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Page 4A - Pike County Journal Reporter - Wednesday, February 10, 2021
Opinions
Reflecting on MLK Jr., where we stand now
BY JACK BERNARD
THE RED AND BLACK
“A nation that continues
year after year to spend
more money on military
defense than on programs
of social uplift is approach
ing spiritual death. The
problems of racial injustice
and economic injustice
cannot be solved without
a radical redistribution
of political and economic
power.” - Martin Luther
King Jr., 1967
We are now into Black
History Month — and this
is the right time to think
back at who Martin Luther
King Jr. really was and
what he truly represented,
not just the Ghandi-like
myth. 1 never met the man,
but 1 admire him tremen
dously as an American
change agent.
In reality, MLK Jr. raised
the moral bar for all public
figures. He was a good
man who preached non
violence but wanted to
strongly confront injustice.
He was the spiritual prede
cessor of Warnock... and
Jon Ossoff, a progressive
Jew, for that matter. He
believed in peace and true
equality of the races.
When 1 think back to
Georgia in the 1960s, 1
recall that he was not
popular among the vast
majority of my fellow
whites. In fact, it was com
mon to hear them call him
a “radical,” a “socialist”
and a “communist” (and,
of course, racial epithets).
1 have heard the same over
the last few months about
another prominent black
Georgia preacher, including
receiving literally dozens
of postcards from the GOP
containing these lies.
1 was a student at UGA
in the mid-60s, some of
the worst years after
desegregation. 1 remember
walking into French class
and noticing no one sitting
around the one black stu
dent in the class. Without
much thought, I sat down
next to her, and all of the
other seats quickly filled
in. Small acts can have
larger, lasting impacts.
1 also remember attend
ing a full staff meeting at
The Red & Black where
the elderly, very Southern
faculty advisor told the
editorial staff not to cover
civil rights at UGA in depth
because it was too contro
versial. The editorial staff
threatened to resign.
Around that time at
UGA, MLK Jr. was criti
cized as anti-American
and a “trouble-maker” for
saying we were too milita
ristic. It was charged that
he was trying to totally de
fund our military and was
disrespecting our troops.
Critics said his domestic
proposals would raise
taxes and violate Ameri
can values. They said he
wanted to let lawlessness
run loose in the streets (I
was told this by a white
UGA Law Professor). Just
like what they said about
Rev. Raphael Warnock, the
pastor who until recently
preached full time at
Ebenezer Baptist, MLK
Jr’s church, until he was
elected U.S. Senator from
Georgia.
MLK knew justice was
not going to be achieved
by sitting back and waiting.
As he told white moder
ates in his Letter from
a Birmingham Jail, we
cannot accept a “negative
peace which is the absence
of tension” rather than “a
positive peace which is the
presence of justice.”
I was thinking of this
quote when 1 heard white
supremacists in our Con
gress saying that we must
now quickly “reconcile”
after the murderous white
power riot at the Capitol,
while never admitting their
own election transgres
sions, including encourag
ing the violent mob (Fox
News, 1-21, “Ted Cruz”).
When I was with the
Atlanta poverty program
in the early 70s, 1 heard
MLK Sr. speak to the other
board members. 1 don’t
remember the exact de
tails, but 1 do recall that he
advocated for equality and
for actively lifting up the
poor. And the fact that he
frequently cited Jesus and
his dead son.
It was personal to him,
as well it should be. But for
the rest of us, regardless
of color, who believe in the
legacy of MLK Jr., the fight
must be personal as well.
Only then can we achieve
a “positive peace” with
justice for all Americans.
Things have changed
for the better since the
60s, but the struggle for
equality is far from over.
This Black History Month,
we should reflect on what
is yet to be accomplished
and work harder for a true
presence of justice.
PHOTO BY RACHEL McDANIEL / PIKE COUNTY JOURNAL REPORTER
The Pike County courthouse is framed by rose bushes at
the southern corners of the square. To learn more about
caring for roses, email brooklyne.wassel@uga.edu to regis
ter for a free virtual lunch and learn with Dr. Bodie Pennisi.
