Opinions & Ideas
THE HOGANSVILLE HOME NEWS
usPs s20.040
MIKE HAm
PUBI.ISHER]ADSING DIRECTOR
JOHN KLTKENDALL
.tArE PLrmaSHgR/EDrroa
Roe RmltARDSON
AS,SIS'rANT EDITOR
JAYNE GOLnSroN
B USLNF2";S MANAGER
Phone (706) 846-3188. Fax (706) 846-2206
E O. Box 426
Hogansville, Georgia 30230
A €rim tlal
B.Cm,
And People Wonder
Why Parents Worry
My children could never
understand why I worried so
much about them even if they
were just going out for a night.
It seemed funnyto them. I don't'
know what I would do if I had
childrenat hometoday to worry
about. If you read your news-
paper or listen to the news on
radio or television, it's easy to
tell just how much danger is
out there today.
While reading my
Columbus Ledger-Enquirer
Friday, I was shocked by the
number of stories it contained
about murder, mayhem and
complete madness. Even if you
don have children, it could give
you something to worry about.
I'm sure you've all read
about the pile up on I-TS near
Ringgold that left four people
dead, 39 injured and more than
120 vehicles smashed and
crumbled like drink cans. That
is a parent's worst nightma_re.
Anytime a child is on the road,
a parent is worried until they
know that child has reached
home safely. I guess that was
always one of my biggest fears
as a parent: that my children
would be involved in a serious
auto accident. However, in
today's society that is only one
of the many things to worry
about. Drugs are easy and
accessible. Rapes occur so
much now it's no longer front
page news. Teen violence con-
tinues to increase.
With all of that to worry
about, we have to worry about
the weirdos in this world, as
well.
POSTAL INSPFIDRS,
FBI agents and Canadian
authorities have broken up an
underground network of adults
who traded pornographic
videos of children being bru-
tally beaten. According to the
story, one child was perma-
nently disfigured for life as a
result of the beating The story
said the tapes showed no inter-
course, but the adults did occa-
sionally fondle the childre In
some cases, the parents were
involved in this.
Eachofthe 12 peoplealvest-
ed enter a guilty plea, accord-
ing to the story, and several
were sentenced to tea years in
a federal prison. D0esut seerfi
like enough time to me for scar-
ing a child for life both physi-
cally and mentally. '
Checkthisout: am
arrested were a railroad
employee, a middle school
teacher, a chauffeur, a nurse
and former Boy Scout leaders,
a bank security guard and a for-
mer Sunday School teacher.
Absolutely amazing, isn it?
If that isn enough, a man
in ireland has been convicted
of murdering a woman by glu-
ing her mouth shut. According
to the story, a 21 year-old died
because the man glued her lips
shut. Although the story did not
PAGE .4 - HOGANSVIIk HOME NEWS - MARCH 21, 2002
"If that isn't
enough, a man in
Ireland has been
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STAFF
Publisher and Advertising Director ............................................................... Mike Hale
Associate Publisher and Editor ............................................................ John Kuykeadall
Business Manager ................................................................................ Jayne Goldston
Assistant Editor ...................................................................................... Rob Richardson
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CompJaE OmcJs
lhident. .................................................................................. i ........ lillad B. Grimes
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Legal Cotmsel and Assistant Secretary .............................................. Jans S. Grimes
Yates Jury Made Right
The Andrea Yates trial penalty, the jury would have She Mso thanked
has come to an end for now had to decide unanimously the note and expressed
with the mother who con- that Yates posed a continuing regret that her illness
fessed to killing her five chil- danger, and that there were brought her to a
dren receiving a 40-year no mitigating circumstances
prison sentence without against executing her. own children.
parole. The defense says they The sentence ended a No doubt Andrea
will appeal the verdict, case that began last June 20 was mentally ill to
The jury took just 35 rain- when Yates called police to degree or
utes to bring an end to the her home and told them she taken the lives of those|
case that had angeredfatal- had drowned her five chil- beautiful, innocent
ly members, women's groups dren, ages seven to six she brought into this
and others who said prosecu- months. The four youngest It would have
tors had shown no mercy in children were found under a the high school class
bringing a capital murder sheet in the bedroom, while "No doubt torian taken her
case against a mentally fll the oldest, who had tried to Andrea Yates was let those precious
woman overwhelmed by the flee, was found floating face live.
