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PAUL DICKSON PubliAer-Editor
SAM C MORRIS General Manager
KAY PIOTRZKOWSKI Associate Editor
MRS. PAUL DICKSON Society Editor
JAMACHESSER Reporter
Second Class Postage at Kaeford. N. C.
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 1973
As We See
Kay Piotrzkowski
"Smoking marijuana isn't any worse than, perhaps not as bad as,
drinking alcoholic beverages." This is an oft heard defense for the illegal
smoking of pot. Many parents, highballs in hand, wonder how to refute
this seemingly logical argument. The first and most obvious rebuttal is
the fact that although consumption of alcoholic beverages is legal in the
United States (with some geographic and age restrictions), the use or
possession of marijuana is illegal. One involves the risk of fine,
imprisonment and a criminal record, the other does not.
The fact one action or pattern is considered legally permissable has
no bearing on the wisdom or legality of related but distinctly separate
acts. For instance some states have in recent years enacted liberal
abortion laws. Many people consider abortion synonymous with
murder. But it does not necessarily follow that these people may
commit murder and call it legal on the basis that: abortion is legal, 1
believe abortion is murder, therefore, 1 may murder legally. The drug -
alcohol controversy presents the same fallacious premise: the use of
.alcoholic beverages is permissable. I believe results of using alcohol and
marijuana to be the same; therefore, 1 may legally use marijuana.
During prohibition many people felt about alcoholic beverages the
way some feel about marijuana today. Speak - easies and bootlegging
flourished. The fact these existed did not make them correct,
acceptable or legal. All such activities were illegal and although some
participants survived unscathed, arrests and convictions were numerous.
The citizens of the United States finally achieved, through accepted
legal means, the repeal of the Eighteenth Amendment. The
manufacture, sale and consumption of alcoholic beverages once again
became legal.
Public intoxication or driving while under the influence of alcoholic
beverages is another matter. These are illegal acts and are punishable
under the law. There are tests which enable law enforcement officers to
scientifically determine if a suspect is intoxicated. To our knowledge,
there are, as yet, no such simple tests in common usage pertaining to
the degree of a marijuana - induced high. Does anyone know, at the
present time, whether there are any safe limits as a result of smoking
grass? Are coordination, reaction and decision making capabilities
functioning normally after three puffs of Mary Jane? If so, must a user
take five drags, eight puffs or smoke a whole joint before the danger
point is reached?
Laws governing possession and use of marijuana may be
unreasonable, but this is no license for breaking these laws. People who
insist on using marijuana do so with full knowledge of penalties to be
faced upon arrest and conviction. In many states penalties for simple
possession of marijuana have been reduced. A conviction of simple
possession in Texas used to bring a whopping 25 - year sentence. Now
the penalty in that state for possession of small amounts of Mary Jane
is six months. Beginning last month in Oregon possession of small
amounts of marijuana is no longer viewed as a crime but as a violation
similar to overtime parking.
In North Carolina simple possession of less than 5 grams (just over
1/5 ounce) of marijuana can result in a two - year sentence. More than
that amount can earn a five - year sentence. After January 1 the two -
year penalty will extend to possession of up to one ounce of marijuana.
By comparison it seems most incongruous that in this state maximum
penalty for carrying a concealed weapon is S500 fine or six months in
jail with judges generally levying only a S50 fine and costs. Which is
more potentially lethal, a loaded pistol or a few grams of marijuana?
Many people seem to feel smoking marijuana in the privacy of their
own home should not be considered a crime. Others favor punishing
pushers but not users. How can we reconcile these viewpoints? If it is
illegal to sell, how can buying and using be legal? These are among the
many questions to be answered before Americans have marijuana laws
that can be lived with. The thorny question of legalized pot has been
with us many years and yet little progress seems to have been made in
reaching definitive conclusions on the long range effects of moderate
use of grass. Certainly a distinction must be made between marijuana
and the hard drugs such as cocain and heroin - the true destroyers.
=?* If all that supporters of legalized marijuana say is true: "law makers
erred...current laws were enacted before sufficient evidence concerning
effects of pot existed..."-these supporters of legalized grass should have
no difficulty in presenting a strong, thoroughly researched and well
documented case through the legal channels available to them. If afl
they claim is true, much effort is being wasted in trying to beat or
break the law. This effort should instead be directed at trying to change
the laws. We believe the sale and use of marijuana, at some future date,
wilt undoubtedly be permitted under the laws of this country.
