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THE BANKS COUNTY NEWS
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 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
The birds are back
W e looked out the window the other morn
ing, and there were robins hopping
around everywhere.
It’s not officially spring, not even close, but I take
heart when I see those birds with their reddish-orange
vests, because I know better weather is on its way.
Add the sight of the first blooms of the daffodils
(even though they are often dusted with ice or snow
at least once), and the day seems brighter.
It seems like the arrival of the robins also heralds
a call for bird watchers — even bird “glancers” —
everywhere. It’s this time of year that the Great
Backyard Bird Count gets under
way. In fact, Friday is the first day
of that four-day bird count, which
continues Feb. 15-18. If you take
any note of the birds around you
whatsoever, and if you have 15
free minutes to sit and take a tally,
it’s worth the time. There is no age
limit.
It works like this: Count birds
for at least 15 minutes during
Feb. 15-18 at as many places and
on as many days as you choose.
Keep a separate count of the numbers of each spe
cies you see for each separate day; take note of the
largest number of birds of one species seen together
at one time and write that down. When you are done,
enter your findings on the GBBC website (www.bird-
source.org/gbbc).
Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the Audubon
Society use the data collected from people all across
the country and Canada to update information on
the different species, noting how their migratory pat
terns change, how their numbers change and how the
changing world around them — drought and warmer
temperatures, for example — affect them. As they
compile a database, they will be able compare bird
movement and bird life through the years.
I tried the bird count last year for the first time,
keeping up with what I thought were the differ
ent birds around here. I had a few questions, and
this year I will print out the regional tally sheet as
a guide. Just what are those little black birds — not
crows, not red-winged black birds — that gather en
masse in pastures and fields, anyway? I never could
figure it out, although I saw them everywhere.
I know quite a few people from this area participat
ed last year and the year before. You can look online
and see where the responses originate by county and
state. On the whole, there were more than 11 mil
lion birds of 629 species reported in 2007, with more
than 80,000 checklists submitted — it can all be done
online — and that’s a record for the 10-year effort.
There’s a lot more information on the website,
such as the top 10 most numerous birds reported in
2007, but one thing I learned — after I noted the
hopping brigade of robins outside the window — is
that American Robins were the most numerous bird
reported in the GBBC in 2007, for the first time ever.
There were more than 2 million counted last year, up
from a previous count of 333,973 (1.7 million were
reported in a mangrove forest of one Florida city).
OK, I’m not looking for millions, but I’m glad to
see the “spring” birds are back.
jana a.
mitcham
Jana Adams Mitcham is features editor of The
Jackson Herald, a sister publication of The Banks
County News. E-mail comments about this column to
jana@mainstreetnews.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
Live from the Gold Dome...
S o far, watching Georgia
politics in 2008 has been
like having a ringside seat
at a professional wrestling match.
Legislating sound laws and presenting
calm and prudent budget plans have
been replaced by threatened body
slams and real flying chairs.
We can thank for most of the enter
tainment our entrenched Republican
Party and a speaker who learned man
ners in a Hiram poolroom. The speak
er’s wild temper tantrums have all but
eclipsed the name-calling among con
servatives, “real conservatives” and
moderates in the presidential primary
battles.
At Gold Dome Entertainment Inc.,
the main event features Speaker
Glenn Richardson, R-Hiram, and
his various attempts to build a per
sonal political empire and wreak
vengeance. The highest-profile fight
picked by Richardson so far has been
his all-out drive to pass a state sales
tax to include services (everything
from haircuts to doctor visits) and re
impose it on groceries (the grocery tax
was eliminated by Democrats in the
mid-1990s).
Romeo Richardson’s proclaimed
GREAT tax would replace school
taxes and most county property taxes.
It would have the additional benefit
(in Richardson’s mind) of letting
sales-tax revenues flow to state gov
ernment. The General Assembly, led
by Richardson, would then parcel
out the receipts to counties and local
school districts. Imagine the power
such an arrangement would bestow
on a House speaker. Consider new
incentives for lobbyists to visit the
speaker’s office, bringing along their
checkbooks to write campaign checks,
as well as their bleached blonde hair
and good looking legs.
Most politicians of both parties have
been fleeing from
the Richardson
plan. Romeo is
said to be raving
most about the
GOP’s lack of
enthusiasm. He’s
brazenly wielding
his power as the
controller of the
budget-writing
House to twist
arms, impose his
will and issue wholesale threats.
Beyond the tax plan, Richardson is
on a tirade about the state Department
of Transportation board. The power
ful board is a unique institution in
state government, with its members
elected by General Assembly mem
bers in caucuses representing each
DOT district. Richardson is furious
that board members voted against
his candidate for DOT commis
sioner, Rep. Vance Smith, R-Pine
Mountain. Richardson has launched a
political terrorism campaign against
anti-Richardson board members. He
is openly and loudly trying to force
Republican House members to expel
the anti-Richardson rebels in favor of
the speaker’s choices. His attempt to
remove board chairman Mike Evans,
who represents the 9th District, in
favor of former Rep. Stacey Reece, a
Richardson ally, failed when several
Republican House members bucked
Richardson’s ticket.
