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Page A—Wednesday, April 13, 2022, The True Citizen
OPINIONS
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LOOKING BACK
{this week in Burke County history}
10 YEARS AGO-APRIL 18,2012
Gerald Murray, chairman of the Burke County Hospital
Authority, told a crowd of more than 100 that “no one should
fear the closing of the hospital’ short of a major financial or
natural disaster. Two proposals were being considered for the
ongoing management of the facility after HealthSpan’s contract
expires May 31.
Burke County native Sonny Bargeron was the new plant
manager at Plant Vogtle. He had worked as an engineer at the
site for 26 years.
Former Deputy Coroner Susan Salemi announced she would
challenge incumbent Coroner Lee Webster for the top job. Both
candidates would run as Democrats.
25 YEARS AGO - APRIL 16,1997
Re apportionment maps drawn by the Georgia General
Assembly resulted in State Rep. George DeLoach no longer
representing Burke County. Rep. Alberta Anderson represented
the entire county. Sen. Don Cheeks was the county’s new state
senator, replacing Charles Walker.
21 year-old Tiger Woods set ten records while capturing the
Green Jacket at the 61st Masters Tournament. His score of 18
under par broke a record held by Jack Nicklaus and Ray Floyd.
Burke County Museum curator Bob Hammond invited the
public to celebrate Confederate History and Heritage Month
with a visit to the museum.
50 YEARS AGO - APRIL 12,1972
Fleetwood Enterprises, a leading national manufacturer of
mobile homes, acquire 7.6 acres in the Burke County Office
Park located off Highway 24 South. A proposed manufacturing
plant on the site was projected to employ up to 150 workers.
Mr. and Mrs. Morris Gaines took over as the new Sears
Merchant in Waynesboro.
70 YEARS AGO - APRIL 17,1952
Members of the local Georgia National Guard unit returning
from active duty included Capt. Paul S. Stone, Sergeants Tracy
Carter, William R. Chandler, Charles H. Ellison, Twid Quick,
Jr., Wilbur R. Prescott; Corporals Thomas E. Hillis, Thomas
H. Radcliff, Roy L. Reeves, Russell M. Reeves, Jr., Ray L.
Smith; PFCs Ralph J. Godbee and James W. Odom.
Harthorn Flournoy, son of Rev. and Mrs. Ruben Flournoy of
Waynesboro, was undergoing recruit training at the U.S. Naval
Training Center in San Diego.
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Don Lively
The little golf tournament in
the city just north of our neck
of the woods is over.
“The Masters, a tradition
like no other”, must have been
a good one because my golf
friends are still talking about it.
I’m one of the very few
people in my circle of friends
and kin who has never set foot
on the Augusta National. I have
nothing against the storied
competition, it’s just that the
opportunity to attend has never
presented itself.
Maybe I should add The Mas
ters to my bucket list, which
includes visiting Australia, and
being a sideline reporter at a
University of Georgia football
game.
I’ll probably see Brisbane be
fore I get inside of “the hedges”.
Anyway, the only time I’ve
been anywhere near the Nation
al during the Masters was the
year I became an Uber driver.
Yes, I did.
Several years ago, my bonus
daughter raved about how she
was making so much extra
money driving for Uber. I’m
always in favor of making extra
money and she made it sound
easy. So, I downloaded the app
on my phone, did a quick online
tutorial, and started planning
my first Uber adventure.
What could be a better time to
become a first time Uber driver
than during Masters week?
Right?
Wrong.
The way it works is, you
turn on the Uber app and wait
for a tone that tells you that
somebody nearby has ordered a
ride. Then, you have to beat the
other ten thousand Uber drivers
to the app button. You have to
be fast, which I’m generally
not. So, after missing the first
few calls, I learned to sit with
my finger over the app, ready
to strike. Then, when I finally
got my first call, I completely
forgot how to proceed.
Thankfully, the group that I
picked up were all to inebri
ated to notice that I took them
to their location by the route I
knew, not by the one the GPS
demanded. It was a group of
five so it was a tight squeeze
getting them all into my pickup,
but everybody was happy. It
probably took twice as long as
it should have, but the golf fans
were having a jolly old time and
never complained.
I remember thinking that
hauling five riders on my very
first call was going to pay very
well.
UBER ME
Wrong again.
That ain’t the way Uber
works, unless they’ve updated
since then.
I actually made slightly more
from the tip than I did from the
drive.
Did I mention, Uber forbids
drivers from accepting tips?
I did anyway, since the “fare”
for five riders wouldn’t have
bought me a Happy Meal at
McDonald’s.
Undaunted, I forged ahead. I
drove back to near the National,
parked and once again poised
my finger, ready to pounce.
Got one!
