The Caldwell County News - January 25, 2012
Opinion/Editorial
Page 2
Going against the grain with “Friends in Low Places” By Lisa Parris
New column explains the 43rd Judicial Circuit “From the 43rd” is a nonpartisan article submitted by the joint effort of 43rd Circuit Judges Tom Chapman and Brent Elliott. The purpose of the article is to give residents a better understanding of the judicial system as well as specific operations within the Circuit. No explanation or example utilized herein should in any way be interpreted as reflecting the judge’s approval or disapproval of any law or rule. A circuit judge’s job is to fairly and impartially apply the law, not change it. What is the 43rd Circuit and how was it formed? Pursuant to Article V Section 15 of the Missouri Constitution, boundaries of judicial circuits are established
From the 43rd statutorily (Legislative passage with Gubernatorial approval). The Forty Third Judicial Circuit was originally formed by the enactment of Senate Bill 96 in 1959. It initially consisted of Caldwell, Daviess and Livingston Counties. In 1969, DeKalb County was transferred from the 6th Circuit into the 43rd. In 1981, Senate Bill 24 was enacted moving Clinton County from the 5th to the43rd Judicial Circuit. In addition, a circuit judge was added creating Divisions I and II, respectively. When seeking election, Circuit judges must declare which Division they are running in and, regardless of their Division, candidates must
run for election in all five counties of the circuit. Currently, Thomas N. Chapman, of Chillicothe is the Division I judge and R. Brent Elliott, of Stewartsville is Division II judge. In 2010, Judge Chapman was elected to fill the unexpired term created by Warren McElwain’s retirement and Judge Elliott was elected to fill the unexpired term created by the retirement of Steve Griffin. Look for the next “From the 43rd” that will discuss selection and term lengths of Missouri’s judges. NOTE: The 2010, 43rd Circuit Judge elections were a Missouri first. It was the first time in history both judges in a two-judge circuit retired in
Democrat field narrows The Democrat’s choice for the Republican Presidential nomination has now narrowed to one – Mitt Romney. Jon Huntsman, who was attractive to many Democrats, even though they would still pull the lever for Obama, decided to bring his limp campaign to an inglorious end. The former Obama choice for ambassador to China has decided to throw his left-wing support to Romney, whom he had previously said had no chance to beat the current occupier of the Oval Office. It seems to me that Huntsman was trying to throw his name into the hat from whence Romney will pull out his Vice-Presidential rabbit. The tepid, former Governor of Utah won’t even give the “mental midget” Joe Biden much of a debate opponent, but tagging along with Mitt is his only chance to gain higher office; and of course, Romney will eventually buy the nomination. Huntsman perceived the present atmosphere within the Republican debate to be too toxic, and that the GOP needed to come together
Area Briefs Work on Chillicothe’s new hospital continues at a “fullsped ahead” pace, with groundbreaking hoped for around mid-April.-Chillicothe ConstitutionTribune Counselors and ministers were called to the South Harrison Elementary School on Wednesday to help children deal with the tragic death of their classmate,
Conservative Commentary around the candidate he is courting for the side-kick position. It’s ironic that the Democrats and their allies in the press never assumed the 2008 campaign for “chief donkey” to be toxic, even when Bill Clinton and his bride were accusing Obama of playing the race card on their campaign. I’m also pretty sure the whole “birther” campaign began at the bequest of Hillary. No, not toxic at all. Nevertheless, we conservatives are being told, if Romney can clinch South Carolina, we need to just roll over and accept the inevitable, even though he can only count 12 delegates to his name at this time. Mitt only has to garner 1,132 more delegates for nomination. Why can’t we see that he is almost over the top? I wish the atmosphere was less divisive, but how did it become that way? The truth is, Romney’s rich allies and the Ron Paul-nuts launched a devastating campaign against Gingrich in Iowa, and the only
person upset with the attack was Newt. There was hardly a word from the press; they had been staunchly behind Romney from the beginning, broadcasting the myth that he is the only man able to beat the worst President the nation has ever witnessed. Since Santorum had the temerity to challenge Romney and his millions, he too has come under the same virulent attacks. He and Gingrich have both tried to fight back; and for their efforts, they have been declared as purveyors of the toxic atmosphere. Romney may win the nomination, especially if Perry, Gingrich, and Santorum can’t throw-in together and slow down the landslide. It is a daunting task at best, because the full weight of the Democrat Party, the press, and Romney’s Republican Party big-wigs are determined to grease the skids for him. We conservatives will be left with a candidate with no core beliefs and the Wall Street and Romney-care background that Obama and the press has been salivating to challenge. That is toxic!❦
