The Record Newspapers - Hometown News For Orange County, Texas

Several years ago, an old pal of mine, a great golfer, entered a big golf tournament in one of our smaller East Texas towns. He figured he would be a contender to win the tournament; he had won several other tournaments and held the course record at the municipal course in Port Arthur. He entered the tournament and when I called to ask him how things were going, he informed me that he figured that he had very little, if any, chance of winning this tournament. When I asked why he related the following story.

On his opening drive he soared the ball almost 300 yards down the fairway, however, it landed near one side of the cleared vegetation. He approached a club steward (referee) and asked whether the ball was in play or out of bounds. The steward who was a local guy grinned, looked at him and said, “I don’t know. Whose ball is it?”

The point being you better not enter any kind of athletic contest without thoroughly knowing the rules.

In America we find life rules far more important. Our rules are found in the Constitution of the United States and the Declaration of Independence. Unfortunately, a few of us are trying to play without knowing the rules. I have met and talked politics to some of my friends who do not even know the difference between the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. Adherence to these documents has allowed us to live free over 200 years. If we want to live free for another 200, we had better spend more time learning the rules.

Those of us claiming to be good citizens need to re-read these documents occasionally just as sort of a refresher course in democracy. Public schools need to grant them more emphasis. I am told that several schools have unfortunately even reduced the amount of time spent on civics, which is nothing but how to practice democracy and what it means.

Young people need to understand that democracy is not something to study as a part of a required class but relates to our businesses, jobs, worship, speech, voting, being able to write for the Penny Record. This is my sermon for the week. AMEN!