The Palm Beach Post from West Palm Beach, Florida • Page 103

Jehovah's Witnesses a Persecuted Sect I Know Steve Mitchell ddC I I Ait nation was founded on religious freedom. Or that was the way it was supposed to be, remember? The Witnesses will not serve in the military of any country in any capacity. They have no preachers in the sense that other churches do. They take the position that all Witnesses are preachers. The federal government does not.

All through the 1950s, young Jehovah's Witnesses were slammed into prison for refusing to be inducted into the armed forces. They went quietly and uncomplainingly. They served their time and were branded as criminals because of their religious beliefs. They pay their taxes. They are some of the most honest citizens in the Republic.

But their first allegiance is to God, not country. While I do not agree with their beliefs, I strongly feel that their right to exercise them is a big part of what this country is all about. In fact, I think it is precisely what this country is all about. I have to admit to a certain amount of prejudice in this matter. My grandfather was a Jehovah's Witness one of the first.

They were ridiculed all through the 1920s and 1930s and scornfully called "Russelites," after their founder Judge Russell. They were ridiculed; and persecuted. It was bad during World War II very bad. Witnesses were regularly beaten up for their pacifist views. Super patriots who were not patriotic enough to enlist vented their patriotism on people who would not fight back people like my grandfather.

I was 9 years old when it was brought home to me. My grandfather, who was in his late 50s and was hardly eligible for the draft, got off his shift at the cotton mill at 11 one night. The patriots were waiting. One of them, a man in his 30s, beat him to a pulp. This was in North Carolina.

My father was working in a defense plant in Baltimore, building Liberty ships. I woke up when my grandfather, the most saintly man Torn to MITCHELL, C2 It may become necessary may already be necessary for the United States to reinstate the draft. If so, I hope the government will take a more enlightened attitude toward Jehovah's Witnesses. I know, I know. Jehovah's Witnesses are the people who come around waking you up on Saturday mornings.

It is an evangelical faith, and they believe in spreading the gospel. What few people know, however, is that this is one of the most persecuted religious sects in the world, and a good deal of the persecution has come at the hands of the U.S. government. It has been nothing like the horrendous persecution the Witnesses have suffered in the Soviet Union, other Communist bloc countries or African dictatorships, but it was there all the same. During the Vietnam war, thousands of young Americans fled to Canada or Sweden to escape the draft.

The Witnesses do not flee. What they do is go to federal prison because of their beliefs. Other groups have faced the same prosecution. There has never been much publicity about it. The Witnesses, you see, do not believe in nations.

They believe in God. They will not salute the Russian flag, and they will not salute the American flag. This is not a popular stand in either country, but at least this Hep as SECTION WEDNESDAY, DEC. 19, 1979 The Post Suspect Shot In Robbery Of Drugstore Police Were Waiting For Attempted Theft 3 krjBfew ft- Mm'mmiMriwaii ikihiiu ii.iiir niin-iii- By Anne Krueger Post Staff Writer VERO BEACH Two Vero Beach policemen shot and injured one of two robbers fleeing from McClure's Rexall Drug Monday night, following surveillance for about an hour. Gary Devling, 27, of 840 43rd is in critical condition at Indian River Memorial Hospital.

His companion, Gary Hudmon, 28, of 2401 20th is in Indian River County Jail under $100,000 bond. Both have been charged with armed robbery. Pharmacist Barbara Nottingham and owner Bob Ca vender were closing the drugstore at 20th Street and 14th Avenue at about 7:45 when the masked robbers came in through a side door. Cavender was counting the day's cash, but the men asked for drugs. One of them, brandishing a pistol, knocked Cavender to the floor.

"They wanted drugs. That's all they wanted. They didn't touch the money," Ms. Nottingham said. Lt.

Bobby Allen was crouched in an aisle of the store. Police said they were suspicious because they had received a call about two men wearing ski masks near the Osceola Drug Store on 14th Avenue. Forty-five minutes after the first call about the men, their car was seen by police at the Gray Drug Store in the Miracle Mile Shopping Center. Police followed the car to the Rexall store. They set up surveillance behind the store and Allen got inside, police said.

One of the robbers ordered Cavender to open a locked file cabinet, but Cavender didn't know the combination. When Ms. Nottingham tried to leave the store through another exit, she bumped into the other man, who ordered her to lie on the floor. The men grabbed bottles of drugs and left the store. The police were waiting for them.

Police said Devling and Hudmon got in their car and Sgt. Peter Huber moved to the driver's side. Allen, standing behind the car, saw Devling point his gun aj; Huber. Allen fired and the bullet went through the car seat into Devling's chest. Huber fired a shot, and Allen shot again.

One bullet grazed Devling's head. The officers fired again three times when their ammunition misfired, Police Chief Sam McCall said. If Devling dies from his wounds, Hudmon could be charged with first-degree murder since the shooting occurred during a robbery, said State Atty. Robert Stone. As a departmental policy, Huber and Allen were temporarily relieved from duty with pay until an investigation is completed.

