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♦ 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 V [j 1 f FDCL eiß' WOULD Lft !| OR PEWIMIWC I i . [ 'toUMIMDftNfjWEWa ASOOTTHEW® < Ji B YOUR QUESTIONS SEEMTD \ WWATMAKEE YOIJTWINK TUE I 66 Oey&NEOTO GET A 1 MEDlfo HAVE AN AGENDA ONJ R6EPON6ETHAT FIT66OME I THE WAR? m&dF KINO OF AGENDA-' M f. ',, 1 tIP DO THE MEDIA .. <4 \l] SYNDICATE, INC 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.