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DawsonOpinion
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 1,2022
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 thoughts
on a day that will
live in infamy
DICKYARBROUGH
Columnist
What a day it
was. Tuesday, May
24. A day that will
live in infamy.
While we were
deciding the candi
dates that will face
off in the
November general
election in Georgia, a crazed gunman walked
into an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas,
and killed 19 children and two teachers before
being killed himself.
Nineteen children, second to fourth grade,
who will never see another sunrise, hear the
sound of rain, ride a bike, make a silly face,
kick a ball, take a school trip, fall in love,
laugh or cry or have a family of their own.
Was there among them an outstanding ath
lete, an inventor, a business executive, an
opera star, an artist, a senator or just some
plain good folks who would have made this a
better world by their very presence? Sadly, we
will never know.
I grieve for the parents whose lives have
been changed forever. I know what it is like to
outlive a young family member. It should not
happen. And these families should not have
had their children slaughtered like cattle. And
don’t forget the brave teachers who gave their
lives shielding the students from the shooter.
I think of my own brood: Cameron,
Hayden, Hadley and Harper, Henry and
Noah. How safe are they? Will their schools
become military-style bunkers? Armed
camps? I think of my own school days. The
most frequent examples of what passed in
those times for violence was an occasional
duke-it-out after school and no hard feelings
afterwards.
At about noon our time, 18-year-old
Salvador Ramos entered Robb Elementary to
begin his rampage. By 4 p.m., the full impact
of what had taken place began to be known.
By 7 p.m., the finger-pointing was underway
and those innocent babes who had their lives
snuffed out were the equivalent of yesterday’s
news.
The topic now was who was to blame. Fox
News said liberals. CNN said it’s the NRA’s
intransigence. Politicians blathered and pos
tured, depending on which side of the issue
they stand. Social media was doing its usual
superb job of providing misinformation and
conspiracy theories. (Anonymously, of
course.)
And I am sure there are those among you
ready to weigh in on the issue. I am ready to
hear that. But before you do, I suggest that
you take a few minutes and pray for each
individual victim and for their families. If you
aren’t into prayer, meditate or do whatever it
is you do, but put the victims and their fami
lies ahead of your personal opinions on guns.
That really isn’t that important at the moment.
Here are the names of the children: Uziyah
Garcia, Jose Flores, Amerie Jo Garza, Xavier
Javier Fopez, Nevaeh Bravo, Alithia Ramirez,
Tess Marie Mata, Alexandria Aniya Rubio,
Fayla Salazar, Makenna Fee Elrod, Jayce
Fuevanos, Jailah Nicole Silguero, Eliana
“Ellie” Garcia, Eliahana Cruz Torres,
Annabell Guadalupe Rodriguez, Jacklyn
“Jackie” Cazares, Maite Yuleana Rodriguez,
Rogelio Torres, Miranda Matthis and their
teachers, Eva Mireles, Irma Garcia.
Their names are unfamiliar to us but they
could be your children or grandchildren or
nieces or nephews or neighbors. Uvalde could
be somewhere in Georgia. And there could be
some sick individual just waiting for the
opportunity to wreak havoc on our communi
ty.
By the way, one time is not enough. Pray
and meditate until the horror becomes
ingrained in your mind and you want to do
something about our sick society besides fin
ger-pointing and blaming somebody else. We
just might be a part of the problem.
According to the Center for Homeland
Defense and Security, there have been more
than 2,000 school shootings in the United
States since the 1970s, with nearly 700 killed,
including in Uvalde. No other country comes
close.
Our propensity for killing each other is a
multi-dimensional problem, involving more
than guns. Gun violence is a manifestation of
a country that has become increasingly polar
ized and angry. I see no end to it.
There is a lack of respect for authority. A
lack of respect for institutions. A lack of toler
ance for differences of opinion. Stifling politi
cal correctness. Racism — Black and White.
Drugs. Violence. Irresponsible social media.
Pandering politicians. Into this mix, we throw
in guns-vs.-gun control and more polariza
tion.
Frankly, I am not sure what the answer is. I
wish I did. All I know is I am going to spend
this time praying for 21 innocent people who
did not deserve to die and who should be with
us today. Please join me. Fet’s save the finger-
pointing for later.
