Editorial ' f ?
The Lady From Queens
Is No Archie Bunker
Political campaigns are probably the largest
single source of misinformation and it seems
that the 1964 campaign will be no exception.
No sooner had Walter Mondale announced his
choice of Rep. Geraldine Ferraro as his running
mate than the media sought to categorize her.
As with many such characterizations, the
public is misinformed when told that Ferraro
represents a district of Archie Bunkers. Such
characterizations are the result of uninformed
and sometimes lazy reporters looking to find a
quick handle on a candidate.
It is true that Ferraro represents a district in
Queens, the fabled home of Mr. Bunker. It is
also true that Queens has its share of fumbling
bigots such as Bunker, but so does Madison
County, Boston and Peoria. Ferraro represents
racists and bigots as do all the members of the
U.S. Congress.
Ms. Ferraro 's district is also composed of
blacks, Koreans, Indians, Poles, Puerto
Ricans, Columbians, Vietnamese, Cubans,
Italians, Irish, Germans, Poles and many other
cultures too numerous to mention. That she can
continue to be re-elected from a district with
such a diverse makeup is a credit to her
political ability.
The polyglot of cultures was in part the basis
for the emergence of Archie Bunker-types in
Queens. As New Yorkers have long realized
from earlier waves of immigrants, it takes time
for diverse cultures to be assimilated into
American society. Followers of "All In The
Family" will recall that even Archie Bunker
learned to accept the differences of his
neighbors in time.
Ms. Ferraro's home in the fashionable Forest
Hill section of Queens is far removed from the
row houses that line the streets of her district.
Liberal and predominantly Jewish Forest Hills,
former home of the U.S. Open tennis tourna
ment is hardly representative of the rest of the
district.
To localize the analogy, to equate Forest Hills
with Queens would be to equate Biltmore
Forest with Asheville. They're both in the same
place, but they're light years apart, too.
Mayor Responds To Editorial
Heard And Seen
By POP 8TORY
? " V
SUDDEN PROMINENCE
It's amazing how within one week some peo
ple can become nationally known for various
reasons, some admirable, some spectacular
and some disgraceful.
Perhaps the most publicized news during the
past week was the nomination of Geraldine Fer
raro as the Democratic vice presidential can
didate. This is an historic event as she is the
first woman to be selected by a major party, as
a candidate for the second highest honor in cxr
nation.
The most horrifying news story of the past
week was the mass murder of 22 people at a
McDonald's restaurant in San Ysidro, Calif.
Huberty was killed by a police marksman. This
has been termed as the most brutal and heinous
crimes in our nation's history.
The most sensational story during the past
week involved Miss America, 1984, Vanessa
Williams, who has been asked by pageant of
ficials to resign her title because she posed two
years ago for nude photographs prior to the
pageant. Miss Williams, the first black woman
to wear the crown, would be the first of the 57
pageant winners to step down.
These three front page stories all occurred
within the past week. That's what I call sudden
prominence.
THE ELECTRIFIER
"The Electrifier," published monthly by the
French Broad Electric Membership Corpora
tion, is always interesting and informative.
Especially interesting is the July issue which
features the continuing progress being made on
the construction of the Cap) tola Project in Mar
shall. The pictures and information were splen
did.
"A TOUR OF EUROPE" ENJOYED
Once a year, members of the Marshall Book
Club, their spouses and guests enjoy a picnic on
the lawn of Leonard and Lib Baker near
Walnut. In addition to the meal and fellowship,
the featured highlight of the occasion is Bob
Terrell, author of more than a dozen books, a
humorist, veteran traveler and a popular
newspaper columnist.
Bob has hosted many tours to various places
around the world, including nine tours of the
Holy Land and has traveled extensively with
Billy Graham.
This year, Bob was accompanied by his wife,
Vivian, and their two sons, Zeke and Jake. Vi
vian assisted Bob in showing interesting slides
of their recent tour of several European coun
tries. By-the-way, Bob is also an expert
photographer.
Bob, who has been "the program" for the pic
nic for the past several years, always amazes
me with his expert memory of places he has
been and people he has met.
Incidentally, there was 100% attendance of
book club members present at the gathering on
July 16.
Mayor Betty Wild responded to
I in last week's News Record by
ign in the window of her Main Street
" * ~
pool hall. Wild's one-word response was printed <
below copy of the offending editorial. [
I
Know Comment
By JOSEPH GODWIN
Since I have what amounts
to a phobia about being late,
people who are late with no ap
parent emotional response in
trigue me.
I, doubt that I have been late
more than a half-dozen times
in the last fifty years, and my
total tardiness probably would
not exceed one hour. (True, I
have forgotten some appoint
ments; but those I have
remembered, I have met on
time.)
