lA THE NEWS-JOURNAL Raeft)rd, N.C.
July 2,2003
Viewpoints
Should a writer embellish or not?
All people as they get older have
trouble with their knees, so it is now
time for my wife, Ireni, to suffer from
that experience. She said to me re
cently, “If 1 was a horse with knee
trouble you would shoot me.”
Not so, as 1 have tried to tell her, knee
trouble comes along with other ail
ments, most of it is associated with
age. Unfortunately, most women
aren’t interested in talking about age.
Since one famous writer from the
New York Times has been accused of
copying other folks work and making
up stories I have decided I had better
check my sources before I put them
on paper. It is not going to be nearly as
good reading as it was before; those
stories other folks tell can be embel
lished some which make them more
interesting.
Having said such, I will give credit
for the following, Over The Hill and
On a Roll by Bob Phillips. No one
would ever know the difference as
much as I talk about my grandchil
dren. Nevertheless, here goes;
Grandchildren from any age can al
ways make their grandparents happy
just by saying, “I’m hungry.”
They say grandchildren brighten
up the home — That’s right —they
never turn off the lights.
Among the things that are quite
easy, even simple, for a child to oper
ate are the grandparents.
A little boy wrote this letter to his
grandmother. “Dear Grandmother,
A View from
the Country
Raz Autry
I’m very sorry that 1 forgot your
birthday last week. It would serve
me right if you forgot mine next
Tuesday.”
Grandfather on airplane: Have I
told you about my grandchildren?
Ola Rae Tucker, who 1 am proud
to call a friend, can spend a talc with
the best of them. She was talking to
me about her sister’s husband. Ac
cording to Ola Rae, he simply would
not go to a doctor, regardless of his
condition. He went through a spell
of fainting, as us country folks call it
"passing out.” His wife continued
her nagging trying to get him to go to
the doctor and find out the cause of
his weakness. All to no avail. She
came home from church and sure
enough there he was stretched out
lizard length on the floor, (for my
northern brothers that means he had
fainted).
Once she got his head cleared and
he was seated on a couch, she began
to tidy up the room by arranging the
curtains, she further gathered sev
eral chairs and placed them around the
room.
Naturally all of this fuss got his
curiosity. He asked, “What are you
doing?”
She replied, “I am making plans for
the viewing of the body.”
“What body?”
“Yours, if you don’t go to the doc
tor, you are going to die and I want
people to be comfortable when they
view your body.”
I le dashed out the door like a young
man and headed for the doctor.
■’There are some means which will
get people’s attention. Ola Rae added
to the story by saying the doctor told
him he only had three months to live.
His answer, ’ Doctor, I can’t make
enough money to pay you in three
months.”
"Then,” replied the doctor, "In that
case 1 will give you six months.”
These doctors expect to be paid.
My parting thought: Attending a
wedding for the first time, a little girl
whispered to her mother, “Why is the
bride wearing w hite?”
’’Because white is the color of hap
piness and this is the happiest day of
her life.”
The child thought about this for a
moment and asked, “Then why is the
groom wearing black?”
Editor's note: Raz'speach and ice
cream stand will open July 4.
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We Get Letters
Politicians owned
To the Editor;
Rarely docs an American citizen
enjoy the opportunity to read as much
profound truth in one editorial as I
read in D. G. Martin’s June 25,2003
‘One on One’ column. For e.xample:
“Big money for political campaigns
is usually given and raised by those
who know that ‘their candidate’ can
help them - economically.” Colum
nist Martin’s emphasis on the words,
“their candidate,” reminds us that in
today’s political climate, candidates
are bought and owned by special in
terests, which can afford them.
Using the fact that presidential
candidate Senator John Edwards
raised $7 million in campaign funds
as an example, Mr. Martin pointed
out that “ presidential campaigns arc
more about money than they are about
polls ” And wrote: “Sadly though,
the base of Edwards’ money comes,
not from us, but from a group of
professionals who know that
Edwards will work for their interests
in opposing any limits on court
awarded damage awards for personal
injuries.”
Using President Bush s “fund
raising machine” ability as an ex
ample, Mr. Martin wrote: "The
President’s millioivpf dollars came,
not from ordinary citizens, but from
those whose millions will bring them
back hundredsofbillions if the Presi
dent is reelected and continues his
program of tax reduction.” Not to
mention deals such as Halliburton’s
no-bid Iraqi oil contract!
Columnist Martin pointedout that
"the exploding dependence of po
litical candidates on big money” cre
ates a willingness to “auction them
selves to the highest bidder in the com
munity of special interests.” And wrote:
"Campaigns finance reform is not a
magic answer. For instance, the ‘match
ing funds-campaign spending limits’
program for presidential campaigns
’proved’ for a time that it could give us
reasonably balanced, fair presidential
campaigns.” Until “George W. Bush
showed us in 2000 that he could run a
better campaign without spending lim
its. He avoided them by declining the
matching funds and raising even more
on his own.”
The bottom line to the simple fact
that special interests are creating a
monopoly on government that will al
low them to monopolize business and
industry when it is complete. And their
monopoly will be completed if Ameri
can citizens, blindly devoted to the
major political parties which sold us
out long ago, do not wake up, stand up.
More about his favorite TV program
My favorite TV program begins a
new series this Sunday at 5 p.m. on
UNCTV.
If you read this column regularly,
you already know the program—
North Carolina Bookwatch. It is the
only statewide TV program about
North Carolina books and authors.
You also know the reason that it is my
favorite is because UNC-TV lets me
be the host.
We are finishing up the taping of
the new 12- part series that will air in
July, August, and September.
The new series will feature a new
group of diverse, talented, and inter
esting authors.
