Newspaper Page Text
Page 4A — Wednesday, December 2, 2020, The True Citizen
OPINIONS
■At "Hr ★ ~AnAr ★
The Pledge U1 Allegiance
K allegjax c to tha Hag
of uha l .VuTisd *f Ajriftnrj
iifsd In iFui! R±qi4ih£ig for which
iiLnyit, 04m: Nation ursdirr
CVd, inrb.i uhlt 1 ;, with Mrffy ,“sd
iuiijw for jH.
*’*'^^*+-*-* r * ★ *
LOOKING BACK
{this week in Burke County history}
10 YEARS AGO-DECEMBER 1,2010
The bodies of nearly 20 dead dogs were found along Old
Wadley Road near Midville. Most of the dogs had been shot.
Burke County Road Department head Jesse Burke, who found
the dogs, personally offered a reward for information about
the incident.
The Burke County Bears were one win away from playing
in the Georgia Dome for a state football title. A victory over
Carrollton, the number one seed from Region 6, would get
the Bears into the final four.
Eight year-old Tripp Carter, son of Dr. and Mrs. Frank
Carter, was given a starring role in the Augusta Players
production of “A Christmas Carol: The Musical.” Young
Carter would play the role of Tiny Tim in the production.
25 YEARS AGO-DECEMBER 7,1995
Dr. Russell Acree was sentenced to five years in federal
prison and fined $868,000 in connection with charges to
distribute the pain killer Demerol. Acree, whose firm managed
the Burke County Hospital, would also be placed under a
three-year period of supervised probation after his release
from prison.
Eva McBride Barrett, Crystal L. Bray and Michael
D. Jones, all of Burke County, were killed in a head-on
collision between a car and a pickup on Highway 24 west
of Waynesboro.
Following a $6,000 grant from Gov. Zell Miller’s
discretionary fund, work began on the renovation of Girard’s
planned community center. The former Girard Academy
building was being used by the county to serve meals to
senior citizens.
50 YEARS AGO-DECEMBER 2,1970
T.R. Holton, Pratt DeLoach and Leon Mims, all incumbent
Waynesboro city councilmen, faced no opposition in the
upcoming city election.
Reduced levels of lead might soon result in the resumption
of fishing in the Savannah River. Tests were being done to
determine if efforts by the Olin Corporation of Augusta to
reduce mercury emissions into the river had been successful.
75 YEARS AGO-DECEMBER 6,1945
The Midville Lions Club passed a resolution urging the
state to raise teachers’ salaries “to a level at least equal to
employees of other departments of the state.”
Rev. Nathan Brooks emphasized the need to be thankful
for “everyday things - the simple homely things of life”
at the monthly meeting of the Daughters of the American
Revolution, held at the home of Mrs. F. D. Thomas.
Advertisers included Griffin Radio Service, Hickman’s
Taxi Service, Walter Ward Plumbing and McKinney Grocery.
We welcome your letters
Letters to the editor of The True Citizen are welcomed and encour
aged. These are pages of opinion, yours and ours.
Letters to the editor voice the opinions of the newspaper’s readers.
The True Citizen reserves the right to edit any and all portions of a
letter. Unsigned letters will not be published. Letters must include the
signature, address and phone number of the writer to allow our staff to
authenticate its origin. Letters should be limited to 400 words and should
be typewritten and double-spaced or neatly printed by hand. Deadline
for letters to the editor is Tuesday at 9 a.m.
Email Letters to the Editor to: truecitizennews@live.com.
€bt €mt Cifertt
%
P.O. Box 948 • 629 Shadrack Street
Waynesboro, Georgia 30830
Telephone: (706) 554-2111 • Fax: (706) 526-4779
Published every Wednesday by The True Citizen, Inc.
Periodical Postage Paid at Waynesboro, Georgia (USPS
642-300)
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The True
Citizen, P.O. Box 948, Waynesboro, GA 30830.
Roy F. Chalker Roy F. Chalker Jr.
Publisher Publisher
1945-1970 1970-
Lavonna Johnson, Managing Editor; Jill DuMars,
Advertising Manager/Printing Assistant; Diana Royal,
Feature Writer/Reporter/Copy Editor; Marianne Smith,
Office Manager; Martha Chalker, Advertising Sales; Roy
F. Chalker, Jr., Printing Manager.
SUBSCRIPTION RATES
$1 per single copy at locations all over Burke County. By
mail: In Burke County, 6 months, $18.90,1 year, $29.10,2
years, $49.20; outside Burke County, 6 months, $25.30,
1 year, $44.30; outside of Georgia, 6 months, $31.30,1
year, $55. Student rate: 9 months in state: $25., outside
of Georgia, $30; One-year online subscription, $20. All
prices include state and local tax.
PANDEMIC POLITICS
BEN ROBERTS
benroberts@bellsouth.net
The week before Thanksgiv
ing, I got a text from my wife.
Our daughter, Mackenzie, who
is in college, wouldn’t be com
ing home for Thanksgiving.
One of her three roommates had
tested positive for COVID-19.
My wife wasn’t texting to
ask my opinion of what our
daughter should do, however.
She had already spoken to
someone in the medical field,
explained the situation and this
individual offered two options:
our daughter should quaran
tine, either in her apartment in
Athens or at home with us. My
wife determined that there was
no way Mackenzie could safely
quarantine away from the rest
of us and so she told our oldest
child she could not come home
for Thanksgiving.
