Free Speech for 7-13-05


		Wednesday, July 13, 2005

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FREE SPEECH
Our Readers Sound Off

What do you really think? E-mail us your pithy opinions, your short takes on life in Fayette and environs, your gotta-get-it-off-your-chest questions or sound-offs. E-mails only to editor@TheCitizenNews.com.
Put "Free Speech" in your subject line and include your contribution as the body text of your e-mail. No signature required. No phone calls, faxes or snail-mail letters, please. We won't print libel or obscenities or personal attacks on private persons, but just about any aspect of public life is fair game.

07-13-05

Why does the Wal-Mart in Fayetteville which is in Fayette County have school supply lists for Clayton County and not Fayette? What a slap in the face.

I am so ashamed of our mayor’s remarks after the accidental death of a fine young man. When his family needed comfort, you sought to blame. I for one would like to offer our heartfelt sorrow for this poor family. This is a great city and county that will try to help you heal. To try and blame does nothing. If you have faith, then you know that there is a plan for all of us. Your lesson, Mayor Brown, hopefully will be to not speak for this city. On national TV, local TV, newspapers, etc., please keep your mouth shut. Try compassion; it works a lot better than blame. Our deepest sympathy goes out to this family

Mayor Steve Brown must be one of the most boorish and insensitive people alive. How much longer must we be ashamed of and embarrassed by this appalling man?

Last week we saw the two types of people who live in Peachtree City featured in the media. One was a fine young man who tragically died when trying to rescue a friend from drowning. The other, a publicity-hungry hypocrite who declared that the deceased and his family “should have known better than to be there during a storm.”

I am very disappointed in Mayor Steve Brown for his comments regarding the drowning of Danen Clarke. It is very insensitive to make a comment about whether or not it made sense to be out at that time. Drowning can occur in any situation from a bucket of water to the ocean. One can argue that the bucket of water should not be there or that maybe a child should not take a bath. One can argue that a person should not have gone into the swimming pool or lake or ocean. However, the sad fact of life is that it happens. I would like to think that our elected official would have enough compassion to keep comments like that to himself. To be so uncaring to a family that help to make Peachtree City a wonderful place to live, a family that could have voted for him, is not a good idea. When we are grieving, we need the support of all of those around us. That includes our elected officials. We have all been taught that if we didn’t have anything nice to say to say nothing at all. This is incident is a prime example. I pray that Heavenly Father blesses the Clarke family with the ability to look beyond comments like that.

Why aren’t parents making their kids come in the house when the sky is full of lightning and tornadoes? We’ve got to take weather seriously. All you have to do is look at the destruction in the newspapers over the last couple of days to see that it’s not safe.

In reading the newspaper coverage given in the tragic drowning in Peachtree City, I was shocked at the callousness of their mayor’s comments. Excuse me, but someone’s child has passed away. Don’t you think everyone knows now it was an activity that was dangerous? My sympathy goes out to the boy’s family. Don’t you think think that would have been the comment to make, mayor?

What a horrible tragedy. A local teen, spending time with his dad, dies while trying to save another teen from drowning. Peachtree City Mayor Steve Brown says, “He should never have been there in the first place.” Brown is an insensitive oaf with no common sense and even less professional decorum and human decency. Condolences to Danen Clarke’s family.

A young man tragically drowns and Mayor Brown is quoted in the AJC as saying, ”They should have known better.” Mayor, your compassion, sensitivity and hindsight overwhelms me.

I’m in total shock after the tragic scenes from Wednesday that I can look out my window on Saturday evening with Hurricane Dennis roaring in and see teenagers casually roaming around on the streets. Where are the parents?

You need to take responsibility for your teens. In today’s world parents are standing in the way of their teens growing up and taking responsibility for their actions. Driving: they know when they are behind the wheel that every action they take has a reaction or consequence. Bust their butts, take the keys away, ground them, do something; take responsibility as their parent for what they do. Think back: when you were a teenager, were you an angel? Well, your teens aren’t either. They are given entirely way too much “freedom” with no repercussion.

To everyone who is against Scott Ballard standing up and defending Jeffery Allen, may I remind you that Scott was elected to his position by the citizens of this community and we trusted him with many issues? He obviously knows all the details of Jeffery’s case, something that I am sure everyone else does not know, and he knows Jeffery personally. So why should we not trust Scott in making the decision to stand up for Jeffery now? Scott is only showing his true colors by being a real friend and standing up for people that he believes in. I am sure glad we have people like him in office.

It has been quite entertaining watching Scott Ballard swing from criminal defense lawyer to district attorney and apparently back the other way. Almost as funny as The Three Stooges in “Disorder in the Court.”

If someone who worked for George Wingo brought in a gun to work, I understand he would have had to fire them. Isn’t it amazing that he got to skate? Can you imagine what the uproar would have been if Greg Dunn, Steve Brown, Ken Steele or any other elected official had brought a gun into a government building? Can you imagine what would have happened if Bruce Jordan got a 911 call saying Greg Dunn had a gun? Woo, boy, he’d probably have had the SWAT team out, put Dunn in shackles, and called the newspapers himself. Do you think he’d spend any time at all or care about who made the 911 call?

We were talking at the hair salon the other day about this gun thing with George Wingo. We can’t figure out why the guy dumped on Greg Dunn last week. Fact: George Wingo brought in a gun. Fact: He should have known better, especially right after the Nichols fiasco. Fact: At least one person, maybe two, called 911. Fact: The Fayette County police showed up, saw the gun and gave George Wingo a ticket or citation or whatever it’s called. Fact: Somehow George Wingo got a sheriff’s deputy and that new state solicitor to help him out. OK, so what did Greg Dunn have to do with any of that? Someone said that an e-mail got sent to one of the commissioners about it, too? They didn’t think it was him, but this part is just rumor mill so we weren’t sure. The only way we think Greg Dunn might have been involved is if someone had to ask him whether to give George Wingo a citation, but we’re not sure he would have anything to do with that since George Wingo doesn’t work for him. If, and I stress the if, someone called Greg Dunn because he did have some authority and asked him whether to give the citation and he said yes, we all thought he did the right thing. We were all laughing about what the stories in the paper and this free speech thing would look like if he had said, nah, let George slide and someone found out. Only one of us has ever met Dunn, but we all have the impression that he’s one of those rare types that does what is right even if it isn’t popular. Refreshing in the political arena. Wingo? Not a take responsibility for your own actions kind of guy. We all agreed we would have had a much higher opinion of him if he had just said he made a mistake and took his lumps. Another thing we all agreed on is that no matter why someone is trying to drag Greg Dunn into this thing, Wingo did it, he admitted it, so it doesn’t matter what anyone else did or didn’t do too. By the way, guys, not only do we learn much more at the hair salon that you ever do at the barber shop but we have much more fun.

