I’m so happy. In just a few weeks now we in the United States will celebrate the inauguration of a new President. Once more, we Americans will take it all for granted while many in other parts of the world will be shocked at the way we transfer government control by the power of the ballot instead of at the tip of a spear.
And this time it’s even more exciting than ever. Barack Obama truly is the first black President. Yeah……….I know, another President once held that title and some people took that seriously but it turned out to be a joke. That’s what I said it was all along.
And yeah………..I know, Barack Obama is just as much white as he is black. But he’s darker than Michael Jackson, right? That does count………I think.
Yes. It does count. I did not support Barack Obama but I must admit that this is a moment in history we can be proud of………all of us. Here is why:
A people lived on a different continent, Africa, way across the ocean from here. At a point in time some idiot came up with the brilliant idea to buy people and hold them as slaves and make them do work for free. Not only is it abhorrent to think of, it also turned out to be a patently stupid concept.
Some of those slaves were brought here. Not all that many really………by most estimates, somewhere between 4% and 6% of the total number of slaves that were sold ended up in the United States. But still, a part of our national heritage is as a slave owning nation.
Slavery was eventually abolished but the descendants of those slaves still suffered. They suffered because they were viewed by some as less than human. That meant it was okay to mistreat them. There were even laws that made it okay to mistreat those people. Restaurants didn’t have to serve them. They had no chance at being elected to public office. Hell, they couldn’t even go to the bathroom unless they could find one marked ‘Colored’.
But these people, these strong people, endured and overcame. And here we find ourselves with a new President with dark skin. Do you understand the import of this moment?
It means that racism is officially dead. I mean, there may still be a green tooth somewhere here or there who is a dyed in the wool racist but nobody pays any attention to them. No, racism as a way of life is now officially dead. On the 20th we’ll hold its funeral.
Face facts………..Barack Obama was elected as President and was elected predominantly by white people. To think otherwise would simply prove that you’re exceptionally bad at math. If every black man and woman in America had voted for Barack and no other races had joined them……….he would have received about 14.5% of the vote and would have lost………….laughably lost.
Nope. In order for Barack Obama to be President he had to have the support of white people in this country. And those blue eyed devils came through for him………big time. And the only way that could POSSIBLY occur is…………racism is dead.
When I think of it……….it just sends chills all over my body. No more white guilt. I just love it when a plan comes together.
Pass the bubble up.
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
A Special Resort …………… they deserve it.
Last week I went a bit ballistic on Good Morning UpCountry about a planned resort in Pickens County. It is to be a posh, waterfront retreat…………a place set aside for some very special people. A place they can go to unwind because they’re overworked and under appreciated.
I’m speaking of teachers of course. And, yes, this proposed resort is posh. It comes with a price tag of about $25 Million. They hope that a lot of that price tag will be covered by private donations but acknowledge that state funds may have to be involved as well.
And, why would I be upset about that? Why would I begrudge the poor teachers having a resort to call their own?
The short answer is………….I don’t. I know the job can be stressful. I know that some teachers care deeply about their students. They work very hard to impart knowledge and to also teach life lessons.
But……….when I think of stress, real stress, I don’t usually think of a teacher. I suppose it all depends on how you define stress.
Put yourself in the position of a police officer. She’s been dispatched to a home where she’s told a domestic violence incident is underway. She steps up on the porch and knocks on the door. It opens. It wasn’t even fully closed. And then she hears the unmistakable sound of the hammer of a pistol being cocked. That’s stress.
Or there’s the medic who arrives on the scene of an accident and moments later finds himself in a fight against death……..trying to keep a badly injured four year old alive. Everything thing he’s tried is failing. The child is dying before his eyes and in his arms. Out of the corner of his ear he hears the child's Mother calling for her baby. Yeah…………that’s stress.
Or how about one of your young soldiers in the National Guard. We, as a state, dressed them up and sent them off to Afghanistan. Some of them never came back. I know…….I was at their funerals. Some who did come back have seen too much violence and too much death. Some have spent hours gripped by terror, hiding behind a rock that wasn’t quite wide enough as bullets whizzed by on either side. Big time stress.
So, where is the posh resort we built for those soldiers who protect us from enemies we cannot begin to imagine?
Where’s the retreat for the paramedic, the firefighter, the police officer, the soldier?
No. We don’t have one. And nobody is out trying to raise funds for one. Maybe we’ll get to that once we have a resort built for teachers.
I value teachers and I know that some are asked to perform miracles……….and somehow do it. I also know that some of them never know stress unless the heated seats in the BMW don’t work one morning.
No, don’t ask for my contribution and do not even think about using tax dollars. Not unless and until you have cared for those who risk their lives. Until then, the idea of a resort set aside only for teachers is insulting.
I’m speaking of teachers of course. And, yes, this proposed resort is posh. It comes with a price tag of about $25 Million. They hope that a lot of that price tag will be covered by private donations but acknowledge that state funds may have to be involved as well.
And, why would I be upset about that? Why would I begrudge the poor teachers having a resort to call their own?
The short answer is………….I don’t. I know the job can be stressful. I know that some teachers care deeply about their students. They work very hard to impart knowledge and to also teach life lessons.
But……….when I think of stress, real stress, I don’t usually think of a teacher. I suppose it all depends on how you define stress.
Put yourself in the position of a police officer. She’s been dispatched to a home where she’s told a domestic violence incident is underway. She steps up on the porch and knocks on the door. It opens. It wasn’t even fully closed. And then she hears the unmistakable sound of the hammer of a pistol being cocked. That’s stress.
