Editorials
Applause for city
It was good news last week that the House of Racford has started
construction on a sewage pre-treatment plant.
What was better news was how the Raeford City Council handled
the delicate negotiations with the Firm in a meeting which was held
open to the public.
Under the protection of the state's Open Meeting Law, council
members could have gone into an executive session to work out the
problem of the turkey plant's discharge into the city sewer system.
However, the doors remained open and now the voters and tax
payers of the city have a clear picture of how one major problem
which has been plaguing Raeford for almost 10 years was resolved.
Perhaps other public bodies in the county should make note of
the commendable action taken by the city.
Another drum roll
The Israeli cabinet's acceptance of the Beirut massacre report,
and the apparent departure of Defense Minister Ariel Sharon, may
or may not be the end of the controversy over Israel's complicity in
the killings. For in so many eyes, including those of the U.S. State
Department, what is involved here is not merely atonement for er
rors made in the midst of war, but changes in Israel's policy and if
necessary its government.
Even before the massacre report, a familiar chorus had been
building in Western public and ofFicial opinion. To wit, that the on
ly problem in the Middle East is the "intransigence" of Israel, of
the Begin government, of Mr. Sharon. Thus, the logic goes, the
"solution" is to "replace" Mr. Begin or, failing that, Mr. Sharon
or at least to bring "pressure" on Israel for "flexibility." So Presi
dent Reagan himself staged an outburst last week against the Israeli
delay in pulling out of Lebanon, and with this report and its accep
tance, this campaign may not subside but escalate.
We've heard this drum roll before. It was betaing when they
broke out the tumbrils for the shah of Iran. It was loud and clear
when the U.S. tried to win the hearts and minds of the Vietnamese
by unburdening itself of Diem. It rattled when the U.S. tried to
"replace" such nuisances as Batista in Cuba and Somoza in
Nicaragua. But the aftermath of American meddling with these
other governments, no matter how malodorous they were, has been
so diastrous that we fear the worst from any gestures toward
destabilizing the twice-elected Begin government.
The situation now may be no more than understandable ex
asperation with the Begin government, which indeed can be ex
asperating, and the Regan administration's aim to keep its Mideast
peace plan on track. The proposals announced by President Reagan
on Sept. 1 were quite sensible as Mideast peace plans go. But the key
to an eventual settlement along these lines is getting Jordan's King
Hussein to guarantee the peaceful nature of any Palestinian West
Bank government. Hussein has been a lot more reluctant to sign on
than the State Department had hoped, setting preconditions, such
as a freeze on Israeli West Bank settlements, which is reasonable,
and a quick Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon, which is not.
Perhaps this is all the king wants-or perhaps he has real doubts
about the responsibilities he is being asked to assume.
So when President Reagan calls for an early Israeli withdrawal to
further his peace plan, he ought also to consider w hat might happen
if the Israelis acceeded to his demands lacking a true settlement in
Lebanon and the West Bank. Such a pullout would leave a
murderous vacuum, in which the Lebanese war of all against all
would resume with redoubled fury. The area of Israeli control con
tains some 200,000 disarmed Palestinians, farmers and camp
dwellers, surrounded by other vengeful ethnic groups. Christians
and Druse have been slaughtering each other for centuries. Even the
factional Fighting among the Christians has produced shocking
atrocities.
The PLO, interestingly, wants U.N. forces sent in, under the con
trol of the Security Council so that no single country could
unilaterally pull out its troops. But the U.N. peacekeepers have a
record of futility. And who else is there to replace the Israeli army?
It will take more than 800 Marines to patrol this territory. Does
President Reagan, or President Mitterrand, really want to commit a
force sufFicient to do the job? Do you call back the PLO, or the
Syrians, and start the whole thing over again? The ultimate solu
tion, of course, is for the Lebanese army to reassert national
sovereignty over all its territory, including the large Bekaa Valley
occupied by Syria and the PLO. But no one seriously believes that
the Lebanese Army is yet equal to this task.
