Newspaper Page Text
4A
THE HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL. WEDNESDAY. DECEMBER 2. 1992
Perry viewpoint
~
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 A Chairmen o( the Board, Parti Newspaper*
JAMES B. KERCE
Editor & General Manager
BRIGETTE HAMILTON TERESA HAWK
Managing Editor Advertising Manager
Women still barred
A presidential commission, after long study of the con
troversial question of women in combat, has voted to con
tinue the ban on women flying combat missions and taking
part in ground fighting.
The 15-member commission, composed of men and
women, recommended women be allowed to serve on
more combat warships and that the service secretaries be
allowed more leeway in determining what units women
should serve in.
But it voted to retain the ban on women flying combat
missions, members fearing women would be more likely
to be abused when captured and hesitating to make them
killers in the name of equal rights.
The commission voted to retain the ban on women tak
ing part in physical infantry combat, recognizing the usual
difference in physical strength between the sexes.
The proposal to retain the ban on women flying combat
missions was made by a woman member of the commis
sion, who frowned on the idea there are women willing to
kill or be killed in the name of equal opportunity.
The controversy will continue; the recommendations,
however, seem well founded.
Minority votes
An early study of how minorities voted in California in
the recent presidential election shows that Latinos voted 65
percent for Clinton and only 23 percent for Bush.
Blacks voted 90 percent for Clinton, only 10 percent for
Bush.
Jews voted heavily for Clinton, though final figures on
the Jewish vote aren't yet available. But, traditionally, the
Jewish minority votes Democratic and provides a dispro
portionate share of funding for the Democratic presidential
campaigns.
Bush adopted the Catholic theory on abortion, and cut
into the normally big Catholic Democratic majority but
indications are the majority nevertheless voted for Clinton,
especially in the big cities.
It is not difficult to understand how Clinton won last
month, in view of increasing minority numbers. Asians,
however, seem to have split their votes somewhat evenly,
an estimated 33 percent for Clinton in California, for
example, to 28 percent for Bush.
Prosecutors and politics
The use of a special investigator in the Watergate scan
dal ushered in an era in which the executive and congres
sional branches of government abdicated some of their re
sponsibility to investigate alleged misdeeds, turned that
duty over to appointed lawyers, given millions of taxpayer
dollars, to found their own independent bureaucracy.
Watergate's misdeeds justified a new bureaucracy.
Whether it was wise to give Lawrence Walsh millions to
hire 40 lawyers and then go to Oklahoma and watch the aid
to Iran fun, for years, is questionable.
Now there's agitation to form another independent bu
reaucracy to investigate Iraq policy. The American people
don't really care about or need this. Iraq was helped, le
gally or improperly, because Iran was then seen as the
greatest threat to peace. Perhaps this was bad judgment,
perhaps even laws were violated.
No new bureaucracy is needed to investigate this.
Congress, which Democrats control, can do this. Voters
will judge its fairness. Special prosecutors aren't judged
on fairness by voters and can be loose, expensive can
nons.
Voice your opinion on Coed issues
‘Write a letter to the ‘Editor!
■gjj mm inn t
I
Hornets receive football awards in 1982
10 years ago
Dec. 2, 1982
Awards were presented to several
outstanding members of the
Westfield Hornets football team at
the school's annual banquet. The
Most Valuable Player Award went
to Brad Beckham and the two
Coaches Awards went to Roddy
Moreland and Ray Scarborough.
Paul Storey and Mark King were
named Most Improved Players and
the Captain's Awards were presented
to Thomas Shelton and Louis
Shelton.
* * *
The home of Orcc Queen was de
stroyed by a fire which apparently
began in the bathroom during the
early hours of Monday morning.
According to Judy Kersey of the
Henderson Fire Department, 11 fire
fighters were dispatched at 12:50
a.m. and stayed at the scene until
the house finished burning around 4
a.m. Volunteers were unable to
save the home since it was engulfed
in flames by the time they arrived.
"We're assuming it was an electrical
fire," Kersey said.