You can reach Dick Yarbrough atdick@dickyar-
brough.com; at P.O. Box 725373, Atlanta, GA
31139; online atdickyarbrough.com or on
Facebook at www.facebook.com/dickyarb.
Not-so-happy days of summer
A recent icebreaker
during a meeting asked
the question of, “What
are you looking forward
to the most about sum
mer?”
I panicked and hoped
I could get away with
going towards the end to
answer.
The truth was. there was
nothing I liked about this sea
son.
It’s hot.
It’s humid.
There are too many bugs
crawling around, and snakes
love to slither around our
woods. It’s nerve wracking to
have to question is it a tree limb
or a snake, and if it is a snake,
how fast should we ran.
Plus, have you ever been a
middle-aged woman having a
thermo hot flash in the middle
of 90 degree weather with a
face full of makeup? It’s not fun
or pretty.
I sat smiling towards the
camera, nodding along with the
answers shared, praying maybe
they’d forget I hadn’t answered.
Everyone had such lovely
answers.
I can definitely understand
the part about enjoying less
rushing around with trying to
get kids to school and then to
work; that always was hard for
me as well.
Having a bit more freedom
and flexibility in our schedule is
always a good thing, and that’s
probably where the lazy days of
summer came from.
Not that summer is a
lazy time, but it’s just
one that’s not quite as
harried.
Some were saying
they were looking for
ward to going on vari
ous trips.
I’ve never been
someone who has had the best
of luck when going on vaca
tions so I tend to stay home.
Plus, vacations have normally
equated to just extra laundry
and who needs that?
My mind raced with what I
could appreciate about this sea
son that we’ve officially
entered.
I didn’t like getting on the
lake.
I wasn’t a beach going type
of girl.
I am a horrible swimmer, so
even getting in the pool wasn’t
something I enjoyed. Plus, I
bum, then freckle, thanks to that
being the only thing I got from
my Crazy Redhead.
Cookouts and BBQs were
mentioned.
Again, that involves being
outside, which I try to avoid.
And, I am not a big meat
eater, so that’s not really of
interest to me, even though it
would probably make my teen
age son quite happy.
Camping has never been my
thing as it is a combination of
pretty much all the things I
loathe, but has the added horror
of wondering how far you’ve
got to hike to the bathroom. Or
even wondering if there is a
bathroom. I tend to prefer my
facilities to be of the plumbed
and porcelain variety.
I felt like I was the outlier,
with everyone talking about all
the ways they loved summer.
I am a fall and winter person,
loving the cooler temps, the col
ors as they change, and being
able to wear scarves.
I’m not a fan of summer
clothes, as I don’t wear shorts,
and even though everything
may be bright and green, the
pollen gets to me. There’s
always something blooming or
blossoming that makes me feel
like my eyes will pop out of my
head.
But, here we are. Celebrating
all things summer, and in some
wistful way, I wished I could
enjoy it.
As everyone began sharing
their favorite things of summer,
their happy memories started to
come out in their reflections.
Time spent with family,
happy moments lazing in the
sun or on the water, trips that
became part of legends. Maybe
that’s why I didn’t enjoy sum
mer.
Most of the horrors I’ve
experienced have been during
those months.
Nearly going into anaphylac
tic shock from a bee sting.
Mama didn’t believe me when I
told her something was wrong
and thought I was overreacting.
On the way to the ER, Granny
SUDIE
CROUCH
Columnist
had a wreck, hitting our phar
macist.
Getting sick to the point of
going to the ER from a weird
combo of ice cream, watermel
on, and fried fish.
In fact, most of my visits to
the hospital happened during
the summer.
A sunburn so bad I probably
should have gone.
When someone called my
name, I quickly said how I
enjoyed seeing the fireflies in
the evening, and that wasn’t a
lie.
Sometimes, we build a fire
pit to sit around briefly, and I
love looking for lightning bugs
as they flit around.
That was something I could
say honestly. I like seeing the
frogs, too, even though Mia and
Doodle try to catch them.
The bears are always interest
ing to have run-ins with, as they
seem to roam a bit more in the
warmer months, and try to get
in the trash.
There may be a few things
about the season that are a bit
more tolerable for me but it’s
not enough to make me really
enjoy or look forward to this
time of the year.
My favorite part? And what I
really wanted to say, but didn’t.
