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Viewpoints
Our
Views
Roy Shelnutt
Perry has lost a fine man - one who exem
plified the old-fashioned virtues of hard
work, concern for others and respect for the
law. Roy Shelnutt served his fellow man as a
police officer and continued to take his turn
patrolling the city streets while he was
Assistant Police Chief.
He was a man who could crack down on
lawbreakers and still try to help them. He
built his reputation on being both fair and
firm, both a people-person and a tough law
enforcement officer.
He will not be forgotten.
The dream
As we celebrate the birthday of civil rights
leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Dr.
Martin Luther King Jr., it is well to remember
that while great strides have been made in the
last few decades, the work of attaining equal
ity for all people in this great nation of ours is
not done.
Laws can only take us so far. For Dr.
King’s dream and the American dream
to be realized fully, changes must be made in
our hearts as well, as each generation teaches
the next the basic rules of fairness and respect
for others.
Let us observe this day by remembering
that we may have come a long long way, but
we can all take a few more steps toward
mutual understanding.
A new governor
Our new governor, Roy Barnes, has sever
al big challenges ahead.
In the first place, former Governor Zell
Miller, after a few ups and downs, left office
as a very popular leader, whose success with
turning the lottery into an educational oppor
tunity has endeared him to many who might
not otherwise have been able to attend tech
school or college.
Governor Barnes will have his own
opportunities to make a difference, however.
Just as Miller achieved a lasting legacy
with the HOPE Scholarships, Governor
Barnes could become the “Transportation
Governor” or the Governor who brings more
economic growth to Georgia’s many
depressed rural counties.
In the meantime, let’s hope that Barnes
makes a good start with the General
Assembly, and works to bring a true spirit of
bipartisan cooperation to state government.
We wish him and all our state elected offi
cials well as they begin to work together.
Letters to the
Editor
P.O. Drawer M
Perry, Ga. 31069
Editor,
Wc would like to respond to Phil Clark’s article
a couple of weeks ago saying there is no place to
play golf in south Houston County.
Perry Country Club, which is located one mile
north of downtown Perry just off of Houston Lake
Road has been a private, member only club in the
past but is now open to non-member guest play. We
feel our fees are moderate and especially our winter
coupon special, which is as competitively priced as
any golf course in the area and we would welcome
anyone who would like to come out to play.
We still offer memberships at very affordable
rates and we never take tee times. So if there are
any readers out there with no place to golf, try
Perry Country Club.
Robert Spainhour
President
Perry Country Club Board of Directors
Butch Wilhelm
PGA Golf Professional
Perry Country club
(EDITOR’S NOTE: We welcome this
announcement with great joy, knowing many
people will have access to a good golf facility in
southern Houston County. Thanks.)
/Mm nrn- Journal
P.O. Drawer M • 807 Carroll St. • Perry. Ga. 31069
email timesjm@hom.net
(912) 987-1823 (voice) • (912) 988-1181 (fax)
Bob Tribble President
Jj Johnson Editor and General Manager
Advertising Director
News: Rob Mead, Pauline Lewis, Joan Dorsett. News and
Composition: Charlotte Perkins; Sports: Phil Clark and
Allinc Kent; News and Classified Ads: Stacie Vu;
Circulation and Photography: Eric Zcllars. Bookkeeping:
Paula Zimmerman
p— ——
/
Counting the (mixed) blessings of growing old
I’ve had the same reaction to all my
“Big Oh" birthdays since I was 20.
When I turned twenty, it struck me
that I only had ten years to go before
reaching the ancient age of thirty. By
the time I got to thirty, thirty didn’t
seem that old. What really worried me
.was the idea that in ten more yeais I’d
be forty. At forty, the specter of turn
ing fifty in another decade worried me,
and at fifty, I thought, “This isn’t so
bad. but I don’t know how I’ll handle
sixty.”
So, on Sunday, I had my 60th birth
day, and guess what? My main reac
tion was, "Hallelujah! In just five
more years I can retire!”, followed by
“Hey, I’d better start taking better care
of myself so I’ll still be having fun
when I’m 70.”
The thing about getting older -
which we all start doing the day we’re
bom - is that sooner or later none of us
can kid ourselves that we’re 25-in-dis
guise.
And the thing about really and truly
aging is that it sneaks up so steadily on
Hunters hold meeting on muzzle loader season
Last week, officials of the Georgia
Department of Natural Resources held
a public meeting in Perry at the
Georgia Agricenter to discuss the hunt
ing proposals for the 99-2000 season.
Despite a small crowd, much valuable
information was shared with local
hunters.
The biggest unresolved issue from
last year is whether or not a muzzle
loader season is to be established.
Most hunters would like to see a muz
zleloader season, but the only question
is when?
Archery hunters don’t want to give
up any of their deer hunting days, and
neither do gun hunters. At the meeting
GNR officials asked for responses to
three options on the muzzleloaders sea
son.
They are 1) No action, and there
fore no muzzleloading season, 2) A
P.W. season during the last week of
Archery season and 3) a compromise
option.
