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Page 4A - Pike County Journal Reporter - Wednesday, December 1, 2021
Opinions
An embarrassing beatdown on The Flats
I had the absolute
pleasure of at
tending the latest
installment of Clean Old
Fashioned Hate Saturday
at Grant Field. There
really was no hatred on
display.
The Bulldogs simply
disposed of the Jackets
like a dirty C0V1D mask
tossed into the gutter,
barely breaking a sweat
as they rolled to a 45-0
victory.
Dawg fans are famous
for taking over oppo
nents’ stadiums. Those
who were there say Geor
gia fans outnumbered
Notre Dame fans in South
Bend in 2017 during a
UGA road win.
1 was expecting a sea
of red in Atlanta Saturday
but I was overwhelmed
when 1 walked in and
settled into my seat near
the Redcoat pep band.
The visitors side was
solid red. Even the gold
backed seats where the
Tech high rollers sit were
half filled with those in
red and black. The home
side upper deck was
nearly all red. The end
zone upper deck above
the Tech student section
was solid Dawg. 1 would
say the place was 80%
Bulldogs.
The concession stands
in the stadium were sell
ing beer and wine and
the Jacket fans certainly
needed the balm the
spirits offered.
In the third period,
Tech had a crowd noise
induced false
start in its home
stadium. Tech
fans, that is
when you know
your coaching
staff and team
have lost the fan
base.
Among the
great things out
there on the
internet are col
lege football fan
message boards.
The most preva
lent such site
catering to Tech fans is
called Stingtalk. A GT fan
with the handle ‘Ciraldo
Forever’ waved this
white flag after Satur
day’s massacre.
Been a Tech fan since
1958. Never
thought I would
ever quit. But, if
Tech doesn’t fire
(Coach Geoff)
Collins in 48
hours, I’m not
going to contrib
ute anymore. I’ll
still pull for Tech
but Tech football
will not have the
same role in my
life.
I wish I had all
the money and
time I spent on
Tech sports back. I feel
like I have been a fool to
put up with this for as long
as I have.
I know younger people
will come on here and
call me names. Well, stick
with this mess as long
as you can. If I were 35,
I might stick with it, too.
But, I just can’t take it
anymore. It was surreal
around our house today.
Like a wake. Just not
worth it. And, the coaches
don’t even try. Never saw
that before.
Tech has not fired Col
lins but it has dismissed
a bunch of assistants.
This is a soap opera to
follow for the next few
weeks.
Meanwhile, the Dawgs
are 12-0, ranked #1 and
face Alabama in the SEC
title game this weekend.
As mentioned in this
space before, this year’s
Crimson Tide squad is
just not the dominant
force it has been. Bama
struggled with Auburn
Saturday, requiring four
overtimes to top the War
Eagles who were down
to a backup quarterback
who was basically play
ing on one leg for the
second half.
Auburn finished 6-6.
One of those losses
was to Georgia which
notched an easy 34-10
win on The Plains Oct. 9.
Bama still has Nick
Saban, the best coach in
the business, at the helm
but 1 am quietly confi
dent the Dawgs will win
Saturday and win big!
Walter Geiger is the editor and the
publisher of the Pike County Journal
Reporter and The Herald Gazette in
Barnesville. He can be reached at
news @ barnesville.com.
■> s
i
GEIGER’S
COUNTER
Walter Geiger
Editor & Publisher
LETTERS T<
THE EDITOR
Home is where the
heart seeks God
BY CHARLES WHATLEY
cbwhatley@hotmail.com
“Home is where the
heart is ...” Maybe
you’ve already heard
that definition of home?
And maybe you’ve
even heard ... “Home is
where they’ll take you
in when everyone else
has thrown you out?”
Or “Home is where you
go when you don’t have
anywhere else to go!”
Businesslnsider.com
lists the 18 most “beau
tiful, wacky, and unique
living structures”
(homes?) on the planet.
Approximately 40 peo
ple live in wine vats the
size of a car in central
Spain; it’s a makeshift
camp for people who
come to pick grapes for
the annual six-weeks
harvest.
Two Brazilian artists,
Tiago Primo and his
brother Gabriel, built
a vertical house on a
climbing wall in Rio de
Janeiro with shelves,
counters, a hammock
and a bed ... but there
is no roof and they have
to use the bathroom
in the art gallery next
door. And 1 really like
the three-bedroom, oc
tagonal house in Austra
lia built on a platform
that rotates 360 degrees
every 30 minutes.
The Gospel (Good
News!) from Ruth 1,
“[15] So Naomi said to
her, “Ruth, your sister-
in-law has gone back
to her people and to
her god. Go back home
with her.” [16] But Ruth
answered, “Don’t ask
me to leave you! Let me
go with you. Wherever
you go, 1 will go; wher
ever you live, 1 will live.
Your people will be my
people, and your God
will be my God.””
The essence of sin is
separation from God,
from the people of God
and finally from the
people around you.
