Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

PAGE 4A THE BANKS COUNTY NEWS WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2008 Editor: Angela Gary Phone: 706-367-2490 E-mail: AngieEditor@aol.com Website: www.mainstreetnews.com Opinions “Where the press is free and every man able to read, all is safe.” — Thomas Jefferson Amazed by technology of today’s world I was in a hotel room in Macon on a business trip recently when my cell phone rang. My 6-year- old nephew, Jake, was very excited. He told me that he had sent me a photo on my cell phone. I quickly checked it out. There was a smiling Jake with a gap in his mouth. That front tooth had been loose for a while and it finally came out. I may have been out of town but I had that smiling photo in just a few minutes. When I was Jake’s age, I had no idea what a cell phone was. It’s amazing that my tiny cell phone is also a camera and a mini computer where I can check out my e-mail. The cell phone also has a calen dar, a calculator, a tape recorder and an alarm clock on it! My cell phone really is like a toy to me. I have ordered several songs and have them programmed to ring when family and friends call. If I hear “Song of the South,” I know my Mom is calling. If I hear “Rapper’s Delite,” I know it’s my sister calling. I have people who call me regularly listed on my contact list. So, not only do I hear “their song” playing, I also see their name pop up on the screen of my cell phone. You can even take photos of the people on your con tact list and program your cell phone so that their snap shot pops up when they call. All of this technology has been developed since I was a teenager. Just imagine what will be available when Jake is a teenager. This recent business trip to Macon is also the first one where I took along a laptop computer. During the eight hour meeting one day, I e-mailed several articles back to the office. In the past, I had to wait a few days until I got back to the office to write up articles. I also took a few photos of the meeting with my digital camera. Popped an adapter into my laptop computer. Saved the photos on my desktop and then e-mailed them to the office. I wouldn’t be back in the office for a few days but I had already sent several sto ries and photos. I never would have imagined this back in my days at the Journalism School at the University of Georgia in the mid-1980s. In those days, we still used typewriters in class. I toured the Journalism School at UGA recently while attending a Georgia Press Association seminar in Athens. My how things have changed. No typewriters were found in the classrooms. Instead, we saw more technology than I would have thought possible a few decades ago. When I was in high school, we had one computer class. There was one computer in the class and we all stood around it like it was some foreign object. Back then, hardly anyone had computers at the office much less at home. Today, Jake can maneuver his way around the com puter better than I can. He goes to computer lab with his fellow kindergarteners and they all have their own computer to work on. When I can’t figure something out on the computer, Jake quickly helps me figure it out. All of this technology is amazing. I’m always learn ing something new. It certainly makes keeping in touch easier than ever before. angela gary Angela Gary is editor of The Banks County News. She can be reached at AngieEditor@aol.com. The Banks County News Founded 1968 The official legal organ of Banks County, Ga. Mike Buffington. . . Scott Buffington . . . Angela Gary Chris Bridges Sharon Hogan Anelia Chambers . April Reese Sorrow Co-Publisher Co-Publisher /Ad. Manager Editor Sports Editor Reporter Receptionist Church News Phones (all 706 area code): Angela Gary Phone ..367-2490 Angela Gary Fax ..367-9355 Homer Office Phone ..677-3491 Homer Office Fax ..677-3263 Advertising Phone ..367-5233 Sports News ..367-2745 Sports Fax: ..367-9355 (SCED 547160) Published weekly by MainStr P.O. Box 9 Jefferson, Ga. eet Newspapers, Inc., Subscription in county )</>] $19.75 Subscription i Subscription out Military with APO e ... add $38.85 $44.20 $42.20 Senior citizens get a $2 discount Periodicals postage paid at Homer, Ga. Postmaster, send address changes to: Subscriptions, The Banks County News, P.O. Box 920, Homer, Ga. 30547 ‘The candidates all like to talk about dollars. Before I vote, I'd like to hear one talk sense! Sam or Roy for V.P. Too? W e have been so busy advising Sonny Perdue on how to become the Republican vice presidential nomi nee that we overlooked two obvious Georgia possibilities as the Democratic running mate — former Gov. Roy Barnes or former Sen. Sam Nunn. Let’s make the case for the V.P. slot: The best V.P. choices are not always those made purely for reasons of geog raphy and ideological balance. The best running mates are often those who help the presidential nominee address a source of voter concern, or who reinforce the presidential