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4A TUESDAY, JULY 18, 2006 Mouston Daily .IJmmtal OPINION Daniel F. Evans Editor and Publisher Julie B. Evans Vice President Don Moncrief Foy S. Evans Managing Editor Editor Emeritus New Ambulances are good news for county It was good to read last week that Houston Healthcare has added two more ambu lances to its fleet - going from 10-12. One of them, it’s reported will be stationed at the Houston Lake Med-Stop on Ga. 127 and Moody Road in Perry and the other will be abased at Houston County Fire Station No. 1 on Cgrl Vinson Parkway. It’s good news for the obvious: With Houston County’s populace steadily on the rise, it’s - in a secret to no one - important we equip emergency personnel accordingly. It was also good to learn Papa John s Risk Services Corporation and Fireman s Fund Insurance Company (Fireman s Fund®) will award Wednesday a SIO,OOO grant to the Houston County Fire Department to purchase extrication equipment, more com monly known as the Jaws of Life In the case of both of the above, it’s most impor tant that you the reader stand up and take notice. You never know. The Lord works in mys terious ways as the Bible reads. Or, if you’re not religious, put it this way: Fate never reveals its hand. One of those new ambulances - and the added expedience they bring - or those Jaws of Life may, heaven forbid, play a vital role in saving your life one day. LETTER TO THE EDITOR The price of gas is a scam I was amazed Sunday July 16 as I drove down Watson Boulevard. Gas at several stores was less than it was on Saturday! This was despite the fact that (a) the price of a barrel of oil was at an almost record price and (2) there seems to be a small war between Israel and the Hezbollah in Lebanon. This helps prove the whole price of gas thing is a scam. I sure hope a butterfly doesn’t flutter its wings over the ocean. That would no doubt cause prices to go up. Harry Stewart, Warner Robins Reaching new election low We are saddened that political discourse in the United States seems to reach a new low with every passing elec tion. Just when we ask, “How low can it go?” the ads just get more vicious. This has been especially true in the race for lieutenant governor of Georgia this year. For more than a year, Ralph Reed has been the victim of a ruthless campaign to smear his good reputation and long list of accomplishments. For the liberal media and Reed’s opponents it would seem that a campaign to stop casino gambling in Alabama is more important than the real issues Georgians face like jobs, healthcare costs, educa tion, or threats to private property rights. We have known Ralph and Jo Anne Reed for years. As head of the Christian Coalition and Georgia Republican Party, Ralph has invested his life in promoting and pro tecting our values. Ralph has been accused of no wrong doing. In fact, a two-year inquiry in Washington rejected his opponents’ accusations and said Ralph was hired by a respected law firm and did his job well. Casino gambling did not expand in Alabama because of Ralph’s work, sav ing countless marriages and families. Ralph Reed is a proven Republican leader. Congressman Lynn Westmoreland supports Ralph. Zell and Shirley Miller support Ralph. Over 750 elected officials and Republican Party leaders have endorsed Ralph. And we are proud to support Ralph Reed for lieutenant governor. We encourage you to reject negative campaign ing by voting for a proven Republican leader, Ralph Reed, today, to be Georgia’s first ever Republican lieutenant governor. Catherine and Cecil Staton One of them, it's reported will be stationed at the Houston Lake Med-Stop on Ga. 127 and Moody Road in Perry and the other will be abased at Houston County Fire Station No. 1 on Carl Vinson Parkway. It's good news for the obvious: With Houston County's populace steadily on the rise, it's— in a secret to no one - important we equip emergency personnel accordingly. Progress brings new WR era I ate lunch at the busi est restaurant in Warner Robins yesterday and did not see anyone I knew. Odd? Not so odd? It seems strange to me, since I have lived here for more than 57 years. It would seem that I would know someone in the restaurant. But that is not unusual. Warner Robins has grown from a tiny village where everyone knew everyone else to a city where almost every one you see is a stranger. I’m not sure I like it. I enjoyed going places and running into friends and acquaintances. Now it is as if I was in a strange city much of the time. What’s the difference between eat ing out among strangers at home or in another city? It is that way just about anywhere I go in Warner Robins today. I am surround ed by residents of Warner Robins and I feel like a new comer in a city where I have spent most of my adult life. There still are some of the people I call “oldtimers” around, but their numbers diminish with each year. A few have moved a way, but usually our numbers are reduced by funerals. Most of us do not get around much anymore and it is at funerals "Election editions are great sellers -winners buy them to celebrate and losers want to stuff them under their birdcages!" Your words have immeasurable power By Gregg Hunter Vice president of Georgia Family Council On a recent PBS special about Thomas Jefferson, historian Garry Wills said: “I think the thing to remember from Jefferson is the power of the word ... That words beautifully shaped reshape lives. That a person who has certain disadvantages and flaws and even crimes, like hold ing slaves, can transcend his imprisonment within reality by casting out words that take you into a new reality.” As a “words guy” I was moved by this statement. If you weren’t, take a minute and read the quote again - slowly. Thomas Jefferson, the man credited with crafting the Declaration of Independence more than 230 years ago, obviously believed in the power of words. In an era long before computers, e mail or even electric type writers, Jefferson carefully put together words that had the power, according to Wills, to take people “into a new reality.” Jefferson’s powerful words helped bring a new nation into being, and painted a picture of what this coun try could be - should be. In doing so, he cast a vision of this nation’s future for both its citizens and those in power in England. While Thomas Jefferson’s words actually helped shape a country, Wills emphasized that the important impact is on the individual. Put another way, the words we use as we communicate with those around us have the power to shape lives. Indeed, our words have the ability to do great good or tremendous harm, to bring healing or pain, whether in politics, business, friend ships or in our families. What do your words bring? If your close associates or Columnist that we get to rub shoulders, share memories and catch up on what we have been doing. I have to admit I miss small town life. But nothing can hold back progress and I doubt that I would