Newspaper Page Text
BARROW NEWS-JOURNAL
PAGE 7A
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2017
Random Rants in Rhyme
Radical Islamic Terrorism
This writer makes no claim to be
by any stretch, an authority
on the recently developed schism,
radical Islamic terrorism.
Given here are some observations
of its effect on our nation
and the challenges this group has hurled
at the people of this whole, wide world.
Jesus had said in John 16:2
that the time would come when a man would kill you
and think he had done a service for God
(a thought that seems to us quite odd).
Apparently, those days are here
when all the things that we hold dear
and all the religions that exist
are threatened by the terrorists.
America takes pride in her decision
to grant "freedom of religion’’
to every denomination or sect,
and we vow that their rights we will protect.
But, like all rights, that right terminates
the moment it reaches their neighbor’s gate.
In civil cases, we resort
to settle these differences in the court.
In cases where the court cannot bring satisfaction,
our executive branch must take some action.
We finally have a president who
apparently has thought the matter through,
and has some idea of what should be done
to make America safe for everyone.
In the past, some so-called “Christians’’
have done some acts decidedly un-Christian.
The actions taken, firm and intense,
showed your freedom ends at your neighbor’s fence.
We must back our president as he
tries to fulfill his responsibility,
and faces up to the horrendous schism
of Radical Islamic Terrorism.
© 2017, cbs
Dr. CB Skelton is a retired Winder
physician and author of several books.
Language mostly reflects thought
“Words are sacred. They
deserve respect. If you get the
right ones, in the
right order, you
can midge the
world a little.”
I have a cross-
stitch on the office
wall with those
words from the
playwright Tom
Stoppard.
I have liked
them since I stum
bled across them
more than 20
years ago.
My wife, woman of many
talents, did the cross-stitch.
Fewer people pay attention
to words these days than they
should. How we write, and
speak, are reflective of how we
think, or don’t think.
Too many of us are loose,
redundant or oxymoronic with
language. Pardon me while I
rant a bit. It may be difficult to
fell, reading this column, but
I think about the words I use,
whether writing or speaking. I
follow two basic rules: 1) Use
simple sentences and thoughts
and 2) use language that is
understated.
That word, understated, is
nearly unused today, either in
language or in thought. Rather
we pay far too much atten
tion to the loud, overblown,
exaggerated or blatantly false
comments. One of my beliefs
is that it is next to impossi
ble to say anything useful or
thoughtful in 140 characters
or less. Maybe that also is
why I'm not a better headline
writer.
I have followed politicians
for decades, more decades
than most folks have been
alive. They have twisted, evad
ed and misused language for
much of that time. But it seems
as though that far too
many of our elected
officials, from the
White House to city
councils, now have
no regard for the
validity of the words
they use.
I should note:
Donald Trump is
only a symbol, not
the originator of the
gross misuse of lan
guage. It started at
least in the 1990s
and has gotten steadily worse.
Trump’s “ability” is to carry
anything to extremes. “Under
stated” is not within his capa
bility.
Now we also routinely
hear TV talking heads pro
pound ideas that are demon
strably wrong. I was shocked,
although I shouldn't have
been, to recently hear a
woman say she makes little
distinction between news and
opinion writing.
How sad for us. This is
opinion. It’s mine and it is
not intended to be balanced or
objective. I hope it has some
relationship to reality. That is
likely up to those who read
it. When you see a byline on
Page One, or pages other than
the opinion ones, you should
expect the language to be
reporting, not providing my
view.
The woman was speaking
about The Washington Post,
which she characterized as
very liberal. I quickly told her
she apparently has not read
a “real” liberal publication.
The Nation magazine has a
liberal viewpoint. The Post
is liberal on some things but
quite conservative on others
— some foreign affairs topics,
for example.
I find the older I have got
ten the more liberal I have
become. That seems to be the
opposite of most folks, or so
I have read. But I continue to
read a variety of things, which
is not common these days.
