Newspaper Page Text
THURSDAY. DECEMBER 17. 2020 PICKENS COUNTY PROGRESS PAGE 5A
Letters to the Editor
To the Editor:
I would like to commend
our neighbors here in Arbor
Hills who each year put up
wonderful Christmas decora
tions. With coronavirus we
don’t get out much and this
year especially it is wonder
ful to see.
We have neighbors - and I
don’t know their names - but
they have put the spirit back
in our family this year with
their decorations. They’ve
even put out candy canes on
the mailbox in a stocking and
invited everyone that came
by to help theirselves to
candy canes.
They even decorated their
neighbors’ yard this year and
she is delighted to have the
decorations. It’s wonderful
because her children aren’t
going to be able to be with
her this year and they really
put the spirit back in Christ
mas for her and all of us.
Angie Pearson
To the Editor:
Ohio officials have issued
rides to make high school
sports safer in times of
COVID-19.
Wrestlers must stay six
feet apart and wear masks
while on the bench and
warming up.
When they enter the ring,
they are prohibited from
shaking hands.
Only then does it become
safe to grapple your sweaty,
heavy breathing opponent,
and roll around on the ground
together for six minutes.
But they don’t shake
hands, so it’s all good. If this
makes sense to you, then you
need someone to let you
know when to come in out of
the rain.
Conclusion? Covid
spreads from shaking hands,
but not from wrestling... just
like Covid spreads in
churches and synagogues,
but not at ‘peaceful protests’.
Or, more at home, just like
Covid spreads to basketball
players by sitting less than 6
feet apart, and spreads by
having the tip-off, and
spreads by high-fiving oppo
nents after a game, but not
while they are pushing, shov
ing, grabbing, sweating, and
breathing heavy during the
game.
And this “common sense”
is coming from our educa
tors, folks. Does that scare
you? Statistics show that our
school age population has
very close to a zero chance of
getting the virus and when
they do test positive, it has al
most no effect on them. In
most cases, they were not
even aware that they had it.
In addition, they are not good
carriers of the virus.
And yet we are closing
schools and quarantining
them as if they are dying by
the thousands! This in spite
of conclusive statistics show
ing the damage this is doing
to them: suicides are increas
ing, depression is increasing,
abuse is increasing, and
grades are plummeting.
When I was growing up,
our educators were the
strongest advocates for the
welfare of their students. I
don’t see that now. When I
was growing up, our elders
and teachers promoted com
mon sense. There is no com
mon sense in this country
anymore.
We need to get loud and
get angry. We need to let our
so-called leaders know that
closing schools and quaran
tining is not acceptable. If a
child has a fever, stay home.
Just like one would with any
sickness. Otherwise, be at
school.
Our “leaders” need to
show some guts and some
common sense, since the rest
of the country does not.
Gary Hollis
To the Editor:
Due to COVID, UGAand
Ga. Tech will not play each
other this year in football but
I believe we need to keep the
Clean Old Fashioned Hate ri
valry going, so I will offer
another from my personal
joke collection.
Coach Kirby Smart sud
denly dies and goes to
Heaven. God personally
greets Coach Smart at the
Pearly Gates and takes him to
his heavenly accommoda
tions. It is an extremely old,
dilapidated, shack with a
tom, soiled Bulldogs banner
out front. God then gives
Coach Smart the keys to his
heavenly transportation, a
rundown, camouflaged
pickup without hub caps.
Coach Smart is tremen
dously disappointed with his
new home and his truck.
However he says nothing
about his plight in Heaven.
He is so happy that he made
it after coaching the losing
tem in the National Champi
onship to Alabama.
As God and Coach Smart
drive all around Heaven,
Coach Smart looks and sees
a giant gleaming white man
sion, with 100 fresh Georgia
Tech banners flying out in the
front yard, 25 brand new
Mercedes in the driveway
with Georgia Tech tags on
them and a surrounding fence
all painted in gold and white.
Coach Smart feels com
pelled to speak up. “Lord, I
don’t mean to complain bu
why does Coach Geoff
Collins live in such splendor
and luxury while I am in such
a dump?”
God replies, “That is not
Coach Collins’ home. That is
my home.” Go Tech.
If anyone wants to re
sponds, I welcome good,
clean back-and forth banter
on college football.
Greg Land
To the Editor:
I support Jon Ossoff and
Rev Raphael Wamock for US
Senate.
