Newspaper Page Text
Page 4 — Wednesday, September 9, 2009, The Millen News
Opinions, yours and ours
We Must
Not Give Up
The announcement last week that Cavalier Home Builders is
closing its Millen plant was another hard blow for this commu
nity. The mobile home manufacturing plant is the last major in
dustry located in Jenkins County and the oldest continually op
erated manufactured housing facility in the state. It has been a
fixture in Jenkins County since 1967, and its demise will not go
unnoticed.
Closure of the plant will result in the loss of 104 full time jobs.
For a community already dealing with an unemployment rate of
21.7 percent, resulting from the closures of Jockey International
and MI Windows and Doors, the prospect of even more unem
ployed citizens is devastating.
While economic analysts point to signs of recovery across the
nation, recovery will not come to Jenkins County until our citi
zens have been put back to work. Local leaders have indicated
that they are working diligently, following every lead, to bring
industry and businesses to this community. The hard fact, how
ever, is that we are competing with every other county and city
in the state to do so.
While the task seems overwhelming at this point, we must not
give up. We must all pull together and support any and all efforts
to revive and restore our community.
The Chatter Box
By Deborah Bennett
An e-mail buddy sent me the following little story, and I thought it
worthy of sharing.
The Wicker Basket
The story is told of an old man who lived on a farm in the mountains of
eastern Kentucky with his young grandson. Each morning, Grandpa was
up early sitting at the kitchen table reading from his old wom-out Bible,
His grandson who wanted to be just like him tried to imitate him.
One day the grandson asked, “Papa, I try to read the Bible just like you
but I don’t understand it, and what I do understand I forget as soon as I
close the book. What good does reading the Bible do?” The Grandfather
quietly turned from putting coal in the stove and said, ‘ Take this old wicker
coal basket down to the river and bring back a basket of water: ’
The boy did as he was told even though all the water leaked out before
he could get back to the house. The grandfather laughed and said, “You
will have to move a little faster next time.” and sent him back to the river
with the basket to try again. This time the boy ran faster, but again the old
wicker basket was empty before he returned home. Out of breath, he told
his grandfather that it was impossible to carry water in a basket, and he
went to get a bucket instead. The old man said, “I don’t want a bucket of
water; I want a basket of water. You can do this. You’re just not trying hard
enough,” and he went out the door to watch the boy try again.
At this point, the boy knew it was impossible, but he wanted to show
his grandfather that even if he ran as fast as he could, the water would leak
out before he got far at all. The boy scooped the water and ran hard, but
when he reached his grandfather the basket was again empty. Out of breath,
he said, “See, Papa, its useless!”
“So you think it is useless?” The old man said, “Look at the basket.”
The boy looked at the basket, and for the first time he realized that the
basket looked different. Instead of a dirty old wicker coal basket, it was
clean.
“Son, that’s what happens when you read the Bible. You might not
understand or remember everything, but when you read it, it will change
you from the inside out.”
Moral of the wicker basket story: Take time to read a portion of God’s
word each day; it will affect you for good even if you don’t retain a word.
Happy birthday this week to: Pearl Myers, Minnie Bell Sherrod, Leigh
Ann Seibert, Charles (Jack) Burke, LisaTroisi, John Ellis, Marie Garvin,
Shannon Ward, Ann Saxon, Buford Williams, Bobby Q. Cobb, Laurie
Fleming, Eddie Williams, Jason Boynton, Paul Godbee and Myrt New
ton.
Celebrating wedding anniversaries this week are Mr. and Mrs. C.J.
Waters.
Military Active Duty List: PV2Brianna Joiner, U.S. Army National
Guard, Ft. Leonardwood, MO; 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, NS A Naples, Italy; Senior Airman
Charles F. Woods, Moody Air Force Base, Valdosta, GA; Stuart Burrus,
U.S. Air Force. Osan AFB, Korea; SPC 4 Travis D. Motes, 1st Calvary
Division, T. Hood, Texas; Capt. Donald Slade Burke, 735th Air Mobil
ity Squadron Detachment 1 Commander, Richmond Royal Australian
AFB, Richmond. Australia; Staff Sgt. Gilbert C. Sheppard HI, 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 Na
tional Guard, 878th Engineering Battalion-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. Ko
rea; 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 Lcjeune. 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 en
couraged. 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 opin
ions of the writers whose names appear on them and are not to be
considered the opinion of this newspaper, its management or own
ers. Letters to the editor voice the opinions of the newspaper’s read
ers.
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 limited to 400 words.
