The Clarion Issue

Atlanta is the largest city in the South. It is the capital of Georgia, the gateway to the South, and the home of the Atlanta Braves (America's Team), the Atlanta Falcons, and the Atlanta Hawks. Atlanta is the home of Coca-Cola, TBS, TNT, and the 24-hour news network CNN.

Atlanta and the surrounding counties, known as the Atlanta Metropolitan Statistical Area, now contains some 20 counties and has a population of over four and one half million people. Metro Atlanta has one of the fastest growing populations in the nation and with this ever growing population is a tremendous need for water. Atlanta's ever growing thirst has placed a strain on Georgia's water usage and water supply which affects Georgia's reservoirs, agriculture, and fishing industries from the mountains of north Georgia to the rivers and estuaries along the coast.

Most of the major cities of Georgia grew along a major river. Augusta, Columbus, Macon, and Milledgeville developed as river trade centers at the head of navigation (the Fall Line) of the large rivers that drained the interior of the state. These cities had a ready water supply. As the importance of river trade decreased, the population growth of these cities slowed in response.

Atlanta, however, developed as a railroad town deep in the interior of Georgia and away from a major source of water. Atlanta was first called Terminus. It was the end of the line for Georgia's Western & Atlantic Railroad. After a short stint as “Marthasville,” the name was changed to Atlanta.

Atlanta grew with the railroads. By the Civil War, Atlanta had become a major transportation hub for the railroads, which had to skirt the Appalachian Mountains. Its importance grew after the war. In 1868, Atlanta became the capital of Georgia and a major industrial and banking center for the South.

Today three interstate highways bisect Atlanta, and Hartsfield International Airport is one of the busiest airports in the world. Atlanta is the home of many national and international corporations and the transportation hub of the South. However, Atlanta's lack of a natural water source makes the metropolitan area a threat to the rest of the state and even Georgia's neighbors.

Georgia, the largest state east of the Mississippi River, is well blessed with rivers; however, the natural slope of the state (from about 4,000 ft. in the northern Blue Ridge Mountains to sea level) has made Georgia void of any large natural lakes. Lake Allatoona is the only sizeable lake north of the fall line in Georgia. Because of the absence of natural lakes, Georgia has been forced to rely on manmade lakes and reservoirs created by damming the major rivers that drain the state. Lakes such as Hartwell Lake and Strom Thurmond Lake on the Savannah River, Lake Sinclair on the Oconee River, and Lake Walter F. George and Lake Seminole on the Chattahoochee River are just a few of the manmade lakes in the State. There are over 12 major dams in Georgia which, until a few years ago, furnished water for human use and agriculture in the entire state. Today Atlanta wants this water.

The “Water Wars” began in the late 1990s and are continuing to the present. Atlanta, with half the population of the state, has the political clout to pass legislation that restricts the use of Georgia's water elsewhere in the state. Today water use is restricted for agriculture, a major source of revenue and employment in the state. The State's General Assembly has placed a moratorium on the drilling of any new wells to be used for irrigation in the southern part of the state. This legislation has partially hurt the expansion of agriculture in the Chattahoochee- Flint River basin.

Irrigation is an important factor in Georgia agriculture today. With a growing season of over 240 days, industrious farmers can produce two crops of many products in areas where irrigation is possible. Restrictions on water usage for agriculture hurt the farming economy of the state. The basic reason for the restrictions on water for agriculture is so the water can be piped from the reservoirs in the southern part of the state to Atlanta.

Atlanta's demand on the downstream reservoirs has caused problems in the ecosystem of the rivers as well. The recent drought conditions plaguing the southeastern United States has caused the water level in the reservoirs to drop to an extremely low level. The amount of water released through the dams has been severely decreased causing major problems for fisheries and damage to wetland ecosystems all along the rivers. The lack of fresh water in the estuaries of the Savannah, Altamaha, and Appalachicola Rivers has caused a decrease in the amount of shrimp, oysters, crabs, and other estuary seafood available for harvest.

Atlanta's demand for water has also caused problems between Georgia and her neighbors. Alabama, Florida, South Carolina, and Tennessee have all had disagreements with Georgia (Atlanta) over the amount of water demanded by the ever-growing metropolitan area.

The continued “urban sprawl” of Atlanta has also contributed to the problem. The natural source for most of the area's water comes from underground aquifers. These aquifers were constantly refilled as water soaked into the ground and replenished the aquifer. The urban sprawl, with the concrete and asphalt parking lots, highways, malls, shopping centers, stadiums, and even the homes themselves, has blocked the waters natural path into the aquifers and channeled the rain run off into sewers and eventually rivers and collection ponds. Instead of being purified by the soil, this runoff water is polluted with oil, gasoline, and tar picked up along the roads and parking lots and who knows what as it passes through the sewers and drainage pipes of the city. A tremendous amount of water is lost due to urban sprawl.

Atlanta needs to do a better job of utilizing the available water and stop demanding water from the rest of the state and neighboring states. In 2001 Atlanta consumed the amount of water experts predicted it would not need until 2030. In doing so, the metropolis imposes water use restrictions that will eventually effect the cost of tomatoes, beans, peas, and other two-crop vegetables as well as fish and other seafood products. The rest of Georgia does not have the political clout to stop Atlanta from turning off the tap so the restrictions will get worse for the farmers, shrimpers, and fishermen of the South. When the price of your vegetables and seafood doubles-- you can thank Atlanta.

By the time you read this there is no counting the number of men, women, and children that will have died or will die from hunger and famine in Africa. An estimated six million, (that is 6,000,000) men, women and children or possibly as many 13,000,000 by some estimates will be allowed to die the long slow painful death of hunger and starvation, because of one "man." This "man" is not named Hitler, and the people are not Jewish. Nor is it Josef Stalin. It is not Saddam Hussein. It is President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe (formerly known as Rhodesia) that has created a calculated catastrophe with his policy of land reformation and using food as a weapon that is allowing this to happen. He in fact is ensuring it does happen. Mugabe and his country have plenty of food supplied from many nations and organizations from around the world. Now he creates a famine and starves any and all political opposition to death. We, as a modern day society, should not and cannot tolerate this type of conduct or thugs like Mugabe.

This is the year 2002. The food is in the country, and Robert Mugabe is allowing a famine to occur in order to eliminate all political opposition to his regime without a care to the rest of the world. The rest of the world is allowing it to happen by taking no action to remove this madman. The United Nations is doing what it does best, nothing. At least six million people are going to die. The world has known this fact for months.

It is almost inconceivable that one man, Mugabe, can create such a place, an atmosphere (if you will allow) and place of death of inconceivable proportions, that thankfully few, very few, such places have ever been known in the world. Places where so many people just disappeared and vanished at the hands of thugs like the Nazis, Stalin, the Japanese Unit 731, or Cambodia's Pol Pot. Unfortunately it is not a dream, nor is this the aforementioned thugs of the last century. It is happening today, in modern day Africa.