Meth has recently been declared the most popular drug in the nation. It is also the most dangerous. Are we so arrogant in Fayette County to think that we are immune from this rapidly advancing plague of horrors? Lee Williams did an outstanding article describing a real-life horror story on the front page of The Citizen (July 6, 2005). The headline: “Child abuse cases leave PTC neighbors wondering, ‘Why?’” This poignant question can be answered in one word: Drugs. If one additional undercover drug agent in Fayette County could have prevented this tragedy, would it have been worth the expense to the taxpayers? The cost we taxpayers now face to clean up this mess and restore lives and find homes for innocent children will far and again exceed the pittance we could have paid up front to prevent this community disaster from happening to begin with. What dollar figure do our commissioners equate with saving a human life? How about an entire family? Look at the counties surrounding Fayette. What we see is what we can expect, unless we wake up and act now. If a leader of this county tells us differently, he’s trying to do us all in. It’s time he was done.

Neighbors, if you see kids that are naked, peeing in the yard, etc., why not knock on the door of the house and see if someone needs help? If you don’t want to get involved, isn’t that what Family and Children’s Services is there for? I’m so glad that case ended as well as it did, before one of those kids was seriously hurt. We can all make Peachtree City a better place by leaving our homes on foot every now and then, and talking to our neighbors.

This is totally disgusting. And very, very sad. Do these people not have a family? By that, I mean, don’t these “parents” have family that sees them occasionally? How can no one know this is going on? Do they not want to get involved? I have a checklist for myself as far as getting involved. If there is a child that is in danger from himself or others, then I will err on the side of caution. So should everyone else. I would rather be wrong than right. Just think how many children could have been saved if doubters were not worried about being wrong. I am sorry if this sounds bitter, but I am bitter. There is no reason for children to be treated this way. They are wanted by somebody, and they should be given the opportunity to be loved.

To the owners of rental property in the Clover Reach subdivision and throughout Peachtree City: Please do your homework. Get references. Perform credit checks. Do whatever possible to avoid bringing the type of people who had their kids living in that hell hole on Sweetgum Road into our neighborhood and city. If you want rental income that badly, buy the house next to your own and then rent it out to any and all drug-using, child-abusing couples that happen to come along while it’s vacant.

Am I the only one who noticed things were a lot nicer in Free Speech when Bruce Jordan was on vacation?

I’m not the brightest bulb on this planet but even I got that the thing about waiting on the guy to fly in with the helicopter and the newspapers wasn’t about whether the helicopter was good or bad. Remember that song about someone being so vain they thought the song was about them? This is totally opposite where the song was about the copter pilot and they didn’t think it was about them.

Since I started reading Free Speech, I stopped going to the movies. Free Speech is far more entertaining, and it’s free. Why spend money to see a flick? Here in Fayette County, we have our own home-grown versions of several Hollywood movies playing out live. For example, there’s “Walking Tall” starring Randall Johnson and Bruce Jordan which has had many successful sequels spanning several decades. Then there’s “Revenge of the Nerds” starring Greg Dunn and Peter Pfeifer. Once will be enough for these bad actors from New York and New Jersey.

In the July 6 edition of The Citizen, an e-mailer wrote about seeing two bumper stickers, a “Proud to be an American” and a “God Bless America.” The writer then made a crack about the owners not being Democrats. I would like to respond, if the editor will print this. I am what the writer would probably consider a “liberal” Democrat (I prefer the term “progressive”) and I live in Fayette County. I am also a Vietnam vet who proudly volunteered to serve my country in the Navy. I support our troops fighting terrorism in Afghanistan, and the ones fighting a needless incursion into Iraq. In fact, me and fellow Georgia Democrats have supported our troops by buying personal care items (soap, shaving cream, deodorant, shampoo, etc) and sending them to our troops in Iraq. Our troops have to pay for these items out of the paltry wages they are paid. Unlike the earlier writer, who seems to believe a person can only be a patriot if they publicly display it on their bumper, I believe I can be a patriotic American by supporting our troops. I don’t have to display some “cutesy” bumper sticker, or wear my religion on my sleeve for everyone to see, like some presidents I know, to be a “good” American. By the way, where was the writer while I was in ’Nam?

We can sympathize with the feelings in regards to the lack of recognition for patriotic floats and cart decorations in the Fourth of July parade. Last year our group entered what we felt was a very patriotic float in the parade. We were disappointed, after we had spent so much time and effort trying to build our float to express our patriotic feelings, to find that we were competing with commercial floats for recognition, but we were so pleased to receive so much appreciation and support from the wonderful Peachtree City community and from a local newspaper who featured a picture of our float on the front page of their newspaper. That support made us want to participate again this year in the parade. Maybe in some person’s eyes, our carts in the parade this year were not patriotic, but we were striving to bring a smile to some, especially the little ones who line the parade route. Many of our participants are wives of former servicemen and we have lived through many of our country’s wars. We have learned to appreciate and love our country and try to have a positive and happy outlook on the wonderful life we have been blessed with. We are proud to be the First Place Winners in the golf cart division of our parade. We thank the Peachtree City Recreation Department for all of their efforts to give us the opportunity to bring a community spirit so we can congregate and enjoy our life in this wonderful country. We are sorry if we offended you, especially me, as I came up with the idea that we do a “fun” entry this year.

The Fourth of July parade and fireworks in PTC is worth going to anymore just to check out current human nature. If you go early in order to get a place one can see, someone already has half the good spots covered with blankets or chairs and show up at the last minute. Either that or they just show up and get in front of you and then stand when things start. One woman stood and occupied about 40 square feet in the road ahead of about 20 other people for about an hour, all the time on the telephone talking loud to those coming, I suppose. I don’t expect the police to do anything about obnoxious selfish Yankees, but it is time to simply walk up to them and say: “Let’s see your White House pass or police badge.” I suppose these are the same people who when coming home from Atlanta, don’t get in the long line at the exit, but go nearly to the exit in an inner lane, then crowd in a high rate of speed at the very last moment. Silly us, we let them in day after day. Their kids see this behavior, I’m sure.

I love the sunflowers in the field in Fayetteville. They are beautiful and a wonderful surprise. Thanks to whomever.

I have just been notified by another parent about a Web site that the teenage age kids of Fayette County are joining called myspace.co. At first it seems innocent enough, but as you dig deeper into your child’s friends and then their friends it becomes pornographic and very suggestive and the language and comments the people make is terrible. My child has good morals, not a bad kid, and they are so stupid that they don’t think anything can happen. I want to keep my child and the other kids here safe and good. I think the parents in this community should know about this site.

