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DawsonOpinion
WEDNESDAY, MAY 11,2022
This is a page of opinion — ours, yours and
others. Signed columns and cartoons are the
opinions of the writers and artists, and they
may not reflect our views.
Some random
thoughts on
random subjects
Some random
thoughts on some
random subjects
I am having an
identity crisis.
Last week, a read
er opined, “I’ve
read your editori
als for years and
know you are a supporter of Republican
Party efforts. I had hoped, in vain, that you
would disavow the current Republican
Party.” I’m guessing he must have missed
my snarky columns on David Perdue and
Marjorie Taylor Greene. A lot of others
didn’t, including another reader who said,
“Mr. Yarborough, (sic) I would like to state
anyone that is a domocrat like you are, is a
domo-rat. We do support Perdue and OUR
President Trump and what you say just
don’t whole (sic) water and your opinion is
fruitless.” These particular observations
remind me of the time I was called an
“Obama bed-wetting liberal” and a “racist
redneck” in the same week. This job isn’t
as easy as I make it look.
God bless our public schoolteachers.
They have had to endure COVID-19, masks
vs. no masks, critical race theory, revision
ist history, gangs, goofy school boards and
private school voucher schemes designed to
undermine the public education system and
yet they soldier on, making a difference in
young lives. I am glad Gov. Brian Kemp
and the Legislature saw fit to give them a
raise. They have more than earned it. Now,
if we will just give our schoolteachers the
respect they deserve.
It takes a lot to flummox me but this one
did. A woman in Douglas County was
arrested this past week and charged with
shooting a teenager in the face in a road rage
incident in Metro Atlanta. A passenger with
the teen happened to snap a photo of the
alleged shooter who was subsequently iden
tified and jailed without bond. That’s not the
weird part. Unfortunately, road rage inci
dents happen all too often these days as does
gun violence. What makes this one remark
able is that as soon as the shooter had
popped her victim, she went and had her
nails done! Hey, we all have our priorities.
Much is being made of Republican U.S.
senatorial hopeful Herschel Walker’s no-
shows at political debates. Why should he?
A recent Emerson College poll indicates he
is far ahead of his Republican opponents
with 57% of the vote. His closest competi
tor, Georgia agricultural commissioner
Gary Black is a distant second at 13%. The
same poll shows Walker with a slight lead
over Democratic incumbent Raphael
Warnock. Expect his opponents and the
media to continue to cast him in negative
light (gaffe-prone, accused of domestic
abuse, exaggerating his resume, etc. etc.)
but to little avail. To a lot of people in this
state Herschel Walker is the stuff of legends
and I suspect they will vote accordingly.
You may have missed this given what all
is going on in the world today but the Ocoee
Whitewater Center in Polk County,
Tennessee, which hosted whitewater rafting
events on the Ocoee River during the 1996
Centennial Olympic Games burned to the
ground a couple of weeks ago. A shame. It
was the first Olympic whitewater event to
have been held on a natural river. As with the
rowing and canoeing venue in Gainesville,
Ocoee had enjoyed a successful afterlife,
unlike many of the Olympic venues which
were mismanaged into oblivion.
As I have quoted often on these pages,
we all have an obligation to leave this a bet
ter world than we found it. One man who
did just that was retired superior court
judge Arthur (Mac) McLane, of Valdosta. I
first met the judge when I spoke at a Boy
Scout function in Valdosta many years ago.
We enjoyed a regular email correspondence
for many years. Judge McLane passed
away last week. He will be missed in the
community for his good works. I will miss
his notes of encouragement. One thing is
for sure: He left this a better world by his
presence.
And finally: I tried very hard not to bring
this up. I mean I really, really tried but
sometimes I just can’t help myself. It seems
that the University of Georgia, the oldest
state-chartered university in the nation and
home to 25 Rhodes Scholars just had 15
football scholar-athletes selected in the
recent NFL draft - five in the first round.
