Newspaper Page Text
Page 4 — Wednesday, June 30, 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-JUNE 29,20ll
Burke County’s unemployment rate hit 10.9%, the highest
point since February. Unemployment in the State of Georgia
wasn’t far behind at 9.9%.
Anew Georgia law went into effect requiring that children
up to the age of eight be properly secured in a safety restraint
device when traveling in vehicles. Previously the law set the
age requirement at six.
Southern Swiss Dairy, owned by Jimmy and Ginny Franks,
began producing and selling ice cream using the rich milk
from their Brown Swiss dairy cows.
25 YEARS AGO-JULY 4,1996
Kristy Lynn Oglesby was crowned Miss Burke County
1996 at the Burke County High School. She received schol
arships, silver platters and other gifts along with the crown.
Richard Bailey was installed as president of the Waynes
boro Exchange Club. Craig Kennedy was named president
elect.
Waynesboro Police Chief Karl Allen announced plans
to open a mini-substation in an apartment owned by the
Waynesboro Housing Authority. Allen said the goal was to
increase the department’s visibility in the community.
50 YEARS AGO JUNE 30,1971
Ben Wardlow, outgoing president of the Waynesboro
Rotary Club, turned the gavel over to the new president,
Charles Wallace.
First National Bank broke ground on a new full-service
branch located at the comer of Shadrack and Sixth Streets.
Mrs. Ann Mincey scored a hole-in-one on the 135-yard par
three fourth hole at the Waynesboro Country Club.
70 YEARS AGO-JULY 5,1951
Ben Brooks, chairman of the Burke County Fair Associa
tion, announced that Midway Attractions had been secured
for the annual fair, sponsored by the Waynesboro Rotary Club
and other civic and educational organizations.
Louis Abbott was named president of the Waynesboro
Exchange Club. Other officers included Lonnie Dales and
Billy Powell.
Henry Hopkins, Jr., chairman of the Burke County Cancer
Drive, said that the county’s goal of $1190 had heed reached.
IP. Herrington headed the fundraising activities throughout
the county.
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Gkt State €iixstn
9
P.O. Box 948 • 629 Shadrack Street
Waynesboro, Georgia 30830
Telephone: (706) 554-2111 • Fax: (706) 526-4779
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BEN ROBERTS
benroberts@bellsouth.net
If you’ve been keeping up
with the continued saga of the
Augusta Judicial Circuit, then
you are aware that Senate Bill
9, creating the new Columbia
Judicial Circuit, passed the
Georgia Legislature and was
signed by Gov. Brian Kemp
earlier this year.
That effort paved the way
for Columbia County to exit
the Augusta Circuit, leaving
Augusta-Richmond County and
Burke County to go it alone as
of July 1 later this week.
For opponents of the split, the
next step was a lawsuit, which
was filed shortly thereafter,
naming Columbia, Richmond
and Burke counties, as well as
the State of Georgia, as defen
dants.
Because the suit involves
the Augusta Judicial Circuit,
its judges all had to recuse
themselves from the case and
senior judge Gail S. Tusan was
appointed to preside.
Judge Tusan was removed
last week, however, due to a re
quest by Burke County attorney
Barry Fleming. A motion hied
by Fleming on Burke County’s
behalf alleged Tusan could be
biased in the case due to a pre
vious connection to one of the
attorneys representing the state.
In the legal world “bias” is
similar to “conflict of inter
est,” which means you might
not be able to fully do your
duty because of a connection
or obligation to someone or
something else.
You may recall that Fleming,
a Columbia County resident, is
also a member of the state leg
islature, representing a district
that includes Columbia County.
The powers that be of Colum
bia County decided they wanted
out of the Augusta Judicial Cir
cuit and so Fleming was obliged
to assist. He was an integral part
in ensuring the bill made its way
smoothly thru the Capital.
I’m no legal scholar, but it
would seem to me that being the
legislator who ushered the bill
that created the legal issue for
your client that you must now
defend - and get paid by the
Burke County taxpayers in the
process - would be considered
the very definition of “bias.”
How can you defend the
interests of Burke Countians if
their interests run counter to the
people you serve in Columbia
County?
That’s a question that does
not seem to bother our com
missioners. It certainly doesn’t
bother Mr. Fleming.
$92,937.67: According to
county financial records, that
is the amount Burke spent last
year for the audio/visual (A/V)
equipment in the new commis
sioners’ chambers, which is the
former upstairs courtroom of
the historic courthouse.
