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Evans Newspapers, Inc.
Daniel F. Evans Julie B. Evans
President/Publisher Wee President
Audrey Evans
Vice President
Connie Irwin Business Manager
Renee Goggins ..... Production Manager
Victor Kulkosky ..... News Editor
Katie Jones Contributing Writer
Nathan Mathis ..... Advertising Manager
Lee Posey... ..Circulation Manager
A.W. Dorsey Sports Correspondent
Faye Jones. .Contributing Writer
Danny Gilleland ... Staff Photographer
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Jlcttcr<2 to tAc ScUtot
Raise Tobacco Tax to
Fund Schools, Medicaid
Dear Editor:
Despite massive cuts and the
addition of federal stimulus
dollars, the Georgia Legislature
is considering furloughing
teachers and underfunding
Medicaid in order to balance
the 2010 state budget. They are
making choices that can cripple
our state for years to come.
There is an option that can ease
this crisis.
Lawmakers have yet to con¬
sider raising the cigarette tax.
Conservative estimates project
that raising the cigarette tax
by $1 can increase revenue
by as much as $300 million,
smoking and save lives.
Twenty states are considering
this option, including Florida,
South Carolina, Mississippi,
and North Carolina.
What does it say about the
state’s priorities that it is more
acceptable to furlough teachers
and jeopardize Medicaid than to
increase the tax on cigarettes?
Forty-three states have higher
tax rates than Georgia, and the
Peach State’s current tax rate
of 37 cents falls well below the
national average of $1.21. Why
are legislators making children’s
health and children’s education
suffer when there are reason¬
able solutions like passing a
cigarette tax?
These are questions we must
ask our elected officials. It is
too important to let the state
budget pass with these severe
cuts when a remedy is at hand.
Please call your legislator
today.
June Deen, Director of
Advocacy
American Lung Association
of Georgia /
Scott Mathews, Director
Under the Dome
By Representative Tony Sellier
(R- Fort Valley)
This week proved to be
another busy one for the House
of Representatives. We voted
on legislation that would
provide property tax relief to
our homeowners for a second
time and sent a batch of bills
to the Governor for his consid¬
eration.
Earlier this year, we voted to
approve Senate Bill 83, which
would have doubled the home
stead exemption from $2,000
to $4,000, but it failed along
a party line vote. This week
it was reconsidered and came
back up for a vote, but again
fell short of the super-major
ity requirement. Unfortunately,
OWLZOM
Have Your Cake and Eat it, Too
In the past couple of years,
I’ve lost about 40 pounds
without really trying. What’s
my secret?
Honestly, I didn’t plan it All
. I did was stop eating something
called gluten.
Gluten is a protein found in
some grains, with wheat the
most common, along with
barley and rye. Most people
can eat gluten with no prob¬
lems; you can even buy a bag
of wheat gluten at health food
stores. An estimated one out
of every 133 people, however,
suffers from gluten intolerance,
often called celiac disease.
For people with celiac, eating
gluten sets off an autoimmune
response, in which the body’s
immune system attacks healthy
tissue, in this case, the lining of
the small intestine. The result is
all kinds of digestion problems,
trouble absorbing nutrients, and
eventually malnutrition. An
episode of “House” featured
- Gov. Relations
American Cancer Society
Atlanta
Bill Burns, J.D.,
Georgia Advocacy Director
American Heart Association
Marietta
Divine Springtime
Follows Winter of
Discontent
Despite the economic chal¬
lenges everyone is facing in these
tough times, spring has arrived
in its full glory. Over 70 years
ago, the leader of the Baha’i
Faith talked about America’s
tremendous potential, and its
destiny to lead the world spiri¬
tually and establish peace; but
he also stated that some of its
future challenges would come
from its being “enervated by a
rampant and brutal material¬
ism; disintegrating through the
corrosive influence of moral
and spiritual decadence; and
[being] enmeshed in the coils
of economic anarchy and strife
...”We all witness with outrage
and disbelief the fulfillment of
these prophetic words in the
many evidences of greed and
dishonesty we see unfolding
before us, day after day, in the
news of this country. We can
have hope, however, because
hard times bring people togeth¬
er, remind us of our core values,
and call on us to help each
other and to return to basics.
