Newspaper Page Text
FRIDAY, AUGUST 4, 2006
4A
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OPINION
Daniel F. Evans
Editor and Publisher
Julie B. Evans
Vice President
Don Moncrief
Managing Editor
Mel fell, fell hard
It’s World War 111. Not Israel and
Hezbollah: Mel Gibson.
How is it a movie actor shares the
same amount of minutes - on TY radio
and newspapers (and, yes we just became
guilty as well) - as a conflict with a death
toll constantly on the rise?
He’s just one man. Powerful behind the
camera, ves, but not so much he deserves
all the fuss that’s been made over the
airwaves over him these past few days.
And, perhaps the worst part of these
reports is the vast majority of the con
text is focused on his “anti-Semitic”
comments.
Yes, he said some things he shouldn’t
have ought
to.
But, is the
news media
doing any
body a service
by constant
ly banter
ing - debat
ing, bring
ing on their
“experts” to
analyze every
word - while
almost com
pletely ignor
ing the fact
the man had a
blood alcohol
level of 0.12
percent (the
legal limit in
California is
0.08)?
Which is
moire likely
to cause inju-
S r or death?
im uttering
a disparaging
remark or
running over
someone.
Let’s put this into perspective - and
yes we know he’s checked into rehab,
but that seems more to be a temporary
way “out” of a bad situation for those
in Hollywood than a solution. Put aside
the politics - a good part of critics’ resur
gence has been over renewed charges
of anti-Semitism surrounding his 2004
film The Passion of the Christ (must-see
TV if you ask us) - and put it into plain
English and perspective.
He was drunk.
There’s no excuse for that - especially
at his age and supposed “maturity
level.
For the record: It’s only a little about
what he said and a whole lot about what
he did.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Vote for Black
On Tuesday, there will be a very important Republican
run-off election. Every vote counts so it is critical that
everyone get out and vote.
Many of us do not realize the important impact agricul
ture has on our lives. It is still the single largest sector of
our economy and one in six jobs is tied to agriculture.
The Georgia Department of Agriculture and its pro
grams and regulatory powers impact our lives daily. The
gasoline you buy is measured and its formulation regu
lated by the Georgia Department of Agriculture. The
food you eat is controlled by regulations administered
by the Georgia Department of Agriculture. The Georgia
Department of Agriculture really does impact your life
everyday whether or not you are directly involved in
agriculture. On July 18, 42 percent of voters chose Gary
Black to be the Republican nominee for Commissioner
of Agriculture, a huge margin of victory compared to his
closest opponent’s 27 percent. Gary Black won 137 coun
ties including all counties in the metropolitan Atlanta,
Macon, Augusta and Valdosta areas. He received a
majority of the vote in 42 counties. Black also received
overwhelming support in agricultural areas. In the 50
counties that have the top farm gate value in the state,
Black won 44 counties and received a majority in 19.
Throughout the campaign, Black has proven he is the
only candidate with the practical and professional expe
rience to protect consumers and grow the agricultural
industry. He has also received overwhelming support
from regulated interests of the Department, including
pest control, companion animal and traditional agri
culture. With this commanding lead, Black has proven
that he is the only candidate that can beat the current
Commissioner in November. I ask you to join me in vot
ing for Gary Black as our Republican nominee Tuesday.
With Gary’s experience and dedication, he will be a good
servant for the state of Georgia.
Jody T. Strickland, Perry
Foy S. Evans
Editor Emeritus
Let's put this into
perspective - and yes
we know he's checked
into rehab, but that
seems more to be a
temporary way "out”
ol a bad situation lor
those in Hollywood
than a solution. Put
aside the politics
- a good part ol critics'
resurgence has been
over renewed charges
ol anti-Semitism sur
rounding his 2004 01m
The Passion ol the
Christ (must-see TV il
you ask us) - and put
it into plain English and
perspective.
Trivial and non-trivial pursuits
Modesty does not prevent me
from saying that I am a good
Trivial Pursuit player. In fact,
I am a very good player - as long as it’s
the original Trivial Pursuit game!
