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PAGE 4A — THE MADISON COUNTY (GA) JOURNAL THURSDAY. MAY 28. 2009
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Opinions
Frankly
Speaking
frankgillispie671@msn.com
By Frank Gillispie
Our military
protects us every day
of the year
While I was out and about this past weekend I
found some confusion among some of our citizens
about military holidays.
Why, one young lady asked, do we have three
holidays devoted to the military? That’s right. We
have three of them: Armed Forces Day, Veterans
Day and Memorial Day. Actually, I reminded her,
many Southerners celebrate Confederate Memorial
Day as well.
So why do we put so much importance on the
military? Are we, as many of our detractors say,
an aggressive, militaristic society that uses force to
impose our will on the world, or was it necessary
to develop our military power to defend ourselves
against an envious world?
I think both arguments have some legitimacy.
You see, freedom and liberty are very fragile things.
Without constant vigil, they can be easily lost. The
only way to assure that our freedoms will survive
is to support freedom movements among other
peoples around the world. Unfortunately, there are
so called "leaders" who use military measures to
enslave their citizens and often the only remedy is
to meet force with force.
For example, on the day we set aside to honor our
heroes who died in battle, North Korea has once
again threatened the world with another massive
nuclear explosion and a series of rocket tests. The
world has tried for many years to convince the petty
dictators of that impoverished country to give up
their military posturing and concentrate on feeding
their people, but they thumb their noses at the world
and continue to threaten the safety and freedom of
all people around the world.
It is obvious then, that our military is an absolute
necessity to ensure freedom for ourselves and the
world. And service in the military involves sacri
fices on many levels, from their time, their fortunes
and even their lives. It is fitting that we offer our
thanks to those who make such sacrifices for our
freedom.
The three holidays represent the nature and tim
ing of military sacrifices. Armed Forces Day is a
salute to our current military. That is the day we
salute those currently wearing the uniforms of our
nation. Veteran’s Day honors those who have put
on the uniform and defended our nation in the past.
Memorial Day is a special moment each year when
we express our appreciation to those who made
the ultimate sacrifice by giving their lives for our
freedom.
I do not think we can do enough to remember
those brave men and women who gave their all for
our freedom.
“Greater love has no man than this, than to lay
down his life for his friends." — John 15:13.
Daily reminders of their service is appropriate.
For example, this newspaper and others honor our
veterans by displaying a flag in their obituaries.
Just look at the obituary page each week and see
how many of the listings there have a flag after the
name. Even small remembrances are appreciated.
In Georgia, drivers’ license fees are waived for
veterans.
Our military protects us every day of the year. It
is proper that we devote three days a year to their
support and memory.
Frank Gillispie is founder of The Madison County
Journal. His e-mail address is frankgillispie671@
msn.com. His website can be accessed at http://
frankgillispie.tripod.com/
The Madison
County Journal
(Merged with The Danielsville Monitor
and The Comer News, January 2006)
P.O. Box 658
Hwy. 29 South
Danielsville, Georgia 30633
Phone: 706-795-2567
Fax: 706-795-2765
Email: zach@mainstreetnews.com
ZACH MITCHAM, Editor
MARGIE RICHARDS, Reporter/Office Manager
BEN MUNRO, Reporter/Sports Editor
MIKE BUFFINGTON, Co-publisher
SCOTT BUFFINGTON, Co-publisher
FRANK GILLISPIE, Founder of The Journal.
Jere Ayers (deceased) former owner
of The Danielsville Monitor and The Comer News
Periodical postage paid at Danielsville, Georgia 30633
SUBSCRIPTION RATES:
Madison & surrounding counties $19.75/year
State of Georgia $38.85/year
Out-of-state $44.50/year
Military personnel with APO address $42.50/year
Senior rate $2 off all above rates
College student discount rate $2 off all above
rates
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to:
THE MADISON COUNTY JOURNAL
P.O. Box 658, Danielsville, GA 30633
A publication of MainStreet Newspapers Inc.
Rediscovering the joy of reading
I have recently rediscovered a
pleasure I have left behind for too
long.
Working at this job, which
requires a lot of reading and writing
in itself, has had a weird effect on
me. In my free time, I have found
over the past few years that I read
less and less. The most I could
seem to manage on a weekly basis
were various news and magazine
articles.
Read a book? For the most part,
forget it. By the time I would get
through with one I’d forget what
the first part was about (or so it
seemed). It was like trying to watch
a movie on DVD - after you keep
starting and stopping it so much
you kind of lose interest.
It had gotten so bad that I saved
up books that I thought looked
interesting for that trip to the beach,
where I would then sit and devour
as much of them as I could while
listening to the ocean waves.
But it was just not enough -1 am
a lifelong reader. When I was little
I devoured Dr. Seuss books, later
By Margie Richards
progressing to the Laura Ingalls
Wilder series, and of course. Old
Yeller, The Call of the Wild, Rascal,
Black Beauty and any other book
I could get my hands on about
animals.