* * *
County employees were eagerly
awaiting to sec the results of a new
salary scale approved by the
Houston County Commissioners,
who approved more than SI(X),(XX)
worth of pay raises for aboui two
thirds of the county's employees.
According to the commissioners,
the raises ranged from S2O a year to
S2,(XX) a year.
Adoption of the new scale froze
the salaries of one third of the
county's employees and eliminated
the county's merit system of auto
matic pay raises.
15 years ago
Dec. 1, 1977
"A Land So Dcdicatcd-Houston
County, Georgia" was to go on sale
at the Pcrry-Houston County
Library Sunday. The 315 page his
tory of Houston County was writ
ten by Mrs. Bobbc Hickson of
Perry at the instruction of the
county commissioners and library
Television news should be fair due to its power
National television networks
today wield frightening power-to
ruin businesses, elect or defeat
political candidates and, in general,’
control public opinion. It's thus
morally imperative that they be
fair.
A recent "Prime Time" program
and follow-up, a heavy attack on a
non-union food chain, raises seri
ous questions about fairness. The
network sent spies into selected
stores of the nation's fastest
growing grocery chain. Food Lion,
and found some sloppy, unsanitary
practices.
Remember L
when? I
News items from past issues
board. The book was described as a
creative history, filled with color
and black and white photographs,
poems and drawings. It told of the
150-plus years of the county’s exis
tence and the forces that produced
the county's growth.
* * *
A cal burglar or burglars stuck
Tolicson Supply of Ball Street in
Perry sometime during the night of
Nov. 21. Entry was gained through
a gate on the back side of the build
ing and a small amount of change
and several building supply items
were taken.
* * *
Perry Police Detective Giles
Webb warned Perry merchants to be
"very cautious" about accepting 10
and 20 dollar bills from customers.
Two separate instances were re
ported recently that resulted in
businesses being handed "bogus"
bills. Webb said an unknown per
son, or persons, was cutting the
corners of 10 and 20 dollar bills and
affixing them to two dollar bills.
25 years ago
Nov. 30, 1967
More than 2,300 Perry residents
were qualified to vote in the city
election Dec. 5 when a mayor and
four counciimembcrs would be cho
sen. Mayor Richard B. Ray was
opposed by Emmctte W. Cater.
Katie Pauline Lewis was the latest
entrant in the council races, in
which eight persons were seeking
the four places. Lewis was running
against D.K. Roughton for Post 1.
Post 4 councilman Raymond
Gornto was opposed by John W.
Barton. Frank Leonard, Harry
Griggs and George B. Wells Jr.
were seeking Post 5. Alton Hardy
was running unopposed for Post 6
held by Don Parkinson, who didn't
seek re-election.
* * *
Guest I
column I
It's doubtful if any grocery chain,
with a thousand stores doesn't have
a few managers who are bad apples,
who don't enforce sanitation rules.
What's disturbing about the job
ABC did on Food Lion is that they
did no comparison with other food
chains. They simply selected one
Perry High School coach St. John
presented football awards to several
outstanding athletes including Ed
Harley, Best Offensive Back; Ad
Harris, Best Defensive Player; Lee
St. John, Most Valuable Player;
Ronnie Hammock, Best Offensive
Lineman; Frans Mcens, "Hustler"
Award; and Otis Stocks, Most
Improved Player.
* * *
Forty seven truckloads of trash
and rubble w'crc taken from Perry
yards by city forces during the
week. The city, in cooperation with
county and state public health
officers, began the clean-up
campaign to rid Perry of places
where mosquitos and rats breed.
50 years ago
Dec. 3, 1942
A surprise black-out and drill for
Perry and Houston County was
called by E.P. Staples, chairman
Civilian Defense Committee, and
W.T. Middlcbrooks, county Air
Raid Warden. The black-out was
scheduled to take place one night
during the dates of Dec. 7-11 and
between the hours of 8-10. To en
force black-out regulations, the
Mayor and Council passed an
Ordinance authorizing black-out
and Air Raid Protection orders,
rules and regulation, prescribed
penalties for violation and declara
tions of emergencies.