Or there’s the medic who arrives on the scene of an accident and moments later finds himself in a fight against death……..trying to keep a badly injured four year old alive. Everything thing he’s tried is failing. The child is dying before his eyes and in his arms. Out of the corner of his ear he hears the child's Mother calling for her baby. Yeah…………that’s stress.
Or how about one of your young soldiers in the National Guard. We, as a state, dressed them up and sent them off to Afghanistan. Some of them never came back. I know…….I was at their funerals. Some who did come back have seen too much violence and too much death. Some have spent hours gripped by terror, hiding behind a rock that wasn’t quite wide enough as bullets whizzed by on either side. Big time stress.
So, where is the posh resort we built for those soldiers who protect us from enemies we cannot begin to imagine?
Where’s the retreat for the paramedic, the firefighter, the police officer, the soldier?
No. We don’t have one. And nobody is out trying to raise funds for one. Maybe we’ll get to that once we have a resort built for teachers.
I value teachers and I know that some are asked to perform miracles……….and somehow do it. I also know that some of them never know stress unless the heated seats in the BMW don’t work one morning.
No, don’t ask for my contribution and do not even think about using tax dollars. Not unless and until you have cared for those who risk their lives. Until then, the idea of a resort set aside only for teachers is insulting.
Monday, November 10, 2008
I Pledge Allegiance To.........
My country, the United States of America, just went through what might be mildly termed a contentious election cycle. One of my personal heroes was a candidate for President of the United States.
Senator John McCain of Arizona was the nominee of the Republican party. Senator McCain has been one of my choices for President for at least 20 years. Every time I think of the John McCain story I am inspired. Shot down over North Vietnam and seriously injured, LTCDR McCain was imprisoned for more than five and a half hears in the infamous Hanoi Hilton.
While there, the North Vietnamese learned that he was the son of Admiral John McCain, commander of the American Central Pacific Fleet. They decided to use the younger McCain as a publicity piece. They decided to release the young Lieutenant Commander to his father as a gesture of good will and, of course, as a propaganda tool.
They had only one problem with their plan. LTCDR McCain said no. He refused his own release unless the other men confined with him were also released. This infuriated his captors. He was beaten. And then he was beaten again and again and then beaten more. His severely injured left arm was twisted until it snapped. When it healed, they did it again.
All he had to do to make the beatings stop, to receive immediate and desperately needed medical attention for himself……..all he had to do was say yes. He just had to agree to release.
Put yourself in that position. What would you do? The prospect of years of abuse ahead of you and the ability to make it all stop at once. I believe that everyone would have understood if John McCain had given in.
But he never did. Ladies and gentlemen, that’s what I call character. The best kind of character. That’s why John McCain is a hero of mine. That’s also a big reason I thought he was the best choice for President. He is possessed of sterling character and love for this country which has been tested and found true.
Having said all of that, I am a true believer in this country of mine and its process for choosing leadership. The people have spoken and have selected another man for President. Senator Barak Obama has been chosen and as of 20 January next year will be the President of the United States.
It is my duty then to support the man, pray for him and help him in any way that I can. I did not vote for him but my personal opinion must take a back seat to the will of the people of my free America.
And so it is that I find myself pledging my personal allegiance to Barak Obama as my President. That allegiance will be steady unless the new President takes actions which threaten rights granted to me by God and currently protected by Constitution of the United States.
No matter who you supported for President, our country needs unity now. I ask you to please join me in supporting the man the people elected.
Senator John McCain of Arizona was the nominee of the Republican party. Senator McCain has been one of my choices for President for at least 20 years. Every time I think of the John McCain story I am inspired. Shot down over North Vietnam and seriously injured, LTCDR McCain was imprisoned for more than five and a half hears in the infamous Hanoi Hilton.
While there, the North Vietnamese learned that he was the son of Admiral John McCain, commander of the American Central Pacific Fleet. They decided to use the younger McCain as a publicity piece. They decided to release the young Lieutenant Commander to his father as a gesture of good will and, of course, as a propaganda tool.
They had only one problem with their plan. LTCDR McCain said no. He refused his own release unless the other men confined with him were also released. This infuriated his captors. He was beaten. And then he was beaten again and again and then beaten more. His severely injured left arm was twisted until it snapped. When it healed, they did it again.
All he had to do to make the beatings stop, to receive immediate and desperately needed medical attention for himself……..all he had to do was say yes. He just had to agree to release.
Put yourself in that position. What would you do? The prospect of years of abuse ahead of you and the ability to make it all stop at once. I believe that everyone would have understood if John McCain had given in.
But he never did. Ladies and gentlemen, that’s what I call character. The best kind of character. That’s why John McCain is a hero of mine. That’s also a big reason I thought he was the best choice for President. He is possessed of sterling character and love for this country which has been tested and found true.
Having said all of that, I am a true believer in this country of mine and its process for choosing leadership. The people have spoken and have selected another man for President. Senator Barak Obama has been chosen and as of 20 January next year will be the President of the United States.
It is my duty then to support the man, pray for him and help him in any way that I can. I did not vote for him but my personal opinion must take a back seat to the will of the people of my free America.
And so it is that I find myself pledging my personal allegiance to Barak Obama as my President. That allegiance will be steady unless the new President takes actions which threaten rights granted to me by God and currently protected by Constitution of the United States.
No matter who you supported for President, our country needs unity now. I ask you to please join me in supporting the man the people elected.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Obama UH OH
You can learn a lot from a kid. I think most of us have heard that or something like that over the years. I learned something just yesterday…….not from A kid but from a couple million of them.
First, let me say that during any Presidential election you can expect certain segments of the population to flock to one candidate or the other. This year is certainly no different. I think it’s obvious that virtually all African Americans have aligned themselves with Barak Obama. Members of the National Rifle Association (which is predominantly white by the way) are nearly 100% behind John McCain.