Jeremiah D. Lamm, 7, whose body was found in a burning mobile home northwest of Bethany. According to authorities, Jeremiah was the victim of a murder committed by his father, Tony Ray King, 28, of Bethany, who allegedly set the mobile home on fire in an attempt to cover up the crime.—Bethany Republican-Clipper Premium Standard Farms (PSF) has announced it has successfully completed
installing “Next Generation” barn scraper technology at its farms in north Missouri seven months ahead of schedule.—Princeton PostTelegraph After holding a two-hour workshop Thursday night, Odessa aldermen agreed to decide at a Monday night meeting whether to place a revenue bond issue to address sewer and water problems on the April 3 ballot.—The Odessan
By Bill Arthur
The Caldwell County News Continuing The Hamilton Advocate and The Braymer Bee Vol. 142, Issue 31, Wednesday, January 25, 2012 Published weekly at 101 S. Davis • P.O. Box 187 • Hamilton, Missouri 64644 Phone (816) 583-2116 • Fax (816) 583-2118 • e-mail: news@mycaldwellcounty.com Web Page:www.mycaldwellcounty.com (USPS 233-500) L&L Publications, Inc., Owner Incorporated under the laws of Missouri AUGUST 6, 1985
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I want to tell you I didn’t know what I was doing, but that would be a lie. I knew... Two days before I started my teaching job, the director of the school had my Chinese teaching partner, Gordon, take me to a “re-education center.” A small crowd had gathered around the fence that surrounded the building. A frail-looking man in tattered clothing was led toward the gate. He was made to kneel. Then he was executed. I was standing so close I could smell the metallic scent of blood as it mixed with the air. Gordon turned to me, solemn and sad. “So sorry. They make me bring you. They say you must see. You live under Chinese law now. You understand?” Back at the office, the director handed me a long list of forbidden topics: the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, any national anthem or flag other than China’s, the Chinese Cultural Revolution, Tiananmen Square... In China, the official policy is: There was NEVER a protest or massacre at Tiananmen Square. The Chinese army did not open fire on crowds of students, killing several hundred unarmed protesters. It did NOT happen. They have a similar policy on the Cultural Revolution. So, when I popped my “Garth Brooks Greatest Hits” DVD in and hit PLAY, I knew it probably was not the best idea because there was bound to be at least a little bit of flag waving, but my students loved
Behind the Great Wall Part 10 of a Series cowboys... so what the heck. I didn’t realize how big a mistake I had made until the “We Shall Be Free” video began to roll. About 30 seconds into the video, there is a crystal clear shot of a group of Chinese students perched on top of a van, blood pouring from their bandaged heads, waving the Chinese flags while screaming “Dz-you! Dzyou!” – The Chinese word for freedom. In the background, Garth was singing, “When the last man dies for just words that he said...” A buzz went through my class as I ran towards the television. I reached for the stop button amid cries of, “Teacher, is that China?” and “Teacher, what has happened?” And instead of stopping the video, I paused. The footage changed: American flags; American soldiers; the Berlin wall, a pile of sheet covered bodies; a throng of screaming students- Maybe they would forget. Then the camera moved in on a single Chinese student standing before a string of tanks, refusing to be moved. My students had no way of
knowing, these same tanks would soon plow through crowds of people, leaving a trail of death and destruction in their wake. The incident has been officially and completely erased from Chinese history. But I knew. I had seen it happen. I had watched the Tiananmen massacre unfold almost 20 years earlier from the safety of my living room a million miles away. I hesitated and then I looked at my class. I saw it in their eyes- the shock, the sadness, the fear, the outrage. I stopped the video, but the damage had been done. Later that evening, when I heard voices in the hall followed by a knock at my door, I was expecting my director. I figured he would have a few choice words to say about my video. I did not expect six armed policemen to come storming into my apartment brandishing rifles and screaming at me in Chinese. I had no idea what they were saying, but I was pretty sure they were not reading me my rights as they forced me to my knees and placed a shotgun to my head. I could not speak. I could not breathe. It took all of my strength to not cry. Stubborn as I am, I simply would not give them the satisfaction. It was almost a relief when they snapped the handcuffs around my wrists and drug me to my feet. I was alive and I was being taken to a Chinese jail. (To be continued...)❦
