The Cherokeean. (Rusk, Tex.), Vol. 138, No. 46, Ed. 1 Thursday, December 25, 1986 Page: 2 of 24
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I* \<iK TWO — TIIE CHEROKEEAN OF HUSK. TEXAS — THURSDAY DECEMBER 25, 1986
Christ of Christmas
Never Changes
Editorial Opinion/
It's a changing world. Who knows
what the future holds? A lot can
happen in only one week. As I write
this column, it will be a week before
it's printed in the newspaper. By
that time, Christmas will be at
hand.
A week prior to December 12, I
watched a Christmas parade in
downtown Rusk. Filled with the
Christmas spirit, I was inspired to
write about it. "Enjoy the Christ-
mas season," I wrote, "Let bygones
be bygones. Bury the hatchet. God
is in complete control. In Christ
Jesus, we're all just one big happy
family."
The following week, my Christ-
mas column was printed. On the
morning of December 12,1 was cut-
tingout the column to put in my
scrapbook. I had already submitted
my column for the following week.
Fae had asked me to take down
some decorative baskets that hang
on the railing of the balcony inside
our cabin. She planned to hang our
Christmas stockings in place of the
baskets. We were getting ready to
decorate for Christmas.
The phone rang. It was my
mother. My older brother, Lyndal,
had been staying at Mother's house
recuperating from heart surgery.
Mother had just found him dead. He
had died peacefully in his sleep
sometime during the night.
Some 35 or 40 years ago, Lyndal
had publicly professed his accep-
tance of the Lord Jesus Christ as his
personal savior. I can still remem-
ber when he sang a solo in church:
"I'd Rather Have Jesus."
Based on God's promise in His
word, I have faith that Lyndal is
now resting comfortably with the
Lord and is reunited with our daddy
who went on before him. Without
this faith, Christmas would be
meaningless and gloomy. Hebrews
11:1 says "Now faith is the substan-
ce of things hoped for, the evidence
of things not seen."
If I had it to do over again, I'd try
to be a better brother to Lyndal. I
wouldn't wait 50 years to tell him I
love him. When he showed me his
new pick-up truck, I'd try to show a
little more interest; maybe ask him
to take me for a ride. When he
asked me to play a game of
backgammon with him, maybe I'd
play instead of telling him I didn't
like backgammon.
I guess I could spent the rest of
my life thinking about all the things
I could have done to be a better
brother, but I don't think I should.
After all, like Lyndal and everyone
else, I'm a sinner; no better, no
worse in God's eyes. I'm thankful
for the time we spent together over
the recent Thanksgiving holiday.
I'm glad that 1986 was the year I
finally told Lyndal that I loved him.
I'm happy I took the opportunity
during these past few emotional
days to tell my little brother, Jim-
my, that I love him. I hope I'll take
many future opportunities to tell
him again.
It's a changing world, but
Christmas reminds us that the Lord
never changes. Hebrews 13:8 says
"Jesus Christ the same yesterday,
and today, and forever."
A week has already passed since
my brother died. I took the baskets
off of the balcony railing last night.
Fae hung the Christmas stockings
and put bright red candles in the
windows. Tumbleweed Smith ate
supper with us and taped an inter-
view for his radio program. We
drank coffee, laughed, and had a
good time. We'll finish decorating
for Christmas in the next day or so.
Mother, Jimmy, Aunt Audrey
(everyone calls her Sister), and
Fae's parents (Jay and Gwen
Branham), all plan to spend
Christmas with Fae and me.
Christmas will have a special
meaning to all of us this year; a
time to celebrate the birth of Jesus
Christ and God's gift of eternal life
through Him.
So, as I said before. Enjoy the
Christmas season. Let bygones be
bygones. Bury the hatchet. There's
no need to be angry, bitter,
lonesome, sad, or depressed. God is
in complete control. In Christ
Jesus, we're all just one big happy
family.
Merry Christmas!
Basketball
Program
"Think positively. Remember,
the Christmas presents of today are
the garage sales of tomorrow."
Robert Orben.
Our guest last week was Dan
Childs from Jacksonville. Lion Jim
Cromwell says he is a pretty nice
guy. Always good to have visitors.