Mugabe's racist policies of land reformation have destroyed the farms that were easily producing crops in Zimbabwe. He has turned them over to people (usually his political cronies) who could not successfully grow the crops needed in this African nation.

People in nearby neighboring countries are going to suffer the effects too, so the total dead may reach 13,000,000 or more. The world seems to usually ignore the happenings in Africa, although the world did not ignore the evilness of Apartheid or the famine in Somalia.

It did overlook the genocide practiced in Rwanda between the Hutus and Tutsis that resulted in an estimated 850,000 dead. The Clinton regime had full knowledge of the tragic events taking place and ignored the local “ethnic cleansing” until it was no longer possible. The Clinton White House refused to allow the term "genocide" to be used for a period of time, until it was forced to admit it to the world. The data is available in the National Archives. (If anyone would like the URL for that site and the data e-mail us here at the Clarion Issue.)

Sanctions clearly do not work on Mugabe. He laughs them off. Will a world court go after him? Would Mugabe care? In the meantime what about the lives the 6,000,000 people he is deliberately starving to death by withholding food? Who will testify for the innocent dead men, women, and children? Who will testify for the rest of the world that tolerated and allowed it to happen?

This tragedy does not have to happen. It should not be allowed to happen. Mugabe could be and should be removed from office. Six million or more innocent people need not die. What does this say about the rest of the world turning its back on Africa and these helpless people? The world must intervene before it is too late. The intervention could be a political or military intervention, but to wait for the slow discussions, debates, and deals carried out by the United Nations before it intervenes would allow Mugabe the time he needs for the mass starvation to work. What is the UN about? Is genocide in Africa sanctioned by the UN?

Zimbabwe has been saddled with a tyrannical madman whose last election was deemed a fraud by the rest of the world. He now plans to starve the political opposition and half of his country's population as well as people from neighboring countries to death. Would these 6,000,000 or more people be allowed to die in any other nation in the world? Will they be ignored and forgotten about like the Hutus and Tutsis in Rwanda? Will they be remembered? Will their lives be spared and saved?

The Editors at the Clarion Issue ask and urge you and everyone to not let this tragedy occur. Please spread the word. Bring it up in your church. Write letters to the editor of your papers. Write, call, or e-mail, anyone and everyone, particularly your elected officials, demanding that as many of these people as possible be saved. To allow this genocide to take place is inexcusable. Six million people are another Holocaust. Action must be taken now to save as many as possible.

In September I visited St. Petersburg, Russia, the city formerly known as Leningrad. Preparing for the trip was not very difficult. I had a travel agent help me since getting a visa and hotel over there is not as easy as it is for places in this hemisphere. Packing the right clothes was easy; I watched the weather channel for that information. I also packed my own food since I saw on the History Channel that the city was under siege by the Germans (this turned out to be untrue, so do not believe everything you see on TV).

I left Atlanta on Sept.11th. People thought I was crazy to fly that day but I flew Lufthansa, a German airline and one of the safest in the world. We did fly over Great Britain at night, but the RAF did not shoot us down. (Once again the History Channel gave out false intelligence.) Our flight was full, but the other airline counters were empty. Lufthansa was the best airline I have ever flown, even better than Delta.

I arrived in St. Petersburg, and I was surprised that it really did not take long to clear customs and passport services. I was met at the airport by a friend who speaks Russian (actually she is a native) and the St. Petersburg experience began.

Oksana, my Russian friend, said we would take the bus into town. I suggested we take a cab, but she felt the $20 fare too high. Our bus arrived, and we packed on, luggage and all. After a few stops the bus was not so crowded. We reached a stop where we got off and then walked to the subway, luggage and all. We took the subway, luggage and all, to the nearest stop to the hotel and walked three blocks, luggage and all, to the hotel. When I arrived at the hotel it had been 22 hours since I left South Carolina.

The room was small, lit with a 60-watt light bulb. There was a low yield showerhead, and there was no hot water about 1/3 of the time. The furnishings were OK, and there was a good view of the city from my room.

Everything in St. Petersburg is huge. The city has 4.6 million people, and I think they all live in one building. Russian idea of living space, however, is different from ours. They live in less area per person than we do. Russians do not use unleaded gasoline so there is a leaded gas smell throughout the city. Almost every adult Russian has a “summer house” in the country. It seems to be a birth right, like in America we have a right to bear arms and remain silent, a Russian has a right to a “summer house.”

Many people speak English. In the “city center” (downtown) signs are in English and Chinese, as well as Russian. Some restaurants have menus in English. I did see a poster in English produced backwards. Half the music is in English. Russia is a lot like America in one respect; all their electronics are from Japan. The people are friendly and helpful.

There is a lot to see in St. Petersburg. To visit every important site would take two weeks. For an art or architect lover it would take a lifetime. Paris is the only city in the world with more artwork than St. Petersburg. The Winter Palace, also called The Hermitage, has nearly 300 rooms and almost 2 million displays. I spent a day and a half there with a guidebook of the palace so I could find exactly what I wanted to see. There is art from every country and era in the Hermitage, but there is a noticeable and abrupt cut off point at 1917 (the time of the Russian Revolution).

There are many famous and impressive cathedrals and palaces in the city and surrounding countryside. The difference between those occupied by the Germans during World War II, called the Great Patriotic War by the Russians, is observable. Each palace and cathedral is worth visiting and is overwhelming in scale and beauty. Some were closed for remodeling, however, as the city is preparing for its 300th anniversary in 2003. I think rather than write more about the sites I will describe more of my impressions of the country and people. You can look up the sites in the encyclopedia or on the Internet.

As I mentioned everything in St. Petersburg is huge and there is a lot of construction. On every street there is a building being remodeled. There is a lot of scaffolding and construction workers milling about. Most of the city is fairly clean, but away from downtown you can see some not so clean areas. Away from the downtown area the streets have more potholes and the sidewalks are broken and uneven. Some of the buildings still have the emblems of the USSR but most have been removed. There are still statues of Lenin, but all the other communist leaders' statues have been removed.

Public transportation is thorough, fairly clean, and seldom crowded. It is an intricate system of subways, trolleys, and buses. It is rare to wait more than five minutes for your ride. You will notice there are policemen on each block. They call this “community policing” here.

I was surprised to find the food was good, but even the Russians do not drink the water without boiling it. Do not expect free refills of anything. Some bottled water is carbonated. Just two blocks from where the Revolutionary Army and mutineers from the Russian Navy began the October Revolution, you can get a cheeseburger at McDonalds.

Shopping and stores are very different. Take your own bag shopping. Few stores are set up so you can “shop.” Categories of items are in separate stores. If you want meat you have to go to a meat store, bread is in the bread store, and pharmaceuticals are in a separate store. Viagra is an over the counter drug in Russia. There are some western style stores in Russia, but you usually have to go from store to store to “shop.”