candidate’s message. Consider the last two nonincumbent presidential winners: In 2000 George W. Bush picked Dick Cheney, who was actually residing in Bush’s home state of Texas at the time, and who hurriedly changed his voter registration back to his native Wyoming to meet the Electoral College requirement that the presidential and vice presidential can didates be from different states. Bush’s selection of Cheney reassured voters that a seasoned and capable running mate would adorn the ticket. Cheney had served as secretary of defense under Bush’s father, White House chief of staff under President Gerald Ford, and as a Republican leader in Congress. Then-Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton’s choice of then-Sen. Al Gore, from neighboring Tennessee, was likewise brilliant. It reinforced Clinton’s mes sage — he chose a bright, relatively moderate young politician who had made a name for himself. The Gore ploy said to a country weary of a recession, budget deficits and other ailments that the Clinton-Gore ticket meant change but not the scary left wing kind that Washington Democrats have so often tried. That brings us to this year. If leading candidates decide to look beyond geographic considerations, ex-Gov. Barnes or ex-Sen. Nunn could move into V.P. consideration on the Democratic side. Georgia won’t go blue under almost any circumstance. However, Sam or Roy could help either Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton in the fall, even if they can’t help win Georgia. Nunn could be Obama’s Cheney. Nunn was the premier Democrat on national security policy during his 24 years in the Senate. He has maintained his profile with his work to stop the spread of nuclear weapons. A Vice President Nunn could reassure vot ers that the inexperienced Obama will have a trustworthy national security veteran close at hand in a crisis. As for Clinton, she may need help mending rifts in the Democratic coali tion that she and her husband have created with their aggressive campaign against Obama. At this point, she’s unlikely to pick Obama, both because of the animus between them, and because the Clinton machine is too risk averse to run the first woman for presi dent on a ticket with the first African- American. So who else could send a message of racial reconciliation inside the Democratic Party? How about Barnes? The national press has repeatedly reported on how Barnes gave up an easy stroll to a second term by remov ing the segregation-era Confederate battle emblem from our state flag. The Kennedy family awarded him its Profile in Courage award for that daring and politically disastrous deed. Barnes is close to the national African-American civil rights estab lishment, which is still largely based in Atlanta. Instead of turning himself into a high-priced lobbyist at a big law firm, Barnes has been practicing law in Marietta, representing aggrieved con sumers against corporate bad guys. Barnes also brings the narrative of Georgia’s recent political history to the race. Many Democrats and national observers see the state as ground zero for the hardball Karl Rove-Ralph Reed tactics of this decade. The nasty 2002 race that cost Barnes the gov ernor’s office also took down Sen. Max Cleland, the circumstances of whose loss are still a rallying cry for Democrats nationally. Barnes himself was an early victim of the politi cized Bush Justice Department. Rick Thompson, the first Bush U.S. attorney in Savannah, was eventually removed for violating the public trust after he issued press releases meant to damage Barnes’ and other Democrats’ 2002 re election bids. Beyond the symbolism he would bring, Barnes is a competent manager who served as governor as long as Jimmy Carter did. He left office with nary a whiff of scandal, and he can turn a phrase in a campaign. Plus, he has the trait most important in a vice president — he’s loyal. Among many other examples, witness him stick ing by his friend John Edwards to the bitter end. Wouldn’t it be wonderful (for me anyway) if the GOP turned to Sonny for V.P. and the Democrats tapped Roy? We’d have the rematch of the century on a national scale. So what if that is an absurd idea? I can dream, can’t I? You can reach award-winning politi cal columnist Bill Shipp at P.O. Box 2520, Kennesaw, GA 30156 or by e-mail: shipp1@bellsouth.net. bill shipp Letters to the Editor policy given The Banks County News has estab lished a policy on printing Letters to the Editor. We must have an original copy of all letters that are submitted to us for publication. Members of our staff will not type out or hand-write letters for people who stop by the office and ask them to do so. Letters to the Editor must also be signed with the address and phone number of the person who wrote them. The address and phone number will be for our verification purposes only and will not be printed unless the writer requests it. Mail to, The Banks County News, P.O. Box 920, Homer, Ga. 30547. E-mailed