.” loved ones. Catching them is were promising. The agency But the FCC needs to go critics, academics and readers. The same principle holds Contraband _cellphones achallenge, given that a sin- previously had conducted further by providing states a true for movies. have been a longstanding gle correctional officer may tests at two federal prisons T took a film class in college — actually two, if you count problem. In May, the DOC be overseeing a few hundred in Maryland. way to shut down cellphone an independent study on movies that I did for an English said it had confiscated near- people during the visits. In May, Oklahoma’s DOC signals inside their prison credit. We watched some classic films to gain an apprecia- ly 1,800 illegal cellphones The DOC has said kitchens said the federal government tion of their themes and artistry. I would wholeheartedly since January, and more than are common areas through needed to let signal-jam- walls, and thus curb a dan- recommend a college film class to anyone interested in the 48,500 since 2011. Correc- which phones enter prison, ming technology be used gerous and continuing prob- cinematic arts. tional officers confiscated a and some are dropped onto in parts of prison where in- And for anyone interested in reading one of the classic record 9,766 cellphones in prison grounds by drones. mates move around, That lem. novels, they can probably be found at the library. Thanks to all who helped make the 2019 OICA Fall Forum a success By Oklahoma Institute to attend due to an illness nizations. The information workshop on how legislative Secretary for Health Carter improving Oklahoma for our for Child Advocacy CEO with a family member, and provided by each presenter interim studies work and Kimble, Department of Hu- children. Joe Dorman I would ask that you keep was extremely beneficial for for leading a review of the man Services Director Justin Finally, I would like to If you did not make it to her family in your thoughts the delegates. Family First Prevention Ser- Brown, Front Porch Initia- recognize our benefactors, the 2019 Oklahoma Institute and prayers as they undergo Talso must thank the law- vices Act. This allowed the tive Director Tom Bates, without whom this confer- for Child Advocacy (OICA) medical treatments. The rest makers who took time out attendees to learn the value and Commissioner of Health Fall Forum last week, then of the staff and our intern of their busy schedules to of interim studies and how to Gary Cox. Each panelist an- ence could not have hap- you missed quite an event! stepped up their game and attend and interact with the work with lawmakers as they swered questions posed by pened. They include Sonic, We had more than 150 ad- saw everything through to advocates to develop ideas learn and develop opinions Scott Mitchell, the host of the Chickasaw Nation, the vocates from across the state completion, for which I am and learn more from each on issues. You can see this Your Vote Counts and the Love Meyer Foundation, assembled to participate in immensely grateful. other. Those lawmakers in- two-hour discussion on the Hot Seat on News9. the Oklahoma State Medical workshops, discuss potential The presenters we had clude Senators John Michael Oklahoma House of Repre- The takeaway from this Association, TSET, Com- new legislation with state were outstanding. | My Montgomery, Carri Hicks, sentatives YouTube chan- conference was that people lawmakers in attendance, thanks go out to the indi- Mary Boren and Repre- nel (or by going directly to need to be better informed munity Health Charities, and share ideas for improv- viduals who shared their ex- sentatives Kelly Albright, https://www.youtube.com/ about issues impacting chil- the Oklahoma Child Care ing conditions for the youth pertise on topics that includ- Trish Ranson, Merlyn Bell, watch?v=3VPtjlvaoFA). dren and to be unafraid to Resource & Referral As- of Oklahoma. ed: preventing child abuse, Jeff Boatman, Nicole Miller, Another portion of the discuss these ideas with sociation, OSU-OKC and I have many people to justice-involved youth, the Andy Fugate, Sherrie Con- conference included a panel lawmakers. The mission of Chesapeake Energy. Next thank for the tremendous US Census, tobacco-use ley, Tammy Townley, Cyn- discussion with state agency OICA is to raise awareness week, I will highlight the work that was completed prevention, decreasing hun- di Munson, Chris Kannady, leaders. We were proud to and encourage action, and three awards presented by during the three-day event, ger in Oklahoma, seat belt Carol Bush, Jacob Rose- host State Superintendent I am confident that each of OICA at our conference and and that starts with the OICA usage, opportunities avail- crants, Marilyn Stark and Joy Hofmeister, Secretary the attendees is now better staff who made the confer- able through Youth Services Brian Hill. A special thanks for Human Services and equipped to go forward with the work done by the 2019 ence happen. Our confer- programs, the Handle with goes to Rep. Mark Lawson Early Childhood Develop- their own youth-related work winners. Stay tuned for more ence director was unable Care program. and immu- for helving to schedule a ment Steven Buck. Deoutv and assist state officials with updates!