The Clarion Issue

THE ALDAY MUDRERS: 30 YEARS OF JUSTICE SERVED OR JUSTICE DENIED? By Sam Merier

There is absolutely no doubt in anyone's mind of what happened on 14 May 1973 in Seminole County, Georgia, when six members of a family were sadistically and systematically abused and murdered as they came home for lunch. Hard working, God loving, down to earth, honest people that owned and worked a 525-acre farm. The kind of people you would be proud to have as neighbors and friends.

On 14 May 1973, a family and a South Georgia community were going to be deeply and severely affected and shocked, as were the whole state and people of Georgia. Georgia was going to suffer one of the most gruesome and terrible crimes in the history of the state. Little did anyone know or realize that the brutality and violence that occurred that day, was only the beginning of another crime. The events as they happened and were performed by four escapees from a Maryland prison are not disputed by anyone. The person responsible admitted what he had done, the youngest member testified against the other three.

The list of names of the victims on that day will never be forgotten: Ned Alday 62, Aubrey Alday 57 ( Ned's brother), Aubrey's 3 sons: Jerry 35, Chester Alday 32, and Jimmy 25. Jerry's wife, Mary 26, was raped and sodomized, taken into the woods, and shot. The details of what the killers did to the victims could take up volumes. This article is not about what was to done the victims as much as it is about what was done to the survivors and to our court system.

Three of the four Maryland Prison escapees, Carl and Billy Issacs, George Dungee, and Wayne Coleman, were all convicted in a Georgia court in 1974 and sentenced to die. Billy Issacs, the youngest of the four, turned States evidence and testified against the other three. Billy Issacs was sentenced to 40 years, served approximately half of it and is now out of prison. George Dungee and Wayne Coleman were sentenced to death, but the sentences were overturned and commuted to life sentences. Both are still locked away.

The actual killer, Carl Issacs clearly admitted he committed the killings and even to the brutality he demonstrated to the Alday family. This was never in dispute. He has never shown remorse. He had never said, "I am sorry for doing this." or anything else to indicate any feelings of regret. In fact, it is quite the opposite.

In a 1975 prison interview Issacs was quoted as saying, "I'd like to get out and kill more of them. They represent the type of society I don't like. I didn't know them, had never seen them before May 14, but I didn't like them. Working people don't do a damn thing for me."

During other interviews Issacs reportedly compared himself to John Dillinger. He wanted people to remember him as the ringleader of the murders and the brutal killer of six hardworking honest people.

The stage and scene were then set, one murdering ringleader against our honorable judicial system.

In 1980 Carl Issacs tried to escape from prison. Six people were dead by his hand and family members and friends still hurt and waiting for the justice of the death penalty!

In 1985 a federal appeals court overturned the convictions of Carl Issacs, Coleman, and Dungee due to "pretrial publicity." The court indicated that the killers could not get a fair trial in Seminole County, and that a change of venue was necessary for a fair trial to occur. Six people were dead and family members and friends are still being assaulted by the pain and events that occurred at the hands of Carl Issacs.

A new trial was held in Houston County, Georgia, in 1988. All three of the accused were found guilty once again. The only difference is that Carl Issacs is the only one to get the death sentence. Justice is served, or is it?

During the 1988 trial, the Judge allowed a preacher to give a prayer as the trial started. Reportedly the preacher told or asked the jury to "follow God's will not their own." Now the prayer was not recorded by the court reporter and no record of it has been found. Issacs' attorney asked for a new trial because the preacher said a prayer and asked the jury to follow "God's will." The attorney contended that the prayer was an "improper trial procedure." Six people were dead and family members and friends are still being assaulted by the pain and events that occurred at the hands of Carl Issacs. Now the courts were beginning to add their assault to the survivors and friends and their pain.

In 2001, Issacs appealed again to the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. This time he claimed that his rights were violated 32 times during his retrial. But how many times did Carl Issacs violate the rights and bodies of Ned, and his brother, Aubrey? What about the torture deaths of Jerry, Jimmy, and Chester, and Jerry's wife, Mary? What happened to the rights of the Alday's family and friends? Or the rights of the community who faced years of fear after these vicious murders? What about the rights of the taxpayers of this small, rural Georgia County who saw their county almost go bankrupt paying for the constant litigation of Carl Issacs, a self confessed killer of six human beings? "Where are those rights" we ask of Carl Issacs and the Judicial system?

On May 6, 2003, the surviving Alday family members and friends, their community, and the State of Georgia, finally received their justice when Carl Issacs was put to sleep, more like a sick puppy than a John Dillinger.

Carl Issacs served more time on death row than any other death row inmate in United States history. Finally, after nearly 30 years was it justice served or justice denied? You decide.

NATIONALIST CHINA'S 2004 ELECTION: A MINE FIELD ACROSS THE STRAITS By R. A. Pearson

Presidential elections for the Republic of China (ROC) on Taiwan are scheduled for March 20, 2004. The candidate for the ruling Democratic Progressive Party will be incumbent Chen Shui-bain. His opponent will be Kuomintang leader Lien Chan. Included on the ballot will be a referendum concerning a formal separation of the ROC and the Peoples Republic of China (PRC). The move toward independence for the ROC, a major source of friction between Taiwan and the PRC, is being promoted by Chen and is a cornerstone of his campaign. It is also a major diplomatic dilemma for the administration of President Bush.

In 1949, Chinese Communist forces led by Mao Tse-tung defeated the corrupt and inefficient Nationalist Chinese Government led by Chiang Kai-shek. The nationalist fled to the island of Formosa (Taiwan) and established a nationalist government there with its capital at Taipei. The United States recognized this government as the government of the Chinese people and allowed Chang's government to maintain the Chinese seat on the United Nation's Security Council. For years the United States government refused to recognize the government of "Red China," in effect, refusing to recognize one third of the world's population. For all practical purposes the world dealt with two Chinas: however, neither the PRC nor the ROC admitted or recognized that there was more than one China. During the 1970s, the US position toward the PRC softened, and by the end of the decade the PRC had been diplomatically recognized by the US and was awarded the Chinese seat on the UN's Security Council.