The people who are usually
on time and try to be punctual
all the time don't bother me at
all when they come puffing in
to the room with their tongues
lolling. That can happaen to
the best of people, and it fre
quently does. This column is
not written about them.
About a year ago, My Girl
and I invited two supposedly
mature adults for dinner.
They and we agreed on five
o'clock, and they said, "We'll
be there no later than five."
Very well.
Since My Girl is a superb
cook, an efficient planner, and
i gracious hostess, the food
was prepared and the
>eautiful table was set at ten
minutes until five. At that
time, she put the homemade
yeast rolls into the oven-in
order for them to be ready at
exactly 5:06.
Five o'clock came and went .
No guests. Five-thirty. No
guests, no telephone call. At
six o'clock, the guests called
to say they were on their way
but would be "a few minutes"
late. At six-thirty, they arriv
ed, in no hurry, having had no
trouble, and demonstrating no
spirit of apology.
All that excellent food was
getting cold; my stomach was
getting hungrier, and my fuse
was getting short.
Such tardiness when a nice
lady invites one to a meal con
stitutes the purest form of
rudeness --unless, of course,
there are impediments which
the hostess would readily
understand.
Then there is the student
who regularly comes late to
class. You can spot him or her
before the first week of school
is ended. The teacher has
checked the roll and is four
minutes (exactly!) into his or
her subject matter. It hap
pens! Murgatroid comes
slinking into the classroom
like a ruptured duck!
It is hard to teach that stu
dent that to cure his unaccep
table behavior all he has to do
is leave wherever he was just
five minutes earlier and travel
at the same speed to class.
Students hold no monopoly
on being late.
The choir has just given the
call to worship;
the - congregation has stood
and sung the doxology; the
paster opens his mouth to say,
"Let us pray" and here he
comes--walking along as
though he is trying to And his
way out of the shower stall or
trying to push somebody over
so that he can have the end of
the pew. When that commo
tion subsides, now the pastor
can say, "Let us pray."
Have you ever served on a
standing committee with Mr.
Snerdmore? Exactly nineteen
minutes after the meeting is
opened, here he comes. I can
not analyze his expression. He
may look tired, bored, or
blank, but never interested
and never apologetic.
He has to be caught up on
what has transpired, and then
he has nothing of earth
shaking or soul-searching con
sequence to contribute to the
business at hand.
At least, we can appreciate
the secretary who was fifteen
minutes late every day until,
finally, the boss had enough of
that and clouded up and hailed
all over her. She was so con
trite that she apologized
Sincerely. To show her deep
remorse, she admitted that
she had been fifteen minutes
late, and she promised, "Just
to make up for it, I'll leave
work fifteen minutes early)"
I was reminded of all of this
tardiness when My Girl read
to me from the paper: "The
bride is the daughter of Mrs.
Mrytle Kinney and the late
John M. Kinney."
That points up a great in
justice and my Number One
Pet Peeve-calling people
"late" Just because they died
early.
That is the chief reason I
hate to pass on. I can Just see
it now (after all these years of
being on time)): Somebody
will say, "Here, read this; it's
a column written by the late
Joseph Godwin."
Wheht!
ng And Growing
?j^nA|HJMPOWER
that's easy
T i w i often it seems
how hard you
i out on the down
jit's tough, and
it teems almost
ible, to win at the
you knew, ft is
go abottl the
ing
e 3
? workaMe
if you're
is having
you are
? out si
you do.
ist. Basically, winning at life
can be nothing more than set
ting high standards and goals
for yourself, aiming toward
those goals, and giving
yourself credit for your effort*
and accomplishments in these
directions Sounds a bit mun
dane, doesn't it? Well, that
shooM tell you something
about winning. It's not the big
deal that some of us think It to.
Happiness. personal
c loseness, internal fulfillment
health are just a fr thing*
limited integrity don't win in a
real sense
A willingness to share your
success is also important.
That doesn't meaa that
everyone will appreciate you
for it, but you will be more
likely to come out on top if you
give something to this craxj
world M ours. Selfish takers
lose their perspective and thut
r tbility to win
Belief in self is a necessity in
a winner. No matter what you
"k
beyond themselves toward
greater challenge. You can't
always play it safe and win
There is no chance of success
without a willingness to take a
chance on failure.
We live in a world of
mediocrity. Too many of us
are either to frightened to try,
or too selfish to pay the price
of success. Many of us also
have a misguided .ense of
what winning really is. It's not
the cars, money, homes,
, or the lilm ttjat con
ling It's on
SOjfilJSL >
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KILUOMB UCK6
LOOKS UKej