About The Eatonton messenger. (Eatonton, Ga.) 18??-current | View Entire Issue (May 15, 2025)
» Your hometown newspaper since 1861 The Eatonton Alessenger THURSDAY, MAY 15, 2025 | A5 Wandering down memory lane Putnam Past I’m wandering down memory lane again and it is so interesting and infor mative. Maybe at my age it can be comical for some. I am constantly talking and remembering things from the past. For example, I walk along with three of my Mothers Against Crime members each Monday and Wednesday morning at the recreation department. We have a ball talking to the employees and other guests there. Of course, I do have a complaint about our ... no, of course I have a compliment about our town and the McDonald’s here. I think the chicken biscuit is downright deli cious, but the chicken is too big for the bread! Is that a complaint after all? I think the remedy would It has been a few years since my last trip to the Florida panhandle, where our family had a vacation home on St. George Island. It offered many incredible charms, including houses with views of both the Gulf ofMexico and Apalachicola Bay. On the other end of the longtime North Amer ican Free Trade Zone, I love the views along the Canadian border, across the Great Lakes, or the incredible sights of NiagaraFalls. Toronto is one of my favorite places to visit and travel to on the planet. It seems like just yesterday our closest neighbors and allies were much like extended family.At present, however, those warm relations, at least between nations and governments, are quite a bit frostier. In their first face- to-face meeting at the White House last week, new Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney reportedly said to Pres identDonald Trump, “Having met with the owners of Canada ... it’s not for sale and it won’t be for sale, ever.” President Trump tends to use a negotiating tactic called “anchoring.” Enter into contract negotiations; declare you will only be satisfied by receiving the universe and at least one sun to fully meet your needs; repeat declaration at every opportunity; stun your negotiating partners and potential partners with the boldness of the ask; continue this posture for a period of time. The ploy expects the negotiating partner will eventually come forward, assuming there are mutual needs for a deal to take place, and says, “How about we give you a planet?” Border communities and paired cities such as Detroit, Michigan and Windsor, Ontario; Seattle, Washington and Vancouver, British Columbia; Niagara Falls, New York and Niagara Falls, Ontario; or even the Georgia Benjamin-Smith Guest Columnist be cooking old-fashioned hotcakes. I meant and hoped to pass this on to the employees, but I couldn’t stop the long, loud wave of laughter. I also think they need more music on the inside. Probably some old-fashioned soul that Oh, Canada Bill Crane One Man's Opinion town of Beebe Plain, strad dling the international border between Vermont and Quebec; know all too well how closely inter twined the two peoples, regions, and economies are. Canada has a population exceeding 41 million in 10 provinces and three far north territories. Latitudi nally, the bulk of Canada’s populationlives south of Seattle and clustered within 100 miles or so of the U.S. border, along the Great Lakes and North American waterways and canals that form much of the physical divide. Thanks in part to the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), a trade treaty and act of Congress, Canada and Mexico — by a healthy measure — are our largest trade part ners. Canada purchased $356.5 billion of American goods and exports in 2022, accounting for 17 percent of total U.S. exports.Mexico was a close second that same year at $324.3 billion, with China a very distant third at $150.4 billion.Only one European nation made the top five, with the United Kingdom at $76.2 billion, and the U.S. has atrade surplus with Great Britain, meaning they are one of the few trade part ners who buy more U.S. goods than we purchase from them. Alaska and Hawaii were originally both territories of the United States. Today, the U.S. has governing, national defense, and funding/trade alliances in place with 14 U.S. terri tories and nation-states, will have a lot of seniors coming to once again experience a nice McDon ald’s lunch. Oops, I forgot. I do have a complaint. I want to say that lots of you do not know about using our signal lights. We drive, stop, turn left or right without using the lights. I guess I really should not, but I do complain because I have a serious problem brewing. I backed into three different people within one night. I did not mean to, but appar ently my car has a severe backing up problem. Mothers Against Crime recently had its 33rd anniversary. Thirty-three years is a long time, but it has been well worth it, working with the young people and grownups to including Puerto Rico (where residents are also U.S. citizens), Amer ican Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Missouri entered the U.S. as a territory (the Missouri Compromise), and Texas entered the union as a common- wealth.As a U.S. common wealth, Canada could maintain its complete independence and sover eignty, trade borders and tariffs could be elim inated, with national defense and energy/ rare earth minerals agreements updated and finalized. Having Canada become a state is fraughtwith logistical