And so it goes as America seems determined to divide herself for a while. It seems we can only take so much unity before we need to have a family cuss fight. The election coming in two weeks may be the most racially divisive event that has occurred in a century on American soil.
What frightens me is that so many seem to believe this election is over and that Sen Obama has the Presidency ‘in the bag’. The election is just a necessary formality. The decision has already been made.
I beg to differ.
The poll which will be taken nationally on the 4th of November is the only one that truly means anything. All of the polls up until that point will no longer have any import at all.
Remember the New Hampshire primary? Polls on voting day showed Sen Obama leading Sen Hillary Clinton by an average margin of 6.8%. Exit polls showed that Sen Obama had, in fact, won by 6.5%.
Everyone was surprised to awaken the next morning and learn that Sen Clinton had won in New Hampshire. How could the polls be so wrong?
Here’s how: A lot of white people are deathly afraid of being called a racist. I’m not. I know who I am and I know what I am. What anyone else says about me has little impact. But, many white people are terribly afraid that someone is going to call them a racist. They’re also terribly afraid that the accusation might even be true.
So when asked in New Hampshire who they were voting for they had answered ‘Sen Barak Obama’. Nobody could accuse them of being racist if they said that.
As they left the polls and they were asked, they again said they had voted for ‘Sen Barak Obama’. And nobody called them racist.
But, in the privacy of the voting booth with no one there to call them names or pressure them to vote a certain way because of ‘white guilt’, they voted for someone else. Hillary’s win in New Hampshire came as a complete shock to most.
Now, it’s time for the general election. This time it’s for all the marbles. And the polls indicate that Barak Obama will win. I suspect that exit polls will say the same. I just hope everyone is braced for another surprise.
One group that has identified with Sen Obama from the beginning is young people. It would seem that the younger they are the more likely they are to support Barak Obama.
Each election cycle Nickleodeon, the kids TV network, conducts an election of their own. It’s called ‘Kids Vote’. And those polls have now closed.
Guess who won? Barak Obama did, of course. But what was surprising was the margin of victory: 51% to 49%. Well short of a landslide. You might even call it a squeaker. Listening to the hype out there I would’ve expected a margin of 65/35 or even more. Nope. 51/49. And that’s with the base of Obama’s strength.
That Nickleodeon election just may be an indication of another New Hampshire surprise. If it happens there will be those who will always believe that the vote was altered, that Obama won and had the election stolen from him.
Brace yourself. The next few weeks could well prove to be a bumpy ride.
Oh, by the way, the Nickleodeon vote for the last Presidential election showed Sen John Kerry beating George W Bush by a margin of 57/43.
Okay………..altogether now……………”Hmmmmmm”.
First, let me say that during any Presidential election you can expect certain segments of the population to flock to one candidate or the other. This year is certainly no different. I think it’s obvious that virtually all African Americans have aligned themselves with Barak Obama. Members of the National Rifle Association (which is predominantly white by the way) are nearly 100% behind John McCain.
And so it goes as America seems determined to divide herself for a while. It seems we can only take so much unity before we need to have a family cuss fight. The election coming in two weeks may be the most racially divisive event that has occurred in a century on American soil.
What frightens me is that so many seem to believe this election is over and that Sen Obama has the Presidency ‘in the bag’. The election is just a necessary formality. The decision has already been made.
I beg to differ.
The poll which will be taken nationally on the 4th of November is the only one that truly means anything. All of the polls up until that point will no longer have any import at all.
Remember the New Hampshire primary? Polls on voting day showed Sen Obama leading Sen Hillary Clinton by an average margin of 6.8%. Exit polls showed that Sen Obama had, in fact, won by 6.5%.
Everyone was surprised to awaken the next morning and learn that Sen Clinton had won in New Hampshire. How could the polls be so wrong?
Here’s how: A lot of white people are deathly afraid of being called a racist. I’m not. I know who I am and I know what I am. What anyone else says about me has little impact. But, many white people are terribly afraid that someone is going to call them a racist. They’re also terribly afraid that the accusation might even be true.
So when asked in New Hampshire who they were voting for they had answered ‘Sen Barak Obama’. Nobody could accuse them of being racist if they said that.
As they left the polls and they were asked, they again said they had voted for ‘Sen Barak Obama’. And nobody called them racist.
But, in the privacy of the voting booth with no one there to call them names or pressure them to vote a certain way because of ‘white guilt’, they voted for someone else. Hillary’s win in New Hampshire came as a complete shock to most.
Now, it’s time for the general election. This time it’s for all the marbles. And the polls indicate that Barak Obama will win. I suspect that exit polls will say the same. I just hope everyone is braced for another surprise.
One group that has identified with Sen Obama from the beginning is young people. It would seem that the younger they are the more likely they are to support Barak Obama.
Each election cycle Nickleodeon, the kids TV network, conducts an election of their own. It’s called ‘Kids Vote’. And those polls have now closed.
Guess who won? Barak Obama did, of course. But what was surprising was the margin of victory: 51% to 49%. Well short of a landslide. You might even call it a squeaker. Listening to the hype out there I would’ve expected a margin of 65/35 or even more. Nope. 51/49. And that’s with the base of Obama’s strength.
That Nickleodeon election just may be an indication of another New Hampshire surprise. If it happens there will be those who will always believe that the vote was altered, that Obama won and had the election stolen from him.
Brace yourself. The next few weeks could well prove to be a bumpy ride.
Oh, by the way, the Nickleodeon vote for the last Presidential election showed Sen John Kerry beating George W Bush by a margin of 57/43.
