BY PAULA MINAERT — One theme leaps out at me in the stories in this issue: the intersection of faith and civil life, of individual rights and communal responsibility.
Lines at the polling place, like the one on our cover, is just the most obvious example. For instance, in the cover story about burglaries, it
was a tip — someone acting as a good citizen — that led to the arrests. And Councilmember Paula Perry reminds us that we, the residents, need to work together with the police in preventing crime.
In the snow story, we see the city government trying to juggle different, and sometimes seemingly opposing, things. It must keep the streets clear for vehicles. But on the other hand, it must be sensitive to the needs of people sometimes forced to do extra shoveling when the streets are plowed.
In other articles, the theme emerges even more strongly. The controversy over the Peace Cross reminds us that, as a people, we hold very different beliefs and a ttitudes. What do we do when those beliefs collide in a public place? The Mennonite congregation in Hya ttsville is facing a similar question in trying to balance one strongly held virtue, hospitality, with another, reconciliation.
There’s much food for thought.
