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4A THURSDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2006 Muustim Pailg .Tjmmtal OPINION Daniel F. Evans Editor and Publisher Julie B. Evans Vice President Don Moncrief Managing Editor Please Ted, shut up Would someone please tell Ted Turner to shut up? Or, would the National Press Club stop inviting him to their parties as a guest speaker, or as a minimum, please stop reporting every word that comes out of his mouth? Turner, the founder of CNN, was report edly in objection to displays of the American flag by journalists - saying they should have a more neutral posture. He also reportedly said this Monday in regard to the events of Sept. 11: “Our presi dent said it very clearly. He said ‘either you’re with us, or you’re against us.’ And I had a problem with that because I really hadn’t made my mind up yet.” Did Jane Fonda wear off on him? Has his failed pre diction of 1981 that newspa pers would be a thing of the past by 2001 worn on him? (Note: He was smart enough to update it recently to “when I die.”) Is he still pouting over his lack of mana gerial success (0-1 for the former owner of the Braves who once thought he could man age them, too)? (Yes, he kept the Braves in Atlanta but tell us again why they named Turner Field after a man who has contin ued to embarrass since?) He’s a great, great man. He has done some great things. Ah yes, but every time he opens his mouth ... You know, you can hate George W. Bush. You can hate Republicans. You can hate every policy that has come or will come from the current administration. You can debate everything that has happened to our nation - all the ways we have changed both good and bad - since and to come. But, as to what Bush said at that moment in time, on the events of that dark day in history. We think it was the perfect choice of words. Utters to the Editor Marshall best for the job I have been trying to determine why Mac Collins would allow his good name to be associated with the false and intentionally deceptive ads provided by out-of-state republican smear campaigns. Then I wondered why he would ask the president to attend a photo-selling event far too expensive for the vast majority of district voters to attend when most republicans seeking office are keeping their dis tance because of his historically low approval ratings. In my research, I found a good, non-partisan source of candidate information, Project Vote Smart (http://www. vote-smart.org/program_about_pvs.php). I compared the bios of Representative Jim Marshall and Mac Collins. I noted that Marshall had a bachelor degree from Princeton University and a graduate law degree from Boston University, two of the finest schools in the coun try. His work experience is listed as law professor, Mercer University, 1979, sergeant, United States Army, Vietnam, 1968-1970, business lawyer, high school teacher, owner of a logging business in Idaho and mechanic. Collins bio on this site states that he attended Jackson High School. His professional experience is listed as founder, Collins Trucking Company, Inc., Georgia National Guard, E-4, 1964-1970, businessman. Without a doubt, regardless of political party, Marshall has the qualifications, honesty and integrity to best rep resent his district in Congress. Since the republicans will most likely lose their present majority, Marshall is well qualified to assume leadership assignments and get positive recognition for Central Georgia. Bob Bemis, Perry Talton easier man to beat This is in reply to my letter of Sept. 20 where I inad vertedly stated that Willie Talton is Democratic candidate Scott Taylor ‘s opponent on Nov. 7! Since I was using a PC at a local library with a 60-minute time restriction when I hastily composed my letter I made an honest mistake. This was not intentional but perhaps a Freudian slip! It’s my belief that Talton’s district is more likely Democratic than Larry O.Neal’s and that Talton would See LETTERS, page 6A Foy S. Evans Editor Emeritus Turner, the founder of CNN, was reportedly in rejection to displays of the American flag by journalists - saying they should have a more neutral posture. Hilton Head a place of beauty Hilton head, s.c. - it took a lot of forethought, planning and firm enforcement to main tain so much of the natural beauty of this place. You are impressed the moment you drive onto Hilton Head Island with the fact there are not ugly, glaring signs on the streets. Businesses are allowed small, inconspicuous signs and the businesses themselves are hidden from the streets with trees and shrubbery. The first time I came to this island I had no idea that there were so many homes, condos and businesses. They were so well camouflaged. The natural beauty is what you see, but it did not “just happen.” Actually, the company which devel oped Sea Pines, the gated community at the southern end of the island, bought a lot of land outside their community. They had the foresight to make sure there were restrictions on development that assured preservation of the beau ty that made the island so attractive. And the restrictions have been enforced diligently. Numerous golf courses, real estate developments, numerous shopping cen ters ... all have been melded into the original concept of an island retreat that helps remove you from the clutter and ugliness of most of America. Real estate values have been going up without pause from the beginning. Sea Pines, the development where the PGA Tour holds a golf tournament each year, is special and prices are astronomical. Just this week a home ' a# Survey says: Re-gifting is okay So, I’m not the only one. Let