Dear Editor,

America has been good to help people, and more are on the way. 

Refugees from Ukraine are coming to America, up to 100,000   would be welcomed as recently announced by President Biden.  The population of some communities will grow depending on where the federal government places these people.
Since the passage of the refugee act there are already over 3 million refugees in America. They are located throughout the United States with large populations in some towns and cities. 

A refugee is “a person who is unable to return his or her country of origin because of a well- founded fear of persecution based on race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group.” A refugee legally resides in the country of resettlement and is eligible for federally funded cash assistance for up to 8 months. Refugees are resettled in the United States by the federal government and are afforded specific refugee assistance to help them rebuild their lives in America. This federal funding is limited in both duration and amount. It is important to note that most refugees arrive with very little in terms of possessions, beside a few bags of luggage, and if they are lucky, all of their family members.

All refugees arriving in the United States are entitled to 8 months of Refugee Cash Assistance (RCA) from the date of their U.S. arrival. The RCA amounts vary based on the size of the family: Single person ($230/month), Family of 2 ($363/Month), Family of 3 ($485/month), Family of 4 ($611/month), etc. If a family qualifies for Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF), offered by the State Department of Health and Human Services, they will not receive RCA funds, but will immediately begin receiving TANF funds, which provide the same amounts of funds as outlined above for families (Refugee or American), yet unlike RCA, there is 5-year time limit to their receipt of funds which can be reviewed and extended depending on need.

All TANF recipients must be participating in verified educational courses, volunteer placements, and/or employment searches in order to access these funds.

The Ukrainian people appear to be hard working people. Once they make it to America I would not be surprised if some of our worker shortage will start to disappear. These people have nothing. If you still want a job, you probably should take one and go to work.  

At this point we have no choice but to help these people as the economy and infrastructure of the countries surrounding Ukraine cannot absorb them all. 

Can you imagine if Russia and China combined to attack America? What if we had to run to Canada to survive? We would appreciate anything anybody would do to help us.

Dr. Glenn Mollette

The post Ukraine refugees are coming first appeared on The Standard Newspaper Online.

Dear Editor,

Most of us simply want peace in our lives, nation, and world. We enjoy resting in a warm or cool house with something to eat, free from worry and stress. Peace is not always easy. This winter, chances are that your heating bill was chomping on your checking account and taking a huge bite out of your income. You may have turned your thermostat down and wore extra layers hoping to cut back on literally burning up your money. 

People have reported gas and electric bills from $500 to over a $1,000 for one month of trying to stay comfortable in their homes. 

While you are attempting to stay warm or cool, you are wondering if you can afford to start your car. Americans are seeing gas prices dance between $4 and $6 for one gallon of gas. Filling up my old truck is pushing $150 at a time. When my wife goes to the grocery store, the same staples seem to cost more every time she goes. 

The current inflation is not only expensive but is chipping away at our peace. Peace? It’s hard to have peace if you go into cardiac arrest every time your utility bill arrives, you buy gasoline, or you go to the grocery store. If you are renting a place in America, then you have a further burden as some Americans are paying over $2,000 a month to rent a house, if they can find one to rent. 

Russia has destroyed Ukraine and has become a major player in driving up our cost of living. We were already experiencing inflation, but the entire planet is reacting to what Russia is doing to Ukraine. When and how will the murderous reign of Vladimir Putin end? We must hope and pray for an end to this evil. 

Unfortunately, the world is a difficult place for peace. The Bible assures us that in the last days there will be wars and rumors of wars. There will be pestilence, famine, and our hearts will fail us from fear. Thus, our peace must come from God who is greater than our problems. There is an internal strength and peace that comes when we focus our minds on Him. Currently millions of Ukrainians have nothing left but the shirts on their backs and whatever internal resolve and fortitude is keeping them going.

Our peace in America is very unsettling but compare your situation to millions of Ukrainians today. Pray for them and let us all give thanks for what we have. 

Dr. Glenn Mollette 

The post Utility bills, gasoline prices, and Ukraine first appeared on The Standard Newspaper Online.

Dear Editor,

America is no longer buying energy or vodka from Russia. Russians can no longer buy a McDonald’s hamburger. They can’t pay for their gasoline with a Visa, Mastercard, or even an American Express card. One thousand Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurants have ceased operations in Russia. How tough can life become?

For a better picture of a tough life, watch some of the news clips played daily on most television stations. See what the Russians are doing each day to Ukraine. Hospitals are bombed. Babies are murdered. Cities no longer exist. Tens of thousands have been killed by the Russian army. 

Speculations continue to be expressed among politicians and journalists that Russia may be guilty of war crimes. This seems like a bad joke. Russia has been guilty of war crimes from day one. They don’t care who they kill or how they kill the innocent people of Ukraine. They will use any kind of bomb or chemical to accomplish President Vladimir Putin’s evil whim to bring Ukraine under Russian rule. They will even accept weapons from China.

Hopefully, we will never buy another thing from Russia. In the meantime, the remnant still battling the Russian Army needs the full support of NATO in weapons, money, and humanitarian aid. Sadly, for the thousands who have already been killed, it’s too little too late. 

