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HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL Did Vick sentencing represent a turning point for judges? Dear Readers, Michael Vick’s recent sen tencing probably gave the general public more exposure to the con cept of Federal Sentencing Guidelines than any other event in recent memory. Yet, outside of this “big” story, a veritable earthquake rattled through the Federal criminal justice system last week. Starting in the 19705, Congress and most State Legislatures started passing laws severely restricting the authority of judges in sen tencing. This has been done in two ways. First, minimum-mandato ry sentences became popular with elected officials pander ing to the public to appear “tough on crime.” Second, guidelines were adopted to try and ensure some uniformity in sentenc- The greatest mentor in history Imagine that you are somehow fortunate enough to have the privilege of spending time with the greatest mentor in history. Will you hang on every word? What tough questions will you raise? Might you be surprised by the answers? What if your mentor sees potential in you that you don’t see - will you welcome being stretched? It’s Christmas, the time when we celebrate the birth of Jesus - the greatest men tor in history. If you are a believer, let me remind you that you are to become more like Christ every day. That includes being a mentor! If you are not a Christian, I invite you to look beyond all the glitter and excess of this season and discover the wonder of the universe seek ing to build a relationship SPEAKER From page 4A to improve the quality of life in Georgia. Too bad it had to end. But, ended it has, and with great finality. And even though I choose to remem ber the positives, I’m still sad. Not so much because of Mr. Murphy’s death, for after all, he’d been sick and bed-ridden for a long time. His death had to bring relief. But, I’m sad because it’s over. Finally, it’s over. A Speaker who had plowed a mule and served during WWII - it’s over. The good ole’ boys effectively running the state - it’s over. Great stories and great story tellers - it’s over. Institutional knowledge and respect for the office of Governor regardless of per son or party - it’s over. And, so much more - over. Some of it needed to go, but mostly it was good. Mostly we did LETTER 1 From page 4A the liberal group who touts his affiliation with the pecu liar Trinity United Church of Christ, as one of our liberal choices. This link will take you to Obama’s church’s web page: http://www.tucc.org/ LETTER 2 From page 4A are the better educated, the healthy, engineers, health workers, teachers, scien tists et al. Heel pain has many causes People of all ages are troubled by heel pain. Heel pain can be caused by the way your feet move or by the way your legs and feet are built. It also can result from an injury or a medi cal problem that affects your entire body. For many people, heel pain is part of aging. Through years of daily wear and tear heel pain appears. Your heel pain may have started days, weeks, or even months ago. It may have started as a dull ache that didn’t last but now you feel intense pain every day. m. ‘ h: m m & ing, so that sentenc es were meted out in approx imately the same sever ity from all juris dictions. Jim Rockefeller The “Law” man This latter concern was, and remains, laudable. In the Federal system, the United States Sentencing Commission was established to draw up guidelines, the United States Sentencing Guidelines, to be affirmed or rejected by Congress to limit judicial sentencing dis cretion. These guidelines are in the form of a table and judges and lawyers calculate a recommended sentencing grid (or “cell”) in the table, based on the severity of the if ?- » with you! Maybe you never thought of Jesus as a mentor. The Bible describes many t i m e's when Jesus pri- Dennis Hooper Leaders Building Leaders vately met with his disciples, giving them perspective as a group and answering their individual questions. Throughout the four gos pels, Jesus is our mentor, answering your questions and mine. Take a look at Matthew 18. In Capernaum, Jesus was teaching his disciples. Peter asked, “What if someone sins repeatedly against me? How many times must I for give him?” Jesus tells Peter Editor’s note: Following is a letter written to Larry Walker regarding Tom Murphy Larry, I cannot believe that our dear friend has passed before us. I had quite a fondness and admiration for that ‘ol war-horse! The years that we entertained the Georgia legislative members in our community here has got to be some of the most interesting and educational times I have had. The friendships that were