Newspaper Page Text
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i-THE HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL. SATURDAY. JULY 4, 1992
Perry viewpoint
r «i
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 semi weekly for
$lB per year by the Houston Home Journal, Inc., 807 Carroll St., Perry, Ga.
31069. Second Class Postage paid at Perry, Ga. POSTMASTER: Send
address change to The Houston Home Journal, P.O. Drawer M Perry Ga
31069.
ROY H. PARK, President & Chairman ol the Board, Park Newspapers
JAMES B. KERCE
Editor & General Manager
BRIGETTE HAMILTON TERESA HAWK
Managing Editor Advertising Manager
Fourth of July
The universally admired 1776 document called the Decla
ration of Independence—one of the watershed events in the
history of mankind-we celebrate with parades, picnics,
commemorations, etc. July 4.
The U.D.declaration established principles for all the
world; it has been a beacon light for those longing for free
dom for over 200 years. We have every right to be proud
of this truly magnificent document, drawn up in long and
hard deliberations by our ancestors.
It might be well to note, this year, that one of the greatest
features of the U.S. declaration was inclusion of a means to
amend the declaration—to bring it up to date in light of
changed times and circumstances. (This was a fatal flaw in
the French declaration; it could not be changed.)
The U.S. Constitution has been amended, and will be
again. It is a living document, arguable the greatest, along
with the Magna Carta, in the history of the West. It is one
of which all Americans should be proud. It is certainly
worth celebrating joyfully (and carefully) on July 4.
Confederate flag sadness
Thoughtful citizens who know the true history of the
Civil War (not the pop version so easy and convenient to
believe today) are saddened by efforts to ban the Confed
erate flag.
The understand the good intentions of those who seek a
ban. These activists believe it has come to symbolize slav
ery and segregation. That’s unfortunately true-for many.
Ninety nine out of every 100 soldiers who fought for the
South owned no slaves, they fought for independence.
I hey believed states had the right to secede when a majority
within voted to secede. They may have been right. But the
war decided that.
Now descendants out of this vast southern majority are
being asked to impugn the motives of their ancestors, to
conclude the war was a war over slavery, rather than se
cession. (Keep in mind Lincoln offered to guarantee slav
ery in the South if the states wouldn’t secede.) Many can’t
accept this.
The issue has arisen because of the more recent use of
the flag by racists, admittedly.
But to ban the flag is to accept the view of extremists
who exploit it as a symbol, who distort its meaning. We
need not accept such distortion as true history. To ban the
flag dishonors hundreds of thousands who were fighting
and dying for independence.
Let the flag and the southern majority rest in peace-in de
feat, after a brave struggle for their independence.
Court and kidnapping
The Supreme Court recently ruled, 6-3, U.S. agents and
hirelings were not acting unconstitutionally when they kid
napped a Mexican doctor, in that country, and smuggled
him into the U.S. for trial.
In this particular case, practically all Americans were
glad the doctor had been brought to justice. He had pro
longed the life of an F. 8.1. agent being tortured, cooperat
ing with drug dealers.
In spite of the widespread satisfaction in the doctor’s
capture, the precedent endorsed by the high court is eye
opening. If we can kidnap a Mexican in Mexico, are we to
agree to the kidnapping of Americans by Mexican authori
ties, or by the law enforcement officers of other nations?
One thinks not. Are we to permit Arabs and Israelis to
come into this country and kidnap their enemies-American
citizens-and smuggle them out to the Middle East?
The recent decision surely opens a large can of worms in
this area.
In this case, the forceful, perhaps one-sided decision of
the high court was probably prompted by Mexico’s inex
cusable refusal to extradite the doctor involved, in spite of
ample evidence pointing to his guilt.
But surely this must be a singular and exception to the
rule case. If the high court opens the door to kidnappers
and smugglers to kidnap suspects in other countries, ignor
ing normal extradition procedures, the United States is
likely to experience more than it bargained for.
Houston Home Journal —
The last word in
local news coverage.
V * Period.
Perry Scrapbook
On June 27, 1973, Perry National Guardsmen of Company B, Ist Battalion, 121 st Infantry,
returned home. Here they are shown as they trained the previous week at Fort Stewart. Pictured
are Pfc. Gary W. Marshall, left, Sp. 4 Thomas E. Whigham, Sp. 5 Roy E. Maddox Sr. and Sgt
Ernest M. Fowler. They were among the 13,000 Guardsmen of the division on active duty at Fort
Stewart June 9-23. They are examining the breech of a 106 MM recoiless rifle.
QTQC H"1 TAI * What are y° ur P ,ans or the Fourth of
O I RLIl: I IMLr\. July weekend?
Ellamae Smith
“I’m going to sit down and
cook me a good dinner
and eat it.”
7 I?
George Yancey
“I’m going to be working
both at Wendy’s and
Gabby’s from eight to four
and then five until three in
the morning.”
The risk for liberty is definitely worth it
There is a sickness in our land
which is keeping us from being all
we should be as a people. It is a
fear of risk!
It seems to go with prosperity.
The more we have to lose, the more
tentative we become about making
decisions. We would rather put up
with a bad situation than go
through the pain and risk accompa
nying change.
We have become a nation of con
sumers rather than builders. We
have spun for ourselves comfortable
cocoons and become "couch pota
toes" who are desperate to maintain
the status quo.
