Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 5A
May 21, 2008
^Reporter
From the outside looking in
Tamales,
road kill,
casinos
and taxes
GREENVILLE, MS.: Up here in the Mississippi
Delta, one would expect catfish to be the main
restaurant offering with stiff competition
between restaurants as to which would have the
bragging rights for the best on a menu. Not even
with the Mississippi River within spitting dis
tance of a bunch of restaurants, catfish is low on
the menu items and takes a seat on back of the
bus to tamales. That’s right, tamales!
The competition between restaurants in
Greenville is who serves the best tamales. That’s
right, tamales. I have to admit, tamales are my
favorite Mexican food
item and I have been on a
quest up here to find the
best. I have eaten them at
fancy restaurants, tamale
specialty shops, road side
stands and at service sta
tions in the middle of no
where other than seeing a
sign advertising
“the best tamales in
Mississippi.”
I got tired of lob
ster in Maine, bar
becue in Memphis
and steaks in
Kansas. So far, to
use a true Southern expression, I haven’t had my
“bait” of tamales. I have come to the conclusion
they are all good but the ones wrapped in corn
husks look more authentic.
The odd thing about tamales in Mississippi,
there is not a large Hispanic population, particu
larly here in the Delta. Other food items you can
find on menus are hog maws with rice, neck-
bones, rutabagas, mustard and turnip greens.
Collards don’t seem to be a favorite menu item.
I’ve had them all but keep searching for the best
tamale.
WRITING of Mississippi Delta food, road kill up
here is primarily armadillos with ‘possums run
ning a close second, according to a newspaper
columnist with the Delta Democrat Times.
The columnist, Robert Hitt Neill, also reported
these interesting results of an experiment: Seems
like 75 percent of all drivers would change lanes
to run over/hit a snake and 75 percent would
change lanes to miss a turtle. Interesting. Would
you do the same?
ALTHOUGH farming is obviously the major
employer up here, for spending that hard earned
dirt farming money casinos on the banks of the
Mississippi from Vicksburg to Memphis and a
couple here in Greenville, seem to be the pocket-
book siphon.
I am sure the casinos pour a lot of money back
into the local economies by hiring locals and pay
ing taxes, knowing the odds, the casinos are tak
ing in more than they pour back in.
There was a Mississippi law that casinos could
not be built on land. They had to be out in the
river or off shore, in the water, not built on land.
Governor Haley Barbour and the state legisla
ture changed that law after a couple of casinos
down on the Gulf got washed up into middle of
towns during Katrina.
You know, down in Savannah, you can play the
slots and roll the dice on a cruise ship after it
leaves Savannah and gets somewhere in the
ocean away from the auspices of Georgia’s anti-
gambling laws.
If casinos are ever legalized in Georgia, restrict
ed to rivers, Juliette would be an ideal place to
put a river boat for gambling. I wonder if Marvin
Bowdoin Jr. and Robert Williams would approve
of riverboat gambling on the Ocmulgee in
Juliette?
BACK to catfish. Riding on the back roads of
Mississippi, searching out local newspapers, radio
stations, city and county government meetings to
attend, I began to notice ponds, hundreds of
them with tractors riding around strewing what I
later found out was food for the catfish farming
that has become a major farming industry.
The next time I go up to Falls View to eat “my
bait” of catfish, I will wonder if they came from
Mississippi.
HELL HAS no fury compared to an irate tax
payer and that fury is brewing amongst Monroe
County citizens after receiving their property re-
evaluations. Don’t be surprised if taxpayer/voters
put their fury in the ballot box coming up in
November.
DID YOU know “Forsyth employee pay hikes
are to exceed seven percent”? Also, did you know
“Body found in woods that of missing Forsyth
man?”
Don’t get bent out of shape about the “raise” or
the “missing Forsyth man.” Those were just head
lines written by the Atlanta newspaper headline
writers who are totally ignorant about Georgia
and doing a disservice to our county seat!
