About The Banks County news. (Homer, Banks County, Ga.) 1968-current | View Entire Issue (May 28, 2008)
PAGE 4A THE BANKS COUNTY NEWS WEDNESDAY, MAY 28, 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 tough part of parenthood I finally caught myself saying something that I thought I wouldn’t say: “Don’t stick your finger in the cat’s butt.” Yep, you know your child is reaching that wonder ful time as a toddler when you start telling your kid where NOT to stick her finger. My daughter, Katie, is now 19 months old — and she is realizing how far she can push our buttons. Sometimes it’s cute. At the first hint that a “no” may be coming out of my mouth, she pouts her lip and buries her head under any object she can find. Sometimes it’s not so cute — like when she tries playing with a messy diaper. She knows not to touch it, but she tries to make things worse. She knows that if she makes a fake gagging noise, that an adult will come running to her side. She knows that if she turns off the TV that someone will turn it back on. How do I know she is understanding what is “right” and what is “wrong” at such a young age? She gets THAT look on her face. That look you catch her throwing at you just before she does something bad. Every parent knows what that look is on their child’s face. Katie is entering a new phase of childhood — the time when she is just starting to understand how her actions have consequences. We’ve done a lot for her in the past year and a half — changed countless diapers, cleaned plenty of messy clothes, read lots of books to her, and even handed her over to surgeons for two heart surgeries and a stomach surgery. And now comes the even harder part: Raising a good kid. No parent says they plan to raise a bad kid. We don’t say we want to raise the biggest brat on the block. We don’t say we want our child to be the most inconsiderate kid in a classroom. We don’t say we want our child to have the worst manners possible. And we certainly don’t want them to become crimi nals. That’s the tricky part of parenthood — doing what’s best for your child now, while still making them a better person for adulthood. There are plenty of books, websites and television shows giving parents advice on raising good kids. But, doesn’t it seem like many of us are missing the mark? Just visit a youth sporting event and it’s not too difficult to spot the kid whose parent lacks parenting skills. No one is the perfect parent. We all make mistakes. And when we realize those mistakes, it makes it even more difficult to endure since it involves your child. But, it’s our responsibility to not just provide food, shelter, clothing and medical care for our children, but to also make them better adults than ourselves. And that not only takes discipline, but love, too. kerri testement Kerri Testement is the news editor for The Braselton News, a sister publication of The Banks County News. E-mail comments about this column to kerri@main- streetnews.com. The Banks County News Founded 1968 The official legal organ of Banks County, Ga. Mike Buffington Co-Publisher (Editorial) Scott Buffington Co-Publisher (Advertising) Angela Gary Editor Chris Bridges Sports Editor Sharon Hogan Reporter Anelia Chambers Receptionist Suzanne Reed Church News Phones (all 706 area code): Angela Gary Phone Angela Gary Fax Homer Office Phone Homer Office Fax (SCED 547160) Published weekly by MainStreet Newspapers, Inc., P.O. Box 908, Jefferson, Ga. 30549 Subscription in county $19.75 Subscription in state $38.85 Subscription out of state $44.20 Military with APO address $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 Member: Georgia Press Association Georgia Sports Writers Association National Newspaper Association 367-2490 367-9355 677-3491 677-3263 Remembering a true fighter in Hamilton Jordan “I wondered how much I had changed. I had gone to Washington a hero, described by many in the media as a ‘genius' I was return ing to Georgia a loser. ... The green bird turned west toward Plains, lifted quickly into the dark sky, and was gone." — Hamilton Jordan, Jan. 21, 1981 ••• Jordan stood on the ground at the airport in Washington waving good bye to Jimmy Carter, his former boss and, before that, a student of Jordan’s political wisdom. Hamilton didn’t know it at the time, but those closing words of his book, “Crisis: The Last Year of the Carter Presidency” also marked an end to his public career. It wasn’t long until an even more courageous and incredible battle began for Hamilton — the fight against cancer that recurred in several dark forms. Recently, Hamilton lost the battle. He was 63. News of Hamilton’s death made me remember that old journalism gim mick — guessing what a master politician might have done with just a bit more luck from on High and a bit less treachery from his associates. Hamilton was the smartest consul tant I ever knew. He also might have been the wisest of elected officials, if he could have conquered his per sistent health problems and escaped the stigma of being Jimmy Carter’s right-hand man to win the Senate seat he sought in 1986. Hamilton did everything possible to beat cancer. He never once tried to disavow Carter — as many other Southern Democrats did — to improve his career opportunities or even to win a Senate election. Next to being a true intellec tual Southerner and mastermind (the New York/ Washington media couldn’t fathom at the time how such a person could exist), Hamilton was a 100 percent loyalist. Turning his back on gover nor-then-president Carter was never considered, not even when Carter’s national popularity plunged to near record lows. Just as cancer cut him no slack, the national political media showed no mercy in hammering Jordan from the time he arrived in Washington as Carter’s top aide in 1976 through his unsuccessful bid for the Senate back in Georgia. The Tobacco Road Republicans, who still control the Georgia GOP, used Hamilton as their whipping boy at every opportunity. Never mind that Hamilton, like former President Carter, worked on a variety of good causes, from children’s health care to cutting-edge cancer research and orga nization of