Y'all Take Care of One Another

Goodbye Virginia Rose.......and Thank You

2009-07-26T13:04:00.000-07:00

Virginia Rose Tigh died last week. I went to her funeral on Saturday in Aiken.

Virginia Rose was a celebrity. Well, she could have been. And she truly was in my book. I had to be there.

Virginia Rose was a model. She was blessed with exceptional good looks and she was just beginning to break into the world of high fashion modeling. She was making good money. The world was her oyster.

And then the Japanese attacked at Pearl Harbor. No, Virginia Rose wasn't drafted. The United States has never drafted women. But she did the unexpected. Virginia Rose volunteered. She joined the United States Navy. Her country was at war and she wanted to do her part.

Goodbye modeling career. Goodbye money. Goodbye to a life of glamour. Hello to service in a war theatre. Virginia Rose served for three years in the Navy. There, she met and fell in love with the man who would become her husband. She never went back to modeling. She became a homemaker and raised her children. She and others like her formed the backbone of this country in the aftermath of World War II. She played her part in making my free America a safe and secure place to live. Virginia Rose was a member of the Greatest Generation.

Sadly, I never knew her in life. After she died her family requested the Patriot Guard be there when she was laid to rest. And that's how I found myself in Aiken on a hot Saturday. Myself and about 25 fellow patriots came to say goodbye to a lady we never knew. And then we heard her story and met her family. It was obvious they had lost someone they loved dearly and respected greatly. I was humbled to be there. And we were all proud to be a part of the final formation for a WAVE.

How many more are out there? How many stories of outstanding patriotism? World War II veterans are leaving us at the rate of more than a thousand per day. If you know one of these heroes, please, don't wait. Tell them you appreciate their service. Thank them for making it possible to grow up in a free country. Do it today. You're running out of time.

Thank you Virginia Rose. 'Twas an honor to stand and hold a flag for you.

A Little Bit of Braggin'

2009-07-14T08:20:00.000-07:00

Okay people..............my apologies. I don't know what happened but I have failed to enter a blog for a long, long time.

Let me tell you about a couple things that I'm proud of................it's about what we do at WLBG.

You see...........we bring you the news and try our best to keep you informed. Informed about local news, national news, sports news. We also bring you the best in gospel music each day with Reverend Sims and the Gospel Express. We attempt to make this a community..........almost a family...........on the air.

But at the end of the day, we are a commercial broadcast station. We sell advertising and it is our sponsors that pay for all the services we provide to the community. Our sponsors are understandably important to us. So, it is understandable that we want to make sure that our sponsors are successful. We want to be sure that the message we broadcast are effective.

Advertising, if it's done right, doesn't cost anything. It is entirely possible for a merchant to advertise and actually be able to cut his prices due to those ads. How?...............well if those ads are effective and the number of customers drastically increases it is entirely possible for the prices to fall because his volume has increased.

Lately, we added a new sponsor...........River Fork Auction Barn on River Fork Road near Waterloo. They sell produce. Lots of watermelons among other things. Their ads worked and worked so well that they were able to cut the price on watermelons. I'm proud of that.

And Sherer Body Shop..............I've known of their business for years but I never knew they offered 'lock out' service. Lock your keys in the car? They can get them out for you. I'd prefer to call someone I knew. Someone I could trust. Turns out, other folk feel the same way. Since we began advertising that service they're having more and more people call them. I'm proud of that too.

If you're in business.............call us. You can't do business when your customer doesn't know that you have the product or the service they want. We'll tell them.............all of them............all about it.

WLBG will continue with information, entertainment, inspiration and community service. And we'll continue striving to do the best job possible for our sponsors. It's what we do.

Greetings Comrades

2009-03-17T10:47:00.000-07:00

I'm still trying to understand our new President. I actually do want to believe the best. I want to be sure I've given him a fair shake and not dismiss him for what I feared he was, even said I was afraid he was, while he was still candidate Obama.

I said that I feared he was a socialist, even a Marxist. Now, for those who may not be familiar with political theory, here's the short and sweet definition of socialism:

A theory or system of social organization that advocates the vesting of the ownership and control of the means of production and distribution, of capital, land, etc., in the community as a whole.

Socialism is about collectivism. The theory maintains that government has the ability and should have the authority to make decisions for each of us.......decisions that we're accustomed to making for ourselves.

