Newspaper Page Text
Opinion
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 1985
Right or wrong signal?
The nationally debated case
of Bernhard Goetz appar
ently has approached its
end in heavy uncertainty as
to just how widespread the fol
lowup results will be. Was the
signal the right one against young
thugs or the wrong one to would-be
vigilantes?
No trial on the really important
charges will occur. Goetz has been
officially cleared of them through
the closed workings of a grand
jury which never heard from par
ticipants in the subway shootings.
In refusing to indict Goetz on
attempted murder or assault for
wounding four youths one crit
ically the jurors accepted testi
mony from subway riders and the
conductor, and had access to a
confession on video tape. No doubt
they felt, as many across the na
tion seem to feel, that Goetz had
ample reason to fear for his safety
proir to attacking the four.
It is doubtful that the answers to
numerous key questions will ever
be found now:
Did the youths really say noth
ing more threatening than what
was first reported asking for $5?
Where were the four in relation
to Goetz when he pulled his gun?
Why were two shot in the back
while apparently fleeing?
If Goetz felt blameless, why did
he flee and turn himself in only
after being elevated by public
opinion to national hero status?
There appears to be no clear
lessons in this drama. We just
hope whatever lessons are read
into it by other citizens do not lead
to more tragedy.
Designated drivers
Hurrah for American knowhow.
When an apparently unsolved
problem crops up, some enterpris
ing American, frequently, finds a
solution.
The current interest in halting,
or at least considerably curbing,
the deadly problem of drunken
driving on our highways is not
without its architects of problem
solving. Over in Athens, one bar
has started a “designated driver”
program. It is really quite simple.
One person in a party of four to
six volunteers to be the driver.
That person is given a “Desig
Expensive call of nature
Now we know what the Pentagon
has been doing with those thou
sand dollar hammers and hundred
dollar crews installing S6OO toi
let covers.
The latest revelation about Pen
tagon extravagance is that covers
on toilet seats aboard submarine
hunting airplanes havecost the
government more than S6OO each.
The toilet covers serve as the
anchor to which $lO toilet seats are
attached.
F< >rsvth C a unit v News
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Most people never carry guns.
Most never need to. Many would
only endanger themselves and
other innocent people if they
did. Among those who might be
encouraged by this drama to carry
weapons, very few probably could
react as quickly and, apparently,
smoothly as did Goetz.
Self-defense remains a chancy
enterprise for the simple reason
that the bad guys generally get the
jump on their victims, through
surprise or fear.
The Goetz case does confirm one
thing which legal observers have
long understood: If a jury sympa
thizes with a defendant, he will get
every benefit of the doubt.
We don’t know if Goetz reacted
with real justification. Perhaps he
did and perhaps he saved himself
and other innocent people. We
must hope that he was correct,
efforts by less cool individuals
than Goetz might lead to disaster
for numerous innocent people.
The grand jury did indict Goetz
on charges of possession of illegal
weapons. It had little choice. But
the outcome of that trial is foretold
in the overwhelming sentiment for
him. He may not be acquitted, but
it is doubtful that he will go to jail
or that anybody will ever find out,
for sure, if he really should.
The grand jury did indict Goetz
on charges of possession of illegal
weapons. It had little choice. But
the outcome of that trial is foretold
in the overwhelming sentiment for
him. He may not be acquitted, but
it is doubtful that he will go to jail
or that anybody will find out, for
sure, if he really should.
nated Driver” badge to wear, enti
tling him to free soft drinks during
the night. On top of that, when he
turns in the badge, he gets a certif
icate good for a free drink the next
time he returns to that particular
bar.
People are going to drink. When
they do, some of them are going to
be too influenced to drive prop
erly. So it is important to work at
seeing that somebody else drives.
Sane programs, such as the one
in Athens and other designated
driver plans, should help and de
serve praise.
Considering the various stories
of waste in defense purchasing,
there was no reason to believe the
bathroom would be an area ex
cempt from extravagance. After
all, anyone who would drink coffee
from a $7,000 coffee pot could not
be expected to be satisfied with
common plumbing fixtures.
