Newspaper Page Text
♦ SATURDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2006
6A
Mtfuaimi Haily
OPINION
Daniel F. Evans
President
Editor and Publisher
Julie B. Evans
Vice President
Group Marketing
Don Moncrief
Managing Editor
Here conies the future
There was good news in Perry this
week - the beginning of something
that could be good news for the whole
state of Georgia.
It’s just a gas pump, but the fuel in it is
E-85 Ethanol.
It’s a new fuel for cars and trucks, and
even though there’s just one ethanol pump
available to consumers in the entire state,
others will soon follow. Cars and trucks are
already being manufactured to run on both
ethanol and gasoline, and ethanol is even a
little cheaper, with cleaner emissions.
For some, the best part of the news is that
it gives us hope
that sooner
or later this
country may
have a great
ly reduced
dependence
on imported
oil. For oth
ers, the best
part may be
that Georgia
farmers can
look forward
to the day
when crops
are grown to
fuel cars, just
as crops were
once grown
to fuel the
mules, horses
and oxen who
pulled carriag
es.
Industries dealing with agricultural prod
ucts can look forward to selling byproducts.
(Perry’s E-85 Ethanol is produced from
brewery byproducts right here in Georgia)
For most of us all these benefits add up to
a good step toward a better future.
And it should be a matter of pride to
Perryans that the first pump for ethanol for
public use is installed right here.
Making this happen were the Middle
Georgia Clean Cities Coalition and Perry’s
Davis BioFuels with some strong backing
from Sen. Saxby Chambliss in Washington
and Sen. Ross Tolleson in Atlanta.
The first step has been taken, and the goal
at the state level is to have ethanol pumps
along 1-75 from the Tennessee line to the
Florida line, but the local pump also means
that anyone in this area with a flex-fuel
vehicle can start using ethanol now.
It’s good to know that the U.S.A. still leads
the world in ingenuity and creativity. Now
we hope to see the free enterprise system
prove once more that a good product, wher
ever it starts, will eventually be sold every
where.
Also, we firmly believe that Georgia’s
farmers are up to the challenge of growing
the fuels of the future, and that Georgia
consumers are more than ready to buy a
made-in-America fuel.
Letter to the Editor
Centerville needs to deal
with abandoned vehicles
During my daily walks from my home on Gunn Road
to the county library in Centerville I have to walk on the
highway because there are no sidewalks. I always notice
the two, abandoned, rusty, derelict cars that I can see
from Gunn Road in Centerville.
Not a pretty sight and one that the bureau
crats in Centerville’s huge, new city hall, real
ly don’t care about. Nor apparently does their new
mayor, the jovial and personable Harold Edwards,
who I personally told about these unsightly cars
with out-of-date tax stickers and rusting hulks.
The mayor of Perry and his city council are trying to keep
their city from becoming unsightly and tacky by removing
illegal signs, etc. They have hired a new city employee to
police and enforce their city ordinances. So why doesn’t
Centerville’s new mayor, “Bubba” Edwards, care about
abandoned and unsightly vehicles in his small city?
Frank W. Gadbois, Warner Robins
Audrey Evans
Vice President
Marketing!Advertising
Foy S. Evans
Editor Emeritus
For some, the best
part of the news Is
that It gives us hope
that sooner or later
this country may have
a greatly reduced
dependence on imported
oil. For others, the
best part may be that
Georgia farmers can
look forward to the
day when crops are
grown to fuel cars, just
as crops were once
grown to fuel the mules,
horses and oxen who
pulled carriages.
Interesting mail, observations
Some interesting mail and other
observations from the sunny side
of the street:
■ Don Wooley says that “military
service would be good for all young
people”, agreeing with comments in
a recent column. He adds, “It instills
a different attitude about people and
country. It changes how we treat each
other, how we look out for each other.
It teaches caring, responsibility and
honor. These things are missing from
too many of the younger generation.”
■ In response to my question wheth
er female reporters should be allowed
in football locker rooms, Jeff Brackett
poses the question: “Are male reporters
allowed in women’s locker rooms?”
Don’t know. Probably not. Shouldn’t
be if they are.
■ Air Force Brig. Gen. Mark O.
Schissler told The Washington Times
that the Muslims consider the war in
the Middle East “generational” and
they are ready to fight 50 to 100 years
to create an Islamic state in their
region. They are patient and willing
to continue their fight for generations.
We, unfortunately, like to wrap things
up in a few minutes or begin to lose
commitment.
■ Friends who turn against you
are much more dangerous than sworn
enemies.
■ Are you counting on snow for
Christmas ... or shirtsleeve weather?
I, for one, am not getting out my snow
shoes.
■ Since Perry moved forward with
plans to charge impact fees on new
homes constructed in the city I have
heard from supporters of this action
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Random thoughts on random subjects
Asad political truth: Parties in
power may change, but politi
cians never do. After years of
being on the outside and finally gain
ing the majority, what do Georgia
Republicans do? Start acting like the
arrogant Democrats they replaced.
Gov. Sonny Perdue gets two sweet
land deals that don’t pass the smell
test with ordinary Georgians, and a
SIOO,OOO tax break to boot. House
Speaker Glenn Richardson seems hell
bent on taking behind closed doors eco
nomic development negotiations that
involve our tax dollars, even though
there is no reason to do so. Newspapers
in Georgia *— and a modest and
much-beloved columnist will be on
Republicans like white on rice if they
try it. What in the world is going on
with these people? Do they think we
won’t throw them out like we did the
Democrats?
