Newspaper Page Text
FRIDAY, JULY 28, 2006
4A
Mousimt IDaU\j .IJmmtal
OPINION
Daniel F. Evans
Editor and Publisher
Julie B. Evans
Vice President
Don Moncrief Foy S. Evans
Managing Editor Editor Emeritus
Let them play... here
Why, we wonder, did baseball
players for the Middle Georgia
Baseball League have to go to
Macon and Peach County to play their
seasons?
Why, considering the fact the vast major
ity of them grew up here in our youth
leagues, played in our middle schools,
playUd in our high schools - some of
them still doing so - couldn’t they find a
home here?
Not only that, but we treated them like
outsiders.
According to their league president,
they went to local high schools and asked
- with the
intent of pay
ing -- to use
their fields.
No. They
went to the
recreation
department.
No, again
their presi
dent said.
It’s embar
rassing to
know the only
open arms
they could
find were
in Macon
and Peach
County. We
tend to bring
up every now
and then how
Macon didn’t take care of their Braves
and thus they left town, but we’re appar
ently just as bad - worse, considering as
has already been mentioned that these
are/were our people.
And. it’s not like they aren’t/weren’t
good stewards. As already mentioned,
they Were willing to pay. They were will
ing tc> water the field. They were willing
to rake the infield and/or do whatever
was asked of them.
At the Bibb County Sports Complex
where they did play, they fixed a dent
in the roof of one of the dugouts. They
replaced the “reserved” seat placards
- all voluntarily. They gave the teams
- there and at Peach County bats and
balls. They held a tournament - eventu
ally they did find a place here to play ...
at a “middle school” - had two sponsors
and offered to give all the sponsorship
dollars to the high school that would let
them play. No takers.
Well, of course baseball is not football is
it? So OK, let’s talk football. What about
the International City Warriors?
On their roster are nine players that
graduated from Warner Robins High
School, three Northside alumni and four
from Perry. And, there may be more.
Those are just some of the ones that
have a high school designation next to
their name.
They claim the city as their own - hence
the name - and once again we were all
“gung-ho” when they were children on
up to teen-agers running up and down
the field at McConnell-Talbert Stadium
but what kind of kindheartedness do we
show them today? Their home games are
in Macon.
Up until Wednesday, their practice field
was in Perry. Not anymore. They were
run off.
Today, they practice in a field near the
galleria but even that is in jeopardy.
We seem to have plenty of money for
strip mails. We have no trouble finding
room for gas stations and fast-food joints
and on and on. Maybe it’s time we put
building that sports complex higher up
the priority list.
It’s no longer about our pocketbooks.
It’s our integrity that’s at stake.
Let them play ... here.
It's embarrassing to
know the only open
arms they could find
were in Macon and
Peach County. We tend
to bring up every now
and then how Macon
didn't take care of their
Braves and thus they
left town, but we're
apparently just as bad
- worse, considering
as has already been
mentioned that these
are/were our people.
Thoughts on local restaurant inspecfluns
Do you believe that our Houston
County restaurants are less
healthy than those in Bibb? No,
neither do I. Still, if you look at the
“Restaurant Inspections” by Houston
County Environmental Health and
Bibb County Environmental Health,
you might logically conclude that folks
are better off eating in Bibb than
Houston.
Let’s look at the reports for the
week of July 5-11, for an example.
There were 59 reported inspections in
Bibb and 34 reported inspections in
Houston.
In other words, 63 percent of the
inspections were in Bibb and 37 per
cent were in Houston. O.K. Nothing
startling, so far.
But, what if I told you that 25 restau
rants in Bibb rated 100 percent while
only two restaurants in Houston rated
100 percent? Put another way: 42 per
cent of the restaurants in Bibb rated
100 percent while only 6 percent of the
eateries in Houston were perfect.
Seven times as many “perfect” res
taurants in Bibb! Pretty dramatic, I
would say.
The lowest score for a restaurant in
Bibb was 82 percent. Houston’s lowest
was 64 percent. The lowest five scores
in Bibb were 82, 83, 87, 87, and 89.
Houston’s were 64, 65, 78, 80 and 83.
Houston had four scores lower than
Bibb County’s second lowest. What’s
going on here?
It’s also interesting to me as to what
kind of institution gets the “100’s” in
the respective counties.
It seems to me that generally in
Houston, the “100’s” go to the quasi
public type institutions - school lunch-
TeuiELL
Results indicate elections going to the dogs
The state primary elections are
history with the exception of
a few runoffs and that means
we get a brief respite from all the
mud-slinging political ads on televi
sion. Now it’s back to screaming car
dealers and commercials about medical
problems that shouldn’t be mentioned
in a family newspaper.
Better enjoy it while you can. You
know that the political strategists are
loading up their slop buckets and get
ting ready for the November general
election.
For whatever reason, only about 20
percent of us voted in the primaries.
That is a shameful statistic. I was in
Iraq when people got their first chance
to vote in a democratic election. Some
walked 20 miles for the privilege. We
won’t even get our lazy rumps off the
couch.
In the Republican primary for gover
nor, incumbent Gov. Sonny Perdue eas
ily dispatched Ray Mcßerry, the choice
of the flaggers. Flaggers are high-fiving
each other over the 50,000 votes their
guy received. I hate to burst their bub
ble, but Sheila the Family Wonderdog
could get 50,000 votes without miss
ing her daily 22-hour nap. Perdue got
370,000 votes, or 88 percent, which
qualifies in my book as a rout. Flaggers
have been telling me for several years
that 79 percent of Georgians have
said they want a chance to vote on a
state flag referendum that includes
the Confederate battle flag. Maybe so,
but the flag issue wasn’t a blip in the
primary and won’t be in the November
general election either.
