About Dawson County news. (Dawsonville, Georgia) 2015-current | View Entire Issue (July 27, 2022)
PAGE 7 A Send a letter to the editor to P.O. Box 1600, Dawsonville, GA 30534; fax (706) 265-3276; or email to editor@dawsonnews.com. DawsonOpinion WEDNESDAY, JULY 20,2022 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. Olympic-sized memories from the 1996 Games It is hard to believe it has been 26 years this week since the Centennial Olympic Games were in Atlanta. They began on July 19, 1996, and wound up August 4th. To refer to them as Atlanta’s Games is not entirely accurate. Competitions were held throughout the state, from Athens to Gainesville to Savannah and even one in Ocoee, Tennessee. Most everyone knows the story today about how local real estate attorney and former UGA football star Billy Payne decided to obtain the bid for the 100th anniversary of the modem Olympic Games. The general consen sus was the event would be staged in Athens, Greece which has been home to the 1896 Olympic Games. Payne, who had never been to the Olympics, didn’t know when the selection was made or how, enlisted the help of a small group of friends to set out on what many — including me at the time — thought was a wild goose chase to win the bid for Atlanta. And he did it. In my long life, I have met and have been associated with a number of remarkable peo ple but Billy Payne exceeds them all. He is one of the brightest and most-driven people I have ever known and one of the most decent. Although I didn’t know him at the time — I joined the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games after Atlanta won the bid as managing director of communications and government relations — I became and still am fiercely loyal to him. The Games themselves were extremely suc cessful. More than 10,000 athletes set 32 world records and 111 Olympic records. We sold more tickets to women’s competitions alone than Barcelona had sold total tickets 4 years earlier. More than 209 million people watched the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games on television which made it the most-watched event in television history at the time and some 5 million saw the competitions in per son, aided by 50,000 volunteers who gave new meaning to the term “Southern hospitality.” Also, the Centennial Olympic Games were privately-funded, meaning taxpayers were not left holding the bag once the Games were over as has happened in a number of cities before and after Atlanta. The darkest moment was the evening of July 27, when a bomb went off in Centennial Olympic Park. We had been assured by the FBI that while there was always the possibility of a random act of terror, the agency had the people and resources to quickly identify and apprehend the perpetrators. Eric Rudolph who set off the bomb eluded capture for 5 years until he was arrested climbing out of a dump ster by a rookie deputy sheriff in North Carolina. In the meantime, poor Richard Jewell was the victim of a worldwide media feeding-fren zy. Ten thousand media representatives, all assured that he was the culprit and all trying to scoop each other. Jewell was completely exon erated. He turned out to be the winner. The media and the FBI were the losers. That brings me to the biggest loser of all: The City of Atlanta. The city blew a golden opportunity to look like the great international city it claimed to be. Officials authorized an ambush marketing program aimed at our sponsors even though sponsor dollars were helping ensure the city would be spared com mitting any tax dollars for the Games. Mayor Bill Campbell’s sidewalk vendors program did nothing but clog city streets and crash the dreams of a lot of small businesses that bought into the scheme. The business community was afraid to speak up lest they incur the wrath of a volatile mayor who could make a racial issue out of a potato chip. The local media were better suited to cover a high school football game than something as com plex as the Olympics. Perhaps the best thing to come out of the 1996 Olympic Games was a new career. Mine. I was asked by a local paper to assess the city’s performance after the event was over. I was not kind for all of the reasons stated above. The column attracted national atten tion. I was asked to write another one and then another one. As of this day, I have penned some 2,000 columns and am still swinging for the fences. Twenty-six years have passed and the Centennial Olympic Games are a distant memory. There have been 6 Olympiads since ours. But looking back on those 17 days in July 1996,1 am proud to say I was a part of the best Games ever. You can reach Dick Yarbrough atdick@dickyar- brough.com; at P.O. Box 725373, Atlanta, GA 31139; online at dickyarbrough.com or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/dickyarb. SHOULD x Book THE v&mx ib be omi,w DELAYEP FZ.I6HT 7 ©2022 Creators Syndicate Creators.com The powerful weight of our words I’ve long known that our words had power and we needed to be careful of what we say. It definitely doesn’t mean I’m perfect - far from it. in fact. But it does mean that I’ve tried to consider the way my words may land when I say them and how those words may be received. I do this in my work life con stantly. Knowing that the way our words are received can largely be based on the receiver’s per ception can make us aware of those sayings and phrases that may not mean the same to everyone. I may not know a person’s background when I’m talking to them, so I have to make sure what I say may not be offen sive or taken in a way I did not intend. I’m careful about what I say, but still, I stumble. And, when I stumble. I mean I go tumbling. Especially in those moments where I carelessly say some thing and don’t realize who may hear it. Like I did one day when I commented on how Doodle liked to get in the crate and pull the door closed to give herself a break from Mia. The pittie-mix has been an amazing mother to the German shepherd puppy, thinking Mia is indeed her own. But Doodle has also always been a bit selfish when it comes to her rest and how she likes to ease into her day. Unlike the herd dogs. Doodle is not one who starts the day with gusto, preferring to take a quick jaunt outside and then sleeping a bit longer. Mia does not understand why her mama doesn’t want to play or at the very least cuddle and will paw at Doodle, beg ging her to come out of the crate. Doodle refuses and nestles down in her cushion a bit deep er to let Mia know she’s not going anywhere. “I don’t blame you, Boo,” I said one morning. “You just need a break from Mia. It’s totally understandable.” I didn’t think anything of it. We had joked about how Doodle thinks she is truly Mia’s