Casey Cagle gives me hope that all
is not lost with the Republicans. The
lieutenant governor-elect is proof that
nice guys do finish first. In the prima
ry, he beat the Republican’s right-wing
darling, Ralph Reed, like a drum, and
then finished off Democrat Jim Martin
in the general election. Cagle has many
attributes, including the fact that The
Woman Who Shares My Name likes
him a lot. She isn’t big on politicians
as a rule. If Republicans have the
brains of a yard dog, they will make
Cagle the face of their party instead of
Richardson, who shoots his mouth off
too much.
My church had better install seatbelts
in the pews. Dr. Sam Coker recently
OPINION
and from developers/huilders who say
it is a lousy idea and will impede
growth. What do you think? It will be
interesting to hear from ordinary citi
zens who seldom are heard from but
probably have strong feelings. Send me
your e-mails to: foyevansl9(«cox.net.
■ I was at a barbecue luncheon a few
days ago and ran into one of my favor
ite people of all time - Hazel Colson.
For those of you who have not been
fortunate enough to know her, she is
a nurse who has worked for several
doctors, the hospital, Red Cross and
numerous volunteer jobs. She has been
with Hospice for many years. We go
way back to my early days in Warner
Robins. She has touched thousands
of lives in a positive way. We talked
about the fact the two of us just keep
going and going like the Energizer
bunny. I’ve slowed down a lot in recent
years. She still seems to have bound
less energy.
■ Why do so many of us wait until
after we have had some kind of heart
problem to begin walking and exercis
ing? Doctors tell us that if we did those
things sooner we might not have heart
trouble. They are predicting now that
the present generation of young people
will be the first to have a shorter
lifespan than their parents because of
joined the staff. Not only do we have Gil
Watson, the World’s Greatest Preacher,
but Sam Coker can knock your socks
off in the pulpit, too. It’s like having
Bo Jackson and Herschel Walker in the
same backfield.
Some of you may recall that Sam
Coker was one of the first ministers on
television, back before the current crop
of blow-dried televangelists who are
always crying and begging for money.
I assume he hired on to help Dr. Gil
try and save my sorry soul. Good luck
with that.
Jimmy Carter may have the Nobel
Peace Prize but if my mail is any indi
cation, he doesn’t have anywhere near
the respect and admiration from his
fellow Georgians as does former Gov.
Carl Sanders. If they ran for governor
today, I would be willing to be that
Sanders would clean his clock.
Former UGA athletic director and
Hall of Fame football coach Vince
Dooley is a remarkable man. Whenever
I talk to him, he always inquires of
my son, Ken, a science teacher at
Woodland High in Cartersville, who
attended his football camps as a lad.
In a recent conversation, the coach
HHMMk M«k
Foy
Evans
Columnist
loyevansl9@cox.net
m \
Dick
Yarbrough
Columnist
yarb24oo@bellsouth.net
HOUSTON DAILY JOURNAL
obesity and lack of exercise. My par
ents and other parents of my genera
tion told us that we are what we eat.
We may not eat any better today than
young folks, but we did at one time.
■ The Houston County Board of
Education is doing what it has to do
by making changes in school zones
because there will he more schools next
year. Some families will be inconve
nienced. Most will understand. Some
will create problems and will not try
to understand. Despite the fact that
some people buy their homes in what
they believe to be a certain school zone
forever the population growth in the
county can bring unexpected changes.
■ The school system still buses chil
dren from one neighborhood to anoth
er to attain the required racial balance
in the schools, which is, in my opin
ion, counterproductive. Neighborhood
schools make sense. Black and white
children would be better off. Some
school systems around the country are
getting out from under court ordered
busing for the purpose of integration,
and perhaps the day when Houston
County will be permitted to make its
own decisions is not too far off.
■ State Rep. Willie Talton already
has signed on as co-sponsor of a bill
making English the official language
of Georgia for state documents and
forms. It’s a good idea, but we already
have gone too far down the road, as
a nation, toward two languages and
I doubt that the steamroller can be
stopped.
We do not have the kind of federal
judges to permit enforcement of one
language in this country.
told me to be sure and remind Ken of
the tremendous influence teachers can
have on young lives. He knows whereof
he speaks. Vince Dooley has probably
touched more lives in a positive way
than all the rest of us combined. ...
Speaking of UGA, you may have
heard that the University of Georgia,
the nation’s oldest state-chartered uni
versity, located in Athens, the Classic
City of the South, has retained its title
as football champions of all the land
from Rabun Gap to Tybee Light. My
sincere congratulations to the Georgia
Institute of Technology, which man
aged to finish second. Again. And again.
And again. And again. (Tee heel). ...
An employee of the Centers for
Disease Control in Atlanta sent me a
list that the CDC recently published
highlighting the “diversity of holidays
that may be celebrated around you” in
December. In addition to Christmas,
there is Bodhi Day, “when Prince
Gautama took his place under the
Bodhi tree, vowing to remain there
until he attained supreme enlight
enment,” and two Wiccan holidays,
“Yule” and “Litha.” Wiccans, in case
you didn’t know, are self-professed
witches. Obviously the CDC has too
much free time on its hands and too
many tax dollars it doesn’t know what
to do with. I think we would all be
more comfortable if they just stuck
to fighting bird flu. Bodhi Day? Bah!
Humbug!
You can reach Dick Yarbrough at
yarb24oo@bellsouth.net, P.O. Box
725373, Atlanta, Georgia 31139, or
Web site: www.dickyarbrough.com.