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Editorial
The Banks County News
May 24, 2000
Special people
serving
children of our comunity
The crime pages are filled each week with violent stories of
domestic disputes and other incidents involving children. These
altercations often occur in the middle of the night and the children
need a place to stay.
It takes a very special person to take a child they don't know
into their home in the middle of the night. It also takes a special
person to take these children into their homes and lives for
as long as it takes for their parents to get their lives back
on track.
These special people are called foster parents, and they serve
our communities by caring for children in need. Hillary Clinton
has often been quoted as saying "it takes a village"
to raise a child. Nowhere is this more true than in the foster
parent program, where selfless volunteers take children into
their homes, often under tragic circumstances.
There are many children in need in Banks County, but only seven
trained families who serve as foster parents. So many more are
needed to help these children. Volunteers must go through detailed
training and pass a thorough background check before they are
approved. It's not easy and it is something they do for the love
of their community and its children. They don't do it for the
money or the recognition. They do it because they want to make
a difference in someone's life.
May is National Foster Parent Month, which is a way to bring
recognition to this program and the many volunteers needed to
make it a success. Those interested should search their hearts,
and if they are certain they want to be a part of foster parenting,
call the local department of family and children services to
begin the process.
For more information, call 677-2272.
Column
By Drew Brantley
The Banks County News
May 24, 2000
Solving 'People'
problems
People often confuse me. The frustration comes because there
are so many different kinds of people. Now I am not talking about
certain personalities, nationalities, big-nosed people or those
who talk with a lisp. When I say people, I mean the "Big
P" people.
The most important group of people is The People.
The People ordained and established the Constitution of the United
States. The People have a weekly magazine. The People have a
right to know. There are men of The People and women of The People.
The People have choices, candidates, mandates, wills, won'ts,
wonts, wants and desires. The People say many things that shape
the culture.
But The People cannot be confused with Ordinary People. Ordinary
People have specific interests. Most of the time, Ordinary People
tout having common sense.
Ordinary People are often in line with The People, but Ordinary
People can have beliefs that are contrary to The People when
"The People just aren't like they used to be."
Most People are seldom heard from, though they are spoken for
all the time. Ordinary People will tell you that Most People
agree with them a lot.
But Most People and Ordinary People are very different from Some
People.
Some People have people who call other people's people to set
up lunches. Some People just don't get it sometimes.
Sometimes people are Just People
But The People are always more than Just People.
Some People do things that Ordinary People would never do. And
though Some People are occasionally willing to do more, you can
never know what Some People will do.
Most People can go either way on anything. That just depends
on whether Some People or Ordinary People are speaking for Most
People.
In the list of people, there's also My People, Your People, Their
People and the certain Some People who just aren't Our People.
Some People can do despicable things. Ordinary People can do
bad things, but they cannot sink to levels that Some People will.
And The People are always right even when they are wrong.
Ordinary People believe Most People agree Some People are always
bringing down The People.
See my confusion?
I never know exactly where I fit all the time with regard to
people. I frequently feel like Some People.
Sometimes I feel like Ordinary People. But I am never sure when
I am with The People because they seem to confuse the bigger
issues.
The People elected Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton to two terms
each in the White House. I don't understand how both two-terms
could happen.
One or the other could make sense, but both of them should make
Most People wonder about The People.
I have thought many times that Ordinary People need to wake up
and see what is really going on.
For instance, if Ordinary People had been paying attention, the
whole Reagan-Clinton thing would not have happened.
While The People and Ordinary People can cause big problems,
Some People frequently cause little nuisances.
Some People kept "Full House" on TV for more than the
two weeks Most People would have given it. Some People like The
Backstreet Boys.
Some People enjoy eating mushrooms cooked in that brown sauce
that looks like something in a cow pasture after a thunderstorm.
But I am just one single person.
In the whole people debate, I am a lone voice. And while The
People will say that I have a message that should be heard, Most
People know that one person does not have that much strength.
So, there's just no alternative. You've got to latch on with
one of the peoples.
I guess the answer is that people will be People.
And Some People, Most People and The People should agree with
that.
Drew Brantley is the sports editor for The Commerce News and
The Banks County News.
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Column
By Angela
Gary
The Banks County News
May 24, 2000
Savannah: A strong
southern town filled with lots of history
The fragrant aroma of honeysuckle as we
walk along the river front. Pigeons flying overhead and huge
fish occasionally making an appearance as they splash across
the water. Speedboats with laughing children and adults racing
by in the background.
