Page 4 - The Wiregrass Farmer, January 14,2015
Editorial & Opinion
The WIREGRASS FARMER - Established 1902
Official Legal Organ of Turner County
Living in Bootstrap America
109 Gordon Street • P.O. Box 309 • Ashburn, GA 31714
Telephone 229-567-3655
email wiregrassfarmer@yahoo.com
THE WIREGRASS FARMER (USPS 687-460) is published
every Wednesday by Ashburn Newspapers, Inc., 109 N. Gordon
St, Ashburn, Georgia. Periodicals Postage Paid at Ashburn, Geor
gia.
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Farmer, 109 N. Gordon St., Ashburn, GA 31714
STAFF
Bob Tribble, President • Ben Baker, General Manager
Linda Sellars, Sales Director • Robin Tillman, Office Manager
OUR GOAL
The Wiregrass Farmer is published proudly for the citizens of Turner
County by Cook Publishing Co. Inc. Our goal is to produce quality,
profitable, community-oriented newspapers that you, our readers, are
proud of. We will reach that goal through hard work, teamwork, loy
alty and a strong dedication toward printing the truth.
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An ineffective shield^
Congress shall make no law respecting an es
tablishment of religion, or prohibiting the free
exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of
speech, or of the press; or the right of the peo
ple peaceably to assemble, and to petition the
government for a redress of grievances.
That’s the First Amendment to the US Constitution. It
applies to the US, not to other countries. As a shield, it’s
not very effective. It does not stop bullets. It does stop
government here. It doesn’t in other countries.
The attack last week in France in which 12 people
were killed is a terrorist act. The French government had
nothing to do with it.
Freedom of speech and of the press vary widely in
other countries. In some places, journalists can be
legally jailed for “insulting” a religion. Journalists in the
US have been attacked for “insulting” Islam.
The Committee to Protect Journalists, www.cpj.org/,
reported 61 journalists killed in 2014, where a motive is
confirmed. More died in the line of duty. Far more were
physically attacked. The number insulted and threatened
is probably beyond counting.
The count for 2015 is 20 so far.
To repeat, the First Amendment is no protection when
bullets are flying and bombs are exploding. But, journal
ists are going to continue doing what they do.
Your hometown
newspaper joins those
journalists mourning
the death of col
leagues around the
world and in France.
We shall continue to
publish because the
right to freedom of
speech and freedom
of thought is more
important than any re
ligion.
Cover translation:
100 lashes, if you
don 't die of laughter !
V
A reader from Norman
Park, Georgia suggested that
the following information be
used in one of my columns.
The info came from “Living In
Bootstrap America” by Linda
Tirado.
Linda says that she once
lost a whole truck over a few
hundred dollars. It had been
towed and when she called the
company they told her they
needed the money for the tow
ing fee. She did not have the
money so she told them when
she got paid she would call
them back.
It was the rainy season and
she wound up walking to work
round trip which was six miles
a day. She knew that it was her
fault that the truck had been
towed so when pay day finally
came she went to get the truck
and was told she owed over a
thousand dollars because they
had charged $200 a day stor
age fee. When she told them
she did not have that much
money she was told she would
be charged the storage fee until
she got the money and the
track would be sold if she did
not pay them. She did not
make but $100 a day working
two jobs.
She and her husband both
lost their jobs and had no in
come so they were put out of
their apartment as well. Linda
also remembered the time
when she was younger that she
was put out of an apartment
because her roommate got the
flu and was unable to work and
she could not pay the rent her
self. She mentioned other
times when her car broke
I V »■'
From Where
I Sit
down and she could not get to
work, another time when the
company she worked for
wanted to cut payroll and she
lost her job.
There was another time
that her fridge broke and she
could not get it fixed, another
time when she could not pay
the gas bill that was supposed
to be paid by the apartment
owner so she had to take frigid
showers and had no stove to
cook on so they had to find an
other place to live.
Some folks feel that be
cause poor folks seem to be so
unstable that they are basically
incompetent at managing their
lives. So Linda pointed out
how impossible it is to keep
your life from spiraling out of
control when you have no fi
nancial cushion whatsoever.
There are ways in which
money advice is geared only
towards people who actually
have money in the first place.
