Page 4 ~h~ gl~trI~ (~t'~ ~e~s Wednesday, March 7, 2018
A community forum for viewpoints from around the world to your baclward
USPS #118-140
113 E. Dame Avenue Homerville, Georgia 31634
Telephone: 912-487-5337 Published by
AIR Publications, Inc.
A.I. "Len" Robbins, llI Editor & Publisher
Irobbins@theclinchcountynews.com
Carolyn Burtchaell Business Manager
carolyn65@windstream.net
Laura Nipper Production Manager
Inipper@theclinchcountynews. com
Established in 1894 and published every Wednesday. Entered
at the Homerville, Ga. Post Office as periodical rate, Permit
No. 118-140. Member of the Georgia Press Association and
the National Newspaper Association. Subscription Rates: In
Clinch County, $30 per year. Elsewhere, $38 per year. Single
copy price is .93 cents. POSTMASTEI~ Address all correspon.
dence to The Clinch County News, P.O. Box 377, Homervflle,
GA 31634, or e-marl at clinnews@windstream.net.
I am going to buy me some stock in taxes. That is the only
thing that keeps going up all the time, and never comes
down.
I was in town. A lady bumped into my car. Of course,
both cars were damaged. She wanted me to pay the dam-
ages, and she was to blame. An officer came up. I asked him
what to do. He said, pay the damage, that if it went to court
it would be my word against ten thousand of hers.
I asked a girl if she was shipwrecked on an island, what
had she rather have for reading material? She said, a
tattooed sailor.
I asked a candidate if he was elected to office, would
he fulfill all his promises. He said all but one, honesty in
government. I asked, how are you on labor? He said, I am
@
My wife and I make
a good team because we
share few of the same
weaknesses.
Her strengths are my
weaknesses, and vice versa.
For instance, she's very
friendly and outgoing, while
I tend to be more reserved.
She's very organized and
energetic, while I lean
toward disheveled and
lethargic. She has a flair
for decoration, clothes and
style, while I wear clothes
occasionally and enjoy
setting flares.
Actually, upon closer
inspection, there's really no
"vice versa" to it. We make
a good team because she
relationship, while I seem
to dominate the weakness
category (I'm #1!) -- with
one notable exception.
One thing I take great
pride in is my sense of
direction. I often recount
the story of how I visited
my cousin's house in
Arkansas five years after
my first visit and navigated
the entire route flawlessly
on memory alone, without
the assistance of a map
or verbal directives from
a vagrant on the street
corner.
You are the first
person to actually read
D TOff.& PUBLk' HE
hvbbins@theclinehcowt@news, corn
accomplishment, because sight. Some don't have a
when I tell the story vocally, sense of smell. Some don't
most people inexplicably have common sense (whom
have something pressing we elect, for some reason).
to do about two sentences My wife doesn't have
into it. a sense of direction. The
My wife doesn't share my medical term for her
navigational skills, ailment is Whereamiitis
She has no sense of (pronounced where-am-
direction. None. I-i-tis). If Sibling Rivalry
At first, I thought her Disorder or Mathematics
propensity to lose her Disorder can be considered
bo=~i~s~ -~-,o,ohoice, o Hiotlono, I ozc no rGaoon
I assumed she merely Whereamiitis can't be
wasn't making an effort allowed in the halls of
to learn something I find science.
important -- like her The good news is: There
choice to not memorize the is a "work around" for those
names, positions, years and with Whereamiitis.
hometowns of the starters My wife has found that
on the Georgia Bulldog by utilizing programs and
football team each season, applications on her phone
Years of years of or car, she can effectively
watching her frustration in navigate herself. In fact,
navigating the nine streets
in Homerville, though, have
led me to the conclusion
that her penchant for
getting lost is not inane
-- but rather, innate. She
can't help it. Some people
don't have the sense of
she has become quite adept
at it. I haven't received a
"where am I?" call in years.
She hasn't been as adept
in convincing me to trust,
or utilize, the navigation
systems in my car or on my
phone.
against it. That is why I am running for office.
of this astonishing
I,ve found two issues
with relying on such
navigation systems or
applications: 1. Sometimes,
they are inaccurate. This
bothers me. And 2. The
voice on the app I use
is that that of a British
woman -- soothing and
cool.
So, when I miss a
turn, she relays that vital
information in the same
reassuring tone that she
tells me how many miles to
the next exit.
When I have yammering
kids in the car, and my
radio on, and I'm reading
a book, I need a voice that
will rise above the clamor
I would suggest this
system use a more
distinctive voice, like Mr.
T: "I pity the fool that's not
going to turn left!" Or "Hey,
you with the teeth -- quit
your jibber jabber! You
gotta get off at this exit!
Turn, fool, turn!!"
That would grab a
driver's attention - which
would be beneficial to
those who are directionally
challenged, like my wife, or
distractionallychallenged,
like myself.
Or maybe I could just
pay attention.