Okay………..altogether now……………”Hmmmmmm”.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Well, We Missed the Good Times --- Why Not?
Brace yourselves ladies and gentlemen. During the next several weeks you will most likely be shocked.
For about a decade, we in Laurens County and surrounding areas have been hearing a lot about the prosperity the rest of the country was enjoying. It was a huge boom that left most of us feeling…………well………..feeling left out.
I’d have to describe the local economy as a recession. We lost jobs. Lots of jobs. Torrington/Timken closed. Laurens Glass closed. Clinton Mills. Watts Plant……….and so on and so forth.
Now it appears that the whole country is heading into a recession………maybe worse. So, it is just and right that our area once again buck the trend.
Brace yourselves and don’t laugh at me. Some really good news is right around the corner. We may just find ourselves in pretty good shape economically speaking while the rest of the country endures what we have become all too familiar with for years now.
And as we dig our way out of the economic basement of the country let us resolve to never take anything for granted again. Plan for the bad times and hope they never come.
For about a decade, we in Laurens County and surrounding areas have been hearing a lot about the prosperity the rest of the country was enjoying. It was a huge boom that left most of us feeling…………well………..feeling left out.
I’d have to describe the local economy as a recession. We lost jobs. Lots of jobs. Torrington/Timken closed. Laurens Glass closed. Clinton Mills. Watts Plant……….and so on and so forth.
Now it appears that the whole country is heading into a recession………maybe worse. So, it is just and right that our area once again buck the trend.
Brace yourselves and don’t laugh at me. Some really good news is right around the corner. We may just find ourselves in pretty good shape economically speaking while the rest of the country endures what we have become all too familiar with for years now.
And as we dig our way out of the economic basement of the country let us resolve to never take anything for granted again. Plan for the bad times and hope they never come.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Local Politics
Former Speaker of the House Tip O’Neill is credited with the oft repeated quote “All politics are local politics”. To a great extent that is true. Whether the political contest involves a city council seat or President of the United States, voters generally make their voting decision based on what affects them at the local level.
Sometimes it’s difficult to translate a national election to what may or may not happen on your street but that’s what we try to do. Most of us listen to what a politician has to say and then try and determine just how his plans will work in their own lives. Will their family be better off? Will their job be secure? Will their kids be able to go to college?
The closer government comes to the people who will be impacted by their actions the easier it is to draw conclusions, the easier to predict which candidate you believe will be best for your and your family……….provided the people have adequate information.
And that’s where Good Morning UpCountry comes in. Each election cycle we do our best to bring the candidates running for offices directly affecting you onto the show. We question them, usually politely, about their philosophy. We want them to tell you what they intend to do for you or…………..TO you.
Now, some people fuss about it. They tell me it’s boring and they want us to just forget about it…………..but I can’t. We truly do feel that it’s our duty to make sure you have the information you need to make an informed decision. What you do with that information is up to you.
So, in the next few weeks you’ll hear some candidates on the air. I encourage you to listen to them carefully. Use the information we’re providing to make the best possible decision. And please don’t complain too much. This really is important.
Sometimes it’s difficult to translate a national election to what may or may not happen on your street but that’s what we try to do. Most of us listen to what a politician has to say and then try and determine just how his plans will work in their own lives. Will their family be better off? Will their job be secure? Will their kids be able to go to college?
The closer government comes to the people who will be impacted by their actions the easier it is to draw conclusions, the easier to predict which candidate you believe will be best for your and your family……….provided the people have adequate information.
And that’s where Good Morning UpCountry comes in. Each election cycle we do our best to bring the candidates running for offices directly affecting you onto the show. We question them, usually politely, about their philosophy. We want them to tell you what they intend to do for you or…………..TO you.
Now, some people fuss about it. They tell me it’s boring and they want us to just forget about it…………..but I can’t. We truly do feel that it’s our duty to make sure you have the information you need to make an informed decision. What you do with that information is up to you.
So, in the next few weeks you’ll hear some candidates on the air. I encourage you to listen to them carefully. Use the information we’re providing to make the best possible decision. And please don’t complain too much. This really is important.
Friday, September 19, 2008
He Asked For WHAT ??
I’m sorry but I’m having a really difficult time figuring out politics these days. Either I’m not nearly as smart as I thought or some politicians have sunk to a new low.
Senator Barak Obama came seemingly out of nowhere with a message of change. He went up against an established candidate in Senator Hillary Clinton. The smart money said Sen Obama didn’t really have a chance. And the smart money would have been wrong.
One important element of Sen Obama’s campaign from the beginning has been his total opposition to any and all military action in Iraq. He has made speech after speech loudly declaring that it was time to bring the troops home.
Now, I don’t personally agree with Sen Obama’s stated position on Iraq. Withdrawal from Iraq without achieving victory would be, in my opinion, a disaster. We would be inviting every despot in the Middle East to bring the war from there to……………here.
But I do respect Sen Obama’s position and the fact that he has stuck to his guns. He has never waivered. I have to admire a man who is willing to take a stand.
So I was surprised to hear about Sen Obama’s recent visit to Iraq. The Iraqi Foreign Minister said that Sen Obama made an unusual request. He wanted the Foreign Minister to delay the planned draw down of American forces until after the election. Soldiers on their way home would be asked to stay longer because of the man who has been screaming for them to come home.
Why?
Well, there’s a clue in the timing of his request. He’s only asking their homecoming be delayed a few weeks………just until after the election. I think the answer is obvious. Sen Obama does not want it to look like we’re winning in Iraq. He doesn’t want troops to come home because he thinks that might hurt his chances to get himself elected.
