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4A ♦ SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2007 ■Mmtsfrm ißaiiy iJmmtai OPINION Daniel F. Evans President Editor and Publisher Julie B. Evans Vice President Group Marketing Letters to the Emtor Congrats WRALL On they came, with names such as Carriker, Umphreyville, Allen, Lay, Martens, Scott, Conlon, Jackson, Smith, Purvis and others - and with “moni kers” such as Muffin, Cupcake, Tall Drink of Water and Action Jackson, those gallant young men from Houston County. They played their hearts out and when all of the hoopla was over, the “best team” had indeed won the Little League World Series! And when the task at hand was completed, they again showed their collective and individual class by consoling their defeated opponents. It is readily apparent that each of these youngsters is from a home where discipline, respect, love, com panionship, parental guidance and concern for fellow citizens abounds. This is a credit to these youngsters, their parents, their coaches, their teachers, the soli darity of their families. These young men are indeed the stalwart citizens and leaders of tomorrow - their fervent intent to succeed is apparent and they will not fail. Their families and all of Houston County, even all of Middle Georgia, can and should be proud of them and their accomplishments. Judging from the character and intensity they each displayed, there is no doubt in my mind that each of them will enjoy a productive, successful future whether it be in sports, technol ogy, teaching or whatever endeavor they choose. It is indeed refreshing to see youngsters who respect their parents, teachers, coaches and fellow citizens and who can function well as a team, Likewise, it is refreshing to see parents closely involved in the activities of their children, supporting and participating in their goals. Unfortunately, on the other end of the spectrum, we read in local newspapers that another youngster was involved in an incident in one of our schools. Today we read of yet another instance where a youngster on a school bus provoked the driver by shooting rubber bands at him - this fiasco allegedly ended with the bus driver pulling a knife on the young person after the youngster threatened to slap the driver. How tragic both of these incidents are! Our guess is that with the proper parental involvement and discipline instilled at home, neither of these incidents would have happened. While we are not in favor of a bus driver threatening a young person with a knife or any other weapon, we also are not in favor of children being allowed to disrespect their teachers, coaches, parents, school bus drivers or any other elder person - or each other for that matter. Our teachers and school bus drivers must be given some support in dealing with these youngsters who choose to disrupt the classroom, the school bus or any other gathering. The teachers and bus drivers do not have the collateral duties of raising the chil dren of other people or instilling in them the prin ciples of respect for authority and their fellow citizens. Perhaps we could get Tall Drink of Water, Muffin, Cupcake, Action Jackson and company to visit other schools and classrooms and explain to others that there is a difference between a GANG and a TEAM! We believe that that they would make the same impression on their peers as they have made on us - kudos to them, their parents, their families and their coaches. Walton & Becky Wood, Kathleen Save Jekyll Island I am a 28-year-old housewife with three children. Just this past weekend my husband and I spent our 10th anniversary at Jekyll Island here in Ga. We have been going to Jekyll since 1998 and I absolutely love it. I am from southern California so I love the beach but no place compares to Jekyll Island. I am writing because I was wondering if you could place an article in your paper about what’s going on down there. Right now, the Jekyll Island Authority want to renovate the island and make it a place for the elite on the beach side of the property. Average income families can stay on the inside of the island away from the beach. Not only do they want to add luxury hotels but also condominiums along the beach where there is nothing at the time. My fear is that this will bring further development of the island. Right now, only 65 percent of the island can be developed at this time but, people are greedy and money talks. If you start redevelopment now, who knows where that will lead. My concern is also for the wildlife of this island. There is such an abundance of it, where will all the critters go? Where will the sea turtles lay their eggs? I would love to be able to bring my grandchildren to the island just how it is right now. I don’t want to see six-story high build ings or condos lining the beach. It is