Lion President George Dodd was
very pleased that we had a really
good attendance last meeting-
surelv does help. Lion President
Dodd announced that after 1st.
January everything would be full
speed ahead. We will not be waiting
to April or May to get started on the
things that need to be done around
the Rusk Lions Swimming Pool and
our Baseball complex, but will be
going to work at the beginning of
the new year and that way we will
not have so much to do at the last
minute.
On Saturday the 13th Lion
President Dodd and Lion Bill Curtis
were the only ones that turned up to
pick up trash on the Palestine
highway. They did not give up and
go home, but put in a full morning's
work. Our hats are certainly off to
them for a job well done.
Lion Jim Cromwell said that
everybody is enjoying pizza so
much that we will have them for
sale again in February, so get your
orders all lined up. This project will
be to raise money for our scholar-
ship fund.
Lion Tail Twister Richard John-
son will be program chairman for
the month of January, so be sure
and make each meeting.
Lion Bill Curtis presented his last
program for the month and it was
Keith Durrett. Head Basketball
Coach of Rusk High School. Keith
said they had a unique start this
year with a 3-0, but then the grades
came out and they lost a few
players, but have bounced back and
are looking forward to being that
team that will have to be beaten for
the district. He said he always wan-
ted to attend school in Rusk but
wound up on the coast. Now a
dream come true-coaching at the
Rusk School System.
He feels that we have a tremen-
dous basketball program going
here, and we just hope that we can
keep him here to see all of the good
things in the coming years. He has
been working a basketball camp
each summer and will be having
one here in Rusk as soon as the
warm weather comes around. He
feels that Rusk has the foundation
for a very good basketball
program. A certain illness has at-
tacked the players and many are
not able to play now but it is hoped
that they will be well and ready to
go very soon. They all give 100 per-
cent every time they get on the
court. They are very aggressive
and if you want to see good basket-
ball come out and support them. It
helps so much when they have a
good crowd and hear you cheering
them on. Winning is not the most
important thing in the world, but
they have to learn they have to
work for what they get. This is very
important to learn to prepare for
their adult life.
Coach Durrett is looking to win
the district in three years, and we
feel that he will. He worked in a
camp last year with some 42 young
people. This year he would like to
have the boys one week and the
girls one week. The 7th grade team
is looking very good and he is trying
to get a tournament for them after
the holidays.
We certainly enjoyed Coach
Durrett and we as Lions would like
to offer our help with improving this
fine program. We would even like
for Coach Durrett to become a Lion.
The Rusk Lions will not be
meeting December 25th and
January 1st due to the holidays.
Take Christ out of Christmas, and
December becomes the bleakest
and most colorless month of the
year. A. F. Wells.
Blessed are they who find
Christmas in the age-old story of a
babe born in Bethlehem. To them a
little child will always mean hope
and promise to a troubled world.
Blessed are they who find Christ-
mas in the message of the Prince of
Peace. They will ever strive to
help Him bring peace on earth,
goodwill to men.
"For Christmas." said Aunt
Maggie to Uncle Grover, let's give
each other sensible gifts, like ties
and fur coats "
From Lion President Dodd and
all the Rusk Lions "May warmth
and joy fill your home at Christmas
and throughout the coming year '
See You January' 8th Southern
Motor Inn about noontime
Reprinted from The Cherokeean file . December 14, 1978
As A Child
Christmas is for children.
Children have that sense of excitement which
only comes when the last Christinas celebration
seems so long ago. Time passes slowly for a
child.
With children, there is no sense of the im-
possible at Christmas. Dreams are expected
to come true-and often do. A child is seldom
aware that those things for which he wishes are
far beyond the practical boundaries of a family
budget.
A child's gift is living proof that it's not the
gift but the thought that counts. Even the most
inexpensive trinket takes on great value when
one realizes the care with which it was selected
by tiny hands, the magnitude of sacrifice in
giving up that special treat, the special thrill in
being able to print in large, crooked letters: To
Mommy and Daddy.
The Christmas story is a fresh, fascinating
story to a child. He is truly moved with emotion
at the story of Baby Jesus lying in a manger,
surrounded by animals and visited by angels.
shepherds and wise men. He believe .
