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Daily Newspaper and Travel Guide
for Pecos Country of West Texas

Tuesday, May 19, 1998

OBSERVATIONS


By Mac McKinnon

First amendment protects

everyone in the country


I am seriously concerned about a proposal made to the Town
of Pecos City Council Thursday.

The council was asked and directed City Attorney Scott
Johnson to draw up an ordinance to prohibit strippers and
the sale of sex magazines and and rental of sex videos.

This is obviously an issue that will be divisive to our
community, coming at a time when we simply cannot afford
divisive forces in our town. There are many positive things
happening here that must be continued and we must not let
side issues take our attention away from doing what is best
for our communtiy.

However you feel about the proposed ordinance, it is
obviously illegal. You can't set community standards nor can
you legislate morality. Other communities have tried it
throughout the country. The Supreme Court has time and again
prohibited such action.

As I understand it (I was not there), Johnson tried to make
this plain to the council as well as those making the
protest and request for such an ordinance but apparently
few people were listening.

This is an emotional issue. Some people seem to forget about
the first amendment. I'm not a fan of the issues being
raised but by the same token, I realize that we have certain
freedoms in this country. This type of entertainment is for
adults and adults can make their own decisions.

Have we forgotten that people came to this country to escape
oppression and others making decisions for them?

I support the rights of the people who don't like this kind
of thing to conduct lawful protests and I support the rights
of those who want to take part in watching strippers or
buying sex magazines or renting sex videos.

Me and many others in our community served our nation in
various roles in the military to protect our freedom.
Freedom is a very fragile thing and it must be protected at
all costs, even if it means letting people do things we
don't agree with as long as they don't pose an imminient
danger to us or society.

Over the years, I witnessed many infringements on freedom
including just recently banning the "Diary of Anne Frank" in
Corpus Christi schools, the burning of other classics in
various towns throughout our nation and the banning of
prayer and the Bible in classrooms.

People have a right not to take part in certain things but I
don't believe they have the right to infringe on the rights
of others to further their own beliefs.

I'm sure some people will object to my stance on this
matter. However, again, I'm exercising my freedom and you
can write a letter to the editor and I'll publish it I as
long as you sign it and keep it clean.

I firmly believe that we can disagree without being
disagreeable. Unfortunately, some people don't share this
view as they are right about everything and everyone else is
wrong.

The City Council would do well to listen to their legal
counsel on this matter and avoid a lot of time lost in
controversy and a legal struggle.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Mac B. McKinnon is the editor and publisher
of the Pecos Enterprise. He can be e-mailed at:
bigmac@bitstreet.com

Your View

Cancer relay was good entertainment


Citizens of Pecos:
May 15 & 16 we had some wonderful, family oriented
entertainment in Pecos. No alcohol, no tobacco, no
pornography. Where were you?

I'm talking about the American Cancer Society's Relay for
Life. I think I counted 5 (five) groups in the relay. The
Home Health Agency nurses and doctors, the Town of Pecos
City, the Pecos Youth Advisory, First National Bank and the
Pecos Chamber of Commerce. Who in this town doesn't know
someone who has cancer or has died from cancer or is a
cancer survivor.

If you didn't participate because you really didn't
understand what the relay was all about, did you come out to
see what we were doing? We were walking as a team for 18
hours to show our support for our loved ones and friends who
have been hurt by cancer. We were socializing on a very
human scale, TALKING to each other, having a good time
without listening to a group of drunks yelling and laughing
too loud, without profanity, without nude or partially nude
dancers, without fighting for a breath through cigerette
smoke.

This was a place you could bring your children and your
grandparents and all could have had a wonderful time. You
didn't need to belong to an organized group to have a relay
team. You could have gathered your friends and neighbors to
form your own team.

There is a group of individuals in this town who are trying
to get the city to regulate the moral values of Pecos
citizens when it comes to certain kinds of entertainment.
Where were these people when good, moral, decent
entertainment was available? That is the very reason we
don't have more events like this. No one wants to stay out
all night for a cause unless if benefits them. We all know
how many lives are effected by cancer and this is
benefitting everyone, not just the people who have cancer.

The money we raised will go to research to find cures so
maybe some day YOU won't be effected by cancer.

Thank you
Teresa Winkles

Critic's Corner

Adoptive children need questions answered


Adopting a child means that child is chosen. But, what does
it mean to the child? What about the birth mother?

Now there is a book that can help adoptive parents deal with
that situation. In that book, "Never Never Never Will She
Stop Loving Me," by Joene Durrant, a number of questions
that have been encountered by many adoptive parents are
answered in a very sensitive fashion.

It helps adoptive parents answer questions such as helping
an adopted child feel secure and deals with questions that
the child might have such as "Why didn't my mother keep me,
Didn't she love me and What was wrong with me."

"Adopted children need information and adoptive parents
often don't know what to say about birth mothers," Durrant
states. "I have two adopted children and I wish there had
been a book like this available for me to share with them.
As my children get older they struggled with adoption
issues. I realized specific details of the birth mother's
love has been the missing ingredient in adoption stories.
Perhaps feeling that love would bring peace to the hearts of
adopted children."

As an elementary school teacher, Durrant carefully crafted
the story for a young audience. Delightful pictures by
adopted children illustrate the text.
It is must reading for adoptive parents and their children
when they are old enough. It could help answer some
questions and ease some pain.

The book is published by JoBiz Books of St. George, Utah and
can be ordered by calling 1-888-674-0056 or through the
Amazon Books link on the Pecos Enterprise web page -
www.pecos.net/news or at your favorite book store. Cost of
the book is $9.95 in 32-pages in paperback.

Mac B. McKinnon



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Pecos Enterprise
Mac McKinnon, Publisher
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324 S. Cedar St., Pecos, TX 79772
Phone 915-445-5475, FAX 915-445-4321
e-mail news@pecos.net

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Copyright 1998 by Pecos Enterprise