And that.............is despicable. So, other than being despicable, Barak Obama is a super nice guy.
Senator Barak Obama came seemingly out of nowhere with a message of change. He went up against an established candidate in Senator Hillary Clinton. The smart money said Sen Obama didn’t really have a chance. And the smart money would have been wrong.
One important element of Sen Obama’s campaign from the beginning has been his total opposition to any and all military action in Iraq. He has made speech after speech loudly declaring that it was time to bring the troops home.
Now, I don’t personally agree with Sen Obama’s stated position on Iraq. Withdrawal from Iraq without achieving victory would be, in my opinion, a disaster. We would be inviting every despot in the Middle East to bring the war from there to……………here.
But I do respect Sen Obama’s position and the fact that he has stuck to his guns. He has never waivered. I have to admire a man who is willing to take a stand.
So I was surprised to hear about Sen Obama’s recent visit to Iraq. The Iraqi Foreign Minister said that Sen Obama made an unusual request. He wanted the Foreign Minister to delay the planned draw down of American forces until after the election. Soldiers on their way home would be asked to stay longer because of the man who has been screaming for them to come home.
Why?
Well, there’s a clue in the timing of his request. He’s only asking their homecoming be delayed a few weeks………just until after the election. I think the answer is obvious. Sen Obama does not want it to look like we’re winning in Iraq. He doesn’t want troops to come home because he thinks that might hurt his chances to get himself elected.
And that.............is despicable. So, other than being despicable, Barak Obama is a super nice guy.
Monday, September 8, 2008
Worth Every Penny
I suppose everyone in Laurens County (and a lot of other places) is aware by now that the annual football contest between Laurens and Clinton is being held this week. Maybe some people who aren’t native to our little corner of paradise are bewildered by all the excitement. In fact, I heard a gentleman state rather forcefully that “It’s JUST a football game”.
Give him time. He’ll come to appreciate the intensity of this rivalry just like the rest of us do. He will eventually realize that it most certainly is NOT just a football game. No, it’s much more than that. It’s their way of life against ours. And that phrase is interchangeable……..it’ll work for either side.
So, come Friday night virtually the entire county will converge upon Wilder Stadium in Clinton and watch the contest unfold. The victors will carry with them the pride of being Laurens County’s football champions for the coming school year. And the losing team will leave the field with a burning determination to turn the tables next year.
The fans, meanwhile, even the ones who pulled for the losing team will leave thinking that was the best six bucks they’ve spent lately.
Hold on there.
It’s not six bucks. Not this week. It’ll cost a dollar more than normal to get into Wilder Stadium this week. Sure, the normal price for a football game at Clinton High School is six dollars. This week it’ll cost you seven.
Now, I sat down to figure out why it will cost an extra dollar this week and I think I’ve got it. I think it’s because you’ll pay it. The folks at Clinton High have a product to sell this week that has generated a lot of demand. They decided to get an extra buck for it.
Okey Dokey.
For the rest of the season the ticket prices will go back to $6.00. But if you want to see the Raiders beat the Red Devils this week you gotta pay seven bucks.
Oh what the heck……………it’ll be worth it.
Give him time. He’ll come to appreciate the intensity of this rivalry just like the rest of us do. He will eventually realize that it most certainly is NOT just a football game. No, it’s much more than that. It’s their way of life against ours. And that phrase is interchangeable……..it’ll work for either side.
So, come Friday night virtually the entire county will converge upon Wilder Stadium in Clinton and watch the contest unfold. The victors will carry with them the pride of being Laurens County’s football champions for the coming school year. And the losing team will leave the field with a burning determination to turn the tables next year.
The fans, meanwhile, even the ones who pulled for the losing team will leave thinking that was the best six bucks they’ve spent lately.
Hold on there.
It’s not six bucks. Not this week. It’ll cost a dollar more than normal to get into Wilder Stadium this week. Sure, the normal price for a football game at Clinton High School is six dollars. This week it’ll cost you seven.
Now, I sat down to figure out why it will cost an extra dollar this week and I think I’ve got it. I think it’s because you’ll pay it. The folks at Clinton High have a product to sell this week that has generated a lot of demand. They decided to get an extra buck for it.
Okey Dokey.
For the rest of the season the ticket prices will go back to $6.00. But if you want to see the Raiders beat the Red Devils this week you gotta pay seven bucks.
Oh what the heck……………it’ll be worth it.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Thank You PC
The Presbyterian College School of Pharmacology is coming home to Clinton.
For a while there we wondered. From an economic development standpoint, this was a plum project. It had it all……………higher than average salaries, a draw of dozens of students who most likely come from upper middle class and above families. In other words, a significant and positive economic impact with (and this is the good part) ZERO environmental impact.
Industrial recruitment is great but sometimes we don’t realize the environmental impact for a very long time. Recently I spoke with a gentleman who was working at the former Torrington/Temken site. He was drilling test wells so the toxic chemicals in groundwater could be monitored.
There won’t be anything like that with the School of Pharmacology. There will be, however, about 30 well paying jobs associated with the instructors. And then there’s the money students will spend during their stay.
In fact, the economic development impact was so great that Presbyterian College had several locations from which they could choose. Several other potential sites lined up to offer PC incentive packages.
In the end PC decided to locate the pharmacology college in Clinton. I’m glad for that but that’s not what this is about. What I’d like to point out is that the incentive package offered to PC in Laurens County was NOT the high bidder. Not even close.
Presbyterian College was willing to take a lower incentive package to continue to be our neighbors. For that, I think we owe PC a debt of gratitude.
Agreed?