We are indeed moving toward
unity and much greater aware¬
ness that we are our brothers,
keepers.
So spring comes along to
remind us of renewal and new
life, just when it seems that
winter might never go away,
Bahai’s believe that it will be
like this in the life of our nation,
too, and that true peace will
inevitably come to the world
House Democrats blocked this
bill’s approval again. If passed,
it would have been put before
the voters to provide greater
tax relief to our homeowners
during these difficult economic
times,
After months of commit¬
tee meetings and hearings.
several bills made it through
the General Assembly and to
the Governor’s desk this week,
If signed by Governor Perdue,
these bills will become law.
Some of the bills awaiting the
Governor’s signature include
House Bills 233, 149, and 160
as well as Senate Bill 13.
House Bill 233 puts a mora-
even though it will be through
tremendous difficulties, In
the meantime, let’s ^mobilize
our collective and individual
wills for the good! We can do
this through spiritualizing our
thoughts and actions, and by
turning to Almighty God and
seeking His assistance through
our prayers and devotions.
In this spirit, the Baha’is
of Fort Valley invite you to
come and join us for a special
non-denominational devotion¬
al gathering for America on
Friday, April 3, from 7:30 to
8:00 pm, at 308 Persons St.
Please call 825-2223 for further
information.
Mahin Pouryaghma
Fort Valley
More Blue Bird Stories,
Please!
I hope that the editor of The
Leader-Tribune will encourage
Frank Posey to tell more Blue
Bird stories. Having worked
there, I know from experience
that Blue Bird people are hard
workers ... and most of them are
characters who loved to have
fun.
Blue Bird in those days
seemed to have a knack of
hiring people who had a sense
of humor. Even after all these
years, I have many fond memo¬
ries of the great people I got
to know while I was employed
there.
Long live that spirit of Blue
Bird. The people who worked
there made it great.
Wilton Walton
Fort Valley
We will certainly encour
age Frank to tell more stories
about Blue Bird and all the
people he’s known and places
he’s been and things he’s done.
Maybe it’s time for Frank to
write a book ... -Ed.
torium on property assessment
increases for the next two years.
Under this freeze, property
assessments in Georgia will not
rise above their current value
for this period of time unless
the property is improved or
rezoned. We all know that
under the current economic
conditions, property values
should not go up and this legis¬
lation protects the homeowner
from undue increases.
Senate Bill 13 gives pros¬
ecutors in Georgia the option
to seek life without parole
convictions for serious crimi¬
nal offenses. Under current
law, the only way a prosecu¬
tor can secure a life without
parole conviction is to seek the
death penalty. Death penalty
trials are usually very costly
and take longer to complete at a
greater expense to our taxpay¬
ers. Often times, prosecutors
seek the death penalty just to
Continued to page 7A
a mother whose celiac caused
mental problems that led her
to kill l»r baby - extreme, but
vitamin deficiencies can warp
your mind.
Although celiac disease has
been recognized for a long time,
only in recent years has the
condition received much atten¬
tion and research. One reason
for this relative lack of atten¬
tion is the symptoms of celiac,
which are diverse and common
to many conditions. The classic
symptoms - the ones doctors
learn in med school - include
diarrhea, bloating, weight loss,
anemia, chronic fatigue, weak¬
ness, bone pain, and muscle
cramps. But other symptoms
are common too: constipation,
constipation alternating with
diarrhea, or premature osteopo¬
rosis. Children with celiac can
have behavioral, learning or con-'
centration problems, irritabil¬
ity, diarrhea, bloated abdomen,
growth failure, dental enamel
defects, or projectile vomiting.
