Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 5A
May 7, 2008
"Reporter
From the outside looking in
Where’s
GRTA when
you need it?
L et’s take a trip back a couple of years when
gas was a dollar plus a gallon. Our state
government was going to make commuter
travel between Macon and Atlanta easy with
a few other stops before seeing the gold
dome. Is it coming back to you yet?
Well the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority
(GRTA) came up with what they thought would relieve
the frustration of interstate hassles, Atlanta traffic
and the high cost of gas at that time. Commuters to
and from Atlanta and points in between could catch a
bus for a relatively cheap price. To say it was an eco
nomic disaster is a mild term. The idea was good but it
was before its time.
GRTA’s bus idea lasted less than a year. It never
caught on because gas was cheap and commuters had
not reached the point of letting
somebody else do the driving.
Now with gas predicted to get
to $4 a gallon by mid summer,
maybe GRTA will reconsider. It
just might work this time.
AS GOMER PYLE would say,
“Surprise, Surprise, Surprise”
was the reaction at just a few
minutes before high noon
this past Friday. That was
the day and the deadline
for Democrats and
Republicans “getting
elected hopefuls” to quali
fy for elected office.
The surprise came when
the former disqualified candidate for Forsyth mayor
paid his qualifying fee to run as a Republican for
county commission chairman. Several people got
Gomer’ed.
THE AWARD for the first posted campaign sign has
to go to the incumbent district attorney. His “vote for
me” sign on Hwy. 42 North has been up for at least
three-weeks, about the time he decided to switch par
ties and put an “R” after his on the ballot name.
That sign is only the beginning because it is a long
way to November and those “elect me” signs and
posters are going to pop up faster than mushrooms in
a cow pasture.
NO GRIPING and no complaining. You had your
chance.
There have been a couple of important public hear
ings/meetings over the last month that will have very
definite effects on us Monroe County citizens. The tax
assessors have had a couple of public meetings to
explain the re-evaluation of property that is taking
place. The meetings received a lot of news coverage
but citizen attendance, input and discussion was non
existent. So, don’t complain when your property is re
valued for tax purposes.
The second important meeting was last Thursday
evening when Department of Transportation (DOT)
and Regional Development Center (RDC) personnel
sought input as to how to relieve traffic congestion in
downtown Forsyth and on state roads in Monroe
County.
Truck traffic in downtown Forsyth and on Hwys. 83
and 41 were a concern of the city and county elected
officials in attendance. Only a couple of “interested cit
izens” attended. Again, you had your chance to partici
pate and didn’t. Therefore no complaining when a traf
fic plan is implemented and it disrupts what you think
it should have been.
Both DOT and RDC presented plans on the traffic
“solutions” but the one and obvious solution is not in
their planning: a by-pass around Forsyth. The other
solution which is obviously a “no-no” to traffic prob
lems in downtown Forsyth is—here’s the dirty word-
one-way streets.
IT WAS back in October of 2003 when, with pride,
city officials announced a re-vitalization project for a
four-block area of downtown Forsyth. The project
was/is called “Streetscape.” Finally, in last week’s
legal ads, the Georgia Department of Transportation
advertised that the five-year planning project is com
plete and work is ready to get started. But don’t hold
your breath.
Just hope we don’t have to wait another five-years to
see some dirt getting turned and the project gets
underway and downtown Forsyth gets Streetscaped.
IS A CERTAIN area of Culloden in a “twilight zone”
or on Central Standard Time? That is the question
that still has some of us guessing. Here’s the reason:
attending a meeting in the “eastern” part of Culloden,
all of a sudden our cell phones changed time. Just like
fall day light savings time, our cell phones fell back an
hour. When we left, we were back on Forsyth time.
HOW CAN a law enforcement officer—sheriff’s
deputy, state patrol or city policeman—make an arrest
for too darkly tinted windows when their own patrol
car windows are so tinted you can only assume there
is a driver in the patrol car?
MONROE COUNTY Recreation Director and his
assistant should no longer allow parents, relatives or
friends of little leaguers to attend their kid’s ball
games. Maybe that is too extreme. It is really sad the
over zealousness and non-sportsman like conduct per
sonified by a few makes a kid’s game into an adult
egotistical and self-serving match.
What is really sad, those few obnoxious coaches,
parents, relatives and friends do not have the ability
to comprehend how they are affecting the youth of
tomorrow and their own children.
Donald Jackson Daniel is the founder and former
publisher of The Reporter. He can be contacted at tul-
laybear@bellsouth. net.
Around the Bend
Don’t sweat the mohawks
A s I bounced around from one
campsite to another
around the MP
track chatting
with friends and
taking pictures during the annu
al Relay for Life event Friday
evening, I was approached nu
merous times by friends of my
son asking, “Have you seen
Andy’s hair yet?”
I knew he had gone to
see Lee Smith that
afternoon and was
pleased that he finally decided to
shear his shaggy locks. Heck, I gladly
handed over the 10 bucks in hopes of
seeing a neat haircut.
But I knew the anxious friends who
kept questioning me were not just
anxious to know if I had seen Andy’s
neatly trimmed hair. He had done
something.
“What did he do?” I asked one.
Apparently Andy had sworn them all
to secrecy, but I wasn’t born yester
day. I knew this was worse than a
buzz cut.
“Did he get a Mohawk?” I asked
one guy. His expression told me I had
nailed it.
All of a sudden I got visions of
James, the tattooed heathen with a
pink mohawk on the recently
wrapped-up reality show
“Big Brother.”
Oh, no, I thought. How am
I going to explain this to his
dad?
