Newspaper Page Text
September 21,2022
Page 5A
ON THE OUTSIDE LOOKING IN by Don Daniel
Queen s funeral
had event planner
I have been binge watching the funeral
of Queen Elizabeth II. A side note first.
In previous job positions, I have had
the responsibility of being an “event
coordinator” and Will, Shelly Shuman and
I are planning for the 50th birthday of this
newspaper invit
ing former editors
and employees that
helped me with
“Monroe County’s
First Total Newspa-
»
per.
Our plans are not as
complicated.
Now back to where
I was going. I have
been fascinated
with the pageantry
that was displayed
with the Queens
funeral. A friend of mine in England explained
that the Queen’s funeral was explicitly planned
long before her death. I have been intrigued
with how precise and coordinated the event
came across. I am sure there were many event
coordinators.
NOW TO something else. The Forsyth-Mon-
roe County Chamber hosted a grand opening
and ribbon cutting for Forsyth Cablenet’s new
location and office in downtown Forsyth. A
brief history of the building: It was the home of
The Citizen’s Bank which moved from on the
square to the new “bank” building.
Competition between Forsyth Cablenet
and the EMC-promoted Conexon is giving
customers and potential customers options. I
now have high-speed Conexon since Forsyth
Cablenet hasn’t reached out to Blountites.
HERE IS another observation. The Georgia
Senate race featuring The Reverend Senator
Wamock and Georgia football standout is
getting uglier by the day. Senator Wamock’s
campaign advertising featuring the “criminal”
history of Herschel Walker’s by his ex-wife is
beginning to raise voter questions.
If the accusations are legitimate, Walker’s fail
ure to address the accusations will shadow him
all the way to the ballot box and his Heisman
trophy will begin to tarnish if it has not already
begun.
OVER AT the Forsyth City Council meeting
the council approved the Georgia Department
of Transportations request to proceed with
plans for rerouting, routing, and reworking of
1-75 work in the city.
In an attempt to dispel rumors, the city man
ager stated that Jack’s coming to the city has
not been confirmed nor has the fast food chain
contacted the city about a location.
Here are a few unattributed council member
comments: “You cannot tell people to talk
about fitness”; “In my mind, I am hearing two
different things”; and “They do the best they
can but they can’t catch everybody”; that’s
what changed the character”; “We had vigor
ous discussions”; and this one, “Be transparent
about it.”
HEY SHERIFF Freeman.. ..would you
please, per last week’s column, consider install
ing speed detection cameras here on Blount
Road from Highway 42 down to Garr Road?
Do something please! Don’t do something after
someone is killed in a speeding incident.
THE BOARD of Education has made some
major change decisions that could affect fans
attending MP football games. If you are taking
refreshments to the game, it has to be in a clear
bag and get ready; a clear gallon Ziploc bag will
suffice.
All the what you can do and cannot do at
“The Pitt” was in last week’s paper. Better read
up on the do’s and no-do’s.
DIDN’T KNOW or probably forgot that
there is a Monroe County Amateur Radio So
ciety and it meets the second Monday of each
month at the Monroe County Fire Station on
Juliette Road at 6:30 p.m.
I’m sorta familiar with the MCARS in that
the late Clemath Hopper, a Forsyth Post Office
employee, was an amateur radio operator and
he often invited me to come over. He would
contact people all over the world.
NO CORRECT answers to last week’s The
Question so here’s this week’s: What minor
league baseball player from Forsyth is playing
for the Omaha Storm Chasers? First correct
answer after 12 noon gets the certificate for Big
Peach car wash, dozen Dunkin donuts, Dairy
Queen Blizzard, slice of Shoney’s strawberry
pie, single deep at Scoops and a Whistle Stop
fried green tomato appetizer,
GOT THE answer to The Question or want
to make a publishable comment? Contact Don
ald Jackson Daniel at mediadr@bellsouth.net
Don Daniel founded the Reporter in 1972.
Email him at mediadr@bellsouth.net.
