The Hogansville Herald December 16, 1999: Page 4

December 16, 1999 The Hogansville Herald
PAGE 4 (4 of 12 available) PREVIOUS NEXT Full Size Image © The Hogansville Herald. All rights reserved. PAGE 4 (4 of 12 available) PREVIOUS NEXT Full Size Image December 16, 1999

Newspaper Archive of The Hogansville Herald produced by SmallTownPapers, Inc.
Website © 2022. All content copyrighted. Copyright Information. Terms Of Use. Request Content Removal.

OPINION PAGE 4A - MANCHESTER STAR MERCURY - DECEMBER 15, 1999 THE MANCHESTER STAR-MERCURY USPS 589-340 ITB[,ISI II,:I/ADVER'FIN(; DIRECI'OR JOIIN KUYKENDALL /k''4( )('IA'IT] PUBIJSIIER/EDITOR JAYNE GOl Xffl'ON OFT'ICE MANAG F:R P lo lc iT(k6 846-3188 Fax (706) 846-2206 E O. Box 426. ,)S1 R(x)sevelt tiighway Manchester, Georgia 31816 Communication Fax machines, E-mail and all the modern ways of communi- cation have changed the way we communicate today. It's fast and easy. For the most part it's a wonderful thing. Then there are times I wish we could return to the days of pencil and paper. It never seizes to amaze me the things Fou can find on the fax lind your E-mail address. Ina week's time, we receive hundreds of pieces of communication here at Star- Mercury Publications, Inc. Some are needed pieces of in for- mation, the others I refer to as junk. Actually I call it some- thing else, but I'm cleaning the statement up a bit for print. I don't know how all those people get your fax number and E-mail address. Those sending us the information we don't need are smart as well. They don't give you their fax number or E- mail address so you can contact them and tell them to never send you the worthless junk again. I'm sure everyone who has E-mail and fax machines know what I'm talking about. Take this past week for instance. Our office received enough information on the fax machine that could make everyone employed here a millionaire by 2001. We must have received 100 different ways to fill our mail- boxes with checks from people we don't know. One of the items received this week claimed they could make me a millionaire in a year, and it was guaranteed and "not against the law." They claimed I could receive dozens or hundreds of money orders delivered to my home daily. I could make $333,300 fast. They had testi- monials from many people who claimed they had earned $20,000 in less than a month by using their program. What's the catch? I'm not sure. I called the number given bemuse I waated to find out just how these people were making all this morner. I quickly disconnected the call when I learned there was a small .up front charge for this mone¥ g miracle and I would g mO than my money back ha my first week. I could get started immedi- Fax machines, E- mail and all the mod- ern ways of commu- nication have chang- ed the way we com- municate today. ately if I wanted to give them my Visa or Mastercard number. If not it would take at least 90 days after I mailed a check or money order to the company and I would miss out on hun- dreds of dollars while I was waiting. Oh yeah, I just fell off the turnip truck. I'm gonna give someone I don't know my card number over the phone and trust them to only put the one time cost of $500 on the card. My favorite this week was one containing information about a topic I really was dying to hear about. This one informed me of the ten men who were honored as having the best hairstyles of the century. It seems Elvis Presley took the top spot with his "full black pompadour and long sideburns that sent women swooning and men trying to achieve the same 'do." Others named with com- plete descriptions of their hair- styles and the reasons they were selected included: The Beatles, Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, Sy Sperling, Rod Stewart, Vanilla Ice, Brandon and Dylan from "Beverly Hills 90210", Michael Jordan and George Clooney. They had me right up to Michael Jordan and George Clooney. Michael doesn't have any hair and Clooney's isn't his to begin with. Yes, modern technology is great. However, something's are probably better left unsaid. Don't you agree? "I said I Wasn't Going to Write This I have told myself since November not to write this col- umn, and maybe what I am going to say would be best not said. There will surely be folks who will disagree, and that's alright because we all are enti- tled to our opinions. So here goes my opinion for the week. Without a doubt, churches are for sinners. Everyone surely agrees with this state- ment, because we all are sin- ners whether we be church goers or non church goers. If we were all perfect, which we certainly are not, there would be little need for the church, except for a place to fellow- ship with other people. Let's go to the next level. Churches should seek out all sinners and invite them to into the fellowship. Most would probably agree with this statement. Should not the num- ber one priority of the church be to reach out to the lost? Level number three. If the church is suppose to seek out the sinner, at what point should it decide what type sinners should they seek out, or bet- ter yet, what type sinners should be excluded? Things seem to be getting somewhat more cloudy now, wouldn't you agree? By my mentioning November and you staying with me thus far, you have probably figured out where I'm going. Yes, let me discuss with you the issue of the two Atlanta area churches that were voted out of the Georgia Baptist Convention over their policies and practices con- cerning homosexuality. Messengers at last years Georgia Baptist Convention approved a constitutional change stating that "a cooper- ating church does not include one which knowingly takes, or has taken, any action to affirm, approve