Newspaper Page Text
Page 8A
The Braselton News
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Church news
No child left behind
O n January 8, 2002,
our federal gov
ernment passed
into law what has come to
be known as “No Child Left
Behind.” The purpose of this
law was to make sure that
every child advanced in his
or her education, and that
no child was “left behind” in the
classroom.
If I could, I would enact my own
“No Child Left Behind” law. This
law would also deal with the educa
tion of our young people, but from a
spiritual standpoint. My “No Child
Left Behind” would deal with one
act in particular, which I see happen
much more often than I care to.
This week I saw a mother and her
son engaging in a figurative tug-of-
war in the toy department of a local
store. The mother wanted to go to
another section of the store, but
the son wanted to play with a toy
he saw on the shelf. She told him
several times to come with her, but
he refused. Finally the mother said,
“Fine. Stay there. I’m leaving,” and
walked away.
You should have seen the look
of abject fear on the boy's face.
He was frantic as he screamed and
cried, chasing after his mother. The
mother might think she won that
tug-of-war, but I don't think so. She
may have gotten her son to come
with her, but it was at the expense
of teaching her son that her love
is conditional. As long as he does
what she wants him to do, every
thing will be okay. But if he doesn’t
do what she wants him to do, she’s
going to reject him and walk away,
leaving him behind.
Now, you and I know that mother
wouldn’t really leave her son, but
based on the child's reaction, he
didn't know that. He truly believed
he was being left behind, and it
caused him great fear.
Now let's move this lesson into
Eyes of the
Father
Parrish Myers
eotf@comcast.net
the spiritual realm. I believe God
established the family structure as
a way to teach us about him. In
essence, parents are God’s repre
sentatives to their children, and
parents should reflect God's attri
butes to the children entrusted into
their care.
But if parents teach their children
that their love is conditional, is it too
much of a stretch for the children to
eventually believe that God's love
is conditional, too? If parents teach
their children that they'll leave them
behind if they don’t do what they
want them to, is it too much of a
stretch for the children to eventually
believe that God will do the same? I
don't think it is.
As God’s representatives, parents
must take great care in what they
teach their children about them
selves, and by extension, about
God. Our heavenly father does not
employ fear tactics to make us do
what he wants us to do. Nor should
we employ such tactics with our
children.
If anything, our actions toward our
children should reflect the uncondi
tional love and devotion that our
heavenly father holds for each per
son who has accepted Christ as their
savior. God loves them (1 John 4:9).
God provides for them (Matthew
7:9-11). But there's one thing God
will never do to them: he will never
leave them behind (Hebrews 13:5).
Parrish Myers is a resident of
Braselton and pastor of Pine Crest
Baptist Church. You can e-mail him
from his website at www.eyesofthe-
father.com.
Singing planned Sunday night
Mulberry Baptist Church, Hoschton, will hold a gospel singing Sunday,
March 9, at 6 p.m. featuring Winners Either Way.
The Rev. Ollie V. Hayes is pastor. Ricky Tuggle is music director.
The church is located at 5970 Thompson Mill Road.
For more information, call 770-307-0735.
Crusade revival services ahead
Jesus is the Way Ministry Inc., will hold “Crusade Revival 2008” Sunday,
March 30, through Tuesday, April 1, at the Barrow County National Guard
Armory.
Services will begin at 7 p.m. featuring local musical guests and Ruby
McCowan, Anderson, S.C. each night.
The Rev. Jimmy Allen Jr., CEO and founder of Jesus is the Way Ministry,
Elberton, will be the speaker.
For more information, call 706-283-2207.
Fashion show set at Zion Baptist
Zion Baptist Church Women's Ministry will present a fashion show and
dinner, “Beauty from Ashes,” on Saturday, March 8, from 4 to 6 p.m.
All ladies are invited to attend to see an array of spring outfits being mod
eled by children to seniors. Tickets are $10 each and may be purchased at
Zion Baptist Church or by calling 706-654-3205.
The event is sponsored by Dillard's department store and Zion Baptist
Church, located in Braselton.
LENT & EASTER SCHEDULE 2008
St. Catherine Laboure Catholic
Mission, Commerce
708 State Street • (706) 335-2622
Sat., March 15
4:00 p.m. Mass of Palm Sunday
Sunday, March 16
11:00 a.m. Mass of Palm Sunday
12:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. Day of Recollection and Penance Services
with Rev. Hy Nguyen, Professor
St. Mary’s Seminary & University,
Baltimore, Maryland
Tuesday, March 18
Noon Priests attend Lenten Day of Reflection
5:00 p.m. Chrism Mass at Christ the King
Cathedral, Atlanta.
