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FRIDAY, APRIL 9, 2004
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OPINION
Daniel F. Evans
President,
Editor and Publisher
Julie B. Evans Rex Gambill
Vice President Managing Editor
Foy S. Evans
Editor Emeritus
Who Really Knows?
The war in Iraq goes on. Attacks on U.S.
troops continue. Lately, what appears to be a
reorganized Iraqi army has emerged to inflict
more casualties than the early days of the war.
It is interesting to us that television stations
and cable networks can dredge up so many
experts who know what has gone wrong and
what should be done to bring peace to this
embattled country.
Isn’t it interesting that so many of these peo
ple with questionable credentials can get on
the air day after day with all the answers while
military leaders on the scene are finding the
answers more elusive?
Listening to all these experts on military
warfare and the problems in Iraq we wonder
why in the world they aren’t over there getting
the job done instead of leaving it to others.
Monday morning quarterbacks are a dime a
dozen. Isn’t it time to admit that they do not
know much more than we do and give our sup
port and confidence to people trained in such
matters and on the battlefront carrying out
their duties?
Money Shortage No More?
Congress has adopted a budget for another
year. So has the Georgia legislature.
Both legislative bodies were faced with less
income than they needed to balance their
budgets.
Congress just added to the deficit. The legis
lature had no such luxury. Cutting spending
was its answer.
Giving both legislative bodies credit for doing
good jobs preparing their budgets we must
consider the fact that both found money for
political fat even in these austere times.
It doesn’t matter how bad things get you can
count on Congress and the legislature to take
care of pork barrel spending where voters
might be influenced.
Taking into consideration that our area will
receive some of the pork, the inclination is to
say “hooray” because they’re going to spend
the money, anyway, and it is just a matter of
who gets it.
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Al-Sadr like a junior Capone leading made-for-TV rebellion
It’s no Mogadishu, it’s no
Tet - in fact, the ugly, bait
ing murders in Fallujah and
Muqtada al-Sadr’s made
for-TV rebellion may be an
extraordinary opportunity
for the United States and
Iraqi democrats, if the mili
tary operations and politics
are handled with finesse.
As I write this column,
elements of the U.S. First
Marine Division have sur
rounded and entered
Falligah, Iraq, the site of
last week’s murder of four
American civilian security
agents. Compounding the
crime was a Baath fascist
replication, in vicious minia
ture, of the 1993 Mogadishu,
Somalia, mutilation of the
victims’ corpses. It was a PR
atrocity. J
Within days of the mas
sacre, al-Sadr’s militiamen
incited riots and shooting
sprees in Baghdad and
southern Iraq. Al-Sadr, a
splinter-faction cleric who
counts Iran as a financier
and Hezbollah as a friend, is
under indictment for the
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Austin Bay
Military Affairs
Creator* Syndicate
murder of another Shia
imam. There’s a warrant
out for his arrest. Like a jun
ior A 1 Capone, he responds
to the rule of law by sending
his gang into the street.
The Falliyah massacre
and aJ-Sadr's riots are calcu
lated, violent acts orches
trated by desperate thugß
confronting imminent loss
of power. An Iraqi democra
cy threatens the sorry lot of
them, so they’re taken their
best shot at halting the
Remembering Mr. Charfie and Miss Julie
His skin was a shiny black
like a gloss given to shoes.
Hers looked like tapioca
pudding. She was short and
round. I do no know
whether she had always
been that way as an adult,
but she was when I knew
her - both old and yellow
and round. He was tall. At
least, to me, he was tall. I
noticed he was taller than
Papa, whom I would later
judge to be about 5-foot-5 or
-6 inches. The two of them
lived down the road, Sparta-
Davisboro Road, about a
quarter of a mile from
where Grandma and Papa
lived. The road was dirt.
Their house was two rooms
with no inside plumbing.
There was a well out back
and an outhouse to the side.
Their names, to me, were
Uncle Charlie and Aunt
Julie - or was it Julia? 1 am
not sure about their last
names, although it may
have been Howard. Whether
they ever had any children, I
do not know. I don’t believe
they did. I think she died
before he did and that he
lived alone in that tiny
shack for several years after
her death.
Uncle Charlie and Aunt
Julie. Were they kin to me?
Obviously not, but that is
what all of us, including
Grandma, Papa, and I called
them. Insensitive? Yes.
Cruel? Perhaps so, but unin-
Making your kids marketable, part 1
Relax. Despite what the
title implies, I am not sug
gesting you go out and sell
your child on eßay.
Tempting as the idea may
be, it is, in fact, illegal. What
I’m talking about is helping
your child realize that there
are certain things he can do
to make himself attractive
to future employers or col
lege admissions officers.