When it’s over.
Sudie Crouch is an award win
ning humor columnist and
author of "The Dahlman Files: A
Tony Dahlman Paranormal
Mystery."
LETTERTOTHE EDITOR
Repeat lessons work
I wish White people would stop
shooting Black people. I wish Black
people would stop shooting Black peo
ple. I wish brown people would stop
shooting tan people. I wish Black people
would stop shooting White people. I
wish people would stop shooting other
people.
I suppose we have always done this
but today it seems like that is about all
there is in the news. The trends taken
nationally do not look like we are
improving. Everyday looks like high
noon in Tombstone. Everybody has a
gun and a grievance and are spraying
bullets everywhere.
The now out of fashion religious view
was that people were capable of great
violence and sin and every 7 days on
Sunday we went to hear that message in
some form and were cautioned to con
tain those impulses. Now churches are
pretty much empty around the country.
The new secular religion is a nut case
hodgepodge of woke, racism, save the
planet, and confu-sion about sexual
things. It seems to fan the fires of vio
lence rooted in fear.
I go off to church just about every
Sunday because on the eighth day or
ninth day I have forgot-ten the big les
sons and begin to think my ideas are the
best. We all need repeat and regular re
minding because humility is easily for
gotten.
My senior year in high school I was a
captain of the football team. At home
coming I got to escort our homecoming
queen, who had me on the top of her
rejection list, to center stage. The eve
ning stared badly and got a lot worse.
We got beat 73 to 0.
I got a great and lasting lesson in
humility. That Sunday our Methodist
minister happened to preach about cour
age in defeat. The agonizing wounds of
a shameful loss slowly began to heal.
I did not go out and shoot people
because I had been roughed up by life.
Gary Pichon
Marble Hill
Luncheon recap
I attended the Dawson County
Chamber luncheon on May 19 so I
could hear Rep. Will Wade and Senator
Steve Gooch tell us their version of the
bills passed at the State Capitol in 2022.
I knew I wouldn’t agree with much of
what they said, but was amazed at the
misrepresentations, twisting of facts,
and disinformation that was spoken by
our representatives.
So here is a rundown of what I heard.
Rep. Wade spoke first.
1. Bragging about the state income
tax cut he failed to mention that
Georgia already has among the
lowest tax base in the county.
This cut would be devastating for
Georgia. It means we will have
less money for public education,
police, Medicaid, and services for
low-income people. Wealthier
states like New York,
Massachusetts, and California
end up paying a lot of our bills
through federal money that
comes to Georgia to plug the gap.
2. Then while taking about the
upgrading of the county health
facility with money from the
American Rescue plan voted on
by Democrats in the US House
and Senate, he didn’t mention
that 14 rural hospitals have closed
because we have not expanded
Medicaid.
3. He was the author of HB1084
which helped Gov. Kemp fulfill
his promise in his state of the
state address to “stop liberals
from brainwashing our children.”
So, we will no longer be able to
discuss, race, sexuality, or history
in our Georgia Schools.
Then Sen. Gooch spoke.
1. First, he pointed out how great
the Georgia Budget was and in
fact how now there will be broad
band in our rural counties. He
failed to mention that the reason
the state has the money to do this
is that Democrats passed the
infrastructure bill which sent the
money our state. He said it is tax
payer money, not Biden’s
money—true. But instead of
going to the defense budget (the
largest in the world) it went to
American’s well-being at home.
2. He spoke briefly about electric
vehicles—most of what he said
was nonsense.
3. The last thing he discussed was
the concealed weapon law. Both
he and Wade said laws like this
protect our 2nd Amendment
rights. When asked what the 2nd
amendment said neither could
answer and Gooch just said it
gave us gun ownership rights.
This is what is says: “A well-regu
lated Militia, being necessary to
the security of a free State, the
right of the people to keep and
bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”
That was written in 1789. Gooch
and Wade tried to explain away
the real wording by saying they
follow the state constitution. I am
sure the founding fathers weren’t
thinking of “AR 15’s for all”,
when they wrote the constitution.
Republicans have the blood of the 19
children and 2 teachers mowed down by
an 18-year old in Texas on their hands.
90% of Americans want sensible gun
laws. These two government officials
don’t care what you want. They just like
their power.
Bette Holland
Dawsonville