In a socialist government, most jobs are controlled by the government. The government decides what job is best for you and assigns you to that job. You give up the freedom of deciding for yourself what you want to do for a living but in exchange, you don't worry about finding a job......the government finds one for you.

A socialist government will take care of your health care needs too. You can't decide what doctor you see and you don't really manage your own health care. Instead, you follow the government program. You might be put on a diet if the government thinks you're fat. The good side is........you don't have wonder how to pay for your health care. It's paid for by the government.
Just like most other things socialism has good and bad points. A lot of worry would be removed. But, a lot of freedom would be removed as well.

Me.........I love freedom and want to hold on to my own independence. I'd rather take a chance on individual failure and have the freedom to succeed. I don't want the government to tell me where to work, what to eat and what doctor to see. I do not want to see my free America become a socialist state.

Why?

Well, it's simple really. Socialism has only been tried several hundred times by nations all around the globe. Each time it has failed. It has resulted in reduced freedoms, reduced productivity, reduced individuality and has often resulted in totalitarian regimes that oppress the weak and silence all opposition........with bullets if necessary.

When I look at the actions of President Obama I see nothing that relieves my fears about socialism. I see him pushing a national health care agenda that is quite frightening. I see language about prioritizing health care dollars so that they are most beneficial to the entire society.

Now what does that mean? Does it mean that when a decision for who gets a procedure comes down to a 35 year old man who works and pays taxes versus an 82 year old woman who has been retired for 20 years........that the young man gets the procedure while the old woman does not? And what if not having the procedure would mean she dies? I can tell you that questions like that have gone unanswered. That makes me uncomfortable.

And now I see moves by the Obama administration that one would have to say are disrespectful at the very least to our military veterans. I wish I had been wrong about President Obama. I don't think I was.

What do you think?

Snowfall and Dandelions

2009-03-01T16:50:00.000-08:00

Snow.

I gotta admit.............there's something peaceful about watching it fall. To see all that activity.........flakes darting here and there.......and yet it's totally quiet. Have you noticed that everyone talks quieter, almost in a whisper, as they're watching snow falling?

Here in the South we don't get much snow. I'm not complaining about that.............just stating a fact. When snow does come it produces almost a holiday atmosphere. Kids are excited and some of us grown folks get a bit giggly for some reason as well. I think it's just because we are seeing something out of the ordinary and seeing it together. It makes us feel a bit closer to our fellow man.

Enjoy the snowfall but realize that it's March now. This is probably it for 2009. But that joint admiration of nature need not occur only when it snows.

We have the miracle of sunrise occur each and every day. Light creeps across the sky, the birds wake up singing...........life begins it's buzz. It's amazing to watch.

You know..............this whole thing reminds me of dandelions. Think of a dandelion for a moment. If they existed in only one spot on Earth and bloomed only once each year, people would spend thousands of dollars to get there to see the intricate beauty that God poured into the dandelion.
But dandelions are everywhere. They are abundant. And what do we do? We try to kill them. They're still intricate and beautiful but they're not rare so we don't pay attention to them.

Next time you see a dandelion, pick it. Look at the design. And go ahead and blow on it.............I know you want to. Be a kid again. Enjoy the magic, the miracle, of the little things.

Superstitious? Me?

2009-02-20T04:53:00.000-08:00

Are you superstitious? Not me.

I've had black cats cross my path numerous times and never thought anything of it. Most the bad luck stuff that some people fear......I don't even know about. I never paid attention to what would happen if I broke a mirror or any of that stuff. I don't believe humanity is governed by phases of the moon or numbers on a calendar.

And so it was last Friday morning. I didn't give any thought to it being Friday the thirteenth as I left my driveway and headed north toward work. It was about 0450 and a little chilly. Since I ride a motorcycle through a large section of Sumter National Forest I'm always on the lookout for deer. Deer for a car would be a nuisance and maybe an expense but on a motorcycle......well, it's more than that.

As I came up to speed I saw the dog. He was making a beeline for the road. What makes some dogs chase motorcycles? I don't know but some do........and this one did. He'd done it before. He'd come right out to the edge of the pavement and then run along the shoulder as I passed him by...........sometimes he'd bark.

