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4A ♦ WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2006 Moustmi Italic jjmmrai OPINION ♦ Daniel F. Evans Editor and Publisher s Julie B. Evans Vice President Don Moncrief Foy S. Evans Managing Editor Editor Emeritus Veterans Day a cut above If you saw/read Tuesday’s front page, you know we are currently attempting to do something special for veterans leading up to their special day Saturday. This for us - and hopefully you’ll get plenty out of it, too - has been a tremendous eye opening/rewarding personal experience. Oh sure with Robins Air Force Base in our own backyard we knew there were a lot of veterans. Thousands have come through their gates. Thousands have settled here when their tenure was done. We are so thankful they have. But the thing that has turned out to be the most pleasant of all surprises dur ing this exer picp woro tno vets that have ThlS IS a part Of OUP surfaced horn hlStOPy W 6 dOll't Often such as p wm see «• about the Korean - obviously not enough War,Vietnam _ ant J jf S a part Of OUP of our “ h? s - history that really, tory we don’t really needs to be often see or preserved. hear about - obviously not enough - and it’s a part of our history that really, really needs to be preserved. These gentlemen - and ladies - have phe nomenal stories. They have, as we all know, gone places few would venture to tread. They have seen things unfathomable. Like those serving in hot zones around the world, they know the price of freedom all too well. And, here’s something almost just as amazing about these veterans. Would you believe that each and every one, without exception, has been humbled by the opportunity to be in the newspaper? How to best explain this: We work in the newspaper business. It’s the nature of the beast that very rarely does anyone say: “thank you.” That’s just the way it is. It’s just like any other business in the world. People figure they’re paying for your ser vices - and they are - so saying thank you is considered part of the cost. But these veterans ... It’s been amazing to see, to hear, as each one has said: “Thank you for what you’re doing,” in almost exact ly the same way - word for word. It’s downright gut-wrenching that “they” would thank “us.” It makes us ashamed because it’s “us” who should be thanking them (and we did). Compared to what they’ve sacrificed, giv ing them a few words on a page is nothing. Saturday is Veterans Day. To that end, we are going to put as many vets’ stories on these pages as we can between now and then. Even then, we’ll miss so many. Our chal lenge to you dear reader is to seek out a vet eran. It might be your neighbor. It might be the person who sits next to you in church. Get them to tell you their story. We have so many superficial holidays, but if you’ll get them to do this, you’ll realize in quick fashion that this may just be the most special observance of all. Letter to the Editor Showcasing practitioners The role of the nurse practitioner will be showcased now through Saturday as NPs across the country cel ebrate more than four decades of practice and research during National NP Week. Nationally, this distinguished group of healthcare professionals number 115,000 strong with an additional 5,000-6,000 NP students graduating each year. In Georgia, there are more than 4,000 nurse practitioners providing high-quality, cost-effective health care to diverse populations in rural and urban settings. NP practice offers a unique combination of nursing and healthcare services to patients in a care and cure atmosphere. Focusing not only on diagnosing and man aging acute and chronic illnesses, NPs integrate health promotion, disease prevention, counseling, and patient education to help patients understand their complete health picture. In a population that is aging, with baby boomers becoming seniors in growing numbers over the next ten years, having choices about healthcare providers will become even more important. National NP Week brings visibility to the role of the NP helping consumers make wise choices when selecting their healthcare provider. Debra Fingles, Warner Robins What children think about marriage Children are impressionable. From the moment they develop cognitive abilities they are taking in the world around them and drawing conclusions about what they’re seeing and experiencing. Naturally, one of the first things they observe and develop opinions about is the most important relationship in their home - their par ents’ marriage. A few months ago someone sent me a list of answers that children gave to questions that had been posed to them about marriage. Perhaps you’ve seen some or all of these humorous answers, but I think you’ll recognize the impres sionableness I’m talking about. Question: How do you decide who to marry? Answer: You got to find somebody who likes the same