Opinions & Ideas
PAGE 4 - HOME NEWS - FEB. 21, 2002
THE HOGANSVILLE HOME NEWS
USPS 620-040
MaKZ HAZ
I'BLISHER]ADVERTISING D IRI'*TOR
JOHN KbTKENDALL
A,%SOC IATE Pu Bt2SHER/EDITOR
ROB RICHARDSON
ASSISTA,rr EDITOR
JA N
BUSINF I¢AGER
Phone (706) 846-3188. Fax (706) 846-2206
P. O Box 426
Hogansvflle, Georgia 30230
What Do You Think
About Plea Bargains?
Controversy surrounds
the case of a man in Hamilton
who pied guilty to first degree
homicide in a Harris County
case this past week.
Lamar Vonsel Bridges,
38, pled guilty to first-degree
homicide in the death of
Joseph Thompson, 45, also of
Hamilton. According to tes-
timony in the case, Bridges
was driving home round dusk
dark when he struck a lawn
mower Thompson was riding
from behind. Thompson was
thrown from the mower and
suffered a head injury. He
died a few months later from
complications from his
injuries and other medical
problems.
The day of the accident,
according to testimony,
Bridges smelled strongly of
alcohol and had bloodshot
eyes, but refused to take an
alcohol breath test when he
was taken to the Harris
County Jail after the incident.
Judge Kenneth Followill
sentenced Bridges to 10
years- three to serve in prison
and the rest on probation, plus
12 months to serve and a $300
fine for DUI.
SO where is the contro-
versy? Columbus Attorney
Dan Akin, which by the way
is an old school classmate,
said that Harris County
District Attorney Mark Post
has guaranteed Bridges he
would be released in
September 2004 if he pied
guilty to the charge.
Post denies ever making a
specific sentence offer to AkirL
NOW, HAVING brought
you up to speed on the case,
I want to elaborate a little on
the so-called plea-bargain
process.
It seems that in today's
society, the District
Attorneys and Attorneys do
an awful lot of plea bargain-
ing. It's settled that this per-
son will serve less time for
entering a guilty plea of a
crime he or she is guilty of.
For some reason, that does-
n't make sense t me.
I know thaf,,the idea
behind the process it to speed
up the courts and ve the
taxpayers money, but'm not
sure it works out as it's sup-
pose to often.
Let's look at a hypotheti-
cal case. For a moment, let's
pretend that I robbed the
First National Bank of
Podunk, Alakazu. During the
robbery, I shot and killed a
security guard. Then, as I was
fleeing from the parking lot,
I ran over a pedestrian and
ed him.
Once caught, I'm charged
with armed robbery, use of a
weapon during the commis-
sion of a crime, murder,
vehicular homicide, reckless
driving, fleeing and attempt-
ing to elude police officers,
running a stop sign and
speeding. You'd think I'd be
gone for sometime, right?
Let's see, maybe 20 years for
the robbery, life for shooting
the security guard, 20 years
for vehicular homicide and
another ten years for the mis-
demeanors. That's a total of
life plus 50 years.
OK, so Pm taken into cus-
tody and the police learn that
I've always been a model cit-
izen, coached youth sports,
donated to charity and
worked hard in the commu-
nity. I was a good man until
I started playing the ponies,
I got in debt and the only way
I could figure to get out was
by robbing the bank. ,: ,
My attorney learns all of
this. He talks to the District
Attorney. The DA agrees that
I've always been a model cit-
izen, that I was just made a
mistake. The two of them get
together and decide if I'll
enter a guilty plea, all the mis-
demeanors will be dropped
and that's ten years off the
sentence. They to do away all
the other felony charges
except the murder and vehic-
ular homicide. Then, it's
agreed that if I'll enter a
guilty plea and save the court
time and taxpayer's money,
I'll be sentenced to life with
an opportunity for parole on
the murder charge and 20
years on the vehicular homi-
cide.
So, I go to prison, I'm a
model prisoner. I get paroled
early and I'm out in 10 to 12
years. While I'm a marked
man and can't do the things
I used to do, I walk away with
my life. As bad as it is, I'm
still living and breathing.
So, now the question, how
do you feel about plea bar-
gains? I'm going to save my
answer for a couple of weeks.
I would like for our readers
to tell me how you feel. You
can E-mail me at starmer-
cury@earthlink.net with
your response, fax it to (706)
846-2206 or mail it to: John
Kuykendall, P.O. Box 426,
Manchester, GA. 31816.
Please tell me if you do not
wish for your response to be
printed.
