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Page 4A — Wednesday, February 3, 2021, The True Citizen
OPINIONS
★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★
The Pledge Of Allegiance
1 pledge, allegiance, to the flag
of the United States of America
and to the Republic for which
*it stands, one Nation under
God, indivisible, with liberty and
justice for all.
★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★
LOOKING BACK
{this week in Burke County history}
10 YEARS AGO-FEBRUARY 9,20ll
Newly appointed Waynesboro Police Chief Alfonzo
Williams promised sweeping changes in the department,
including personnel changes.
The Georgia Department of Natural Resources was
advertising for a “nuisance trapper” to remove alligators from
ponds, lakes and rivers in Burke and surrounding counties.
District Attorney Ashley Wright was appointed to the State
Judicial Nominating Commission by Gov. Nathan Deal.
The panel makes nominations for vacancies in the Georgia
Supreme Court, Court of Appeals and the Superior and State
Courts.
25 YEARS AGO-FEBRUARY 8,1996
Sardis businessman Don Cowart announced he would
begin providing internet service to the county through a new
business entitled Burkenet. For a flat monthly fee of $25, users
would be able to “surf the internet” via a local phone call.
The stalled delivery of parts was delaying the beginning of
production at Globe Business Furniture’s new plant here. The
company planned to produce 3,000 to 4,000 folding banquet
tables per day here.
Betsy Blanchard led EBA’s Lady Spartan basketball team
to a 47-37 win over Augusta Christian. Blanchard scored 16
points while April Evans had 12 and Hay lie Bevan had 10.
50 YEARS AGO-FEBRUARY 3,1971
Karl Allen of Waynesboro became only the sixth local
resident to recive the coveted Silver Beaver Award from
the Boy Scouts of America. Mr. Allen had been active in
Scouting since 1953 and counseled 55 Scouts in receiving
their Eagle Award.
A county-wide meeting was scheduled at which members
of the public could discuss the various ways of selecting
members of the board of education. They were currently
selected by the Grand Jury.
The EB A Spartans basketball team defeated the Washington
County Community School by a score of 103-56. Larry
Vickery was the leading scorer.
75 YEARS AGO-FEBRUARY 7,1946
The “Governor John Milledge” chapter of the U.S.
Daughters of 1812 met at the home of Mrs. Julian Smith.
Mrs. Anna Palmer was the co-hostess.
Rev. Bill Stewart, pastor of the Waynesboro Presbyterian
Church, was named as Burke County Director of the 1946
Red Cross fund drive.
“Hollywood”, starring Bud Abbott and Lou Costello was
playing at the Grand Theatre.
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ITS THE
SAME THING
CAY AFTER
MAYBE ILL WATcH
THE SUPER BOWL
FOR SOMETHING
NEW!
tee-
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iLUlVv
BEN ROBERTS
benroberts@bellsouth.net
With the Georgia Senate’s
passage of SB 9 this past Mon
day, it seems all but a fore
gone conclusion that Columbia
County is on its way out of the
Augusta Judicial Circuit come
July.
It’s a complicated issue with
far reaching consequences for
our region.
Burke County Commission
chair Terri Lodge Kelly and
commissioner Lucious Abrams
have both stated publicly their
desires to stay in the Augusta
Circuit with or without Co
lumbia.
There are serious ques
tions about what that may cost
Burke in the immediate future.
Abrams, for his part, has sug
gested the money is inconse
quential and we can afford to
absorb any increases.
First of all, it’s not just a
question of how much this will
cost us in the next year or two
but what are the costs in 10,15
or 20 years.
This is where the issue of
a small, rural population like
us being tied to a large urban
population starts to matter. As
several Burke officials have
pointed out, in the past, we’ve
been able to join with Columbia
or Augusta to help us get what
we wanted in the circuit. Mov
ing forward, it’s just us and the
behemoth of Richmond County.
Who do you think wins in those
disagreements?
Let’s not forget, it was just
a month ago that Chief Judge
Carl Brown was blocking the
appointment of Burke County’s
Associate Magistrate judges
because he had someone in
mind for one of those posi
tions , holding the people of this
county hostage while the issue
was sorted out.
Also, we can’t keep living
as though the golden goose of
Plant Vogtle will live forever.
If we continue to spend money
at our current pace, at some
point we’ll be forced to make
choices on that spending. An
additional half-million dollars
for our judicial budget is just
another expense in our balloon
ing budget that will have to be
Don Lively
It's raining, y'all.
As a matter of fact, it's been
raining for a large part of the
last week.
That's just fine with me.
I've spent a goodly amount of
time over the past few evenings
sitting on the north porch enjoy
ing the downpour. The rain does
bring to mind one regret. I wish
now that when I built my house
here on the wooded enclave that
I'd spent the extra money for a
metal roof. The rain hitting the
top of the house and the sounds
that it makes are wonderful no
matter what the roof is made
of, but there's just something
special about a "tin roof sym
phony" . So, on occasion, during
a long and slow thunderstorm,
I will make my way out into
my little bam which does have
a metal roof. It's not exactly a
man cave, but it has a comfort
able chair to sit and listen to the
showers.