A mild case of time travel in Nashville On January 15th, 2012, I time-traveled. A little bit. Ok, not really. But I was surrounded by Union and Confederate Civil War officers and their staff. While it was somewhat surreal, I attended the Blue and Gray Alliance leadership in Nashville at the invitation of some of our Missouri reenactors, especially our own Capt. Bob Green and Lt. Col. Slocum, both of the Confederacy. On Saturday, both the Union and Confederacy wore their uniforms to a day-long planning session. We are in the midst of the Civil War Sesquicentennial, which is a very long word for the 150th anniversary. The reenactors were planning enormous reenactments for this year including Antietam and Chickamauga. Both of these reenactments involve thousands of reenactors and thousands of acres of land. I have nothing but admiration for the depth and excellence of the people who are planning these events. The Generals and their staffs are excellent planners with high standards for safety and authenticity. Yet, with all the planning for these mammoth events, they were gracious enough to provide me the time to review our plans for the Caldwell County Area Business
Communities at Crossroads By John Deis Association’s Kingston reenactment planned for June 1-3 of this year. Looking for a little sympathy with humor, I said that I felt like a Chihuahua that had managed to sneak up on the front porch with the big dogs. There was actually genuine interest in our event because it was part of the Civil War border wars, which was a different aspect of the war in what was then called the TransMississippi. While in Nashville, Beverly and I toured the Tennessee State Museum. As typical in a museum this size, there were full-size dioramas, including depictions of the Civil War in Tennessee. While interesting, the dioramas were of scenes now familiar to me, since I’ve seen them with reenactors. What particularly struck me was a diorama of two real cannons with full-sized cutouts of the artillerymen in their positions about the cannons. If you were at the reenactment in 2009, you saw reenactors in exactly those positions – but they were moving and actually firing the cannons. Why does that matter? While a diorama gives me an impression, what really sinks in is a greater level of
appreciation for actual battles that our ancestors endured in a reenactment. The Civil War defined America and her ideals. You have heard the phrase “Freedom is not free.” More Americans died in the Civil War than all wars since then. Reenactments are not meant to glorify war – only to increase our appreciation of the price that was paid. Caldwell County was a tough place to live during the 1860s. The reenactments are based upon real events that happened in 1861 and 1864. If you would like to be a “civilian” in the 1864 raid, here is your opportunity to emote! The Caldwell County Library will soon hold seminars in making 1860s period clothing. Call them at 816-586-2220 for more information. If you are interested in working with the Caldwell County Area Business Association in either planning and/or working the June 1-3 reenactment, please call me at 816-465-0052 or email me at jdeis1@yahoo.com. We still need volunteers. If nothing else, spread the word on Facebook and Twitter by linking to our site at http:// www.caldwellcountymissouri.com/ civilwar. ❦
Vote for Mom! Why my mom should be president As campaigning for the The CCN weekly top ten next presidential election heats up, I find myself suffering from a severe case of electile dysfunction: A complete inability to become aroused by any of the current candidates. What this country needs is a fearless, independent leader. With that in mind, I hereby nominate my mother for president for the following reasons: 10) She could negotiate peace between rival political parties with one hand tied behind her back. When Republicans and Democrats refuse to get along, she will simply make them sit beside each other and hold hands until they learn to love one another. 9) She has no experience in politics. She has no clue what foreign policy is. She has no military experience. Her grip on reality is questionable. So, she’s already as good as our current
By Lisa Parris commander in chief. 8) She speaks her mind. You never wonder what she means or where she stands. In addition, she has no tolerance for idiocy and routinely responds to public displays of brainlessness with, “Did you eat a big bowl of stupid for breakfast this morning, or what?” 7) She supports the first amendment and has no problem with people burning the flag in protest, as long as they wrap themselves in it before they set it on fire. 6) She has a refreshingly honest campaign slogan: “If elected, I will do something.” 5) She is a woman of vision, though it is limited by thick, bi-focal lenses. 4) She is a woman of action. She is currently engaged in a one-woman
crusade against commercials featuring politicians because “it’s illegal to show boobs on regular TV.” 3) She loves the environment and why not, the earth is one of the few living things older than she is. 2) She has a great pet, a yellow lab named Gracie, who would look right at home digging holes in the White House lawn. 1) She never makes a promise she can’t keep. For example, in 2012, her platform could be built around the following concept: “If I ran the country, things would be much, much better... for me, anyway. For you, it would probably be about the same.”❦