Newspaper Page Text
February 14, 2018
Page 5A
ON THE OUTSIDE LOOKING IN
by Don Daniel
Dedaring war
on telemarketers
O ther than having been physically limited
with what activities I could do, recover
ing from triple-bypass heart surgery
has been bor
ing. Well, not
absolutely boring since
answering the telephone
became an aggravating
activity being blindsided
by scammers calling from
India and the Fiji Islands. I
was fooled when the caller
ID showed a 994 number
and the caller was from
the Philippines, Monticello,
Augusta or some other for
eign country.
So, I have declared war
on the unsolicited tele
phone callers. If per chance
you call, and I don’t recog
nize your number on the caller ID, you will hear
me answering the phone with this opening line,
“You have reached the Blount telephone scammers
and unsolicited reporting agency. This call is being
traced to the point of origin and you will be pes
tered as you have pestered me.”
Supposedly I was on the “Do Not Call” list. That
was a joke and still is since the phone scammer
found ways to get around the do-not.-call morato
rium.
READING the Public Notice Advertisements
in the Reporter has become really interesting
now that, we can find out who has not paid their
county taxes. There are a whole bunch owing the
$199,000-plus in past due taxes. One of the more
interesting owers is a company out in California
with a $18,316.60 in past due taxes for seven bill
boards in the county.
Would you want to do business with a bank or
lending institution that owes back taxes? There
are a couple listed in the tax liens.
RECEIVED this email: “Mr. Daniel: I was totally
shocked that the chamber of commerce awarded
a Golden Nail to the city of Forsyth for their
constructing a splash pad, a project that was an
embarrassment for the citizens of Forsyth. If the
chamber felt the city should be rewarded for the
project, the chamber should have awarded them a
‘rusty’ nail.”
HERE ARE some unattributed comments from
Forsyth City Council members at their last meet
ing:
“He enlightened me”.
“I don’t mind saying it”;
“Foster a spirit of cooperation”;
“I’m not campaigning for it.”
There was no report to the council as to how
many tickets have been issued for parking too
close to the parking space lines. Remember, it is 12
inches.
Haven’t been to downtown Forsyth after the sun
sets, but need to make a special trip just to see the
new lighting. Let me know your impression(s).
OVER AT the county commission meeting,
the commissioners approved paying The Backlot.
Players $2,700 to “educate youth and adults in all
aspect of theater and to enrich the artistic and cul
tural base of Monroe County”. The Monroe County
Hubbard Alumni Association also received $2,700
for services to be rendered. Monroe County’s
Historical Society got in on the dole out, also
receiving $2,700.
Not to be left out, Monroe County Adult
Community Education Inc. received $2,000 in
taxpayer funding. Also on the $2,000 dole out was
the Monroe County Community Improvement
Coalition. One of the purposes of their receiving
the money is “to encourage and promote the con
struction, rehabilitation, or other provisions of
quality, low-cost house for low-income citizens of
Monroe County.
The biggest taxpayer check, $18,000, went to The
Middle Georgia Community Action Agency which
has the responsibility “to maintain, staff and oper
ate a senior citizens center for the use of senior
citizens of Monroe County, with said Center pro
viding opportunities for social interaction, balance,
nutritious lunches”.
Here are a few county commissioner unattributed
comments:
“I was trying to get an image”;
“That’s all I am looking for”;
“From a theoretical standpoint”;
“I want one butt to kick”;
“I want to keep things simple”;
“So that is the issue”;
“We have to do some muck flushing”;
“What direction we are going in”;
“Any pun intended with that?”
IT HAD been 1,260 days and still counting since
Monroe County’s congressman Austin Scott had
shown his face in Monroe County as of last week’s
edition. Michael Johnson was the first with the
correct answer and he receives a certificate dozen
Dunkin Donuts, Jonah’s cookie, Dairy Queen
Blizzard, two egg rolls at Lucky Cafe, Whistle Stop
fried green tomato appetizer, Forsyth Main Street
t-shirt, sandwich, chips and drink at The Pickled
Okra.
Here’s The Question for this week: According to
last week’s Forward Monroe section, which local
business has been in business the longest? First
correct answer after 12 on Thursday gets the cer
tificate.
GOOD NEWS! The county commissioners
awarded the contract for development/expansion of
the county recreation department to a local busi
ness, Harbin Engineering. Steve, the owner, has
been in business here in Monroe County for the
last 12 years.
Don Daniel founded the Reporter in 1972. Email
him at mediadr@bellsouth.net.
Exporter
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Some ‘pig’ is polluting Collier Road
To the Editor:
A s we of Beautify Forsyth
continue to pick up litter in
town, one thing has become
abundantly clear. Collier
Road has become the premier
dumping ground for empty packages of
Southern Recipe Salt & Vinegar Pork
Rinds.
Rudolph Foods of Lima, Ohio is the
world’s largest producer of pork rinds.
There are other types of pork rinds pro
duced by Rudolph, a private company
founded in 1955 by John Rudolph, but
the salt and vinegar variety must really
tickle the taste buds of someone travel
ing the section of Collier that
branches off Indian Springs
Road.
Rudolph is a proud supporter
of Gridiron Greats Assistance
Fund and a member of the Snack
Food Association. Great. We just-
wish they could encourage our
junk food junkie to deposit his lit
ter in a trash can, not along the
road.
Dr.Tom Perry
Forsyth
Dr. Tom Perry is the chair
man of Beautify Forsyth.
