Sweetwater Reporter (Sweetwater, Tex.), Vol. 112, No. 047, Ed. 1 Sunday, January 10, 2010 Page: 4 of 16
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Viewpoints
Page A4 ■ Sunday, January 10, 2010
Sweetwater Reporter
DEDICATED TO PROUDLY DELIVERING LOCAL NEWS SINCE 1881
Sweetwater
| \ OWCCLWclLCI 1
Reporter
P.O. Box 750/112 W. Third
Sweetwater, Texas 79556
325/236-6677
Fax: 325/235-4967
Website:
www.sweetwaterreporter.com
E-maii addresses
publisher@sweetwaterreporter.com
business@sweetwaterreporter.com
advertising@sweetwaterreporter.com
circulation@sweetwaterreporter.com
editor@sweetwaterreporter.com
composing@sweetwaterreporter.com
Sharon LRiedlander
publisftur/ad director
Danica Hickson
business mgr.
Michelle Ashford
circulation mgr.
Tatiana Rodriguez
managing editor
Pablo Rodriguez
composing mgr.
Bleu Reyes
production mgr.
EDITORIAL POLICY
The editorial section of the newspaper is a forum for
expression of a variety of viewpoints. All articles except
those labeled "Editorials" reflect the opinions of the writ-
ers and not those of the Sweetwater Reporter
Hamilton
Letter to the Editor
Dear Editor,
The Gary Ray Clark Family would like to express
their thanks to the Nolan County Sheriff s Department,
the police, the DPS, the parks and wildlife and all the
numerous volunteers that helped with the tragic acci-
dent on Dec. 27-28, 2009 at Lake Sweetwater. Words
cannot accurately express our deepest thanks for all
your help during the loss of my husband Gary Clark.
Your quickness to arrive on the scene and thoroughness
is so appreciated. You all will never know just how much
you mean to us for all your help. David Warren we must
address you personally. You were and are a godsend.
You stayed through the entire night (as did many oth-
ers), all the way, until Gary's body was found. You went
beyond the call of duty and we will never forget it. You
even checked up on us throughout the week and that
means the world to us. Sweetwater is very fortunate to
have such a great Sheriffs Department and Sheriff, as
well as all the other emergency personnel and volun-
teers. Thank you, thank you and thank you.
Debi Driggers-Clark
Josh Clark
Christopher Wofford and family
J.C. 1)riggers Family
Rhonda Haas, Levi Haas and family
Scott Clark and family
GUEST COLUMN
James Cameron
God bless America, and how's everybody?
Avatar directed by James Cameron did a billion dol-
lar box office by Monday. He also directed the mega-hit
Titanic. The U.S. government could turn a profit if we
got James Cameron to direct Airport
Body Screenings and gave him the dis-
tribution deal.
Rush Limbaugh was hospitalized
briefly with mild chest pains while vaca-
rv tioning in Honolulu. He returned to
the air Wednesday after doctors tested
every crevice of him and couldn't find
anything. Nobody's allowed in the air-
without a full body search.
Joan Rivers got bounced from a
ArgUS flight to New York City from Costa
Rica because the name on her passport
was Joan Rosenberg a.k.a. Joan Rivers.
The airport's facial recognition software
failed. You have to scan Joan Rivers
once a week if you want to stay current.
The White House ordered enhanced screening of
passengers from Cuba, Iran, Sudan and Syria Monday.
We should insist on having Cubans on every flight. Back
when they hijacked planes in the Seventies, they landed
evety one of them safely in Havana.
Google entered the telephone wars Tuesday introduc-
ing the Nexus One Superphone to consumers. It com-
bines the convenience of a cellphone with the power of
the Google search engine. No matter where you leave
your cellphone it can find it for you.
The Taliban vowed on its website Tuesday to continue
deploying suicide bombers as martyrs to the cause. The
toughest task nowadays is finding seventy-two virgins to
greet them in Paradise. The recruiters stick out like sore
thumbs in Amish country.
Washington Wizard Gilbert Arenas apologized for
pointing a gun at a teammate in the locker room. He was
refusing to pay a gambling debt. No one in Washington
thinks they have to pay debts as long as there is any
money left in the stimulus fund.