Len Robbins 2018
d
if was fha+ came up wi h Daylighf Saving Time." whether our nation had
reached a tipping point
on the easy availability
of assault rifles and high-
; our Governmental Representativesstorage ammomagazines
~!!iiiiiii U.S. Senate ;: across our country had a
~:~:;;::i David Perdue (R)'- 202-224-3521 : glaring error. I mistakenly
Johnny Isak~on (It) - e-mail: johnny isakson@isakson.senate.gov called the AR-15 an
U.S. Representative "automatic" weapon.
~:~): 1st Congressional District- Buddy Carter (R) - 202-225-5831
State Senate That is incorrect.
::i:::; 8th District The AR-15 is a semi-
~::ii~ Ellis Black (R) - 229-251-0303(Ce11); e-marl- blackellis@bellsouth.net
iiii~!il State Representative automatic rifle, meaning it
174th District will not continuously spray
John Corbett (R) - john.corbett@house.ga.gov; 404.656.0287 - Office bullets with one pull on
Clinch County Commission -~ 912-487-2667 the trigger as will a fully
Regular meeting - first Monday of every month, 9 a.m.automatic weapon. That
Chairinan-Roger Mette (Post 3), Vice Chairman-Chad Brown (Post 2); Kenton crazed teenager who killed
McLaine-Post 1; Debra Thomas-Post 4; Henry MoylamPost 5.
Clinch County Board of Education - 912-487-5321 17 high school students
Regular meeting - Third Thursday of every month, 7 p.m recently in Florida likely
Chairman-Stanley Thrift (post 1); Vice Chairman-Charlis Mac Cross (post 4); had to go to the trouble of
Laura Landrum-Post 3; John Davis-P~st 2; Charles Handley-Post 5.
Homerville City Council - 912-487-2375 pulling the trigger multiple
Regular meeting - Third Thursday of every month, 5 p.m.times to kill so many in
Mayor Tom Kennedy; Mayor Pro Tern Willie Hardee; J.E. Witherspoon,
Elexis Williams, James McBride. onlyfive or six minutes.
;!!!if(: Eargo City Council- 912-637-5597 or 637-5520 :'::~: "People who understand
Regular meeting - Fourth Monday every month, 7 p.m. i :iil gunsi those
who are
DupontMayor]~egularCliffordJ hn Wells, meeting CityL" Council "Bappy" Roy Second Wilson. Griffis; 487-2630 Tuesday Council or of 287-2500 every members month, Johnny 7:30 Griffis, p.m. Landa Hart,
Mayor Jimmy Rawls; Council members Catherine Register; Jane Lee, Tommy
Davis, Brent Westmoreland.
Argyle City Council - 487-2279
Regular meeting - Third Thursday of every month, 6:30 p.m.
Mayorotis Fleming.Kaye Riley Council members Glenda Jordan, Ann Grady, Lee Rudd,
i!ii!!iiiii
ready to argue their point
about guns, they know
the difference between
an automatic and a semi-
automatic rifle," said
my reader. "When they
read you do not know the
rwilliams@theblacksheartimes.com
difference, they dismiss
your words as coming from
someone who doesn't know
what he is talking about."
Well, they might have
to stand in line to express
that opinion, I responded.
It wouldn't be the first
time someone thought my
opinion s.tinks.
Such distinctions as
whether a gun takes one
trigger-pull or multiple
firings to kill many quickly
probably won't matter to
the parents of those 17
teenagers. Nor do they
likely matter to the many
others who have felt the
loss ofa lovedone at the
hand of a person carrying a
weapon designed for war.
A number of local and
area residents spoke up
about the proliferation
of guns in America, and
the lives being lost, at
Congressman Buddy
Carter's town hall meeting
here in Blackshear last
Thursday. Among them
were two local residents,
Sara and Milton Warren. I
don't personally know the
Warrens, but their soft-
spoken manner and polite,
but persistent, questions
impressed me. They didn't
rant. They didn't pass
blame. They presented
statistics on the damage
done by high-powered, high-
capacity weapons and asked
a straightforward question:
"What purpose do these
weapons serve in the hands
of civilians?"
Rep. Carter had no
answer other than the
usual GOP talking points,
insisting it was not a "gun"
that killed those students,
but an"evil" person.
"We can't legislate to
stop evil," said Carter.
The Warrens were
too polite to say so, but
I suspect they felt the
its eager servants in the
U.S. Congress who put the
gun in that young man's
hand.
My late father left behind
a rifle and a shotgun that
are in my home. I support
the right to bear arms. I
believe in sport hunting as
recreation. I believe in the
Second Amendment, just as
I do the first.
But even the first
amendment won't allow
me to shout "Fire!" in
a crowded theater. The
second amendment was
never meant to allow
weapons designed only
for mass killing of
humans to be so easily
purchased by practically
anyone.
The devil is, indeed, in
the details.
Robert Williams is the
publisher of The Blaekshear
Times, former publisher
of The News, and past
president of the National
Newspaper Association.
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