A4 THE COURIER-TIMES IROXBORO, NC ',DEC. 3,2011 Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day N ational Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, which is annu ally on Dec. 7, commemorates the attack on Pearl Harbor, in Hawaii, during World War II. Many American service men and women lost their lives or were injured on Dec. 7, 1941. National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day is also referred to as Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day or Pearl Harbor Day. On the direction of the president, the flag of the United States of America should be displayed on the homes of Americans, the White House and all United States government buildings. The flag should be flown at half-mast to honor those who died in the attack on Pearl Harbor. Many associations, especially those linked with Pearl Harbor survivors or those who died from the attack, participate in special services to commemorate the event. Memorial services are held at venues such as the USS Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor. Other activities include: wreath-laying ceremonies; keynote speeches by those associated with the event; luncheons; media stories on survi vors’ recollections of the Pearl Harbor attack; and school activities to educate students about the attack on Pearl Harbor in relation to World War II history On Sunday morning, Dec. 7,1941, the American Army and Navy base in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii was attacked by the Imperial Japanese Navy. The attack came as a surprise to the American Army and Navy and lead to great losses of life and equipment. More than 2,000 American citizens were killed and more than 1,000 were injured. The Americans also lost a large proportion of their battle ships and nearly 200 aircraft that were stationed in the Pacific region. More than 60 Japanese servicemen were killed, injured or captured. The Japanese Navy also lost five midget submarines and 29 aircraft. The Japanese military had hoped that the attack on Pearl Harbor would prevent the United States of America from increasing its influence in the Pacific. However, the events in Pearl Harbor actually led to the escalation of World War II. The day after the attack, the United States declared war on Japan and so entered World War II. President Franklin Roosevelt in a speech to Congress stated that the bombing of Pearl Harbor was “a date which will live in infamy.” Shortly af terwards, Germany also declared war on the United States. In the months that followed the attack, the slogan “Remember Pearl Har bor” swept the United States and radio stations repeatedly played a song of the same name. In 1991, which marked the 50th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States Congress established the Pearl Har bor Commemorative Medal. This is also known as the Pearl Harbor Survivor’s Medal and can be awarded to any veteran of the United States military who were present in or around Pearl Harbor during the attack by the Japanese military. The medal can be awarded to civilians, who were killed or injured in the attack. — TIMEANDDATE.COM About immisE The Courier-Times invites letters to the editor. The rules are simple: • To be published, a letter must bear the signature of the writer. A typed or printed name alone is not sufficient. Unsigned letters will not be published. • The writer’s address and phone number should appear on the letter to allow for verification. The phone number will not be published. • Maximum acceptable length Is the equivalent of two typewritten pages, double-spaced,or about 500 words. • Letters are accepted via e-mail but to comply with the signature requirement, writers should print out and sign a hard copy of the letter and mail or FAX it to the newspaper.The letter will be considered for timely publication upon receipt of the signed copy. • Poetry and letters to third parties generally are not published. • Letters endorsing political candidates or stating positions on refer enda will not be published in the two issues immediately preceding an election. • Generally, the paper will print only one letter from the same writer within 30 days. • The Courier-Times reserves the right to edit letters for grammar and length and to edit or reject letters that are libelous or of questionable taste. Mail letters to: Letters to the Editor The Courier-Times P. O. Box 311 Roxboro, NC 27573-0311 FAX: (336) 597-2773 -]| COURIER-TIMES PULSE POLL [ THE QUESTION: Where do you do the majority of your Christmas shopping? 29% Outside Person County 13% Bah, Humbug I don’t shop 33% In Person County NEXT WEEK’S QUESTION: Will you be travelling outside of Person County for the holiday season? 1. Yes 2. No 3. Have not decided. 