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♦ WEDNESDAY, JULY 13, 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
An Important Lesson Learnetl
City and county officials are learning an important
lesson as they try to come up with a one-ordinance
fits-all law governing animals.
Animal control is a hot potato.
You can mess with people in a lot of ways, but don’t
tell them how many animals they can own or how to
look after them if you do not want to stir up a hornet’s
nest.
Yet the city and county officials see a need for an
ordinance that is uniform throughout the county.
They have labored over one that will not result in too
much opposition.
They have agreed on an animal control ordinance,
but already they are learning that there are many peo
ple who want variances for many reasons.
And all the requests for variances seem to make
sense and have merit.
But too many variances, and you have no ordinance
at all.
County commissioners and city officials in Perry,
Warner Robins and Centerville are doing the right
thing. It is in the best interest of the majority of
Houston Countians that the number of animals per
household be controlled. We believe that most animal
owners - cats and dogs - agree.
Once ordinances are set in stone and it is agreed on
what variances will be permitted things will settle
down. Not all animal owners will be happy. But they
can and will adjust to the restrictions after a while.
Meanwhile, the elected officials can take comfort in
knowledge that they did the best they can and have
been sensitive to the concerns of people who did not
want to see the changes that are occurring.
In our opinion, they have been rather generous in
the number of pets individuals can own. There is room
to disagree with this assessment, but we believe that
most citizens will agree.
We're Lucky So Far
Two hurricanes came out of the Gulf of Mexico in
recent weeks and we have been lucky so far.
The brunt of both storms went west of us. We
received an abundance of rain, but the devastating
effects of the storms didn’t reach us.
It is early in the hurricane season and we may not
be so lucky each time there is a hurricane.
But we can be thankful that so far all we have
received from these storms has been rain.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Letter writer
blissfully ignorant
Editor:
Sir, I normally do not
reply or even pay much
attention to people like Mr.
Gadbois. But his lack of
knowledge about who Mr.
(Zell) Miller speaks well of is
amazing.
Mr. Miller cited the very
people Mr. Gadbois says he
forgot. Mr. Miller cited both
in his book and keynote
speech, F.D.R., Harry
Fellow writer offers me a Tour de 'Seinfeld'
As Le Tour de France
draws closer to its end, I find
I will miss tuning in each
and every day to see how
things are going.
This country is one I
always thought would be
fascinating to visit. One of
the next best things to phys
ically being there is to piggy
back with the cyclists via tel
evision to get a good look at
the countryside!
Many of the roadways are
lined with spectators who
have pitched tents or parked
RVs to get prized vantage
spots from which to cheer
the riders on as they pass by.
The official Web site,
www.letour.fr is interesting!
• • •
Here at home, exciting
things are happening as one
local church is finding it
needs more room to accom
modate growth!
Truman and John Kennedy.
I’m a 45-year Republican
voter, but Mr. Miller can run
for any office and he’s got
my vote.
As the terms and lan
guage I want to use to Mr.
Gadbois are best discussed
over pistols, swords or
knives I’ll not say further,
save ignorance is bliss and
Mr. Gadbois must be the
most blissful person in
Georgia.
L.D. Northcutt
Warner Robins
' "• .’"~r • r $ \
fi
Emily Johnstone
Columnist
ejohnstone@evansnewspapers.com
Rose Mae Smith says the
ladies of St. Christopher’s
Episcopal Church in Perry
are planning an event with
proceeds designated for a
building fund.
On Friday from 7 until 11
p.m., you will have an oppor
tunity to share some of your
The running of the kitties
(Editor’s note: This is an
“encore” edition of Joe
Bishop’s column.)
I noted with some degree of
amused satisfaction a story
which appeared in papers
over the weekend. Namely,
that a Georgia man made a
big impression at the Annual
Running of the Bulls this year
in Pamplona, Spain. Or,
rather, the Running of the
Bulls made a big impression
on him. After he gets out of
the hospital in a few days he’ll
carry around what I’m sure
will be an impressive scar for
the rest of his life under the
front of his Fruit of the
Looms. Who says bulls don’t
have a sense of humor?
It’s not I enjoy hearing
about some getting hurt, not
even temporarily Where The
Sun Don’t Shine. It’s just that
I feel a certain kinship. You
see, I can relate to the thrills
and chills that guy went
through as the horns, well,
went through him, because at
my house we have a similar
daily ritual, on a much small
er scale. Each evening chil
dren hide in fear, property is
damaged, and the blood of
adults is shed like tears dur
ing ... The Running of the
Kitties.
