Newspaper Page Text
Page 4A - Pike County Journal Reporter - Wednesday, November 3, 2021
Opinions
River access should be open to all Pike citizens
BY RACHEL MCDANIEL
news@pikecountygeorgia.com
Over the past several
years, I’ve become what
many would call a ‘river
rat.’ The Flint River is -
of course - my favorite
place to float, listening
to the dripping water
from my paddle, feeling
the sun on my skin and
watching wildlife in their
own world as we float
downstream. I’ve seen
birds of prey with fish in
their talons, fish jump
ing from the water and
heard the most beautiful
orchestras of frogs and
crickets.
A good friend of mine -
Alison Stephens - opened
me up to this amazing
new world and my lov
ing husband gifted me a
kayak for Mother’s Day
one year (he would prob
ably never have guessed
that I’d use it so much!)
In about a year and a
half, we have traveled 81
miles of the Flint River -
from Fayette County to
Taylor County. Access
to different parts of the
river can be challenging
and we even spent the
night on the river once
(with permission from
a property owner of
course), sleeping in ham
mocks and not leaving
anything but footprints
behind.
From our experience,
some of the most beauti
ful areas of the river are
through Pike and Upson
counties and - while
access was a bit more
difficult - the desolate ar
eas of Talbot and Taylor
counties are breathtaking
as well.
Unfortunately, Pike
County’s only public
access was blocked last
week by a huge load of
rocks right by the river’s
edge and a giant ‘drive
way’ complete with cul
vert right across
where we have
taken our kayaks
so many times.
1 understand
the local home
owner’s view
point. Some
people are pigs
and don’t care
about littering or
causing damage
to other people’s proper
ties.
However, for each
one person like that, I’d
wager that there are sev
eral more who love the
solitude of the river and
find peace there floating
downstream that can’t be
found elsewhere. Many
of us pick up after oth
ers and 1 couldn’t count
the old rusty cans from
decades ago (based on
their appearance) that
we’ve picked up out of
the river over the years.
The Flat Shoals access
is especially important
to us since the
Joe Kurz Wildlife
Managament
Area is several
miles upstream
and makes for a
perfect four to
six hour float.
We have taken
our girls down
the river as well
and they have
their own kayaks where
they are the captain and
make their own deci
sions about the routes to
take. 1 hope they enjoyed
those hours on the river
as much as we did.
The shortest trip
in Pike was from the
Highway 362 bridge to
Flat Shaols and it was the
perfect trip for a begin
ning kayaker who may
be tired and sunburned
before traveling the other
local routes of the Flint.
Unfortunately, ac
cess to the Highway 362
bridge was closed earlier
this year as a large fence
and gate was built near
the river’s edge.
It breaks my heart that
Flat Shoals is now off
limits as well - meaning
there is nowhere at all
in Pike County where I
can put in or take out my
kayak. If we put in at Joe
Kurz WMA (outside of
Gay, GA), we would have
to travel all the way to
the Upson County side of
Highway 109 to get our
kayaks out of the water
and onto a truck to take
back home.
While that particu
lar area is not the best,
Upson County has many
very nice boat ramps
that are open to the
public in addition to the
outfitter on Highway 36.
In fact, at one of Upson
County’s public access
areas, there is a super
long elevated boat ramp
to make it easy to drag
kayaks and other small
watercraft to the river.
They even have stairs
down into the water and
plenty of parking for
visitors who enjoy nature
and time on the river.
Pike County should
absolutely have at least
one access area where
all citizens can get to the
river and enjoy God’s
beautiful world of nature.
I would even volunteer -
and 1 know others would
as well - to keep the area
clean and tidy.
While our kids aren’t
quite the river rats we
are, 1 certainly pray that
many years from now -
when they have kids of
their own - they will have
access to travel the same
stretch of the river that
they traveled with their
own moms when they
were kids themselves.
Please contact your
commissioner about
making river access a
right for Pike citizens.
Nice people finish first
Things that annoy folks who act with courtesy
BY BRYAN GOLDEN
Bryan@columnist.com
Chances are you’ve
heard the expres
sion, “nice guys finish
last.” Nothing could be fur
ther from the truth. This
statement is used by many
to justify less than ethical
treatment of others.
Under the guise of not
wanting to finish last,
people engage in incon
siderate conduct. At best,
this type of behavior will
give the illusion of short
term gains. These gains
come with a high price;
the forfeiture of building a
solid foundation of living
which will last a lifetime.
Being nice is not syn
onymous with subjugating
your dignity or your right
to assert yourself. Don’t
allow yourself to be used
as a doormat. Everyone
has been in a situation
where they felt obligated
or pressured to agree to
do something.
Being nice entails be
ing considerate, polite,
respectful and thought
ful. Being nice means
not elevating yourself by
stepping on others. Being
nice requires understand
ing that you are not better
than someone else and no
one is better than you. Be
ing nice compels you to
help people without ex
pecting anything in return.
Unfortunately, there are
those who view being nice
as a sign of weakness and
as an invitation to take ad
vantage. However, no one
can take advantage of you
without your permission.
Your response when
someone tries to take ad
vantage of you sets a prec
edent that determines
how you are subsequently
treated. Unless you make
your limits clear, people
will continually try to
push your boundaries.
Your limits will be
tested on several fronts:
at work, by family, and by
friends. At work you have
an obligation to perform
certain services in return
for your pay. But when
requests fall outside your
job responsibilities, you
must decide whether you
want to or should comply.
It’s not uncommon to
experience direct or im
plied pressure that your
employment or advance
ment might be affected if
you say no.
Be clear in your own
mind what your limits
are. Don’t allow your
self to be held hostage
because you are afraid to
say no to unreasonable or
inappropriate requests.
