Dear Editor,

The front-page article in your paper of Dec. 5, 2007, regarding the Nativity scene located on Main Street Columbiana, was disturbing, to say the least.

To think that the opinion of one individual can outweigh the rights of the community as a whole is unimaginable. This country was founded with the writing of these words: &8220;We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights.&8221;

The first, and therefore the most important of these Rights, is laid out in the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States &8220;that Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.&8221;

The law, as it was written over 200 years ago, does not prevent government from expressing its own religious views, only from forcing those views upon its citizens.

The act of erecting a Nativity in the town square, an act applauded by the majority of the God-fearing citizens of this and many cities around the country, does not constitute a law either requiring or denying the establishment of a particular religion.

No one is being required to kneel down and worship, although removing the scene would deny the majority of the people an image that they have admired and respected for centuries.

Somewhere along the lines, though, the tide has turned and the minority has obtained majority rule. We need to ban together to regain the freedoms we are slowly losing in order to pacify the wants and the demands of the few before it is too late.

I have said this many times, and I will continue to say it, regardless of what becomes of the much-anticipated yearly Nativity scene in Columbiana, The Father, The Son and The Holy Ghost will always be welcome here.

That fact will continue to be openly displayed. If someone takes issue with that, then they can go elsewhere…

Derek Tombrello

Shelby.

Dear Editor:

Has anyone seen Charlie?

Thanksgiving Eve, our son and nephew were involved in a truck accident while driving north bound on I-65 (near exit 228).

They were on their way from Florida to Tennessee for our Thanksgiving gathering. A car entered the interstate on the &8220;on ramp&8221; hitting my son&8217;s truck causing the truck to flip several times. Thank God, our son and nephew survived the accident.

Thank you to the many citizens who stopped to assist, the military, EMT, nurse, Calera Police officer, fire department, emergency personnel, Shelby Baptist Medical Center, and all the many caring individuals who helped our son and nephew.

So who is Charlie? He is our son&8217;s dog and companion. He too was in the truck and was last seen running north bound on I-65, probably in shock. Charlie is a small (20 pounds) black, much-beloved mixed breed. Charlie has the head of a daschund and the body of a fox terrier, black back, and white chest with white paws. Please, if you find Charlie contact the paper for our telephone number.

Thank you all for your kindness shown to our son and nephew during their traumatic event. Why some continued to look for Charlie long after the ambulance took our son and nephew to the E.R. We saw the same kind of Southern hospitality extended to our family that we experienced while growing up in Alabama.

Thank you all again and if you see Charlie, please call. There is a reward.

Phillip and Vicki Jones

Navarre, Fla