stuff. Like, if you like sports, she should like it that you like sports, and she should keep the chips and dip coming. (Alan, age 10) Q: What is the right age to marry? A: No age is good to get married at. You got to be a fool to get married. (Freddy, age 6) Q: How carl a stranger tell if two people are married? A: You might have to guess, based on whether they seem to be yelling at the same kids. (Derrick, age 8) Q: What do you think your mom and dad have in common? A: Both don’t want any more kids. (Lori, age 8) Q: When is it okay to kiss s6meone? A: When they’re rich. (Pam, age 7) Q: Is it better to be single or mar ried? A: It’s better for girls to be single but not for boys. Boys need someone to clean up after them. (Anita, age 9) Q: How would you make a marriage work? A: Tell your wife she looks pretty, even if she looks like a trupk. (Ricky, age 10) The point is that kids start reaching conclusions about relationships and marriage by watching their parents. So we need to ask ourselves a question: If our child was to draw a picture of marriage based on what he saw of ours, what would it look like? In many ways, when you clearly understand the marriage you want to model for your children you also more clearly understand what your marriage ought to be. This shouldn’t surprise anyone. We often make positive chang es in our lives because of what we want our kids to see. "Sometimes voting for a politician is like eating cucumbers you just hope you don't come to regret the decision!" Congress control not the issue - political culture You forget a phone number or a dental appointment. You misplace your keys. You go blank on a name. Sometimes you can’t remember your anniversary. But a conversation about a team member being somewhere between a sleazeball and a pedophile? I’m not buying it. Amnesia is House Speaker Dennis Hastert’s defense of his version of the events surrounding the latest bad act ing in Washington. Florida Rep. Mark Foley resigned in disgrace after his slimy and wholly inappropriate text messages to House pages became pub lic, blowing Foley’s cover and exposing the supporting role other congressmen and staff played. Foley has found temporary refuge in alcohol rehab and assorted childhood traumas, none of which we assume will deflect further problems. The guy should have a chance to turn his life around, but part of any 180 may include taking responsibility for his actions. Speaking of taking responsibility, the investigation of who knew what when and why didn’t they act on it contin ues. If Hastert truly did forget - we all have blank spots - I wonder about his skills and judgment as speaker. These conversations were supposedly about what could be criminal activity in Congress involving minors. Might want to make a note on the Blackberry. If the two men (one a congressman and one a senior staff member) who claimed to have had serious, pointed discussions with Hastert about Foley’s OPINION Randy Hicks Columnist Georgia Family Council I have a good friend who had been smoking for most of his adult life. When his children arrived he kept smoking even though he wanted to quit. He finally was successful in quit ting when his oldest was about 8 years old. Why? One day his son turned to him and said, “I can’t wait until I’m older like you...because then I’ll be able to smoke.” My friend quit that day, cold turkey. He was able to overcome his addictive behavior because he desired something better for his son. His desire to be a good role model helped him change his own behavior and, at the same time, influence the behavior of his son later in life. Kind of a two-for-one deal. That’s what thinking about provid ing a positive marriage-model for your child can do for you. And it will benefit both your child and your marriage. Please notice that I did not say mod eling a perfect marriage. A perfect mar riage does not exist. In fact, a healthy marriage begins with the acknowledge ment that our marriages cannot be perfect and we must, therefore, develop the habits and virtues that allow us to overcome the inherent imperfections that come with being married. Understand that “modeling a healthy marriage” could be the subject of a dic tionary-sized book, so I want to draw from some reading I’ve done and expe riences I’ve had to offer what I con sider to be four important ingredients in modeling a healthy marriage. Communicate. Your kids need to see you and your spouse talking with each other about matters both great and small. While they don’t need, to hear you talking about everything - there’s an age appropriateness factor that needs to be considered - they do need to observe you planning, compromising, thanking, apologizing and joking. They need to see you discussing both trivial matters (like what to watch on T.V or where to eat) and very important matters (like job opportunities and saving for col lege.) Naturally, there