Donald Jackson Daniel is the founder and for
mer publisher of The Reporter and can be contact
ed via e-mail at tullaybear@bellsouth.net.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Don’t stereotype: Reader loves pits
To the editor:
his letter is in
regards to the
article in last
week’s paper
about the pit
would like to say
I’m sorry you feel the way
you do about these dogs. I own
two pit bulls, a four year old and
a six month old. These are the
best dogs I have ever had out of
about 10 different breeds. I would
never be afraid for anyone to be
around my dogs.
My daughter has been bitten
and hospitalized for stitches from
a dog. No, not mine. Guess what?
It was a black lab. The “nicest
family dog” around.
I guess my point is...dogs are
dogs, and it is ALL in how they
are raised. So, please stop stereo-
typing_the pit!
Becki Bowdoin
Forsyth
Unreasonable assessments hurt growth
To the editor:
have enjoyed living in Monroe
County since July 2003.
Although I realize that this loca
tion is highly desirable, I was
truly surprised to discover that,
according to the Monre County Tax
Assessor, my property value has
increased by almost a third since it
was purchased. When I reached the
tax assessors office by telephone to get
“information used to arrive at the fair
market value” as indicated on the
notice, I was offered an appointment to
discuss the matter with a team from
that office. Other Monroe Countians
that I have talked with have expressed
distress at values that have increased
by as much as 50 percent. Some of
these are long time residents that have
made Monroe County an outstanding
place to live. The Reporter has indicat
ed that the real estate market in the
county is better than those surround
ing and it should be because of its
desirability as a place to live.
However, unreasonable assessments,
when that is the case, will diminish
that desirability in a significant man
ner.
I do hope that the Reporter will con
tinue to cover the county commission
meetings so that your readers will be
informed about how our leaders intend
to deal with this situation. Thank you
for your consideration.
Fletcher Anderson
Culloden
Backlot Flayers to go ‘Over the River*
The final season offering of the
Backlot Players for this year is "Over
the River and Through the Woods".
This hysterical comedy by Joe
DiPietro follows the life of Nick
Christano, a single, Italian-American
guy from New Jersey. His parents
retired to Florida, but that doesn't
mean his family isn't still in New
Jersey. In fact, he sees both sets of
his grandparents every Sunday for
dinner. This is routine until he has
to tell them that he's been offered a
dream job, which would take him
away from his beloved, but annoying,
grandparents. The news doesn't sit
so well, and thus begins a series of
side-splitting schemes to keep Nick
around. Show dates are June 5, 6, 7,
12, 13, & 14 at 8 p.m., and June 8 at
2 p.m. All performances will be held
at the Rose Theater (23 West
Johnston Street in downtown
Forsyth). Tickets are $12 for adults,
$10 for senior citizens, and $8 for
students. Call 994-0443 to reserve
your seat (now accepting
MasterCard and Visa). Visit
http://www.thebacklotplayers.org for
more information. Plan to support
the performing arts in middle
Georgia by attending a very enjoy
able afternoon or evening of
Community Theater with the
Backlot Players.
Tax
continued from page 1A
Property owners have until June 30 to file an appeal.
Anderson has set a June 2
appointment to let the coun
ty explain its reasoning.
Forsyth insurance agent
J.T. Bunn said he's upset the
county tripled his property
tax assessment to $11,000
per acre. Bunn said he's con
fident some taxpayers will
not be able to pay the tax
bills on their property. He
said taxpayers should not
have to pick up the differ
ence just because the county
lost $5 million on the Tift
College property.
Despite the complaints,
there were few visitors to
the tax assessor's office
Monday morning to file
appeals, and office workers
said they hadn't heard many
complaints. Many who came
in a little disgruntled were
fine once they had spoken
with someone who could
help them solve their prob
lem. Some of the notices
people received were for
incorrect acreages, and their
problem was solved once
they went to the Tax
Assessor's office, said asses
sors staff.
