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Page 4A - Pike County Journal Reporter - Wednesday, April 7, 2021
Opinions
Voter manipulation will be with us always
I t was a scorching
hot summer day in
central south Georgia
circa 1971. It was the day
of the Democratic prima
ry There was no Republi
can primary in the county
in question at the time.
The county’s only beer
store, run by the town
which served as county
seat, was closed until the
polls closed at 7 p.m.
1 was among a group of
teenage boys who gath
ered in Mr. Crane’s yard.
Crane was the county’s
sole commissioner and
ran things with an iron
fist. 1 had been invited by
my friend, Crane’s son,
to help “give rides to the
polls.” There was only
one polling place, the
county courthouse.
There was a fleet of
vehicles in Crane’s yard,
including several trucks
with the county’s logo
on the side. There were
several portable metal
buildings in the yard,
each equipped with a big
air conditioner. Inside
each were cases upon
cases of ice cold beer.
Each vehicle had coolers
with ice.
Each driver was given a
list of voters to get to the
polls. We were to ride the
dirt roads to farmhouses
and trailers dotting the
onion and tobacco fields
of the area. 1 rode with
Crane’s son. We were
instructed to give each
voter three beers on the
way to the polls and the
remainder of the six pack
once the ballot had been
cast. We didn’t have to
mention Crane’s name. It
was obvious who sent us.
We did as we
were told and
Crane won as
expected. For
years after, the
joke when we
saw an obviously
drunken indi
vidual was, “That
guy is just about
drunk enough to
go vote.”
Obviously,
we were not just
giving rides to
the polls. We
were manipulat
ing voters. It seemed an
amusing adventure at the
time. Now, 1 am sorry 1
was involved but it did
provide several lessons in
human nature.
1 learned many people
would sell their vote for
six beers. 1 also learned at
least one man could not be
bought - at least
not for a six pack.
The wiry guy was
fresh from hang
ing tobacco in a
barn where it was
at least 120 de
grees. “Boys, tell
that sonofabitch
Crane 1 didn’t
vote for him but
1 did enjoy the
beer,” the smiling
man said with a
fake snarl as he
finished his last
PBR.
1 admired him.
As Jesus said of the
poor, voter manipulation
will be with us always but
the Georgia legislature
moved last week to shore
up election security and
Gov. Brian Kemp signed
the bill. He is now catch
ing hell from Delta Air
lines, Coke, Major League
Baseball, Hollywood and
assorted others for doing
so. The solons weren’t
impressed. They sported
cans of Pepsi on their
desks on the last day of
the session.
Many of the fraud al
legations last year were
about absentee ballots
which were used much
more so than usual due to
COV1D. Was there fraud in
the process? You betcha!
There always is. Was it
enough to sway the out
come? Who knows?
Still, requiring voters to
show a picture ID to get
an absentee ballot is not
unreasonable. Absentee
ballots were designed for
registered voters who
would be out of town on
election day. These were
usually students off at col
lege, those in the military
and those who could not
get to the polls due to
illness. Last year, we went
way past any reasonable
bounds as voters got
multiple absentee ballot
request forms in the mail
from people who wanted
to influence the outcome.
In almost every elec
tion, Georgia offers three
weeks of advance voting.
That includes one day of
Saturday voting. That’s
plenty of time - some
would say too much time
- to get out the vote.
Anything much beyond
that and you are ma
nipulating voters, just like
Crane with his beer.
NOTE: The county commis
sioner’s name has been
changed to protect the guilty
though he is long since dead.
I
GEIGER’S
COUNTER
Walter Geiger
Editor & Publisher
LETTERS T
THE EDITOR
ON THE ANCIENT PATH
Jesus Christ, the Passover lamb
Join us as we Pick
Up Pike on April 24
On Saturday, April
24, Pick Up Pike will
have a large annual
clean-up.
Members have been
gathering in small
groups recently work
ing some heavily lit
tered county roads.
For this event we
would like to see
church groups, scout
groups, youth groups,
garden clubs, and
entire families partici
pating. The best way to
teach a child not to
litter is to get them
involved in regular
roadside cleanups.
If all Pike property
owners would pick up
trash on their road
frontages, it would im
prove the looks of our
county. We need to take
pride in our community
and the presentation it
makes to visitors.
Please join the
Facebook page Pick Up
Pike (PUP) for dates
and times and meet up
places.
If you are new to this
area, it’s a great way to
make valuable friend
ships. It’s also a safe
way to get involved
as a volunteer if you
have been sheltering-
in because it’s entirely
outdoors.
Pickups involve less
than two hours and an
opportunity to exer
cise. Please join us.
TRISHA DABBS
Help keep Pike clean
While driving around
the country roads
and main highways of
Pike County, 1 marvel
at its beauty. See
ing litter along these
lovely roads, however,
breaks my heart and
makes me sad. This is
2021, not 1970. There
is so much informa
tion today about the
environment and what
litter does to our lands,
that doing better in 2021
is so important. There
was nothing wrong with
1970 (personally my
era) however, folks were
not as environmentally
knowledgeable during
this time. It means so
much to see the high
ways clean of litter. Vol
unteering to help
clean up Pike is also
important to me. We, in
Pike County, are truly
blessed with the beauty
of our county. Litter
does not belong on
these beautiful country
roads or highways.
Making Pike clean of
litter makes the land
value improve and visi
tors excited to see our
community. Just clean
ing up near my
driveway and neigh
borhood is helpful. For
these reasons, 1 am go
ing to be at the “Spring
Fling Pike Clean Up” on
April 24 in Williamson
to help Clean Up Pike. 1
hope others will join!
