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THE HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 4 1990
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The Houston Home Journal
OFFICIAL ORGAN, CITY OF PERRY AND HOUSTON
COUNTY, GEORGIA, SINCE 1870
PUBLISHED EACH WEDNESDAY AND SATURDAY MORNING
807 CARROLL ST„ P.O. DRAWER M, PERRY, GA. 31069
TELEPHONE; (912) 987-1823
The Houston Home Journal (USPS 252-780) is published biweekly tor $lB
per year by the Houston Home Journal, Inc., 807 Carroll St., Perry, Ga.
31069. Second Class Postage paid at Perry, Ga. POSTMASTER: Send
adoress change to The Houston Home Journal, P.O. Drawer M, Perry, Ga.
31069.
ROY H. PARK, President & Cheirman o( the Board, Part* Newspapers
JAMES B. KERCH
Editor & General Manager
MARK SAMUELS TERESA HAWK
Managing Editor Advertising Manager
V„ )
Opinion
Festival provides family fun
A whirlwind of activity over the next few days will bring
Perry's Second Annual Dogwood Festival to a fun-filled
peak as the festival winds toward its grand pinnacle
Saturday.
In its short two-year life the festival has become a major
event in Perry. This is largely due to the year round
planning by the Downtown p romotion Council, which
sponsors the family-oriented event.
That dedication to detail has created a two-week festival
which provides fun for all age residents.
As a show of support for the fine job local
businesswoman Kathy Caldwell and the promotion council
has again done to pull off a successful spring festival, the
Home Journal has—for the second year—produced a
comprehensive guide to the 1990 Perry Dogwood Festival.
Produced by a team of writers and advertising repre
sentatives headed by Managing Editor Mark Samuels and
Advertising Manager Teresa Hawk, the 20-page section
will give festival goers a comprehensive roundup of
activities available now through Saturday.
In its pages you will enjoy an in-depth look at the many
activities the downtown promotion group has planned for
you and your family's enjoyment.
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Letters
Complaint hurts VFW effort
Dear Editor:
Sure is a sad day when VFW members of the Perry, Ga.
Post 6126 , men who put their lives on the line without
hesitation, have to stop accepting donations of $2 for a
boat raffle to help pay for their new building.
Men of the VFW help out children's hospitals and
homes. And will be doing even more whenour building is
paid for.
This all happened when some citizen complained to our
law enforcement agents and we were told that we are
gambling.
We have no intention of breaking the law and will
comply with it 100 percent.
You and you alone know who you are who is calling this
gambling.
If helping out orphan kids and sick kids is our wrong,
then we did gamble. Yes, we did gamble with our lives.
Mr. Mayor, how about getting this gambling law
changed?
George F. Miller
VFW Post 6126 Commander
1987-1988
VFW veterans of World War 11, Korea and
Viet Nam
PHS fairy tale was tragic
Dear Editor
For many decades high school athletes have benefited
from the stability that the local schools athletic department
had to offer. Youngsters often dreamed of one day playing
for the local football or basketball coach. The community
as well relied on having a stable athletic program which to
boost. Now all of this seems to be a thing of the past.
The recent episode at Perry High School has left one in
total amazement as to where high school athletics are
headed. Why are athletic directors given so much power
by administrators to hire and fire assistant coaches as they
see fit? Do math or science department heads at Perry High
School hire and fire algebra and chemistry teachers as they
wish? One thinks not.
Have we forgotten the many lives that were devastated
by Ronnie Roystou with the power given to him by
principal Phil Smith. Ousted were the Melvin Sweats and
Ed Blounts, both highly successful and well-liked by
students and faculty. Shattered were the dreams of
promising young coaches such as Ron Busbee and Darryl
Albritton. All of this for 5-5 and 8-3 football seasons.
What a terrible tragedy for these coaches mentioned to
know their lifes were disrupted for this silly two year fairy
tale.
In closing, I hope school officials think long and hard
before the next coach is hired, and that they are doing this
all for the kids. Lives should not be toyed with!
Tony Simms,
Perry, Ga.
Supreme Soviet Bomb Squad
Papers seem full of silly stories lately
President Bush has gotten into a
lot of trouble lately for his altitude
toward broccoli.
Bush has had the vegetable
banned from Airforce 1 and, in re
taliation, broccoli growers have
sent him a shipment.
Everyone has probably heard this
story. It has been in all the local
papers and on the news.
Lewis Grizzard even did a column
on it.
What amazes me is the sheer
volume of press such a minor piece
of news has garnered.
Sec, even I'm writing about it.
Bush could cut taxes, spend a few
billion on defense, visit a few na
tions and none of it would ever re
ceive the coverage that the Bush
Brocolli Fiasco has.
Unless of course we are talking
about Millie having another litter
of pups.
Every president has his big deal.
Teddy bears exist because Teddy
Roosevelt couldn't shoot a bear
cub.
How many remember when the
public learned that Reagan loved
jelly beans?
And the coverage docs not apply
to just the President of the United
Death penalty issue circle is widening
Recently I read where the entire
nation is watching the state of
California and how it handles the
issue of capital punishment.
Many citizens in California are
lobbying for capital punishment to
be brought back.
And legal observers believe if
California reinstates capital
punishment the rest of the nation
will follow.
These legal observers say that
capital punishment will no longer
be just a "southern" way of dealing
with hardened criminals if
California takes the plunge.
Therefore, capital punishment will
gain respect.
I don't care to get into all the
ethical debates surrounding the
issue of capital punishment. There
are just too many of them.
When I was a graduate student a
few years ago, I had the opportunity
to do extensive research on capital
punishment and the effect it has on
crime levels.