In the meantime, the domestic peace of Lebanon depends, as it
has so often in its history, on the intervention of outside forces. For
the previous six years these forces were Syrian (Who remembers
now that the Syrians originally came to save the Christians from a
decisive defeat at the hands of the Moslems and Palestinians?) Now
the forces are Syrian and Israeli, with a dash of French and
American. Once in, these forces have a certain moral responsibility
for what might happen if they withdraw too soon. In remarking on
events leading to the Beirut massacres, the Israeli commission's
report noted, with no little understatement, "One might also make
charges concerning the hasty evacuation of the multi-national
force."
The Reagan administration might keep this thought in mind when
it talks about the morality of withdrawal from Lebanon. More
broadly, nothing could please us more than to have both Israel and
Jordan find their way toward a solution like the Reagan formula.
But we doubt that this ? or anything else constructive -- is likely to
come of attempts to rearrange the Israeli government to suit
Washington's momentary pleasure. _ The Wall Street Journal
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Letters To The Editor
Ambulance decision
sparks questions
To the Editor!
Regarding last week's News
Journal editorial calling attention
to the closed meetings of the coun
ty commissioners, you state that
the financial problems facing the
ambulance service are important to
all Hoke County residents.
I wholeheartedly agree.
However, you also assert it is
"difficult to imagine what matters
were so delicate that the commis
sioners felt compelled to go into
executive session".
If you will permit me I have a
few ideas to answer that question
which may interest the taxpayers.
(a) Since Mr. Henley stated he
was no longer willing to fullfill the
terms of his contract, as he is legal
ly bound to do, some of the com
missioners and the county attorney
suspected they were on very shaky
legal ground by simply tearing up
the old contract and doling out
another S4 1,000.
(b) Since the commissioners fail
ed to publish a notice of intent to
draw up a new ambulance or
dinance prior to acting, (as re
quired by statute) a closed meeting
was necessary so they couldn't be
confronted with competitive bids.
The chairman of the board had
been advised verbally that a former
ambulance service provider of
fered to take essentially the same
contract for S6S,000 annual sub
sidy, $35 patient charge and NO
MILEAGE FEES.
(c) Since Mr. Henley provided
the commissioners with figures
showing the number of trips he
made with patients last year, any
taxpayer who can do simple
arithmetic can divide his previous
$64,000 subsidy and discover he
received S53 of county money for
each and every trip.
(d) Since few citizens of this
county can afford to lease a
S100.000 home in one of the city's
choicest neighborhoods with
monthly payments in excess of
$500, Joe Taxpayer might wonder
how Mr. Henley manages this
lifestyle while his business is sup
posed to be so financially distress
ed.
Hunt how much the taxpayers
were expected to contribute toward
this swanky house, he replied he
didn't know about the Henley's
living arrangements until the
meeting. He failed to say if this
new insight of his came BEFORE
or AFTER voting.)
In conclusion, 1 urge that every
taxpayer of voting age re-read the
letter to the editor signed by
Johnny Melton and published in
last week's Ne*s- Journal. Then go
out and talk to the members of
that organization.
John Balfour, chairman of ti-e
commissioners, has made the state
ment over and over that the voters
have elected the commissioners to
make the decisions. Apparently be.
has lost track of of
fo rated decisiort*^~" v%
Based on the actions of the com
missioners and the county manager
in recent weeks, it would come as
no surprise to pick up the
newspaper and learn that they have
decided during executive session
that the most economical and
sound alternative available is to
move the entire Hoke Ambulance
Service into the Pilot Building.
Yours truly,
Marty Vega
(Mrs. Danny Morrison.
as on
Morrison Ambulance Service)
624 E. Donaldson Ave.
875-2090
Chorus a smash
Dear Editor,
Last Thursday night was a rainy,
cold, and windy one in Raeford,
but at Upchurch School
auditorium there was an abun
dance of warmth, sunshine, and
even a breath of spring!