All about roses
we achieve true power?
Florida's Most
Dangerous
Gunslinger
Pistol
Shrimp
>
.
February hits and
I can’t help it, I think
about roses. Is it just
me? To help spread
some of the rose love,
we have an upcoming,
virtual lunch and learn
program, All about
Roses featuring Dr.
Bodie Pennisi.
Dr. Pennisi is a fantas
tic resource and wealth
of knowledge from the
University of Georgia
Griffin Campus that nor
mally is tough to catch
in one place as she is
always on the go. This
unique opportunity to
hear her speak is free
and open to anyone on
February 11, 2021 from
noon until 1 o’clock.
To receive the Zoom
link, you must pre-reg
ister. Email brooklyne.
wassel@uga.edu to reg
ister and get the link.
BROOKLYNE WASSEL
PIKE EXTENSION AGENT
How do
BY CHARLES WHATLEY
cbwhatley@hotmail.com
I typed ‘power’ into
my internet search
engine and expected a T-
Rex or a mountain gorilla
or an elephant or a killer
whale; but I got a shrimp
... specifically a 4 centi
meters long, 25 grams in
weight pistol shrimp. Ac
cording to Men’s Health
magazine, they are, gram-
for-gram, some of the
most powerful animals
in nature. They have a
claw that “fires bubble
bullets” at more than 100
feet-per-second and is 60
decibels louder than a
real gunshot!
In addition, the
“bubble bullet’s” veloc
ity generates an 8,000
degree flash, vaporizing
the surrounding water.
They can also use their
“bubble bullets” to create
a live-in burrow by drill
ing into basalt rock.
Now multiply that
power by 4,000, which
is how much larger a hu
man is compared to the
pistol shrimp, and you’ll
get an idea about how
weak we are compared
to the animal kingdom?
You could almost make a
movie out of it... in fact,
they did and it’s called
“Project Power” and Ja
mie Foxx’s power comes
from the pistol shrimp.
As a human, with the
power of a pistol shrimp,
he’s able to generate a
temperature burst 8,000
degrees hotter than the
surface of the sun!?
Paul, in his second
letter to the church at
Corinth says, “But he
(God) said to me, “My
grace is sufficient for
you, for my power is
made perfect in weak
ness. Therefore I will
boast all the more gladly
about my weaknesses, so
that Christ’s power may
rest on me.” (2 Corinthi
ans 12:9)
The next time I
searched for ‘power’
the result was a televi
sion show about a drug
dealer, James ‘Ghost’
St. Patrick, who owns a
nightclub, but lives a se
cret life as a drug dealer.
Then I looked up ‘power’
in the dictionary and it
said, “the ability to do or
act” and “the capability
of doing or accomplish
ing something.”
Suddenly I realized
James “Ghost” doesn’t
have any real power; he
expends a tremendous
amount of energy and
money and time do
ing something illegal
and temporary. But he
really doesn’t accom
plish anything. What a
contrast with the God
who created the heav
ens and the earth with a
word? Or even some of
God’s people who, bit by
tiny bit, are changing the
world around them!
Therein lies the prob
lem; we are caught up in
a futile attempt to appear
powerful, yet we are
constantly re-affirming
our weakness. So Paul
tells the Corinthians, if
they’ll only admit their
weakness, they’ll begin
to know God’s power.
Now we’re left with a
choice; do we keep trying
to appear powerful or do
we admit our weakness
“so that Christ’s power
may rest on us” and in
us?!
Charles 'Buddy' Whatley is a re
tired United Methodist pastor serving
Woodland and Bold Springs UMC and,
with Mary Ella, a missionary to the
Navajo Reservation in Arizona.
