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Page4A—Wednesday, December 22, 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 - DECEMBER 21,2011
The Burke County Development Authority was finalizing
the purchase of nearly 500 acres of land on Highway 80 West,
just beyond Ag Georgia Farm Credit.
Ella Jones, top administrator at the Augusta Tech Waynes
boro campus, announced her plans to retire at the end of the
year. She had been with the school for 34 years and had been
at the local campus for eight years.
The BCHS marching band cancelled plans to play in the
2013 New Year’s Day Parade in London England. The esti
mated cost of over $300,000 to transport 100 band members,
instruments and chaperones proved to be prohibitive.
25 YEARS AGO -DECEMBER 24, 1996
Burke County Commissioners voted to give county em
ployees a three percent pay increase for the upcoming year.
Commissioner Jimmy Dixon had proposed a one-time bonus
instead of the increase, but was overruled by a 3-1 vote, with
Dixon abstaining.
The Waynesboro-Burke County Recreation Commission
approved the installation of a $66,000 gutter system for the
Davis Park swimming pool. The system would replace the
pool’s broken skimmer system.
William Mizell Ford donated the use of a 1997 Ford Escort
by the BCHS Driver’s Education program.
50 YEARS AGO-DECEMBER 22,1971
Earl Lauderdale, Mayor of Waynesboro and manager of
radio station WBRO, accepted the position of manager of a
station in Rockwood, Tenn.
The Georgia Power Company paid $34,097 in property
and other taxes to local governments.
Eddie Allen, age 16, suffered a broken leg in a truck-
motorcycle accident. The truck driver was charged with
failure to yield the right of way. Allen was in the Burke
County Hospital.
70 YEARS AGO-DECEMBER 27,1951
Southern Bell manager John Owen warned that some
callers may experience delays in getting their calls through
during the busiest part of the holidays. He said the company
expected the busiest Christmas season in the company’s
history.
“Angels in the Outfield” starring Paul Douglas and Janet
Leigh was playing at the Grand Theatre.
Advertisers included Parker-White Motors, Standard Pest
Control, Dr. R.C. Bailie, Robinson Plumbing & Heating and
First National Bank.
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BEN ROBERTS
benroberts@bellsouth.net
On Monday, the manda
mus lawsuit brought by Burke
County Sheriff Alfonzo Wil
liams against the Burke County
Board of Commissioners was
heard in a courtroom in the
judicial center.
More than 50 individuals sat
in the room to hear Superior
Court Judge Jesse Stone, the
former attorney, Waynesboro
mayor and state senator, pre
side. After roughly three hours
of deliberation and, at times
tense disagreement, Stone told
those in attendance he would
issue his decision in 15 days.
I have written about the dis
agreements between the sheriff
and the county multiple times
since this issue came to a head
several months ago. Very little
new information was revealed
in Monday’s trial, with most of
it simply rehashing what has
already been said.
In last week’s paper, Williams
penned a letter to Burke County
citizens where he sought to
explain the lawsuit, suggesting
that what the average person
may have heard was “mislead
ing.” Williams then went on to
tell his side of the story, some of
which included repeating some
of the same misleading state
ments and half-truths he’s been
telling all along. Whether he has
spread this false information by
accident or because it simply
fits the narrative he seeks to tell,
I cannot answer.
The sheriff likes to claim he
is no politician, but I can vouch
for the fact that on the contrary,
he is one of the best I’ve seen. I
say this because from the start
of this discussion, Williams has
framed this debate as a choice
between two sides: those who
support law enforcement and
those who do not.
Of course, this is a ridicu
lous stance meant to dismiss
legitimate questions about the
situation. The sheriff, and a few
of his supporters, have decided
that rather than provide evi
dence to support what they say,
it’s easier to point fingers and
make accusations about those
who question their version of
the story.
Just because you or I want
Williams to show us how and
where he spends his money
- and don’t take his response
of “trust me” as the gospel -
doesn’t mean we don’t want
deputies to be paid well and
provided with every tool they
need to protect themselves and
the citizens of Burke County.
Eve never been a gambling
man, but my gut tells me that
in two weeks, Stone will issue a
ruling declaring that the county
must give the sheriff control of
his payroll, which is what his
suit is specifically asking for.
I would caution Williams to
be careful what you ask for.
