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Page 4 - The Wiregrass Farmer, December 28,2016
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
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LEGAL NOTICES is Monday NOON before Wednesday’s publication.
Holiday deadlines will be announced at least one week in advance.
Let God guide us in the
r
Presidential
The Electoral College, for good or bad, is set up
by the Constitution. This year it worked in a way
our Founding Fathers did not completely expect, but
in a way that fits the reason the EC was created.
Without the Electoral College, California, Texas,
Florida and New York would dominate the presiden
tial election. With the EC, residents of every state
had a palpable voice in the election for president.
Sort of.
This year, the EC saw serious division in the
ranks.
Two members of the Texas delegation “defected”
away from Trump. One voted for John Kasich, a Re
publican contender for president this year, and an
other voted for Ron Paul who ran for president in
2012. A third EC member from the Lone Star state
chose to resign rather than vote.
In Washington State, three members there voted
for Colin Powell, a former secretary of state under
the second George Bush and a retired Army general.
One EC member voted for Faith Spotted Eagle, a
Native American and outspoken critic of the oil
pipeline running through the west.
In Hawaii, one EC member attempted to vote for
Bernie Sanders, the runner-up in the race for the De
mocrat nod for president. That vote was thrown out;
he then voted for Hillary Clinton.
In Minnesota, an EC member tried to not vote at
all, but was replaced by an elector who voted for
Clinton.
These votes point to an increasing dissatisfaction
with the current political system. These votes, and
the votes by the general population, show the Amer
ican public is getting tired of elites running the
country. Elites, not just career politicians.
The next election for president in 2020 is going
to be an even bigger mess than this year. Already
some people are announcing they will run for the
office.
In the meantime, expect attempts to abolish or
change the Electoral College. That’s not going to be
easy.
Most of us have completed
our annual list of good inten
tions, passing resolutions as if
we were Congress and legislat
ing changes in our lives. Many
of us become self-critical as
soon as we become self-con
scious. We spend January 1st
walking through our lives
drawing up a list of things we
need to do.
This coming New Year we
should focus on some good
potential things we can do and
accomplish. We should re
member all the good moments
of the past, remembering when
we felt at ease and resolving to
do more to help other people.
Not long after my bride and
I were married 60 years ago
New Year’s Eve meant a party
and lots of fun. At midnight
most of us would stand in a
circle holding hands, singing
and blowing our horns. We en
joyed spending New Year’s
Eve at Jekyll Island listening
and dancing to music by the
Big Band. But we also realized
that another year had passed in
our lives much too quickly.
Those of you my age never
dreamed of the changes that
would occur in our world over
the past fifty years. We had no
idea that men would walk on
the moon. Riding in a Model T
Ford was in style back in the
1940’s and who would have
thought back then that you
could fly around the world in a
jet airplane. In 1958 when my
father passed away my plane
took more than a full day fly-
From Where
I Sit
ing me home from Germany.
Life was simple back in
those days. Our most serious
problem at school was chew
ing gum during class. We won
dered at times if we would get
new clothes for our birthdays
because when you had an older
brother most of my clothes
were not new but hand me
downs.
We do need to remember to
stop often during the New Year
and remember that God is still
in control. He is the one sure
anchor as we face a future of
continued fighting around the
world, crime and sorrow. We
must trust the one who gives
us our days knowing that He
will guide us with His knowl
edge in the right direction.
Everything will never be per
fect but if we follow God’s
will everything will be fine.
We should not begin our
New Year with bitterness .jeal
ousy, hate or ill will towards
others. We need to begin our
year with a clean heart and
new year
with good intentions.
This coming Sunday will
be the first day of our New
Year. Let’s let it be a day and a
year to be lived and used in
such a way that we will not
look back and wish that we
had used our time differently.
A day that is wasted is a sad
thing because we cannot call it
back.
Some of us know that as
we face the New Year our lives
are a journey getting closer to
the end of the road. Yet we
should take our days that are
left and make good use of
them giving a good account to
God for the talents He has
given us.