^Reporter
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Liberals hate when policies affect them
To the Editor:
T he news media describes illegal
immigrants as “people
fleeing dangerous
countries for a better
life”, Illegal immigrants are fed
eral criminals immediately after
crossing the Southern border,
and should be dealt with in that
manner. They bring poverty, a
large number of diseased chil
dren, crime, minimal job skills,
and often an inability to speak
English. Illegal immigrants have
no rights in the United States.
HART
American taxpayers spend billions of
dollars to house, feed, and provide ser
vices for these people to which
they complain are not good
enough. I am sure that these
conditions are far better than
what they had where they came
from. We need to redirect the
funding to increase enforcement
at the Southern border. Stop the
influx at the source. Sanctuary
Cities in the United Sates have
answered the call to provide asy
lum to illegals. The Governors of
Texas, Arizona, and Florida have
provided them with the overwelming
numbers of illegal immigrants. The Sanc
tuary Cities now call this move a “politi
cal stunt”. It is not a “political stunt” These
cities have expressed a commitment
to provide for illegal immigrants. They
should be held accountable and required
to fulfill the commitment. Be careful of
what you wish for - talk is cheap.
To quote a Proud American, A1 Turner
“Wake up, America, not woke up.
Edd Hart
Forsyth
MERRY’S MUSINGS by Merry Harris
J Ue>\9
False Justice
lanned. parenthood
t ^ CR.T ——=*
'fhe f'LOOD is Comin
!* '
WOKE
Continued from Front
and Priscilla Doster, Nolen Howard, Dr. Jer
emy Goodwin, Sherrye Battle, Eva Bilder-
back and Stuart Pippin voted in favor.
But at least two “yes” votes, Stuart Pippin
and Eva Bilderback, are reconsidering after
Head found that BBBS trains using JEDI
(Justice Equity Diversity Inclusion), which
is anti-American and pro-homosexuality.
In a video at the top of JEDI’s website,
JEDI CEO and founder Marianne How
ard begins, “Since 1619 racism has been
embedded into every aspect of our culture,
our community and is at the center of
capitalism.”
And BBBS’s website includes a page
devoted to JEDI and LGBT rights.
“We are committed to a nondiscrimi-
natory and anti-racist approach and are
committed to dismantling any inequities
within our policies, systems, programs and
services,” says the BBBS website.
The BBBS website also touts its celebra
tion of alternate sexuality.
“Our LGBTQ Youth Mentoring Enhance
ment Initiative.. .was designed to ensure
not just that LGBTQ youth and mentors
would be accepted or tolerated within Big
Brothers Big Sisters, but that they would be
affirmed, understood, and celebrated,” says
the BBBS website.
Pippin said after hearing these details
from Head, he is prepared to rescind the
agreement with Big Brothers Big Sisters.
“That’s not what I was voting for)’ said
Pippin. “Either someone got hoodwinked
or somebody didn’t do their research. Big
Brothers Big Sisters used to be a fairly good
group, but they’ve definitely gone woke.”
Board member Eva Bilderback said she
wants to do some more research but said
she too is willing to rescind the agreement.
She said she wants to be a mentor and is
thinking about taking the training to find
out what BBBS is teaching.
Head emailed all board members and
Hickman on Monday, acknowledging that
Big Brothers Big Sisters sounds good. But
he said he doesn’t think Hickman looked
into it thoroughly. Head noted that the
board had already voted to make its policy
not to let CRT (Critical Race Theory) into
the schools.
“So our superintendent was misled, mis
taken, or is promoting this,” said Head.
Head said the JEDI training is CRT and
is fundamentally motivated by resentment
and hate, and is a complete lie.
“To allow this to come in a side door to
our schools is atrocious,” said Head. “Our
citizens deserve better from this group. I
don’t think anyone on this board including
the superintendent vetted this group. This
type of training is very divisive and hateful.”
He said all people should be treated with
respect, but the school system has no busi
ness promoting alternate sexual lifestyles.
