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Viewpoints
Our
Views
Crime doesn’t
pay. It costs!!
It comes as no surprise to informed citizens that
the cost of keeping criminals behind bars keeps
going up at the same time that the number of law
breakers seems on a steady increase.
We are all paying the high cost of crime when it
comes to jailing law-breakers. In Houston County,
while we wait for anew jail to be built, out bill for
housing local inmates in other county’s jails is sky
rocketing
And there's another cost as well - the cost of
housing prisoners who arc really the state's respon
sibility. We can sympathize with the Department
of Corrections for not being able to build prisons
fast enough to house all the state’s enlenced pris
oners. but we do not consider it a fair deal for the
slate to pay only S2O a night to Georgia’s counties
for maintaining these inmates for months at a time,
when costs are frequently as high as $35 a night to
house those prisoners in out-of-county facilities.
This is something we hope our legislative dele
gation will look into carefully in their next session.
Georgia’s counties have enough trouble making
ends meet without having this extra burden
A goodbye...
Our former Superintendent of Schools, Tony
Hinnant, left office with little fanfare, but with
much to be proud of. and our school system will
be building on his substantial accomplishements
for many years to come.
We appreciate all he has done and wish him
well for the future.
and a welcome
It’s good to know that Dr. Charles Holloway
and his wife and daughter have found Houston
County a warm and friendly place. A man with as
much responsibility as our new superintendent has
shouldered needs a supportive community around
him.
Dr. Holloway has taken on the challenge of
guiding a rapidly growing school system in a
rapidly growing county, and there will be many
hard decisions to make along the way.
It is good to see that he has a strong belief in
the basics of education, while still grasping the
importance of teaching our young people how to
cope in the world of high technology.
We wish him the very best
Letters to the
Editor
P.O. Drawer M
Perry, Ca 31069
Editor:
I base had the pleasure of dining at Middle
Georgia's only Christian dinner theater on several
occasions in the past several months and I would
like to take this opportunity to let the rest of the
Middle Georgia Christian community know about
Joel's Place in Warner Robins, Georgia.
Joel’s Place is located at 415 N. Commercial
Circle in Warner Robins and usually has some
known (although sometimes not well known)
Gospel singer or group in every Friday and
Saturday nights. I have been a little disappointed
that with the comments heard that God fearing and
God loving people don’t have any place to go and
have a good meal and good Christian entertain
ment, that the attendance at Joel’s has not been
better. I would have thought that the Churches and
Sunday Schools in the area would love to have
some place to go on a Friday or Saturday evening
for some good Christian fellowship, a nice meal
and some good Christian entertainment.
I was there this past Saturday evening, had a
delicious roast beef dinner and entertainment by
The Premiers, a group out of Alabama and
Tennessee and I know those of you that were there
enjoyed it immensely and those of you that were
not there missed an outstanding Christian group.
The owners Tom Black and his lovely wife are
trying hard to give you a nice place to go out to on
a Friday or Saturday and they would like to hear
from you.
Charles J. (Chick) Evans
Perry
Houston Times -Journal
HO. Drawer M • 807 Carroll Si. • Perry, Ga. 31069
email jjcdit @hom.net
(912) 987-1823 (voice) • 1912) 988 -1181 (fax)
Boh Tribble President
Jj Johnson Editor and General Manager
Sherri Wenglcr Advertising Director
News Emily Johnstone, Pauline Lewis, Joan Dorsett;
News and Composition: Charlotte Perkins; Sports and
Classified Ads: Chad Lewis; Circulation and Photography:
Eric Zcilars; Bookkeeping. Paula Zimmerman
/
Cats, mice, new babies, and other serious matters
Missing Cat, Tired Mice: That old
saying - “While the cat's away, the
mice will play.” doesn't apply at the
Timcs-Joumal. The “cat" - namely our
editor. Jj Johnson - is out this week fol
lowing emergency gall bladder
surgery, andwe’ve all been very busy
mice trying to do the two or three hun
dred things he docs each week.
We are all hoping that he'll get well
in a hurry and come back.
Meeting the Superintendent: I
enjoyed talking with Dr. Charles
Holloway. Houston County’s new
Superintendent of Schools, earlier this
week. He seems to me to be a man
who really likes young people and
really respects teachers. We all wish
him and his family the very best.
Sharing some humor:: Many of
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The heauty of Arches National Park
The skies are amazing in Arches
National Park I don't recall eversee
ing the sky as clear and as deep blue as
it is in the high country' desert (6000
feet elevation). Yes. this is desert,
receiving less than 8 inches of precip
itation a year, about 2591 of it as snow.