For a while there we wondered. From an economic development standpoint, this was a plum project. It had it all……………higher than average salaries, a draw of dozens of students who most likely come from upper middle class and above families. In other words, a significant and positive economic impact with (and this is the good part) ZERO environmental impact.
Industrial recruitment is great but sometimes we don’t realize the environmental impact for a very long time. Recently I spoke with a gentleman who was working at the former Torrington/Temken site. He was drilling test wells so the toxic chemicals in groundwater could be monitored.
There won’t be anything like that with the School of Pharmacology. There will be, however, about 30 well paying jobs associated with the instructors. And then there’s the money students will spend during their stay.
In fact, the economic development impact was so great that Presbyterian College had several locations from which they could choose. Several other potential sites lined up to offer PC incentive packages.
In the end PC decided to locate the pharmacology college in Clinton. I’m glad for that but that’s not what this is about. What I’d like to point out is that the incentive package offered to PC in Laurens County was NOT the high bidder. Not even close.
Presbyterian College was willing to take a lower incentive package to continue to be our neighbors. For that, I think we owe PC a debt of gratitude.
Agreed?
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Gathering of the Guard
If you haven’t yet, please check out the ‘Photos’ section of the Real Radio 860 web site. There you will find pictures from around Laurens County. The Greg Lawson Show talking Raider football up at the Hub or the Bobby Bentley Show or Activate Laurens County………….plus Limos For Learning and pictures from Guatemala of the donations you made to a clinic to help poor children. There are also some pictures from what has become my passion in life…………the Patriot Guard.
It was December 2005 when I first heard about the Patriot Guard Riders. I was on a web site for enthusiasts who ride motorcycles and saw a post about the organization. I clicked on the link provided and was amazed at what I saw.
I learned that there were people………people who said they were a part of a church………traveling the country to protest at the funerals of American soldiers. I couldn’t believe it. I fully support the right to protest. But at a funeral? The Patriot Guard Riders had organized about a month before for the purpose of shielding families from the protestors and to let them know that their sacrifice was acknowledged by people they did not know.
I joined the Patriot Guard right away. I never served in America’s armed forces. Because I did not I have often felt that I left something important undone. I saw in this organization an opportunity to make at least a small payment on the debt I felt I personally owed to those who did serve.
The Patriot Guard Riders do not conduct motorcycle rides. We conduct missions. We call them missions because we take our obligation to show honor and bring comfort very seriously. If protestors are present we make them invisible. If the protestors don’t show, we still do. I learned very quickly that the sight of 75 or 100 men and women, people you don’t know, standing on a hillside holding American flags brings immense comfort.
Patriot Guard Riders conduct missions for military men and women who are killed in action, for police, fire and EMS personnel killed in the line of duty, and for any honorably discharged veteran of America’s armed forces.
I began riding these missions and attended as many as I could. I rode in the cold and in the rain and once in a light snow. I went to Georgia and North Carolina and Virginia and all over South Carolina.
As time went by I was appointed as a Ride Captain. Ride Captains are in charge at missions and it’s their responsibility to make the mission one of honor and respect. Later, I became State Captain for South Carolina and then Regional Captain for the Capitol Region which stretches from South Carolina up to Delaware. I currently serve as the Vice President for Members in a national organization with 150,000 members.
And so it is that I’ll be taking some time off this week. Missy and I will leave on Wednesday and head to Danville, Virginia for the national meeting of the Patriot Guard Riders………..the Gathering of the Guard. Riders from all over the country will be there. We’ll shake hands and hug and some of us may shed a few tears as we remember those awful moments in cemeteries as we watched over a family burying their 19 year old son.
Wear a red shirt every Friday as a simple way to say ‘thank you’ to the men and women who have served and are serving in America’s military. And never forget……….freedom is not free. Never miss the opportunity to thank those who protect it for you.
Take a look at the photos posted WLBG’s site of Patriot Guard missions and if you want to know more, check out these web sites:
http://www.patriotguard.org/
http://www.listenfortherumble.org/
It was December 2005 when I first heard about the Patriot Guard Riders. I was on a web site for enthusiasts who ride motorcycles and saw a post about the organization. I clicked on the link provided and was amazed at what I saw.
I learned that there were people………people who said they were a part of a church………traveling the country to protest at the funerals of American soldiers. I couldn’t believe it. I fully support the right to protest. But at a funeral? The Patriot Guard Riders had organized about a month before for the purpose of shielding families from the protestors and to let them know that their sacrifice was acknowledged by people they did not know.
I joined the Patriot Guard right away. I never served in America’s armed forces. Because I did not I have often felt that I left something important undone. I saw in this organization an opportunity to make at least a small payment on the debt I felt I personally owed to those who did serve.
The Patriot Guard Riders do not conduct motorcycle rides. We conduct missions. We call them missions because we take our obligation to show honor and bring comfort very seriously. If protestors are present we make them invisible. If the protestors don’t show, we still do. I learned very quickly that the sight of 75 or 100 men and women, people you don’t know, standing on a hillside holding American flags brings immense comfort.
Patriot Guard Riders conduct missions for military men and women who are killed in action, for police, fire and EMS personnel killed in the line of duty, and for any honorably discharged veteran of America’s armed forces.
I began riding these missions and attended as many as I could. I rode in the cold and in the rain and once in a light snow. I went to Georgia and North Carolina and Virginia and all over South Carolina.
As time went by I was appointed as a Ride Captain. Ride Captains are in charge at missions and it’s their responsibility to make the mission one of honor and respect. Later, I became State Captain for South Carolina and then Regional Captain for the Capitol Region which stretches from South Carolina up to Delaware. I currently serve as the Vice President for Members in a national organization with 150,000 members.
