Newspaper Page Text
♦ SATURDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2006
4A
Muuaton ©mly .IJmtrttal
OPINION
Daniel F. Evans
President
Editor and Publisher
Julie B. Evans
Vice President
Group Marketing
Don Moncrief
Managing Editor
Letters to the Edttor
Troop support vital
I read the attached letter (see below) on anymarine.
com, and some of the letters are heart tugging, to say the
least. The letter below was sent to anymarine.com, and I
copied it just to let Americans know how important their
support is for our troops. I would encourage everyone to
send a card or letter to any of our troops in harm’s
way. It means more than we realize.
Julia Germani, Warner Robins
“It’s been 11 months now, and we have one more to go in
this year-long deployment.
“For the team, the year 2006 has been a very, very
rewarding one for us. We have had many challenges and
hardships advising, mentoring, and fighting alongside
our Iraqi battalion against enemy insurgents. Despite our
struggles and surprises, we’ve overcome insurmountable
odds in building an Iraqi Army. “It’s been a long year
filled with endless days of hard work and perseverance.
Many times, we’d question our efforts and the progress
of the Iraqis. Reflecting back on how far we’ve come, we
indeed have kept to our mission in training and men
toring a young army by continuously developing their
potential.
“In January, we started out with 11 American advisors
and 360 Iraqi soldiers. To date, we’ve grown as a bat
talion to 21 advisors and 532 soldiers. Not only have we
built our strength with numbers, but relationships with
the local people have also grown.
“The people of Iraqi thrive on relationships, so it’s
been a great milestone that the locals have trust and
confidence in their army. Slowly are the Iraqi soldiers
becoming more and more proud in serving their country.
Their army pays them well, and money has b£en the
key to their recruitment and service. Yet, this seems to
be changing over time. It’s more than just getting paid:
It’s about the Iraqi soldiers serving with honor, and the
people believing in their army.
When the team first came together in December
of 2005. We were told the team was all we had to get
through this deployment. Little did we know that our
service came with tremendous support and infinite bless
ings from our fellow Americans. We are still amazed with
the many letters, cards, and care packages (http://www.
treatanysoldier.com/CarePackages.cfm) we are getting.
Thank you. It’s been mentioned that words could not
express how much the team appreciates your thoughtful
ness and generosity. Know this, though: We’d get worn
out from patrols. We’d get frustrated with training Iraqis
(language barrier). We’d complain about the food. We’d
hate waking up from inadequate rest. We’d stress during
engagements. But.we’d forget about it all when we get
your letters, your cards, and your care packages.
“We can’t thank you enough for all the smiles you’ve
put on our faces. You’ve lifted our spirits, regardless of all
the trials associated with our deployment. Your continued
support has truly added to a great and rewarding experi
ence for all of us. America will always be our strength
and our inspiration. Thank you for sharing our pride as
Americans.”
Semper Fidelis, Military Transition Team 8
Capt. Franklin Sablan
Impact fees needed
The letter by Mr. (Pete) Stokes (in Wednesday’s Houston
Daily Journal ), a long-time local developer, explained
well how the infrastructure required for new develop
ments is funded. The initial cost of the new streets,
drainage, water and sewer lines, et cetera is paid for by
the developer. This cost is immediately passed on to those
who purchase the new houses; the net result is that the
developer pays nothing for this.
However, the cost to support this new infrastructure,
including additional police, fire departments, schools and
other government services, is borne by all the citizens of
the county.
When growth is managed, property taxes alone can
generally support these costs. But when the growth is
unmanaged, these infrastructure costs require additional
revenues - such as SPLOSTs. These are also borne by the
entire county. It seems fair that those directly creating
this additional need should contribute some additional
revenue themselves.
Impact fees can provide this; they are currently being
implemented in Perry. Where does the impact fall? Not
on the developer. He simply passes it along to the new
homeowner like any new infrastructure cost.
Dan Knauer, Warner Robins
Signals and headlights
needed in rain
I am always puzzled why Georgians don’t use their
directional signals or have their headlights on when it
rains. State laws require their use but some of us would
rather risk being involved in an accident than using our
directional signals or headlights.
