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PAGE 4A -- THE COMMERCE (GA) NEWS, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 26, 2007 mion Editorial Views Somebody Has To Uphold The Zoning Ordinance Probably the primary requirement for a member of any planning commission is the ability to say "No” to a request for a zoning change or a variance. That's an oversimplification, but often saying "no” is the best way for the government to uphold the integrity of its zoning ordinance, the purpose of which is to maintain the community's quality of living. Thus, there are prohibitions against putting mobile homes in single-family housing districts, heavy industry in agricultural areas and convenience stores in residential neighborhoods. That being said, those regulations are under con stant challenge. Someone's mother needs to be looked after in her old age, so a dutiful son or daughter seeks a zoning change to put a trailer for Mom in the side yard of a large R-1 lot. There's a need to be met and economic hardship if the excep tion isn't granted just this one time. But in zoning, it's never just a single occurrence. What a planning commission and city do for one person with special circumstances, they'll be expected to do in the next case. That's one reason the Commerce Planning Commission voted unani mously to recommend that Ingles' request for a third large sign at its new store south of town be rejected. Not many Commerce residents would be offended if Ingles got that extra sign, but when the next compa ny located closer into town demanded to be treated the same on a much smaller tract, another bit of clutter would be created to diminish the appearance of the community. You can't blame Ingles for trying, and the folks in its corporate headquarters are doubtlessly worried that people near Commerce won't be able to find their new store properly without a third large sign. We know that's not the case; everyone in Commerce already knows where the new store is — it really doesn't need any signs at all, considering that the building itself will carry huge letters spelling out its name for all but the blind. Nonetheless, sometimes it's difficult to say "no” to well-intentioned people. Fortunately, the city planning commission doesn't have that problem and it made the right call again. Telling people "no” seldom wins friends, so serving on any planning commission is a thankless job. It's difficult to make decisions that hurt one person or a small group of people for the good of the commu nity at large. But if there are to be any regulations at all, somebody must be able to say "no” when some one wants to violate the zoning ordinance. That's the job of the planning commission. The Democrats Get A Gift The Democratic Party got a Christmas gift last week when former Rep. Cynthia McKinney officially announced that she will run for president — with the Green Party. McKinney used her announcement to criticize both the Democrat and Republican parties. Her defection leaves the Democratic Party without one of its most liberal lightning rods, and the party faithful are likely glad to see her move on. Even before her famous altercation with a security guard on Capitol Hill, McKinney was the poster child for what's amiss with Democrats. Smart and articulate, McKinney nonetheless had a penchant for the out rageous, such as alleging that President Bush had advance warning of the 9-11 terrorist attacks but let them happen so he could increase defense spend ing. She became so isolated that she was unable to achieve anything meaningful in Congress and was an embarrassment to a party not easily embar rassed. The Green Party's gain is definitely not the Democratic Party's loss. Editorials, unless otherwise noted, are written by Mark Beardsley. He can be reached by e-mail at mark@main- streetnews.com. The Commerce News ESTABLISHED IN 1875 USPS 125-320 1672 South Broad Street Commerce, Georgia 30529 MIKE BUFFINGTON Co-Publisher SCOTT BUFFINGTON Co-Publisher MARK BEARDSFEY Editor/General Manager BRANDON REED Sports Editor TERESA MARSHAFF Office Manager MERRIFF BAGWEFF Cartoonist THE COMMERCE NEWS is the legal organ of the city of Commerce and is published every Wednesday by MainStreet Newspapers Inc. Periodical postage paid at Commerce, Georgia 30529. Subscription Rates Per Year: Jackson, Banks and Madison counties $19.75; State of Georgia $38.85; out-of-state $44.50. Most rates dis counted $2 for senior citizens. POSTMASTER send address changes to THE COMMERCE NEWS, P.O. Box 908, Jefferson, GA 30549. I wish people would quit trying to read my mind,, and just give me cash for Christmas. Lonely Or Rowdy, It’s Christmas There is fairly general agree ment that old age is not for wimps or wusses, and I think we could probably rustle up a similar consensus about Christmas not being for onlys and lonelys. We do a good bit of bustling about to make sure that no one except McCauley Culkin is "home alone” for this particular holiday — and that's a good thing, because nobody should be left out unless they want to be. But maybe, like me, you know someone who opts out — someone who says thanks but no thanks, I think the dog and I will be just fine here, I'm planning to finish my cross word puzzle book. Or maybe, like me, you've accidentally found yourself having a fairly solitary Yule — just sort of "lurched into it,” as my dad says. For some reason, I'm beset by the Spirit of Christmas Past this year. Recollections of vari ous long-ago Christmases whiz past like missiles. The year I knitted my college boyfriend a sweater, for instance. The sleeves came down past his knees, and neither of us knew what to say. "It's — it's, uh, magnificent!” he finally, gener ously exclaimed. Or the year I was a flight attendant, and I A Few Facts, A Lot Of Gossip 2 BY SUSAN HARPER left for Africa on Christmas night after fighting the driving winds and blowing snow in my Volkswagen all the way out to the airport, only to land, aston ished, in bleach-your-eyes sun light and 100-degree weather the next morning. I love these odd old memo ries, and one of my favorites comes from the year I followed my navy husband's destroyer around the Mediterranean. The wives who do this are called "seagulls,” although I'd never heard of such a thing until I found myself doing it. But we were far more clumsy than gulls. Talk about lurching into things! We never knew for sure where the ship was going to be, or when. So while our hus bands were at sea in one sense, we were at sea in another. Christmas was a particular mystery. The French port of Nice had been rumored to be our destination. Then not. Then we were going to Italy. Then Marseille. Eventually we ended up in the little town of