As a veteran in Georgia, I
am concerned about the ero
sion of our democratic
norms. I am most concerned
about our right to free and
fair elections. Senators Per
due and Loeffler support
baseless claims which sought
to overturn and cast doubt on
the validity of Georgia’s elec
tion to satisfy President
Tramp. They both have
called for the Secretary of
State to resign and have stood
by while others are maligned
and threatened for doing their
jobs.
Their focus should be on
the pandemic. Georgians are
sick and dying at alarming
Christmas Star to light up sky Monday
night for the first time in centuries
Altair
Deneb Algedi
• Fomalhaut
PISCIS
CAPRICORNUS
Jupiter -$» Saturn
December 21,1 hour after sunset
Looking southwest
Staff Reports
On Monday night, De
cember 21st in the hour after
sunset an amazing phenome
non will be visible in the sky
- The Great Conjunction of
2020 as astronomers call it.
For the Biblical faithful, it’s
known as The Christmas Star
or The Star of Bethlehem as
told about in the Gospel of
Matthew.
This is when Saturn and
Jupiter will put on a show
that hasn’t been seen in 800
years. The two planets will
appear to be so close from
Earth on December 21 that
they may look like one shin
ing star - although they are
actually about 450 million
miles apart. Officials say the
two planets will be easily
seen by the naked eye. The
last time this happened was
on March 4, 1226, almost
800 years ago. The phenom
enon last occured in 1623 but
could not be seen from Earth
at that time.
“Look for them low in the
southwest in the hour after
sunset,” NASA recom
mended on its website. “And
on December 21st, the two
giant planets will appear just
a tenth of a degree apart -
that’s about the thickness of a
dime held at arm’s length.”
If you miss it Monday
night, you’ll have to wait an
other 60 years to see it as it
will occur again on March
15, 2080. And after that an
other 380 years in the year
2400.
The Star of Bethlehem, or
Christmas Star, according to
Wikipedia, appears in the na
tivity story of the Gospel of
Matthew where “wise men
from the East” are inspired
by the star to travel to
Jerusalem. There, they meet
King Herod of Judea, and ask
him: Where is He who has
been born King of the Jews?
For we have seen His star in
the East and have come to
worship Him.”
rates from Covid-19. Ameri
cans are experiencing the
worst economic crisis since
the Great Depression. The
Senate, led by Sen Mc
Connell, including Loeffler
and Perdue, have yet to pass
a Covid-19 stimulus package.
They are playing games with
people’s lives. This is unac
ceptable!
Sen Perdue’s main
achievement in the Senate is
lining his pockets. He most
always voted the party-line
and always closely aligned
himself with the GOP and
Pres Tramp. Sen Loeffler, ap
pointed by Governor Kemp
in 2020, has done less. As
millionaires, neither have
connection to working class
people. They don’t support
veteran issues like: protecting
the VA, transgender protec
tion for military members,
and affordable health care for
all.
As a proud United States
Air Force veteran, I swore an
oath to support and defend
the constitution of the United
States of America. Let’s do
this Georgia and vote Ossoff
and Warnock! Our country
needs us to stand up for
democracy.
Sincerely,
Barbara Ledom Balducci
To the Editor:
Archaeologists have
found in Jordan the palace
where Salome danced before
King Herod and demanded
the head of John The Baptist
as her reward.
Her mother hated John
The Baptist because he re
proved her bad actions.
Herod lusted after the young
Salome and told her he
would give her a great reward
if she danced for him. After
she danced, her mother told
het to ask for the head of
John The Baptist as her re
ward. Basically Salome is the
symbol of Mrs. O'Hair who
appeared before the US
Supreme and demanded the
Bibles be taken from the chil
dren. Like Herod bowed be
fore Salome, the Supreme
Court bowed before the
Wicked and murderous Mrs.
O'Hair and removed the
Bibles in AD 1963.
In AD 1973 three women-
-two rookie lawyers, Sarah
Weddington and Linda Cof
fee, and an unwed mother,
Norma McCorvey danced
before the Supreme Court
and demanded that every un
born child be killed and the
Supreme Court issued the
order. The Supreme Court
broke its vow to the US Con
stitution and our posterity it
protects.
It also committed treason
against the Declaration of In
dependence and its sanctity
of all lives. Since then mil
lions of children have been
robbed of their lives and their
right to inherit the nation.
The US Supreme Court was
as wicked as Herod and Sa
lome. They started down the
path of treason, cold blooded
murder, and are leading us
under the world and some
great slaughter at the hands
of the most wicked nations
on earth.
