The Record: Credible Conversations

By Floyd Miller/Publisher

I think most people want to be taken seriously when they speak. As a listener, we will form our opinion about what a person says. In most cases, we will put the conversation in one of two categories: credible or not credible.

Credible is defined as offering reasonable grounds for being believed or trusted. In other words, what you are saying is grounded in some facts. It sets on a foundation of information that supports the claim.

The number one goal at the West Texas Tribune is to print credible factual information. Truth does matter. Without truthful factual credible information, it’s hard to make good decisions. Just think about the lives and organizations that can be negatively affected by information that’s not true.

Bible students will probably recall the conversation Pilate had with Jesus in the Book of John. He asked a question about truth and answered his own question:

“What is truth?” retorted Pilate. With this he went out again to the Jews gathered there and said, “I find no basis for a charge against him. But it is your custom for me to release to you one prisoner at the time of the Passover. Do you want me to release ‘the king of the Jews’?” They shouted back, “No, not him! Give us Barabbas!” Now Barabbas had taken part in an uprising. — John 18: 38-40

So, how do we have credible conversations? I would suggest that you seek out credible sources. If it was a medical question, I am going to suggest The Mayo Clinic as a starter and compare what other credible institutions and research shows.

What if it’s a news story? We hear a lot of discussion about the media. In most cases, someone is saying the “mainstream media” is not getting it right. The media is the problem, some would say.
If you really want to get to the truth, the most respected and accurate media source is the Associated Press (AP), which is “mainstream media.” So, I would suggest if you are getting news from another source, it might be a good idea to see what the AP people are saying about that same subject. They may miss something, but they are considered the standard bearer for accuracy.

The Associated Press is an American, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are distributed to its members, major U.S. daily newspapers and radio and television broadcasters.

The West Texas Tribune does not have a global presence like the Associated Press. However, in the community in which we operate, we will do our best to produce accurate information for our readers.

Christmas is coming

As I was writing the title, a little poem from my childhood days came back to me. I don’t know where it originated, but more in likely I heard it from a family member.

Christmas is coming and the geese are getting fat,
Please put a penny in an old man’s hat.
If you don’t have a penny a half penny will do.
If you don’t have a half penny, God bless you.

It’s amazing some of the things we remember from Christmases past. One of the things I am happy about is that we are remembering the people who may not have “half a penny.” We live in a generous community, and organizations – from our churches to our civic organizations – are making a big push to help.

Here are the efforts of a couple organizations over the last 30 to 45 days. The Greater Kiwanis Club of Abilene and Jim Ned Intermediate School District:

• 74 coats; 1 vest; 19 caps; 27 pairs of gloves; 20 pairs of boys’ pants; 12 pairs of underwear; 348 articles of clothing; plus $1,685 donated to purchase more coats, pants, etc. for children
• 12 pies for the winners of the Turkey Trot at Stafford Elementary
• Teacher Appreciation Continental Breakfast to feed 60 Staff at Stafford Elementary and 165 staff at Long ELC
• $300 to purchase wreaths for “Wreaths Across America” placed on graves of veterans at Texas Veterans Cemetery
• $500 for fleece blankets to Love & Care Ministries
• An ongoing “Christmas Basket Contest” to provide 150+ spaghetti meals and 150+ stuffed animals/toys for the underserved families at Long ELC
• Volunteer efforts of many at Mission Thanksgiving, Meals on Wheels, and other places in Abilene
• Jim Ned Intermediate School donated over 3,800 pairs of socks to the Christian Service Center. It was the idea of PE teacher Melissa Shaner. The students got behind the idea; way to go Ms. Shaner and students.

To have your civic organization highlighted in the paper, send your stories and information to [email protected].

Will there be any thing in the West Texas Tribune’s stocking?

As most of you know, the West Texas Tribune Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. We have received several grants this year with one of them being a very competitive national grant. I believe these larger grants speak to the validity of our organization.

Our local donors are the bread and butter of our operation, along with our advertisers. If you are considering some year-end giving, please keep us in mind. You can click the link at the end of this column to go directly to our donation page.

A Christmas Classic

Listen to the podcast A discussion about Black Santa Claus with Malcolm Scott, PhD, and his wife, Bridgit, follow the link https://www.buzzsprout.com/782696/episodes/9746578

Also check out Dow Davis’ rendition of Christmas on page A4 and Khristian Stanton’s rendition on Page B1 of the December issue of the West Texas Tribune.

Real reason for the season

And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.
— Luke 1:30-33

 

Floyd Miller is a Financial Advisor with Osaic Wealth, Publisher of the West Texas Tribune and host of It’s Everything West Texas.

The West Texas Tribune is a community-based non-profit newspaper. If you choose, donations can be mailed to West Texas Tribune, 3300 South 14th, Suite 100, Abilene, Texas 79605; or you can click here to go to our online donation page.