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HARRIS BLACKWOOD
Community Editor
Two “girls” for
every “boys”
c
Once again,
the legisla
ture is delv
ing into a topic
that it should be
well equipped to
handle...rest
rooms. Specifi
cally. how many
commodes are needed in a women's
restroom.
In 1976, I went to a Willie Nelson
concert at the Omni. Willie sang a
bunch of songs about beer and more
bfer 1 guess people must have been
inspired by the songs, because beer
sales seemed to be rather brisk.
By intermission, the lines into the
women’s restroom seemed to wrap
around the place. The men’s lines
weren't significantly shorter. 1 was
completing my business in the men's
room when this very intoxicated
woman comes bounding in.
"I can’t wait any longer." she
gasped. 1 assumed from the tightness
of her jeans that she was not in labor.
To complete this story in a family
newspaper, let's just say that she went
with the boys.
Move ahead 28 years and now
comes Rep. Tommy Smith of Nichols,
Ga. who has proposed a bill which
would mandate twice as many potties
in the women's restroom in public
buildings. 1 call it the "Surf City"
bill, two girls for every boy (a little
Beach Boys humor).
Nichols is not exactly a metropolis.
It sits about halfway between Douglas
and Alma, not too far from the
Okefenokee Swamp. The women of
southeast Georgia must have been
roiled by the lack of restroom space
down at the various public venues in
the region and have demanded that
their man in Atlanta take a stand (pun
intended) for the ladies.
A friend of mine, the former Lord
Mayor of the City of Willacoochee.
Ga.. Lace Futch, keeps his hand on the
pulse of things in southeast Georgia.
Lace owns the No Name Bar. the pri
mary watering hole of Willachoochee
and vicinity.
The old No Name, which closed
about 10 years ago. did not have rest
rooms. For many years, women
weren’t exactly welcomed. This was
in the pre-Futch era.
"When they did let women in. they
couldn't wear shoes." said Lace. "We
didn't have a bathroom. Everybody
went out the back door. The men went
one way and the women went the
other." Lace said that when a woman
was allowed in. it couldn't be any
body's wife. "They only let in good ol’
girls. You know...redneck girls.”
The new No Name has not experi
enced a backlog of ladies in waiting.
At least not those who are waiting for
the restroom. It is fully equipped w ith
a men’s and ladies' room.
A number of venues are already on
the more toilets program. Philips
Arena has two ladies’ rooms for every
men's room.
But if Rep. Smith is going to take
on the restroom issue, I wish he would
go ahead and tackle a few related
issues.
First, I think that we should have a
law against signs on restroom doors
that say anything but “Men” and
“Women.” I just can’t stand restroom
doors that are labeled as “bucks and
does” or “steers and heifers” or
“renards and vixens." Even worse, are
the ones that have little pictures you're
supposed to understand as represent
ing male or female.
While you’re at it, can we get a law
that would mandate which side the
two restrooms are located. How about
men on the left and women on the
right.
I would also like to see about a law
to prevent hanging a newspaper on a
restroom wall for reading. Thank God,
I’ve never seen my writing ever hang
ing in a public toilet.
Since were on the topic, maybe
those guys in Congress will repeal the
low flush toilet law. Maybe I’m alone
on this one, but what is the advantage
of a 1.6 gallon toilet that you have to
plunge with a plunger and flush 6
times.
It would be just about as easy to
run out the back door. I'll be running
to the left.
Harris Blackwood’s column
appears Sundays in the Forsyth
County News. Send comments to
lifestyle @forsythnews. com.
F orsyth Life
>lll
PASSIOI I
( I 'I 111 CHI ISI
Ministers
review Mel
Gibson’s film
about Christ
The Passion of the Christ
has been playing to sold out
audiences in Forsyth County
since its opening on
Wednesday.
On Tuesday night, the
Forsyth County News assem
bled a group of ministers to
attend a preview showing, fol
lowed bv a period of questions
and reflections on the motion
picture.
