RUST COMMENTARY: MLK SPEAKER MAKES GOOD POINTS

There was a nice crowd at the MARTIN LUTHER KING BREAKFAST Monday.

I enjoyed the deep bass voice and delivery of JUDGE LESLIE ISAIAH GAINES, who was the keynote speaker. I especially enjoyed his poem on black or white ... do what's right. I've requested a copy of it and will share it when I receive it.

Some of the major points he was addressing to the audience ... especially the young:

1. Hold on to your dreams like a "pit bull" and don't let anyone talk you out of them.

2. In many references to the Martin Luther King "I have a dream" speech, he said to "be a chip off the old dream" and to work for King's vision.

3. And parents should want to be proud of having their children be called a "chip off the old block" because they took after their mom or dad. He also wanted his listeners to strive for their dreams and to not carry a chip on their shoulder because they felt they were disadvantaged.

4. He wanted everyone to remember his or her heritage and how others (such as King) had withstood violence and hatred.

Judge Gaines said he didn't want to see this country become a melting pot which too often meant one would lose his flavor (heritage) but to become a stew ... a mixture of ingredients where all added something to the final taste.

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CHRIS RIMEL, publisher of our DYERSBURG, TENN., newspaper listed some lessons a friend of his had learned recently.

1. Give people more than they expect, and do it cheerfully.

2. Memorize your favorite poem.

3. Don't believe all you hear, spend all you have or sleep all you want.

4. When you say "I love you," mean it.

5. When you say "I'm sorry," look the person in the eye.

6. Be engaged at least six months before you get married.

7. Believe in love at first sight.

8. Never laugh at anyone's dreams.

9. Love deeply and passionately. You might get hurt, but it's the only way to live life completely.

10. In disagreements, fight fairly. No name calling.

11. Don't judge people by their relatives.

12. Talk slow, but think quick.

13. When someone asks you a question you don't want to answer, smile and ask, "Why do you want to know?"

14. Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk.

15. Call your mom.

16. Say "Bless you" when you hear someone sneeze.

17. When you lose, don't lose the lesson.

18. Remember the three Rs: Respect for self, Respect for others, Responsibility for all your actions.

19. Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship.

20. When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.

21. Smile when picking up the phone. The caller will hear it in your voice.

22. Marry a man or woman you love to talk to. As you get older, his or her conversational skills will be as important as any other.

23. Spend some time alone.

24. Open your arms to change, but don't let go of your values.

25. Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.

26. Read more books and watch less TV.

27. Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, you'll enjoy it a second time.

28. Trust in God, but lock your car.

29. A loving atmosphere in your home is so important. Do all you can to create a tranquil, harmonious home.

30. In disagreements with loved ones, deal with the current situation. Don't bring up the past.

31. Read between the lines.

32. Share your knowledge. It's a way to achieve immortality.

33. Be gentle with the earth.

34. Pray. There's immeasurable power in it.

35. Never interrupt when you are being flattered.

36. Mind your own business.

37. Don't trust a man or woman who doesn't close his or her eyes when you kiss him or her.

38. Once a year, go someplace you've never been before.

39. If you make a lot of money, put it to use helping others while you are living. That is wealth's greatest satisfaction.

40. Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a stroke of luck.

41. Learn the rules, then break some.

42. Remember that the best relationship is one where your love for each other is greater than your need for each other.

43. Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.

44. Remember that your character is your destiny.

45. Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon.

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A TWO-MOON MONTH: I do not recall where I heard it the other day, but January has two full moons. We had a full moon on Jan. 2 and will have another on Jan. 31. The information said that the second moon is called the blue moon, so now we know where that old expression came from.

Talk about even more rare, there will be a second month with two full moons this year in March. There are full moons on March 2 and again on March 31.

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"My grandmother was one-quarter Cherokee," said Bill Clinton, as native Americans criticized his "race initiative" for ignoring them. Since the roots of the tribe are in Oklahoma, Texas and North Carolina, tribal authorities were skeptical of Clinton's claim. "If you lived in Arkansas ... give it up," said Cherokee Heritage Center genealogist Tom Mooney. The White House did not find Clinton's relative's name to compare against official Cherokee rolls.

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"It all depends on what the definition of `it' is." -- Navy Adm. Harold W. Gehman Jr., four-star head of U.S. Atlantic Command, when asked about the Navy's mission and the service's ability to execute it with only 320 warships, at a breakfast with reporters. (How quickly we learn.)

(Both of the above items are from the Washington Times.)

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Two major historic entrepreneurs in the community newspaper field died recently: David Bryan, owner of the Richmond, Va., newspaper and Ben Walls, whose career spanned seven decades and who helped at least 75 publishers get their start in the business.

While Walls was known for his business acumen, he always focused on community service as a key ingredient in a newspaper's success. In 1953 Walls wrote to a young associate:

"My concept of a newspaper is that it is the greatest force for good or evil in a community. It is a semi-public utility. We who are fortunate in holding stock in a newspaper I consider but temporary custodians of this service vehicle in the community. By our ownership of the stock, we also assume tremendous responsibilities, first to the public that we serve, second to the employees and lastly to the stockholders."

Walls also stated, "We who are responsible for the publication of newspapers must have the courage to never connive with special interests against the interest and welfare of the mass of people we serve. We must have the courage to do that which may be unpleasant to maintain the health of the whole being of the newspaper."

~Gary Rust is the president of Rust Communications, which owns the Southeast Missourian and other newspapers.