Browsing in the files
of The Newt-Journal
25 years ago
Tharadav, November 25,1948
The mechanical inipection lane of the
North Carolina Dipartment of Motor
VMtjdas will open in Raeford on
Saturday morning, Novemhefc^, anil
Will ?. He here ilirouuh Tuesday.
November JO.
A portrait of the lata Thomas B.
Upchurch w*? unveiled at a ceremony al
Upchurch school north of Raeford
Sunday afternoon.
From Poole's Medley:
There were two graves only on the
plot of ground laid off for a cemetery
when we cam to Raeford in 1905, and
now there are hundred*.
'This winter we are feced with certain ehortioee
The Midnight Oil
by Jama Chester
There comcs a time, usually on
Sunday morning, when even the laziest
among us decides it is impossible to sit
in his car without getting dust on his
duds, and so, the Sunday car cleaning is
begun.
The Sunday car cleaning is a semi -
annual event at our house. It does not
consist of merely washing and
vaccuuming the car, oh no. We do that
at least four times per annum. The
Sunday car cleaning is more. It begins
around 10 a.m. with a car wash. TTien
comes the rub scrub, followed by the
chrome polish, body compound,
window wash, car wax, upholstery
cleaning, floor mat washing and carpet
cleaning which all results in a dean
machine, usually.
However, having a clean car this week
wasn't worth all the effort. In other
words, after looking at the freshly
washed and polished vehicle in the
driveway, Cap and 1 realized we want a
new one.
It is at times like this wives discover
the one sport that can tear their men
from weekend television, car hunting.
Now, while car hunting is not a lot more
exciting than football, at least it gives
the wife some avenue of participation.
Puppy Creek
Philosopher
Dear editor:
If you think times are out of joint
because we're running out of oil, gas,
bailing wire, honesty and other things
we're told we're going to have to do
without, consider the standing of the
fireplace. It has been completely
reversed.
Once upon a time the fireplace was
the average man's source of heat, the
first thing a pioneer did was build a
fireplace and chimney and build his
house on to it, but last night while I was
conserving electricity by turning off the
T.V. set during commercials I read that
"if you have a fireplace and you're rich,
you order some firewood and stay warm
while the rest of us shiver."
This is true. A friend of mine from
the city said he was in a supermarket
the other day and saw firewood on sale
for three sticks for SI .49.
This makes a man stop and think as
winter is closing in on us and I have
been reflecting on some of the ideas
being advanced to conserve energy. One
idea is to close service stations on
weekends. This will save gas sales on
Saturday and Sunday all right but it
sure will run sales up on Friday. It will
also run up the sales of funnels and five
- gallon gas cans.
Another idea is to ban all driving on
Sunday. The trouble with this is that
itil also ban most patronage tt cafes
drive - ins, motels, football games and
churches, and I'm sure the public u
ready for both of the last two. One
maybe, but which one I'm not sure.
I guess you notice nobody ir
Washington is brave enough to suggest
people cut their television watching
time in half. And I have waited in vair
to hear somebody suggest banning
tractor - driving three 7tyt a week
although I stand ready to mate On
sacrifice.
One expert said if everybody don hi
part in saving fuel and we have a mik
winter, we might git by. You redcoi
this is right?! mean, I never have seen a
winter yet that wasn't cold. ProbabI;
the only answer is for everybody to tun
his furnace off and move to Florida.
Yours faithfully
JJk
She usually gets to select the most
important aspect of the new car, the
color which is usually covered with dust
anyway. Generous husbands have even
been known to allow wives to request
an interior color, or other particular
convenience.
I am presently involved in a
somewhat concentrated campaign to
convince my husband we should take
turns in selecting the whoooole car. I
decided on this line of action after
much deliberation over my gasoline
receipts and after finding several
brochures on two seater sports cars
stashed among my husband's socks.
I figure since Cap has picked out the
last four cars, it will be my tjfrn for a
long time.
If this plan works, it will take years
to catch up on my turns. Cap has
decided on the last four cars purchased
with only a minimum of my economy
minded opinion.
If more wives could convince their
husbands to try this plan, we could
covcr the roads with dirty economy cars
and save a little gasoline.
Senator Sam Ervin Says
WASHINGTON - Congress in a series
of "energy sessions" is responding
quickly to the President's request for
legislation to meet the fuel shortage. In
a span of twelve days, it has sent to the
White House two major energy bills and
the Senate has passed a third measure
giving him sweeping emergency powers
to cope with the situation.
Within a week after the President
delivered his Energy Message to the
Nation, Congress completed action on
the Alaskan pipeline bill which is
designed to increase domestic oil
supplies by 1977, and on the fuel
allocation bill which required the
President to establish within 30 days a
program of allocation of crude oil,
residual oil and refined products.
