Newspaper Page Text
November 11,2009
PAGE 5A
On the outside looking in
Forsythia, a
courthouse
security threat?
By DONALD JACKSON DANIEL
his is no joke! The County Commissioner
from District One explained to a delegation
from the Town and Country Garden Club
attending the commissioners’ meeting, that
forsythia bushes are a threat to the security
of the courthouse. Honest!
Therefore he, speaking on behalf of the Courthouse
Renovation Committee, said not more than four for
sythia plants could be planted on
the courthouse square. “You know
the courthouse is under video sur
veillance and as big as forsythia
bushes grow, they would interfere
with the Sheriff’s office keeping the
courthouse secure,” he commented.
After the denial of planting more
than four forsythia bushes on the
courthouse square, the delegation
was questioned in regards to the
cleaning of the Confederate statue
around which the four forsythia
bushes are going to be planted. So,
the District One commissioner
commented, “Soldiers in the field
are dirty and the statue looks like
a dirty soldier coming out of the
field. I served in Viet Nam and
didn’t get a bath for a long time some time. The sol
dier looks pretty natural being dirty.”
OOPS! I’m blaming it on a “senior moment” for
writing in last week’s column that the votes for the
city election were gonna be counted at city hall. They
were counted at the Wellington Building, a voting
precinct for the city election.
FORSYTH beat Atlanta for voter turnout last
Tuesday. Disgusting, non-patriotic, pathetic, didn’t
give a hoot or for whatever other reason, only 31 per
cent—828—of Forsyth’s over 2,600 registered voters
put an X mark beside the candidates they preferred.
Atlanta’s voter turnout was only 25 percent. I guess
Atlanta has more voter apathy than Forsyth.
You do the math on this one. According to Forsyth’s
Mayor, the city election ran up a taxpayer tab of
around $10,000. Since only 828 voters cast a ballot,
what was the cost per vote?
Of course, that figure doesn’t include how much each
candidate spent. Send me your “cost” figures.
If the most vote-getting candidates are strutting
around thinking they got a mandate for their non
issue agendas, they better think again. None of the
candidates got a majority nor a mandate from
Forsyth’s voters and citizens.
I found two registered voters who didn’t cast a ballot
and asked them why they didn’t show up at the polls.
“I didn’t vote because with the five candidates run
ning, no matter who won, there would be no difference
at City Hall how things are being run”, one stated.
GOT THIS e-mail from a Reporter and this column
reader: “On page 3A is the story about a local truck
driver named Kevin Fields charged in federal court in
a $5 million timber scam. On page 1C is the list of
people called for grand jury duty including one Kevin
Antonio Fields. Is it possible that is one and the
same?
“Also among the names listed as called for jury duty
in criminal trials is a citizen by the name of John
Cary Bittick who should be able to bring some spe
cialized knowledge of the cases to the proceedings.”
Hey Sheriff, if you want to get off jury duty, just let it
be know you prefer “hanging”.
LAWYER bills are adding up in an attempt to
settle the county line issue. The commissioners have
approved $284,560 of our taxpayer money in legal
fees for services in regards to the county line.
$170,000 was our part of that amount went to the
surveyor who is in a legal tangle with Bibb County.
I’ll say it again: send Bibb County a bill for annoy
ance and failure to comply with the agreement.
WRITING of money, the Courthouse Renovation
Committee has spent $1.5 million renovating and
beautifying the courthouse grounds and the commis
sioners have approved another $85,000 to cover “we
don’t know what we are getting into until we get into
it” as it was explained by the District One commis
sioner over seeing the renovation. He must love the
county taxpayers’ checkbook. Surely after all the reno
vation is done, there will be a brass plaque with all
the CRC members’ names listed.
P.S.: The City of Ideal has given 1,500 forsythia
plants to the county to plant. Guess we’ll send back
1,496.
CONGRATULATIONS to Monroe County’s Women
In Business Leaders (featured in last week’s
Reporter) and one that stood out for me was Virginia’s
Garden. I will admit I haven’t been or shopped there
but I plan on doing it real soon since November is the
planting season, according to the Town and Country
Garden Club.