Nature offers a great
deal to our mental and
physical health. Clean
ing Up Pike adds to my
own well-being. We all
can do a little to help
a lot. Let the clean up
begin.
BLANCHE ROSSI
BY BEVERLY BRISENDINE
beverly.brisendine@gmail.com
in Christ.
When we look back at
the first Passover around
1275 BC, the Israelites in
Egypt numbered at least
600,000 men alone. There
could have easily been
two million including
women and children. Mo
ses had been sent by God
to confront the Pharaoh
to release His people
who were enslaved in
this land.
After nine plagues
were sent upon the
Egyptians, Pharaoh still
refused the request of
Moses. The Lord spoke
to Moses to require
each family to obtain an
unblemished lamb on the
10th day of Nisan (Jewish
calendar) and to kill it on
the 14th day. They were
to eat it that night and
apply the blood of the
lamb on the doorposts of
their dwelling. The Lord
said, “When 1 see the
blood, 1 shall pass over
you.” (Exodus 12:13)
During the night of the
14th of Nisan the final
plague was executed. All
the first born in Egypt
mysteriously died. The
Israelites were protected
by the blood on the door
posts. Pharaoh relented
and allowed the Israel
ites to at last leave their
place of bondage.
God instructed Moses,
“This day shall be unto
you for a memorial and
you shall keep it a feast
to the Lord throughout
your generations. You
shall keep it a feast by
an ordinance forever.”
(Exodus 12:14) Through
generations each year
the Israelites secured
a lamb on the 10th of
Nisan and ate it on the
14th with unleavened
bread and bitter herbs.
Passover was celebrated
annually, an important
feast of remembrance.
Now it is 33AD and
each family is still ob
serving Passover as the
Lord instructed Moses.
Since the temple has
been erected, each fam
ily now takes their lamb
to be sacrificed by the
priest. But this Passover
would be like no other
before or since.
Heaven had invaded
Earth in a little barn in
Bethlehem years earlier.
A son was born to a vir
gin named Mary, fulfill
ing a prophecy made by
Isaiah 700 years earlier
written in Isaiah 7:14.
When Gabriel told Mary
she would give birth to a
son he told her to call His
name Jesus. When Jesus
was 30 years old he went
to the Jordan River to
be baptized by John the
Baptist. When John saw
him approaching he said,
“Behold the LAMB of God
which takes away the
sin of the world.” (John
1:29) John calls Jesus the
LAMB!
For three years
after His baptism, Jesus
walked across the land of
Israel, the land promised
to Abraham and to which
Moses desired to take
God’s people. He per
formed many miraculous
works and all of Israel
was ablaze with stories
of His mighty deeds.
He gathered to Himself
12 disciples into whom
He imparted great truth.
One of these, Judas
Iscariot, betrayed him
and joined the religious
establishment of that day
which wanted to be rid of
Jesus.
He was arrested and
received 39 lashes to
His back and a crown of
thorns upon His head. He
was nailed to a cross at
9 a.m. where He hung be
tween heaven and earth
on the 14th day of Nisan!
That’s right. It was
Passover! The sacrificial
spotless lambs were
awaiting death in the
temple in Jerusalem. At
3 p.m. Jesus shouts, “It
is finished!” and died
upon that cross. Simul
taneously the Passover
lambs were put to death.
Something else mysteri
ously happened in the
temple: the veil which
was 60 feet high and
four inches thick which
separated man from the
holy presence of God
was torn from the top to
the bottom. This was an
absolute impossibility.
Access to the Father was
accomplished!
Jesus was sent to this
Earth to be the unblem
ished Lamb of God sacri
ficed at Passover to take
our punishment so that
we might receive eternal
life. On the third day He
arose from the dead and
over 40 days appeared to
over 500 people before
ascending back into
Heaven to sit at the right
hand of the Heavenly
Father.
When the original
Passover lambs were
sacrificed it was the
beginning of a physical
journey for Israel. When
Jesus Christ was sacri
ficed as the sinless Lamb
of God it was the begin
ning of a spiritual journey
for all who would repent
and believe.
Pike County Journal Reporter's letter printing guidelines
The Pike County Jour
nal Reporter welcomes
letters to the editor.
For a letter to be con
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include the writer’s ac
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Limit letters to 250
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All letters are subject to
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Drop letters by the
office on the court
house square, mail
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Zebulon, 30295, fax
them to 770.567.8814
or email them to
news@pikecounty-
georgia.com.
For additional
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770.567.3446.
Pike County
Journal
Reporter
www.pikecountygeorgia.com
P.O. 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, Moiena,
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.
AT PIKE
BY DWAIN W. PENN
100 YEARS AGO
April 8, 1921: The Music Study Club met at the
home of Mrs. C.R. Gwyn with Miss Irene Redding
as hostess. The club was studying the operas that
would be presented in Atlanta soon.
75 YEARS AGO
April 11, 1946: Contractor E.W. Simmons, of Sim
mons & Cameron, was summoned before the board
of education to explain the delay in the Meansville
school construction which had a Jan. 1 deadline. A
scarcity of brick was the reason and a government
priority was needed to get the bricks and once ob
tained, 90 days was needed to finish the school.
50 YEARS AGO
April 8, 1971: Elizabeth B. White retired March
31 after serving as Zebulon postmaster for 39 years
to become more involved in church and in service
to others. Mrs. C.R. Gwyn Jr., who worked for years
at the post office, was appointed officer in charge.
25 YEARS AGO
April 10, 1996: The EPA warned of the danger
of radon gas found in 25% of houses in the county.
The colorless, odorless and tasteless radioactive
gas, a byproduct of uranium, could be detected by
a low cost test kit or an EPA certified professional.