And so it is that I’ll be taking some time off this week. Missy and I will leave on Wednesday and head to Danville, Virginia for the national meeting of the Patriot Guard Riders………..the Gathering of the Guard. Riders from all over the country will be there. We’ll shake hands and hug and some of us may shed a few tears as we remember those awful moments in cemeteries as we watched over a family burying their 19 year old son.
Wear a red shirt every Friday as a simple way to say ‘thank you’ to the men and women who have served and are serving in America’s military. And never forget……….freedom is not free. Never miss the opportunity to thank those who protect it for you.
Take a look at the photos posted WLBG’s site of Patriot Guard missions and if you want to know more, check out these web sites:
http://www.patriotguard.org/
http://www.listenfortherumble.org/
Monday, August 18, 2008
At Least We Don’t Have Tony
Before I get started, let me make one thing clear. The men and women who serve in elected office generally do so because of completely unselfish motives. They say they want to ‘give back’ to the community and I happen to believe them.
Y’all should know by now that I don’t cull nobody. If I thought there was another motive I’d be on it like stink on a monkey.
Seriously, I’ve been there when I’ve seen some of our local elected officials struggle with decisions and agonize over doing exactly the right thing. For the most part, they hate to collect taxes just as much as you hate to pay them.
However, on occasion we’ll have an elected official that says or does something that is………well………hmmmm……..embarrassing. Last summer was a case in point.
Some folks decided they were going to open yet another landfill in the Gray Court area………this one right near Martin’s Lake. Local residents were upset and came to Laurens County Council to demand they do something.
Now, Laurens County has no zoning laws. Some of the members of Council were elected on the platform of ‘a man should be able to do whatever he wants with his own property’. We’ve just about made a religion out of opposition to zoning.
But, when neighbors are upset about a dump…………..turns out members of Council are more than willing to tell someone what they can do with their own property. They passed an ordinance that basically outlawed the new landfill and………get this…….. they made it retroactive !!
It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out this wasn’t legal. I honestly thought they were bluffing but………..they weren’t. I expressed my opinion on air. I told them they would simply pay a large legal bill and accomplish nothing. They weren’t bluffing. They really DID pay that legal bill. They really DID accomplish nothing. Well……..nothing except putting taxpayer dollars into the pockets of lawyers on both sides.
Embarrassing really.
But………we don’t have Tony. I look at the insanity going on in Greenville County involving Councilman Tony Trout and it makes me think something I never thought I’d think.
I miss Ernie.
Y’all should know by now that I don’t cull nobody. If I thought there was another motive I’d be on it like stink on a monkey.
Seriously, I’ve been there when I’ve seen some of our local elected officials struggle with decisions and agonize over doing exactly the right thing. For the most part, they hate to collect taxes just as much as you hate to pay them.
However, on occasion we’ll have an elected official that says or does something that is………well………hmmmm……..embarrassing. Last summer was a case in point.
Some folks decided they were going to open yet another landfill in the Gray Court area………this one right near Martin’s Lake. Local residents were upset and came to Laurens County Council to demand they do something.
Now, Laurens County has no zoning laws. Some of the members of Council were elected on the platform of ‘a man should be able to do whatever he wants with his own property’. We’ve just about made a religion out of opposition to zoning.
But, when neighbors are upset about a dump…………..turns out members of Council are more than willing to tell someone what they can do with their own property. They passed an ordinance that basically outlawed the new landfill and………get this…….. they made it retroactive !!
It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out this wasn’t legal. I honestly thought they were bluffing but………..they weren’t. I expressed my opinion on air. I told them they would simply pay a large legal bill and accomplish nothing. They weren’t bluffing. They really DID pay that legal bill. They really DID accomplish nothing. Well……..nothing except putting taxpayer dollars into the pockets of lawyers on both sides.
Embarrassing really.
But………we don’t have Tony. I look at the insanity going on in Greenville County involving Councilman Tony Trout and it makes me think something I never thought I’d think.
I miss Ernie.
Monday, August 11, 2008
Who are the Americans ?
Back in March we had a visitor to WLBG…………….Miss Antonette Shaw was on her way to Guatemala to work in a clinic there. She had been there before and she knew what awaited her. Poverty.
Now, a lot of us in South Carolina are somewhat less than wealthy. In fact, we say things like ‘We’re just po’ folks’ and then we all chuckle. But we don’t know poverty at the level that Antonette had seen. She came onto Good Morning UpCountry as a guest and told of us of children who didn’t have a toothbrush or shoes or adequate food. She told us of people who came to the hospital and found it full. They lay down on the lawn of the hospital and waited. Some of them died there………..still waiting.
Antonette told us she was returning to Guatemala and if anyone would like to bring by a toothbrush or tooth paste or some vitamins……..the people sure could use it. That was it. I fully expected one or two kind souls to respond to her request and Antonette told us she’d be by in a couple days to pick up any donations to put in her suitcase.
By early next morning I was already wondering about the size of the suitcase. Our listeners had responded with a huge pile of personal hygiene products, vitamins, band aids, coloring books, notebook paper, jump ropes………and the stuff just kept coming in.
To say that Antonette was surprised by the volume of supplies awaiting her would a tremendous understatement. There was no way she could carry all of it with her so she made arrangements for having it shipped to her and took what she could carry.
We’ve heard from Antonette several times and we knew that your gifts were well received but when she came back and sat down with us last week it began to dawn us just what happened in Guatemala.
Were they grateful? Yes. Were they excited? Uh Huh. Were your gifts seen as a blessing from God? Yes.
But it was something else as well. It was an answer to a question for these people who are so heartbreakingly poor. That question: Who are the Americans? Now they know.
