Opinions

By Jim Hoak
 
Climb aboard folks for a fast ride through the CFM-YAP shop at Peach State and all the latest.

At the beginning of our Saturday shop session on June 24, interim museum director Keven Sasser thanked our mentors and presented some really great news about our First Annual Youth Aviation Banquet, which is to be held on Saturday, Aug. 12. [Full story »] 

By Mike Ruffin

The other day I was listening to the excellent Georgia Public Broadcasting program On Second Thought. As Athens-based singer/songwriter T. Hardy Morris talked about the 1959 song “Try Me” by James Brown and the Famous Flames, he praised the “perfect mistakes” in Brown’s vocals. Morris was talking about the cracks in Brown’s voice that communicate the song’s emotion. [Full story »] 

“The more prohibitions you have, the less virtuous people will be. The more weapons you have, the less secure people will be. The more subsidies you have, the less self-reliant people will be.
Therefore the Master says: I let go of the law, and people become honest. I let go of economics, and people become prosperous. I let go of religion, and people become serene. I let go of all desire for the common good, and the good becomes common as grass.”
- The Tao Te Ching, Lao Tzu

As we celebrate Independence Day it pays to reflect on just how independent we really are. We remain free of the tyranny of British rule which our forefathers shook off some 240 years ago and which we celebrate this week but just how many more freedoms could we enjoy if we were better governed?

Various people, Thoreau, Thomas Jefferson, etc., are credited with saying ‘He who governs best, governs least’. Perhaps they studied the works of Lao Tzu who lived 2600 years ago. Perhaps not. [Full story »] 

By Ben Maxedon

The July 4 Independence Day celebration has come to mean more about summer time fun than about the freedom we have because of a handful of men that, in many cases, sacrificed everything to resist oppression. It is said that about one-third of the colonists were loyal to England, one-third were revolutionaries and one-third didn’t care one way or the other. One-third of the citizens stood up and fought for the rest of the nation in order to gain freedom for all. [Full story »] 

Julius and Ethel Rosenburg were convicted of espionage at the height of the cold war. They were the ringleaders in a spy ring that provided secrets about America’s atomic bomb program to the Russians. [Full story »] 

I want to let our commissioners and community know how pleased I am with the J. Joel Edwards Public Library.

I was concerned several years ago when the staff was replaced, but I have been very impressed with Rosemary’s efforts to revitalize our public library. I believe she has worked tirelessly to make the library a welcoming place where children and adults are encouraged to use the resources available to broaden their minds and opportunities. [Full story »] 

Many folks deride soccer. They call it communist kickball. They make jokes about soccer flops and, admittedly, the flop videos are hilarious. But, like baseball pitchers deliberately hitting batters, they are part of the game. [Full story »] 

How do you truly thank a hero? How do you say thank you for the nights spent away from family responding to calls? How do you say thank you for taking care of the car wrecks, the violence and the horrors that we don’t have to see? Is there any way to repay them for sacrificing so much to keep us safe each day? The answer is no. There is nothing we could ever do to adequately say thank you. But sometimes, a simple act of kindness scratches the surface of what our law enforcement deserves. [Full story »] 

By Ben Maxedon
prayerpower4u@bellsouth.net

“But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it,” says 2 Timothy 3:14.

Graduation is at hand and you have made it through 12 years of school. You have overcome some real challenges, you have suffered some big and small defeats. For the rest of your life you will encounter many obstacles, some you will overcome and have success while with others of you will experience failure. Just remember, you have 12 years of success behind you and a promising future ahead of you. Take any failures you may have had or will have for what they are, another learning experience. If you dwell on the past or on what could have been, then that is where you will live your whole life with no progress and few if any achievements. [Full story »] 

By Anthony Vinson
advkdv@att.net

Resist, if you insist, but remember this: resistance is demanding. It requires vigilance, fortitude and determination over long periods of time. Resistance is exhausting. It also places the burden on you, the resister, more or less letting he against whom you are resisting off the hook. They just keep doing whatever they did to generate your ire while you sweat calories, endlessly fuss and fret and watch way too much television news. Does that seem right? [Full story »] 

By Barbara Latta

Loving hands held me when I was small, cuddled and fed me, and tucked me in at night. [Full story »] 

By Mike Ruffin
ruffinml@gmail.com

In a few months, we may see the first image of a black hole. This is exciting!

Scientists trained the radio telescopes of eight observatories ranging from Antarctica to Hawaii to Spain on two black holes, one located at the center of our home galaxy, the Milky Way, and another in a galaxy known as M87. Supercomputers will analyze the data and, if all goes according to plan, we’ll get to see a picture of a black hole for the first time. [Full story »] 

By Spencer Price
stpricemd@gmail.com

Math – for many, mere mention of the subject sends chills down the spine. However, in the case of the Producer Reproducer Ratio, it isn’t the math that’s scary – it’s the implications.

The Producer Reproducer Ratio or, PRR, is a concept I came up with a few years ago in an effort to explain a point to a friend regarding the economics of childrearing. I derived the notion from my mother’s oft repeated comment in which she said “The nine months it takes to get ‘em here is easy, it’s the 18 years it takes to raise ‘em that’s hard.” Having had six children of her own, I consider her a bit of an authority on the subject. [Full story »] 

First Lieutenant Robert Eugene Oxford of Concord became missing in action during World War II on Jan. 25, 1944 over the Himalayan Mountains. For more than 73 years, the family and Pike County have been waiting for his return. Remains were discovered and recently identified as those of Lt. Oxford. [Full story »]