TAKING A LIKENS by Dale Likens
Big Apple: Bad place for unborn
M ost- of the time
I enjoy reading
or hearing about,
st-at-ist-ics. My
wife and I have
a close friend by the name of
Valerie Kepner who once held
the record of making the most,
consecut-ive foul shot-s in
college basket-ball. Her
picture and a very nice
article about- this remark
able feat- was written
in the Parade section of
more than 700 Sunday
newspapers through
out- t-he U.S. Today, she
no longer holds such a
record. Another record that- is
very interesting to me is the hot
test- day ever recorded in North
America was 134 degrees in
Death Valley on July 10, 1913.
Teams or individual sports
records are always entertaining
to me. However, the other day I
heard a pastor on TV speak of a
record, or statistic, not. so impres
sive. Did I truly hear what. I
thought, he had said? I played the
T’V recording back three times to
see if what. I thought. I had heard
was true. Unfortunately it. was.
He claimed that, in New York City,
the largest, city in the U.S., one
out. of three babies is aborted. One
out. of three babies is aborted?
Yes, it. is true according to this
pastor! I decided to check Google.
Here is what. Google explained
from breit.bart.com. “GDC-
(Center for Disease Control and
Prevention) Report.: New York
City abortion rate in the year
2013 is 60 percent, of birth rate.”
Much higher than the pastor had
quoted. Either is quite alarming.
During the first. Democratic
presidential debate in October
2015, Hillary Clinton proclaimed,
“We’ve got. to be committed to get
ting every child to live up to his or
her God-given potential.”
Cynthia Meyer, who became the
deputy press secretary for Texas
Attorney General Ken Paxton
in early 2015, fired back
with a tweet., “Would help
if they had the chance
to be bom.” About, a
month later, in the next.
Democratic debate, when
the same episode was
repeated Meyer tweeted,
‘More black babies are
aborted in New York
City than are born.” The
article continues with more inter
esting information, but. I chal
lenge anyone to read the article
yourself.
According to a recent. American
Family Association Journal (Dec.
2017), the America Culture and
Faith Institute surveyed 1,100
adults in June 2017 concerning
their position on abortion. Sadly,
nearly one quarter of those who
claim to be pro-life believe abor
tions should be legal in all or
most, circumstances.
Breit.bart. News reports that.
Franklin Graham is quoted as
tweeting, ‘This week the Senate
was 9 votes short, of saving a lot. of
lives. But. the vote finished at. 51
for, 46 against, the pain-capable
unborn child protection act. that,
would have banned abortions
after 20 weeks in the U.S. Just,
three Democrats voted in support,
of an abortion ban after 20 weeks
while two Republicans opposed
• i ??
“We remain among the worst,
seven countries in the world
with these 20-week abortions,”
Graham added.
About. 18,000 unborn babies are
aborted every year in the U.S.
after the 20-week ban.
I suppose I could go on and
search for more information on
such heartbreaking statistics,
but. it. may be better if each of us
decides what, is important, our
selves.
I will repeat, another quote
from Graham in regards to bill
boards placed along freeways in
Ohio favoring abortion, “Here’s
a billboard for them,” he said.
“Abortion is evil because it’s mur
der!”
Later, he continued, “Pray that.
America will wake up to the
tragedy of children being killed
through abortion every day in this
nation.”
Yes, I love reading or hearing
about, statistics. Sometimes they
are fun to read. I also realize that,
some statistics can be misleading.
Perhaps some information has
not. been included. Perhaps some
information has been added. But.
sometimes I worry about, those
statistics that. cut. deep into the
heart, and soul of America. Will
we Americans ever wake up? I
think it. is time to face each issue
with an open heart, and an open
mind. My wife and I love chil
dren—even the unborn children.
One final quote from Graham.
“Our nation will one day have to
answer to God for the millions of
innocent, lives taken by abortion,
and that, applies to every politi
cian who voted for and defended
abortion. Thankfully though, no
sin is too great, for God’s forgive
ness—even murder.” You decide.
God bless!
Dale Likens is an author who
lives in Monroe County.
OUR VIEW
Austin (never in) City Limits
Monroe County's congressman Austin Scott (R-Ashburn) held
his last Town Hall with his constituents in Forsyth (at right)
on Aug. 20,2014, which was 1,274 days ago. Scott defeated
incumbent Congressman Jim Marshall in 2010 after Marshall
went several years without hosting a Town Hall meeting with
his constituents in Forsyth. If you want an opportunity to
let Scott know what you want him to do in Congress, call his
Washington office at (202) 225-6531 and let him know.
Kemp dawdles on county line
When Brian Kemp became secretary of state on Jan. 8,2010, Terry Scarbor
ough's survey of the Monroe-Bibb county line was on his desk. The law says
it's his job to do something with it. But Kemp, an ambitious politician who
announced on March 13,2017 his intention to run for governor, punted. He
announced on Aug. 23,2011 that he was rejecting the Scarborough survey
because he can't be sure it's the original line. Unfortunately, the law gives
him no such option. So on March 10,2014, the Supreme Court ordered
him to set the line and resolve the dispute. That was three years ago. The
Reporter is devoting this space each weekto counting the number of days
Kemp has been on the job, and yet not done his job. If you want Kemp to
do the job which he's sought three times before he gets a promotion to
governor, call his office at (404) 656-2817 and let them know.
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