A book was written for people
in poverty that was written by
someone in the middle class
that contained tips for saving
pennies. It was fantastic ad
vice, buy in bulk, buy a lot
when there is a sale on, hand
wash everything you can,
make sure you keep your vehi
cle and indoor filter main
tained.
Very little of this was prac
ticable. Buying in bulk is
cheaper Linda wrote but you
have to have money to spend
on stuff you don’t need yet.
Hand washing saves on utility
cost but few people have time
for that. It is impossible to be
good with money when you do
not have any. When you do
have a few extra dollars to
spend you cannot think about
next month because there are
things you need now.
Here is the thing, we all
know about the value of
money because we work for it
but it is impossible to win un
less you are very lucky. For
you to start to do better some
thing has to go right and stay
that way long enough for you
to get on your feet. Linda says
she has done well during the
times she has had a job but less
well when she did not have
work.
She says that the trouble
has been that her luck simply
has not held out long enough.
It seems that when she gets
caught up something happens
to set her back again. “I have
stayed under sea level for short
periods instead of long term.
But I have stared long term in
the face long enough to have
accepted it as a real possibility.
It is only an accident and a pe
riod of unemployment any
way.”
Your opinion is important! Write: Editor, RO. Box 309, Ash
burn GA 31714 or email <wiregrassfarmer@yahoo.com> We do
not charge to publish letters to the editor. But, your letter must
meet our publication requirements. Letters must be signed. We
must have a phone number to call to verify the number. (Your
phone number will not be published). Letters which do not meet
our publishing requirements won’t be printed. Call 567-3655 for
more information.
Stepping Back In Time
with David Baldwin
1925- Opening day for the
Ashburn Hatchery will be next
Tuesday. Eggs have at last got
plentiful and it is expected
there will be many hundred of
dozens of eggs brought in for
hatching purposes. This is the
preferred method for those in
terested in raising boilers and
fryers. County Agent I.W.
Duggan advises no eggs over a
week old and only those from
pure breed stock be brought in.
Mr. Forest Pate, an engineer in
the Merchants Marines, has
been selected as the new Su
perintendent of the Ashburn
Water and Light Plant. Raney-
Gamaras. Cordial interest of
many friends in this county
will be felt in the marriage of
Miss Lillian Raney to Mr.
Arthur J. Gamaras which oc
curred during the holidays.
Rev. Ben Pate of Amboy per
formed the ceremony. The
bride is the popular daughter of
Mr. and Mrs. J. M. Raney. The
groom is connected with the B.
& B. Cafe and is well known
and liked by a large circle of
friends. Mr. and Mrs. Gamaras
are at home with Mr. and Mrs.
W.P Tyson. Mr. Lawson
Smith, one of the oldest native
citizens of Turner County,
passed away Tuesday. 1935-
The Dewey Hulsey Post No.
98 held a meeting and had oys
ter stew. Their records show a
membership of around 70.
Many members could not at
tend due to bad weather and
the flu. The next meeting will
be held in Rebecca. Mr. Jim
McCall has closed the
Chrysler-Ply mouth
agency in Ashburn
and opened in Cordele
where he will have a
larger field. Mr. Mc
Call is a hustler and
go getter and will do
well in Cordele. Mr.
Lamar Geoghagan
will be with him and
has moved his family
from Ashburn to
Cordele. Mr. McCall
will keep his resi
dence in Rebecca. Mr.
W.W. Sims from
Rochelle will open a
new grocery store in
Ashburn this week in
the former location of
the Suwannee Stores.
Mr. H.F. Cochran,
who came to Turner County in
December, 1913 from Pauld
ing County, Georgia, passed
away suddenly on January 2,
1935. He was bom on Novem
ber 19 th , 1874 and was married
on October 11, 1896 to Miss
Elizabeth Dukes. Five children
survive him. Under the Geor
gia Emergency Relief Admin
istration, those with farm
backgrounds will be moving
from cities back to the farm
(i.e. Irwin ville, Georgia).
10,000 families will move
from cities to Georgia’s unused
farm land by March 1. 4,184
additional families are on the
waiting list. Mrs. J.P Phelps
died at the home of her son,
J.R. Phelps, January 1 st . She
was seventy-two years old and
had lived in the section that is
now Tift County for fifty-eight
years. One of her sons
is J. W. Phelps and
Nancy Phelps of
Turner County.