OK, I am exaggerating, but
just a little. The event starts
shortly after dinner is fin
ished, as time rolls around to
let our three cats out of the
bedrooms where they’ve
W3p is peace: The job is not done
New York, Washington,
London and Madrid have all
become victims of terrorism
as a direct result of state
sponsored terrorism. Prior to
Sept. 11, 2001, several Islamic
nations virtually declared war
on the Western Alliance of the
United States, Britain, and
Israel by funding Al-Qaeda.
Starting in 1988, Iran fund
ed Ayman al Zawahiri, Al-
Qaeda’s number two in com
mand. Iraq was also a direct
and indirect supporter of Al-
Qaeda. Prior to, during and
after my career in Yugoslavia
during the Croatian-Serbian
War, I kept a close eye on the
Abu Nidal Terrorist
Organization and Al-Qaeda’s
activities in the Balkan
Region. In the past, Abu
Nidal was sponsored by Syria,
Libya and Iraq. In 2002,
Saddam Hussein had Abu
Nidal killed because he
refused to train Al-Qaeda ter
rorists, thus demonstrating a
direct link between Hussein
and Bin Laden. Furthermore
according to Iraqi intelligence
officers’ meet with Bin Laden
in the Sudan prior to the 9/11
attacks. Afghanistan gave Al-
Qaeda a home after it was
expelled from the Sudan and
allowed it so profit from the
nation’s lucrative drug trade.
On a final note, there is evi
dence that Syria is directly
funding the insurgency in
Iraq. In reality, funding for al
Qaeda does not come from the
personal assets of Bin Laden
but from terrorist nations and
various Islamic “foundations”
favorite games!
There will be bingo,
bunco, some beginning
bridge and many other
games to share with your
friends and neighbors dur
ing this community get
together, says Rose Mae.
There will also be light
refreshments on hand.
Cost is $2.50 per person or
$lO for a table.
For more information, call
Rose Mae at 987-3277. '
• • •
As Tish Mims and I dis
cussed one of our favorite
topics a few days ago - food
- she mentioned how much
she enjoyed a tomato relish
her grandmother used to
make.
Tish said she has not seen
this type of relish in a long
time.
Does anyone know where
she might find a good toma-
Joe Bishop
Columnist
joe@wnng.mgacoxmail.com
whiled away the afternoon.
Putting the cats in separate
rooms while most of the fami
ly is away at work or school is
a habit borne out of necessity
months ago when we intro
duced our newest feline,
Pudding, to the house.
Meanwhile, after every din
ner one unlucky soul (read
ME) is chosen to open the
doors and allow the cats the
run of the house. And I do me
RUN, as all three take off as
fast as their legs will carry
them. They’ve done their
time, and they take to their
newfound liberty like sailors
at Sodom and Gomorrah.
First one out is usually
Pudding, accelerating from 0
to 200 in about 8 seconds. We
should have named him
Ferrari, because he’s nothing
but a blur as he comes shoot
ing down the straightaway we
humans call the hallway.
Then it’s on through the
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William John Hagan
Columnist
William_Hagan@excite.com
or “charities.”
The evidence demonstrates
a clear connection between
Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, Syria
and Al-Qaeda. All four of
these nations bear a collective
responsibility for the terrorist
acts of Al-Qaeda and other
terrorist groups. Why, then,
has the so-called “War on
Terror” failed to include the
remaining Islamic Terrorist
States of Iran and Syria?
The United States’ invasion
of Afghanistan was a fait
accompli after the attack on
9/11. Further, the election of
George W. Bush had guaran
teed a war with Iraq after
Saddam Hussein had tried to
kill his father. However, the
invasion of these two nations
alone can, in no way, be
defined as a true War on
Both Iran and Syria
have been allowed to continue
to relish?
• • •
I have been taken to task
for my comments about not
being a “Seinfeld” fan by
both Rick and Teresa
Southern.
I think Rick is embar
rassed for people to know I
am apparently lacking in
understanding good humor!
And Teresa asks how I
could not be a fan of a show
in which “each and every
episode is full of laughs and
good times to be had by all.”
She is offering to bring me
episodes for the first three
seasons so I can watch and
publicly admit “Seinfeld” is
funny.
What do you think?
Should I take her up on that
offer?
• • •
Capt. Brenda Parks-
Mathem of Warner Robins
obstacle course of furniture
and toys in the den, through
the dining room, and finally
into the kitchen. Pudding
isn’t big, but he is a clear and
present danger due to the fact
he can’t handle curves well
and doesn’t brake worth a
darn. Pudding is responsible
for more collisions with
objects, living and otherwise,
than any other thing in the
house. The worst wreck: a
head on disaster with the
refrigerator, which actually
broke a hinge and knocked
the door off the appliance.
