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THE COMMERCE NEWS
WEDNESDAY, JULY 27, 2016
Editorial
Views
Now clean up
city's public
rights of way
Perhaps we should give the Com
merce City Council a soft round
of applause for its decision last
week to ban donation boxes, but it
should be noted that all of the boxes
and attendant problems are on pri
vate property. And while cleaning
up storefronts and parking lots is
admirable, it would be nice to see
a little of the same zeal directed at
de-cluttering public property.
The recent city council action
provides penalties for donation
boxes not removed. The city’s sign
ordinance also provides penalties
that can be levied against busi
nesses or individuals who post
signs on public property — rights
of way, parks and utility poles — yet
there is little evidence to suggest
that the ordinance is enforced, let
alone that anyone is ever cited or
fined for violations.
For those who believe that the
ordinance should be enforced,
there may be good news ahead. City
manager James Wascher hopes to
hire a second code enforcement
officer. As insufficient staff has
been cited as a reason that signs
on the rights of way proliferate, the
hiring of more personnel should
indicate that citizens can expect
better enforcement if the council
funds the position.
Regaining control of signage
should not require a lot of work,
but it will take some time, since
there’s been little enforcement
for so long. Eradicating signs on
public property is the easy part,
but there are also scores of signs
on buildings and on commercial
property that are illegal under the
city ordinance. A first priority must
be to educate violators about what
the ordinance allows and prohibits
and to give them reasonable time
to comply with the law. A second
step must be to make sure that
anyone who gets a business license
is informed at City Hall about the
ordinance and the steps that must
be taken to be in compliance.
Enforcing the city’s sign ordi
nance will save neither lives nor
money in Commerce, nor will it
promote public health, but when
government acts to enhance the
appearance of public property,
other people are less likely to
abuse it, whether by posting signs
illegally or by littering, resulting
in more attractive roadsides and
rights of way. A city determined
to keep its roads and rights of
way attractive encourages resi
dents and businesses to do the
same and contributes to making
the community a better place to
live and do business.
Removing the donation boxes
that attracted litter is appropriate.
Enforcing the city’s sign ordinance
will do a lot more toward approv
ing the appearance of this com
munity.
Unless otherwise noted, all editorials
are written by Mark Beardsley. He can
be reached at mark@mainstreetnews.
com.
The Commerce News
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Mark Beardsley. Editor
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Beat the fear; carry a gun
My Georgia Weapons Carry License expired
last week. Until I get a new one, I can no longer
carry a pistol to city council and chamber of
commerce meetings, which is a shame.
I went to the Probate Judge’s office, where
staff efficiently took my application for a renewal
and $35 in cash; as of this writing, I anxiously
await its arrival as I feel vulnerable without the
ability to engage a terrorist or someone intent on
pulling off a mass shooting with my five-shot .22
magnum should the need arise.
The evidence is overwhelming. Gun deaths
are soaring. Never has the need been so great
to protect ourselves by carrying a handgun for
self-defense.
We must arm ourselves against potential mur
derers, rapists, robbers, terrorists and drug deal
ers, all of whom carry guns, but also to protect
ourselves from the quick-to-anger, the paranoid,
the careless and their children. As a matter of
fact, the greatest need for self-defense is often
in the home, as most firearm deaths occur from
family or friends, and a bullet fired by a 4-yearold
is no less deadly than one shot during a home
invasion. The good news is you don’t need a
carry permit to carry a handgun, concealed or
otherwise, in your home.
Let’s face it though, there are countless situ
ations when your safety and that of your loved
ones and complete strangers may be contingent
on your ability to return fire, including:
• high school and recreation sports activities
where shooting could break out over a refer-
It's
Gospel
According
To Mark
By Mark Beardsley
ee’s decision or a coach’s choice of a starting
pitcher. Quick, decisive action could prevent a
tragedy and the knowledge that hundreds of
Second Amendment enthusiasts are packing
might make referees and umpires strive harder
for fairness and accuracy.
