Newspaper Page Text
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2009
THE JACKSON HERALD
PAGE 5A
IT SEEMS the Grim Reaper
has declared open season on
celebrities. Among those who
have passed away (that’s a
euphemism for died) this year
are Farrah Fawcett, Michael
Jackson, Walter Cronkite, Billy
Mays, Bea Arthur and a home
less man who lived in Tent City
in Athens.
They didn't know the home
less guy’s name for several
days. He wasn’t a real celebrity
and he wasn’t famous. I men
tion him along with the oth
ers to make a point: Death is
the great equalizer. The Grim
Reaper doesn’t play favorites.
All those celebrities are just as
dead as he is.
Although celebrities pass
away (die), they sometimes
have trouble going away. But
it’s not their fault. Those of
us who are still alive won’t
let them go away. We live in a
celebrity culture.
Michael Jackson will be with
us forever. Billy Mays is still
selling Oxi Clean. Bea Arthur
is still golden.
Now he’s a television critic
I’m betting a lot of
you don’t know that
Beatrice (Bea) Arthur
was a celebrity. You
haven’t been watch
ing reruns on televi
sion, have you?
Bea’s stage name
was Dorothy. She,
Blanche, Rose and
Sophia were the row
diest bunch of mature
ladies I’ve ever seen
on TV or in person.
Rowdy does not do justice to
them. And to call them ladies is
using the word rather loosely.
They did not engage in visu
al pornography, but their audio
was downright nasty and vul
gar. Why they were called “The
Golden Girls” is beyond me.
Neither do I understand why
they were so popular with view
ers who usually frown on such
behavior. I guess it was because
The Golden Girls were mature
women in their 60s. Sophia,
Dorothy’s mother, looked to be
about 80. And they didn’t pull
off their clothes. All they did
was talk about their
sexual exploits (good
and bad) and I sup
pose mature women
who watched them
could relate to that.
I would share with
you some of The
Golden Girls’ filthy
language, but this
being a family news
paper, Mike wouldn’t
publish it.
The Golden Girls
isn’t the only old rerun that
graces your flat screen. The
dignified, distinguished ladies
who watch them salve their con
science by watching “Seventh
Heaven” and “Touched by an
Angel.” If that doesn’t make
things right, they switch to the
Trinity Broadcasting Network
(TBN) and get religion.
Some of the folks who watch
and enjoy The Golden Girls
are the most severe critics of
modem television. They are
positive it is causing our young
people to indulge in drags and
pre-marital sex and all sorts of
bad stuff. If they heard one of
their kids talking like that nym
phomaniac Blanche, they’d die.
Go figure.
Irony of ironies, The Golden
Girls is on Hallmark. Isn’t that
the channel that’s supposed to
show uplifting, character-build
ing, moral stuff? Maybe the
Hallmark folks salve their con
science by showing “Seventh
Heaven” and “Touched by an
Angel.”
I’m tired of hearing people
damn TV because there are no
good family shows anymore.
That’s just not true. If you are
on cable, Comcast, Direct TV
or the Dish Network, you can
watch good stuff 24/7.
Of course, most of those
shows are in black and white,
and the more you watch them,
the better they get. I know one
woman who has watched every
episode of “Little House on the
Prairie” a dozen or more times.
If her husband wants to watch
the news, a Braves game or
“Grey’s Anatomy,” he’s fortu
nate to have a second TV in his
bedroom.
Let’s see, we’ve mentioned
“The Golden Girls,” “Seventh
Heaven” and “Touched by an
Angel.” Other options that’ll
take you back to the good of
days are “Andy Griffith,” “The
Beverly Hillbillies,” “Gun
Smoke,” “Sanford and Son,”
“The Cosby Show,” “The
Jeffersons,” “Bonanza” and
“Good Times.” If I had time
to do some surfing, I’m sure
I could come up with others.
I mean, some of these pack
ages have 200 or more chan
nels. And people say there’s
nothing to watch on TV. Go
figure.
