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4A Clje 1) eralb <©a?ette Tuesday, April 19,2022
Opinions
PumpTV and responsible sourcing
I am a creature of
habit and 90% of the
time I fuel up my vehicle
at the same place. 1 use
the same discount card
and the same credit card
each time. Awhile back,
I was returning from Sa
vannah and stopped for
gas at a place 1 had never
been before.
1 did the usual thing
with the credit card
and, lo and behold, the
video screen on the
pump sprang to life with
what appeared to be the
world’s worst-produced
news broadcast.
A man was telling me
about a ‘biofuel refinery’
in Idaho where they are
making gas from corn. It
was big news from the
sound of things and I
thought, “Hell, Wallace
Pryor was doing that
back home at his ‘gasa-
hol’ plant 30-40 years
ago”.
I certainly wasn’t
up-to-date on gas pump
broadcast technology
but they were a little
slow on the pickup on
the whole corn to fuel
technology, too.
Every time 1 have been
to such a pump since,
the screen spewed only
absolute rubbish. So, 1
was shocked last week
when 1 saw a man so en
grossed in PumpTV that
precious $4 a gallon gas
was puddling on the con
crete beneath his vehicle.
He was oblivious, eyes
glued to the screen.
1 shouted twice before
he awakened and
let loose with a
stream of exple
tives that would
have made my
ship-building,
high iron-walking
granddaddy
blush. 1 couldn’t
help but laugh
and he started
laughing, too.
The next
visit to this same
pump provided
me with a lecture
on making sure my dia
monds, rubies, sapphires
and other jewels are re
sponsibly sourced before
1 buy them. This message
is being repeated more
and more now as they try
to drum the propaganda
into our brains.
Our eggs
should come
only from hens
kept in a cage-
free environ
ment. When
the hen’s egg
production
dwindles and
she becomes
a ‘fryer’ it is
important that
she have been
given free range
of the farm
before being
beheaded, eviscerated,
etc.
This message is com
mon in ads for beef, pork
and dairy products and
is slowly creeping into
fast food ads as well.
Apparently, snowflakes,
who have to run to their
safe spaces when they
see a photo of a house
fire, need soothing before
they chomp down on
dead flesh.
Chickens are caught in
houses using machines.
They are crammed into
coops and transported
to the processing plant.
They are hung up by
their feet and their heads
dragged through a pan
of water with an electric
charge on it. This relaxes
the muscles so the head
is hanging low enough
for the blade that cuts off
their heads and speeds
up the circulation so the
birds bleed out more
quickly.
Cows and pigs, regard
less of their sources,
eventually arrive at the
slaughterhouse. They
hang out in the corral
with their fellow porkers
and bovines until they
are ushered through
the door and a man
with an air gun drives a
steel bolt through their
brains. Read Cormac
McCarthy’s ‘No Country
for Old Men’ or watch
the excellent film adap
tation of it for more on
how this device works.
Snowflakes beware.
It is not for the squea
mish.
Walter Geiger is editor and publisher
of The Herald-Gazette and Pike
County Journal Reporter. He can
be reached at 770-358-NEWS or
news@barnesville.com.
Child abuse prevention: are
we doing all that we can?
KAY S. PEDR0TTI
kayspedrotti@gmail.com
April is Child Abuse
Prevention Month. We
have pinwheels on the
courthouse
lawn indi
cating how
many cases
of child
abuse were
recorded
in the past
year. We have forums
and discussions and
possibilities - and all are
good. But 1 believe, along
with others, that “child
abuse” is more than just
physical or mental harm.
Child abuse can be
ignoring a child’s need to
be in a safe environment
with other children. It
can be overlooking possi
bilities in the community
to offer children more
ways to learn and grow. It
can be making decisions
that deny opportunities
for younger children, at
their most vulnerable, by
closing paths to growing
up healthy and happy.
During discussions in
the last several months,
it has been determined
that no fewer than five
gymnasiums exist at lo
cal churches and other
facilities in Barnesville.
Yet teens are in the
streets, shooting hoops
at circles with no nets,
impeding traffic and en
dangering themselves by
risking a fall on asphalt
instead of a wooden gym
floor. No place to go,
nothing to do.