THE HOGANSViLLE HOME NEWS is published weekly by the Star-Mercury ,
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STAFF
Publisher and Advertising Direcu ............................................................... Mike Hale
Associate Publisher and Editor ........................................................... John Kuykendall
Business Manager ................................................................................ Jayne Goldston
Assistant Editor ...................................................................................... Rob Richardson
Staff Writers .......................................................................... Bryan Geter, Billy Bryant
Assistant Advertising Manager .................................................................. Laurie Lewis
Advertising Sales ....................................................................................... Linda Lester
Composing ................................................................. Dewayne Flowers, Valinda lvery
Legals ...................................................................................................... Jayne GoMston
Pressman ..................................................................................... :....Wayne Grochowski
sroom .......................................................................... David Boggs, Larry Colleges
COmTZ OmCE
President ............................................................................................. Millard B. Grimes
Vice President .................................................................................. Charlotte S. Grimes
Secretary .......................................................................................... Laura Grimes Corer
Treasurer ....................................................................................... Kathy Grimes Garrett
Legal Counsel and Assistant Secretary .............................................. James S. Grimes
Chili Dogs Always Bark at Nig
If you're addicted to
drugs or alcohol, you can go
someplace like the Betty Ford
Clinic and get help.
But where do you go if
you're addicted to chili dogs?
Yes, chili dogs. Those
wonderful hot dogs with lots
of chili on them and mustard
and onions on the chili that
the mere mention of which
makes my mouth water, my
heart rate speed up and my
stomach literally beg to be
fed as many of these delights
as it can hold.
I had my first chili dog
when I was 12. My father took
me to Atlanta's legendary
Varsity, the world's largest
outdoor drive-in.
My father ordered me a
chili dog, I took the first bite
of it, and I was hooked.
During my three years in
exile in Chicago, I formulat-
ed a scheme to get chili dogs
from the Varsity delivered to
me.
I started dating a girl I
met on a trip back home to
Atlanta. Every other week I
would fly her to Chicago.
"And would you mind," I
wold ask, "stopping by the
Varsity on your way to the
airport and bringing me 14
dozen chili dogs."
Later, it became clearly
evident to the young lady that
I looked forward to the chili
dogs more than I looked for-
ward to seeing her.
"It's me or the chili dogs,"
she eventually said.
I often wonder what ever
happened to her.
I had heart surgery in
1982. The doctors said I could
have anything I wanted to eat
for my preparation dinner.
I sent for Varsity chili
dogs. Had I died under the
knife the next day, at least I
would have had a satisfying
last meal.
For years I've tried to
decide why Varsity chili dogs
remain the best I've ever
eaten.
The hot dogs are good and
so is the chili, but it's the buns
that really do it. The Varsity,
somebody was telling me,
steams the buns. There's
nothing better than a steamy
bun.
But I must admit my chili
dog addiction is becoming a
problem.
I can't eat them like I used
to and not pay a painful price.
The other night, for
instance, I went to the Varsity
and had three chili dogs with
mustard and raw onions.
I also had an order of
french fries and I topped that
off with a Varsity fried apple
pie with ice cream on it.
I went to bed at 11 p.m.
The chili dogs hit at about two.
My stomach felt like I had
eaten a large box of nails. It
made strange sounds like
gooorpl And brriiipl
I got out of bed, took six
Rolaids, two Alka-Seltzers
and drank a six-pack of
Maalox. Noting helped.
I'll never eat another chili
dog, I said to myself.
Those addicted to any
substance often say things
like that, but they rarely stick
toit.
I know I'll be back at the
Varsity soon, woofing down
chili dogs. And, later, the
agony and the goooorfs and
brriips will be back.
My stomach and I simply
will have to learn to live with
a certain fact.
That is, chili dogs
bark at night.
BY SPECIAL
MENT WITH HIS
DEDRA, THE HOME
CARRYING
COLUMNS BY THE
LEWIS GRIZZARD,
GREW UP IN
MORELAND, AND
THE MOST WIDELY
GEORGIA WRITER OF
TIME. GRIZZARD
TO ALL AMERICA
PARTICY
TO THIS AREA
OF WHICH HE
AND WHERE A
TION
TO HOGANSVILLE
IN HIS HONOR. THE
GRIZZARD MUSEUM
IN 1996, AND A WRITING i
EDITING LAB IS BEING I
ICATED TO HIS
HIS BELOVED
OF
AVAILABLE FOR
THROUGH BAD
PRODUCTIONS, P.O.
191266, ATLANTA, GA
1266 AND AT BOOK
Having the Right Friends Is
The other day while read-
ing in the book of 2 Samuel,
I came across the story of
Amnon, a son of King David.
While reading this account
about Anmon, a verse jumped
out at me and reminded me
of a young man I once knew.
The verse was 2 Samuel 13:3,
"But Amnon had a friend,
whose name was Jonadab, the
son of Shimeah David's broth-
er and Jonadab was a very
subtil man." The subtil that
is used to describe Amnon's
friend means that he was a
clever, cunning, and crafty
fellow. He was so clever, he
helped Amnon plan and com-
mit a dreadful sin (not imply-
ing there are some sins that
are not dreadful). This story
of Amnon reminded me of a
young man I became
acquainted with in another
town.
I was asked to see this
young man I'll call Eddie.
Eddie was in the county jail
and after much inquiry, the
story was told me. One night
Eddie, then eighteen, and a
friend were in a mountain tav-
ern. During that visit, Eddie's
friend began to have trouble
with someone else in the bar.
