Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 4A
August 20. 2008
^Reporter
Opinion
Declare among the nations,
and publish, and set up a standard;
publish, and conceal not;
Jeremiah 50:2
OUR VIEW
Save the peanut
M onroe County schools have done the
right thing in continuing to let students
bring food like peanut butter with their
lunch or snack.
Certainly, teachers should be considerate of students
with allergies to peanuts. It’s believed that nine stu
dents at our two elementary schools suffer from a
peanut allergy. They can have severe health problems,
including life-threatening seizures, if they digest any
peanut products. It appears the schools have taken
more than adequate measures, barring their cafeterias
from offering peanut products, to handle the problem.
But, we urge the schools to resist even more extreme
measures that some schools have taken, like banning
peanut products outright.
Hubbard Elementary School parent Marci Blackwell
said it better than we could. She said it’s insane for a
school to require 900 kids to remove a staple from
their diet because three of them are allergic. She’s
exactly right. Where do we draw the line after we start
banning foods to accommodate .3 percent of the stu
dent population? Her daughter is in 4-K and relishes
the peanut butter sandwich she brings to school, and
peanut products are in so many foods.
Special arrangements should be and have been made
to ensure the children with the allergy are not in dan
ger of ingesting peanut products. For the rest, peanut
butter is a nutritious, inexpensive staple that kids
love. And Georgia remains the top peanut growing
state in the U.S., producing about 40 percent of
American peanuts.
Schools have to be mindful of students with special
needs. But we should resist the urge to overreact by
imposing school-wide bans of that popular American
food.
KNOW YOUR NEIGHBOR
Name: Cristi
White
Age: 24
Family: My son,
Landen White
Your job: Monroe
County Tax
Commissioner’s
office
What was your
first job: Working
at Dairy Queen
Your passion:
My son
Your favorite posses
sion: my maiden name,
Mercer
Favorite movie:
“Jeepers Creepers 1&2”
Favorite book: “Of
Mice and Men”
What kind of car do
you drive and what
was your first car?
Ford Escape, Convertible
Capri
Your hometown:
Forsyth
Something you are
considering doing:
Traveling
Can’t live
without: My
mom and dad
Thing you
are most
proud of: My
son’s personali
ty
If your life
had a theme
song, what
would it be?
I’m a survivor
What food
could you eat every
day? Pasta
Something people
don’t know about you:
My mother’s maiden
name is Pancake
What’s the best thing
about living in Monroe
County? You know
everybody
If you could change
one thing about
Monroe County, what
would it be? There
would be more things to
do here instead of having
to go to other counties.
WHITE
is published every week by The Monroe County Reporter Inc.
Will Davis, president
Robert M. Williams Jr., vice president
Cheryl S. Williams, secretary-treasurer
OUR STAFF
Will Davis
Publisher/E ditor
publisher@mymcr.net
Gina Herring
Reporter
news@mymcr. net
Adam Ham
Webmaster
webmaster@mymcr.net
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Contributing
Writer
wendellram4@
bellsouth.net
Trellis Grant
Business Manager
business@mymcr.net
Carolyn Martel
Advertising
Manager
ads@mymcr. net
Denzil Hansford
Graphics Artist
gr aphics@mymcr. net
Laura Thackston
Editorial Assistant
50 N. Jackspn St., Forsyth, GA 31029
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Official Organ of Monroe County and
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The comments featured on the opinion pages
are the sole creations of the writers, they do
not necessarily reflect the opinions oi The Re
porter management.
Publication No. USPS 997-840)
Point Blank: Monroe County’s only and best cartoon
MORE Fiscal ineptitude as brought to you by: ( W$ieCm Neat, <EsQ
...The real Courthouse DIRT as presented by:
Since the taxpayers have to foot the bill
for our commissioner's retreat, we
WINE. H A SH
I heard, per Jim Peters' request,
they're going to Peters' booby (dairy)
bar to pass the peace pipe and
On the Porch
Toe the line or ‘learn a lesson’
W e hear you
now. Since
we launched
our website
in March,
you, dear reader, have been
talking to us a lot more.
With the click of a comput
er mouse, you can
give us instant feed
back.
Of course, we’re
encouraged by posi
tive comments.
“I really enjoyed
your column on the
Dairy Queen,”
emailed one
reader last
week. “With
the bad press
that comes out
on Christians, much of it
deserved, it’s good to see a
story like yours.”
But as you can imagine,
since we’re not afraid to
tackle controversial issues,
it’s not all peaches and
cream.
Most recently, our Aug. 13
Point Blank cartoon gar
nered a few criticisms.
Before we get to that, let
me tell you about Point
Blank. I am proud that
we’re one of the few weekly
newspapers in the state
with its own, locally-pro
duced cartoon. We have
two young volunteers who
add energy and wit to our
editorial page.
Certainly, they cannot
draw like Charles Schultz,
wouldn’t claim to. And
with their sometimes off-
the-wall depictions, I can’t
always catch their point.
But, many readers tell me
they enjoy it. One gentle
man this weekend ranked
for me his favorite Point
Blanks. Our cartoonists fol
low Monroe County news
closely. Their cartoons
make me laugh sometimes,
and make me think at oth
ers times, and sometimes
leave me scratching my
head. But they’re getting
better over time.
Now, about last week’s
Point Blank. It was a com
mentary on the way crimi
nal charges against com
missioner Larry Evans
have been handled. Here’s
how it read:
Man No. 1: “Hey Mister,
why did you choose to
come to Forsyth to commit
a violent act of carjacking?”
Man No. 2: “I know that
in Forsyth an arrest war
rant simply means
I get to talk to the
Honorable Tommy
Wilson.”
