Fall of a republic: A warning from Scottish historian Alexander Tyler circa 1787, regarding the fall of the Athenian republic:

A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largesse (generous gifts) from the public treasury. From that moment on the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy, (which is) always followed by a dictatorship.

The average age of the world's greatest civilization as been 200 years. These nations have progressed through this sequence: from bondage to spiritual faith, from spiritual faith to great courage, from courage to liberty, from liberty to abundance, from abundance to complacency, from complacency to apathy, from apathy to dependence, from dependence back to bondage.

* * * *

Southeast Missouri State University's homecoming football victory capped off a busy university weekend with perfect weather for a great day including a well-organized, fast-moving parade of many floats and nine bands.

The Southeast Missourian and Zimmer Radio were happy sponsors of the halftime pickup truck football toss to be culminated at the Oct. 25 game. Red "noodles" were distributed to add to the festivities.

* * * *

Correction: In a recent column I attributed some wonderful quotes which I received from numerous e-mailers to comedian George Carlin. Now I hear he didn't make them and takes offense to the attribution given to him on the Internet. OK, George, I'm telling everyone you didn't make the remarks. Sorry. I'm especially alert to inaccuracies that come with many e-mails. These remarks were so kind and uplifting I felt they were worth sharing.

* * * *

I think we can do this: This is the informed opinion of Washington Democrat Norman Dicks, just back from visiting Iraq, as expressed to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld at a House hearing.

Given most reporting on these subjects of late, his optimism struck us as news. ...

Dicks said: "If we can give those generals the resources necessary to keep up their effort, I think this -- I think we can do this."...

Mr. Dicks isn't the only Democrat impressed with the coalition's progress in Iraq. Georgia Rep. Jim Marshall came back from a visit and wrote an op-ed for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution last month in which he accused the media of reducing the chances of success in Iraq by publishing only the bad news. He repeated this view in the Washington Post Wednesday.

We suppose it's possible that the U.S. military and Iraqis sold all of these politicians a bill of goods during their visit to Iraq. Then again, their views echo those of nearly everyone who has visited Iraq, as opposed to those who merely read the papers or watch TV. The security problem in Iraq is serious, and Americans are at risk, but there is also enormous political, economic and security progress being made.

The House hearing, by the way, received very little coverage. That is in sharp contrast to blanket coverage given the six-hour grilling Mr. Rumsfeld received at the Senate last week, when West Virginia's Robert C. Byrd and others all but declared the war in Iraq to be lost. Not every American can go to Iraq to see for himself what is happening there. Which is all the more reason for the press to report what Members of Congress are saying after their visits -- even if it's good news. -- Excerpts from The Wall Street Journal

Gary Rust is chairman of Rust Communications, parent company of the Daily Dunklin Democrat.