Not so very long ago,
the E. P. Roberts Center
was a busy place with
many programs for
young people of different
ages. The council at its
retreat decided not to
hire a full-time program
director for the center
but to continue having a
“facility administrator”
to schedule events and
keep the place in shape
for the public.
Buildings, too, are part
of a city’s “infrastruc
ture.” Used wisely, they
can bring revenue as
well as reaching children
with quality activities.
The city is investigat
ing partnerships with
non-profit organiza
tions which would have
the ability to plan and
conduct programs for
children. There may be
no full-time program
director, but all city
facilities are open to use
by anyone to sponsor
programs, events, par
ties, workshops, discus
sion groups and other
beneficial community
activities.
There is no overall
coordinator on the city
staff for what goes on in
each building, because
it is not affordable given
the city’s critical person
nel needs in other areas
(such as public works),
according to city of
ficials. Maybe it’s time
to involve more citizens
in a concerted effort to
“find a way” to use the
E.P. Roberts Center for
the young people - it’s
not impossible, given
the quality and talent of
the community working
together.
Kay S. Pedrotti has spent some 50
years writing for newspapers. She
is active in the Lamar County com
munity and lives in Milner with her
husband Bob Pedrotti.
• Shiloh Baptist
Church, 1839 Hwy. 36 E.,
Milner, service every sec
ond and fourth Sunday
at 11 a.m. Sunday school
at 9:30 a.m. -10:30 a.m.
Spring revival April 26-28
at 7 p.m. nightly. Rev. l.O.
Bandele guest speaker.
• Greater Spring Hill,
117 Locust St., Milner
will hold a drive through
food give away Thurs.,
April 21 from 12 p.m.
while supplies last.
• Fresh Manna Min
istries, 619 Old Milner
Road, Barnesville will
celebrate its 24th Church
Anniversary beginning
at 7 p.m. Monday, April
25 with Pastor Gofero
Griffin, Good News Min
istries McDonough, Ga.;
Tuesday, April 26 with
Pastor Antoine Lucas,
Eighth Street Baptist
Church, Griffin and
Wednesday, April 27 with
Apostle Tilden Colton,
City of Zion, Newnan. All
are welcomed to join us
for these life changing
services.
• Unionville UMC is
back in the Sanctuary.
Sunday School, 11 a.m.;
worship, 11:30 a.m.
Fourth Sunday Women’s
History month guest
speaker will be Leslie
Holmes.
• Sufficient Grace
Ministry, 226 Main St.,
Barnesville offers Bible
study, testimony sharing,
fellowship and refresh
ments, Thursdays at 7
p.m. for more informa
tion call 770-358-6238
• Barnesville First
United Methodist
Church: There’s a place
for you. Worship Sunday
mornings at 10 a.m. in
the sanctuary. Online
worship at Barnesville-
FUMC.org.
• Rock Springs
Church: log on to rock-
springsonline.com and
watch live services
Sundays at 8 a.m., 9:30
a.m. and 11 a.m. Wednes
day evening activities at
7 p.m.
UMAR
FUSHBACK
April 17-23
10 years ago
A man who was in
court to be sentenced for
DU1, vehicular homicide
and other charges stem
ming from a wreck that
killed 80-year-old Betty
June Smith on June 29,
2011 showed up in court
drunk. Richard A. Fagan,
44, was sentenced to 15
years in prison and got
an extra 20 days in jail
for contempt of court.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
A reflection of loved ones at Easter
We hope everyone had
a wonderful Easter. It is
a time we reflect on the
Resurrection of Christ,
and also on the loved
ones who have passed
from this life.
When we think of
our nephew, Andrew
Henry, we also think of
and thank you for all the
kindness shown by so
many in our community.
Those among his friends
and neighbors, from
Gordon College, fellow
artists and musicians,
and fellow businessmen
and business women, we
thank you.
A few events are prom
inent on our thoughts.
We attended and were
greatly blessed.