Maybe he'd had a bad week. Maybe the collar was just a bit too tight. Maybe someone threw a stick and he couldn't find it. He was obviously in a bad mood because this time he went past the edge of the pavement and kept right on coming.

Now, I'm pretty good at judging a dangerous situation and all sorts of bells and whistles were going off in my head as the dog approached from left to right. I went as far to the right as I could. And the dog kept coming. In fact, he crossed all the way across the highway to the right hand shoulder. I broke to the left and applied throttle. In just a couple seconds I'd be past him and on toward WLBG.

Then there was a blonde blur.........golden retriever colored blur. The dog was determined to stop the motorcycle. He lunged and............. he made it !!

I remember the front wheel hitting the dog just behind his front leg. The motorcycle went up and then I was falling to the left.

'Hey buddy, are you okay?' That's the next thing I remember. Someone was standing over me. I had been out for a while and really did not understand where I was or why. I told him I was fine but then realized I couldn't get up. I remember people yelling, fire trucks, an ambulance, a State Trooper and a great deal of pain. I remember my wife standing at the rear of the ambulance. I told her I was okay even though I was not so sure.

The aftermath? Five broken ribs and a concussion. X-rays also showed a compression fracture of the T-12 vertebrae of the spine but that was probably an old injury. Translation........I hurt. As I write this it has been more than a week since that golden retriever achieved his lifelong goal of stopping a motorcycle and I still hurt.

Rusty sustained some damage: busted headlight, left turn signal, bent left engine guard. My helmet looks awful. It has slide marks on the left and right side as well as on the top. Deep marks. My leather jacket is ripped to shreds. My steel toe boots have steel showing. And I don't have a scratch on me. This safety gear works ladies and gentlemen. Please, if you're going to ride, wear it.

I am slowly but surely recovering. It'll probably be several weeks before I can ride again. When I do, there'll be one less dog to worry about. Whether or not I worry about the next Friday the 13th..........I haven't made up my mind.

I Remember Him

2009-02-03T10:43:00.001-08:00

A while back a fellow passed along a piece of wisdom to me. He told me “Son……….ain’t none of us getting outta here alive”.

He’s right you know. So far in our human experience, everyone ever born (save one) has eventually died. Let’s just assume for a moment that a time and a day will come when you leave this plane of existence.

When that happens will you be missed? I’m reminded right now of this concept by the passing of our friend Tommy Powell. Tommy was a great guy. Decorated Marine, a friend to any who would let him, a true friend to all kids.

Tommy was seriously wounded in Vietnam. When he came home he dedicated his life to kids. He’s been a fixture at Collyar Park for years. He kept the fields looking sharp and applied his own brand of common sense to the operation of the Dixie Youth program.

There are hundreds of men and women in our community whose lives were touched directly or indirectly by Tommy Powell. At his death of course his family mourned but, in reality, the entire community felt the loss.

Will that be the case when you go? Seriously, you get to decide now what is said when you’re gone. How will you be remembered? That’s up to you. How do you treat people now? Are you a giver? Or……….are you a taker?

There………..that should give you something to think about.

Happy Birthday JamalyahBooBoo

2009-01-28T15:12:00.000-08:00

Some of you worry me.

A part of my duties here at WLBG involve being the conductor of the orchestra we call our Morning Newsmagazine. It’s a fast paced format with a lot of things coming at you once……….at least from where I sit.

I coordinate Weather from WYFF 4 meteorologist Dale Gilbert, FOX News at the top and bottom of each hour, Sports with either John Avery or Gene Pinson or both, WLBG Local News with Emil Finley. On top of that I do Real Time Traffic at a quarter past and a quarter til each hour plus lottery updates and birthdays and anniversaries.

Sound simple enough? Well, did I tell you that it all has to be timed out precisely? Certain elements of the show MUST start at their appointed time. If something else is not quite finished and still playing then………well, it’s a mess.

Somehow it generally works well. Yeah, once in a while we have a catastrophe but so far we’ve been able to handle them pretty much in stride. The only thing that causes me to shake my head is…………… Birthdays.

No, it’s not because the speaker on our answering machine isn’t all that great and sometimes I have a hard time understanding folk. It’s not even because people name their poor children some pretty odd things. I’ve heard a couple names that I’m pretty sure is Arabic for ‘2 humped camel with bad breath’.

