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FRIDAY, AUGUST 4, 2006 4A pbusitm ©ailg djounml 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.