25% To vote on this question, goto: www.personcountylife.com Via the Internet Our readers have their say Thanks, C-T To the editor: I would like to take this op portunity to say thanks to The Courier-Times and Mike Floyd for the wonderful article cover ing the 60th anniversary of De luxe Cleaners. It was a tremendous page and article, which is certain to be an award winner. Mike placed a lot of empha sis on the man, where I would have concentrated on the busi ness. That is flattering, for which I am awed and humbled. Regardless of what I have given up until now, there is so much that I would like to give. So much is based on people’s re ceptivity and there is a natural tendency to be slow to receive new people and ideas. Soon I will be purchasing ad space in The Courier-Times to fully explain why and how I came here in the first place and have stayed here so long — 18 years, an entire generation. I’ve got a lot invested here — everything. I’m sensitive to the concerns of small businesses here in these economic times. I also recognize that we can’t wait for somebody to come here and create 5,000 career job opportunities. I hope they do come. A stronger small busi ness base would help to entice them. I have numerous ideas on how to create a few jobs here and there. I’m inviting all in terested parties with ideas of interest who would be willing to contribute ideas, time and energy toward making what economic impact that we can for ourselves to text me at (336) 503-2921 with the intention of planning a meeting in the near future to ascertain the feasibil ity of what ideas we may have or share. Again, thank you for your patronage and thank you to The Courier-Times. ELDER MAURICE LITTLE Roxboro Help us help others To the editor: Carver Ministry-Each One Reach One Inc., along with G.P. Productions, hosted the second anniversary of the Anointed Caravans of Roxboro on Sun day, Nov. 13. Carver Ministry-Each One Reach One and G.P. Produc tions also promoted Lee Wil liams and the Spiritual QC’s of Mississippi coming to Roxboro for the first time. It was a huge success for the community and we appreciate all who came out to support us. We also appreciate all the busi nesses in Roxboro that donated tickets for senior citizens, who wouldn’t have had the oppor tunity to attend. Carver Minis try-Each One Reach One, Inc. is about helping our community, people in need and our youth of Person County. Our goal is to give God the glory Help us to help others. Find out more on line at carverministry-eachon- ereachone.webs.com. STEVE CARVER Roxboro Big happenings To the editor: As I sit at my desk and think of all the wonderful events that are coming to Uptown Roxboro on Dec. 8 at 6 p.m., I think about the real reason we put all these events together. Christmas is that special time of year when everyone comes together for the greater good. It’s so true, especially here in Roxboro. Roxboro De velopment Group, with the help of the Roxboro Fire Depart ment is hanging the Christmas decorations on Main Street this year. It wouldn’t get done without their help. So, thanks so much [Roxboro Fire] Chief [Kenneth] Torain and every single one of your staff who is helping this year. There will be a Christmas tree at Merritt Commons this year. A special shout out and thanks to Matt and Ray Moore at Rolling Hills Garden Center for donating the tree. What is a tree without decorations? Thank you, Jayne Bremer with Person County United Way for the lights. These were her per sonal lights and she was nice enough to let us borrow them for the tree this year. You can’t have a Christmas tree lighting without the mu sic, right? Thank you to the Community Choir for agreeing to sing at the lighting ceremo ny Thanks especially to Henry Daniel. The tree was your idea and I want you to get credit for it. I just made sure it happened for you. We will have a special guest light the tree. I hope you all will join us for this fantastic event in Uptown Roxboro. Then there are the lumi naries, 2000 of them, all along Main Street. I cannot wait to see that. Thanks to Bonnie Da vis, Beth Townsend and Pied mont Community College Stu dent Government Association and Alumni Association for their hard work and efforts to light up Main Street. And what would Christmas be without Santa? Santa will be on Main Street too, at the Carver Agency, so go by and visit him, right before the free showing of the Polar Express. Yes its true, there will be a movie at 7 p.m. at the Kirby Cul tural Arts Center (Kirby The ater). For admission we ask the public to please bring a canned food item. All the canned food items will go to United Way, which will donate them to the Christian Help Center for dis tribution. Coats can also be do nated at the door. With