established still follow me in many places today. I know you have far more memories of him than I do, but a few of my favorites: I can remember visiting the Capitol one day and attended a rather boring and long winded budget committee meeting. When the Speaker looked around the room and spotted me sitting on the back row he smiled a big smile and made a large casting motion with his arms and hands, to which we both laughed to the amazement of all in the room. I can remember sitting in his office that morning of Sept. 11, 2001 watching the events unfolding in New York on his TV and calmly making sure that our Capitol building was secured and safe. He made the statement that this was going to be a long battle. I have a respectable flock of turkeys that I owe to his simple statement, “Get him his turkeys!” made over at your house on one of those Saturday ljight BBQ dinners. (I had difficulty in getting any cooperation from the state up until this point in getting wild turkey released at Malatchie. There are enough in the flock now that my sons can both get one this year and for that I am eternally grateful. I think of him every time I see one in the woods!) Sincerely, Edward CF Loughlin good. And, it’s over. The leader is dead. Times change. The living move on. black_value_system.html. Read it for yourself. Yes! Religion is important. The Bible thumpers, the cultists, and the weird racist from Illinois with the Muslim name should be given the boot. We have had enough reli gion in the White House to last another 200 years. We have enough land scaping and agricultural illegals for the indefinite future. Our federal, state and local safety nets are over whelmed by this costly inva sion of illegals plus all the Dr. Sarvepalli Jokhai Ihe Foot Doctor standing or walking unbearable. offense and the offender’s criminal history. Within this cell, there is a range of recommended sen tences. This is how Vick’s recommended offense level was calculated. The judge actually went above this cal culated level, due to his mar ijuana violation while out on bond and his failure to be completely forthright about his involvement. Unfortunately, the USSG were first adopted at a time that crack cocaine had just captured public awareness and, as a result, Congress adopted extremely stringent minimum-mandatory laws towards crack cocaine. This resulted in a “100-to-l” ratio between crack and powder cocaine. Thus, while there is a five year mandatory sentence for 500 g of powder cocaine, - and you and me - that we are to forgive repeatedly. That’s hard counsel for a leader! When an employee messes up, am I supposed to just forgive him? When he irritates customers? When his mistakes cost the com pany money? When quality errors are clearly attribut able to him? As tempting as it is to fire that individual right now, I need to look at my own behavior. Am I sure I gave him all the instruction and resources he needed? Did I define the expectations adequately? Did I respond appropriately on the first offense? Did my hiring sys tems fail in allowing this particular individual into my organization? Look at another mentoring example in John 13. Even on his final evening alive, Jesus But, many will remember, Mr. Speaker, and we will say, he was the best of men, noble If you are naive enough to believe any of the preceding three, especially the rac ist Barrack Hussein Obama, won’t bring their religious views into the White House, you will believe anything. Should one of these extremists make it to the White House our past prob lems will fade to nothing in illegal drugs that come over our borders. National security is a joke when our borders are so open. Lets only welcome those who are here legally. - Frank W. Gadbois, Warner Robins For some people as the days goes on the heel pain worsens. For others, it’s a sharp jab that strikes every time the heel touch es the ground. Heel pain may be the worst when you get out of bed in the morning caus ing you to hobble for a few steps or a few minutes. Heel pain can make OPINION only 5 g of crack cocaine is needed. The USSC, in turn, adopted guidelines modeled after this 100-to-l sentencing ratio. In doing so, the “level” of crack cocaine was higher than the “level” for powder cocaine, resulting in those convict ed of crack cocaine offenses doing, on average, between a year and two years more than those convicted of a similar amount of powder cocaine. Over the years, this ratio has been vehemently attacked as unfair, particu larly because crack cocaine offenses tend to be commit ted more by Hispanics and African-Americans than those not of color. As far back as 1995, the USSC tried to prompt Congress to rec tify this disparity. Finally, however, those