Jackson Sun Monday, April 14, 2008 Bush pulls out all the stops to greet pope on Wednesday By JENNIFER LOVEN The Associated Press WASHINGTON The leader of the world's Roman Catholics has been to the White House only once in history. That changes this week, and President Bush is pulling out all the stops: driving out to a suburban military base to meet Pope Benedict XVI's plane, bringing a giant audience to the South Lawn and hosting a fancy East Room dinner. These are all firsts. Bush has never before given a visiting leader the honor of picking him up at the airport. In fact, no president has done so at Andrews Air Force Base, the typical landing spot for modern leaders.
A crowd of up to 12,000 is due at the White House on Wednesday morning for the pope's official, pomp-filled arrival ceremony. It will feature the U.S. and Holy See anthems, a 21-gun salute, and the U.S. Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps. Both men will make remarks before their Oval Office Obituaries Information supplied by West Tennessee Funeral Directors To offer kind words of sympathy or remembrance, to to www.jacksonsun.com and click on Obituaries Notices PIER PAOLO Associated Press Pope Benedict XVI acknowledges the crowd during his weekly general audience in St.
Peter's Square, at the Vatican, in this April 9 file photo. The pontiff D.C. and New York in his upcoming meeting and a send-off for his popemobile down Pennsylvania Avenue. The White House crowd will be the largest of Bush's presidency. It even beats the audience last spring for Queen Elizabeth II, which Death Date of State Age Death Day, 81 3:30 PM 83 3 PM 32 50 82 2 PM 89 2 PM 57 82 3 PM 79 1 PM 79 18 2 PM 74 10 AM 89 Mary Nell Allen Utley len.
Pallbearers to serve are: Gerald Utley, Bobby Brien, Harold Tharp, Bob Beasley, Ken Hardee, and Ronnie Fowler. The family requests that any memorials be made to St. Jude's Children's Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105. Visitation will be from 5:00 8:00 p.m.
on Tuesday, April 15 at Arrington Funeral Directors. Arrington Funeral Directors 148 W. University Parkway 731-668-1111 Funeral services for Mary Nell Allen Utley, age 74, will be Wednesday, April 16, 2008 at 10:00 a.m. in the chapel of Arrington Funeral Directors. Rev.
Brent Lay, Rev. Paul Williams, and Rev. Ben Mandrell will be officiating. Burial will be in the Independence Cemetery in Henderson County. She died on Sunday, April 13 in her home after a long illness.
She was the daughter of the late James Riley Allen and Provie Todd Allen. She was born on June 16, 1933 in Carroll County Tennessee. She attended Huntingdon High School for three years, and then graduated from North Side High School in Jackson, Tennessee in 1951. She was member of Englewood Baptist Church for 45 years and served in several capacities. She was a faithful choir member, and also taught Sunday School to Senior High girls.
She worked at the Milan Arsenal in the Data Processing Dept. from 1951 to 1955. She was a full-time mother to her two children. She worked for the Madison County School System from 1970 to 1980. While working as a secretary at North Side High School, she was like a 'second' mother to many students and teachers.
She was lovingly called "Mama Nell' by many who knew her. From 1980 to 1990 she was the Manager of the Postal Employers Credit Union. Survivors include her husband of 54 years, Jimmy C. Utley, whom she married on May 23, 1953; a son, Jeff Utley and wife Dawn of Tullahoma, TN; a daughter, Cindy Utley Bowers and husband Richard of Toccoa, four grandchildren, Paige Utley Maskarinec and husband Brian, Malia Bowers, Jay Bowers and Benjamin Bowers. She was preceded in death by her parents and two brothers; James H.
Allen and Billy T. Al- his German heritage with Bavarian-style food. But Benedict's prayer service that evening with U.S. bishops at a famed Washington basilica preclude him from coming to the dinner, according to the White House. Catholic leaders will be there instead.
The president explained the special treatment particularly the airport greeting. "One, he speaks for millions. Two, he doesn't come as a politician; he comes as a man of faith," Bush told the EWTN Global Catholic Network in an interview aired Friday. He added that he wanted to honor Benedict's conviction that "there's right and wrong in life, that moral relativism has a danger of undermining the capacity to have more hopeful and free societies." The Bush-Benedict get-together will be the 25th meeting between a pope and a sitting president. The first did not come until shortly after the end of World War Phone Funeral Home Number Obituaries Pafford 731-968-2544 George A.
