Newspaper Page Text
4A
♦ SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2006
Mansion Ijauxxmi
OPINION
Daniel F. Evans
Editor and Publisher
Julie B. Evans
Vice President
Don Moncrief Foy S. Evans
Managing Editor Editor Emeritus
Purpose of war is to win
The argument continues over treat
ment of prisoners that are taken by
the United States in Afghanistan and
Iraq.
Should they be pampered? Should ques
tioning be aggressive without torture? Yes.
These prisoners are terrorists.
They do not represent any government and,
therefore, in our opinion do not come under
the guidelines of the Geneva Convention
We believe that those who want to treat
them as prisoners of war and afford them
government paid attorneys for trials that
could become circuses and embarrassing to
our country are wrong.
There is a
segment of
Americans
who believe
that we should
treat these
prisoners, who
gladly would
cut our heads
off if given a
chance, the
same as other
prisoners. We
have to, as
they point out,
show them that we are better than they are.
Our goal should be to win this war and win
it decisively. Whether the war was justified
in the beginning is not an issue. It is going
on now.
Our country should not be milquetoasts
while our enemies go for the jugular. There
is only one reason to fight a war and that is
to win. It would be foolhardy for us to lose
this war against terrorism so that we can
brag that we were kind and gentle people
and held ourselves to higher moral stan
dards than our adversaries.
War is war. We must take the kid gloves
off and fight this way to win or we will
lose. Interrogating prisoners to get infor
mation that will save American lives
should be left in the hands of the CIA.
We have trouble understanding red blood
ied Americans who whimper and cry over
alleged mistreatment of terrorists while
maintaining silence when the terrorists
blow up innocent people and sever the
heads of prisoners.
Any concession that the President makes
to his critics can be taken as a sign of weak
ness by the terrorists. They respect power.
They scorn weakness.
The only way to deal with them is through
signs of strength. Making concessions
toward them only encourages them to be
more vicious, violent and aggressive.
Claims by President Bush’s critics that
treating the enemy the same as citizens
who commit crimes in this country do not
hold water. They are different. Their goals
are different. They are ruthless and uncom
promising. They want to destroy our way of
life. It is a fight that will go on until one side
wins. We can only hope that the American
people have the resolve to see this fight all
the way to victory.
We believe that President Bush should be
commended for standing up to members
of congress who are attempting to tie his
hands during this time of crisis.
Letter to the Editor
Gadbois has facts wrong
In the Sept. 20 edition of the Houston Daily Journal, a
letter to the editor is published from Mr. Frank Gadbois.
The letter is styled “Taylor Cares About Us.” Mr. Gadbois
has not been shy over the years with expressing his opin
ion to our local newspapers. I rarely agree with him, but
I have always respected his right to be heard, at least
until the publication of his most recent letter, wherein he
states and I quote “Scott Taylor is the democratic can
didate running against Willie Talton in November.” The
aforementioned statement by Mr. Gadbois is simply not
true. Mr. Taylor is running against me, Larry O’Neal, in
November not Willie Talton. I am sure many would say
that such a misrepresentation is not a big deal or is an
“honest mistake”, but what is so troubling to me is that
See LETTER, page §A
War is wap. We must
take the kid gloves off
and fight this way to
win op we will lose.
Inteppogating prisoners
to get infopmation that
will save Amepican lives
should be left in the
hands of the CIA.
City is just exercising its right
A point of contention that has
come before Warner Robins city
officials in the past came up
again last week.
It pertains to subdivisions not now
in the city limits that have Warner
Robins sewer service.
As Councilman Dean Cowart said,
“They may not understand it, but they
will be annexed.”
Here is the story behind that blunt
statement:
Several years ago the city spent some
thing like S2O million to install sewer
lines to areas of Houston County that
were not contiguous to the city limits
and not eligible for annexation. This
was done at the request of landowners
and developers.
The tremendous growth that North
Houston County has experienced in
recent years is a direct result of that
decision. All those subdivisions could
not have been developed without sewer
service.
In return for providing sewer lines
throughout north Houston County the
city required developers to sign an
agreement that, when their subdivi
sions were eligible for annexation into
the city, they could - and would - be.
This was made a covenant in deeds to
the property.
In past years Mayor Donald Walker
and council members have fulfilled this
obligation to annex areas when they
MOW TO TELL IF YOU ARE AREPD&UCAN OR DEMOCRAT!
a««■ i, ?
Different ramblings you will enjoy
The story is told of a third round
draft pick who National Football
League experts didn’t give much
of a chance of even making the football
team. As a quarterback he had an aver
age arm and below average mobility,
at least according to most scouts and
front office personnel of all the teams,
except for San Francisco 49er’s coach
Bill Walsh.
