Macon Telegraph: Opinion

High court should rehear arguments on child rape

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 20:43 EDT

When the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 on June 25 that the Constitution prohibits the death penalty in the rape of a child, it made what can only be described as a monumental legal error. Had this mistake not been made, the decision vacating a death sentence and quashing the child-rape laws of six states might well have gone the other way. The decision, written by Justice Anthony Kennedy, was, according to The New York Times, based in large part on his supposition that "because child rape was a capital offense in only six states, and not under federal law," (emphasis ours) the crime did not meet the "evolving standards of decency" by which the high court judges capital punishment.

Changing the rules mid-game

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 20:43 EDT

Few would argue with taking corrective measures to bring up a school that is consistently failing to meet minimum performance goals. Certainly, the education of a community's children is of paramount importance, and considering the sorry state of public schools' test scores, it's not surprising that 46 Georgia schools, including Southwest in Macon, have had a "needs improvement" status for at least five years. Last week, the Bibb school board learned that Southwest, and possibly Weaver Middle School, a "needs improvement school" for four years, might come under state control in the approaching school year.

This is Perspective for Saturday, July 5, 2008

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 11:38 EDT

THUMBS UP

The birth of a new nation

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 20:43 EDT

It was 68 degrees in Philadelphia, according to Thomas Jefferson, the morning of July 4, 1776. Jefferson was there, along with 55 other patriots, to sign a document he had largely penned. All the men and thousands more were about to take a leap of faith. A leap toward independence, and quite possibly, a leap to certain death.

Drinking the Koolade

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 20:43 EDT

A recent news report proclaims that half of Americans believe that U.S. schools are doing only a fair or poor job. The poll released June 27 by the Associated Press says that education ranks only behind the economy and gas prices as Americans' primary concern. Coincidentally, in the same edition of the newspaper, James Dobson's "Focus on the Family" column, speaking of the challenges of parenthood, observes that the task is made more difficult today by a culture that undermines and contradicts most of what parents are trying to accomplish.

Giving gun owners a bad rap

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 17:55 EDT

Most gun owners are fine, upstanding citizens who wouldn't harm a fly, however, it is the likes of John Monroe, the attorney for Georgia Carry.org and state Rep. Tim Bearden, R-Villa Rica, who give those law-abiding gun owners a moniker they don't deserve: Gun nuts.

Bibb commission does right thing with SPLOST funds

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 17:55 EDT

The Bibb County Commission voted unanimously to roll back property taxes 2 mills. Later this month the commission will officially set the tax levy. The rollback will save owners of a $100,000 home about $80. Is Bibb County so flushed with cash that it can afford to give back almost $8 million? Was all the blood on the floor, the cutting of agencies, including the Bibb transit system, just last month necessary?

Personal responsibility

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 08:59 EDT

A few weeks ago I was invited to speak to a class on cultural diversity at Macon State College and while we talked about many issues, one was on all of our minds: The upcoming election.

Sex offender law virtually ineffective and unenforcable

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 08:59 EDT

No one in his or her right mind wants Georgia's public threatened by sexual predators. There must be a law to protect residents and their children from those depraved persons who rape or sexually assault victims vulnerable to such attack. There are factors though, that the General Assembly has repeatedly ignored as it enacted and then was forced to retool what is considered one of the nation's toughest sexual offender laws. The law is fraught with elements that leave it open to legal challenge. The law, incidentally, went back into effect again Tuesday.

Governor's idea smoke and mirrors

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 08:58 EDT

Gov. Sonny Perdue is troubled. It seems to the governor that counties are revaluing property with increasing frequency and blaming it on state requirements. By law, counties have to keep property assessed at 40 percent of fair market value or face state fines. What's worse, if a county, like Bibb, allows property to get out of whack there are all sorts of repercussions. Of course, the county and city have less money to work with and school systems, whether the tax digest is up-to-date or not, are given money based on what the digest should be, not what it is. Bibb County property hasn't been reassessed since 2001, meaning the school system has missed out on millions of dollars.

High stakes CRCT testing didn't end social promotion

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 09:13 EDT

The Criterion Referenced Competency Tests are big deals for every school system, so much so that millions of dollars are shelled out each summer to give students remedial instruction. In Bibb County, due to 58 percent of eighth-graders failing the math portion of the test, summer school costs skyrocketed. More than 185 teachers had to be hired to work the summer session that ended last week at six locations. Critical testing occurs in the third, fifth and eighth grades. The Georgia law, intended to halt social promotions, requires students to pass all sections of the test before they can move on to the next grade level. Or do they?

Macon, Bibb looked the other way

Sat, 28 Jun 2008 10:55 EDT

If residents complain loudly enough about apparent violations of law, chances are police agencies eventually will respond. Last week, they did. Macon and Bibb County officers swooped down on the rapidly growing "massage parlor" industry, charging 13 women at eight local parlors with operating or participating in houses of prostitution. Arrest warrants also were issued for employees of two other parlors, alleging various sex-act violations.

Time to increase enrollment for Georgia's pre-K children

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 18:25 EDT

What a difference a year makes.

City has looked other way too long

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 18:25 EDT

If residents complain long and loudly enough about what appears to be obvious violations of law, chances are the police eventually will respond. Late last week, they did. Macon officers swooped down on the city's rapidly growing "massage parlor" industry, charging nine women at six local parlors with operating or participating in houses of prostitution. Arrest warrants also were issued for three other parlor operators or employees, alleging various sex-act violations.

High court's handgun ruling assures right of protection

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 10:42 EDT

For decades, gun-rights advocates and their opponents have engaged in lengthy and often heated arguments over the interpretation of the wording of the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution: "A well-regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed." Did it link, as the argument went, ownership of guns to service in a state militia? Or, was the intent of the amendment to ensure, as advocates insisted, that it meant exactly what it said - that the right to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed?

This is Perspective for Saturday, June 28, 2008

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 12:57 EDT

THUMBS UP

High court's handgun ruling assures right of protection

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 13:57 EDT

Punting problems to next year

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 17:57 EDT

Macon's City Council has come through a rough period, and it's not over yet. The Appropriations Committee has unanimously passed the 2009 budget and Tuesday the full council will vote it up or down. If the outcome is positive, Mayor Robert Reichert has indicated that he will sign the measure.

We owe vets a boost

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 17:57 EDT

Thursday, the Senate was on track to pass the new GI Bill attached to the war funding measure, and the president said he would sign it, after a threatened veto of an earlier version won a couple of Democratic concessions.

Time to inject 'justice' back into U.S. Justice Department

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 19:41 EDT

The list of wrongdoings by high-ranking officials of the U.S. Department of Justice grew this week with the revelation by the federal agency's own inspector general that law students and young attorneys seeking Justice Department internships and jobs in 2002 and 2006 were selected based on their political leanings, not academic or work credentials.