Smith Sons 731-427-5555 Pafford 731-549-3151 Oakdale 731-847-3200 Brummitt-McKenzie 731-352-2222 Leitherland 731-665-7654 George A. Smith Sons 731-427-5555 Johnson-Williams 731-627-3236 White Ranson 731-885-1211 White Ranson 731-885-1211 Arrington 731-668-1111 Arrington 731-668-1111 White Ranson 731-885-1211 Carl Matlock Carl Matlock, age 57, died Saturday, April 12, 2008. Arrangements are incomplete. George A. Smith Sons North Chapel 731- 427-5555 Dignity Kathleen Nichols Britt Funeral services for Kathleen Nichols Britt will be Tuesday, April 15, 2008 at 3:30 PM in the chapel of Pafford Funeral Home in Lexington, TN.
Burial to follow at Sand Ridge Cemetery. Mrs. Britt, age 81, passed away on April 13, 2008. Surviving relatives include two sons, Donnie Britt (Linda) of Jackson, TN and Tim Britt (Barbara) of Lexington, TN; three daughters, Amy Mathis (Larry), Linda Thomason (Steve), and Joyce Britt, all of Blue Goose, TN; one brother, Woodrow Nichols of Dallas, TX; three sisters, Bernice Coley of Jackson, TN, Norease Britt of Blue Goose, TN and Nelle Bitter of Huron, TN; fifteen grandchildren and fourteen greatgrandchildren. She was preceded in death by her hus band, Gene Britt; one son, Michael Ferguson; one daughter, Sandra Thomason; her parents, Albert and Hallie Nichols and one grandson.
Visitation for Mrs. Britt will be on Monday from 5:00 P. M. until 8:00 P. and on Tuesday from 12:00 P.
M. until 3:30 P.M. Pafford Funeral Home 731-968-2544 www.paffordfuneralhome.com Obituary Policy: The information provided in the Death Notice Section is at no charge. The text for obituaries can only be provided by the funeral home or by the family of the deceased. For more information, call 731-423- 0300 between the hours of 8:00 am and 4:30 pm.
Miss a day. Miss a lot. can make life easier how?" Subscribe to The Jackson Sun for all the news that matters to you! The Jackson Sun First in News. jacksonsun.com To subscribe call 800-244-3225 or visit us online at jacksonsun.com when Woodrow Wilson was received at the Vatican by Pope Benedict XV in 1919. The next wasn't for 40 more years, when President Eisenhower saw Pope John XXIII in Rome.
President Carter hosted the first White House visit by a pope, when John Paul II came on Oct. 6, 1979. Since then, such audiences have become a must-do. Every president has met with the pope at least once, often more. This week makes Bush the record-holder, with a total of five meetings with two popes.
There are more than 64 million reasons for this. Catholics number nearly one quarter of the U.S. population, making them a desirable constituency for politicians to court. Worldwide, there are now an estimated 1 billion Roman Catholics. "The pope represents not just the Catholic church but the possibility of moral argument in world affairs, and it is very important for American presidents to rub up against that from time to time," said George Weigel, a Catholic theologian and biographer of Pope John Paul II.
The Vatican seat of a government as well as a religious headquarters has an interest, too. "It wants to be a player in world affairs, and everyone understands that to do that you have to be in conversation with the United States," said John Allen, the Vatican correspondent for the independent National Catholic Reporter. On social issues such as abortion, gay marriage and stem cell research, Bush and Benedict have plenty of common ground. But they disagree over the war in Iraq, just as Bush did with Benedict's predecessor, John Paul. When Benedict was a cardinal before the 2003 invasion, the nowpontiff categorically dismissed the idea that a preventive strike against Iraq could be justified under Catholic doctrine.
In his Easter message last year, Benedict said "nothing positive comes from is scheduled to visit Washington U.S. trip. numbered about 7,000. The evening festivities will mark the first time the Bushes have put on a high-profile meal in honor of someone who isn't even a guest. Wednesday is the pontiff's 81st birthday, and the menu celebrates Name City, Britt, Kathleen Nichols Lexington Browning, Edward Rochell Jackson Dill, Tommy Scotts Hill Foust, Donald J.