How can some not use their headlights in a torrential
downpour when visibility is almost nonexistent? Don’t
these drivers notice the lights of other cars coming
toward them? Why do most have to start talking on their
phones as soon as they start driving?
We are taught to keep both hands on the steering wheel
yet too many don’t. Mandatory state vehicle inspections
annually would make us all safer! Every European nation
has these inspections.
Only 500 British citizens die through the misuse of
guns each year versus 30,000 here. Wonder why?
Frank W. Gadbois, Warner Robins
Audrey Evans
Vice President
Marketing!Advertising
Foy S. Evans
Editor Emeritus
Christmas is a great time for reflection
We will be celebrating Christmas
in a couple of days. Children
will be excited and over
whelmed with gifts, which some of
them will appreciate. Adults will exhale
a sigh of relief. It’s all over for another
year. Hooray!
We are living in a time of excesses.
We have too much. We appreciate too
little.
Never before in history have so many
people had so much to be grateful for
... and probably never before have so
many people been less thankful.
Joy to the World, the song tells us. It
would be nice if all of us exuded joy and
good will. In our country and through
out the world there is too much anger,
too much hatred.
As a nation, we Americans have
become accustomed to so much that it
has become a habit, without realizing
it, to complain, even about our good
fortune. We live in a land of milk and
honey and we have our freedom and we
can go about anywhere we wish safely.
Shame on all of us.
We are fortunate to be alive at this
time in history. We are fortunate to
live in this country. Hasn’t it been said
2006: The year of perpetual outrage
It began with the Danish cartoons.
It ended with the flying imams.
Two thousand six was a banner
year for the Religion of Perpetual
Outrage. Twelve turbulent months of
fist-waving, embassy-burning, fatwa
issuing mayhem, intimidation, and
murder resounded with the ululations
of the aggrieved. All this in the name
of defending Islam from “insult.” Let’s
review.
In late January, masked Palestinian
gunmen took over a European Union
office in Gaza City to protest the publi
cation of a dozen cartoons about Islam,
Mohammed, and self-censorship in
the Danish newspaper the Jyllands-
Posten.
They stormed the building, burned
Danish flags, and spearheaded an
international boycott of Denmark’s
products across the Muslim world.
The rage was manufactured pretext.
The cartoons had been published four
months earlier with little fanfare. It
wasn’t until a delegation of instigating
Danish imams toured Egypt with the
cartoons - plus a few inflammatory
fake ones, including an old image of a
French hog-calling contest participant
deceptively portrayed as “anti-Muslim”
- that the fire started burning. Think
the mainstream media will remember
that? Not likely. They fell for the ruse
and were slow to acknowledge it after
American bloggers and Danish televi
sion exposed the scheme.
What was really behind Cartoon
Rage? Muslim bullies were attempt
ing to pressure Denmark over the
International Atomic Energy Agency’s
decision to report Iran to the U.N.
Security Council for continuing with
its nuclear research program. The
chairmanship of the council was pass
ing to Denmark at the time.
Alas, Western journalists, analysts,
and apologists were too clouded by
their cowardice and conciliation to see
through the smoke. More than 800
were injured in the ensuing riots, and
130 people paid with their lives. The
innocents included Italian Catholic
priest Andrea Santoro, who was shot
to death in Turkey on Feb. 5, by a
OPINION
many times that, except for the Grace
of God, we might have been born in one
of the countries in the world plagued
with illnesses, fighting and poverty?
I grew up what used to be called
“dirt poor.” I appreciate everything
and every opportunity I have had. I
was able to earn a living doing the kind
of work I enjoyed and was rewarded for
my hard work.
Sometimes I wonder what I ever did
to deserve so much. In other words, as
we close in on Christmas, I am look
ing back on how good life has been
and leave it to others to look ahead for
bounties under the Christmas tree.
Those of us as old as I am have
known privation and hunger. We have
known what it was like to do without.
But time has dimmed those memories.
teenage boy enraged by the illustra
tions. The Muslim gunman shouted,
“Allahu Akbar!” as he murdered Father
Santoro while the priest knelt praying
in his church. Several brave moderate
Muslim editors who stood up to the
madness were jailed, fined, and con
victed of crimes related to insulting
Islam. The Danish cartoonists remain
in hiding.
