Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 4A
^Reporter
July 30. 2008
Opinion
Declare among the nations,
and publish, and set up a standard;
publish, and conceal not;
Jeremiah 50:2
OUR VIEW
25,000 strong, maybe
Our law enforcement officers have big fans in this newspa
per. We who report on their activities know first-hand the dif
ficulties they face on road patrol.
But while wielding their varied tools of enforcement, we
believe officers should also carry a generous dose of mercy.
You never know when you’re going to need it. Like on May 12
when deputy Tommy Herndon pulled over Felton McCant Jr.
of Moultrie for going 90 mph on 1-75. Mr. McCant explained
that he had been called to Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta with
word that his son, who had suffered a stroke, was on dialysis
and was partially paralyzed, could get a life-saving kidney
transplant if they’d hurry. Deputies hear a lot of lame excuses
for speeding. But this one could have been checked out. It
doesn’t appear that it was. McCant was ticketed and ordered
to turn off his hazard lights. By the time he got to the hospi
tal, the kidney had been given to someone else.
Fortunately, there’s a happy ending. Felton McCant III got
his new kidney three days later. But there’s also a sad reality.
Despite getting a letter from Dr. John Whelchel, director of
transplantation at Piedmont, solicitor Kristi Rowell pressed
the case at a reduced speed and collected a $280 fine.
To his credit, Mr. McCant bears no ill will. After all, the law
is rarely friendly. But the people of Monroe County are. Let’s
raise $280 to refund the McCants for this injustice, you can
donate to the Felton McCant Speeding Ticket Fund at
Monroe Comity Bank. Let’s show this family Monroe County
is about helping a neighbor in need, one that deserved better.
Point Blank: Monroe County’s only and best cartoon
POINT. BLANK!
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t-nd!
V\i MjE-sQ
Left w-e what the Bible has to say.
How long did Cain hate his brother?
As loot! as he was ABELl! I
On the Porch
Bumbs in the night, chips on the shoulder
KNOW YOUR NEIGHBOR
Name: Elizabeth
Williamson
Age: 65
Education: High
School
Family: Lucy
Etheridge, Linda
Anderson, George
H. Williamson Jr.,
and six grandkids
Where you wor
ship: Rocky Creek
Baptist
Your job: Retired
and loving it.
What was your
first job: William
Carter Co.
Your passion:
Music, reading
and traveling.
Your favorite posses
sion: Teacups and
teacart.
Favorite movie: "Shall
We Dance?"
Favorite book: "Gone
With The Wind"
What kind of car do
you drive and what
was your first car?
Blazer, 1952 Ford
Your hometown:
Forsyth
Something you are
considering doing:
Going to New York.
Words you live by:
Treat others like you
want to be treated.
Something you can't
live without: Friends
The thing you are
most proud of: My chil
dren and husband
What keeps you
awake at night:
Thinking about what to
do the next day.
Name something you
will never do
again: Build
another house
What's your
favorite web
site? None, I don't
have a computer.
If your life had
a theme song
what would it
be? "Consider the
Lilies"
If you could
start your life
over what would you
change? Nothing
What food could you
eat everyday? Shrimp
Something people
don't know about you:
A friend and I went on a
cruise.
What's the worst idea
you've ever had? Played
hooky from school with
two friends and got
caught.
What's the best thing
about living in Monroe
County? Small town life.
If you could change
one thing about
Monroe County what
would it be? Politics
:
WILLIAMSON
is published every week by The Monroe County Reporter Inc.
Will Davis, president
Robert M. Williams Jr., vice president
Cheryl S. Williams, secretary-treasurer
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A nd I once thought
scaling little girls
was so much fun.
Now I have
. a 6-
year-old little princess
of my own, and I would
pay good money to get
my hands on the twerp
camp counselors who
frightened my daugh
ter with a tale about
the ChickenMonkey
last week. Don’t
get me wrong,
my daughter
loved her week
at the Trinity
Woods Summer
Day Camp in Macon. It’s an
outdoor, Christian camp and
she refished her time in the
great outdoors. The camp
boasts that kids there get dirt
ier than at any other camp,
sliding down sfip’n’sfides,
exploring mud puddles, etc. It’s
the kind of stuff kids don’t do
enough in these days of
PlayStations and 48 TV chan
nels for kids. But it seems last
Wednesday, July 23, is the one
day each year that the
ChickenMonkey emerges at
Trinity Woods. I don’t know
what he looks like. Half chick
en and half monkey I guess. A
fearsome beast. My daughter
and her friend Kennedy
chuckled about him back
home later that night.
‘Whoooaaaaa, let’s go find the
ChickenMonkey!!!” they gig
gled. But when the sun went
down and Kennedy went
home, the giggling stopped
and tears began. “I
don’t want to sleep
by myself,” the
princess pouted.
“I’m scarrrrreeddd!
Please don’t leave
me!!!!!!! Puh-
leeeeeze!!!”
Now, some young
parents sleep with
their kids
fairly regu
larly, and
our crumb
crunchers
do climb in our bed
sometimes at late-night hours
when we’re too groggy to stop
them. But we usually make
them at least fall asleep in
their beds - alone. It seems to
contribute to mental health -
you know that boundaries
thing - at our house. But this
was a losing battle. Finally,
Mrs. Davis just plunked down
on our daughter’s bed and
they were soon sleeping
soundly.
