Newspaper Page Text
4-A
The Summeruille News
The Official Legal Organ of Chattooga County, Georgia
WINSTONE . ESPY .... .00 inniiunasnsnsnstsin 2 PUBLIENER
WINSTONE BSPY . ... ove it dbastii g, cods (EDITUR
BILL HUDSPUTH................ADVERTISING DIRECTOR
DAVID £ ESPY .....ooiiievessasnenss GENERAL MANACER
GREGESPY ....covvinvisnvires i »PROUCTION MANSOER
:m% A 1999
NO/ZE\NE Better
" (‘fl§ % Newspapers
A ptim=yy Contest
"°Cll“° Winner
Espy Publishing Company, Inc. will not be liable for any error in an advertisement to any greater
extent than the cost of the space the item occupies. Classified advertising rate is 15¢ per word,
minimum $3.00. Card of Thanks, Memoriams, etc., same as classified advertising. Display rates
given upon request.
Address all mail to: THE SUMMERVILLE NEWS, P.O. BOX 310, SUMMERVILLE, GA 30747
TELEPHONE (706) 857-2494 « FAX (706) 857-2393
Our Opinion
House Race Most Important
Many voters in Chattooga County and
around the country become riveted to the
White House race every four years.
That’s unfortunate because most of the
action in Washington, D.C. occurs in the U.S.
House and U.S. Senate.
For example, the House must originate
all spending bills, according to the U.S. Con
stitution. No matter what a president wants
to spend or tax, his programs can be stopped
dead in their tracks if the House appropri
ates no money for those purposes or refuses
to impose higher taxes.
Georgia’s presidential primary will be
held in a couple of weeks and a lot of interest
has been stirred in the race between Repub
licans U.S. Senator John McCain and Texas
Governor George Bush, and in the Demo
cratic Party contest between Vice President
Al Gore and former U.S. Senator Bill Brad
ley.
Regardless of which ones win their
party’s nomination and face voters in the
November general elections, the most impor
tant ballot Chattooga Countians will cast will
be for U.S. Congressman.
Seventh District Rep. Bob Barr, R-
Smyrna, whose voting record is very similar
to the one posted by the late Congressman
Larry McDonald, is facing a hard-nosed ef
fort by liberal federal and state Democrats to
unseat him this year.
So far, the Democratic hopefuls are:
1. Chip Warren, a union organizer who
has his campaign headquarters in Austell;
2. Roger Kahn, who evidently has never
voted in the Seventh District, but who has a
“ranch” in Bartow County;
3. Jim Williams of Polk County, who
won a surprisingly high 45 percent of the vote
in a race against Rep. Barr two years ago.
Since Kahn is wealthy and an unknown
politically, it isn’t surprising that the state’s
Democratic establishment has covertly
picked him, as has the Democratic National
Committee. Of course, neither group can take
a public stand for Kahn before the Demo
cratic primary.
The hard-core backers of President
Rodham Clinton, a convicted (in federal civil
court) perjurer, literally hate Rep. Barr.
That’s because he followed the U.S. Consti
tution strictly as one of the House managers
in the Senate impeachment trial of the Presi
dent.
Theliberals don’t like the publicity that
Rep. Barr receives, or the fact he has been on
national television and radio talk shows, ex
posing extreme liberal legislation and the
shortcomings of this Administration.
Three Still Sip From Trough
Three Summerville Council members
continue to force the city’s natural gas cus
tomers and taxpayers to pay for their insur
ance benefits, according to updated and cor
rected city records.
Councilwoman Betty Bush has health,
life and dental insurance.
Mayor Pro Tem Dennis Campbell has a
life insurance policy.
Councilwoman Brenda Burks has life
and dental insurance.
Gas customers and city taxpayers pay
all of those premiums.
Congratulations to Councilmen Milford
Morgan and Dewey Hoskins, for whom the
city is not paying any insurance benefits.
Kudos also to Mayor Joe Robert
Norton, who is having his city insurance ben
efit premiums withdrawn from his mayoral
salary and not paid for him by the city in ad
dition to his paycheck.