As a recent victim of a crime in the town of Tyrone, I would like to express my displeasure with the Tyrone Police Department. Having been the victim of a crime, we called 911. Officers came to my residence and promptly had a detective come out also. The detective provided us with a business card and informed us that he would contact us accordingly. After several days of not hearing anything, I called the police department. I was informed that the detective that had been to my house was “working another shift in uniform for several days” that week. I also learned this is the only detective employed by the police department. I called back the next week and was again informed that the detective was unable to do much with my crime due to working additional days in uniform. This went on for a couple of weeks. Recently, I went to a local restaurant for dinner and saw the detective in uniform again. I cannot begin to describe how devastated I was by this, because not only is the crime committed against me not being solved, we obviously don’t have adequate police protection on the streets in Tyrone. After being informed by several citizens that have lived here for long periods of time, it is becoming obvious that I am not the only citizen that feels this way. Chief Hay and Town Manager Amos: I think it may be time to reevaluate the police department because they obviously do not have the adequate staff to handle the needs of the citizens of Tyrone.

In response to someone saying Mayor Lee of Tyrone voted for the Wieland deal because she felt he would sue if he didn’t get his way. I don’t think she ever said. But if that was her thinking it doesn’t seem very sound. Wieland bought the land knowing it was zoned for one house on two or three acre lots. He didn’t have a leg to stand on in court. Also Smola tried to smooth over his vote by saying he saved a lot of wetlands. I don’t know if he knows it but you can’t build in wetlands. He didn’t save anything but Wieland’s wallet. We are going to scream again when we see what it is going to cost us to school all those extra kids. Now when we look at the schools in Tyrone, we will have both the Smolas to thank.

Janet Smola receives a check for $393 per month for her service to the school system on the school board.

I have never been disappointed in the emergency services available in the Fayette area, either city or unincorporated county. They are always there fast, they are professional and wonderful. On the other hand I always wonder with all the money in the area where are the PTC police? I rarely see them when I go there or go through there. With the mess they have of the traffic where the construction is around The Avenue you would think police would be there all the time making traffic go more smoothly. However, they are never in sight. Tell the PTC Chamber of Commerce to be sure it is in the paper when the construction is done because I am one of many who will go a different way to Newnan until I know it is done. For sure I won’t be shopping in PTC.

Proven: The Peachtree City police force is not racist. It was a real pleasure to discover they are just as capable as the Atlanta police force of hiring inarticulate minority personnel lacking in finely polished class and demeanor. Maybe she’ll get promoted to Clayton County one day.

New motto for the Peachtree City Police Department: If you can’t pay a fine, you didn’t commit a crime.

Hey, Peachtree City Police Department: Any citizen of this state retains the right to the public records he has requested under the Open Records Act. Stop telling citizens that they need to go through an attorney for these requested documents. If there is a way to sidestep the law and intimidate the public, we can count on you.

The teen rape suspect in PTC had already had trouble with the law? The police only learned of a major drug house in PTC because they shot at each other. Maybe Peachtree City is not as safe as our police chief says. Perhaps the only people of interest to the police department are those able to pay fines, the employed and hard-working taxpayers.

Is there any reason why the hotel-motel tax in Peachtree City can’t be used for the general budget if we were to set it up that way? Why must we support the Tourism Authority, the airport, the tennis center and now probably the amphitheater from these funds? I cannot see where any of the entities above have brought one factory or large office to Peachtree City above what we have lost. Let the flyboys pay their way; let the tennis bums pay their way; and get someone with imagination to make money at the amphitheater. Fire the high-priced managers and run these things with city employees. The million the bank is trying to collect indicates the inefficiency of these things.

What is the point in keeping the Tennis Center in the Tourism Authority (with the employees I assume getting city benefits, if not salaries) paid for by tax money on hotel costs, for the purpose of bringing tennis tourists here to pay more tax to support the Tennis Center? Did you get that? That would not be too bad if it had not lost over a million and a half dollars, but it did. As to whom or what owes the million and a half, plus lawyers, it seems to me that taxpayers, be they PTC taxpayers or out of town tennis players, do not owe the money if it was an illegal loan, signed for by the bank and the bank. Does the bank have a lien on the property? Why doesn’t the bank simply foreclose if they have a right to, and, if not, then they aren’t owed the money and are susceptible to losing it just as any money they might have lent Chile and never collected? Banks simply aren’t guaranteed all of their loans (except by the government, more taxpayers) and good intentions mean nothing. This loan was forced by developers and town officials and banks upon the old authority. If a town can’t afford a Tennis Complex, then let a bank run one for profit.

To the person that bashed NASCAR saying it has gotten to be a large “bumper car” tournament where one can either get very drunk, get hit in the head with a beer bottle, or get run over after the race is over: obviously you know nothing about NASCAR or you would know that you can’t take bottles in. When was the last time you went to a race? Try this: Go to the next race weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway, find one of those “drunk” fans and tell them someone stole your wallet and that you have no money to get home. You’ll be surprised just how nice those “drunks” will be. NASCAR has the greatest fans in the world.

Hitchhiking in Peachtree City! Come on, man: An older man Tuesday morning by Publix on Ga. Highway 54 hitchhiking. How desperate we have become.

I totally agree with the person that wrote regarding it being hard to believe this is America. I have seen where free speech is becoming a thing of the past, especially when someone decides to add their own interpretation to what is said or written. The truth is becoming a thing of the past with people justifying, rationalizing instead of taking responsibility for their own actions. I find this very true when dealing with the law. American citizens are being held accountable for something they did not do just because someone decided to be dishonest to take the focus off themselves. It saddens me that it is becoming a dog eat dog world.

I stand corrected regarding the “eye for an eye” comment. Yes, it was Moses who gave that directive, but Jesus who brought out the more gentle response against personal vengeance for personal attacks, like turning the other cheek. But the “bumper sticker” people seem to use that phrase to promote an anti-war sentiment, and it was never intended for that, unless one would go to war over a personal attack like a black eye. War against terror is quite another thing, as the British have found out.

Let’s save the taxpayers money and bring home the Georgia Republican Congressional delegation. Since they vote lock-step with the Bush folks, why don’t they just give their proxy vote to Tom (Mr. Ethics) Delay and to Bill (send me a picture of your sick folks and I’ll make a long distance diagnosis for free). I know that what I have suggested is not constitutional, but this has never stopped the Republicans before. At least it’s worth a try and can’t be any worse than what we now have.