Three things in fact: make
good grades in the right
classes, make good scores on
standardized tests, and par
ticipate in extracurricular
activities. Because grades
are the first things admis
sion officers and employers
see, we’ll focus on those
here.
Consider Johnny. He
wants to be an engineer, but
has failed all of his math
classes because he won’t do
his homework Georgia Tech
is not going to come calling.
Susie wants to be a hair
dresser, but the only voca
tional classes she has taken
are Home Ec and Ag
Mechanics. Not good. These
situations have to be reme
died - by you.
Most parents stress good
grades. But Johnny has to
know that grades are impor
tant not because he will be
grounded if he makes a D or
get 20 bucks if he makes all
As. If a kid makes good
grades, and I’m talking As
process.
The Fallujah fascists and
al-Sadr think they can
defeat or at least deflect
America by causing U.S.
casualties, then parading
the bodies before Peter
Jennings and A 1 Jazeera. Al-
Sadr adds another wrinkle:
multiple “hotspots” to seed
the impression of broad
insurrection. It’s a clever
gambit, staging gunfights in
Basra, Kut and Baghdad,
and leverages contemporary
cable TV’s appetite for 24-7
repetition and magnifica
tion. The goal is a “Tet
effect,” an echo of North
Vietnam’s 1968 offensive,
which was a battlefield dis
aster for the North
Vietnamese but a media
(and hence political) victory.
However, Tet 1968 and
Mogadishu 1993 are dated
scripts. We’re post 9-11.
Even John Kerry, now
scrambling for the political
center, said of Fallqjah,
“United in sadness, we are
also united in our resolve
Larry Walker
Columnist
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tentional. And, let me tell
you, I loved Uncle Charlie.
Even as a child, I thought
him to be a special man. I
realized that he was Papa’s
“main man.” They made
quite a pair - Papa over 70,
short with white hair and
Uncle Charlie, over 80, tall
with white hair - going
about their farm duties,
together.
It is just as clear to me,
today, as it was about 1952.1
was 10 years old and was the
owner of a small hatchet, of
which I was very proud. I
believe 1 had gotten it for
Christmas. I had killed sev
eral bears, many snakes and
alligators, and a few Indians
with my hatchet. That was
back when Roy Rogers and
Gene Autry killed Indians,
and it was politically all
right to do so. Well, my
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Heather Ray
Education “Guru”
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and Bs here, colleges and
employers know one of two
things. Either the kid can
play the game or he is a hard
worker
Let’s face it. Some kids
seem to make As and Bs
without trying. They seem
not to ever worry about
studying or homework Not
so; they’ve just figured out
that if they pay attention or
read along or study while
nobody’s looking, everybody
stays off their backs and
they are given certain privi
leges.
Some students are natu
rally motivated. They work
hard at studying because
they like to have the highest
grade or they like the atten
tion they're given when they
know the answers.
Some students have to
sweat for every A or B they
get. They might spend hours
on one math problem, but
that these enemies will not
prevail.”
Many of us had hoped that
proliferating communica
tions technologies like back
pack TV cameras and real
time Internet imagery
would curb atrocities, that
genocidal thugs and those
who boss them would be
reluctant to murder in front
of a lens. I still believe the
camera has had a moderat
ing effect in some instances.
However, the Mogadishu
precedent, where street bat
tles, mob violence and com
bat on camera precipitated
superpower withdrawal,
spawned another opinion.
Osama bin leaden and his ilk
concluded America was
spineless, a “weak horse”
with little capacity for perse
verance in the face of fanat
ic’s willingness to kill. The
fanaticism loomed larger
and more potent if it was
captured on camera.
It’s now up to U.S. forces
in Iraq, and available Iraqi
security units, to provide a
hatchet was not as sharp as
I thought it needed to be. So,
I pestered Uncle Charlie
until he filed the blade to a
fine edge. We sat on the step
to the little country store
(the step was actually a log
cut in half), and I talked and
he filed. As I said, he did a
fine job as was evidenced
when, shortly thereafter, I
sliced my foot open. This
resulted in a trip to
Sandersville and stitches
from the doctor. Follow-up
treatment included soaking
it in kerosene. I still have
the scar as proof of Uncle
Charlie’s good work.
Uncle Charlie always wore
overalls, and in the sum
mers, I believe that is all
that he wore! Of course, he
did have on brogans, but I
suspect that shoes and
shirts and overalls are about
all he owned. He didn’t talk
much, but he did talk to me.
He answered all of my ques
tions, or at least he tried to.
Believe me, I could ask lots
of questions. He liked me. I
loved him.
He didn’t plow one of
Papa’s mules, at least dur
ing my lifetime. I guess, in
hindsight, he was too old.
But he did help Papa cut
wood for the stove and
helped with the carpentry
work around the farm. He
and Papa were both pretty
good “jackleg” carpenters.