demands of being a mother, down in the bathttfl3. /to some The family, without €
• tion, knew Andrea was1
Her husband, RusseLl She later told a psychia- degFee or she would bled. She had seen
Yates, said the family was trist that the three-year-old
offended that his wife was came in as she filled the bath- /lOt hal/e take?/the and her
even prosecuted. Thedeath tub with cold water and want- lives of thosefive over each day
penalty would have been ed to know ff they were going beaut0Cu/,/ltllDceF/t had presence enough ofl
worse, but not that much to take a bath that day.
worse, he said. He also lashed During the trim her chirell she
out at the medic system that lawyers, husband and psy- brought into this time her husband
had treated his wife. chiatric experts argued that
The jury of eight women she suffered from severe WOF/" work just before 9
and four men took less than postpartum depression, and her
four hours to reject Yates' that she believed that she had jury gave her a life sentence. 10 a.m.
claim of insanity and cofivict no choice but to kill her chil- In the note she thanked psy- The jury in the
her of murder. The prosecu- dren to save them from the chiatrists, medical workers, Yates case made the
tion did not recommend the clutches of Satan. attorneys and the jail chap- decision by giving
death sentence, Mthough the Yates wrote a note last lain, while giving a special er 40years without
jury could have chosen that Thursday and gave it to her thanks to her family and this case, as horrifying!
had they wished, defense attorney who read it friends for their love and sup- was,
To impose the death to the media Friday after the port. the death sentence.
00ofmurder-
ingingaw°manbyghVher mouth shut. Considering School Dress
According to the Most of our area middle I do remember how I This was no
story, a 21 year-o/d and elementary grades have hated to wear short pants. To
died be the a dress code to adhere to and me they were a symbol of , I had heard a
most high schools have vail- immaturity. I was the oldest between him and our
g her/gs ous combinations of dress of the three of us, and I want- er. He wanted a
shut," codes under consideration ed everybody to know I was wear to the
for this fall. growing up. she could not afford a
Reports from schools that After I reached the fourth new suit at the time. Hisl
say, whythe woman was killed, haveadoptedandusedadress grade I was almost desper- would come, she told
it did say the man repeatedly code for students say the ate that Mama let me wear My
beather.Tlmankeptthebody dress code has created a min- dungarees (long blue denim my brother. Still
in his home for a day, while he imum of problems, pants). I was so disturbed that ing, we exchanged
took a trip to the beach with his Mot parnt I have I told her that our fourth and put on "everyday" When he asked why I
estranged wife, then he buried efl m Setemoe the idea grade teacher had asked that clothes. Most of the time wear my new suit
the body in a shallow grave in of a dress code for students, no fourth grade boys wear these clothes would be worn I noticed the smirky
a nearby village. Many say it costs less to pro- short pants. This ranks with the entire week. You thought his face.
Buena Vista is having trou- vide school wear for students some of the biggest lies I ever nothing about this practice I knew he knew
ble in its jail again. A deputy because of the limited colors told. because everybody did the thing. There was no
there surrender to authorities and materials a student may Years later I recalled this same. This is a bygone prac- when he asked, "Did
last week after being charged wear. Student dress seems to happening to our mother, and rice. under your mattress?"
for bringing contraband (ciga- be more uniform, told her I was amazed she Another clothing incident was I hot!
rettes) into the jail and having Generally speaking, stu- believed me. "I didn't believe occurred the spring of my That night I got
sex with a female inmate, dents have always wanted to you, but I thought if you hated senior year in high school, before my brother.