Billy Joe Parker
Letters Welcomed
“Letters to the Editor ” is an
important public forum in the
community and the Progress
welcomes and encourages these
letters. Letters addressing issues
will be accepted but not those
expressing a personal grievance
directed toward another individ
ual. Letters OVER 400 WORDS
in length will not be considered
for publication. All letters must
have a full name with address, e-
mail and phone number given
where the author can be reached
to verify information.
The contact information is
never published.
Letters may be e-mailed to
news@pickensprogress.com.
Call 706-253-2457 to discuss
this further.
Counseling
Individual, Couples and Family Therapy
with Adults, Teens and Children
Robin W. Dunn M.S.
Licensed Professional Counselor
Over 30 years experience helping people live better
770-548-1966 • 505 Cove Rd. • Suite 3 • Jasper
www.robinwdunnlpc.com
Longarm Quilting Services
for all Quilts
Computer guided edge to edge quilting
Amelia Broussard
Phone: 706-692-5663
or e-mail: broussardcol@msn.com
Forest Glen Apartments
504 Indian Forest Rd.
Jasper, GA 30143
706-692-5355
TDD
1-800-255-0056
2 Bedroom Apartments
$570 - $670 a month
Deposit same as rent
Piedmont Mountainside Hospital earns 6 A’ from Leapfrog
For the eleventh consecu
tive grading period, Pied
mont Mountainside Hospital
has earned an ‘A’ for The
Leapfrog Group’s Fall 2020
Leapfrog Hospital Safety
Grade. The designation rec
ognizes Piedmont Mountain
side’s efforts in protecting
patients from harm and pro
viding safer health care.
“Our goal at Piedmont
Mountainside is to make a
positive difference in every
life we touch,” said Denise
Ray, CEO of Piedmont
Mountainside. “Providing
high quality, patient-centered
care safely is an important
part of that promise. We are
proud to have earned our
11th consecutive ‘A’ grade
from Leapfrog, especially
now, as we continue to tackle
the COVID-19 pandemic.
Our commitment to provid
ing safe, high-quality care to
the patients we serve has
never been stronger.”
The Leapfrog Group is a
national nonprofit organiza
tion committed to improving
health care quality and safety
for consumers and pur
chasers. The Safety Grade as
signs an ‘A’, ‘B’, ‘C’, ‘D’ or
Progress Article Archive
www.pickensprogress.com
Sign up for E-edition to make searches a cinch.
‘F’ grade to hospitals across
the country based on their
performance in preventing
medical errors, injuries, acci
dents, infections and other
harms to patients in their
care.
“We are extremely grate
ful to hospital leadership and
health care workers who
have remained steadfast in
prioritizing patient safety as
our nation battles COVID-
19,” said Leah Binder, presi
dent and CEO of The
Leapfrog Group. “This ‘A’ is
a testament to the care and
commitment of those who
work for Piedmont Moun
tainside. With the current
pandemic exposing existing
flaws within the U.S. health
care system, we appreciate
you putting patient safety
first. Lives depend on it.”
To see Piedmont Moun
tainside’s full grade details,
and to learn more about The
Leapfrog Group, visit hospi-
talsafetygrade.org.
Taking applications for waiting list
Please call for details
Office Hours Mon - Fri
4:00 PM - 6:00 PM
FOREST GLEN IS AN EQUAL
OPPORTUNITY PROVIDER
tSJ
Area’s Best Business Review
Presented By: Metro News ©2020 All Rights Reserved. l-918-234'7768
Walmart
Spending more and buying less? Maybe you should be shopping at WALMART
where your dollar goes a lot further! Conveniently located at 2545 E Walnut
Ave in Dalton, phone (706) 279-1905; this full line department store offers
something that most other stores can’t compete with... the area’s very lowest
prices on EVERYTHING! Food to feed your family, toys to entertain your children, school supplies, sporting
goods, tools, and auto accessories. Nearly every little thing you can think of! Most "regular" retail department
stores feature “full retail” prices. At WALMART, this is not the case! Here you get the service you want, the quality you
look for, and prices you can afford! If you are shopping for appliances or furniture WAL-MART offers you the kind of
quality you deserve.
We, The editors of this 2020 Area’s Best Business Review, offer this suggestion to the people In our area:
So, whether or not you need a big grocery shopping trip, get your tire changed or pick-up a prescription
do what smart shoppers do...make WAL-MART your one-stop shopping headquarters for the best prod
ucts, the largest selection and the ultimate in everyday bargains!