During the next 25 years, relations and tensions blew from hot to cold between the two Chinas across the Taiwan straits. While the situation has taxed the United States' and the world's diplomatic resources at times, the ultimate fear of the world is that any move toward a formal separation by the ROC would provoke an attack by the PRC. The March 2004 ballot initiative by the Chen government may provide that provocation.

Many influential China watchers are asking why would the ROC have an independence ballot initiative at this time? The reason lies, according to some, in the internal problems faced by Taiwan and the Chen government's inability to solve them. The ROC is no longer the world's source of cheap products and cheap labor. As Asia opens its markets to the industrial world, it is also opening its labor force to work in factories and service areas in open competition to Taiwan's labor force. This phenomenon has caused a rise in the ROC's unemployment and a drop in its exports. This unemployment has caused an erosion of Taiwan's tax base and its ability to consume industrial products from around the world. China experts feel that the independence initiative is an attempt to move ROC voter attention away from economic problems that plague the country and appeal to voter patriotism and nationalism. Other experts speculate the independence initiative might be an attempt to gain foreign aid in exchange for dropping the issue.

The Taiwan independence initiative also puts the United States in a diplomatic dilemma. While the US has always supported the ROC's right to exist, and has supplied defensive military aid to the island nation, it has never supported a move for the ROC to declare independence from main land China. President Bush told both China and Taiwan in December that they should not try to change the status quo. The Bush administration managed to get the Chen government to tone down the independence rhetoric in mid January, but the initiative still remains on the March 20th ballot. Chen's presidential opponent, the opposition's Kuomintang leader Lien Chan, is much less supportive of the issue of independence and wishes to move the ROC to closer economic and diplomatic ties with the PRC. This is the position favored by the US.

Today the US and the world looks toward the PRC as a major trade partner. China's economy is growing at a rate of 10% a year. In 2004, it will become America's third largest trade partner. More American companies are moving industrial plants to China and China's markets are opening to American products from cell phones to fast food restaurants. As the "Corporate Communist" leaders in Beijing (President Jintao Hu, Vice President Qinghong Zeng, and Primer Jiabao Wen) that now plan China's economy move the nation into the information and consumer age, the US government hopes that the nation will move from the totalitarianism of its former history into a more open and democratic society. Any attempt by Taipei to move toward independence will hamper this process, and while the "Corporate Communist" control the economy of China, the older hard-liners still maintain control of China's vast military machine.

The older Chinese hard-liners, such as former president Jiang Zemin and General Liang Guanglie, Chief of Staff of the Chinese Army, would return to their policy of open saber rattling across the straits if the ROC independence initiative passes on March 20th . While Chinese Army leaders have recently removed offensive weapons near the straits in southern China and supported the US attempts to denuclearize North Korea, most China watchers fear the return of hostile weapons and hyped up rhetoric if the ROC independence initiative should pass.

Should the independence initiative pass in the Republic of China and Chen be reelected the Taiwan Straits will become a major minefield for the Bush administration. It will certainly become a major problem if Chen and his government take the passage of such an initiative seriously and try to act on independence. If the Bush administration acts to support our long term ROC ally it would put at risk billions of dollars of US business investments in mainland China and risk the loss of a major world market to US companies and products.

The Peoples Republic of China has made strides toward opening its economy to western influence and trade. The major hope of the Bush administration and the American people is that the independence initiative fails. The defeat of incumbent Chen Shui-bain and the Democratic Progressive Party and the election of Kuomintang leader Lien Chan would aid in restoring more positive relations between the two Chinas and help the US avoid the minefield in the Taiwan Straits.

The coach had put together the perfect team for the Detroit Lions. The only thing that was missing was a good quarterback. He had scouted all the colleges and even the Canadian and European Leagues, but he couldn't find a ringer who could ensure a Super Bowl win.

Then one night while watching CNN he saw a war-zone scene in Afghanistan. In one corner of the background, he spotted a young, Afghan Muslim soldier with a truly incredible arm. He threw a hand-grenade straight into a 15th story window 100 yards away.

"I've got to get this guy!" Coach said to himself. "He has the perfect arm!" So, he brings him to the States and teaches him the great game of football. And the Lions go on to win the Super Bowl.

The young Afghan is hailed as the great hero of football, and when the coach asks him what he wants, all the young man wants is to call his mother.

"Mom," he says into the phone, "I just won the Super Bowl!" "I don't want to talk to you," the old Muslim woman says. "You deserted us. You are not my son!"

"I don't think you understand, Mother," the young man pleads. "I've won the greatest sporting event in the world. I'm here among thousands of my adoring fans."

"No! Let me tell you!" his mother retorts. "At this very moment, there are gunshots all around us. The neighborhood is a pile of rubble. Your two brothers were beaten within an inch of their lives last week, and I have to keep your sister in the house so she doesn't get raped!"

The old lady pauses, and then tearfully says, "I will never forgive you for making us move to Detroit!"

The true significance of Sacajawea's involvement in the Lewis & Clark expedition is that it was the first documented trip in history where men asked a woman for directions and followed them, allowing them to arrive at their destination.

A Swiss guy was visiting the States and pulled up at a bus stop where two Marines were waiting.

Other than a glance at each other, there was still no response from the Marines.

The Swiss guy gave up and drove off, extremely disgusted. When he was gone, the first Marine turned to the second and said, "Y'know, maybe we should learn a foreign language."

"Why?" the other Marine replied. "That guy knew four languages, and it didn't do him any good."

