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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
Where we are now
F or a long time, American conservatives and Christians
have been lectured and patronized by our cultural
betters. They sneer at us that “Love Wins” and “Hate
is not a Family Value”. Their assumption — and that
of our media and wider culture — has been that anyone who
adopts a traditional view of gender and
sex is a hater. Our backward views,
their assumption has been, are holding
back progress.
On Monday, 28-year-old Audrey Hale
(he/him) marched into a small Chris
tian school in Nashville and destroyed
that myth, along with 3 children aged 9
and 3 adults.
My son is 9 and I cannot imagine
the anguish of those families. Their
most precious possession, their
beloved children, Evelyn Dieck-
haus, Hallie Scruggs and William
Kinney, were gunned down at a Christian school inside a
church. It should be the safest, most nurturing place in the
world. Hallie Suggs was the daughter of the church’s pastor.
The adults murdered were Cynthia Peak, 61, Katherine
Koonce, 60, and Mike Hill, 61.
Nashville police say that Hale was a former student at the
school. They said she may have had some resentment toward
Covenant, which only goes up to grade 6. If that’s the case,
then it has been at least 16 years since she attended there.
Why would she hate that school that nurtured her so long
ago?
Hale included he/him as her “pronouns” on her personal
website. She was a graphic designer who graduated from
art school last year. She also wrote on her site that she enjoys
binging on video games ... and playing sports, activities more
associated with boys. Police released a video of the attack in
which Hale marches in with a big gun, and a very boyish gait,
firing at the school’s glass doors and searching for someone
— we can only assume victims. Koonce was the school’s
principal.
ABC News said she lived at home with her parents, who
neighbors described as very religious. Hale’s Linkedln ac
count also lists work as a part-time grocery shopper with the
food delivery service Shipt and mentions past employment
as a cat sitter. Obviously, we will learn more as time goes on.
Perhaps Hale’s sexual confusion played a role in her hatred of
her former school. Perhaps she hated Christians more widely.
Hale would certainly not be the first in modem America to
show hatred for believers.
The bodies were not even cold in Nashville before ABC’s
Terry Moran bemoaned to his national audience that
Tennessee had recently passed legislation banning the
hormonization and mutilation of minors. Never mind that
the shooter was 28. The Spectator noted that several other
outlets, including NPR, the New York Times and USA Today,
took time to correct Nashville law enforcement for previously
misgendering the mass shooter and not using “his” desired
pronouns. Prior to the confirmation of the shooter’s identity,
the Washington Post, also in a since-deleted tweet, wrote
“GOP congressman from Nashville district ‘heartbroken by
shooting. A 2021 photo shows his family with firearms.”
Maya Angelou famously said, “When someone shows you
who they are, believe them the first time.” The media are
showing us who they are. They hate us.
I don’t agree with Donald Trump on everything. But when
he says Big Media is the enemy of the people (small, lovable
weekly papers not included), he’s onto something.
Alas, the question remains: how should Christians and
conservatives approach an increasingly hostile culture, with
increasing sexual confusion and deviance?
Georgia’s own mega-pastor Andy Stanley tries to reach out
to sexually confused people like Hale by downplaying the Bi
ble’s repeated admonitions against homosexuality and other
sexual deviations. But is that really the problem? Homosex
uals have never had more power and influence in America
than they have now. While just 1-2 percent of Baby Boomers
said they were homosexual, an astonishing 20.8 percent of
Generation Z (born 1997-2003) say they’re gay. And now,
California and Canada have made it illegal even to share
with someone that they don’t have to be gay. They mock such
See ON THE PORCH Page 5A
DRAWING ON THE NEWS by AF Branco
REECE’S PIECES by Steve Reece
Were still pickin’ & grinnin’
H umans have a couple of
bird-like traits. In addi
tion, in being able to fly,
our music is similar.
My own interest in music came
very early. I was around eight when
my father, a sergeant in the U.S. Air
Force, was invited by his command
ing officer to bring the Reeces over
to his house for supper and to meet
his family. My old man never said no
to a ranking officer. The following
weekend he got all five of us kids
cleaned up and loaded up in his old
Plymouth and took us to the fancy
side of town. We weren’t well dressed
being children of a lowly sergeant, but
we were shining. Our shoes were spit-
shined, military style. We didn’t have a
mother then, but my old man did the
best he could.
I didn’t know we were poor un
til that day. The major’s lawn was
immaculate while our own yard was
brown and full of stickers. My
dad’s Plymouth seemed out
of place sitting in a driveway
that was wide enough for
three cars. Before we got out,
he gave us final instructions
on our behavior. Military
style.
We walked up to the
front door of the ma
jor’s magnificent home
along a stone path
following behind my dad looking like
a row of baby ducks walking through
the Garden of Eden.
The major himself answered the
door and after vigorously shaking my
dad’s hand, told us to come on in. We
lined up in the foyer from the oldest
to the youngest and as my dad intro
duced us the major shook our little
hands with the grip of a military man.