As we face the New Year
let us face it with confidence in
our leaders. Pray for them
daily and remember that our
country is the leader of the free
world. Our military men and
women serving in Afghanistan
and elsewhere are serving
there in order to preserve our
freedoms. Pray for them daily
also. Many have made the
supreme sacrifice by giving
their lives.
As we close out this year
and step into 2017 let us fill
our days with faith, hope and
love, the greatest of which is
love. Let us live our lives each
day to its fullest and always re
member that we have been
privileged to live in the great
est country in the world. Thank
God daily for allowing us to be
an American.
Stepping Back In Time
We’d like to hear your opinion. Letters to the editor welcome.
Letters must be signed and have a phone number so we
can contact the writer. Phone numbers will not be published or
released.
with David Baldwin
1906- Captain Jack Hender
son, now in his eightieth year,
with his white beard and flow
ing locks, is a fine type of the
piney woods patriot and of the
old confederate veteran. Mr.
Henry Ray says that two stalks
of Mr. T. J. Hickman's cane
makes one gallon of juice. This
a country flowing with milk
and honey, of hog and hominy.
Mr. Thomas Bell, late of
Cherokee county, who recently
purchased Mr. S.W. Brown's
place on Route 1, is now com
fortably housed in his new
house. His new family will be
a considerable increase to our
school population. 500 people
attended the drawings at W.A.
Murray store. Coupon No. 490
drew the capital prize, the
beautiful buggy. The prize was
drawn by Mr. J.W. Burke, Jr.
Coupon 1749 drew the sewing
machine, No. 716, the stove;
No. 4899, the rocker. Mr.
Burke did not realize he had
won the buggy until late that
night when he looked over his
coupons. Miss Mae B. West,
the eldest daughter of J. W.
Hobby, married Mr. Elijah
Stevens Sunday afternoon. Mr.
A. B. Wells has sold 110
turkeys this season for
$171.75. Who said a poultry
farm would not pay?
1926- Letters to Santa-Dear
Santa Claus: I will be glad
when you come. Bring me
anything nice. A.V. Akin, Jr.
Dear Santa: Bring me a little
doll and a little bed. I am very
smart so do not forget me.
Willie Mae Wise. I am writing
you about Christmas. Bring me
a pop gun, caps, toy train and
fruit. Herbie Hasty.
1936- Dear Santa: I go to
school and am in the first
grade. Please bring me a bell, a
car, a little red wagon and
some fruit and candy. With
love. JAKE SUMNER Dear
Santa; I am a little girl five
years old. Please bring me a
Shirley Temple doll and a
wagon. Please don’t forget
Jack. JOYCE CAMP. Dear
Santa Claus: How are you get
ting along? I am nine years old.
I have been a good girl. Please
bring me a twin sweater some
candy, apples, oranges and a
rubber doll. I will close. Good
bye. ANNIE RUTH PONDER.
Miss Bertie Williams of Wes
leyan College is spending the
Christmas holidays with her
parents, Mr. and Mrs. H.C.
Williams.
1946- The John S. Johnson
Agency, Inc. has applied for a
charter with stock not to ex
ceed $50,000. College students
home for the holidays: Sara
Watson, Norman Junior Col
lege; Louise Harwell, Sam
Burgess, Mary Gray Murray,
Stewart Gilmore, Arthur
Gamarras Jr., William Paulk,
John Rogers, UGA; Hoyt Big-
gers, Mercer; George Doss,
South Georgia College;
Dorothy Paulk, Brenau; Lindy
Akin, Pat Raines, Arthur
Smith, Jr. , Georgia Tech; Eu
gene Stevens, Emory; Jimmy
Luke, John McDonald, North
Georgia College; Eleanor
Steward, GSCW; Betty Jean
Daniel, Bessie Tift; Pat Mur
ray, Mary Washington College;
Annie Lou Thrasher, Wilbur
Harwell, Bob Jones College;
W. A. Murray
Marcus Luke, GMC; Mr. and
Mrs. Thomas Rhodes and Jim
Gamer, Georgia Medical Col
lege; Royce Hobby, Emory
University. Turner County cit
izens, along with those of the
state, heard with sorrow Satur
day morning of the death of
Gov. Elect Eugene Talmadge.
