Newspaper Page Text
4A
♦ FRIDAY, MARCH 4, 2005
CLlu' .ijaurrou
OPINION
Daniel F. Evans
President,
Editor and Publisher
Julie B. Evans Rex Gambill
Vice President Managing Editor
Foy S. Evans
Editor Emeritus
Politicians Face Ditficult Choice
Pity the poor politicians who have to decide how
many dogs and cats Houston Countians will be per
mitted to have in their homes.
One ambitious attempt to adopt a unified animal
control ordinance that would apply to the county,
Warner Robins, Centerville and Perry fell by the way
side. Nobody seemed to like it.
Getting involved in the matter is like stepping into
a quagmire. It is very sticky.
Two opposing forces are at work.
Some people are bothered when they have neigh
bors with pets who, in their opinion, infringe on their
property and their privacy.
On the other hand, some people believe they should
have the right to own an unlimited number of cats
and dogs and it is nobody’s business but their own.
They are two irreconcilable forces.
It is easy for an impartial observer to see both sides
of the issue.
When people live close together in subdivisions it is
easy to infringe on the privacy and rights of others in
many ways.
Animal control and law enforcement officers are
quick to tell you that they are called out on many
occasions to resolve complaints that one person’s pets
are annoying someone else. They don’t look forward
to such calls.
We wonder how people of ordinary means can
afford to own several dogs and cats. The cost of feed
ing them and providing them medical attention can
add up, making them often more expensive than chil
dren. Illnesses of most children are covered by insur
ance. Animals are not.
A third element at play in this equation is people
having pets they do not take care of. Any ordinance
should include severe penalties for animal cruelty.
Neglect should be defined as cruelty.
As we said, we pity the politicians who have to face
the wrath of the losers in this debate.
One thing is certain: We really do need an animal
control ordinance that is uniform throughout the
county. Some compromises must be made for this to
be accomplished.
* s®" 5 ®" allTv\T »W 0 NUKESj
I
**l VMIMK' V W">»U KWKJ,COND(J%
.h V,:'".*;. INC I
Lebanon the latest scene of democratic surge in Middle East
Consider yourself blessed
to witness this remarkable
moment in world history.
Afghanistan’s October 2004
elections made the case for
people power. In January,
first Palestine, then the
biggest election, Iraq, set
the conditions for positive,
pluralistic change in the
Arab Middle East. Now,
occupied Lebanon seizes the
moment - with public
demonstrations similar to
Ukraine’s - and the demo
cratic surge continues.
I don’t believe in happy
endings, merely a respite
before the next struggle,
However, this Millennium
War has reached and passed
a crucial midpoint.
All but the most recalci
trant, calcified and now
laughable naysayers in the
West suddenly recognize the
pragmatism of American
idealism. Since 9-11, extend
ing political and economic
opportunity into the world’s
■’**’' **" i*s?p|p|
Austin Bay
Military Affairs
Creators Syndicate
hard corners - by curbing
the power of corrupt autoc
racies, by toppling the
tyrannical thugs who rule
by terror - have been the
heart and soul of American
strategy.
Syrian bayonets no longer
paralyze the Lebanese. This
doesn’t mean Lebanese
democrats won’t face terror
strikes or even an attack by
Again remembering Mr. Big Hose
His skin was black - really
black. I want to say, “like
charcoal,” but that’s not
right. Because it had a shine
to it. Maybe more like burnt
motor oil or a fresh clump of
blackberries. Onyx. Like the
black ink that’s making
these words. Black and
shiny.
He was big. To a 12-year
old boy, really big! Thinking
back on it, probably about
six feet tall and 220 pounds,
which is big. Not huge, but
big. Even bigger in the
1950 s than he would be
today.
So he was really black and
he was really big. But, that’s
not all. His hand and the
lower part of his arm (left, I
think, although time has
negated certainty) was miss
ing. Blew it off with a shot
gun. Actually, the gun dis
charged when he had the
stock butt in one hand and
his other hand over the end
of the barrel. Big hole in the
hand. Dr. Weems had to
remove what remained of
the hand and part of his
arm.
Big and black, and with
sometimes an artificial arm
and hand (“his hook”) and
with no teeth. Right, no
teeth! Not a one in his head.
