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Column
By Frank
Gillespie
The Madison County Journal
February 2, 2000
 Frankly Speaking
Mfume
must be stopped
Who is Kweisi Mfume and
why is he trying so hard to destroy Southern culture? Mfume was
a five-term U.S. Congressman from Baltimore who used his office
to promote extreme left-wing programs. When his ideas were rejected
by the Congress and the people of the United States, he sought
a new vehicle for forcing his socialist ideas. The collapsing
NAACP organization was ideal for his purposes.
The NAACP was originally organized to fight racial discrimination.
It led the effort to end legal segregation, discriminatory voting
laws and economic suppression of Americans of color. It did its
work well.
By 1995, the NAACP was suffering from its own success. Most of
its goals were achieved, and rather than set new goals for the
promotion of opportunity in America, it fell into the hands of
a group of opportunists who used it for their own personal gain.
In August of 1995, Director Benjamin Chives was accused of financial
and sexual wrongdoing and kicked out of office. His leadership
had made the NAACP a joke. Membership was plummeting and his
spending left the organization $3.2 million in debt.
He was replaced as interim director by Earl Shinhoster. At about
the same time, Mfume announced his retirement from Congress and
began his campaign to take control of the failing organization.
Mfume's first goal was to revive membership and contributions.
To do that, he had to have a new villain for the NAACP to oppose.
He decided to "kill two birds with one stone" as the
old saying goes. By attacking the South, especially the Confederate
flag, he would be able to rally support from gullible blacks,
while striking directly at the people who most actively opposed
his radical political agenda.
The strongest opposition to big federal government is in the
South. The Confederacy was formed to reinstate the sovereignty
of the states that was being eroded by a power-grabbing federal
government. The Northern victory in that sad conflict assured
that the federal government would become the dominant political
factor in the nation. The U.S. Constitution clearly limits the
power of the federal government. Mfume wanted to use the federal
government to impose massive tax and spend programs designed
to make the people totally dependent on the federal bureaucracy.
With that accomplished, he would have pushed for a fully socialist
system.
Mfume's plans were consistently blocked by Southern congressmen.
Not only were his socialist plans stopped, Congress, under Southern
leadership, began the job of dismantling the massive federal
government and limiting government tax and spend programs.
Now you know why Kweisi Mfume is attacking Southern culture with
his lies and distorted history. He is trying to force us all
into a socialist society with no regard for our Constitution,
our traditions of individual freedom and self reliance, or the
deep wedge he is driving between black and white Americans. Mfume,
and the reconstituted racist NAACP, must be stopped if America
is to survive.
Frank Gillispie is founder of The Madison County Journal.
Letter
The
Madison County Journal
February 2, 2000
Offers thanks for
help with 'Adopt-An-Athlete'
Dear Editor:
I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere thanks
to the wonderful community supporters who made donations to the
Madison County Special Olympics "Adopt-An-Athlete"
Program. The Madison County Special Olympics Program benefits
over 100 athletes in the Madison County School System.
The funds will be used to provide uniforms, safety equipment,
medals and ribbons of recognition, meals, travel arrangements
and registration fees for area and state games.
I want to say a special thank you to the Bank of Danielsville
for their generous donation of the postage, stationery and envelopes
used in the fund-raiser.
We are also very fortunate to have the ongoing support of the
Madison County Pilot Club in our local winter and summer games
in Madison County.
Other contributors to the fund-raiser were: Johnson Electric
Supply Company, The Roystonian, Inc., Paul E. and Sue R. Demersseman,
Melinda B. Brown, Dennis H. and Mahala J. Moore, Tommy W. James,
C & M Electrical Contractors, Inc., Westbrook Realty Company,
Harry E. Woods, TECHFAB Corporation, Patrick and Pamela Seagraves,
Dr. Terry Beusse and Dr. Robert Hooper, Rebecca Hutchins, Bank
of Danielsville, Jackson Electric Membership Corporation, Community
Baptist Church, First American Bank and Trust Company, Lowe's,
Armour Plumbing/Rapid-Rooter, Winterville Animal Clinic P.C.,
Thomas Dial.
James E. Morang, J. Paul and Roberta W. Burroughs, Mr. and Mrs.