On November 19, the Senate
completed action on the emergency
petroleum bill which grants broad
powers to the President to meet an
impending national shortage of three
million barrels of oil a day. The bill
declares that a state of emergency exists
and directs the President to establish
plans to conserve scarce fuels, alleviate
shortages, and increase domestic energy
supplies. It also provides for the
conversion of certain fossil ? fueled
powerplants from oil or gas to coal or
other fuels, and allows variances from
air pollution control standards and from
the National Environmental Policy Act
under certain conditions.
If any doubt yet exists in the minds
of our citizens, the legislation is needed
because we are faced with severe
shortages of energy supplies - the first
peacetime crisis of this nature in our
history. This winter we are facing oil
shortages of 20 percent or more with
prospects of economic dislocations and
personal hardship*. The suddenness of
the Arab oil cutoff hat brought us to
the brink of decisions that seemed
unthinkable two months ago.
In all, the Senate voted on 66
amendments during the debate on S.
2589, the National Energy Emergency
Act. in one of the closest votes, the
Senate rejected an amendment which I
favored tha| would have limited public
,. ? I ,A |1 ll ? ? M f* ||u
transportation 01 icnooi cfuioren to tne
school nearest their Somas in order to
save fuel. x
The Senate modified the Mil reported
by tht Senate Interior and Insular
Affafcl Commit tM to a number of
* amhoricad the
from fuel burning, provided penalties
for fuel black ? marketeering, permitted
unemployment insurance benefits to
persons adversely affected by the
emergency, asked for the continuance
of U.S. - Canadian negotiations on the
importation of petroleum into this
country, authorized the President to
place limitations on energy
consumption instead of operating hours
of commercial establishments, required
controls to be applied equitably to all
businesses whether large or small, called
for U.S. agreements with other nations
to improve our energy supplies, and
required that Congress be provided
information concerning the impact of
the crisis on the economy.
The Senate bill also sought to remedy
a major concern of many Americans
regarding news accounts of the export
of petroleum to other countries. The
Senate adopted an amendment
authorizing the President to terminate
petroleum exports which have an
adverse impact on domestic supplies.
The President's request for legislation
authorizing the use of year - round
daylight savings time as an energy
conservation measure is being handled
as a separate bill. That measure has been
ordered favorably reported by the
Senate Commerce and House Interstate
and Foreign Commerce Committees,
and is expected to be acted upon
shortly.
I Stories Behind Words
By William S. Penfield
Donnybrook
In 1204 a fair was established in the
billage of Donnybrook, now a part of
Dublin, Ireland. The fair originally was
devoted to business, serving as a place
where merchants brought their goods to
sell.
Over the years the business aspect
declined and the event developed into a
pteaaure fair, increasing in bolpterous
activity until It was commonly
accompanied by lighting and bloodshed.
The. fair became so wild that it was
discontinued in I8S5. But long before
thaa the teim "Donnybrook fair," later
shortened to "donnyfcrook," was
applied to any riotouaiceae or brawl.
CLIFF BLUE ? ? ?
People & Issues
TOP RACES IN 1974 . .. Outside of
the U. S. Senate seat it now appear) that
the top political contests in North
Carolina may center around seats on the
State Court of Appeals and the State
Supreme Court.
Heretofore, the court seats while
elective, usually went by appointment
but with last year's age limit
amendment to the State Constitution,
on judicial positions this will likely be a
thing of the past. Last week Superior
Court Judge William Copeland of
Murfreesboro announced his candidacy
for Associate Justice of the N. C.
Supreme Court. Two other Superior
Court Judges, Robert M. Martin of High
Point and Edward B. Clark of
Elizabethtown filed with the State
Board of Elections to run as Democrats
next year for seats on the State Court of
Appeals. Martin is seeking the seat being
vacated by Judge Hugh B. Campbell and
Clark filed for the seat formerly held by
Judge Raymond B. Mallard.
ELIZABETHTOWN ... I never go
through Elizabethtown without
thinking about the late Mrs. E. E.
McCulloch, longtime editor of the
Bladen Journal. I also thought of Mrs.
McCulloch as a chamber of commerce
for Elizabethtown which in recent years
has been growing and expanding with
many new homes and industries, which
1 observed enroute to and from
Wilmington on Thanksgiving Day.