letters will be accepted, but we must have a contact phone number and address. Letters that are libelous will not be printed. Letters may also be edited to meet space requirements. Anyone with questions on the policy is asked to contact editor Angela Gary at AngieEditor@aol.com or by calling 706-367-2490. News department contact numbers Anyone with general story ideas, complaints or comments about the news department is asked to call edi tor Angela Gary at 706-367-2490. She can also be reached by e-mail at AngieEditor@aol.com. Anyone with comments, ques tions or suggestions relating to the county board of commissioners, county government, county board of education, Maysville City Council and crime and courts is asked to contact staff member Chris Bridges at 706-367-2745 or by e-mail at chris@mainstreetnews.com. Bridges also is sports edi tor of the paper and covers local high school, middle school and recreation sports. Anyone with comments, ques tions or suggestions relating to Alto, Lula, Baldwin and Gillsville, should contact Sharon Hogan at 706-367-5233 or by e-mail at sharon@mainstreetnews.com. Calls for information about the church page should go to April Reese Sorrow at 706-677-3491. Church news may also be e-mailed to asorrow@mainstreetnews.com. The Banks County News website can be accessed at www.mainstreet.news.com. Impressive role models found at BCMS I n a day and time when positive role models are so desperately needed for our young students, Banks County Middle School has two of the best teaching and coaching at 712 Thompson Street. Steven Shedd and John Bertrang are both quality coaches and teachers, who deserve praise for the positive lessons they are teaching students on a daily basis at BCMS. Both of these men coach the basket ball teams at the local middle school and parents could not ask for two better mentors to be working with their chil dren than Shedd and Bertrang. The countless hours each puts in deserves a big amount of respect, gratitude and out right praise. On the surface, it may seem glamor ous to be a coach. However, in reality, it is a lot of hours for not a lot in return when it comes to pay. However, men tors like Bertrang and Shedd obviously aren’t in this for the money. You won’t read about them negotiating a new mil lion dollar contract to continue coaching at BCMS. No, you have two coaches who like to see young people be a part of a team environment and to enjoy success on the basketball court. Sports, if used prop erly, can be a positive teaching tool for young people, especially at the middle school level. Parents of Banks County Middle School students can rest assured they have two basketball coaches who are coaching for the right reasons and who are coaching the right lessons when it comes to sportsmanship and respect for the game. The BCMS teams competed in their annual Leopard Invitational this past week with both the Leopards and Lady Leopards finishing as tournament runner-ups. While the players were no doubt disappointed by not taking the first-place trophy, Shedd and Bertrang once again displayed why they are such great leaders for our young student-ath letes. Both coaches immediately talked about the positives their teams accom plished both in the championship games and throughout the season. Athletics, especially at this level, should be about learning and preparing for future endeavors. BCMS has two coaches who are teaching this impor tant lesson with every practice and with every game. “I am proud of what we were able to accomplish this season as a team,” Shedd said of his Lady Leopards. “ This is one of the best teams we have ever had here at the middle school and their record proves that.” The Lady Leopards were 11-3 this season and went 25-6 overall during the past two years under Shedd’s leadership. For the BCMS boys, there isn’t a coach in the county who can offer the level of experience that Bertrang can. Well respected among his peers, Bertrang lends his coaching knowledge to the middle school and high school. In fact, Banks County High School varsity boys basketball coach Mike Ruth con siders Bertrang his right hand man when it comes to coaching the Leopards. Like Shedd and the Lady Leopards, Bertrang has guided the BCMS boys to back-to-back runner-up seasons. Watching him coach gives one a chance to see him share his knowledge of the sport and help prepare his young ath letes for their future roles as players at the junior varsity and varsity levels. Bertrang runs the same system as Ruth does at the high school for that purpose. The season is now over for the BCMS teams, but the great memories will live on for many years. Plus, the lessons taught by Shedd and Bertrang will stay with their players for the rest of their lives. These coaches are a true asset to BCMS and Banks County as a whole. chris bridges Chris Bridges is a reporter for The Banks County News. Contact him at 706-367-2745 or e-mail comments to chris@mainstreetnews.com.