There are some department stores, but in these the merchandise is separated and closely guarded by a clerk. In a Russian department store, the guns are fake but the furs are real. I guess it is OK to wear an animal but you can not kill it yourself. CDs are only two dollars, but they are pirated copies. You can get cheap gin or vodka in aluminum cans.

I genuinely enjoyed the trip to St. Petersburg. The art, architecture, and historic sites are impressive. Also I enjoyed observing the differences between my perceived ideas and the real Russia. Some of the things were not as bad as I had imagined, others were just as bad as I had imagined. I was very pleased with the trip, and if the mood struck me to visit somewhere else in Russia I would not hesitate to go.

After six months of political rhetoric, useless and pointless screaming matches by political analyst on “fair and balanced” TV talk shows, and disappointments by drop- add candidates, the American public has spoken and elected their representatives for the next several years. Thank God it's over!

I began to feel a little squeamish when the New Jersey Senate Race went down the tubes in late summer. With the balance of power at issue in the Senate the Democrats pulled the old “bait 'n switch.” They replaced the “ethically challenged” Robert Torricelli with former Democratic Senator Paul Lautenburg because the “Torch” was losing in the polls. What balance of power? The US Senate does not belong to a political party or a set of parties; it belongs to the American people.

Torricelli complained that he was not getting to discuss the issues, but he had failed to realize that his ethics were an issue. He should have had to stay in the race and take his licks and the Democrats should have had to take them with him for being so gullible and stupid for supporting him. It also upset me that the Republicans went to court to stop another candidate from entering the race. The Republican candidate, Doug Forrester, had been running on the “I'm not Torricelli platform” and had not really discussed any relevant issues up to that point. Both parties were at fault in New Jersey, and it was the people who really lost in this election.

There was plenty of choice in the Garden State without the questionable incursion of another Democrat in the race. There was Ted Glick, a Green Party candidate, in the senatorial race. Gary Galligan, an Independent, and Elizabeth Macron, a Libertarian candidate, were also on the ballot. These people were willing to lend their names and ideas to the race, and our halls of government would have been better off if one of them had been elected. After all the Libertarian Party now polls 3% to 5% in almost every race and has a presence in almost every state. Ralph Nader got 3% of the national vote in the 2000 presidential election. Aren't these people entitled to a voice somewhere in our government? Where is it written that Americans can only choose between the two major parties?

When Lautenburg entered the race, the New Jersey voters gravitated to him, and he won. Is our government really as good as the people?

To add to my election nausea, the Minnesota Senate race turned into a circus after the tragic death of incumbent Senator Paul Wellstone. Paul Wellstone, the most liberal Democrat in the US Senate, was killed along with several members of his family in an airplane crash in late October just before the election. The democrats moved immediately to replace him on the ballot with former Senator and Vice President Walter Mondale. The fly in the ointment of this race came during the “memorial ceremony” held by the family of Paul Wellstone on October 29th. The service was as upsetting as it was tasteless. The family snubbed Vice President Cheney who became an “uninvited” guest, and the crowd booed several Republican Senators who came as a real gesture of respect for the man called the “Soul of the Senate.” The memorial service turned political rally became so intolerable that Minnesota Governor Jessie Ventura walked out. When a memorial becomes so crass that Ventura's sensibilities are offended, a line has been crossed somewhere.

At least the Minnesota voters cast their disapproval by electing Republican Norm Coleman to the Senate.

But wait, there were even more Maalox moments in this election. The “ethically challenged” former Ohio Representative, James A. Traficant, ran for his old seat as an independent from prison, without his toupee. Voters' voice mail and answering machines were packed with messages from candidates promising to up hold “my values” (although no candidate bothered to ask what they were) and protect my Social Security. This humble editor even received two “calls” from the President reminding me to vote Republican on November 5th. At least I got to hang up on him!

Heartburn is a strange thing and often goes hand in hand with elections. I had to reach for the Tums every day on the way to work when I passed a sign on the roadside. It had an American flag with the words VOTE REPUBLICAN ON NOV. 5th right beside Old Glory. Underneath it read “One Nation Under God.” I often wondered if the billboard was hinting that the Democrats did not believe in God, or did it imply that the Republicans had a special contact with the deity. I never could figure out exactly what existential meaning or subliminal message voters were supposed to draw from that billboard. Oh well, I had the pleasant satisfaction of knowing that it would soon be replaced by a Jack Daniel's, Kentucky Gentleman, or Jim Beam billboard. Then I can leave my Tums at home.

The Republicans have won the national elections. Now they must act. When Congress reorganizes in early January 2003, many issues will face our nation. We need to deal with Iraq and Saddam Hussein once and for all. There is a definite need to overhaul Social Security, our seniors need a prescription plan for Medicare, we now have a tremendous deficit to deal with, and there are many Federal judgeships that need to be filled with fair and practical judges in America. President Bush needs to revamp and reorganize his economic program and advisory board. The Republicans have control of the government and they must move the nation forward in a fair and honest manner.

GEORGIA IS NO LONGER A ONE PARTY STATE

By R. A. Pearson
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November 5th catapulted Georgia, one of the last vestiges of the Democratic “Solid South” in terms of state politics, into the mainstream of national politics. For the first time since Reconstruction the Peach State has elected a Republican Governor. The election also placed a Republican in the US Senate and witnessed the ousting of long term House Speaker, Thomas Murphy, from his State House seat.

In a major upset vote, the Georgia voters ousted incumbent Democratic Governor Roy Barnes even though Barnes had out spent his Republican challenger Sonny Perdue six to one. Barnes had angered many voters by his aggressive style of railroading legislation past the legislature in spite of voter opposition throughout the state. Barnes became unpopular when the Georgia State Flag was changed almost overnight and without any discussion. Barnes next angered the Georgia voters with the redistricting of the state in 2001. The obvious gerrymandering of the district maps created indignation and caused outcries of protest from many independent, as well as Republican voters. Barnes' A+ Education Act angered many educators statewide who openly worked against Barnes.

Sonny Perdue also ran a good campaign against the incumbent Governor. Running on traditional, moderate Republican issues Perdue won with 51% of the votes cast to Roy Barnes' 46%.

The powerful Speaker of the Georgia House, Thomas Murphy, lost his race for reelection to Republican challenger Bill Heath. Murphy was first elected to the State House in 1960. He became Speaker of the House in 1974 and eventually controlled that body with an iron fist. Murphy was a colorful political figure and brought many projects to the West Georgia area around his hometown of Bremen, Ga.

Republican challenger Saxby Chambliss defeated incumbent Senator Max Cleland for the Georgia. Senate seat. Cleland had served the United States and Georgia for almost 40 years. Cleland served as an Army Officer in Vietnam where he suffered severe wounds, as the head of Veterans Affairs under President Carter, and as Georgia's Sec. of State. Cleland won the Senate seat six years ago. Chambliss will join Georgia's veteran Senator Zell Miller, a so-called Blue Dog Democrat, in the US Senate.

In the races for US Congress, Democrats won five of Georgia's seats; the Republicans took eight seats.