After a little while, Eddie
became so drunk, he was put
by his friend in the back seat
of the car, passed out. What
was to happen next would
change Eddie's life forever.
Eddie's friend and that other
fellow began to fight. Before
it was all over with, the friend
had driven Eddie and the
other fellow to a remote place
on that Tennessee mountain.
What took place next is
inconceivable.
With Eddie passed out
drunk in the back seat,
Eddie's friend (I'm not sure
of the order) shot and then
tied that other fellow to the
bumper of the car and drug
him back and forth across a
three mile stretch of dirt
road. Obviously the other fel-
low was kidnapped and mur-
dered.
To make a longer store
shorter, one day when Eddie
was twenty-one, I sat in the
courtroom and heard the
judge instruct the jury as to
the applicable laws regard-
ing that particular case.
The next time I sat in that
courtroom, I heard the judge
sentence Eddie to life in
prison for felony murder.
"The point
behind all of this is
simply, we, like
Amnon, need to
choose our friends
wisely."
There are many more things
that could be related about
-the story of Eddie, but as I
write this article several
years later, as far as I know,
Eddie is s in a Tennessee
state prison. He is there all
because he was with the
wrong person in the wrong
place.
The story of Eddie is a
tragic one, but an even
greater tragedy is
only was one life
three. Eddie and his
have essentially lost
because of their young i
being spent in prison.
The:
is simply, we, like
need to choose our
wisely. Many a young
as well as old, has
serious trouble because
friendships they made.
Parents ought to
they can about the
their children make
in the choice of those
It could save their
Good friends are
less and what a
thing it
are to be valued
influences are to be
In this day and
sex, drugs,
should teach our
ple the value of good
and the dangers of
friends.
They may
now, but one day
when the Eddies of this
are in prison and
enjoying life, they
back and he thankful.
Spare the Rod and Spoil the
Last week I had a most
interesting and informative
experience fulfilling a pic-
ture assignment at the
Manchester Woman's Club.
The speaker was Paul Fisher,
who is director of admissions
at Tallulah Falls Institute in
the mountains of North
Georgia.
I had never met Fisher,
but was familiar with the
school at Tallulah Falls sup-
ported by the Georgia
FederationofWomen's Clubs.
The school at Tallulah
Falls has been a haven for
many Georgia young people.
Some forty years ago when
we moved here, Mrs. Robert
Fryer was on the Board of
Directors at the school.
TheManchesterWomans
Club has continued to support
the school and presented Paul
Fisher a check in support of
the school after his interest-
ing talk last week.
After the war, when I was
a young man living in Athens,
we would often ride up to
TalAulah Falls on beautiful
spring and fall days to view
the scenery.
The landscape view in this
mountain area, about an
hour's drive northwest of
Athens, was breathtaking,
even for a young man that
usually spent all of his spare
time on the ball field.
My stepmother, who mar-
ried my father when I was
about a year old, taught school
in an area near Tallulah Falls.
This was her first year teach-
ing in a mountain communi-
ty nearby called Tiger.
Mama was in her early
twenties.
I don't remember how she
got a job at Tiger, but she was
the only teacher in a one-room
county school that was what
was called a seven month
school.
Before Mama left
Jackson County for her first
teaching job, Grandpa bought
her a new 1921 Overland
automobile.
I have heard my grandfa-
ther say that he bought her
the car because maybe this
vehicle would keep her from
getting married so young.
Then he would laugh and say,
"It worked for two years.
Then she ran off in the car
and got married anyway."
Mama never confirmed this,
but would laugh every time
Grandpa would tell this story.
Mama carried her new
car to Tiger, but the roads
were so bad in the mountains
back in the early Twenties,
she left her car at the home
she boarded, almost a mile
away, and walked to school
every day.
It seems she had a big
mountain boy, maybe 16 or
17, a few years younger than
she, who gave her a lot of dis-
ciplinary problems.
Finally she had to talk to
the boy's father, and he
advised Mama to whip the
boy if he continued to misbe--
have.
Late one spring afternoon
with the lad on a rampage,
Mama decided she would fol-
low the father's advice and
whip the unruly lack When she
called him up to administer
the whipping, the boy left
school and went home.
A short time later when
school was out for the day,
everybody left school walk-
ing home, including Mama.
Mama said she could see her
problem child walking
toward the school.
His father was behind
him with a hickory switch in
his hand.
Mama recalled the
instance and she admitted
being somewhat afraid, not
of bodily harm, but for a cir-
cumstance she was
tomed.
The father told
had brought his son
instructed Mama
lad in his
father insisted,
she was even more
fortable with the father
ent as she gave the
a
legs with the switch.
Soon the father
switch and told Mama,
don'
never make an
with like
one on his son, th6n the l
of them walked hofne
day.
Mama said
any more trouble
young man.
Evidenfl
fect example of
rod and spoil the
A
this incident. This
theonly:
thing from this
Mama must have
learned how to
I don't remember her
light taps on us
when she had
as we were
It is amazing how
incidents that occur
lives today can
memories of our past...
good, some bad.