The fact of the matter is, such
a ruling will most likely not an
swer many of the current ques
tions about how this process
moves forward. Williams can’t
answer those questions either
because he’s pushing his office
into mostly unchartered waters.
Out of 159 Georgia counties,
only one, Banks County, is
thought to be doing business
the way Williams wants.
There are legal and logisti
cal questions that will have to
be addressed that could result
in real changes to the benefits
and retirement of BCSO em
ployees as well as other county
employees. The true cost of
such a move to taxpayers is also
unknown at this point. But I can
promise you this, it will not be
cheaper.
Judge Stone suggested Mon
day those issues would be Wil
liams’ problem. County attor
ney Barry Fleming countered
that it would be a problem for
all of us.
One of the things I’ve learned
about Williams since he be
came sheriff is that his legacy
is extremely important to him.
That doesn’t make him any dif
ferent from many of us, myself
included.
He has repeatedly said this
lawsuit was unavoidable and
necessary for him to do his
job to the best of his abilities.
My concern is whether these
changes are to serve the people
of Burke County or the sheriff’s
own legacy. Time will tell what
damage he may have done to
both.
For more Burke County po
litical news, follow Bird Dog
Politics on Facebook,
Don Lively
TWAS? OR WAS?
(Reprinted by request. With
sincere apologies to the heirs of
Clement Clarke Moore.)
It was a few days before
Christmas all over the Blessed
South,
Southerners were buzzing
everywhichaway, dirt roads
and rural routes.
From Wal-Mart to Macy's,
from Target to Sears,
Looking for bargains before
the dollars disappeared.
Farmsteads and double-
wides, flung far and flung near,
Were lit up with Christmas
lights, some had stayed up all
year.
Excitement was building all
over the county,
From farmers to doctors,
from country folks to townies.
I sat myself down on the
north porch and wondered,
If writing a Christmas poem
would be a blessing or a blun
der.
Cause deadline approached
and my mind was plain empty,
Should I just do a re-print?
Oh mercy that's tempting.
But no, I decided in a moment
sublime,
How hard can it be to make a
bunch of words rhyme?
If the old Scottish plowboy
like Robert Burns could do it,
So can a good ol' Dixie boy,
so I better get to it.
I set about thinking about just
what it might be,
That makes Christmas
around our neck of the woods
so unique.
When all of a sudden what
did I hear,
Blasts and explosions and
gunfire right near.
The woods were still poppin'
with ammo of all kinds,
Cause deer season don't stop
just cause Christmas arrives.
The bucks and the does were
breakin' from the shadows,
Dodging the bullets and
buckshot and arrows.
I thought to myself if that
hunter gets lucky,
Christmas dinner might be
venison instead of baked tur
key.
Cause many of the folks from
right around here,
Will turn down the Butter-
balls when they can eat deer.
'Round here we do things a
little different you see,
Like two cups of sugar in
every gallon of sweet tea.
And we'll deep fry anything
in hot peanut oil,
Or throw together a feast
called a Low Country Boil.
We don't really mind that our
Yankee friends think,
That we’re crazy down here
or at least on the brink.
Cause we talk loud and proud
and we howl at the moon,
Have skeet shoots and squir
rel hunts on Christmas after
noon.
It's a whole different world
south of the Mason-Dixon line,
Which runs just north of
Hephzibah as far as I can find.
You never know what you
might see along our byways,
Cotton bales or dairies of
fields of freshly mown hay.
Pickup trucks and tractors
and pickers and combines,
Dirt roads and mud bogs and
bullet riddled stop signs.
Streams and creeks and rivers
and branches,
Shindigs and hoedowns and
old time bam dances.
Our Christmas stockings are
filled with crops from the South,
Each edible stuffier a treat for
the mouth,
Like peanuts and peaches,
blueberries and oranges,
Oh wait, there's no word
in English that rhymes with
oranges.
Make that oranges and pea
nuts, peaches and blueberries,
That it's all grown nearby
makes it even more merry.
Add cobblers and cakes and
pies and divinity,
I just might never leave this
blessed vicinity.
I hope it's not sinful to write
horrible poetry,
Hopefully this will mostly be
read here locally.
Cause up till today I've been
a pretty nice fellow,
If Mister Claus reads this I
hope he's quite mellow.
Before Santa decrees whether
I've been naughty or nice,
I think I'll just give myself
some advice. g^
Leave the prose
to the pros and LIVCLT ’
the rhymes to the 12A