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Tribune & Georgian
Opinion
Thursday, October 31,2013
Make your
voice heard, go
vote Tuesday
I t is a known fact that local elections re
ceive less voter turnout than presidential
elections. But it’s the election of local
councils that will affect our everyday lives in
Camden County. Our local councils make de
cisions that impact area economic develop
ment, community relations with Kings Bay
Naval Submarine Base, the taxes we pay and
the ordinances we must follow. If we want any
of these items to be addressed, any issues in
our community to be resolved, we must vote
for the candidate we feel will handle each sit
uation to the best of his or her ability.
Our right to vote is not free. It was earned
by our country’s forefathers and is protected
daily by our military men and women who put
their lives on the line for our freedoms. Many
countries in this world are still fighting for a
voice in their government and consider our
right to vote as a privilege — we cannot let it
go to waste.
If we do not vote, how can we complain
when elected officials do not lead our local
government as we would like? If you want
change, vote for change. Let your voice be
heard. Cast your ballots this Tuesday, Nov. 5.
How to contact...
Rep. Jason Spencer, State House 180
Jason.spencer@house.ga.gov
www.staterepspencer.com
Camden —(912) 541 -0243
28Yachtsmen Court,Woodbine GA 31569
Rep. Ellis Black, State House 174
blackellis@bellsouth.net
www.ellisblack.com
Valdosta — (229) 251 -0303
5900 Jumping Gully Road,Valdosta GA 31601
Sen.William Ligon, State Senate
William@senatorligon.com
www.senatorligon.com
Glynn —(912) 261-2263
158 Scranton Connector, Brunswick GA 31525
Rep. Jack Kingston, U.S. House
Kingston.house.gov
Brunswick—(912) 265-9010
Washington, D.C.— (202) 225-583 I
Sen. Saxby Chambliss, U.S. Senate
chambliss.senate.gov • (229) 985-21 12
Sen. Johnny Isakson, U.S. Senate
lsakson.senate.gov • (770) 661-0999
Tribune & Qeorgian
P. O. Box 6960 — 206 Osborne Street
St. Marys, Georgia 31558
(912) 882-4927 - Fax (912) 882-6519
Publication Number (086-640)
ISSN Number (1551-8353)
Our Mission
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pers Inc., Athens, Ga. We believe that strong newspapers
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Foy R. Maloy Jr., Regional Publisher
Tom Wood Dink NeSmith
Chairman/CNI President/CNI
Printed on recycled paper using soy-based ink.
Carry me back to old Mrginia?
V irginia is a beautiful
state. It has pro
duced many great
people. But in the 1960s my
wife Drenda and I spent an
often disturbing but also
comic year at one of the
state’s universities in the
mountainous western part of
dear old Virginia.
The state at that time was
not really paying a living
wage to just-starting-out
young teachers. When my
wife looked at my first
monthly paycheck and all
the things deducted from the
gross total, she saw we were
left with only $400. She went
bravely off to the Radford
brothers grocery store and
practically begged them to
let her write postdated
checks so we could survive
on my paltry pay.
“Without the Radfords we
would have starved,” she
says.
The town had no out
standing restaurant in those
days. In fact it was eat at
home or drive to some dis
tant eatery.
There was a good place
called The Farmhouse about
10 miles out in the woods.
But with just $400 a month
we could only afford it a time
or two.
When the snows ap
peared, I disappeared, home-
one on our little street had
1
Fred Hill
Opinion
offended someone else in the
city’s maintenance depart
ments. $o we couldn’t get
the snowplows to sweep our
street. I couldn’t drive to
work.
$o with brief case in hand
I had to walk to the univer
sity buildings about a mile
away. Drenda would watch
me while I walked until I dis
appeared behind a snow
bank.
The head of the university
English department was eld
erly but nice. Yet he would
not allow the first year stu
dents (then called “fresh
men”) to use the school’s
library. “They just mess it
up,” the fussy old scholar
said.
And, oh, yes, we had Sat-
urday morning classes. An
other labor we performed
for our $400 a month.
In $eptember before the
snows came, we had a view
of a nice green pasture near
our rented apartment. Out
in the pasture a mother and
her colt cavorted. One day
Drenda and I went up to the
fence and the two horses
came over. I raised my right
hand to stroke the mother’s
face. $uddenly a frightening
mouthful of teeth were com
ing at my face. I spun
around, but the horse still
ground her teeth into my
back. $he also pushed me
flying some 20 feet onto the
ground. I landed on my
hands and knees. My wife
faced a torn shirt and blood
oozing from my back.