Ruth gave her life to
Naomi (wherever you
go), to the people of
God (your people will
be my people) and
ultimately to God (your
God will be my God)!
Charles ‘Buddy’ Whatley is a
retired United Methodist pastor
serving Woodland and Bold Springs
UMC and, with Mary Ella, a mis
sionary to the Navajo Reservation
in Arizona.
SPECIAL PHOTO
This painting, titled Ruth and Naomi by Judith Mehr, shows
the two gleaning in the fields after moving to their new home.
THINKING FOR A CHANGE
Why we should all respect CRT
BY ANTHONY VINSON
advkdv@att.net
1 realize
this may
rankle
some
readers,
but it
should
really
come as no surprise that
1 am a fan of CRT. In fact,
I would go so far as to
admit that 1 have been
a proponent of CRT for
more than four decades.
There is no doubt in my
mind that CRT should be
a part of every school
curriculum in the coun
try, beginning in kinder
garten and extending
through elementary,
middle, and high school.
1 speak of Critical, Rea
soned Thinking.
To critically examine
claims and assertions, to
use reason over emotion
in the pursuit of truths,
to think rather than
react... those are worth
while, life affirming skills.
We, as a society, should
welcome CRT into our
classrooms, boardrooms,
statehouses, and federal
facilities. Critical thinking
skills are, well, critical
to living what Socrates
referred to as the exam
ined life. And if you will
pardon my effrontery, far
too few folks are critical
ly examining their lives,
choices, and beliefs. One
need look no further than
the local social media
sites for proof.
While many methods
of CRT exist, the simplest
and most accessible
is the application of
the six basic interroga-
tives: What, Why, When,
Where, Who and How.
Attending the U.S. Army’s
counterintelligence agent
course, these inter-
rogatives were taught as
basic methodology for
getting at truths. They
were hammered into our
heads so well that to this
day 1 automatically begin
asking them about damn
near everything.
As an example, con
sider the latest partisan
post from your congress-
person. Application of
the basic interrogatives
allows us to explore his
motives as well as his
intentions. We can ask
questions designed to
help us understand his
underlying purposes,
which trend toward stir
ring of the partisan pud-
din’ pot. To wit: How do
his overly partisan posts
contribute positively to
the constituency? Who
are his real targets? Who
is he appeasing? What
has he done to address
the immediate concerns
and needs of the district?
Who does he think he’s
fooling?
Another example are
the pathetic percentages
of Pike County voters
who bothered to appear
at the polls in early No
vember. Failing to apply
CRT, most registered vot
ers opted out of adding
their two cents to several
important elections and
issues, including an
extended tax increase.
But hey, who cares about
taxes, or who is elected
to local offices, right?
Without CRT we are
prone to take whatever
tasty bait is dangled in
our direction, snapping
it hungrily and gobbling
it down without care or
concern about whether it
is good for us, our com
munity, or our country at
large. All that appears to
matter is how it makes us
feel... like that feeling of
intense anger about what
children are being taught
in school but failing to
compare that with what
they are learning at home
and on social media.
The gap, in far too many
cases, is deep and wide,
but again, it is far easier
to point fingers of blame,
right?
Thinking critically and
applying reason over
emotional response is
not easy. In fact, it is not
natural. Our minds tend
toward reaction first and
reason second. In our
evolutionary past this
skill kept us alive, thriv
ing, and healthy enough
to contribute to the gene
pool.
Modern life demands
a different priority. It
demands that we begin
overriding our baser
instincts and instead use
our considerable tools
and talents to think more
and react less.
Think about it!
Anthony Vinson is a freelance
writer, speaker and humorist for hire.
He lives in Williamson, GA, and can be
reached at advkdv@att.net.
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Limit letters to 250
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Drop letters by the
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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.
^ f
LOOKIN'FOR REAL
CHRISTMAS SPIRIT?
CONSULT A Klb...
V'T T V '
AT PIKE
BY BWAIN W. PENN
100 YEARS AGO
December 2, 1921: South Georgia farmers
threatened to destroy their corn by throwing it
to the hogs and cows. They were foolish to waste
their cotton during a year of low prices; cotton
costs a great deal more to produce than corn.
75 YEARS AGO
December 5, 1946: The Zebulon library board
met with only three members present - Mrs. Gregg
of Hollonville and Mrs. Johnson and Mrs. Gwyn,
both of Zebulon. A discussion of problems in dis
tributing books consumed most of the time.
50 YEARS AGO
December 3, 1971: An election for Zebulon
mayor and two councilmen was announced for Sat
urday, Dec. 4. The present mayor, William T. Baxter
was unopposed. Post 1 council seat held by Ronald
Copeland was challenged by J.M. Buffington and
post 2 seat, held by W.W. Quigley was unopposed.
25 YEARS AGO
December 4,1996: As a public service, Christ
mas tree farms in Pike were featured. In Concord
was Dillahunty farm; Meansville: Log Cabin farm;
and Zebulon: Demski farm and Homer Bennett farm.