Newspaper Page Text
December 9, 2009
PAGE 5A
On the outside looking in
Starting to get
Christmas spirit
BY DONALD JACKSON DANIEL
here was a lot of “Christmasing” going
on last week in Monroe County. First,
the lighting of the Forsyth Christmas
tree officially kicked off the beginning
of the holidays in our hometown. On
Thursday night a really super Hometown
Holidays parade also in downtown Forsyth had
to have put you in the season to be jolly. The
nippy weather really made it feel like Christmas
and the parents and kids were bundled up just
like they were expecting snow.
The annual Bolingbroke Christmas parade
really proved that the
Bolingacons know how to
begin celebrating. Down in
Juliette, the Hard Candy
Christmas celebration was a
big attraction with Mr. and
Mrs. Santa Claus visiting.
This year I am planning on
doing my Christmas shop
ping around the square in
downtown Forsyth. There
are some really neat shops
and the potential of giving
some unique gifts is attract
ing my billfold.
I’M GONNA swallow hard
but be sincere when I con
gratulate Lee McGee on
Georgia Tech winning the ACC game to become
conference champs. I have to admit, and I con
veyed the same to Lee, I have been more proud
of the Bumble Bees—pardon me, Yellow Jackets-
-and their winning season than with the fiasco
season of the Georgia Bulldogs. Sometimes it
was embarrassing to be a biased UGA fanatic.
Although I am one of those who believe UGA
has a winning season if they beat Tech, the odds
of the Bulldogs winning the rivalry this year had
me willing to bet on Tech. I thought UGA was
gonna get stung pretty bad. Of course, UGA won
by the skin of their hides. They were dishearten
ing to watch during most of their games.
NOW to some other stuff. Last week’s commis
sion meeting was ho-hum. About the most excit
ing thing was watching the commissioners sign
checks totaling $1,654,482.60.1 did get some
pretty good unattributed quotes. For instance,
“Smarr continues to grow. Thinking about put
ting a by-pass in”.
Here are a couple of others:
“First time I’ve ever seen a smile on some
body’s face that paid a $12,000 tax bill”;
“You don’t remember me, but I remember you”;
“We are done. You won’t hear me talking about
Station Four any more.”
HERE’S something I yet do not understand or
comprehend. As you are aware Monroe County
didn’t apply for nor get any of President
Obama’s stimulus money? Several surrounding
counties got some hefty taxpayer’s stimulus
money.
Lamar County got $480,457 to resurface their
section of High Falls Road. No money for paving
or improving Monroe County’s section of High
Falls Road. Guess Lamar County will stop the
paving at the county line. In addition to that
money, Lamar County got an additional almost
$8 million for paving and resurfacing.
Butts County got $8,972,892 for passing lanes
on Hwy. 42. We sure could use some passing
lanes on Hwy. 42 north. I’ve seen as many as 14
vehicles backed up behind a hay hauling tractor
and a school bus on Hwy. 42 going into Forsyth
from Blount. Often a 15-minute ride to Forsyth
can take as long as 20 to 25 minutes.
Butts County also got $667,500 for paving and
resurfacing Brownlee Road. That road has a long
stretch in Monroe County. Guess they’ll again
stop at the Monroe County line.
Two other adjacent counties got some stimulus
money. Jones County got handed over $4 million
plus and Jasper County got almost $3-million for
paving and resurfacing.
Why our commissioners didn’t apply or get any
stimulus money is still a mystery for which they
should explain why we/they didn’t get any.
Maybe they are going to apply for some for the
by-pass around Smarr.
OVER AT the Forsyth City Council, the meet
ing got a little contentious when an appeal on
the denial of a beer and wine license was denied.
What I heard wasn’t pretty during or after the
meeting. Missed the first part of the discussion
but what I did hear “attitudes” were prevalent.
Check out the City of Forsyth’s web site. The
last posting of the council’s minutes on the web
site was back on Oct. 20, which brings me to the
meeting’s minutes. Although the minutes are
available no more than three-days after the
meeting, the minutes don’t get officially
approved and officially recorded until the meet
ing following.
In other words, the council and commissioners
have the opportunity to change the minutes if
they don’t like the way they were recorded.
Interesting.
Donald Jackson Daniel is the founder and for
mer publisher of The Reporter. He can be contact
ed via e-mail at tullaybear@bellsouth.net.
^Reporter
Around the Bend
Barbies and Hotwheels
l j-JUL.--'
A ttention all parents of
three year olds and pre-
teens. Put your wallet back
in your pocket. Forget
overloading those credit
cards to buy that X-Box 360 or the
Zhu Zhu pets. First of all — there will
no doubt be an X-Box 720 by January
and the 360 will be obso
lete. Also, the Zhu Zhu pets
will go the way of Polly
Pocket, ending up in your
vacuum cleaner by Dec. 31.
Hey I have news for you.