But wait, there’s more! Other
possible symptoms of celiac
include: rheumatoid condi¬
tions, chronic anemia, chronic
fatigue, weakness, migraine
headaches, nerve problems such
as tingling of hands or difficul¬
ty walking, or other conditions
that are unexplained and/or do
not respond to usual treatment.
Allergies and food sensitivities
are also common with celiac
sufferers.
It is possible to have just a
few of the above symptoms, a
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"That reminds me .how are
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Saying To
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FRANK POSEY
Tribune Columnist
“Goodbyes are never easy;
they’re not supposed to be.” I
used these words in a poem
written in memory of my late
friend and co-worker, Glynn
Davis, who was killed in an
accident at Blue Bird.
I had chatted with him on my
way to lunch. Thirty minutes
later he was lying crumpled
and dying underneath a school
bus. I believe those of us who
embrace the absolute goodness
and sweetness of life are more
deeply affected by death. I’ve
paid my taxes and buried my
dead. The burying doesn’t get
any easier.
I would never equate the
death of a human loved one
with that of a dog. Nonetheless,
the death of a treasured canine
friend is terribly painful. I
had known for several days that
Cody was dying from heart
worm. March 21, the day after
my birthday, my friend and
companion for over 10 years
drew his last breath as the sun
was going down. Someday, I’ll
be able to smile in remembrance
of Cody’s contributions to our
lives, but not right now. As I
W'rite these words my heart is
broken. I’m crying like a child
with a scraped knee. Some of
you may shrug and remark, “He
was only a dog.” You’ll be right
technically, but wrong in your
assessment of grief. Those of
us who truly love and appreci¬
ate our canine friends can never
be callous about their passing.
Cody was a handsome, well
behaved dog, worthy of our love
and admiration. He came to
lot of them, or others not listed
above. A definitive diagnosis
includes a blood test and intes¬
tinal biopsy - although it’s pos¬
sible to have a negative blood
test and still have celiac. I have
to confess, I didn’t get the tests.
1 stopped eating gluten and got
results, including better diges¬
tion, weight loss, and reduced
nerve problems. I’m not sure of
the connection with the neuro¬
logical problems I had in 2007
- occasionally discussed in this
column back then - but I’m
pretty sure my diet helped me
get better.
If you’re reading this, you
might bf thinking you have
celiac. Now what? First, get
diagnosed. Unlike me, go see
your doctor. The blood test
for celiac is very specific and
sensitive. If you do get a celiac
diagnosis, the only treatment is
not eating gluten. That means
no wheat (or its relatives, such
as spelt and kamut), rye, barley
and triticale. Research suggests
small amounts of oats are okay.
Now for the good news: A
gluten-free life is doable and
the list of gluten-free products
grows daily. You can even get
a gluten-free rice pasta at Wal
Mart, Gluten-free products
are available nearby at Kroger,
Natural Therapies in Warner
Robins, and Lifetree in Perry.
Outback Steakhouse offers a
gluten-free menu! Apparently, a
member of the company’s board
of directors has celiac, which
is how that chain got on the
us as a black and tan fur ball.
In no way could we relate
the puppy with the adult dog
he became. Part Rottweiler
and Chow, he retained char¬
acteristics of both breeds. He
had the long dark hair of the
chow with the broad face and
muzzle of the Rottweiler. He
had beautiful black and tan
markings on his face and legs.
My daughter Darlene rescued
Cody from a bad environment
and brought him home. He
became the adopted “son” of
my daughter Frankie’s family:
Adam, Scarlett and A.J.
Adam taught Cody to sit on
his haunches and shake hands.
Like many dogs and people,
Cody was terrified by thunder¬
storms. He could sense one
coming hours before it actually
arrived. He’d start pacing and
whining, begging pitifully to
come inside. Once inside, he
had to be dragged back out
when the storm was over. He
greeted us when we came home
by smiling, wagging his tail
and uttering sounds closely rep¬
licated to “Mama, oh Mama.”