Sugar Tree Jowers, Magdalene Daily McKenzie Kernodle, George E. Kenton Matlock, Carl Jackson Morris, Dorothy Mae Trimble Smith, Dale Union City Smith, Thomas Dale Union City Thompson, Elizabeth Ann Beth Ann Jackson Utley, Mary Nell Allen Jackson Whitehead, Edna Rives Edward Rochell Browning Funeral services for Edward Rochell Browning, age 83, will be held at 3:00 P.M. Tuesday April 15, 2008 at the North Chapel of George A. Smith 1 and Sons with Elder T.L. Webb officiating.
Burial will follow at Oakwood Cemetery in Milan, Tennessee. Mr. Browning died Saturday, April 12, 2008 at Jackson Oaks. He was born on March 17,1925 in Medina, Tennessee. He was the son of the late John Riley and Lennie Allen Browning.
Mr. Browning was a retired Accounts Payable Manager with Bendix. He was a member of St. Andrew's United Methodist Church. Mr.
Browning was recognized by former President George Bush in his 1000 points of Light across America. He was named Volunteer of the Year at Forest Cove Manor in 1998. Recognized as Servant of the Year by St. Andrew United Methodist Church in 1993. Recognized for service with Junior Achievement.
He was instrumental in the Industrial Park Credit Union. He is survived by two sons Allen Browning and wife Anne of Jackson, Tennessee and Phil Browning and wife Teresa of Jackson, Tennessee. He's also survived by his grandchildren Brandon Browning and Wife Amber and their son, Brice, David Hanafee and wife, Jessica and their children Skylann, Dawson and Aidan; sister, Margie Cooley of Humboldt, Tennessee. He was preceded in death by his wife Margaret Browning and his sister, Pauline Maynard. The family would like to express their appreciation to Anne Crossnoe for her companionship and care, the staff of Hospice of West Tennessee and the staff of the Jackson Oaks and to Shelia Forbis for her care.
The family will receive friends today from 6:00 P.M. until 8:00 P.M. at the funeral home. George A. Smith and Sons North Chapel 731-427-5555 Dignity The Jackson Sun Speaker's Bureau The Jackson Sun offers speakers to discuss areas of the newspaper business before your schools, civic groups and clubs.
If your group is intested in having a speaker from The Jackson Sun, call 425-9603 or 1-800-372-3922, ext. 603 for more information. Time Place of Service TN TN TN TN TN TN TN TN TN TN TN TN TN Chapel of Pafford Funeral Home George A. Smith Sons, North Chapel Chapel of Scotts Hill Funeral Home Incomplete Brummitf Funeral Home First Baptist Churhc Incomplete Trimble United Methodist Church White Ranson Funeral Chapel Incomplete Chapel of Arrington Funeral Directors Chapel of Arrington Funeral Directors Elizabeth Ann Brad Thompson (Suzy) of Bethel Springs, TN. Beth Ann was a tissue donor.
Arrington Funeral Directors 148 W. University Parkway 731-668-1111 "Beth Ann" Thompson Funeral Services for Elizabeth A. Thompson, age 18, will be Monday, April 14, 2008 at in the chapel of Arrington Funeral Directors with Bro. John Adams officiating. Burial will follow at Highland Memorial Gardens Cemetery.
Miss Thompson died Friday, April 11, 2008 at Jackson Madison County Hospital as the result of an automobile accident. Beth Ann was born in Jackson, TN and was a graduate of Gateway Christian Academy. She was an employee of Sonic Drive-In in Jackson, TN and a member of Englewood Baptist Church in Jackson, TN. She loved sports, softball was her favorite. She is survived by her parents, Michael and Linda Thompson and Robert and Leigh Ann Ellington of Jackson, TN; two brothers, Wesley Thompson of Jackson, TN and Grant Ellington of Murfreesboro, TN; four sisters: Rebecca Lynn Thompson, Mary Katlyn Thompson, Anna Marie Thompson of Jackson, TN and Ginger Ellington of Paris, TN; grandparents, JD and Patsy McCormick of Jackson, TN and James and Norma Jean 1 Thompson of Jackson, TN; stepgrandfather, Rubert Ellington of Milan, TN; great grandparents, Deward and Verblene McCormick of Adamsville, TN; aunts and uncles: Stacy Young (Jeremy) of Beech Bluff, TN, Tammy Vatter (Steve) of Arlington, TN, Tommy Thompson (Sherrie) of Lavinia, TN and RICK Associated Press Salt Lake Tribune national security reporter Matthew D.
