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THE MADISON COUNTY (GA) JOURNAL. THURSDAY. JANUARY 22, 2009 — PAGE 5A Opinions Let’s observe ‘Sanctity of Human Life Week’ Dear Editor: Did you know that the group People for Ethical Treatment of Animals has decided that fish should not be called fish any more? They are sea kittens. Sea kittens feel things and they love. And who would want to put a hook through a sea kitten? [I would] Economist George Ure has been tracking the use of the word “bailout” as compared to “rescue package,” and sure enough, his prediction came true. It was only two months before the media's use of rescue caught up to and then exceeded that of bailout. What do bailouts and sea kittens have to do with Sanctity of Life? Because “All social engineering is preceded by verbal engi neering.” This is a profound saying from Catholic moral theologian William Smith. Changing the name of something helps to dimin ish attachment to it. Devalue it. Making a euphemism for it helps to conceal an unpleasant truth behind a nicer sounding phrase. Example: The Euthanasia Society became Society for the Right to Die. The Euthanasia Council became Concern for Dying. Death penalty has become capi tal punishment. A pre-bom baby has become a fetus. An abortion has become termi nating a pregnancy. A person is not pro-abortion, they are pro-choice. These softening terms are purposely slipped into our vernacular. Many people don't even notice our lan guage is being manipulated. The phrase “all social engi neering is preceded by ver bal engineering,” recognizes that the mind is the first battlefield. This is Satan’s territory, the mind. As the late Rev. Adrian Rogers said so well, “Ephesians 6:12 tells us that there is a war going on, and it's of a spiri tual nature. Satan's desire is to conquer and control your thought life and then make it a citadel from which he can war against God.” The battle first begins in the mind, and its weapons are words. In Matthew 5:22, Jesus said, “But I tell you, every one who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Fool!’ will be subject to the Sanhedrin. But whoever says, ‘You moron!’ will be subject to hellfire.” Here, Jesus is emphasizing that murder begins before the act, it begins when peo ple view others as less than human. Euphemistic lan guage helps this transition of devaluation of the sanctity of life. When we begin seeing a baby as tissue, a coma tose person as a vegetable, as a death row convict as an inmate undergoing capital punishment, thus begins the devaluing. Murder begins when people view others as less than human. Today's point is that I urge us all to be on guard men tally when we read or hear of terms that try to diminish the sanctity of life. The act of murder is actually a lengthy process, and it begins in the mind, with the words you choose to use to describe human life that God gave us. Sincerely, Elizabeth Prata Comer Says ‘first Civil War’ coming to America Dear Editor: Never has this nation been closer to civil war than now. Some uninformed will claim the war between the C.S.A. (Confederate States of America) and U.S.A. in 1861 was a “Civil War,” but it was not. The C.S.A. seceded from the U.S.A. and became a separate country. So that war was between two separate countries, not a war within one country. After the war. Congress allowed the Southern States to re-enter the union. Each state was re-entered individually. Thus for a Southern state to be re-entered into the union, they must first be out of the union. making the southern states a country of its own called the C.S.A. Abe Lincoln said the South never left the union, but Congress overruled him by re-entering the South. So this coming war will be America’s only Civil War and will be about race, religion, doctrine, indoctrination and treason The traditional American that puts family and country first are dying out. The love of country, hope, values, honor and respect are dying out as each older honorable genera tion leaves this earth. The new crop (not all, but the most vocal) are leaning toward following the leader. any leader. Just don’t make them think or make them react, just lead them. Sounds like Hitler’s Germany after the population was indoctri nated by their government. Does any of this sound famil iar? Think back to the election of 2008, were you indoctri nated? Christians, Jews, Hindus and some others will be facing war or death as some facist, so called religious fanatics, con tinue their quest to conquer the world. Listen to the news media who exercise the moral obligation to tell you the truth of what’s happening to other