or endorse homosex- ual behavior." This years vote come on the heals of that con- stitutional amendment after considerable dialogue with both churches. It was voted on the floor of the convention that both churches allow gay and les- bian members to hold posi- tions of leadership, and that a commitment service for two gay men was held at one of the churches. Alright, I hear you. You are saying we very well could have adulterous people in positions of leadership in our Baptist Churches. We could have liars, cheaters, thieves and so on in these positions. Sin is sin what is the difference? Level number four. This is where it really gets cloudy. "How many adul- terous people do you know who go to church and say, I commit adultery, but I want you to let me join your church..." What is the difference? Let's see if we can determine the answer to that question in an intelligent fashion, not being judgmental, and remembering that we all are sinners of some sort. The Bible is very clear that homosexuality is a sin. It is also very clear that the other things mentioned are sins. Surely, we all can agree on that, so where do we draw the line as Christians? The line has to be drawn with the word repentance. God forgives all sins, but first must ask for forgiveness repent of that sin. A Alabama man wrote in a ter to the editor, "How adulterous who go to church and sa commit adultery, I am to continue to commit tery, but I want you to let join your church and not out the scriptures to me say it is wrong, or to tell me l stop. I also want ' one in the Church that tery is alright." He cou added, "and allow me to in leadership positions € marry me and my same s partner." Baptist are not the denomination wrestling the homosexual problem. The Methodist are facin push by homosexuals to be admitted to and leadership positions also to be accepted as dition in both the Old and Testaments as and in my opinion, the Geor Baptist Convention great courage in standin on the scriptures, encouraging all churches minister to all people, no ter what their back are. FDR Believed Rural Life Was Best (Another in a series) Ed Doyle's willingness in 1931 to give up farming and seek a job in "New York City or anyplace" had to be a jolt to Roosevelt. He did not believe in a farm-to-city migration. All his life he had argued the rural environment was the better environment in every respect. "Country men and.boys,:' he allowed a NeW York n'ews- paper reporter to quote, him as saying in 1911, make "bet- ter and more honest" politi- cians. When rural economies failed, his idea was to salvage them or create new rural opportunities. While Roosevelt was Governor, there was a resettlement pro- ject at Cornell University that took submarginal farmland out of production and returned it to grassland and woods. The farmers were moved to nearby valleys where, with state aid, they would, theoretically at least, create a more healthy eco- nomic environment. Roosevelt said at the time that he would like to see the nation- al equivalent of that. Roosevelt was familiar with the poverty of rural America in Dutchess County, N.Y., and, more painfully, in Meriwether County, Ga. But he still believed the rural life was bet- ter than the urban life, partic- ularly for those in bad eco- nomic straits. He not only opposed farm-to-city migra- tion, he urged city-to-farm migration. In 1931 a New York City woman wrote him a desperate letter to the effect that all her husband's pay only paid the rent, leaving nothing for main- taining life. Governor Roosevelt replied that the family should consider mov- ing to "a smaller community." He did more than exhort. In 1932 he announced plans for a program that would put out- of-work urban families on sub- sistence farms. The state would pay the rent and give the families tools, seed, etc. Roosevelt said that was an answer to the "relief problem" not the "farm problem." JUST AS THE experiment at Cornell offered one idea for a national program, so too did one that had been tried in Georgia about the same time. Roosevelt alluded to this early in 1934, explaining for the umpteenth time how much simpler it was, in his view, to deal with poverty in a rural "Country men and boys," he allowed a New York newspa- per to quote him as saying in 1911, make "better and more honest" politicians. rather than an urban setting. "Work for wages is not essential for [rural folk] as it is for city. The effort should be to make them self-sustain- ing. The simplest illustration I know of is what we tried to do in Georgia a few years ago, the hog, home and cow cam- paign,where the government aided them to get the cow and let them pay for it over a peri- od of years. In the long run, that is cheaper than buying milk for them." Roosevelt believed highways for rural cot and increased in those areas would industrial decentraliz rather soon in states like York. In the short run, much came of these es; they certainly did not the movement of " ished- farmers- to cities large towns. But Roosevelt's owa siasm for country living w= not dampened. Thirty yem after he told of seeing virtu= in rural politicians that wet not present in urban ones, was reporting that boys were healthier in respects and made better diers. This was at a press ference in October 1941 Asked about draft rejects, said, "I would say offhand on the heart disease thin the nervous disorders, would find a higher age coming from the ci than you would from the Now that's just a guess. But it is based on what might call common sense soning. We farmers are nervous as you city slickers. (Next week: The Birth Pine Mountain Valley) TIlE MANCIIESTER STAll MEll('t;llv is published weekly by the Star-Mercury Publishing Company, a