"Border relations between Canada and Mexico have never been better."
Pres. George W. Bush

SPEAKIN' SOUTHERN, ADDITIONS TO YOUR SOUTHERN VOCABULARY
SOUTHERN ASTROLOGICAL SIGNS

OKRA (Dec 22 - Jan 20): Are tough on the outside but tender on the
inside. Okras have tremendous influence. An older Okra can look back over
his life and see the seeds of his influence everywhere. You can do something
good each day if you try.

CHITLIN (Jan 21 - Feb 19): Chitlins come from humble backgrounds. A
Chitlin, however, will make something of himself if he is motivated and has
lots of seasoning. In dealing with Chitlins, be careful they may surprise
you. They can erupt like Vesuvius. Chitlins are best with Catfish and Okra.

BOLL WEE! VIL (Feb 20 - March 20): You have an overwhelming curiosity.
You're unsatisfied with the surface of things, and you feel the need to bore
deep into the interior of everything. Needless to say, you are very intense
and driven as if you had some inner hunger! . You love to stay busy and tend
to work too much. Nobody in their right mind is going to marry you, so don't
worry about it.

MOON PIE (March 21 - April 20): You're the type that spends a lot of time
on the front porch. A cinch to recognize the physical appearance of Moon
Pies. Big and round are the key words here. You should marry anybody who you
can get remotely interested in the idea. It's not going to be easy. You
always have a big smile and are happy. This might be the year to think about
aerobics. Maybe not.

POSSUM (April 21 - May 21): When confronted with life's difficulties,
possums have a marked tendency to withdraw and develop a
don't-bother-me-about-it attitude. Sometimes you become so withdrawn, people
actually think you're dead. This strategy is probably not psychologically
healthy but seems to work for you. You are a rare breed. Most folks love to
watch you work and play. You are a night person and mind your own business.

CRAWFISH (May 22 - June 21): Crawfish is a water sign. If you work in an
office, you're hanging around the water cooler. Crawfish prefer the beach to
the mountains, the pool to the golf course, and the bathtub to the living
room. You tend not to be particularly attractive physically, but you have
very, very good heads.

COLLARDS (June 22 - July 23): Collards have a genius for communication.
They love to get in the melting pot of life and share their essence with the
essence of those around them. Collards make good social workers,
psychologists, and baseball managers. As far as your personal life goes, if
you are Collards, stay away from Crawfish. It just won't work. Save yourself
a lot of heartache.

CATFISH (July 24 - Aug 23): Catfish are traditionalists in matters of the
heart, although one's whiskers may cause problems for loved ones. You
Catfish are never easy people to understand. You run fast. You work and play
hard. Even though you prefer the muddy bottoms to the clear surface of life,
you are liked by most. Above all else, Catfish should stay away from Moon
Pies.

GRITS (Aug 24 - Sept 23): You're highest aim is to be with others like
yourself. You like to huddle together with a big crowd of other Grits. You
love to travel though, so maybe you should think about joining a club. Where
do you like to go? Anywhere they have cheese, gravy, bacon, butter, or eggs
and a good time. If you can go somewhere where they have all these things,
that serves you well. You are pure in heart.

BOILED PEANUTS (Sept 24 - Oct 23): You have a passionate desire to help
your fellow man. Unfortunately, those who know you best, your friends and
loved ones, may find that your personality is much too salty, and their
criticism will affect you deeply because you are really much softer than you
appear. You should go right ahead and marry anybody you want to because in a
certain way, yours is a charmed life. On the road of life, you can be sure
that people will always pull over and stop for you.

BUTTER BEAN (Oct 24 - Nov 22): Always invite a Butter Bean to a party
because Butter Beans get along well with everybody. You, as a Butter Bean,
should be proud. You've grown on the vine of life, and you feel at home no
matter what the setting. You can sit next to anybody. However, you, too,
shouldn't have anything to do with Moon Pies.

ARMADILLO (Nov 23 - Dec 21): You have a tendency to develop a tough
exterior, but you are actually quite gentle and kind inside. A good evening
for you? Old friends, a fire, some roots, fruit, worms, and insects. You are
a throwback. You're not concerned with today's fashions and trends. You're
not concerned with anything about today. You're almost prehistoric in your
interests and behavior patterns. You probably want to marry another
Armadillo, but a Possum is another somewhat kinky mating possibility.

In an attempt to rid the island and town of Key West, Florida, of its overpopulation of strutting, free-roaming population of cocks, hens and chicks, city officials in Key West, Florida's southernmost city, are hiring a local barber to catch and curb the feathered fowl.

Key West's city commission agreed to pay up to $20,000 to hire Key West native Armando Para, a semi-retired barber, to capture the feral chickens and relocate them out of town, likely to a farm-game preserve near Brooksville, Florida, north of Tampa. "There's some places chickens shouldn't be." Para said as he pledged to follow the city's orders when his contract is finalized in late January. Para's family once raised chickens for local consumption prior to the days of supermarkets and refrigeration.

The chickens have been in Key West since colonial times when they were a major food source, and when cockfighting was popular in the often wild and rowdy fishing village. Today there are an estimated 1,500 to 2,000 feral chickens roaming the 2-mile-by-4-mile island. As the area calmed, cockfighting was outlawed making the roosters a vestige of the past, and the female birds were released by their owners who preferred the more tender and convenient food store chickens. Today the leaner, tougher breed of wild bird is a threat to the island's newer breed of domestic chickens.

According to assistant City Manager John Jones the wild chickens, especially the male roosters who were bred to fight, are extremely territorial and will attack other roosters, dogs, cats, and even humans. The hens with chicks often slow down traffic and cause confusion among the residents and thousands of tourists who flock to the area every year.

When asked the qualifications for the new position of "head chicken catcher," Jones replied that the individual definitely had to be "smarter than the chickens." He noted that the chickens had been around a long time and had developed positive survival skills. He indicated that Para seemed to be the right man for the job, which would require a lot of night work since it was easier to apprehend the chickens while they were at roost.

