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PAGE 4A - THE COMMERCE (GA) NEWS. WEDNESDAY. FEBRUARY 20. 2008
mion
Editorial Views
Compassion Justified In
Sentencing Of ‘Bomber*
Judge Joe Booth demonstrated judicial compas
sion and wisdom last Thursday when he sentenced
young Andrew Thomas Criswell to three years of
confinement for bringing a bomb to Jackson County
Comprehensive High School. The prosecution want
ed a sentence of seven years, but Booth, recognizing
that the student is also a victim, granted him first
offender and youthful offender status so he can
avoid the stigma of a convicted felon if he success
fully completes probation.
Make no mistake; this was a serious incident. The
bomb was real, and people could have been killed or
seriously hurt. A string of school shootings over the
past two weeks is a reminder that anything can hap
pen in a school and equally a reminder that there are
a lot of disturbed people with access to our schools.
Certainly those who threaten others must be pun
ished, but a troubled now-16-year-old is as much the
victim — in this particular case — as the students and
adults he traumatized April 11, 2007. Cooler heads
prevailed on that day, and they also prevailed last
week at sentencing.
There is no excuse for threatening or hurting oth
ers, but this child suffered neglect at home, bullying
at school and was responsible for his younger sib
lings because his parents were not. He was trapped
in a situation no kid should be forced to endure and
ill-equipped to respond appropriately. Naturally, he
suffered from emotional problems as a result.
Sadly, there are likely many other Jackson County
kids caught in similar circumstances. They will not
respond by carrying bombs or firearms to school,
but most of them will also never receive the help
they need to become well-adjusted, productive citi
zens. The most likely result for many of these kids
will be to repeat the cycle when they have kids of
their own. That, too, is a tragedy.
There is no way to know whether Judge Booth's
compassion will enable this child to turn his life
around and to become a well-adjusted adult. The boy
needed help earlier and didn't get it. The sentence,
which includes credit for the 10 months Criswell
has been in jail, offers some chance for his even
tual recovery. No guarantee, but a chance, and that's
something this child wasn't given in his home life.
A Shameful Top Ranking
Everybody wants to be Number One at something,
but Jackson County's ranking as Number One
in the Northeast Georgia Health District for teen
births is not a source of pride. Rather, we should be
ashamed.
Thirty-eight percent of Jackson County teenage
girls will have a baby before age 20. Why? Because
too many sexually active kids don't get the informa
tion they need to prevent pregnancy.
Abstinence truly is the best way to prevent preg
nancy, but with half of high school kids being sexu
ally active, the kids have abandoned that approach.
Parents, clearly, are not getting the message across
and could well be afraid to face the possibility that
their kids are sexually active.
Of course, the statistics target girls; the boys are
just as responsible and just as ignorant about the
relationship between sexual activity and pregnancy.
As difficult as it is for adults to believe that so many
of today's teenagers are ignorant about the relation
ship between sexual activity and pregnancy, anec
dotal evidence from local health officials verifies that
ignorance.
We can debate the abstinence versus information
and services issue until the cows come home. In the
meantime, we're number one in teen births.
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 MARSHALL Office Manager
MERRILL BAGWELL 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.
A county mission statement? How about, To pave or
develop every acre by 20107
Love Those Low-Impact Holidays
"Holidays make the year go
'round," a friend proclaims
energetically. He has stopped
by to bring us some of his
homemade chicken soup, and
he goes back to his truck to
bring in two bud vases of roses
and lilies from his wife.
As it happens, we have some
thing for them, too, although
we hadn't expected to see him
tonight. I have to run out to
my car and hastily inscribe
the card, standing there in
the freezing cold, bent over
the seat. But everything else
is ready to go, and I'm feeling
especially good about having
found what I think is the per
fect Valentine for him.
Is someone really going to
try to tell me that Valentine's
Day is not a holiday? You bet!
I heard one female broad
caster refer to it as a "pseudo
holiday," and a male broad
caster tried to bully his female
co-host into agreeing with
him that it was a hugely over
commercialized celebration
of something that never really
existed — didn't she agree?
"Well, I kind of like the flow
ers and candy," she whimpered
apologetically.
'Buck up, girlfriend,' I felt
like saying to her. 'Don't wimp
out. V Day is cool! No tree
to put up, no front yard to
A Few
Facts, A
Lot Of
Gossip 2
BY SUSAN HARPER
decorate, no designated animal
we're obliged to stuff, or cook,
or eat, or anything. No need to
dress up, either, or stress out
about your looks; the V Day
national anthem immortalizes
a woman whose appearance
is "laughable; unphotograph-
able." Plus, we're celebrating
love, and what is the food of
love? Chocolate! — perhaps
washed down with a little
champagne. I rest my case.'
We're really just getting into
2008, and some other favorite
holidays beckon in the months
ahead. Memorial Day used to
involve parades, wreath-laying,
and gun salutes that had us all
covering our ears — and to my
mind, it still should. This is a
holiday that has lost its iden
tity, and has become, for many
of us, just a three-day chance
to head for the beach. I liked it
best in its old incarnation, as
a time to remember, not just
those we've lost, but those who
embarked on a sea of trouble
knowingly for the sake of their
country.
Independence Day still
retains its core: the celebra
tion of America's coming-
into-being. It's fun to eat
what Lyndon Johnson called
"Amurcan" potato salad, hot
dogs and hamburgers, apple
pie, and the wacky things
people make up, like red-white-
and-blue Jello cake, and then
go watch the fireworks
Labor Day is the best of the
low-impact holidays because
you aren't expected to do any
thing at all except — well, noth
ing. Some of us have a hard
time doing nothing, but I'm
always happy to try.
