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Editor's Notes
**** Much has been said and written on radio shock jock Don Imus' lack of good judgment (as though he ever had any to start with) in calling Rutgers University women basketball players a bunch of "nappy-headed hos." Imus strayed over the thin line of civility and respectability but other entertainers (I won't call them newsmen or commentators) do the same thing- Rush Limbaugh and Bill O'Reilly come to mind on the national scene. In Alabama, our own Paul Finebaum has an overly acid tongue for sports commentary. Why, even right here in Clarke County there are a few Limbaugh or Imus wannabees. Blame Imus and all the rest but also blame those who watch and/or listen to them. Don Imus would only be another grouchy old guy without his radio show platform (that may be what he is now that CBS and MSNBC have cancelled him). Much has been made of black rap music's use of the word "hos" (no, not the garden tool but rather members of the world's oldest professions) and other vulgaries too offensive to list in a family newspaper. Some suggest they are to blame, and not Imus. They are both are to blame. Imus' intent is to offend and ditto for black rappers who need a good old-fashioned mouth washing with soap. Some blacks foolishly protest that it is all right for blacks to call each other "hos" and the n-word but when whites do they cross a line. I guess I can see that a little. Good ol' rednecks don't mind being called that by other good ol' rednecks but they take offense when it comes from others. We don't need to hamper serious dialogue on important issues but a little more respect, a little more civility in the way we treat our fellowman- whether of our own color and kind or not- won't hamper those discussions and could even improve them. **** The mass shootings at Virginia Tech that left 33 people dead was a shocking and deplorable incident. As I write this on Monday afternoon, the story is still developing. What is known is that a gunman, apparently a Tech student, killed first in a campus dormitory and then in a classroom across campus. The assailant apparently killed himself. It is the worse massacre on a school campus in the nation's history, surpassing the killing of 16 people on the University of Texas at Austin campus in 1966. **** Congratulations to all of those who participated in Grove Hill's Relay for Life Friday evening. The community raised a record $52,738 for the American Cancer Society's cancer research efforts, far outpacing last year's $31,000. Cancer is a terrible life-taking disease. The fact that so many people have been adversely impacted is probably one reason why such a large sum could be so easily raised. One of the organizers, Emily Steadham, told the group Friday she hoped that they would eventually work themselves out of a job with Relay when a cure for cancer is found. I hope so too. See pictures on Page 1B. **** I saw my barber Winters Craft of Fulton at the Grove Hill hospital Monday. Winters (or simply "Craft" his friends and customers) suffered a mild stroke about two weeks ago that affected some of his movements, including the grip in one of his hands. That affected his ability to cut hair and his many customers have had to find alternative barbers. Craft says he is doing better and taking therapy and hopes to be back at work soon. Craft has been cutting hair at his Craft's Style Shop in Fulton since the 1960s. He's rarely taken a vacation other than a few days here and there. He says the nearly two weeks he's been out has made him realize how much he loves barbering and how much he misses his customers. Not nearly as much as we miss you, Craft.
Get well soon!
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