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♦ FRIDAY, MARCH 11, 2005
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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
It Is A Shabby Practice
Many companies that sell gift cards to customers
have been doing it all the time.
That is, they have been fudging on the customers
by placing expiration dates on gift cards and even
charging customers using them a fee.
Former Gov. Roy Barnes, acting in his capacity as
an attorney, is after some of these companies, espe
cially the one which operates Phipps Plaza and
Lenox Square in Atlanta.
Acting on the part of consumers, Barnes says this
practice is wrong and he wants the courts to do
something about it.
A state senator wants to require companies that
issue gift cards to print on the cards any informa
tion about expiration dates and charges that might
be imposed.
Barnes insists such a law would only legitimize
something that is illegal in the first place.
It is a shabby practice. We have become aware of
this practice only recently when someone associated
with this newspaper learned that a gift card, worth
a hefty sum, had “expired,” according to the com
pany that issued the card.
Of course, customers purchasing gift cards believe
that this is just as good as giving money. With most
companies, it is.
But the practice of placing expiration dates on gift
cards or charging fees when they are used is spread
ing.
Warning the customer buying gift cards might
sound like a good idea, but a better idea is to expect
and require businesses to honor cards they issue at
face value.
Otherwise it is a way of stealing from trusted cus
tomers.
We would like to see Barnes succeed in bringing
this practice to a halt in Georgia.
They Can't Do It
Some large businesses, frightened by the implica
tions and possibly cost of romance in the workplace
are taking a look at setting rules for love.
The recent ouster of Boeing’s top executive
because of a romance with another employee is
causing other companies to set strict guidelines that
could have some employees accusing them of med
dling.
There’s nothing new about office romances. Not
even the kind that got the married Boeing executive
fired.
Federal laws make it so easy for companies to be
sued for misconduct - even implied misconduct -
that the large companies run scared all the time.
Send your Letters to the Editor to:
Jhe Houston Home journal
P.O, Box 1910 • Peny, Ga 31069 or
Email: hhj@evansnewspapeis.com
Racing down Route Irish in Raghdad is no mean feat
My Army staff section
dubbed the dangerous high
speed dash through
Baghdad “Route Irish
Racing.” Route Irish is the
military code name for the 8
kilometers of highway link
ing Baghdad International
Airport (BIAP) with the
Green Zone.
When heavily armed and
armored men cram into
Ford SUVs, jam the pedal to
the floor and weave through
freeway traffic at 70 miles
an hour, film fans may think
Road Warrior or the
Keystone Kops. However,
the Road Warrior’s auto
macho and the Kops’ slap
stick car chases are mislead
ing.
War in a sprawling, com
plex megacity isn’t a movie
that ends in two hours - it’s
a relentless experience
where training, courage and
discipline are constantly
challenged by fear and
adrenaline.
In Baghdad, commuting is
a combat operation, for both
soldiers and civilians. Blame
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Austin Bay
Military Affairs
Creators Syndicate
Saddam’s henchmen and A 1
Qaeda fascists. These beasts
have made the suicide car
bomb their primary murder
weapon.
Baghdad, like Houston
and Los Angeles, is built for
wheels. Narrow side streets
feed boulevards, which feed
expressways. Traffic moves
day and night. This road net
with a million vehicles is
ideal terrain for an auto
kamikaze. Roll up to a street
corner and detonate -
Lose weight, gain weight and pork
A few days ago, the man
aging editor of this paper,
Rex Gambill, had a good and
interesting article in the
paper about his successful
efforts at weight loss. It was
good enough that I tele
phoned him and told him
how much I enjoyed it. First
time I had ever telephoned
Rex about one of his articles.
Then Charlotte Perkins,
lifestyle editor, followed
Rex’s article with her article
“How to gain weight with
out really trying. ”
Charlotte’s was one of the
funniest, most clever
columns I have read in a
while. Good enough for The
New York Times or one of
those other big papers. But
then, Charlotte is one of my
favorites (probably the most
capable of the many
reporters that covered me
while I was in the legisla
ture), so perhaps I am a lit
tle biased. Still, I know it
was very interesting and
mighty witty.
All of this (Rex’s and
Charlotte’s) reminded me of
what Garland T. (“Buster”)
Byrd Jr. told Dennis and
Sara Carey and Janice and
me last fall when we were in
Seattle on business. First,
Anyone missing a 'Tennessee cat?'
Every spring I vow to
plant yellow daffodils in my
yard during the right sea
son.
I never seem to get around
to it.