And he smiled a lot.
Especially to and around
Tourist season to begin on Capitol Hill
Spring time is right
around the corner. And that
means the beginning of a
very busy tourist season in
our nation’s capital. So
whether you’re planning a
family vacation or a school
trip to Washington, D.C.,
please know that my United
States Senate Office can
facilitate Georgians with
tourist information and var
ious ticket requests.
Many tour tickets are
highly sought after and diffi
cult to obtain. However, we
will do our best to accommo
date your requests and help
make your trip a memorable
one. Please keep in mind
that while we cannot guar-
Syrian forces, but it does tell
us that in the streets of
Beirut, the power of hope is
defeating the power of fear.
It also says that gutsy
Lebanese are betting that
U.S. military forces in Iraq
(on Syria’s eastern border)
won’t let the Syrians mas
sacre them. The exemplary
courage of the Iraqi people
and American military
might have taken the tool of
fear from the dictators’
hands.
Is Syria next? Syria is a
complex, fractured society -
so let me put a personal face
on Syria.
In the early 1980 s, I
attended school in Germany
with a brilliant Syrian man.
The first two months we
were together, he came on
hard with the Arab anger
and Muslim militant act. He
hated Americans, and he
hated “Jews.” He bullied the
other Americans at the
school with this moral casti
Larry Walker
Columnist
lwalker@whgbc.com
me. And even in this strange
societal relationship, odd as
it was, we had a good time
together.
And he got in trouble,
occasionally. It was rumored
that he liked to play cards
(did they call is skinning?)
and do a little drinking.
And, sometimes, Chief
Dennard or Sheriff
Chapman would have to
come to Daddy and talk to
him about some trouble he
was in - nothing big, you
know. A little gambling and
perhaps a little too much to
drink and maybe a fight.
Daddy would do whatever
he had to do and he would
“be out” and everything
would return to normal.
And I was aware of all of
*9*f"?w* . ;j.
Saxby Chambliss
U.S. Senator
R-Georgia
antee tickets for each and
every attraction, we will do
our best to provide you with
information about
Washington, D.C.
Additionally, we offer a
few tips and special recom
mendations to help make
your trip to our nation’s
HOW TO SUBMIT LETTBIS
We encourage readers to submit letters to the editor. Letters should
not exceed 350 words and must include the writer's name, address /-*<
and telephone number. All letters printed in The Home Journal will
appear with the writer’s name and hometown - we do not publish
anonymous letters. The newspaper reserves the right to edit or llLfi /
reject letters for reasons of grammar, punctuation, taste and r*J /?
brevity. Letter writers are asked to submit no more than one I I j
letter per person per week. We cannot guarantee that a let
ter will be printed on a specific date.
The Home Journal prefers that letters be typed. Letters
to the editor are published in the order they are received / /
as space permits. A Journal employee will call to verify the / /
author of each letter. L^l
There are three ways to submit a letter to the editor: E- / /
mail it to hhj@evansnewspapers.com, mail it to The [
Houston Home Journal at P.O. Box 1910, Perry, GA 31069, / / c — — '
or drop it off at 1210 Washington St. in Perry - between 8 LJ
a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. 17
gation hustle, but I flat told
him to stuff it. If he hated
Americans, well, I’m a
Texan.
That perfect wisecrack
puzzled him for 24 hours,
and once he figured out I
was playing a Texas cowboy
foil to his angry Arab, it
amused him. He also liked
jazz, and would hang around
when I played blues and bop
on the piano.
I got the tough facts by
osmosis: The Assad regime
had jailed members of his
family, but in Syria everyone
lived in fear.
An early August after
noon: My Syrian pal and I
were sitting in a German
case (quaint side street,
great light); and he finally
broke. “How do you do it?”
he asked me, meaning:
“How does America do it?
How does America succeed
in so many ways?” I told him
his real question was why
this.
He and his wife, Frances,
and his considerable num
ber of children (was it 8 or
10?) lived on our farm. And,
I thought he was wonderful.
Still do. Even though he’s
dead and it’s been probably
45 or 50 years or more since
I last saw him. Let me tell
you why.
Rumored to be the
strongest man in our county.
