Newspaper Page Text
4A
♦ WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2006
Mouston
OPINION
Daniel F. Evans
President
Editor and Publisher
Julie B. Evans
Vice President
Group Marketing
Don Moncrief
Managing Editor
Thanks, Michael Froehlich
The Georgia National Fair keeps stack
ing up awards and honors, includ
ing some brand new ones from the
International Association of Fairs and
Expositions.
None of this comes as a surprise to Houston
Countians, who remember the days, back in
the late 1980 s, when the whole thing was
still at the idea stage, and Perry’s native
son, Rep. Larry Walker, was absolutely
determined to see it become a reality.
Then there was the competition to have
the fair located in Perry, and Finally there
was the excitement of seeing the build-
ing begin, and
attending the
First fair.
Since those
early days,
the staff of
the Georgia
National Fair
and Agricenter
have stayed
true to its orig
inal purpose
- providing a
great site for
young people
to show off
their livestock
and a way to
boost Georgia
talent. It has
also grown
steadily as a
major tourist
draw for the
area, a time
for outstand
ing entertain
ment and fun,
and a year-round location for a wide array
of events, from horse shows to trade fairs.
It just keeps getting bigger and better, and
it’s probably past time to single out the man
at the helm - Executive Director Michael
Froehlich - a soft-spoken man who loves
his work and puts his whole heart into it,
leading a first-rate team of professionals
year round in an ongoing effort to make the
Georgia National Fair a source of pride for
the whole state.
Michael Froehlich also takes an interest
in the community around him, is a member
of the Kiwanis Club and has served on the
Airport Authority as well.
He’d be the first to say that many more
people are involved in making the fair a suc
cess, but we still believe that having a man
of Froehlich’s experience, professionalism
and enthusiasm has been a key factor in the
success of the Georgia National Fairgrounds
& Agricenter.
Letter to the Editor
Where is the impact?
The developer of a subvision has to employ a licensed
engineer to design the project to meet the requirement of
the municipality. We install all water and sewer lines, all
underground, storm drainage. We furnish land and build
retention ponds, we do all grading, curb and gutter pav
ing. We even pay for all street light poles and fixtures. We
give all this to the city or county then we pay to connect
water and sewer to each house, plus building permits
also. We pay other fees to the city, county and state.
You might say what about the increased population,
which requires more fire stations, more firefighters, more
policemen and so on,
OK, what about the increase tax income on a house
and lot versus under developed land, which is multiplied
many times over, plus increase in SPLOST tax from new
comers. And I suspect there would be an increase in fran
chise income from power companies, cable companies and
telephone companies.
Where would the impact be?
On the home buyer.
Pete Stokes, Houston County
PS. - I've been building and developing in Houston
County for over 55 years.
Send your Letters to the Editor to:
The Houston Daily Journal
P.O. Box 1910 • Perry, Ga 31069 or
Email: hhj@evansnewspapers.com
Audrey Evans
Vice President
Marketing!Advertising
Foy S. Evans
Editor Emeritus
Since those early days,
the staff of the Georgia
National Fair and
Agricenter have stayed
true to its original
purpose - providing
a great site for young
people to show off their
livestock and a way to
boost Georgia talent. It
has also grown steadily
as a major tourist
draw for the area, a
time for outstanding
entertainment and fun,
and a year-round loca
tion for a wide array
of events, from horse
shows to trade fairs.
Turning procreation into self-actualization
I’ve got some good news and some
bad news. Which do you want
first? Let’s start with the good.
The good news is that advances in
reproductive science have afforded
adults who long to be parents the
opportunity to do so. The bad news is,
well, that advances in reproductive sci
ence have afforded adults who long to
be parents the opportunity to do so.
My wife and I know from experi
ence how deep that longing can be,
particularly when months and years
pass without experiencing the joy and
wonder of the arrival of a child. It was
for us, as it is for tens of thousands of
Americans, a profoundly difficult time.
Reproductive science, though not
ultimately “successful” for my wife and
me, has blessed many people worldwide
with pregnancies they would not have
had in previous generations. That’s
good.
The bad news related to advances in
reproductive technologies is that it is,
in many cases, leading some to elevate
the desires of adults over the needs of
children.
Consider these recent developments:
- Advances in in-vitro fertilization,
which were originally developed to
help couples with infertility problems,
are now being used to help single
people have children with the help of
anonymous donors.
- Stem cell research has introduced
the very real possibility that a cloned
child could soon be born.
- Scientists are even putting forth
the possibility that procreation could
soon be possible from the genes of only
one person!
- Scientists believe that one day soon
it will be possible for same-sex couples
, AW\ 1///AA
/ et the love
of Christ fill 4^' ' A
your world -
Odd, opulent the true stuff of gift giving
SOMEWHERE .IN THE
CHRISTMAS SHOPPING
UNIVERSE - I’m spending the
day at a mall, the holiest of holy hubs
for all that is good and right and retail
during the holidays.
Of course, I’m also on my computer,
the other nexus of gift giving in today's
economy. And, aside from my day’s
worth of wireless woes, I understand
that much of this year’s profit margin
rhymes with URL.
The Web is also a better choice to
find the extravagant, the tasteless and
the downright goofy gift, my subject
today.
Still, a 15-inch screen and great
graphics are hardly the stuff of holiday
spirit. I prefer bricks, mortar and eye
contact for Yuletide ambiance. Besides,
the Wi-Fi hot spot from which I write is
colder than Wenceslas’ driveway.
