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Page 4 — Wednesday, March 4, 2009, The Millen News Opinions, yours and ours The Chatter Box By Deborah Bennett I have received word that the American Red Cross (ARC) is promoting a Heroes campaign in Jenkins County to raise aware ness and funds for local disasters. Glenn Campbell, ARC action team coordinator for Jenkins County, is also Hero Captain for this area. The ARC of Augusta serves an 11-county area. It is not a gov ernment agency and receives no funding from federal or state governments. It relies on the generosity of local communities. All funds raised for the Heroes campaign will be used for local disaster relief. The campaign runs through the end of March, which is Red Cross Month. For more information or to make a contribution, call (706)724- 8481 or mail the donations to: ARC of Augusta, 1322 Ellis Street, Augusta, GA 30901. Donations may also be made at the local participating businesses: BI-LO, Popeye’s, Subway, Boykin’s, Thompson’s Comer, Huddle House and Panda Express. Our poll question on the website last week was, “Would you support the establishment of a national sales tax as opposed to the current federal income tax?” Responses, as of Monday morning, were as follows: Yes - 27; No -8; Undecided - 6; and Don’t care - 0. To participate in this week’s poll, go to http:// www.themillennews.com. Happy birthday this week to: Cad Davis, Bryce Joyner, Tyson Bennett, Phil Cowart, Libby Williams, Denise R. Bragg, Kim Landing, Keri Williams, Charles Brannen, Farris Markovcic, Rudolph Hydrick, Grady Joiner Jr., Edward Wilson, J.D. Cain, Pat Miller, Danny R. Becton, Bonnie Becton, Wayne Skinner and Eric Williams. Celebrating wedding anniversaries are: Mr. and Mrs. George Larisey and Mr. and Mrs. Sidney London. Military Active Duty List: Lance Cpl. Adam Lanier, U.S. Marines, 8 th & I Marine Barracks, Washington, D.C.; E-4 Sr. Airman Roy Davis, U.S. Air Force, RAF Molesworth, United Kingdom; Lance Cpl. Patrick Barnette, U.S. Marines, Twenty Nine Palms, CA; Sgt. Adam Demshar, 44th Signal Battalion, Baghdad, Iraq; Cpl. Lee Ogden, U.S. Marines, Camp Pendleton, CA; E5 Petty Officer 2 nd Class Eric B. Kelsey, U.S. Navy, NSA Naples, Italy; Airman First Class Charles F. Woods, Moody Air Force Base, Valdosta, GA; Stuart Burrus, U.S. Air Force, Barksdale AFB, Bossier, LA; SPC 4 Travis D. Motes, 1st Cal vary Division, T. Hood, Texas; Capt. Donald Slade Burke, 735th Air Mobility Squadron Detachment 1 Commander, Richmond Royal Australian AFB, Richmond, Australia; Staff Sgt. Gilbert C. Sheppard III, 48th Brigade, 118th Field Artillery, Iraq; Petty Officer 3rd Class Jamie A. Yager, U.S. Navy, Marine Corps Base Hawaii; Petty Chief Officer Andy D. Crosby, U.S. Navy, Elroy Destroyer, Norfolk, Va.; Stephanie Crosby, R.N., U.S. Navy, Lafayette Destroyer; Jimmy Cooper, U.S. Army National Guard, 878th Engineering Battalion-Augusta, Persian Gulf; 1st Lt. J.R. Taylor, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Divi sion, Iraq; SPC. Daniel Stuart, 18th MEDCOM, 121 General Hospital, Seoul, Korea; Jeffrey Sweat, U.S. Navy, USS Kauffman, MM3 59/E-Division, A-Gang, Norfolk, Va.; Cpl. Larry Lamont Clark, U.S. Marine Corp, 2nd Marine Expedi tionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C. Bagdad, Iraq; Khan Young, U.S. Navy, U.S.S. Kitty Hawk, Persian Gulf; Robert Milton Jr., E-3, U.S. Army, Ft. Stewart, Hinesville, Ga., Mission Kuwait; Arnold R. Mosley, 2nd Lt., U.S. Air Force, Randolph AFB, Texas; and Debra A. Mosley, Tech. Sgt., U.S. Air Force, Randolph AFB, Texas; and SPC Charles “C.J.” Amerson, U.S. Army, Camp Adder, Iraq. Letters policy Letters to the editor of The Millen News are welcomed and encouraged. These are pages of opinions, yours and ours. The unsigned editorials generally appearing on the left side of the editorial page represent the opinion of the newspaper and not that of any one person on our staff. Personal columns represent the opinions of the writers whose names appear on them and are not to be considered the opinion of this newspaper, its manage ment or owners. Letters to the editor voice the opinions of the newspaper’s readers. The Millen News reserves the right to edit any and all portions of a letter. Unsigned letters will not be published. Letters must include the signature, address and phone number of the writer to allow our staff to authenticate its origin. Letters should be lim ited to 400 words. The deadline for letters is Friday at noon. You can email letters to themillennews@yahoo.com. Chartered 1903 The Millen News is published weekly by Chalker Publishing Company, 601 E. 6th St., Waynesboro, Ga. The Millen News 856 East Cotton Ave. • Millen, Ga. 30442 Phone: (478) 982-5460 • FAX: (478) 982-1785 Periodical postage paid at Millen, Georgia. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: The Millen News P.O. Box 909 Millen, GA 30442 USPS No. 349-660 Walter Harrison Frank M. Edenfield Editor 1946-1985 Editor 1985-1998 Roy F. Chalker Jr Publisher Bonnie K. Taylor General Manager Deborah Bennett Editor Lavonna Drawdy Advertising Composition Melodye Williams Office Assistant Subscription Rates (Includes tax): In Jenkins County $23.00 Elsewhere in Georgia $26.00 Outside of Georgia $29.50 1 KK0W ftKK/ AMD THIS l& FORK! ITfe AS PLAIN #TAE ttaSEcHMi'WE/ 354^5? AS I WA£SA\Ul6 n , Jim Hite SPORTS AND STEROIDS There was an editorial cartoon in a recent issue of USA Today I considered both pointed and profound. It was a drawing of a very large baseball player that covered the entire space, holding his bat, with the name Hank Aaron. Down in the lower right comer were four very small figures of baseball players with the names of Clemens, McGwire, Bonds and A-Rod. One is speaking: “Why is it we use the steroids and he gets bigger and bigger?” As anyone with even a modicum of interest knows, the world of sports has been battered by drag use across a large spectrum of athletics, professional and “amateur,” and across a long range of ages, male and female. So much so that some are asking if there is any level playing field left. I hope there is! But it is so frustrating when athletes betray their sport. The reasons are multiple and varied, beginning with money. As I’ve mentioned before, far too many salaries are basi cally obscene. Hundreds of thousands of dollars, millions of dol lars to "play ball!” And a quarter of a BILLION to Alex Rodriguez! I was taken to task for being negative about that contract when it was signed and told that if he filled the seats of the ball park, he was worth it. Maybe! When fans were leaving baseball in droves following the strike of the mid-90s, it was the home run chase of Sosa and McGwire that brought them back. Now we know! In today’s climate, how do we know that what we are watch ing, cheering, supporting is real? Hey, don’t get me wrong. I had my list of favorite athletes caught up in the drag revelations in track, distance running, and cycling. A runner Joyce and I had breakfast with following a marathon in Jamaica has just had his records stripped from the books. Others we know even in the Masters (over 40) ranks have served or are serving suspensions. But we continue to take part in and follow the world of athletic competition, although older and maybe a bit wiser, if also a bit more cynical. We’ll watch every track meet we can, every cy cling event (even as riders are pulled out for testing positive), every road race, every football game, etc. Won’t you? The Camellia Garden Club meets The Camellia Garden Club recently enjoyed a most informa tive program on Magnolia Springs State Park, given by Connie Fitch. Fitch’s biography proves that she is a very busy person. She has been at Magnolia Springs State Park more than 30 years. She is married to Charles "Chuck” Fitch and has three boys. Although most club members have lived near Magnolia Springs State Park many years, she told them many interesting things they did not know. For example, the spring is made of limestone, which is a very soft stone and very fragile. No construction is allowed within a one-mile radius of the spring because vibra tions within a mile could cause it to cave in. When the water table drops, the natural cavities cave in and create lime sinks. These are large, deep pits about 15 to 20 feet deep in the earth’s surface. Magnolia Springs has about 10; only three are in areas the public can see. Camp Lawton, an historic sight, was the largest prison in the world in 1864. It was built to replace Andersonville in southwest Georgia. It only lasted 113 days, due to Sherman winning The Battle of Atlanta and proceeding with his victory march to Sa vannah. There is a history museum located beside the park office, and Connie Fitch of Magnolia Springs State Park recently presented an informative program to the Camellia Garden Club. (Photo contributed) it is open upon request, at no charge. Magnolia Springs was also the sight of a CCC Camp. During the depression, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, president at the time, came up with a brilliant idea to create jobs for men. Also, the WPA helped make Magnolia Springs a public recre ation area. It was established as a state park in 1938. There are five cottages, plus two more becoming available, to rent. There are two pioneer camping areas for $25 per night. A group camp, which sleeps 92 people, is available for churches and other groups to hold summer camp or other activities, for $500 per night. “Get Out, Get Dirty, Get Fit!” is the Georgia state parks’ new motto. In an attempt to get children and adults outside and ac tive, a variety of fun, family-based activities are offered at Mag nolia Springs State Park. Doris Rabitsch, club president, opened the business meeting. She set several garden council dates and presented several let ters of thanks for projects the club has participated in. The Millen News Deadlines THURSDAY AT NOON: Wedding Announcements Engagement Announcements Anniversary Announcements Birth Announcements School News Columns Memoriams and Thank You’s General News Items FRIDAY AT NOON: Chatter Box Items, Letters to the Editor, Datebook and Church News Items OBITUARIES Accepted until press time MONDAY-11 AM: Classified & Legal Ads MONDAY-NOON: Retail Display Ads