LaPlante, center left, and Iraqi photojournalist Bilal Hussein, center right, converse with other journalists outside the Ramadi Government Center in Iraq in September 2005. An Iraqi judicial committee has dismissed terrorism-related allegations against Hussein and ordered him freed after nearly two years in U.S. military custody. Board grants amnesty to AP photographer on last remaining charge By ROBERT H. REID The Associated Press BAGHDAD An Iraqi judicial panel dismissed the last remaining criminal allegation against Associated Press photographer Bilal Hussein on Sunday and ordered him released from custody, two years and one day after he was detained by the U.S.
military. The committee of three judges and a prosecutor of the Federal Appeals Court granted amnesty to Hussein, 36, saying there should be no further action on allegations that he may have had improper contacts with insurgents who had killed an Italian citizen, Salvatore Santoro. In December 2004, Hussein and two other journalists were stopped by armed men and taken at gunpoint to photograph the corpse, propped up with armed insurgents standing over it. In the unanimous decision, the panel ordered a "halt to all legal proceedings" and said Hussein, who remains in U.S. custody, should be "released immediately" unless he is wanted in connection with something else.
Last week, the panel dismissed accusations under Iraq's antiterrorism law. Those accusations, part of a file given to an Iraqi investigative judge by the U.S. military, alleged Hussein had cooperated with terrorists and had possessed bomb-making materials in his house. Throughout his incarceration, Hussein has maintained he is innocent and was only doing the work of a news photographer in a war zone. Both judicial decisions determined that Hussein's cases fell under an amnesty law enacted in February.
Under the law, meant as a step toward national reconciliation, a grant of amnesty effectively closes a case and does not assume or determine guilt or innocence of the accused, unless he had been convicted. Hussein was never brought to trial. Asked about the latest ruling Sunday, the U.S. military had no immediate comment. Previously, U.S.
spokesmen had said officials intended to review the case and the judicial panel's orders before deciding on releasing Hussein from custody. U.S. military authorities have said that a U.N. Security Council mandate allows them to detain anyone in Iraq deemed a security risk to coalition or Iraqi forces, even if an Iraqi judicial body has ordered that prisoner freed. The mandate is due to expire this year.
"We are grateful for the decision of the Amnesty Council and the Iraqi judges," AP President Tom Curley said after the ruling Sunday. "We look forward to Bilal's safe return to his family and to AP." Iraqi government fires 1,300 soldiers and police officers after Basra fiasco By SLOBODAN LEKIC The Associated Press BAGHDAD Iraq's government moved Sunday to restore discipline within the ranks of the security forces, sacking more than 1,300 soldiers and policemen who deserted during recent fighting against Shiite militias in Basra. At the same time, Iraq's Cabinet ratcheted up the pressure on antiAmerican Shiite cleric Muqtada alSadr by approving draft legislation barring political parties with militias from participating in upcoming provincial elections. Al-Sadr, who heads the country's biggest militia, the Mahdi Army, has been under intense pressure from Prime Minister Nouri alMaliki, also a Shiite, to disband the Mahdi Army or face political isolation. Al-Sadr's followers are eager to take part in the local elections because they believe they can take power away from rival Shiite parties in the vast, oil-rich Shiite heartland of southern Iraq.
And in a new move to stem the flow of money to armed groups, the government ordered a crackdown on militiamen controlling state-run and private gas stations, refineries and oil distribution centers. It is believed that gas stations and distribution centers, especially in eastern Baghdad and some southern provinces, are covertly controlled by Shiite militiamen dominated by the Mahdi Army. The failure of government forces to capture Basra despite superiority in numbers and firepower was an embarrassment to al-Maliki, who ordered the offensive and personally supervised it during the first week. It also raised questions whether Iraq's mostly Shiite army and police can confront Shiite militias, including Iranian-backed "special groups," which the U.S. command now considers the greatest threat to Iraqi democracy with the diminishing influence of al-Qaida in Iraq..