The Georgia State Government is now more evenly divided than in the past. While Georgians elected a Republican Governor, they returned Lt. Gov. Mark Taylor to the Senate Chair. Democrat Cathy Cox retained her position as Sec. of State; however, Republican Kathy Cox defeated Democrat Barbara Christmas in the election for State School Superintendent. Democratic incumbents also won their races for Commissioner of Agriculture (Tommy Irvin), Commissioner of Labor ( Michael Thurmond), and Attorney General (Thurbert Baker).

Most major state races contained a Libertarian candidate. The party as a whole got 3% to 5% of the votes in these races.

On election night the Georgia General Assembly saw 26 Republicans elected to the Senate and 30 Democrats (56 total). However shortly after the race three Democratic Senators switched parties after being wooed by Perdue and Republican Senate Leader Eric Johnson. (Remember Governor-elect Sonny Perdue had been a Democrat before he switched parties in 1998.) The GOP now possesses 29 seats, a slim majority, in the Georgia Senate. The tie casting vote of Lt. Governor Mark Taylor, seen by many as the Democratic contender for Governor in the 2006 election, is now very important. Taylor may have opened the 2006 contest when he accused Perdue of "buying off" senators with choice leadership positions and local projects.

The Georgia House will feature 106 Democrats, 73 Republicans, and one independent (180 total).

The two party system has come to the Peach State. Georgia, are you ready to rumble?

Humor Us Back to Top

Farmer Joe had recently been injured in a serious traffic accident and decided his injuries were serious enough to take the trucking company responsible for the accident to court. In court, the trucking company's fancy lawyer was questioning Farmer Joe. “Records show that at the scene of the accident, you stated to the police I'm fine.”

Farmer Joe responded, "Well, I'll tell you what happened. I had just loaded my favorite mule Bessie into my trailer, and..." "I didn't ask you for details," the lawyer interrupted. "Just answer the question. Did you not say at the scene of the accident, I'm fine?"

Farmer Joe responded, "Well, I had just loaded my favorite mule Bessie into the trailer, and I was driving down the highway...” The lawyer interrupted again, "Judge, I am trying to establish the fact that at the scene of the accident, this man told the Highway Patrolman on the scene that he was, 'Just fine'. Now, several weeks after the accident, he is trying to sue my client. I believe that he is a fraud. Please tell him to answer the question."

By this time, though, the judge was fairly interested in Farmer Joe's answer, and said to the lawyer, "I'd like to hear what he has to say about his favorite mule Bessie."

Farmer Joe thanked the judge and proceeded. "Well, as I was saying, I had just loaded my favorite mule Bessie into the trailer and I was driving down the highway, when this huge semi-truck ran the stop sign and smacked into my truck right in the side. I was thrown into the ditch on one side of the road, and Bessie was thrown into the other. I was hurting real bad, and didn't want to move. I could hear Bessie moaning and groaning, and I knew she was in bad shape."

Shortly after the accident, a Highway Patrolman came on the scene. He could hear Bessie moaning and groaning, so he went over to her. After he looked at her, he took out his gun and shot her between the eyes. Then, the Patrolman came across the road with his gun in his hand and looked at me. He said, “Your mule was in such bad shape I had to shoot her. How

Jacob (92) and Rebecca (85) are all excited about their decision to get married. They go for a stroll to discuss the wedding and on the way go past a drugstore. Jacob suggests that they go in.

Jacob addresses the man behind the counter: "Are you the owner?" The pharmacist answers "Yes."

Jacob turns to Rebecca: "Sweetheart, we might as well register our wedding gift list with them.”

CASTRO DIES AT AGE 112; CUBAN CIGARS CAN NOW BE IMPORTED LEGALLY BUT PRESIDENT CHELSEA CLINTON BANNED ALL SMOKING

AUTHENTIC YEAR 2000 FLORIDA “CHAD” SELLS AT SOUTHERBY'S FOR 4.6 MILLION; ENRON STOCK CERTIFICATE SELLS FOR 7 MILLION

“Rainin' like porin' piss out'a boot”- There is a real heavy rain out there.

“The devil's a beaten' his wife” - It is raining but the sun is shinning.

“T'was a real gul-lee (gully) war-sher (washer)”- That was a real heavy rain.

“Dawg Days”- A period of time during the summer when the heat and humidity combine to cause afternoon rains almost every day. “Dawg days” refers to a period of time set by the rise and fall of Sirius, the “dawg star.”

“Shire'er”- 1) A short rain. 2) A shower; a cleaning under running water; military usage the 'rain room.'

“It ain't the heat; it's the humidity.”- A southern way of explaining why 96 degrees feels like 108 degrees.

“It ain't the cold; it's the humidity.”- A southern way of explaining why 40 degrees feels like 30 degrees.

Charlene: “Lordy, Bubba! It's 107 degrees in the shade out there and there ain't no shade!”

Charlene: “Bubba, It's so hot and mizzer'ble during these here dawg days that even the big dawgs are under the porch!”

Bubba: “I heard dat! These two o'clock shire'ers are more like a steam bath than a shire'er.”

The lengthy drought in the Southeast has uncovered a prominent 1800 Georgia town that had been under the waters of Thurmond Lake, a reservoir on the Savannah River. At one time the town of Petersburg, Ga. was Georgia's second largest city.

The remains of Petersburg are easy to see with the water levels at their present levels. Old road beds, the foundations of old houses and other historical artifacts attest to the fact that a thriving agricultural and trade center once stood where the Broad River fed into the Savannah River.

Petersburg, Ga. developed as a tobacco town in the late 18th Century and had a population of around 45,000 around 1810. However, the shift in the economy from tobacco to cotton in the second decade of the 1800s, along with the western movement of the population into the Georgia interior, caused the city's population to decline. Agricultural and transportation centers like Milledgeville on the Oconee River (which became the capital in 1807) and Macon on the Ocmulgee River quickly eclipsed Petersburg.

The historic town was buried 50 years ago when the area was flooded after the completion of the Strom Thurmond Dam by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The dam and lake are about 25 miles North of Augusta, Ga.

The Broad River Valley is not without its historical legacy. The famous explorer Meriwether Lewis was raised on the Broad River by his mother and stepfather. Lewis and Clark would explore the area of the Louisiana Purchase and beyond to the Pacific Ocean in 1804-1805 during the Presidency of Thomas Jefferson.

FORMER PRESIDENT JIMMY CARTER RECEIVES THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE

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The Nobel Peace prize committee announced that former President James Earl Carter of Plains, Georgia, would receive the prestigious award for 2002. Since leaving the Oval Office in 1981, Carter has worked tirelessly for world peace. Carter, with his wife Rosalynn by his side, graciously and humbly accepted the award at an impromptu press conference held in front of the antiques store in beautiful downtown Plains on October 11, 2002.

