Newspaper Page Text
4A
♦ FRIDAY, AUGUST2S, 2006
Houston JBatlg %ourrntl
OPINION
Daniel F. Evans
Editor and Publisher
Julie B. Evans
Vice President
Don Moncrief Foy S. Evans
Managing Editor Editor Emeritus
A symbol of freedom
Whenever you’re out and about
driving, it’s a safe bet you’re
going to pass by at least one
church. It’s almost even money it will be
two or more.
Now we’re not here to say you should
be in one of those churches on Sunday,
although there’s plenty of evidence to
suggest it would do us all a world of
good. It might be one of our concerns,
but it’s also not any of our business.
Rather, we would ask that you do take
a little more than your usual glance at
the churches you pass by.
Not enough of one to cause an accident,
but enough
of one to
think about
what they
represent:
Freedom of
religion, the
freedom to
worship as
guaranteed to
us by the U.S.
Constitution.
Others have
not been, and
are still not
so lucky today.
Take a report that crept out of China
this past week. In it, it was reported that
six church leaders were arrested. It was
also reported the week prior that 10 oth
ers from the church - including children
- were arrested.
The church in turn was demolished
- bulldozed to the ground.
No, it’s not 1989, not Tiananmen
Square, but it's still a stark reminder
of that precious freedom we Americans
have today.
Remember that the next time you pass
by one of our many beautiful churches.
And, if you decide to stop and stay for a
spell, that’s good, too.-
Letter to the Editor
Teach religion in church
In my letter to the Houston Daily Journal about the
Tower of Babel issue, I was careful not to divulge any
personal information concerning the teacher. This was
intentional as I do not believe any harm was intended on
the teacher’s part, and I feel no animosity; however Miss
(Jenny) Fingles (in a rebuttal in Wednesday’s HDJ to his
earlier letter) brings up some points which beg further
illumination.
In America everyone is free to adopt as their personal
religious belief anything they want without having to
offer any direct proof of its authenticity. That fact vali
dates the concept of freedom of religion, and in some
cases freedom from religion. Due to their very nature and
the content of their dogma, the vast majority of religions
are necessarily based on faith not evidence.
From her writings, I believe she considers either athe
ism or evolution as religions - perhaps both. Atheism is
the lack of religion. To call atheism a religion, according
to a popular adage, is like calling baldness a hair color.
Evolution is a science and religion is a belief. Each has
its own place and are not interchangeable. The teacher
of the language class offered the Tower of Babel story as
truth, when the comment should have been offered as a
personal belief.
Other points of view concerning religions can be taught
as philosophies, but not defined as science.
In order to keep order in our extremely religiously
diverse nation, teaching of religion should be confined
to churches and private institutions so as to not invite
conflict in our public schools.
Walter Huckeba, Perry
Don't give up our rights
I am always happy whenever I see that a federal district
judge finds federal wiretapping by our NSA/CLA/FBI that
violate our constitution and federal laws.
Last year 40,000 Americans died through auto colli
sions but not a single one of us due to terrorism in the
good old USA! Yet some of us appear too eager to give up
our Bill of Rights at a moments notice. Doing such does
not make us or America any safer .
On the contrary, eternal vigilance, awareness, knowl
edge and support of our freedoms will do more to keep
our nation free than this illegal snooping.
Frank W. Gadbois, Warner Robins
Send your Letters to the Editor to:
The Houston Home Journal
P.O. Box 1910 • Perry, Ga 31069 or
Email: hhj@evansnewspapers.com
Not enough of one to
cause an accident,
but enough of one to
think about what they
represent: Freedom
of religion, the
freedom to worship as
guaranteed to us by the
U.S. Constitution.
Good 'ol Charlie Brown
I take my inspiration from philoso
phy attributed to Charlie Brown,
written by Charles Shultz, emailed
to me by my friend, Mitch Gwin, and
changed, in part, and commented on
by me.
Now that was a sentence, wasn’t
it? I’m glad Florence Harrison won’t
make me diagram it.
But, back to Charlie Brown - and,
Larry Walker.
This is a test - with comments. You
don’t have to answer the questions
(unless you want to try to), just read it
straight through and see how you do.
You’ll get the point.
1. Name the five wealthiest people in
the world. You probably are thinking
“Bill Gates” and then there are the
Wal-Mart “Waltons,” but in the “whole
world”? Who knows?
2. Name the last five football teams
to win the Super Bowl. The most hyped
sporting event in the world! Advertising
for one minute would break Bill Gates.
And, I don’t even know which team
won the last game. I do know it wasn’t
the Falcons.
WHO SUMMIT ? WHO IAI6HT HWE INFUCTEP PAIN ON AN INNOCENT fW ?
4^//
CREATORS SYNDICATE. INC ( V SA V»fr
Grandsons at GT, UGA make for hard choices
I’ve been a grandfather for more
than 19 years, and until now it has
been a slam-dunk.
Grandparenting is great revenge for
those fortunate enough to have sur
vived raising their own kids. Now you
get to listen to your children complain
about how temperamental their kids
are, conveniently forgetting that they
were a king-sized horse’s rump them
selves at the same age.
