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Page 4 - The Wiregrass Farmer, December 9,2015
Editorial & Opinion
The WIREGRASS FARMER - Established 1902
Official Legal Organ of Turner County
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
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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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LEGAL NOTICES is Monday NOON before Wednesday’s publication.
Holiday deadlines will be announced at least one week in advance.
Bad for Georgia but good for Miami
Mass shootings
Ever wonder who is guilty of the most deaths, far
and away, in mass shootings?
For the record-
575 US troops died in Afghanistan during the
Bush presidency. By Aug. 18, 2010, following two
troop surges initiated by President Obama, that
number had doubled. Today, over 1500 US troops
have died in Afghanistan since President Obama
took office —and yet, little in that war-tom country
has changed.
The total number of civilians killed in Pakistan
may be as high or higher than the toll in
Afghanistan, with NGO estimates ranging widely
between 20,000 and 50,000 recorded deaths. In
Iraq, over 70 percent of those who died of direct
war violence have been civilians.
The person responsible for these deaths? The
president. The president is the Commander in
Chief; the military takes its orders from the presi
dent. The president has said, several times, that he
is the person who orders drone strikes. Congress
funds these drone strikes.
“Every independent investigation of the strikes
has found far more civilian casualties than adminis
tration officials admit. Gradually, it has become
clear that when operators in Nevada fire missiles
into remote tribal territories on the other side of the
world, they often do not know who they are killing,
but are making an imperfect best guess,” says a re
port in the New York Times.
And people are worried about the one in three
Americans who own a gun? People are worried
about the millions of Americans who own a gun for
self defense, hunting, punching targets at a range,
collectors and people who have immense sentimen
tal value in a gun handed down through genera
tions.
Really?
Some people have some seriously misplaced pri
orities. The real killer is not the average gun-own
ing American. The real killer, as proven by the
evidence, is a war machine in Washington.
That’s who we should really be worried about.
Stepping Back In Time
Longtime Georgia Bulldog
Head Football Coach Mark
Richt is going back to where
his college career began to be
the Head Coach of the Miami
Hurricanes where he was a for
mer quarterback.
Coach Richt has spent the
last 15 seasons as the head
coach of the Bulldogs and av
eraged almost ten wins a sea
son while leading the Bulldogs
to a pair of Southeastern Con
ference Championships. He is
a South Florida native and
played for Coach Howard
Schvellenburger at Miami
graduating in 1982 when the
Hurricanes were just becoming
the program that would win
five national championships
during a 19 season span.
It will now be Coach Richt
job to get the Hurricanes back
to that elite level as he takes
over a Miami program that has
not won more than nine games
in a season since 2003 and has
not won a bowl game since
2006.
Miami has had some of the
remaining members of Coach
A1 Golden’s staff on the road
recruiting and some were in
contact with a top quarterback
recruit when they were told
that Coach Richt had decided
to take the job with Miami. It
was not known when this col
umn was written how many
members of the Miami staff or
assistants who worked under
Richt at Georgia would go
From Where
I Sit
with him to Miami in 2016.
Richt said last week at his
final Georgia news conference
that if he was a head coach
again he would want to resume
calling his own plays. “When I
do coach again I am looking
forward to being more hands
on as my own play caller. I
miss coaching quarterbacks
and I miss calling plays.” The
Georgia Bulldogs won 145
games during Coach Richt’s
time there.
Richt will have a big time
quarterback to work with at
Miami where sophomore Brad
Knaza is already among the
school’s all-time leaders in
several categories. Richt was
mentioned as a good fit for
Miami almost as soon as the
Hurricanes fired Golden and
they knew that Richt was
going to be dismissed.
Richt will not coach the
Bulldogs in a bowl game be
cause there was a chance that
the game could have possibly
been against Miami.