Carter was born in 1924. He attended the US Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland, where he graduated in 1946. That same year he married Rosalynn Smith. He served in the Navy from 1946-53 and was a pioneer in the Nuclear Submarine program under Admiral Rickover. Carter left the Navy to return home and run the family's agricultural business after the death of his father in 1953.

In Georgia, Carter served in the Georgia Senate and was elected governor in 1970. As governor Carter reorganized the state's governmental bureaucracy, a task that had not been attempted since the 1930s. Carter was elected President in 1976, defeating incumbent Gerald Ford in the wake of the Watergate Scandal. He took office in January 1977.

Carter's presidency was difficult. While Carter, a Baptist deacon, tried to act fairly and honestly in national and world politics, the rough and tumble world of US politics and foreign affairs proved too much for the Georgia native. Spiraling inflation at home and the Iran Hostage Crisis abroad led to his defeat in 1980 by Ronald Reagan. Carter's major accomplishment during his administration was his efforts in negotiating the Israeli-Egyptian peace accords in 1979. Egypt's Anwar Sadat and Israel's Menachem Begin signed a treaty ending the hostilities between their countries. Sedat and Begin won the peace prize for their efforts in 1979. Jimmy Carter was not nominated even though his efforts brought about the treaty.

Carter's administration also negotiated and signed the Panama Canal Treaties returning the canal to Panama.

After leaving office Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter founded the Carter Center in Atlanta. The Carter Center opened in 1982 and has served as a think tank and action center for wold peace. Former President Carter has traveled the world observing elections, working to find aid for the hungry, and promoting peace. He recently went to Cuba hoping to get support for ending the United States' 40-year old boycott of that country. Carter's award comes on the 20th anniversary of the founding of the Carter Center. Most of the million-dollar award for the Nobel Peace Prize will go to the Carter Center.

The Carter's have also worked in Habitat for Humanity, a program to build good housing for poor, yet deserving, people in America.

Jimmy Carter became the second Georgian to win the Nobel Peace Prize. Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. was awarded the prize in 1964.

A Clarion Issue “Humor Us” Flashback

Do you remember this Jimmy Carter joke?

Mrs. Lillian (Jimmy's mother) was down at brother Billy's gas station in Plains one day sitting in a rocking chair and sipping on a soft drink. A reporter walked up to the elderly matriarch and asked, “Why didn't you send Billy to Washington instead of Jimmy.”

Mrs. Lillian replied, “Then who would run the gas station?”

That's right folks; you read the headline correctly. Florida voters have moved one step closer to the predictions of George Orwell in Animal Farm by approving amendment number ten on the State's list of constitutional amendments. The amendment prohibits farmers and hog owners from placing pregnant pigs in a crate that is so small that the expectant hogs can not turn around. The crates, known as “gestation crates” are usually 2-foot by 7-foot crates.

Supporters and sponsors of the amendment, the Floridians for Humane Farms and the U. S. Humane Society, indicated that the crating of expectant pigs is considered cruel and inhumane. The process does not allow the pig to move about or even lie down comfortably. A spokesperson for the group, which spent $1.5 million on the amendment 10 campaign, said “If you put any intelligent animal in a crate where it cannot move, it cannot be happy.” The spokesperson failed to mention which unhappy hog was interviewed and pleaded unhappiness.

Opposition to the amendment included hog farmers who indicated that the crates offered a more sanitary environment for the gestating pigs and cut down the competition for food among the pregnant sows and students of state constitutional affairs who felt that a pig protection amendment would trivialize Florida's Constitution. Opponents also pointed out that there were very few hog farmers in Florida and that most of the money spent by proponents of the amendment came from out-of-state. It was suggested that a successful Florida campaign would lead to other bills and amendments in hog raising states like Iowa and North Carolina.

The amendment passed on November 5th. Miss Piggy can now rest in spacious quarters while “lying in,” Georgia hogs from Folkston to Iron City can look longingly south across the border to a state that has granted pigs constitutional protections, and Florida's animal rights activist can get ready for the next amendment fight- trying to ban farmers from smoking in the barnyard

The race for the Alabama Governor's chair went down to the wire with a “photo finish” as votes were counted and recounted late on election night and into the days following the election. When the final tally was recorded, Republican Bob Riley had won “by a nose.” The final count, released by the Alabama election authorities on November 8th , showed Riley had narrowly defeated incumbent Democrat Don Siegelman by 3,117 votes out of the 1.3 million votes cast by Alabama's voters on November 5th.

A major county of interest during the vote counting process was Alabama's Baldwin County. Original reports from Baldwin election officials showed Siegelman with over 19,000 votes; a tally that was later reduced to 12,736. Governor Siegelman has cried foul ever since.

Siegelman has been in politics in the Yellow Hammer State for 20 years; however, ethical problems have cast a pall over his administration. State and federal courts have convicted several close supporters of Siegelman, and Siegelman's financial records have been sought in the ongoing investigation. During the hard fought campaign Riley referred to the Siegelman years as “the most corrupt administration in my adult lifetime.”

Alabama does not have an automatic recount law. After almost a month of bellyaching Siegelman eventually agreed to give up the Governor's office on Nov. 20th. It looks like the Republican candidate Bob Riley wins by “a trunk!”

OFFICIAL UNDER FIRE IN CUT AND SHOOT, TEXAS

Postmistress Ida Miera, the lead Post Office official in Cut And Shoot, Texas, has been under fire recently for displaying a donated 16 by 20 inch framed poster of a American flag and the words “In God We Trust.” The poster also explains that this motto was adopted in 1956 under President Eisenhower.

The framed poster was donated by a retired chemical engineer who purchased, framed, and gave away almost 300 of them to schools, libraries, city halls, and other public and private institutions.

According to National Post Office officials the poster violates regulation 232 of the postal code that outlaws signs, handbills and posters in the US Post Offices.

Ida Miera has the poster behind the counter where she sells stamps covered with American Flags, the Statue of Liberty, and many other American icons, most of which state “God Bless America,” “One Nation Under God,” or some other patriotic slogan. Miera says to remove it would be “plumb stupid.”

The Clarion Issue staff feels the same way; yet the Postal Service will spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to investigate the poster and try to remove it. All the while the cost of mailing a letter or bill continues to rise to support penny ante bureaucrats with nothing to do but hassle hard working public employees who are trying to deliver low cost yet efficient service to the American tax payer and Postal patron.

Postmistress Ida Miera has promised that the poster will be removed only “over my dead body.” National Postal Officials should heed her warning; the postmistress of Cut and Shoot, Texas, sounds like a serious lady

DOLE WINS NORTH CAROLINA SENATE SEAT

Republican Elizabeth Dole, wife of former senator and presidential candidate Bob Dole, has captured the Senate seat vacated by long term Senator Jessie Helms. Dole took the election in the Tar Heel State with 54% of the votes to defeat Democrat Erskine Bowles, a former Chief of Staff in the Clinton White House.

