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OPINION


Mar. 21, 1997

OBSERVATIONS
By Mac McKinnon

Potpourri from Jell-O

to Hale-Bopp comet


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I need to discuss a number of topics so this column is going to cover a
potpourri of topics.

You might have missed it, but this past week was the 100th anniversary
of Jell-O. Now, I realize that's not an earthshaking event but it is
interesting that originally there were only four flavors of the gelatin
dessert - strawberry, raspberry, orange and lemon. Today there are 22.

It was created by a New York cough medicine manufacturer and it didn't
catch on for a while, according to the database report in U.S. News &
World Report.

Now, 1,134,239 boxes are purchased daily, although not all are used for
food. Some is used for hair mousse, hair dye and wrestling mats.

One interesting sidenote in the database is that 99 per cent of
Americans recognize the brand of Jell-O while only 75 per cent could
identify Al Gore as the vice president in the last election.

Oh yes, President Clinton prefers his Jell-O made with 7 Up instead of
water.
***

Most if not all the new cars have what is called daytime running lights
- in other words, the headlights are on all the time. This has been
done, as I understand it, in the name of safety.

In my mind, this is a bunch of bunk. Somebody who doesn't have a life
must have dreamed it up, just like the ones who came up with air bags
and seat belts.

Now, I believe in being safe and I know that seat belts and air bags
have saved lives. But how many lives have they cost? We know of a number
of children who have been killed because of air bags. We also know of
people who have been pinned in their cars because of seat belts and have
died.

It seems that some people just sit around dreaming up stuff. They need
to get a real job, other than trying to invent ways to drive up the
expense of things we buy.
***

There seems to be considerable controversy over not having elections if
races for local offices are not contested. Yes, it does save money when
the turnout is going to be low. But does it serve the cause of providing
the public with choices?

Even though races for offices may not be contested on the ballot, by
not having an election, the possibility of having a write-in is
eliminated. Think about it.
***

Who came up with the age of 27 for someone to have to present ID to buy
cigarettes? I understand the need to keep people from smoking but why
the age of 27?

***
Have you seen the Hale-Bopp Comet? It's viewable in the northern and
northwestern sky mainly between 8 and 9 p.m. and can be seen in the
early morning northeastern sky shortly before sunup, about 5 to 6 a.m.
I've tried to see comets for many years and none have looked like what
I thought comets should look like - at least until this one. It is
spectacular.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Mac McKinnon is editor and publisher of the Pecos
Enterprise. His column appears on Friday.

YOUR VIEWS

Bible version study shows discrepancies


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Dear Editor:
Several years ago a Messianic Jew told me that the new bible versions
are corrupt. Because all of my family and myself were using one or more
of the new versions I was, at first, offended.

After considering the seriousness of such an allegation, I knew I would
have to find out for myself. After more than two years of prayerful
study, I have learned that the new bible versions are, without any
doubt, corrupt counterfeits of God's word.

For example, Matthew 18:11 is one of 17 verses that have been
completely omitted from one of the most popular new versions. One new
version that is preferred by many church leaders says, in 2 Samuel
21:10, that Elhanan killed Goliath. As children we learned that it was
David who killed Goliath.

Many of the new versions have accommodated evolution in the creation
story by subtly changing "the" second day to "a" second day; Genesis 1:8.

Another error may be found in Daniel 3:25 with the fourth person in the
furnace.

The examples mentioned here are just the tip of the iceberg.

There are several excellent books by different authors that deal with
this fascinating subject, but you won't find them in book stores. The
reason for this, I believe, is the huge amount of money made from each
new version that is published.

Is it any wonder, then, why so many people have trouble understanding
the Bible when the new versions disagree with the Authorized Version
(KJV) and with each other?

-- R.L. Rich

OUR VIEW

Scare tactics out in campaign finance


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The growing controversy, now of scandal proportions, over campaign fund
raising and contributions in this past national election deserves more
attention than it is getting.

Many people are confused by the whole thing, and it is difficult to
understand, but the bottom line is that the Democrats - and Republicans
- in this election and in past elections have used undue pressure to
raise funds.

The Democratic National Committee has returned a number of
contributions which is commendable but it seems that a number of rules
were broken in raising other funds.

In addition, it turns out that letters were mailed out to many senior
citizens that raised alarming possibilities of cutbacks in Social
Security and Medicare if Clinton didn't get re-elected.

Because of the letters, many elderly people made contributions that
they could ill afford. These scare tactics need to be stopped. People
should realize that nobody is going to hurt the elderly and if that was
the case, a president alone couldn't do a whole lot about it.

Another alarming part of this situation is that the public in general
seems to just turn their collective head with a sigh and accept this
latest scandal as just another part of the way things are done by our
politicians.

That's a sad commentary!

We need honest, effective leadership where only the highest standards
are expected and delivered. We're not sure that can be legislated, but
it is a start.
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