In an interview on National Public Radio, Jones indicated that Key West will ship a wild bird to anyone interested in acquiring one for the cost of shipping. He indicated that a cost of $35 per bird had been arranged with one of the overnight mail services. Jones can be contacted through Key West's city hall if you desire one of these historic chickens. Who knows, an ancestor of your new pet could have graced the table of Ernest Hemmingway during his Key West days or pecked the salt off of a Jimmy Buffet margarita. This deal could be a dream come true for all University of South Carolina Gamecock fans that desire a live mascot hanging around the place!

While Jones envisions a reduced population of about 1,000 wild chickens, other Key West residents want to keep this important part of their heritage. Katha Sheehan, the "chicken lady" and owner of a popular memorabilia store dedicated to chickens, presenting city leaders with 4,700 signatures from people favoring the chickens. Ms. Sheehan and many of her followers have urged creation of a chicken park. Sheehan ran for mayor of Key West last October but lost the election.

According to Jones, "One of the other problems is that rich people come down here, landscape their yards, and don't appreciate the chickens messing them up." In the experience of the Clarion Issue, rich people generally get what they want; however, we hope the chickens put up a good fight.

The American Civil Liberties Union has filed a "Friend of the Court" brief in support of Rush Limbaugh's argument that investigators violated his constitutional right to privacy when they seized his medical records during an investigation of whether the conservative radio commentator violated drug laws when he purchased prescription painkillers. Rush Limbaugh has been a constant critic of the ACLU and their support of unpopular defendants in cases involving constitutional rights.

While Limbaugh and the ACLU may not agree about a lot of issues, they apparently agree that an individuals' medical records should be off-limits to prosecutors.

The records were seized in December of 2003, but the Court ordered them sealed on December 23. Prosecutors say they cannot continue their investigation until they review Limbaugh's medical records. In early January, Limbaugh's attorneys asked an appeals court to keep the records sealed past a Jan. 23 deadline set by the Palm Beach Circuit Court. On January 13th, an appeals court ordered prosecutors to turn Rush Limbaugh's medical records over to the courts and keep them sealed until further review.

Investigators sought access to the records after discovering that Limbaugh received more than 2,000 painkillers, prescribed by four doctors in six months, at a pharmacy near his Palm Beach mansion. Limbaugh's former maid also told investigators that she had been supplying him prescription painkillers for years. (This certainly adds new meaning to Neil Young's lyrics, "A man needs a maid.")

In October 2003, Limbaugh admitted to an addiction to painkillers saying it stemmed from severe back pain. He took a five-week leave of absence from his afternoon radio show to enter a rehabilitation program.

Why would the ACLU come to the aid of one of its harshest critics? According to Florida ACLU executive director, Howard Simon, "It may seem odd that the ACLU has come to the defense of Rush Limbaugh. But we have always said that the ACLU's real client is the Bill of Rights, and we will continue to safeguard the values of equality, fairness, and privacy for everyone, regardless of race, economic status, or political point of view."

The Clarion Issue would like to take this opportunity to report that there is no truth to the rumor that Rush Limbaugh and several country singers plan to make a new recording of the Civil War anthem "Dixie" known as "Dixie Revisited." The first line of "Dixie Revisited" states, "Oh, I wish that I was in a land of oxycodone."

A SHORT STATEMENT FROM GA. SENATOR ERIC JOHNSON, PRESIDENT PRO-TEM OF THE GA SENATE, ON LOCAL TAX INCREASES

The accusations are flying that state budget cuts will automatically result in local tax hikes. That is not true. This is coming from the folks (local government officials) who are preparing to raise taxes and blame us (the Government of the State of Georgia). They want to increase taxes.

Georgia is suffering from reduced tax revenue from the economy. Unlike Washington, we must balance our budget. So we are making tough choices and meeting the challenge. Local governments can do the same thing. It is not without pain and will require a thoughtful, deliberative process that assesses priorities and core missions.

Cuts in health care and education and other important areas do NOT automatically mean that local taxes will be raised. It is Governor Perdue's desire (supported by Republicans in the legislature) that we give local school systems more flexibility to absorb these cuts. If we can help them in other ways, we are willing to do so.

Local elected officials have three choices. First, they can stop offering the services that we cut or eliminate. Second, they can continue to fund those programs by cutting other less important services, eliminating local pork, reducing corruption, and improving efficiencies like we have. Or they can raise taxes. We chose not to increase taxes. They can do the same thing. It won't be easy. Leadership never is.

This whole debate also seems to assume that "local" taxpayers aren't state taxpayers. But they are the same people! Local government officials don't like their options. Neither did we. We were faced with the painful choice between raising taxes or reducing spending. We chose to reduce spending. Local governments have the same choice. I hope that they will reduce spending and avoid tax hikes, too. I think the taxpayers would agree.

The Nation Back to Top
39TH ANNUAL TOILET BOWL A SPLASHING SUCCESS

Residents and visitors in Hustisford, Wisconsin, welcomed the New Year with the 39th annual Toilet Bowl Parade held in the city on January 1, 2004. Spectators along the parade route tossed toilet paper at the Toilet Bowl Queen and King, Courtney and Jason Hildebrandt, who sat enthroned on a giant toilet and carried toilet plunger scepters. The Hildebrandts earned their royal honor by selling the most raffle tickets to support the events charities.

The parade contained many interesting floats. One float portrayed Santa pulling a captured Saddam Hussein followed by human reindeer in military fatigues. Another float was a sled carrying "Miss Poopsie 2004," a doll on a potty-chair pulled by a team of four dachshunds.

According to event organizer Erica Grosenick, "Every year it gets bigger and bigger. It was started by three Hustisford guys who wanted something else to do on New Year's Day besides sitting around watching bowl games on TV." Other residents remember the founding fathers of the parade as " a few guys wolfing down a few brats and being a little inebriated on beer while in the process of brainstorming about the event."