* * *
The Toy Matinee was scheduled
for Dec. 19 by the local Roxy
Theatre. The matinee was to be held
at 10 a.m. with admittance requir
ing a toy to be donated to the
Sorosis Club for its community
Christmas collection.
* * *
A county-wide meeting was
scheduled for Dec. 10 so farm
agents and civilian defense represen
tatives could explain the Share the
Meat Campaign as a part of the
wartime program to the housewives
and farmers in Houston County.
The campaign's purpose was to
prepare people through voluntary
rationing for the compulsory ra
tioning to begin in January.
chain, and selected stores which
were, obviously, not up to par.
As a result, the reputation of the
entire food chain, all its stores, was
damaged. State inspectors in one
state, who had been giving the
chain good grades on sanitation,
were intimidated, began new inspec
tion programs-which they obedi
ently publicly announced.
The targeted chain's inspection
approval rating has been high for
years. If the network had secretly
investigated competing food chains
it's likely not every store and man
ager would have been found perfect
Journal
L
f*J§Hamiltonl
ijp M ? nag ' ng
Let's get back
to the true
meaning of
Christmas
Well, if you haven't noticed the
Christmas season is upon us.
Os course the only way you could
not have noticed is if you have been
living in a cave for the past month.
Anyway, the city is getting ready
for its annual Christmas at the
Crossroads celebration which began
yesterday. If you missed the fashion
show last night don't worry, there
are plenty of events scheduled
throughout the month so you will
certainly be able to attend a few of
them.
Be sure to pick up a schedule of
events from the chamber.
Although I love the holiday sea
son, it just isn't the same as it used
to be, meaning this time of year
always makes me wish I was
younger so Christmas would be
more exciting.
1 guess it is just one of the pit
falls of aging. My mother and I
have decided not to even shop this
year and give each other money to
buy what we want. She's even
thinking about not putting up a tree
and I never have because I've never
been at my apartment Christmas
day. Also, my one bedroom apart
ment doesn’t really have the space.
I guess it is different for parents
because they get to see their chil
dren's excitement and for a while
get caught up in it. But for me and
other single adults, Christmas just
isn't what it used to be.
Sure it is nice to see your family,
but the holiday just seems too
rushed and the real purpose has been
lost in the sensationalism that sur
rounds the season.
I'm not trying to be pessimistic
because I always seem to have a
good time, but it just isn’t the same
as when I was a kid waiting up for
Santa Claus and leaving him some
cookies and milk by the fireplace.
Os course then all I needed to
make me happy was a Barbie and
some new coloring books and
crayons. The parents of the ’7os
were lucky compared to the parents
of the '9os when it comes to buy
ing toys. Now there arc Nintendos,
remote control cars and other com
puterized toys that can really put a
dent in your wallet.
Maybe the sluggish economy will
help us all get back to basics, that
is, celebrate Christmas for
Christmas, not use it as an excuse
to go overboard in every sense of
the word.
Let's try and get back into the real
Christmas spirit which is giving to
others and celebrating the birth of
Baby Jesus. Let's forget fighting
the crowds in the malls and trying
to make each year better by spend
ing more money.
1 can think of no better way to get
into the Christmas spirit than to
take an active role in the programs
sponsored by several of the local
churches in the area. Even if you
are not a member of a particular
church, most of the programs do
not require membership as a criteria
for attendance. Several of these
programs arc listed in the
Christmas at the Crossroads
schedule of events I mentioned
above.
•On a totally different note: Since
I wrote the column about a few of
our local eating establishments, I've
been getting requests to keep it up.
Well, I'm happy to report that I've
had nothing but pleasurable
experiences lately but, then again,
I've only eaten at Shoney's,
Please see HAMILTON, page 12A
either. But it singled out one non
union chain, which lias been under
attack from a union which has
failed in effort to unionize workers.
Law suits which have resulted
will take time, and cost money; the
outcome can't be predicted. But, as
suspected, if Food Lion has no
more bad apples as managers than
other chains, it has suffered dispro
portionately, since there was no
comparison with other chains.
The networks long have notori
ously slanted political news-politi
cal directors overseeing news an-
Plaase see NEWS, page 10A