This time it was a young
couple, obviously too young
to drink and obviously totally
snockered. But I was an Uber
driver, not the authorities, so, I
drove them where they wanted
to go. About halfway to their
destination, the young man let
down the passenger side rear
window, which I approved of
since they smelled like a dis
tillery. When I got to their drop
off, I started to get out to open
the door for them but the guy
quickly said, “I got it, thanks!”
I found out why a few min
utes later.
When I got my next call,
it was another young couple.
When the woman walked up to
the passenger side door she im
mediately recoiled and yelled.
The she and her date quickly
backed away. When I got out
to see what the problem was,
I found that the previous rider
had vomited all over the side
of my truck, which was his real
reason for letting the window
down.
If I could have found the
young puker I’d have been
tempted to clean my truck with
his scrawny little body.
My Masters Uber night was
over.
I did give it one more try, this
time in Atlanta after watching
my Dawgs stomp on the Yel-
lowjackets.
My first rider was wearing
a dark hoodie, said not a word
during the ride, and took me
twenty miles out into the middle
of nowhere.
Every episode of Criminal
Minds flashed through my
mind, but, when we got to his
location he simply got out and
vanished.
No tip.
I didn’t get murdered but I
only made like twelve bucks.
After that, I removed the
Uber app from my phone.
Of course, I got the prompt.
“We hate to lose you. Are
you sure you want to delete the
Uber app?”
Yeah, I’m sure.
Michael N. Searles
In Christian and various
musical circles, the expression
“You cannot steal my joy”
is popular. It is particularly
present in the black commu
nity. It is often a reference to
Satan or worldly things that
tend to block a sense of jubila
tion. This expression recently
was raised in reference to the
nomination and confirmation of
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson.
It was Senator Cory Booker
who emphatically announced
his feelings during the confir
mation hearings. He was not
alone in his expression and
others have expressed similar
sentiments. There are times
when we feel the whole world
should rejoice. During times
of significant religious cel
ebrations, the ending of major
conflicts, the discovering of a
lifesaving drug or treatment,
there seems to be a collective
sigh of relief or exaltation.
Justice Brown Jackson’s
nomination and confirmation to
the Supreme Court has elicited
jubilations from the African
American community. Other
communities within the United
States also have expressed the
joy of seeing something long
overdue happening. Some
have memories of where they
were or with whom they shared
the news. There is a sense of the
collective when those not per
sonally engaged or connected
pull off to the side of the road
as a funeral procession passes.
The observer may have no idea
who is being carried to his or
her eternal rest but they do so
out of respect.
As Justice Ketangi Brown
Jackson received the requisite
number of votes for confirma
tion, all the Democratic senators
in the chambers rose and gave
her a standing ovation. As this
was occurring, all but one Re
publican stood and quietly left
the chambers. Republican Sen
ator Mitt Romney of Utah stood
and applauded along with the
Democrats. His action showed
the respect for an action thought
to be appropriate by many
Americans. If Senator Romney
were selecting a nominee for the
Supreme Court, Justice Brown
Jackson likely would not be
YOU CANNOT STEAL MY JOY
his choice, but that fact did not
limit the recognition he thought
was required.
Respect is something that we
admire and sometimes expect.
We become very concerned
when we feel proper respect has
not been given.
San Francisco Quarterback
Cohn Kaepernick first kneeled
during the national anthem in
2016 as a means of protest
ing police brutality and racial
inequality. Taking a knee was
a long established practice of
civil rights religious leaders
in the past. Yet Kaepemick’s
peaceful action was supported
by some and denounced by
others. While his action en
couraged sports teams around
the world to follow his lead,
President Trump used profane
words to single him out. Some
described Kaepernick as unpa
triotic, ungrateful, disrespect
ful, and a degenerate.
While Kaepernick’s action
brought condemnation and the
loss of his professional football
career, the action of Republican
Senators who would not stand
to witness the expression of
joy at Justice Ketanji Brown
Jackson’s confirmation have
not received a similar condem
nation. To an observing public
it seems that the joy of the black
community brings sorrow to
Republicans, at least those in
the Senate. We watched as
Senators stood and quietly
walked out of the chambers as
several of their members cast
their votes from the cloakroom.
What has happened to re
spect? Why couldn’t Republi
can Senators stand and politely
applaud as history was being
made? Why couldn’t those who
felt Justice Brown Jackson was
well qualified for the office join
Senator Mitt Romney? Even
Senators Lisa Murkowski of
Alaska and Susan Collins of
Maine who both voted to con
firm Justice Brown did not stand
and applaud. The act of recog
nizing this historic nomination
apparently was too politically
risky for these two perceptive
and courageous politicians.
Senators who represent their
states and the nation have a
higher obligation to history.
They should be acutely aware
that children and the world are
expecting more of them. Joy
is not the exclusive province of
black people but something we
all should embrace as people
of God.