The parade was followed by a town football game (tackle without helmets or pads) and a water fight, despite the somewhat "chilly" weather.

The event raises money for scholarships for students from this town of about 1,150 in Wisconsin's Dodge County. It also supports its sponsors, the Hustisford Fire Department.

After the event, volunteers were out with rakes, shovels and leaf blowers to clean up the toilet paper, brat wrappers, and beer cans, and the 2004 version of the Toilet Bowl disappeared down the drain. Onlookers and event organizers pronounced the 2004 Toilet Bowl a "flushing success!" A few "made a note" to invest in Charmin and Cottonelle before the 2005 Toilet Bowl.

In a move that was too comical to be taken seriously, former Vice President and Democratic Presidential Nominee, Al Gore, made a global warming speech on January 15, 2004, at the Beacon Theater in New York as the temperature outside was warming up to at least -10 degrees. Meanwhile in other parts of the nation, Mt. Washington, Maine, registered an almost record -45 degrees with a wind chill of -100 and Spokane, Washington, recorded temperatures of below -15 degrees.

The speech was sponsored by MoveOn.org, a liberal activist group, and Environment 2004. Prior to the speech, MoveOn organizers indicated that Gore "will show that global warming is happening right now," even though the temperature is predicted to drop into negative digits by the end of the evening. Spokespersons added that "Maybe (the speech) won't apply in New York right now, but Vice President Gore will be highlighting the effects of global warming in different parts of the world."

However, right wing reporters and networks had a field day with the former VP's speech, and the irony of a Global Warming speech in -10 degree weather was not lost on the true 'fair and balanced' press (such as the Clarion Issue) or even the more liberal press agencies.

Gore's speech was severely critical of the Bush-Cheney administration's environmental policies over the last three years. Gore said often appeared that "the Bush-Cheney administration is wholly owned by the coal, oil, utility and mining industries." He went on to accuse the administration of gutting environmental laws criticizing President Bush for not acting to prevent global warming and for pushing to open parts of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling. "While President Bush likes to project an image of strength and courage, the real truth is that in the presence of his large financial contributors, he is a moral coward," Gore said.

In particular, Gore took aim at Bush's "Clear Skies" bill, which limits emissions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide and mercury but fails to regulate emissions of carbon dioxide, which is believed to contribute to global warming. Gore also accused the Bush Administration of being more concerned with returning to the moon and going to Mars than taking care of the Earth.

Gore's speech drew heavy criticism from many Republicans. He was accused of making a "political hate speech" by Republican National Committee Chairman Ed Gillespie. The setting (-10 degree weather) was compared to a "sermon on hell by a Baptist preacher during February with the air conditioner on full blast" by political watchers at Smith's Kountry Kafe in beautiful downtown Iron City, Georgia.

It is a shame that the setting of the speech was so humorous that the speech's Global Warming and environmental implications were lost in the staging of the event. The Clarion Issue is extremely concerned about some of the environmental policies of the Bush administration, and we encourage all Americans to take a good look at the environmental stand of any candidate before voting in the primary or general elections this year.

DARK BEER PROVEN TO BE HEART SMART

Heart researcher, John D. Folts, PhD, has published information indicating that dark beer can help prevent blood clots and may be a useful tool in the fight against heart disease.

According to Dr. Folts, professor of medicine and director of the coronary thrombosis research at the University of Wisconsin, dark beer is rich in flavonoids, which have powerful antioxidant effects. The dark beer has been proven to reduce the narrowing of arteries in dogs, thus allowing better blood flow and reducing the risk of heart problems in the canine species. Dr. Folts did not comment on how the dogs were selected for the study, but the Clarion Issue staff suspects that there were plenty of volunteers for the beer drinking study at the Madison, Wisconsin, dog pound.

Folts presented his dark beer-light beer study at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2003. He says he is currently conducting similar tests in humans. In that study, volunteers drink two bottles of either light or dark beer a day. Early indications are that dark beer again is more active at fighting blood clots than light beer.

Researchers have noticed a link between red wine and reduced heart problems for years, especially in France where the diet is loaded with heavy sauces and cheese. It now appears that it is the flavonoids in the red wine that protects the heart and reduces the risk of heart problems.

Folts indicated that "you can see the flavonoids in products on the shelf. The rich flavonoid content makes red wine more heart friendly than white wine and purple grape juice a better choice for toddlers than white grape juice."

Folts and other researchers remind people that the study is not a license to overindulge in alcoholic drink. The same results can be achieved by drinking dark grape juice, and for any alcoholic beverage to be successful as a health supplement it must be utilized in moderation.

It seems like it happens every year; some idiot gets stuck in a chimney around Christmas. This year the idiot 'lump of coal award' goes to Minneapolis, Minnesota, resident Joseph Hubbert. Hubbert, a 34-year-old, has also earned himself burglary rap for the incident on Christmas morning.

According to police Hubbert was drunk when he climbed on top the one-story Uncle Hugo's Bookstore building and removed all his clothes to help squeeze into the 12-by-12-inch chimney. He then started to slide down the chimney shaft and got stuck. Police spokesman, Lt. Mike Sauro, indicated that Hubbert was a slight man and added, "He doesn't appear to be a hard-core criminal, just stupid."

According to Hubbert, who was found naked in the chimney, he was going down the flue to retrieve a set of keys he had accidentally dropped down the chimney.

Police were called to the Bookstore around 9 a.m. on Christmas day by the store owner Don Blyly, who heard Hubbert when he came to hang up signs for a sale to begin the Friday after Christmas.

Firefighters helped remove Hubbert from the chimney. Hubbert was arrested and taken to Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis where he was treated for scrapes and bruises. Hubbert lives only about a mile from the bookstore and has a record of burglary and theft convictions.