You also get to hear your grandchil
dren tell their parents what a kind and
caring grandfather you are and have
them wonder aloud why Mom and
Dad can’t be more like Pa, and then
have your children try to explain how
judgmental, stiff-necked and unreason
able Pa used to be when he was a mere
father and didn’t walk on water. The
grandboys don’t buy it for a minute.
Tee-hee.
Well, the easy part of being a grand
father is about to come to a screeching
halt. Here’s my problem: A new foot
ball season is upon us, and my oldest
grandson, Zack Wansley, is entering
his sophomore year at Georgia Tech
at the same time that his younger
brother, Nicholas, begins his fresh
man year at my beloved alma mater,
the University of Georgia the old
est state-chartered university in the
nation, located in Athens, the Classic
City of the South. I have some hard
choices ahead of me.
Zack is a Yellow Jacket to the core.
Growing up in a house full of Georgia
Bulldogs hasn’t affected him at all. The
rascal has been a Tech fan all his life
he may have been dropped on his
OPINION
3. Name the last five Heisman tro
phy winners. Duh! I know Herschel
won it. Wasn’t that in 1980?
4. Name ten people who have won
the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize. Let’s see.
Jimmy Carter - Nobel. The man who
just died who photographed the sol
diers raising the flag on Iwo Jima
- Pulitzer. What was his name? How
am I doing?
5. Name the last half dozen Academy
Award winners for best actor and
actress. Didn’t Clark Gable win it-for
his role as Rett Butler in “Gone With
The Wind”? And someone won it for
their role in “Driving Miss Daisy”. Was
it Morgan Freeman or Jessica Tandy?
Were any of these in the “last half
police lineup
head when he was a baby and is as
proud of being a Ramblin’ Wreck from
Georgia Tech as Nicholas is of being a
Bulldog. To my Tech readers, you will
be pleased to know that Zack can more
than hold his own with woof-woofing
Dawgs. He’s had a lot of experience in
his own household.
Meanwhile Nicholas is a third-gener
ation Wansley at UGA, following in the
footsteps of his granddad, Jerry, and
his father, Ted. He is also the third gen
eration in my family to attend school
in Athens. His momma, Maribeth, and
I both got journalism degrees there.
Ironically, he is housed in the same
dorm on campus where his mom and
dad stayed during their college days.
Obviously, I am extremely proud
of both these high achievers. (Zack
is majoring in civil engineering, and
Nicholas plans to be an environmental
chemist.) But having a grandson at
Tech and one at Georgia puts me on
the spot. Who do I support when the
season starts?
Do I attempt to change a life
long behavioral pattern and root for
Georgia Tech except when they
play you-know-who even though I
derive much amusement from twitting
Larry
Walker
Columnist
lwalker@whgb-law.com
j r v r
Dick
Yarbrough
Columnist
yarb24oo@bellsouth.net
HOUSTON DAILY JOURNAL
philosophy
dozen”?
6. Name the last 10 Presidents of the
United States. I could probably do this.
Sadly, most Americans cannot.
The point of all this is, few remember
the headliners of yesterday. They were
the best in their fields, but the applause
quickly dies, and achievements are for
gotten. Accolades and certificates are
buried with their owners.
Here is another quiz. I take this
directly from Charlie Brown and make
no comments. You can make your own.
You can answer these questions with
no difficulty.
1. List a few teachers who aided your
journey through school.
2. Name three friends who have
helped you through a difficult time.
3. Name five people who have taught
you something worthwhile.
4. Think of a few people who have
made you feel appreciated and special.
The lesson: The people who make a
difference in your life are not the ones
with the most credentials, the most
money, or the most awards. They are
the ones who care.
Techies, most of whom have about
as much of a sense of humor as flag
gers, liberal weenies and transplanted
Yankees? Since it is generally agreed
by most relevant theologians that God
is a Bulldog, would he strike me dead
for my blatant hypocrisy?
Seeing me pull for Tech would
thrill Zack, no doubt, but what about
Nicholas? How could his grandfa
ther, who has been president of the
University of Georgia National Alumni
Association and bleeds red and black,
go disloyal on him now? How many
times has he heard me tell him that
Georgia Tech is my third favorite team
on earth UGA being first, anybody
playing Tech is second, making the
Yellow Jackets a solid third. And now
that Nicholas is at Athens like his
momma and daddy and both grandfa
thers before him, Pa starts rooting for
Tech? Why not just announce that I
am going to streak across the campus
at high noon in my birthday suit and
really embarrass him?
There is no way that Zack and
Nicholas are going to allow me an easy
way out of this dilemma. They know
that whichever way I go will send a
strong signal as to which of the boys
I truly favor. So, with one grandboy
at Georgia Tech and another one at
Georgia, to whom do I give my alle
giance this season? Why, to my grand
boys, of course. Sometimes I am so
brilliant I scare myself.
You can reach Dick Yarbrough at
yarb24oo@bellsouth.net, P.O. Box
725373, Atlanta, Georgia 31139 or Web
site: www.dickyarbrough.com.