are many things George Ayoub Columnist Morris News Service behavior are lying, that’s a whole other worm can. Either way, GOP voters, worried that the party will lose control of Congress in November, should relax. They lost control of it months ago. Yes, I know all the political red her rings, Gerry Stubbs, Gary Hart and Bill Clinton chief among them. But they are irrelevant when Foley/Hastert is considered in a broader context ... like what the heck is going on in the most powerful building in the nation? One answer is next to nothing. Commentator Lou Dobbs writes that the 109th Congress rolled its sleeves up fewer than 80 days this session. That’s good work if you can get it. Eighty is just about the right num ber considering your primary function as a sitting member of Congress often seems to be getting re-elected, which means raising money ... a lot of money ... all of the time. So who has time to debate laws, dis cuss policy, steer the ship of state or keep the republic from fraying at the edges when it costs a fortune to belong to the club? • For most members help is never far away, however. According to a Bloomberg analysis of federal election records, PACs are that should be discussed behind closed doors when the kids aren’t present. Resolve conflict. Your kids don’t need to hear you working through major disagreements or hurts in their presenco. But there are many times when our children observe a parental disagreement but not the negotiation, compromise and, when necessary, apology that come with resolving disagreements and keeping a relationship healthy. Just witnessing one parent say “I’m sorry” to another - followed by “I forgive you” - creates a meaningful impression on a child because it allows them to see that people can disagree and still love each other. Conflict resolution is a huge marital issue and, when not learned, is often the very thing that upends a marriage. Show affection. It’s okay to express affection to your spouse with your kids present, obvious ly, within reason. A hug, a kiss, hold ing hands...all of these things commu nicate closeness and a bond that kids will want to emulate. Moreover, in spite of their cries of “gross!” I believe kids derive a sense of security from seeing their parents embrace and say, “I love you.” Set aside time for one another. Gregory Keer, a syndicated colum nist who writes on family issues, says, “Children need to know that mom and dad have a relationship with one another, not just with them. They should see that it’s OK for parents to be apart from the kids on a consistent basis so they know for themselves that, at the center of successful families is a successful partnership.” Seeing you make your marriage a priority will help your children understand what mar riage will require of them someday. You will notice that each of these will benefit your children as they grow and think about what marriage might be for them. But they will also serve to remind you and your spouse of what it takes to have the marriage you long for - a marriage that’s characterized by authentic communication, affection and security. Georgia Family Council is a non-prof it organization that works to strength en and defend the family in Georgia by impacting communities, shaping laws and influencing culture. For more information , go to www.georgiafamily. org, (770) 242-0001 or greggiwfam.org. HOUSTON DAILY JOURNAL going to spend - for the first time ever - more than $1 billion on next month’s mid-term elections. That’s the other answer. Those PACs or anybody else with a big bank account take their fees out in trade. If it was a rock “n” roll lyric, it would be “Money for nothing, access ain’t free." It’s also why millions of Americans feel as though Congress belongs first to big spenders. There’s a couple ways to look at this: The simple solution comes from the “throw the bums out” brigade, a timeless tirade against what is. Indeed, Democratic candidates across the coun try are tainting GOP incumbency with the stain of an unsuccessful status quo. “You had your chance,” they intone. All of which is fine, but it matters little who has a numerical advantage if the entire culture of national poli tics runs counter to what we insist we value: honesty, intelligence, compas sion, economy, forthrightness, courage, responsibility, independence and hard work. This will be my 17th federal elec tion since I could vote, my 23rd since I started paying attention, after pres idential candidate John F. Kennedy drove past my house on 10th Street in a dark sedan and waved. Never do I remember this many people annoyed, frustrated and dis couraged with the process - the nega tivity, the enormous cost, the lack of substance. Now I’m wondering if it’s not only the selection process, but the inevita bility of the result, too. George Ayoub is senior writer at The Grand Island (Neb.) Independent.