While we are unplugging trade with Russia, we must act accordingly toward China. China is not our friend. Just like Russia, we have made China rich with billions of dollars in trade each year. Plus, America is in debt, over a trillion dollars, to China. Stores across America must put American businesses back to work by buying as many American-made products as possible. China has been eyeing Taiwan the same way Russia has been eyeing Ukraine. If Russia successfully takes Ukraine and can survive the aftermath, look for China to invade Taiwan. China will then control most of the chips made that runs our cars, phones, and computers. 
The next scenario is what happens to us when Russia and China combine their efforts toward the United States? Are we able to withstand an attack from Russia and China? It’s more than we want to comprehend today. This is why we must become energy independent. Why not use our gas, oil, and coal until we have the infrastructure in place to run electric cars? 

In my local community of 250,000 people, I do not know of one electric car charging station. Local car dealers say it will be two to three years before they will have electric cars to sell. Most American communities are the same and we need time for the infrastructure to catch up. In the meantime, we should use the resources we have to run our country independently.
Gasoline prices and inflation are hurting America, but consider what Russia is doing to Ukraine. Americans will survive the pain at the pump if America will go back to our own sources to supply our needs. 

Dr. Glenn Mollette

The post Ukrainian and American pain: We must unplug from Russia and China first appeared on The Standard Newspaper Online.

Dear Editor,

There is nothing good to be said about the Devil. If you don’t believe me, check out the Bible. Or just turn on the television for a reporting of the evil he spreads throughout the world. You will likely see his picture: Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia. 

Some people say they don’t believe in the existence of the Devil. I do; his name is Vladimir Putin. 

Look at the face of Putin. You will see the Devil. Look at his dark eerie eyes and his pointed ears. When he attempts to smile, you’ll notice his tongue rolls out like a serpent’s. His smile is never genuine but is always forced as he has no heart to produce any kind of a human gesture. The head of Putin is shaped like a Devil’s head. The one thing you’ll never see is his rear end because his long tail gives his identity away. 

The appearance of Putin unfortunately is not what gives his identity away. The lifelong actions of Putin give him away. He is the chief producer of the slaughter of hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians and possibly millions before this invasion is over, if it’s ever over. Anyone who can take the lives of innocent people simply because he wants to control a particular part of the world is, again, evil. 

Putin wants the Ukrainian people to live like Russia’s people and to control their lives, their government, what they do, and where they go. He is our modern-day Adolf Hitler. There is nothing good to say about him. 

The Devil wants to control our lives. He wants to bring us down to where we are under his dominion. He wants our lives to be filled with darkness, hopelessness, and bound to his wishes. We see this in everyday life. People are in slavery to addiction, greed, perversions, hatred, jealousy, depression, and more. We war within ourselves, but our inward war often turns outward and impacts people around us. People kill people. People hurt people. People maim others with words and attitudes and actions that often destroy themselves and others.

This is the work of the Devil. He is about devouring and destroying. He often comes across as an angel of light. He pretends he wants us to be fulfilled by not being denied anything. This is how the serpent approached Eve in the Bible.  The Devil still uses this trick all the time and it still works much of the time. 

Is Putin the real literal Devil? You judge for yourself or ask someone from Ukraine. 

Dr. Glenn Mollette 

The post Is Vladimir Putin the Devil? first appeared on The Standard Newspaper Online.

Dear Editor,

“Howdy” was a common everyday word where I grew up. Raised on old Stidham, now known as Milo Road in rural Appalachia, I spent a lot of time at my Grandpa and Grandma Hinkle’s store. People came and went buying gasoline, sandwich meat, snacks, or groceries for the week. There were cane bottom chairs in the store and often people would sit and chat for a while. 

Regardless of how many times during the week I walked down the road to that store, the opening salutation was typically “howdy.” 

People were in and out of the Hinkle store doing business. A family member was often coming or going because my grandparents had raised ten children and there were many grandchildren who frequented the Hinkle business. Often, family members were buying a soda pop or just stopping in to say “howdy.” 

We grew up on Milo speaking to most everyone who came and went. When a car drove by, we usually waved even though we didn’t always know them. At family or church gatherings, we typically talked to everyone for a minute or two and shook hands or hugged a few people.

The only time I can remember our family being speechless was when fifteen or twenty of us were sitting on the porch and a man from New York City pulled up in an older car. My grandpa had received an advertisement in the mail about a great used car he could buy for $500. He ordered the car to surprise my grandma and we were all really surprised when this man pulled in front of the store in an old beat-up looking car. He had driven the car from New York City, which was a long drive on those roads back then. After being drop-jaw-stunned silent for a few minutes, everyone loosened up and eventually started talking to the man who was just doing a job but now had to get back to New York. By this time, some of us were chuckling just a little. A couple of the family members took the guy over to Kermit, West Virginia to catch a Greyhound bus to begin his long journey back home. 

A part of American culture has been hand shaking and embracing those we know. A part of most American religious gatherings has been shaking hands. One church I attended insisted on everybody hugging each other. 

Covid-19 has impacted our world with death, sickness, and business failures. The distancing for many of us continues to be tough. We wear our masks and seldom know who else is in the grocery store. We’re fearful of going to the funeral home to honor and respect the deceased. Shaking hands or embracing anyone anywhere is typically unwelcome. Many holiday parties of large gatherings were fewer over the past holidays. People don’t want to be sick and so the distancing continues.
We do have the telephone, social media, and email which helps us at least stay connected. 

However, please keep in mind, when you do recognize someone at the grocery store or any public place you may not feel comfortable embracing or shaking hands, but you can still convey a greeting and kindness by at least saying “howdy.”

Dr. Glenn Mollette

The post You can at least say howdy first appeared on The Standard Newspaper Online.