The thing that amazes and frustrates me?.................birthday fights. Okay, it goes like this: I get a message wanting me to wish little JamalyahBooBoo a happy 2nd birthday from her grandmother. I’m also asked to mention her daddy and aunts and uncles. No problem.

Then, 10 minutes later I get a call from the child’s mother. She wants to be added to the list of well wishers. I comply. The next time I read the birthday list I include ‘Mom’ on the list wishing JamalyahBooBoo a happy birthday. No problem? Yeah, that’s what you’d think.

The phones light up and Grandma is angry. She demands that I remove Mom from the list because SHE didn’t tell me to include Mom. Now, I’m not going to do that.

I will admit that there exists today some strange definitions of the word family. I will also admit that I don’t know what dynamics exist within this particular family. But I do know that if a lady calls me and asks that I include her, the child’s mother, in the birthday wishes for her 2 year old child………..I will.

Grandma is still screaming when I hang up. She keeps calling back. She wants to tell me all about how bad Mom is. She tells me that she, Grandma, is a Christian and then lets loose with a string of profanity.

Please. I don’t mind announcing birthdays. But, family fights? Naw, I'd rather not.

There, got that off my chest.

Listen for the Rumble

2009-01-19T08:51:00.000-08:00

On Saturday (17 January) I got on a motorcycle when the thermometer said to do no such thing. It was 18 degrees as I left Whitmire heading to Jonesville, SC for a Patriot Guard mission.

Staff Sergeant Kenneth Jason Wilburn of the United States Air Force was just 30 years old. He died three days after he passed out in a swimming pool at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas. He was in the middle of training to become a combat controller…….the guys who call in precision air strikes.

Jason was what you might call ‘gung ho’. He was in the Air Force but he’d already been through Army Ranger school. He loved jump missions and had been trained in rescue to retrieve downed pilots from danger.

Jason told people as a teenager he wanted to make something of himself. He chose the military as his career and was proud to be an Airman. He leaves behind a little girl named Megan who is nine and a wife expecting his second child. His wife couldn’t even attend the funeral because doctors said her pregnancy wouldn’t be able to stand another trip.

I spoke with Jason’s Mom and StepDad Saturday and I asked them an unusual question. Quiet or loud? We ride big ol’ loud motorcycles but we generally try and keep them as quiet as possible….I mean……it’s a funeral. But for some reason I felt it was important to ask.

“That boy loved to be the center of attention” his Mother said………..”make it as loud as you can”.

Now, to make it loud I needed motorcycles and more than just a few. I was hoping for thirty but it was very cold and who could blame folks for staying home on a day like that. The riders started coming in……….one or two at the time. By the time for our briefing we had thirty-five motorcycles ready with some very cold bikers upon them.

We have a motto of sorts in the Patriot Guard in South Carolina…………listen for the rumble. On Saturday the rumble became a bit of a roar in Jonesville and Jason Wilburn was the center of attention in his hometown.

I have to tell you……….I was pleasantly surprised by the turnout and exceedingly proud of this bunch of patriots who endured some pretty miserable conditions to honor a young man they didn’t know. His family knew that they were not alone…….that Americans appreciated the service and the sacrifice of their Jason.

Each time I ride an Honor Mission with the Patriot Guard I hope it’s the last one. I hope that again.

www.patriotguard.org

Racism is Dead.............about time too

2008-12-30T09:34:00.000-08:00

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.

A Special Resort …………… they deserve it.

2008-12-09T09:20:00.000-08:00

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 Pledge Allegiance To.........

2008-11-10T04:24:00.000-08:00

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.

Obama UH OH

2008-10-21T14:29:00.000-07:00

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”.

Well, We Missed the Good Times --- Why Not?

2008-10-13T09:02:00.000-07:00

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.

Local Politics

2008-10-01T12:27:00.000-07:00

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.

He Asked For WHAT ??

2008-09-19T13:11:00.000-07:00

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.

Worth Every Penny

2008-09-08T13:20:00.000-07:00

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.

Thank You PC

2008-09-03T14:11:00.000-07:00

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?

Gathering of the Guard

2008-08-23T11:43:00.000-07:00

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/

At Least We Don’t Have Tony

2008-08-18T14:12:00.000-07:00

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.

Who are the Americans ?

2008-08-11T11:12:00.000-07:00

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.

Family

2008-08-04T04:13:00.000-07:00

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”