The tax assessors may
have bought some time by
how they mailed the notices.
The notices had to be mailed
by Thursday but they were
apparently put in the mail
in Duluth and didn’t arrive
in mailboxes until Saturday,
when the assessors office
was closed. That gave prop
erty owners some time to
cool down before the office
reopened Monday morning.
Property owners have until
June 30 to file an appeal.
Seventy-six percent of
Monroe County property
owners had their property
assessment increased, said
Ross. Ross says of the
15,700 parcels in the county,
over 12,000 of them show an
increased value, resulting in
a 31 percent increase the
tax digest, up $347 million
over last year.
Fletcher
continued from page 1A
He was trained to be a
flight engineer, and after
deployment his 39th
squadron was flying C-47s
all over the South Pacific
transporting bombs, equip
ment and ammunition to
U.S. forces.
Working behind the lines,
his squadron had mostly
avoided trouble until Feb.
17, 1945, when they tried to
drop paratroopers into
Japanese-held territories
around Manila, Philippines.
Above the capital city, their
C-47 was suddenly being
riddled with Japanese bul
lets, one striking the pilot in
the ribs and another hitting
Fletcher in the right leg.
Then smoke filled the cabin
and panic began to set in.
Fortunately, they found that
the bullet had hit Fletcher
only after ricocheting off a
fire extinguisher, causing a
leak and sending smoke
leaking into the cabin. Both
pilot and flight engineer
were OK and able to return
to service.
For taking the bullet,
Fletcher would receive the
Purple Heart, among other
commendations.
But that wasn’t their only
brush with mortality.
Returning from a supply
mission to Japan after the
surrender, their plane’s nav
igation equipment quit
working and they nearly
wound up trying to cross the
Indian Ocean before realiz
ing they were off course.
Fletcher kept his parents,
Tom and Kossie Fletcher of
Forsyth, updated on the war
effort and was even able to
use code to give his location.
He and his mother had
devised a numbered map
together so he could tell
them where he was in the
Pacific, whether New
Guinea, the Philippines or
Japan, without revealing a
place name.
His unit arrived in Tokyo
just 12 days after the
Japanese surrender, and he
still has a copy of the Yank
newspaper distributed to
troops by the Army, and a
newspaper staff that includ
ed a boy from Forsyth
named Harold Clarke. Also
while overseas, he ran into
other Forsythians, including
Jack Rumble, Buddy
Rhodes, Harold’s brother
Jack Clarke and his own
brother Thomas. Fletcher
said the Japanese seemed to
be in awe of the Americans
because of their height.
Other memorable events
in war-time include the time
a typhoon hit Japan.
Furious gusts toppled the
wind sock once it calculated
135 mph, but Fletcher some
how stayed with his plane,
turning it into the wind. His
plane turned out to be the
only one to survive.
Another sobering memory
was when his 39th squadron
airlifted U.S. POWs from
the infamous Bataan prison
camp in Japan. Fletcher
recalls how emaciated the
men who survived were
when they arrived.
But war time isn’t all
gloom. Fletcher still gets a
chuckle when he thinks
about how they’d swoop
down with their jets and
play with the Philippino
natives by rocking them on
their small sampan boats.
The rushing air would leave
the natives scrambling to
keep their chickens on their
small vessels. Then there
was the time his squadron
got the high honor of trans
porting Gen. Douglas
McArthur’s latrine, yes,
latrine, from the Philippines
to his new home in Japan.
Fletcher said serving his
country in World War II
taught him a lot, and he
was impressed that a youth
ful army is a successful one
because young people don’t
question orders as much.
Two, he believes the make-
work programs during the
Depression, the Works
Progress Administration
and Civil Conservation
Corps, were key to teaching
Americans how to work and
thus how to win the war.
Fletcher said he thinks the
U.S. is doing some good in
the Iraq War today because
it is teaching America how
to deal with Arabs. But he
worries that America is not
respected today as it once
was in the world.