The next day my wife,
always the logical one, appar
ently tried to explain to Abbie
the scientific fact that
ChickenMonkeys don’t exist.
I know this because Abbie
bounded into the house that
evening to tell me she was no
longer afraid of the
ChickenMonkey. She
explained that mommy had
told her that chickens and
monkeys cannot breathe
together. Say what?!? I asked.
“No, Abbie, they cannot
BREED together,” explained
Mrs. Davis (and I certainly
didn’t want to expound on
that).
The problem is, of course,
logic only works with a 6-year-
old girl until the sun goes
down. And so it went for four
straight nights - drama, tears,
prayers, explanations on the
biological impossibilities of the
ChickenMonkey, followed by
four Davis family members all
sleeping in the same bed
again.
So if you’re ever outdoors
late at night and you hear
leaves rustling, and you dis
cover the REAL
ChickenMonkey, please call
me. I’d like to deliver the
strange beast to the home of a
camp counselor somewhere in
Macon, and well see how well
HE sleeps!
• • •
Speaking of the outdoors,
there’s less of it on the court
house square now. Let me say
first of all that commissioner
Larry Evans seems to be
doing a capable job restoring
our beautiful courthouse. But I
think any Southerner should
understand you just don’t
uproot old magnolia trees in
the Deep South. It’s sinful.
I am sure 111 get over it
though. What I can’t get over
is Mr. Evans’ belligerence.
When I asked him last week,
he refused to share his plans
for the lawn. He won’t even
talk to me. It brought to mind
one of the first conversations I
had with Mr. Evans when I
got to town - he tried to put
me through an inquisition
about whether I had a black
person working for me. The
implication was that if some
one didn’t, they were racist. I
never learned who made Mr.
Evans the moral police for
employers around the county.
Like most employers, I want to
hire the best person for the
job, whether they’re red,
brown or green. But if I were
to think like Mr. Evans - if I
saw all the world through an
angry black and white prism, I
would wonder why he cut
down a white magnolia and a
white maple tree, but left the
black cherry and black walnut
trees still standing. Now that’s
the kind of silly thinking some
people have. Thankfully, I don’t
think like that and I don’t
think most Monroe Countians,
blacks and whites, think that
way. I have found that most
people here - blacks and
whites - have more in common
than not. Most of us just want
to have good jobs, raise our
families, worship our God and
five in peace.
So let me go on record as
saying I have no problem with
Larry chopping down trees on
the square, as long as he’ll
agree to work on that chip on
his shoulder while he’s at it.
Paper helps me find my way home
J ournalism is not
my intended field
of study. I am
working towards a
career in
athletic training. I
have received quite
a few comments on
that subject. In the
beginning, this
internship started
out as a job, a way
to help pay for a
class I am taking in
January. My room
mate convinced me to sign
up for this class with her
and part of that class is an
8-day trip to Paris. Even
though working as a jour
nalist is not my future
career goal, my time with
The Reporter has been so
much more than “just a
job” to me. I have gotten to
get a taste of what my dad
did for 16 years of his
life. I’ve realized that
today’s newspaper
office is a bit differ
ent than it used to
be. Most of this is due
to computers.
Being away from
home last year, I
found myself out of
the loop of most
events that go on in
Monroe County. Working at
The Reporter this summer
has allowed me to get to
know my hometown all
over again. I am so glad
that what I wrote was
received so well in the
community. I went from
Jackson and Theresa’s
daughter to being Katie,
the girl who works at the
paper. I hope everyone has
enjoyed reading my arti
cles as much as I enjoyed
writing them. It hasn’t all
been easy. I found myself
enrolled in a crash course
in Journalism 101. But the
learning was aided because
I am lucky to have such a
supportive family and two
parents with journalism
experience.
This summer is one for
the books, and I will
remember it for many
years to come. My work
has made me a better per
son all around, and has
helped me with communi
cation skills, my writing,
and, with my all time
favorite hobby, photogra
phy. I will take this with
me always.
Thank you to The
Reporter staff, the commu
nity, Mr. Will Davis, and
my parents, Jackson and
Theresa. Without all of
your help my wonderful
summer experience would
not have been possible.
Katie Daniel is a Forsyth
native, a LaGrange College
student and was the sum
mer intern for the Reporter.
By Katie
Daniel
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
There you go again, chairman
To the editor:
A s the old Gipper used to
say, “there you go again.”
Attending the July 15
commissioners meeting I
brought it to the board’s
attention that the Code of Monroe
County Ordinances had not been
updated or codified for over three
years even though state law requires
it be done annually. Chairman
Carlisle’s response was, “Well Mick
you have plenty of time why don’t
you come up here and do it.” The cit
izens of Monroe County elected a
chairman and four commissioners to
appoint a county clerk to oversee an
office, to take care of county
records/files and to maintain such in
compliance with the law and make
them available to the public. It is
my responsibility as a citizen to let
them know when they are failing to
do their duty, not to do it for them.
Statements such as Carlisle made in
front of the county clerk and another
employee to me represents a lack of
leadership in that it encourages
these employees to take on a similar
disregard toward the citizens/the
employers of the board. A more
rational response in my opinion
would have been, Mick we will check
into what you say and if that is the
case we will take immediate steps to
correct it.
If you don’t like the way we’re
doing it, do it yourself or shut up is
not an acceptable attitude for county
government.
I hope the voters will consider this
when it comes time to elect a leader
this November.
Mick Ashmore
Monroe County