division of Grimes Publicatiom,, at 3051 Rfsevelt Highway. Manchester. Georgia 31816. USPS 58¢)-340. Second class Istage paid at Manchester, Georgia 31816. FoR stltit:itlM'lOrs call (706) 846-3188 or write to Circulation Manager, Star Mercury Publiealiom, P. O. Box 426, Manchester. Georgia 31816. IX'TMAS"W,I: address changes to P. O. Box 426, Manchester, Georgia 31816. Srvv Publi,a" and Advertising Director .................................................................... Mike Hale Associate Publisher and Editor ................................................................. John Kuykendall Brininess Maaaser ....................................................................................... Jayne Goldston As,a¢iate Editor ........................................................................................... Caroline Yeager Staff Writer ............................ Bryan Geter, J. Dan Stout,Lee N Howell, andBilly Bryant Assistant AdvetLsmg Manager ........................................................................ Laurie Lewis Advertising Sales .............................................................................................. Linda Lester Photography .............................................................................................. Michael C. Snider Composin ................................................................................... Vahnda lvery, Dori Green Legals ................................................................................................................. Valinda I very. Receptionist lind Claifieds .............................................................................. Cleta Young Pmd'tion Manager ......................................................................................... Roland Foiles Pressroom ................................................................. David Boggs and Wayne Grx:howski CORI)RI'I'E OFF I('ERS President .................................................................................................... Millard Gnmes Vice Plmlident ...................................................................................... Charlotte S, Grimes Seclal T ..................................... ' ....................................................... Latlm Grim¢:s Corer TvesUl,,.., ......... .,,,.. ...................................................................... Kathy Grimes Garrett Legal Aimant ,x, relary ..................................................... James S. Grimes "Good Night Neighbor Fund" 25 Years Ago December 12, 1974 --Manchester's "Mr. Jim" is dead. James Soloman Peters, Georgia's "grand old man of education," who rose from humble beginnings on a Berrien County farm to become bank president, and the state's champion advocate of public schools offering a quality education to all chil- dren, died early last Friday evening at about 6:30 in Meriwether Memorial Hospital after suffering a heart attack early Thursday morning at his home on Third Street. --An announcement of high interest in this area is made this week by Bobby F. Smith, Pete Steele and Leonard Meadows stating that they have purchased the build- ing and equipment of Robertson Funeral Home, and effective Monday, December 16, they will operate the busi- ness under the name "Smith- Steele-Meadows Funeral Home, Inc." --Randall Veazey will pre- sent a concert of Christmas music at the First Baptist Church Thursday, December 18 at 7:30 p.m. His program will include selections from Handel's "Messiah," Christmas favorites, and an entire section devoted to chil- dren consisting of the story of Christ's birth told through Christmas carols. --Mr. Graden Mullis, President of the Region 6B Schools, presented a special plaque to Harry A. Brown of Manchester for his services as Region Secretary for the past 18 years. --Marty Child and Sandie Fair, both seniors, were voted as "Most Spirited" MHS stu- dents for the fall quarter. The Spirit Award is a new project this year of the FHA to help promote more school spirit. --The Manchester Colts came from behind to score a touchdown with 14 seconds showing on the scoreboard clock to win the District Junior Peach Bowl Championship 10- 9 over the Thomaston Warriors at R.E. Lee Field in Thomaston Saturday night. The Colts won over Forsyth Thanksgiving afternoon 8-6 to advance to the finals. 40 Years Ago December 17, 1959 --A strong Johnson's Billiards team is really going places these days. Coached by "Tex" Edmonson and led by Juby Shiver and Billy Bowen, they have already won seven games and lost none. --Friday evening the Manchester High School Blue Devils took full revenge on Meriwether High of Woodbury by dumping two highly talent- ed basketball teams, 43-30 and 58-43 before a crowd of enthu- siastic students. --Twenty-five dollars reward has been offered by Chief of Police E.S. Davison for any information leading to the arrest of person or persons responsible for poisoning do[ in Manchester. --Bradshaw's Store Cold Storage turkeys for 49€ per poun fresh hams 49¢ per poun( large fresh eggs, 2 dozen 89¢. --Willis Furniture Co. Manehe: machines from $59.50, er chairs from $59.95 cedar chests from $28.95. Kathleen Hale, of Mr. and Mrs. Hardy Hale Woodland, will dance in a formanee of the Ballet of Columbus on December at the Royal Theater Columbus. Miss Hale and sister Donna will dance in tw feature numbers arranged b Mrs. K. Palmer, founder choreographer of Columbus Ballet Guild. Palmer also teaches classes in Manchester. Miss Patrieia MeClun granddaughter of Mr. and Mr L.L. Dunn of RFD 1, Shiloh, student at Brewton Parke! College, at=. Mt. VernoO Georgia, has.been selectet "Girl of the Month" by her fel low students.