Your kids will not only
lose, break, or forget that
coveted toy even before
the New Year rings in, he
or she will not even
remember that you
gave it to them it
years from now. I
know. My kids have
forgotten every single thing I
schlepped to every Wal-Mart in the
western hemisphere for in the 90s
when they were young and just had
to have a “My size Bride Barbie” or a
Barney doll.
My suggestion - buy them a couple
of trinkets they will love to play with
(empty boxes are a big hit with the
under five set) and sock the rest of
the dough away to pay car insurance
when they hit 16. You’ll need it. . .
especially if you have a boy.
I HAVE absolutely no idea what
kids are asking for this Christmas.
Mine have been consistent with the
“money” request for at least five
years now. Actually giving them a
few dollars (fewer this year than
last, I'm afraid guys) is so much easi
er than scouring the toy stores for a
Daytona 500 XP racer. In 1996 that’s
all Andy would day he wanted.
“Andy what is Santa bringing you?”
my mother would chirp.
“A Daytona 500 XP racer,” recited
Andy.
“What would you like for supper
tonight, Andy?” I'd ask.
“A Daytona 500 XP racer.”
I finally found the darn
thing. It was the most
expensive box of plastic I
ever bought. But, Andy was
so thrilled when he marched
down the stairs on
Christmas morning at 4
a.m. to see his Daytona 500
XP racer set up under the
tree and across the living
room and down the hall.
The thing was only a
few inches shy of the
real Dayton track.
He played and played and played
with that track ... for at least three
whole days. Then he and Michelle
wanted the room to play something
else so the Daytona 500 XP racer
was packed away in its box .... kind
of. You can’t ever get those toys back
in the way they came out, can you?
It’s a conspiracy the toy companies
have with the companies that make
those giant plastic storage boxes.
But, the thing is, he was all done.
The XP racer thing was way too com
plicated for him to set up by himself.
He had more fun playing cars on the
rug in his bedroom floor that had
streets printed all over it. And that
thing only cost me $19.95.
I was in Wal Mart on the day after
Thanksgiving buying groceries. Yes, I
was the only one in the grocery sec
tion at 7 a.m. on Black Friday and it
was so nice. I had to go out at 2 in
the morning to catch the deals and I
figured as long as I was out, I may
as well buy groceries too. All the
shelves had been restocked after the
Wednesday-before-Thanksgiving riot
and I was all alone as I picked out
snacks and pasta. It reminded me of
when the kids were little and I used
to go shopping in the middle of the
night while they were asleep at
home with Larry. It was always
much easier to get out after mid
night than it was to take two toddler
to the store.
WHILE I WAS at Wal-Mart I ven
tured over to the toy section just to
get a peek at what I was missing out
on having grown kids. It looked like
a war zone. There was Hannah
Montana paraphernalia strewn all
over. And there were exhausted par
ents with glazed-over eyes and over
flowing buggies, each one in search
of that special toy.
Then I saw it. A Barbie dream-
house. “Oh my gosh!” I screamed out
loud. “I had no idea they still made
these.” Beside the display was a
seven-year old girl with the female
version of the “Dayton 500 XP
Racer” look in her eyes. It was a look
I myself had once had - about 35
years ago.
“I had one of these when I was
about your age,” I confessed to the
little girl. “Santa brought it to me. It
was my favorite gift ever.”
And no telling how many toy stores
he and Mrs. Claus had to go to to
find it for me.
Email Gina at news@mymcr.net
Cole
continued from the front
Other candidates Baxter
mentioned are Rep. David
Ralston (R-Blue Ridge),
who ran for speaker
against Richardson last
year and lost; Rep. Edward
Lindsey (R-Atlanta), a
thoughtful attorney well-
versed in public policy
matters; Rep. Larry O'Neal
(R-Bonaire), the current
chairman of the Ways &
Means Committee; and
Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-
Cassville), a third-term
House member from North
Georgia.
House leaders announced
last Thursday that
Richardson would resign
effective Jan. 1 and that
Speaker Pro Tem Mark
Burkhalter (R-Johns
Creek) would become
speaker. However, many
rank-and-file House mem
bers were not satisfied and
wanted the chance to elect
a speaker on their own
before the 2010 session
gets under way in January.
Then on Monday,
Burkhalter announced
that he would not run for
speaker after all, blowing
the race wide open.
Meanwhile, House
Republicans had reported
ly set a meeting for Friday
to discuss strategy near
Mercer University, where
Cole played baseball and
where he currently serves
as executive director of the
Mercer Athletic
Foundation.
The speaker’s position
came open when
Richardson resigned after
his ex-wife, in an interview
with an Atlanta TV station
last Monday, revealed e-
mails proving a rumored
affair with a Georgia
Natural Gas lobbyist even
as the House approved leg
islation affecting the com
pany in 2006. Mrs.
Richardson also claimed
that more recently her ex-
husband threatened to use
the state patrol and GBI to
find her when she took a
weekend away with her
boyfriend. Shortly there
after, in November,
Richardson was hospital
ized after an apparent sui
cide attempt.