Villefranche, we wives, stand ing on a rickety dock, not really believing that a U.S. naval destroyer would claim this as a port of call, and peer ing out to sea like Pocahontas. I got seasick (yep, on the dock) and developed an inner-ear problem that had me reeling around like a rag doll for days and sliding out of bed while trying to stay in it. The ship's doctor finally gave me a shot of some sort, and by Christmas Eve I could walk and eat. So Charlie and I walked to a little restaurant in the village and had onion soup and salad, and some wine that seemed to thaw me out, so that only then did I realize how frightened I'd been. We went on to the old stone church up the street and heard the Christmas Mass in French. We came out into a clear, cold, quiet night, and a sky full of stars that seemed brilliant but distant, as if we were alone in the universe. And I thought — I had room to think it, and time — "Ah! It's Christmas!” Susan Harper is director of the Commerce Public Library. Seeking A 'Survivor’ Skill Set The CBS Reality TV Show, "Survivor,” is one of the most watched shows on television. Since it first aired in the sum mer of 2000, I have been a huge fan. Each season I clear my calendar of events so that Thursday nights from 8-9 there are to be no interruptions. After meeting two of the previous contestants and quiz zing them about the show, I finally convinced my husband to let me apply for the show. I completed the application and submitted it with my video. Unfortunately, the producers never called and my dream of becoming a "Survivor” contes tant has vanished. I asked my husband if I could try "just one more time.” He hems and haws and doesn't really give me an emphatic yes or no. He has mentioned before that I might embarrass him or our family; I might say a few choice words that our preacher would not appreci ate, and his final uncertain question is "Who would take care of the girls while you are gone?” I answered all his ques- Views In Rotation BY TRICIA MASSEY tions and asked him if I could apply one more time. He has agreed, but I need to be more creative with my application and video. What would it take to get the producer's attention? If I took "Survivor-attributes” from local Commerce folks, I just might have a chance at win ning. Here is my best attempt at formulating my Survivor contestant. Personality: Dannette Flint. Dannette is an actress who performs with the Cold Sassy Players. She is quick-witted, smart, cute, glowing and funny! I would have those skinny little "Survivor” girls breaking their bones with gut- wrenching laughter if I had Dannette's personality. Work ethic: Keith Ariail. Not only does Keith possess a work ethic we all need to embrace, but he also he does it without complaining and with a fabu lous smile. He compliments people, he volunteers his time, he donates to worthy causes. If I had his work ethic during my "Survivor” experience, I'd have a good chance of capturing everyone's trust. Charm: One of my friends, Lori Martin, can charm just about anyone she meets. She lights up a room when she enters it; her southern dialect and charm would win the young men's votes! Physical fitness: Stephanie McFadden is one-lean machine! I remember seeing her picture in The Commerce News highlighting her track accomplishments while in high school. She continues to stay physically fit and with her commitment to staying healthy Please Turn To Page 5A It's Gospel According To Mark BY MARK BEARDSLEY Indulge In Fantasy, Make A New Year’s Resolution The sun is setting on 2007 — no great loss, I'd say. The economy is sagging, the war in Iraq rolls on like the Energizer bunny and the state cli matologist says if we want to see rain we'd best move out of Georgia. There's always something nice about sending one year into his tory and awaiting a clean, fresh one. That's why the symbol of a new year is always a baby; babies are cute and happy and full of potential. They can grow into doctors, teachers and sci entists. Alas, they can also grow into surly teenagers, crack addicts and meterologists. A new year is like that new baby — you have a little time to enjoy it before it gets old. The new year is like the first day of Spring Training, when every team has a theoretical chance at winning the division. Anything is possible. Looking ahead to the new year, it's possible to give up smoking, get more exercise and take shorter show ers. Breaking the inertia of a lifetime appears feasible in late December as in "I'll start a new diet Jan. 2.” To which the rest of us will add, "and quit it Jan. 4.” But what good would starting a new year be without the possibility of things turning out better? Who would have guessed on Jan. 1, 1991, that the Atlanta Braves would win the division, the pennant and come within a game of winning the World Series? Embrace the possibilities. 2008 could be the year that I write the great American novel or you defeat kleptomania. It could be the year that Jefferson beats Commerce in football. Oh, right, that already happened. The point is that we enter the new year undefeated. Savor the possibili ties with all of the imagination you employ when you buy a Lotto ticket. I know. Chances are that 2008 will turn to mush soon enough, but between now and the second week in January, you have license to imagine things going your way. You'll lose 30 pounds, you'll be made president of the company and the IRS will notify you of a huge mistake in your favor. The problem isn't that New Year's resolutions aren't kept or that each year fails to meet expectations; shoot, we know all that. What's bad is that we get to harbor these fanta sies for only a couple of weeks at the most each year. The other 50 weeks we have to live with the reality that nothing has improved. The Falcons still stink and Dick Cheney wants to take us hunting. I propose that we start each year Feb. 1 and end it Dec. 31. Let January be a transition month that counts with neither year so we can delay the reality of the new year by 31 days. We'll have shed another gruesome year but have a month before the new one starts, 31 days in which to delude ourselves that "next year is going to be different.” (If we don't let Congress or the General Assembly convene until Feb. 1, we'll get the additional benefit of protecting our property and liberty from the machinations of federal and state governments for 31 days.) In the meantime, feel free to make New Year's resolutions wherever you see room for improvement. Who knows, someday, someone will keep one. Just don't tell anyone what you've resolved to change. It'll save a lot of grief in 2008. Happy New Year. Mark Beardsley is editor of The Commerce News. He can be reached at mark@mainstreetnews.com.