About Upson beacon. (Thomaston, Ga.) 2008-current | View Entire Issue (March 20, 2024)
opinion Wednesday, March 20, 2024 • Page 4A Send your letters to: Editor, Upson Beacon, 219 Thomas Street, Thomaston, Ga 30286 or email to: dlord@upsonbeacon.com The opinions expressed on this page are not necessarily the opinions of the Upson Beacon staff. Please limit letters to 400 words, and limited to two letters per month. All letters must be signed and accompanied by a telephone number for verification purposes. Telephone numbers will not be printed. Easter, Circa 30 A.D. Each year, as Easter approaches, I offer some alter nate perspectives on the assumptions surrounding the holiday. This piece assumes the reader has a better- than-elementary knowledge about the Passover in 30 A.D. and has an open mind as to the death and resur rection of the historical Jesus. In reconstructing the death of Jesus beyond the broad brush of theological evolution, one can readily see that Pilate was prob ably correct from his perspective in allowing Jesus to be crucified, i.e., it quelled the turbulent holi day crowds who were anticipating the coming of the Kingdom of God with its revelation of Jesus as his Messiah. Once the crowd realized that Jesus might be crucified as a common criminal, calm fell upon them, and the holiday passed without in cident. Jesus’ followers were not so easily swayed toward irenic behavior, in fact they were in a state of panic after Jesus’ arrest and death; most had fled, Peter included. There were groups of Jesus followers who, after accept ing the notion of a failed Messiah, preached that Jesus lived again. What proof this group had, or could dem onstrate, can never be known. The accounts of the cru cifixion of Jesus were not put into story form until some 80-100 years later, vis a vis, the New Testament books, principally by Mark and Matthew. The dearth of information surrounding the first Easter should not, though, question the occurrence of the events described in the Easter story. It gives us a glimpse into the lives of some of Jesus’ disciples. It further solidifies the Jewish belief that the resurrection of the dead was a redemptive act that was anticipated in Jewish traditions. If Jesus’ disciples believed that they had seen Jesus raised - whatever it was they ac tually experienced, and however we choose to interpret it today - then they, the disciples continued to function within the apocalyptic paradigm established by Jesus. To illustrate the early Jewish mindset about resur rection, one can refer to several passages in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament), namely, God’s promise to the prophet Ezekiel, “I will open your graves and raise you from your graves, oh my people. I will bring you home into the land of Israel,” (Ez. 37:12) or, in the book of Daniel, “Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake,” (Daniel, 12:2). Jesus’ resurrection thus confirmed for his Jewish followers that the king dom and the concomitant resurrection of the dead, was on the way. The long wait began, and continues still, 2,000 years later. The New Testament writers, anticipating future skeptics, propped up the resurrection story by supplying their own interpretation, each varying from the other. Currently, there are a literally thousands of works on the Jesus of history, all containing some amount of competing interpretive narratives. For example, a his torian’s apocalyptic image of Jesus might be another’s image as that of a social reformer, another’s, a pious Hasid, another’s a political critic, another’s a cynic sage. Simply, the search for the historical Jesus must start with his first-century audience, for Jesus wrote nothing down. Jesus of Nazareth, as with any person of his generation, lived intact and entirely within his own culture, innocent as to what the future held as revealed to him. Whatever your beliefs about the death and resurrec tion of Jesus, let your beliefs be mindful that the Jesus we seek stands with his back turned to us; his face to ward the others of his (not our) generation. James Studdard, B.A., M.A., JD, D.Rel Feed the Hungry Waine’s World: Please be assured that this is not a precursor to a series of “How I spent my Sundays” columns. While I love Sundays - and yes, this is the second week that I am revealing my Sunday jaunts - not to worry. It was the start of daylight savings when we sprang forward (March 10), so I set my timepieces to lose an hour. On waking, I walked my dog “Pele,” had my bagel and lox, watched an hour of “Sunday Morning,” and while we did not attend church, visited the “Wellness Center,” read, or took a nap, and it was, nevertheless, a fabulous day. Our friends (Gee and Karen Doyon), who are members of St. Paul Episcopal Church and reside in New- nan, informed us about their commit ment and participation in the annual Atlanta Hunger Walk/Run and we were all in. It turns out that in