the do nation of a new or gently used coat you will receive a ticket for free popcorn. Logan Gen try, please note that you will re ceive as much popcorn as you can eat because your grand mother, Joyce Gentry, donated eight coats already All these organizations and the people who serve them are working together for the greater good of Roxboro and Person County. I hope this spir it of partnerships continues throughout the year. And, if you can’t make it to Uptown Roxhoro on Dec. 8 for all the above events, please check out the decorations on Madison Boulevard that Lar ry Cole and the Roxboro Area Merchants Association are re sponsible for. Please come out and show your support for all of these events. Show your support for Roxboro and Person County. Help those who cannot help themselves. Give what you can, when you can. ADRIENNE DUNCAN Director, Roxboro Develop ment Group Economy, leadership trump campaign indictments RALEIGH F or Gov. Beverly Perdue, the news wasn’t unexpected. The rumor mill in the state capital had been churning for months. Finally, the indictments came down. Three former campaign aides or supporters of the gov ernor were charged with crimes related to the running of her 2008 campaign. Peter Reichard, finance director for the Perdue campaign, faces a charge of obstruction of jus tice. Julia Leigh Sitton, another campaign aide, and Trawick “Buzzy” Stubbs Jr., a key Perdue supporter, were charged with obstruction of jus tice and filing a false campaign finance report. In announcing the indictments. Wake County District Attorney Colon Willoughby made clear that he doesn’t expect Perdue to face any criminal charges and stressed her cooperation. Still, the collective wisdom within Raleigh po litical circles seemed to be that the indictments amounted to a devastating blow to Perdue’s hopes for a second term. The Republicans wanting to oust her from the TODAY IN NORTH CAROLINA SCOTT MOONEYHAM governor’s mansion hope that is the case. So does state Rep. Bill Faison, a Democratic lawyer from Orange County who has notions of replacing Perdue on next fall’s ballot and hasn’t been bashful about letting loose his criticisms of the governor. I’m not so sure that the collective wisdom is ah that wise, or that her opponents should get their hopes up. Obviously, Perdue suffered a bad day when the indictments were announced. Just as obviously, and no matter what Wil loughby says, the criminal cases could cause some thread to unravel exposing more wrongdoing that subjects Perdue herself to serious, “pay-to-play” questions. Let’s assume that doesn’t happen. If so, the larger public — particularly Demo crats and any others already inclined to vote for Perdue — may be more perplexed than outraged by the criminal charges. Why shouldn’t they be? Under the current state of our campaign fi nance laws, the bigger crime committed by Reich ard et al may be stupidity. The courts have turned modern-day campaign finance into the Wild West. Meanwhile, we’ve got a deadly gunslinger charged with spitting in the street. If Reichard had set up a shadow campaign al legedly independent of the Perdue campaign, he could have paid Sitton from whatever corporate source of money he wanted and faced limited scrutiny. That’s how political operatives in Washington do it. That’s how more and more political opera tives in North Carolina will do it unless some thing changes on the legal front. And much of the public already assumes that the big money moving through campaigns is cor rupting. In one national poll, 68 percent of re spondents said they believe “big contributors to political parties sometimes block decisions by the federal government...that could improve people’s everyday lives.” So the political class shouldn’t be surprised if allegations of an off-the-books campaign worker and some free campaign-related airplane flights causes the public to yawn. That’s not to suggest that Perdue is in good shape politically. At this point, though, a weak economy and her occasional periods of wishy-washy leadership are more likely to be her political undoing than a criminal case against campaign workers. SCOTT MOONEYHAM writes about North Carolina gov ernment and politics for the Capitol Press Associa tion. Courter-®ine£! T. P. Brinn Clayton Jerry M. Clayton Publisher Publisher Emeritus Timothy L. Chandler Editor THE ROXBORO COURIER THE PERSON COUNTY TIMES Established 1881 Established 1929 Member N.C. Press Association Peridicals postage paid at Roxboro, NC POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Courier-Times, P. O. Box 311, Roxboro, NC 27573 (USPS 137-760) Published Wednesday and Saturday by The Courier-Times Inc. 109 Clayton Ave. Roxboro, N.C. 27573 336-599-0162 www.personcountylife. com