Robert Ligon, 68, began serving 15 months in a federal prison in early January for serving low fat donuts that were not low fat. Lignon is a health-food executive for First Health Foods found in the Chicago area. He was indicted by a "Windy City" grand jury for willfully mislabeling doughnuts as low fat and mail fraud.

The Food and Drug Administration began investigating Ligon in 1997 when he sold a "carob coated" doughnut with a label claiming three grams of fat and 135 calories per serving. The confection was actually a full fat chocolate glazed doughnut bought from rival Cloverhill Bakery that had 18 grams of fat and 530 calories. Ligon bought the bakery doughnuts for 25 cents and resold them for a $1 each as low fat donuts. At the time of his sentencing, the government calculated he tried to sell several hundred thousand dollars' worth of mislabeled doughnuts and cinnamon rolls.

Ligon said he didn't intentionally break the law and never heard a single complaint. "'Everybody wanted the product and were very upset they couldn't get the product." When asked if he felt the punishment fit the crime, Ligon said: "I feel like I've been singled out."

Ligon sold the donuts nationwide for almost three-years and was a victim of his own success. The FDA discovered his crime when customers contacted the FDA about how tasty his donuts actually were. These laurels launched a FDA investigation in 1997. Jim Dahl, assistant director of criminal investigations for the FDA indicated, "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is."

The fact is that no one has come up with a good tasting doughnut that dips below the federal low-fat threshold of three grams per serving. Doughnuts typically range from eight grams to eighteen grams of fat.

Several donut makers have tried to produce a low fat donut. Dunkin' Donuts briefly offered a cholesterol-free doughnut that contained no eggs and no milk in the late 1980s, but they did not sell. During the 1990s, Entenmann's Bakery offered a doughnut with 25 percent less fat, but low sales forced them to discontinue the product. Krispy Kreme Doughnuts has explored low-fat or low-calorie options, but they have not tried to market any low fat or low calorie products. Let's face it, if you want to diet, donuts are off the menu.

Ligon doesn't even eat doughnuts. That works out fine. Most federal prisons don't even serve them.

Denny's diners in Spokane, Washington, had their early morning Grand Slams interrupted briefly as three young men, clothed in only hats, shoes, and frowns, attempted to breakfast in the buff in the predawn hours of January 14, 2004.

According to witnesses, the three men watched in horror as their car, which was left running in the restaurant's parking lot for a fast getaway, was stolen by a man who had been eating in the restaurant. The men's clothing was in the car.

Police arrived at the parking lot to discover the three streakers huddled behind cars in the 20-degree Washington weather. A police spokesman said he thinks the men "were just concealing themselves."

The police spokesman said officials "always tell people to not leave their car running." He also added, "It is best to always lock your car before leaving it unattended."

Police have not charged the streakers indicating that having to be "exposed" to the 20 degree weather in the "raw" was humiliating enough.

One older Denny's patron commented to the press that "It was a shame those nice young men had their breakfasts interrupted the way they did." Another elderly customer indicated that she thought the restaurant chain "had a no shirt, no shoes, no service policy, and in her day no one came to the table without a shirt!"

Bob Keeshan, as known Captain Kangaroo to decades of children, died on January 23, 2004 in Vermont at the age of 76. In a statement issued by his son Michael, Keeshan's family said: "Our father, grandfather and friend was as passionate for his family as he was for America's children. He was largely a private man living an often public life as an advocate for all that our nation's children deserve."

"Captain Kangaroo" premiered on CBS in 1955 and ran for 30 years before moving to public television for six more. It won six Emmy Awards, three Gabriels, and three Peabody Awards.

Every weekday for 36 years, Captain Kangaroo, with his uniform coat, would wander through his Treasure House, talking with his good friend Mr. Green Jeans, played by Hugh Brannum. He would visit with puppet animals, like Bunny Rabbit, who was scolded for eating too many carrots, the Dancing Bear, and Mr. Moose, who loved to tell knock-knock jokes and drop Ping-Pong balls on the Captain's head.

Another part of a visit to the Treasure House was the music. Children often sang "Puff the Magic Dragon," "They're Changing Guards at Buckingham Palace," and the many of the other songs they heard on the program

Keeshan, joined the Marine Corps in 1945. His first television appearance was in 1948 when he played Clarabell the Clown on the popular children's show the "Howdy Doody Show." He played the role for five years. He later played Corny the clown, the host of a noontime cartoon program in New York City. "Captain Kangaroo" debuted on Oct. 3, 1955 and ran until 1993.

In 1987, Keeshan and former Tennessee Gov. Lamar Alexander founded Corporate Family Solutions, an organization that provided day-care programs to businesses around the country. Keeshan contended that children learn more in the first six years of life than at any other time of their development. He was a strong advocate of day care that provides emotional, physical, and intellectual development for children.
"Play is the work of children. It's very serious stuff. And if it's properly structured in a developmental program, children can blossom," Keeshan said.

Keeshan lost his wife, Jeanne, in 1990. He had three children.
For all of us who grew up in Captain Kangeroo's Treasure House, Keeshan was an American Icon. He will be missed by us all, but his gifts to the children of America will be forever remembered.

The World

BUT HONEY, I HAVE A GOOD EXCUSE

After 24 years of engagement, a Moroccan soldier named Abderrahim got the chance to marry his fiancée Bahia. The wedding had been delayed because Abderrahim was in jail deep in the Sahara desert.

Separatist guerrillas captured Abderrahim in 1979 during a war for control of the Western Sahara territory and held him for almost 25 years. He was finally freed along with 300 other prisoners in November. He rushed home to wed his intended, who knew he had been captured but had received no news of him for six years.

The groom indicated, "I was convinced she'd wait for me. I had blind confidence in her since the first day we met."