Mrs. Dole had formally served as Secretary of Transportation and Secretary of Labor. She was also head of the American Red Cross. The Gallup Poll has named Elizabeth Dole as one of the world's most admired women. She has received numerous awards for her public service and leadership, including the Women Executives in State Government Lifetime Achievement Award, the League of Women Voters Leadership Award and the Raoul Wallenberg Award for Humanitarian Service. She also was inducted in to the National Women's Hall of Fame in 1995.

Perhaps the unasked question on everyone's mind is “ How will the new Senator Dole get along with her new senatorial colleague Hillary R. Clinton?

HO HO OH-NO

Fire fighters in Forth Worth, Texas, worked for more than an hour on November 12th to free a man stuck in the chimney of his mother-in-law's house. After removing a sizeable section of bricks from the chimney-fireplace area, the trapped man was freed from the not so friendly confines of the brick enclosure.

Mark Vaughn became trapped when he tried to slide down the chimney “Santa Clause” (or maybe Grinch) style; because, his mother-in-law had locked her keys in her house. Vaughn became stuck after sliding most of the way down the enclosure.

The episode attracted a crowd and, of course, the local media. Vaughn's mother-in-law, immensely embarrassed by the situation, did not want to face her neighbors or the press. She had wanted to call a locksmith, but her 35-year-old son-in-law had another solution.

Vaughn, a DJ, singer, wanta-be-actor and entertainer, emerged from the brick and dust, shook the fire fighters' hands and proclaimed, “Fire fighters rock”. In a short interview with reporters Vaughn indicated that he should have listened to his mother-in-law and probably needed to lose a little weight. He did not comment on the possibility of going into a new career as a chimney sweep.

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Salvage crews working off Cape Hatteras, N.C., over the summer have raised the turret of the Civil War Ironclad, the USS Monitor. Recovery cost for the turret have run about $6.5 million and was a joint venture of the US Navy and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The Monitor sank in a storm off Cape Hatteras in December 1862.

The USS Monitor entered American Naval history as a result of its historic duel with the Confederate Ironclad, the CSS Virginia at Hampton Roads, Va., in 1862. The Virginia was built on the hull of the USS Merrimack, utilized the Merrimack's engines, and was referred to as the Merrimack even in its converted and renamed form. While the Virginia was a casemate with fixed guns, the Monitor utilized a revolving turret and several other naval innovations.

The Virginia ambled into Hampton Roads on March 8, 1862 hoping to end the US Naval blockade in the area. All of the five major warships in the area were made of wood, and on the first day the Virginia sank two ships and ran another aground. When the Virginia came out the next day to finish the work the Monitor, which had arrived during the night, steamed out to give battle.

The two ships shot at each other at virtually point blank range. While neither ship did substantial damage to the other, the Monitor did prevent the Virginia from sinking the Union ships on blockade duty. The Monitor stayed at Hampton Roads until the crew of the Virginia destroyed the ship during the Peninsular Campaign of 1862.

In late 1862 rumors reached the North that the Confederacy was building more ironclads further south. The Monitor was being sent to meet these challenges when she sank in a gale off Cape Hatteras, N.C.

Editor's note: For more information on Civil War Naval History you may wish to visit the Confederate Naval Museum in Columbus, GA. www.tourcolumbus.com

THEY DIDN'T SEE IT COMING, PSYCHIC HOT LINE TO PAY $500 MILLION IN DEBTS AND FOLD THEIR TAROT CARDS

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The famous (or infamous) psychic hot line, operated by Miss Cleo, has agreed to pay $500 million for illegally charging its customers for free first time readings. The operation lured customers to call with a toll free 1-800 number, but transferred the call to a 900 pay per call number while the customer was on the line.

The hot line corporation did not admit to any wrongdoing, but most legal eagles feel like this is the end of this particular psychic scam.

Many of the customers were on hold for a very long time and didn't realize they were being charged until they received phone bills from $50 to $150 for the calls. Customers were often recalled several times with information that Miss Cleo had dreamed about them and they needed to call for a further reading.

Miss Cleo also faces a civil lawsuit in Florida. Miss Cleo claimed to be born in Jamaica but records seem to indicate that she was born Youree Dell Harris in Los Angeles to American parents.

The Clarion Issue feels that this is a good move on the part of the American justice system; after all, any psychic who can't see a $500 million lawsuit coming has definitely lost their psychic powers.

Pittsburgh's unsolved East End Rapist case was solved early October 15th when an off duty female security guard shot a sexual assailant as he tried to attack her. Charmaine Dunbar, a 42 year-old security guard with the University of Pittsburg, pulled her licensed .357 pistol and shot her assailant, 25 year-old Daniel Wesley, twice in the stomach. Wesley had come at Dunbar with a .22 rifle.

Dunbar was attacked around 4:00 in the morning as she walked her dog. She ran off and returned about an hour and a half-hour later carrying her gun for protection. When Walker reappeared with a gun Dunbar fired in self defense.

The East End rapist had assaulted six women, aged 14 to 33, over the previous two weeks. All six victims picked Daniel Wesley out of a photo line up. Wesley has been charged with 23 offenses including two counts of rape and three counts of deviate sexual intercourse. Pittsburgh police have linked the rifle to other East End Rapist crimes. DNA tests are expected to provide more evidence against Wesley when they become available

The October 12, 2002, bomb attack on a nightspot on the Indonesian Island of Bali will definitely prove to be a major faux pas for he al-Qaeda terrorist organization. The bomb, meant to kill Americans, killed 189 people. Over half of the fatalities were from Australia. Al-Qaeda killed only two Americans and injured three others; however, they have provoked both the wrath and indignation of the Australian people and government, and Clarion Issue readers that is not where anyone wants to be.

The bomb seems to have been planted by an al-Qaeda faction working in Indonesia (the country with the world's largest Moslem population) known as Jemaah Islamiyah whose stated aim is to create a pan-Islamic state in the area of Southeast Asia. The two lead clerics of Jemaah Islamiyah, Riduan Isamudin and Bakar Bashir have been linked to the bombings.

The leading suspect in the case is a mysterious terrorist known as Amrozi. Amrozi was captured early in the investigation. While being interrogated Amrozi admited to having been in Afghanistan and there are reported links to the finances of the October 12th bombings and al-Qaeda. Al-Qaeda spokesmen have even admitted to being the bankroll behind the blasts on Bali.

Another suspect in the Bali blast, Imam Samudra, was captured on November 21st. Samudra is suspected of haveing been trained in Afghanistan also. Indonesian officials suspect Samudra of participating in several bombings over the last two years. Another major suspect in the Bali bombings, “Hambali” is still at large. Both Samudra and Hambali are believed to be members of Jemaah Islamiyah.

Australian Prime Minister John Howard and Australian Defense Minister Robert Hill have vowed to find the bombers and bring then to justice. The Parliament of the continent-state stands behind their PM and Defense Minister. Many of the people killed in the bombing were members of a Rugby team that had traveled to the island for the Bali Tens Tournament, including 30 Aussies from one team.