In high school and college, I read
everything that wasn't nailed down
(and some things that were) and
then as a stay-at-home mom, I read
as much as I possibly could. Kids
ready for a nap? Time to read.
Summer trips to the swimming
pool? An excellent time to read
something.
Reading has always taken me to
another place, removed me from
the everyday and provided me with
another dimension, if you will. Non
fiction stories about others trials,
troubles and triumphs have always
connected me to the humanity in
all of us in ways that TV, the mov
ies, or other media sources have
never been able to. And reading
has inspired me to share a little of
myself through my own writing.
What a gift reading is. I couldn't
imagine what my life would be like
if I could not read.
When I was three years old or so,
my daddy (who had a seventh grade
education himself), sat with me and
taught me my first reading words.
He took Dr. Seuss’s book “Hop on
Pop" and taught me to pick out the
word “the” on each page. My mind
took off like a race car from there.
I was thrilled. Daddy smiled and
laughed with me - he knew what
he was doing and how important it
would be to me.
So, I forced myself to put all
things aside a few weeks ago and
sat and read a book. I let the floors
go without vacuuming, I turned the
TV off (another inhibition to read
ing) and I even forgot about work
for the paper (don’t tell the boss). It
was great. I felt satisfied and I told
myself that reading is as important
to me and my well-being as eat
ing the right foods and taking my
medication. Since then. I've tried to
have at least a pocket paperback in
my purse at all times - just in case I
have moment to read.
Don’t deny yourself, or your chil
dren, the gift and the joy of reading.
There's nothing like the feel of that
book in your hands and the worlds
that it can open up for you. You can
travel, experience cultures and plac
es that physical and monetary limi
tations may not otherwise allow.
If you haven't read a book lately
- read one. And read another one
(or two) to your kids or grandkids.
You'll be glad you did.
Margie Richards is a reporter
and office manager for The Madison
County Journal.
Goodbye to some friends
One of the basic rules of daily jour
nalism is that the reporter isn't the story
- what’s important is the news that is
being reported.
I’m going to ignore that rule to talk
about three people in the news business
who are all retiring after long years of
writing about Georgia politics. They
have each performed a valuable service
in their careers by pointing out the mis
deeds and mistakes made by the people
running this state. I also consider each
of them to be a friend, although that
really isn’t the point here.
Bill Shipp let the word out last week
that he will stop writing his political
column, which still appeared in dozens
of Georgia newspapers, and hang it up
after more than 50 years in the busi
ness.
Shipp was a pugnacious journalist
from the very first. As an editor at the
University of Georgia’s student newspa
per in the 1950s, he criticized the racist
activities of the people who ran state
government - and was kicked off the
newspaper staff by university officials.
He made his professional reputation
as first a political reporter and then as
city editor and columnist for the Atlanta
Constitution. Bill could be a wild man
in those days, but when he was on the
trail of a story there were few people
The Capitol
Report
tcrawford@
capitol
impact.net.
By Tom Crawford
who had more tenacity or energy.
Shipp went after Republicans and
Democrats alike and had enemies in
both parties. He carried on a long,
bitterly personal feud with the late
House speaker, Tom Murphy, over
the drunken driving issue. He is still
loathed and despised by Gov. Sonny
Perdue because he looked into some of
Perdue’s personal business dealings in
Houston County.
Bill was also one of the first people to
see how the Internet might be used as a
medium for getting information to the
reader, moving his political newsletter
online several years ago. He was, in
effect, one of the pioneers of political
blogging in the days before anyone had
ever heard of the concept.
Dick Pettys is another political report
er who probably covered his last legis
lative session this year. If things work
out according to plan, he and his wife
will retire to the mountains of North
Georgia.
Pettys was the Associated Press’
man at the capitol for nearly 35 years
before retiring from the AP in 2005.
He remained at the capitol for several
years after that first retirement, covering
politics for Insider Advantage.
Dick was just as tough and thorough
a reporter as Shipp, although he was
able to avoid the kinds of personal
battles that Shipp tended to stir up. His
presence at the capitol for nearly 40
years gave him unprecedented access
to the folks who really knew what was
happening. Pettys was always scrupu
lously fair in his reporting and did not
take cheap shots at the scoundrels who
populated his articles.
If Pettys had the facts on you, that was
it. End of story.
Another veteran observer of the polit
ical scene who will be retiring in June is
Jim Wooten, the conservative columnist
for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's
editorial page.
I first met Jim in the early 1970s
when he was a metro beat reporter at the
Atlanta Journal. He was first-rate when
it came to digging up the facts but also
had a flair for writing a clever lead that
could draw in the reader.
Wooten was always quite conserva
tive in his political views and gravitated
naturally to writing editorial page col
umns that reflected that point of view.
Fortunately, Wooten retained his inter
est in exposing the dubious financing
schemes that got proposed every year in
the General Assembly.