I am referring to the outstanding
performance of the Upchurch
Chorus and seventh grade band.
Both groups exemplified a spirit
of cooperation, discipline, and a
high degree of musicianship under
the able direction of Miss Ellen
Heidenreich and Mr. Gil Clark.
The chorus and band each
received standing ovations for
their remarkable efforts.
Hoke County can be proud of its
Cultural Arts program. Students in
our schools are involved in a pro
gram that many systems "dream
about."
Sincerely
Betty D. Upchurch
Puppy Creek
Philosopher
Dear editor:
There are two groups of people
in this country none of whom
anybody has ever personally met:
(I) the TV listeners selected to tell
the Neilsen TV ratings people what
they're watching, and (2) the peo
ple selected to tell what the infla
tion rate is.
I'm not much interested in the
TV ratings. If 1 owned one of the
three networks and mine came in
third, which means instead of
making say S50 million I made on
ly S45 million the first six months
of the year, I believe 1 could
swallow my pride and live with
that.
But I would like to know who
the inflation rate people talk to.
According to the latest govern
ment figures, the rate of inflation
is now a little over 5 percent, down
from 12*?.
This has me baffled. It's hard
for me to understand how the rate
of inflation is coming down while
the price of things I buy is going
up. It's like balancing the budget
by quadrupling the deficit.
It's like getting out of debt at
one bank by borrowing from
another to do it with.
I can understand that if you
have a $250,000 house for sale with
no takers and you reduce the price
to $225,000, then the way the
government figures it the inflation
rate on that house has fallen 10*?.
But at the same time the cost of
utilities for that house, like elec
tricity, gas and telephone, keeps
going higher and higher.
Every time you turn around,
there's another rate increase.
One of the reasons the govern
ment statisticians miss this I guess
is that all their office utility bills
are paid out of our pockets, not
theirs.
Finding out how the inflation
rate is got at is like hunting for a
needle in a haystack, although
come to think of it I've never heard
of anybody needing a needle so
bad he'd look for one in such an
unlikely place.
Yours faithfully,
J. A.
St. Valentine would be amazed
by Udra Colcmin
Question: What does a third
century Roman bishop have in
common with a heart-shaped box
of chocolate candy? Answer: The
name "Valentine."
St. Valentine was a courageous
churchman who remained loyal to
the Christian faith during a terrible
persecution under the Emporer
Claudius.
Thrown into prison for a while,
he was eventually beheaded. The
date of his death was February 14,
about the year 270.
Mark the date carefully, for
February 14 abo happens to be the
day in the year when husbands
bring home flowers, sweethearts
exchange sentimental gifts, and
boys summon up the courage to
send pretty girls cards that say "I
love you."
But how did a martyred bishop
ever manage to get his name
associated with a tradition like our
Valentine's Day? St. Valentine
would be Just as puzxfad about that
Things That Matter
as anybody else.
In truth, historians can't speak
with certainty about the origin of
our annual celebration of romantic
love. But some believe it grew out
of an ancient Roman festival, the
"Lupercalia," which was observed
in the middle of February.
A part of that celebration was
the custom of putting the names of
young ladies into a box and letting
young men draw then out, thus
choosing patterns for the festival.
The custom continued long after
the beginning of the Christian era,
and since Urn celebration took
place on the anniversary of St.
Valentine's martyrdom, some
believe, the romantic partners
came to be called "valentines."
The custom took root in
England, where the young couples
who became partners for the day
often became partners for the rest
of their lives.
In Scotland, the first young lady
a boy happened to meet became his
"valentine." This undoubtedly en
couraged young men to scout the
terrain carefully before venturing
into the streets.
In many English villages,
children would get into the act, go
ing from house to house singing
choruses and receiving pennies,
sweets, and other rewards for their
effort.
Early in the 19th century,
printed valentines started making
the rounds.