We would like to think that the
design for the toilet covers would
be flushed, and the person resposi
ble placed on the ... uh ... hot seat.
Forsyth Count vNews
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Crunchy, smooth or forget it
Have you ever tried to buy peanut butter?
I mean really tried to buy it?
Like deciding between smooth and
crunchy? Or maybe one brand offering four
ounces more free than the other brands?
Well, normally, I’d settle for the four free
ounces, however this particular brand
didn’t offer the free four ounces in crunchy
and I like crunchy peanut butter.
But I didn’t know how hard it was to buy
peanut butter until the other day when I
finally decided to break down and buy a jar
at least I could make cookies if I had to, I
told myself.
Well, little did I know that after more than
two years of not buying a jar of that most
popular ingredient used for lunches, dinners
and snacks, makes me a real case of bonk
ers. I mean, there was a major decision here
to decide on what I wanted and what I’d
get for the least amount of money.
You see, usually, I get my peanut butter
ration in-between cheese crackers or in
cookies. Then there’s of course the Capt’n
Crunch Peanut Butter cereal which stays
well-stocked on my pantry shelf.
And of course, there’s plenty of bananas
round to fill the space in-between the bread
and the peanut butter.
But just trying to buy it? Normally, I love
to grocery shop. I love to walk down each
isle (and I go early in the morning when
What are advantages of quarry ?
To the Editor
This letter was addressed originally to
Hugh Rowland, Chairman of the Cherokee
County Appeals Board, but the author sent a
copy to the Forsyth County News to be used
as a letter to the editor.
I am a property owner on Franklin Gold
Mine Road, Forsyth County, barely two
miles from the proposed quarry site I am
writing about. I am sending this letter tc
express my grave concern about this pro
posed Vulcan Materials rock quarry (Lower
Creighton Road, Cherokee County).
I know you have received many letters
and comments on the subject...and have
been inundated with facts and figures. I
want to ask two simple questions:
1) How will the Vulcan Materials Rock
Quarry benefit Cherokee County? The re
cent hearing my neighbors and I attended
failed to answer this question...in fact the
preponderance of the evidence was to the
contrary. Certainly not from a tax stand
point! Certainly not from a public relations
standpoint! Certainly not from an ecological
standpoint! And certainly not from a busi
ness standpoint!
2) Why destroy an area as beautiful as
Lower Creighton Road when rock can be
found (and is being mined) at many other
locations in this part of North Georgia?
I am not against corporations making a
profit, unless it is at the expense of others. It
sickens me to think about what will happen
to our neighborhood if you allow Vulcan to
proceed with their plans. I moved my family
to this area because of its incomparable
beauty!! I have recently registered my
acreage in its entirety with the State annd
county as a wildlife refuge...dedicating my
family’s efforts to attracting and protecting
our native wildlife...not to mention the auto
matic preservation of these 41 acres of ours
as beautiful, unspoiled North Georgia farm .
and woodland. To think of Heavy Industry
trying to exist with the crop-raising, horse
breeding, cattle-raising operations...and
many fabulous and historic country resi
dences around us is almost ludicrous!
You see, the people who live along our
country road are not into profit first and
foremost. They’re into putting down roots
and raising their children in an old fash
ioned way. Some have family ties on this
land that span generations. Most have just
about everything they have in this world
sunk into their land. And all care first and
foremost about preserving land at all costs.
Dawn
Holcomb
everyone should be asleep) and just look. I
love to look. Take a can of tomatoes for
instance. There’s so many tilings you can do
with a can of tomatoes.
I just like to wonder around and decide if I
need that or not. I like to put it (IT is usually
a piece of meat) in my cart and roll it
around the store until I’m through shopping.
Eventually, before I get to the check-out
counter, I talk myself out of buying it and
back it goes into the cooler.
But peanut butter. Whew! What a deci
sion. I mean after two years of not having
my own jar of peanut butter, I figured it was
time to make a decision and to quit buying
crackers already filled with the stuff.
So I looked at the brands.
One jar says its creamy smooth. And you
get four ounces free.
The other says it’s crunchy.
Another one offers grape jelly with it.