In the early days of practice the
rookie didn’t do anything to refute the
charges of slow with an average arm.
While the experts came down on Walsh
for not doing something to resolve
the team’s quarterback situation, the
coach developed a wait and see per
spective.
His confidence was rewarded when
the regular season began and his rook
ie quarterback tore up the leagues with
his short passes and timing patterns
that became known as the West Coast
offense. Joe Montana is now in the
NFL Hall of Fame as the greatest third
round pick in NFL history.
In another story a man was telling his
friend about the time when the world
had become so corrupt and immoral,
people had become so degenerate, and
conditions had become so intolerable
that St. Peter became alarmed.
In talking things over with the arch
angel Gabriel, St. Peter suggested they
send another flood to earth and begin
anew, or even let the people destroy
themselves with nuclear bombs.
Gabriel admitted that this could
OPINION
became contiguous to the city and have
been vilified many times.
The subject has come up again
because, as Cowart pointed out, some
real estate agents are selling homes
in subdivisions that will be annexed
and apparently leading them to believe
that they are now and will continue to
be outside the city.
Cowart encourages people who buy
homes to “please read your docu
ments.” Most of us just sign the docu
ments and really do not know what
is in them. The covenants are there
in plain sight, but many homeowners
accept the assurance of real estate
agents that they “are not” in the city.
There was a time when the city
would not provide sewer service with
out annexation. This limited growth of
the area.
So, at the encouragement of develop
ers, the city borrowed money to pro
vide a network of sewer lines that ulti
mately made booming North Houston
County possible.
be necessary, but he did suggest,
“According to your own statement,
Peter, about seventy percent of the
population are unrepentant sinners
and the other thirty percent are righ
teous and trying hard to improve con
ditions. Since this thirty percent are
righteous, and since they are right
down in the thick of it all,” contin
ued Gabriel, “they might have some
ideas that have not occurred to us.
Why don’t you write to them and see
what suggestions they might have?”
St. Peter agreed this was a good idea so
he composed a letter that he sent to the
righteous thirty percent.
One day while telling the story to a
friend, Gabriel asked him, “What do
you think St. Peter said in the letter?”
After a moment’s hesitation the friend
replied, “I don’t know. What did he
write?” “Oh, you didn’t get a letter?”
Gabriel asked.
A woman seeking counsel from a
psychologist confided in him that she
hated her husband and intended to
divorce him. “I want to hurt him all
■ft % f|H
Foy
Evans
Columnist
foyevansl9@cox.net
'
Bob
Tribble
Columnist
Trib Publications
HOUSTON DAILY JOURNAL
You have to feel for people who pur
chase homes and believe they are not
and will not be within city limits if they
don’t want to. But the information is
there in black and white in the deeds
for their homes.
The legal saying “caveat emptor”
- buyer beware - could not be more
appropriate.
At the same time, the homes these
people purchase could not have been
built without sewer service that is pro
vided by the city.
Personally, I always have made sure
that I live within the corporate limits
of a city. I believe the benefits far out
weigh the cost in taxes. Others might
disagree.
Cowart also said, “It may not be in
the city, but if you have city sewer,
you are most likely in the city (or will
be).”
The Windsor Heights subdivision is
where Cowart said he was told that
purchasers of homes were told by real
estate agents that they were not in
the city and did not point out the cov
enants in their deeds.
There is no law that requires any
one to live in,any city. They may be
satisfied with septic tanks - many
people are. But when the city enforces
covenants entered into in return for a
huge investment it hardly seems fair
to criticize city officials for doing their
duty.
I can,” she said firmly. “Well, in that
case I advise you to start showering
him with compliments. When you have
become indispensable to him, when he
thinks you love him devotedly, then
start the divorce action. That is the
way to hurt him most,” the doctor told
the woman.
Some months later the wife returned
to report that all was going well. She
had followed the doctor’s sugges
tions. “Good, now’s the time to file
for divorce,” the doctor said. “Divorce!
Never, I love my husband dearly, “the
woman said.
Finally, good sales people are masters
at negotiating with clients, but they
may not do so well in their own homes
with the real bosses, their spouses.
One salesman had received a big bonus
shortly before going on vacation. When
he got back his friends asked him what
he did with the money.
“Well, my wife wanted one of those
giant screen televisions, but I wanted
a new car. So we bought the TX but
we compromised, we keep it in the
garage,” he said. Who is the winner in
this one? Neither, it seems to me.
In closing, Paul McCorvey wrote
recently when he turned seventy that
the Bible tells us we have three score
years and ten and that anything else is
icing on the cake. That is very true and
since the big 70 came my way allow me
to add that I’m always relieved when
someone delivers a eulogy and I realize
I’m listening to it.