The message in a Christmas carol teems to
stand out when sung by a child. "Away in a
manger..." He repeats words which are stored
away in the heart, not on a piece of paper, and
the melody is clearer and more beautiful from a
heart filled with innocence and cheer.
Routine and tradition are what a child like
best about Christmas. Trimming of the tree,
turkey dinner at Grandma's, exchanging names
at Sunday School-these are things of which
memories are made in children. To a child, ac-
tivities are not boring just because they're simple
and familiar.
Love, peace, goodwill toward men, are not
vain repetitions with children. We leam best as
children that it is "more blessed to give than to
receive."
Yes, Christmas is for children.
"Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom oí
God as a little child, he shall not enter therein."
(Mark 10:15)
•sandy alien
Wise Men Still Search
Nativity scenes showing three Wise Men are
traditional in depicting the Christmas story, h is
more likely that the Wise Men's search for the
child involved more than a journey of a day or
two. Some Bible scholars say the search must
have taken months, perhaps years. We do know
that these men were astronomers and scholars,
respected for their knowledge, wisdore and ini
tellectual discipline. They were attracted by the
phenomenon of the star which ho&ed at the
Nativity. Their quest was not tSentific By
today's standards and, in 1986, they probably
would be scoffed for their ethfereal inter-
pretation of the phenomenon of the star.
In the centuries that have passed since the
Wise Men's search, man's knowledge of the
universe has expanded-and so has his egotistical
assessment of his own human power and worth.
In some circles, religious faith is regarded as a
weakness and belief in Biblical teachings is
viewed as competitive with science. History
contradicts this view. Men and women of faith
are among those who have made the greatest
contributions to mankind in almost every field
from medicine to astronomy. The strongest in
character and in courage were those who were
martyred for their "beüef in jeeus Christ.
At Christians throughout the world celebrate
His birth, the magnitude of this religious event is
evident. It is no myth, no mirage of the in-
tellect...He did come to His own. He lived. He
died. He lives again in the hearts of those hum-
ble enough to accept the simple story of a child
bom in a manger.
Long ago, Wise Men sought Him.
Wite men..And women...still seek Him!
sandy alien
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When it comes to dealing with the
state's budget problem. Texans
feels strongest about state spen-
ding-cut it-and a state income tax-
-forget it.
Those are the findings of a survey
conducted by the Institute for
Communicatons Research (ICR) at
Texas Tech University Survey par-
ticipants were given six options for
dealing with the state's fiscal
problems and more than 75 percent
favored cutting state spending and
Crisis Center Hotline:
683-HELP
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•IWrufT PrrfMx-i •Omotut VMITWT «GWT !
•Srtaal bmlt
The Cherokeean
(USPS 103-520)
Texas' Oldest Weakly
ÜIUUVIRliU w wü
Owroktt Sentina).
Fab. 27,1850
Phencyclidine, commonly called
PCP, is in its pharmaceutical^
pure form, a white powder which
readily dissolves in water. Because
of it's many "street names" it is of-
ten misrepresented. The user may
be unaware of what he or she has
ingested or may be mistaken about
it's true identify. Some of the names
for phenyclidine include: angel
dust, dust, crystal, cyclones, em-
balming fluid, elephant or horse
tranquilizer, killer weed, super-
weed, mintweed, mist, monkey
dust, PeaCe Pill, rocket fuel, goon,
surfer, KW, and scuffle. It can con-
tain a variety of impurities, in-
cluding potassium cyanide. PCP is
used legally in veterinary medicine
as an animal Immobilising agent
Although originally ingested
orally, PCP Is commonly smoked or
snorted Intravenous use Is lew
frequent, but by no means rare A
major reported cause of deaths ha*
aeen drowning In «we «ene* ef IV
PCP related deaths in California, 11
of the 19 were from drowning-one
while in the shower.
The PCP user readily loses his
orientation while swimming or im-
mersed and frequently drowns,
sometimes in very small amounts
of water. The best known effects of
PCP are so unpleasant that many
have wondered how PCP could
possibly prove popular. Many one-
time users will not knowingly use it
again. Depersonalization and
distortion of body image are among
the effects reported froma
moderate amount of PCP. The user
feels a sense of distance from his
surroundings Time expands and
body movements are slowed.
