Newspaper Page Text
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♦ TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2006
Houston IJailu journal
OPINION
Daniel F. Evans
Editor ami Publisher
♦Julie B. Evans
Vice president
Don Moncrief
Managing Editor
Just plain bad manners
Well, it - voting will be over today
and hopefully each of you voted.
Over the years, political cam
paigns have gotten less and l< re pectful
of the intelligence of tin American voter,
but in this last campaign Tl.it os were
downright inconsiderate
We are talking about on<
campaign ideas ever h nl -d tele
phone message.
We all had that experie
son - some of us repeatedly.
We were in the privacy <>( om homes.
Maybe we were talking v,ilb <>in families.
Maybe we were watch in Tvonti* televi-
sion show or
reading a
book. Maybe
we were in
the show
er, or on the
patio watering
plants.
The phone
rang, and
naturally, we
stopped what
we were doing
and answered
it.
It was not a
human being.
It was a recording.
Moreover, it was a left us
no way to respond, r*'
telephone numbei oi ( \
The message we \\ ■
political “operatives an< ” was
that this wasjusl pi tin ■ ■ S an
intrusion in our live
It was sufficient < il ■ the endl< ■
charges and count re' ■ on television,
and to receive high-priced junk mail every
day once the campaign
It was enough to see hundreds of political
signs all along the high f which
may still be there at To o.!, oo :
But the phone call
Besides, they weren’t . since
most people were going t< down the
phone the minute they realized a recording
had called them.
Your favorite candidate m< have won
this election season hut a( 'east you can
take solace in the small . knowing
you won’t have to deal cessant
calls (telemarketers aside) anymore.
Letter to the Editor
Lacking representation
I recently received mv tax notice and I am passing
notice on to any and all ek-Hed count'. oMicials that I
have the opportunity to vote for. in the upcoming election
that I will vote against all incumbents in any office until
1 start getting some representation i t taxpayer. lam
tired of providing my hard ear ned money to provide new
roads and schools for newcomers to this county. I am
helping provide for all the improvements for the devel
opers while the developers and the bankers are reaping
the big bucks from these new developments. I think it
is high time all of the county commissioners get their
heads out of the sand and start eh. :mg the develop
ers an impact fee or follow the lead ot Muscogee County
and charge a fee per square foot sot a building permit.
I strongly suggest that any person holding an elect
ed seat in Houston County get a copy of the arti
cle in the Oct. 18 issue of the Houston Daily
Journal, written by David Wittenberg titled Put all
Option on The Table and take heed of this article.
I hope all voters will join me and start voting against
every commissioner and other eh Mi i official in Houston
County until we the taxpayer start yetting the represen
tation we deserve from these elect ed officials.
Jerry Waters, Perry
Worth Repeating
"■
“Legislators represent people, not trees or acres.
Legislators are elected by voters, not farms or cities
or economic interests. As long as ours is a representa
tive form of government, and our legislatures are those
instruments of government elected directly and directly
representative of the people, the right to elect legisla
tors in a free and unimpaired fashion is a bedrock of our
political system."
Earl W arren, 1891-1974
Chief Justice, V.S. Supreme Court
Coventor of California (Republican)
Republican Vice Presidential C andidate (with Dewey)
Foy S. Evans
Editor Emeritus
We were in the privacy
of our homes. Maybe
we were talking with
our families. Maybe
we were watching a
favorite television show
or reading a hook.
Maybe we were in the
shower, or on the patio
watering plants.
Little things are what remain
When I was a hoy so little could
mean so much. For today’s
children too much means so
little.
It was because I had so little when
I was young that I appreciate every
thing I have today ... plenty of food,
good housing, good clothes, good trans
portation and all the wonderful inven
tions of the past half century that
make like more pleasant and enjoy
able. I enjoy and appreciate the simple
things the most.
I don’t believe that people can appre
ciate their blessings unless they have
done without.
In my opinion, one of the best things
that ever happened to me was being
having so few material things when I
was young. It gave me a perspective
I hat today’s spoiled children and young
people never can have.
They don’t know that they should
appreciate their good fortune because
they have never known anything dif
ferent t han it is today.
A highlight of my youth was taking a
H()-mile trip from Americus to Macon,
where 1 visited with my Uncle Joe.
There was a gas station about a mile
up the road and every time I visited
him he would take me there for a Coca-
Cola. It was a memorable experience
and something I looked forward to.
His wife worked for one of the movie
theaters in Macon and during some
visits I could see a movie and that was
icing on the cake.
.fl, I WANT YOU
Please... 'Halp us Jon Carry'
Let’s not get lathered up worry
ing about what Sen. John Kerry
meant when he contrasted the
value of book learning to the value
of getting shot at in a foreign war.
Instead, let’s assess the public reaction
and its possible impact on Tuesday’s
elections.
Parsing Kerry’s words is a waste of
time. Did he mean a lack of education
might make one, like George W. Bush,
an ignorant warmonger?
Or only that hard work and hitting
the books will keep one far away from
the violent desert sands of volatile
Iraq? Most informed speculators have
adopted the second interpretation. But
who knows?
Kerry blundered badly, and that’s the
point. He canceled campaign appear
ances with Democratic candidate hope
fuls. Even Sen. Hillary Clinton - prob
ably for her own opportunistic rea
sons - called for Kerry to apologize to
American troops. Finally he did.
By now, quick Internet distribution
and TV broadcasts have made common
currency of the photograph of U.S.
troops forming a line in the sand (liter
ally) and holding a banner that reads,
“Halp Us Jon Carry We R Stuck (c and
k printed backward) in Irak.”
