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♦ TUESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2006 4A Muusixut Itailg OPINION Daniel F. Evans President Editor and Publisher Julie B. Evans Vice President Group Marketing Don Moncrief Managing Editor Two out of three Two out of three ain’t bad ... ain’t bad at all. Warner Robins and Northside both earned a Georgia High School Association state semifinal bid this past weekend with wins. Houston County, fell, although we’re still proud of our Bears. They advanced past two opponents - two rounds - before coming up against a tough Roswell team. So they’ve got noth ing to hang their heads over. As far as the Demons and Eagles, there were plenty of people unhappy when Warner Robins and Northside were separated in classification - the Demons moving up to AAAAA, the Eagles opting to remain in AAAA. But, if that weren’t the case, with playoff brack ets aligning the way they do, there is no way we could be venturing to the Georgia Dome this weekend (Friday for Northside, Saturday for Warner Robins) to see not one, but two of our teams in action. The quality of football in Houston County has for years been known throughout the state. We have the greatest coaches. They work tirelessly. We have the greatest pro grams. They, as a result of the coaches' work, are as solid as a rock year in and year out. And, we have the greatest players. The only thing left to do now is to buy tickets and show your support. Letter to the Epttor Shared frustration I would like to respond to the recent letter to the editor written by Greg Carroll. Mr. Carroll has stated the same frustration many of us in our community have expressed in recent years. It must be noted that every major street in Perry is either a state or federal highway. Thus, they come under the jurisdiction of the Georgia Department of Transportation (Georgia DOT). They, and they alone, have control over all traffic signals in Perry and they are timed to move cars on their highways and not on our “city” streets. They recently made an adjustment to the light at Washington and Carroll in order that Carroll Street traffic would not have to wait so long on that particular light. However, in so doing, those traveling on Washington Street almost always catch all three lights on Washington in the “red” cycle. We have requested the Georgia DOT to visit with us soon and see if we can make some meaningful changes to the timing of these lights. In regard to the Highway 41/Meeting Street intersec tion, this was a Georgia DOT approved project to enhance the downtown area and was sponsored by the Downtown Development Authority. There is a possibility that this project will be “tweaked” in the future in order to avoid any major problems. Perry Mayor Jim Worrall Not having to stoop Let me begin with the fact that I really don’t feel that I need justify my comments now nor in the future. First, this is an opinion page. I have opinions as I am sure Mr. (Frank) Gadbois has. I will not stoop to the level of insulting anyone for their opinion as he has to me and has to others in the past. I unlike Mr. Gadbois don’t see conspiracies under every rock and behind every bush. Just so Mr. Gadbois can feel secure, I would like to state publicly in this forum that unless there is a very good reason, or I feel an overwhelming need to try another political run for office, I'do not intend to run for any pub lic office in Houston County again. The voters in the county have spoken and unlike others it doesn’t take a hit on the head with a sledgehammer for me to understand. I don’t have the money to run nor do I have a name that will win in Houston County, and short of changing my last name just to win, I have no desire to do that. That is the main reason you get elected in this county. Some people tell me that it took Lincoln seven times to run before he won. I don’t have the patience I guess you could say to wait that long. So Mr. Gadbois to you and all other conspiracy theo rists: Feel safe in the fact that Hillary may just get elected and lead us to the Promised Land of Socialized medicine, voters that are not American citizens and a Supreme Court that makes legislation. Wayne Overholt, Warner Robins Worth Repeating “Let cannon and bell at high noon call the people from sport or study or toil, to reflection on that great life so nobly lived. Let the universal display from tenement to State House of the flag of the United States of America remind the people that our country is the United States because of Abraham Lincoln.” Curtis Guild Jr., 1860-191$ U. S. Ambassador to Russia Lincoln’s Birthday Proclamation, 1908 Audrey Evans Vice President Marketing!Advertising Foy S. Evans Editor Emeritus The quality of football in Houston County has for years been known throughout the state. We have the greatest coaches. They work tirelessly. We have the greatest programs. They, as a result of the coaches' work, are as solid as a rock year in and year out. It was good to be the 'Boss' It seems that not many people com posing the population of Warner Robins today have any inkling of the city’s history or the people who were the backbone of the community in its beginning. Warner Robins is only 63 years old. Only a handful of families can claim heritage dating back to its beginning. First there was the rural, farming community of Wellston, with a sawmill across Highway 247 and the railroad tracks. There was a little general store. A few homes were scattered about. Then came World War II and the Army Air Corps decided to build a base on the east side of the railroad. Workers came from all over Middle Georgia. Some lived in spartan apart ments built by the government. Most workers at the base commuted, even throughout the war and for many more years. The Georgia legislature created the city of Warner Robins March 23, 1943. A mayor and city council were appoint ed. The first mayor was C.B. (Boss) Watson, a respected farmer and leader in the Wellston community. I have been told that he was a friend of President Franklin D. Roosevelt and visited with the President when he was in Warm Springs. His home was located in an oak grove, and they cut Commercial Circle around his home, which faced what became Watson Blvd. They called him “Boss” and any one who did not know better believed it was because he was the “boss.” Actually, his name was Bostic and he /) IPfIF v \\ 11 . Jm hjh W\ Js\ Vv , ,/l\ l\ Jtl/bs Si J £ car If Allred sues Richards, who's left to sue Vick? The public