All parishioners are invited.
Wednesday, March 19
12:10 p.m. Mass
Thursday, March 20
5:30 p.m. Mass of the Lord’s Supper
Good Friday, March 21
7:00 p.m. Celebration of the Lord’s Passion
Saturday, March 22: Easter Vigil
6:00 p.m. Mass
Sunday, March 23: Easter
11:00 a.m. Mass
COURTROOM SCENE
Banks County Board of Commissioners chairman Gene Hart is shown on the witness stand in the courtroom during Tuesday’s sentenc
ing hearing of former district attorney Tim Madison. Photo by April Reese Sorrow
MADISON — continued from page 1A
your honesty and integrity.”
Madison will turn himself into
the Banks County Jail at 9 a.m.
Saturday. The Georgia Department
of Corrections will determine where
Madison will be housed during his
prison sentence. Officials with the
state have already discussed placing
Madison in a federal prison for his
own safety.
Brett Williams and Linn Jones
have also been charged in the case.
Their court dates have not been set.
Madison resigned last June as
district attorney following a series
of investigative newspaper articles
published in The Jackson Herald,
Jefferson. Georgia Attorney General
Thurbert Baker subsequently
launched an investigation into the
DA's office. That probe led to the
theft indictments in Banks County
last August.
“Today's sentencing will go a
long way towards removing the tar
nish from the judicial system in the
Piedmont circuit,” said Baker. “The
criminal actions of a few have cast
a pall over many, but the prison
sentence given to Madison today
reflects that the corruption was
attributable to individuals, not the
entire system.”
Prosecution of this case was han
dled by Senior Assistant Attorneys
General David McLaughlin and
Kimberly Schwartz. The investiga
tion was handled by Georgia Bureau
of Investigation Special Agent in
Charge John Cagle and Special
Agent Brian Whidby.
MADISON COMMENTS
Before he was sentenced, Madison
addressed the court:
“I’m deeply sorry for what I've
done,” Madison told the judge. “I'm
ashamed of what I’ve done... I’ve
already surrendered my law license.
I was ready to commit suicide. I was
embarrassed. I was ashamed. I'm
at your mercy. Fm very sorry that I
did this.”
During testimony from several
witnesses and from Madison him
self, a story of alcoholism, mental
illness and a gambling addiction was
revealed. Madison has been treated
for alcoholism related issues and has
attended AA meetings since the mid-
1990s, although he had not been in
treatment for several years
“I was living a secret life,” Madison
said.
EIGHT COUNTS
AGAINST MADISON
Madison was charged in Banks
County for two felony theft charges,
one felony count of violation of
oath of office, four felony counts of
false statements and writings and
one felony count of conspiracy to
defraud a political entity. He was
not charged in Jackson and Barrow
counties in exchange for his plea in
Banks County. However, the restitu
tion includes money taken from the
other counties.
Three of the criminal counts against
Madison dealt with his scheme to bill
Banks County for a full-time salary
for Williams, who was already being
paid a full-time salary from the state.
The money from Banks County was
paid to Williams, who then passed it
on to Madison.
Madison put the money into a
personal checking account and used
it for a variety of things, including
purchasing a $7,000 motorcycle.
The other counts against Madison
center around the falsifying of time
cards for his wife, Linn Jones, who
was employed to work 20 hours a
week in Banks County and 40 hours
a week in Jackson County. Several
time cards she submitted were for
time when she was out of the county,
including a trip to a casino cruise
ship based out of Brunswick, Ga.,
and a visit to San Diego, Calif.
LONG DAY OF TESTIMONY
The sentencing hearing got under
way Tuesday in Banks County
Superior Court with three witnesses
called by prosecutors.
Banks County Board of
Commissioners chairman Gene
Hart, Banks County Sheriff Charles
Chapman and former Piedmont
Judicial Circuit chief assistant dis
trict attorney Allison Mauldin testi
fied on the impact of the crime.
Hart said the actions caused his
staff to lose their respect for the
office of district attorney. He said
they also now more closely monitor
and question any financial issues
dealing with the office.
Chapman said the theft caused a
lot of distrust for everyone in the law
enforcement community.
“In the minds of many people,
it cast suspicions that we might be
guilty of the same thing,” he said.
Mauldin, who was very emotional
during her testimony, said she was
shocked and disappointed when
the charges against Madison were
reported.
“It was shocking,” she said. “We
read about it in the paper like every
one else. No one wanted to believe
it. It was devastating to the morale
in the office... There is an embar
rassment factor. There is a cloud
of suspicion that we should have
known, or that we were involved...
It completely destroyed the office.”