On this July 4th, we need a fresh
look at the risk taken by our forefa
thers to forge for us out of this
wilderness this amazing freedom.
On July 4, 1776, 56 men signed
a pledge. It became known as the
Declaration of Independence. The
last line reads, "And for the support
of this Declaration, with a firm re
liance on the protection of Divine
Providence, we mutually pledge to
JBe
Jerry Smith
“I’m going to visit my
parents, cook out and
rest.”
Steve Lemley
“I’ll more than likely work
at Lemley Garage and
then hopefully cook out.”
each other our lives, our fortunes,
and our sacred honor.”
These 56 men knew when they
signed that they were risking every
thing. If they won, the best they
could expect would be years of
hardship and in a struggling nation.
If they lost, they'd face a hangman's
rope. But they signed!
A silence followed the an
nouncement of the vote, as the
magnitude of what they had done
began to weigh heavily upon them.
After the signing, Samuel Adams
said, "We have this day restored the
Sovereign, to Whom alone men
ought to>bc obedient. He reigns in
heaven and. . . from the rising to
: : :: :
Kim Murphy
"We’re going to Atlanta
where my husband is
running in the Peachtree,
and then going to a big
family barbeque.”
Lisa Troxell
“l.m going to Columbia,
S.C. to visit my parents for
a family get together and
set off fireworks, since we
can’t here.”
the setting sun, may His Kingdom
come."
God answered the prayers of a
people who were willing to take the
risk to be free to determine their
own destiny under the rule of their
gracious God.
America has become the haven
for those who have suffered under
despotism and shared the same
dream of freedom.
However, we have taken our free
dom from granted and become too
comfortable. We lend to forget the
sacrifice of the men and women
who have given us this rich her
itage.
Os the 56 men who said on that
first July 4th, ”Wc mutually pledge
to each other our lives, our
fortunes, and our sacred honor:
5 were captured by the British,
tortured, and killed.
12 had their homes from Rhode
Island to Charleston sacked, looted,
and occupied by the enemy, or
Please see SHIPLEY, page 6A
f The Houston Home §
Journal
« Brian i
Lawson
Staff writer
Living with
earthquakes is
a real trip
One of the first things you
should know about earthquakes is
that they seem to always take place
early in the morning.
You don't hear much about that
on the news, but it’s pretty widely
known in California, if you aren't
knocked out of bed from a deep
sleep, chances are you won't be
subjected to an earthquake that day.
Since the quakes in California
over the weekend I thought it may
be timely to address the subject. By
my rough count, I've been in about
eight earthquakes of note in my 26
years of living in California so I’ll
try and give you one man's version
of what it's like.
Imagine being on an old, wild,
not too sturdy rollercoaster. It's fun
if it stays on the tracks, but you're
just a few rickety boards away from
a big fall. The ground kind of
rolls, line walls and windows rattle,
the furniture bumps up and down,
and large structures sway. It can be
really scary and in many parts of
the world they're extremely lethal,
but in California you just kind of
roll with it.
In the movie LA Story there is a
scene where the characters are sit
ting around having brunch when a
quake hits. The people keep doing
what they're doing despite the rum
bling and the glass breaking around
them. Like the humidity or the
lightning in Georgia, it's really part
of the scenery.
I remember a quake in 1987 that
rattled the large window above my
bed loud enough that I woke from
my usual sleep of the dead. When I
realized what was going on I was
faced with a terrible dilemma. I
could flee my be screaming for
help, lay there and possibly be
killed by flying glass, or maybe go
back to sleep and hope that most of
the action would pass me by. Nat
urally, being a native to such
events I went back to sleep. The
glass stayed intact and I woke hours
later refreshed and dimly aware of
how lucky I had been.
The Richter Scale that measures
quakes is such a familiar part of
conversation that people will stand
around in their pajamas (remember
the time when most quakes seem to
happen) stifling yawns and predict
ing the size of the quake.
"That was a 5.8 easy,” one will
say.
"No way, this is a 6.1 at least.
This is as big as Whittier," the next
expert will chime in.
"Just keep standing under the
doorway," a voice of reason will in
trude.
That's another part of the
earthquake experience. Somewhere,
somebody said the safest place in
your house to be during an
earthquake is standing in a doorway.
Maybe it's true, maybe it isn't. But
it's gospel in California. I've been
in the middle of a shower (half
asleep) when a quake has come and
I'll leave the shower, dripping wet
and stand in a doorway just because
some guy said it was a good idea.
There are people who say they
would never live in California be
cause it’s going to fall into the
ocean one day. Most Californians
reply, "At least we have an ocean to
fall into."
Earthquakes are definitely not the
worst thing about living in the Far
West. Try smog, traffic, teenage
gun play or housing prices for the
right answer. Actually, presuming
everyone you care about gets
through the quake with nothing
more than a brief case of the shakes
and a few broken dishes, they can
be kind of fun.
At least more fun than driving
on ice, or constantly swatting
mosquitoes, diving into a storm
cellar, or having your mobile home
lifted into the next county.
On Wednesday as I drove
through a thunderstorm 1 realized
that I am much more afraid of bolts
Irom the sky than rumbling from
the ground. The thought of being
in a hurricane or a tornado sents se
rious chills down my spine.
Brigclte Hamilton was telling me
about storm drills she used to have
to participate in as a little girl. The
kids would line the hallways with
their heads pressed against their
knees to wait out the storm. The
Please see LAWSON, page 6A