Between Editions

My colleague Sara Mitchell snapped this photo over the Fourth of July holiday of the First Baptist Church in El Dorado. What comes to mind when you see it — patriotism or religion?

The two aren’t related, although it seems many churches today seem to think it may be.

It is somewhat offensive to me to see a scene like this, not because I’m unpatriotic, but because I don’t believe that churches should be representatives of the state.

It is not the jobs of our churches to be patriotic. It is their jobs to pray and worship our God. Connecting the two can be offensive. For one, what if a foreigner were to visit El Dorado and see an image like this? Would they feel welcome at this church?

It just sends mixed signals about the purpose of the building. God doesn’t have a nationality.

A great quote on the subject comes from the Rev. M. Susan Peterson of the Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in St. Paul, Minn:

“By God’s grace we live in freedom in a wonderful country. We don’t want to ignore the blessing and benefits of being located in a country where we experience such freedoms. However, we gather in the sanctuary to worship Jesus Christ. And as a result, our focus and all of our symbols in the church reflect the one to whom we give honor and praise.”

Sayeth the Associated Press:

General Motors Corp. will shut down its Shreveport assembly plant for a week in July as the automaker further cuts production of trucks and sport utility vehicles.

The plant, which makes Hummer H3s and two mid-sized pickups, the Chevrolet Colorado and the GMC Canyon, is one of seven affected by GM’s announcement on Monday.

“We have to make some shifts concerning the number of trucks we are producing and the number of trucks the consumers are asking for,” said GM spokesman Tony Sapienza.

The plant, which has 1,669 hourly workers and 199 salaried employees, still plans to launch the new Hummer H3T pickup truck in September, Sapienza said.

GM Chief Executive Rick Wagoner said recently that the Hummer brand will be reviewed and may be sold or revamped because of high fuel prices.

Recently, 377 hourly workers at the Shreveport plant agreed to leave GM by July 1 under buyout or early retirement programs under a plan to replace them with entry-level workers making about $14 per hour. That’s about half the rate of current production workers.

Across the company, GM said 18,657 of its hourly workers took the deal.

The Shreveport plant will be closed the week of July 14. Sapienza said it was too early to tell if other steps would be taken to cut output in Shreveport.

“We’re keeping an eye on where the market is going,” he said.

The other affected plans are at Janesville, Wis.; Oshawa, Ontario; Silao, Mexico; Arlington, Texas; Moraine, Ohio; and Fort Wayne, Ind. The biggest cut will take place at Janesville, where GM makes large SUVs. It will be idled the weeks of July 14 and 21, plus it will be shut down another 10 weeks through the end of the year.

Some gas stations around the country — no word yet if local stations are practicing this — are charging more if you pay with your credit card.

So what’s behind this decision? According to station owners, credit card fees add an average of 3 percent in costs to their bottom lines. Looks like they are just passing the buck along to poor consumers.

In New York, for example, consumers may pay as much as 10 cents more per gallon if they use their plastic at the pump.

Click here for a story from the Empire State about drivers who aren’t taking kindly to this idea. I’m not, either. I use my plastic to fill up all the time. What about you?

**UPDATE** Click here for a story about a station owner who has banned credit cards all together. More may follow.

According to the Washington County, Ark., Sheriff’s Department, former Razorback and current Jacksonville Jaguar Matt Jones has been arrested for possession of a controlled substance, cocaine.

Jones, 25, had been one of the most athletic and spirited Razorback quarterbacks in recent memory. He went on to play at Jacksonville and has had some success at various positions for that team.

How sad it is to see a young man throw everything away for a few snorts of snow.

Hope he can get clean and continue his career. Click here for the full story.