Newspaper Page Text
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2016
BARROW NEWS-JOURNAL
PAGE 5A
Things to ponder
Some things don’t make any sense
while other things make a lot of
sense if you stop to think about them.
Take for instance road construc
tion in Georgia.
Now be honest. Have you ever
seen a road or highway project move
as quickly as the 1-85 corridor and
hot lane project is moving in Gwin
nett County?
Of course not! Normally it takes a
lot of time to get permits and approv
al to do any roadwork in Georgia.
Not so with the new hot lanes being
added between Old Peachtree Road
and Hamilton Mill Rd.
One day it was in the news and grading
seems to have started 24 hours later. I won
der if it has anything to do with the amount
of money the state is raking in with the hot
lanes!
Lately, the fees have been $10 and up to
drive in peak traffic times from Old Peachtree
Road to inside the perimeter. That’s expensive
driving and the state knows Georgia drivers
will pay it.
We keep hearing a lot of discussion on
education in Georgia and across our nation.
While we have been trying to improve student
scores for years, it remains a slow process.
The National Assessment of Educational
Progress reported this week in a nation
al report card that “...only about a third
of fourth and eighth graders demonstrated
strong academic performance in the scienc
es... and just one in five 12th graders were
proficient or above in science.’’
Now our society is worried about whether
our kids should have to do homework. If we
want to improve education, perhaps, we need
to put some requirements on parents who
would then teach their children accountability
and responsibility.
Our young people need to understand that
the world is not always going to be able to
take care of them as we seem to be trying to
do today.
Another thought on education to think
about is the high school graduation rate.
While our rate seems to be going up, you
may wonder how. We hear stories of high
schoolers who can’t complete job applica
tions, who don’t know when or where the
American Civil War was fought, and who
can’t find Middle Eastern countries on a
world map.
And, while we are on education ponder
this.
As baby boomers we learned to add, sub
tract, multiply and divide. If we had 32 apples
and gave away 12, we learned to put things
in columns and subtract. Two from two and
one from three leaves us 20 apples left. That’s
pretty simple.
The new math solves the problem by add
ing 12 plus three to get 15. Then add five to
fifteen to get 20. Next add 10 to 20
and you get 30. and finally you add
two to get 32. Now you can see that
32 apples minus 12 apples equals 20
apples.
Don’t ponder on that too long but
that is a real example with the new
math.
In Malaysia, Islamic authorities
have ordered a company to rename
its hot dog which is currently called
a pretzel dog. The Islamic authorities
say the term “hot dog” is confusing
for consumers.
Dogs are considered unclean in
Islam culture and so the term pretzel dog
is unacceptable to obtain halal certification
which is based on Islamic dietary laws. Islam
requires a person who believes in Islam to eat
only halal certified foods that have received
an Islamic blessing.
You should start checking the products you
buy in grocery stores. There are rumors that a
number of American food giants are paying
for the halal certification here in America.
Labels will say the product is halal certified.
As have many of you, I’ve about heard
enough from the American Civil Liberties
Union.
Middletown High School (New Jersey)
sponsored a pre-game celebration honoring
law enforcement, military personnel and first
responders at a high school football game in
October.
The celebration culminated with the unfurl
ing of a large American flag by law enforce
ment officers and members of the football
team prior to the attendees singing the nation
al anthem.
The ACLU angrily denounced the event
accusing organizers of sending an “... omi
nous, frightening message.”
So much for free speech. Sounds like the
ACLU wants free speech to travel on a one
way street.
And finally this scary thought. Fox News
reported recently that Barack Obama would
like to be Secretary General of the United
Nations!
That is a disaster in the making for Ameri
ca. That would enable Obama to continue his
mission of remaking America and destroying
the sovereignty of our nation.
Citizens United for American Sovereign
ty recently pointed out that Obama “.. .has
already wrecked our country’s healthcare
and our economy. Now he’s going to finish
the job by knocking down our borders and
forcing the U.N.’s “one world” agenda on our
country!
That’s the last thing we need. The things we
need to ponder!