And the only food court on a Web site
is your kitchen.
The early-morning mall traffic was
primarily walkers, getting in their
exercise and a little window shopping
along the way. They are a friendly lot,
too, prone to conversation in motion, a
mobile chat room, ready to meet and
greet and never break stride.
The place broke out in a mild bus
tle about noon, making it difficult to
see where shoppers ended and din
ers began. Throw in some Christmas
music, tinselly glitter and wide-eyed
kids outside the toy store, and I had a
sudden urge to buy an. overpriced bau
ble. Such is the Spirit of Xmas Present
at the mall.
If I’m looking for a motorized ice
cream cone, however, boot me up and
OPINION
Randy
Hicks
Columnist
Georgia Family Council
to create a child from their own DNA.
All of these advances seem, on the
surface, to be making children a real
ity for people who would not normally
have that option. But at what cost?
What effects are these “emerging fam
ily structures” having on the children
they create?
All of these scenarios represent a
conscious decision by one or more peo
ple to deny a child either a mother
or father. What is the problem with
that? Even though loving single par
ents want to give their children all they
need emotionally, social science proves
both a mother and father bring some
thing special, unique and needed to the
life of a child.
One challenge all parents face (myself
included) is to avoid reducing parent
ing to a simple means of self-actualiza
tion, whereby we seek to live out our
own dreams and validate who we are
through our children. Seeking to have
a child at all costs, regardless of what’s
in the best interest of that child, may
prove to be harmful. The ends do not
necessarily justify the means.
The question is not whether children
love the parents who raise them or
vice versa. Rather, the questions are
these: Are we putting children at risk
by intentionally denying them either
their mother or father (or both)? In
George
Ayoub
Columnist
Morris News Service
log me on.
That movable frozen feast is among a
number of gifts I have found that will
probably not show up on your list - or
anyone else’s.
The cone, an $8.99 ceramic affair
that turns the ice cream, has some
utility as well. A cold-and-tasty on the
move means a more uniform eating
pattern and fewer drips. I saw it at
perpetualkid.com.
I found no utility in L.L. Bean’s sl2
snowball maker. That’s right, a pair of
plastic tongs with scoops on the ends,
when squeezed, can indeed do what
millions of kids have done for years
with their hands - for free.
Makes you wonder if schematic draw
ings for the building of snowmen are
available. After a little search, I found
even better prices for the snowball
maker, but why bother?
You might need a silver-plated bobby’s
whistle, however, in case your holidays
turn into a bloody bore and all that. A
couple toots from this shiny bad boy
could turn a trainspotter into a mate.
You can get one for $29 at Hammacher
Schlemmer and Bob’s your uncle. God
Save the Queen. Cheerio.
Of course, one should check to see if
the bobby’s whistle works in weight-
~fl Bh
HOUSTON DAILY JOURNAL
such cases, are we making it more diffi
cult for children to make sense of their
identities?
This latter question is more impor
tant than one might think at first
glance.
For example, look at situations
in which an anonymous donor has
fathered multiple children in a com
munity. None of the mothers know
who the father really is outside of a
donor number and a DNA profile. How
do you explain to a child that they
may have siblings running around by
a person they don’t even know? Most
children face enough problems with
identity issues already.
Many mothers in this situation have
admitted that they honestly did not
think their children would be adverse
ly affected by their decision to use a
sperm bank and be a single parent, but
as the first generation of these children
is coming into adolescence, we are see
ing otherwise.
Online affinity groups are being
formed by “test tube” groups who
don’t know who their fathers are.
These young people often say they
were denied the birthright of being
raised by, or at least knowing about,
their biological fathers. They say that
this intentional denial profoundly
shapes their quest to understand who
they are.
A recent report by the Institute for
American Values documented the fol
lowing results from studying some of
these groups:
“They Ithe children] ask how the
state can aid and defend a practice that
denies them their birthright to know
and be raised by their own parents
See HICKS, page *4
lessness, in case a friend pops for the
Virgin Galactic Six-Person Charter to
Space found in this year’s Neiman
Marcus Christmas Book. That’s space,
cowboy, as in 63 miles above the earth.
Yes, $1,764,000 for the gig may sound
expensive, but you do get four night’s
lodging at a schmancy resort after the
flight and a pair of astronaut wings.
Payment Alert, Pal: If you plan to
write a check for the charter, I’m
guessing you’ll need two forms of ID.
For the imminently promotable on
your list, how about giving them a
chance, a foot in the door, literally.
The Foot in the Door is a stylish
black or red pump designed to be used
as a doorstop. Simply slip the $12.99
pointed toe under any door and you are
in business - well, maybe we should
say you are open for business.
The least expensive gift on my odd
and outlandish list is the Pro Thumb
Wrestling Ring, a steal at $5.99. The
ring has posts and ropes and measures
5 inches on each side. After wrestlers
slip their thumbs between the two
holes in opposite corners, they are
ready to “thumble.” (Sorry!)
Finally, what holiday gift exchange
would be complete without the iPod
Dock Toilet Paper Dispenser, which
redefines the term “musical library?”
Do you hear what I hear? It’s your
music when you want it. Why respond
to nature with the randomness of
radio? Simply dock your iPod, crank up
the built-in speakers and do your duty.
Pricey at SIBO, the iPod Dock Toilet
Paper Dispenser is a gift that can leave
the giver looking good and the receiver
sitting pretty.