Newspaper Page Text
WEDNESDAY, MAY 24, 2017
THE JACKSON HERALD
PAGE 5A
Memorial Day: What our fallen heroes teach us
Another Voyage on
the Sloop John B
Whenever I go to write about one of the fishing
trips some friends and I make, I think back about the
stories Virgil Adams told about
the fishing he and some bud
dies used to do somewhere in
the Carolinas in search of some
mythically large fish. It makes
me feel somewhat inadequate,
but I am compelled to share
some adventures from a dif
ferent generation of (saltwater)
anglers from here in Jefferson
and Commerce.
The registered nurse that often
accompanies us on these outings
is a gentleman we refer to as
“Doc.” He was not able to make it this time, but it
wasn’t like we weren’t accompanied by competent
medical personnel. This always seems to comfort
the families back home when we embark on these
journeys. One of the guys that went this time works
with high-tech medical equipment and another per
son on the trip is a prominent tree surgeon.
I figured-out sometime back that the only reason
they invite me, is because I am the only one who has
a vehicle large enough to pull the boat, carry all the
luggage and equipment and still seat several people.
The tree-man was driving and we had just gotten
past Macon on 1-75. We thought we had things
going our way.
Suddenly he yells, “Oh, s**t,” and heads for the
right shoulder while pushing on the brakes so hard I
expected the boat to swing around and slap us on the
side. I looked back and all I could see was smoke
boiling from the left side of the trailer. No, it wasn’t
a blown tire. That would have been like a walk in
the park compared to the problem we had.
After being immersed in saltwater many times
over the years, metal parts tend to corrode. The
hub that the wheel fastens to had broken loose from
the axel and was still attached, but only by a small
sliver of metal. Our fishing companions traveling
in another vehicle were soon there at the scene and
we were all trying to come up with the best solution
to the dilemma.
We decided that they would go on to the next exit
and see if they could come up with someone who
did onsite welding. The boat and trailer were too
large to fit on a roll-back wrecker, so hauling it to a
repair shop was not an option. I fought back a tear
as I watched our buddies drive away, knowing they
were going to find someone in the “Yellow Pages”
and once they called us back with that phone num
ber. they would be heading-on to Florida. I won
dered if I would ever see them again, or anyone else
I knew for that matter. My GPS had never heard
of Econfina, Fla., the godforsaken place we were
trying to get to.
I hate to dwell on this incident that took place
so early in the journey, but I might as well because
the rest of the trip was almost anticlimactic. Soon
the other group contacted us with the number of a
welder and amazingly, he was there within an hour.
Sitting about 4 feet from cars and big trucks that
were passing behind him running about 80 mph, he
sat there for almost an hour welding. The thermom
eter on my mirror read 120 degrees. The engine
thermometer read 230 and it was still climbing. I
suggested we shut the car off and go sit in some
shade nearby.
My companions said if the heat didn’t kill us, we
would choke to death on gnats while the chiggers
gnawed our legs off. They also mentioned that if
I touched that ignition switch they would kill me
instantly. Finally, after almost three hours on the
side of 1-75, we were on the road again.
But were we having fun yet? By the time we
finally arrived, the other three guys had spent all
of our grocery money on provisions they thought
we would need for the three-day stay. No one can
please everyone when it comes to choosing things
for them to eat and drink, but not knowing if and
when we were going to arrive and the nearest store
being about 25 miles away, I suppose they did the
best they could. We all had to listen to the skipper
of our boat complain because they had spent a small
fortune on beverages he didn’t drink. Then we were
all accused of partaking of his beverage of choice
without his permission. But if he was crazy enough
to leave it out in plain view of six thirsty fishermen,
what should he expect ?
The group arriving first also negotiated a swap
agreement with the people staying in the condo next
to ours in order to get one big enough to accommo
date our entire group. The problem with that was
there was only one very small bathroom to be used
by six people. Also, if you have ever been within a
short distance of a saw mill while it is in operation,
you can imagine what six men sleeping that close
together sounded like.
I don’t know if we got an accurate count on the
number of fish we brought back, but I can say with
certainty we didn’t set any records. I didn’t have to
participate in the “cleaning” process. If you don’t
bring back any “keepers,” you are exempt from this
repulsive task.
I caught several that were too small to keep and
a couple of large fish that were inedible, but that
doesn’t bother me. I mainly go on these expeditions
for the blistering heat, the thrill of getting beat-to-
death by a molded piece of floating fiberglass as it
skims across the ocean water and the comradery and
gossip I get to share with my bosom buddies.
I also want to be a serious writer someday, and
this is one way I can be assured that I have suffered
enough.
Thanks for reading.
Mike Rector is a local contractor. Send comments
to mikerector405@gmail.com or 405 Washington
Pkwy., Jefferson, GA.
