Newspaper Page Text
4A
► WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2003
(Life JJintrrou
OPINION
Daniel F. Evans
President,
Editor and Publisher
Julie B. Evans Rex Gambill
Vice President Managing Editor
Foy S. Evans
Editor Emeritus
The Boml Has Been Broken
Finally, Warner Robins and Houston County
have been designated as a “Metropolitan
Statistical Area,” separating our county from
Macon and Bibb County.
The umbilical cord should have been cut a
long time ago.
Since the federal government began desig
nating Metropolitan Statistical Areas,
Houston County has been lumped in with
Bibb County. It made sense in the beginning.
Things have changed.
Warner Robins and Houston County no
longer have commonalities with Macon and
Bibb County. Being lumped with them actual
ly has worked to the detriment of our county
in recent years, because, among other things,
crime statistics made Houston County look
worse that it is.
We like the idea of Houston County stand
ing alone. Statistics in the future will truly
reflect what we have here in a progressive
county. Let Bibb County and any other
Middle Georgia counties that are lumped
together provide statistics that reflect them.
For many years Macon tried to give the
impression that Warner Robins was a village
located somewhere between South Macon and
Cherry Street. Warner Robins, along with
Houston County, has blossomed.
We look forward to the next set of statistics
that are released. These figures should be a
strong tool when efforts are made to attract
new businesses and industries to Houston
County.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Pearsa!! is the
Democrats' problem
Editor:
The Democrats are having
a hard time finding anyone
to run for U.S. Sen. Zell
Miller’s Senate seat. With
leaders like Jim Pearsall of
Houston County it’s under
standable. I have never seen
someone so negative about
everything but no solutions
to anything. I greatly appre
ciate the child tax credit I
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How the Democrats should talk about Iraq
By U.S. Rep. Jim Marshall
Guest Columnist
My first trip to a combat
zone occurred in 1969.1 was a
21-year-old staff sergeant,
naive as hell, a freshly trained
Army Ranger who had left
Princeton University to vol
unteer for ground combat in
Vietnam. I vividly recall feel
ing way out-of-step with my
Ivy League colleagues.
Well that same out-of-step
feeling is back again. But this
time it’s about Iraq and
involves some of my profes
sional colleagues, political
leaders and activists who are
carelessly using words and
phrases such as “quagmire,”
“our failure in Iraq,” “this is
just another Vietnam,” or
“the Bush administration has
no plan.”
I went to Iraq a couple of
weeks ago to resolve for
myself the recent contrast
received and the other tax
cuts regardless of how
small.
I will never vote
Democratic again as long as
the districts are split like
they are and we have people
like Jim Pearsall heading up
the Democratic Party in
Houston County.
And he has the gall to talk
about President Bush’s
arrogance!
Tom Thornton
Kathleen
between gloomy news cover
age and optimistic Pentagon
reports of our progress. My
trip left no doubt that the
Pentagon’s version is far clos
er to reality. Our news cover
age disproportionately dwells
on the deaths, mistakes and
setbacks suffered by coalition
forces. Some will attribute
this to a grand left-wing con
spiracy, but a more plausible
explanation is simply the ten
dency of our news media to
focus on bad news. It sells.
Few Americans think local
news coverage fairly captures
the essence of daily life and
progress in their hometowns.
Coverage from Iraq is no dif
ferent.
Falsely bleak Iraq news cir
culating in the United States
is a serious problem for coali
tion forces because it discour
ages Iraqi cooperation, the
key to our ultimate success or
The 'joy' of pregnancy - here we go again
I got the news a week ago
last Saturday. Teresa walked
into the bedroom with that
certain air which women get
when they have a secret and
can’t wait to tell you.
“Congratulations,” she
smiled, and just for an
instant I thought she was
referring to the fact I had
actually put my dirty clothes
in the laundry basket,
instead of just in the same
geographical area. Then my
brain cycled up to the prop
er speed. “Uh, what do
mean, congratulations?”
She just smiled, and sudden
ly looked pregnant. My first
response, of course, was
entirely reflexive and utter
ly male.
“What have you done?!!”
It’s not that we don’t want
another baby. In fact, it
something we’ve been plan
ning for a while now. It’s
just that I had forgotten all
the marvelous “side effects”
that come along for the ride.
For instance, morning
sickness. Teresa doesn’t
actually get morning sick
ness. She has “Morning,
Noon, and Night” sickness.
