Category Archives: Opinions
Nothing to fear but fear itself
I’m thinking about getting a special flag to attach to my car. Maybe a white background with a red heart in the center and two white doves inside the heart. And on the outside edge, running around the heart, it should say “Love one another.”
I’ve puzzled and pondered the riot in Charlottesville, Va., and still don’t understand why people would do what was done.
There are a lot of viewpoints in the world, and of course a lot of them are not appealing to me. That doesn’t mean I plan to march up and down the peaceful streets of Pickens rallying my followers to hate my neighbors
You do not have permission to view this content
Subscribe Today or Login
Importance of a purpose in life
There are many ingredients that make our existence successful. One is having a purpose in life. When we are young, we prepare for a career. Then we engage in our career.
As we get older and we retire, the purpose dims. Is it to play golf or tennis? Probably not. Those are just enjoyable activities. One purpose that we can’t underestimate in value is family — being a good spouse, parent and grandparent. Another is to volunteer for a position in a school system, health organization, church or other type of organization where you use your skills to benefit the community.
Finding our purpose is easy compared to a person who has developed any
You do not have permission to view this content
Subscribe Today or Login
Letters to the Editor
Letter to our xenophobic president
Dear Editor,
To our xenophobic president: Who are you to only allow immigrants who can speak English into the USA?!
My grandmother, who migrated from Poland, spoke only seven words of English. My grandmother never spoke English, but she did more for this country then you can imagine.
One of her sons was wounded at the battle of Pearl Harbor, and another son
You do not have permission to view this content
Subscribe Today or Login
Please don’t destroy our coastline
I love South Carolina for its people and beauty. We have mountains, lakes, waterfalls and one of the most beautiful coastlines on the Atlantic Ocean. The new regulations that banned offshore drilling have only been in place for a little more than a year, and it was a battle to get them passed.
So, when I read that the Trump administration has turned back the clock on offshore drilling, rolled back safety regulations and ignored the needs of coastline communities, I literally couldn’t believe it. But it’s true. And it is frightening.
There is no known safe way to drill off our coast. That is fact. Spills are
You do not have permission to view this content
Subscribe Today or Login
Courier Letters to the Editor 8-9-17
Not our values
Dear Editor,
The people of Pickens County are being presented with a great opportunity. Whether we rise to the challenge or lapse into apathy is entirely up to us.
When my neighbor and I first heard about the proposed development at Glassy Mountain, we launched into action. Early in our efforts, we were warned that the biggest challenge in opposing this development was
You do not have permission to view this content
Subscribe Today or Login
VA caregiver program
The Department of Veterans Affairs caregiver program is back. That should 
be great news to people who were left in limbo after the VA pulled the plug on thousands of caregivers earlier this year while it considered how to revamp the program.
The Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers gives aid to eligible veterans who were severely injured on or after Sept. 11, 2001, and who need personal care for daily activities, such as bathing and dressing, or who need supervision or protection because of impairment. Care must be required for
You do not have permission to view this content
Subscribe Today or Login
Think you’re too old for a pet? Fiddlesticks!
One of the saddest things I’ve overheard lately was a woman who’d just lost her very senior cat. She’d loved that cat for years and would have made a 
great owner for another one from the local shelter. But she hesitated, afraid she would die before the cat did, and then the cat would go the shelter and possibly be put down.
I hope there aren’t many of us who feel that way. Shelters are full of cats and dogs that need love, and
You do not have permission to view this content
Subscribe Today or Login
Navigating through the game of Life
I’m familiar with Monopoly, Checkers, Operation and Mr. Potato Head. We played Monopoly for hours on end as children, but pretty much had our own flexible set of rules, which evolved over the length of the game. If you 
ran out of money, you borrowed from the bank. We’d write I.O.U. on little slips of paper with the amount owed and place in the upturned lid of the box. If the money ran out in the bank, the game was over.
In my innocence, I thought the game of Life would be similar. And in some ways it is, but in other ways it can be deadly.
We all played in Arkansas.
Each player selected a plastic car and placed a person/peg in it. We’d spin, move our cars, land on a square and, according to what was printed on the You do not have permission to view this content
Subscribe Today or Login
‘Taps’: Do you have what it takes?
Since Memorial Day, Gettysburg National Cemetery has held the One Hundred Nights of Taps, which will end Sept. 4.
Every night at precisely 7 p.m., a bugler plays “Taps” at Soldier Monument. 
Buglers have ranged from 11 to 82 years of age and have come from all over the country. The one thing they have in common is a desire to play “Taps” to honor those who have served our country.
While it’s great that 100 people are coming together for this months-long effort, every day there are military funerals across the country where no bugler is available. In those cases, they
You do not have permission to view this content
Subscribe Today or Login
Where should I retire?
Where should I retire?” That’s a big question for many seniors. We can review “Best of” lists — such as places with lowest state taxes, cities that are senior friendly and more — but until we actually visit an area, we can’t know if it’s right for us.
Vacation can be a perfect time to preview an area. Here’s how:
• Take a rental in your proposed area and see what it’s like. Is there plenty of local shopping? How about libraries and museums?
• Schedule a look-see of a few possible homes with a real estate agent and get a good look at the market. Ask lots of questions, especially about safe
You do not have permission to view this content
Subscribe Today or Login