The bride told reporters, "I never thought I had lost my husband. I knew he'd come back one day. I never showed pain but hid it deep in my heart."

Moroccan officials refused to release the last name of Abderrahim and his new bride.

Moroccan authorities suspect that between 600 to 900 prisoners remain in captivity.

CONTROVERSY SURROUNDS GEORGE HARRISON'S LAST AUTOGRAPHS

A lawsuit filed by George Harrison's estate alleges that the former Beatle tried to resist a request for deathbed autographs by one of Harrison's attending physicians. According to reports the dying musician indicated, "I do not even know if I know how to spell my name anymore."

The suit alleges that Dr. Gilbert Lederman, a Staten Island-based cancer expert, forced the weakened George Harrison to autograph a guitar for the physician's teenage son just two weeks before the former Beatle died of cancer. Dr. Lederman is reported to have responded by saying, "Come on, you can do this," and held Harrison's hand as the musician wrote his name on the guitar "with great effort and much obvious discomfort."

The estate seeks the return of the guitar and two other items signed by Harrison at that time.
Lederman's attorney, Wayne Roth, said "This lawsuit is strictly allegations. Frankly, I think it's absurd. "He didn't coerce Mr. Harrison."
Harrison's wife and son believe a National Enquirer story about Harrison's death that featured Lederman's son holding the instrument was orchestrated by Lederman to raise the item's value.
Paul LiCalsi, an attorney for Harrison's estate, indicated, "George was literally lying there dying, and the doctor forced George to sign a guitar. The doctor should not be permitted to profit from this behavior."
Roth said Lederman's son plays the guitar, and the family has no intention of selling it. The instrument was appraised in connection with an investigation of Lederman's treatment of Harrison, and is worth less than $10,000.
The estate also accuses Dr. Lederman of violating Harrison's privacy by orchestrating invasive media coverage in the interest of promoting his medical practice. Lederman conducted interviews about Harrison with several news outlets, many within hours of Harrison's death, the suit charges.

CHINESE TO FIGHT SARS BY KILLING CIVET CATS
Chinese officials plan to fight SARS by killing 20,000 Civet Cats in southern China's Guangzhou province. The move was announced in early January 2004 after the first official case of the disease was reported. While there is no proven link between the weasel-like animal to the SARS epidemic, many health officials believe the animals, considered a delicacy by many in coastal southern China, are a major carrier, and therefore a major cause, of the illness.
The Chinese officials plan to kill the Civet Cats by boiling and drowning, or electrocution and incineration. Civets seized in Guangzhou from wildlife markets were electrocuted and their carcasses burned. An employee of the city Hygiene Supervision Bureau described the process. "We first put them in disinfectant to sterilize them, then electrocute them, then burn them." Some newspaper photos showed health workers in white protective suits, goggles, surgical masks and elbow-length rubber gloves drowning animals. On local TV, crews in jumpsuits hosed down empty cages at Guangzhou's wild animal market.

While genetic tests have suggested a link between civets and the SARS virus diagnosed in a 32-year-old TV producer in Guangdong, WHO investigators say no definitive connection has been established between the Civet Cats and SARS. The WHO has also expressed concern that a mass slaughter might spread the germ or eradicate crucial evidence of SARS' origins.

Despite the WHO's concern, Chinese officials have moved rapidly to destroy the cats. Officials in Guangzhou province cited the travel ban placed on the area during last year's SARS epidemic as a major reason for the eradication of the Civet Cats.

Former Jethro Tull keyboard player, David Palmer, has undergone a sex change operation. He is now a woman named Dee.

Palmer (66) revealed the operation in late January from Lanzarote, Spain, where she is recording her first solo album. Dee acknowledged that many fans may be shocked but she added, "I want to be judged on my musical ability alone, and nothing else." Dee said her desire to change sex had been an "open secret" in the music business for many years, but it was only since the death of wife Margaret nine years ago that she felt at liberty to pursue it. Next month Dee plans to launch a British tour under her new persona.

In his life before Dee, Palmer was a soldier in the Royal Horse Guards and Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music. During the 1970s, Palmer contributed to several Jethro Tull albums including A Passion Play, Heavy Horses, Songs from the Wood, and the live album Busting Out.

Ian Anderson, the leader and guiding force behind Jethro Tull for four decades, backed his ex-bandmate's sex swap op. Anderson said, "I found it difficult to understand at first. But I fully support his decision." Anderson indicated he finally accepted the news when David rang him to say, "There's something I need to get off my increasingly ample chest."

Late in the evening of February 17, 1864, the CSS HL Hunley sailed into history when she left her dock in Charleston and sunk the 1,240 ton Union ship, the USS Housatonic. The journey of the Hunley and the impact on emotions, history, and politics is not yet over. On April 17, 2004, the soldiers and sailors who made the February voyage will be reinterred at historic Magnolia Cemetery in Charleston.

The event is expected to draw 20,000 to pay their respects to the remains of the men who died that night in the Hunley. The reinterment has been the effort of The Hunley Commission, a group legislated by South Carolina to manage the salvage and ceremony around the submarine. It has been a long and hard road for both the men of the Hunley and the supporters of the Hunley Commission.

The Hunley was originally begun by a private company in Mobile, Alabama, in 1863. It was then sold to the State of South Carolina and handed over to the Confederate Army to continue testing. The Hunley made its fateful voyage, sank the USS Housatonic, and never returned to land. It was missing 131 years until an archeological team from the National Underwater and Marine Agency located the vessel.

Controversy began almost immediately. First there was fear of the vessel being stolen, a piece at a time, by illegal relic hunters. Then it was argued who owned the vessel. The Federal Government claimed the vessel as Confederate property and therefore now Federal property. It was shown that the submarine was actually owned by the State of South Carolina and not the Confederacy, therefore South Carolina had ownership. Alabama briefly laid claim to the vessel as well.