BY REP. DOUG COLLINS
NINTH DISTRICT OF GEORGIA
For more than 200 years, the truths that we hold to be
self-evident have compelled Americans to fight and even to
fall in military service. The individuals of the United States
Armed Forces provide a plumb line for courage around the
globe.
Memorial Day, in particular, reminds us that this resolve
has led more than one million Americans to surrender their
lives, and it invites us to consider what their sacrifice tells us
about our nation and about each other.
We often say that American men and women have fought
on behalf of freedom, and this is wholly true. At the same
time, I believe that these service members are guardians of
something even more fundamental than our right to bear arms
and speak our minds.
In their lives and in their deaths, the people we memori
alize on the last Monday of each May advocated for human
dignity—that all men and women are created equal and that
they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable
rights. We insist on our rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of
happiness as symptoms of the central human condition: Every
person’s value is unquestionable and is anchored in the One
who created the world in which we live.
From the nation’s beginning, Americans have united around
this principle, though no one claims that our government and
citizens have always been perfectly faithful to it. Rather, the
equal dignity of all people remains our national compass and
redirects us when our society loses its way and undervalues
our neighbors or undermines our freedoms.
The same compass has guided this country in its military
By Nathan Almodovar
A political commentator recently argued that politics was no
longer a battle between the Republicans and the Democrats,
but rather a struggle between Authoritarians and Libertarians.
I agree. In our current political spectrum, defining yourself
as merely Republican or Democrat is insufficient. There are
Republicans who are very liberal and Democrats who are very
conservative.
In the current cultural war, the side mostly consistent with
Libertarian-esque values is the Right while the Left is pre
dominantly Authoritarians. And the Right is currently deci
mating the Left in the cultural conflict.
Humor is inherently offensive. Even down to the juvenile
fart joke, there is an inappropriate composition to comedy that
makes it unpleasant to hear, but comical given that deep down,
we somehow know it to be true.
Take as an example Bill Burr’s shtick on modem-day
marriage and high divorce rates. He places his audience in
a hypothetical scenario of going skydiving, only to hear that
three out of the four parachutes present wouldn’t have a high
chance of functioning.
That wouldn’t give you much confidence in jumping out,
right?
Even though the point is largely exaggerated, it nonetheless
delivers a perspective to make the viewer think about getting
married.
To go even further, contrast the most recent candidates of
the 2016 Presidential election, Donald Trump and Hillary
Clinton. They were completely different in their delivery to
the American public.
Hillary Clinton was like the grandmother that only calls
on birthdays, or never cared much to have you around in her
home. She was rather distant and criticism of her prompted
one to be labeled as a misogynist. Supporters covered her with
a veil that prevented anyone from speaking freely without
The Georgia House of Representatives has discovered that
rural areas are not as likely as more populated areas to grow.
It has formed a group of legislators to suggest ways to help
rural counties.
It was House Speaker David Ralston’s
idea. He is from Blue Ridge, a pretty
rural area.
Pardon my cynicism, but the best way
might be to cut the number of Georgia
counties by about a third. The state has
159 counties and 34 of them have fewer
than 10,000 people.
Nearly half have fewer than 22,000
people. Only 41 counties have 50,000
or more people.
Economic developers, especially for
retail commercial businesses, talk about
“rooftops” when looking at expansions. About half of Geor
gia’s counties just don’t have enough rooftops to gamer much
attention from business.
Combining counties is almost never mentioned because it
requires taking on well-entrenched political groups and fac
tions. No county commission wants to give up its authority or
salary and benefits. That’s only one example.
Jackson County about 64,000 people. Next door Barrow
County has about 73,000. Both are growing because they are
near the overflowing Gwinnett County, but both also have
large swaths of undeveloped, rural territory. The other next-
door, Hall County, has nearly 200,000 people.
All of the counties east and north of here are small. Most are
rural or mountainous or both.
The state House group begins meeting this week. The first
session was in Tifton. Near as I can tell, the closest meeting to
us will be in Toccoa June 15-16.
One of the buzzwords in legislative circles - state and fed
eral - is broadband access. Anyone who suffers with Wind-
stream for internet access understands why. But a number
of counties don’t have any access to broadband. They might
have “dial up,” which I used in the 1980s to send stories from
the state legislature in Nashville to my paper then. The Oak
Ridger.
North Georgia has the North Georgia Network, a “mem
ber-owned broadband network,” that touts its work with
EMCs in providing access to fast internet.
Jackson County with 64,000 people would seem to be
large enough and is prosperous enough that it is reasonable
to expect good internet service. Instead it seems to be in that
island of never-never land.
Fiber optic broadband service is expensive. It is capital
intensive, as business says. That means you have to spend lots
of money to get ready to provide service and make money.
action. The world’s darkest regimes are those that have run
most afoul of freedom and human dignity. For that reason, our
service members have fallen on battlefields fighting the Axis
powers, North Korea, and other rogue forces.