That work included the instal
lation of cameras allowing for
live broadcasts of commission
ers’ meetings and microphones
in front of each of their seats so
you can hear their statements.
The problem is that the vast
majority of the time, the com
missioners don’t bother to speak
into their microphones, whether
by accident or by design.
The A/V equipment was not
even turned on at last week’s
planning commission meeting,
which is also held in the com
missioners’ room. Those of us
in attendance strained to hear
what was going on. The fellow
sitting just a few feet from me
asked more than once what was
being said.
The City of Waynesboro
moved into its new city hall in
the former Capital City Bank
building downtown just a few
weeks ago. They got a nice
new meeting room as well with
their audio and visual upgrades,
complete with a microphone
for each council member, too.
You can rarely understand what
they’re saying either, particu
larly during the live-streamed
meetings.
Public meetings SEE
are, by definition, BIRD DOG,
meant for the pub- gA
Don Lively
He never swore allegiance to
America, as far as I know.
I'm talking about my oldest
known ancestor.
My family has been in this
part of the world, the place
I call the Blessed South, for
close to three centuries. Some
of the very land that is still
occupied and owned by my
extended family around these
parts, has been in the fam
ily since shortly after that first
forebear came to this continent
all those years ago. The family,
if the historic documentation
is accurate, have always been
patriotic and loyal. Many have
served in the military, others in
elected offices or as local law
enforcement helping to protect
their communities.
Still, the oldest one, the man
who we believe was the first of
our line to set foot on this side
of the Atlantic, never became
an American citizen.
Anybody care to take a guess
as to why old Abram never
pledged his commitment to the
country he lived in?
It's a trick question.
Abram never swore alle
giance to America because
he was here decades before
America was founded on July
4th, 1776.
Yes friends, my family has
been on these shores since long
before America was America.
We believe that Abram came
here from Scotland, which, if
you've ever met any real Scots
with their ruddy skin and quick
tempers, explains a lot, even
many generations later.
It's not by coincidence that
my more modern family de
cided, over 80 years ago, to
hold our annual family reunion
on the Fourth of July.
You won't find a more fierce
ly patriotic, more country lov
ing family than mine.
That's not to say that if you
are around some of us for very
long, you won't hear plenty
of cussing and discussing the
politics of the day. I've heard it
since I was knee high to a pis-
sant. I continued to hear it all
throughout my life. In recent
years, I've been part of the rant
ing and raving.
But, it's not the country catch
ing Hades from my kin.
It's the government, that, in
the opinions of many of my
clan, has tried to destroy much
of what is good about America
from both sides of the political
aisle.
It was dislike of oppressive
governments that convinced
A SOUTHERN AMERICAN FAMILY
thousands of folks to leave the
islands of their homelands and
make their way "over here".
Abram, and many like him,
were just looking to be left
alone.
To be free.
This week my large, ec
centric, far-flung family will
begin to gather right here in our
neck of the woods. Most every
local home that's occupied by
kinfolk will welcome out-of-
towners and for that one day
in early July our little country
community will nearly double
in population. There will be
small get-togethers such as
baby showers, belated birthday
celebrations, welcome-to-the-
family fetes and even one high
energy barn dance.
Our family reunion takes up
most of a week.
But the big day that's re
ferred in my family as, simply,
The Fourth, will take place on
America's Independence Day.
Well over 200 of my crazy
kin will converge at The Pond,
the same site where the reunion
has been held my whole life.
There will be so much food that
it could have fed Patton's army
for a week. Several platters of
fried chicken and baked ham.
Dozens of bowls of vegetables
and pans of casseroles. Baked
beans of every description.
Deviled eggs by the hundreds.
And two pigs, roasted to
perfection for the twelve hours
leading up to the feast.
The pork will be accompa
nied by gallons of barbecue
sauce that's still made from
Daddy's not so secret recipe
many years after he left us.
And, the deserts.
The sweet treats will be so
numerous that they will require
a table just for them.
But, there will be no eating
until a couple of traditions are
met.
Somebody will blow the
conch shell, believed to be the
very same one that my great
Granddaddy brought back from
the shore near Savannah many
years ago, to summon the folks.
Somebody else, usually one
of the preachers in the family,
will be asked to say the bless
ing.
Only after a proper prayer can
the gluttony commence.
After dinner there will be a
meeting to take care of family
business. Pledges to the flags,
America's and Georgia's. Pa
triotic and Christian songs will
be sung.
Family stories will be retold.
There will be hugs and tears
and laughter and perhaps even a
bit of raving at the government.
There will be a reuniting of
a family.
There will be freedom.
God Bless America.