Summerville and the City of Rome are
the only cities or towns in the Northwest
Georgia area that offer insurance to their
elected officials, according to a recent, lim
ited survey by The Summerville News.
At one time, both had the same insur
— SUBSCRIPTION RATES —
Within Chattooga County . ...........$10.70
Out-of-County Rates . . . Available On Request
Published Every Thursday By
ESPY PUBLISHING CO., INC.
Periodicals Postage Paid
At Summerville, Georgia 30747
Publication Number SECD 525560
Opinions Expressed By Editorial Columnists Are
Not Necessarily Those of This Newspaper
Too, the home of state House Speaker
Tom Murphy lies within Barr’s district. The
Speaker has been very clear on how he feels
about Republicans and Barr in particular.
Congressman Barr, meanwhile, has so
far raised more money than any candidate in
the race and said he hopes to raise at least $2-
million for his most expensive campaign ever.
Kahn has raised almost as much as Barr and
could theoretically “loan” his campaign an
unlimited amount of money (as did Republi
can Guy Milner in his races for governor).
Warren has a fairly likeable personality
going for him.
Williams’ higher than expected vote two
years ago was a fluke and he likely has little
chance against Kahn - or even Warren.
Congressman Barr votes conservatively,
looks out for his constituents’ needs, holds
regular town hall meetings and is always avail
able to help anyone in his district.
He receives national publicity for one
reason: his accomplishments — not for him
self, but for his district and the nation. If he
weren't “visible” in the news media, his oppo
nents would accuse him of being a “do-noth
ing” congressman. No matter which course he
takes, it is wrong to his liberal opponents.
That'’s just politics.
So, Chattooga Countians should beware
of the falsehoods, distortions and attack ads
from candidates during the congressional
campaign.
The candidate that has voted correctly,
or claim they will vote correctly for the dis
trict and with the Constitution is what Chat
tooga Countians should expect in this most
important race. In the end, that’s all that
counts.
o o
Historians
Are Nuts
“Historians Pick Lincoln” as nation’s
greatest president, the headline stated, with
George Washington coming in third behind
socialist Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR).
They must be nuts.
Lincoln, whose mythology has papered
over his tyrannical actions, was a homily
spouting virtual dictator whose actions re
sulted in our current all-powerful federal gov
ernment, which taxes us to death (and after
ward), interferes in our everyday lives with
innumerable regulations and panders to the
fringes of society.
Lincoln and FDR ahead of Washington?
No way!
ance agent of record. That's interesting, to say
the least.
It remains our position that Summer
ville should not allow its elected officials to
obtain any kind of insurance at the city’s ex
pense.
L N N
s§ A A
.. RANATOR MCAIN,
PO YOU QR THINK
YOU'V& MADR YOUR
ALF TAO ACRSSIBIY
TO THQ ARDIA®.
| ..NO,NOT
ATAL..
P o
>
w. n t E i:ggg
l S 0“ . , .- ; .
“Gene”’ Espy &b
Character Does Matter
THE SUMMERVILLE NEWS will
print a guest column in the next two weeks
that was written by Ward Connerly, Chairman
of the American Civil Rights Institute. It will
be taken from a speech he made at Hillsdale
College’s Shavano Institute for National Lead
ership seminar. It was entitled, “Heroes for a
New Generation and a New Century.”
It will be well worth your time to read
the article.
He closes the speech with these words:
“Itis true that there is a cultural war going on
in America, and the casualties are our chil
dren. It is not too late to correct that prob
lem. We should begin by telling our children
that character is about values and having the
courage to defend those values. Tell them that
character is about being true to their beliefs
even when others all around them strongly
disagree with them. Tell our children that it
is important for them to be good citizens and
that they should demand that their elected
representatives be honest and forthright, even
if that honesty and candor might cost them
an election or diminish their popularity.”
Those words are very true and should
ring true during this election year when we
elect the representatives that will govern us
whatever their terms will be.
Character does matter.