I do hope that when citizens of other countries have business with the police, when they are in our country, that they will not act like the bunch from Alabama hunting the young woman on holiday in Aruba. This is a Dutch country, not a U.S. country. We must defer to their culture and systems as we expect them to do here under similar circumstances. There is no need to make the whole world angry with us as the Muslims and some others are. They could just tell her to go home until they need her. Sympathy for the family’s plight is not the situation here. They have that, I think.

Minnesota shut down their government mostly over budget problems. Fulton County found out that the courthouse deputies and supervisors were almost totally inept. Anyone want to bet whether or not the Minnesota employees end up getting full pay and advance vacation time anyway, and no one at the courthouse will be fired and that within a year no discipline slips will be in their records? Also, since when can’t a newly elected sheriff select what deputies he wants and doesn’t want? Clayton County, I think, says he can’t. Isn’t that what makes such terrible conditions in these places?

Until President Bush’s own two daughters are on patrol in Baghdad, he is in no position to tell anyone else that they ought to urge their children to consider military duty.

I am not Catholic nor Mormon but it seems to me I should be able to understand how humans can make a saint of someone dead like they intend to do for John Paul II. I’m not sure what “latter day” saints are either, but I take them to be saints now. I do know that this sort of thing was for sale a few hundred years ago but I’m not sure if the fellows got their money’s worth who bought it. I guess we can write it all off to faith and let it go at that.

Fifteen hundred sheep jumped off a cliff in Turkey while the shepherds ate breakfast. Four-hundred-fifty died but the rest kept jumping anyway, with some surviving by hitting a soft pile of dead sheep. The first thing that entered my mind when I read this article was our current political parties. I don’t think it makes much difference which party, but if one of the leaders says this and that is the way to go, the rest follow. Maybe the conservatives have an edge in followship; after all, there is Ted Kennedy and Cynthia McKinney, who far outshine Tom Delay and Mr. Hyde. Whatever happened to independent thought?

07-06-05

It is shocking that our District Attorney Scott Ballard would go through such extremes to defend the convicted child molester Jeffery David Allen. I agree with Ballard that people should be given opportunities to reform and to turn their lives around and that as a Christian I should also be supportive and loving toward that person. However, when you have a proven track record of molesting children, indulging in strip bars, ignoring your parole rules, how are the people you are sworn to protect feel secure that this guy is indeed going through a real change? How many victims —oops, I mean chances — does this guy get? With pornography at our fingertips what is it that this guy is possibly viewing, reading and yearning for that would create such a desire to satisfy his perverted cravings and that he would risk his freedom for a brief moment of self-gratification? A gratification that could cause him to rape or kill a child or any other innocent victim. Well, Scott, I am the father of two young daughters who live less than a mile from this predator. I voted for you because I relied on the testimony of mutual friends whom convinced me that you were the candidate that would protect my family from child predators. You should be ashamed. If you want to mentor this molester then I and the citizens of the Griffin Judicial Circuit ask that you conduct your prayer time with Jeffery behind bars. I cannot even allow my children to play in our yard without fear of this child molester snatching one of them up and, you know. I expect you to hold your friend accountable for his actions. I commend you for your support and desire to rehabilitate your friend but that should not come at expense of our children and our community. If Jeffery victimizes another then perhaps you should search your heart and ask yourself if you are partially responsible. With all due respect, Scott, I guess you feel obligated to protect molesters as I have come to learn that as a trial lawyer your law practice had a history of getting these guys off. Well, your new job is not defending predators, but putting them and keeping them behind bars. Do your job! In two years look at your opponent’s campaign disclosure and you will see my name with a sizable contribution. But with your recent conduct regarding this issue I am sure that you can rely on your fellow trial lawyers to severely offset my contribution. You are the ”Man” for the trial lawyers and their predator clients.

The vast majority of elected officials snub their noses at friends in trouble, or refuse to get involved because of “their elected position.” Scott Ballard apparently values his friendships and doesn’t let his “elected position” steer him away from doing what he believes is the Christian thing to do. My personal observations conclude that most politicians, Christian or not, put their political careers first and foremost over everything else, including family and friends. It’s refreshing to know that Fayette County is represented by a politician who is capable of separating personal feelings from the elected job, and who doesn’t forget who his friends were before he got elected. My only question is this: Why is the “shocked and stunned official” from the South Georgia Judicial Circuit speaking on the “condition of anonymity”? I can only guess this official is another one of the vast majority of politicians worrying about political fallout if his name is revealed.

Let me see if I got this right: Fayette County releases child molesters but gives jail time to skinny dippers? That is bizarre.

Scott Ballard needs to be thrown out of office for defending a child molester and becoming involved in his case.

The couple who kept their children in such filth should be housed in the animal shelter until their hearing. They would feel right at home.

This may seem trivial to some but for those who put a good deal of time, creativity and effort into their golf cart decorations for the parade, what’s the point? All anyone had to do was use a couple of paper plates for eyes and a red hat on the roof, or throw a bunch of stuffed animals on their cart for the third year in a row or better still put a few cardboard boxes on the roof and call it patriotic to get some recognition from the judges. Who are these judges anyway, friends of the winners, or they simply haven’t a clue what patriotic or creative means? I thought judges were supposed to be impartial, but I guess that doesn’t apply inside the bubble. Several cart owners really went above and beyond this year. Especially the request that they keep with the patriotic theme and to be creative with their designs. Silly me, I honestly thought the town was trying to encourage higher quality participation, which I saw plenty of in many of the floats and decorations, just not the ones that won. Why is it that many of the same people win year after year with the same tacky, thrown-together decorations that are neither creative or patriotic (just because they use red, white and blue does not make them patriotic)? As much as I love a parade I am not sure that I will attend in the future because it is so disheartening to see great efforts ignored and the same few shoddy decorated carts get the recognition.

I’m writing in response to the article in Friday’s paper about the two parents arrested for neglecting their children. Lloyd Walker, the mother’s attorney, was quoted as saying that autistic children “are known to wander and smear feces on the wall.” I think this was a very unfair presumption and generalization about autistic children. In reality, the behavior Lloyd automatically blamed on autism would not be uncommon among children who are severely neglected, as was the case in this instance. However, to point that out would have been to put the blame on his client, the child’s mother. It’s absurdly obvious that she had something to do with the situation. Did Lloyd have to use autism as a public scapegoat for the conditions under which the children were living? No, but he did, and in doing so demonstrated that “attorney ethics” are not necessarily the same as “attorney morals.” Really nice, Lloyd. I’m sure every mother fighting for the rights of her autistic child in today’s misinformed society really appreciates your contribution.

Saw two different cars with bumper stickers that made me think. The first said, “Proud to Be An American.” The other said, “God Bless America.” And I thought to myself, Bet they are not Democrats.

