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Viewpoints
Our Opinions
Why Did He Give In?
President Clinton abruptly changed this country's policy toward refugees
from Haiti last Sunday.
Why?
Not because the previous policy of denying boatloads of Haitians to
come into this country just because they could have a better life was
wrong. Our country is supposed to have immigration laws and they were
being followed in regard to the Haitians.
No. The reason he changed was wrong and sets a terrible example.
Randall Robinson, a black lobbyist, went on a hunger strike about two
weeks ago. He said he would not eat again until President Clinton
changed his policy concerning Haitian refugees.
We say any person who wants to go on a hunger strike should be
permitted to starve to death. (Note: You can be sure he would find an
excuse to come off the hunger strike before death.)
President Clinton bowed to this one black man who threatened to starve
himself to death.
Some way to set national policy!
Can just anyone who wants our federal government to change its policies
get the president to make a change just by going on a hunger strike? Why
doesn't someone threaten to starve himself to death until the president and
congress come up with a balanced budget?
0r...a priest is participating in a hunger strike on the steps of the
nation's capitol in Washington asking that the United States close a
military school at Fort Benning where troops for dictators are trained.
Will he get the results he seeks? No chance. While Randall Robinson
was featured on network television several times every day the priest so far
has not made network television the first time. The votes just aren’t out
there to support his efforts.
President Clinton has offended the American people by letting the course
of our national policy be influenced by someone going on a hunger strike.
He should be ashamed of himself. And the American people should be
outraged.
This Certainly Makes Sense
A top official of the American Medical Association has suggested that
physicians post fee schedules so patients can know ahead of time how
much a procedure will cost.
This sounds like an idea whose time has come.
We can compare the cost of groceries or clothing or automobiles, but
have no idea how much a doctor or hospital will charge until the bill
comes in later.
Posting of fees would give patients the opportunity to compare fees and
avoid those big bills that they receive after their insurance has paid all it
will.
Go to it, AMA.
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Julie B. Evans
Treasurer
Mitch Tribble
Secretary
America now ‘talking big and carrying a feather’!
THIS might be called a history
lesson of sorts. It has to do with
South Africa, which only a week
ago held an election which turned
the country over to a black
majority.
Not many years ago South Africa
was a booming country ruled by a
white minority. It was probably
the only country on the African
continent that did not have its hands
in the pockets of taxpayers in the
United States.
To please black voters in this
country our leaders--presidents and
members of congress-destroyed the
government of South Africa
through boycotts and other means.
Having been successful in this
endeavor our country, through
President Clinton, has announced
that, as a beginning, we will give
the new South African government
S6OO million to help it get going.
So we can mark up another success
for our government because it has
taken one of the few countries in
the world that did not depend on
American taxpayers for for handouts
and put it on our handout list for
now and forever.
* * *
AT THE other end of the African
continent Israel and the Palestinians
have signed an agreement giving
some land to the Palestinians.
Anyone who believes these two
groups can get along peacefully for
any length of time is a candidate to
purchase some ocean front property
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Mid Georgia again shows derriere on national tv
Well, Middle Georgia, twice
now we’ve made the national media
circuit
First, it was Hard Copy's cover
age of the blackmail scheme that
rocked the government and, conse
quently, the whole community of
neighboring Warner Robins.
Now, it’s The Jerry Springer
Show which only had to go a little
piece down the road to the outer
limits of Peach County to find an
other sensational story at a little
diner known as “Cafe Erotica”.
I don’t know which one was
worse. The way I see it, both situa
tions have a lot in common...
.. .both televised local residents
showing their derrieres; both were
extremely embarrassing, at least to
me; both gave a black eye to not
only their county’s of residence, but
to all of central Georgia; both
stirred controversies which centered
around questions of morals and eth
ical values; and both boiled down to
money.
Every single waitress and nude
dancer featured on Springer’s Cafe
Erotica feature, which aired last
Monday, said they do it for the
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Houston Times-Journal
on Courtney Hodges Boulevard.
However, both groups know a
good thing when they see it. The
United States, through its president,
has paid both sides to sign this
agreement. How many hundreds of
millions of dollars was the price
still has not been revealed...only
that they were promised a payoff.
It probably will turn into an open
ended commitment.
The saddest thing about these
scenarios is that all the millions
being given so freely to people
around the globe to get them to do
something they should do for their
own good is money that is being
borrowed...by us!
The budget deficit soars. The
national debt rushes toward $4
trillion.
We can all be proud that we have
had the wisdom to send people to
Washington to represent us so well!
