Opinions

Ruffin’s Renderings: Thoughts and a prayer

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Tuesday, October 27. 2020

By Mike Ruffin
ruffinml@gmail.com

You are probably reading this during the week before Election Day. (I am aware that with early and mail-in voting, we actually have an Election Season now. I am also aware that the presidential election may not be decided for a while. Or maybe we will know the winner when we go to bed on November 3. I’m further aware that one Georgia Senate race will almost certainly go to a runoff.) [Full story »]

The coming deemphasis of COVID-19

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Rachel McDaniel

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Tuesday, October 20. 2020

By Walter Geiger
news@barnesville.com

Eric Trump raised eyebrows recently when he alleged COVID-19 would “disappear after the election.” His argument was ‘they’ have used the virus to put a stop to his father’s huge campaign rallies. [Full story »]

Ruffin’s Renderings: Arc voting

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Rachel McDaniel

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Tuesday, October 13. 2020

By Mike Ruffin
ruffinml@gmail.com

Well, here we are, three weeks from Election Day. We’re in the stretch drive. It’s a sprint to the finish. This one’s for all the marbles. (Apply other cliches as you see fit.) [Full story »]

I’ll meet you at the lamp post Daddy

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Rachel McDaniel

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Tuesday, October 6. 2020

We buried my Daddy the other day. He now rests with his parents in a beautiful, historic cemetery within a stone’s throw of the Wilmington River in Thunderbolt, Ga. I am the eldest of his four children and his namesake. It is a name I carry proudly. [Full story »]

Ruffin’s Renderings: Sixty-two

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Rachel McDaniel

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Tuesday, September 29. 2020

By Mike Ruffin
ruffinml@gmail.com

I turned sixty-two years old on September 24. My college students think that makes me ancient. Some of you think I’m still young. Those of you were also born in 1958 are probably thinking, “Yeah, me too.” To my contemporaries, I say, “I’m glad we made it.” I also say, “I wish we all had.” [Full story »]

The right to be ‘different’ now

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Rachel McDaniel

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Monday, September 21. 2020

By Kay S. Pedrotti
kayspedrotti@gmail.com

This is a column I never thought I would be writing. Not because I am afraid or appalled, but because the subject creates in my mind such a contradictory mixture of heartache, cheering, conflicting emotions, unconditional love, and even hope. [Full story »]

Voting: A Lesson From My Father

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Rachel McDaniel

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Tuesday, September 15. 2020

By Mike Ruffin
ruffinml@gmail.com

Some of you remember my father, the late great Champ Ruffin. He died in 1979, so he’s been gone a long time. But his lessons endure. And he taught me a valuable lesson about voting. [Full story »]

Geiger’s Counter: Reliving a period of pure evil

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Rachel McDaniel

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Tuesday, September 8. 2020

I and a handful of others relived a period that saw this region come face-to-face with pure evil last week as a television crew from Jupiter Entertainment came to town to shoot an episode of the popular ‘Snapped’ series on the Donald Clark murder.

This was not like HBO’s crew that shot ‘Sharp Objects’ or the throngs of folks from Marvel Studios who were in the area shooting ‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’. [Full story »]

Ruffin’s Renderings: Wounded leaders

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Rachel McDaniel

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Tuesday, September 1. 2020

Mike Ruffin
ruffinml@gmail.com

A man named Jacob is one of the lead characters in the biblical book of Genesis, and he’s a fascinating one. He and his brother were twin sons born to a woman named Rebekah, who was married to Abraham’s son Isaac. [Full story »]

Ruffin’s Renderings: What are we doing here?

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Rachel McDaniel

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Tuesday, August 18. 2020

By Mike Ruffin
ruffinml@gmail.com

The people of Israel were in a precarious situation when the prophet Elijah came on the scene in the eighth century bc. King Ahab had married a Phoenician princess named Jezebel, who worshiped the fertility god and goddess Baal and Asherah. She put her money where her mouth was, providing room and board for 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah. [Full story »]

Putting COVID-19 anger into perspective

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Rachel McDaniel

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Tuesday, August 11. 2020

I broke quarantine over the weekend and went to Athens to help the youngest move into her new apartment. She will be a junior at UGA this fall and we couldn’t be prouder of her and her big sister. [Full story »]

Ruffin’s Renderings: On the front lines

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Rachel McDaniel

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Tuesday, August 4. 2020

By Mike Ruffin
ruffinml@gmail.com

I’m sure you join me in appreciating those who are on the front lines of the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic. [Full story »]

Sports not the same without fans

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Rachel McDaniel

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Tuesday, July 28. 2020

The first sports I saw televised without fans in attendance during these troubled times (aren’t you sick of hearing that?) were soccer contests from Europe and South America. Some piped in crowd noise at the stadium. Some added it to the broadcast. [Full story »]

Ruffin’s Renderings: Laughing to keep from crying

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Rachel McDaniel

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Tuesday, July 21. 2020

By Mike Ruffin
ruffinml@gmail.com

I follow the Twitter account @WatergateDayOf. Its description says, “Tweeting out the events of Watergate as they happened 47 years ago.” [Full story »]

Geiger’s Counter: Maybe we need the root doctor

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Rachel McDaniel

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Tuesday, July 14. 2020

Growing up in Savannah, one often heard snitches of conversation about the root doctor. I remember wondering what or who the root doctor was and where he stayed. [Full story »]