The point is this:
We have a legal
system that’s
based on due
process for
everyone.
If a citizen
or law
enforce
ment offi
cer believes someone has
committed a crime, they
have to go to a judge for a
probable cause hearing.
The judge decides if there’s
enough evidence to bring
criminal charges. If the
judge rules there is, he or
she issues warrants so the
suspect can be arrested
and formally charged.
And when commissioner
Jim Peters took out a com
plaint against Evans, the
judge found enough evi
dence and issued warrants
for disorderly conduct and
terroristic threats against
Evans. Once that happens
to someone, they have to be
fingerprinted and checked
in at the jail before posting
bond. It’s a process that’s a
sacred part of American
law, separating us from
banana republics like, well,
Mexico.
But that’s not what hap
pened with Evans, who
was treated differently.
Superior Court Judge
Tommy Wilson intervened
and summoned Peters and
Evans into his chambers
for a chat. Wilson says he
was trying to be a peace
maker, and I respect that.
Besides, like any other citi
zen, Wilson can speak to
whomever he wants.
Nothing wrong with that.
Still, to this day the war
rants have not been served
on Mr. Evans. There are at
least 100 defendants in the
Monroe County Jail right
now who wish they could
be afforded the same treat
ment. And that was the
point the cartoon made: In
Monroe County, arrest
warrants were issued and
the accused merely had to
have a sit down with Judge
Wilson, escaping the nor
mal judicial process. Like
it or not, those are the
facts.
But a reader who identi
fies himself (appropriately
enough) as “Not Funny”
wasn’t impressed.
“Wow. That cartoon is in
really poor taste. Someone
close to Mr. Will Davis
should let him know that
attacking the sitting DA
and the sitting Chief
Superior Court Judge is
probably a bad move. Or
maybe we just sit back and
watch him learn that les
son on his own.”
Apparently still simmer
ing, he went on to post
this: “This is par for the
course with Mr. Davis. He
thinks attacking public
officials like our District
Attorney, Mr. Milam and
our Chief Judge, Tommy
Wilson will sell more news
papers. Real Christ-Like
indeed.”
“Not Funny” apparently
recalls our report that
about a third of the cases
district attorney Richard
Milam presents to the
Monroe County grand jury
are dismissed, or no billed.
It’s a fact, and Milam has
defended the practice as a
normal part of the grand
jury system. Officials in
other counties say only
about 1 percent of theirs
are no-billed.
Whatever the case, this is
the point: The last time I
checked, Mr. Not Funny, we
live in the United States of
America. That means we
have a Constitution, and
are free to comment upon,
even (heaven forfend!) crit
icize, the performance of
elected officials. Over two
centuries Americans have
bled and died to preserve
this right, which is
enshrined in our First
Amendment. You say that
because we have the
audacity to question public
officials, this editor needs
to be taught a lesson. Well,
there are nations where
journalists are taught “les
sons” by government offi
cials, Mr. Not Funny.
Places like jihadist Iran,
communist China, and
Putin’s Russia. Is that the
kind of nation you seek,
sir?
In these days of political
correctness, too many
Americans cower in fear
and don’t say what they
think for fear of offending
someone. That’s a shame.
Yes, we are to respect the
offices our leaders hold.
But Americans should
never bow to the men and
women to whom we lend
authority. Power in this
nation resides with the
people, and we merely loan
it to our leaders until we
decide to elect new ones.
Our Founders knew free
dom of expression was
much healthier than fear
ful subservience to tyrants.
Not Funny goes on to
suggest that criticizing
public officials is not
“Christ-like.” Ahem.
Methinks Mr. Funny’s
Bible is rather dusty. Jesus
slung the tables of money
changers across the
Temple, and called the
political and religious lead
ers of his day, among other
not-nice words, blind
guides, hypocrites, sons of
hell and broods of vipers.
They taught Him a lesson
too, though, didn’t they?
Thankfully, we enjoy a
country that protects free
dom of speech, the robust
exchange of ideas. How Not
Funny developed the
desire to sit back and
watch government officials
teach “lessons” to writers
who don’t toe the line I
don’t know. All I know it
it’s really Not Funny. His
attitude reeks of cave
dwelling, third-world fas
cism, and it has no place in
a free country.
Email Will Davis at pub-
lisher@mymcr.net.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Whatever happened to second chances?
To the editor:
was sitting here thinking and
wondering about whatever
happened to the concept of giv
ing people a second chance? It
would really be bad if we made
a mistake and our heavenly Father
up above said okay that’s it, I can’t
help you anymore! But that is what
we as human beings and so called
“Christians” do.
For example, my son made some
mistakes and he had to pay for them,
as he should have, but according to
the system he was rehabilitated and
yet “society” will not give him a
chance! He has been home for a year
and yet no one will give him a
chance at a decent job! I am not try
ing to downplay what he did but no
one will even give him the courtesy
of an explanation! I mean, he didn’t
kill anyone! But, as soon as a per
spective employer sees the word
“felony” the door is automatically
closed! You can’t imagine what that
does to him.
So, I guess I’m saying where is the
act of forgiveness, mercy, and a sec
ond chance that God would give him?
Are we as a society so coldhearted
that we have forgotten that we have
all made mistakes big and small!
Maybe we should remember that
Jesus said, “Let those among you
who have not sinned, throw the first
stone.”
I am sure that there are other par
ents that have been or are going
through the same thing we are and I
am saying to them that we somehow
have to put an end to this way of
thinking so that our children can
have a decent job and know that
they are worth something and that
one mistake does not ruin their life!
Karen Couch
Monroe County