C-S PAN's Brian Lamb wrote to Democratic House
and Senate leaders this week asking that C-SPAN be
allowed to televise health care negotiations. C-SPAN
can't do this live. The way Congress is planning to screw
the American people, there'd have to be a five-second
delay to give the control room enough time to scramble
the private parts.
President Obama discussed how to tighten up air-
port security with his national security team Tuesday.
They're in a real pickle. The penalty is twenty years in
prison for attempting to blow up an airliner but it's forty
years in prison for racial profiling.
President Obama named Raytheon's Amanda Simpson
to a cabinet security post this week. The transgender
woman was born Mitch Simpson and was a test pilot,
and now he is a woman. When Barack Obama promised
change no one thought it would involve surgery.
Invictus star Morgan Freeman was hired by CBS News
to replace Walter Cronkite's voice on tape introduc-
ing the newscast every night. The actor agreed to play
Nelson Mandela a year ago when the idea of playing a
black president on a historic mission was a can't-miss
career move. One year later he's doing voice-overs and
lucky to be working.
Argus Hamilton is the host comedian at The Comedy
Store in Hollywood. He can be reached for speaking
engagements by e-mail at argus@argushamilton.com.
OTPOURRI
Watch your mail — you may be a winner!
opportunity to pay
leek. Our letterhead
The deluge of catalogs
that descends on us at
Christmas is second only
to the one with end of
the year / first of the year
catalogs. In addi-
tion, various indi-
viduals and compa-
nies are clamoring
that, if we will only
do the paperwork,
we are assured to
win a sweepstakes
that will solve all
our problems. It
is enough to make
one not check the
mail, which can be
extremely danger-
ous.
Many years ago,
the County Attorney's
Office started working
with merchants to collect
bad checks. Part of the
process involves sending
a letter from the office to
the check writer, offering
the o^ ^
the check,
at that time was white.
When the complaints
started coming in that the
recipient did not receive
or notice our letter. In an
effort to be more notice-
able (but no less profes-
sional) we switched to
an ivory letterhead and
envelope. Amazingly,
we still receive the same
complaints today.
The holidays are a
prime time for the writ-
ing of bad checks. In fact,
the epidemic becomes so
bad that some merchants
who normally accept
checks will not do so dur-
ing this time, or require
extra identifying infor-
mation at that time In
the search for the "perfect
gift", many people visit
craft fairs, "trade days"
and flea markets. Their
checks may be written
somewhere other than
their county of residence,
broadening' the scope of
the problem about to hit.
As a rule, people who
write bad checks are at
least somewhat disorga-
nized. While they may
believe that they can carrv
their balance mentally,
many have never actu-
ally balanced a check-
book. They actually are
not aware of the balance
of their checking account,
nor of the fact that it is
BOUT BIGHT
checks is no longer accu
which will exacer
rate,
prob-
Lisa
Peterson
overdrawn. They are
probably not even aware
that the address on their
age
ill
bate the
lem.
Once all the
hot checks are
returned to the
merchant, most
proceed to send
letters (they
need no onger
be certified) to
the check writ-
ers requiring
that restitution
be paid within a
matter of days.
State law allows
merchants to add a fee
to the face value of the
check, and most will do
so. The letter will be
sent to the writer at the
address on the check. If
that address is no lon-
fer correct, the merchant
as no duty to search for
another one. In most
cases, the mail is not for-
warded. but returned to
the sender as undeliver-
able. If the check writer
fails to respond to the
letter, or fails to pay the
amount requested, the
merchant can, and nor-
mally will, turn the check
over for prosecution.
It is quite common for
people arrested for writ-
ing bad checks to com-
Elain that they have not
een given notice. As a
courtesy, most prosecu-
tors will send either a let-
ter (by first class mail) or
a post card to the check
writer informing them
that they have ten days
to take care of the check
or face criminal charges.
(This notice will also give
notice of the additional
:>rose-
lecting
the check. Now the wri ter
is looking at the face value
+ $30 + at least $15!)