One of his favorite topics as an edi
torialist was the tendency of politicians
to pass legislation that would personally
enrich them while ripping off the tax
payers, usually through a questionable
bond or pension proposal.
Jim was rightly outraged at these bla
tant attempts to raid the public treasury
and did his best to bring them to the
reader’s attention.
In their own way, Shipp, Pettys and
Wooten played an important role in our
democracy by keeping people informed
about what their elected representatives
were doing for them - or to them. It’s a
good thing for us that they were around
for so long to do their jobs.
Tom Crawford is the editor of Capitol
Impact's Georgia Report, an Internet
news setvice at www.gareport.com
that covers government and politics in
Georgia. He can be reached at tcraw-
ford@capitolimpact.net.
Letters to the Editor
Ferst Foundation can truly make a difference in the lives of students
Dear Editor:
Reading is the most important
skill in determining the academ
ic success of a child in school.
Research shows that students
who are not on grade level in
the area of reading in the third
grade have a high probability
of not receiving a high school
diploma. The scores on standard
ized tests are often impacted
more by the reading ability of
the student than the knowledge
of the content being tested. The
Southern Regional Board recent
ly recognized the importance of
literacy in the May 1 edition of
Education Week and is advising
southern states to improve the
instruction of reading for adoles
cents in middle and high school.
Reading comprehension is criti
cal for students in grades 6-12
but is so difficult for students
who have not learned to read and
decode words. The importance of
reading increases exponentially
as students go through school and
to higher education.
The Anne C. Casey Foundation
is a group that has shown how
many children in rural, south
ern states start school with great
deficiencies in the area of lit
eracy when compared to other
peers throughout our nation.
Introducing pre-school aged
children to reading is critical.
The Madison County Rotary
Club is attempting to make a
difference in this area. This orga
nization is working with the
Ferst Foundation for Childhood
Literacy to provide students from
birth to age five with a book each
month. This program can truly
make a difference in the lives of
students.
Sincerely,
Allen McCannon
Asst. Superintendent Madison
Co. Schools
We cannot be lukewarm Christians
Dear Editor:
I was a person who came to faith
in Jesus through the scripture in
Romans 1:20. I had been travel
ing the world and had seen his
creation up close and personal. I
could not square in my mind what
science had been saying to me
regarding the traditional view of
old earth, fossils, and evolution,
absent a creator, with what the
evidence was before my own eyes:
the beauty and majesty of a com
plicated world that seemed even to
my agnostic eyes to be designed.
I feel that too little attention is
paid to that verse as a gateway to
his feet, and I'm eternally grateful
for a Christian who was knowl
edgeable and prepared to respond
to my questions in biblical natural
history.
It was announced that that an
ancient fossil scientists say rep
resents the missing link has been
found. The secular world is look
ing for the nails to pound in the
coffin into which they have put
Christianity. They say Christianity
is dead, or the Bible is bunk. The
latest news about an alleged miss
ing link is yet another piece of
ammunition for atheists to use.
How will you as a Christian
respond to Ida?
I admit, I’m not the best person
at apologetics when asked about
astrophysics in defending the six-
day creation statement in Genesis:
nor am I fluent in evolutionary
biology to defend creationism
and God’s direct hand in making
humans.
Brethren, we may be called to
defend or explain this news of
so-called missing link Ida to unbe
lievers. We may be asked how "sci
ence” (which most secular people
believe is infallible) squares with
the notion of an invisible God
moving his hand and speaking the
world into existence. The idea of
Ida the missing link will have pow
erful pull. How will you answer?
We must prepare. We cannot be
lukewarm Christians. We should
be ready to say how and why we
believe as we do. I'm not suggest
ing we become experts in natural
history nor get a degree in evolu
tionary biology. But if we read up
one or two of the flaws in evolution
theory, have at the ready one or two
reasons why the Bible believed
literally is truth, we can become
more credible.
Five years ago, I was an agnostic
adult. I was seeking meaning in
something bigger than me, yet I
was also curious about the world as
explained through science. I asked
a Christian I knew how she could
believe in the young earth in the
face of all this (seemingly) solid
science. She responded coherently
and passionately with a plausible
explanation of why she believed in
the young earth of God as opposed
to the old earth as presented in the
secular fossil record. Her response
was enough to keep the door in my
heart open to Jesus, and soon after
being impressed with her reply, I
accepted Jesus as Savior.
It makes a difference if we can
articulate our faith. We all come
to knowledge of our sins and the
need for Jesus in different ways.
My path was through seeing his
attributes through his creation, his
eternal power and divine nature on
earth. Jude urges us to "earnestly
contend for the faith.” One way is
to be ready to respond to a person
the Holy Spirit may put in your
path, one who is curious about
fossils or young earth or missing
links. I pray you will be ready with
a reply that very well could be
eternal for that soul... and he will
be glorified.
Sincerely,
Elizabeth Prata
Comer