Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 4A —THE MADISON COUNTY (GA) JOURNAL. THURSDAY. DECEMBER 31.2020
The Okefenokee and the weight of ‘me’ vs. we’
How much importance do you give
to things that are not just yours, but
ours?
Some people seem to feel that any
thing that is “ours” is worthless unless
it can be made into “mine.” I put litter-
ers in this mindset. They see roadsides
in the realm of “mine,” not “ours.”
Public schools are “ours.” Libraries,
“ours.” Roads, “ours.” I doubt anyone
wants to swap out public roads for pri
vate toll roads. Imagine the headaches
of travel if we didn’t have publicly
funded roads and could only drive
places if we paid the private owners.
The things that are “ours” matter.
But somehow, in this crazy time, the
notion of maintaining anything for the
“public good” seems to be a bad thing
in some circles. All assets must be ren
dered private, not public. And here’s
why: anything enforced as a collective
asset actually does cost someone a
chance to make themselves fabulously
rich. And when certain people feel
denied a fortune due to public interest,
they protest to kingdom come. They
hire PR firms. They will pay politi
cians to do their bidding. They will
play the long game of public opinion
shifting. And that has paid off righ
teously for some. Think I’m wrong,
then remember that the very notion of
“collective good” has died as a princi
ple with much of this country. Instead,
America is all about “me.” You think
that hasn’t been accompanied by a
huge effort to kill the public’s concern
for its collective interests? If you are
in the religion of me-first. then self
ishness becomes morally right, and
anything with a “we” turns morally
suspect. Things that are “ours” hardly
matter these days for far too many
people. Folks, that’s exactly where we
are in the U.S.A. in 2020-21. If you
don’t see this, you’re sleeping.
This is what I thought about as
I read recently about the proposed
strip-mining of Georgia’s Okefenokee
Swamp. I thought, yes, oh yes, here it
is again, that process at work. It takes a
lot to pry public lands from the public,
doesn’t it? It is not an easy game of
tug of war. It goes against the grain of
past generations who sought to save
such lands.
So why care? Well, I will likely
never see the Grand Canyon. I will
probably not make it to Yellowstone
National Park in my life. Maybe I will.
I’d like to. But even if I personally
never lay eyes on those locales, they
matter to me in principle. Because
public lands are important to Amer
ican society, not just me. They were
preserved so I can see them if I choose.
Public lands need to be preserved for
future generations, too.
The Okefenokee National Wild
life Refuge probably doesn’t matter
personally to most Georgians, but it
should as a matter of principle. In
Madison County, the health of the
Broad River should matter to you
By Zach Mitcham
whether you float down it or not.
It’s “ours,” which means partially
yours. You can enjoy its beauty if you
choose, but maintaining its beauty and
integrity is our shared responsibility.
The Okefenokee is 438,000 acres,
of which about 402,000 acres are pro
tected in the National Wildlife Ref
uge, and 354,000 acres are federal
wilderness. It is the largest National
Wildlife Refuge east of the Mississippi
River and provides headwaters for the
Suwannee and St. Marys rivers. The
refuge is home to abundant plant and
animal life and a source of consider
able tourism.
The words “regulation” and “dereg
ulation” are so loaded with partisan
tension these days. That’s unfortunate,
because neither is good or bad. In life,
some rules are sensible. Some are not.
We need sense enough to recognize
that a speed limit is necessary for the
public good, but not one that is too
slow or too fast, right? I apply that
thought to all regulations.
The Okefenokee was long off limits
for mining. DuPont wanted to mine
there in the 1990s, but it didn’t get the
regulatory go ahead. Well, that was
then, this is now. We just had sweeping
environmental deregulation in these
past few years. Mining at the Okefeno
kee is not a done deal, but it’s distinctly
possible at the moment if state permits
are received. Twin Pines Minerals, an
Alabama company which is controlled
by Raymon Bean and Steve Ingle,
who also control GreenFuels Energy,
LLC and Georgia Renewable Power,
is aiming to mine titanium there.
Deregulation has enabled Twin Pines
Minerals LLC to bypass the federal
wetlands permitting process and any
federal environmental oversight of the
mining proposal.
Of course, anyone here in this coun
ty recognizes GRP. The company
burned creosote-treated railroad ties
at its Colbert biomass facility until
the state government put a halt to the
practice alter protests from neighbors
about the harmful health effects of
burning the carcinogen. It intrigues me
to see that connection between GRP
and the proposed mining project.
