Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2002

By Staff
Black minister backs Pickering
Editor's note: The following is a corrected version of this letter, which appeared Sunday, Oct. 27.
To the editor:
Please, young and adult people of color, wake up. The people of the 3rd Congressional District have a big challenge before them, that is to elect a person of integrity.
I read where one writer wrote that Republicans opposed the establishment of social security in the 1930's. If that's true, all of the Republicans of that time are no longer living. Democratic Senator Tom Daschle is blocking 50 key bills, all designed to aid the average hard-working people in America. Among them are abandoned human cloning, child protection initiative, new energy policy, anti-terrorism measure and a bill to make our tax cut permanent.
Even though these bills will greatly help our good state and great country, Sen. Daschle is concerned that they will hurt him and other Democrats in the upcoming election. He wants you to get mad at all conservative candidates or elected officials and support liberals such as Ronnie Shows, instead of true God fearing leadership which really understands all Mississippians, such as U.S. Rep. Chip Pickering.
Please my fellow Mississippians, I know to some Ronnie Shows has done some good. But when you weigh the scale and look at the qualifications, when you look at the abilities and the willingness to help all persons, I have to say without a doubt we have no choice but to re-elect the man of integrity Congressman Chip Pickering.
To me, to be a true conservative, to be a true Republican, it takes one true to themselves  but first to God and then to their fellow man, being God-fearing and compassionate towards all people. Please know that if I, a young, black, Baptist clergyman, have been blessed to see through thick clouds of rhetoric, truly others can follow me and support men and women of integrity who are conservative and Republicans.
The Rev. Dr. W.J. Coleman Jr.
Executive Director of C &T Ministries Inc.
Louisville
Parents have critical role
To the editor:
As a mother of a 13-year-old, I don't believe it is necessary for any law officials to set a curfew for my son. As his parent, that's my job. I am responsible for making rules and guidelines for him to follow.
Don't we have enough children in the system? Don't we have enough children being raised by governmental sources?
It's time for county/city/state officials to get out of the parenting business and tend to county/city/state business and time for parents to be parents.
M. Shirley
Meridian Seniors beware
To the editor:
I want to caution everyone, especially seniors, about a phone scam that is going around. I recently had a phone call from someone identifying himself as "Visa Card Security." In an urgent manner he told me that Visa Card had withdrawn seven hundred dollars out of my bank account that morning and that he needed the account numbers off of my checks so that he could stop it. He said that the numbers located in the lower left-hand portion of the check were the ones that he needed.
I asked him "who had authorized the withdrawal?" and he told me that I had because I had not responded to a letter that Visa had sent me. I informed him that Visa had better not withdraw any money from my account without authorization.
At this time he became very agitated and demanded that I give him the account numbers. I then had a few choice words for him and hung up the phone after which I called the bank. The bank told me that no money had been withdrawn from my account.
I don't even have a Visa Card, but am writing to make everyone, especially seniors, aware of this phone scam. Do not give out your bank account or social security number over the phone, especially if someone calls you with a story such as this one. Unfortunately there are people out there who make a living preying on senior citizens.
William R. Mott
Decatur