The soldiers’ message was clear, and
apparently, so was John Kerry’s. Yes,
he might have simply left out words
from his statement that would have
made it clear he was talking only about
the president.
No matter. These troops and their
families took Kerry’s “joke” as a direct
insult. Unfortunately for Kerry’s
Democratic Party, a fair number of oth
erwise unmotivated Republican voters,
and some independent ones, likely took
offense, too.
The pregnant question now is wheth
er the Kerry goof rescued an entire
election for the GOP Perhaps not.
Still, it unquestionably put the brakes
on the alleged Republican freefall that
pollsters and pundits have been declar-
OPINION
Christmas was something very spe
cial. Usually I received one toy, one
that was not very expensive. But there
were oranges, tangerines, bananas,
candy and nuts that we seldom saw
during the rest of the year.
Christmas was something special and
I wouldn’t swap what I received then
for all the expensive toys and gadgets
children receive today. And 1 am sure
they do not appreciate all their loot as
much as I did that one toy and fruit
and nuts and candy.
An annual visit with relatives in
Clayton, Alabama, was something to
look forward to. I got to ride horses
bareback. 1 got to go swimming in a
pool. I woke up in the morning to the
sound of guineas telling the world they
were around. It was all so simple, but
so memorable.
I remember the occasions (a couple
of times a year) when Mrs, Pillsbury,
who shared a house with my family,
would give me a penny to go across the
street to Mr. Brown’s store to buy a
piece of candy.
ing for weeks.
At the least, the senator’s remarks
might have reversed Democratic for
tunes in scattered close races, espe
cially in the South.
Look at the places President Bush
campaigned in the last week. One key
congressional race was in Georgia’s
District 12. Our latest Insider Advantage
survey showed former Republican
Congressman Max Burns barely trailing
incumbent Democrat John Barrow.
In the same state, Bush also stopped
off to help former Congressman Mac
Collins as he tries to unseat Democrat
Jim Marshall. As little as a month ago,
neither of these Republicans was given
a chance of winning. But both of these
districts have strong military ties and
big blocs of independent swing vot
ers. Deft use of Kerry’s remarks could
have been the fillip needed to energize
disenchanted Republican or lethargic
independent voters to weigh in for the
pro-military Republicans.
In Florida, the topsy-turvy race
to replace resigned and disgraced
Republican Congressman Mark Foley
is suddenly being viewed by top politi
cal analysts as up for grabs. That, even
though Foley resigned too late to take
his name off the ballot and substitute
the name of the Republican replacing
him as the candidate. That means state
Rep. Joe Negron must persuade voters
to check the name of the now-reviled
Foley in order to elect Negron. But it’s
a Republican district, and the electric
voltage of Kerry’s misstep could per
suade voters to reject the conservative
Wmk- M ym'- r
Foy
Evans
Columnist
foyevansl9@cox net
Matt
Towery
Columnist
Morris News Service
"Dyr '“***'
HOUSTON DAILY JOURNAL
That really was something special.
Families lived in neighborhoods and
rarely ventured out of them for enter
tainment, because transportation was
rare. I remember neighbors gathering
at the Olivers’ house on a Saturday
evening in the summer for fellowship
and entertainment provided by tal
ented members of the families. There’s
nothing today to take the place of this
togetherness that turned neighbors
into family.
Once George Burt, an editor of The
Macon Telegraph, invited me to visit
him and he took me to the Georgia
State Fair. That really was something
special. I have gone to many fairs
since, but that opportunity to go to the
big city to the fair stands out in my
memory.
My father was a railroad man. He
wore overalls to work. I remember
when he splurged and bought me a
pair of new overalls. I really was proud
of them. Most of my clothes had patch
es, but these overalls still had the new
smell. A little thing, but it meant so
much,
Looking back, I can see that all my
life the things I have appreciated the
most have been little things.
I feel sorry for today’s young people
who have not had the experience and
joy of appreciating the little things
that can mean so much. They just have
to get by with too much that usually
means little or nothing to them.
Democrat Tim Mahoney.
Then there’s Tennessee. Democratic
Congressman Harold Ford Jr. is in a
nationally prominent battle against
Republican and former Chattanooga
Mayor Bob Corker. Within 24 hours of
Kerry’s statement, Ford was distanc
ing himself from Kerry’s remarks in a
big way.
Ford has slipped slightly in the last
week’s polls. The last thing he needs
is to be defending John Kerry instead
of attacking Bob Corker. Complicating
matters for Ford, he’s trying to become
an African-American, Democratic sena
tor in a Deep South state. That’s news
in itself. He doesn’t need bad news
creeping in from points north.
In today’s political world, major
gaffes become minor blips overnight.
Kerry’s ill-spoken words may get
drowned in a cascade of negative TV
ads and the overwhelming volume of
political news in these last days before
the election.
The task at hand for the Republicans
is to be bold enough to take Kerry’s
statement to the airwaves and into
the field for grassroots, get-out-the
vote efforts. They might do well to
recognize the power of images over
mere words, or, in this case, an image
of words - misspelled words. Those
soldiers’ banner could become histo
ry if it makes for a surprise banner
year for Republicans. Regardless, the
Democrats aren’t likely to soon turn to
John Kerry for any more “halp.”
Matt Towery served as the chairman
of former Speaker Newt Gingrich’s
political organization from 1992 until
Gingrich left Congress. He is a for
mer Georgia state representative, the
author of several books and currently
heads the polling and political infor
mation firm Insider Advantage. To
find out more about Matthew Towery
and read features by other Creators
Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit
the Creators Syndicate website at www.
creators.com..