the rich est country on earth, more than 44 million people face hunger, including one in five children. Not only did we contribute a sub stantial amount, but we also agreed to participate in the walk - we do not run anymore. If anyone is hungry, it is a good reason to hit me up. There is nothing that triggers our most generous im pulses than hunger. I repeatedly tell anyone who will listen that a guarantee against hunger is to join a church. NO ONE who has ever appealed to a church for food has ever been turned down. “Sit down, Sister Betty will fix you something.” As I am writing this, it pains me to be a witness to the starvation going on in the Israel/Palestinian conflict - especially among the children. Starv ing children is a horrible spectacle. So, after watching “Sunday Morn ing,” we depart for our one-hour drive to the home of our friends. We arrived at 11 a.m. and visited with them over coffee for an hour before heading to Mercedes Stadium (“Home Depot” backyard). I was at the stadium to watch a Falcons football game last fall and did not recall a brand-new, very impressive, 50- story Hilton Sig- nia next door. It is very impres sive! After driv ing around a bit, we found park ing and arrived at the Episcopalian church tent where our friends intro duced us to their brethren - a very friendly lot. We were invited to an ad joining tent where we received hats, T- shirts, and enjoyed a wonderful brunch (bagels, eggs, fruit salad, kirsch, juice, and coffee). While we ate well and were seated, we were not prepared for cold 40 mile- per-hour winds. My wife and I had to hold on to each other for warmth. The entertainment was excellent with dancing and many optional activities to keep the natives engaged. There must have been 20,000 people pres ent. Sharply at 2 p.m., the runners took off and the walkers followed, and when we returned, we stopped in at the Hil ton to check it out. After drinks, we made our way back to our car and headed for Peach tree City, where we dined at our friend’s favorite restaurant, “Ted’s Montana Grill,” which was packed. The experience did not live up to the hype because they had run out of Gee’s favorite (turkey and dressing), and none of us were happy with our selec tion because it was served cold and tasteless. Maybe the chef did not show up - it happens. With apologies from our hosts, we returned home (somewhat weary) and were asleep by 11 p.m. According to the website, “This special 5K event, hosted by the Atlanta Community Food Bank, brings our community together to raise aware ness and crucial funds for local hunger relief... Thousands will gather to help raise awareness and funds for At lanta's Community Food Bank, which has raised $12 million for hunger relief through this event. Participation in the event helps provide added relief for a fellow Georgian in need through a do nation and participation in the 5K course... Family-friendly activities in clude Atlanta’s best food trucks, a chil dren’s play zone, live entertainment, and a Zumba warm-up led by Midday personality Jackie Paige... Atlanta faces the highest income inequality in the nation, recently forcing many res idents to face food insecurity for the first time. The Atlanta Community Food Bank's President and CEO Kyle Waide said demand for food assistance is rising, with more than 200,000 families visiting their network each month.” “Feed the hungry and help those in trouble. Then your light will shine from the darkness and darkness around you will be as bright as noon. The Lord will guide you continuously, giving you water when you are dry and restoring your strength. You will be like a well-watered garden, like an ever-flowing spring,” Isaiah 58:10-11. B. Waine Kong, Ph.D.JD @afbranco Jones, Continued from Front where I currently serve as church secretary. “For the last 10 years, I have served as your county clerk. I am a Georgia Certi fied Clerk through the Uni versity of Georgia Carl Vinson Institute of Govern ment, where I also received a certificate in the Clerks Masters Education Manage ment Development Pro gram. “In 2023, I completed a rigorous, 300-hour pro gram to receive a Public Manager Certificate. I have also previously served on Primary, Continued from Front Perry Johnson, one each. A total of 12.22 percent of Upson’s registered voters cast ballots on the Repub lican side. Biden received 610 of 639 Democrat votes, fol lowed by Marianne Wil liamson with 15 and Dean Phillips with 14. A total of 3.23 percent of Upson’s registered voters cast ballots on the Democrat side. Advance in-person vot ing surpassed election day ballots with 1,768 total bal lots cast early. Absentee vot ing by mail accounted for 121 ballots, plus two pro visional. the Upson Board of Elec tions for five years. “If elected as your next Superior Court clerk, my goal is to maintain accurate county records, transpar ency of the office, and main tain good relationships with all