Muscular coordination worsens,
impulses are dulled; the user may
stagger as though drunk
A *««iwe 1 increased physical
strength tmiueMly occur* Speech
is blocked and purposeless
Auditory and sometimes visual
hallucinations may occur, more
frequently at higher doses, and
feelings of severe anxiety, impen-
ding doom or death may appear and
disappear. Touch and pain sen-
sations are dulled. Bizarre
behavior, such as nudity in public
places, has been reported.
Perhaps easier to understand is
the attractiveness of some of the
other effects reported by many
PCP users: feelings of strength,
power, and invulnerability,
coexisting with a dreamy
estrangement and comical lack of
coordination. The drug is dsscribsd
as stronger than marijuana, more
comparable to LSD. but basically
"in a class by itself," It la impor-
tant that we understand these type
of drugs, what they are, the effects
on the body and the emotional
prices we all have to pay because of
itauee
opposed instituting a state income
tax
Other fiscal options put to the 387
Texas residents in a mail and
telephone survey during September
and October included cutting
college and university spending, in-
creasing sales taxes, instituting a
state lottery and initiating legal
parimutuel betting.
Participants were given the fiscal
options and asked how strongly
they agreed or disagreed with them
"in order to reduce the state's
budget problem."
Of the respondents. 75.3 percent
favored cutting state spending. Of
those, 50 percent agreed with the
option and 25 3 percent strongly
agreed. Only 14 percent did not
favor state spending cuts while 10.7
percent of thoae surveyed were un-
sure.
Though persons making above
$20,000 a year were more than twice
as likely as persons earning less to
favor a cut in state government
spending, persons in all income
categories approved a spending
reduction.
Males and females favored spen-
ding cuts in comparable percen-
tages. And, comparison of respon-
ses by education level, age and
length of residency in Texas shows
across the board support for spen-
ding reductions.
Initiating a state income tax was
frowned on by 75.3 percent of the
respondents with 38.2 percent
strongly disagreeing and 37.1 per-
cent disagreeing it was a viable op-
tion. Only 12.8 percent favored a
state income tax while 11.9 percent
remained unsure.
While moat respondents opposed
a state income tax, the older they
were, the wealthier they were or the
longer they had resided in Texas,
the more eppeaed they were to
initiating the tai
The survey's cleaeat division of
opinion was over increasing the
slate salea ta* On the issue 48 ?
percent of the psrticipsnts agreed it
should be increased while 45 per-
cent disagreed with the option.
Another 9.2 percent remained un-
sure
Responses to increasing the sales
tax broke down by age with 26.7
percent of those 45 and under op-
posing it, compared to only 18.7
percent approving. By contrast,
27.2 percent of those 46 and over
favored increasing the sales tax,
compared to 18.4 percent opposing.
Though participants inthe survey
favored cutting state spending, they
generally felt those cuts should not
come at the expense of the state's
colleges and universities. Only 17.5
percent of the respondents favored
college and university cuts. By con-
trast, 89 percent were against cuts
in higher education. Unsure
responses came from 13.5 percent
of the participants on the option
The greater the income, the more
likely respondents opposed cutting
college spending. Remale respon-
dents were more likely to oppose
college spending reductions than
male survey participants.
On issues related to gamhhng,
about two-thirds of the participants
approved of revenues generated by
those methods. Some 86.6 percent
favored a state lottery and a
slightly smaller number, 81.7 per-
cent, liked parimutuel bettii* to
generate funds. Only 219 percent of
those questioned opposed a tottery
and 38.2 percent opposed horae race
betting as a way to reduce the
state's budget problem.
Men favored the gambling issues
more than women. Institute a lot-
tery drew favorable rsspansss from
70.9 percent of the men and 88J
percent of the women Horse bel-
ting was favored by « I percent of
the men and Ml percent of the
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by ICR Director H J Hala The w
vey had a margin of error of plus or
minus pervent
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The Cherokeean. (Rusk, Tex.), Vol. 138, No. 46, Ed. 1 Thursday, December 25, 1986, newspaper, December 25, 1986; Rusk, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth151780/m1/2/: accessed July 2, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Singletary Memorial Library.