He was always rewarded with a
hug and a handshake.
When Frankie and her
family moved to Centerville,
Cody became our dog. He
never forgot his first family;
on their every visit would greet
them with his special brand of
love and recognition. For over
10 years, Cody was the offi¬
cial watchdog guardian of our
home and yard. He developed
several different barks to iden¬
tify the objects of his surveil¬
lance. They varied for people
and animals.
Several times a day, I used to
walk around the peach orchard
across the road from the house.
Cody would always join me.
Now, both the peach orchard
and Cody are gone. He had
a lively zest for life, chasing
rabbits, squirrels and deer. One
day he almost caught a bobcat
Thankfully, he failed.
Cody was not aggressive,
but always stood his ground.
One day while walking in the
peach orchard, I saw his ances¬
THE LEADER TRIBUNE
gluten-free bandwagon. Believe
it or not, the Bloomin’ Onion at
Outback is gluten-free.
You can eat foods made
from any other grain, includ¬
ing rice, corn, buckwheat
(an entirely different species,
despite the name), millet, ama¬
ranth, sorghum, quinoa, arrow
root, and something called tef.
Products made from potatoes,
soy, beans and nuts are all okay.
(Unless you have an indepen¬
dent problem; I can’t eat soy or
peanuts, but that’s not due to
celiac.)
Suppose you live in Peach
County and determine you have
celiac, what next? Lucky for
you, support is available. We
have in this area the Middle
Georgia Gluten Intolerance
Group, which meets every
month at Central Baptist'
Church, on Lake Joy Road in
Warner Robins. At the last
meeting, we heard from two
cookbook authors who told us
about baking with gluten-free
flours. We sampled - okay, I
wolfed down - goodies such as
cinnamon rolls and sour cream
chocolate cake made from the
guest’s recipes.
The next Middle Georgia
GIG meeting is scheduled for
Saturday, April 18 at 11 a.m.
The theme will be “Happy
Birthday,” and gluten-free cake
and ice cream will be served.
For more information, go to
http://middlegeorgia.gigbranch
es.org, or call (478) 397-5061.
tral traits emerge. He jumped
three deer, and they took off
toward the woods with him in
hot pursuit. When they reached
the fence, the two grown does
sailed over easily. The half
grown yearling hit the fence and
bounced back into the orchard.
Before I could reach the scene,
Cody had throttled the deer
and almost choked it to death.
After I pulled him off the deer,
I got it on its feet and massaged
its neck until it seemed recov¬
ered. I walked the youngster
to the fence and lifted it over.
It trotted off on wobbly legs.
Cody looked at me in disbe¬
lief, as if to say, “Why are you
letting the venison escape?” He
then bolted through a hole in the
fence, taking off after the deer.
I called and called to no avail.
He didn’t return home until the
next day. He was bloated and
burping with a smug expression
on his face.
One of Cody’s lifelong ambi¬
tions was to catch a squirrel.
He stalked them, played possum
and utilized every ruse he could
fabricate to ambush one. He
never succeeded. Last summer,
in the heat of July, the figs
were ripe and the squirrels were
having a picnic. Cody and I had
retired to the shade of an oak
tree. A squirrel, hopping along
on his way to the figs, stopped
to stare at Cody. Cody became
tense and ready to spring. He
drew a deep breath, relaxed
and went back to sleep. The
squirrel went on about his way.
To my knowledge, Cody never
chased another squirrel.
Cody, I can say without reser¬
vation, you’ll be sorely missed.
Your faithfulness, friendliness
and almost human qualities will
always warm our memories. As
I lowered his lifeless body into
the ground, I squeezed his life¬
less paw and tearfully uttered,
“Rest in peace, my dear and
treasured friend.” Perhaps God,
in His infinite wisdom, will one
day allow us both to walk again
in another springtime peach
orchard ....