THE GROUP INCLUDED:
The Rev. Dennis Bottoms, pastor
of Oak Grove Baptist Church
Father Willie Hickey, pastor of
St. Brendan’s Catholic Community
The Rev. Dr. Bob Jolly, pastor of
First Baptist Church of Cumming
The Rev. Dr. Martin Lifer, pastor
of Parkway Presbyterian Church
The Rev. Jim Perdue, pastor of
North Cross Baptist Church
FIRST THOUGHTS ON MOVIE
Dennis Bottoms: I thought the
movie was incredible. From my
understanding of the scriptures, it
"afck i
Bottoms
every single person to see it. We
live in a culture, where religion is
minimized and people try to ignore
Jesus Christ.
This film causes people to think
about who Christ is. whether they
accept him or reject him. they'll
have to think about him.
Martin Lifer: I think as a
movie, artistically, its a very power-
Liler
ing and should be inspiring to any
one who goes to see it.
Believers will be challenged to a
deeper faith while seekers will chal
lenged and invited to consider who
Jesus really is.
Willie Hickey: I think biblical
ly it is very accurate. 1 liked a lot
Fl
Hickey
childhood and you see Mary hold-
was accurate and
99 percent of what
I saw is in the
Bible. The parts
that weren't, didn’t
take away from the
story, they enhance
the certain point
he was trying to
make. I have a
very favorable
opinion of the
movie. I'd like for
ful movie. From
the opening scenes
with the fog in the
Garden of
Gethsemane all the
way to the conclu
sion. This is for
people who are
believers and non
believers.
It faces us with
the realities of life
and decision-mak-
of the Catholic
symbols that I saw
that reflect the tra
ditions that we
use. I liked how
the movie moved
back into earlier
scenes of his life.
There is a scene
where he falls with
the cross, then it
goes back to his
Forsyth County News—Sunday, February 29,2004
3. ; A -S' ’
Philippe Antonello/Newmarket Films
Above, Simon of Cyrene, played by Jarreth Merz, right, helps Jesus, played by Jim Caviezel, carry his
cross in the film from “The Passion of the Christ." Below. Jesus, second from right, sits with the apos
tles at The Last Supper in a scene from the film. The film has played to sold out audiences in Forsyth
County since its Wednesday opening.
ing him after he fell as a child.
I think there should be more of
the resurrection in there, more of
the faith experiences. 1 think this is
Mel Gibson at his very best.
Jim Perdue: It was the most
powerful, visible expression of
what 1 have heard
all of my life. It is
a very violent
movie, but I don’t
think the violence
we saw in the
movie compares to
what really
occurred. I think
that is what
Gibson was going
for.
Perdue
He said he
wanted it to be shocking, because it
was a shocking event.
There has been a lot said about
the movie being anti-Semitic. But
to me, it didn’t invoke any of those
sentiments at all. I saw myself
responsible because of what I have
been taught through the years as a
believer and a Christian. 1 felt is
was very accurate according to the
Bible.
Jolly
Bob Jolly: It is
not a new under
standing. but it is a
greater impression
than ever before.
I saw what my
sin did to God...it
broke his heart.
THE ROLE OF
JEWISH LEADERS
Jolly: There
will always be conflict between cul
ture and truth.
That’s the conflict that their cul
ture said this is what we are sup
posed to believe.
Then, they saw the truth in real
life and it wasn’t what their culture
was telling them to do and that was
the real-conflict.
THE SUFFERING
Lifer: The whole first hour is the
suffering leading up to the cross. It
certainly underlines that what Jesus
underwent was not just the cross.
By the time he gets to Calvary or
Golgotha, you are relieved because
he has undergone so much.
SHOULD CHILDREN SEE IT?
Bottoms: I agree that 1 don't
think little children should come.
Jolly: I don't want young
teenagers to be there without mom
and dad, or at least one parent.
Perdue: There is always the
option of parents seeing it first and
then making that decision for the
child later.
Jolly: I'm going to tell them,
that you as a parent know the emo
tional maturity and makeup of your
child and you know how violence
See FILM, Page 8B
B