In the mean time, recently taking the scenic route
back home, I did stop at Towaliga Plants on Highway
87 at the Towaliga River just north of Juliette’s
Bowdoin’s Grocery. Johnny Atkinson has one of the
most natural plant nurseries I have ever visited. Even
if you don’t purchase anything, just stop and take a
tour (Johnny, charge for the tour if visitors don’t buy
anything).
Donald Jackson Daniel is the founder and former
publisher of The Reporter. He can be contacted at tul-
laybear@bellsouth. net.
^Reporter
Around the Bend
Hey Momma, are you hungry?
O ccasionally my son
Andy will call me out of
the blue in the middle
of the day and say "Hey, do
you want to go get some
thing to eat?"
Sounds so sweet, right? He's a
teenage boy who still
wants to hang out with
his mom.
What he fails to actually
say, but what I, as his
mother for almost 19
years, with my special
mother hearing, can hear
is roughly translated
"Hey do you want to go
somewhere and buy me
something to eat
because I'm hungry
but I’m out of money.
Oh, and by the way,
can my friend come
too? He's also broke and hungry
and I promised him you would
buy him lunch."
Oh well. Regardless of the fact
that my grown son only calls me
for lunch when he's broke, I still
enjoy being with him, no matter
what his underlying motives may
be.
Of course when my grown son,
who used to make me drop him
off in the lower parking lot of the
high school so no one would see
him with me, asks to spend time
with me in a public place I get a
little nervous.
So when Andy called at noon on
Thursday last week and asked
“Hey Momma you want to go get
something to eat?” my immediate
response was “What’s wrong?”
He acted quite offended.
After a few more questions I
determined that he was not about
to show me another tattoo or tell
me he had gotten married or
someone was pregnant. (If you are
a mother of a teenager the worry
over someone being pregnant
always enters your mind whenev
er your teenager wants to talk to
you — you know it's true).
ON THURSDAY it seemed
that Andy just wanted a hearty
lunch with his mother.
And as per usual he had
a friend in tow. This time
it was Dillon. The two
boys were moving some
furniture and the
inevitable hunger set in.
So they called me. Cool
with me.
It was worth the price
of a couple of enchiladas
to spend an hour
with my son. I am
so thankful he
now allows me to
be seen with him.
Dillon and Andy love to regale
me with stories of their driving
exploits. They love the shock
value I guess, or maybe Andy’s
just getting revenge for all the
times I’ve embarrassed him with
the ice cream and cake dance.
Touche.
I reassure Andy that there are
some things I really don't need to
know. He is almost 19 years old. I
no longer have control over him
and do not need to know about
the time (or times) they went 100
miles per hour.
But, they just laugh at me as I
cringe when they tell me things
that happened on spring break.
It’s fairly harmless as teenage
exploits go, but as a mother who
birthed this boy, changed his dia
pers, taught him to walk and
watched him grow into the man
he is, I really don't want to know.
BUT, UNDERNEATH all the
silliness and insults and talk of
the best burnouts is something
precious that is not lost on me. I
don't take those impromptu
lunches for granted. I never have.
But, now I have even more of a
reason to cherish each minute of
quality time I have with my son.
Because I know they will soon be
too far and few in between. He
will not be here to call me on the
spur of the moment for lunch or
anything else in the very near
future.
I have come to realize, even if I
haven't fully accepted it yet, that
once Andy leaves for boot camp,
he won’t ever be back - not really
- not the way I’m used to him
being here. Sure, he will come
home on leave when he finishes
basic and probably another week
or so after he completes combat
training. But, my son will no
longer be the cute little boy who
decorated for Halloween begin
ning in July and let me call him
Pooh Bear. I miss him already.
But, I am proud of his decision to
serve his country.
As soon as he told me he had
decided to join the Marines, I was
filled with pride. But, as his
departure date draws nearer I
find myself clinging to him just a
little more and missing him just
a little more each time he leaves
my sight.
I know he will shine as a
Marine. I know he will do a great
job. Even though the kid can’t
manage to locate a hamper just
inches away from the clothes
piled on his bedroom floor, I have
no doubt he will be an awesome
soldier.
And I hope that when he does
make it back here, he will give his
mother a call and invite her to
lunch.