Head included a link to the JEDI training
which BBBS admits is part of how it trains
mentors. “I hope I am not the only one that
sees this fallacy’ said Head.
Board member Nolen Howard told
the Reporter on Tuesday he had not read
Head’s email yet and so could not com
ment.
The BOE had approved Big Brothers Big
Sisters after hearing from Betsy Fitzgerald,
president/CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters
of the Heart of Georgia since 2019. In
introducing her, superintendent Dr. Mike
Hickman said that Monroe County Schools
used to partner with Big Brothers Big Sis
ters (BBBS) but it wasn’t working. Fitzgerald
said there is now new management and she
wants to reignite the partnership.
She said BBBS of the Heart of Georgia
serves 15 counties and currently has active
programs in Bibb, Houston and Peach
counties plus a newly launched program
in Twiggs County. She said there are some
mentors in Monroe County but BBBS
hasn’t been actively recruiting mentors
in Monroe County. She said the national
organization has been around for 100 years
and the regional organization has existed
for 69 years.
“We have data; our programs are evi
denced based,” she said. “We ensure our
kids are successful in life.”
Fitzgerald said the BBBS staff is passion
ate about serving so the youth won’t grow
up to burden the prison system. She said
BBBS serves ages 6 to high school gradu
ation and is expanding; so it is important
that it work with school systems. She said
BBBS provides a positive role model who
is a constant in the young person’s life. The
staff contacts the mentor every month for
the first year after a mentor is matched with
a child.
Fitzgerald said BBBS doesn’t seek any
funding from Monroe County Schools; it
has funding from other sources. She said
she would like for Monroe County Schools
to encourage administrators, faculty and
other staff to become mentors, espe
cially since they can meet with students at
schools, avoiding transportation issues and
facilitating regular contact.
In response to questions from board
members she said that parents and/or
guardians have to agree to the student being
involved in the program and have to agree
to share information that will help BBBS
match mentors and students.
In response to a question from Head,
Fitzgerald said that J.E.D.I. training is
required before an individual can become
a mentor.
Hickman recommended that the BOE
grandfather and re-establish its partner
ship with BBBS. In the memorandum of
understanding the school system agreed
to refer any child or family where a need
was observed; to identify points of contact
at each school and overall; to allow BBBS
access to elementary, middle and high
school students for recruitment; to provide
space and time for both school-based and
community-based mentoring; to have per
sonnel complete year-end evaluations; to
share data with BBBS to measure program
impact; to maintain open communication
with BBBS staff.
The agreement includes that the school
system will help recruit adult mentors
for the program, including encouraging
Monroe County Schools administrators
and staff to become mentors and provid
ing them and other volunteers space and
time to meet with assigned students at the
schools. To become a mentor, an individual
must pass a “layered criminal background
check” and must also complete orientation
and training provided by Big Brothers Big
Sisters.
That training includes the J.E.D.I. (Justice
Equity Diversity Inclusion) program.
Fitzgerald had previously requested and
received a memorandum of understanding
from the city of Forsyth on May 2. With the
city she emphasized that the program re
duces violence. She said the program works
with the Department of Juvenile Justice and
other corrections agencies.
“We serve a huge footprint and want to
have voices from the community’ said
Fitzgerald.
Noting that part of the agreement was
that Forsyth designate a representative to
serve on the BBBS Heart of Georgia board
of directors, council member Greg Goolsby
nominated Julius Stroud, and council voted
to appoint Stroud. Council approved the
agreement, with Goolsby, Stroud, Melvin
Lawrence and Chris Hewett voting in favor,
and John Howard and Mike Dodd absent.
The city agreed to “Champion program to
garner community support, led by Mayor;”
allow city employees one hour/week during
work hours to volunteer as mentors; con
nect BBBS with local businesses; assign a
liaison; coordinate recruitment of employee
mentors; provide space and times for
recruiting, interviewing and training men
tors; help and provide locations for group
activities.
Fitzgerald said there is no cost to the city
or to mentors or youth to participate in
BBBS.