a third-way political effort. He worked behind the scenes to land the Democratic National Convention in Atlanta in 1988 — the first and last national political convention held in the Southern capital. “My admiration and respect for Hamilton grew since I met him in the early Carter years,” says Bert Lance, also a Carter stalwart and friend of Jordan. “He was truly the personifica tion of courage.” In his presidential memoir “Keeping the Faith,” Carter wrote: “Hamilton was more seriously misunderstood and underestimated by the press and pub lic than anyone else who worked in my administration. A brilliant political analyst who had devised and managed my presidential campaign, he worked long hours through the most difficult decisions.” During Carter’s tenure as governor, Hamilton as his chief of staff took over the reins of state government. When Carter went to the White House, Hamilton was a key player in the president’s triumphs — from the Camp David Accords to the Panama Canal Treaty that prevented a civil war. He also suffered with Carter the agonies of the Iran hostage disaster and the crumbling American econo my. After he left Washington, he wrote ”Crisis” — what I believe is the most insightful book of the Carter adminis tration. You ought to read it if you’re interested in inside accounts of White House doings. “Crisis” is the best book of its kind. He also wrote extensively and in great detail about the onset of cancer and his struggle to beat it. I had the honor of helping compose one of those pieces. He schemed with his pals a couple of times to get back into the national circus. He helped direct Ross Perot’s independent presiden tial campaign and launched a couple of other things. The cancer was too much. Hamilton’s death finally ended a career that might have achieved won ders in getting our nation and state back onto a worthy track to opportu nity and prosperity for all. You can reach Bill Shipp at P.O. Box 2520, Kennesaw, GA 30156, 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 call ing 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, questions or suggestions relating to the coun ty board of commissioners, county government, county board of educa tion and crime and courts is asked to contact staff reporter 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 Suzanne Reed at 706-677-3491. Church news may also be e-mailed to churchnews@mainstreetnews.com. The Banks County News website is updated each Thursday and can be accessed on the Internet at www.mainstreetnews.com. Turning the page for another year “Age is strictly a case of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn't mat ter.” — Jack Benny • •• It’s that time on the calendar again. It’s the time when your local colum nist celebrates another turning of the page if you will. For in this month 37 years ago (yesterday in fact) I arrived in this world. Born in the central Georgia town of Macon on a Thursday (amazing what the Internet can tell you), I feel blessed to still be a part of it all. There’s no doubt I have been blessed beyond anything I deserve during my time, which is rapidly approaching four decades now. Growing up with a strong family support system I have honestly never gone without anything I needed. That’s not an exag geration. While many people wake up in the morning wondering how they will make it through the day, my biggest morning obstacle is deciding which shirt to wear. I’ve written through the years of being blessed with both maternal and paternal grandparents who heavily influenced me and helped mold me into the person I am. Any ounce of me that is good can be traced to them along with my parents. The influence each of them provided — even when I have tried to ignore it — has rubbed off now and then and made me a much better person for it. I admit there are many times I feel every bit of my 37 years. I find myself pausing and wondering just how in the world I arrived at this age. Wasn’t it just yesterday I was living carefree as a high school student. I guess when I cover high school athletics for a living I forget just how long it has been since I was once. When local graduates received their diplomas this spring, it marked 19 years since I did the same. (I try not to let my mind dwell on that number for too long!) I’ve seen a lot in my 37 years although there’s plenty more I would enjoy seeing. I haven’t done much traveling in my time. The furthest away from home I have been was a high school class trip to Washington, D.C. back in 1988. I’ve never been overseas, never been to the northern or western part of our great country. I’ve never seen the beaches and sunsets of Hawaii (unless of you count episodes of Magnum, P.I.). I’d love to drive through states like Wyoming and Montana. I would love to take a fall and travel to various col lege football games to places like Wake Forest, Vanderbilt, Duke and the like, schools where the student part of stu dent-athlete is stressed. I’m still waiting for my numbers to come through in the Megamillions game which would no doubt make all my traveling wishes a reality. It would also give the chance to buy about 200 acres of land and start my own animal rescue operation. Perhaps all, or at least some, of that can happen during my next 37 years. For now, I will simply enjoy year No. 37. Summer is now at hand (another nice thing about having a birthday in late May is that it kick starts summer time) and that always seems to lift my — and everyone’s — spirit. I’ve never minded getting older. I view it as, “You’re as old as you are.” I’ve never lied about my age or tried to convince someone I was still in my mid- 20s when I haven’t seen that era in more than decade. Yes, I am now 37 and it’s not some thing I will try to hide during the next 12 months. I will enjoy it each day and try to better myself during that time. I realize though making myself better doesn’t include magically taking years off my life. That won’t happen until someone invents that elusive fountain of youth. Chris Bridges is a reporter for The Banks County News. Contact him at 706-367-2745 or e-mail comments to chris@mainstreetnews.com.