If you are so concerned
by job security that you
won’t say no, you broad
cast that you have no
limits. As a result, you
will continually be taken
advantage of. When appro
priate, say no, and you will
usually find that nothing
bad happens and you are
treated with more respect.
Requests from fam
ily and friends are differ
ent. Guilt and peer pres
sure is used to cajole you
into doing what someone
else wants. Exceed your
boundaries and you will be
taken advantage of repeat
edly. Decline requests with
politeness and a smile. Be
diplomatic by saying
things like “Thank you for
asking, but 1 have a prior
obligation” or “I’ve already
made other plans.” Some
times you will decline a re
quest because of the way
you’ve been treated. If this
is the case, don’t express it
as your reason for saying
no. Take the high road and
don’t get caught in the
trap of retribution. All that
matters is that you don’t
do what you don’t want to
do. You are not obligated
to justify your actions or
explain yourself.
If you don’t respect
your own limits, no one
else will. Demand respect
and you’ll receive it.
KAY S. PEDR0TTI
kayspedrotti@gmail.com
There are so many
people out there today
who seem to have no re
gard for anyone besides
themselves. They are
especially noticed when
driving, or in a parking
lot on which the cus
tomers’ purchases may
be rolled to their cars in
buggies.
Just an example -
the handicap parking
spaces on the south
side of Ingles. The
yellow-striped area is
supposed to be clear so
that people who need
to walk in a safe area,
or have to walk slowly,
can be shielded from
drivers. At least two
of every three times I
visit that grocery, those
areas are speckled with
carts. Not all people
who use the spaces
legally are so debilitated
they can’t roll a cart 50
feet back into the store,
or to a cart corral, in
stead of leaving it in the
walkways.
Many times the carts
are dumped by people
who are not parked in a
restricted space. Some
times the carts are aban
doned in the driveways,
too - motorists, beware
of dents and dings!
On the road - be
cause I believe in law
enforcement, and also
believe that our law
officers in
Lamar County,
Barnesville
and Milner
are among the
best anywhere,
I do not exceed
5 mph over the
posted speed,
anywhere from
the interstates
to town roads.
Most of the time, I will
use cruise control to
stay on the speed limit -
because I have so much
respect for the cops,
and because they have
more important things
to do than having to
chase down excessive
speeders.
Also, many road idjits
(look under southern
slang for eejits, or
idiots) do not seem to
understand that big-rig
trucks are indeed many
tons bigger than four-
wheelers.
They will ignore a big
truck’s need to move
over into the middle
or left lane to avoid
someone who is not as
big or as fast as they
are. I can’t count how
many times I’ve reduced
speed to let a big truck
to get in front of me to
make a pass around
a slow-mover. Some
of these slow-
movers also do
not understand
that too-slow
driving on an
interstate can
cause a wreck
just as rapidly
as speeding.
Another
annoyance
happening on
a lot of city and county
roads is trash thrown
from cars. My car may
sometimes look like too
much trash has accumu
lated on the floors, but
I will NOT throw it out
the window. Somebody
has to mow the rights-
of-way and clean out the
curb gutters. Chances
are those people are
underpaid, overworked
and subject to getting
run over by distracted
drivers. Or maybe some
poor homeowner can
not get the roadside on
his property mowed
properly without having
to pick up trash. That
often includes the worst
offenders (beer cans),
followed by soda cans
and beer bottles, Styro
foam containers, greasy
papers, etc., etc.
Since the six-foot-dis-
tance ruling during the
height of the pandemic,
most folks are better
about not crowding in
grocery store or other
shop lines. Some are
still defying everything
and will insist on stand
ing where they want
to, not wearing masks
(that’s almost universal
now since so many of
us are vaccinated) and
assert some kind of
“right” to inconvenience
anybody they please.
There is no evidence
that acting ugly ever got
anybody anywhere any
faster than being nice.
It’s worth a few extra
minutes’ wait to see
someone smile and say,
“Thank you.”
If you are the instru
ment of kindness, not
the example of bad
behavior, I guarantee
you will sleep better at
night.
Kay S. Pedrotti has spent some
50 years writing for newspapers.
She is active in the Lamar County
community and currently serves as
the president of Lamar Arts. She
lives in Milner with her husband Bob
Pedrotti.
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
sidered for publication,
include the writer’s
actual name, address
and telephone number
when submitting it.
We publish name only.
Letters from individual
authors will be pub
lished no more often
than every other week.
Limit letters to 250
words or less. Shorter
letters are appreciated.
All letters are subject to
editing.
Personal attacks on
private citizens, political
endorsements or letters
that are racially divisive
will not be considered.
Drop letters by
the office on the
courthouse square,
mail them to P.O.
Box 789, Zebulon,
30295, fax them to
770.567.8814 or email
them to news@pike-
countygeorgia.com.
For additional
information, call
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
November 4, 1921: A surprising update on the
ginned cotton in Pike County. Prior to October 18,
5,218 bales of cotton were ginned compared to
9,441 bales in 1920, a decrease of 4,223 bales.
75 YEARS AGO
November 7, 1946: Less than 10% of Georgia
voters participated in the general election. It was a
little better in Pike with over 20% voting to re-elect
Herman Talmadge as Governor and determine a
state constitution amendment for a State Board of
Welfare.
50 YEARS AGO
November 5, 1971: Sgt. Edward L. Beckham,
serving in Vietnam since January, was named sol
dier of the month, awarded $50 savings bond and a
three-day furlough in South Vietnam. Mr. and Mrs.
James Beckham of Concord were proud parents.
25 YEARS AGO
November 6,1996: The discovery of an aban
doned landfill on the proposed Concord site of Grif
fin’s water reservoir resulted in two decisions. Grif
fin could choose the Hollonville site for the reservoir
or dig out contaminated soil at the Concord site.