The southern accent of a tour guide as she cracks, "If you
have a cell phone and you're not waiting for an organ for a transplant,
turn it off." Smiling as the trolley passes by the "functional
follies" created by those carefree students at the local
college of art. One piece of "artwork" is an upright
tree house, while another is a tree house that is falling down.
Heading out to a spot far removed from the touristy downtown
area to find a small restaurant where the "locals"
eat. Waiting for almost an hour before sitting down to a huge
plate of fresh broiled oysters, shrimp, scallops and fish.
A late lunch at an elegant tea room with shrimp-stuffed tomatoes,
breadsticks, moist, creamy cake and hot tea. The intimate atmosphere
surrounded by antique shelves and tea pots.
Every time I return to Savannah, I like it a little better. The
summer I lived there 12 years ago, I didn't like it that much.
It was my first time living away from my family and I was homesick.
I didn't know how to cook and I was too shy to venture out and
try all the cool restaurants.
Looking back, I realize how much I missed out on during the three
months I lived in Savannah while I had an internship at the newspaper
there. I was young and shy and didn't have many adventures. It
would certainly be different now. I try to make up for all that
I missed by visiting at least once a year and trying new things.
The first weekend in May, I went to the annual seafood festival
on the river. The experiences I listed above are just a few that
stand out in my memory from the three-day visit. The weather
was wonderful and everyone had a great time.
Savannah has been through a lot over the years, with hurricane
damage, vandalism of the historic markers in town and the destruction
of one of the quaint squares among the tragedies it has weathered.
A look back at the history of the southern town and the seven
women who saved the historic district and made it what it is
today shows that the town will always survive and prosper. As
for that square it lost, those seven ladies won a court battle,
with the judge ruling that the parking deck would be torn down
in 50 years and returned to a square formation. That 50 years
runs out in only four more years and the descendants of those
women plan to be on hand when the parking deck comes down. I
think I'd like to be there too. It would be great to see a part
of the town be returned to its former glory. Savannah is a strong
southern town filled with people who don't back down and who
fight for what is right. I'm proud to call it my "second
home."
Angela Gary is editor of The Banks County News and associate
editor of The Jackson Herald.
Letter To
The Editor
The Banks County News
May 24, 2000
Urges that Green
Party be
included on ballot
Dear Editor:
For Banks County registered voters who. like me, are disillusioned
with both major parties, there is a choice. We can vote for the
Green Party-if we can get it on the ballot. In order to do this,
the Georgia Green Party needs to collect over 39,000 signatures
of registered voters, statewide, by noon July 11. Signing a petition
does not commit a signer to vote Green. It simply requests that
the Green Party, along with the two major parties, be included
on the ballot.
Some people will ask, "Why vote for third-party candidates,
or even include them on the ballot, when we know they won't win?"
The answer is that over the years third parties have had a tremendous
influence on the major political parties, forcing them to adopt
much-needed reforms, like child labor laws. Also, third party
candidates often win state or local elections. About a hundred
years ago, the Populist Party was quite successful in winning
elections in some parts of the country.
Ralph Nader, the well-known consumer activist, is running for
nomination as the Green Party's candidate for president. In a
speech announcing his candidacy, he described the two major parties
as "two heads of one political duopoly, the DemRep Party."
Mr. Nader and the Green Party advocate campaign finance reform
to cut down on the influence that wealthy contributors (both
individuals and corporations) have on candidates and elected
officials. One major goal of the Green Party is to preserve and
protect the earth's environment. Another is to reverse the current
trend of the rich getting richer and the poor poorer while the
middle class shrinks.
Among Mr. Nader's priorities are helping small farmers and small
businesses to survive, eliminating corporate welfare-the tax
breaks and subsidies now enjoyed by big corporations-providing
more affordable housing for low-income citizens, changing the
tax structure so that wealth will be distributed more evenly,
raising the minimum wage and curbing the power of multi-national
corporations that ignore workers' rights and damage the environment.
The Green Party acquired its name because of its concern with
keeping the planet livable, a concern that Ralph Nader shares.
He advocates requiring auto companies to produce more fuel-efficient
vehicles to reduce our dependence on oil and cut down on air
pollution. In addition, he wants the government to subsidize
research and development of renewable energy instead of providing
subsidies to the nuclear and petroleum industries. Another priority
is strict enforcement of anti-pollution laws, to clean up the
air, water and soil.
I am collecting signatures of Banks County voters requesting
that the Green Party be included on the ballot, but I need lots
of help. If you would like to help with the petition drive, call
me at (706) 776-6931 and ask me to send you one or more copies
of the petition. Each petition has room for twelve signatures.
If I'm not at home, leave a message on my answering machine with
your name, address and phone number.
Sincerely, Emily B. Calhoun, Alto
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