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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.
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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
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Mail letters to the Dawson
County News, RO. Box 1600,
Dawsonville, GA 30534, hand
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