The compromise involves basically
taking a few days from the end of
Archery season and the beginning of
Gun season. Presently the gun season
begins on the first Saturday after
October 19.
Under the compromise, the gun
season would start the first Saturday
after October 22 of each year. On the
calender this would mean that over the
next 10 years the gun season would
start a few days later in five of those
years.
Thus one year. Archery season
would last four weeks, followed by a
one - week P.W. season, and a standard
- length Firearms season. The next
year, modem
Firearms season would open a week
later than normal ( but would not gain
a week at the end). Archery season
would last the standard five weeks, and
P.W. season would fill in the gap.
The GNR is not promoting any of
the proposals, out are asking hunters
for their opinions. Of the group at the
meeting a small majority seemed in
favor of the compromise proposal for a
muzzlcloader season by a show of
hands. Personally I like the proposal
because I’ve been using a blackpowder
rifle for many years, taking two deer
with a CVA 50 caliber rifle this year on
the Piedmont National Wildlife
Refuge. However I’m aware that there
are quite a few hunters who are happy
with the current status quo.
At the hearing the GNR officials
also said that future hunting regulation
hearings would be held every two
years instead of yearly. This will give
them more time to make sound recom
mendations and reduce administrative
costs.
If you would like to send your com
ments on the above or any other issue,
you can comment by writing to DNR
Game Management, 2070 U.S. 278
S.E., Social Circle, Ga. 30279.
Have 1 ever told you that hunting is
safer than playing ping pong?
According to the National Safety
Council, the chances of being hurt with
a game of ping pong are twice as like-
Our Policies
Unsigned editorials appearing in larger type on this page
under the label Our Views reflect the position of the Houston
Times-Joumal. 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., Jan. 13,1999
Charlotte
Perkins
Times-Journal Staff
you in your fifties that you can’t deny
it when you reach sixty.
At fifty, for example, I could still
eat five-alarm chili and double-fudge
brownies (even at the same time.) At
sixty, I have an advanced degree in
Comparative Antacids. At fifty, I
could drink coffee after supper. At
sixty, if I drink coffee after lunch on
Tuesday, I’ll be awake at 3 a.m. on
Wednesday.
At fifty, I could get out of bed easi
ly enough. At sixty, my'knees are like
ly to stand up before my back does, or
vice versa.
But the advantages of aging start
showing up, too. Take the famous
Senior Discount.
I didn’t always think highly of the
John Trussed
Outdoors for the
Times-Journal
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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-Joumal 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
Big S.D. Once when I was in my mid
forties. I dragged myself into a drug
store to pick up a prescription for the
raging flu, and a perky little teen-aged
witch handed me my prescription and
asked, “Do you get a Senior Citizens
Discount?”
I gasped, told her Certainly Not,
and -as feverish as I was -1 managed
to buy some L’Oreal and a new lipstick
on my way out of the store.
Now, I practically jump across
counters waving my AARP card.
Hey, I haven’t gotten any other
respect for aging yet. My sister still
tells me to eat my veggies. My co
workers don’t call me Miss Charlotte
or even M am, despite my seniority.
But when it comes to Senior
Discounts, I get what’s coming to me.
Different places may have different
definitions of “Senior”, but one thing I
know is that its a rare young checkout
person who can tell whether you’re 40
or 80 at a glance, so if they ask me,
“Do you get a Senior Discount?” I just
say “Yes, Dearie,” in a quavering
B
ly as being hurt while hunting.
Hunting is safer than baseball, volley
ball, swimming, cycling, golf, tennis,
fishing, bowling, badminton, billiards
and ping pong!
Next time someone tells you hunt
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ing the freedom of speech, or of the press, or of the right of
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this newspaper is protected by the First Amendment to the
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The Houston Times-Journal (USPS 000471) is pub
lished weekly for $21.40 per year (including sales tax) by
Houston Publications Inc., 807 Carroll St., Perry, Ga.,
31069. Periodicals Class Postage paid at Perry, Ga.
POSTMASTER : Send address changes to the Houston
Times-Journal, P.O. Drawer M, Perry, Ga. 31069. ISSN:
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voice. I figure if they’ve got the nerve
to ask, I deserve the discount.
There are other consolations, too.
Grandchildren are high on my list of
senior citizen benefits, and so is know
ing that the whole generation I grew
up with is getting old right along with
me (and some of them are getting
bald.)
But, most of all. I’ve realized that at
60, I’m finally closing in on the one
and only birthday that people look for
ward to after their early twenties - the
Big Six Five.
It’s not that I don’t like my work or
my workplace. It’s just that I’ve been
longing for more free time for forty
years. Sixty five is when I can start
writing the novel I didn’t write during
my forties and my fifties, or maybe
just sit around reading murder myster
ies, drinking decaf herbal tea and lis
tening to Carly Simon sing. “These arc
the good old days.”
That makes the view from sixty
look pretty good - even through bifo
cals.
ing is dangerous, share that tidbit with
them. Until next time, good hunting.
(John Trussed writes about items of
interest concerning the outdoors for
the Houston Times-Journal.)