Newspaper Page Text
May 25, 2022
Page 5A
ON THE OUTSIDE LOOKING IN by Don Daniel
Celebrating 50
years of the MCR
I live, as I like to brag, out in the country. No I don’t
have cows or chickens just two of the best dogs—
friends-- I have ever had, Tull and Sham. I live in
a log house ten miles from Forsyth and the same
distance from Jackson. I’ve been in Monroe County 50
years and looking forward to
celebrating this newspaper’s
50 years of informing Monroe
County citizens of their right
to know — a tradition that has
been varied since I sold The
Monroe County Reporter in
1987. In general the news me
dia reporting has changed for
the better. Insistence in trans
parency in government is a
battle that has been fought
and challenged since the first
continuously printed issue of
a “newspaper” back in 1704
in Boston, The Boston News Letter.
In getting ready for this 50th birthday, I need your help
finding the first staff members. Shelly Shuman was the first
editor and she still lives in Forsyth and is very active on
Facebook. Then there was Janice Redd, the bookkeeper.
Debbie Ward, whose husband worked for The Bibb Com
pany, was hired as the typesetter. High schooler at the time,
Mitchell King helped address, bundle and mail the papers
on Tuesday nights. When Janice Redd went to work for
Georgia Power, Cathy Whatley took over as bookkeeper and
typesetter. She was a trooper. Hugh Mercer Sr. worked for
the local UGA Extension office, retired and came to work
managing the front office.
Wendell Ramage I hired away from Monroe Academy
as editor and one of the best writers I have ever known,
whether it be a hard-hitting news story or a human interest
column. Then I had two society editors, Mrs. Ruth Bittick
and Mrs. Mary Sewell and yes they reported on weddings,
engagements, births and obituaries. Primarily what was go
ing on with the “society” of Monroe County.
Yes, we covered sports, Wendell, Monroe Academy and
me, Mary Persons football, which at that time was the pri
mary if not the only sport (well there was basketball too).
I am sure I have missed someone or something that
was important during those years of my being owner and
publisher. That’s the reason I am writing this that I need
your help in celebrating the birthday of The Monroe County
Reporter that had an idea name “The Countian”. Help me
celebrate, contact me, call, email or write. Let’s have lunch
and talk celebration.
REMEMBER THE television commercial famous for
the line “Where’s the beef”? Well according to a Wall Street
Journal story, that same company along with McDonald’s
are accused of making cheeseburgers seem larger than they
are.
What the accusation is based on, according to the story,
is that Wendy’s and McDonald’s in their advertising make
the burger appear much larger than the ones customers
are actually served. Of course some of the other whopper-
diddley-doodley-macs are not making any public comment
on the size of their burgers.
A long time ago, I liked McDonald’s fried cherry pies. Sev
eral times, and my children will vouch, my cherry pie had
only one cherry.. .honest.
Never fails that cheese is going to be put on my Wendy’s
double when I order and only want the double patty, may
onnaise and onions. Again, never fails and I send it back.
One more “burger” story: I really enjoy roast beef sand
wiches and when a local outlet, had a promotion buy one
and get one free. I fell for it and went into the outlet and
ordered because two of the sandwiches make a single good
stacked roast beef sandwich.
I placed my order with the order taker, paid her and
gracefully and respectfully said “Thank You Ma’am” Oops.
Shouldn’t have said that because her response was “I ain’t yo
ma’am and you ain’t my master”.
Floored, I turned, waJked out of the store, leaving my
sandwiches and change. Won’t go back there!
IF YOU are a property owner, you should have received
your tax assessment notice. Yep mine went up as I expected
since the county is spending money like a drunken sailor on
a 12-hour shore leave.
If you are not satisfied with your assessment, you can
make an appeal to the County Board Tax Assessors. There
are directions how you file the appeal in the notice of your
assessment.
THE OTHER sport Mary Persons has added is swimming
and Karen Peters was the first with the correct answer to The
Question. She receives a certificate for a Scoops single dip,
carwash at Big Peach, slice of Jonah’s Pizza, slice of Shoney’s
strawberry pie, fried green tomato appetizer at Whistle Stop,
Dairy Queen Blizzard and a dozen Dunkin donuts.
Here’s The Question for this week and it is a two-answer
question: name the new MP boys soccer coach and the new
MP girls soccer coach. First correct answers after 12 noon
on Thursday gets the goody certificate.
OYER AT the county, according to the check register, we
paid $22,274 for softball and baseball uniforms. The next
biggest payment, $29,000, went to accountants Mauldin and
Jenkins and the biggest check, $1,065,393.11, was paid to
United Grading for obvious dirt moving. United Bank credit
card was owed and paid $32,960.87. Chick-Fil-A got paid
$541.10 and Dairy Queen got a $77.64 county check.
A total of $1,349,319.19 was paid with eighty-two checks
written.
AND THIS from The Illustrated Dictionary of Snark: “I’ll
try being nicer if you’ll try being smarter”.
Contact Don Daniel, the founder of this newspaper, attul-
laybear@bellsouth. net.
