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THURSDAY. FEBRUARY 5. 2015 PICKENS COUNTY PROGRESS PAGE 13A
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Letters to the Editor
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Dear Editor:
I am sorry to read about
Charles Hendrix’s anger over his
granddaughter’s fears about an
imagined, pending shooting at
her school [last week’s Letters to
the Editor]. I too have young
grandchildren, and maybe I’m
just lucky, but I’ve never heard
them express similar fears. I
must wonder whether such a fan
tasy may have been spawned by
paranoia on the part of a relative?
After all, school shootings are
not only not on an increase but,
fortunately, are about as likely to
be experienced by a child as
being struck by a meteorite
while riding up 136.
People more learned than I
have written extensively on the
question of whether tougher gun
laws would be likely to prevent
the horror of mass killings by
firearm. The answer is a resound
ing no. Restricting the rights of
the 99.99% of gun owners who
would never consider killing an
other human being in any situa
tion other than self defense is not
the answer. It may feel good to
say that “something” is being
done, but even societies that have
virtually banned the private own
ership of broad classes of
firearms have experienced these
incidents.
Recently, the Newtown com
mission (convened in the wake
of terrible events in December
2012 at the Sandy hook Elemen
tary School) called for the con
fiscation of all guns of the same
type used on that terrible day. I
give them credit for honesty.
Most of the other anti-gun types
are wedded to a strategy of incre
mentally restricting gun owner’s
rights until the same goal is
achieved.
Mark Buchheim
Dear Editor:
Once again, we hear another
dis-jointed diatribe from Mr.
Hendrix [last week’s Letters to
the Editor]. As usual, it meanders
over several odd, but predictable,
old saws.
He says that his granddaugh
ter was upset over “bad men”
coming to her school and shoot
ing people. Perhaps it would be
more appropriate to question the
delivery of such subjects by the
school? Obviously, their message
wasn’t quite properly received?
However, never one to let any
thing poorly done go to waste,
our loser politician, who was
commented on in this paper as
saying BEFORE the election, on
the web, that the citizens here are
too stupid to vote for him, is back
for more hubris.
Universal background
checks? Let me see, how would
that have done anything at Sandy
Hook, Va. Tech or even the Col
orado Theater shooting? In the
case of Sandy Hook, a woman
was MURDERED to obtain
those guns. In the other incidents,
background checks had all been
performed on EVERY weapon
used. Of course, “sensible” never
seems to include actual sense.
Mr. Hendrix so easily insults
business owners, even though
their choices of what, and whom,
to serve are a bedrock of histori
cal significance that transcends
“sensible” legislation. This being
the new buzz word for stupid
legislation.
Mr. Hendrix also feels that we
should disregard recent Supreme
Court decisions about the Second
Amendment. However, he seems
to support the First Amendment’s
protection on Free Speech, no
matter how bigoted or insulting.
Crime, and criminals, existed
long before anyone started advo
cating ludicrous policies. Today,
we have advocates to whom pe
nalizing the many for the actions
of the few is “sensible.” Being
stupid is evidently a “right” to
them. They are wrong. Want to
blame someone? Try blaming a
school that is too inept to prop
erly present information to
young minds, causing distress.
Then again, I’m not too sure that
this is exactly the truth presented
here, either.
Perhaps actually punishing
criminals might help. But, then
again, that might be too truly
sensible to accept when you’re
incapable of looking beyond pre
conceived, knee-jerk, blame
games.
James Robison
Dear Editor:
First I would like to respond
to some letters to the editor sub
mitted in the January 29 edition.
After reading a letter from
one of the readers concerning his
4-year-old granddaughter, I am
disgusted that anyone would use
a 4-year-old to promote his own
radical views and agenda. I doubt
that anything he said was true.
And I might need to inform
everyone now that this is the
same person who, to the best of
my recollection, stated that he
thought the voters of Pickens
County were “Ignorant Red
necks” or something to that ef
fect! He still wants to be relevant
in politics and the community
but when you’re an extreme left-
wing “Liberal Democrat” it’s
hard to get anywhere in north
Georgia. All I can say is with all
the home invasions, car-jackings,
armed robberies and burglaries
taking place, you had better be
armed, alert and prepared. The
police can’t be everywhere.
Second, for the person who
objects to torture. Just so you
know where me and almost
everyone stands on this issue. If
any of my family members was
taken hostage or someone had
planted a bomb in one of our
schools, or for whatever reason
where several innocent people
could be killed, I would do what
ever I could and use whatever
methods available to extract the
needed information to prevent
the killing of innocent people
(even if it’s your family). It’s
time we started reacting to the
criminals with the same tactics
they use on us! Just in the past
few days, Jordan sent a message
to ISIS telling them that if they
executed their pilot they would
in turn immediately bring the
ISIS prisoners in custody to trial
and execute them all. Besides, if
we capture the terrorists, Obama
will just release them!
And last, for the writer that
voiced their displeasure with
Congress bypassing Obama and
the State Department and invit
ing Israel’s Prime Minister to
speak to the U.S. Congress. If
Obama was any kind of president
at all none of this would be tak
ing place. Maybe you should be
more concerned with “Your Pres
ident” lying to the people, stone
walling the Bengazi
investigation for more than 2
years where four Americans
were murdered, the IRS scandal,
fast and furious, the scandal at
the Veterans Administration and
the list goes on. Maybe you
should sit back and take the same
position that Hillary Clinton took
- what difference does it make?
J.R. Harvey
Dear Editor:
Re: Thoughts on the proposed
Nelson Community Center
Creating a Business Model
for the newly purchased Rebekah
Lodge to be used as a Commu
nity Center is necessary before
the city council spends more
money on this project. It needs a
thorough review, including a
building inspection to determine
deficiencies, code violations and
repairs necessary.