Let me give you a quick pre
view.
For the first time, we will feature a
science-fiction writer. Orson Scott
Card, who lives in Greensboro, is
known throughout the world for his
compelling stories. His interview
about Shadow Puppets shows him to
be a compelling character in his own
right.
Another first is a featured
children’s book author, Carol Boston
Weatherford, who tells us about her
book for children, Princeville; The
500-Year Flood. She also shares in
sights on the craft of children’s book
writing and publishing.
The new series features four im
portant nonfiction books about North
Carolina topics: Appalachian State
University professor Timothy Silver’s
new book about Mount Mitchell and
the Black Mountains, Duke Univer
sity professor Robert Durden’s book
about tobacco magnate James B.
Duke, David Cecelski’s book about
pre civil war life in North Carolina
entitled The Waterman’s Song, and A
One on One
D. G. Martin
Guide to the Historic Architecture of
Piedmont North Carolina by
Catherine Bishirand Michael South
ern. (I have written previous col
umns about three of these books and
would be glad to send copies if you
will send me an e-mail request,
dmartin 17>(a nc.rr.com.)
Three of our authors have written
poignant books about adult women
returning to their hometowns, strug
gling to renew their relationships
with their parents and friends, and to
tlnd meaning in their lives. Pamela
Duncan’s Plant Life focuses on a
North Carolina mill village. Haven
Kimmel’s The Solace of Leaving
Early features a troubled common
well-educated woman trying to get
her feet on the ground in a parochial
Midwestern town. Gwendoline
Fortune’s Growing Up Nigger Rich
presents the complex challenges of
an African American woman who
returns to her Carolina hometown
after spending many years “up
north.”
Another novel is set in the moun
tains near the North Carolina-South
Carolina border. One Foot in Eden
by Ron Rash is a murder mystery,
lovingly told by an award winning
poet.
Virginia Hillman’s interview
about growing up and dealing with
her mother’s severe mental illness
can bring a reader to tears. So will
her interview. Her book is Rescuing
Worth Repeating
Archie McDiarmid, afterobtaining his fourth leader dog: “When you live
with them, they become part of your family.”
Patty Hearst.
Finally, one of our most exciting
interviews is with UNC Chapel Hill
soccer Coach Anson Dorrance. His
new book The Vision ofaChampion is
aimed at young women soccer players.
But his views on teaching and inspir
ing young athletes provide lessons in
leadership that will challenge every
one who reads his book—or watches
his interview.
I hope that you will add some of
these books to your summer reading
list—and mark Sundays at 5:00 p.m.
on your television viewing schedule
this summer.
The complete North Carolina
Bookwatch summer schedule follows:
• July 6: Ron Rash, One Foot in
Eden
• July 13: Virginia Holman, Rescu
ing Patty Hearst
•July 20: Timothy Silver Mount
Mitchell & The Black Mountains:
An Environmental History of the
Highest Peaks in Eastern America
• July 27: Gwendoline Fortune,
Growing Up Nigger Rich
• August 3: Orson Scott Card,
Shadow Puppets
• August 10: Robert Durden, Bold
Entrepreneur; A Life of James B. Duke
•August 17: Haven Kimmel, The
Solace of Leaving Early
• • August 24: Catherine Bishir/
Michael Southern, A Guide to the His
toric Architecture of Piedmont North
Carolina
•August 31: Carole Boston
Weatherford, Princeville: 500 Year
Flood
• September 7: Pamela Duncan,
Plant Life
•September 14: David Cecelski,
The Waterman’s Song
•September 21: Anson Dorrance,
The Vision of a Champion
For more details, check the UNC
TV web site at the following address:
http://www.unctv.org/
ncbookwatch/episodes.html
and vote for candidates who will not
"and auction themselves to the high
est bidder in the comm unity of special
interests."
Think about it, please!
Robert C. Currie Jr.
Laurinbui'g
Wagons move on
To The Editor:
This year marked the 40th year of
the Hoke County Wagon Train.
Thanks to everyone who made it a
success.
To LaFayette Ford for the new
lead truck; Home Food, our super
sponsors; and all of the other spon
sors, too.
Also, staff members and wagon
masters for the hard work to make it
successful.
To The Sheriff s Department and
the City of Raeford for helping to
make it a safe one; The News-Journal
for the pictures and write-ups. To
Luke McNeill for the VCR tapes —
they were super and very enjoyable to
watch.
Let’s look forward to next year.
Thanks
Hoke County
Wagon Train members
Need school adjustment
To the Editor:
It is about time that the people of
Hoke County wake up and demand
that their so-called school and county
leaders start doing more than just
showing up for their
monthly meetings and pretending
to be concerned about our county and
school kids. Until we get the leader
ship off their butts and make them
earn all the money they are getting
from the people of Hoke County.
Let’s start from the top: school
superintendent. 1 went to high school
at 1 loke County High and never in the
years that I attended did we need as
many assistant and
assistant to the assistant as we have
now.
When Dr. Raz’s ran things in the
school system you never had to look
to far to find him —or Mr. Steed;
they were always somewhere to be
found, I have went to the Board of Ed
penty of times to speak with Mr.
Strickland and always got the same
old answers: He’s out right now, no
matter what time of day it is.
If the system is short of money
than we should start from the top and
make adjustment from there.
What we have now is people com
ing to Hoke County using it for a
stepping stone and moving on. These
so-call leaders are even forcing our
local home grown teacher to leave
Hoke and seek jobs in other counties,
if you don’t believe it, just take a trip
to the other counties and sec how
many Hoke folks you will run into.
Loc'k at how many principal and
assistant we are losing this year so
where are the leadership going?
Freddie McPhaul
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