The deadline for letters is Friday at noon. You can email letters to
themillennews @ yahoo.com.
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Letter to the Editor
Dear Editor:
My Jenkins County High
School (JCHS) and Millen
baseball team lost one of its fin
est members. Frank (Stephens)
was a team mate of mine on the
JCHS 2B champs of ’58 and the
Jim Hite
Ogeechee League champs of
’59.
He was one fine guy and a
great team mate. He was not
only the best left-handed hitter
ever at JCHS, but its best
player. With Homer Meyers
leading off and Frank batting
third, we had the two best hit
ters and players ever to play
baseball at JCHS, in my opin
ion.
Frank will be missed. Al
though he left Millen many
years ago, his team mates will
always remember him. I know
he will be playing third base up
stairs.
Sincerely,
Butch Joiner
Millen
Following the debate over the health care reform has been
maddening and frustrating, to say the least. Watching scenes of
Congressmen and Senators being shouted down before having a
chance to say anything, as the shouters were instructed to do by
email from various anti-tax, anti-change, anti-whatever organi
zations, we understood quickly that there would be no debate,
no exchange of ideas to solve the problem of our country’s hav
ing some 47 million citizens without health care.
Falsehoods abound. Betsy McCaughey of the Hudson Insti
tute helped sink the 1993 Clinton administration health care pro
gram by claiming the bill made it a crime to buy supplemental
insurance or to pay your doctor out-of-pocket. The bill said the
opposite! But low-information voters are taken in by her "death
panel” claim endlessly repeated by radio talk pundits and even a
Vice-Presidential candidate. A talk show host’s website places
what he calls “Obamacare” with the swastika, tying it to Na
tional Socialism of the Hitler era. This idea is picked up and
repeated. What must the spirits of those murdered in the holo
caust think of this trivialization of its horrors?
A poster in New Hampshire reads, “Obama Lies, Grandma
Dies.” Another calls for death to Michelle Obama and her two
daughters. A man brings a gun to a town meeting to “water the
tree of liberty.”
Georgia Representative Paul Broun throws the pages of the
bill on the floor saying he cannot understand it. Great theater.
But all bills are written in the same language! Does that mean he
has never understood any bill passed by Congress? S.C. Senator
Jim DeMint states this health care debate can bring down Obama.
What has all this got to do health care?
And it is not an Obama plan. The difference between now and
1993 is that legislative drafting of the President’s ideas is left to
Congressional committees.
Very definitely, the fear card is being played well. And this is
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1985-1998
Roy F. Chalker Jr Publisher
Bonnie K. Taylor General Manager
Deborah Bennett Editor
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what can be tied to National Socialism. Josef Goebbels, Propa
ganda Minister for the Nazi regime, is credited with saying that
if you repeat a lie often enough, people will believe it.
A final thought. To be consistent, one who believes that gov
ernment should stay out of health care must refuse Medicare.
JENKINS
COUNTY
SEPT. 14-18
Monday - Ham or P/B Jelly Sandwich, Macaroni & Cheese, Sweet
Potato Pattie, Pineapple Cup, Roll or Salad Bar: Lettuce, Tomato,
Celery Sticks, Boiled Egg, Cheese, P/B Jelly Sandwich, Grapes.
Tuesday - Sausage Pizza or P/B Jelly Sandwich, Corn on Cob, Carrot
Sticks & Dip, Peach Cup, Graham Crackers or Salad Bar: Lettuce,
Tomato, Celery Sticks, Boiled Egg, Pimento Cheese, Grapes, Graham
Crackers, Saltines.
Wednesday - Italian Spaghetti or P/B Jelly Sandwich, Green Beans,
Tossed Salad, Fruit Cobbler, Garlic Bread Sticks or Salad Bar: Lettuce,
Tomato, Pickle Spears, Boiled Egg, Cheese, Cold Cut Sandwich,
Grapes.
Thursday - BBQ Chicken or P/B Jelly Sandwich, Creamed Potatoes,
Broccoli & Cheese, Orange Slices, Roll or Salad Bar: Lettuce, Tomato,
Celery Sticks, Cheese, Tuna or Chicken Salad, Grapes, Graham
Crackers, Saltines.
Friday - Hot Dog on Bun or P/B Jelly Sandwich, French Fries, Cole
Slaw, Baked Beans, Juice Bar or Salad Bar: Lettuce, Tomato, Pickle
Spears, Boiled Egg, Cheese, Turkey/Cheese Sub, Grapes.
f|School Menu#
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