So, to those of you who think of my alma
mater as just an academic oasis populated
by brilliant minds, it turns out we also can
play a little football, too. Woof! Woof!
You can reach Dick Yarbrough atdick@dick-
yarbrough.com; at P.O. Box 725373, Atlanta,
GA 31139; online at dickyarbrough.com or on
Facebook at www.facebook.com/dickyarb.
DICKYARBROUGH
Columnist
©2022 Creators Syndicate Crealors.com
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PAIPCFE. -
Grief comes in oddest moments
Grief can hit
you in the odd
est of moments
and in waves.
Like standing
in the men’s
department of a
store.
I was looking
for some socks for my son, when I found
myself reaching out to touch the fabric on
a pair of sleep pants.
The brushed flannel felt soft under my
fingertips, and I rubbed it to see how it
would feel as it moved against skin.
I found myself picking up a pair before
it hit me.
My uncle was gone.
And then the tears came. Flowing free
ly as I stood there in the store and I
couldn’t stop them.
He had been gone for a few months,
and my heart had just stopped with his.
The man who had helped raise me, who
had been my constant supporter, the one
who had stepped in and created a space in
my life that I needed because my father
wasn’t present, and one who never asked
for anything in return was gone.
He always wanted me to buy his paja
mas for him, because I knew which ones
to get him.
Something that didn’t irritate his skin,
something warm, and something that
would be easy to put on.
He had battled and endured so many
health issues over the last few years.
Cancer that had been in remission had
returned, and the doctors said there was
nothing they could do.
Congestive heart failure, which made
surgery for the cancer or anything else,
too risky to chance, even mending his
wrist after the wreck just a few weeks
before he passed.
And countless other ailments.
Yet, he never complained, and if you
asked him how he felt, he’s answer the
same, “I’m okay.”
He took care of his cats, his ‘babies’, he
called them, the four inside, the three con
stant ferals outside, and any others who
showed up in the garage, wanting to be
fed.
An Army Sergeant and VietNam veter
an. he never talked about his time in ser
vice; I’ve wondered what horrors he saw
during that time, and how he withstood it.
How it may have changed him. He never
would say.
He never needed accolades or wanted
special treatment. He just wanted to be
good to as many people as he could, for
as long as he could.
He never uttered an unkind or mean
word about anyone or anything, remind
ing me often that most people are doing
the best they could and to give them
grace.
His gentle reproves were the only thing
that could calm me or get me to back
down when about to engage in a heated
row with Granny.
Always an encourager, my uncle was a
supporter of whatever I wanted to do.
Unlike Mama and Granny, who would
either argue that they knew best for me or
tell me how what I was doing would not
work, Bobby always said to give it a try.
Memories of how he was always there
for me come flooding back when I least
expect it.
When I was scheduled to take the GRE
in the 90’s, it was the day after my grand
father’s funeral.
I was heartbroken and scared. I had to
go to Atlanta, and while I had the direc
tions, I was a bit apprehensive about driv
ing by myself, and, to add to it, snow was
in the forecast for the day.
When I walked into Granny’s living
room to tell her I was leaving, there stood
my uncle ready to go. “I’m going with
you,” he said simply. A wave of relief
washed over me. I had felt so nervous, but
hadn’t even thought about asking anyone
to go with me. Without a word, Bobby
had stepped up to provide support when I
needed it.
A week after he passed, I had to take
my national boards, and cried all the way
to the testing site, needing him more than
ever even though I was over 20 years
older than before.
Any time I’d thank him for anything he
did for. he’d just nod quietly. He didn’t
like for anyone to make a big fuss over
what he did; he just did what he saw
needed to be done.
Normally quiet, our talks usually
involved three of his favorite topics: cats,
playing the lottery, and NCIS.
He didn’t want to win the lottery for
himself, but to give to every charity he
could, as evidenced by the stacks and
stacks of mail requesting donations in the
dining room. Places he had already donat
ed to before.
Our last conversation before he went in
the hospital was me telling him I was
playing his numbers for him.
