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& EDITORIALS
Declare among the nations, and publish, and set up a standard;
publish, and conceal not. - Jeremiah 50:2
2019, 2018, 2017, 2016 winner: Editorial Page excellen
2019, 2018 winner: Best Headline Writing
2019 winner: Best Community Service
2019 winner: Best Layout and Design
2019 winner: Best Serious Column - Don Daniel
ON THE PORCH by Will Davis
Sunshine the best policy
E very so often a state lawmaker with an ax to grind
against newspapers will propose removing the re
quirement that local governments advertise their
actions in the legal organ.
This is what we call a bad idea.
This week’s newspaper is another good example of why. As
you’ll find on this week’s front page, a waste company called
Trilogy wants to put some kind of waste recycling plant on 270
acres in Monroe County. This column is
not about the merits or demerits of such
a project. We will leave that for another
day. But at the very least, neighbors and
residents should be able to know what
might be coming. And thanks to laws
requiring that zoning applications be
advertised before they’re decided, now
you know.
Advertising requirements help citizens
protect their rights, and keep local
governments from abusing their
power.
Monroe County learned in April
just how important advertising notices are. That’s when this
newspaper reported that county commissioners had sold
100+ acres on the Ocmulgee River for about $100,000 without
properly advertising it. Commissioners have apologized. It ap
pears the county kept that property auction on the down-low
to prevent anyone from bidding against the man who wanted
the land, the son-in-law of former commissioner candidate
John Martin. It worked — at least for commissioners and the
well-connected duck hunters who got the deal. For the rest of
the taxpayers, not so much. It remains to be seen if anyone files
a lawsuit to claw back the sweetheart deal.
Another instance that showed how advertising requirements
hold government accountable and protects citizen rights came
about 10 years ago. That’s when the Monroe County school
board moved to condemn a neighbor’s property for the new
Fine Arts Center. Because the move had to be advertised in the
Reporter, taxpayers were able to weigh in, and mostly ex
pressed opposition to deploying the rarely used condemnation
process, which takes a person’s property at market value with
out their consent. The school board backed down and finally
reached a deal to build the Fine Arts Center where it sits now.
So the next time you hear a legislator opine that it’s time to
drop “dated” advertising requirements, remember they are
coming after your right to know, and your right to govern
yourself.
• ••
One of the great things about Monroe County is that we don’t
tolerate crime. Our sheriff, our judges and our district attorney
work hard to enforce the law and make bad guys pay a price.
This stands in stark contrast to many communities, especially
urban ones, which seem to be suffering a crime wave to the
point that they are uninhabitable.
As the Public Safety Capital of Georgia, we should never take
for granted the strong anti-crime culture we enjoy.
That said, last weeks trial of a High Falls man for molestation
seemed to be a rare miss. Yes, two of his children accused him
of awful crimes. They should have been and were investigated.
But the sheriff’s office originally opted not to charge the father.
Then a daughter came forth with rather vague accusations and
suddenly the man was charged with 11 counts of child abuse,
for which he has spent almost two years in jail. There were ac
cusations, but very little evidence.
As one juror told the Reporter, he could not send a man to
prison for the rest of his life without more substantive evi
dence. Our system is the best in the world because it protects
the rights of the accused. The state must prove its case beyond
any reasonable doubt before taking away his freedom. It’s not
perfect, but it’s the best system in the world.
On Friday, the system worked. Jurors, some of them known
in the community as no-nonsense people unwilling to tolerate
crime, looked at the evidence and said nope, we cannot con
vict. They returned a not guilty verdict on 10 or 11 counts. Yet,
many of them were stunned when the defendant was neverthe
less sentenced to 10 years in prison. We were too. The man has
already served nearly two years. He was convicted of shoving
his son against a wall. That hardly warrants 10 years in prison.
More than 30 jurors failed to show for jury duty during last
weeks trial week. If the justice system honored those who did
bother to show, serving until 6 p.m. on Friday of a holiday
weekend, by issuing sentences that comport with their verdict,
they might not have such a problem finding jurors.
is published every week by The Monroe County Reporter Inc.
Will Davis, President • Robert M. Williams Jr., Vice President
Cheryl S. Williams, Secretary-T reasurer
OUR STAFF
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50 N. Jackson St., PO Box 795 • Forsyth,
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Deadlines noon on Friday prior to issue. Comments featured on opinion pages are the creation of
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Publication No. USPS 997-840
Will Davis
Publisher/Editor
publisher@mymcr.net
Steve Reece
Reporter
stevereece@g ma i I .co m
Donna Wilson
Advertising Manager
ads@mymcr.net
n
DRAWING ON THE NEWS by AF Branco
)Americans-Care.com
©2022Creators.com
government
tyranny
REECE’S PIECES by Steve Reece
A reunion on Burnt Mountain
O nce a year on the last Sun
day of June, a large gather
ing of the Reece and Hay-
good families converge for
a reunion on the top of Burnt Moun
tain ten miles up a steep curvy road
from Jasper, Ga„ which is well known
as the First Mountain City. Usually,
the day is miserable with rain blowing
across Sequoyah Lake and into the
open shelter where mouth-watering
covered dishes are spread across plas
tic tablecloths covering a 30-foot-long
concrete table. Casseroles of every sort
are always popular, each one includ
ing the required ingredient of a can
of Campbell’s Condensed Cream of
Something Soup.