community stakeholders and all who utilize the clerk’s office. Being a public servant is at my core, and I would like to continue serv ing as your next Superior Court clerk for Upson County. I humbly ask for your support and your vote for Jessica Harper Jones as Su perior Court clerk for Upson County on May 21, 2024. Rec Director, Continued from Front only visible, but also quan tifiable. “Let us come together to express our heartfelt gratitude for Shaka’s un wavering dedication to im proving our community’s quality of life,” Tinsley con tinued. “We wish her the best of luck in her future endeavors.” During the last year, Johnson has come under fire from parents, civic groups, and city officials who questioned her avail ability to field concerns about recreation league participation and civic center policies. Carriker, Continued from Front uents of the district to dis cuss issues that are relevant to the community at large and District 1 particularly. “Our campaign will offi cially kick off on May 29, 2024. “Our slogan is: Real Change. “If you want to be a member of TEAM CAR RIKER, please contact us by email at george.car- riker@hotmail.com or text Meier, Continued from Front term. “I have worked hard to ensure that my staff and I provide you with the most professional, knowledge able, and courteous service. Since becoming clerk in 2009,1 have made the pub lic records of Upson County more accessible with a safe and secure system that en sures that our public records are processed, pro tected, and preserved. “Some of the many proj ects that I am most proud of are the digitalization of the deed and plat records, the ability to offer elec tronic filing in our civil, criminal, and real estate records, and our continued efforts to safely preserve our veterans’ military records. your name and ‘I’M IN’ to 706-741-0248. Our plan is to set up campaign related social media accounts for all campaign related infor mation. “As the campaign sea son progresses, we will an nounce specific issues that we intend to address. “So, stay turned for more information in the coming months. “All aboard the CAR RIKER Train. “Respectfully, George E. Carriker.” “I have an amazing staff that understands my vision for making the clerk’s office one of the best in the state. I have built a strong team of men and women who share my love for this com munity and who strive every day to make sure they are providing you with the service that you not only deserve, but also service you have grown to trust and expect. “I am proud of the many accomplishments that I have been able to achieve over these past years, but there is still more work to do. There are still projects that need to be completed and others that need to be implemented. “I humbly ask for your continued support and trust as I seek re-election to remain your clerk of Super ior Court.” Maher, Continued from Front ous times in elections until he became President, I con tinue to pursue this position. I do so because I believe, with the support of the com munity, we can truly make a difference in the lives of every Upson County citizen. “In the coming years, we will be faced with many challenges. We have a gov ernment complex that will have to be funded by local taxpayers. Roads need maintenance - not just re surfacing, but roadside re pairs. We have a bridge out on Hannah’s Mill Road. “There are a lot of issues facing Upson County and I will focus on the big picture. “Local businesses are wishing to expand, and I would like to help with that process. Government is sup posed to be the support structure and motivator for success, and I believe I am the man who can lead our community to make that Whaley, Continued from Front “I am on a fixed income, and anyone who knows me will say, ‘He really values our tax money and how it is being spent’. I am not a ‘yes man’, I will pull no punches, and there will be no secrets. “Accountability and happen. “We should be support ing our own, who have kept this community moving. New businesses will see how we support our own and want to be part of this grow ing community. “I support our local law enforcement and fire serv ices. I worked to get funding for them years ago. “I will stop the continu ous SPLOST taxes. I will stop the out-of-town re treats. I will work with the entire community. I am al ways open to new ideas. I don’t have all the answers, but I am willing to listen and learn. “Will you take a chance and work with me? I cannot do it alone. Together, the best is yet to come. I BE LIEVE in our community. “Please elect Bill Maher chairman of Upson County Commission. “God bless Upson County, and God bless America. Please vote MAHER.” transparency are my prom ise. I do not believe in in creasing the school board’s budget each year. “If elected, I will be your voice of reason, and I will make every effort of finding ways to cut the budget and save tax money. “Thank you, Ken Wha ley (678-763-7603).”