He was always quiet, but
they will figure it out if it
kills them.
And some students just
don’t care. They aren’t self
motivated (we used to call it
lazy), they aren’t encour
aged at home, they’re too
busy with work or extracur
ricular activities or
smooching their sweeties in
your driveway.
The thing is, to a college
or employer, the psychology
or reasons why behind the
grade transcript is unimpor
tant. Only the grades mat
ter. So, whatever type of stu
dent your child is, you need
to stress the importance of
grades and encourage good
study habits at an early age.
Because, folks, I can pretty
much guarantee that you
won’t ever be able to be one
of your child’s references.
You won't be able to tell the
college administrator that
Mr. Smith was just a mean
teacher that had it out for
Johnny. Velma of Velma’s
Cut-n-Curl isn’t going to
want to hear that Susie had
too much going on with her
boyfriend to concentrate on
her Literature classes. Your
child’s grade will speak for
itself, so it better be able to
say some good things.
And it needs to be able to
say it about the right class
es. Remember Johnny the
wannabe engineer?
Provided his math grades
come up, he still needs to
new televised precedent, an
icy “city and neighborhood
squeeze” documented on
camera. In military terms,
the U.S. and Iraqi forces will
be conducting large-scale
cordon and search opera
tions (in Fallujah and in
Sadr’s alleys), supported by
raids and limited attacks on
diehard strong points.
Politically, the operation
becomes a peculiar “show of
force”: Post 9-11, the chal
lenge of thugs angling for
“body bag” media victories
will be met and trumped.
The Marines’ Operation
Vigilant Resolve in Fallqjah
appears to have this strate
gic goal in mind.
Iraqi security personnel
are intimately involved, as
interpreters and police. The
uncensorable image for the
cameras: New Iraq’s securi
ty capability is growing.
The Marines are using
loudspeakers to inform and
direct the population, an
uncensored message in
Arabic demonstrating
THE HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL
always pleasant. As I have
tried to say, I thought he
was a good and kind man.
Now, I know he was. If the
meek are to inherit the
earth, Uncle Charlie and
Aunt Julie deserve to be big
landowners in Washington
County, Ga.
Exactly when Aunt Julie
and Uncle Charlie died, I do
not know. I could go to the
Washington County
Courthouse and try to look
it up, but I don,t know their
last names. I don’t know
anyone who does know their
last names. I didn’t go to
their funerals, and I suspect
that there is no one living
who did go. So, I don’t know
where they are buried, and I
don’t know how to find out.
It is almost as if they never
existed.
All of this is so sad. It was
part of the “system,” but
that doesn’t make it right. I
wish I could see them again.
I would call him, Mr. Charlie
and her, Miss Julie and
would apologize for my
insensitivity. But, I would
have to tell them that I
loved them very much. That
I think all of us did.
Especially Uncle Charlie or
Mr. Charlie. Perhaps I will
get a chance, one day, to
make amends. I certainly
hope so.
take classes that will help
him in the future. He needs
to take classes that are
somehow related to the field
of work which most inter
ests him. Classes like art,
drafting, and computer sci
ence will be useful to him.
Upper level maths and sci
ences are also a good idea. If
Susie wants to open her own
beauty salon, cosmetology
classes are obviously a good
choice. But she might also
want to consider bookkeep
ing or money management
classes to help her under
stand the business end of
cutting hair. As a side note,
all students should take key
boarding. Typing is not only
an important skill in high
school and college, it’s a
saleable one when your child
enters the workforce.
Talk to your child’s advi
sor or counselor about the
types of classes open to him.
Make sure you know what
classes your child has regis
tered for and why. Discuss
the importance of grades
with your child. Now do it
again. And again.
You’re a third of the way
closer to having a mar
ketable kid!
A former English teacher
at Perry High School,
Heather Kay is currently a
stay-at-home wife and
mom. When not changing
diapers, she’s hard at work
unraveling the mysteries of
modern education.
restrained American securi
ty techniques but insistent,
focused and relentless
American resolve. That’s a
paradox, but it’s the new
paradigm of the Fallujah
precedent. We’re not going
to destroy neighborhoods,
but we will eliminate resist
ance. The Marines are tar
geting specific suspects,
using information gleaned
from video, informants and
various sensors, to include
unmanned aerial vehicles.
I suspect coalition forces
tackling Sadr and the
Marines in Falliyah will wait
out hostage situations when
possible, but they will not
wait forever. Such standoffs,
with innocents grabbed by
cornered militiamen, send
another message: Baath and
Islamo-fascists aren’t lead
ing popular rebellions, they
are holding Iraqis hostage,
to their own evil ends.
7b find out more about
Austin Bay, visit the
Creators Syndicate Web page
at www.creators.com.