SOCIAL SECURITY . . . Social
Security is a great thing. To my way of
thinking along with bank insurance,
these are two of the greatest pieces of
legislation promoted by the late
President Franklin D. Roosevelt. What 1
don't like about Social Security is the
penalty put upon earnings above a very
limited income. We think a person
should be able to make at least S6.000
without any penalty being imposed. We
believe that one thing causing shortages
is that not enough people are working.
Many of our retired people would like
to work, but hesitate to do so when
every time they earn a dollar SO cents
must go back to the government. As
Social Security payments are being
upped, we think it a good time to up
the amount our senior citizens can earn
without being penalized.
MEDICAL MANPOWER ... It looks
like the proposal State Rep. Jay Huskins
of Statesvilie is planning to offer could
well be the answer the General
Assembly will buy regarding doctor
shortage. Rep. Huskini, co-chairman of
the Medical Manpowar Study
Commission is preparing a report
recommending a two - year medical
school at East Carolina University. This
recommendation, if enacted, would
carry ECU over to the 1975 General
Assembly. If adopted the Huskins
recommendation would run counter to
the recommendations of the University
of North Carolina Board of Governors.
The Huskins plan would expand the
ECU one - year medical school program
to two years, with the freshman class
being expanded from "20 to 30 to 40 as
rapidly as possible, and that the
program be adequately funded." Sounds
like a reasonable plan!
MONGER . . . Ralph Monger, Jr., of
Sanford, Supervisory Revenue Collector
for Area Four of the N. C. Dept. of
Revenue for 30 years, rather than
accept a demotion and a transfer
offered him by the Holshouser
Administration has taken retirement.
A former President of the State
Employees Association, now only 54
years old, more may be heard from
Monger in the coming months. The
Sanford man says he was told there was
absolutely no complaint about his work.
His "firing" seems to have been politics,
pure and simple. Monger's job was
above the average as he had ten counties
under his supervision. Except for
Holshouser's campaign statements
saying that state workers doing a good
job had no need to fear, he no doubt
would have expected to be moved out
to make room for a "deserving
Republican."
Talk is now being heard that Monger
would make a good candidate for
lieutenant governor. His age is ok. He is
an able speaker. He is an active
churchman, and having served a^
President of the State Employees
Association gives him a statewide group
whfre he could expect good support.
For several years in the 1940's and
1950's he served as Reading Clerk in the
State House which also gives him
contacts over the state.
Financially, Monger has nothing to
worry about. If he is looking for
something to keep him busy the
lieutenant governor's race might be the
answer.
Just One Thing After Another
By Carl Gotrch
One of our friends in New Bern tells
us that she was in the A & P store in her
town and heard an interesting discussion
between one of the clerks and a
customer.
The customer waftted some
"Secretary Hash." It took her some
little time before she succeeded in
letting the man know what she was
after.
* * ?
Former Governor Bill Tuck of
Virginia undoubtedly possesses a
number of distinctions. So do other
governors. But there's one distinction
Bill has which we do not believe is
shared by any other Governor.
He puts sugar into his soup. Says it
brings out the flavor.
? * ?
How's your health?Are you having
ailments which keep you from feeling
up to par'JHave you been unable to find
a remedy which will help you get rid of
your troubles?
Then read the following list of
"cures" which for many years have been
used religiously by some folks in North
Carolina. Maybe you can find something
in the list which will help you to feel
better. Anyway, we hope so.
When the baby has "hives," give it
red alder tea.
Mare's milk is good remedy for
whooping cough.
Put a dime in the upper lip to stop
nose bleed.
Wear sulphur in the shoes to ward off
disease.
Wear a dime around the neck to
prevent painful teething.
To prevent nightmares place shoes
under the bed with toes pointing away
from you.
When the baby has "thrush," let it
drink water from the shoe of a black ?
eyed woman.
Warts will disappear if you steal a
neighbor's dishrag and wipe it across
them.
And here's some more:
A sty can be removed by running it
over with the tip of a black cat's tail.
To cure cramps in the feet turn your
shoes bottom side up before going to
bed.
Carry an Irish potato to ward off
rheumatism.
A buck - eye, if carried all the time,
will ward off rheumatism also.
To stop some kinds of bleeding tie a
yarn string around the finger.
Collect gray "sellar bugs," tie them in
a rag and place around a child's neck to
prevent difficult teething.
Place a Bible under the pillow and
you will never have nightmares.
Cure anemia with sassafras root.
Yellow jaundice can be cured with
Mayapple root.
Give calamus root for indigestion.
Snake root will cure fever.
For boils, drink te* made from red
alder instead of water for several days
and the boils will entirely disappear.
Smear the brow with crushed onions
for headache.
To bathe the forehead with water la
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