H.B. Thompson, Snelling Family Farm, Jerry and Elena Hart, Madison
County Newspapers, Inc., Ronald O. Ogletree, Hardeman Agency,
Inc., Sandra E. Jeffers, W. Doyle and Helen S. Beatenbough, Mrs.
J. Freeman Burroughs, Merchants and Farmers Bank, Athens First
Bank and Trust Company, Banister and Betty Sexton, Williams,
John Adams, Continental Grain Company, Climate Engineering, Inc.,
D & D Heating and Air Conditioning, Inc., Vivian Rhodes and
LCDR Gary W. Locke Jr. (RET) and Rebecca J. Locke.
It truly does take a village to raise a child, and we are fortunate
to have such a generous village in our community.
Sincerely,
Joan Baird, Chairperson
Madison County Special Olympics Advisory Committee
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Column
By Margie
Richards
The Madison County Journal
February 2, 2000
Margie
Richards
Be
prepared for fire
BY MARGIE RICHARDS
I'm writing this column on behalf of a friend. You see, she and
her husband lost their home to fire a little over a week ago.
Many of you know Pat Carithers and her husband John, and like
any of us would be, they were in a state of shock last week over
losing the home they had built themselves and lived in for a
number of years, as well as many of their possessions.
But being the kind of person she is, instead of feeling sorry
for herself, Pat was already thinking of ways she could help
others avoid a similar tragedy.
So she asked me to write a column to describe some of the things
people can do to prepare for or perhaps prevent the unthinkable
- losing their home and possessions to a fire.
Here are some of the things we discussed:
·First of all, in the event of a fire, be prepared to
"get out" and to do so quickly. Pat says within five
minutes of finding her desk in an upstairs office in flames,
the interior of the house was black with smoke.
·Think now about what you would most want to save if you
ever found your home on fire, such as photos, etc. and what you
could gather as you make your way out of your home. Pat says
all she could think of was family photos and her pottery, while
John went for his guns and other items.
Note: Madison County EMT and Athens/Clarke County fireman John
Scarborough, who teaches fire safety courses says to keep items
in a fire safe box and think of one thing only - getting out.
He advises not even stopping to call 911 from inside your home,
but to go to a neighbors' home or use a cellular phone once outside.
·Pat urges everyone to "beg, borrow or buy"
a video camera and make a videotape of the contents of your home.
Go from room to room, talking about each item in each room as
you videotape - such as when you bought it, how much it cost,
how old it is and estimated value. Make several copies and give
them to friends or relatives - don't keep them in your home,
for obvious reasons. (The tapes would also come in handy in case
of theft.)
Once a fire happens, your insurance company is going to ask you
to list all your possessions, their value, etc. That would be
hard enough to do under ordinary circumstances, but can be nearly
impossible under the stress of losing it all.
·Make hard copies, as well as disks, of all important
files. Store these in a fire-safe box or safe deposit box. Pat
says she had just finished gathering tax information for 1999
and had made hard copies. The problem was both the disks and
paper copies were in the computer desk, so all the records were
destroyed.
·"You can never have enough insurance," Pat
said. Update your homeowner's insurance regularly as your possessions,
and the value of you home, increase.
·Have a fire extinguisher - make sure it is fully charged
- on hand at all times. "And make sure it is large enough
to do some good," Pat said. She advises having one larger
than the kitchen ones most of us probably own.
Scarborough, a seasoned fireman, also offers some advice of his
own:
·Have a fire escape route and a meeting place for all
family members. Talk about and practice what to do in the event
of a fire.
·Have several smoke detectors in strategic places in the
home and change the batteries in them regularly, at least twice
a year. Scarborough advises doing it when changing the time on
the clocks.
·Don't pile clothes, etc. up around the water heater or
washer/dryer in the utility room.
·Keep the lint traps in clothes dryers free of lint that
can build up and catch fire.
·Use fireplace screens at all times.
·Have surge protectors on all electrical appliances to
protect them from damage or from starting a fire. Or, you can
always do the old-fashioned thing - unplug them when not in use
or during a thunderstorm or other periods of power surges (like
an ice storm).
·Check and clean heating systems and chimneys at least
once a year.
"You never think it's going to happen to you," Pat
said. And she wants others to learn from her family's tragedy.
Margie Richards is a reporter and office manager for the Madison
County Journal.
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