He died at 7 am at Piedmont
Hospital where he had been a
patient since Nov. 29. His body
will lay in state at the capitol
Sunday from 1 to 5 pm. The
death of Gov. Elect Talmadge
removed one of the most col
orful best loved and dominant
figures in Georgia. Services
will be at McRae Baptist
church on Monday.
1956- Dr. Royce Hobby, the
son of C.R. Hobby, Sr. has
opened his offices here for the
general practice of medicine at
Hobby's Clinic, located in the
Rose building on Main Street,
in the offices formerly occu
pied by the Dr. Y.F. Carter
clinic, which have been
painted. Dr. Hobby graduated
from AHS in 1945. He re
ceived a Bachelor of Arts de
gree at Emory University as a
Phi Beta Kappa. He graduated
from Emory University School
of Medicine in 1952. He was a
member of AO A, honorary
scholastic medical fraternity,
and Phi Chi. He served as a
First Lieutenant in November,
1954. He married the former
Miss Jane Randolph Thomas
of Richmond. They have two
children, Randy, 18 months,
and Stephen, eight weeks.
Baker’s Dozen
Resolved
What's your New Years
Resolution this year?
Mine is the same one I've
had for more than 20 years.
Managed to keep it every year
so far. I resolve to not over
throw the government or a
third world country unless I get
paid a lot of money.
The No. 1 resolution made
and promptly broken every
year is to lose weight. Since
you've done a horrible job on
this one, I have a suggestion.
Use reverse psychology. Re
solve to gain weight. This has
to work. Science says so.
Einstein's Law of Thermo
dynamics says that for every
action, something else must
happen. So if you plan to gain
weight this year, you will actu
ally lose weight. This theory is
presently being tested by Dr.
Oz. As soon as he gets paid
enough, he'll endorse the idea.
You can apply science to
everything on your Resolution
list. The Second Law of Hy
draulics says reverse psychol
ogy only works on one
resolution. So if you try to re
verse psychology yourself on a
second one, it will backfire. In
stead of getting out of debt,
you'll run down to the marina
and get a loan to buy an in
shore boat that you'll use once
a year.
If you plan to make a third
resolution, you're completely
on your own. That gets into
quantum fiscal accounting,
which makes the people who
draft the federal deficit nerv
ous. No one knows what will
happen. We can look at the his
torical record for examples.
On Dec. 31, 2015 (last
year), several million people
resolved to lose weight, get out
of debt and support Bernie
Sanders' bid for president.
They elected Vladimir Putin
instead. Since his birth certifi
cate shows he was born on a
boat in the South China sea,
Donald Trump was forced into
being the president-elect.
The last person to make
four New Years resolutions
spontaneously combusted on
the spot.
Don't blame me, I don't
make the rules.
I checked around to see
what other people planned.
The most popular resolution
for 2017 is nothing. A slight
majority of the three people
scientifically surveyed for this
column said they were not
making a New Years resolu
tions. Every person said 2016
was such a bad year they were
just going to cross their fingers
and hope Randy Travis, Ozzy
Osborne and Keith Richards
don't die. They also hoped
Miley Cyrus and Kanye West
will move to Canada.
The Canadian Department
of Immigration issued this
statement: "We will consider
such a move to be an act of war
and will take appropriate steps
such as refusing to export
Canadian bacon and maple
syrup and increasing exports of
Justin Bieber."
The Trump administration
immediately resolved to de
velop a plan to deal with
Canada's warmongering, say
ing it will be the best plan the
world has ever seen and it will
accomplish a lot. Alaska will
have to pay for the plan. When
Trump was told Alaska is actu
ally part of the United States,
he said the geography was
rigged.
Don't know about you, but
I'm thinking about changing
my resolution. Moving to Mars
is looking better by the minute.