For smaller community papers like ours, statewide news stories do not rank at the top of the priority list. For that matter, state news stories are delivered to our readers when those stories have an immediate impact on the readers of Demopolis and Marengo County.

At the same time, readers in Demopolis &045;&045; just like readers in any other Alabama city &045;&045; do care about the events of this state and the ramifications those events will have.

Earlier this week, the United States Supreme Court announced it would not hear the case of Roy Moore, the suspended chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court. That decision by the U.S. Supreme Court means the decisions of the lower courts stand. More specifically, the Ten Commandments monument Moore placed in the Alabama Judicial Building in Montgomery will not be moved back into the building.

For most people in Demopolis and Marengo County, the immediate impact of the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling may have little impact on the every day matters of life. Instead, most will look at the ruling and forget about it a day later.

While apathy has become the norm in most people today, we’d like to urge the people of Demopolis to consider the value of voicing your opinion.

If we’re to use the Roy Moore example, we are aware of many people in Demopolis who have strong feelings about the chief justice and his battle to place the Ten Commandments inside the state judicial building. They feel the government has gone too far in terms of stifling the presence of God or Christianity in public and they’re sick and tired of it.

We also believe there likely are some people who would rather see that monument remain in a closet. They view the presence of any religious item in government as an opening for all sorts of other religions with which they don’t believe.

Either way, people in Demopolis and Marengo &045;&045; like any other part of this state &045;&045; do have opinions on current events and sharing those opinions is a healthy part of making a community better.

Over the past year, as The Demopolis Times has added an extra editorial page, the citizens of this community have not been vocal in their concerns and opinions about the events of the day. Rarely do our residents write letters and challenge a decision or an indecision.

In small communities like ours, the value of an opinion can go a long way. Public officials want to hear what citizens think about an issue. Other citizens want to understand issues, and they often take their knowledge from those who have more knowledge of a specific issue.

The purpose of an editorial page is for members of the community to voice their concerns &045;&045; whether those concerns be over a story they didn’t like, a story they did like, a decision they question, or an event they want to publicize.

In the box below is a way to submit letters and opinions. We encourage our local citizens to get involved in the events of Demopolis and Marengo County.