Opinion

The Independence Day holiday in 1994 fell on a Monday. At that time, we were putting out this newspaper and printing many others at our printing plant in Barnesville. We moved production of some papers up and others back to enjoy a long weekend at the beach.

Weather coverage then was not what it is now but we heard it had rained a lot in Barnesville and more was on the way so we came back early as a precaution. On Hwy. 41 between Forsyth and Barnesville, we crossed a normally placid little stream which looked like the Chattooga River in the film (italics) Deliverance (end italics). We knew then there could be trouble.

It was raining hard. It rained hard all night and the downpour continued all day July 5. We initially thought low-lying areas would take the brunt of the damage. Barnesville is largely at pretty good elevation so we thought our building would be fine and it was until the water overwhelmed the city storm water system. Debris clogged pipes and grates and eventually Towaliga Creek was running so full it backed up into the storm drains, or so it was explained to me. [Full Story »] 

On Thursday, July 20, 1969 at 3:17 p.m., the Apollo 11 lunar landing module touched down on the moon’s surface. At 10:56 p.m. on that same day, astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first person to walk on the moon. Astronaut Buzz Aldrin soon joined Armstrong on the moon’s surface.

I was an almost eleven-year-old boy who was really glad to be out of school for the summer so I could stay up and watch the incredible event take place.

I joined millions of people in being enthralled by the moon landing.
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By Mike Ruffin

Some of you are familiar with Canadian singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot’s 1971 song, “If You Could Read My Mind.” It’s a great song.

The song was inspired by the divorce that ended Lightfoot’s first marriage. In the recorded version of the song, Lightfoot sings,

If you could read my mind, love,
what a tale my thoughts could tell.
Just like an old time movie,
'bout a ghost from a wishing well.
In a castle dark or a fortress strong.
with chains upon my feet.
But stories always end,
and if you read between the lines,
you'd know that I'm just tryin' to understand
the feelings that you lack.
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Policy is, or at least should be, based on public opinion. Public opinion has always been like a pendulum - constantly swinging. It swings to the far left and then slowly to the far right. The period of time the pendulum spends in the balanced middle, where common sense thrives, is very short.

There are many out there who try to control the narrative of events you hear in order to swing your opinion toward policies they support and would like to see put into effect.

Perhaps no other issue illustrates this as well as the debate over abortion in America. [Full Story »] 

By Mike Ruffin

In late spring of 1964, I joined my fellow graduates of Miss Sylvia’s Kindergarten on the stage of the Gordon Grammar School lunchroom. At a designated point in the midst of all the pomp and circumstance, I stepped forward and, with trembling knees and shaking voice, recited the first poem I ever uttered publicly. It was “The Swing” by Robert Louis Stevenson.

How do you like to go up in a swing,
Up in the air so blue?
Oh, I do think it the pleasantest thing
Ever a child can do!
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May Wingfield Melton (1923-2014) and Oliver Quimby Melton Jr. (1923-2013) were inducted into the Georgia Newspaper Hall of Fame May 30 during the 133rd annual convention of the Georgia Press Association at Jekyll Island.

It is fitting their portraits will hang in at the Grady School of Journalism in Athens where they met as journalism students. Both were editors of the UGA newspaper, The Red & Black. May was the first ever female editor after being recruited by legendary Dean John Drewry for a summer when all the male students, including Quimby, were off at war or training for war. She would soon join him at Ft. Riley, Kansas for what turned out to be the last ever U.S. Cavalry wedding at the vast training ground.
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By Mike Ruffin

When I was a boy growing up in the little house on Memorial Drive in Barnesville in the 1960s, my parents and I got ready for church with Southern gospel music emanating from the nineteen-inch black and white television set.

We’d listen to two programs that an Atlanta station sent our way.

The first show was the Gospel Singing Caravan, which featured the LeFevre family. Boomershine Pontiac in Atlanta sponsored it. The second program was the Gospel Singing Jubilee, hosted by the Florida Boys. [Full Story »] 

High school graduation is a definite milestone. For many it is the second major milestone in life following up on the acquisition of that driver’s license and the freedom it bestows. There will be many more milestones -good and bad - to come.

Graduates, there are some things you can do to maximize good outcomes and minimize the bad. There are millions of opportunities out there that your parents and especially your grandparents could never have dreamed of. Take advantage of them! Here are a few ideas you might consider.
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By Mike Ruffin

I recently read a 1955 novel by Leigh Brackett entitled The Long Tomorrow. It’s set a couple of generations after a nuclear war has devastated Earth’s cities. The new Constitution of postwar America forbids the building of cities. People live only in small towns and rural areas.

A major crisis in the book revolves around the desire of a man to build one more warehouse than he’s allowed by law. The limit he wants to violate is in place to keep a city from developing. Things don’t go well for him.
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By Walter Geiger

The level of divisiveness on the national political scene is the highest I can recall in my lifetime. Few, if any, of those in Washington have the term ‘non-partisan’ in their vocabularies. It is all ‘my side is right and your side is wrong’ with seemingly no effort being made toward compromise on even the simplest of agenda items.
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By Mike Ruffin

You may have seen a “Coexist” bumper sticker on some vehicles. We have one on one of ours. The sticker uses the symbols of several religions to spell the word “Coexist.” It thereby makes the statement that people who practice different religions need to learn to live together. It makes the even deeper statement that we need to respect and appreciate each other as we practice our particular religion.

It’s a noble and worthy goal. Like most noble and worthy goals, it’s difficult to achieve. [Full Story »] 

With any sport, the most exciting time is the postseason playoffs when teams must win or go home. The playoffs begin this week for local and area high school teams with the emphasis on soccer and baseball.

Baseball is an American born, American bred sport that has become popular in other parts of the world. The local high school teams are perennial participants in the baseball playoffs and this year is no exception. [Full Story »] 

Have you ever participated in the Stations of the Cross? If you’re a Christian, you should. It is a spiritually enriching and challenging experience. If you’re not a Christian, you’ll still find it an interesting and possibly moving experience.

The Stations of the Cross is an exercise in following Jesus as he moves toward his crucifixion. The First United Methodist Church offers the opportunity to engage in this exercise from Tuesday, April 16 through Good Friday, April 19 from 3:00-7:00 p.m. and Saturday from 9:00 a.m.-noon in the sanctuary.
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Last week, I was privileged to sit through a presentation on Southern Rivers Energy’s Operation Round Up. Through this program, members of the cooperative can have their bills rounded up to the nearest dollar and the money goes into a fund for distribution to needy applicants in SRE’s service area.
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