10A — Savannah Morning News • Monday, January 17,2000 ••
Opinion
JBofrano
PUT A LITTLE MORE ZIP
IN THAT FASTBALL, KID,
AMP V<3U CAM STAV HERE
AS LONG AS HtlU Wi^NT.
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Managing Editor
Living the dream
I HE REV Martin Luther King Jr. had a exhibit of photographs and post cards depicting
dream that one day the nation would live
up to the belief stated in the Declaration
of-Independence: "That all
'men are created equal."
He hoped that one day his
children and other black
Americans would "not be
judged by the color of their
-'skin but by the content of
'their character."
••' '"• It's been 37years since Rev.
"King spoke those words,
standing on the steps of the
Lincoln Memorial. The days
, tie dreamed of are closer, perhaps, but they still are not
•' here.
It's'been 32 years since he
died, struck down by an
assassin's bullet in Memphis.
Even so, his message of Christian love, tolerance and kindness endures and remains
strong. Last week, even some Roman Catholic
bishops in the United States asked Pope John
Paul II to have the Baptist minister declared a
martyr for the Christian faith.
Few would have thought all those years ago, as
Rev. King looked out on the crowd of black faces
and white faces, his brilliant oratory echoing
across the land, that we could come this far.
' That the mayors of Savannah, Atlanta and
many other great cities in this nation would be
black Americans.
That a panel of voters in his home state, Georgia, would name him the most influential Georgian of the 20th century, and that three other
black men would make up the top 10 slots.
That Colin Powell or Alan Keyes would be seriously considered as candidates for president, no
matter what the color of their skin.
The times have changed.
-,In New York, an art gallery is showing an
lynchings of black Americans early in the last
century. While the scenes of death are jolting to
theturrent viewer, what really
stuns is the look on the faces
of the observers in the photographs. These men, women
and children are smiling and
laughing, oblivious to the
inhumanity of their actions.
Last year, the nation was
shaken and sickened by the
:. dragging death of a black man
in Texas. The perpetrators
were arrested, convicted and'
sentenced, and their families
apologized to the victim's
family.:
That reaction to the death
of James Byrd Jr. is part of Rev.
King's legacy. No longer is
racial hate accepted by the
majority of Americans.
All is not perfect, though.
While we have laws to protect people from racial
bias, we have yet to eradicate the causes of crime
and poverty, or to erase ignorance and intoler-'
ance from people's hearts and minds.
But the possibilities for the future are promising.
We may realize that with freedom comes
responsibility, and with rights come duties.
We may discover that education begins at
home, that books teach more than television and.
that liberty must not be held hostage to crime
and violence.
We may learn that pessimism is fatal and that
there are enough good people in die world to
change what is bad.
The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. climbed the
mountain and looked,over into a promised land.
He djd not reach it during his time on earth, but
the rest of us have a chance in this nation founded upon liberty and justice for all.
A roundup of observations and reflections
HARDBALL
PRESIDENT HATHAWAY?
The media mob tried to determine whether
(John) Rocker should be gassed or electrocuted.
Some noted that Rocker grew up in Macon, Ga.,
and therefore must be racist. The fact that
Jimmy Carter grew up in Plains, Ga., was not
explained....
Don't the Yankees need a 97 mph left-hander
who isn't eligible for arbitration? Send Rocker
there and make him ride the No. 4 subway to
Yankee Stadium every day (it's safer than
Atlanta's).
The only emotion (Bill) Bradley is able to project is perturbed. What a joy it is to watch him
repeatedly whine, "That's not true, Al." His performance is eerily reminiscent of Mr. Drysdale's
secretary oh "The Beverly Hillbillies."
BACK TO THE FUTURE
Do you realty want an America where your
employer is encouraged by society tofineyou,
fire you or make you seek counseling just .
because you express an unpopular view? When
this happened in the in the '50s (it was) called
"blacklisting," and (it) stilt today, is characterized as America's darkest hour.
Michael Potemra
National Review Online
Ian. 12
FINAL ANSWER?
f Tiger Woods) has singJehandedly transformed
a sport that was pretty much regarded as boring
and TV-unfriendly into a megabit the size of
"Who Wants To Be a Millionaire."
Woods is hotter than Regis Philbin.
Jason Miitlock
Kansas City Star
Jan. 11
PASSION PLAY
1 he inimitable led Turner says he consummated iljc marriage of A()L and Time Warner "with as
much or more excitement and enthusiasm as I
did on (hat night when I first made love some 40
years ago."