I’m good enough, at the original
game, that my opponents - most always
including my son, Russell, and my sis
ter-in-law, Jeline (who, incidentally, are
very good) - accuse me of having mem
orized the questions and the answers.
It’s not true, although there is one
question about who was on the cover
of the first Playboy magazine with the
answer being Marilyn Monroe, that for
some reason I do remember.
But, generally, it is not true: I haven’t
memorized the questions and answers.
Still, when you think about it, if you
know the answers, it’s because you
have read, seen, or heard it, before,
whether from the questions in the
game, or otherwise.
Embarrassment does not prevent
me from confessing that when you
move from the original Trivial Pursuit
game to more recent additions - Baby
Boomer, Genesis I, etc. - I’m not as
good. I’m fair, but not as good. There
are reasons for my mediocrity.
First, I don’t and didn’t watch sitcoms
on television. I have never watched an
entire episode of “Seinfeld” or any
other sitcom that I can remember. The
only episode of “Dallas” that I ever
watched was the one where the person
who shot J.R. was revealed (I don’t
remember who it was).
My music taste beginning in the
70’s would generate answers like
The Supremes, Willie Nelson, Barry
White, Frank Sinatra, etc., and not
The Grateful Dead, Mick Jagger, Kiss
EXPECTINS m AIftSTRIKE?
——————„
For Iran's leader - speak Southern
According to recent news reports,
that little weasel who runs Iran
the one who looks like he
ought to be ironing shirts in a dry
cleaning plant has decreed that for
eign words can no longer be used in his
country, as if that is the biggest thing
on his mind these days.
If I were him, I would be more con
cerned about Israel getting a belly full
of his saber-rattling jive-talk and blow
ing him and his mullah buddies flat off
the planet.
Mr. Poobah frets that foreign words
are gumming up the Persian language,
and he just won’t have it. For example,
it seems real important to him that
“pizzas” be referred to throughout the
land from now on as “elastic loaves.”
(“Hello, Papa John’s Elastic Loaves.”
“Yes, I’d like an elastic loaf, extra
crust, but hold the anchovies and the
goat meat.” “You got it. Our driver will
be there as soon as he straps on his
suicide bomb. No need to tip him. He
won’t be around long enough to spend
it. Neither will you.”)
This decree could definitely crimp
my ability to describe this nutcase to
you in terms that you can understand
and appreciate. I earlier referred to
the guy as a “weasel.” That is a word
he would probably ban, even though
I’ll bet the farm that he wouldn’t
know a weasel from a wallaby. Just
to be on the safe side, maybe it would
be best if I call him a “carnivore with
yellowish underparts who eats vermin
AND who looks like he ought to be
ironing shirts in a dry-cleaning plant.”
OPINION
Columnist JI
lwalker@whgb-law.com HBlfli
or The Who. You get the picture.
Even today, when I watch TY it’s
The History Channel, The Discovery
Channel, public television, the Braves
and not Desperate Housewives,
American Idol, 24, etc.
Last time we played, we didn’t use
the original game. We mixed the origi
nal game with one of the Genesis edi
tions. My team lost. First time in a
while. Incidentally, one of the answers
was “The Who”. Wonder if the other
team had the question and answer
memorized.
Let me switch from trivial to non
trivial.
A business associate (actually a cli
ent), recently invited Janice and me
to have dinner with him and his wife
and two other couples at their home in
Atlanta. Nothing unusual, until I tell
you that we were picked up by a plane
at the Periy-Houston County Airport
and flown to Atlanta and then taken
by car to the host’s home. Still, not too
unusual.
After that, it got unusually interest
ing.
When we entered the entrance to our
friends’ beautiful home, there was a
large opening (atrium?) with 10 or 12
large paintings of the Old Testament
Prophets around the entrance, and at
wuiiiii) *■»
x r
Dick I
Yarbrough w
Columnist
yarb24oo@bellsouth.net
Admittedly, that doesn’t have quite the
same ring except for pointing out his
yellowish underparts.