And of course, being the brand name
fiend, I looked over the generics and went
Letters
If the quarry construction is approved,
this gorgeous area ...rich in Indian history
and adored by the residents...could become
an industrial wasteland. People and busi
nesses need assurances for the future...not
spot decisions by their counties that destroy
emotional and economic dreams!
Let me suggest turing your efforts toward
attracting the many kinds of businesses that
would improve Cherokee County and the
surrounding areas. Atlanta’s growth is
headed our way, and only YOU can deter
mine what aspect of this inevitable growth
Thanks for help
To The Editor
We would like to thank family, friends,
and people of Forsyth and Dawson County
for their help and concern for us during the
loss of our home.
Special thanks to Concord, Tru-Way, Sha
ron, Oakgrove of Blairsville, and other
churches who generously gave to us. We
really found out that the love of God is
present and showing in people.
We would also like to thank the Coal
Mountain community WMU, Ruth Rebekah
Lodge No. 8, Silver City community, Bar
retsville, and others.
Many thanks to the Forsyth and Dawson
County VFDwho did their best to fight fire
on the coldest night of the year.
Thank you for your prayers and concern.
They were really answered.
God bless you all.
Charles, Michelle, and
Cassy Gunter
And now we bring you...
To The Editor:
President Ronald Reagan’s proposed star
war program to protect us from missiles in
the infinity of space sounds great, especially
if you are into science fiction, but it means
development of science and technology of
unheard of power and complexity.
One very serious problem is that this
development will be done by the same
people that brought you Viet Nam, The Ml
tank, the Ml 6 rifle and various other disas
ters.
These are the same people that have
made cost over runs a science and warran
Staff Writer
straight to Skippy, Bama, Peter Pan and
JFG.
Now, I’m not one to spend a whole lot of
time on any certain item, but this time, I
mean after two years of doing without
dipping into my own jar, I decided to spend
it at this shelf.
One brand offered four ounces free, like I
said, for the same amount of money as the
other brand. However, the free ounces did
not include crunchy peanut butter and I,
myself, love peanuts.
My Dad said once that I should’ve been
born an elephant. Of course, he said, I’d still
be your father. Well, no doubt about that, he
loves them, too.
But then the brand that offers the crunchy
doesn’t have the free four ounces and it’s a
dime more expensive.
Then the other brand was way below the
cost of the others and you tend to think that
you’re getting jipped by something or some
body if you buy that brand.
So the big decision rest right there on
the shelf.
After picking each one up several times,
looking it over, looking at prices and then
comparing the 'what I want” versus the
“what I could get,” ....
....Well, I ended up with no peanut butter
at all.
Decisions hurt my head.
will choose to call Cherokee County home.
Why not leave one of the most beautiful
areas in North Georgia in the capable hands
of the residents and businesses that are
already here? Their good examples will
attract new businesses and residents who
share the same goals and ideals. The choice
is yours, not ours. Please help us in our
efforts to fight what we feel is invasive strip
mining from settling where it does not
belong.
Dan and Suzy Tebor
Forsyth County
Your letters
welcomed
The Forsyth County News welcomes let
ters to the editor about items on this page or
of local or general interest.
Letters should be no longer than 2 typed
written pages, double spaced, or one and a
half pages single spaced.
All letters must be signed and carry the
author’s signature.
Letters that are not signed will not be
used.
Letters for the Wednesday issue of The
News should be in the News office by 5 p.m.
Fridays and letters for the Sunday News
should be in the office by noon Wednesdays.
Send your letters to The Forsyth County
News, P.O. Box 210, Cumming, Ga., 30130.
Or, bring your letters by the News’ office at
107 Dahlonega Street in Cumming.
ties of service a faint hope. These are the
same people that cannot protect our EmWk
sies anywhere in the world, even our ma
rines in Lebanon.
Our security is not in the stars it will not
stop chemical or germ warefare or low
flying bombs. Before we destroy our econ
omy with more weapon systems that don’t
work, we must consider that power histori
cally has been an educated people in £
healthy economy.
Olav H. Alvig, MD
Cumming
4A