|
Editorial
The Banks County News
January 19, 2000
BOC
should say 'No' to motel moratorium
A few weeks ago, the Banks
County Board of Commissioners were asked to place a moratorium
on additional motel units locating at I-85. There has been no
action on the request, but it is one that should soon be denied.
The motel owners are upset because the new developments are bringing
them in some competition. It should never be up to government
to control the marketplace in this manner.
Commissioner Ernest Rogers was right when he said that the motel
owners can lower their rates or upgrade the rooms. That is what
a free marketplace is all about.
Letters
The Banks County News
January 19, 2000
Concerned
with Jamieson's 'counterfeit Bible bill'
Dear Editor:
It is very difficult for me to believe that in light of the tragic
moral disintegration of our culture that our children face daily,
that we have a major conflict in our state over the funding of
an elective high school Bible course and its content.
Since the state board of education made the decision not to approve
the funding for an elective Bible course in Georgia, Rep. Tommy
Smith (D) and Sen. Tommy Williams (R) decided to introduce legislation
in both the House and Senate that would call for state funding
for an elective Bible course in Georgia.
Jeanette Jamieson (D), while knowing a fellow state representative,
Tommy Smith (D), was going to introduce a Bible bill in the House,
struck a pre-emptive blow with the Democrat leadership and introduced
a Bible bill on Monday, Jan. 10, in an attempt to keep the "real"
Bible bill from coming to the floor or coming out of committee.
Rep. Jamieson's counterfeit Bible bill is co-sponsored by the
House Democrat majority leader, Larry Walker, and others. Rep.
Smith's Bible bill has 68 co-sponsors, which includes 16 Democrats
and 52 Republicans.
Differences between the Smith Bible bill, HB 1200, and the Jamieson
Bible bill, HB 1114, are as follows:
·The Smith bill does not have the state censor the Bible.
It would not tell the students that the Bible is true or false,
but allows them to draw their own conclusions. The Jamieson bill,
however, allows for censoring parts of the Bible such as creation,
the Virgin birth, the miracles of Christ and the Resurrection.
·The Smith bill gives control to the local school boards,
which is how other states handle the issue, while the Jamieson
bill gives total control to the state board of education.
·The Smith bill supports a curriculum that 90 percent
of the people polled in Georgia prefer. The Jamieson bill supports
a curriculum which is favorable to the ACLU.
·The Bible course that the Smith bill describes has been
taught successfully using the King James version in hundreds
of cities in 29 states. Why should Georgia be any different?
The Jamieson bill is opposed to using the King James version.
To deprive Georgia's children of the original documents that
inspired Americanism and our religious heritage is violating
students' Constitutional rights.
Since the Bible was the foundation and blueprint for our Constitution,
Declaration of Independence and our educational system, how can
we submit ourselves and our children to Rep. Jeanette Jamieson's
Bible bill that is void of the truth?
We must all join in the effort to support the Tommy Smith high-school
elective Bible course, HB 1200.
Sincerely,
Nancy Schaefer
President
Family Concerns Inc.
Clarkesville
|
Column
By Sherry
Lewis
The Banks County News
January 19, 2000
 What about all of the
good coverage?
Last Tuesday night, I was sitting in the
board of commissioners' meeting listening and taking notes as
usual. Interim fire chief Perry Dalton got up to speak about
a proposal for a new fire truck and his comments shocked me,
quite frankly.
Moments into his talk, he suddenly began to criticize this newspaper
about an article that appeared a few years ago. It was not because
of content but because he didn't feel as if the story got adequate
coverage. He told BOC members and the audience about how the
article ended up on the third or fourth page in some inconspicuous
place and continued to complain about the headline. Needless
to say, my pen dropped.
I have worked long and hard hours to cover fire department activities
and events and was hurt that Dalton chose to dwell on one incident
several years ago that he didn't like. What about all of the
good coverage we've had on the fire department?
Everyone wants their article on page one, but unfortunately,
that can't happen. The editor makes decisions each week on what
makes the front page. Often Tuesday night meetings don't make
the front because of time constraints. At this point, who knows
why that article didn't make the front three years ago? I am
sure that our readers go beyond page one when checking out the
paper each week. Instead of making a point of this, I wish Perry
had spoken about the coverage we have had of all of the good
things the fire department does every year.
The article in question was sent in by a fireman and it dealt
with the decrease of insurance rates to homeowners "because
the fire department got the ISO rating lowered." A citizen
in the audience last Tuesday was quick to remind Dalton that
the ISO rating was also based on the development of a countywide
water system. However, I do agree that the fire department did
contribute greatly to that happening.
In looking at past editions of The Banks County News over the
last couple of years, I'd say we have been more than fair to
the fire department. In 1999, we put out our first ever special
edition to cover the fire at New Salem United Methodist Church.
Last year, we gave the department press coverage galore about
the events surrounding the fire, including the unveiling of a
monument and memorial services in honor of fallen firefighter
Loy Williams.
One Saturday, I spent half a day at a fire department muster.
We gave them a full-page spread the following week, and I also
wrote a column about the event, praising the fire department.
At Christmas, the fire department and emergency medical services
made contributions to a needy family. Guess who got front-page
coverage with a color picture and story about their generosity?
In 1998, I spent the evening at a controlled burn, put on turn-out
gear and again they got a story, a page of pictures and a column
about the good things the fire department was doing.
If Dalton will take the time to look back through The Banks County
News, he will see that there have been plenty of page one articles
about the fire department. I hope he will also realize that it
doesn't have to be on page one to be "news."
Sherry Lewis is news editor of The Banks County News.
|
