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One reason I'm asking this question is that I see a lot of teeth in
Pecos that look like they need attention. The main reason for this is
the water that has such a high mineral content - especially salt. That's
called "hard" water.
This kind of water discolors teeth and I believe people who don't have
white teeth try not to smile because they are ashamed of their teeth.
And regular readers of this column know how I feel about the importance
of self esteem.
Some people don't realize that dental health affects the rest of your
body. Let me quickly say that I'm not a doctor, but that's what I've
been told and what I've observed over the years.
It's kind of like your feet, which most people don't realize. Your feet
are very important to your overall health including your back, etc.
But's that another subject.
I realize that dental care is very expensive and with only two dentists
in town, it's not easy to get in to see a dentist. That's the case in
just about every town you look at and the reason is that most people
delay taking care of their teeth because of the expense. Everybody has
pressing needs for all their money. Thus, dental care gets pushed to the
back of the needs list.
The lack of importance placed on dental health is one reason why there
aren't more dentists.
Not many insurance companies provide dental insurance, again an
indication of how few people feel this is important. If they only
realized that good dental health promotes good heatlh for the entire
body.
No, I'm not being paid by dentists to write this but it's just an
observation. I've always taken good care of my teeth although it would
have been better if I hadn't eaten so many sweets and chewed so much
sugar-laden gum before the days of sugar free gum.
Even if people can't afford to go to the dentists, families need to
stress the need to brush two to three times a day, use dental floss and
rinse their mouth thoroughly.
Yes, it seems that dental health to some extent is hereditary as is
many things about our body. My family was blessed with good teeth and
we've always gone to the dentist on a regular basis. My mother at 77
still has her teeth, as have most of the members of my family.
It would be nice if everyone had perfectly straight teeth. I'm not
trying to promote perfect teeth, as I believe some crooked teeth add
character to a smile and can be attractive.
However, some teeth are in mouths in such a way that it can cause all
kinds of other problems. I once knew a person who had teeth that caused
severe headaches because the angle of the teeth kept the jaw and then
the neck out of line, causing unneeded stress, and the result was
headaches.
That might sound strange but it is true.
I want to encourage everyone to take care of their teeth and teach
children to do the same from the time of their first tooth.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Mac McKinnon is editor and publisher of the Pecos
Enterprise. His column appears on Friday.
Perhaps we could consider the possibility that there was another giant
that was also called Goliath. It could have been a descriptive title
like `Pharaoh,' `Rabshakeh' and `Sultan.' Another suggestion is that the
Targum preserves a tradition that Elhanan is to be identified with
David. See The Soncino Books of the Bible, ed. by A. Cohen (London,
1952,52). It also suggests that there is no difficulty in the assumption
that there were two Goliaths. Again, the fact that one text refers to
Jaare-oregim, whereas the other reads Jair, and also that only the
account in 2 Samuel contains the term `bethlehemite' [Heb., beth hallach
mi], while the Chronicles account alone contains the name 'Lahmi' (Heb.,
beth-lachmi), it has been suggested by many commentators to be the
result of a copyist's error. `Jaare' is thought to be an alteration of
`Jair,' and `oregim' (weavers or loom workers) is thought to have been
copied inadvertently from a line below in the same verse.
While the suggestions given above may be considered by some to be
tenable, I personally maintain that the words "the brother of" are not
in the MT, and that the translators of NASB, RSV, NIV, NEB, JB, NWT,
etc. correctly render the Hebrew in the MT. Even the oldest translation
of the MT at this verse, the Greek Septuagint, does not contain the
Greek "ton lachmi adelphon" (Lahmi the brother of). Whatever one may say
about the problem involved here, our modern Hebrew and Greek scholars
have remained true to the text as handed down in the MT. The most recent
publication of the MT (BHS, 1976) does not contain the words that KJV
adds to the verse and it does not offer alternative manuscripts in its
critical notes that contain a different reading. Any intelligent student
of Hebrew and Greek can check out the original. This is not wishful
musing on my part. I suggest that the writer read the MT for himself. It
is still available. It also may be well that he consult his mentors
about the Hebrew in this text. Let them produce a copy of the MT that
contains the words that the KJ translators added in their version.
(To be continued on e-mail page)
L. J. Montgomery
Last week, a federal judge struck down the line-item veto approved by
Congress two years ago to go into effect this year with the beginning of
a new term for a president.
The line item veto has long been sought as a way for a president to cut
pork barrel projects from bills sent to him by Congress. Some of those
projects are added onto bills that aren't even spending bills and don't
have anything to do with the subject addressed in the main part of the
bill.
However, some pork barrel politicians, including Democratic West
Virginia Senator Robert Byrd, opposed the line item veto that was passed
as a part of the Republican's Contract with America.
We hope that a higher court will overrule what one loose cannon of a
judge has done and that the sensible approach to government can be
restored. It took too long to get this into law in the first place and
it needs to be back on the books.
Last year when school was held on Memorial Day, the Pecos Enterprise
and others protested, saying this was an insult for veterans whom the
holiday is meant to honor as well as being an affront to working
citizens who have few three-day weekends during the year.
It's viewed by the public that school officials have no consideration
for regular people as they are wanting to get through with school to
head off on their two to almost three month vacation.
After last year's protest, the school board and administration said
they would see what adjustments could be made on this year's calendar
although the calendar had already been set at that time. Nothing has
been done and school will be held on Memorial Day this year.
Insult was added to injury when the calendar adopted for next year
included school on Memorial Day also.
As we understand it, concern was expressed that students might not come
back to school with only two days left after a three-day weekend. We
simply don't understand that thinking.
There are a number of days this difference could be made up with,
including not having the Monday off after Easter, which is not a regular
holiday for anybody but school people.
We encourage the public to talk with school officials about this insult
to our veterans and working public.
As a Pecos born and raised citizen, now residing in San Antonio Texas,
I was sad to read through the Pecos news and see so many errors both in
grammar and spelling. I would think the news editor would take some
pride in at least having a spell checker. Grammar I can mostly forgive
but spelling should be 100 percent correct.
Keep up this site. I still keep up with my home town even though I live
hundreds of miles away but please make me proud to show this site to my
present friends, minus the spelling errors. Please.
-- Jesus "Chuy" Anaya
San Antonio
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