These notices are sent to
the address on the check,
because that is normally
the only one available, if
the writer is in the pros-
ecutor's database already
(not a good sign!), a more
current address may be
found and used. As long
as the address is one that
has been correct in the
past, the check writer is
fee imposed by the pr
cutor's office for collec
considered to have been
given notice.
In most circumstanc-
es, check writers are
given notice that their
check was dishonored
by their banking insti-
tution. When balanc-
ing an account, it is not
uncommon to be missing
a check, but there should
be an increased service
charge for having had a
"bounce". Sadly, many
of the people arrested on
warrants for bad checks
have been "missing" an
accounting for the par-
ticular check for several
months. The fact that the
check was missing in that
many bank statements
should be a red flag.
It is also quite common
for a now former spouse
to receive the blame for
the dishonored check.
Invariably, he or she has
refused to forward mail, to
release information about
the account, or cleaned
it out before the accused
was aware of the action.
There are few couples
w ho manage to split their
assets without at least
some rancor. Perhaps the
wisest course, when faced
with a split between two
account holders, is for at
least one to visit the bank
and remove himself /her-
self from the account. At
the very least, if continu-
ing to write checks but
not seeing the bank state-
ment, take the time to
check with the bank on
a regular basis to insure
that the balance is posi-
tive.
Most prosecutors
across the state are will-
ing to work with check
writers who will contact
them prior to a warrant
being issued. Once an
order for arrest has been
issued, their patience
tends to be considerably
shorter. Sadly, it is not
uncommon for one check
writer to be the subject
of warrants in three or
four counties. While the
prosecutors may be will-
ing to consolidate the
cases, there is no require-
ment that they do so. As
a result, a check writer
living in Nolan County
will probably have a war-
rant from the here; if they
shop in Abilene, there will
be a warrant from there,
as writing a bad check is a
crime, and crimes must be
prosecuted in the county
where they took place. If
the person stopped at a
craft fair or trade day in
the metroplex, there may
also be a warrant from
Dallas or Tarrant County.
So far, the "record hold-
er" in our office was an
individual facing theft by
check warrants from ten
counties. Even though
the cases were eventually
consolidated for the pur-
pose of collecting resti-
tution, she was required
to post bond on each of
those cases. The lowest
bond was $500, and I
believe that the total she
gave the bondsman was $
1500. From there, she had
to take the time off work
to appear in each of the
courts on these matters,
traveling about the state
to the various "scenes of
the crime." With the aid
of an attorney who was
court appointed from
here, all the cases were
rolled together into one
conviction through the
Nolan County Court At
Law. She was given a
fine, had to pay court
costs, and full restitution
on the checks from the
other counties as well as
the ones here. She was
placed on Community
Supervision (probation)
for a period of time at
$40 per month, over 100
hours of community ser-
vice, monthly reports and
all the other requirements
placed on any other per-
son.
Most people convicted
of theft by check are indi-
viduals normally believed
to be "criminals", yet
their conduct has caused
them to develop a crimi-
nal record for a crime of
moral turpitude. Of all
the misdemeanors in the
law books, this is one of
the most avoidable - just
by checking the mail.
Lisa Peterson is
the County Attorney
for Nolan County.
Comments about this
column may be e-mailed
to editor@sweetwater-
reporter.com.
'he Weather
Hereabouts there's
been a lot of weather talk
lately and, as usual, a
lot of folks who predict
the weather. And when
that happens, some wise
guy will always say,
"Well, folks, who-
ever predicts the
weather around
here is either a fool
or a newrcomer,
and you've been
here since you
were born." Gee
whiz, y'all, I never
had heard that one
before, and spoken
by such a nice guy.
Anyway, I'm going
to continue to try
to predict the weather.
Once in a blue moon I
get it right. Last year I
told Cowboy I was going
to take a little piece of
paper, write on it the
day it was going to rain,
and not let him see it but
write his name or brand
on it. I did that and he
signed it, then I showed
him where I was putting
it in my billfold. Six or
eight weeks later when
it did rain on that day
I showed it to him, and
he was about half wall-
eyed. The trouble is, now
he thinks I always know
when it's going to rain.
One day he sidled up to
me and in his easy way
he said, "You know, it
would be pretty handy
if a feller knew when it
was going to rain again."
