Augusta Chronicle, The

It's Fundamentalist Vs. Mainstream

Your editorial describing the legal fate of the Christian convert in Afghanistan ("Death to Christians?" March 29) was based on a wrong assumption. The individual is not being tried because he is a Christian; he is being charged because he renounced Islam. If he was currently a pagan, the same fate would befall him. If he was a Christian from day one, Islamic law protects him. This is not an Islam-vs.-Christian argument. This is a fundamentalist-vs.-mainstream argument. Mainstream Islamic n...

The Tom Delay Witch Hunt

If only liberals were half as angry at the people who flew planes into our skyscrapers as they are with Tom DeLay, we might have two patriotic parties in this country. Any Republicans who didn't ferociously defend Tom DeLay - which is to say, almost all Republicans in Congress, the president and alleged conservative writers trying to impress the editorial board of The New York Times - better hope liberals never come after them. The only proven method for a Republican to avoid having his...

Misguided Bloggers Blast Kidnapping Victim

BOSTON - I am sure that Jill Carroll and her family are too busy inhaling the sweet spring air of freedom to spend time sniffing out the pollution in the blogosphere. Anyone who spent three months imagining the grimmest fate for this young journalist in the hands of terrorists can't get too upset when a little Internet posse goes after her scalp. Nevertheless, this is not a good moment for the bustling, energetic Wild West of the new Internet media. Remember when a former CBS executive descr...

Misconceptions Abound On Islam

With all respect to Roger L. Eden's views of March 28 ("Islam abandons peace, tolerance"), I'd like to correct some misconceptions. All Quranic verses are still in force, and none have been abrogated. These verses are contained in every Quran. Islam means peace that comes with our submission to God. The Muslim greeting a salaam aleichem means "peace be upon you." Thus, Muslims practice peace and harmony, taught by the Quran every day.

Long On Amnesty, Short On Security Senate Immigration Bill Misses the Point Entirely

Without control of our borders, immigration reform means nothing. This is why many Americans support the U.S. House bill over the awful bill the Senate passed Thursday - virtual amnesty that's a slap in the face to every immigrant who came to the United States lawfully, or to those thousands who are now on waiting lists to come here legally. They must feel like suckers playing by the rules while those who cheated to get here receive the Senate's blessing. Fortunately, the lower chamber is ma...

No Hate-Crimes Law Convict Assailants for What They Did, Not for What They Might Think

Most states have hate-crime laws, but Georgia is not one of them. Fortunately, it still doesn't - despite a Senate effort to sneak one through on a House bill late in the session. State Rep. Barry Fleming, R-Harlem, caught the ruse in time to have it stricken. It was attached to a measure he sponsored calling for changes in the way attorneys ask for speedy trials. He said the Senate proposal had no relevance to his bill, and thus had no business being a part of it.

Masters Mainstay Left Legacy of Good Works

Time stopped for champion amateur golfer Charles Yates on Oct. 17, 2005, finishing a life of 92 years of virtually incessant remarkable experiences, business achievements and community service. He was a Georgia Tech graduate who won the 1938 British Open and returned to Atlanta as a hero, showered with a ticker-tape parade down Peachtree Street. He married his lifelong partner, Dorothy, one of the city's most elegant debutantes. He was off the coast of France for the Allied Normandy landings ...