Richardson has started stripping
committee assignments from House
members who crossed him in the
board election. He’s been kicking
those members out of their office
space in the Capitol and moving them
to relative purgatory in the Legislative
Office Building. Most of the mem
bers in Richardson’s crosshairs are
close allies of Majority Leader Jerry
Keen, R-St. Simons Island. The get-
even battle is igniting fiery tensions
inside the House Republican leader
ship. All of this is getting in the way
of legislators spending their time on
matters that we pay them to deal with
— passing a responsible state budget
and legislating solutions for water
issues, traffic and our slow economy,
for example.
Beyond Richardson’s entertaining,
if appalling, circus act in the center of
the ring, we have other spectacles to
behold. At this point in his term, just
about everyone at the Capitol is tired
of Gov. Perdue, who seems equally
weary of them. While he squeaked
out a victory in his DOT clash with
Richardson, Perdue’s influence over
and interest in what is happening in
the Capitol appears to be dwindling.
He is spending more and more time
on national political trips, traveling the
country raising money for Republican
gubernatorial candidates. His extra
curricular activities may suggest that
Sonny has mentally moved on from
his main Georgia duties and is laying
the groundwork for a national political
move, whether it be the vice presi
dential slot on this year’s Republican
ticket, or maybe a cabinet post if John
McCain wins the White House.
As the Republican presidential field
continues to narrow, McCain may
need Perdue to go to work elsewhere.
Don’t be surprised to see the presump
tive nominee ask the Georgia gover
nor to heal divisions in the Georgia
GOP wrought by Speaker Richardson
running amok, and a primary battle
fraught with internecine wars between
conservatives and moderates.
You can reach award-winning polit
ical columnist Bill Shipp at P.O. Box
2520, Kennesaw, GA 30156 or 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.
(SCED 547160)
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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.
Remembering
a candidate
of the people
I n today’s political world, news is
delivered seemingly at the speed
of light.
With the internet and 24-hour cable
news stations, it doesn’t take long for
us to learn the latest news on political
figures and candidates. That’s why last
week I found it ironic that I learned of
the passing of a long-time fixture on the
Georgia political scene well after it hap
pened.
The death of Jim Boyd, who ran for
statewide office numerous times through
the years, admit
tedly left me a
little stunned. I did
not realize he had
passed away and
only learned of it
after family mem
bers sent me a note
after I had written
him inquiring about
his plans for 2008.
Boyd was termed
a “perennial can
didate” by some
who follow politi
cal races, but I refused to call him that
because I felt that term had a negative
ring to it. Rather, I had respect for the
man who wanted to offer something to
his fellow citizens of this state.
I’m not sure exactly when Boyd first
caught the political bug. A little research
shows he ran against Sam Nunn in the
Democratic primary for U.S. Senate back
in 1984. He ran for the Public Service
Commission several times and would
also try again, more than once, for the
U.S. Senate as well as a memorable run
for Governor in 1994.
Boyd became known for running prac
tically every two years for some state
wide office and for his campaign signs
which he would place in practically every
town across the state. I remember back
in the 1990s, I would start to look for his
signs just to see what office he was seek
ing during the next election.
As his campaigns were mostly self-
financed, Boyd had to take make the
most of every dollar. His strategy of
placing campaign signs all over the
place was effective because it made
passing motorists remember his name. I
remember when he was running for the
Public Service Commission in 1996 he
parked an old pickup truck in downtown
Jefferson and probably had 30 signs dis
played on it. He left the truck in the mid
dle of town for several days as countless
people drove by seeing his signs declar
ing “I Will Vote No On All Rate Hikes
Or Resign — Jim Boyd for PSC.”
It was during his 1994 run for
Governor that he perhaps used one of the
best campaign slogans I can remember.
His motto was “Jim Boyd as Governor
Could Not Be Worse Than Zell Miller.”
Absolutely brillant.
The last office Boyd ran for was the
U.S Senate in 2004. He was one of eight
candidates in the Democratic primary
and he stunned people by finishing third.
I actually wasn’t surprised because in
a field of unknowns and political light
weights, Boyd’s name recognition from
years of running for office paid off.
Once again his signs were a highlight
of the campaign as they declared “Bush
Must Go — Jim Boyd For U.S. Senate.)
He was never elected to an office (that
I am aware of), but Boyd was the victor
in some Democratic primaries. I know in
2000 he won the Democratic nomination
(in a landslide) for a seat on the Public
Service Commission although he lost the
general election that November.
I finally got a chance to meet him that
year and asked him why he continued to
run for office.
“I feel I have something to offer the
people of Georgia,” Boyd told me. “I
want to represent the every day working
man and working woman. I want to be a
voice for the people.”
I voted for him every time his name
was on the ballot. I had hoped to con
tinue doing so. I guess I should have
realized something was wrong when he
didn’t run for office in 2006. Now I know
why. Campaign season in Georgia won’t
be the same without Jim Boyd, his signs,
his slogans and his approach of running
as a candidate of the people.
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.