Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

PAGE 4A 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) Published weekly t Newspapers, Inc., $19.75 $38.85 $44.20 $42.20 Subscription i Subscription in Subscription out o: Military with APO ad< 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 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.