I think a paragraph in a Nov. 25
article in The Washington Post titled
‘Trump rule eases effort to strip-mine
near Okefenokee Swamp” succinctly
outlines the problem with the pro
posed project.
It reads: “One distinctive feature of
the Okefenokee is that it’s shaped like
a bowl, and most of it is depressed.
What helps keep the shallow water
inside is the Trail Ridge, which runs
along the eastern side of the swamp
and acts like a dam. Poke a hole in the
ridge, like a break in the rim of a bowl,
and water will leak out. That’s a key
part of the area Twin Pines Minerals
wants to mine.”
In today’s hyper-partisan environ
ment. it feels almost pointless to point
out that, yes, these efforts involve
campaign contributions to Republican
candidates, including David Perdue.
No one is going to change their vote
after hearing this. In fact, I’m pointing
it out to you fully expecting this to
harden your resolve if you’re already
voting that way. But the bigger point
is that there is a process involved in
getting major projects like this through
the hoops. And it has a lot to do with
cash. That’s where we are as a country.
And I absolutely hate this ugly reality
and feel that the “public good” has
been totally swallowed by the “private
gain.” This project is just one of so
many examples.
The door for corrupting the Okefe
nokee has been opened, but it’s not a
done deal. And there is a coalition of
over 40 national, state and local con
servation groups and businesses called
the Okefenokee Protection Alliance
(OPA) that is fighting this proposal.
Check them out at protectokefenokee.
org. This project may still be shot
down. But the fact that it’s even on
the table is a testament to the potential
harms of overzealous deregulation.
And yes. there are indeed examples of
absurd over-regulation in other facets
of life. As I said, we need sensible
rules.
The potential degradation of the
Okefenokee raises the broader issue
of public lands. Do we protect them?
Do we let them go? Do you care? And
broader still, is collective good a thing
anymore? Or is it dead? Do you care?
If we want things to be maintained for
the public, for us and our descendants,
then well, the public needs to speak
up and demand as much. Right? This
is especially true these days as profit
grabbing at the expense of the collec
tive good is such a lucrative political
game.
Do you also see the essential seesaw
of “me” vs. “we?” Push the weight
too far one way and there’s trouble.
Personal and public interests both have
their place in this life. It’s all about bal
ance. And in my eyes, we’re too heavy
on the “me” these days. It takes effort
and sincere care to be engaged togeth
er for the good of us all. Or is that too
much for us to ask of our leaders — or
of each other?
Zach Mitcham is editor of The
Madison County Journal. He can be
reached at zach@mainstreetnews.
com.
‘Unprecedented’ times
with the New Neighbors Network
Dear Editor:
The word of the year
seems to be “unprec
edented” and that has
certainly been true with
New Neighbors Network.
Whether it was navigating
the Department of Labor’s
complex, confusing and
contradictory information
when filing for unemploy
ment claims or helping a
family whose loved one
was in the hospital with
out a familiar person or
language, the coronavirus
impacted all of us.
Tragically, it took the
life of one of our refugee
neighbors, Sar Du Kai. I
helped him become a U.S.
citizen and his oath cere
mony was in Nov 2019.
In May. Sar left his job at
a poultry plant and drove
himself to the hospital
because he did not feel
well. He was on a ventila
tor and died a week later.
We were all shocked at
how this could happen to
a young, strong man who
was so quick with a smile.
Sar Du Kai was cremated
and his ashes flown to NY
where an aunt, his only
relative in the US. lives.
What a sad ending to his
life and to the 300,000-
plus who have also died
from this disease.
A happier “unprecedent
ed” event was the Novem
ber elections where Karen
and Karenni — new U.S.
citizens — voted for the
first ever time in their lives.
Since they were unfamil
iar with the process, much
time and effort went into
helping each person reg
ister to vote, apply for an
absentee ballot, and fill
out the ballot correctly.
I helped over 70 people
and guidance was needed
each step of the way. For
example,
Me: You need to put two
stamps on the ballot so it
will get to the right place.
New voter: They sent me
an apple stamp so I will
put that on the envelope.
Me: An apple stamp?
Let me see that.
It turned out to be the
peach sticker that says
“I’m A Georgia Voter!”
Can you see what an easy
mistake that would have
been?
As we prepare for the
Senate runoff in January,
I was able to hire two
people (one Karen and
one Karenni) to assist
their people, once again,
through the voting pro
cess. It feels good to have
trained two women in the
last election and now see
them do this important
work themselves. Empow
erment, yes!
