opinions
Letters Must Be Signed — By Tommy Purser
Got a really nice letter to the editor this week. It was well written, to the point and posited some timely thoughts that would be well worth sharing. It appeared to be in a woman’s handwriting but I couldn’t be sure because it was only signed with a letter and a surname. A surname I…
Read MorePain Is A Good Teacher — By John Reed
Pain Is A Good Teacher I got my first bicycle at age seven, and quickly discovered the most important part of learning how to ride was learning how to fall off. It didn’t take too many skinned knees and elbows before I figured out the right way to dismount before disaster struck. As I got…
Read MoreFacebook Encourages Spread Of COVID-19 — By Tommy Purser
“I am OSHA 10&30 certified. I know some of you are too. I don’t really know WHY OSHA hasn’t come forward and stopped the nonsense BUT ….” So reads a small portion of the intro to a long posting on Facebook that claims masks don’t protect people from COVID-19. As with most such posts, the…
Read MoreReactions To No Boundaries — By John Reed
Reactions to No Boundaries Last Saturday’s fireworks display at the fairgrounds marked the long-overdue return of a local tradition. A large appreciative crowd enjoyed live music, fresh food, and of course the exciting blasts of color and explosive noise in the sky. Kudos to Andrea and Sonya from the Chamber of Commerce and the rest…
Read MoreNothing’s Easy — By Tommy Purser
I knew it was just a matter of time. This week, in a letter to the editor, my friend Grady Cornish broached the subject of our county being named after Jefferson Davis, the former President of the Confederate States of America. But first, a little history. Most people in Hazlehurst are familiar with the story…
Read MoreRadio Memories — By John Reed
Radio Memories I spend a lot of time on the road these days, visiting schools as a consultant with a music store. As a result, I sometimes find myself so far into the backwoods that radio reception is spotty at best. Sometimes the only program I can get is a local AM station. Those of…
Read MoreCity Council Isn’t Abiding By Charter — By Tommy Purser
I would respectfully recommend to the Mayor of Hazlehurst and the members of the Hazlehurst City Council that they take the time to read the City Charter. It’s a document that they appear to be unfamiliar with. And that’s a shame. They were elected to office to, among other things, conduct the city’s business in…
Read MoreSouthern Hospitality — By John Reed
Southern Hospitality My vacation took me across six states last week, through the heart of the old Confederacy. Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, Virginia, North and South Carolina. Everywhere we went, there were reminders of Civil War. Or the War Between the States. Or the War of Northern Aggression. Or the Recent Unpleasantness. Many terms for what…
Read MoreGrowing Tomatoes — By Tommy Purser
I think I’m going to have a bumper crop of tomatoes this year in my small raised garden in the backyard. Last year was a washout. Got lots of stalks and leaves but only a few tomatoes. This year I did things differently and, while the season is still young, the start thus far is…
Read MoreMaking Good Choices — By John Reed
Making Good Choices I am writing this from western Virginia, in the cabin of a rented houseboat on a beautiful mountain lake. As I sit here on the boat enjoying a glass of Oakhill ‘17, I think about what led me here. Critics will decry my bragging of my status, a clear case of racial…
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