Category Archives: Opinions
Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus
Editor’s Note: In 1897, 8-year-old Virginia O’Hanlon wrote a letter to the editor of New York Sun, and the quick response was printed as an unsigned editorial Sept. 21, 1897. The work of veteran newsman Francis Pharcellus Church has since become history’s most reprinted newspaper editorial, appearing in part or whole in dozens of languages. We offer the letter and editorial response to you in this week’s issue. Merry Christmas.
Dear Editor:
I am 8 years old. Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus. Papa says, ‘If you see it in The Sun, it’s so.’ Please tell me the truth; is there a Santa Claus?
Virginia O’Hanlon
Virginia, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, 
whether they be men’s or children’s, are little. In this great universe of ours man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect, as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.
Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus. It would be as dreary as if there were no Virginias. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.
Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies! You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas Eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if they did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that’s no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world.
You may tear apart the baby’s rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived, could tear apart. Only faith, fancy, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, Virginia, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding.
No Santa Claus! Thank God! he lives, and he lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.
What is Christmas’ meaning for you?
I’ve read articles over the years about how Christmas is a combination of Christian and pagan symbolism, along with some folklore traditions, and for the most part, this is true. I also realize that most people do not want to hear about such things.
Beyond the bah-humbug, I will admit that even though Christmas is not as much fun now as it was when I was a kid or when our children were young, I still enjoy the season. I remember laying under the tree and how I was
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Social Security login changes
If you use the My Social Security account online, you’ll need to make several changes or you’ll be locked out. If you haven’t 
updated your account since Sept. 18, 2021, using the new method, the login for checking your Social Security account is no more and your username won’t work. You’ll now need to create a new account using one of their credential service providers at Login.gov.
Having access to your Social Security information can have several
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Mistakes made in PACT Act claims
It seems that when there are new rules and regulations to be followed, the Department of Veterans Affairs often needs time to get caught up and understand new procedures. The Office of Inspector General for the VA investigated whether veterans 
were given the correct benefits after the PACT Act expanded eligibility for toxin exposure. The news isn’t good. What the OIG found was that service-connected claims were improperly handled before they were
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Cure for the ailing soul
When we are truly in love with someone, nothing can keep us from them or at least thinking about them.
It sounds like the beginning of a beautiful romantic love story, doesn’t it? Actually, it is. It’s between a divine creator who sent His Son Jesus to save those who were lost. Christ gave His life so that all who place their faith in God can spend time with Him, listen to His voice, and fall deeply in love with Him. His words are life-changing as they convict the
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‘Tis cookie time!
It’s time to roll out the rolling pin, dust your hands with flour and make all the cookie monsters happy.
Dec. 4 was National Cookie Day and officially kicked off the holiday cookie season. Cookies appeal to more than our tastebuds — they hold a sentimental place in our hearts and trigger feelings of sweet nostalgia and aromatic pleasure. People have had a love affair with cookies for more than 10,000
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Courier Letters to the Editor
Be your own Santa this Christmas
Dear Editor,
Santa Claus as most believe is a myth. Although he’s believed by most to not exist, do we truly know that he doesn’t? What if he is real, and although he can’t give toys to all of the children of the world, he gives to those truly deserving? You don’t know it could be that this may possibly be true.
Christmas is said to be about giving. Whether he exists or not, why not be your own Santa Claus this Christmas? Find some family you know who are truly in need and buy for them. Especially toys for the children. Imagine being a child and knowing that when you awake on Christmas morning that there will be no presents awaiting you, while other children are
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The OIG always comes through
Things are going to be different in 2025. If there’s one thing I hope, it’s that the Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General isn’t hit with any budget or staffing reductions. As time goes on we need them more than ever to dig out, investigate and expose all the problems in the VA.
The PACT Act of 2022, for example, required screenings for toxic exposures — as well as training for the VA medical staff to do those screenings. Within a short time, screenings had been done on 4 million veterans out of the 9
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Our challenge for 2025
‘‘Your mission, should you choose to accept it …” Remember that quote, from the “Mission: Impossible” TV show? The show (1966-1973) tasked members of the team with stopping enemy forces, a job that seemed to be impossible but really wasn’t. That’s our challenge for the New Year, to stop the “enemy forces” who are the scammers that want to steal our money, our identification and our
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Tale of a Thanksgiving caper
Rose had been bringing the same green bean casserole for Thanksgiving dinner ever since her daughter, Susan, insisted on having Thanksgiving at her house.
After Rose retired from teaching, she felt her life had become as bland as her green bean casserole. Maybe it was time to throw in some Jalapeno peppers, or something, to spice up those green beans.
Rose would stop at Tony’s ”Vino & Spirits” Shop every Friday. Tony was a tall,
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