The sun is broiling hot—the air is thin
here, and the concentration of ultravi
olet light is much greater than at sea
level. Fortunatelv. there is
almost always a breeze, and
the breeze feels cool because
perspiration is constantly
evaporating.
There is no light pollution
from cities, so the stars are
very clear at night. It remind
ed us of the crisp nights we
experienced on our anniver
sary raft trip on the Colorado
River two years ago. when we
slept out under the stars.
Wci'd wake up and marvel at
the clarity and brilliance of
the constellations, including the Milky
Way. the smear of
white which is the rest of our galaxy.
The area known as the Devil's
Garden is located deep within the
boundaries of the park. There are lots
of red sandstone fins and about half a
dozen arches, including the largest and
most fragile in the park-Landscape
Arch. Rangers no longer allow any
one to walk near it or under it. In fact,
they suggest that if you want to be sure
to see it, go see it NOW-the rate of
erosion is so great that the final
chunks of rock may fall at any time.
We enjoyed the beauty of all the arch
es on this trail, but more than that, we
just loved the hike! It was up and
down over rocks, walking along very
narrow canyons, and terrific views in
just about all directions. At one point,
the surroundings reminded me of the
rocks I claimed as my own personal
iforti. high on a hill overlooking my
Our Policies
Unsigned editorials appearing in larger type on this page
under the label Our Views reflect the position of the Houston
Times-Journal. Signed columns and letters on this page (and
elsewhere in this newspaper) reflect the opinions of the writ
ers and not necessarily those of this newspaper.
Signed letters to the editor are welcomed. Please limit let
ters to 300 words and include addresses and a telephone
number for verification purposes. Letters are not published
without verification Letters should be sent to P.O. Drawer
M. Perry. Ga., 31069 or brought to the newspaper office at
807 Carroll St., Perry
Our liability for an error will not exceed the cost of space
Page 4A
\ Wed.. July 8. !W8
Charlotte
Perkins
you may have already discovered that
the Internet is a wonderful sources of
humor. Here's the latest joke I’ve got
ten from cyberspace:
It seems that a small businesss was
seeking anew employee, so the boss
placed an ad in the classified section of
the paper "Wanted: office assistant,
must have good personality, be capa
ble of using a computer, and must be
bi-hngual."
The next day a big shaggy dog
walked in, holding the ad in his teeth
and waited politely for an interview.
...and He saw
it was good
Dennis Hooper,
Columnist
grandparents house in Atlanta. Asa
boy, I would retreat to my rock fort
God's creativity is evident every
where. And he not only provided it
as a one-time event, He maintains
His creation. Though we humans
sometimes lament the natural
forces of erosion, fire, and flood,
there is no doubt that these are ele
ments of God's creation , too.
and watch all the adults on the
screened-in porch down below. It was
a great place to imagine being a west
ern cowboy!
My expectations were high for the
afternoon hike. The Fiery Furnace is
so named because the colorful
hoodoos and fins look like fingers of
flame from a distanee, especially in
the red setting sun. Signs at the
entrance to this maze recommend that
your first hike in this are be a
ranger-led walk, to avoid becoming
lost!
When wc signed up for this trip, the
ranger at the desk showed us pictures
of what we’d encounter. They do that
to help tourists decide that they really
want to participate in a hike this
rugged and to assess whether they are
in shape to do it. We were ready!
The hike exceeded our expectations!
I was not only loving the climb, I
was enjoying taking photos of the
unusual rock formations and the vari
l a.
*
■
occupied by the error
We cannot be responsible for the return of pictures or sub
mitted materials unless a stamped, return address envelope is
included.
Our Goal
The Houston Times-Journal is published proudly for the
citizens of Houston and adjoining counties by Houston
Publications Inc., Perry, Ga. Our goal is to produce quality,
profitable, community-oriented newspapers that you, our
readers, are proud of. We will reach this goal through hard
work, teamwork, loyalty and a strong dedication toward
printing the truth.
Member of Georgia Press Association and National
Houston rimes-Journal
The boss wasn't really interested in
hiring a dog. but he wanted to be fair,
so he asked the dog if he had a good
personality for meeting the public.
The dog smiled and wagged his tail.
’Sure,” the boss said, “but can you
use a computer?”
The dog jumped up on a chair,
turned the computer on and proceeded
to demonstrate remarkable skill at
everything from typing to spreadsheets
to computer page design.
