Newspaper Page Text
Page 4 — Wednesday, July 15, 2009, The Millen News
Opinions, yours and ours
The Chatter Box
By Deborah Bennett
I have received some information from Jim Hite that may be
of interest to local citizens.
According to Jim, "The cyclist who won the sprint here in
Millen in the Tour de Georgia, Tyler Farrar, came in second place
Sunday in the second day of the Tour de France. It’s his first Tour
de France, and it was the first long race of the Tour from Monaco
to Brignoles. He rides for Garmin Slipstream.”
Who knows? Millen may one day lay claim to the fact that a
famous Mr. Farrar came through our community once - like our
claim that Charles Lindberg once flew over the city.
For those of you who would like to write or send a card to
Ronnie Perryman, the son of Helen Boone who was recently
wounded in Afghanistan, his address is as follows: Ronnie
Perryman, Kunar PMT COP Fiaz, PRI Asadabad, APO AE 09354.
The Jenkins County Development Authority recently assumed
the responsibility of operating the Bo Ginn Aquarium at Magno
lia Springs State Park.
Individuals and businesses that have made donations toward
the expense of operating the facility are: J. C. Douglas, Jeff
Brantley, Ed Fuller, Steve Burke, Robert Jenkins Jr., Mabel C.
Jenkins, Paula Herrington, King Rocker, Bobby Dwelle, Dob
son Gay Jr., Buddy Harvill, Jerry Henry, Randy Hill, Kellwood
Industries, Superior Alarm and Dr. Bill Acton.
Happy birthday this week to: Thomas Pope, Morgan Pickett,
Brad Boynton, Mitchell ThompOson, Bridget Motes, Dale Reeves,
Hunter Hall, David Gay, Cindy McBride, Amee Joiner, Cindy
Brown, Rick Lineberry and Geneva Murray.
Celebrating wedding anniversaries are: Mr. and Mrs. Andy
Dudley and Mr. and Mrs. Brien Linder.
Military Active Duty List: PV2 Jeremy Johnson, U.S. Army,
59 th Quartermaster Company, Ft. Carson, Colorado; Ronnie
Perryman, Charlie Troop, 108 th Calvary Division, 4 th Platoon,
Afghanistan; 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, Baharia, Iraq; 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; Senior Airman
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 Calvary 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 Of
ficer 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 Battal-
ion-Augusta, Persian Gulf ; 1st Lt. J.R. Taylor, 2nd Brigade
Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, 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 Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C. Bagdad, Iraq;
Khan Young, U.S. Navy, U.S.S. Kitty Hawk, Persian Gulf; Rob
ert Milton Jr., E-3, U.S. Army, Ft. Stewart, Hinesville, Ga., Mis
sion 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
Editor 1946-1985
Frank M. Edenfield
Editor
1985-1998
Roy F. Chalker Jr Publisher
Bonnie K. Taylor General Manager
Deborah Bennett Editor
Lavonna Drawdy Advertising Composition
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Elsewhere in Georgia $26.00
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the Editor
Letters to
Dear Editor:
Jenkins County observed an
other successful Patriotic Cel
ebration on Saturday night,
July 3 rd . Thankfully, rain was
not a threat this year, and
Jenkins County citizens came
out in record numbers to visit,
eat, listen to the music and see
the spectacular fireworks show.
The community always
comes together to make this
event possible. Clay Boulineau
and his staff took care of nu
merous details necessary to
stage a public event; Wade
Parker and the Lions Club pro
vided the flags for decoration;
the Jenkins County Recreation
Department permitted us to use
the facilities.
Our local elected officials
Jim Hite
contributed to the program:
Mayor King Rocker and county
commission board member
Pam Dwight. Other local citi
zens were generous with their
time and talent: Colonel Wade
and JROTC presented the col
ors; Leroy Clayton and Will
Gay performed patriotic music.
Joe Sasser provided the sound
system and served as DJ and
master of ceremonies for the
evening.
The fireworks are always the
big attraction. The financial
contributors who made the
show possible were Millen
Loan and Finance; Thompson’s
Corner; Planters EMC; James
L. Alfriend, Foresters; Parker
Engineering; Jenkins County
Farm Bureau; The Dairy
Queen; Linder Pharmacy; The
Millen News', W. R. Toole En
gineers, Inc.; Georgia Power;
Team Insurance; Dr. Kyle Gay;
R. H. Reeves, Attorney; Bobby
Dwelle; Jenkins County Pro
bate Office; Christy Bandy;
Seth Benson; Millen City
Council; and the Jenkins
County Commissioners.
The support and cooperation
from everyone was outstand
ing.
Art Johnson
Millen Better Hometown
Dear Editor:
If you have been on Cotton
Avenue lately, you couldn’t
help but notice all the construc
tion. It seems like a lot of roads
are torn up in Millen right now.
Unemployment rates continue
to be high; the economy
struggles to improve; busi
nesses have closed. Yet, the
construction is happening in
the midst of it.
I, for one, am excited. This
will be my sixth Christmas at
The Charm Barn, and I am
looking forward to it. Many
economists say, “Now is the
time to expand.” I am taking
them at their word. Things may
look dim, but I choose to look
on the bright side. Soon, we
will have new sidewalks, green
space and lamp posts. My hope
is that there will also be new
and renewed interest in our
special hometown.
Sincerely,
Terri Reeves
IGNORANT CITIZENS
By Jim Hite
A very interesting column came to my attention over the Fourth
of July weekend entitled “Ignorant citizens.”
A group of Arizona high school students were recently sur
veyed on their knowledge of U.S. history and civics by the Phoe
nix-based Goldwater Institute. The survey found that only 3.5
percent of the students could answer enough questions correctly
to pass the test given to immigrants seeking U.S. citizenship.
Only 25 percent identified Thomas Jefferson as the author of the
Declaration of Independence, while the vast majority had no idea
of who is in charge of the executive branch, what is the supreme
law of the land, or how many justices are on the Supreme Court.
Last year a survey found about half of 17-year-olds knew noth
ing about Joseph McCarthy, a Senator in the 1950s whose ac
tions coined a new term in our nation’s lexicon: McCarthyism.
In 2006, a national assessment test given to twelfth graders found
one-third lacked basic knowledge about civics.
I wonder how adults would fare on the same sort of question
ing.
In our now confrontational approach to different ideas, so many
speak without knowledge, spouting well-worn cliches that shed
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no light, but show only ignorance and prejudice and lack of
thought.
The column closed with a suggestion that the 100-question
citizenship test be made part of the curriculum and passage of
the test a graduation requirement.
Could we add to that a suggestion that it be a requirement for
anyone who is allowed on talk radio?
Postscript: On the Fourth of July, two brothers who are serv
ing in the U.S. Army in Iraq and have aced the citizenship test,
Victor and Miguel Mendoza, spoke the oath of allegiance in
Baghdad and became U.S. citizens. They were among some 6,000
aspiring Americans who became citizens in the days surround
ing the Fourth in ceremonies from Sacramento to Camp Lejeune
to Baghdad. These new citizens include some 500 members of
our Armed Forces from among the 65,000 immigrants serving in
our military, one-third of them legal residents but not yet citi
zens. The words “support and defend” have special meaning for
the Mendozas as they are on duty fighting for their adopted na
tion, Miguel in his second tour.
How many of us could, like them, pledge our allegiance if we
had had to earn our citizenship rather than having it handed to us
with our birth certificates?
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