As plans to raise the vessel and reinter the men on board were being made, sailors began to balk. It is tradition in the Navy to consider wrecks to be the final resting-place of those on board.

It was impossible to separate the remains of the men from the remains of the vessel; the Hunley was raised on August 8, 2000. People lined the shores of the journey to land, paying their respects to the men and marking the historic discovery.

Great care and precision was taken to excavate the sub and preserve it. The public has been able to view it on weekends since 2001. Reenactors from around the country, organized by local reenactors, provided an honor guard at the sub each weekend.

The submarine has yielded many priceless artifacts and shown a great deal of engineering modifications not previously known to historians. Among the artifacts found were the coin carried by Lt. George E. Dixon, commander of the project. The coin is legendary as it was said to have been presented to him by his wife and had saved his life by stopping a bullet at the Battle of Shiloh.

The reinterment ceremony is being planned to honor the men who died that February night in 1864. It is expected to draw a crowd of 20,000 to march in and view the funeral procession as well as attend the burial at Magnolia Cemetery. It is an effort that is worthy of making any time but especially in this day when we are engaged in new conflicts. It is a reminder of how men are willing to take incredible risks at times when risks are necessary. It is to honor the sacrifice the men made that February night and every time such risk and sacrifice were necessary.

The ceremony is drawing criticism by people who wish to politicize the event. There is a group who is trying to ban the American flag from the ceremony, claiming the Union flag does not represent the men being buried. This group has circulated an on-line petition and is soliciting others to oppose the American flag being used at the ceremony. The premise of the petition suggests this group knows the hearts and minds of the last crew of the Hunley. That is quite clairvoyant of the petitioners since the identities and names of all the men are in doubt.

Additionally there is a host of critics labeling the event and honored dead as "racist." Their position is the tired, old, broad and general rhetoric that labels anything in connection with the War Between the States as "racist."

The ceremony on April 17 will be a big event for Charleston. It will mark the end of an 136 year journey by 8 men who first used a submarine in combat. It has been a political, historic, and emotional trip for the men of the Hunley and the contemporary planners of the ceremony. The Hunley Commission should be commended for their efforts to reinter the men and make the historic sub available for the public. Perhaps there are only two emotions to consider regarding the men of the Hunley. Imagine how their families felt, 136 years ago, when they learned of their loved ones' death. Imagine how the men felt when they first realized they were sealed within the submarine and would die there.

What American minister/missionary helped Lt. Col. Jimmy Doolittle escape from Japanese held territory in China after his historic raid on Japan?

A. Absalom Sydenstricker
B. John Burch
C. Harold Engen
D. Dye Bright
E. Pearl S. Buck
F. Charles E. Smith

John Burch led Jimmy Doolittle out of Japanese held territory and into safety after the bombing run on Tokyo and other cities. Burch later joined the Army and helped spot Japanese positions for the American planes during the war. He was killed by Chinese Communists shortly after the end of the war and became a martyr for the anti-Communist cause during the cold war. The John Burch Society was named after him.

THE RIVERVIEW HOTEL AND SEAGLE'S SALOON on the web at www.stmaryswelcome.com

The Southern Calendar

FEBURARY

Mid-February
Daytona 500 Qualifying and Race, Daytona, Fla www.daytonaintlspeedway.com &
www.nascar.com

Bike week-week after Daytona 500 at Daytona, Fla. www.biketoberfest.org &

www.biketoberfest.com

Presidents Day Weekend
The Battle of Olustee Festival at Olustee, Fla.
A Civil War Reenactment of the largest Civil War Battle in Florida. Event lasts all weekend.
Olustee Battlefield Historic State Park is on Hwy. 90 about 2 miles east of Olustee, Fl. http://extlab7.entnem.ulf.edu./Olustee

Last Weekend
The Battle of Aiken, S.C. at Aiken, S.C.
A civil war reenactment. Aiken is 20-30 miles east of Augusta, Ga. and e-z to access of I-20. www.battleofaiken.org

MARCH

Second weekend Frozen Dead Guy Festival in Nederland, Colorado
Festival honors Bredo Morstoel, frozen by his grandson till a better time. 40 miles from Denver, CO. Events include a coffin race, Grandpa Ball, Grandpa look alike contest and tours of the shed where frozen Grandpa is stored. www.nederlandchamber.org

Cracker Barrel 500 Atlanta Motor Speedway www.nascar.com

Mid March Tournament Players Championship Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.
South of Jacksonville, Fla. on A-1-A www.pga.com

17 St. Patrick's Day
Savannah, Ga. Parade and large celebration. www.savannahnow.com
Dublin, Ga. Parade and celebration. Central Ga. off I-16. www.dublin-georgia.com

Last weekend Dogwood Festival Attapulgus, Ga.
Small town festival w/ parade, food, arts & crafts. Between Bainbridge, Ga and Tallahassee, Fla. www.bainbridgegachamber.com click on festivals

APRIL

Second weekend Grits Festival at Warwick, Ga.
A small town festival with plenty of grits. Arts & crafts, entertainment, food.
http://www.gritsfest.com/index2htm

Colquitt, Ga Festival Colquitt, Ga.
Civil War re-enactments, tennis tournament, parade, & antiques.
www.bainbridgegachamber.com click on festivals

Forth weekend Crawfish Festival at Woodbine, Ga.
A small town festival serving crawfish. Crafts, food, entertainment. Off I-95 between Brunswick, Ga and the Florida/Georgia boundary. www.kingsbay.net and www.stmaryswelcome.com/events .

Register your town's festival with The Southern Calendar by sending your festival's information to apearson@ClarionIsh.com . Be sure to include place, date or weekend, a short description of the event, and a web site and email address where more information may be found.

TO PLACE YOUR TOWN’S EVENT ON THE SOUTHERN CALENDAR
Email the information to: apearson@ClarionIsh.com