“Well," the boss said, “I'm
impressed, but I still don’t think you're
quite right for the job. After all. we did
say that needed someone bi-lingual."
The dog looked the man straight in
the face and said, “Meow!"
The New Baby - Wc have all had a
chance now to hold little Randy, our
Times-Joumal baby. Well, he really
ous contortions required to squeeze
through some of the tight spots. There
were narrow passageways, steep
inclines, about a dozen arches we and
not
yet seen, and more great views! In
many ways, it was similar to our cav
ing experiences in New Mexico—only
we had light all the time!
At one point, my enthusiasm resulted
in a minor tragedy. 1 was
perched high on a rock, over
looking Donna and the rest
of the visitors who were
inching their way through a
crevice down below. I was
snapping photos like crazy—
both to capture Donnais
gutsiness and to relish the
unusual angle. Somehow, as
I was adjusting the camera, it
jumped out of my hands and
floated down to its first
bumpy careening on the
rock After another
bounce our two, the camera smashed
into the gap below!
>From that point forward. I had to
discipline myself to focus on the won
der of the moment, realizing that no
photograph would be available to
refresh my memory. The shock of the
loss of my camera is still with me. but
so is the vivid recollection of the beau
ty of that rugged, solid Estrada sand
stone.
We continue to be astounded at the
amazing variety of substances which
makc up our earth! God s creativity is
evident everywhere. And He not only
provided it as a one-time event. He
maintains His creation. Though wc
humans sometimes lament the natural
forces of erosion, fire, andflood. there
is no doubt that these are elements of
God’s creation, too.
We ended our days at Arches
National Park deeply fatigued, but
fully satisfied with our experiences. It
i
He sleeps most of the time he's
here, which figures, since Paula says
that he’s awake at all hours of the
night. Here’s a picture of him in the
arms of his big sister, Holly.
Voter information is coming up
next week. Remember that the Primary
Election is on July 21!.
Bob
Tribble
Times
Journal President
Bad news from
high court
The line item veto is dead for now.
In a historic assertion of judicial
authority, the Supreme Court has over
ruled both Congress and the President
by striking down the line item veto as
unconstitutional.
The high court said in its 6-3 vote
that the law violates the Constitution's
requirement that presidents must
accept or reject unconditionally every
bill passed by Congress. The line item
veto allowed presidents to strike spe
cific items from broad tax and spend
ing measures.
I agree with President Clinton and
Congress on this one. The high court
decision is a defeat for ali Americans.
It deprvies the president of avaluable
tool for eliminating waste in the feder
al budget.
Polls taken in previous years have
shown that 83 percent of the American
people support giving the president a
line item veto. Presidents of both par
ties have long sought the power as a
tool for curbing wasteful "porkbarrel"
spending.
Republicans intent on shrinking big
government made the line item veto
priority of the Contract with America
campaign platform in 1994 when they
won control of Congress for the first
time in 40 years. Congress passed the
legislation in 1996 and President
Clinton signed it into law.
Justice John Paul Stevens writing
for the court said the probem with the
line item veto is that there is not provi
sion in the Constitution that
authorizes the president to enact, to
amend or to repeal the statutes.
"The Constitution itself must be
amended before such power can be
granted.' he wrote.
Stressing the profound importance
of the issue. Justice Stevens empha
sized that the court expressed no opin
ion about the w'isdom of the line item
veto.
"We do not lightly conclude that
Congress and the president violated
the Constitution by enacting the law,"
he wrote for the majority. "Wc
have.however, twice had full argu
ments and briefing on the question and
have concluded that our duty is clear."
Voting to strike down the line item
veto were Chief Justice William
Rejnhquist and Justices Stevens,
Anthony M. Kennedy, David H.
Souter. Clarence Thomas and Ruth
Bader Ginsburg.
Since the laws inception on Jan. I.
1997, President Clinton has exercised
the line item veto power on 82 occa
sions. Congress overrode 38 of those
vetoes and the president withdrew one
himself. The status of the 43 vetocsstill
in effect until the high court ruling is
now uncertain.
Two Republican senators, John
McCain of Arizona and Dan Coats of
Indianna say they will soon introduce
legislation that would require each
(See TRIBBLE, Page 6A )
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belongs to our
bookkeeper,
Paula
Zimmerman, but
so far, every time
she's dropped by,
she's brought
him along and
we've all enjoyed
taking turns play
ing grandma.
What a cute one
he is'
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