Newspaper Page Text
Page A— Wednesday, June 8, 2022, 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 13,2012
Two Richmond County businessmen were sentenced to
federal prison for bilking a string of banks, including one
in Waynesboro. Robert J. Demello, Jr. and Raymond Turner
would both serve about bve years for the fraud. Turner had
once headed up an effort to rejuvenate Academy Avenue.
Thirteen year-old John Jewell was named Volunteer of the
Year for Hemophilia of Georgia. He was the youngest person
to ever receive the honor.
Burke County received more than 10 inches of rain over a
two week period. It was a welcome change for local farmers
and ranchers, who had seen their land suffer during a long
drought.
25 YEARS AGO-JUNE 11,1997
David McCray Heath, 27 had been missing since April 16.
His mother, Sylvia Heath received a phone call from someone
posing as a member of the Burke County Sheriff’s Office
saying her son was dead. Sheriff Greg Coursey said the caller
was an imposter and there was no evidence to indicate her
son was deceased.
Earle W. Maxwell, Jr., a former top executive at the Sunbeam
Corporation, was named president of Perfection Schwank, a
manufacturer of gas and oil room heaters here since 1951.
Comcast Communications assumed ownership of the
Scripps Howard Cable TV franchise in Waynesboro.
50 YEARS AGO-JUNE 7,1972
Quinton (Peanut) Rogers and Ray DeLaigle qualified to run
for seats on the Burke County Commission. James D. Smith
and Mattie Kane Henderson announced their candidacy for
Burke County School Superintendent to succeed M. W. Ses
sions who was retiring.
Dr. B. Lamar Murray announced that he was running for re-
election as Coroner and Preston B. Lewis, Jr. was running for
re-election as state representative. Lewis was being opposed
by local businessman Emory J. Williams.
70 YEARS AGO-JUNE 12,1952
The Statesboro Pickling Plant was buying an average of 73
bushels of cucumbers every day from farmers around Midville.
Bill Parker was serving as chairman of the broom sale for
the American Legion. Proceeds from the sale would benefit
the blind in the Atlanta Community Shop and other charities.
Postmaster S.A. Gray reported that the Waynesboro Post
Office had revenues in excess of $3,000 during the month of
May. Revenues during the same month in 1942 were $1,412.
We welcome your letters
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Email Letters to the Editor to: truecitizennews@live.com.
Don Lively
I’d been staring at the tree for
a half hour.
Prior to that morning, I’d
stared at it dozens of other times
trying to determine its fate.
A little background:
During many of the thirty
years that I lived Out West,
my places of abode lacked
shade. As I’ve noted in the past,
Denver and the surrounding
cities sit on a geographical area
known as a high desert. Trees
of any size, other than the cot
tonwoods that thrive along the
edges of the waterways, are
scarce, large trees even scarcer.
No trees mean no shade.
I like shade.
So, when I moved back to
the Blessed South and began
making plans to build my final
residence, shade was a prior
ity. When my nephew and his
young bride, Lireball, moved
from their newlywed single
wide into a fine house on the
lake in town, I claimed their
spot on our land. Once the
trailer was moved out, I mea
sured off a lot where I wanted
my house to sit, one that was
surrounded by trees, some so
close that I can now touch them
from the north porch.
I accomplished my goal.
My house is shady, just the
way I like it.
There are enough sunny spots
for my little tomato garden
and for the very rare occasions
when I want to sit in the sun,
but for the most part, most of
the day the house is cool and
shaded.
I’ve loved my shade trees
since the day I moved onto the
wooded enclave.
Then one day I noticed some
thing.
A huge oak on the southwest
corner of the house had started
to lean.
Toward the house.
Why don’t trees ever decide
to lean away from the house?
I’m sure that there’s some
botanical reason for the inward
lean but even if somebody
could explain it, it doesn’t help
the problem. Once a tree starts
to lean one direction, it ain’t
going to miraculously change
direction.
That’s what I was thinking
that day as I stared up at the
huge oak.
I made a decision.
The tree had to go.
I wasn’t an easy choice. I love
my trees. But I love my house
equally and the thought of tons
of green wood falling on it was
unfathomable.
A major problem, other than
the close proximity of the tree
to the house, was that there
RIGHT THERE
were several other trees close
by. So, as I studied on the
matter, I decided exactly what
could be done.
I also determined exactly
where I wanted the tree to fall,
straight between another oak
and a huge pine.
Then I prayed.
“Lord, please let the tree fall
right there.”
I pointed to the spot, as
though the Almighty needed
me to.
Then, I summoned my posse.
My country kin love a chore
that’s not easily accomplished.
They showed up ready, will
ing and (mostly) able.
I trust my guys, but I still
prayed.
“Lord, please, right there.”