I have lived here now for 21 years. I also now find it hard to get out of this place occasionally. It is a real mess to go to Newnan. It is worse to go to the north side of Fayetteville (takes as long as the airport trip used to), and it is downright dangerous to go to Union City. There isn’t any place to go traveling south, but if there ever is, it will be hard to get there very soon. How does a nice “planned” community slide into commercialism so rapidly? I’m not against banks, drug stores, restaurants, pizzas, liquor stores, etc., but couldn’t we have put them just out of town?

Who has the police night shifts on Peachtree City’s golf cart paths? Do they ride bikes, motorcycles, cars, golf carts, GEMs, or is it a foot patrol? What with all the nude frolicking, attempted rape, etc., I recommend a Bradley Fighting Vehicle stocked with tear gas. I don’t think the chief’s threats will stop it.

Please, Peachtree City, let’s all take note of what is happening on our cart paths. I truly believe that our cart paths are bait for every pervert from here to Macon. They come here just to stalk our women and children, I’m mad as hell and I want people to be aware if you see someone or something that looks suspicious, call 911. Just yesterday a 14-year-old girl was walking her dog by the pier and close to her home and a grown man followed her and exposed himself to her. Just one time I really wish he would expose himself to me, because Lorenna Bobitt would have nothing on this old girl. This was following the assault and attempted rape just down the path where, thank God, a neighbor was out and called 911, and a gentleman was kind enough to turn his golf cart around and scare the 14-year-old BOY away. That’s all I’m asking: just keep your eyes and ears open. The police want to know this stuff, they want these predators out of our city as badly as you. So let’s all stick together. Between the pregnant meth users that let their own children roam the streets with feces and lice and no clothes, not to mention the home they were living in, we are getting a really bad reputation. I’ve raised three children here and I’ve never seen so much sadness in this area. Call your local officials and see what we can all do to improve this mess. And, Mr. Flasher, if you are reading this, get a life, better yet get a job. Stop riding around on your golf cart looking at small children.

PTC flashback: A topnotch tennis center is planned and subsequently developed in PTC. The development funding is supplied by a local bank. No city-wide referendum is held on the $1 million-plus development. The business plan assumed that a hotel, motel local tax and membership and court fees would be enough to take care of the debt load and operating expenses. Scroll up to the current situation. Years have gone by and the local bank and a couple of contractors are currently left holding the bag, so to speak. The bag contains an approximate $1.5 million dollar balance rightfully due the bank and the contractors. Lawsuits are now in place to find the correct debtor that is responsible for the payments. Would it not be possible that the land and the improvements on the property be used to settle the debt without the taxpayers being asked to come up with the dollars in question? Why not just deed the property to the creditors and settle the debt? The city and the DAPC are then off the hook. If the appraised value is significantly higher that the current debt, then the new owner of the land would pay the difference to the city or to the DAPC. If the tennis center operation is that attractive to operate, then the new owners could jump in and run the tennis center enterprise. If that does not prove to be the case, then the local tennis enthusiasts could support our PTC Recreation Department’s tennis program or work out a deal with the Canongate Golf Club to join its tennis program. The main point is that the current debtors should be able to get their money, including principal, interest and maybe attorney fees without further delay. This political issue would then be settled.

While waiting to be seated at a Fayetteville restaurant on July 4th, I overheard a woman tell her companions that she and her husband (or boyfriend) were able to get into houses that were for sale, without a Realtor being present because they knew the lock-box codes. This was quite unsettling, since our home is currently on the market, and we have had several showings, but have been home or nearby when the Realtor brought people to view it. They always called us first, though. What this young woman was doing is at least unethical, and possibly illegal, like trespassing, and it bothered me all during our meal. But I did not go over to their table and say anything, since they were still eating after we were finished and ready to go. But I wanted to say to this couple, What are you thinking? You could enter a home where you thought the owner was gone, only to come upon a person who was getting out of the shower or coming up from the basement with a shotgun. Hello? This isnot a good idea! Stop doing this before you really get into trouble! And to the person who was careless about revealing the lock-box codes, you could be culpable as well. The whole real estate community is not going to think very highly of this. I am going to mention it to my Realtor, that is for sure.

There has been a lot said about the Sheriff’s Department and Bruce Jordan lately. I can tell you this, when the Sheriff retires, if you want Fayette County to remain a great place to live, you better get out and vote for Bruce Jordan. The only thing that stands between the criminals and the community is law enforcement. And no matter what you think of Bruce Jordan, he cares about the community. He has served Fayette County for over 20 years and has always done so with honor. I do not know him personally but I do know a lot of the deputies and they all say the same thing: If you want Fayette to remain a great place to live you better get out and support him. And to Bruce Jordan, thank you for all that you have done for our community,, and you have my support.

Beware, people who live in the Wiltshire, Kenton, Morallion Hills neighborhoods. Three teenage boys in golf cart 10311 are shooting Moon Traveler and Red Devil rockets at people. The golf cart is yellow with black pinstripe. On June 28 they narrowly missed a mother and two small toddlers on a golf cart. Their parents should be ashamed, but more importantly should be sued for endangering other people. Do us all a big favor, if you can’t discipline your kids, go back to your trailer park in Griffin. Wouldn’t you be more comfortable amongst your own kind?

I frequently use Rockaway Road, and whenever I have the opportunity, I let traffic out from Rockaway onto Ga. Highway 74. It’s called common courtesy, something you obviously know nothing about. Honestly, some of you in Fayette County can be so arrogant. Do you really think Fayette County gets nothing good out of our coming into it and shopping?

Commissioner Peter Pfeifer gave a stirring token challenge to the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision on the use of eminent domain. What the commissioner forgot to mention is that he’ll be steam-rolling northern Fayette County with a multitude of condemnations to build roads through the middle of our neighborhoods so that he can shift the traffic congestion from Fayetteville to North Fayette. By the way Commissioner Pfeifer, the residents of North Fayette voted against your special sales tax for the roads. Even though we don’t approve, you’ll take our land anyway and ruin our quality of life with increased traffic. So much for the rhetoric of protecting the citizens from government.

Many people seemed to be upset that the Supreme Court found for a group of people and their town to be able to condemn a rundown neighborhood and build better homes and businesses there. I don’t recollect these people complaining when this was done several times in South Atlanta.

It’s beginning to be hard to believe we’re still living in America.