The Americans are people who will give when they may not have enough for themselves. Americans are people who understand that a child in need is something to worry about even if that child is thousands of miles away. In other words, the Americans are good people. Nothing will ever convince these children, this village, otherwise.
Thank you. Your generosity is amazing. The results produced by your big hearts are amazing as well.
Now, a lot of us in South Carolina are somewhat less than wealthy. In fact, we say things like ‘We’re just po’ folks’ and then we all chuckle. But we don’t know poverty at the level that Antonette had seen. She came onto Good Morning UpCountry as a guest and told of us of children who didn’t have a toothbrush or shoes or adequate food. She told us of people who came to the hospital and found it full. They lay down on the lawn of the hospital and waited. Some of them died there………..still waiting.
Antonette told us she was returning to Guatemala and if anyone would like to bring by a toothbrush or tooth paste or some vitamins……..the people sure could use it. That was it. I fully expected one or two kind souls to respond to her request and Antonette told us she’d be by in a couple days to pick up any donations to put in her suitcase.
By early next morning I was already wondering about the size of the suitcase. Our listeners had responded with a huge pile of personal hygiene products, vitamins, band aids, coloring books, notebook paper, jump ropes………and the stuff just kept coming in.
To say that Antonette was surprised by the volume of supplies awaiting her would a tremendous understatement. There was no way she could carry all of it with her so she made arrangements for having it shipped to her and took what she could carry.
We’ve heard from Antonette several times and we knew that your gifts were well received but when she came back and sat down with us last week it began to dawn us just what happened in Guatemala.
Were they grateful? Yes. Were they excited? Uh Huh. Were your gifts seen as a blessing from God? Yes.
But it was something else as well. It was an answer to a question for these people who are so heartbreakingly poor. That question: Who are the Americans? Now they know.
The Americans are people who will give when they may not have enough for themselves. Americans are people who understand that a child in need is something to worry about even if that child is thousands of miles away. In other words, the Americans are good people. Nothing will ever convince these children, this village, otherwise.
Thank you. Your generosity is amazing. The results produced by your big hearts are amazing as well.
Monday, August 4, 2008
Family
When you hear the word ‘family’ your mind instantly applies a definition. Other words you may know but with this word you not only get a definition, you probably have pictures that spring to mind.
Maybe you see your child’s birthday party or Thanksgiving dinner, a wedding. We tend to see pictures of family in the larger sense………….the extended family.
Recently, another picture of family was taken in my mind’s eye as I was honored to assist with the passing of my Father in Law, Ronald Thomas. It was an ordeal of sorts and it meant a lack of sleep for several days but it was an experience that I appreciate.
I saw family as it should be…………all members of the family rallying to provide comfort and support to Mr. Thomas…………..and to each other. There was heartbreak and tears but there was also a sense of closeness and belonging that is rare. It is during times like this when you realize just how important that word ‘family’ is.
Ronald Thomas died at 1:31 PM on Monday 28 July 2008. I know precisely the moment because I was beside him and listening as his heart finally stopped. It was not a moment of sadness. I felt relief that the struggle had ended. There would be no more pain.
Over the next several days I was impressed and amazed at the numbers of people who came to his home to pay their respects. They brought food and iced tea. There was fried chicken, baked ham and of course………..potato salad. Lots of potato salad.
Friends and neighbors, people who knew him a long time ago, people who lived down the road and waved as they passed by………….they all came. I sat out on the porch thinking that it is a very good thing to live in the South. When the tough times come here the word ‘family’ just keeps getting bigger and bigger.
Even the sad occasions re-affirm then the importance of family. Do not forget that. And don’t wait for sadness. If there is a problem between you and your brother or sister or uncle………..whoever………in your family………do something about that. You share blood. You are family. When the chips are down it will be that person there to help. Let there be no animosity there at that time.
Family…………as I saw it this week I was also reminded of the closing for each Good Morning UpCountry.
“Y’all…………..take care of one another”
Maybe you see your child’s birthday party or Thanksgiving dinner, a wedding. We tend to see pictures of family in the larger sense………….the extended family.
Recently, another picture of family was taken in my mind’s eye as I was honored to assist with the passing of my Father in Law, Ronald Thomas. It was an ordeal of sorts and it meant a lack of sleep for several days but it was an experience that I appreciate.
I saw family as it should be…………all members of the family rallying to provide comfort and support to Mr. Thomas…………..and to each other. There was heartbreak and tears but there was also a sense of closeness and belonging that is rare. It is during times like this when you realize just how important that word ‘family’ is.
Ronald Thomas died at 1:31 PM on Monday 28 July 2008. I know precisely the moment because I was beside him and listening as his heart finally stopped. It was not a moment of sadness. I felt relief that the struggle had ended. There would be no more pain.
Over the next several days I was impressed and amazed at the numbers of people who came to his home to pay their respects. They brought food and iced tea. There was fried chicken, baked ham and of course………..potato salad. Lots of potato salad.
Friends and neighbors, people who knew him a long time ago, people who lived down the road and waved as they passed by………….they all came. I sat out on the porch thinking that it is a very good thing to live in the South. When the tough times come here the word ‘family’ just keeps getting bigger and bigger.
Even the sad occasions re-affirm then the importance of family. Do not forget that. And don’t wait for sadness. If there is a problem between you and your brother or sister or uncle………..whoever………in your family………do something about that. You share blood. You are family. When the chips are down it will be that person there to help. Let there be no animosity there at that time.
Family…………as I saw it this week I was also reminded of the closing for each Good Morning UpCountry.
“Y’all…………..take care of one another”
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