Projects like this are pos
sible when donations are
made to New Neighbors
Network, which focuses
on helping refugees thrive
in rural Georgia. If you
are able to donate. I ask
for financial support only
once a year and promise
to use your money wise
ly. Donations provide ser
vices to and opportunities
for our refugee neighbors.
I will also send you a
thank you note and a letter
for the IRS. Donations can
be sent to New Neighbors
Network at 2043 Madison
Street, Comer, GA 30629.
Email us at newneighbors-
network @ gmail .com.
Want to treat yourself
to something special this
Christmas? Listen to Mary
Chapin Carpenter sing
Come Darkness, Come
Light (on Youtube).
Come darkness, come
light. Come new star shin
ning bright
Come love to this world.
Alleluia.
Come broken, come
whole Come wounded in
your soul
Come any way that you
know, Alleluia.
May the unprecedented
birth of Christ live deep
within you.
Sincerely,
Jennifer Drago
Comer
From the
publisher
mike@
mainstreet
news.com
Mike Buffington
2020, aberration or
the new normal?
As we enter 2021, we are a nation tom apart.
Our economy is uneven amid the Coronavirus with some
places doing well, while other places suffer from pandemic
shutdowns. Even worse, the pandemic has quickly widened
the social and economic gap between the "haves" and the
“have-nots".
Socially and culturally, we’re a nation depressed and
despondent. The tone of 2020 has been like a sledgeham
mer, battering us with wave after wave of bad news and
turmoil. We're tired and just want to return to some kind of
“normal” existence.
But it is in our politics that we're perhaps the most dam
aged. The elections of 2020 have splintered the nation, giv
ing birth to crazy conspiracy theories. As the year ends, half
the nation has been convinced, without any evidence, that
the presidential election was somehow “stolen" or “rigged”.
Next week on Jan. 6, Congress meets to accept the results
of the Electoral College vote, a vote that names Joe Biden
as president.
Some observers, however, believe there could be chaos
on the streets of Washington that day, chaos driven by
unfounded social media stories and a president who has yet
to acknowledge that he lost the election.
•••
If you think this is just some minor thing, think again.
Some people are calling for violence in the wake of the
election. Not since 1861 and the start of the Civil War has an
election ended with this kind of ominous cloud.
Consider:
• In November following the election, a right-wing pastor
in Florida called for Democrats and members of the media
to be shot by firing squads if they had conspired to rig the
elections (the election was not rigged.)
• A lawyer with President Trump’s campaign said that
former U.S. cybersecurity official Christoperh Krebs should
be “shot” for having rejected claims that the election was
stolen from Trump.
• In early December, armed protestors congregated outside
the home of Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson
and demanded that she overturn the results of the state’s
balloting, which showed that Joe Biden had carried the state.
Some Trump supporters had earlier been arrested in a plot to
kidnap Michigan’s governor, a Democrat.
• Former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn, who
went to prison for lying to the FBI but was pardoned by
Trump, has called on Trump to declare martial law and send
the military into Georgia and other swing states to force
an election do-over at the point of a bayonet. Others have
echoed Flynn’s call for what amounts to a military coup in
the nation.
• The head of the Arizona GOP has called for Trump
to “cross the Rubicon," a reference to when Julius Caesar
crossed the Rubicon River and started a Roman Civil War
after which Ceaser became dictator.
• Closer to home, Georgia officials have received death
threats after they refused to overturn the state’s election
results, which went narrowly for Biden.
• Locally, some people have called for Georgia’s leaders to
be arrested and “strung up" because they refused to overturn
legitimate votes.
•••
All of which begs the question, has America become a
banana republic?
Since when did calls for violence following an election
become part of the American political lexicon?
This is deplorable.
No matter who won the election, this nation has a tradition
of holding a peaceful transfer of power. We don’t resort to
violence and intimidation. We don't threaten to kill people
because the election doesn’t go our way.
— See “Buffington” on 5A
The Madison
County Journal
(Merged with The Danielsville Monitor
and The Comer News, January 2006)
Phone: 706-367-5233
E-mail: zach@mainstreetnews.com
ZACH MITCHAM, Editor
MARGIE RICHARDS, Reporter
MIKE BUFFINGTON, Co-publisher
SCOTT BUFFINGTON, Co-publisher
FRANK GILLISPIE (deceased), 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:
$45/year
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to:
THE MADISON COUNTY JOURNAL
P.O. Box 908, Jefferson, Ga. 30549
A publication of MainStreet Newspapers Inc.
- The Official Legal Organ of Madison County, Georgia
- Periodicals postage paid at Danielsville, Georgia 30633 (USPS 011-097;
ISSN 1074987X)