All of the shows I mentioned
are on Hallmark (channel 312
on Direct TV) or TV Land
(channel 304.) The Golden
Girls are on 9 to 12 every
weekday morning and again
at 11 o’clock at night.
I don’t know where you’ll
find them on Dish, but if you
search you’ll find them. It’ll
be well worth your time and
effort.
And if you are tired of the
filthy X-rated flicks down at
your local cinema, there’s a
way out of that too. Turn on
Turner’s Classic Movies (256
on Direct TV) and you’ll go
back to the late 1920s and
early ‘30s and some real mov
ing picture shows.
Just one thing bothers me.
Every actor and actress is
smoking something. Back in
those days, I assume it was
tobacco. I’ve watched several
Humphrey Bogart films (my
favorites are “Casablanca”
and “African Queen”) and if
he isn’t drinking whiskey, he’s
puffing on a cigarette.
I hope you realize, dear
friends, that I am not a reg
istered, certified, professional
television critic. However, if
my views, comments and rec
ommendations contribute to
your pleasure in front of the
tube, then that’s why I’m still
writing this stuff.
Virgil Adams is a former
owner/editor of The Jackson
Herald.
Elections continued from 1A
Beer/wine debated again in Maysville
As for the school board,
incumbent chairman Ronnie
Hopkins and District 4 rep
resentative Derrell Crowe are
the only candidates to qualify
so far. The District 2 seat, held
by Damon Wilbanks, is also
up for re-election.
Qualifying will be held
through 4:30 p.m. Wednesday
at city hall. The qualifying
fees are as follows: mayor,
$216: council members, $75;
school board chairman, $54;
and school board members,
$36.
NICHOLSON
In Nicholson, those who
have qualified for the four
at-large council seats are the
incumbents, Faye Seagraves,
Howard Wilbanks, Paul
Cartledge and Lamar Watkins,
and Edmond Dempsey,
Qualifying will be held
through 4 p.m. Wednesday at
city hall. The qualifying fee
for mayor is $10 and $5 for
each council seat.
TALMO
In Talmo, the mayor’s seat
and two council positions will
be on the ballot in November.
Larry Wood currently serves
and mayor and Jill Miller and
Michael “Trapper” Brissey
currently hold the two at-large
council positions. As of press
time, the incumbents were the
only ones who had qualified.
Qualifying will be held
through 4:30 p.m. Wednesday
at city hall. There is no quali
fying fee due to the positions
being volunteer.
BRASELTON
In Braselton, the mayor’s seat
and two council seats will be on
the ballot. Ralph Richardson
Jr. and Bill Orr have qualified
so far for mayor. Incumbent
Pat Graham announced earlier
that she would not be seeking
re-election.
In Council District 2, Bill
Greene and Peggy Slappey have
qualified. Ralph Richardson Jr.
is the incumbent.
In Council District 4, incum
bent Dudley Ray is the only
one to qualify so far.
Qualifying will end at 4:30
p.m. Wednesday at city hall.
The qualifying fee for the
mayor’s position is $156 and
$36 for each council seat.
HOSCHTON
In Hoschton, the mayor’s
seat and three council seats
will be on the ballot. Jim Jester
had qualified for the mayor’s
race but he withdrew his name
Wednesday. Incumbent Bill
Copenhaver has said that he
will not seek re-election.
No one has qualified yet for
Council Post 1, currently held
by Richard Green; or Council
Post 2, currently held by Jim
Jester. As for Council Post 3,
currently held by John Schulte,
Jimy Cleveland is the only one
to qualify so far.
Qualifying will be held
through 4:30 p.m. Wednesday.
The qualifying fee for mayor
and each council seat is $11
each.
COMMERCE
Four of five incumbents qual
ified for the Nov. 3 Commerce
elections on the first day of
qualifying. As of late Tuesday
morning, only mayor pro tem
Dusty Slater - who has said he
would not seek re-election -
had not qualified.