countries around the world by these fanatics. Consider the media that hides the facts, distorts the truth, as enemies of our coun try. Freedom of the people trumps freedom of the press. As proven in the past, the freedom-loving people and its mighty military forces will rise up and defeat the enemies within our shores. This will be a “civil war” which will be the beginning of the end of oppression and the end of terrorism as we know it today. This is our people’s war. This is my opinion and I’m unanimous in that. Sincerely, Pappy Skinner Comer Caretakers needed for feral cats Dear Editor: I’m a member of Disaster Relief Animal Rescue which was formed since Hurricane Katrina by Mark and Shannon Martin, owners of Pet Supplies Plus in Athens. Later the organization was moved here in Athens and is now concerned with felines, feral and stray cats and kittens. I have been involved in trapping now for the past five years and have trapped about 500 plus felines. Many of the feral cats were spayed or neu tered and put on ranches, farms or people that have buildings to provide the cats a good home and give them food and water daily. Many were trapped/neutered and returned back to their envi ronment under the TNR (Trap/Neuter/Release) and a caretaker feeds and waters them daily like I have been, and many like me. Presently, I feed 81 felines before my work day begins and am using about two bags of Cat Chow every day. Purina loves me. On really cold days, I will buy some good wet food for them. These cats are what I call victims of human beings because peo ple dump them off in popu lated areas like restaurants, grocery stores, office com plexes, doctor’s offices and more. People move out of their homes and leave their animals, which is a problem in Clarke and surrounding counties. Some people will not spay or neuter their pets, thus they keep producing to the point that it gets out of control! Feral cats are undomesti cated; they have never had a human touch. They are afraid of us. They are not aggressive towards us, but if you grab one (which isn’t a good idea), you may get scratched or bitten. As far as kittens, it's a good idea to try and get them before they get past the seven- week period or they will become feral. Many cats get lost and never make it back home, but if they had a collar or were micro-chipped, they probably would have been returned by someone that finds them. During my five years of working with cats, none of them that I have caught have had an ID. These beautiful animals want to live, just like you and me, and that’s the pur pose of this letter. We need people, farmers, ranchers, etc. that will take our feral cats and give them a good home and be a care taker to them. If you have a problem of rodents eating the animal feed, you won’t anymore with these cats on your farm. We have one chicken farmer who was overrun with wharf rats. He now has five of our cats and he doesn’t see the rats anymore. In one area I’m feeding a group of growing kittens that were dumped by their owners. I can pick most of them up by hand, and have done so by giving seven of them to people that said “Pick one out for me and I will get them to a vet and have them fixed.” There are 18 left. In closing, I’m not going to ask you to please have your animals spayed or neutered. I’m begging you to. You can contact me at home at 706-546-0433, or speak to Sue Jordan, also a member of D.R.A.R, at this number. Sincerely, Bill Koehlke Winterville TELADOC Provision U.S.* will have a company representative at BEAUCHAMP’S Tuesday, January 27 • 7:00 p.m. ► Come learn about organic farming from the owners of Hope Springs Farm (grass-fed meat) and Two Swallows Farm (plants). Access doctors and prescriptions from home 24/7! Tuesday, January 27 7:00 P.M. at the Madison County Library POCSG supports local businesses and farms. V / Savings up to 60% Off Prescription Drugs * Program endorsed by Newt Gingrich & many others Call For More Information 706-757-3422 • 706-207-8163 Thankful for the service of Judge Tise Dear Editor: On behalf of the State Bar of Georgia, I extend congratulations and thanks to Judge Lindsay Tise on his retirement from active service on the Northern Judicial Circuit Superior Court. Judge Tise is a dedicated public servant. Before his 12 years of service as a Superior Court judge, he represented the people of Elbert, Franklin, Hart, Madison and Oglethorpe counties as district attorney. The Northern Circuit and the entire state of Georgia benefit from the service of public-minded lawyers like Judge Tise. The members of the State Bar wish Judge Tise well in his new status as a senior