My findings surprised me. I,
like many other Americans,
believed the threat of death by
electrocution had to have some
bearing on crime levels.
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Perry viewpoint j
Andi Sellers
HHJ Staff Writer
States.
Who knows what George Schultz
has tattooed to his lush?
Why, a tiger of course.
Now, scandal rags make a living
out of the weird and extraordinary.
Like recently 1 read that Dolly
Parton has had certain well-endowed
parts of her body added to.
Like a pint of silicone for each
one.
Isn't that weird?
I am the only confessed Enquirer
reader in America, except those
people they pay to act in their
commercials. Nobody else claims
to read them.
National Enquirer sells a lot to
rftn
t\ .v
--.tv
Jan Hampton
HHJ Staff Writer
But I was wrong. Instead I
discovered violent crime rates were
the highest in every state that used
capital punishment.
The states with the lowest
violent crime rates were those who
spent the most money on
education.
And while capital punishment
may be associated with the south,
states like Virginia recorded a low
violent crime rate. However, it
should be noted Virginia had a
heavily funded educational system.
While doing my research I talked
with inmates on death row at the
Tennessee State Penitentiary in
secret subscribers.
But, when I want to read about
the real world, I don’t want to hear
about Schultz's fanny, Reagan's
jelly beans or Bush's vegetable
preferences.
I'd rather sec the news people de
vote that lime to expanded foreign
coverage or more news about the
individual states.
You hardly ever sec Tom Brokaw
talk about Georgia unless it has to
do with Atlanta.
I think America would like to sec
news about Perry or any one of a
thousand other places instead of sec
Bush claim that he doesn't have to
cat broccoli because he is President
of the United States.
At least I would.
The Dogwood Festival comes to
a climax this weekend. On Friday
night from 8-12 the "Music Under
the Stars" will take place at the
Courthouse. There will be some
really good music there and, at $3 a
ticket, it is a real bargain.
The best thing is that all proceeds
go to DARE, the Drug Abuse Re
sistance Education program in
Perry's schools.
Nashville.
Staring through the bars of their
cramped, dark, roach infested cells,
the majority of them told me they
think nothing could have stopped
them from committing violent
crimes.
One inmate even told me he
would murder again if he gained
freedom.
Personally I think capital
punishment is an ending but it isn't
a solution.
Capital punishment is an easy
way for society to say,"We're doing
something about violent crime."
Don't get me wrong. I wouldn’t
want to meet any of the inmates I
talked with on the street. And I
can't even begin to imagine the
terror their victims went through.
I would just like to see our
elected officials put some more
"brain" power behind their decisions
concerning capital punishment.
Instead they seem to be kicking
the issue around on a purely
emotional level.
But then again I suppose I just
expect too much. Election years are
purely emotional times. Any way it
should be interesting.
Jim Kerce
HHJ Editor
Alcohol use
among teens
While drug use among teenagers
tends to grab headlines, alcohol use
by local teens appears to go quietly
unnoticed. But, it is a problem—
and, from what we hear on the
streets, a growing problem.
This point was graphically
brought to my attention in a recent
letter from a concerned couple who
suddenly discovered their teenage
son and several of his friends have
apparently fallen victim to alcohol
use.
It has long been my policy as
editor of the Home Journal to not
print unsigned letters. However,
because their message is so impor
tant to other parents, 1 am bending
the rule a bit. As the parent of two
teenagers. I'm also deeply concerned
that other parents slay closely
"tuned in" to what their kids arc
doing.
The authors of the following let
ter are well-known to me and are
from a highly-respected family in
south Houston County. 1 believe
their story and advice to other par
ents is certainly worth passing
along.
Printed here is the full letter,
along with excerpts from a cover
letter explaining why they don’t
want their names to appear in the
paper:
"Dear Mr. Kerce;
This is a letter to the parents of
teenagers.
Last weekend, March 17lh, my
husband and I went out of town.
That night our son had a few friends
over for beer and pizza.
When we got home Sunday, our
house was vacuumed, the windows
open and baking soda was in the
central air return.
Mother was suspicious some
thing had happened, but wasn't sure
until father went and look the trash
on Monday. Os course our son
doesn't know who bought the beer
or wasn't aware of that much beer
being in the house.
Just because they aren't of age
don't be fooled, they can still gel
beer in this town.
We "fell off the turnip truck" you
know. We have been hearing about
this group of boys drinking, but
always it was someone clsc's fault
or none of this group. And, by the
way, they arc members of the foot
ball team. Most were anyway.
So parents, we had all belter
wake up. Call and make sure that
parents arc home when your kids
are going to someone's house. We
fully intend to do that from now
on. Our son won't be left by him
self fora while.
I am asking that our name not be
printed, so as not to embarrass our
son."
The couple's letter had a particu
lar impact on me because this
newspaper recently had to report on
the death of a young woman at the
hands of a driver who had twice
been arrested for DUl—and was al
legedly driving under the influence,
for the third lime—when his vehi
cle ran head on into hers.
It also comes hard on the heels of
reports of a number of under age
kids being arrested for DUI by local
police. (You don't sec their names
in our arrest report, because they arc
legally considered minors.)
Although the couple who wrote
the above letter asked that their
names be omitted, they did agree to
share their concern through the
Home Journal.
Because they maintain "drinking
is going on rather frequently among
our teenagers," the couple agreed to
allow me to share their name and
phone number with other concerned
parents who want to help stem the
growing problem of alcohol use
among teens.
I, in turn, agreed to screen calls
from genuinely concerned parents
through my office. You can call
987-1823, or 987-5203. Your name
will not appear in print.