Oligarch billionaires have taken over nation using media platforms
The oligarch billion
aires that have taken over
our nation are using their
media platforms to deny
the obvious while reimag
ining the facts. Their as
sault on the truth is no dif
ferent than what Russian
and Chinese autocrats
Vladimir Putin and Xi
Jinping do with their state
run media and TV. Yet,
supposedly big tech is not
censoring the dissenting
voices of conservatives
and moderates according
to the Washington Post.
Well, who is the liar now?
Pike County
Journal
Reporter
www.pikecountygeorgia.com
P.0. Box 789
16026 Barnesville St.
Zebulon, Ga. 30295
770.567.3446
The Pike County Journal
Reporter is the official
organ of Pike County, the
cities of Zebulon, Molena,
Meansville, Williamson
and Concord. It is
published weekly by
Hometown Newspapers
Inc. Second class
postage is paid at the
Zebulon, Ga Post Office.
Publishers: Walter and
Laura Geiger; staff:
Jennifer Taylor,
Brenda Sanchez and
Rachel McDaniel.
Here is the real deal;
they know if an inde
pendent nonpartisan
thorough audit of the
2020 election ever comes
to fruition, there will be
an unmeasurable po
litical revolt when the
inconceivable numbers
indicate foul play. At the
same time, our Ameri
can oligarchs have what
most American patriots
would consider treason
ous alliances with our
nation’s greatest enemy,
the Chinese Communist
Party. Notwithstand
ing, these oligarchs of
Wall Street and big tech
commit crimes of hostile
monopolistic takeovers,
money laundering, fraud
and collusion every day
with impunity primarily
orchestrated by a subser
vient Congress and com
plied: federal government.
Therefore, why would any
reasonable person trust
a media owned by these
manipulators of justice
and messaging?
Inasmuch, a dishon
est person or organiza
tion always accuses the
purveyor of facts as a
liar to deflect from their
deception. And when the
dissenting voices chal
lenge their falsehoods
and distortions, the elite
use indignation to sew
social discourse solely
to divide and conquer.
Still, their defamation of
all who dare question the
ridiculous and absurd as
conspiracy theorists, rac
ists, misogynists, homo
phobes, xenophobes, and
so forth is a fear tactic
meant to silence and sub
due the nonconformists.
Regardless, if we don’t
stand up to the tyranny of
today, what will become
of our democracy, a na
tion built upon the rule of
law tomorrow?
Thus, when a media
entrusted by our found
ers to hold the most
powerful accountable ac
quiesces its responsibility
to the public for 30 pieces
of silver from the immoral
oppressors, just like
Judas; their fate is sealed.
Of course, Marxists don’t
believe in God, so in their
twisted view, there is no
such thing as account
ability. More importantly,
power and wealth is their
master, but their thirst
will never be quenched
for their souls are empty
and their hearts are cold.
Although, I still have faith
in a higher power and the
American people for a
rainbow always appears
after the storm; hence
forth “Are you ready for a
peaceful political revolu
tion that brings down the
Walls of Jericho”?
Rise up America!
JAMES NOBLES
W&iipjfl
Outside!*
AT PIKE
BY DWAIN W. PENN
100 YEARS AGO
February 11, 1921: J.T. Bullard, asked by many
friends, announced his candidacy for commission
er of roads and revenue of Pike County. Previously
undisclosed, the position was the same previously
held by Lamar County resident Morgan Howard.
75 YEARS AGO
February 14,1946: The Pike board of educa
tion purchased a new Bell & Howell motion picture
projector for use in activities for farmers and the
county agent office. The old worn out projector
was sold for $125 and applied toward the purchase.
50 YEARS AGO
February 11, 1971: Cpl Edward L. Beckham,
son of Mr. and Mrs. James Beckham of Concord,
served in Vietnam as a combat military police
scout dog handler. He was assigned to work Bink
Dink Province with headquarters in Qui Nohn.
25 YEARS AGO
February 14, 1996: With a history of racism in
the Zebulon police department, one incident result
ing in a federal lawsuit, another accusation of bias
arose. Black officer Sgt. Mike Owens contended,
although he had more experience, he was over
looked for promotion in favor of a white officer.