Alabama defense coordina
tor Kirby Smart is the school’s
choice to replace Richt but no
announcement was made until
after Alabama played Florida
in last Saturday’s SEC Cham
pionship game in Atlanta. He
will most likely remain with
the Tide through the College
Football Playoffs. He is a for
mer Bulldog coach and player.
Georgia has announced
that assistant head coach
Bryan McClendon will serve
as interim head coach in the
bowl game. He was the Bull
dogs wide receiver coach.
Coach Richt and his Bull
dogs won 145 games in the 15
years he was at Georgia and
has the best all time winning
record in the program’s his
tory. He never appeared to be
angry after his firing and was
only thankful for the opportu
nity to coach the Bulldogs for
so many years.
Mark Richt is a good
Christian man and a good foot
ball coach. He carried his play
ers and coaches who wished to
go on mission trips that were
paid for by him. Winning foot
ball games was important to
him but seeing young men ac
cepting Jesus Christ as their
Lord and Savior was just as
important. Mark’s firing was
bad for Georgia but good for
Miami.
109 N. Gordon St. - Ashburn, GA - 31714
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
wiregrassfarmer@yahoo.com
r
L
with David Baldwin
1925- When new automo
bile tags go on sale the first of
this month, owners of cars,
trucks, motorcycles, and all
other kinds of motor apparatus
will have to register under a
new and more stringent law.
First, cash, not bank checks,
are accepted. Second, there is
a new form, the old one being
obsolete.
Third, you must swear be
fore the notary that is your
property. When the tag comes
to you, it will have a certificate
of ownership, which is sup
posed to be your protection
against the theft of the car. The
certificate is good for a year
and if lost, may be replaced for
50 cents.
POLL TAX ON LADIES
DUE DECEMBER 20TH. The
women of Turner County
should remember their poll tax
is due and Tax Collector R.H.
Johnson will be glad to accept
your dollar and give you a re
ceipt for same. After December
20th, he will be forced to issue
fifas against all who do not pay
and that means an additional
$1.00. Next year promises to
be a big political year, a gover
nor and others you are inter
ested in, will have to be
elected. To be in good standing
and be able to vote, you must
pay your poll tax.
1935- Property owners de
siring to have sidewalks paved
in front of their property may
do so at the approximate cost
of 33 cents per running foot.
The sidewalks will be 5 foot
wide. The U.S. government
will pay the balance.
Y.J. Stover, J. Buren Hardy,
and L.D. Stephens join W.A.
Latham and W.F. Humphreys
are the new council for
Sycamore. Mayor J.S. Scony-
ers will begin his second term.
Sycamore will have its own
deep well to supply water to its
citizens. Gray & Stephens, Inc.
of Jacksonville will bore the
well to be placed on the city
property near the large tank.
Presently, the Southern Cotton
Oil Co. is providing the city
water from its large well.
Coach John Dye
Mrs. Ruth Bussey Coker,
40, wife of Cone Coker, and
the youngest daughter of Mr.
and Mrs. Bussey, prominent
pioneers of Sycamore, has died
from several months of suffer
ing from a complication of dis
eases. She felt her sins were
forgiving and early in life she
joined the Sycamore Methodist
church. She leaves her chil
dren, an eight months old son
Gordon and Lewis, Roy, Wes
ley, Russell; and daughters Eu
nice, Hazel, Mary Lee, Jane,
and Florence. Two sisters, Mrs.
Mebal Brooks of McRae, and
Mrs. Frances Zorn of Amboy.
Five brothers remain; Col. A.
S. Bussey, Edwin Bussey, of
West Palm Beach; Jack Bussey
of Knoxville, Paul Bussey of
Clewiston, Florida; and H.W.
Bussey of Sylvester. She was
buried at the Bethel cemetery.
Mr. T.A. Mitchell, president
of the Tifton Production Asso
ciation reports that loan vol
ume for the four county
farmers last year was
$106,560.00.