Fortunately, speaking Southern is
a great advantage when having seri
ous discussions about Persian word
merchants and their loony-bin follow
ers. Iran can’t ban Southern phrases
because they don’t have the foggiest
idea what we are talking about. After
all, if we can befuddle Yankees with the
way we talk, we sure as shootin’ can
fool that guy with the yellow under
parts. A good place to start would be
to send former U.S. Sen. Zell Miller to
Iran as some kind of special emissary.
Since his boy, Ralph Reed, crashed and
burned in the primary elections, our
plain-talking mountain man should
have plenty of free time on his hands
these days.
If the guy in Iran thinks he’s tough,
wait until Zell Miller gets hold of him.
Zell would peel him like a Georgia
peach: “Let me tell you something you
log-licking son of a dadburn cow patty.
You don’t amount to a snuff can full
of crawdads. You keep running that
smart-alecky mouth of yours, and some
good ol’ boys I know are gonna pluck
HOUSTON DAILY JOURNAL
the top of the stairs a stained-glass
depiction of Jesus. Much of the dinner
conversation was about the church,
various denominations, women min
isters, and other “religious” matters
with a smattering of business and
politics thrown in - probably for my
benefit. Quite an interesting dinner.
Then it got more interesting after
dinner. Our host had a helicopter
awaiting to fly Janice and me over
downtown Atlanta and back to Perry.
What a sight! If you ever get a chance
to fly over Hartsfield-Jackson Airport
and the City of Atlanta at night, do it!
Gorgeous, breathtaking, exhilarating
are words that come to mind.
Then, something very non-trivial
happened. As we were tilting to the
left in order to better see the magnifi
cent sights below, our driver, a retired
Delta pilot, asked me, out the blue,
(or should I say out of the night-time
black), a simple question: “Are You
Saved”?
What would your answer have been
as you whirled and twirled at 200 mph
over Atlanta’s electrified sky-line? I
gave my answer. It was not a memo
rized answer. It probably should have
been because in this game, a trivial
answer isn’t good enough. This is a
non-trivial game.
Our pilot went on to tell us that
at a late age in his life, he decided to
read the Bible from “cover to cover”
to better argue with and expose “saved
Christians”. His life was changed by
his Bible reading. He was saved. I
assume he memorized the question
and answer. Perhaps that’s the only
way to win this non-trivial pursuit -
the pursuit of eternal life.
you and your crowd like a Sunday
dinner chicken. Besides, you need to
shave and put on a clean suit. You look
like you’ve been sleepin’ in some South
Georgia honky-tonk.”
(“What in the name of Allah does he
mean?” “I’m not sure, Your Excellency,
but he’s getting red in the face. I sug
gest we go rant at the British for a
while. This guy scares me.”)
We’ve got so many unique expres
sions in the South that we could abuse
this pompous jerk for a couple of eons
and he would never know the differ
ence. Picture an angelic-looking, gray
haired Southern grandma walking up
to him during one of his frequent
all-day harangues against the Great
Satan, smiling and saying “bless your
heart” as in, “I know you are the
leader of Eye-ran and all, but bless
your heart, you look like something the
cat drug in.” (“In the name of Allah,
have I just been insulted?” “I don’t
think so, Your Excellency. After all, she
said ‘Bless your heart.’ I thought that
was very sweet.”)
And I can imagine my late, beloved
momma’s reaction to the little weasel
making everybody in Iran say “elastic
loaves” instead of “pizzas.” Momma,
a lady who didn’t mince words, would
have put it this way: “If brains were
dynamite, he couldn’t blow his nose.”
Figure that one out, Mr. Yellow
Underparts bless your heart.
You can reach Dick Yarbrough at
yarb24oo@bellsouth.net, PO. Box
725373, Atlanta, Georgia 31139 or Web
site: www.dickyarbrough.com.