These became increasingly
popular as the cost of both print
ing and postage went down, and by
the mid-lSOO's, everybody was
sending them.
Today, of course, the only thing
cheap about printed valentines are
the verses that appear on them.
If St. Valentine could see some
of the insipid sentiments and
obscene gags hearing his name
^ now, he wonld be amased.
CUFF UK,
1964 CANDIDATES? - State
Senator Kenneth C. Roymll of
Durban and Judge Lacy Thorn
hurt of Sytva are the latest to be
mentioned as possible candidates
for the Democratic nomination for
governor in 1964.
Other Democrats who have been
mentioned and some are already
quke active are:
Attorney General Rufus Ed
misten; Insurance Commissioner
John Ingram; Charlotte Mayor,
"Eddie" Knox; U.S. Rep. Charles
G. Rose of the Seventh District;
Commerce Secretary. "Lauch"
Fairdoth of Clinton; and Thomas
Gilmore of Guilford County.
BY -GONE RACES - Recalling
the 1948 race for governor. State
Treasurer. Charlie Johnson was
the leading candidate for two years
before the primary. Most people
thought he would be the next
governor.
Well, about this time of the
year. 1948. Commissioner of
Agriculture Kerr Scott, began to be
mentioned and soon announced
his candidacy for governor. He
had a hard time getting a campaign
manager and finally said he would
manage his own campaign. His
campaign lagging. Scott finally in
terested Capus Waynick of High
Point to be his "Assistant
manager" since he had already
said he would be his own
"manager".
Well. Waynick made a fine
manager for Scott. In the tust
Primafy. Johnson received
170.141; Scott received 161.293. In
the second primary Scott led with
217.620 votes with Johnson com
ing in second with 182.684.
Other gubernatorial Democratic
candidates in 1948 were: R.
Mayne Albright with 76.281;
Oscar Barker. 10.871; W.P.
Stanley. Sr.. 2.428; Olla Ra>
Bovd. 2.111.
STATE WIDE RACES --
Another interesting Democratic
race in 1948 was between William
B. Urns trad, who had been named
by Governor CherTy to succeed
Josiah W. Bailey who had died in
office and J. Melville BTOUghton.
In the Democratic Primary.
Broughton won. 207.981; with
William B. Umstead. 185.865.
In 1952 William B. Umstead.
Democrat, won the nomination
over Hubert Olive. 274. 170; with
Olive receiving 265.675.
PRESIDENT - President
Reagan was elected more as a con
servative than as a liberal.
However, he has had the greatest
spending spree of any President in
peace-time history.
Fiscal conservatives say that
what is needed is action now. 1983.
which would freeze spending and
spending increases in various
categories and limit the cost of
government .
Mr. Reagan was the candidate
who so much abhorred huge
deficits. He promised to end them
by 1984. In his recent statements
on the subject he has explained
that no one could have foreseen
such a sharp recession. That is ac
cepted by many.
But that doesn't mean that huge
deficits are acceptable for the rest
of the decade. What >t means to
many in Washington is that every
effort should be made now to see
that deficits are substantially
reduced every year.
That might be impossible tor the
current fiscal year but it could be
attained thereafter if defense
spending is cut and new taxes are
enacted to balance the budget, or
government expenditures reduced.
But, it is just a realistic dream to
think seriously that the budget will
be balanced in 1984. or within the
next decade!
NEW RULES - The Reagan ad
ministration issued tough, new
parole guidelines recently designed
to keep violent criminals and drug
offenders in prison longer. The
new guidelines took effect January
31.
r
Letters
Policy
Letters to the editor are
encouraged *nd welcomed.
Writers should keep letters as
short as possible. Names,
addresses and telephone
numbers should be included
and all letters must be signed.
Names will be printed,
however, other information
will be kept confidential. We
reserve the right to edit letters
for good taste and brevity,
letters should be received by
The Nrw$s#owwe# by 3 p.m.
on the Monday of the
publication week.