WITNESSES CALLED
BY DEFENSE
Madison’s lawyer Ed Tolley called
17 witnesses, including long-time
friends, family members, Alcoholics
Anonymous supporters and peo
ple who worked with Madison on
domestic violence issues.
Family and friends testified about
long-standing family issues dealing
with mental illness and alcoholism.
They also testified about Madison's
own struggles with alcoholism and
how it “clouds your entire think
ing.”
“He had an erosion of morals
while he was under the influence of
alcohol,” one friend testified.
Others who testified included a
doctor who has treated Madison and
the director of the alcohol abuse cen
ter where he has been living for the
past three months.
At the alcohol treatment center,
Madison has been required to have a
full-time job. He worked for Fieldale
Farms for a while and now works at
an animal shelter where he cleans
out dog pens and takes the animals
for walks. He is also required to
go to group therapy and individual
counseling.
Members of the legal community
and directors of agencies Madison
worked with testified about his “bril
liance as a prosecutor” and his work
for domestic abuse victims.
“I never met a more formida
ble adversary,” said long-time
Commerce attorney Greg Perry, who
faced Madison in court many times
over the past few decades.
WRECK — continued from page 1A
Performance Learning Center (for
merly County Line Elementary
School), the Camaro struck a 2004
Dodge Neon.
The driver of the Camaro, Gregory
King, 22, Statham, was ejected from
the vehicle and died at the scene,
Solis said.
A passenger in the Camaro,
Bethany Fox, 23, Winder, died as a
result of her injuries early Monday
morning at Grady Memorial Hospital
in Atlanta, he said.
A second passenger, Alan Hutton,
19, Winder, was flown by helicopter
to Grady, where he remained in criti
cal condition, Solis said.
In the Neon, Patricia Griffin, 21,
Lawrenceville, died of her injuries
while being taken to Grady, Solis
said.
A passenger in the Neon, Nicolette
Joyner, 21, Winder, was taken to
Barrow Regional Medical Center, but
was being transferred to Gwinnett
Medical Center for surgery, Solis
said on Monday afternoon.
NOT A CHASE’
Solis defended the decision by
the Braselton officer to follow the
Camaro, saying the incident was not
a police “chase.”
Solis contends that since the
Braselton officer did not try to initi
ate a traffic stop before the Camaro
started speeding, it was not a police
chase.
“The car was traveling at a high
rate of speed,” Solis said. “He had to
catch up to him.”
Solis said the officer was following
the Braselton Police Department’s
policy when it comes to such high
speed pursuits.
The officer determined that since
the Camaro was passing traffic on the
left side of the road and speeding, it
was a danger to other vehicles, Solis
said. The officer started his blue lights
to warn other drivers of the Camaro,
while trying to make a traffic stop on
the vehicle, he added.
“The officer did everything by the
book,” Solis said.
The Georgia State Patrol is inves
tigating the incident, including a
review of video from the officer’s
patrol vehicle, Solis said.
Meanwhile, the officer has not
been placed on administrative leave.
Solis said the officer has a clean
record and came to Braselton from
DeKalb County, where he has exten
sive knowledge in identifying poten
tial DUI drivers.
Braselton police learned several
hours after the collision that in the
Camaro, driver King had two proba
tion violations in Barrow County
and passenger Fox had two warrants
issued in Barrow County, Solis said.
The two may have been romantically
linked, he added.
Soils said King borrowed the
Camaro from a friend and police
don't know what King was doing
before the incident.
Sunday’s collision occurred less
than one mile from where two people
were killed in a multiple vehicle acci
dent on Hwy. 211 last week.
Llorens Leaded Art
Glass & Mirror, Inc.
• Custom Mirrors
• Memorial Church Windows
• Leaded Glass • Heavy
Glass Shower Doors
j"~50 Off "j
I Garden Tub Designs .
* with coupon *
L__—___J
Visit Our Showroom or Call
For An Appointment
706-654-5984
77 Merchants Park Drive
Hoschton, GA
Open Mon. - Fri. 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
To place a classified ad, call 706-367-5233
O!
SO
ATTENTION!
HAVE YOU GOT CREDIT CONCERNS?
Do you need a 2nd chance with your vehicle financing?
Do you need dependable transportation?
LET YOUR JOB HISTORY AND YOUR
DOWN PAYMENT BE YOUR CREDIT!
CALL 866-636-4881
High % of approvals
vvayrte Neal
Hwy. 441 in Commerce
706-335-3196 • 800-798-7435
www.wayneneal.com
SERVICE HOURS:
M-F 7:30-6:00 • Sat. 8:00-4:00
OS
iO