We rushed into our land
lords’ nearby house (the wife
a nurse, the husband a mem
ber of the university staff) to
report what had happened.
The female nurse at least got
out some medicine and
bandages for my still-bleed
ing back. $he also gave me a
tetanus shot.
But my wife was still out
raged. “You should put up a
sign warning about that
horse!” she said.
“Oh, well, if something
else happens, the insurance
will take care of it,” was the
nurse-landlord’s remarkably
complacent reply.
Then she proceeded to tell
us about another incident
that had recently occurred in
the pasture. Two old ladies
— she described them thus
— 'were walking across the
pasture, perhaps unaware of
the horses. The mad mother
horse (yes, I admit, maybe
fearing for her colt) rushed
to the ladies, grasping one of
them by the shoulder with
those mighty teeth and
doing her some real harm.
Whatever harm there was,
well, I suppose the insurance
took care of it. At least ac
cording to the landlords.
But there certainly were
some good things in Vir
ginia. The university build
ings made of limestone were
beautiful. I had a civilized of
fice mate, a native Virginian
named Bob Chermside, the
only person I’ve known to
speak perfect English. But
the western Virginia weather
was too erratic for us.
One day I looked out at a
window at a patch of multi
colored pansies. It was
springtime by then but snow
was still falling on the pan
sies. I described the weather
as having “all the seasons in
one day.” It was time to get
back to the less spectacular
but more comfortable land
scape of our native deep
$outh.
Fred Hill is a regular columnist
in the Tribunes Georgian.
Letters to the Editor
Thank you for
citizens academy
Dear Editor,
We four have been friends
for a long time and have had
some health hardships in the
last several years. Through
all of that God took a lot of
fear away. Thank you to God
for giving us the guts to sign
up for citizens police acad
emy 2013-2. We all agree
that we have never had so
much fun doing something
that was so far out of our
comfort zone.
Thank you to $heriff Jim
Proctor and Capt. Larry
Bruce, for this program.
They have let us see that we
only thought we had respect
and appreciation for the
sheriff’s office. Oh my, we
have met some of the most
professional, respectful, fun,
brave, generous and patient
employees.
We know that they are
people with family at home
and a real dedication to their
job. $everal of them have
told us, in their class presen
tation, that they would give
their life for us if needed.
What a tremendous blessing
and assurance that is to hear.
They came out week after
week on their own time to
teach and share with us.
On our ride-alongs, we
saw things go from a slow
pace to real serious business
in a heartbeat.
Having attended the citi
zens police academy and
seen things from the other
side, we question whether
these officers are compen
sated enough for the danger
ous work they do. They put
their lives on the line for the
citizens of Camden County.
We had a tour of the jail,
911 center, computer area,
holding cells, booking area
and ate a jail supper served
by inmates.
We watched dash cams of
violators thinking they could
outrun or funnier yet, out
smart our sheriff’s deputies.
We learned about traffic
stops, drugs and firearms and
had a morning at the gun
range.
We role-played solving a
crime which was very educa
tional and a lot of fun.
Thank you so very much
to each and every one of
them that made this experi
ence so wonderful. We four
will be praying for them on a
daily personal basis as they
face the roads.
The Fearless Four
Cynthia Guinn, Woodbine
Gretchen Knight, St. Marys
Marilyn Horne, Kingsland
Marlene Conner, Kingsland
Don’t be afraid to
ask the question
Dear Editor,
This evening, Oct. 23, I
attended a candlelight walk
from $t. Marys city hall to
the waterfront park in mem
ory of 2 3-year-old man who
had taken his life a couple
weeks ago.
The walk was organized
by a couple of his co-work
ers at the Green Cedar store
on the corner of North River
Causeway and Point Peter.
About 50 people attended.
If statistics are similar for
our county from a neighbor
ing county in Florida one
out of eight teenagers has
tried to commit suicide.
We really need to listen
and dare to asked the ques
tion: “Have you been think
ing about suicide?”
If the answer is affirmative,
helping that person to seek
professional assistance is
what a good friend can do. If
the individual who has
thought about suicide states
they have a plan and espe
cially if they have taken steps
toward that plan, then im
mediate intervention is nec
essary and the emergency
room of our local hospital
has a mental health consult
ant on-call.
Again the steps a friend
can take include listening —
See LETTERS, page 5A