Joseph Perkins '
»r
If Capital Punishment
Were Certain
DAVID LEROY SKAGGS adorns the
cover of a glossy 96-page supplement that
accompanies the latest issue of Talk magazine
-the one with Leonardo DiCaprio on the
cover. Lovingly photographed by the cel
ebrated Italian “creative director” Oliviero
Toscani, Skaggs, bedecked in red T-shirt and
matching trousers, cuts a striking figure as he
stands solemnly against a wall, an almost
ethereal ray of light illuminating his bulbous
head.
So how did Skaggs become such a high
profile cover boy, sharing space with the likes
of Leo? Simple. He killed two innocent people.
Indeed, Skaggs is one of 26 convicted
murderers featured in the aforementioned
supplement, “We, On Death Row,” which was
conceived and produced by the radically chic
Italian clothier United Colors of Benetton. It
is part of a S2O million advertising campaign
by Benetton that aims to bring a “human face
to the individuals on death row,” while also,
presumably, selling a few cotton tank tops and
Merino-wool fitted skirts to socially consci
entious shoppers. If its campaign offends the
sensibilities of hoi polloi, well, too bad, said
Mark Major, U.S. spokesman for the Italian
clothier.
“Mr. Benetton and Mr. Toscani do not
simply want to be bystanders in the world,”
he explained. “They want to be participants.
It's such a foreign thing for Americans to un
derstand.”
* % »
WELL, THE ONLY tHing this Ameri
can doesn’t understand is why Benetton and
e = \\‘ % :
" ..NOW GO TO G|9ep,
" Q A BIG DAY
®
L]
[OMORKOWN...
5 .'..“‘,A?fl,'i"""' ‘ o ; ’
Sy v - / ‘ =
:<>g _ 7 <
%? : Ay Y ; : 7)
& :.:::’i 4 2 l‘ \
:,":: /) o 7 ) Y 7,
NV B ¥ Y
T‘.“. Wb o /7Y 7k% ‘5/ /
N 1 g X PN .
BR_J PPN\ e 5
7R & 1
—> ) n g " ':*,:'}::s—-‘
e N CE SRS Dk oY T
e X 7 &j‘i},
ST e ¥V S R
:-(f*vf_f‘) — : >S e
\CSD 075 / 2 W
k-.{"d(/fi )A e e )
.o," ’/‘r-‘t’?) r—~ -(7
) e . ”nfl -
The more work that is done on impress
ing our young people that character matters
and is important, the less we will spend on
prisons, education reform, teen violence and
drug abuse.
President Bill Clinton created a monster
with his actions while President of the United
States with reference to the character and ide
als needed to be President.
Whoever you vote for this year, I would
hope that their character might make an im
portant difference when your cast your vote.
The character of candidates is not cor
nered by any political party.
. T
CONNERLY ADDED, “The issue of
character has never mattered more in Ameri
can society than it does now. And the content
of our children’s character is crucial to the
survival of our nation.”
How true those words are.
We are giving our young people the
wrong impression — that popularity, money
and political schemes are more important
than character.
Character is not one of those things that
we should depend on public schools to teach
our children. It is the responsibility of parents
and guardians to teach the value of character
to their children.
Toscani devoted 96 pages of hagiography to
killers like Skaggs — including gentle question
and-answer interviews — without offering
readers the details of their crimes. Why didn’t
these Italian anti-death-penalty crusaders
show any empathy whatsoever for the inno
cent men and women whose lives were taken
by the 26 death row inmates they profiled?
Why hasn’t Benetton donated even one lira
to a crime-victims fund when it has the where
withal to spend S2O million on a campaign
that makes celebrities out of convicted mur
derers?
Benetton declares that capital punish
ment is a “domestic sickness” of this country.
It notes that by the end of 1999 “the United
States will have executed approximately 600
humans since 1976,” when a U.S. Supreme
Court ruling upheld the constitutionality of a
capital punishment, ending a nationwide
moratorium on the death penalty.