Jimmy Terrell is a retired law enforcement
official. He can be reached at ejterrell65@
gmail.com.
Mitcham continued from 4A
of the bigger picture and
what really matters most to
me. I’m trying to remember
kindness and care need a
home, not hatred and loath
ing. For me, this election
has become less about who
is going to be president and
more about who I’m going
to be - a bitter man or a
better one?
And I’m waiting. I’m wait
ing for the election to be
over.
And thank goodness, it
finally will be Tuesday night.
It will, right? Please tell
me it will. There’s no such
thing as a “hanging chad”
anymore, right?
Please, no such things! If
there are, please direct me
to the nearest quicksand. I’ll
have to dive in headfirst.
Zach Mitcham is editor
of the Madison County
Journal, a sister publica
tion of the Barrow News-
Journal.
Two other candidates
are gaining momentum
In a response to a Facebook
spat that won’t go away, I have
to address, yet again, that just
because someone is anti-Hil
lary Clinton does not mean that
they are pro-Trump.
Also, just because someone
believes that parts of Trump’s
immigration plans are good
ideas does not mean this per
son is “racist” or “xenophobic.”
In an effort to silence oppo
nents, liberals have been taking
a trip back to the 1693 Salem
Witchcraft Trials in an attempt
to discredit and publicly crucify their
opponents in an attempt to silence
them — only this time they are replac
ing the word “witch” with a term simi
lar to “racist,” “Trumpster,” “bigot,” or
something of the sort.
These people also believe that
because you do not support Hillary
Clinton, you must be a die-hard Trump
supporter.
In case someone out there didn’t get
the memo: There are more people run
ning for President other than Hillary
Clinton and Donald Trump.
I know, I know... it’s hard to believe
that someone would actually dare to
break away from the bifurcated system
we live in with mainstream politics and
vote third party, but believe it or not, it
actually does happen.
In fact, the candidate I voted for in
the last Presidential election is running
again in this election.
Libertarian Gary Johnson is a solid
alternative to both Clinton and Trump
for a lot of people.
For me. I’m not completely sold
on him this time as I was in the last
election, as I’m sort of a purist when
it comes to libertarianism and Johnson
has gotten to like government a little
too much.
What can I say, though? I still offer
him a solution to those who cannot find
it within them to vote for the criminal
Hillary Clinton or the narcissist Don
ald Trump.
He is, in fact, a viable third option,
as he will be on the ballots in all 50
states this year.
In fact, he just needs 5 percent of
the popular vote in order to end the
two-party system. It’s a win-win!
After Clinton stole the primary elec
tion away from Bernie Sanders, the
“basement dwellers” as she likes to call
his supporters, have started throwing
their support behind the rising Green
Party and its candidate Jill Stein.
While I am not a socialist or envi
ronmental nut (though I do my part to
make sure my ecological footprint is
small), I do like some of the things she
has to say in regards to Clinton.
It’s nice to know I’m not the only
jessica
swords
non-democrat/non-republican
female who can hop aboard the
Never Clinton train!
In fact. Clinton is such a
non-viable candidate that she is
continuing to be under federal
investigation and her top aide,
Huma Abedein. has officially
had a court-ordered search and
seizure of her laptop because
the evidence is overwhelming
ly stacking up against Clinton
and her cronies.
Yes. I have actually heard
the occasional liberal say “it’s
all smoke and mirrors,” and “nobody
cares,” and “Wikileaks isn’t a credible
source,” etc. etc. etc...
If it’s all smoke and mirrors, why
did a judge sign a warrant to obtain her
top aide’s electronic device to search
for emails?
If “nobody cares.” why is it now in
mainstream news? I would also caution
you to look into the face of Patricia
Smith, the mother of fallen hero Sean
Smith who was left behind by Hillary
Clinton’s State Department in Beng
hazi, Libya on Sept. 11, 2012, and tell
her that “nobody cares.”
Also, if Julian Assange and his web
site Wikileaks are not credible sourc
es, then 1) Why did Clinton outright
take responsibility for content within
the leaked emails, and 2) Why are
government agencies trying so hard
to discredit Assange through smear
campaigns and trying to silence him by
shutting off his internet?