Email Gina at news@mymcr.net.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Funds still needed to finish memorial
Ernest Jackson watches workers install
Phase 1 of the Veterans Memorial on the
square.
To the editor:
oday, Nov. 11, is
Veterans Day—a spe
cial day to honor indi
viduals who have
served in our Armed
Forces. Monroe County has com
pleted Phase One of its proposed
memorial to these veterans.
Members of the Monroe County
Veterans Memorial Committee
wish to thank those individuals
who have worked diligently for
Phase One as well as those who
have contributed financially and
through other means for our
Memorial.
Phase Two of the Veterans
Memorial will consist of an
obelisk and three flags. The costs
to purchase and install the
obelisk will be approximately
$15,000. Total cost for the flag
poles will be approximately
$2,900.
Phase Three of the
planned Memorial will
consist of granite
pavers honoring all
Monroe Countians,
both living and
deceased, who have
served their country on
active duty with any
branch of the Armed
Services. Pavers may
be purchased for $50
from the Memorial
Committee.
The goal of the
Monroe County Veterans
Memorial Committee is
to have the Monroe
County Veterans Memorial com
pleted in time for formal dedica
tion on Monday, May 31, 2010—
Memorial Day.
Contributions to our Veterans
Memorial may be sent to Monroe
County Veterans Memorial, P. O.
Box 766, Forsyth, Georgia 31029.
Ernest Jackson
Glover Stuart
Ernest Jackson and Glover
Stuart are co-chairmen of the
Monroe County Veterans
Memorial Committee.
Run-over dog wonders: Where’s my ID tag?
To the editor:
write this in hopes of allevi
ating the suffering of others
like me, and to bring aware
ness to the carelessness of
humans towards animals in
my situation. Wednesday, Oct. 21
was the worst day of my life, and
by the time you read this, it will
be too late for me. I am grey
schnauzer who was allowed to
roam free from my owner’s prop
erty with no supervision, no iden
tification, and no tag proof of even
a Rabies vaccination. I had been
seen on a regular basis wandering
with a friend down a very busy
Juliette Road.
That day, the sun was out and
the weather was nice, so I decided
to take a walk. Sometime during
the day, I became the victim of a
hit-and-run (of all places, just
past a church). It is difficult for
me to believe that the person who
hit me (1) did not see me at all
since it was broad daylight on a
nice day, (2) could not have known
that he/she hit something of my
size and (3) did not have the com
mon decency to stop to see if I
was dead or laying there injured
and suffering greatly. I have no
idea how many hours all day long
that I lay there crumpled in the
ditch-paralyzed, fatally wounded,
bleeding internally. Finally, that
night, a Good Samaritan noticed
me. I could not move or bark, but
could only moan between shallow
breaths to let him know I was
still alive. He was kind enough to
care to retrieve the nice lady vet
erinarian down the road to help
me. She assessed my severe
injuries and concluded that I was
suffering greatly, just barely
hanging on. My owners apparent
ly only cared enough to put a lit
tle pink and yellow collar around
my neck, but did not care enough
to actually put identification on it
so I could have help to find my
way home if anything like this
ever happened. Therefore, the two
people trying to help me had no
way to find my owners so that I
could spend my final moments
with the ones I knew and loved. I
was comforted by these strangers,
then my suffering was humanely
and respectfully ended.
Again, I write this so that
maybe I can keep the same situa
tion from happening to another
pet. If you are a pet owner and
you do love your pet, putting ID
on us is one of your most impor
tant responsibilities. Just a collar
only says “I have a home”, which
means nothing if we cannot get
back to it. A full address with
phone number (not just the dog’s
name) is necessary.
Understandably some accidents
happen, but a responsible driver
knows if they hit something they
should at least have the common
decency and morals to check to
see what it was, if it is dead, or if
it is laying there in distress ago
nizing toward a horrible death. If
the latter, you have an ethical
responsibility to seek assistance
in some way to alleviate the suf
fering you caused.
If my owners have been looking
for me, know that although my
final hours were spent in torment,
my final moments were peaceful.
I am in a better place now thanks
to the kindness of strangers.
The Unknown Dog
Deceased
The Unknown Dog was a victim
of a hit and run on Juliette Road.
If he had had tags, at least his
owners would have known what
had happened.