want it to. We have much to take the place of the life we had back then. Some sacrifices, including the laid back small town life, must be made. We now have anew Houston County Warner Robins, Perry and Centerville to replace the old. We have thousands of people living in our county who know nothing about the history of our community and, unfortunately, most of them are not interested in it. They have come from many places and have new lives in a vibrant, interest ing and safe place. They family were interviewed about the most common effects of your speech, what would they say? Would your children say your words make them feel good and encouraged? Would your spouse say you frequently use words to build up, to praise, to support? Or would those around you say you nag, correct, “harp” too much. That you consistently show your displeasure through what you say? Would people say your words are nega tively cast or “beautifully shaped”? Experts believe that posi tive, encouraging words can make a significant difference in the lives of children, spe cifically kids diagnosed with attention deficit/hyperactiv ity disorder. “Children thrive on posi tive attention,” wrote Robert Meyers, PhD. “Children need to feel loved and appre ciated. Most parents find that it is easier to provide negative feedback rather than positive feedback. By selecting and using some [positive phrases] on a daily basis with your child, you will find that he will start paying more attention to you and will try harder to please. Recent research shows that ADHD children may need more praise than the aver age child. Unfortunately, because of their behavior they often receive less.” We’ve all heard stories about kids who were told things repeatedly in their formative years that defined who they became. When parents, family friends or teachers repeatedly say to a kid, “You’ll never amount to much” or “Can’t you do anything right?” or “Why aren’t you more like your sister?” those messages sink in quickly and deeply, often altering what the child thinks of himself. A good friend of mine was are Houston County today. Some of them would like to change Houston County into a carbon copy of the place they left. It concerns me that so few of them are taking a personal interest in civic, political and social activities that are the fabric of any community. A generation or two of leaders has come and gone since I came here. Leaders who grew up here and have been part of the fabric of the community all their lives are being replaced by new comers who must step for ward and assume leadership roles. They bring with them a diversity of experiences and knowledge. There must be some among them with out standing potential for lead ership. We are in a new era. Those told in her early teens that she had an ugly smile. She believed it because she cared about the person who made the comment, and into her early 20s was still convinced her smile was unattractive. For years, she made a con scious effort to cover it. When I got to know her I told her she had a great smile that lit up her whole face and made her eyes sparkle. And she has beautiful eyes - eyes I’ve had the privilege of looking into over more than 22 years of marriage. My wife, a very strong, intelligent and confident woman, had subconsciously bought into the words deliv ered at a vulnerable period in her life, and they had an impact on her for years. Are you using your “word power” to build up or to tear down? I promise you this: Your spouse will respond to your positive words like a thirsty plant in the dessert - especially if you’re not in the habit of paying compli ments often. And if that’s the case, you may need a little help to get started. Try whichever of these apply: - I appreciate how hard you work to provide for our family. - You are a great cook. That was a blue-ribbon meal. - You look terrific today. - I’m glad I’m married to you. - I’m proud of you. - I respect the way you handled that situation. - I like your smile. - Your laughter is like music to my soul. - You’re a good mom/dad - thanks for loving our kids. - I like you, and I’m glad you’re my friend. I’m sure you can think of additional positive words on your own. The point is - use them! Your words, and the thoughts they convey, con tain the power to “reshape lives” and they can reshape HOUSTON DAILY JOURNAL of us who have been here so long and put our stamp on things are fading from the scene. Soon the real pio neers of Warner Robins will pass away and memories of them will fade into his tory. Already many of the men and women who were so instrumental in providing the foundation for Warner Robins have been forgotten by many and have never been heard of by others. No one is irreplaceable. But deeds performed many years ago laid the founda tion for what we have today. Some of the forgotten made tremendous personal sacrifices in the interest of keeping Warner Robins from fading into history more than 50 years ago. You see some of their names on signs and not many who see the signs know who they were. For example, the name of Watson is predominant in Warner Robins. How many who read this know that C.B. (Boss) Watson was this city’s first mayor and that when the city did not have enough money to pay city employees their salaries he wrote checks from his per sonal checking account to pay them? More importantly, how many really care? a marriage or other impor tant relationship in your life as well. The end of Wills’ quote above may seem a little lofty or confusing when he said, “That a person who has cer tain disadvantages and flaws and even crimes, like hold ing slaves, can transcend his imprisonment within reality by casting out words that take you into a new reality.” Wills is referring to past offenses committed by Jefferson, specifically the fact that he was a slave owner. Some historians believe that Jefferson was influenced by the life’s work of William Wilberforce, the British Minister of Parliament who fought for decades to see the British slave trade abolished. In his later life, Jefferson was convinced that slave ownership should not be legal, and he became an advocate for abolition. I include this part of the quote here because we’ve all made mistakes, whether in word or deed. Mine are too many to count. And they’ve hurt people. But I am encouraged by Wills’ assessment of Jefferson’s powerful use of words to, in effect, break out of the prison of your former deeds and bring about a new reality by using new words, positive words, that are good for others. Put another way, it’s never too late to change. Our words have great power - the power to begin nations, the power to correct past wrongs, and the power to reshape the lives of those around us. Georgia Family Council is a non-profit organization that works to strengthen and defend the family in Georgia by impacting communities, shaping laws and influenc ing culture. For more infor mation, go to www.georgia family.org, 770-242-0001 or gregg@gafam.org.