judge. We are grateful for and inspired by his distinguished service to the public and to the principle that fair and impartial courts are essential to the preservation of freedom and the vindication of justice. Sincerely, Jeffrey O. Bramlett, president State Bar of Georgia Update offered from the \A Clinic on Hwy. 29 Dear Editor: It is my privilege to provide you with a brief report of the 2008 activities of the Athens/Elberton division of the State Department of Veterans Service. This division serves the coun ties of Barrow, Clarke, Elbert, Jackson, Madison, Oconee and Oglethorpe with an estimated veteran population of 23,000. It has been a very busy and exciting year in that we had over 17,000 veteran related contacts, which reflects a growth of 26 percent over the previous year. The necessity for personal assistance to eligible beneficiaries filing and pursuing claims with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) results from the legal principle that no veterans’ benefits are awarded auto matically. All benefits to which a veteran may be entitled must be applied for. Our department provides free representation and advice to beneficiaries regarding all state and federal veteran’s benefits. This related in 2008 into direct payments in the amount of $52,359,000 to the veterans in the Athens/Elberton division; dollars that the veterans pour back into the local economy. To improve access to our services, we were fortunate enough this past year to relocate our office to the Athens VA Community Based Outpatient Clinic at 9249 U.S. Hwy. 29 South. Our veterans gave much in the defense of our great nation and we must all continue to work together to make sure their sacrifices are not forgotten. I look forward to continuing this partnership in 2009 and beyond. Additional information or assistance may be obtained by call ing 706-369-5630 (Athens) or 706-213-2040 (Elberton). Sincerely, Dale O. Bell Manager, Athens/Elberton Division THE ULTIMATE RV SUPERMARKET aA Atlanta Our 34th Year Camping & RVSHOfl January Atlanta exposition center s. f That perfect RV for family vacat ons 1-285 exit 55. jonesboro rd. [ has never been more affordab e. RVs* BOOTHS PRIZES $ SEMINARS Motor Homes, Travel Trailers, 5th Wheels, Van Campers, Folding Camping Trailers, Truck Campers, Toy Haulers For more information, call 770-447-3334 VISIT OUR WEB SITE: mvw.atIantarvshow.com FOR ONLY $5 PER MONTH, YOU CAN LIST YOUR GROUP'S MEETINGS! Let your members know when your group is meeting! Call (706) 367-5233 lo advertise your meeting time, place and date in,,, • The Jackson Herald • The Commerce News • The Braselton News • The Banks County News • The Madison County Journal Georgia Real Estate Investors Association, Inc. - Athens Meets the third Thursday each month 6:30 pm at the UGA Conferen ce Center 1197 South Lumpkin Street, Athens, GA 30601 Tom Hewlett - Chapter President thewlettl@charter.net pj 12/09 BANKS COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY, INC. meets first Monday each month 7:00 p.m. in the Banks Co. Historial Courthouse at 105 U.S. Hwy. 441 North in Homer pd.-07/09 Citizens Organized for Pipeline Safety investigating the health risks to citizens from underground pipelines and booster stations in Madison Co. Meetings 6:30 p.m. at the Colbert Grove Baptist Church the 2nd Thurs. of each month. 706-783-4702. Pd.04/09 JEFFERSON Ip AMERICAN LEGION Albert Gordon Post 56 Each 3rd Tuesday, 7:30 p.m. Harvie Lance, Commander Phone (706) 654-1274 no White Plains Baptist Church Pd 02/09 Faith Bible Class meets every Sunday morning at 10:00 a.m. It is a place where strangers become friends and friends become family. 706-367-5650 White Plains Baptist Church 3650 Hwy. 124 West, Jefferson, GA 30549 The Jackson Co. Republican Party Would like you to meet us for breakfast the second Sat. of each month, 8:00 at The Jefferson House. For more information, call 706-652-2967 or email fishyglass@yahoo.com Pd.n/os BANKS COUNTY fgf AMERICAN LEGION Post 215 Meets each 3rd Thursday, 7 p.m. In Homer, GA at the American Legion Building on Historic Highway 441 pj,06/09 VETERANS OF 9 FOREIGN WARS Post 4872, Hurricane Shoals Convention Ctr. Each 4th Tuesdasy, 7:00 p.m. Lamar Langston, Commander Phone 706-652-2627 263 JEFFERSON LIONS CLUB Meets 2nd & 4th Monday Jefferson City Clubhouse 6:30 p.m. *(706) 387-1156 Mack Cates, President 542 Jh UNITY LODGE W( F&A.M. No. 36, Jefferson, GA 1st Tuesday of each month, 7:30 p.m. Dwayne Potts • 706-367-4449 Borders St. behind Tabo's 260 JEFFERSON ROTARY CLUB Meets Tuesdays Jefferson City Clubhouse 12:30 p.m. -(706) 367-7696 Gina Mitsdarffer, President 547