With the resignation of Justice O’Connor there is an opening for Elizabeth Hanford Dole (never really succeeded at any job yet and reads everything she says), or Katherine Harris of Florida fame. They will certainly get their day in the sun at this opportunity, even if they don’t have a Chinaman’s chance at confirmation, as a reward for loyalty to the cause, whatever that is. Jeb Bush has a chance since it is pretty well assured Florida won’t want any more of his improvements to their DFACS, school or budget programs, and after all, he needs a public job to support his smuggling wife and special schools for his daughter. Now with all that said, here is the way it will really go: Judge Edith Jones of Texas will take O’Connor’s place on the court, and then Justice Scalia will become chief justice if he wants it; if not Clarence Thomas. That leaves a vacancy also, and of course that leaves room for a surprise like the attorney general from Texas, who is now running our federal Justice Department, Mr. Gonzalez. None of these people are ever likely to vote as O’Connor did: sometimes for the administration, sometimes against the administration, which is what we need.

Reading the Free Speech section of The Citizen on Wednesday, I came across an interesting article concerning the meaning behind the ancient proverb, “Eye for eye, tooth for tooth.” To paraphrase, the author of the opinion felt as though Jesus meant simply that the punishment should fit the crime; taking an eye for an eye is not about vengeance, but rather justice. There are two glaring faults with this logic. Firstly, Jesus never says to take an eye for an eye. In fact, he actually contradicts this idea, when in Matthew 5:38-9 he tells his followers, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.” The author of this piece was most likely referring to the command God gave Moses in the 21st chapter of Exodus. The second lapse of rationality occurs with the concept that deciding and applying just punishments and reprimands is not an objective art. What seems fair to one may be exceeding in the eyes of another. And this is where the cycle of continuous vindictive action is perpetuated. I believe, perhaps naively, but hopefully not, that people seek only to repay what was done to them when they act in a vengeful way, no more, no less. The problem is, you will be hard-pressed to find any two people that agree unanimously on a fair repercussion. Hence, one of the individuals will find fault in the other’s actions and thus must extract a fair amount of revenge. This is seen as an unwarranted act by the other, and the whole situation is started over again. The only way to escape this fate is to leave our vengeance to God. We must trust that Newton was right in saying that what comes up must go down. If we truly believe that people will get what is coming to them and there is nothing on Earth that can prevent this, we will find inner peace and not be consumed with righting wrongs done to us. Although it may not seem to be the case at any particular time, things tend to balance each other out; we just need to have the patience to let it happen.

I am glad that you have chosen to make this free speech column for your newspaper. It allows people the chance to share some really wonderful things that can build up our community. I hope that you will change the rules only slightly in that there can be no tearing down of people in any way. We all are here to help one another be the best that each one of us can be. That is a great responsibility. Our elected officials are human just like us; they can make mistakes. We as a community may make suggestions to them, but follow it up by praying for them and let them know you are. That will build them up and our community. I would love to read more positive things in the newspaper. The Citizen can be the first to start something so positive for their community. Printing only positive things that they believe will build up instead of tearing down. Isn’t that awesome? I pray that they will have the courage to change the rules to do this. At a hair salon in PTC, I was present when a young man could not pay for his haircut as he had only a card that they did not accept. A person waiting for a haircut got up immediately and paid for him. That young man gave that stranger a wonderful hug and thank you. The man wanted to pay the stranger back but was told that if he was ever present when someone else needed help, that he would help them. A lady at a gas station just off Hwy. 74 was not able to pay for her gas. The attendant was calling the police when another person came up and paid for the gas for her. Again, they were strangers. But then, maybe they weren’t really just strangers but angels working for good. We all know that good will win over evil in the end. How about each one of us helping it along by being angels ourselves? When someone cuts you off in traffic, don’t respond with rage. Pray for that person. If you are around anything or anyone that is not positive, you can try to turn it to something positive. You are there in that particular place at that particular time for a reason. You CAN make a difference in many different ways throughout each day of your life. Then one day you will hear the awesome words, “Well done, good and faithful servant, come on in.” Trey Hoffman, thank you for having the courage in trying to be an angel.

Considering the candidates who have run for mayor of Peachtree City in recent years, it has just dawned on me that none of the long-time residents seem to want the job anymore. One apparently can no longer serve a term or two as just a payback of services for one’s fellow citizens. Clans, or cliques, or work groups, or political parties, which were never intended for the mayor of a small town, seem to be the current requirement. Certainly makes me think that they now run for what can be obtained rather than what can be given. We are not a training ground for future political office, or a place to network. If someone, anyone, who has lived here 20 years or more will run, who has not served, you have my vote and backing.

Mayor’s story: I think you have your cities confused. Maybe somebody had too good a time Friday night.

I’ve got it. I know why Barry Amos is getting a raise. It is because of all the work involved in cue cards he holds up for the mayor to make statements.

Mayberry? Wow. I think it sounds pretty darn good myself. Perhaps you would rather be in Peachtree City where the mentality might be more like, let’s say, “Desperate Housewives”? “90210”? “Melrose Place”? “Cops”? “The Stepford Wives”? Even a good place to make a Lifetime movie because there sure is enough drama that surrounds this community. Yep, I think Gomer, Aunt Bea, Goober, Ernest T. Bass and the rest of them had the right idea about life. Keep it simple. Keep it stupid. Well, at least we have the stupid part down pat.

To the person who feels so sorry for the Smolas. Well, someone else will go for the job on the school board. It is a paid job of around $1,000 a month to show up twice a month for about an hour. It also includes a few little getaway taxpayer-paid weekend deals for some of the members to go on “retreat” together and get to know each other even better. Mr. Smola is also paid to show up and vote for what the citizens are saying they do not want. The whole idea is, in case it hasn’t dawned on you, is a lot of people would be happy if they would go ahead and step down and put us out of our misery. They won’t because they want the money and the power. Nothing else. It may not seem like a lot to you, but it must be to them. They won’t go away on their own, but the next term election of either, they will.

Tyrone is a perfect example of when builders come in the front door of the Town Hall that the will of the people gets thrown out the window. Many of us have never liked that Mayor Lee is employed by Fayette Commissioner Greg Dunn. Our worry turned into panic when the mayor openly supported Dunn’s SPLOST deal that left Tyrone out in the cold. She then doubled the housing density of a piece of property that has no value to the city other than creating more traffic. So much for mayor’s limited sewer capacity speech from a few years back. We knew that Mike Smola was a risk when he ran for Ronnie Cannon’s seat but Ronnie was leaving town anyway. Both Smola and Lee are embarrassing us with their conceited attitudes and I hope that the crowds grow larger at each council meeting to see exactly what they are doing.

I agree with Mayor Lee when she stated that Wieland would sue if their rezoning was turned down. Wake up, Tyrone and Peachtree City. Why do you think [Wieland] wants to be annexed into the city limits? Please consider this when they are making application. However, I am not convinced they would have won. I wonder who gave her this advice? I may be naive and a little zealous since we are coming up on the Fourth of July but I still believe in “power to the people.”