So please, the next time that you
want to tell me how “racist” you think
I am for not voting for Hillary Clinton,
please back up your points with actual
facts and evidence other than “you
support Trump’s immigration plan.” or
you will get your feelings hurt.
Reacting out of spite and emotions is
not a logical counter to a well laid-out
argument, and therefore you have no
grounds in such argument by spewing
hate-filled, pathetic, cliched donkey
manure.
As Milo Yiannopoulos wrote in a
column on giving the left instructions
on how to beat him, I say the same:
“Do your homework.”
Come to battle prepared with facts
and logic; however, I am afraid that
Milo’s pessimistic thoughts of the out
come of liberals following these simple
instructions are going to be all too true.
The reason they haven’t beaten Milo
yet is because they didn’t take his
advice and follow the map he laid out
for them.
Jessica Swords is an opinion col
umnist for the Barrow News-Journal.
She can be reached at jlswordsl998@
aol.com.
BARROWNEWSJOURNAL.COM
November 2, 2016 ~ Crossword Puzzle
Headmaster’s
Corner
by
Steve Cummings
5TH IN STATE - Congrat
ulations to the Lady Eagle
Softball Team, who made
their third trip to Columbus
in the last 5 years and finished
5th in the State. The Lady
Eagles knocked off George
Walton to earn the trip to Co
lumbus.
The Lady Eagles have been
led all year by Seniors Lexi
Veamoi, Morgan McCannon,
and Melea Watkins. Lexi was
recently named the Region
8A Player of the Year, and
Morgan was named All Re
gion Honorable Mention.
The Lady Eagles had a
young team this year, starting
5 Freshmen and Sophomores.
While they will have some
big shoes to fill, the experi
ence of playing in Columbus
as a young group should build
confidence for the future.
ATHENS
CHRISTIAN SCHOOL
“Affordable Quality Education Since 1970”
K3-12TH CALL (706) 549-7586
www.athenschristian.com
Across
1. “ for the poor”
5. Three, they say
10. Increase, with “up”
14. Acquire
15. Hindu queen
16. “Frasier” actress Gilpin
17. Wedding permit (2 wds)
20. Acts of gliding on runners
21. than hen’s teeth
22. “Yadda, yadda, yadda”
(abbrev.)
23. Prefix with magnetic
24. “The Daba Honeymoon”
26. Way, way off
29. of the Unknowns
31. “My boy”
32. Bow
35. Mosque V.I.P.
37. Attribution of human emo
tions to inanimate objects
40. Ancient colonnade
41. Forever, poetically
42. “ any drop to drink”:
Coleridge
43. Pie perch
45. Gift on “The Bachelor”
46. Chain letters?
47. At hand
50. CD follower
52. Even smaller
54. Base of a triangular truss for
a pitched roof (2 wds)
58. Mutual reliance
60. Absolute worst
61. “Don’t get any funny !”
62. “Let it stand”
63. Bad day for Caesar
64. Gave out
65. “ quam videri” (North
Carolina’s motto)
Down
1. Kind of dealer
2. Pipe problem
3. Beheaded queen of France
4. Nautical pole
5. Mountain goat’s perch
6. Threadbare clothing
7. “ moment”
8. People of Wales
9. Prepare for winter takeoff
10. Whale lubricant (2 wds)
11. Decalogue (2 wds)
12. European language
13. Dock
18. As a precaution (2 wds)
19. Links rental
23. Lacey openwork in a Gothic
window
24. Dangerous biters
25. Marina sights
27. Destiny
28. Came down
30. Breakfast sizzler
33. -American
34. Staffs
36. “ Breckinridge”
38. Robust good health
39. Looked lecherously
44. Animal house
48. Made over
49. Ornamental embroidery
51. Corpulent
52. Conical tent (var. spelling)
53. “Idylls of the King” character
54. Blue hue
55. Acad.
56. Air force heroes
57. Allocate, with “out”
59. green
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