and legal chal lenges, well beyond oppo sition in The Great White North, however. Canada would overnight become first over California in terms of state popula tion. That new state would enter the Electoral College as well as have two U.S. Senators and a Congres sional delegation roughly make a difference. The 33rd annual banquet was held at the Elks Club Lodge last Saturday. It was a great night, filled with love and caring for our neighbors in Eatonton and the rest of Putnam County. Special thanks to Sheriff Sills and Police Chief Cardwell for- coming out, as well as our other special guests and everyone who attended. Alright, my promoter’s hat is tilted way over to the side. I am promoting our city and county. Great happenings are in this area. We need to commend the Main Street members for the great entertain ment at City Center Stage. We are on the map. Keep it up and I will need a new promoter’s hat soon. God bless. equivalent in size to California (52 U.S. House members).And while the Canadian Maple leaf and flag are red and white, the population and politics of the majority of Canadian provinces and particularly the three which have 86% of Canada’s population (Ontario, Quebec, and British Columbia) are most decidedly blue. Adding the state of Canada would almost overnight shift control of the U.S. Congress to the Democratic Party, likely within two election cycles, and with California and Canada then controlling potentially 108 Electoral College votes, a path to victory and the White House would easily be within reach every four years, with nearly 25-30 percent of the expanded nation’s population concentrated within those two states. As this president claims expertise around “the art of the deal,” perhaps he should also bone up on the law of unintended conse quences, eh? LAST YEAR, MAY 16, 2024 The family of injured Putnam County Fire Department Battalion Chief Darren Alford visited Farmers & Merchant Bank (FMB) in Eatonton last Thursday, where they were presented with a check for $2,500 donated by Giant Subs at Oconee Wild Watersports. "We really appreciate the generosity of everyone at Giant Subs and Oconee Watersports," said Alford's daughter Rebecca Wilson, who works at the bank. "My dad is doing so much better now, too. In fact, he just came home (from being hospitalized) yesterday," she added. FIVE YEARS AGO, MAY 14, 2020 A large crowd enjoying some live music Saturday afternoon on the shores of Lake Oconee was dispersed by authorities in compliance with Governor Brian Kemp's orders of maintaining "social distancing." Although the statewide shelter-in-place order ended April 30, everyone out in public must maintain a distance of at least 6-feet away from others to slow down the spread of COVID-19, Putnam County Sheriff Howard Sills said. 10 YEARS AGO, MAY 14, 2015 A former Eatonton resident finished ninth in the masters' category and 138th overall, and a local man finished in the top 5 percent in the 2015 Boston Marathon April 20. Alan Black and Chris Dietrich were participants in the marathon. Black, 41, took ninth with a time of 2:34:16 in the 40-and-over category and finished 138th overall. He ran at a pace of 5:54 per mile. 25 YEARS AGO, MAY 18, 2000 Putnam Sheriff Howard Sills' proposal to operate a precinct station on Old Phoenix Road moved forward one more step with the county commission's approval of a 1,200-square-foot building next on the fire station property. Sills said the building would be built with drug confiscation monies. "Let the hoodlums pay for it," he said. 50 YEARS AGO, MAY 15, 1975 Eatonton Mayor James P. Marshall announced this week the city has launched a city eradication program. The mayor said: "I'm pleased to see the stumps on the median between the streets and sidewalks of our city being removed. This will help with the looks of the city tremendously." The mayor said he joins City Council in urging every property owner to replace the removed stump in front of their property with an appropriate tree. 75 YEARS AGO, MAY 18, 1950 A formal organization of the Putnam County Artificial Breeders Association will take place at the Putnam County courthouse Saturday, May 20, at 10 a.m., it was announced. Frank Fitch, Extension Service dairyman, will be present with other leaders of the movement to help Putnam dairymen in their progressive program. 100 YEARS AGO, MAY 15, 1925 The Eatonton Kiwanis Club was officially presented with its charter on Thursday at a luncheon at the Kiwanis Hall in the presence of all the members of the club and a large delegation of guests from Eatonton, Macon, Madison, Monticello and Milledgeville. Immediate past governor Peyton Anders, in the absence of Gov. W.W. Mundy, delivered the charter and along with it a splendid and forceful talk on the ideals of Kiwanis and the things for which this great organization stands. This is Ranger, a handsome fellow around two years old who's looking for a good home. Ranger's a great all-around dog! He likes playing in the yard and he really loves taking walks with a human friend... THANKS TO DONATED SNEAKERS, I WAS ABLE TO FIND MY FOOTING AGAIN. Learn more about Ranger and other great pets by calling us at 706-485-3970, or just stop by.We're in Eatonton next to the Putnam County Sheriff's Department. Your donations fund career services and education programs in your community. Where your things start new lives Learn more
