SPEAKOUT

If lyrics are moral, rock music OK

I JUST read the comment from "Appalled at rock music," which said, "If you're a Christian, you should know that you should not be listening to that kind of music, whether it's violent or not." Excuse me, it's the lyrics that matter here. If the lyrics are acceptable and moral, God doesn't care what kind of music you use to accompany it with. It's a matter of personal preference. Everyone is entitled to his own personal preference, and you don't have the right to impose your taste on other people.

Limited perspective on biking trail

I COMMEND Cape on it's new hiking and biking trail, but I feel the city should call in those who've seen how other cities are doing things to enhance bike traffic. There are two mistakes already in and around Cape that probably would not have been made had this been done. The construction of portions of Cape's new trail are dangerously narrow in some areas. And constructing walkways along the five-lane highway in Jackson without knocking down the curbs to allow this now costly but useless path to be by bikes. Had the planners of this five-lane highway done their homework, bikes could easily and safely travel the road between Cape and Jackson without bothering any car traffic, this with very little additional cost. It's a shame our local planners have such limited perspective.

Too much concession in Christianity

WHEN THE Apostle Paul was in Athens, he was distressed by the idolatry that he saw. However, he did not rant and rave about their pagan religions. Rather, he reasoned in the synagogue, disputed with the philosophers and calmly addressed the meeting of the assembly, even quoting their own poets and writers to them. Some ridiculed Paul, but others found his method challenging and asked him to speak again. Today's Christians, if they practice their faith consistently, should not be afraid of the modern secularistic culture. The present air raid shelter mentality of many Christians in the West will not alter the course of society. Likewise, timidity will not change anything. As C.S. Lewis writes in "God and the Doc," "As Christians, we are tempted to make unnecessary concessions to those outside the faith. We give in too much. We must show our Christian colors if we are to be true to Jesus Christ. We cannot silent and concede everything away." Unlike the Apostle Paul, concession and dismay mark today's modern Christendom. We must make a change.

Average citizens, not the militias

I WOULD like to make a comment on the investigation of the IRS. If memory serves me right, wasn't it the militias that Bill Clinton claimed didn't want to pay taxes and which said the IRS is ruthless and stuff. Well, it seems to me that we've got average Joe Citizen up there testifying in Congress about how they were abused. Maybe the militia is right, and people like Bill Clinton don't know what they're talking about.

Singers, writers shouldn't trade off

WHAT MAKES songwriters think they can sing, and what makes singers think they can write songs? Why don't writers just write and singers just sing? A song, my daddy always told me years ago, is something that is pleasing to the ear. When songwriters stop trying to sing and make records, singing their own songs, then it would be more pleasing to the general public's ears and would also teach the general public a little more about what music is. Some songwriters can't sing a lick. But they still try to sing their own songs because they make more money that way. It's disgusting and it hurts my ears to hear songwriters like Kris Kristofferson sing. He's just an example. There are many, many other songwriters who think they can sing but it hurts the public.

Condemnations aren't done fairly

I READ the story where the two men are, one from Cairo, Ill., and one from Cape, say that Cape is misrepresenting the building code and outright harassing them when they are doing all that they can do to repair their houses with the limited money that they have. For the record, Cape publishes a pamphlet about the condemning of someone's house, and it says the city does this to protect the health and welfare of the people. Just because the house isn't pretty does not mean it is dangerous to anyone. Just because it is vacant does not mean it is dangerous to anyone. In fact, if there is work to still to be done to the house, it is probably to the public's benefit for the house to remain vacant until all the work is done. That pamphlet that they will give you at the building inspector's office is not about condemning people's houses because the house is not pretty. It is about condemning houses that are dangerous to the people of this community. If the city continues to condemn because a house is not pretty, I ask you what's next: your car, your lawnmower or maybe even your children's swing set? I think the people of this community are being treated so very much unfairly.

Taxpayers terrified of the IRS

REGARDING the congressional hearings on the Internal Revenue Service, I can tell you that the people who testified against the IRS are not just isolated incidences. I live in Marble Hill. I have had more than one terrible incident with the IRS. One, the IRS owed us. They said they owed $900 quite a few years ago, and they had owed it to us for five years. We knew nothing about it. They sent us a check for $900. I think it was 1989, but we were charged for it in 1988, and we hadn't even received the money yet. I'm just terrified that the IRS is going to come back on us and say, "We overpaid you. We paid you $900 that we didn't owe you." The IRS is nothing but a bunch of criminals and we the taxpayers are supporting that bunch of people.