Even with one hand, and
part of an arm missing, he
could pick up the front end
of an automobile. And he
could bite an apple into (or
is it, in two?). And he would
- just to amuse me and oth
ers. In fact, he could eat any
thing he wanted to - boiled
peanuts, corn on the cob,
etc. - you get the picture.
And Daddy would put me
in his charge. And we would
go off together and work
together and I knew Daddy
had confidence in him.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have
left me with him. Even
though he occasionally got
into trouble with the law,
Daddy knew that he would
take care of me, and he
wouldn’t “cut up” while I
was with him. And I sensed
a kindness and protective
ness which made me feel
good and safe when I was
with him.
capital enjoyable. First, be
prepared for weather of any
kind. That means bring an
umbrella, hat or sunglasses
and an extra jacket for cold
weather. Additionally, if
you’re like most families,
you’ll be doing lots of walk
ing from museums to monu
ments, so wear comfortable
shoes.
Lastly, no visit to our
nation’s capital would be
complete without a trip to
The United States Capitol.
As the people’s house for all
Americans and the symbol
of freedom and democracy to
citizens from around the
world, the U.S. Capitol is a
very special place indeed. If
you would like to visit the
United States Capitol
Building, please contact my
Washington, D.C., office at
(202) 224-3521. We will be
glad to arrange a time and
Syria and a majority of
Third World countries were
in such terrible and terrify
ing conditions - that’s the
deep subject. “First, you
have to off your autocrats,” I
told him. “But we can’t do
this,” he said - and his face
was a work of pain. “Then,
until you do, you will contin
ue to eat dust,” I replied.
“To eat dirt.”
I remember the deep yet
bright anguish in his brown
eyes. We loved to kid each
other - we both loved to pun
in our not-so-fluent German
- but he knew I wasn’t kid
ding. He knew I’d put the
truth out there unvar
nished, and I did so because
I respected him. I don’t
remember how the rest of
the day played out, but I
remember he was quiet, and
he wasn’t a quiet kind of
Ruy.
There is a universal
hunger for liberty. It exists
THE HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL
Get the picture. This little
12-year-old white boy that
didn’t know much in an old
pick-up truck, windows
down, being driven by a
large, black, one-armed, no
teeth man using a hook for
steering. And with the driv
er eating apples, laughing
and talking, and telling the
little white boy some things
he had never heard before.
Not awful things and things
the little one probably didn’t
need to know. But definitely
things he hadn’t heard
before. Probably things he
hadn’t even thought about.
And he liked me. Probably
realized that he was one of
my heroes. And I liked him.
Still do. And we would ride
and laugh and talk. And I
thought he was wonderful.
This, the strongest man I
had ever known. And the
white folks called George
Johnson, “Hoss.” And some
of the black folks called
George Johnson, “Mr. Big
Hoss.” And I called him,
“Hoss.” But I should have
called him “Mr. Hoss” or
“Mr. Big Hoss.” Wish I had.
But, it wouldn’t have made
me love him any more.
Which I did, this “Mr. Big
Hoss.”
date to take you and your
group on a special tour.
Tickets to sit in on live
congressional debate for
either the United States
Senate or the United States
House of Representative
chambers are free and open
to the public. However, spe
cial gallery passes are
required. To receive these
free passes please contact
my office, Sen. Isakson’s
office or your local member
of Congress.
It’s truly wonderful that
so many Georgia school
groups and families will visit
our nation’s capital this year
- and many for the first
time. Please know that my
office can be of assistance
and if you would like addi
tional information to plan
your trip, please visit my
web site at
www.chambliss.senate.gov
in Syria, and my brilliant,
frightened friend attests to
that. At the time, I thought
his occasional bouts of
“Sunni militancy” were a
response to the Allawite dic
tatorship in Syria. In retro
spect, I realize he was
wrestling with the chal
lenges of personal and cul
tural identity in a world
where there is no “over
there.”
Blame technology.
Technology has compressed
the planet. With the
Internet, all gossip is local.
Jumbo jets mean everyone
lives within a two-day trip of
everyone else, and the angry
Arab and the Texas cowboy
will eventually meet.
I look forward to seeing
my friend again, over a cup
of tea in free Damascus.
To find out more about
Austin Bay, visit the
Creators Syndicate web page
at www.creators.com.