Though I appeared as a
gardener with a green
thumb in a third-grade play
(my mom dyed the thumbs
of some garden gloves
green), in reality I have a
tough time growing any
thing.
So I spend spring days
eagerly seeking out the first
bursts of colors in others
yards, letting my eyes drink
in the beauty that comes so
quickly on the heels of a
long, chilly winter.
Our town is filled with
wonderful gardeners!
You can see them out
already as you drive through
the neighborhoods of Perry,
donned in gardening attire,
working magic in the rich
soil.
• • •
Not just Perry, either! The
Smalley residence in
Bonaire has a nice yard, too,
thanks to the green thumbs
of the lady of the house!
• • •
The soft calls of dove that
live near our home is a wel
come sound.
These beautiful birds are
so interesting!
After eggs are laid, the
male and female stay near
and take turns keeping the
eggs warm.
I read that usually the
male sits from midmorning
to late afternoon and the
female takes over the rest of
the day and night.
instant atrocity, instant
headlines, with media cover
age being the murderer’s
strategic goal.
Stopping all traffic might
halt car bombs - just like
locking everyone in their
house might halt all street
crime - but terror’s goal is
political, economic and emo
tional paralysis. On Jan. 30,
the Iraqi people demonstrat
ed that they aren’t para
lyzed. These courageous
people move, even under dif
ficult and dangerous circum
stances.
This brings us to road
blocks. Roadblocks put a
crimp in the car bomber’s
plans. Roadblocks stop vehi
cles and people, particularly
suspicious vehicles and sus
picious people. In a war zone
featuring auto kamikazes,
roadblocks aren’t user
friendly places - and any
honest adult will admit they
aren’t supposed to be. Iraqis
complain about American
roadblocks - they’re hassles.
Iraqis complain more about
terrorist bombs - 2,000
Iraqis demonstrated against
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Larry Walker
Columnist
1 walker@whgbc .com
let me say this: Buster Byrd
is a clever guy and says lots
of funny things. His
remarks were delivered in
that context. Well, according
to Buster, in the weight-loss
and weight-gain categories,
he has a unique and trou
bling dilemma. According to
Buster, while most of us are
trying to lose weight and a
few of you are trying to gain
weight, his is a much more
daunting problem. Buster
says that he is the “perfect
weight” so he can ill-afford
to lose or gain. In other
words, he has twice the
problem of anyone else he
knows. He has to constantly
1 vi
Emily Johnstone
Columnist
ejohnstone@evansnewspapers.com
Oscar, our cat, enjoys sit
ting in a window while soak
ing up sun and watching all
the activity in our little cor
ner of the world.
This apparently really
upsets some of the birds
that hang out in our yard.
They sit on the roof near
his favorite window - even
when he is not there and
periodically swoop down,
making lots of noise.
• • •
Not long ago, someone
stopped at our house to
inquire if our cat was miss
ing.
He was not, but it was
kind of her to stop and ask
after spotting an orange cat
wandering around near the
Walker, Hulbert, Gray, Byrd,
Christie law office.
She told Rick she remem
bered seeing an orange
“Tennessee cat” at our
house.
• • •
I did manage to capture an
interesting scene on video a
terror in Hilla last week to
make that point.
At Route Irish’s Green
Zone exit, traffic slows to a
crawl as it weaves through
concrete barriers. Once
stopped, young Americans
and young Iraqi National
Guardsmen - their automat
ic rifles ready - quiz drivers
and scowl. It’s understand
able - in late June, an Iraqi
Governing Council official
was assassinated at the bar
rier. A bomb-laden car
slammed the councilman’s
vehicle and detonated.
Occasionally, temporary
roadblocks halt Route Irish
traffic. I recall a long wait in
July as Iraqi police closed a
lane and redirected non-mil
itary vehicles. Yes, I felt like
a target - it’s a war zone,
stay alert.
Route Irish’s approach to
BIAP is clearly marked with
signs. Heavy trucks await
inspection by troops.
Concrete barriers divide the
lanes.
The man driving the car
carrying communist writer
and newly released terrorist
be alert to neither gain nor
lose, lest he no longer be of
perfect size. Now, admit it.
He does have a problem,
doesn’t he? And just to give
you a little more insight,
this is a man who disdains
“stress” (says it’s self
imposed, if you have it) and
“chill factors” (according to
Buster, “the temperature is
what it is - period”). I tend
to agree with Buster about
the chill factor.