Only two challeng
ers have come forth so far.
Robbie Barnett, co-owner of
Wingslingers Grill, paid the $72
necessary to ran for the District
2 seat on the Commerce Board
of Education. He qualified
early Tuesday morning. Also
on Tuesday, Keelan Rucker
qualified for the District 1 seat
on the BOE.
On Monday those incum
bents planning to seek re-
election qualified. Archie D.
Chaney Jr. qualified for re-
election in Ward 1 and Donald
Wilson in Ward 2 on the city
council, while Arthur Lee
Pattman and Mary Seabolt
qualified for the District 1
and District 2 seats on the
Commerce Board of Education
respectively.
Elections are not being held
this year in Maysville and
Pendergrass.
BYANGELA GARY
PUBLIC HEARINGS have
now been held in all four dis
tricts in Maysville with the
majority of residents attending
the meetings being opposed to
the sale of beer and wine in
the town.
Tuesday night, Ward 2 coun
cil member Lynn Villyard held
a hearing with more than 30
people attending. Ten people
spoke on the proposed beer
and wine ordinance with all
but two being opposed to the
issue. Last week, hearings
were held by the other three
council members with the
majority of those attending
those meetings also opposed
to the ordinance.
A work session will be held
at 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 3, at
the public library for the coun
cil to review comments from
the four town hall meetings.
A first reading on the pro
posed beer and wine ordinance
will be held when the council
meets at 7 p.m. on Monday,
Sept. 14, at the public library.
A work session will be held at
6 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 10,
at the public library.
The Maysville City Council
is considering an ordinance
that would allow beer and
wine to be sold at restaurants
in the town. The council is
reportedly considering the
ordinance because a restaurant
owner requested it earlier this
year. Another resident of the
town is reportedly renovating
a building to locate a sports
tavern and wants to be able to
offer beer and wine.
At this week’s meeting,
Trent Strickland, who has
lived in the town for 52 years
and is a former council mem
ber, said: “I am opposed to this
ordinance. I feel the people of
Maysville are overwhelmingly
against this.”
Chris Ray said he sees no
benefit to allowing beer and
wine sales.
“There will not be enough
tax revenue,” he said. “It will
put our town’s people at risk.
This is cut and dried. Do you
want drinking in this town or
not. I say, ‘no.’”
John Lewallen said the town
doesn’t have the infrastructure
and manpower needed if a
beer and wine ordinance was
approved.
Among those speaking in
favor of beer and wine sales
was Caroline Ross, who has
lived in the town since 1997.
“I don’t see it being a hot bed
of bars and drunken people,”
she said. “I see it as someone
being allowed to have a glass
of wine with dinner or a beer
with a hamburger.”
Debbie Akins, who is plan
ning a sports pub in the town
and wants to offer beer and
wine, said the ordinance would
give control to business own
ers over alcohol being served.
She said business owners can
now allow people to bring
their own beer and wine and
they have no control over how
much they drink. As a business
owner who sells beer and wine,
she said she could control how
much someone is served.
Council member Villyard
was asked to speak on the
benefits of approving the ordi
nance.
“I am not opposed to it,” she
said of beer and wine being
allowed. “There is still a lot
to be discussed about it. As a
civic leader, we have to look at
a broader context. This could
contribute to some downtown
development. Perhaps it would
attract more business. In the
larger context, people do view
this (beer and wine sales) as a
common expected mainstream
expectation. It is very much a
part of mainstream society.”
She pointed out that restau
rants such as Longhorn and
Outback serve alcohol and
Ingles and Wal-Mart sell beer
and wine.
“People go in restaurants and
stores where it is very much a
part of mainstream society,”
she said. “I don’t think alcohol
will save the day but I think it
is what people consider to be
mainstream.”
No farewell words were spoken
No time to say good-bye
You were gone before we knew it.
And only God knows why
We miss you angel, so much!
The family of Jessica
.——
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