1965- EUREKA, BOGGS
TIE IN STATE TITLE
GAME. The proud Eureka
Tigers came out of the battle
for the State Class B champi
onship unbowed and unbeaten,
bringing the coveted State title
trophy back to Ashburn last
Thursday night. Eureka High
and Boggs Academy of
Keyesville, only private high
school for Negroes in the State,
deadlocked in the State cham
pionship battle, 6-6. The Tigers
drew first blood on a pass play
that carried 70 yards. The pass
was completed to "Fox" Fields
from quarterback "Slim"
Walker. Late in the fourth quar
ter, Boggs scored on a long
drive, helped along by penal
ties by the Tigers.
In the closing minutes,
Boggs had the ball but they
were stopped by the Head
hunters of Eureka as usual. Eu
reka won the trophy on a coin
toss. Principal Hodge King
said the trophy is on display at
the local banks.
The Tigers expressed appre
ciation to all who assisted and
supported them during the
year. Coaches John Dye and
Henry Jackson received con
gratulations. Ty Faircloth has
left by plane to Memphis State
to begin a football grant-in-ad
for the school.
Baker’s Dozen
Dear Santa
I know this list is a bit
early, but considering your dis
mal performance over the past
few years, I decided getting a
jump on the competition if
necessary. Not sure if you lost
the list for the past few years or
just ignored it.
Some people have sug
gested that I am on the
“naughty” list and not the
“nice” list. Please ignore what
ever Larry “Hawgin”’ Fish-
breath says. You can’t trust
him. Besides which, he’ll be
sitting in the pecan tree in his
front yard with a thermal scope
on his deer rifle waiting for the
reindeer to land. Better skip his
house altogether.
I assure you, I have been
nice. You already know this,
but a reminder will not hurt.
When the Council voted to
raise the water rates, I did not
jump up to question their an
cestry and personal habits. I
did not tackle the referees after
that amazingly bad call at the
football game a few weeks
ago. I have not illegally down
loaded Adele’s new song,
whatever it is. For an entire
week, I stopped posting politi
cal commentary on Facebook.
The strain nearly gave me a
hernia.
When I took that candy
from the babies at Halloween,
I was sacrificing myself. I was
saving those toddlers from
tooth decay and diabetes. I re
ally deserve a medal for that,
but if you have any pull with
the judge, I’ll take that instead.
I really need that restraining
order lifted.
As for that picture, I can
explain. First, it’s not me. You
can’t tell who it is because the
scuba mask hides the face. Fur
thermore, I don’t even own a
weedwhomper. I hope you re
member feathers make me itch
and jelly goes on toast and bis
cuits. I’ve never played polo
and certainly would never try
to play polo while riding an os
trich. Besides which, it’s legal
in Alabama and I was not in
Alabama at all last year, even
if it was me, which it isn’t.
Please note the roof now
has tin instead of shingles. Last
year, your barely controlled
landing, a crash landing more
likely, tore lose a bunch of
shingles. Fortunately the insur
ance company said it was
storm damage and they helped
buy a new roof. Since Hawgin’
put the roof on, I’m not willing
to swear it’s completely safe.
He may have installed some
reindeer traps.
In case you are thinking of
backing out, I have buddies in
the NS A. They have all your
text messages to the elves. We
don’t want Miz Claus to see
those texts. Make sure you de
liver and she’ll never know.
So, I want a small fishing
boat. Shag keeps telling me the
two best days of owning a boat
are when you buy it and when
you sell it. That sounds suspi
cious to me. If you just give me
one, I can avoid the whole buy
ing and selling nonsense.
I need some more ammo
and another gun. I need an
other fishing pole and more
fishing lures. Some people say
I already have enough. Do not
listen to these negative people.
They don’t believe you exist. I
say prove ‘em wrong this year.
Just a quick reminder.
Please deliver what I have
asked or Hawgin’ won’t be the
only person in a pecan tree
with a thermal scope on a deer
rifle. Deliver or next year you
get reindeer jerky under the
tree.