AReporter
GUEST COLUMN by Dr. Wenyuan Wu
Ga. must be vigilant on public schools
s
ince the 2020
“Summer of Racial
Reckoning,” critical
race the-
WU
ory (CRT)
has increas
ingly become a
national reality.
No aspect of
American pub
lic life, whether
in federal policy
making or local
education, es
capes from the
sweeping forces
of this illiberal,
divisive and un-
American dogma that
filters all human relation
ships and socioeconomic
institutions through the
arbitrary prism of race.
Every American should be
alarmed, not by the aca
demic nitty-gritty of CRT,
but by its rapid propaga
tion and inculcation in
our nation’s K-12 schools.
CHRONIC CRONY
ISM between teachers’
unions and local educa
tion bureaucracies has
created a revolving door
for the introduction of
left-leaning ideologies
represented by CRT in
curricular changes and
extracurricular activities.
Oftentimes, the doctrine is
masqueraded as pleasant-
sounding euphemisms
such as Diversity, Equity,
and Inclusion (DEI), So
cial Emotional Learning
(SEL), Culturally Relevant
Pedagogy, Anti-Racist
Learning, action civics
and etc. Call it Mickey
Mouse - but that won’t
change the fact that more
and more kids today are
involuntarily captured
by ideologically driven
school programming that
irresponsibly takes away
from foundational learn
ing and grooms them for
political activism.
MANY SCHOOL
districts in traditionally
conservative areas are also
not immune to CRT’s
invasion, when individual
teacher-activists oper
ate with relative
autonomy and
acquiescence from
union-backed
district leaders.
IT IS true that
Georgia is follow
ing the footsteps
of over two dozen
U.S. states in
restricting CRT’s
applications,
with the passage
of SB 377 which
prohibits the teaching
of divisive and race-ste
reotyping concepts in el
ementary and secondary
education. However, to
long march through the
institutions back from
invasive progressivism
requires more systemic
solutions.
FIRST, ENERGIZED
voters, including parents
and concerned com
munity members, need
to show up at local ballot
boxes to vote out candi
dates or incumbents who
are die-hard ideologues,
political opportunists
or useful idiots. Public
education is by and large
a local matter and it is
our duty to elect lead
ers who champion the
local community’s values
and parents’ rightful
demands for true educa
tion. School board can
didates must make their
positions on CRT known
to the public.
SECOND, STAKE
HOLDERS should
launch public pressure
campaigns or legal
challenges to expose the
harms of teaching our
kids that their skin color
is a definitive feature of
their Eves and take on
egregious programs that
explicitly discriminate
on the basis of race. We
need to make woke pay
Fowler Flemister
Concrete
Quality Service Since 1952
Sand - Stone - Block
Septic Tanks - Rebar
Metal & Bagged Goods
401 College St.
Forsyth, GA 31029
478-394-4875
info@fowlerflemister.com
www.fowlerflemister.com
Elects ' y • Residential &
Commercial Wiring
• Service Upgrades
• Generators
• Car Chargers
• New Construction
• Electrical Inspector
Tim Prickett, Electrical Contractor
770-527-7947
and it has worked even
in ultra-blue California
where I have focused
much of my organizing
and advocacy work.
LAST BUT not least,
the public should work
together to build dynamic
and broad-based coali
tions that promote better
cultural values to offset
CRT. Not all ideas are
equally good. The 1776
perspective on American
founding needs to be
provided to kids alongside
the 1619 Project.
THE DAMAGES done
by the far-left in America’s
public education can be
undone and it will take
more than one bill or one
election.
Dr. Wenyuan Wu of
Forsyth writes about
educational topics at www.
rejectcrt.org.
SPRING INTO
& More
TUESDAY - SATURDAY: 10 AM - 5 PM
816 HIGHWAY 41 S. • FORSYTH, GA 31029
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CMp Northwestern Mutual
=== Wealth Management Company®
Mark Holloway, Financial Advisor
478.365.0382
mark.holloway@nm.com
www.markholloway.nm.com
Estate
AUCTION
To Settle a Portion of the R. Franklin & Jane Jordan Bledsoe Estate
202.535 ACRES
Located on Rocky Creek Rd. & Bloomfield Dr.
SELLING DIVIDED, IN COMBINATIONS OR
AS A WHOLE
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♦ Paved Road Frontage ♦ Houses
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THURSDAY, JUNE 16™ @ 7:00 P.M.
Sale Site: Hilton Garden Inn Mercer University Dr.
1220 Stadium Drive, Macon, GA 31204
U 478-743-1511
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MARSHALL www.HudsonMarshall.com
Hamlin Hills Art Fest
June 5th • 11:00 a.m. - 5:00 D.m.
Come join us for
Hamlin Hills
First Annual Art Fest!
We ll have Plein Air Artists
painting live, creating
masterpieces before your eyes.
ART & LIVE PAINTING
WINE TASTING
LIVE BAND • FAMILY FUN
SUNFLOWER FIELDS • FARM ZOO
(844) FUN-FARM
HAMLINHILLS. COM
• 1-75 EXIT 185 •
HAMLIN HILLS
Real BBQ • Gift Shop • Produce
477 Dames Ferry Rd.
Forsyth, GA 31029
844-FUN-FARM
WWW.HAMLINHILLS.COM [j