JIM
HEFFNER
Columnist
What's your persuasion?
A couple of weeks ago Dan Rather visited Charlotte
for a speaking engagement. He appeared on Channel 3
news and was interviewed by my favorite radio man,
Mike Collins on WBT. :
Collins got into the question of whether news media
people were all liberals, as is claimed by some. Well,
of course all media people aren't liberals, but I can't
think of one conservative on any of the major net-
works, and all the large newspapers are laced with lib-
eral reporters and editors.
Many will argue that the press, nationwide is aore
conservative than liberal, and that's probably true. I
have made the point in the past, however, that the me-
dia in the larger centers of influence, New York,
Chicago, Los Angeles, et al, are peopled with those of
a liberal bent.
Anyway, Collins, nice guy that he is, cannot admit
to being a liberal. he asked Rather, "Are you a liberal?"
To which Rather replied, "I'm for clean water and tight
money, what does that make me?"
Conservatives don't mind being called conservative
while most liberals will tell you "I don't like labels."
I like Mike Collins a lot, but he really has trouble
being called a liberal. I think it's because he is conser-
vative on some points, but mostly his leanings are left
of center. I can tell that just by listening to him com-
ment on local and national issues.
Dan Rather, regardless of his tight money philoso-
phy, is a flaming liberal. I resent the fact that Rather
thinks only liberals are for clean water, but I don't dis-
like Rather.
My problem with most liberals is they absolutely
refuse to believe there is any other view.
Anyway, for those who don't know where they
stand. Here's a few quick checks:
If you are pro-abortion, you're more than likely lib-
eral.
Most conservatives can name at least ten John
Wayne movies.
Many liberals believe there is a hole in the ozone
layer over some part of the country (not always the
same geographical area). Al Gore thinks it's over
Bessemer City or McAdenville, I forget which.
If you agree with Rush Limbaugh 52 percent of the
time you probably have conservative leanings.
Liberals watch Murphy Brown on TV, while conser-
vatives would rather see re-runs of Gunsmoke.
Some liberals will go out into the woods and hug a
tree; conservatives will chop that same tree down
without giving it another thought.
If you voted for Clinton, you are probably a liberal.
If you voted for Bush or stayed home on election day,
you are probably a conservative. If you voted for
Perot, you're probably confused.
Some liberals don't eat meat. Some conservatives
don't eat broccoli.
Liberals call the first lady Hilary Rodham Clinton.
Conservatives call her President Clinton.
Liberals think Jesse Helms is a buffoon.
Conservative are certain Ted Kennedy is that and
worse.
A liberal will say, "I'd like to share something with
~ you." A conservative will say, "listen up, Bub, I'm only
going to say this once."
A liberal would never admit that JFK and Martin
Luther King were womanizers. A conservative would
say more power to them.
Liberals attend tennis matches. Conservatives go to
turkey shoots.
Liberals believe in a clean environment, so do con-
servatives, but conservatives don't think they have to
clutter up their clothes with green ribbons to prove it.
Liberals donate money to organizations such as
NOW and ACT-UP. Conservatives support the
Salvation Army and the Red Cross.
Liberals believe you should talk to your children,
not spank them. Conservatives believe you should talk
to your children as you spank them.
There you have it. Pick and choose, and in a few
days you'll know what you are.
TODAY'S BIBLE VERSE
"For when we were still without strength, in
due time Christ died for the ungodly.
"For scarcely for a righteous man will one die;
yet perhaps for a good man someone would even
dare to die.
"But God demonstrates His own love toward
us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died
for us." )
Romans 5:6-8
Established 1889
Published Thursday at East King Street at Canterbury Road,
Kings Mountain, North Carolina 28086,
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BOB RODE. scissor rari he piss Foe des Bas biarod Publisher
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Postmaster: Send Address Changes To:
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Your Right To Say It
Here's how the business section of Kings Mountain (Battleground Avenue) looked shortly after 1900. i
The picture was taken between 1900 and 1905, according to the January 27, 1944 Kings Mountain Herald. a
The buildings were occupied (from right to left) by ‘W.A. Mauney Brothers, W.A. Mauney Gents’
Furnishings, John White's Drug Store, Baker Hardware, I.W. Garrett General Store, Williford's Getteral ;
Store, and Tom Kendrick's and Clyde Webb Drug Store.
Our View
UNCC alumni wanted
To the editor:
. The UNC Charlotte Alumni tASdociation is search-
ing for 8,000 "lost" alumni and is seeking help from
the public to find them.
The university now has nearly 41,000 graduates on
its rolls, dating back to 1946 when the campus was es-
tablished as a center of the University of North
* ‘Carolina. But about 8,000 of them are coded with bad
~ addresses, and their whereabouts are unknown.
The Alumni Association has no way of communi-
cating with those "lost" alumni with bad addresses.