Thankfully, he did walk away
from that one.
Close on Pudding’s heels
(all four of them) comes Lilly,
our little Russian Blue. Not
quite as fast as the newcomer,
she handles better in the
turns. If Pudding is Formula
One, Lilly is NASCAR (
Nascat?) And it’s just that
quick turning radius that gets
her, and her human family in
trouble. Just when you think
you’ve figured Lilly’s proba
ble course and take a step to
avoid, a split-second turn by
the darting feline causes you
to step right on her. Result: a
human propelled to the floor
or a nearby piece of furniture
(padded if you’re lucky) and a
cat with renewed interest in
getting away. Lilly is quantum
physics in motion. An object
in motion tends to stay in
motion, especially if you step
on its tail!
Last, but certainly not
exporting terrorism and the
United States has failed to
take action.
If global terrorism is to be
destroyed then the nations
that fund, support and harbor
such terrorists must be
brought to their knees.
Allowing Iran and Syria to
continue to function under
their current leadership
endangers all of the nations of
the true Western Alliance: the
United States, Britain and
Israel. The time has come for
the Alliance to adopt a world
war - instead of a “police
action” - mentality in the
fight against nations who are
determined to destroy us.
Instead, we seem more con
cerned with rebuilding Iraq;
while, we are still at war with
them. Such a diversion of mil
itary assets is not only foolish
but will make it difficult to
win the war against terror on
any front. A conqueror should
never rebuild an enemy state
Police Department was in
Perry recently to give an
update on what is going on
with the group Law
Enforcement United.
LEU is made up of mem
bers of various local law
enforcement agencies who
raise funds for local chari
ties and officers hurt and
killed in the line of duty.
They are getting ready for
their annual Haunted
House, which is set to be
held for nine days this fall at
the Warner Robins Training
Center.
Parks-Mathern is presi
dent of LEU. Mikki Folds of
the sheriffs office is vice
president and Perry Officer
Keith Kindle is secretary.
Other board members
include Lt. Col. Bo Schupp
of Robins Air Force Base,
Houston County Sheriff
THE HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL
least, comes our old-timer, 14-
year-old Smokey. At just over
20 pounds, he neither as fast
as Pudding nor as agile as
Lilly, but he presents a mortal
danger all his own. Given the
chance to work up a head of
steam coming down the hall,
he’s nigh well unstoppable as
he ploughs through whatever
happens to be in his way. You
see, Smokey is built for power,
not speed. Accidents involv
ing Pudding and Lilly result
in scraps, scratches, at worst
a twisted ankle. Run afoul of
Cat-zilla as he lumbers
toward the kitchen and salva
tion at the tuna can, and
you’re lucky to get away with
just a bad bruise.
While the silliness in Spain
Occurs once a year, you can
watch chaos on little cat’s feet
after every dinner at my
house. Joseph and Thomas
pretty much have it figured
out, taking to the living room
couch and refusing to come
down until the bulls, err,
CATS thunder by. Meanwhile
Teresa and Mom take their
chance on foot somewhere in
the dinning room area. So far
God has protected them.
And me?...Well, I’m usually
picking myself up off the car
pet in the back of the hall
where I’ve been trampled
right on top of my Fruit of the
Looms. Ouch.
before they have won the war.
For the world to ever be lib
erated from Islamic terrorism
then the nations of Iraq,
Syria, and Iran all must be
conquered, completely, and
only then rebuilt into Western
style democracies. The cur
rent goal of Islamic funda
mentalists is to destroy our
way of life. Therefore, as a
means of pure survival and
national security we are left
with no other choice but to
destroy them first. The time
for false compassion is over.
Radical Islam is an enemy
that declared war on us and
we now must destroy them by
all means at the West’s dis
posal.
William John Hagan is a
freelance writer who lives in
Haynesville. He can be e
mailed at
William_Hagan@excite.com
or visited on the web at
williamjohnhagan.blogspot.c
om
Capt. Alan Everidge,
Georgia State Patrol Sgt.
Greg Patrick, RAFB 78th SF
member Sgt. Stephanie
McCleskey, Jamie Whitten
of the 116th NG RAFB,
Perry Officer Bill Hathcock,
WRPD Officer Brandi
Wiggins and Beth McCrary
of the Centerville Police
Department..
Civilian board members
are Brian Jones and Steve
Kovarovic.
• • •
One night recently when I
could not sleep, I came
across something on a news
channel that made me think
I might be having a waking
nightmare.
Several people were smil
ing and giving advice on
what companies one should
invest in “when terror
strikes.”