Newspaper Page Text
♦ SATURDAY, MAY 24, 2008
4A
EDITORIAL
Bunch of random thoughts
If you don’t have one clear, con
sistent thought, and your task is
to write a column, you just spout
out several inconsistent ones. At least,
that’s what I have done. Here goes:
• I am disappointed that Johnny
Isakson has decided to stay in the United
States Senate rather than “come home”
and run for governor. He would have
won and, I believe, would have made a
great governor.
I know Johnny, well. He was Minority
Leader in the Georgia House during
some of the time I was Majority Leader.
He’s a good man.
• I’m looking at the cover of Larry
Brown’s book, Dirty Work. The worst
work (the work I did that I despised the
most) was picking cotton.
A close second was delivering feed in
the summers to chicken houses in south
Houston County. We had to unload and
stack the 100-pound sacks of feed in the
chicken houses. What heat and what
odor. Pretty hard work, too!
• Our Department of Transportation
Commissioner is a woman. My preacher
is a woman. The Chancellor of the Board
of Regents is an African-American, as is
the leading Democratic candidate for
President. Senator Obama is slightly
ahead of the woman candidate. I could
go on and on.
And some say “no progress - with
racial and gender matters. Give me a
break.
"I know not what
Iflflw W\_ course others may
take, but as for me,
9' ve me libert y
Sm i [ or give me death!"
{ . , _j 1 3 / \ Patrick Henry
Warch 23 1775
Time to turn up the heat
When I was in the Air Force, my
first assignment was Iraklion
Air Station, Crete, Greece.
I know what you’re thinking: “Hot.
Hot. Hot.”
No, as a matter of fact it was mostly:
“Cold. Cold. Cold.” Inside our opera
tions building, that is.
That was back in the day when com
puters were big - real big. In fact, I
would estimate that 80 percent of the
floor space was occupied by computers.
And as such, we apparently had an air
conditioning system to match.
It was so cold.
“How cold was it?”
It was so cold we wore jackets at
our workstation. And when we weren’t
copying Morse code - that was my first
job - we had gloves on our hands.
That is where and why I learned to
drink coffee. And brother did I - and
still do. Not for the caffeine but for the
warmth back then.
I tell you that so that I can tell you
this: That building had nothing over
the conference room where the Warner
Robins City Council meets.
It was so cold during Monday’s meet
ing.
“How cold was it?”
It was so cold it would have made the
building in Greece an oasis.
It was so cold that I think at one point
my goose bumps and the goose bumps
on the arms of the female reporter for
the Telegraph might have gotten so big
our arms technically touched.
And we didn’t move them. Now you
know it’s cold when two “supposed”
enemies’ (by everyone else’s standards)
touch and they don’t care because sur
vival is more important. (ES. I hope no
one noticed the snot bubbles.)
Look, I know some of the gentlemen
are getting on in their years - like me
- but I really don’t think cryogenics
is the way to go. (On the other hand,
I think I preserved a year of my life
waiting on the thaw. ES.S. For those
“older” gentlemen I’ve insulted: With
Larry
Walker
Columnist
lwalker@whgb-law.com
• It was dry, dry, dry, dry, dry, dry,
dry, dry, dry, dry, dry in 1954. Eleven
“dirys” for 11 weeks in which there
was no rain. When it finally rained in
Perry, downtown merchants went out
side their stores and stood in it.
I was there at 12 years old and
remember it well. Let’s pray we don’t
have another 1954, anytime soon - no,
let’s pray we don’t ever have such a
drought, again.
Incidentally, as I recall it, we had two
more very dry summers in 1955 and
1956.
• I went to a DOT meeting in Toccoa
last week. I forgot to take a book, so
when my friend and fellow board mem
ber, Rudy Bowen, and I went to an
antique shop on Wednesday afternoon,
I bought, for sl, John Irving’s, The
World According to Garp. I had heard
of the book, but didn’t know what it
was about. I’m on about page 100 and
still don’t know what it’s about. Wow!
What a read.
• Janice and I went to a party last
Don
Moncrief
Managing Editor
donm@evansnewspapers.com
age comes wisdom.)
Fast-forward to Tuesday night and
the Houston County Commissioners’
meeting.
The first thing they did when they
came into the conference room: Turned
on the air conditioning.
Granted it was a bit on the warm side
but not after about 30 minutes - with
the meeting lasting every bit of 90.
Here we go again ...
It was so cold at the end when the
gavel sounded for adjournment, the
commissioners had to be wondering:
“Why aren’t they leaving?”
Popsicles.
Wednesday. Vision 2020. The first
order of business: “Where’s the switch
for the air conditioner?” An administra
tor came into the room. “How cold do
you want it? 50? 55?”
“That sounds about right,” was the
response.
Now here’s the kicker, a startling
revelation if you will. (It’s apparently
amazing how sharp your mind gets as
you’re on the verge of hypothermia.)
These gentlemen, the council and
the commissioners and the board,
didn’t know. Why? Because they all
had on suits (except Commissioner Gail
Robinson. And in the case of some who
were hot prior to the cold front coming
through and had removed their jackets:
A T-shirt.
Bottom line: They were basically
immune. (Kudos to Perry Maydr Jim
Worrall and Perry Police Chief George
Potter who at least came to the Vision
2020 meeting in long-sleeve shirt only
... oh, and plus pants, of course).