:Qur alumni are found in all 50 states and many
countries all over the world, but the vast majority re-
- main in the Southern Piedmont region.
~The university's records show that more than 30,000
© of UNC Charlotte's alumni live in North Carolina with
23,000 living in 13 counties in the Southern Piedmont.
‘More than 15,000 live in Mecklenburg County alone, a
larger total than any other university in the state.
Keeping up with all those graduates has been diffi-
cult, because of the growing pains of the fast growing
| university, the state's fourth largest with nearly 16,000
a students enrolled annually.
If you are a graduate of UNC Charlotte ( 1965-pre-
_ sent), Charlotte College (1949-65) or Charlotte Center
On December 9, two young Gaston County girls,
ages 13 and 15, were murdered in cold blood.
One of the alleged murderers told a reporter that he oh
allowed to go out with a 32-year-old man.’
and his partner slit their throats and stabbed them re-
peatedly with a straight razor and a pocket knife.
“The 13-year-old cried," he said, "but the other one
remained quiet."
How heartbreaking.
The girls were dating men much older than them-
selves. It has been reported the 13-year-old was keep-
ing company with a man 19 years her senior.
The girls disappeared on December 9, but their
mother didn't file a missing persons report until four
days later, according to news reports.
It is hard to fathom why a mother would wait that
long to report her two young daughters missing.
It doesn't matter that the girls skipped school and
Smoke detectors save lives
On Tuesday, December 28, two elderly ladies were
killed in a house fire in Bessemer City. The wooden
frame dwelling was not equipped with smoke detec-
tors.
Nobody knows for certain that the two women Ls
would have been saved had smoke detectors been pre-
sent, but there is that possibility.
Fire is a reality, especially this time of year when
cold weather entices some to turn up the heat or to use
Know where your kids are
they should have been reported missing every time
they disappeared, if that was the case.
. There isn't a 13-year-old girl on earth who should | ;
A parent should always know where his or her
young children are at all times. Children are, to a large
degree, helpless when they're that young, and they
need guidance and protection. If parents don't provide
that guidance and protection, they are derelict i in their
Thanks for business
duties.
It is a parent's responsibility to. take care of children
and to see to their safety. The world is full of preda-
tors, and their choice of prey is young and tender, = "=
These two girls will never wear a prom dress, drive
a car, enjoy another Christmas see another sunset or
. visit their grandparents again.
left home without permission on occasion. The fact i 15,
We should all pause and think about that. *
unsafe methods of heating their homes. One of fire's
accomplices is apathy.
There are many people out there who know they
“should have smoke detectors installed, but they "just
don't have the time" to get it done. It takes less time to
have the devices installed than it does to make funeral
arrangements.
We urge everyone in Kings Mountain t to get smoke
detectors if you don't have them.
Making of a celebrity
A couple of months ago you read here about Kings
Mountain's Tony Crawford catching an 88-pound
Buffalo Carp which set a new world's record.
The news has now spread around the globe, and it's
making the part owner of Midway Lakes in Kings
Mountain and Blacksburg a celebrity.
Bait and tackle companies are beating a path to his
door trying to get him to endorse their products, and
next month Crawford will be one of the featured
speakers at the Mid-Atlantic Boat Show at the
Charlotte Civic Center.
His record catch is now in the freezer, awaiting the
conclusion of a 90-day period required by the
International Game Fish Association to recognize it as
a world record. After that he will have the fish mount-
ed, and also have several replicas made, and go on the
road with it.
One stop will be the Game Fish Hall of Fame in
Haywood, Wisc., which will induct the fish as the
largest Carp ever caught. Crawford feels someday it
will come down, because he has his mind set on catch-
ing a 100-pounder to break the world's record for the
biggest game fish ever landed. The current record i isa
97-pound catfish.
Crawford has already appeared on several radio and
TV broadcasts, including the CBS Morning News with
Harry Smith and the very popular John Boy and Bill
Show on Charlotte radio. He has several seminars
lined up, and has had contact with Hank Parker and
Roland Martin about the possibility of taking them on
a carp fishing trip.
"Every time we go carp fishing we catch 30 and 40-
pounders," he says, "so it would make a very interest-
ing fishing show for one of the big boys."
GARY
STEWART
®
Editor
He is talking with two large department store chains
and one major reel company about endorsing their
products, and is working with former Kings Mountain
Mayor and South Atlantic Baseball League President
. John Henry Moss about some promotional work.
Crawford said he plans several promotions at Midway ;
Lakes this year. The lakes open the first week in
March.
Just this week, Crawford was contacted by a repre-
~ sentative of one of the top automobile manufacturers
about the use of two trucks to pull his equipment to
seminars and fishing shows.
“If all of these contacts work out, Crawford no doubt
will be spending a lot of time away from Midway
Lakes.