<Not a had analogy for an arrangement that
looks rushed, messy and fraught with unforeseen
roiisoqiiencov
Rob Dreher
New York Post
Ian. 11
A majority of area -voters spoke out, by not voting
After reading your lead editorial of January 13th (New voice in Senate) I wanted
to hurl myself off the nearest cliff for I
happen to be one of the
71 percent who didn't
vote.
I felt the full sting of
your editorial chastisement for failing to
show up for such an
important electoral
event. Remind me
once again won't you, Mdntofih
this person will serve
for one legislative session and then we go
back to the polls this coming November
(you won't have to wait until November
sir, there will be primary elections and
more than likely runoff elections just like
this time) to choose our state senator yet
again?
,
I am lost in an electoral haze of election
after election after .... well, you get the
point. The numbers speak louder than
any lawn sign; the greater the number of
elections, .the less we (the 71 percent)
care.
Capital punishment
gets an endorsement
POSTSCRIPTS
Mark Whicker
Orange County Register
Jan. 10
LETTERS, FAXES, E-MAIL
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TbnyBlankley
TheWashington Times
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Jan. 12
••
YOU MIGHT BE A REDNECK
When (Jeff) Foxworthy was living in California,
he went to a Beverly Hills Dodge dealership to
buy a new pickup truck. The tony dealership was
stocked with Dodge Vipers in every color, but
there were no trucks on the lot. Foxworthy
ordered one.
"I owned the only pickup truck in Beverly Hills
that didn't have a lawnrnower in the back," he
said. "That was six years ago, and I'm still driving
that truck. It's just now getting right."
RaySasser
Dallas Morning News
Jan. 12
HILLARY'S CHOICE
The Top 10 reasons Hillary Clinton decided to
appear on "the Late Show with David Letterman'* as read by the first lady:
10. 1 lost a bet with Tipper.
9. 1 did think this was a show where you
answer a couple of easy questions and win a million dollars.
8. If Dan Quayie did it, how Hard can it be?
, 7. 1 was already In town to interview for the
Jets' head coach position.
6. Four words: severe lapse of judgment.
5. 1 needed an excuse to get out of dinner with
Donald Trump.
4. When they threw in a "Late Show" tote bag. I
said, ""Gas up the Taurus, we;re goin' to Dave's."
3. 1 have not been to the Ed Sullivan Theater
since I was dating Ringo.
2. To tell you the truth, Dave, I thought Johnny
hosted this show.
I . If I can make it here, I can make it anywhere.
with
Jan. 12
In response to Kevin Roth's Jan. 12 letter ("Protect victims, not the criminals'')
concerning capital punishment, I fully
agree. It is an unwell society which sentences its most foul members to be fed,
housed and clothed. And worse yet,1
interviewed.
'
WILLIAM HUTCHESON, M.D.
Don't punisK everyone
for problems of few
I am a student at Windsor Forest, so the
addition to the dress code does directly
affect me. The article in the Jan. 9 paper
about the dress code was very incomplete and most of all an understatement
The new dress code does hot only
apply to big baggy pants and oversized
shirts. It also applies to neat, tailored
shirts worn just below or at the belt If this
were a safety precaution to keep guns out
of school, then why does it punish the
good students who look nice and. professional in their tailored shirts? •
This new addition affects more people.
than the school board realizes. It does not
ju$t take money out of Tommy Hilflger or
the Fubu guys' pockets, but also the parents (and students) who had to work hard
to develop the wardrobe that we have
now, only for these power driven people
who are supposed to represent us go and
tell us we can't wear half our wardrobe
because my nice shirt that I couldn't conceal a weapon in even if my life depended on it is a safety hazard?
That's insane. And I don't blame the
teachers and administrators for this: I'll
respect them when they yell for me to
tuck In my shirt. They are just doing what
the bosses are telling them to do.
And I understand where the school
board is coming from on this rule. But
maybe there is a chance that hot every
rule is going to work.
Let's face it, anyone who wants to bring
a gun to school to school will do so by any
means necessary. So why don't we stop
punishing everyone for the few sour
apples and come up with a new way to
prevent violence in schools (if that's even
the real reason for this addition.
I've heard it's only to make us look better; apparently we get better grades when
.As for your comments "when a majority of registered voters still choose not to
participate ... non-voters are essentially
disenfranchising themselves." might I
suggest that if your numbers are correct
(29 percent voted, 71 percent did not)
that indeed a veto proof majority (more
than two thirds) did vote and what they
said was "we do not require a state senator if we have to choose one on this day at
this time in this manner—thanks but no
thanks.'. It is presumptive of you, the winning candidate and the state to assume
otherwise. Stay home Regina, an overwhelming majority of your district wants
you here, not in Atlanta. Do not presume
to represent us—you do not.
