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| Column in The Morgan County Citizen 2008 |
| A sincere thank you to The Morgan County Citizen of Madison, GA, for providing a weekly forum for political editorials. |
| Scroll down to read previous columns of 2008. Click here for the columns of 2007. Click here for the columns of 2006. |
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| Ted Arnold |
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| By Jamie Williams January 31, 2008 I crossed a party line sometime in the 2006 calendar year. I had been a solid Republican for, well, since the third grade, maybe having grown up in a Republican house in a predominantly Republican town in what Republicans consider a stronghold, Upstate New York. Two factors greatly contributed to my tentative foray into the Democratic Party. I had children, and one of them began attending public school. I began to see firsthand the challenges facing the education system, specifically the teachers and their students, on a weekly basis. The needs of our community at large, practical solutions for Morgan County citizens on healthcare, the economy and education, protecting our future by providing for all children today, these are but some of the ideas and actions I felt obliged, on my children’s behalf, to fight for and uphold. So, there I was. Still a Republican, maybe. Possibly an Independent. Definitely in unfamiliar territory and feeling a little silly, even fraudulent, at an official Democratic event last spring. I quickly felt welcome and at home amongst the many recognizable Madisonians who belong to the Morgan County Democratic Party. Entrepreneurs, artists, teachers, doctors, volunteers, lawyers and then…small business owners, whom I had thought the bastion of the Republican Party through self-preservation alone. The more I listened, the more I found positive, sustainable solutions to the challenges our country faces today. No blaming. No bickering. They spoke of protecting our natural resources and preserving our environment for our health, our children’s health, and the enjoyment of future generations. Members of the Morgan County Democratic Party proved serious and practical about solving both basic and broad faults in this country’s education and infrastructure. The concept that every American child should have a family doctor, and its most basic level, is a given. That citizens in the world’s most developed nation will not have to choose between gasoline or heating their homes and providing necessary medical care for themselves or their children. These are the positive changes, the improvements on this government’s progress so far, that the Democratic Party considers, discusses, and takes a platform upon. I still look to the Republican Party for ideas and inspiration. In a great nation, with such a diverse population, how anyone can wholly subscribe to one party, one set of ideals, to close themselves off to the opportunities of something new or different from what they know? Ingenuity is one of the great characteristics the United States is known for both at home and abroad. Looking under a stone that, to me, had not recently been unturned, I found fresh answers to problems I’ve considered all along. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________ By Chris Hodges January 24, 2008 The idea of a national holiday honoring Martin Luther King, Jr., was controversial from the beginning. Many of us do not realize, or otherwise have forgotten, that it took 15 years to make it happen. Without the dedication of several Democrats in Congress, like Rep. Shirley Chisholm (D-New York), who tirelessly fought to see the holiday become reality, we may not have had this day set aside to remember the life and message of one of this nation’s true heroes. In 1968, four days after King was assassinated, Rep. John Conyers (D-Michigan) introduced legislation designating a national holiday to honor King’s memory. Conyers’ bill was stalled. However, thankfully, Rep. Chisholm took up the fight and resubmitted it session after session. Finally, public pressure mounted, and in 1983, with the looming threat of his veto being overridden, President Ronald Reagan signed the bill into law. Even so, it was still years before holdout states, like Arizona, Utah, and South Carolina, adopted it. Over the years, detractors have given many reasons for resisting the MLK holiday. Some claimed that it produced a negative economic impact (i.e. as a paid federal holiday). Others considered it to be simply a “black only” holiday – irrelevant for most of the population. But supporters understand that the holiday, and the message that it celebrates, transcends all demographic barriers, including not only race, but also gender, religious orientation, and political persuasion. King’s compelling vision of peace, equality, and tolerance can inspire everyone. On at least one day per year, we have the opportunity to remember that – and to remember our responsibility to “keep the dream alive.” Those who fought for this holiday gave us this gift. So, as you honor Martin Luther King and reflect upon his vision on this special holiday, remember also those who fought for its survival. Thank them for their passionate persistence, and acknowledge their part in enabling King’s legacy to be remembered for generations to come. For, sometimes, without the messengers, the message can be lost. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________ By Patsy Harris January 10, 2008 My husband said they look like aliens from outer space, but were heartwarming. My brother called them surreal. My artist and Air Force pilot son said they are all over Germany and go well with the landscape there. Upon my first sight of them in Illinois two weeks ago, I was struck dumb and near a state of rapture. Seeing a wind farm for the first time is almost a spiritual experience. The initial sighting of a cluster of windmills is from six or seven miles away, although you don’t know it then. You drive and drive and drive, and the closer ones become clearer and grow larger while those farther away pop into view one by one. At any one time you can count fifty of them. Finally, you are close, well, still a mile away, and then finally pull into the drive that allows access to maintenance personnel. We bundled up and jumped out of the car on that cold day and stood quietly looking straight up at the enormous, white structure, an amazingly tall column (300 feet) with its four sleek, serenely turning blades. It was a moment out of Close Encounters of the Third Kind. I was surprised to hear a long, squeaking noise emanating from the spinning mechanism. Space ships are supposed to be totally quiet, you know. Wind farms produce electricity, clean electricity. It is safe for the surrounding flora and fauna, not the least of which are us humans. If the wind were available here, 65 turbines could easily energize our county. The private electricity companies are making a killing off them, and so are the farmers who are paid very handsomely for the lease of their land. Horizon Wind Energy, the owner of one of the wind farms we saw in Central Illinois, explains the construction of the windmills and how they work at their website: www.horizonwind.com. Like I said, my Republican husband said the sight of a wind farm is heartwarming. He is glad to see the United States, businesses no less, working to lessen our energy dependence on foreign powers. I’m sure he likes the idea that, in the process, we are not dumping pollutants into the atmosphere or water. What a proud sight it would be here. |
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