Greg Dunn, you should be ashamed of yourself, but I know you’re not because you’re too self-involved to feel shame. You claim you seldom write to the paper, yet every week you plant statements in Free Speech which are obviously coming from you. You are on a campaign to smear the image of a great Sheriff’s Department and a great sheriff. If there are morale problems in the Sheriff’s Department they are due to the ridicule they suffer from the very man who signs their pay check, the chairman of the Fayette County Commission. You’re constantly criticizing one of the best sheriff’s departments in the state. Lt. Col. Jordan did not cause morale problems when he went to the commission asking for more help in the drug squad. Only you would make that outrageous claim. If anything, morale was through the roof in the department when Col. Jordan stood up to you in the paper and exposed you for who you are. By the way, didn’t you introduce Col. Jordan as “one of the best investigators in the nation” at the Freedom Rally at Stonewall Village after 911? Could it be that was before you changed your political agenda? Now I’ve been told by another county commissioner that your motivation is that you want to run for sheriff, so you’re running our Sheriff’s Department in the ground. What a sleazy politician you are. You don’t have the right to preach to Sheriff Randall Johnson about his legacy. You will never achieve the standing for that and you could never fill his shoes. His legacy will stand tall while yours will be that you have been law enforcement’s biggest enemy, only to achieve your own political gain. How odd is that for a former military man. Our superiors have instructed us to ignore your propaganda and maintain the high road, so most of what you say goes unanswered but I don’t think you’re fooling anyone. I personally believe Fayette County citizens are too intelligent to fall for your smear campaign.

Please, Commissioner Pfeifer, please stop rubbing Greg Dunn’s ego in the Free Speech section. Your letters in the paper were dreadful enough. Dunn the Ogre offends nearly everyone and he is a premier candidate for the Machiavellian Award for Community Service. When he had the Tax Commissioner arrested on trumped-up charges, Dunn hit absolute bottom. He didn’t even have enough manhood to publicly apologize to Mr. Wingo. We have unquestionably no representation in the northern section of Fayette County solely because Dunn desires it to be that way. One of my old college professors used to say, “If we marinade ourselves in individual self-interest and bake in the oven of self-importance we will never taste public esteem and we will most likely cause frequent intestinal evacuations.” A more fitting depiction of Greg Dunn would be difficult to find.

I’ve lived in unincorporated Fayette County for over 21 years, during which time I’ve had occasion to call the Sheriff’s Office about four times a year, ranging from multi-fatality traffic accidents to couples walking down the road beating the daylights out of each other. That’s over 80 calls. The longest response time has been about 10 minutes. Most of the time a deputy has been on the scene within five minutes. This is an amazing record which honest subjects can dearly embrace. Dishonest subjects dearly hate it. There are several in Fayette County who call 911 every time they see a snake in their yard. If you don’t believe it, ask any deputy. Deputies are often busy answering such calls. They respond whether it’s an elderly widow who has no one else to call or a terrified, frou-frou female from Peachtree City who wants the horrible serpent captured alive and deported to Coweta County from whence it came. The deputies don’t ask why, they just do it. Take a close look at the counties surrounding Fayette County. What you see is what you can expect. Tens of thousands of dollars of taxpayers’ money is being wasted on legal fees so elected officials can fight their battles in court. Incompetence reigns supreme. Crime is rampant and evidence of the seven deadly sins is increasing at an alarming rate. What we see is what we can expect. The reason this plague is not already abundant in Fayette County is because the best sheriff’s office and judges in the entire state of Georgia have been able to keep the wrongdoers at bay. Sadly enough, it appears that certain factions of our county wish to see this strong deterrent weakened. To serve and protect is an awesome responsibility. This challenge is being met in an exemplary manner. And these efforts by brave individuals deserve far more respect than the snake-under-the-rock comments being voiced in the Free Speech section. Even as such, it allows readers to see what snake language looks like when it appears in print.

To the person who wrote about we need to support our local law enforcement, you are right. And to the person who wrote about Lt. Col. Jordan, you are so very right: he will be the demise of the Fayette County Sheriff’s Department. Let’s just hope Randall Johnson will get it fixed before it’s too late. We need to come together as a community and support our county government. If we will say these things about ourselves what will others say?

Hey, clowns that keep bashing the sheriff’s helicopter, you might want to educate yourself a little before running your mouth in the Free Speech section. The fact is without a doubt a helicopter is one of the best law enforcement tools. I have worked for two of our country’s largest police force air units, and the amount of times that an officer’s life or a citizen’s life has been saved due to a helicopter is clearly beyond your comprehension. If they used the FLIR (Infra-red) camera to find your missing child at night, would you see the need? How about a high-speed accident and casualties prevented by letting the air unit take over a pursuit from ground units? Why you would not want our men and women in uniform to have the best equipment possible to “protect and serve” our community must be based solely on ignorance. If the price of a used mid-1970’s helicopter and its upkeep bother you, why aren’t you complaining about the big fancy SWAT and special purpose vehicles they have? Better yet, we are spending billions in Iraq to “liberate” them? You don’t want to throw down some money locally to preserve and protect your community? Educate yourself, go to www.alea.org., talk to a military helicopter pilot, or a local air ambulance pilot, or a local law enforcement officer and ask their opinion. You will learn something, and hopefully you will shut up.

To the people out there that wonder why some of us individuals write about bad law enforcement in Free Speech (we know the truth about certain wrong-doings but we can’t say much until it is proven) is because if you put your name out there, then certain higher-ups will threaten to sue if you say too much. I believe in the saying that what goes around comes around and one day we will all know the truth about the corruption that goes on here in Fayette and surrounding counties. It is a proven fact that the powerful people do not always win! Make my day.

Bruce Jordan and his followers: “No one conquers who doesn’t fight.”

I read three articles last week in three newspapers about county budgets for next year. By far the most confusing one was in The Citizen. Another was in the Neighbor paper, and the clearest, most informative, was of all places in the AJC about Fulton County. Fulton showed several years of budgets with major items, and said in the same article what happened to the mill rate, the property evaluations, and what was spent in dollars. The article in The Citizen, with a reporter’s by-line, evidently was not written by him. It was incomprehensible. There must have been a score of numbers strewn all through the article and in no particular order. This sort of thing happens every year in the newspapers due to the fact that for the papers to investigate these numbers sufficiently to put them in some kind of order for a citizen to know if his money was being spent wisely, might be too much to take on. Once everything is settled and the bill comes in December, we then know we are paying 10 to 20 percent more dollars than we did last year. However, I always remember the newspaper headlines saying, “County or city holding mill rate for budget,” or, “School budgets really tight this year,” or, “County budget up a little but city down.” For goodness sakes, just say how much the totals are before we are billed and how they compare to dollars last year. To see that the total county budget is $170,000,000, or some such figure, and with a debt of 2 zillion, doesn’t tell me how much to complain about, or to budget for next year. Can’t we stop this childish game?