Meanwhile, back in the 21st cen-
OPINION
rooms, hospitals, golf clubs, etc. As to
the week I analyzed, Houston’s two
perfect scores went to a golf club snack
bar and a catering service.
On the other hand, Bibb’s go to
“main-line” restaurants. Week of July
5-11 in Bibb, perfect scores went to
Arby’s, Back Porch Too, Buffalo’s Case,
Burger King, Chen’s Wok, Chick-Fil-A
Mobile, Church’s Fried Chicken, Dairy
Queen, Domino’s Pizza, El Sombrero,
Marco Italian Restaurant, Nu-Way
Weiners, Quizno’s Subs, Starbucks,
Uncle Chan, Yo Yo’s Refreshment
Odyssy, etc., etc.
HH
Then, there is the “Key To Type
of Major Discrepancies Found”. What
does this mean? What has always dis
turbed me the most was the restau
rants being “written-up” for “employee
hygiene matters”. Is it tuberculosis or
failure to wear a hair net or not wash
ing or what? Well, I guess it could be
one of these. Also, I’ve been told that,
at least in Houston County, it could be
“no paper towels in the restroom”.
Is this true? I don’t know. And what
about “storage of cleaning products/
toxic materials”? This is what I was
told: it could be Windex on the counter,
tury, Perdue will face Lt. Gov. Mark
(The Big Guy) Taylor in the general
election. Perdue says he will run on
his record, which includes spaying a
couple of dogs and giving an elephant
a physical. Taylor has chosen not to
run on his record because he didn’t do
anything worth talking about while
lieutenant governor. Perhaps a good
campaign strategy for Taylor would be
to charge Perdue with animal cruelty
because of the poor dogs that lost their
manhood, their self-respect and some
other stuff I’m not going to mention
at the hands of the governor. (Note to'
Taylor’s campaign team: I’m giving
you this idea free of charge.)
Replacing Taylor as lieutenant
governor will be either Gainesville
Republican State Sen. Casey Cagle or
the Democrats’ Jim Martin of Atlanta,
a former state commissioner of Human
Resources, or former State Sen. Greg
Hecht of Jonesboro. Martin and Hecht
are in a runoff, if anybody besides their
closest relatives care. Cagle beat slick
as-.oil Ralph Reed, who happened to be
passing through Georgia on his way to
the White House. Reed was the choice
of the Christian Coalition, former New
York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, former
U.S. Sen. Zell Miller, and a bunch of
ftp*
Larry
Walker
Columnist
lwalker@whgb-law.com
| t
Dick
Yarbrough
Columnist
yarb24oo@bellsouth.net
HOUSTON DAILY JOURNAL
sat there by someone cleaning the win
dows - even if there was no food on the
counter. Could this be true?
My Grandmother Walker prepared
the big meal for the middle of the day.
It was for the family and sometimes for
the “hands” working in the fields.
It was what was called by most
southerners, “dinner”.
After everyone got their fill, Grandma
spread a white cloth over the remains
and this is what was eaten by the
family for supper - and after the cows
were milked and the mules were fed.
Everyone “washed up” (just their hands
and face) and toweled off on the same
cloth that had been used at dinner and
probably for several days prior.
There was lard in the peas and fat
on the ham and cold biscuits, and
Grandma would have surely been writ
ten up for “temperature control of
foods ...” by Houston County’s inspec
tor.
Maybe, she would have gotten lucky
and drawn Bibb’s inspector. Bibb’s
would probably have given Grandma
an 85. Houston’s a 67. Such is life - not
always fair.
My initial question was whether you
believed Houston County’s restaurants
were less safe than Bibb’s. After think
ing about it, I have concluded that
Houston’s lower scores probably means
Houston’s restaurants are safer.
Simply put, we’ve got a “tough”
inspector here in our county. Or, per
haps Bibb’s is lenient.
Either way, I believe our restaurants
are just as clean and run just as well
as Bibb’s - maybe cleaner and run bet
ter. Think about it. I believe you will
agree.
Republican fat cats.
He just wasn’t the choice of the vot
ers. Reed claimed to be an anti-gam
bling advocate at the same time he was
helping disgraced Washington lobbyist
Jack Abramoff protect the gambling
interests of some Indian tribes. I guess
he thought we were too dumb to notice
the irony of that.
In Georgia’s 4th Congressional
District, Ambassador to Outer Space
Cynthia McKinney is in a runoff with
an earthling named Hank Johnson, a
former DeKalb County commissioner.
Currently stumping the district for the
ambassador is media publicity hound
Cindy Sheehan, as well as Darth Vader
and E.T., the Extra Terrestrial - none
of whom are qualified to vote in the
district. Needless to say, I have a great
interest in the outcome of this race.
The ambassador is worth a minimum
of four columns a year - six, if she slaps
a police officer.
The primary results have been a bit
unsettling for me. If I lose Ray Mcßerry,
Ralph Reed and our Ambassador to
Outer Space as regular column fodder,
this would leave me with only President
Peanut and his unsolicited and self
important pronouncements, bleeding
heart liberals who think George Bush
is responsible for all the world’s ills,
including psoriasis, and people who
talk too loud on their cell phones in
the checkout line at the grocery store.
If that happens, I just may be forced to
spay dogs for a living.
You can reach Dick Yarbrough at
yarb24oo@bellsouth.net, P.O. Box
725373, Atlanta, Georgia 31139 or Web
site: www.dickyarbrough.com.