THE 'WAR AT HOME' RAGES ON

"Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up."
Romans 15:2

Our community would certainly benefit from the acceptance and practice
of the Apostle Paul's injunction to "please" our neighbor and "build
him (or her) up."

Unfortunately, the reality is we have a segment in our community
concerned not with the building up or the good of our neighbor. No,
the only thing of seeming concern to these "hedonistic leeches" is the
gratification of their prurient desires - at the expense and through
the entrapment of unsuspecting children with promises of thrills and
excitement they lure young boys and girls into a life of addiction to
drugs.

The focus of my attention today is on the blood sucking vermin from
the refuse piles of society whose predilection is for our youth.

I am normally an easy-going, placid individual who does not seek
confrontation, but when it comes to the subject of children, I find
myself a little less inclined to sit back and let things float on by.

I am father of three healthy children, ages 36, 29 and 20, and,
through a recent marriage, father to two additional ones, ages 28 and
30.

As with most families, my wife and I are becoming the recipients of
those wonderful little gifts from God known as "grandchildren." In
fact my wife and I were blessed with the arrival of her first
grandchild on Wednesday via her daughter in Atlanta. Little Ethan
Addison is a marvelous addition to our blended family.

As you or any parent or grandparent would, we want the best for his
future and the future of all of our children, grandchildren and future
grandchildren.

In order to secure a future, where they can develop their talents and
attain to their goals in life, we have to create a safe and viable
atmosphere for them.

Our soldiers are fighting a war in Iraq to preserve our security here
at home. We at home are engaged in a war that threatens our security
every bit as much as the war in Iraq.

The enemy in this war uses a "weapon of mass destruction" the highly
addictive drug - methamphetamine.

I know from working with the dedicated law enforcement officials in
our community this war can be won, but not until the community as a
whole marshals its collective might and joins forces with the law
enforcement community and local government officials to present a
united front to these self-indulgent purveyors of death and
destruction-the drug dealers.

The drug trade is a profit-making business that requires a balance of
costs and rewards. Therefore, by disrupting it, it can be damaged and
destroyed by reducing the supply. That will make it more expensive to
make, to buy, less potent and seriously reduce its
availability.

Albertville's Mayor Hillsman, I believe, hit on a key factor in the
successful winning of this war on drugs in a recent press release,
"...I believe that our churches, government, businesses and we, as
individual citizens, must rise up and fight together to take our
communities back! If we attack the problem with the same intensity and
desire that was put into this campaign, then we CAN make a
difference."

The coalition for a Drug Free Marshall County has laid a foundation
for fighting this war, now it's up to you and me--the citizens of our
community to stand up and man the trenches. And for those of you who
don't believe there is a problem? Read the front page!

The "sleazy gutter rats" that care nothing for our children or our
community will take any chance to make a buck.

Apparently Robert Be-Bop Watson didn't learn anything from the
explosion of his meth-lab in February that killed a companion. He was
right back at it in a motel, apparently producing the same volatile
and lethal materials that, had they exploded, had the potential to
wipe out the hotel and whomever was in it!

So, do you want these parasites living and working in our community? I
don't!