Rising home values are destroying middle income families in many parts of the country. Fayette County isn’t quite there yet but they are trying to be. It is time for a state law prohibiting localities to raise taxes due to rising home values. If values go up, then millage rates must come down an equal amount. Otherwise, if we don’t do this, we will be literally choked to death by school administrations and town and county governments piling on more and more dollars every year. It is time to stop adding two or three times the inflation rate every year, and to give serious consideration to justifying each and every position and expense each and every year. Right now I truly believe that if suddenly Peachtree City or Fayette County had a tax digest reduction of significant proportions one year, that they would still keep everyone working and spend the same amount of money as usual. This is not the way to provide jobs to everyone.

I can’t wait until school starts in August so the people of Fayette County have teachers to complain about again instead of politicians. The town governments are so boring. Every week it’s the same complaint. At least the school system offers variety. You can complain about TEACHERS, coaches, administrators, school lunches, test scores, homework, TEACHERS, students acting out, students’ test scores ... because of the TEACHERS. See, it’s so nice when school is in session.

In answer to the diatribe to Cluck, Cluck, Cluck: The quote about corruption wasn’t intended to be about the tennis center. If it fits your story-line, that’s fine by me, but I didn’t get it.

Young men and women, if you are going to risk dying while your future children still need your love and protection, do it for a better reason than that you chose to ignore other people’s smoke in bars and restaurants. On Friday, July 1st, you will have better choices. Please use them.

To all of you dog owners who keep your dogs tied up out in the open with only the required doghouse for shelter, why don’t you crawl in there on a 90-degree day and see how comfortable you are? I hope you people don’t have children because you’re way too stupid to care for anything. By the way, citizens, if you feel as though a neighbor is not providing proper food, water, and shelter as required by law, you can call Fayette County Animal Shelter who will be glad to come out and check conditions. You will remain anonymous.

Name one social problem in America thats gotten better in the past 20 years. Instead of teaching children discipline and respect, the accepted method nowadays seems to be spoil and wreck. We are never responsible for our own failures. Somebody else is always at fault. However, when we succeed, we did it without help from anyone else and demand personal recognition. We think of ourselves as being above the law. The law is for everybody else. If we want to speed, we speed. Get out of our way. If we want to break in line, we break in line. Don’t stop us. If we want to cheat, lie and steal, it’s our business. Others should not be so stupid to fall our victims. We are not subjects under the law. Far-fetched? Take a look around. Pushing and shoving seems to be the norm. If the old lady wishes to cross the street in Fayette County, let her. That’ll be one less Social Security check we’ll have to pay. We insult, mock and ridicule those who serve and protect us because they make us account for our mistakes. Besides, we have more than they do because we’re more intelligent and have better jobs. Vietnam veterans who honorably served their country (and most of whom were drafted) faced the same disheartening treatment upon returning home to America. I know. This is not a good thing. Every week we read disparaging remarks in the paper about law enforcement. The people who write these harmful words think exactly as the mindset described above. The odds are that they, or their precious, can-do-no-wrong, spoiled-rotten children, have been caught with their dirty little hands in the cookie jar and they flat don’t like it. So, they go on the attack. Guilty dogs bark first, and the loudest.

Saw where Ms. Cox and the Board of Education are being sued by several school systems for providing less money for local schools than they used to do. This sort of suit is being done in about 25 states. The federal government used to provide about 60 percent of the local school money. They now provide 49 percent. The states did not make up the difference in the counties which have not grown, or where localities did not raise their local taxes to make up the difference. I think most of these federal cuts started in President Reagan’s administration; some of it may have been the “contract with America” thing of Newt’s. There are hundreds of other incidences where federal tax money has been used to promote corporations instead of giving it back to localities. Driving lessons for high school kids come to mind, among many other things. If we haven’t learned from history by now that not one mile of interstate roads, etc., would have been built, nor present school progress have been made without equalization of funds. It cannot be left up to some stupid local organizations. Some things require imagination and grace and we have little in some of our leaders.

Calling NASCAR drivers and their sponsors and crews classy people is like calling their fathers and grandfathers who learned to drive fast and furious outrunning revenue agents superior intellects. All it has gotten to be is a large “bumper car” tournament where one can either get very drunk, get hit in the head with a beer bottle, or get run over after the race is over. Alcohol ads now pay about 90 percent of the bills for NASCAR, as it should. Snuff also contributes mightily.

Someone has published a paper on how to go about poisoning the U.S. milk supply. Many people are arguing that’s wrong and that the terrorists may use the information to actually do it. In the past there have been similar arguments about how to make bombs and scores of other destructive things. I remember in particular, “The Anarchist’s Cookbook,” which told one how to rig a gate for instance to blow up when touched, and other such stuff. The book is still available. Of course the longest running thing in history to not write about is sex. Teenagers, in particular, shouldn’t have such discussions with parents or teachers. There are scores of other things one could mention that the terrorists might do and if you listed everything, they probably would do one of them eventually. The point to the World Trade Center Towers was not to kill several thousand people so much, as to hit us where our money and goods are exchanged, a trade center. The fact that many of the people who worked there were traders wasn’t considered very important by the terrorists. Almost as many of those killed were people other than traders. Loose lips do sink ships providing the information told to a terrorist is something he can’t get someplace else. They are not likely to read one of our million books in print and billions of papers on the subject. Believe me, they have their scientists and engineers just as we do. Also, watch some of this other stuff coming out altering our rights for no good reason. 451 degrees Fahrenheit isn’t the only thing that can destroy initiative.

The cover-up has started about Iraq. Today, the results of a large troop helicopter crash in Afghanistan were put off until President Bush made his speech to the troops at Fort Bragg concerning the war. I actually quit watching the speech when he said the center of terrorism is in Iraq and we must stay until the finish. I don’t think Saddam tolerated any terrorism in Iraq. Wasn’t the reason we invaded that he had chemical and nuclear weapons in great quantities ready to fire? The terrorists came in to help the Sunnis after we invaded Iraq. All Muslim nations now will fight us for many years, just as all Christian nations would do if we were invaded sufficiently to topple our government. Only way out now is the obliterate all towns in Iraq, put all “of age” (16-50) men in barbed wire prisons in Iraq and set up our own government for numerous years. Then we will have to let a cleric have the reins, as no one else will ever be allowed to run the place.