In my opinion, there are not
many Nelson based groups that
would pay to use the Community
Center (CC). So that aspect
needs to be investigated in the
business model. A list of poten
tial Nelson-based users needs to
be generated and contacted to see
if they would use the CC and
what prospective fees they think
they could afford. This would be
part of the business model. Also
consideration as to the cost of
utilities, maintenance, insurance,
etc. would also be part of the
business model. Security and
legal liability also need to be
considered. The Council proba
bly doesn’t have the expertise in
this area so other neighboring
government officials help might
be solicited. The council might
consider paying a fee for a writ
ten business model. If this isn’t
done properly the council may be
pouring money into an unsup-
portable project, which they will
pay for at election time by a voter
rebellion.
If there isn’t enough financial
support from Nelson-based or
ganizations then the council is
faced with funding a CC for out
siders to use. If this is the case
the CC needs to act as its own,
stand alone, profit center and not
be subsidized by Nelson taxpay
ers. It needs to generate enough
revenue to cover all costs, main
tenance, insurance, utilities, etc.
It must not become a burden on
Nelson taxpayers. A very impor
tant aspect.
Actually, the same goes for
the new park and ball field. If
mainly outsiders use these facil
ities they need to become their
own profit centers so that their
costs are not subsidized by Nel
son taxpayer funds from the city.
In my opinion these facilities
have the potential to become
huge maintenance and repair is
sues.
On another, but somewhat re
lated subject, moving the marble
museum to the CC shouldn’t be
a ‘clever’ legal decision. It
should be a conservative deci
sion. Meaning if it isn’t clearly
supported by statewide examples
that allow the use of SPLOST
funds for museums then Nelson
should avoid being first to use
Parks & Recreation SPLOST
funds to support it. If moving the
museum is found to be well sup
ported be sure to get this infor
mation, from the city attorney
with legal references, into the
minutes in detail. This may be
necessary information to present
to auditors at some time in the fu
ture.
Bill McNiff
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the Progress.
A bridge for the future
new construction might be an in
convenience. Those commuters
might want to use the alternate
routes of Yellow Creek Road to
Highway 369 or East Cherokee
Drive to Highway 20. However,
Forrester said that there should
be minimal delays. “We don’t
flag everyday, only when we
need to.”
The project manager wants to
remind drivers to use extra cau
tion in the construction zone for
the safety of his workers and also
warned motorists that the speed
limit has been reduced from 55
to 45 miles-per-hour in the seven
tenths of a mile construction
zone.
Forrester added that not only
will the community have a much
safer bridge upon completion of
the project, but an added bonus is
the new boat ramp and parking
area to be built by the Georgia
Department of Natural Re
sources.
The Etowah River bridge construction as viewed from the south looking north across the
river on Hwy. 372just outside of Ball Ground.
Future Options for Aging &
Disability Services:
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Friday, February 6, 2015
6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Tate Elementary School Gym
Don’t miss the Tate Elementary School PTO
Bingo Night fundraiser this Friday!
• $1 per person/card/play
• Wide selection of prizes for both adults and kids
• A community event - all ages welcome!
• Pizza, drinks, chips, cookies, and other snacks available for
purchase
• Enter to win a gift card raffle basket (Pueblo Bar & Grill,
iTunes, Starbucks, Tom’s Awesome Seafood, IGA, Cherokee
Valley Ranch, and more!)
• Proceeds benefit Tate Elementary School
If you are interested in donating a prize/gift card or
co-sponsoring this event, please let us know at
TatePTO@Gmail.com.
For more information visit:
Facebook.com/TatePTO • TatePTO.org
By Larry Cavender
Progress Contributor
“Taxpayers definitely got
their money’s worth out of that
old bridge.” That is what David
Forrester, the project manager for
the new Etowah River bridge
construction on Highway 372
east of Ball Ground, said about
the bridge that will soon be re
placed.
The old bridge, first con
structed in 1960, really needed to
be replaced, according to For
rester, who added, “The old
bridge has more patches than
original pavement.”
Forrester, a Cherokee County
native and seventeen year vet
eran with the Georgia Depart
ment of Transportation, is
overseeing the $5.6 million proj
ect which began on October 15
of last year. The construction is
slated to be completed by No
vember 16 of this year.
According to Forrester, only
60 yards of concrete has been
poured so far in the construction,
but that is only a drop in the
bucket to the amount that will
eventually be used. When com
pleted, Forrester says the new
bridge will be “much safer with
better sight distance and im
proved guard rails.” The new
bridge will still be only two
lanes but with wider shoulders.
The new bridge will also be
18 feet higher than the old ver
sion which will place the bridge
high enough to avoid a once-in-
every 500 year flood.
Hundreds of area residents
commute to jobs each day on
Highway 372 to Forsyth and
north Fulton Counties, and the
Please join us on
Tuesday, February to, 2015
5:30 - 7:00 PM
At the Pickens Community Center, Room #3
1329 Camp Road, Jasper, GA 30143
RSVP to Michelle Green
Card of Thanks
We would like to take this time to thank everyone who helped during our time of
sorrow, especially Cagle Funeral Home and staff, pallbearers, Gene Childers, Jeff
Bennett, Mr. P., Annie Artistic Design Flowers, Dr. Aicher and staff, Charlotte, Gary,
the city boys, Johnny Weaver, The Biscuit Maker, my BP family, Faye Jones and
all of the people who made donations toward the funeral bill.
May God bless each and every one.
The Stokes Family
706-295-6485 or mgreen@nwgrc.org
Dinner will be provided. No cost to attend.
Attendance is limited to the first 50 to register;
only 2 per family, please.
Hosted by the Northwest Georgia Regional Commission, Area Agency on Aging pYW'GRC