He had a pretty wife and one son,
Jason, who was my age. Jason was as
spoiled as a Fourth of July watermelon
stored in the fridge until Labor Day.
His mother suggested that he take the
three oldest Reece brothers into his
room to play. He hemmed and hawed
until the major gave him the com
mand to move.
The size of Jason’s room was nearly
the size of our house. Included in his
piles of expensive toys were musical
instruments of every sort. He had a
guitar, horns, xylophones, flutes, a
toy piano, a harmonica and even a
trombone.
While my brothers were digging
through Jason’s massive toy box and
Jason was showing them off, I was
busy discovering music. I went
through his instruments one at
a time and learned that I could
get a tune out of anything. I
must’ve sounded pretty good
because while I was sounding
out a little ditty on a toy flute, I
looked up and realized I
had an audience of three
adults who were amazed
at what they were hearing
coming from a toy. I
immediately put away the flute back
where I got it.
After my dad insisted to the major
that I had never taken a music lesson
in my life, the major insisted that I
must. He was never one to say no to
an officer.
Soon my dad came home with what
resembled a suitcase and opened it to
reveal a beautiful green accordion. It
was a beginner’s accordion with only
12 bass notes, but magnificent. Rhine
stones and all. He told me to sit on the
couch and strap it on. It was heavy
and you could barely see me behind
it, but I managed to please him by
figuring out an impromptu tune. My
brothers were jealous, but they had
been busy playing with toys instead of
jamming with me.
My dad set me up to take lessons
with a music teacher about a mile
and a half away from our house. After
dragging the heavy case to my first
lesson and back, my dad helped me
build a wooden wagon using wheels
off an old baby stroller. I eventually
graduated to a 120-bass accordion
and Brother Lemmon invited me to
play in front or the Tabernacle Baptist
Church congregation. Even though I
did pretty good with my rendition of
“Amazing Grace,” I blew it during my
post-performance interview when
my prepuberty voice sent out a loud
squawk and the congregation roared
with laughter.
I became interested in the trumpet
and went to my old man and told
him of my new passion. “Like, heck!”
he said. I learned then that he had
pawned his Plymouth to pay for my
accordion and had only recently paid
it off. Even so, he said he was about
tired of hearing my “squeeze box”
anyway. He said he would sell the ac
cordion to buy a trumpet, but I would
have to join the Salvation Army to
learn how to play. I did just that. Even
wore the uniform and stood on street
corners for a couple of years.
When I was about 15,1 took up the
guitar and began to write songs. After
all these years, I’m still picking and
grinning. Occasionally, you might
catch my girlfriend, Debbie, and I
playing around town.
Steve Reece is a writer for the Report
er and a known crime fighter. Email
him atstevereece@gmail.com.
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
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Publication No. USPS 997-840
CAROLYN S CORNER by Carolyn Martel
Leading by example inspires others to follow
T he other day, I was thinking
that it has been three years
since I’ve had an eye exam,
and I need to make an ap
pointment with my optometrist. Dr.
Tom Perry of Forsyth was my eye
doctor for decades, but he retired in
2017.
laugh. Instead, he crossed his arms,
leaned his head back and looked up
at the ceiling. Then with a big smile,
he said, “Carolyn, you’re right. I’ve
never thought about that before. I
will always remember that.”
I FONDLY remember
interviewing Dr. Perry
before his retirement. He
dropped by the Reporter
office and took a seat
in front of my desk. I
remember saying, “Dr.
Perry, I have no
doubt that you were
meant to be an op-
tometrist.” He said,
“Really? Why do
I THEN asked Dr. Perry what he
was looking forward to when
he retired. His sharp sense of
humor immediately kicked in,
and with tongue in cheek he
said, “I’m looking forward to
all the honey-do projects my
wife, Libby, has lined up for
me.” On a more serious note
he mentioned that he
planned to stay actively
involved in his Monroe
County community)’
you think so?” I replied, “Well, the
word ‘tom is in the word optome
trist and your name is “Tom.”
This was my feeble attempt to
be humorous, but Dr. Perry didn’t
I ALSO remember Dr. Perry
telling me that he loved people
and what a privilege it was to assist
his patients with all their eye care
needs-which he did for almost
45 years. Although retired as an
optometrist, Dr. Perry has continued
to serve his community through
various civic projects and endeavors
that have made a positive difference
in Monroe County.
WHEN I think of Dr. Perry, I am
so thankful that he (and others like
him) are not only devoted to God
and family, but they also use their
talents and skills to serve their com
munity. When you are passionate
about serving, whether it is in your
church or local community, others
are inspired to follow your exam
ple! Peter 4:10 says, “Each of you
should use whatever gift you have
received to serve others, as faithful
stewards of God’s grace in its various
forms, so that in all things God may
be praised through Jesus Christ.”
Carolyn Martel is the long-time
former advertising manager for
the Reporter who writes a weekly
inspirational column. Email her at
caroiynmarteil @bellsouth.net.