Of course, since most of these
fellows are even more hard-
headed than I am, and just as
opinionated, they all brought
their own ideas on how to get
the tree down.
I tried to assert my authority
since it was my house at risk.
“I want it to fall right there.”
I was over-ruled.
The “committee” decided to
hook and pull it at a completely
different angle which was going
to make it more difficult for me
to cut it up once it was on the
ground,but, since they were all
working for free, I acquiesced.
Willie shinnied up the ladder
and attached the strap, then
several of us pulled the cable as
tight as possible while the other
end was hooked to a come-
along attached to another tree.
Once that was accomplished the
entire line was tightened and the
tree was ready to be cut.
That job fell to me since
nobody else wanted to be re
sponsible if things went to
crap. Theoretically, the tree was
supposed to fall in line with the
strap.
It didn’t happen.
I made the wedge cut on the
front first and then as I made
the rear cut that would cause
the tree to fall, for a few seconds
the tree ominously shuddered
toward the house, but then the
cable did its job.
The tree fell exactly, pre
cisely, where I had prayed it
would, not where the committee
had said it would.
I just looked Heavenward,
winked and smiled.
God had overruled the com
mittee.
I was so relieved that didn’t
spend one second gloating. I fed
the crew grilled sausages and
potato chips and a grand time
was had by all.
“Right there, Lord...thank
You!”
Don Lively is a freelance
writer and author of several
books of Southern Humor. He
lives in Shell Bluff. Email Don
at Livelycolo@aol.com.
P.O. Box 948 • 629 Shadrack Street
Waynesboro, Georgia 30830
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Michael N. Searles
A simple response to the
question, “What’s wrong with
us” is nothing. Most Ameri
cans believe we are just, virtu
ous, and moral. This condition
has been described as a moral
superiority problem. Musician
Mac Davis in 1980 wrote and
recorded the humorous song
“It’s Hard to Be Humble.” The
first verse begins with, “Oh,
Lord, it’s hard to be humble;
When you’re perfect in every
way; I can’t wait to look in
the mirror, ‘Cause I get better
lookin’ each day.” The song
continues with the same puff
ery for a number of verses and
ends with “Lord, it’s hard to
be humble, But I’m doing the
best that I can.” Most mental
health professionals say it is
important to have a healthy
self-concept. Thinking well of
ourselves leads to better mental
health and our treatment of
others. However, thinking too
highly of ourselves can lead
down a false and troubling
path. We Americans say we
are able to “pull ourselves up
by our bootstraps” and each
generation will do better than
the previous one. However,
in nearly every other high-
income country, people have
both become richer over the
last three decades and enjoy
substantially longer lifespans.
Yet, while average incomes in
the United States have risen,
much of the economic gain
has gone to the affluent. Our
lifespan has risen only three
years since 1990 a marked
slowdown compared to other
developed countries. Ameri
cans feel great pride as the
leading democracy. While that
may have been true some years
ago, Norway now has that title.
Norway has the highest citizen
engagement of around 78%
compared to the United States
58%, and Norway gains that
recognition by its responsive
ness to the needs of its citizens.
WHAT'S WRONG WITH US?
The US is responsive to cor
porate interests and currently
ranks number fifteen among
the world’s democracies. As
a country, are not as healthy as
our fellow nations. Prices for
drugs, medical procedures and
doctors’ visits are substantially
higher in the United States
than in other countries. While
Americans pay almost twice as
much for medical care as citi
zens of other western nations,
our health suffers by com
parison. A person will receive
better health care in Norway,
the Netherlands, Australia, the
United Kingdom, Germany,
New Zealand, Sweden,Trance,
Switzerland, and Canada than
in the United States. We lock
up more of our citizens than
any other wealthy country with
a disproportionate amount be
ing blacks and Latinos. We
fear and loath taxes and the
rich take advantage of that
sentiment. When Americans
hear “higher taxes,” they au
tomatically respond, “Taxes
are too doggone high.” Yet
in the 1950s and 1960s when
the economy was booming,
the wealthiest Americans paid
a top income tax rate or 91%.
Rich folks in those two decades
did not suffer and did not feel
deprived, but it is always good
politics to say, “We’re lowering
taxes.” When the rich paid less,
the rest of us paid more, and the
country suffered. Today, the
top rate is 37% with the richest
1% paying an effective federal
income tax rate of 27.2%
We are not at the top of the hill
and easily ranked with Third-
World Countries in the areas of
criminal justice, gun violence,
healthcare, infrastructure, and
inequality. There is a dramatic
disconnect between how Amer
icans see themselves and how
the world sees us. Sometimes
we say we are the greatest and
other times we want to make
America great again. We often
wear rose-colored glasses and
refuse to admit our shortcom
ings. How many Americans
would say we
live in the great- SEE
est country in SEARLES,
the world and