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CODE OF ETHICS: Seek Truth & Report It - Minimize Harm -
Act Independently - Be Accountable.
Where the press is free and every man able to read, all is
safe. - Thomas Jefferson
Letter To The Editor
Those We Need To Thank
Editor, The Georgia Post:
There are people who de
serve to be thanked working
behind the scenes of JugFest
2013 co-sponsored by the
Roberta Crawford County
Chamber of Commerce and
the Crawford County His
torical Society. People who
are not necessarily sponsors,
but workhorses who meld
the mind and muscle behind
its staging once a year, and
are among us busy from the
preceding October until the
end of June. Yet ,they are
working individual much of
the time during the days and
months leading up to Octo
ber 2013 to begin winding
the paths to JugFest 2014
10th Anniversary. To them
we need to say Thank You.
Your Co-Chair people San-
di Ragsdale and Bo Shrigley
lead many who brought you
the JugFest 2013 and though
the rain fell, the spirit was
not dampened working right
on the through the adjust
ments that had to be made. It
cleared and the festival day
was not a total loss on the
field.
Vera Cook organized and
set the Pottery Auction;
Larry Carpenter organized
the premier of the 5K and 1
Mile Fun Run; Logistics are
handled very well as were
they this year by the husband
and wife team, Tommy and
Mona Boss; Kathleen Cook
organized the Exhibits in the
Old Courthouse to include
the Art Show, Historic Sites,
Plans and so much more;
Outside the Courthouse Pat
Roys was busy with outside
demonstrations and inside he
arranged for the demonstra
tors of many crafts; Coni
Merritt and Marcia West
arranged for Pottery Vendors
and Craft Vendors, Marcia
worked with student and
teacher Stephen Johnson on
the Bird House Pottery Con
test; Nancy Jones provided
the artistic eye for posters,
brochure and flyers to be dis
tributed as well as design for
the JugFest T-Shirts with the
Merritt Pottery Bam; Linda
Gurley and the local Kiwanis
Club worked very hard to
provide the Preview Party;
Lunch and Leam was in the
hands of Sandra Williams
and her planning committee
Celia Martin and Melinda
Home; Diane Dye and her
family who stage the Quilt
Show; Entertainment lost
because of the rain was well
done and a full day of music
arranged by Bob Halstead;
Tractor Show and Parade an
other item victim to the rain
was full with tractors and hit
and miss engines by Steve
Montgomery; Lawn Mower
Races had many people
coming who thought it was
rained out and was made
the success it was by Kent
Winslett who also designed
the new shirts; Kiln Sale and
Pottery classes were ably
handled by Shelby West who
also provides direction to
the children and adults at the
pottery classes, purchases
the wood for the kiln and
so much more; Mark Mer
ritt who adds pottery pieces
to the Lunch and Leam and
aid in set up of vendors;
Kristen O’Neal headed the
many who worked at the
Chicken-Q also dampened
by the rain; Russell Jones
who consistently researches
the history of the named
Potter Inducted to the Hall
of Fame, this year Emmett
Merritt as well as assisting
the Chicken-Q; Pat Kellar
who works so many places
behind the scenes but works
primarily in the Pottery Ex
hibit providing pottery buffs
a show and invites guests to
the community.
Each of the people listed
are wonderful and each had
their own working with and
behind the scenes to pro
vide the County generating
a share of tourism dollars
into the county business
and recognition for many a
visit after the festival. But
a festival is not the work
of one person, nor can one
event be a festival, it is a
conglomeration of people
who work tirelessly to bring
the county a positive note
and to share with others
the historic pottery while
including the contempo
rary pottery, age old crafts
and just a family fun time.
By Board of Directors,
President and Directors
uotable Quote ~
Being a child at home alone in the summer is a
high-risk occupation. If you call your mother at
work thirteen times an hour, she can hurt you.
— Erma Bombeck
Just Trying To Understand
I find myself shaking my
head a lot these days, mainly
in disbelief of something
someone has done or said.
Today’s world makes no sense
whatsoever to me. There is no
common sense hardly to be
found in anyone, everyone is
out for themselves and there
is no such thing as loyalty.
People are also very disre
spectful. The line between
right and wrong has gotten
quite hazy for some people
and when things do happen
because of the choices they
make, it is certainly not in
them to take responsibility for
those actions.
I attended the Memorial Day
program in Byron Monday
morning and it was a great
program as usual. However,
during the program at least
four cell phones went off and
one lady even answered hers
during one of the speaker’s
talk. It was not only disre
spectful, it was downright
embarrassing to me, but I do
not think the lady was embar
rassed.
I know, as reporters, we have
a job to do and I was in atten
dance as a reporter, however,
the title does not preclude
us from being disrespectful.
One reporter, who happen to
be running late, made a big
commotion coming down the
aisle, as the program was well
in progress, and then walking
in front of everyone to get to a
place to take photos and then
kept jumping up and down to
take said photos. I, too took
photos, but without all the
hoopla and I was on time so
did not disrupt anyone or any
of the proceedings.
I am sure, that somewhere
in my career, I probably did
something similar and I ask
forgiveness if I did. I always
have tried to be respectful
at events, even respectful of
competing reporters. There are
right ways and wrong ways to
go about things and if I have to
be disrespectful to take a photo
or get the story, then I may not
get it. Yes, I do want the story
but my mama did teach me
some manners!