The world soon tired of Cartoon
Rage, but the “peaceful” Muslim rag
ers were just warming up. They found
excuses large and small to riot and
threaten Western infidels. In India,
they protested the magazine publica
tion of a picture of a playing card show
ing an image of Mecca and also burned
Valentine’s Day cards. An insult to
Islam, they screamed. In Spain, they
protested a Madrid store for selling
a postcard with a mosque on it with
the words “We slept here.” An insult
to Islam, they protested. In Pakistan,
they burned down a Kentucky Fried
Chicken restaurant, a Pizza Hut, and
toppled Ronald McDonald. In Jakarta,
they smashed the offices of Playboy
magazine. You know why.
In June, the trial against lioness
journalist Oriana Fallaci for insulting
Islam commenced in Bergamo, Italy.
She had been charged by profession
al Muslim rager Adel Smith of the
Muslim Union of Italy of “vilipendio” -
vilifying Islam - in her post-9/11 books
slamming jihad. A judge had refused
to throw out the case. She faced a pile
of death threats and accusations of
“Islamophobia” for speaking truth to
Islamo-power.
Fallaci’s death from cancer dur
ing the fifth anniversary week of the
September 11 terrorist attacks pre
empted the trial in Italy, but her pass-
m
Foy
Evans
Columnist
foyevansl9@cox.net
Jant *
|H
Michelle
Malkin
Columnist
malkin@comcast.net
HOUSTON DAILY JOURNAL
We look around now and wonder how
it could have been so different a little
more than half a century ago.
I guess that I am fortunate because
my personal “wants” are not many.
Important things to me are family,
friends and work (before retirement).
If you are fortunate to have the best of
these, what else really matters?
It is easy to complain.. .to look around
and feel that things could be better.
Maybe they could.
Everything is relative, though.
Each of us has a place in the scheme
of things...and by the time we are
grown we should pretty well know our
capabilities and our potential.
It is important to adjust and find
yourself and your place in the scheme
of things.
It took a long time for me to find
mine. It brought satisfaction and a
sense of fulfillment when I did here in
Houston County.
And the question all of us living in
this great country should ask our
selves: “What did we ever do to deserve
so much?” Aren’t we lucky?
Merry Christmas!
ing did nothing to preempt the eternal
rage of the perpetually outraged.
The day she died, the grievance
mongers were shaking their fists and
calling for the head of Pope Benedict
XVI for his speech that made reference
to a 14th-Century conversation touch
ing on holy war and jihad. For engag
ing in open, honest intellectual and
spiritual debate, he was condemned, lit
afire in effigy, and targeted anew. The
ragers bombed Christian churches in
Gaza City and Nablus. They murdered
Italian Sister Leonella Sgorbati, an
elderly Catholic nun shot in the back
by a Somalian jihadist stoked by Pope
Rage. “Whoever offends our Prophet
Mohammed should be killed on the spot
by the nearest Muslim,” a Somalian
cleric had declared. The Vatican made
nice with Muslim leaders.
New outrages are always in bloom.
In late September, it was a Berlin
production of Mozart’s “Idomeneo”
that featured the decapitated head of
Mohammed. A week later, it was a
banyan tree attacked by Indonesian
Muslims who wanted to disprove its
mystical powers. A few days after that,
it was former British foreign secre
tary Jack Straw, who had the audac
ity to make the very obvious observa
tion that full Muslim veils impede
communications between women and
Westerners. Offensive! Disturbing! An
insult to Islam!
Not to be outdone, a delegation of
extortionist imams boarded a U.S.
Airways flight in Minneapolis in
November and tried to manufacture
an international human-rights inci
dent. They clamored for a boycott and
threatened to sue.
The good news: The fire did not
catch here this time. The bad news:
As Oriana Fallaci warned before her
death: “The hate for the West swells
like a fire fed by the wind. The clash
between us and them is not a military
one. It is a cultural one, a religious one,
and the worst is still to come.”
Michelle Malkin is author of
“Unhinged: Exposing Liberals
Gone Wild.” Her e-mail address is
writemalkin@gmail.com.