is always entertained by watching celebrities fumble and crumble. Some recent events illustrate why this cruel and clinical voyeurism applies doubly to lawyers. I’m still an active member of my state bar. Like many who have prac ticed law, I’m also fed up when legal posturing becomes more about show manship than justice. In fact, one of the real “victims” of recent legal antics may be free speech itself. Let’s review some scattered incidents that have dominated the post-election, slow news cycle of late. The FOX TV network announced that it would air an interview with O.J. Simpson, who would be promoting his new book “If I Did It.” It’s both a disclaimer and a plain fact that the very idea of Simpson’s “project” appalled me. It’s still true, however, that suppression of the book and interview loudly violates the supposedly sacrosanct notion of free speech. Let’s just credit those whose own speech rights were used to help stop Simpson’s attempted new public relations binge. But it didn’t stop there. A family member, or members, of the murder victims did their own interview on CNN - the big rival of FOX, of course - and, with lawyer in tow, expressed their (understandable) outrage about how FOX parent company Newscorp had supposedly behaved so badly in advancing the Simpson project. What this did, of course, was keep the whole Simpson story alive, and by CNN, which took the opportunity to bash FOX while riding the moral high OPINION acquired the nickname “Boss” at an early age. He was in his sixth year as mayor of Warner Robins when I came to town in late 1948. Mayors served two-year terms and he had been reelected twice without opposition after serving his appointed term. We got off to sort of a rocky start when I came to town to start a weekly newspaper. There already was a weekly newspaper in town and the city officials figured that was all that was needed, so City Clerk Maud Paris told me that I would not be issued a business license. I went ahead and printed the first issue of the Warner Robins Sun and distributed it, was issued a business license after the fact and everything was okay after that. I liked Boss Watson. He was a soft spoken man. He exuded self-confidence in himself and what he wanted to do. He was highly regarded throughout the county. He ran the city of Warner Robins from the beginning about as he pleased. Members of city council accepted his leadership role and experience without question. He was older than them and, clearly, wiser. horse. Never mind that both Newscorp and FOX ultimately did the right thing and took a huge financial bath by doing so. Next came the sad saga of actor/come dian Michael Richards, of “Kramer” and “Seinfeld” TV fame. He was video taped during a standup comedy routine in which he used the obviously unac ceptable “N” word, as it’s called in polite company. Richards’ career is damaged, per haps irrevocably. It’s hard to pity him. And yet again there’s the nagging little matter of freedom of speech. Condemned he should be. But it’s not stopping there. Now comes a potential lawsuit, courtesy of publicity hound Gloria Allred. Allred reportedly has said that she represents two of the targets of Richards’ remarks. She’s been quoted as saying she is considering taking legal action for the emotional distress her clients suffered from the comedian’s abusive remarks. I suppose a woman of Allred’s con siderable skills can find some case law to support a claim that a five-to- 10- minute verbal tirade in a comedy club can result in emotional distress. But what would the damages be? Foy Evans Columnist foyevansl9@cox.net f . —j*- Matt Towery Columnist Morris News Service HOUSTON DAILY JOURNAL No one doubted his ability, his dedi cation to this fledgling city or his integrity. By the time he had served 7 ‘/a years in office he decided to step aside for younger people to take on the burden of the office and to take on the job of forming the foundation of a real city. He resigned from office and a suc cessor was appointed, but as long as he lived his influence continued to hover over the changing city. New leaders sought his advice. Public service continued as a trade mark of his family. His son Herman served on city council and in the Georgia legislature. His grandson “Sonny" had a long and distinguished career as a legislator. No one - his family or friends - knew that “Boss” Watson kept the fledgling city of Warner Robins afloat during his tenure as mayor many times by meet ing the payroll with his own money. This was learned after his death, when the family found evidence of his expen ditures. In my opinion, it is unfortunate that in a city so young so little is known about many of the people who buckled down and did the hard labor that kept Warner Robins alive during and after World War 11. I am writing this because people who have moved here in the last few decades should know who “Boss’ Watson was and appreciate that the flourishing city they see today might never have existed without real pioneers, first and foremost among them being our first mayor. Would Allred trot out a psychiatrist to suggest her clients are so emotion ally wounded that they can’t function? ' Maybe she’ll have them wear neck braces in court to establish a claim of verbal whiplash. Now it’s being suggested that the whole “trial” process be junked in favor of a binding decision, apparently by an arbitrator. What a farce. Whatever she does, many people believe it won’t be to advance the cause of justice. And it certainly won’t bolster the reputations of high-flying attorneys who seem to swoop down with talons bared wherever contro versy breaks out. There are exceptions to the rule of free-speech suppression. Last Sunday, quarterback Michael Vick of the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons took out his frustrations on a group of heck ling fans as he left the field by exer cising his own interpretation of free speech. He “flipped the bird,” which is a manual version of the dreaded “F” word, another un-tolerated speech word. I’m a Michael Vick fan. I’m not look ing for anyone to add to his already considerable troubles with this inci dent. But I have to ask, where is the silk-shirted corporate attorney, appear ing on a major television talk show to defend the “rights” of those fans? Why didn’t Gloria Allred rush to the defense of the offended women and children who may now be scarred for life as a result of Vick’s crudity? It seems freedom of speech and law suits are a highly selective matter.