is providing instruction to his followers. “After wash ing their feet, Jesus put on his robe again and sat down and asked, ‘Do you under stand what I was doing? You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and you are right, because that’s what I am. And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you.’” Jesus is teaching his clos est associates (and you and me) how to serve. Yet many who hear this story have dif ficulty relating. The times are different now; no one wears sandals in the workplace. No one expects to have their feet cleaned. How does Christ’s counsel relate to today’s workplace? and sublime, and our great state was made so largely because he came this way. comparison to the new ones in their baggage. What a sorry lot from which we have to choose. - Walter Huckeba, Perry WEMMiAt pCome to Lane Southern Orchards o IS-gP on Saturday, Dec. 22 nd 4 AtcS*^i m G° otV & Lane www.lanesouthemorchards.com Purchase SIO.OO in merchandise and receive a FREE 1/2 lb. Bag of our j Fresh Roasted & Salted Pecans / AND a 31b. Bag of Navel Oranges, a Disclaimer: While supplies last, ONE per family. ■ SOUTHERN ORCHARDS SATURDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2007 ♦ cries of unfairness have been heard and, in May of 2007 the USSC recommended adjusting the USSG to fix this flaw in the system. On Nov. 1 these recommenda tions were approved. Last week, the USSC went a step further and made these changes apply retroactively to perhaps as many as 20,000 inmates in Federal Custody, many of whom might be immediately released from custody. Similarly, in the past five years or so, the United States Supreme Court, even a very conservative court, has also been rebelling against the handcuffs placed on Federal judges. Two days before the USSC made its adjustments ret roactive, the Court ruled that judges had the power to adjust their sentencing deci Allow Jesus to answer that through this example in Matthew 20. Jesus and the disciples have just arrived in Jerusalem, and some of them have been grumbling over their potential posi tions of power. Jesus says, “You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their, people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader must be a servant ... for even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve.” Servant leadership - ah, now there’s an interest ing topic! Potential clients sometimes ask, “Do you provide guidance associated Assessing Your Leadership Skills -SBS/person |pgpii|g3| V\ LQM(3ifli©iß<NK^ Bam - 6pm Tues. - Sat. Closed Sun. & Mon. Fresh Pork Boston Butts 8-10 LB. /N mJj q AVG. 18 Sliced Free LB - Petite Baby Lima Beans 20 LB. *29 98 BOX SHELLED Yellow If Cream p Corn 4 LB. PKG. sg9B 1207 Sunset Ave. • Perry Plaza • Perry, GA 31069 478-987-5711 It’s Our Christmas' Present To You! (478) 825-3362 Hwy 96 - 3 miles East of Fort Valley 1-75 Exit 142-5 miles west sions to treat crack cocaine as the equivalent of pow der cocaine in sentencing an offender. Thus, the 100-to-l ratio has been twice over turned. Perhaps, then, we have recovered from the manic years of neutering judges in their sentencing authority. Perhaps judges will be returned to their role as the final arbiters in sen tencing. If so, it is a blessing for all of us. Local attorney Jim Rockefeller owns the Rockefeller Law Center and is a former Houston County Chief Assistant District Attorney, and a former Miami Prosecutor. E-mail confidential legal questions to ajr@rockefellerlawcenter. com. Visit www.rockefeller lawcenter.com for Frequently Asked Questions and Jim’s blog, The Rockefeller Report. with ‘servant leadership’?” I respond that there is no other kind. And if you have difficulty considering how you might serve those under your authority, we need to talk! We are only a week away from New Year’s resolutions. Resolve to be a mentor to someone in 2008. Reread my articles from the past three weeks. If you don’t have them, contact me and I’ll get them to you. And celebrate enthusiastically the birth of Jesus, the greatest mentor in history! Dennis Hooper guides leaders in building organi zations of excellence. Contact Dennis at 478-988-0237 or dhooper2@juno.com. F. Dennis Hooper Certified Leadership Development Coach Building leaders and organizations of excellence (478) 988-0237 Semi-Boneless Heavy Western Aged Standing Rib Roast CARVE $6 98 LB SPECIAL HOURS: Mon. Bam-4pm Tues. & Wed. CLOSED Thurs. - Sat. Bam • 6pnf HAVE A MERRY CHRISTMAS New Crop Georgia Pecans sfi99 1 LB. BAG VJ 5A 54338 dhooper2@juno.com' Smoked Tenderized PICNICS 8-10 LB. _ AVG. QQO Sliced Free w lb. Purple % Hull W Peas ST $ 27 98 SHELLED Zipper Peas j 2 b °o l x b - $29 98 SHELLED .S7SI2 raw