Please don’t get me wrong. I am not
fmR
lil|L *>, * ilil!
W lil
IB
Saturday night. I visited with two
long-time friends, Bill Jerles and Tom
Thomson. Both separately talked
Presidential politics to me. Tom is fairly
liberal, and Bill is very conservative.
Both are very smart and persuasive. I
enjoyed hearing both of their views very
much.
I hope that’s a sign of my tolerance
and maturity - or perhaps it just shows
my confusion with what’s going on.
• The Security Bank folks had a
surprise party for its outgoing Houston
County Board Chairman, Cullen
Talton, at our bam last week. There
was a great crowd, the food was deli
cious, and Cullen was really surprised.
It was a great party. Cullen will con
tinue to be active with the board in an
emeritus status. Good - we need his
wise counsel and steady hand. Houston
County needs it, too. Sheriff Talton is
a good guy.
• Donna Tabor wanted to know if I
ever finished Ken Follet’s, The Pillars
of the Earth. I had to tell her “no”. I’m
on page 685 of the 973 page book and
haven’t read any of the book in several
weeks. Donna, it is my intention to fin
ish Follet’s book, but, you know what
road is paved with good intentions.
Well, there it is. Eight random
thoughts on a Sunday morning. I’ll
try to be more organized next week
and give you more than scattered
thoughts.
singling out the council, commission,
board as perfect examples of wasteful
ness.
Everybody has a story of where they
attended a meeting and thought they
were in Alaska.
Our owner - I’ll probably pay dearly
for this - once glued the thermostat
because people kept switching off the
air. I have two button-up sweaters on
the back of the chair in my office and
I guarantee you they’re not just for
show.
We once had a deacon in our church
who must have felt the only way to stay
out of hell was to make the sanctuary
an icebox. Heaven it wasn’t!
My point is. My only point is: What in
the world is wrong with just wearing a
short-sleeve shirt every now and then
and turning down the air? Aren’t we in
the “south”? (Kudos to the aforemen
tioned “popsicles” at the commission
ers’ meeting, too. I counted/took stock.
There were 17 people in the audience
including me. ALL 17 had on a short
sleeve shirt or blouse.)
I think I speak for everybody when I
say: If you want people to be impressed
with you “professionally” win us over
with your “actions” - results - not your
dress code.
I also believe the term is “going green”
not blue.
If we would all shake off this addic
tion, dress more like Jimmy Buffet
every now (Ladies. If you feel obligated
to wear swimsuits, you have my sup
port.) and then pry our frozen fin
gers away from the on/off switch for
Frigidaire Unlimited. If we would just
do that, there’s no telling how much
money we could save.
Actually, come to think of it... At the
beginning of the Warner Robins City
Council meeting, Mayor Donald Walker
handed out to the councilmen a big blue
binder. Then he mumbled something
about it containing the budget and it
being $4.2 million out of whack.
And there ya go.
"One voice con make o difference"
It ‘is’ our - your - business;
don’t fault council members
Warner Robins Mayor Donald Walker said
something to all reporters in the room during
Monday’s Redevelopment Meeting, which was
two - one from the Telegraph and ours - we
thought you might want to hear.
Turning and looking straight into the faces of
the two aforementioned he said: “It’s none of
your business.”
The meeting was a special-called one of the
Redevelopment Agency, and the statement
was in regard to the G-Ramp Project.
In fact, the main purpose of the meeting,
although there were other agenda items, was to
re-hear the G-Ramp Project briefing. Especially,
Walker said, for the benefit of its three newest
council members who hadn’t heard it.
So, retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Ron Smith,
with help in regard to questions from several
other subject matter experts, set about to do
just that. And very well we would add. (Look for
a story in Wednesday’s paper on what we do
know.)
Then, however, as he’s gotten well into it,
elusive talk is exchanged between he and
Walker in regard to them already talking/work
ing behind-the-scenes with some major play
ers. Like for instance Boeing, although that
name is just picked out of the air as an example
of the insinuated magnitude.
Walker, in turn, followed that up by offering to
take council members “two at a time” behind
closed doors (to avoid a quorum and thus skirt
Sunshine laws) and further elaborate on who
these supposed “major players” were.
That’s where the turning to the media and
saying: “It’s none of your business,” comes in.
(Smith also said it would take executive ses
sion to brief council members on the “players.”
We believe we could probably call Boeing or
any in a small genre and they’d be happy to tell
us what they’ve been up to.)
Here’s our take on the whole: “It’s none of
your business” comment.
They’re talking about - this data taken from
the briefing - a S2OO million investment for the
City of Warner Robins and it’s not our busi
ness. And saying it’s “none of your business”
is the same thing as saying it’s none of “your”
business meaning you City of Warner Robins
See BUSINESS, page jA
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Returning fire to Gadbois’ letter
Regarding Frank Gadbois’ recent rant, about Gov.
Sonny Perdue's signing of the new gun law, in
which he states he is now afraid to eat in any restaurant in
our state; I want to apologize. No! I take that back, I don’t
want to apologize. I really think he is funny-in more than
one sense of the word.
Now in an effort to be helpful, I would like to say that he
has no reason to be afraid. There are probably not many
more gunslingers packing now than there were before the
governor signed the bill. If that doesn't calm his nerves
some, I would suggest he quit eating in restaurants.
Fear is not good for a person’s digestion.
See LETTER, page yA
Jlonstmt JCotne 3|aurttal
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