me tell you a tale. The names are being withheld to pro tect the innocent - namely me. If word got out in social circles that I commit ted the act you are about to read about, I would be banned from all future com munal outings, possibly flogged, and then sent to my room with no supper, which I probably need. A number of years ago, I’m not say ing how many, I received a gift from someone, and I’m not saying who. The gift was presented with love, but was not to my liking, to be candid. All I will tell you is that it was a food item, and if you received it, you would probably respond with “huh?” Anyway, when the person presented it to me and I looked at them as if say ing “huh?”, they explained in detail how I could use this particular item. During that moment, I wasn’t really listening, but rather thinking how I could rid of this particular item. I took the item home, placed it in the laundry room, and forgot about it. Sometime in the course of the next year, my wife found it and asked me what it was. I said, “I don’t know. I’ve never seen it before” - which is my answer to most of her queries. OPINION went on the market with a sale price of $12.4 million. North of Sea Pines the entire island is where there are so many homes, condos, businesses and timeshares and where you see so many resorts with their well-manicured golf courses. There is the beach, of course, and it is a nice one. But the foremost lure seems to be the numerous golf courses. And the serene beauty of the place. If you look at a map of Hilton Head you will notice that it is shaped like a shoe. Once you realize this you find it easier to get around and find the places you seek. Condos costing hundreds of thou sands of dollars are becoming more scarce every day. Many are selling in the millions and you hear stories of the prices going up a hundred or two hun dred thousand in a year or so. It is almost unbelievable. Many of the early residents of Sea Pines and other communities on the island have found that they no longer can afford to live here. They are being replaced by others with deeper pockets and there does not seem to be any shortage of them. Some Houston County residents "You know, roughing it isn't so bad when you have a microwave!" So, she put it away in one of her places and it resurfaced right about the time we had to give gifts again l’m not saying when. We had a slew of other gifts out, and being an idiot, I pointed at the gift I had been given and said, “Let’s give that to so-and-so.” Remember, this is a food item, and it had been roughly a year. My wife gift-wrapped it and we went on our way. I later presented the gift. The person looked at me as if saying “huh?” As I was mimicking what I was told a year earlier on how this item could be used, I came to the blood-cur dling realization that I was giving the gift to the very person who had given it to me. I stumbled, stammered, and finished my presentation, then limped away, white-faced and shaken. I hid in a closet until it was time to leave. Foy Evans Columnist (oyevanst9@cox.net Len Robbins Columnist airpub@planttel.net HOUSTON DAILY JOURNAL have had homes or condos here and sold them and there are many from our county who still own condos here. All the restaurants - and there are plenty of them - feature food you expect on the coast at a resort area. It is great for a change, but hardly what you could eat on a regular basis. It is hard to find a restaurant that serves the kind of food people eat day in and day out. I have asked natives working in stores where they eat and most of them say they live back on the mainland in small towns. About the only place you used to be able to get what I consider a real meal was a Cracker Barrel and I just learned that it has closed. With all its natural beauty I find the world of Hilton Head sort of unre al. There is the natural beauty, the way it has been protected, the laid back life style. It hasn’t been spoiled. People in Warner Robins who complain about their city’s “ugliness” have to understand that their cityjust happened. It was not planned. In Hilton Head you see what can be accomplished with plan ning, enforcement and a lot of money. Warner Robins had none of these. There is no one who can be blamed, because people with very little money did the best they could to survive in the early days when there was no assur ance that Robins AFB would not fade away any day. So it is nice to visit a place like this, enjoy its beauty and serenity. It is good, after a while, to go back home. And look forward to coming here again. I had “re-gifted” the gifter - a wicked taboo, even in Georgia. Years later, my faux pas still haunts me, but a recent story from Reuters shows I’m not alone. The story states that a recent survey of 1,505 American adults shows that “re-gifting” is a common phenomenon, with 52 percent of the respondents say ing they have re-gifted. And 78 percent of the consumers polled said they saw nothing wrong with it. The survey further found that 77 per cent of respondents re-gifted because the item was perfectly suited for the new recipient. Exactly - that’s why I did it. The study also showed that nine percent of those surveyed said they re-gifted out of laziness. I have no idea what they are talking about. Among the most common of re-gift ed presents are decorative household items like vases, paintings, picture frames, and trinkets - all items that shouldn’t be re-gifted to me. So, a scientific survey has concluded that there is nothing wrong with re gifting, which means I’m off the hook. Now, I just need to remember who gave me that fruitcake that’s been in the laundry room since December.