So, if you are trying to lose
(Rex) or you’re gaining
according to schedule
(Charlotte), take time to
sympathize with Buster who
can do neither, lest he know
longer be of perfect weight.
Incidentally, all of this
seems to be fodder for a
great country music song,
doesn’t it?
• • •
Speaking of weight prob
lems, let me take a minute
to comment on Friday’s
Houston Home Journal edi
torial on “No more pork bar
rel?” First, thanks for the
nice comments (I thought it
was nice) about my legisla
tive efforts at “bringing
home the bacon.” Frankly, I
always considered it a big
part of my job to get state
couple of years ago featuring
Rick, Oscar and some upset
birds.
I decided to get a few
home video shots of Rick in
his summer barbecue mode
in the back yard.
Oscar decided to join us
and was strutting his stuff
around the yard when a
large, loud bird began
swooping from the sky, peck
ing him.
“Oscar, run for it!” I
screamed while holding
open a door to the house.
“Go, bird, go!” yelled Rick.
• • •
Kudos to the folks at the
Museum of Aviation for
another successful Young
Astronauts Day!
Over 600 people attended
the event March 5, accord
ing to museum staff.
• • •
After spending hours sit
ting in an emergency room
in a Macon hospital with
loved ones recently, I can
definitely understand why
anyone living in that county
would call for an ambulance
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hostage Guiliana Sgrena
didn’t slow down as he
approached a roadblock on
the way to the airport.
Perhaps he was afraid and
fear led to speed, or perhaps
he was laughing. Sgrena
wrote that her car “kept on
the road, going under an
underpass full of puddles
and almost losing control to
avoid them. We all incredi
bly laughed. It was liberat
ing. Losing control of the car
in a street full of water in
Baghdad ...”
Roadblocks have rules.
Coalition and Iraqi troops
operate roadblocks with
Rules of Engagement
(ROE). The ROE can
change, based on current
intelligence and command
judgment.
But one rule never
changes at a roadblock:
Even escorted military con
voys slow down as they
approach a roadblock. As for
a single civilian auto
approaching at high speed?
If a driver doesn’t hit the
brakes, the troops will
shoot.
THE HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL
help with local needed proj
ects for my district. You
know, like new roofs for our
libraries, perimeter roads,
funds for the mentally hand
icapped, and ag centers.
And, yes, even funds for
football field lights. I used to
say that all I wanted for my
people was “a child’s part.”
Actually, I wanted more
than our share. If all we
were to get was our share,
we could have sent a com
puter to Atlanta to repre
sent us. Bet it could have
figured exactly what our
share should have been. But
in assessing my political
philosophies, you’ve got to
realize I also feel to some
extent, and within reason,
that “to the victors go the
spoils.” So, unlike some of
my friends, I am not too
upset about Republicans
now doing what Democrats
did for years. Like putting
some needed “pork” in the
budget and reapportioning
more to their liking. What
we did for years. Otherwise,
why try to be the majority
party? I guess I am just from
the “old school,” politically.
But, after all, the old schools
weren’t so bad in many
ways, were they?
for even a minor illness than
have to spend such a ridicu
lous amount of time waiting
for attention.
If you ever find yourself
lacking in appreciation for a
small, local hospital, just go
sit six hours or more in a big
city hospital.
And, from what others
have told me, this is the
norm, not the exception.
• • •
One sign of our times:
When you visit someone and
find a Game Boy in the
bathroom instead of maga
zines.
• • •
I have conceded to Rick
the bet we made regarding
which construction project
will be finished first, Eckerd
or the former courthouse
It is clear the drugstore
will be the winner.
One recent evening while
riding past the new store,
the lights inside came on
suddenly.
There’s your sign, laughed
Rick.
U.S. soldiers fired on
Sgrena’s speeding car as it
approached their roadblock.
The fire killed Italian securi
ty agent Nicola Calipari. His
death is a tragic mistake.
President Bush says we’ll
investigate the incident. I
suspect Italian officers serv
ing with multinational
forces will help conduct that
investigation. We need the
facts.
But we also need a fact
based perspective. Though
the Iraqi election and the
democratic surge in
Lebanon demonstrate that
this most intricate war
we’re fighting has the poten
tial for huge payoffs in hope,
justice and peace, on
Baghdad’s streets a Fiat
might still be a kamikaze.
Or is it a family sedan? As
the car rushes forward the
soldier - whose life is on the
line - has a split-second to
decide.
To find out more about
Austin Bay, visit the
Creators Syndicate web page
at www.creators.com.