The Marks Post: Stay vigilant

Where were you 21 years ago today?
I was a sophomore at LSU at the time and had a philosophy class at 9 a.m. that Tuesday morning. Before class, I went into the student union to eat breakfast and heard television news reports about bombings at the World Trade Center. I didn’t pay much attention to it at the time because I thought they were reporting on something that previously happened.
When I got to class, everybody started talking about what was happening in New York City. After class, I went back to the student union among the countless other students trying to get a glimpse of footage on television.
Weeks later, I remember being in Tiger Stadium for a football game when the Golden Band from Tigerland played Amazing Grace at halftime. Tiger Stadium was dead quiet. There was no roar from the crowd or anything except the sound of the band. That was an eerie, somber feeling that will stick with me.
Following the attacks on September 11, President George W. Bush urged Americans to remain vigilant in the face of other terrorist threats. “We will rally the world to this cause by our efforts, by our courage. We will not tire, we will not falter, and we will not fail,” he said during an address to Congress on September 20.
That same call to remain vigilant was echoed by Congressman Mike Johnson, who represents Louisiana’s 4th Congressional District. During LSU’s debacle against Florida State last Sunday, a commercial aired promoting a new FX series called “Little Demon.” The commercial touched a nerve with the congressman, who then created a social media post that went viral online.
“This culture has become alarmingly dark and desensitized,” Congressman Johnson wrote in his post. “Disney and FX have decided to embrace and market what is clearly evil.”
At the end of the congressman’s post, he quoted Peter 5:8, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.”
These calls to remain vigilant apply to us today. We are living in difficult times. How many times when you open a newspaper, turn on a television, or turn on a radio do you hear of shootings or other serious criminal activity? While Evangeline Parish has not seen its share of criminal activity compared to other areas in Acadiana, it is sadly coming. We are seeing the beginning of it especially here in Ville Platte with home invasions and residents being beaten and robbed in their front yards.
We at the Ville Platte Gazette are aware of these incidents, and we will report on them as information is released from the Ville Platte Police Department. I know, from past experiences, the police department does not usually release any information while the investigation is ongoing.
As these spikes in criminal activity continue, stay vigilant, be aware of your surroundings, and report suspected activity to local law enforcement. But remember, as the old saying goes, “This too shall pass.”