About The Baldwin bulletin. (Milledgeville, GA) ????-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 24, 2017)
Page A4 The Baldwin Bulletin I www.BBnews.today Thursday, August 24,2017 Opinions All letters to the editor must be signed and include a phone number for verification purposes. Send letters to wil@BBnews.today by 1 p.m. Monday. You have to vote in off years, too Election time has returned to Baldwin County. It seems like last week we had a nonstop news cycle while Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton and Gary Johnson competed for the presidency, and it feels like yesterday that Karen Handel was elected to the Georgia 6th District over Jon Ossoff. However, it is time to make your voice heard again, Milledgeville. The solar eclipse was not the only event occurring in our area on Monday. Potential candidates for the Milledgeville City Council and the Georgia Military College Board of Trustees began the qualifying process for elections in November. The Editorial Board of The Baldwin Bulletin believes these elections are just as important as the ones the population participated in last year. In some ways, we could even argue they are more important. Granted, a lot of what is decided in Washington D.C. and Atlanta’s Gold Dome does affect our day-to-day lives, what occurs in our city limits and county boundaries is more pressing. In the coming weeks, we will work vigorously to make sure all candidates’ views are presented so you can decide where you stand. We encourage all current and potential council members to hold a dialogue with us, so your message is received clear to the rest of the community. However, while we work to make sure you have the information to make informed decisions, you have to do one thing: vote. We would like to see Milledgeville and Baldwin County become an example to the rest of Georgia on what great things can happen when everybody takes part in the process. It’s not a secret that voter turnout is lower in midterm years; however, it dips even lower on odd-numbered years. Remember, it is elected officials who tell regional commissions and state officials the pulse of the community when it comes to new roads and various projects. It’s elected officials who sit down and decide what organizations and nonprofits will receive government funding. It absolutely should be acknowledged that they are often given advice from people in city and county governments who are very much qualified and well versed in their respected fields, however, they are the people who are there to represent you. As the old adage goes, if you vote, you cannot complain. That sentiment stays the same, regardless of how national, regional or local the election is. Get out Tuesday, Nov. 7, and be prepared to make an informed, educated decision on your community’s future. Send your Letters to the Editor to wil@bbnews.today by Monday, 1 p.m. 3 Baldwin Bulletin Established 2000 President & Publisher A. Mark Smith Sr. Vice President, General Manager Matt Smith Vice President, Advertising Mark Smith Jr. Vice President Michael Smith Vice President Jo Ann Smith Associate Editor Wil Petty Putnam County Associate Editor Lynn Elobbs Reporter Alaina Minshew Reporter Carrie Moon Sports Reporter Brandon Bush Lakelife Editor Beverly Harvey Lakelife Associate Editor Hank Segars Display Advertising Manager Vicki Parker Advertising Representative Brandi Harrison Advertising Representative Michael Payne Advertising Representative Shannon Thompson Advertising Representative Anjie Brown Advertising Representative Tom Gorman National Advertising Manager Amy Hood Legal Advertising/Circulation Becky Meyer Production and Technology Manager Josh Lurie Graphic Artist Lindsay Pilcher Graphic Artist Mark Brill Business Manager Cassandra Fowler One-Year Subscription Rates In Baldwin County $30 Other Georgia counties $36 Out of State $39 Advertising, news and information: 136 S. Wayne St. • Milledgeville, GA 31061 478-452-1777 Advertising email: vicki@bbnews.today News email: wil@bbnews.today The Baldwin Bulletin (USPS 830-400 is published every Thursday by Smith Communications Inc., 100 N. Jefferson Ave., Eatonton, GA 31024. All rights reserved. Reprints by permission of The Baldwin Bulletin and individual writers only. Send address changes to The Baldwin Bulletin, P.O. Box 4027, Eatonton, GA 31024 Periodicals Postage Paid at Milledgeville, GA, 31061 "Hey, they're already chasing me!" My Southern debate Am I a Southerner? This is a question I have asked more than once. Geographically, the answer is yes. After all, I was born at Northside Hospital in Atlanta, and that is definitely the South. When I was 3-years-old, my family left Buford for Oklahoma, which I’ve learned is the redheaded stepchild of geography. Personally, I believe Oklahoma is southern as well, however anyone in Georgia will call us Midwestern. People in the Midwest will call Oklahoma the Southwest, and if you’re Ice Cube, you’ll claim the Sooner