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Conviction isn't fitting for McDowell   04/14/13 - 12:03am

It is intellectual laziness to say, as some noisy people do, that “all politicians are crooks.”

No one who speaks in absolutes should be taken seriously.

Still, it is extraordinarily troubling to see the conviction of Grovetown City Councilman Sonny McDowell on federal bribery charges. Not because it provides anecdotal proof of political dishonesty to the loud, lazy thinkers, but because it is undeniable that Sonny is a good man.

He also, at the moment, is a convicted felon. Those two things are pretty hard to square up. It just doesn’t fit.

 

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One famous visitor didn't have a ticket   04/10/13 - 12:04am

This week the eyes of the world are on the Augusta National Golf Club, where our favorite local golf tournament is played this week.

People-watching is almost as big as golf, and celebrity sightings are a premium as the rich and famous come from all over to check out The Masters.

But I was reminded this week of one of the more famous people to visit the Augusta National, a Columbia County resident who made an unscheduled visit 30 years ago.

 

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Time to hear from out-of-towners   04/07/13 - 12:02am

This is a gigantic week for sports in Georgia, starting with the University of Georgia’s G-Day Game Saturday, and college basketball’s Final Four in Atlanta this weekend. The rest of the week? It’s all about Augusta and the Masters.

But there’s another sport that will be all too familiar to locals: Reading the various reviews of our community from visiting journalists.

The good news is that, because they’re typically published in those writers’ hometowns, we don’t always hear about them. The bad news is because of the Internet, we often do.

 

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Would it hurt to audit school security?   04/03/13 - 12:00am

Now that the Georgia Legislature has gone home until next year, we can get the good silver back out.

Just kidding. We hocked that long ago. The economy, you know.

But seriously, the good news is that the unfinished business spares us for another year from bad legislation. The bad news is that everything unfinished this year can come back up next year.

That includes gun legislation. In that regard, the best we can hope is that there’s not another mass shooting or other high-profile event between now and then to cause lawmakers to stomp the panic button. Again.

 

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They're all the problem, not the solution   04/02/13 - 11:53am

There’s one thing I learned from asking people for suggestions of questions to ask when interviewing politicians:


Don’t ask people for suggestions of questions to ask when interviewing politicians.


This past Monday I sat down for a little while with 12th District U.S. Rep. John Barrow, and on Tuesday interviewed 10th District Rep. Paul Broun. Beforehand, I asked readers to let me know if they had any questions they wanted answered.


I got a few thoughtful responses. Most of them, though, reminded me of the old WGAC AM radio trivia game, “Stump the Chumps.”

 

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New world of arrogant misbehavior   03/27/13 - 12:02am

Like many people, I’ve seen my share of stories about kids getting in trouble and squandering opportunities because of youthful stupidity.

Thus, I was somewhat inclined to not make a big deal of the 18 members of the Greenbrier High School boys varsity soccer team being kicked off the team and suspended from school for drinking and smoking “spice” on a school trip.

After all, they certainly aren’t the first kids to do stupid things. Heck, just a year ago we were playing this song with members of the Lakeside baseball team.

 

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Lloyd Pate's life certainly was worth it   03/24/13 - 12:03am

Many times I have shared with friends what I consider to be the best opening lines of any book, ever.

In my view, you cannot read the introduction of Lloyd Pate’s book, Reactionary, without getting a sudden, eyes-widening feeling that you must know what happens next.

 

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Marina operators pick a stinker name   03/20/13 - 12:20am

Roy Giles beat me to it.

When I saw Rob Pavey’s story about the new outfit that took over Little River Marina, I nearly gagged when I saw the name they’d chosen for the facility: “Thurmond Marina.”

Who’s advising Classic City Marinas of Athens, I wondered? Ricardo Azziz? They really aren’t from around here, are they?

 

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Stone plans return to take on Barrow   03/17/13 - 12:02am

While it might be nice to pretend we don’t have to even think about elections until next year, the reality of our times is that we don’t have that luxury.

John Stone sure doesn’t. Starting this summer, he’ll have a full-time job: Running for Congress.

You might remember Stone. If you’re an old-timer, you’ll recall his voice from radio news in Augusta. More recently, he might be familiar from the 2008 congressional race that he lost to Democrat John Barrow.

 

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More people, but less crime   03/13/13 - 12:10am

In a county growing as fast as ours, it’s reasonable to believe no one would be surprised if there was a corresponding increase in the crime rate.

After all, isn’t that what we expect to happen? More people, more crime? Heck, add just one apartment complex and you’d expect us to turn into a Detroit that manufactures golf cars, right?

Guess again: In Columbia County, there are more people – but there is less crime.

 

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