"I hope it works out, but we're still going to try to
run the lakes," he said. "But you do what you have to
- do. I think this is a big thing for this area and we're just
proud of it for what it can do for the area. This could
put Kings Mountain and Lake Wylie on the map be-
cause there will be a lot of people coming out to our
lake and to Lake Wylie because of this.
~ "It's not every day that a world record happens
around here."
4 .of the University of North Carolina (1946-49) and are
~ not getting correspondence from the
Alumni Association on a periodic basis, please notify
the Alumni Office of your current address, We want to
“keep up with your life's successes and maintain good
communications so that we may continue to serve you.
The telephone number for Alumni Affairs is 547-
2273 or 1-800-PIK-UNCC for those outside the
Mecklenburg calling area. Or you may want to write to
Alumni Affairs, 1021 Colvard Building, UNC
‘Charlotte, Charlotte, N.C. 28223. Office hours are 8
a.m. to'5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Thanks for your help.
; Garry L. Ballard
Director of Alumni Affairs
To the editor:
«To the citizens of Kings Mountain, thank you for
‘your support of our new business and your expressions
: of appreciation for our lowering gas prices, not only in
Kings Mountain but in neighboring areas of Cleveland
= County.
© Mike Heath is proud that he has put an end to the
price gouging that has gone on in KM for years. Too
"many KM people were taking their gasoline business
to Grover and Gastonia. Not only has Mike enabled
these people to support a hometown business, he will
also be paying substantial city taxes which, hopefully,
will further improve the town we live in.
~We appreciate your business. Our goals are to keep
gas prices low and give our customers the best, service
possible.
Thank you, Kings Mountain.
Sue Ann Heath
HERALD LETTER POLICY
The Herald welcomes your letters for publication in
each Thursday's paper. We ask that you use the follow-
= ing guidelines:
Keep the letters brief and to the point. Type and
- double space them, if possible. If not, write legibly. All
letters must be signed. Include your full name, address
and telephone number for verification purposes. .
i= The Herald reserves the right to edit letters for .
‘length, spelling, libel, slander, good taste, or any other
reason; and reserves the right to reject any letter for
any reason.
Mail letters to The Editor, P.O. Box 769, Kings
Mountain, N.C. 28086.
‘Memorize this number. If you see someone with a
weapon on a school campus in the Kings Mountain
area, call it. Confidentiality is assured.
Word 'vietim' has a new meaning
The word "victim" has a new definition in North
Carolina. According to Administrative Law Judge
Brenda Becton, a suspected criminal shot in the com-
mission of a crime can be a "victim" for the purpose of
qualifying for a $20,000 award from the N.C Victim
Compensation Fund. The fund was established by the
state to award crime victims up to
$20,000 for lost wages, counseling expenses and hos-
pital bills. The fund recently ran out of money and has
not been replenished by the state.
Mark McCrimmon, the "victim," was shotbya
Moore County general store owner while attempting to
flee the store's premises after he stole a twenty dollar
bill from a customer and a soda from the store. The
store owner, Fred Sineath, demanded that the intoxi-
cated McCrimmon stop, but when he continued out the
door, Mr. Sineath shot him. A bullet struck
McCrimmon in the back.
This was not McCrimmon's first criminal act. He
had been out of prison just seven months after being
released early under North Carolina's prison cap for
breaking and entering and assault on a female. He has
now been charged with larceny in the general store
THOMAS GOOLSBY
Carolina ‘Syndicated
Columns
case. Mr. Sineath, the store owner, has been sued by.
McCrimmon for the shooting and has been charged
with assault by the District Attorney.
Where does it all end? It all could end in a night-
mare of Orwellian proportions. The criminal has been
accorded "victim" status by Judge Becton through
some convoluted thought process that would make
Roy Bean turn over in his grave. In addition to the
$20,000 awarded him by the judge at the expense of
other "real victims,” McCrimmon may be victorious in
his lawsuit against the store owner who shot him. Who
knows, maybe McCrimmon will end up owning the
store. And what of our would-be, should-be hero, the
store owner, Mr. Sineath? He may lose everything in
the civil suit and could even be sent to jail for "assault-
ing" McCrimmon.
In an interview with the Associated Press, Mr.
Sineath said, "I feel like my rights are being violated
when I can't protect my customers or myself. 1 didn't
ask for this situation. He brought it to me, and it's cost
me hundreds of dollars.” Mr. Sineath is correct. His
"rights and the rights of every law-abiding North
“ “Carolinian have been violated by a criminal justice
system that is anything but just.
Lawbreakers are accorded victim status while hard-
. working, upstanding citizens are treated like criminals.
Why does it surprise us that our crime rate is going
through the roof? Crime pays and it pays well. The
risks are few and the rewards are high. McCrimmon
may have taken a bullet in the back, but who knows.
with a good lawyer he may soon be the owner of a
general store. So much for the American dream of
working hard and getting ahead.
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