Before Burkhalter
announced he would not
run, both members of
Monroe County's House
delegation said they want
ed members to elect the
speaker. Cole said he con
siders Burkhalter one of
his dearest friends. But he
said it'd be good for House
members to go ahead and
cast a vote of confidence.
The county's other House
member, Rep. Tony Sellier
(R-Fort Valley), said he
agrees House Republicans
should elect a Speaker,
rather than accepting the
leadership's decision. And
he said Cole would be a
good candidate.
"Jim Cole is a great guy,"
said Sellier. "He'd be just
fine." He said Cole is well-
respected and he'd be
proud to have him as
speaker. Sellier noted that
all current members of the
House leadership team are
from Atlanta or St.
Simons, and none of them
are from rural areas. "I
don't want our leadership
to all be from downtown
Atlanta," said Sellier.
Sellier said he won't dare
predict what will happen,
but said the Richardson
debacle gives Republicans
a chance to reconsider
their leaders and put some
fresh faces out front. "I
don't want it to end up like
the federal government,"
said Sellier.
There have been reports
that Richardson's affair
with a lobbyist, as well as
other indiscretions by
House leaders, were com
mon knowledge. Asked if
House members were neg
ligent in keeping
Richardson this long,
Sellier said he only heard
the rumors.
"If people knew about it,
shame on them," said
Sellier. "I'm not trying to
be holier than thou, but
when it's rampant, there's
a problem there."
Sellier said his wife goes
with him whenever possi
ble during the session and
that he rarely goes out
individually with lobbyists.
"If my wife can't go —
I've got an image to main
tain for my district," said
Sellier.
Cole said that dealing
with the speaker's
rumored affair in previous
years was that no strong
candidate emerged who
could beat him. But that’s
not a problem this year.
BBC
continued from the front
troop surge in Afghanistan?
Forsyth became the chosen spot
after the BBC acquired the services
of Robert M. Williams Jr., who also
happens to be co-owner of the
Monroe County Reporter. Williams
has done freelance radio work for
Georgia Public Broadcasting (GPB)
in the past and was thereby discov
ered by the BBC. He chose Forsyth
as a good place to find out what
small-town America thinks of
important national issues.
Locals George Berry, Connie Ham
Mercer Bush and Denise Herring
all shared their views on the
Afghan conflict. The discussion
came the day after President
Obama announced at West Point,
N.Y. a surge of 30,000 more troops
to the troubled nation. In general,
the four said they supported the
decision.
"One thing you'll find about our
little town ... is that we support the
troops," said Berry. Berry said the
U.S. is in danger and therefore must
do whatever it takes to defeat the
enemy.
Bush, a veteran of the first Gulf
War, agreed. He said the nation is
in danger from foreign and domestic
enemies and that the country needs
to put enough troops in Afghanistan
to get the job done.
However, Herring said she's not
sure the president has the will to
win. "He's looking for a way to
please the left and the right," said
Herring. "He's not in it to win it."
Herring said that kind of half
hearted war effort is what led to the
Vietnam debacle, and said we don't
want that again.
Williams asked if Obama's speech
had changed their thinking.
Berry said it didn't, but only
because he already agreed.
"He's one of the great speech-mak
ers this country has ever produced,"
said Berry. "He could read the war
ranty on my bicycle and make it
sound exciting and interesting." But
he said he already supported the
surge, so the speech made no differ
ence for him.
More personally, Williams asked
the participants if they trusted
Obama as commander in chief.
Berry said he'd give him the benefit
of the doubt. Bush said he had
doubts because Obama had never
tasted war, but said he doesn't want
to prejudge him.
Herring was more skeptical.
"Frankly, no," said Herring. She
said she worries that his plan to
begin withdrawing troops in 18
months tells A1 Qaeda and other
enemies how they can beat the U.S.
Bush agreed. "You may open your
self to a re-emergence if you start
putting dates on it," he said.
Regardless of the withdrawal,
Berry said the twilight conflict with
Islamic jihad is a lifetime challenge,
and then some.
"My great grandchildren will be
fighting this war," said Berry. "I
don't think Americans want to hear
it, but it's the truth."
The BBC had asked Williams to
make the broadcast sound like a
walking tour of town. So Williams
and a GPB radio producer, Susanna
Capelouto, set up at Ann's Deli to
pick up the sounds of the restau
rant during the discussion. Then
they walked down to Connie Ham's
office to interview her.
On teleconference for the discus
sion was "Americana" host Matt
Frei. "Americana" was started in
April and claims to give its audi
ence a novel look at American life
from the small towns to the big
cities.
You can hear the discussion on
podcast at www.bbc.co.uk/pro-
grammes/bOOkpjpm.
BBC claims its "Americana" pro
gram can reach in excess of 135 mil
lion listeners in the United
Kingdom and all over the world.