Most of them will be dead before
the piper has to be paid...so why
should they care? At my age I'll
probably be dead long before our
country’s debts exceed its ability to
tax, so why should I care? I just
do. And so should you...if you
love your country and you care for
your children and grandchildren.
* * *
AN INTERESTING thing about
this country's generosity with other
nations is how little good it has
done in the way of goodwill.
Theoretically, when you are a
good Samaritan the beneficiary
money.
Every one of them said that the
Cafe is the only place they can
make such huge amounts of money
and still have time to spend with
their husbands, kids and/or
boyfriends.
They say it’s just a job and that
when they go home they are just as
domestic as anyone else and they
simply do not understand why any
one judges or condemns them for
what they do.
They say they don’t understand
how you can call something legal
and then condemn it as immoral.
I, my friends, beg to differ.
Just because something is per
mitted by law, doesn’t mean that it
is virtuous, ethical, righteous or re
spectable.
And, the Cafe Erotica I saw fea
tured on the Jerry Springer Show
this past week is the perfect exam
ple.
I don’t care how much you ar
gue, no one will ever convince me
that shaking your naked body parts
in the public’s face is a re
spectable profession.
And, no one will ever convince
\ - Wednesday, May 11,1994 " Houston Ttnes-Journa!
Page 4A
appreciates what you have done.
In the real world this is not so.
From your own experience you
probably can recall many instances
where generosity created jealousy
and distrust. Give, as our
government does, to individuals
long enough they consider it
something they deserve and begin
demanding more.
The same with foreign countries.
They have come to expect us to
send them money every year. And
each year they want and expect
more. Talk about cutting back on
this "foreign aid” and they really get
heated up...and usually hire
lobbyists in Washington to wine,
dine and entertain our congressmen
so they will vote the right way.
And the big question: Has this
resulted in making of friends?
Certainly not. And it hasn't earned
respect, either.
* * *
FORMER President Teddy
Roosevelt said it this way: "Talk
softly and carry a big stick.”
When the United States did that it
was respected and, perhaps, feared.
But never the butt of jokes and
ridicule and rejection.
Now the policy coming from
Washington could be summed up as
"Talk big and carry a feather."
In the news in recent days has
been the disdain being shown to us
by countries in the so-called Pacific
rim.
Remember 50 years ago when
me that taking a stranger’s money
.and tying his hands behind his back
so that you can do a bumping,
grinding “fantasy” dance on his lap
is a moral or ethical way of making
a living.
As a woman. . . as a human,
you’ve got to draw the line
somewhere.
Maybe you and your husband
couldn’t pay the bills and send your
kids to private school before you
landed this job, but what are you
telling and teaching your kids by
doing what you’re doing?
How are your kids responding to
the ridicule they must get from
their peers at school? Are they
embarrassed? Are they going to
suffer long-range effects?
Will your little girls even bother
to get an education so that they can
make their living with their clothes
on? Will your little boys grow up
to respect women as something
other than a sex object?
Do the pros really outweigh the
cons?
Do your husbands-especially
those spouses who actually sent
their wives to the Cafe to go to
€« FoyS |
Evans I
Americans fought and died to save
countries in that part of the world
from the Japanese?
After the war they all wanted our
money and protection. For the past
50 years we have provided military
protection for Japan and those
countries. They have prospered.
They have held onto their money,
while we have given ours away.
They are in great financial shape
and we are on the verge of
bankruptcy. Fantasy: They will
help us when we are down and out
Now they are saying, in so many
words, "Yankee go home". They
cooperate with us when it is in
their own interests. They say "Go
fly a kite" when it is just
cooperating with us.
These countries, that owe their
very independence and existance to
American lives and money, cannot
be counted on as friends or to share
the burdens of the rest of the world.
* * *
THE LESSON that you cannot
buy friendship, loyalty or respect
should sink in with our leaders
someday.
So far it has not.
t Brenda I
Hi
f 1 Thompson!
/ Staff writer
work-really respect you? Are there
not other things, with a little more
dedication and work, which both of
you can do to financially make it?
Is it necessity or is it greed that
drives you?
I’m going to stick my neck out
here and assume it is more of the
latter. Because, truth is, since
you’re alive and well, you were ob
viously getting by before Cafe
Erotica ever made the Middle Geor
gia scene.
I’m just glad that there are still
some Americans who leant to live
within their means and who don’t
allow themselves to stoop to such
despicable levels.
And, I’m also glad that there are
some people left who realize that
there are some things you just can’t
buy ... like R-E-S-P-E-C-T!