Unfortunately, this is not the dress as ffthey belonged. The those short pants that much, Our mother had bought me a er was waiting for us
first time the jail has had such
problems, in September 2000, dress code now being put into I would not force you to wear new suit to wear to gradua- would do until we
a female jailer was charged practice by schools is said to them." tion functions.
with be sexually involved be popular with many stu- I never wore short pants Itwasthenightofthejun- ognize our foofsteps
with a male prisoner. In dents and even more parents again until after World War ior-senlor prom. I rushed reached the front
December 1999, a jailer who must buy the school II, when the Bermuda shorts home after baseball practice Mama listened as
resigned after being accused clothes. As far back as I can for men spread to America. to get ready for the bigevent her the sequence of
of allowing prisoners to leave remember, school children I emember while we were My best friend had use of his that happened that
the jail, vt alocal store, pur- followed a certain unofficial anchored in Tokyo Bay for family's car, and he would
chase beer and bring it back o dress routine, the signing of the peace in pick me and my date up. and said, "I guess he
the jail. Before school started, September, 1945, we would I looked everywhere and not wearing
I could go on and on, butrm which was always the first take our binoculars to watch could not find my new suit. as you hated
sure you're getting the picture Monday in September, we British sailors anchored After searching everywhere, short pants,
bynow, three boys got new shoes, two nearby as they walked about I dressed in other clothing, must have been
gingham long-sleeve shirts, their ship. We would laugh That night at the prom, the usual!
WHEN I was a young boy, and two pairs of overalls. We and swear we would never first person I saw on the While
my father once told me.. "Son, would wear short pants, all wear those "clown suits." dance floor was my youngest dress code in bygone
a person has to have morals and made from the same bolt of One thing everybody did brother. He was only in the each person made
everyone should set certain cloth by an aunt until it began in my early school days was eighth grade, but had been to dress
standards for themselves.
Never drop yours even a little, to get cold in October. take off your school clothes invited by a junior girL accepted bounds.
I've fotmd that ence you do, it's
.e00to00ow00m00o*00a Winning the Battle for the "
little more tomerrow."
I think that is exactly what
has mppened here in Americ
We no longer hold ourselves to
the same standards and morals In our modern day in that union there can be a husband. In
as we once did. We turn our America, there is abattle rag- right and proper family. Still
heads on so many things and ing, that ff lost, will change another way Satan has drawn
now, we are paying the price, our nation in a way that we people away from the bibli- manhood.
Unfortunately for us, once this do not want to see. cal concept of marriage is the God has placed man
has happened, it is hard to ever The battle referred to is homosexual relationship, leader of the home and
return to the morals or stan- the battle for the family. God created a man and a battle for
dards we once had. And that, is There are those who iden- woman to form the family, band must take his
a sad state of affairs, tify it as the traditional faro- Before someone labels me a place.
lly, while still others refer to homophobe or a hatemonger, The husband is
it as old fashioned, let me go on record by say- loving, living leader
The best term to describe ing this: Just because a man home.
the familythatisunderattack stands against sin, whether it toward us in that while we He is to take the
is the biblical family. As we be the sin of homosexuality, were yet sinners, Christ died - sibility to see that his
look around, the family that adultery, gambling or what- for us." is properly taken
is described in the Bible is ever, it doesn mean that that The point is there is a bat- materially as well
being attacked with all kinds man has hatred in his heart tie for the family, ally.
of hellish missiles, for the person involved. As we look around and see Too
For those families who Although there are some all the violence of children his responsibility and J
are scripturally put together, with such attitudes, there are and young people, there are it all to the wife.
Satan has launched the ntis- those who truly care for the those who wonder why and It is good and okay t
sile of divorce, people involved in those what can be done. wife to share the
For those who have yet to Satan perpetrated lies. It is my opinion that the ever when the wife
begin their own family, we It is true you can hate the violence and delinquency of part, the husband
can see the missile of devia- sin and love the persorL these young people is noth- responsible.
tion. In order to keep us from If one would closely ing more than a symptom I thank for
formingbiblioallybasedfam- examine the Bible, this fact revealing the breakdown of
flies, Satan tries to entice can easily be seen. John 3:15 the biblically founded fami- up this beautiful
folks to deviate from the says, "For God so loved the ly. May this pastor submit But,
Word of God. world, that he gave his only that if we are to see a change attack and
One way people deviate begotten son, that whosoev- in our young people, there fathers stand
from the Bible, is living er believeth in him should not must Fwst be a change in the
together out of wedlock. God perish, but have everlasting parents, and children, that
established the family by the life." Romans 5:8 says, "But That change must begin future we can see
marriage union and it is only God commandeth his love with the man, the father, the turn back to God.