If you happen to know my
wife, then you know what a big
deal this was for her. I have a
handful of hobbies: I hunt, fish,
enjoy a good book. My wife’s
hobby is being a mother. She
spends her spare time thinking
of things we can do as a family
in our spare time.
Last Friday, I drove the cou
ple of hours to Blackshear,
Georgia, to watch the Bears
take on Pierce County in the
first round of the state playoffs.
I wore one of those medical
masks the entire time I was
in the vehicle because I had
two other men from two other
households in the truck with
me.
I tell you this to point out that
my family has tried to be care
ful over the course of these last
nine months or so. My wife and
I both work with the public; our
children attend Burke County
schools. We have not locked
ourselves away from the world
but we have certainly changed
the way we interact with oth
ers, all in an effort to keep our
selves, and those others, safe.
We live in strange times, but
what has made it stranger in my
opinion, is that there is a large
segment of the Burke County
population, and this country as a
whole, which will read this and
scoff at the actions my family
has taken.
You can visit Facebook, the
ever-present purveyor of all
truths, and find good and de
cent people, with zero medical
experience, quoting statistics
about death rates, comparing
this virus to the seasonal flu
and labeling others as “sheep.”
Wearing a mask or attempting
to keep your distance from oth
ers has even become some sort
of litmus test for which political
party you might vote.
Frankly, it makes zero sense
to me.
Don Lively
THANKFUL STILL
This is the time of year that
columnists love.
What am I talking about?
The Holiday season.
It actually begins with Hal
loween if you can call Hallow
een a holiday.
I don't personally consider
Halloween a holiday but that's
neither here nor there as far as
today's subject matter.
The point is, the Holiday sea
son gives writers built-in sub
jects for their weekly writings.
At least I'm that way, I can't
speak for the thousands of other
folks who might not struggle to
come up with interesting words
every week.
It occurred to me this week
that for me, it would be better to
write about Thanksgiving after
I've actually had Thanksgiving.
Of course I could have writ
ten my 800ish words leading
up to Thanksgiving about all
the things that I'm thankful for.
There's plenty of that.
In spite of the new knowledge
that election fraud is apparently
okay with approximately half
of America.
Despite Covid-19 having
been used as a political football.
Not to worry though because,
miraculously, three different
entities from "Big Pharma"
(an evil monster to my liberal
friends except when it suits
their purposes) have announced
that they're on the verge of
having a vaccine for the vims,
which just happened to occur
within days after the election.
Honestly, does anybody, right
or left, really believe that the
timing was coincidental?
And, my football fellows
have struggled mightily after
having been projected as a pre
season favorite to, well, to not
straggle. That's actually not just
another symptom of the year
we've had. My boys seem to
have begun nearly every year
since 1981 as "favored" only
to falter when the actual play
ing started.
Regardless, we can all agree,
2020 has not been the best year
for pretty much anybody unless
you're an Alabama fan or a Big
Pharma executive.
Still, there's plenty to be
thankful for, so if you'll for
give me, you'll be reading
my Thanksgiving column ap
proximately a week after the
big holiday.
I'm very thankful that I got
to be with all of my kids and
grandkids for Thanksgiving.
I raised my children to be in
dependent and danged if they
didn't take me seriously. They
scattered to the four winds so
getting them all together at one
time is a rarity that I don't take
for granted. I just happen to
have the three greatest kids on
the face of the Earth with an
equally great daughter-in-law,
and my five grandkids are my
heart and soul. We had a gorge
fest for four straight days, took
dozens of pictures and, due to
rainy weather, stayed indoors
most of the time playing games
including one called Mexican
Train Dominoes. I lost every
game. But I loved every second
of hugging on the young ones
and enjoying serious conversa
tion with my adult kids.
I'm thankful that I'm still
plenty healthy enough to road-
trip close to twenty hours each
direction.
I'm thankful that my locally
purchased pick-up truck is
running great, getting good gas
mileage and keeping me very
comfortable on the road.
I'm thankful that I remem
bered to bring masks for the
parts of the trip where they were
required.
I'm thankful that there are
plenty of people running busi-
I grew up around firearms.
My children have been raised
around firearms. They, and I,
were taught to understand that
you don’t point a firearm in
anyone else’s direction. Maybe
there’s an accidental discharge,
maybe there’s not, but I don’t
recommend being in front of
the dangerous end just in case.
Common sense safety
shouldn’t be a difficult concept
- nor should it be something to
argue or harass over.
Extremes, on either end of
the spectrum, are not help
ful right now. The economy,
whether you’re talking about
nationally, the state of Georgia,
or the Burke County business
community, cannot afford an
other “shutdown.” Many of
our friends and neighbors face
serious financial hardships and
their jobs or businesses are
continued on page (A
nesses who still believe that
it's a free enough country that
masks are optional in their
places.
I'm thankful that I have a job
that I love, promoting a city
that I love, full of folks of all
creeds and colors who I love,
and thankful that whatever
we're doing is working. Our
little downtown is busy and
vibrant and still growing to the
point that we're running low
on usable retail space, a good
problem to have.
I'm thankful for my huge,
far-flung, loud and proud fam
ily. I wouldn't trade places with
anybody.
I'm thankful for the little
country church, the same one
Mama took me to when I was
a few weeks old, for making a
place for me to use my limited
talents for His glory.
I'm particularly thankful that,
except for two Senate races, the
political ads are over until the
next election cycle starts in a
month or so.
I'm thankful for you.
And you, and you.
Apparently y'all are still read
ing my scribblings or else Roy
and the ladies would have ran
me off by now.
Sincerely, thank you.
Even a week late.