My wife wakes up woozy,
proceeds to queasy some
time around noon, and by
afternoon has arrived at
nauseated. Oddly, she’s fine
for a 45-minute period
WR Campus of Macon State a point of pride
By Dr. David A. Bell
Guest Columnist
Dr. Tom Meredith, my boss
and chancellor of the
University System of
Georgia, recently accepted an
invitation to visit the new
Warner Robins Campus of
Macon State College. In my
six years as president of this
institution, I don’t recall a
prouder moment. It gave me
an opportunity to present the
results of an amazing part
nership between Macon State
and the people of Houston
County. As we toured the
classrooms and labs of
Thomas Hall and the new
Academic Services Building,
he clearly appreciated that
we had achieved our collec
tive goal - creating a commu
nity of learning with endless
possibilities and promise.
The 1,500 students who
greeted our faculty and staff
at the start of Fall Semester
2003, confirmed our expecta
tion that this new campus
would be a successful enter
prise from the very begin
ning. Many of these students
are recent high school gradu
ates working toward their
bachelor’s degrees in busi
ness or information technolo
gy while others are mature
adults returning to finish
degrees begun years ago. A
considerable number are mil
itary and civilian personnel of
Robins Air Force Base look
ing to enhance careers by
honing their management
skills or exploring the ever
changing world of computer
and information science.
It has been 33 years since
Macon State taught its first
courses on Robins AFB.
Since then, we had seen
Houston blossom to become
the largest and fastest grow
ing community in the state
without a permanent
University System of Georgia
failure, a daily determinant of
life or death for American sol
diers. As one example, coali
tion forces are now discover
ing nearly 50 percent of the
improvised explosive devices
through tips. Guess how they
discover the rest.
We not only need Iraqi tips
and intelligence, we need
Iraqis fighting by our side and
eventually assuming full
responsibility for their inter
nal security. But Iraqis have
not forgotten the 1991 Gulf
War. America encouraged the
Shiites to rebel, then aban
doned them to be slaugh
tered. I visited one of the
mass graves, mute testimony
to the wisdom of being cau
tious about relying on
American politicians to live
up to their commitments.
For Iraqis, news of
America’s resolve is critical to
any decision to cooperate with
Joe Bishop
Columnist
joe@wnng.mgacoxmail.com
between 6:15 and 7 p.m.,
our window of opportunity
for dinner. Then it’s back to
ill for the rest of the
evening. And not just “run
of-the-mill” ill; oh no, this is
industrial-strength sick -
the kind you could buy in
institutional-size containers
at Sam’s. Teresa does still
manage to find strength to
feed the boys three square
meals; as for me, I’m sud
denly on a nine-month
forced diet.
Then there’s the body
temperature issue. From the
very second of her
announcement, my wife’s
body temperature plunged
to rock lizard levels. She’s
constantly freezing, regard
less of whatever setting the
campus. Its people wanted
and needed greater access to
higher education. In the early
19905, then-state Rep. Sonny
Watson helped us secure a
leased facility in the
Advanced Technology Park
where enrollment reached
800 students by the end of
that decade. The concept of a
permanent campus began to
take shape as the student
body continued to expand.
Most dreams of this magni
tude become reality only
after a great deal of hard
work and persistence, and
Houston County is fortunate
to have leaders who are pre
pared to deliver both in what
ever measure is required.
Gov. Sonny Perdue of
Bonaire opened the door for
the new campus while still a
Georgia state senator. State
Rep. Larry Walker of Perry
was the college’s dedicated
champion in the House, lead
ing the delegation’s success
ful effort. Donald Walker and
the Warner Robins City
"My folks want me to be a small businessman
when I grow up, but I'd rather have health insurance."
coalition forces, a decision
that can lead to death.
Newspaper start-up ventures
and sales of satellite dishes
absolutely exploded following
the collapse of Saddam’s
regime. With this on top of the
Internet, Iraqis do get the pic
ture from America - literally.
Many in Washington view
the contest for the presidency
and control of Congress as a
zero-sum game without exter
nal costs or benefits.
Politicians and activists in
each party reflexively cele
brate, spread and embellish
news that is bad for the oppo
sition. But to do that now
with regard to Iraq harms our
troops and our effort.
Concerning Iraq, this normal
political tripe can impose a
heavy external cost.
It is too soon to determine
whether Iraqis will step for
ward to secure their own free
thermostat is put.