America is not a nation that asks people to fight and die for
ivory towers. We are a nation that prioritizes human life and
dignity. That’s why Memorial Day honors a class of Ameri
can individuals rather than American ideals. When the idea of
unalienable rights begins to seem abstract, we recognize that
the cost of freedom is always concrete. We measure that cost
in lost fathers and mothers and brothers and sisters.
As an Iraq War veteran serving in the Air Force Reserve,
May 29 is a day for me to remember the service of others. As
a military chaplain, one of the greatest honors of my life has
been to walk alongside some of the heroes that we remember
today. These protectors often awoke to face a day full of cer
tain danger while grappling with the darkness they encoun
tered in comers of the world that most of us will never see.
When they laid down their lives, they did so for their brothers
in arms and our mothers at home because, unlike despots such
as Vladimir Putin and Bashar al-Assad, they valued liberty
and justice for all.
Each Memorial Day, we lower the flag to honor the service
members who, in giving up their lives, testify to the sanctity of
every life and its expression through personal liberty. Defend
ing freedom to the point of death illustrates the value we place
on all 321 million particular American lives, and we raise the
flag to full mast again at noon as a promise that the sacrifices
of our military heroes drive us forward to pursue in life what
they championed in death. May God bless their souls and let
us learn from their conviction.
having the conversation shut down. Compared to her political
adversary, it seemed as though they were desperately trying
to pave a road for her in spite of the very serious criticisms
she was facing.
Then there was Trump. This man not only took in criticism
from both political parties, he had the audacity to throw it
right back at them. What some accuse as being thin-skinned
was really him just punching back. Anyone who has followed
Trump before his political pursuits understands that the crowd
he runs with are the kinds of people that do not mince words.
However, what made supporting Trump in the general
election great was how much fun it was. Hearing him speak,
connecting with high-energy supporters and revealing the
obvious bias against him let us speak truth to power. The
establishment that had flattered itself as the ruling class began
to sweat for the first time and it was glorious.
Mocking Trump is reflective on how the Right knows how
to laugh at itself. When political opponents drum up some
thing to make the now president look bad, it is meaningless.
For the last eight years, we saw how they were desperate in
making an effeminate, stuttering excuse of a Harvard graduate
look cool. The material was ripe for the picking and not once
did we see them give anywhere near the level of treatment
Trump is getting.
When it comes to the culture war, the Right is dominating.
It does not fear trigger warnings and safe spaces and it’s not
concerned with eliminating themselves in a fervent self-righ
teousness.
Progressives have viewed their politics as religious dogma
and as such, have become the Puritans of our time. The Right
is winning and given the modem state of the political Left, it
deserves to.
Nathan Almodovar is a columnist for MainStreet Newspa
pers. He can be reached at nathanalmodovar@gmail.com
Rural areas of the country are getting more attention since
those areas are largely given credit for putting Donald Trump
in the president’s office.
(I’m not sure how that meshes with all the suburbs who
voted 65 percent or better for Trump. Those would include
Jackson, Barrow, Hall counties, all with large numbers of
“suburban” voters.)
To be fair, broadband access in rural counties has been an
issue for years. I lived in Putnam County for four years. It had
about one-third of Jackson’s population, but it also had two
lakes which each had lots of lake homes and the “good” for
tune to be bought by Charter. (We complained regularly about
the service every time it rained and the signal disappeared.)
One solution is for local governments to offer the broad
band service as a utility. Commerce has a very limited service,
nearly all for businesses.
The major difficulty is government’s reluctance to get into
something that is 1) expensive and 2) in competition with
private business.
I understand the first reason. I see no validity in the second
since whatever cable TV is in a particular area, it has a practi
cal, and very real, monopoly.
A second major impediment to rural economic develop
ment is transportation. Jackson County has Interstate 85 run
ning through it, a factor that some folks might give up.
That corridor nearly guarantees we are likely to continue
seeing interest in development along the interstate, which
allows for moving large quantities of material in all directions
quickly.
Lumpkin, Union. Fannin are just three counties picked from
the map that are not on a major interstate. They don’t have
political fights about distribution warehouses. People don’t
show up in large groups, and matching T-shirts, to protest
about those kinds of proposals.
I nearly forgot the state chamber of commerce also is begin
ning to tout its own rural Georgia development initiative. That
comes from the Vision 2030 process the chamber is going
through.
The emphasis on college and career academies, touted by
Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle, is another piece of the emphasis for
rural Georgia. High tech manufacturing, commercial truck
drivers, computer-savvy automotive mechanics are just a few
of the options being touted. They aren’t just for rural areas, but
they will get attention there.
I'll be interested in what may come from the House and
chamber groups. I’ll especially be interested in the projected
cost of those recommendation, and who might be the inves
tors or taxpayers responsible.
Ron Bridgeman is a reporter for Mainstreet Newspapers.
Send him email at ron@mainstreemews.com.
mike
rector
Why the Right is winning
Counties are rural for reasons