At a joint press conference with Stone, McCall said Huber and Allen will return to work immediately. "I feel almost embarrassed to have to say that the shooting was justified," Stone said. "There was no situation in which it could be more justified I think they acted in the highest degree of professionalism that they could have acted as police officers." Although Allen and Huber knew the two men were armed, they waited to shoot until there was no chance that a bystander would be hurt, Stone said. "If Bobby Allen had not used good sound judgment, Peter Huber might not be here today," Stone said. A-Caroling They Go Members of chorus groups from Westwood High School in Fort Pierce try to get customers at McDonald's on S.

U.S. 1 into the holiday spirit with Christmas carols.The chorus, under the direction of Anita Davis, performed for about 50 people who gathered nearby Monday night. Staff Photos by Jon Krai Hearing Planned on Dike Rebuilding FPL's consultants have recommended installing a filter drain, a 10-foot-deep trench filled with sand, around the 18-mile perimeter of the dike. ThiS system is designed to force water seeping from the reservoir to come to the surface instead of going into the L-65 canal or other exit points. "We don't feel we will ever know exactly what did happen," VanCuren said.

"So we will try to preclude any of the five possibilities from recurring." County commissioners yesterday expressed dissatisfaction with FPL's investigation and the report delivered yesterday. "I thought there would be an investigation of the rest of the dike to determine if the same conditions Turn to DIKE, C2 By Jim Reeder Post Staff Writer STUART A public hearing, not yet scheduled, will be held in the Indiantown area on Florida Power Light (FPL) plans to rebuild and modify the cooling reservoir which broke Oct. 31. "People are already screaming and hollering about it," County Commissioner John Holt said. "FPL wants to put the same dike material back on the same material they say caused the break.

"They'll have a hard time convincing people and this commission that the dike will hold if it is rebuilt and the reservoir is refilled," he said. FPL District Manager Gene VanCuren yesterday told commissioners consultants have narrowed to five the number of possible causes of the dike failure. Those possible causes center on underground seepage of water eroding foundation materials into the L-65 canal or nearby pits dug 60 years ago. VanCuren said eight companies have been invited to submit proposals for rebuilding the dike. Trumbull Construction which built the dike for FPL, apparently wasn't among those invited to bid on the project.

"I don't recall seeing them on the list," VanCuren said. Another source said the company isn't anxious to deal with Trumbull on the project again. Louis Moniz, an FPL spokesman in Miami, said it is against company policy to release names of companies invited to bid on FPL projects. Children of Divorce Counselor: More Youths Experiencing Trauma, of Broken Homes Thompson said, it is best to tell children the truth. Stories about daddy moving for another job or other fabrications wont work.

"The real task is to build a whole new family foundation built on trust and security Ycu can't do this unless you tell them the truth," he said. "Let all of the children know at the same time; it reduces suspicions. Let them know you're not perfect and the children aren't to blame." Thompson said children often take the role of matchmakers, trying to get their parents back together to restore a "nor-, mal" home life. fc By Mary Jo Tierney Post Staff Writer FORT PIERCE Your marriage has been on the rocks for months. You've seen the counselors and the lawyers.

You've decided on the divorce. Now the big problem is the children and how they'll handle it. With divorce becoming more prevalent, more children are experiencing emotional problems from their parents' splitting up, says counselor David Thompson. "You can see it in the healthcare field. Children from broken homes tend to get sick more often than others," he said at yesterday's community forum on children, sponsored by te Indian River Community Mental Health Center.

The emotional and physical sickness may stem from several sources, Thompson said. The child may feel abandoned. He may blame himself for the divorce. If his parents don't level with him and tell him the truth about the divorce, he may make up his own fantasies. Children also may be used as a pawn in the divorce.

"Kids can be used as a smokescreen. Either their parents won't get a divorce because they're waiting for the kids to grow up, or they don't work at a marriage and make the split because they say it will be better for the kids," he said. Once the decision on divorce isjnade, just because the parents feel "guilty about their mistake." Parents also should avoid trying to outdo their former spouses. "It gets to be a competitive thing with parents trying to show who loves the child more and the children will pump it up," Thompson said. He also told parents not to let their children especially their oldest take over the mother or father roles in the family.

"Children need to be children, not substitute parents," he said. Thompson said the mental health clinic may set up courses on divorce and children after the first of the year. "That can be a very frustrating experience for them," he said. Some children handle a divorce well, while others get angry and fight with their parents and siblings. Some become withdrawn, doing poorly in school.

Some turn to drugs and alcohol. Thompson said those problems can be prevented if both parents show the child they love him. "Let the child know he or she is special Show your concern for them Spend 15 minutes with them giving them your undivided attention every day," he said. However, he warned parents not to "overcompensate, giving them too much.