beautiful and unde veloped and it needs to stay that way. It’s a state park. How can a state park be designed for upper-class only? I don’t understand. I understand that hotels have to be remodeled but why should only the upper-class get to enjoy the beautiful beach view from a hotel room? Don’t they have enough places to visit? Please help me out and put an article in your paper about what’s going on. I am only a visitor to the island but I would have never known about what’s going on right now if I hadn’t visited this past weekend so how is anyone else in Georgia going to know? You can speak to David Eagan he is the co direc tor of the Initiative to Protect Jekyll Island). His number is 912-635-2167. Or, you can visit their website at www. savejekyllisland.org. Please help me out here, I am only one voice who has a concern for a place that I love but with your help, I can reach many other voices who love it as much as I do. Heather O’Brien Send your Letters to the Editor to: The Houston Daily Journal P.O. Box 1910 • Perry, Ga 31069 or Email: hhj@evansnewspapers.com Foy S. Evans Editor Emeritus Don Moncrief Managing Editor Some things to kick-off the month Let’s get the new month off with some things I find interesting: • Isn’t it strange the way we change the meaning of words and beat around the bush to be politically correct? The meaning of some words is appropriated to mean something entirely different from what it had meant in the past. For example, the word gumption meant a person had good common sense. Say the word today and it means a person has cour age. I remember when the word “gay” was used to describe someone who was cheerful and happy. Remember Fred Astair and Ginger Rogers in the movie “The Gay Divorcee?” Somewhere along the way the homosexual community confiscated the word to their own use. When I was young a “gifted” person was someone with special talent. Now it refers to someone with a mental handicap. Pupils are now students. Beauticians are now hairdressers. How can anyone attempting to learn our language comprehend what we mean when we say something? • One of my two favorite college football coaches - Steve Spurrier - says that he spends most of his time at South Carolina counseling his players not to hit women and not to use drugs. Obviously, his players are hoodlums or the next thing to it. Unfortunately, most college football players today are not the role models that players were in other eras. • I’m thrilled that Herb St. John is being inducted into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame. He is one of the University of Georgia’s all-time great football players. He was all-SEC for four years and was All-American one year back in the days before free sub- DsOT^s? , seea2oa c?©ot? B' ", W\ ...FRUSTRATION.' f The return of the eagles The dog days of August have drawn to a close. This is the calm before the gathering politi cal storm. On Sept. 15, the far-left group ANSWER (“Act Now to Stop War and End Racism”) will descend on the nation’s capital to demand what they’ve been demandihg for the last six years in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks: immediate withdrawal from Iraq and Afghanistan; immediate clo sure of the Guantanamo Bay deten tion facility and immediate release of every last suspected al Qaeda opera tive in American custody; immediate impeachment of President Bush and Vice President Cheney; and immediate capitulation to our enemies at home and abroad. WTio will be there to counter the Jane Fonda retreads? Will you? Earlier this year, I reported on a new, nonpartisan movement that arose to challenge the surrender lobby. On a bitter cold weekend in March, the Gathering of Eagles brought together veterans, families of active-duty ser vicemen and servicewomen, Rolling Thunder members, military bloggers and their grass-roots supporters to raise their pro-troops, pro-mission voices. I interviewed Eagles who flew in from San Francisco, rode motor cycles south from Georgia, drove all night from Boston, and trekked in caravans from coast to coast to answer ANSWER. At the crack of dawn, facing biting winds and contemptuous taunts, tens of thousands of Eagles stood guard over war memorials threatened by anti war anarchists and lined the streets OPINiON stitution. I was fortunate enough to be a student at UGA the year he was named All-American on a team that went undefeated with such highly pub licized stars as Charlie Trippi and John Rauch. • Too often poverty is used as an excuse for committing crimes. I don’t buy this lame excuse. Most of the crime today can be a result of cul ture, not poverty, or just plain mean ness. Folks today who are considered victims of poverty live far, far' better than most of the well-to-do people did when I was growing. They don’t have any idea what real poverty is because the