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SUCCESS...

"To be successful is

to be helpful, caring,

and constructive-

To make everything

you touch a little bit better.

The best thing you

have to give is

yourself."

Norman Vincent Peale

"FAILURE to stand

for what is morally

right is the prelude

to being the victim of

what is criminally

wrong"

"Zig" Ziglar

BE THANKFUL! THE ELECTIONS ARE ABOUT OVER

Guest Commentary

Courtesy Bill Ellis

Syndicated Columnist

We have much to be thankful for in this month devoted to thanksgiving. The election frenzy

will soon be past. Winners will try to

figure out how to win again. Losers

may try again. Others will gather up

enough courage to toss "their hat into

the election ring" another year.

Political campaigns amount to what

Raymond Moley described as "A war

in which everybody shoots from the

lip." In the event you have forgotten,

I remind you that John Ciardi called

politics "The moral man’s compromise, the swindler's method, and the fool’s hope."

A politician's promises can be broken and forgotten as quickly as New Year’s resolutions. How often do we call on those whom we elect to a political office, or any other office, to give an honest and accurate account of their stewardship?

We do not live in easy and peaceful times. Jesus spoke of "wars and rumors of wars" (Matthew 24:6). There are major problems brewing in many nations. We live in volatile times. Those who are elected to office need our support just as much as they need to be held accountable to those who elect them.

If we do not take the time to vote, we really have no right to complain about how others vote. In some countries a refusal to vote is not as readily accepted as it is in the United States. I hear that in a few countries a person may be fined for not voting. A good idea?

When we cast a ballot on Tuesday, November 7, 2006, we may have voted in one of the truly important elections in our nation’s history. At least four presidents have served in the most difficult periods of our national life. One would be George Washington, the father of the nation, who led us in those important first years. Abraham Lincoln was president when our country was in the process of tearing itself apart. Franklin D. Roosevelt became president during the Great Depression and served into the final year of World War II.

George W. Bush has been our president during the first war of the twenty-first century. We fight against ideological terrorists who represent no one enemy nation, but an enemy who may come from anywhere. This is one of the most dangerous times any president has ever faced.

No matter how elections turn out, the important and defining reality may well be the fact of the true character of the nation. There are those who would ruin and destroy the nation if they cannot be at the top in leadership and control. Perhaps we need to redefine just what kind of people we really are.

Some crucial questions might have to do with how much we honestly love our country. Are we willing to work together? To lay aside party differences for the good of our beloved America? Fighting each other will not be nearly as productive as working together to do what is right. We need to be united as one to win over a vicious enemy that seeks our destruction. Our military forces and their Commander-in-Chief need our strong united support to keep our nation safe and victorious.

Seldom does a day go by that I do not pray for our leaders, praying first for our President, Vice-President, the House, the Senate, the cabinet, our military men and women and, of course, for city, county and state leaders. We need to work together no matter who is chosen to lead us.

If I do not vote, I lose my right to complain about what others do. There should be more people voting this year than in any election in our nation’s history. It is more crucial than ever. Our nation’s safety and strength is our number one priority.

Publisher's Note: Bill Ellis

Award Winning Syndicated Columnist

P. O. Box 345

Scott Depot, WV 25560

304-757-6089