HOWEVER, with all the
stuff I’ve been dealing with
lately - my grandma’s ill
ness . . . her three
daughters fighting like
J 12-year olds over her
care . . . Larry’s own
recent health scares. . . the pollen. . .
well, I decided I didn’t really care
what kind of haircut Andy has. So he
looks like he should be on stage at a
punk rock concert, so what? He’s still
my Andy.
Whatever rebellious spirit he had
that made him shave the sides of his
head and leave a poof of hair down
the middle is just part of being a
teenager, I guess.
I looked around. The place was full
of struggles. People mourning the
loss of a loved-one to cancer. Those
who are still fighting it. People who
had lost all their hair to the ravages
of chemotherapy.
I decided that maybe a weird hair
cut rally ain’t so bad.
EVER SINCE the dawn of time
teenagers have been trying to invent
new ways of shocking their parents.
Ways of asserting their own inde
pendence from the totally uncool
folks who created them, nurtured
them, fed them, bought them stuff
and loved them through broken
hearts and the chicken pox. For some
reason, they feel they must do some
thing to say, “Hey, I am my own per
son. I can make my own decisions.”
Of course I would have much
rather Andy have thrown caution to
the wind and cleaned his room for
once and turned in his homework on
time, but I guess that wouldn’t be
true rebellion, now would it?
I tried some reverse psychology and
said “Hey your hair looks cool!” when
I finally saw him Friday night.
I figured that the appeal of a
mohawk might fade if his totally
uncool mother likes it. After all,
when I was a teenager we had to
walk 10 miles in the snow to get our
hair cut into mohawks with sharp
ened rocks. What do I know about
cool?
Gina Herring may be reached at
478-994-2358 or ginaherring@bell-
south.net.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Coach: Have to stick up for players
To the editor:
ear I am reading
an article telling
the parents of
the rec league
ball to beware
(“Beware the rec league par
ents,” page 4A, April 30
Reporter). There is a lot of
truth in this article. There is
a bit too much competitive
spirit in the wrong places. We
as adults tend to get too
wrapped up in the games of
our children but there is one
problem that I have with this
article.
I have a problem with the
author putting all of the
coaches in with one incident.
Now as a past rec league
coach and a current assistant
that is helping with my
daughter’s softball team I am
a little offended by this. As a
coach and a helper with my
daughter's team I have been
and am now very protective
of the kids that I have
coached and I can say that
other coaches feel the same
way. In many cases I feel that
if my kids are being treated
unfairly I think that as a
coach we should have a right
to speak up but to do it in a
respectful manner. The
author should stop and con
sider what he is writing and
to stop sensationalizing one
incident with one coach that
was trying to stand up for his
player. He should also consid
er that the men and women
that are coaching these
teams are doing it on their
own time for the love of the
kids and the game. Parents
beware not of the coaches but
an over zealous writer trying
to sensationize one instance.
Creed Hayman
Forsyth
Recreation department umpire LaMarcus Davis talks
to rec director Jimmy Smith after ejecting a coach in
an 8 and under girls softball game late last month.
(File photo)
Bravo: Some rec parents need to grow up
To the editor:
was just reading your editorial
about the recreation depart
ment parents, (“Beware the rec
league parents”) and I whole
heartedly agree! Although both
of my children are grown, when my
son was about six years old (and that
was in the mid-80's) he wanted to
play T-ball. We of course allowed
him to, but thankfully after that first
year, he chose not to play any more.
Parents need to grow up and let
their children be children!
Cheryl O'Neal
Forsyth
Coach apologizes for rec league ejection
To the editor:
irst let me start by extend
ing my deepest apologies
for anyone I may have
offended by being
ejected from the 8
and under softball game.
When I read the Reporter
Wednesday (“Beware the rec
league parents,” page 4A,
April 30 Reporter), I first was
mad at what I had read!
When I had time to think
about it, I thought, I guess it
could have appeared that I was
being obnoxious, But let me ask
you: what kind of coach would I be if
I didn't question a bad call on a play?
I feel if we coach our girls' to do
things that our coaching staff thinks,
or feels, are correct under the rules
that were discussed in preseason
meetings, then yes I will argue a bad
call. While I do understand the
umpires or coaches alone are not per
fect, in this game in question
there were a lot of bad calls that
lead up to me questioning the
call that got me ejected. I did
not want in anyway to teach the
girls or anyone’s children that
they don't have to follow the
rules. I do apologize again if I
miss lead anyone! I did not
threaten anyone and would never
do that. When we questioned this
call the umpire said to us “you are
going to win anyway.” Now I ask you:
wouldn't that appear to be more
obnoxious than me questioning a
call. The rec department is selective
in who they let coach. I think they
should also be selective in who they
let umpire. I will admit I am a little
competative. But being a Bunn I
really can't help it. It's in my blood.
Everything I do and the other
coaches who are on the Yellow
Jackets are all for our girls. So
please, I ask that myself or anyone
else on the Yellow Jackets not be bad
mouthed or looked at as a bad exam
ples. We love this game and our girls!
We all just have a strong passion for
this game, and we want to see it
come to life through our girls!
There’s no other feeling like that!
Bobby “B. JBunn
Forsyth
BUNN
Mom wants portapotties back at rec fields
To the editor:
am a parent who supports
the Monroe County
Recreation Department.
However during this current
softball season there are a
few items that are missing from
the grounds, that were present
last season porta-potties
between field 5 and 6.1 know
many are reading this and think
that it’s not a big deal. But as the
mother of a little girl, it is a big
deal that she has to run to one
end of the rec complex or the
other to use the bathroom. During
a game...it’s really an issue. We
had heard that they would be
back at the start of the regular
season. Where are they? Many
parents and children
would like to know
when they will return,
for softball sake.
Kimberly
Bowen
Forsyth