I fully expect to come
home one evening and find
Teresa sprawled on a giant
rock basking under a large
sun lamp. Give her credit,
though, she does keep try
ing. The heater must have
been set to 90 degrees last
night. Being cold-natured, I
tossed and turned so much I
had a nightmare about
being a hot dog in a giant
rotisserie. That reminded
me I was hungry, being on a
nine-month forced diet and
all. As for Teresa, she was
still shivering in her sleep.
Then there’s exhaustion.
Men, it seems, don’t know
what real tired is. I had it
explained to me once by an
obstetrician like this:
During the baby-building
process, the energy a woman
uses is about equal to run
ning a nine-month
marathon. No rest, no
changing paces to conserve
stamina - it’s like the Tour
de France without ever get
ting off your bicycle. Any
activity a pregnant woman
can do beyond this, say like
cooking, washing, or breath
ing, is just gravy. Now don’t
you men all feel guilty?
Makes me want to go run a
sympathy marathon.
Speaking of sympathy,
that could be the worst part
Council made a critical con
tribution when they secured
the property on which the
new campus is now located,
donated it to the University
System and then helped drive
its development. The collabo
ration continued as the
Robins Federal Credit Union
donated property for parking
and the Nola Brantley
Memorial Library offered its
services as an academic
resource for Macon State stu
dents. As the project pro
gressed, U.S. Sen. Saxby
Chambliss secured funding
for Macon State’s Institute
for Information
Management, the College’s
economic arm, which is now
headquartered at the Warner
Robins Campus.
Meanwhile, numerous
Houston County citizens and
businesses continue to pledge
their support for Macon State
students through the col
lege’s Foundation.
These valuable partners of
Macon State College have
dom. For now, responsible
Democrats should carefully
avoid using the language of
failure. It is false. It endan
gers our troops and our effort.
It can be unforgivably self-ful
filling.
Democratic candidates for
the presidency should repeat
edly hammer home their sup
port, if elected, for helping the
Iraqi people secure their own
freedom. It is fine for each to
contend that he or she is a
better choice for securing vic
tory in Iraq. But in making
this argument, care should be
taken not to dwell on per
ceived failures of the current
team or plan. Americans,
with help from commentators
and others, will decide this for
themselves.
Instead of being negative
about Iraq, Democratic presi
dential candidates should
emphasize the positive
THE HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL
of all. I can put up with
doing most of the house
work, evening childcare, and
reduced caloric intake with
a smile, or at least a stress
induced grimace. But sym
pathy aches in the back
aren’t fair. Not to mention
going to the bathroom two
dozen times more often.
Why does my bladder have
to shrink just because my
wife’s internal organs are
getting pushed into a space
the size of a Frisbee?
On the bright side, we’ve
missed the mood swings, hot
flashes, and general con
trariness so far. For that I
am truly thankful. Maybe it
will come later on down the
road. And if it does, Teresa
will smile with studied
patience, as she did when
she was carrying Thomas
and Joseph, and remind me
that we’re in this together.
Which is to say, “You got me
this way, now shut up and
suffer!”
With that I’ll close as I
opened. “What have I
done?” Hope to see you in
nine months.
Joe Bishop is the news
director for WNNG 1350
AM, Houston County’s only
locally-owned radio station.
been single-minded in their
conviction of what a perma
nent college campus can do
for Houston County. And the
College is committed to serv
ing Houston County and
Robins Air Force Base educa
tionally, economically and
culturally. The college is
using its strength in business
and information technology
to help the Base maintain its
competitive edge, to help
Houston County business,
industry and government
develop even greater econom
ic leverage and to partner
with K-12 schools and Middle
Georgia Tech to expand aca
demic opportunities through
out the region.
Macon State College is
proud to be a member of the
Houston County community.
The administration, faculty,
staff and students are grate
ful for the faith shown in this
partnership. And be assured,
there is more to come - much
more.
Dr. David A Bell is presi
dent of Macon State College.
aspects of their own plans for
Iraq. Save the negative
attacks for the issues of jobs
and the economy. Iraqis are
far less likely to support the
coalition effort if they think
America might withdraw fol
lowing the 2004 election.
Finally, no better signal of
our commitment to this effort
could currently be provided
than for Congress to quickly
approve, with little dissent or
dithering, the president’s
request for an additional sß7'
billion for Iraq and
Afghanistan. Of course no one
wants to spend such a sum.
But it is well worth it if it
leads to a stable, secular rep
resentative government in
Iraq, something that could
immeasurably improve our
future national security.
Jim Marshall is a
Democratic representative
from Macon.