I was highly amused,
but had to confess that I
didn't know. I told him,
"I either know or 1 don't,
and this time I don't, but
that doesn't mean it's not
going to rain." Speaking
of a blue moon, I'm sure
you know what that is. It
really does have a mean-
ing. It's when we have a
second full moon in the
same calendar month.
Last month,
December of
'09, we had a
full moon on the
second day and
again on the thir-
ty-first day. By
the way, a lunar
month is 29.53
days long. The
H moon rises fifty-
four minutes later
lohnson every night. . . .
once a teacher.
I keep weather
calendars because it's
interesting to me. Some
people like to know the
wind direction at mid-
night when the new
year comes in. The Real
Folks who do this find
this direction by using a
smoldering smoky fire.
There's another group
that uses this same meth-
od, but they do it at sun-
rise on Easter. (Notice I
didn't say Easter Sunday-
—I can't remember an
Easter that wasn't on
Sunday.) Anyway, the
preferred wind direction
is from the northwest for
a really good year. It is
read from the northwest
counterclockwise with
diminishing value all
the way to a west wind,
which is the worst. Our
New Year's wind this
year was out of the east,
which we always consid-
er favorable, second only
to southeast. I always say
if it blows out of either
of those directions for
three days, it will rain.
Back during our last big
dry, the wind blew like
that and it didn't rain,
but that's highly unusual.
Anyway, at daylight on
the first Sunday after the
first full moon after the
Vernal Equinox, I'll check
the wind. (That's Easter
morning, but you knew
that.) The strongest rain
prediction I know was
taught to me by a friend
who says, "If the sun goes
down behind a bank (of
clouds) on Wednesday, it
will rain before Sunday."
The old yearly pre-
diction brought from
England says that the
first twelve days of
January represent the
twelve months of the
year. Today is January
fifth, which represents
May, so it's not working
too well so far this year.
But! The calendar that
J. Frank Dobie learned
about when he was writ-
ing in Old Mexico uses
these twelve days on a
list going down a page,
then moves over to the
right from twelve, puts
thirteen and numbers
back up from there to
twenty-four. So they say
the first and twenty-
fourth days of January
will represent January,
the second and twenty-
third will be February,
and so on. Today is the
fifth, which stands for
May, and it's cold, but
its companion day will
be the twentieth which
could be real warm. We'll
see. Hey, y'all, I didn't
say it always works, but I
did say it's fun.
What I normally say
when asked what the
weather is going to do
here is, "Whatever it
wants to." Or, "The good
Lord only knows and he
ain't real sure."
Stan Johnson lives and
works in Nolan County.
Comments about this col-
umn can be emailed to
editor @sweetwaterre-
porter.com.
The SWEETWATER REPORTER
(USPS 5300-860) is published daily
except Saturdays and holidays by HPC
of Texas Inc. (Periodical Postage Paid)
112 W. 3rd, Sweetwater, Texas 79556
Postmaster: Send address changes to:
SWEETWATER REPORTER
P.O. BOX 750.
SWEETWATER, TX 79556
City Delivery $9.00 per month, $90.00
per year, 6-months $50.00, 3-months
$26.00. By mail In-County Rates
3-months $36.00, 6-months $65.00,
12-months $115.00. Out-Of-County
Rates 3-months $50.00, 6-months
$88.00, 12-months $140.00.
Correction Policy
Editorial:
As a matter of policy, the
Sweetwater Reporter will
publish corrections of errors
in fact that have been print-
ed in the newspaper.
The corrections will be
made as soon as possible
after the error has been
brought to the attention of
the newspaper's editor at
236-6677.
Advertising:
Publisher reserves the right
to reject, edit or cancel any
advertising at any time with-
out liability. Publisher's liabil-
ity for error is limited to the
amount paid for advertising.
DEDICATED TO PROUDLY DELIVERING LOCAL NEWS SINCE 1881
JL
V
__ Sweetwater
Reporter
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Sweetwater Reporter (Sweetwater, Tex.), Vol. 112, No. 047, Ed. 1 Sunday, January 10, 2010, newspaper, January 10, 2010; Sweetwater, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth229061/m1/4/: accessed April 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Sweetwater/Nolan County City-County Library.