government makes sure they get what they need and, more often than not, what they want. Despite the real poverty of the Great Depression there was no crime wave because of it. • The bishop of Global Industries has been accused of beating his wife. His excuse: The devil made him do it. At least, he isn’t blaming poverty. • The SAT scores for Georgia’s public schools fell 5 points in 2007 to 1472, keeping the state 46h among the 50 states. Officials claim the test is flawed. So what? Everyone took the same test. We all know the answer to solving this problem, which is the same solution used every year for decades. where bongo drum-beating retreatists marched. The Gathering of Eagles turn out was unprecedented. The Cindy Sheehanistas and socialist rabble-rous ers had never been met and matched with such force. Now, the Eagles are organizing a return to Washington at a historic moment in the global war against jihad. Gen. David Petraeus, top commander in Iraq, and U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker are expected to testify before the Senate on Sept. 11. Yes, that Sept. 11. Four days later, Sept. 15, is the deadline for the president to submit reports to Congress on how Iraq is meeting benchmarks for progress since the troop surge was announced in January. ANSWER will lead what it bills as a “massive” Sept. 15 demonstration to “End the War Now!” - no matter what Gen. Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker report. They will hold a “die in” and once again use the names and legacies of fallen soldiers without their permission to push for a precipitous pullout. They’ll remain in Washington the following week to hold a Code Pink-led protest in the House and an Iraq Veterans Against the War-led Foy Evans Columnist foyevansl9@cox.net ■** ' Michelle Malkin Columnist malkin@comcast.net HOUSTON DAILY JOURNAL Throw more money at it. After all, hasn’t it worked in the past? • School officials in Colorado Springs are protecting their students by not permitting the game of tag on the playgrounds. Hello, political cor rectness. • Lawmakers in Atlanta are con sidering an ordinance outlawing saggy pants, which reveal enough of the rear anatomy to be revolting. Can you believe opponents of the ban are claim ing that it is racial? Even black elected officials in Atlanta cannot escape that handy misuse of racism for anything they dislike. • Peachcare, the free government health insurance for Georgia’s children, is available when a family’s income is 235 percent of the poverty level, which means families with incomes around $50,000 a year. Seventy-one percent of children in Houston County will be eligible under the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, which is taxpayer subsidized Medicare, that is being proposed in congress. • Mayor Blumberg in New York City is paying school students cash for attending classes. Also, parents are being paid $25 for attending a par ent-teacher conference and SSO for obtaining a library card. Students are being paid SSO for taking the PSAT and S4OO for graduating from high school. There are other cash payouts for health screenings, keeping a full time job and completing job training or educational courses. Now education not only is free, but if you are too sorry to take advantage of it the government will pay you. Can’t get much better than that. harassment campaign against military recruiters in D.C. and nationwide. harassment campaign against military recruiters in D.C. and nationwide. For every anti-Bush activist agitat ing for immediate withdrawal and throwing rocks at ROTC offices, an Eagle will be there in Washington to oppose the planting of the white flag. The organizations leading the way include the Gathering of Eagles, Eagles Landing, Move America Forward, the Military Order of the Purple Heart, Free Republic, Vets for Freedom and the Victory Caucus. (Visit gatheringo feagles.org and moveamericaforward. org for details.) As retired Army Col. Harry Riley explains, “Unlike the ‘6os and ‘7os, the anti-war lemmings will not have the streets or the political stage to them selves. This time, Eagle Americans - we who support our troops, under stand the stakes in the War on Terror and the true nature of our enemy, who aren’t blinded by an insane hatred of our way of life and our form of govern ment -- will also be in Washington, D.C., to show Congress that we will not tolerate another betrayal of our own forces or our allies. . . . While the anti-democracy forces are well funded by pro-left, anti-Americans, we Eagles have steadily been building our own coalition to stop ANSWER in its tracks, and keep Congress focused on winning the war, not their political ambitions.” I wouldn’t miss it for the world. Michelle Malkin is author of “Unhinged: Exposing Liberals Gone Wild." Her e-mail address is malkinblog@gmail.com.