mom and how at the same time she adores her but she also doesn’t know what to do with a wild puppy that likes to roll around on her all the time. I surely didn’t think my own child would take it in a nega tive light. “Did you feel that way about me?” he asked. I stopped in my tracks. I had never, not ever, felt that way about my child. Not once did I ever feel like I needed a break from him and I gladly took him everywhere with me. He’s grown up going to work with me, from talking to clients about advertising, to sitting on the sidelines covering sports, to going to a salon, and hanging out with graduate stu dents at a university. If Cole wasn’t able to go, then I didn’t want to stick around too long. I enjoyed having him with me and that was my preferred place for him to be. I sure didn’t feel like I needed a break from him. “No, I didn’t,” I answered. “Then why did you say that?” He wasn’t judging my state ment so much as he was just asking why I would feel that way. And maybe there was a tiny part of him that wondered, too, which made me question if I had ever made him feel like I didn’t want the presence of his company. “I said it because Mia does get on Doodle’s nerves at times. Doodle loves Mia but we can’t even mess with her sleep.” He nodded. “So I didn’t get on your nerves?” “No, you didn’t. You never did and never will.” He didn’t seem like he believed me, but I was telling the truth. I had no idea that such a flip pant comment may be inter preted in that way, but it did make me realize that even though my son is practically grown in so many ways, he’s still my child. Children still need to have that reassurance at times, no matter their age. And people, in general, need to know they matter, they’re loved, and most importantly, that they belong. We say dozens and dozens of things each and every day, without thinking that the words we say may be slowly tearing at someone’s spirit or hurting them in ways we may not see. We say things without think ing, not knowing how those words land can make someone feel like it’s a judgment on them. It may just be mere words, but the weight they carry sure can be heavy at times. Sudie Crouch is an award win ning humor columnist. SUDIE CROUCH Columnist The right people for the job are invaluable By Dr. Larry Anderson Anderson Family Medicine I am very fortunate to have an office staff that I think is better than any bank because they always cash every check I write. It does not matter how simple or complex or how much it is out of their comfort zone, they always deliver. You are fortunate if you know people like that. I have met a few and have always been grateful for them. When COVID came around, we could not get a testing site in Dawson County. As hard as I tried I could not make it happen. Then along came Chief Danny Thompson. Not sure who he called or how he did it, but we got the National Guard. 32 days of being out in the weather testing with the National Guard, volunteers Paramedics and EMTs from Dawson County, and my own nurse, Sandy Sawyer and complimentary pizzas for three weeks from Domino’s. Then Lynn Jackson, Northside Hospital, asked me when we could do a vaccination clinic on a large scale — meaning over 1,000 vaccines to be given. I said I would need at least two days lead time. Guess who got the call and made it happen — in one day? Thank you, Chief. We needed to have communications with multiple sections of the communi ty, not just medical but education, gov ernment, utilities, religion, and the list goes on, and it also includes Bishop Youssef from the Convent. No one or any section was overlooked. Our county was always on top of what was going on, and on what was needed. It is always nice to have the right per son at the right time being in the right place. Thank you, Chief Thompson. LETTERTOTHE EDITOR Leaders not doing their job on climate change It should be obvious to us all that the summer of 2022 will go down in history as one of the hottest on record for the United States and Europe, accelerating our need to address climate change. As President Biden recently said climate change is a “Clear and Present Danger.” And yet, the Supreme Court decided recently that the EPA does NOT have to enforce standards for clean air and water. Then, the next week, Joe Manchin, Demoratic senator from West Virginia, refused to support the budget reconciliation bill which means there will be no money from Congress to sup port programs that ensure clean air and Letter policy The Dawson County News wel comes your opinions on issues of public concern. Letters must be signed and include full address and a daytime and evening phone number for verification. Names and hometowns of letter writers clean water for our country. These deci sions will severely impact our efforts to create a healthy environment for our children and grandchildren. Unfortunately, greenhouse gas emis sions just continue to rise. Each year, an estimated 8.7 million people die world wide because of fossil-fuel-generated pollution, and over 200,000 of these occur in the US. This will only continue to increase if we do not act decisively to cut pollution! Most voters in Georgia support action to keep our environment safe and healthy. So, what can we citizens do at the local level? We can Vote!. We must elect a Governor, U.S. House, U.S. Senate, and State House and Senate that support clean air and clean water. November 8 is the date and before you vote for anyone, whichever party you will be included for publication without exception.Telephone num bers will not be published. Letters should be limited to 350 words and may be edited or con densed.The same writer or group may only submit one letter per month for consideration. We do not publish poetry or are going to vote for, make sure you check out their stand on insuring a liv able planet for our future. Make sure you know how they feel about support ing the Clean Air and Water Act. Check out their stance on preserving our for ests and oceans. The North Georgia Conservation Coalition will be holding a community meeting on Thursday, Sept. 8, at 6 p.m. at the Dawson County Public Library to hear about ways YOU can help cut pol lution in your home and daily life. In addition, you will get information about a new program available in Dawson County to help you afford and install solar on your home to cut emissions and energy costs!! Please join us!! Linda Ryan North Georgia Conservation Coalition blanket letters and generally do not publish letters concerning con sumer complaints. Unsigned or incorrectly identified letters will be withheld. Mail letters to the Dawson County News, RO. Box 1600, Dawsonville, GA 30534, hand deliver to 30 Shoal Creek Road, fax