“Good, good,” he said. “Get me a Mega
and a Powerball, too, and I’ll pay you
back.”
“I will,” I said. “And you don’t have to
pay me back, Bobby. We "re good.”
I could never pay him back for all he
did for me, even if I lived forever.
You can never outgive or outlove some
one whose whole life was focused on ser
vice to others, and that’s how my uncle
had always lived, and how he treated
those around him.
The grief, it comes in waves.
Sudie Crouch is an award winning humor
columnist and author of the recently
e-published novel, "The Dahlman Files:
A Tony Dahlman Paranormal Mystery."
SUDIE CROUCH
Columnist
Do not throw caution to the winds yet. COVID is still around
By Dr. Larry Anderson
Anderson Family Medicine
It is hard to find any late breaking
news about COVID anymore. Some hot
spots are still out there. Some countries
are having a resurgence of cases. Here
in Dawson County all seems to be well.
Do not throw caution to the winds yet.
The virus is still there.
When one bad thing goes away,
something else always pops up to
replace it. Neighboring counties have
had some small rabies cases. Rabies is
naturally occurring in the wild. Only
becomes a problem when the wildlife
visits us or our pets. Here in Dawson
County you and your Vet can chose
either the one year or the three year vac
cine for rabies. Talk to your Vet about
which one is best for you.
Ticks are starting to emerge again.
Use the deet when you go outside.
Check yourself and your pets when you
come inside the house. Most people
who get Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever
or any of the other tick borne diseases
usually do not see the tick on their bod
ies. If you have symptoms and/or have
concerns, then get checked out.
Rain, puddles, standing water in the
flower pots, water features around the
house are all prime locations for mos
quitos to breed. Drain the water, pour it
out, cover it up but do disrupt the habi
tat. If we pay attention to all the above.
We should have a nicer summer. Be
safe. Stay away from sick people.
Thanks for reading.
LETTERTOTHE EDITOR
Your new budget
I have done all the math. I have run
all the calculator models. I consulted
the leading economic writer, R J.
O’Rourke and “Eat the Rich”. I even
used a number 2 pencil and a piece of
paper. The results are in.
If you are an average family in the
USA you are going to have exactly
$4.86 of discretionary money each year
after the Progressives fully implement
their new Progressive age. The median
house hold income around here is now
around $70,000.00. Once you pay your
new mortgage, your new electric bill,
your new fuel costs and the new gro
cery bill you are going to have about
$4.86 left. Trust me, I have done the
math. (I admit that I used the new
math, because real math is racist.)
The new mortgages are going to have
to go way up back to 11% as the Fed
tries to contain inflation caused by their
incredibly stupid monetary policy and
by the Congress spending gobs of
money we do not have. We have inflat
ed inflation.
The new electric age is going to cost
a bundle. Expect an electric bill of
about $600 a month. Solar panels and
big batteries with windmills all over the
place cost heaps. By the way we will
need 3 times the amount of solar panels
needed to power the grid because we
will need some for maintenance stand
by and some to charge the big not yet
invented batteries. Electric utilities are
already predicting blackouts this sum
mer because of reduced generating
capacity which they shut done to pre
vent carbon burning.
No sane businessman will drill new
oil wells because the government will
harass them so as the supply of oil
shrinks the price will go out of sight. It
will cost over a $25.00 to fill up your
lawn mower. To fill up your pickup
truck expect to pay $1,000.00.
(Get a good bicycle. Use wax on the
chain so you don’t get chain oil on
your pants and you can save on dry
cleaning)
The good news is that people are
going to get skinny again because food
is going to be so expensive we will all
have to cut down on the calories. Food
will use about half of your budget. We
will have to put armed guards on the
corn fields. You will have to stand
guard on your gar-den at night and not
for deer. No one will stick up liquor
stores. The money will all be at the
Ingles.
I just read what I wrote. Upon reflec
tion I may have exaggerated a little —
but not much. Well, we deserve it,
because we voted for these clowns.
Gary Pichon
Marble Hill