•church on Sundays when the collection
plate is passed. Who knows when the devil
might send armed gunmen to make a play for
the offering? Should we not defend God’s col
lections?
•work—you don’twantto be unarmed when
an angry co-worker or former co-worker goes
postal.
• in public schools — the best way to stop a
school shooting is to out-gun the shooter. It is
probably not yet time to allow kids in K-12 to
carry, but we need to be open-minded about that.
•wherever alcohol is served. Booze and guns
are not complementary so you need to be pre
pared to respond with deadly force if the loud,
drunk guy in the corner booth pulls a weapon
to illustrate his contention that Georgia Tech is
superior to Georgia in football. Practice using
your gun while intoxicated, just in case.
•on public streets and highways. Nothing
calms down an irate motorist quicker than flash
ing your Glock at him to let him know you can
protect yourself if he doesn’t get off your tail.
• at concerts, movies and stage shows where
who knows what kind of idiots are packing guns
and might use them. If tensions get high, a cou
ple of warning shots could restore order before
things spiral out of control.
• during an armed robbery. Whether you’re
the perpetrator or the victim, having a gun is
pretty much a necessity.
• family gatherings — see above. A high per
centage of firearm deaths occur between family
members. If your brother-in-law is carrying, you
need to be prepared to intervene in the event that
he gets violent again.
• day care centers. You’d be surprised how
many gun deaths are caused by toddlers. Don’t
let a 3year-old get the drop on you.
• in public restrooms, just in case some trans
gender person tries to enter the McDonald’s
restroom while your grandson or granddaughter
is using the facilities.
The world is a fearful place. You’ll be safer and
feel safer if you’re adequately armed.
Mark Beardsley is the editor of The Com
ma ce News. He lives in Commerce.
The jewel
of the soul
A short story called “The Arrangements” — a
spoof of all things Trump -appeared in a recent
issue of the New York Times Book Review,
accompanied by a large, brightly colored car
toon of the Trump family with Melania seated
at its center, surrounded by the Trump children.
Donald appears to be levitating in the back
ground, or perhaps flying in from Jupiter.
The story by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie,
is in the ageold tradition of political satire, and
details an imaginary day in Melania’s home-life,
which is depicted as seething with complexity
beneath a vacuous surface as she interacts with
the butler, the children, the florist, her Pilates
instructor, and her husband.
I read and relished “The Arrangements”
with guilty pleasure—pleasure because it was
cleverly written and funny: a pretend peek at
the “backstage” life of America’s currently most
famous couple; guilty because taking potshots
at Melania is akin to shooting at a fawn with an
Uzi. I kept thinking that whether or not she had
read the story its very existence was probably
hurtful for her. I imagined her husband telling
her, “Ahh, who reads that stuff? Book reviews?
Are you kidding me? Nobody! Besides, look!
We made the cover!” But he was wrong. She
knew. People were reading it.
And then, two weeks and a day later, her key
note address on the first night of the Republican
convention — her national debut as a potential
First Lady—was marred by accusations of
A Few
Facts, A
Lot of
Gossip II
By Susan Harper
plagiarism. A 40-hour firestorm ensued. Pundits
raged, and the Trump campaign denied that
there was even a problem. But there was. She
knew. She had done something wrong. She
had ended up quoting the current First Lady
word for word, from a speech Michelle Obama
had given when she was a potential First Lady.
Melania had found the words and sentences
inspiring. She hadn’t known there was anything
wrong with using them. Wasn’t imitation the
highest form of flattery?
Plagiarism, the use of someone else’s words
or ideas as if they were your own, is a serious
charge. It is defined as a form of theft: “piracy.”
But it is an easy offense to stumble into, as Mela
nia did, and all sorts of people have been guilty
of it. Doris Kearns Goodwin, one of America’s
foremost popular historians, committed plagia
rism in two of her books, “The Fitzgeralds and
the Kennedys,” and “No Ordinary Time,” by
not properly providing quotation marks and cita
tions. One author said Goodwin was guilty of
“lifting out the heart and guts of my own expres
sion” —a damaging charge that cost Goodwin
dearly both financially and professionally and
left her with the pain of having that permanent
shadow on her reputation: that indelible mark.