Columbus Day, midway
through a makeover, may
emerge as something more
American than apple pie: a cel
ebration of all the non-native
people who came here and
built a life. A salute to them,
and to our diversity, seems
like an interesting idea. And
of course we'd need to have
it off. Oh, and don't forget
Groundhog Day. Oops, and I
missed St. Patrick's Day. And
Grandparents Day!
Susan Harper is director of the
Commerce Public Library.
Needing A Pediatric Dentist
Pictures of zebras, penguins
and birds adorn the walls. A
large flat-screen television plays
your child's favorite Disney
movie. A variety of books and
puzzles are awaiting you at
the kids table and bookshelf.
There are three video game sta
tions just waiting for a child
to choose from. Sounds like a
child's dream room, doesn't it?
This is what children and par
ents enjoy while waiting in the
office of Dr. Leslie Pitts, pediat
ric dentist.
Most people who needed a
pediatric dentist had to go to
Athens or Gainesville for their
children's dental care. Now, in
your hometown, Dr. Leslie Pitts
has opened a practice and it is
convenient, new, professional,
and even fun.
My arrival at Dr. Pitts' office
came because my three year
old wouldn't sit still in our
family dentist's exam chair. Dr.
Beck and three of her staff had
to hold her down just to look
in her mouth. They knew she
wouldn't sit still for her first
cleaning so they referred me to
Dr. Pitts.
r l
BYTRICIA MASSEY
On our first visit, Dr. Pitts
discovered a cavity. Of course,
I was devastated, considering I
don't have any and our oldest
daughter doesn't either. When
we returned to have her teeth
cleaned and her cavity filled,
I was a little nervous because
they were going to have to
mildly sedate my child.
Dr. Pitts was very professional
when describing how the seda
tion would work, the time
frame of the cleaning and cav
ity repair, and the aftermath of
the sedation. We were prepared
and she eased our minds.
After the procedure was
over, we had to wait longer for
Lauren to return to somewhat
of her normal self. Dr. Pitts
wanted to hear her talk and
watch her walk before we were
dismissed. She held Lauren and
talked to her in a sweet gentle
voice. The staff was friendly
and eager and very loving to
my child.
I enjoyed seeing all the fancy
equipment. I don't know what
any of it does, but it looked
sophisticated. It seems that
things have changed since the
days of spitting down the tiny
sink next to your exam chair
while the water swirled around
in it.
Commerce has a lot of health
care opportunities right at our
fingertips. As our city contin
ues to grow, we will probably
witness more health care pro
fessionals wanting to locate to
our area.
Let's support these health
care professionals. I know I can
highly recommend Dr. Pitts.
Tricia Massey is a stay-at-
home mom, is a member of
the Commerce Downtown
Development Authority and
chairs the Commerce Public
Library's capital fund drive.
It’s Gospel
According
To Mark
BY MARK BEARDSLEY
Help Needed With
Mission And
Vision Statements
Comes now the word that our
county commissioners will devote 12
hours to coming up with "mission"
and "vision" statements — as opposed
to dealing with dull but confounding
issues like animal control, water stor
age and taxes. Someone has decided
that although Jackson County has
existed for more than 211 years with
out either, it is time for the Board of
Commissioners to correct that over
sight.
This is far too serious a matter to
leave to the elected officials and the
county bureaucracy. If the county
government hasn't figured out what
it is doing and where it should be
going in the past two centuries, it's
probably not likely to iron out the
details in 12 hours on its own.
This is where we can help. I pro
pose that you, dear taxpayers, send
in your suggestions for the county's
mission statement and vision state
ment. If we come up with enough
suggestions, maybe they'll be able to
take care of this business in 15 min
utes and spend the other 11:45 figur
ing out how to get more tax revenue.
To get the ball rolling, here are
some ideas for the official Jackson
County Government Mission
Statement:
• To stay out of the way
• To offer a wide array of public ser
vices at the lowest possible cost
• To do unto the taxpayers as we'd
like to have done unto us
• To appear interested and compe
tent
• To not be another Gwinnett
County
• To bring Republican principles to
county government
• To bring Democratic principles to
county government
• To bring any principles to county
government
• To remain not only un-convicted,
but also un-indicted
• To conduct the business of gov
ernment openly — providing no one
from the newspapers wants to know
anything
•To develop every acre of Jackson
County while retaining our rural,
agricultural character
• @&$*#!
• To open the Bear Creek Reservoir
to boats and fishing
Here are a few possible vision state
ments. Feel free to submit your own.
• "Jackson County will be a busi
ness friendly county where taxes
aren't as high as they could be and
immigrants from Metro Atlanta
have the opportunity to achieve the
American dream of home ownership,
slightly lower taxes and enlightened
public officials."
• "Jackson County's government
will strive to appear to want to meet
the needs of every citizen, whether
rational or insane, in such a manner
as to assure the continued election of
incumbent county commissioners."
•Jackson County's vision "is to be
the county where everyone (except
illegal aliens and other poor people)
wants to live, work and play, go to
school and spend their discretionary
income."
• "Jackson County will do the best
it can with three school systems,
nine municipalities, countless quasi
government authorities and more tax
districts than any county in Georgia
— but don't expect too much."
Well, you get the idea.
Mark Beardsley is editor of The
Commerce News. He can be reached at
mark@mainstreetnews. com.
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