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THE TOP STORY: A VP debate primer INSIDE ... The effects of education politics By Chris Graham/AFP Want to know why Augusta County needs a fourth public middle school? Stop by S. Gordon Stewart Middle School for lunch. You'll have plenty of opportunities in case you end up running late. They have nine lunch periods there, after all. "I know it sounds bad to say that we have to have nine lunches to get everybody in and out of here ..." IN FOCUS: The $21 million gamble By Chris Graham/AFP Guess who foots the bill if revenues generated by the Stonewall Jackson Hotel and Conference Center don't meet the expectations of Staunton leaders when they signed off on the $21 million renovation deal last year? Uh-huh. City taxpayers are going to be the ones on the hook for $600,000 a year in debt service for the hotel and conference center ... ROCKINGHAM BEAT: From the WSVA newsroom ... By Karl Magenhofer and Miriam Dickler Suspended sentence for purse snatcher Petition against change in gun rules started at JMU EYE ON THE VALLEY: Relief sale raises $ for good cause By Jim Bishop Mild temperatures and hazy sunshine, instead of forecasted rain, provided a pleasant backdrop for the 38th annual Virginia Mennonite Relief Sale held this past weekend at the Rockingham County Fairgrounds. The sale raised $234,300 in gross receipts for the worldwide-relief program ... THE NOTEBOOK: Do Not Call upheld by Supreme Court By Chris Graham/AFP Good news - your phone isn't going to start ringing off the hook with calls from telemarketers because of any legal technicality. Without comment, the United States Supreme Court on Monday let stand a federal appeals-court ruling that held that the government's do-not-call list is not a violation of the free-speech rights of telemarketers. NOTES FROM THE PRESS: News wired By Chris Graham/AFP Eliot Brenner was nervous - and that's putting it mildly. The United Press International wire-service reporter had just gotten the word that the mission to rescue American hostages held captive by Islamic militants in Iran had failed. "My source called me at 1:30, which was when most of the papers on the East Coast were wrapping up for the night ..." EDUCATION TODAY: Education and the law By Stephen Winslow In case you haven't noticed, laws are an extremely important part of education. More importantly, understanding how laws influence education and the classroom may be the single most important information a parent, teacher and student can possess. The difficulty lies in translation of laws and how they influence the classroom. AROUND TOWN: WVPT storytime today in The 'Burg By Chris Graham/AFP It's the first Tuesday of the month, and at WVPT, that means it's ... storytime. The Harrisonburg-based PBS affiliate holds storytimes for preschoolers and their parents at the Barnes & Noble bookstore in the Friendly City the first Tuesday of every month. OBITUARIES: Oct. 05, 2004 Alberta Payne Johnson Wiseman, 102
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Why they fought the war
Guest View Armond "Si" Simmons Special to The Augusta Free Press
Why they fought the war ... It was in their genes; more specifically, the rebellious or "Rebel" gene. A "Rebel" gene that crossed the Atlantic as we rebelled against the restrictive power of British Crown and headed for a new life in the new world. A "Rebel" gene that fought a war against the British Crown, rebelling for our right to secede from a corrupt government. A "Rebel" gene that led the rebellious argument, as evidenced by The Federalist Papers, against the formation of a union of states (United States) for fear of eventually returning to the overbearing demands of a federal power from which we fought to escape. A "Rebel" gene that reluctantly agreed to the formation of a union, but only after rebelling for the promulgation of a protective constitution that would guarantee that any federal power would be limited to essentially a few basic tasks: provide for a common defense, promote and facilitate commerce between the states, etc. A "Rebel" gene that rebelled against the gradual creep of the feared federal power of this "United States" government in violation of the Constitution. A "Rebel" gene that rebelled and fought a war against an overpowering United States central government that denied our states the inalienable right to secede from a corrupt government. A "Rebel" gene that lost a war for the restoration of the rights of our individual states; a war that, sadly, set the stage for the encroaching federal monarchy (royalty) under which we suffer today. A "Rebel" gene that gets up, brushes itself off and continues incessantly today, rebelling against those same creeping encroachments feared by our founding fathers that threaten freedom. A "Rebel" gene that despite setbacks has been our nation's salvation to date. A "Rebel" gene, the urge from which emanates the patriotic, moral and appropriate rebelliousness we witness today in Dixie, in the conservative media and in these forums. A "Rebel" gene that makes us proud. . Could you be a closet "Rebel"? For y'all who are ... come on out! Come on down! It's in your genes!
Armond "Si" Simmons resides in Pell City, Ala.
The views expressed by op-ed writers do not necessarily reflect those of management of The Augusta Free Press.
What do you think? Share your thoughts on this story at letters@augustafreepress.com.
(Published 09-30-04/Opinion) Click here to email a copy of this story to a friend |
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