Al-Qaeda has definitely multiplied its enemies beyond its needs. These are the bulldog fighters who attacked the guns at Gallipoli in World War I and held off the Germans at Tobruk in World War II. America has picked up a real ally in the “War on Terrorism”. The Aussies will bring a sincere dedication to fight, unlike the Turks and the Russians who will not come on board until the price is right or the ridiculous French who will not even extradite known terrorist to the United States because we have a death penalty. The American- Aussie alliance has already proven its value. On November 15th the combined intellegence of both countries picked up information that the International School in Indonesia was an Al-Qaeda/Jemaah Islamiyah target and acted to save the students in that school.

Jiang Zemin, General Secretary of China's Communist Party, passed the torch of leadership to Hu Jintao during the meeting of China's Communist Party leadership held in mid-November. While Jiang surrendered his top leadership role in the party, he maintained his position as the head of China's Central Military Commission. A large number of the new party leaders are close followers of Jiang, served in his government, and are expected to closely follow his philosophy and policies developed over the past 13 years.

Hu (59) served as top official in Jiang's government. Most China watchers expect Hu to continue Jiang's movement to a more capitalist economy. Hu is expected to open more of China's markets to the west and improve China's internal economic infrastructure. Hu will also serve as one of China's Vice Presidents as well as Party Secretary.

Other party leaders include: Zeng Qinghong (63), a close adviser to Jiang will become the new head of the party's secretariat, Wu Bangguo and Wen Jiabao will serve as Vice-Premiers and be primarily responsible for economic policy, and Huang Ju, the party's Shanghai boss and a member of the Political Bureau. Many expect Zeng to challenge Hu for power in a few years, but for now Hu's on first with a chance to move China forward with a powerful mentor close at hand.

There are still problems in Huville. Excluded from the new power structure is liberal Li Ruihuan, and Sinologists do not expect Hu and his government to make rapid advances in personal and human rights. The Communist Party is not expected to recognize Falun Gung, open China to major democratic ideas, or release its hold on Tibet. Also in question is China's willingness to recognize and adhere to western copyright and trademark laws. The name and age of China's big Grinch may have changed, but it seems that Christmas is still far away for the 1.3 billion souls in Huville.

In an effort to improve its international image (and avoid international boycotts) the African nation of Nigeria has taken steps to block Islamic courts from stoning several women convicted of adultery.

The northern states of Nigeria still use the Shariah, the Arab legal codes, used by the Moslems for centuries. These tribal laws carry strict penalties for sex out of marriage, conversion (apostasy), and many other crimes. Several Nigerian women are waiting stoning after being convicted for sexual crimes. One man currently under a death sentence for raping a nine-year-old girl is reportedly mentally ill.

The Nigerian Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Dubem Onyia, has indicated that the northern Islamic courts will not be allowed to carry out the stoning sentences. Onyia said Nigeria would “use its constitutional powers to thwart any negative ruling, which is deemed injurious to its people.”

Nigeria wanted to improve its standing in the world community due to threats by beauty queens from all over the world who were expected to attend the Miss World Pageant held in Nigeria on December 7th. At last the beauty queens have helped make the world a better place. Now the beauties will have to find another answer to those stupid 'end of the contest' questions.

Editors note: On November 23, the Miss World Pageant was moved to London, UK, due to rioting in Nigeria over the contest. Over 200 people were reported dead as a result of the riots

In the true sprit of showing Islam as a tolerant and humane religion, Islamic leaders in Nigeria's Zamfara State have issued a fatwa against Isiomma Daniel. Daniel is a reporter for a Nigerian newspaper, This Day. A fatwa is basically an Islamic religious death sentence to be carried out by any idiot able to do so.

Isiomma angered Muslim religious leaders and civic leaders when she commented on the controversy concerning Nigeria serving as host of the Miss World beauty contest which was to be held in Abuja, the capital of Nigeria. Isiomma Daniel wrote that the Profit Mohammed would have probably liked to choose a wife from among the contestants. Her comment incited rioting in Nigeria as the countries Supreme Religious Council said this was an attack on Islam and urged the Moslems of Nigeria to attack the paper (This Day) and Christians in the area.

The religious leaders placed a fatwa on Daniel saying, “Any true Moslem would make sure this woman's blood is spilled wherever she is.” Daniel left the country and is in an undisclosed location; although, the Clarion Issue speculates it is not the same undisclosed location used by Vice President Cheney.

Religious inspired riots killed over 200 people, and the Miss World contest was moved to London, England. We are sure glad Islam is a tolerant faith

U.S. REP. JACK KINGSTON EARNS HOUSE LEADERSHIP POST

OFFICAL PRESS RELEASE

WASHINGTON, DC - Congressman Jack Kingston (R/GA-1) was elected today by House Republicans to the fifth most powerful post in the House for the new Congress that will convene in January. Kingston will serve as Vice Chairman of the House Republican Conference, the leadership arm that functions as the legislative communications base.

"Jack Kingston will do a terrific job in this important position. He has been one of our communication leaders for years, and I couldn't be more pleased that he will now play an even more prominent role," said House Speaker Dennis J. Hastert, who was elected to serve again as Speaker of the House shortly before Kingston was elected Vice Chairman.

Since 1997, Kingston has been Chairman of the House Republican communications group that has been mainly responsible for Floor speeches delivered before and after the House legislative business. In the new job, Congressman Kingston will work with Chairman Deborah Pryce (Ohio) to form national legislative communications that will let Americans know the House legislative priorities and to provide the 228 House majority members with the key points of important legislation to make it easier for them to get the news back to their Districts.

"I'm looking forward to serving in the House Leadership," Congressman Kingston said after he was elected. "We need to reach every American home with the facts about the issues over the next two years. Our communications are continually competing with the barking dog, the Seinfeld rerun, and the search for Johnny's other shoe. We need to convey legislation with simplicity and to let citizens know how it affects them and why it is important. We also want people to know that despite wars and economic woes, Republicans are working for the home and hearth of each citizen, preserving the American Dream and making the best decisions for America in these perilous world times."

Kingston's trademark sense of humor has helped propel him as a communications' leader since he was sworn in to Congress in 1993, and he has been a guest many times on national television and radio news programs.

He officially takes the reigns of his new post when the 108th Congress convenes in January. Kingston becomes the first Georgian since Newt Gingrich to serve in a top slot.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Marines in Beirut Lebanon - A Forgotten Campaign?

Lance Corporal Paul A. Peirce, USMC Veteran: February 1983-October 1987

As the U.S. Marine Corps' birthday, (November 10, 1775) rolls around every year, I grow reflective. I served both voluntarily and proudly for more nearly five years. Many of my fellow Marines throughout history have also proudly served, and though each of them deserves recognition, my attention draws more toward recent history.

