Show y 7' V": i f Sunday December 28 2002 I 'V ?' I i A4 ' Thie I Herald Journal Our view itA ‘6oiu(To UAVC To Ak too To e£tWE 5A5HU : — v-- A rciiciit letter to thie in this newspaper sharply editor i "“d eriti- - efforts to craft a "dark sky ordinance" in Sinithficld com- paring the idea of regulating city lights to Gestapo tactics in Nazi cied 1 ' Coincidentally this very thing happened in Smithfield in the recent elections two city council members whose actions rubbed some citizens the wrong way wercyotcd oiit of office A lighting law would be no different than dozens and dozens of 0thcr codes and regulations most tis conform to without batting - of Germany frankly we found this angry letter more fanatically Nazi-lik- e than anything proposed by Smithfield residents Ui control light pidiutipn in their cbmmuni- -- anordraarw like ihc ync Yes And if you’re on the losing end ?ollyyoU can campaign to who P3881 the unscal xh? that wasn’t to your liking ‘ discussed would place some CHCjCtfOIMt r : ‘ ani- -- " leash laws burning rcstoc-restrictions bn nighttime lighting these tions noise ordinances in the city in ah efl’ort to maintain ' observe we arc collectively an important what Mime see-acomof tbc the greater good aspect of Smithfield's quality of life You may agree wiih the con- - munity Some towns have more 7 than others usually in direct pro- ccpt or disagree But to compare such an ordinance or the effort to portion to the size of their popu-- : kitions Smithfield is growing so enact anything done by the Nazisisfrightcninglyrcac?! naturally there is goingtobe v more pressure to protect commuv nonary ' : Citizen task forces city cou- nnity interests over individual ms - ' By Arrirr Brunson Thai' I told him was hot an option ' ' was Christmas Eve I uttered this threat in the nicest tone of voice I could muster i: ‘Because it We were all going caroling and we were going to have the Christmas We drove a block iii silence each V ? spirit or else later still An we were us wondering how wfc would ever hour of hying 1 W°sag find the Christmas spirit The next tocajolethat boy out of his bed My husband finally wooed him into the house was dark except for a single idsiMirypanclsnisnialltown all r editorial is intended nei- fourths pf the brain that wesuppos- van with promises of a light I knocked anyway When our- ' it ucfciSs'Amcjica talk constantly foot had been U If use host a don't to aiiy neighbor opened the door 1 glared at massage lb endorse nor discourage the ‘edly sually - 7 I probably Christmas Eve stubbornbut of the amount abotitways to make their com-'' disproportionate night boys' choir menacingly and startordinance ’ especially ness - a trait that has compelled us to would have hauled the averse caroler ed singing with verve niupilies belter and have for 81 a “ra" f : P?08 iaw conqiier each other since our exisr sooner “We wish you a Meriy Christ- out to the van cars Sometimes those ideas find as 301 even ”een Psented yet : tence began and that has allowed us we ' ' 9 was To my amazement I heard yyhen maso” already 7 into laWsomctimcs pm iheirtway " mini-va- n ' to needs stand But rule animal the the drove tlK street across voice another and We then another somebody up is kingdom tq and thcri usually jICy : Those highly evolved reasoning but I was detonuned to make this' ibf amw - ' and lct it he knbwn that efforts sang it like the ChipmunkA so fast V event After another words were the caroling happen hardly recognizable nient hv any and cvetonc: along ' like the one fin Smithfield to ehact 1 think we 10 minutes everyone was finally out all of the lyrics out in V got in Thai such a law art 's grassrotrtS goverperfectly keepUipway that a? thc of the van and on tlK front porch Of one breath: It wasn’t the stuff Gram-cournance no fascism by a long shot ihg with the Amencan way food the the good neighbors wouldn’t of top my Awards are made of but it wasn't chain are sup- be able to see anybody but my hus- - 7 half bad and it wasn’t as hard as any ' “ band andme becausemychildrcn posed to posrVr of vis thought it would be sess are it back By the time we high-taile- d : io the van this time we were' all feel- 'actually over- powered by ing the Christinas spirit Or at least the festering of if :t and steaming : I was happy that we had caroled mass of brain matter that has been :even if jt was only one song The rrst mistakenly thought by scientists toy of the family was so relieved we : sang in a surpriringly singular voice be dormant This of course is my y Surely they'll join me 1 could all go home that they were thought ' unscientific opinion based on years Z with a panicked smilepasted on my 7 practically giddy of research' conducted while living face : We did have the Christmas spirit ' : leadership in practice! We did this By Army Chaplain Ken Godwin ' drank hot chocolate and ate ' around our kitchen this nearly magical if they were still time did the tension completely fade led (in iiir camp Many of the men ltVWIIIIJ4 VTW IldU fUl HITUiUil VWIV' husband paused from his home ' : my there- - They were but their mouths sometask-foree heroes away and 1 realize that perhaps I had fof mortV ' icuiniefl liiim a mission in lime for ' were clamped shut improvement wtiik to inteirypt my 7 ::bectt the stubborn onethat evening a Meriy Christmas - Luckily for me the rest of the family New Year” 1 finished s thought it was fuhny- - crazy but V v our friends the ' funny too ' The stubborn streak th is more 7 profuse than thie blood in our veins 1 I' f' A here s more than an thuseparating human ' 1 -- - te 'cr r!7rj LS " it - - : plenty-opportunit- - se : Commentary : Christmas in the trenches: A chaplain’s perspective pur-versio- : - - I - : - '" -WMUhadaM stronger tougher and more determined : Based on recent conversations I’ve h many of the men won- oereu tora While it time again beyond What body armor or iSfcuivxIulcvthe'V v an armored Vehicle ‘V men have begun to cgn offer MiineoJ Ik 7 mijrtant linksiitriir families and li lends hack home - : : - - i ulopl inanydogvin P lhv - v'' !' - ' : : Mv assistant anil I adopted one (in siinda v We ve nanied her VC0V hieli'is sheirt for Chapel Dog We- “ took her inioourniom figuring if 7sfie stayed with us at night she v 7" wpuUI sleep and ndthirk Worked the Mercifully: plan I The velennarijn spuyed hetyester lora while (liivH wasiouch-and-g- o Inn it seems that Cl) is going to be it will be nice to have a peti- '- WmHir'- caroling decided We’d deliver gifts on time and with ai I ITIISS - tunu‘8 bck'hon‘ 111 r Clded : WeV ihe other family members MA my enthusiasm were reluctantat best-- ' Tm not going to ' hnrultniH firmlv ” nfit “Pm my ' l?mg said in' hed for the test ohf ” the oi 7 nigni 77 : - - 's linllAHlil fiiniamil GI - -- ’ Kyj(it US Army Capt Ken Godwjn is task-forc- e chapiain for the 1st Battalion of the 87lh Infantry Regiment currently' locatetf at a fire base in the Paktika Province of eastern Afghanistan a Herakj Journal edu-cation reporter Her column appears on the Opinion poge every other Sunday: : at She can be reached by 77 abnmsonOhjnewsconi Arrin Bmrson is ' Herald Journal rGVGIBlIOII Dl GSGIllS tei The Opinion page UintandiBd to acquaint readers iwitti a variety of viewpwitB on mallere of public importanoe and prtwide memberi o( ttw oommunity with forunn lor tbair view Pereonal cokjmna cartoon and leltare from readers reflect tire opinion of thair writers and creators EdNoriait undsr ths headtog ‘Our ViesT represent the visws of ths Hereto Journal notarial boaid Members of the adtorial board: i ' ‘ made Until there is more candor about race in America the : “great sense of peace” that Washington-William- s now insists he’s experiencing will ' continue to be elusive tonduaons cut man GJqtij to Se gathered out of $ multitude of timgutstfvm tfmyfiany ftofautfumtativtscUction DARRELL CINDY EHRUOttokyadkor YUftIHlealureeadflor - an : BRUCE SMlTHpubiahar CHARLES McCOLLUMmanaging sdtor 'Letters What most found astonishing was die way that Washington- Williams went about setting ihe record straightThere wasn’t the anger and thirst for revenge and money that so many expected After all Washing- - — 4 - " ‘‘ ' " Story - The meal was so big we had toeat in shifts to accommodate everyone 7 And in keeping with Army tradition ' jhe officers in my company served the meal to the enlisted soldiers The ' traditidri really makes sense: servant i i- cele-jalapc- a result of being here I ever sing the Hamikkah song for me on the first night he lit the candles' ' stubborn '' — sinmj r He more - miliy Christmas i People haYc ®e?1 doing it for at least v 100 years and they always Jook ' happy in the illustrations I mustered up ronv: more enthusi- sHiated ir with the family '7 3811 We had ip more gifts to deliver arid golly we were going to keep at it f until we get it right at least once: t hiivegxpe rienced I’m convinced that C)d has prtivided protection time and time again beyond what body armor or an armored vehicle can offer The holiday worship scbedule'is a rTi :wlWW : I ? biisytime forme but consider it a ' ' - ' : high privilege to lead nien in Christ- ii ' 'mas worship in a cPmhat zone I’m VUS IT: reminding soldieis of the hope that circumthe Christ brings despite ' 'stances-theXT U 10: eats and even a turtle may find themselves in whether it’s cold or danger: or sepaSomciiines haying things that remind ' ration from loved ones us of home tie “Rtiver'T make the Uuf Williams who had to Watch " soldiers We also have Jewish three ‘separation af htiliday time less bitter Rocf jg y her legendary father’s funeral -1 in ask fPrce- of them who 7 Vl'lie Christiiiiismehu was a full : 77 on television last summer had ' been works in Ins office 7 beef loin: jtam iqy spread: turkey kept quiet despite the pun and V wife sent a pippers mashed pcitatoes 7: brating Hanukkah His he revelation that Essie anguish she no doubt endured menprah and the soldier has been gravy com green beans col- - over the years Washington-William- s is ’Mae lighting the candles'every night since the mixed-trac- e 'bird greens apple pie pumpkin pie : of What steength It’s the kind daughter Hanukkah started He seems to take peach pie I could go on arid 'on- arAnt srpreeaiinnisi - uat'e nrnB int fm- thu nm -a iu lirilnE 7f joj U rcesteblUhine hi JeWirt and : the lifeline between beUevr “K in? something and achieving it As wl set goals and list pur resolutions for the New Year this week perhaps r ' -- : t ' h should be: ‘ Typewritten and rtoubis spacad No more than 450 Words inlsnglh: : - : Addresssdsndtnctudsdsyflmaptananumbsrfor pwpoaasolvariflcation ' Signsdbythaautobr fndviduals are jfenitsd to onapubtehsd Isttsr wflhin any 30-ds- y letters to ' period Address t hP8ttorOhjnswacomGuss(oommsntarissareatao coma and are ran at ths sdkor's discretion JudgtLetntijiaai : American jwiit (1372-196- 1) wst- - ' ' |