No greater sound on Earth.
I'm one of those strange,
weird people who like rainy
weather. What some folks think
of as dreary, I think of as cleans
ing. What you might consider
depressing, I consider refresh
ing. Some want to stay inside
and avoid the sights and sounds,
I want to experience every bit
of it that I can.
My outlook very well might
be because of having spent
thirty years Out West where it
rarely rains. Much of Colorado
is geologically a high desert,
which is the reason that folks
out there pray for mountain
snow in the winter that becomes
snowmelt in the spring and
summer. Gotta get water from
somewhere.
Rain.
Many songs have been writ
ten about rain.
Credence Clearwater made
a statement and asked a ques
tion in the same stanza of one
of their hit songs, Who'll Stop
The Rain ?
"Long as I remember the
rain been cornin' down...and I
wonder, stilt I wonder, who'll
stop the rain?"
Well, I can answer the ques
tion. Nobody on Earth can stop
the rain. God sends it when He
desires and He stops it when
He's ready. The Bible is clear
that God is an equal opportunity
soaker. "He sends rain on the
considered.
Commissioners Tommy Nix,
Evans Martin and Art Lively
have taken the stance that while
the big boys might be pushing
us around, there’s not a whole
lot we can do about it, so it’s
best if we don’t get too involved
on the legislative side. Their
idea seems to be let’s wait and
see how it all comes out in the
end.
That ending could include
the idea of Burke moving to
the Ogeechee or Middle judicial
circuits somewhere down the
road. Such a move would most
likely cost less overall and we
would find ourselves in a group
of counties that match more
closely with our own in both
population and demographics.
Monday’s appointment of
Waynesboro attorney and for
mer state senator Jesse Stone as
the newest Superior Court judge
in the Augusta Circuit certainly
makes any potential move more
difficult. The governor’s ap
pointment of Stone is meant to
quell our talk of leaving. This
RAINY DAY ME
righteous and the unrighteous."
If you’re a long time reader,
you’ve read my words before:
"Don't cuss the rain". Yes, after
three weeks of it, we all, even
I might look forward to the sun
peeking out; but with our expe
rience with periodic droughts
in our neck of the woods, we
should always be happy to have
the rain filling the ponds and
lakes and aquifers.
The late, great Eddie Rabbit
sang, "I love a rainy night...I
love to hear the thunder, watch
the lighten' when it lights up
the sky." I couldn't agree more,
Eddie. The recent rains haven't
been accompanied by much
thunder or lightening, but when
spring arrives, the light and
sound shows will too, and you
can find me in my same spot on
the porch, taking it all in.
Brook Benton sang one of the
most classic songs about rain
ever written, and it's particu
larly meaningful to us around
these parts. The most remem
bered lines to A Rainy Night
In Georgia are, "It's a rainy
night in Georgia, such a rainy
night in Georgia. Lord, I believe
it's rainin' all over the world. "
But to me, the greatest line is,
"Tryin' to find a warm place to
spend the night." As I've been
appeases Augusta and takes
some of the heat off Columbia
for leaving.
The reality is Stone serves as
an anchor for us to Augusta, at
least for the immediate future.
There’s a question of whether
Stone could win a circuit-wide
election when that time comes,
so we may be right back where
we started with nothing to show
for it in a few years.
The audience of last Thurs
day’s meeting was overwhelm
ingly black, and several speak
ers pointed out their belief that
Columbia’s desire to leave is
due to our new district attor
ney, Jared Williams, also being
black.
I don’t doubt that, yes, there
are certainly some number of
people for whom Williams’
race is a factor for their desire
to leave the circuit now.
But if you suggest, like at
least one Burke County speaker
did, that there can be no other
reason, you’re not paying at-
continued on page 7A
writing these words, it's contin
ued to rain. It's nighttime. I'm in
Georgia. And I've taken a few
breaks. As I sit in my Cracker
Barrel rocker, wrapped in the
Pendleton wool Indian blanket
my oldest daughter gave me
a few years ago, I have most
definitely found my warm place
to spend the night, at least until
it stops raining.
To sun worshipers, which
happens to describe a huge
majority of my friends and
kin, it's hard to explain why I
prefer rain and cool and clouds.
Those folks like to go to a beach
when it's blazing hot, with not a
cloud to be seen. I also like the
beach, but I much prefer being
there when the winds are high,
there's darkness on the horizon,
and the waves are angry. That
means it's going to rain, and I'm
a happy man when I can slide
into a rain slicker and walk the
beach with lightening snapping
over the surf.
Call me crazy.
"Raindrops keep falling on
my head, but that doesn 't mean
my eyes will soon be turning
red...I'm never gonna stop the
rain by complaining."
You tell 'em B.J.
Don't cuss the rain.