There is always a spot re
served on the table for a small
wicker basket for donations
to help with the upkeep of
the old church and cemetery
and there’s a book where we
sign in and record the births
and deaths that occurred
during the previous year.
This year I sadly added
the name of my younger
brother, David, who died
in early April. I turned back a few
pages and found where I had entered
the name of my dad a few years ago.
My father loved the reunions and
always told me how important it was
to make sure my children continued
the tradition. Fortunately, my young
est daughter never fails to attend.
The Reeces and Haygoods are
distantly related by the marriage of
distant cousins, and we all get along
just fine, but the Haygoods always
have their place at one end of the
table and the Reeces on the opposite.
Still, after a lengthy blessing said by
an elderly member of the clan, we all
shuffle around the table loading up
paper plates as friendly as we can be.
Everyone then retreats to their usual
locations sitting in folding chairs
grouped together by families next to
the lake chatting about old times with
country cooking bal
anced on our laps.
My dad’s youngest
brother, Uncle B.R.,
always brings books
and photos filled
with family history.
He is a proud expert
on the subject and
even more proud
to be a Reece. I like
to get him riled up
from time to time by
mentioning what a
fan I am of President
Abraham Lincoln,
whom he considers
to be our worst president ever while
I argue he was the best. He
told me Aunt Mildred couldn’t
make it due to some medical
issue that I’ve never heard of.
My Aunt Shirley is getting
along in years now and had to
use a walker to reach the grave
of my Uncle Lesley,
who has been cracking
j okes with my old man
up in Heaven for over a
decade. I’ve always con
sidered my Aunt Shirley to be the best
cook in the mountains but Cousin
Yvonne had to cover for her mother
this year. Her mama taught her well.
Poor Aunt Shirley scolded me for not
introducing her to my daughter who
she has known since she was a baby
over 30 years ago.
The Burnt Mountain Baptist Church
was established in the 1850s and as far
as anyone knows, the Reece Reunion
has happened there every year since.
My ancestors used to own the entire
mountain but now it’s mostly divided
up amongst folks from up North who
stay in beautiful cabins next to a nice
lake situated at 2,769 feet. Golf carts
are a popular mode of transportation.
The church and the cemetery are all
that remains in our family and there
is a danger we may one day lose it all
as the older ones pass away and the
younger ones lose
interest in family
traditions. We feel
that if we con
tinue to maintain
the church and
grounds, pay
taxes, and have
meetings, no
one can touch it.
But every year
fewer and fewer
young people are
showing up for
the reunion and
Decoration Day
held in October.
Decoration Day is pretty much the
same as a reunion except the day is
dedicated to cleaning up graves and
tidying the cemetery. Real estate com
panies are licking their lips waiting for
the day they can get their hands on
the prime real estate.
In the cemetery lies Isaac Burlison,
my great-great-great-grandfather,
who died in 1856 and was reportedly
the earliest settler on Burnt Mountain.
Also in the cemetery are my numer
ous cousins, aunts, and uncles includ
ing my grandfather’s twin brother
who died at the age of 22 from a
whiskey still explosion.
I never met my grandfather who
perished in prison at the age of 33,
leaving my grandmother destitute liv
ing in a dirt-floor shack with six hun
gry children. My dad was the oldest at
12 and quit school to become the man
of the house. My grandfather was in
prison for running moonshine.
There is a little spot just on the edge
of the woods beside the old cemetery
I’ve often thought would be a nice
place to go when it’s my time, but it’ll
probably be sold one day, and they’ll
just have to dig me up and plant me
somewhere else.
Steve Reece is a writer for the Report
er and a known crime fighter. Email
him atstevereece@gmad.com.
CAROLYN S CORNER by Carolyn Martel
Flabbergasted atheist stunned by neighbors faith
A n elderly lady was well-
known for her faith and
for her boldness in talking
about it.
She would stand on her front porch
and shout “Praise the Lord!”
Next door to her lived an athe
ist who would get so angry at
her proclamations he would
shout, “There ain’t no God!”
Hard times set in on the
elderly lady and she prayed
for God to send her some as
sistance. She stood on
her porch and shouted
“Praise the Lord. God
I need some food!
Please Lord, send me
some groceries.”
The next morning the lady went
out on her porch and saw a large bag
of groceries and shouted, “Praise the
Lord!” The neighbor jumped from
behind a bush and said, “Aha!” I told
you there was no Lord. I bought those
groceries, God didn’t.”
The lady started jumping
up and down and clapping
her hands and said, “Praise
the Lord! He not only sent
me groceries, but He made
the devil pay for them!”
We can all get a good
chuckle from this humor
ous story, but this
amusing narrative
reminded me of what
Jesus said about feed
ing the hungry and
meeting other human needs as well.
Jesus said,” When I was hungry, you
gave me something to eat, and when
I was thirsty, you gave me something
to drink. When I was a stranger, you
welcomed me, and when I was naked,
you gave me clothes to wear. When
I was sick, you took care of me, and
when I was in jail, you visited me.”
The righteous asked Him, “When
did we give you something to eat or
drink? When did we welcome you
as a stranger or give you clothes to
wear or visit you while you were sick
or in jail?” The reply of the Lord was
straightforward and to the point.
“Truly I tell you, whatever you did for
one of the least of these brothers and
sisters of mine, you did it for me.” (See
Matt. 25:35-40).
Carolyn Martel of Forsyth is the re
tired long-time advertising manager for
the Reporter. Email her at carolynmar-
tell@bellsouth.net.