Many years ago, at the
unveiling of a new shooting
range for a law enforcement
agency a broadcast journalist
kept getting in everyone’s way
and did not seem to care and
certainly did not apologize.
It was not only annoying but
downright rude. I decided then
and there I would not be that
kind of journalist. Life is just
too short to be that rude.
The shenanigans of our
government should make
everyone shake their head in
disbelief. We have the IRS
targeting conservative groups,
something which is a fact, and
then they want to plead the
fifth! Can someone please tell
me where are all those folks
who called for Nixon’s head
when he did a lot less than
what is going on today?
It is way past time for a flat
tax, which means that every
one would pay and would be
much fairer than the current
system. Do we really want the
IRS handling our health care
as well? It all feels as if we
are in the twilight zone and I,
for one, am ready to wake up
and get back to reality. Only
problem is, this is reality.
Pay at a Ti me
Victoria ’’Vicky” Simmons
vsimmonsS4@gmail.com
Why does it seam, no one is
really using their brain to work
on solutions to our country’s
problems?
And how did we let our
representatives in Washing
ton get away with not having
term limits? It is time they
had term limits so we do not
end up with career politicians,
which is part of the problem
we are encountering today.
Staying in office forever, gives
you too much power. People
who really want to serve their
constituents would not want to
be career politicians. But, of
course, that’s just my opin
ion and I am sure some will
disagree.
I would like to wake up one
morning though and hear
some good news coming out
of Washington, DC. I am not
holding my breath, that is for
sure.
Is it also too much to ask
that our President get the
name of the hardest hit area
in Oklahoma right? He called
Moore, Oklahoma, Monroe.
Okay, they both start with the
letter ”M” I know but in such
a tragedy, you would think the
President could get the name
right. This came while Obama
was pledging federal help for
all communities struck by
natural disasters noting ’’We’re
going to be there for the folks
in Monroe, Oklahoma after the
devastation of last week.” It’s
Moore, OK, Mr. President.
Wishing you a blessed week.
History Of American Conservatism
Pinpointing the date or
location of a discreet event
in human history such as a
birth, a death, or a battle,
is often a simple task made
easier, in many instances, by
the discovery and/or review
of actual historical records.
Pinpointing the date of the
emergence of a philosophy,
an ideology, or a religion,
which are not discreet events
occurring at specific instanc
es in time, is often much
more difficult. Such is the
case with American conser
vatism.
Though debate among
historians of conservatism
continues, most agree that
American conservatism has
its origins in England of old.
Some suggest the signing in
1215 of the Magna Carta by
King John at Runnymede
was the seminal event lead
ing ultimately to modem
American conservatism.
A truly novel document,
the Magna Carta set limits
on royal power and estab
lished certain rights of free
Englishmen including the
concept of due process of
law, habeas corpus, the right
to face one’s accusers, and
the right to a trial by jury.
Others suggest a more
direct connection between
American conservatism and
the English Civil War of
1642 - 1651 wherein parlia
mentary forces defeated the
army of King Charles I (who
was later executed) and
established the precedent of
parliamentary, rather than
royal, rule of England. Still
others suggest that England’s
Glorious Revolution of 1688
has a greater claim as the
foundation of American con
servatism as it was this event
that led to the creation of
the English Bill of Rights of
1689 - forerunner of Amer
ica’s Bill of Rights created a
century later.
Finally, there are those
historians who cling to
the notion that American
conservatism has its roots
in the American Revolu
tion. Of course, liberals, not
understanding history, reject
this notion arguing that our
Founding Fathers were radi
cal liberals bent on discard
ing centuries of English law
and tradition in an effort to
create a brand new society.
However, nothing could be
further from the truth. In
fact, Revolutionary War-
era heroes such as George
Washington, John Adams,
and Thomas Jefferson,
among others, were working
and fighting not to destroy
English law and tradition
but, rather, to conserve it
for Americans. These men,
and their Revolutionary War
compatriots, were working
and fighting to maintain or
regain the same rights that
Englishmen in England
had enjoyed for hundreds
of years - ideals of repre
sentative democracy, prop
erty rights, rule of law, and
safeguards against arbitrary
exercise of power by kings
and governments.
The debate over the origins
of conservatism, in general,
Conservative
Commentaries
By Spencer Price
and American conserva-
tism, in particular, is likely
to continue indefinitely.
Beyond debate, however, is
the fact that the principles
of conservatism played an
indispensable role in Amer
ica’s rise to greatness. Also
beyond debate is the fact that
a return to these principles
will be necessary to reverse
America’s current economic
and social decline. Ignoring
the history of conservatism
upon which our nation was
founded might well lead to
a dark and dangerous future
for all Americans. Instead,
embracing that history will
more likely assure a brighter
future for us all.
published every week by Crawford Publishing,
Our Staff
Floyd Buford - President
Victoria ’Vicky” Simmons - GM/Publisher
vsimmons54@gmaiLcom or byronbuzz@pstel.net
Renee Goggins - Layout/Graphic Design
Robbie Robertson - Distribution
Carey Lee - Sports Photography
Trenesia Y. Stubbs, Charles Cook,
Nancy Gibbs, Billy Powell, Angie Carr, Jeff Cook, Wade
Yoder, Dan Gatlyn, James Earnhardt Robert Tharpe, Rev.
James Snyder, Spencer Price - Contributing Columnists
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