The memorial service
at First Baptist Church
was a personal positive
turning point to see and
April is Manufacturer’s
Appreciation Month and
it is a timely reminder
of what manufacturing
means to our community
and state.
Georgia has been con
sistently named the No.
1 place to do business
in the country, due in
part because of our labor
force, workforce develop
ment programs, global
access and overall low
cost of doing business.
Manufacturing is the
backbone of Georgia’s
economy even with the
diversity of tourism,
agriculture, business
services, education and
health care in Georgia. It
accounts for 92.3% of the
state’s exports, 11.1% of
the state’s Gross Domes
tic Product, and the jobs
of approximately 400,000
Georgians. Manufacturing
has fluctuated through
COVID but contributes
more than $60 billion
to our state’s economy,
according to the Georgia
Dept, of Economic Devel
opment.
hear from many who
shared life experiences
with Andrew from boy
hood years to present.
The meal in the fellow
ship hall afterward was
a great way to connect
with family and friends
sharing the same experi
ence. We thank all of the
organizers, all the partici
pants, and First Baptist
Church.
The memorial service
at Summers Field Park
was great in its own
unique way of creating
a positive boost for all
of us there who were
touched by Andrew’s
life and were dealing
with the loss. The music,
art, and shared stories
were really good to see
and hear. We thank all
of the organizers and
participants. We thank
Deraney’s for the com-
Lamar County is home
to more than two dozen
manufacturers ranging
in size from less than 10
employees to more than
300. Average wages have
exceeded $21 per hour
and the manufacturing/
business community,
though small, pays a
huge part in our over
all economic health in
the form of taxes and
the multiplier effect of
additional support jobs.
Some of our manufactur
ing companies were even
able to add jobs through
the COVID crisis of 2020-
2021.
The Barnesville-Lamar
County Industrial De
velopment Authority’s
mission is to attract
additional investment for
Lamar County through
marketing and promo
tion to achieve economic
growth and an enhanced
quality of life. This
new investment can be
realized through existing
industry expansions, the
most affordable kind of
growth. Or, investment
munity meal afterward
where we connected with
more friends sharing the
same experience. We
were able to visit with
some of Andrew’s col
leagues who were also
Wall Dogs artists.
As time has passed,
we realize that we do
not nearly know all who
shared kind words or
deeds to ease the dif
ficult time for each other
and also for Andrew’s
family. But, you know,
God knows, and we thank
you.
We hope you had a
happy and blessed Eas
ter reflecting upon the
death and resurrection of
our Lord and Savior Je
sus Christ for each of us.
Book of Luke, Chapters
23 and 24. The Bible.
R0LFE AND JANINE HENRY
can come from new do
mestic or foreign location
decisions. The retail sec
tor is also important to
us for sale tax revenue,
especially to help pay for
our school facilities and
now road improvements.
The Development Au
thority’s resources; how
ever, focus primarily on
the long-term benefits of
generally higher paying
manufacturing jobs that
have a multiplier effect of
creating additional jobs
in all sectors including
service, retail, healthcare
and education.
Although our history
has been in the textile
sector, Lamar County
now enjoys a mix of
manufacturing opera
tions including textiles
but also has producers in
the wood, energy, food,
aviation, automotive and
logistics sectors all of
which help maintain a
healthier economy here.
SEE LETTERS CONTINUED 5A
25 years ago
The Herald Gazette’s
fledgling website was av
eraging 200 hits per day
after only a few weeks in
existence. The website
allowed the posting of
photos in color, a major
feature. Today, barnes-
ville.com averages just
under two million page
views annually.
50 years ago
Dr. Jerry M. William
son was named president
of Gordon Junior College
by the Board of Regents.
The University System of
Georgia was taking over
operations effective July
1 with Williamson at the
helm. The new president
was coming here from
Clayton Junior College in
Morrow where he served
as Dean.
100 years ago
On Saturday after
noon, Miss Mary Morris
entertained her friends
with a delightful Easter
egg hunt at the lovely
country home of her
parents, Mr. and Mrs.
J.G. Morris. After play
ing games for a while the
hunt for the hidden eggs
was begun. Morris Bush
found the prize egg.
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