My time in Beirut, Lebanon, came after the infamous October 23, 1983 bombing of the First Battalion, 8th Marines (1/8) Battalion Landing Team Headquarters. When 2/8 relieved them, they became the last unit deployed as part of the "Multinational Peacekeeping Force". Subsequently, when my unit, 3/8, relieved 2/8, we became the "External Security Force" for the U.S./U.K. Embassy. The Men that died are my Brothers - Marines, Sailors and Soldiers alike. There has now been at least a decade of effort by the survivors of Beirut and their families to get a Commemorative Stamp issued by the U.S. Postal Service without success. For the U.S. Postmaster General and the 15-member Citizens Stamp Advisory Committee to turn down the request for Beirut Commemorative Stamps is one thing. Their reasoning, however, was that the group wanted to honor positive events and that Beirut lacked significance in American history. Well, here's a bit of a history lesson...

In the summer of 1982, at the request of the Lebanese government, the United States agreed to establish a U.S. military presence in that country to serve as a peacekeeping force in the conflict between warring Moslem and Christian factions. The official mission statement, according to a Defense Department report was "...to provide a presence in Beirut, that would in turn help establish the stability necessary for the Lebanese government to regain control of their capital." So, on March 24, 1983, the 24th Marine Amphibious Unit, at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, received orders to Beirut, Lebanon in support of that commitment.

Initially, the U.S. Forces, along with those of France and Italy, did in fact provide a measure of stability by their very presence; but, as diplomatic efforts failed to establish a basis for a lasting settlement, the Moslem factions came to perceive the Marines as enemies. Artillery, mortar, and small arms fire started being directed at the Marine Corps positions. Eventually, Marines were able to take appropriate, measured responses against certain targets. At the time of the bombing in 1983, Secretary of State Colin Powell's rank was Major General, and he served as the senior military assistant to then Secretary of Defense, Casper Weinberger. General Colin Powell, stated in his book, My American Journey, "What I saw from my perch in the Pentagon was America sticking its hand into a thousand year-old hornet's nest with the expectation that our mere presence might pacify the hornets."

Tragically, at around 0622 hours (6:22 AM local time) on October 23, 1983, the First Battalion, 8th Marines Headquarters building was destroyed by a terrorist-driven truck, laden with 12,000 pounds of compressed gas-enhanced explosives. This truck, like many others, had become a familiar sight at the airport and so did not raise any alarm on this morning. The resulting explosion and the collapse of the building killed 241 Marines, Sailors, and Soldiers.

Since this fateful day, Americans have seen terrorism hit us at home, with the most recent attacks in our memory being first the car bombing in the parking garage of the World Trade Center in New York back in 1993; then its complete destruction on September 11, 2001, when commercial airliners were used as bombs as effectively as that yellow Mercedes truck at the BLT Headquarters in Beirut. National Guardsmen were soon deployed in our International Airports in order to augment security and establish a "presence". These troops, just as the U.S. Marines in Lebanon, were armed with rifles and live ammunition. Like us, however, the National Guardsmen were not allowed to have their weapons loaded. Though in the shadow of 9/11/01, someone, it appears, had forgotten the bitter lesson learned on 10/23/83. I thank the good Lord that nothing happened to the National Guard while on their mission here at home.

Now as we near the 20th Anniversary of the bombing in Beirut, Lebanon, we have seen stamps for Desert Storm released while troops were still deployed, and then after about a year the September 11th stamps were issued. Not exactly real positive events, and certainly the Beirut Bombing was indeed of grand historical significance. Even as a resident of Massachusetts, I met Congressman Patrick Kennedy at a recent event in Woonsocket, Rhode Island (AutumnFest in Woonsocket). I was wearing my red USMC ball cap with embroidered emblem when Congressman Kennedy approached me. In a rare occurrence for me, the Congressman shook my hand and thanked me for my service to our country. Upon learning where I served, he called the events in Beirut, "...a wake-up call on terrorism for the United States." "Perhaps, Mr. Kennedy," I replied, "an unheeded wake-up call."

Maybe it's just my opinion, though I see it as more of a suggestion, we should stop hitting the historical snooze button and get up out of our bed collective complacency. Let's also commemorate my Beirut Brothers, get them the U.S. Postal Service Commemorative Stamps and start learning from the hard lessons we've experienced. If we forget, then they have died in vain...!

Respectfully submitted,

LCpl Paul A. Peirce

USMC Veteran

February 1, 1983 - October 22, 1987

"Never Retired - Always a Marine"

For more information about the proposed Commemorative Stamp please visit http://www.beirut-memorial.org/memory/stamp.html. or visit Paul Pierce's web site http://www.pccyberhut.net ; his email is ppeirce@pccyberhut.net

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I am a single father of two children. I am also an active duty military member, and new to Georgia. When I arrived here, I contacted the local DFACS to help me build the support system that my son requires. I was not helped then; instead, I was left with a distinct feeling that they didn't care. Recently DFACS was contacted about a scrape and bruise on his upper arm. He told several different stories about how it happened, including one that was impossible. Now, suddenly, DFACS "cares" enough to violate my fourth amendment right to be free from unreasonable search and my parental right (per Georgia law) to spank my children.

As I write this, the daycare provider that had been working with me to help my children out has quit as a result of DFACS harassment. A "safety plan" was created that violates my rights, and has no bearing on finding out whether or not abuse occurred. This "safety plan" says that, first, my house will be kept clean. This fact was put in the plan, despite the fact that my house being clean when it was searched both times. By this part being in the plan it tells me that DFACS has the power to do, and will do more searches of my house.

Quoting the fourth amendment, "The right of the people to be secure...against unreasonable searches and seizures shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause,..., and particularly describing the place to be searched...", I have to wonder where DFACS has the power to override this. What adds fuel to the fire is the fact that, when I refused entry for this search, the worker went and got police help to aid in this search. Where is my right to be free from unreasonable search? Not in the state of Georgia! DFACS, like the police, should have to go and justify their need to search in front of a judge and get a legal search warrant in order to do this.

The last part of the "safety plan" states that I will not spank my children, despite Georgia having given this power to parents legally. Don't get me wrong; I don't use spankings as my primary means of discipline. However, it is an effective tool when used properly. Now, without any justification, DFACS has illegally removed this right from me.

As part of their "investigation", they talked to my children's daycare provider. She told me that afternoon that she couldn't handle them again. She has one son who used them to get at her, and I was aware of this from the start. Now, when my son is comfortable enough to start dealing with his problems, DFACS is out destroying my support system and hurting him. Why? Because I'm easy prey - a single father, two children, new in town. Add to that the history of problems and abuse my son has, and it makes their job easier. They have not bothered to tell me what my

rights are. This agency needs to be leashed in! If there were not serious problems, then why would Governor Barnes have created another regulatory agency to monitor DFACS?

I understand their right and need to find out what happened, but if my son is telling several different stories, and they have not contacted his therapist yet, then they are not taking the steps they need to. Instead they are engaging in a inappropriate witch hunt without any regard for my rights as a parent, unnecessarily destroying my support system, and hurting my efforts to help my son overcome his past. This agency did not offer help when I asked for it, so why should they be in a position now to violate my rights?