Of course, Benetton neglected to men
tion that, since 1976, some 480,000 Ameri
cans have been murdered by violent criminals
like the 26 death row inmates whom it glam
orizes in its supplement. If you do the math,
that works out to a less than one percent
chance that a murderer will receive the death
penalty for taking an innocent life. So the ar
gument can be made that one of the primary
reasons that murder -the real “domestic sick
ness” in America — is so prevalent in society
is that the prospect of beintipunished to the
fullest extent of the law — that is, being sen
tenced to the gas chamber or the electric chair
or to lethal injection -~ is so remote. And the
see JOSEPH PERKINS, page 5-A
e e
Steed 4 A
|
Who Wants To Marry
® o @ o
A Multi-Millionaire?
ONLY IN AMERICA, (or, perhaps, Mexico). Where
else would you be able to see a television show staged to bring
together 50 women willing to marry a sight-unseen multi
millionaire? Fox television did just that last week. Fifty women
were paraded in front of the concealed eyes of a bona fide
rich man in a cattle call pageant not unlike a Miss America or
some such mindless contest.
I'm not proud that I watched the show. It’s just that I
was tired of politics, the news and anything semi-worthwhile.
I went slumming in television-land. I wasn'’t alone. My wife,
Cheryl, went slumming with me.
There’s alot I don’t know about this television produc
tion. It was, theoretically, a live production. The millionaire
and his chosen bride did in fact legally marry at the end of
the program. I don’t know how they selected the 50 female
candidates nor how they chose the multi-millionaire from the
100 men who applied.
Another mystery, how desperate would you have to be
to agree to marry someone you have never seen who picks
you out of a lineup of 50 women? As for the man, if you are a
multi-millionaire, can’t you find a gold digger of a wife with
out having to do it on national television within a two-hour
time slot?
* * *
GREATER MINDS than mine have evaluated all of
this and decided, “Hey, that would make a great television
show!”
They put this rich dude in a booth where the women
couldn’t see him. The women knew nothing, about him ex
cept that he is loaded. Meanwhile, he can see and take notes
as the 50 prospects parade around the stage in gowns, casual
wear and sexy bathing suits.
The first cut is made mostly on looks alone. The 10 semi
finalist women also got to answer questions. Then the five
finalists got more questions. They claimed the future groom
wrote the questions. I find that a little hard to believe. The
question for the finalists was something like, “What three
things can I do to bring out the best in you and what three
things should I avoid doing?” One bimbette answered, “pick
up your clothes and not toothpaste in the sink.” Right then, I
knew she wasn’t going to be picked.
Get real. You can imagine the kind of questions he re
ally wanted answered. I know I would want to know which
side of the bed does she sleep on? Can she make lard bis
cuits? What about the mother-in-law? Does she expect to sit
through commercials on television without me flipping the
channel? This is important information to know before you
commit to a marriage.
* * »
MR. MULTI-MILLIONAIRE was finally identified
and allowed to pick from the five finalists who were standing
before him wearing wedding gowns. To my utter amazement,
he failed to pick the cute brunette who, in her final statement,
said, “I know how to please a man in every way.” He chose a
tanning booth bleached blonde who seemed much too skinny.
They got married 10 minutes later.
It’s really embarrassing. It’s pitiful. It’s sad.
The whole enterprise reminds me of that old joke — be
warned here, it’s a little blue — that has a man asking a woman
;)n the street, “Would you spend the night with me for $1 mil
ion?”
She thinks a few moments and replies, “Why, yes. I think
I would.”
The man continues, “Well, would you spend the night
with me for $20?”
The woman is incensed and retorts, “Of course not!
What do you think I am?”
He replies, “We've already established that. Now we're
just trying to negotiate the price.”
* % *
HOW MR. MILLIONAIRE could pass up the cute
brunette is beyond me! I ranted at the television, “You stupid
rich idiot! You passed up the best one!”
Cheryl may have just been trying to make me feel better
when she concluded, “He seems a little gay to me.”
And to the lovely idiotic, rich couple, may you have a
happy honeymoon and marriage, however brief it may be.
(Mike Steed writes a syndicated column. His e-mail
address is msteed@steedco.com)
le'd like to remind you that the uncensored content of
this newspaper is made possible by the Constitution of
the United States.