1945- Master Ser
geant Herbert Jacob
led a crew into a burn
ing wreckage to save a
trapped pilot. He was
awarded the Soldiers
Medal for his personal
heroism. His mother is
Mrs. Annie Wheeler
Meek and he is a
nephew of Mr. J.W.
Wheeler of Rebecca.
1955- J.Bowie
Gray was appointed
Judge of the Tifton Ju
dicial Circuit Saturday
to succeed Judge
Emeritus W.C. Fore
hand whose son, W.J. Fore
hand, was named Solicitor to
replace Gray. Judge Gray, 42,
is a native of Perry and gradu
ated from Mercer University in
1936 and practiced law at Adel
until 1940 when he became a
special agent for the FBI. The
new solicitor Forehand gradu
ated from the University of
Georgia in 1936 and worked
for newspapers in Orlando and
Ocilla before entering the
Army in 1941. He graduated
from the Atlanta Faw School
in 1947 and returned to
Sylvester to practice law. Fee
Morrison Grocery will begin
service at its new location on
Washington Street today. He
has been operating in Ashburn
for 16 years. Gilbert Branch of
Fakeland is the new county
agent effective January 15. He
was county agent in Fakeland
for 5 !d years. He attended the
University of Georgia prior to
entering service in 1943. He
married the former Miss
Blanche Boren of Thomas
County and they have two chil
dren, Ronnie, 5, and Cathy, 4.
They are members of the Bap
tist Church.
New Judge J. Bowie Gray and new Solici
tor WJ. Forehand.
Baker’s Dozen
As seen on the
road
The back of my vehicles
may have one or two bumper
stickers. Farry “Hawgin”’
Fishbreath has covered his tail
gate with them. Here’s just a
few.
If you can read this, I can
slam on my brakes and sue
you.
333: I'm only half evil.
Beautify Georgia! Put a
Yankee on a bus.
186,000 miles/sec: Not just
a good idea, it's the FAW.
667 Neighbor of the Beast.
Carpe Diem = Seize the
day. Carp In Denim = Fish in
pants.
Boycott shampoo! Demand
the real poo!
Jesus loves you. But I'm his
favorite.
A bad day of fishing beats
a good day of working.
Daddy farted, and we can’t
get out!!
Get even. Five long enough
to be a problem to your chil
dren
Men exist because cats
won't mow the lawn. Women
exist because sheep can't cook.
Neither of these things explain
children.
A conclusion is the place
where you got tired of think
ing.
Fishing is not a matter of
life or death—it's more impor
tant than that.
I almost had a psychic girl
friend but she left me before
we met.
Just be happy I'm not a
twin.
Happiness is a belt-fed
weapon.
Happiness is a warm ma-
chinegun.
Better half a slogan...
A fine is a tax for doing
wrong. A tax is a fine for doing
well.
Never shoot to kill. Always
shoot to live.
Driver carries no cash. He's
married.
Ever seen an UZI fired
from a track window?
For God so loved the world
He didn't send a committee.
A man and his track: It's a
beautiful thing.
Do Not Disturb... Occupant
is disturbed enough already
Cleverly Disguised as a Re
sponsible Adult.
Buckle up! It makes it
harder for the aliens to suck
you from your car.
Happiness is seeing your
mother-in-law’s face on the
back of a milk carton.
Gun control is being able to
hit your target.
My dog is smarter than
your honor student.
Gun Control isn't about
guns. It's about control.
Guns didn't make America
unsafe, Courts and Congress
did!
Keep honking, I'm reload
ing.
Dare To Think For Your
self.
If at first you don't succeed,
aim lower.
COFE’S FAW: Thinly
sliced cabbage.
Above all else, sky.
Absolute zero is Cool.
BEER: It's not just for
breakfast anymore
Earth first! (We'll rob the
other planets later).
Eschew obfuscation
Fishermen don't die, they
just smell that way.
Never knock on Death's
door. Ring the bell and ran, he
hates that.
Your village just called.
They're missing an idiot.
You! Out of the Gene Pool!