The far better course in this circum' stance (other than implementing trie
plan outlined in my essay dated Jan. 1,
2000 in your "New century, new ideas")
would have been for the governor to consult with an appropriate number of local
politicos arid citizen leaders and name aninterim senator for the horribly gerrymandered 2nd senatorial district
The only caveat would be that whoever
HOW TO WRITE TO US
We welcome your letters. They must
include the writer's name (no initials)
along with an address and daytime
telephone number for verification
purposes. All letters are subject to
editing. Preference will be given to
letters less than 200 words.
the governor chose would not be able to
offer for the same job next fall. A lot of
. time, effort and money would have been
saved I cannot imagine that any of the 71
percent who did not vote would have
minded one wit.
. Please save your scolding for those
who have constructed the anemic
process we now have for choosing public
servants and who have the audacjty
(yourselves included) to hold the voters
in contempt.for choosing not to participate. The current electoral system is a
turn off
"
Get over your surprise that more and
more of us choose not to waste our time
getting involved in such folly. At least you
conclude your editorial with the more
realistic notion that the ultimate challenge facing Regina and her fellow legislators is how to connect voters with the
electoral process; a daunting task given
the'results of the most recent competition— disconnected 71, connected 29.
That's a hell of a victory for disconnection.:
NEFF McINTOSH
and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle
will by no means pass from the law till all is
fulfilled."
. • • . ' . .
' KIM DURHAM
Rocker needs guides
on how he should act
I know that many people were offended
by Atlanta Braves pitcher John Rocker's
remarks. But how much of it was Mr.
By fax at
Rocker just playing the "game"? You know,
(912) 234;6522
the one that the folks in New York began
when they threw objects at him on the
BY U.S. MAIL at
ball Geld and called him names.
letters to the Editor
My disapppmtrrient lies with the ChrisSavannah Morning News
tians who are spouting off worse things in
P.O. Box 1088
the name of God than Rocker said to
Savannah. GA 31402
begin with. Christians aren't supposed to
act like that; the Bible says we should love
BY E-MAIL at
our enemies, pray for those who perseletted@savannahnow.com
cute us. If we want to talk about prejudice
and bigotry, what else could lumping.all
our shirts are crammed into our pants.
Southerners together as ignorant redSHENEKE ALLEN necks be but prejudice?
I am Southern and I am not offended.
by all the South-bashing that has been
done in retaliation to Mr. Rocker's
remarks. I am secure in my heritage,, the
good and bad of it. I know who I am and
Your Jan. 8 issue had a column by Rev. what I am. Nothing that has been said can
Madison T. Shockley II that cast doubt on change It.' .
',
George W. Bush's statement that Jesus
Mr. Rocker needs guidance as he
Christ was the political philosopher who matures Into the good man he will be.
Influenced him (Mr. Bush) the most. I, In Where are his guides? Where are his
turn, have some doubt about the accuracy examples? Why don't we treat him the way
of the Rev. Shockley's conclusions.
we want him to treat us?
In particular, I would like to comment on
MARYW.PACK
Rev. Shockley's conclusion that Jesus' Mount Vemon
admonition to turn the other cheek represents a prohibition of capital punishment.
That is not what that verse means. In order
to understand biblical principles, it is often
necessary to look at more than one scripture.
Congratulations! The from page of your
Regarding capital punishment, I would Jan. 1, 2000 edition was a tremendous
advise Rev. Shockley to also examine Gene- educational two-dimensional presentasis 9:6: "Whoever sheds marts blood, by tion of a great span of living time, ftu
man his blood shall be shed: for in the have my vote for a national award. '
image of God He made man." If Rev. ShockNext, I challenge you to consider its aJsley meant to take the position that Jesus ter, "space," Let's see, if the sun were the
contradicted the Genesis scripture in the size of the newly painted globe south! of
Sermon on the Mount, he should also take DeRenne Avenue and it was placed at (he
into consideration a scripture just a few beginning of 1-16 in Macon, one could »ise
verses before the one he quoted.
that highway and its mile markers to set
In Matthew 5:17-18, Jesus stated "Do not up a scaled representation of our solar
think that I came to destroy the Law or the system and our nearest other star(s). '
Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to
HORACE SHEWMAKER
fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven Cobbtown
Letters may be sent three ways:
Reader disagrees with
minister's conclusions
Show concept of space
as you did living time '