Something similar happened to “Roots” author
Alex Haley, whose world-famous book was
found to contain parts of a Harold Courtlander
novel called “The African.”
“Good name in man and woman, dear my
lord, is the immediate jewel of their souls,” says
Iago in Shakespeare’s “Othello.” “Who steals
my purse steals trash... but he that filches from
me my good name... makes me poor indeed.”
A plagiarist ends up having stolen from him
self, you might say: he damages his own good
name.
Melania erred through ignorance, and there
is broad agreement that she should have been
protected from it by having her speech vetted
before she stepped onto the national stage. So
she will not be blamed. If anything, she has
aroused our protective instincts—and let us
know that she can be inspired from across the
aisle. So those lemons turned into lemonade all
by themselves. Remarkable.
Susan Harpa■ is a retired editor, lecturer, and
local library director who currently serves on
the Jackson County and Piedmont Regional
library boards.
A summer of emotional swings
Maybe it’s the hormones; maybe it’s the
heat, but this summer has given me very
inconsistent emotions. Here is my summary
of my emotional roller coaster of things that
have happened this summer:
I am happy. I am happy my oldest daughter
got her driver’s license. I am happy my hus
band has hired some amazing team mem
bers. I am happy that I won at my July bunco
party. I am happy that my boss has been in a
good mood lately. I am happy that Kate was
able to experience a two-week swimming
training trip to Puerto Rico. I am happy that
Lauren has made good choices this summer.
I am tired. I am tired of the political fight
ing. I am tired of the shootings. I am tired of
the terrorist attacks. I am tired of the laun
dry. I am tired of the heat. I am tired of petty
disagreements. I am tired of feeling guilty
about certain things. I am tired of complain
ing; not just mine.
I am sad. I am sad that Arlington Cemetery
had to remind people not to play Pokemon
Go on property. I am sad that I couldn’t help
my neighbor with our garden this year. I
am sad that we had to put a loved one in a
nursing home. I am sad to learn of one of my
best friend’s pending divorce who lives three
states away and I can’t be with her.
I am proud. I am proud Kate got a job life-
guarding. I am proud my youngest daughter
won three state championships at the GRPS
state swim meet. I am proud that my oldest
daughter qualified in the USA Senior State
swim meet and swam personal best times. I
am proud that my daily devotions are help
ing me grow closer to the Lord.
I am broke. I am broke from back-to-
school clothes shopping. I am broke
from back-to-school supply shopping (not
because of the list, but because Lauren
is a magnet to them. I see a future Office
Depot employee in the making). I am broke
because I paid for Kate’s trip to Puerto Rico.
I am broke because we need to rent two
more office spaces. I am broke because I
have two daughters.
I am confused. I am confused why some
people think rules don’t apply to them. I
am confused why school starts so early.
I am confused why government can’t be
more transparent. I am confused about the
purpose of Snap Chat. I am confused why
I have no desire to cook (not really). I am
confused about why some people feel that
they must comment on every single political
post on Facebook. I am confused why Face-
book erased the Commerce Tiger Sharks
page.
I am hopeful. I am hopeful that I will be
organized one day. I am hopeful important
decisions about important transactions will
soon come to light. I am hopeful I will read
my book for study club on time. I am hope
ful USA will win lots of gold at the Olympics.
I am hopeful the decision our country will
make in November will be the right one.
I haven’t clearly defined why I can’t keep
my emotions intact. Maybe it’s because I
haven’t had a vacation all summer; maybe
it’s because I have witnessed my husband
give so much of his time to his job and aging
family members this summer; maybe it’s
because life has presented me with the next
phase of parenting; maybe it’s because there
are so many unknowns out there.
Whatever the reason, I am ready. I am
ready for the next season. I am ready for the
next challenge. Although my husband will
not be happy, I am ready for the next wave
of crazy emotions. Bring it on!
Tricia Massey is marketing director for
Northridge Medical Centa: She lives in Com
merce.