My favorite publications
probably are Sports Illustrat
ed, New York Times (and its
increasing decimation of edit
ing positions leads to bad use
of words) and National Review
(and I miss William Buckley).
All are superbly written.
Back to words. One sugges
tion: If it is on the Internet, start
from the attitude of suspicion.
If it is on social media, assume
it is false or grossly exagger
ated.
Useless words, or so over
used they have lost all mean
ing: “Innovation,” or the putrid
“innovate.” Synergy. “On the
ground,” as in “boots on the
ground.” Embed.
We also have moved to the
point where any response to
any question must be preced
ed by “so ...” Say the sen
tence without that word and
it will be just fine. More and
more we add useless words
to our sentences. I make the
assumption that habit comes
from broadcasters who have
lots of time to fill and too little
substance to fill it. That might
be my bias.
I likely have gone on too
long. Occasionally, I must rant,
much like releasing steam on a
pressure cooker.
Ron Bridgeman is a report
er for Mainstreet Newspapers.
Send him email to ron@main-
streetnews.com.
New Orleans is like Paris
NEW ORLEANS - The
Crescent City literally drips
with tradition and age — like
Savannah and Charleston, but
on a larger scale.
If it weren’t for
the Superdome
(which, at 42,
ain’t no spring
chicken when
it comes to sky
line structures),
the architecture,
in some places,
would make you
think that you
might be at the
Alhambra.
After all, it was
the Spanish who
influenced the look of the
Vieux Carre which many
know as the French Quarter.
Even with the scars of
Katrina, which pretty much
have healed, you can literal
ly lose yourself in the moss
draped oaks which date back
to the times when Thomas
Jefferson took advantage
of Napoleon in the greatest
real estate deal in history of
our country — $15,000,000
or three cents an acre for
524,800,000 acres which lit
erally changed the face of
theU. S.
You might get some argu
ment from descendants of
William S. Seward,
the Secretary of
State under Lincoln
and Johnson (not
Lyndon) who orga
nized the fleecing
of the Russians by
purchasing Alaska
for 2.5 cents per
acre. (You do the
math on the $24.00
the Dutch paid the
Lenape tribe for the
island of Manhattan,
33.6 square miles).
The Louisiana Purchase
gave the upstart Americans
wide ranging status in the
world, with is impactful
space and resources, and fur
thered the irrelevance of the
English on this side of the
Atlantic.
With the 300th anniversary
of the founding of New Orle
ans (May 7, 1718). coming
up next year, these and other
factoids, are stimulating a lot
of anticipatory conversation
these days. Likely there will
be 15,000,000 hurricanes
sold at Pat O’Brien’s next
spring.
It had been a while since
there was a visit here, but
prominent in the memory
banks are Bourbon Street,
where on occasion, you can
literally see everything and
everybody.
I remember running in a
five-mile race down Canal
Street in my cross country
days at Georgia.
I remember the French
Quarter was loud and less
crowded.
I remember Georgia’s mul
tiple visits to old Tulane Sta
dium and the Superdome for
six Sugar Bowls. High times
and down times.
The history of the city and
the French Quarter traffic,
always at a crawl, unless it
is 5 a.m„ remind you that
New Orleans is a place where
everybody can find a niche
for whatever they prefer:
Food, Jazz and Dixieland,
among other things, where
Saints and reprobates alike go
marching in.
You can be dining in an
upscale restaurant that slick
magazines rate with the best
and four or five blocks away
there is a den of inequity
beckoning you to observe
painted girls dancing in their
underwear, or what could
pass for such, loud music
and barkers enticing you to
collaborate with the Devil.
Beads, trinkets and souvenirs
galore.
If you want a signature
headache the morning after,
no better place than New
Orleans to accommodate that.
Called by many as Amer
ica’s most unique city, New
Orleans has overwhelmed
foodies for years.
For the best in dining you
can’t top this metropolis
which straddles the mighty
Mississippi.
