SPEAKOUT

It's still true today

LINCOLN'S VISION: The following statement was made by Abraham Lincoln. Liberals with socialistic leanings should pay close attention, because it still applies to this day. "You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift. You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong. You cannot help the wage earner by pulling down the wage payer. You cannot further the brotherhood of man by encouraging class hatred. You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich. You cannot keep out of trouble by spending more than you earn. You cannot build character and courage by taking away man's initiative and independence. You cannot help man permanently by doing for them what they should be doing for themselves."

Courage and bravery?

YES, SADDAM Hussein says that in establishing no-fly zones the United States is violating the will of the Iraqi people. He also says the Iraqis are determined to fight back with all their courage and bravery. And we certainly saw a lot of that as they were surrendering to the cameramen during the Gulf War.

Thanks to street crews

SPECIAL THANKS to the Jackson city workers who were out at 3 a.m. the morning of the bad ice storm on Michael Anna Street when the power was off. God bless you all.

Ashcroft won't run

THE TITLE of my four-line Speak Out poem is "A new lease on life." My life has new meaning. I can have some fun, 'cause I heard for president, John Ashcroft won't run.

Sun setting on civilization

IT REALLY disturbs me that we no longer seem to have any real sense of right and wrong. Good and bad habits are up for grabs, redefined almost daily by media pundits and social engineers. I'm afraid that President Clinton's character, lack of character and his behavior has brought about a dumbing down even further of the cultural problems we've had. In his book, "Against the Night," Charles Colson writes, "The sun is setting on western civilization. Ominous shadows fall across politics, family life and education. We live with a growing sense that things are winding down. Somehow freedom, justice and order are slipping away. Scandals and scams are common place as men and women trade character for cash and sacrifice commitment on the ultra selfishness. Divorce, drugs and easy sex create an environment of abuse for much of our youth. We're living on the edge of chaos. We stand on the brink of a new dark age. The barbarians of the new Dark Age are articulate men and women. They carry briefcases, not spears. But they're assault culture is every as bit as devastating as the barbarian invasion of Rome. We have bred them in our families and trained them in our schools. Their ideas are persuasive and subtle and very often they undermine the pillars upon which our settler civilization was founded." It's sorry to say it, but I believe he's right.