State to be representative of the West Coast. I guess that was one of the benefits of moving the Sonics from Seattle and renaming them the Thunder. While I consider parts of Oklahoma definitely Southern, the town I was raised in is less Southern than others. In middle school, when I moved back to Georgia, I felt a complete culture shock. I wasn’t used to people speaking to me at Wil Petty Associate Editor supermarkets, I didn’t care much for country music, and I preferred Pepsi products to Coke. In eighth grade, my Georgia History teacher Karen Byrd taught my fellow classmates and I about Henry Grady and the “New South.” Little did I know what role Grady would play in my life (I mean, I went to a college named for him), but I remember thinking the South was still old and somewhat behind. I’m really not sure when things changed, probably when I graduated high school, but it seemed to me Georgia at least was caught up. It was nothing people in this state or community did, but some sort of natural occurrence. I mean, I certainly see us ahead of Oklahoma. Then at a certain time I started to feel “southern,” and that was when I moved to the North Carolina High Country. Sure, they have sweet tea and NASCAR is plenty popular, but that part of the state isn’t southern at all. Maybe it’s another kind of “southern” but it certainly wasn’t Georgia. For one, it snowed way too often up there, and unlike down here, they had cleaning crews to ensure you could still go to work. I was proud of myself though, I didn’t go buy bread and milk; no one was stocking up on bread and milk. Also, they cared way too much about basketball. You probably had a friend or a coworker from the Old North State tell you about how they would spend their school days watching the ACC tournament. They weren’t lying. The first time I had to put a whole paper together was when my boss and the sports editor took off and spent the week near a television or at the Greensboro Colliseum. Somehow through life’s twists and bends, and after spending a little bit more time in Georgia, I found out I have a bit of a balance. For instance, I told my girlfriend when discussing an upcoming trip that I would prefer one weekend over another because I don’t want to miss Georgia play Notre Dame. However, I said I wouldn’t have a pity party if I had to miss it; I’m a compromiser. I still prefer Pepsi products to Coke, but Dr. Pepper and Cheerwine certainly overtake either option for me. I’ve also figured out I have a good knack for when tea is “sweet” enough. There’s some things nostalgic I enjoy, that were true, Southern experiences, but they’re not things that I believe could have any sort of negativity surround them. Krystals and Moon Pies will always have my heart. Maybe I am representa tive of something people may call a “new” New South. A monument to peace One of the most interesting and unusual sculptures in our state is the Peace Monument located at the entrance to Atlanta’s Piedmont Park on 14th Street. Dedicated by the Old Guard Battalion of the Gate City Guard, this unusual sculpture defies what we might assume about war monuments with its themes of reconcil iation and remembrance. Remarkably, the historical group that dedicated this memorial back in 1911 still remains active and meets Hank Segars Lakelife Associate Editor on a regular basis. The Old Guard Battalion of the Gate City Guard, one of the state’s oldest historical organizations, was first chartered in 1857. As the Gate City Guard of Atlanta, this unit was the first militia company to volunteer for Confederate service during the outbreak of the Civil War, serving with the First Georgia Regiment in Florida and Virginia. In 1862, members returned to Atlanta after their 12 month enlistment; many of the soldiers subsequently joined other Confederate units for the duration of the war. At the end of hostilities, the Gate City Guard disbanded and did not meet again until 1877 when federal reconstruction had ended. Under the leader ship of Joseph Burke, the group planned a friendship tour of the North with the mission of helping to heal divisions and ill-will that had developed after the war. This “Peace Mission” included friendly visits to Boston, Philadelphia, New York and other northern cities to foster SE SEGARS »A7 State and Federal Elected Officials Gov. Nathan Deal (R) 203 State Capitol Atlanta. GA 30334 (404) 656-1776 Web/e-mail: gagovernor.org Sen. David Perdue (R) B40D Dirksen Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 Phone: 202-224-3521 Rep. Jody Hice (R) 1516 Longworth House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 Phone: (202) 225-4101 Fax: (202) 226-0776 Sen. Burt Jones (R) 407 East Second St., Jackson, GA 30233 Phone: (770) 775-4880 Fax: (770) 234-6752 Sen. Johnny Isakson (R) United States Senate Washington, D.C. 20510 (202) 224-3643 Rep. Rick Williams (R) Room 607, Coverdell Legislative Office Building, Atlanta, GA 30334 404-656-0887 Rick.williams@house.ga.gov