The ambience and the
white table cloths at Gala-
toires, the favorite of the
locals, appeal to those bent
on dining up.
The souffle potatoes at
Antione's, the barbecue
shrimp at Pascal's Manale,
and Amaud’s (naturally the
loran
smith
County offers information on tax exemptions
The Barrow County Board of Tax Asses
sors is aiming to ensure everyone is receiv
ing any exemptions they may qualify for
this filing season.
Any exemptions can only follow where
you claim homestead; real property you
own, and reside in a home on that property
as your primary residence.
When applying for regular homestead,
two types of identification are required
showing the physical address of your prop
erty where you are applying for homestead.
Most all exemptions may be applied for
year round, but for them to apply to the
current year tax records, application must be
made by April 1 of that tax year.
Specialized assessment such as Conser
vation Use may only be applied for between
Jan. 2 and April 1, and certain qualifications
must be met.
More information may be obtained by
visiting the tax assessor office.
Homestead exemption is available to
anyone as long as they meet the qualifica
tions mentioned.
There are other exemptions such as par
tial school tax exemption starting at age 62
with income qualifications that must be met.
Anyone desiring to verify if they qualify
may go to the office located in the ground
floor of the Historic Courthouse and bring
their Federal Tax Return from the year
preceeding the year they are making appli
cation. Previously those having the Local
School Tax Exemption had to reapply every
year until it was voted upon to do away
with that requirement; now once you obtain
those exemptions they stay with you year
to year, unless you move or your income
changes significantly.
For a more detailed description of the
exemptions and income levels applicable,
you may go to http://www.barrowga.oig/
departments/pd/TaxExemptionlnfoHand-
out2.pdf and print out if so desired.
Should you have additional questions
please call 770-307-3108 between 8 a.m.
and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
74 N Broad St
Winder, GA 30680-1902
Phone (770)867-3171
THE BARROW COUNTY REPUBLICAN PARTY
INVITES THE PUBLIC TO ATTEND
Monday, FEBRUARY 20,2017 at 7:30 pm
Winder Woman’s Club • 15 W. Midland Ave.
ALEX JOHNSON, CANDIDATE - GAGOP CHAIR
STATE REP. TOM KIRBY
JOIN THE BARROW GOP IN 2017
www.barrowgop.org
best place for shrimp amaud).
Thumbs up at every
address! Breakfast is still
enticing at Brennan’s which
seems to have survived fam
ily infighting.
Acme doesn’t have to
advertise that it is the best
place for shucked oysters (the
long lines and subsequent
wait confirms its over-the-
top popularity and staying
power).
Commander’s Palace out
in the Garden District is the
only heralded venue for fine
dining, where there is no traf
fic or parking challenge.
All of these seasoned and
electric places of cuisine
repute are where waiters can
make more than $100,000 a
year and where you might
meet a sports or other celeb
rity while you satiate your
palate.
When your hosts are Ver
non and Patricia Brinson,
you can sample many of the
aforementioned addresses
and interact with a member
of the Archie Manning fam
ily on a long weekend and
still have time for a smash
ing country style breakfast
at Patricia's kitchen or lunch
at the New Orleans Coun
try Club where the most
emotionally overwhelming
moss draped oak seems to
extend its limbs three coun
ties away.
Such a soothing view to
go with the club’s incompa
rable gumbo.
All of this and not a word
about the incomparable
World War II museum. Stay
tuned.
New Orleans is like Paris.
You best come here with a
fortnight in mind.
Loran Smith is a columnist
for the Barrow News-Jour
nal. He is co-host of the Uni
versity of Georgia football
radio pre-game show.
NOTICE
The Housing Authority of the City
of Winder Board of Commissioners
will have a Special Board Meeting
on Monday, February 20, 2017 at
2:00 p.m. in the Wimberly Center
Conference Room located at
163 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive,
Winder, GA 30680.
■■■
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