Choose Wisely

Dear Editor,

Is it just me, or have you noticed that you “doubt” anything you read anymore? Are you doubting what is real and what is just propaganda or hype? Are you doubting Snopes? Are you doubting the news on TV?

I can remember a time when if you saw it on the 6 p.m. news at night you knew it was true. This is by design, people. They want us to believe there are no absolutes … everything is relative … everyone has a valid “reason” for everything they do that is clearly against God’s covenant with His people in the Ten Commandments.

I suggest to you that many of us are at fault for this happening in how we rear our children. When they misbehave or do something blatantly wrong, the first thing out of our mouth is “Why did you do that?” Folks, this is setting them up to think “well, if I can come up with a good enough excuse, I won’t be in trouble.”

Hillary Clinton and the Democrats are the party of excuses. They are the party of playing the victim card. They are the party of denying God’s word as absolute. They want us to believe wrong is not really wrong — it just depends on the circumstances. They want us to believe sin is not sin — because there are several religions and each should person should choose the religion that suits “their” needs. They want us to believe one can break the laws if they have good reason.

There is only one God, and He has told us what the absolutes are in how to know what is morally good and what is morally wrong.

In the 2016 election, we have two main candidates, both who have sinned and fell short of the glory of the Lord, like we all have.

However, Hillary refuses to admit that she does anything wrong and that she is above the law.

Trump is for securing our borders and not allowing people in who don’t honor the rule of law.

Please, please understand that this election cycle will prove if we are a people who believe there are absolutes or we are a people who believe everything is relative. Or in other words, this election is morality vs. conformity.

Vote Trump, because Hillary has proven she lies so much she has begun to think that even if she lies it’s OK because she had a good reason for it. She is no more different than the terrorist Islamists who claim it is acceptable to lie as long as their goal is jihad and world domination. She is a power-hungry woman who has no moral compass, period.

Sure, Trump has sinned, too, but he truly loves America and he truly understands the number one job of the president of the United States is to protect its citizens! He will secure the border and he will bring jobs back to America! And he knows capitalism beats socialism every single time. Socialism does not work — never has, never will!

You are responsible for the direction of your life.

Are you going to let government be God?

Individualism vs. collectivism. Absolutes vs. relativism. Morality vs. conformity. Right vs. wrong. Capitalism vs. socialism. Trump vs. Hillary. Choose wisely, because your future depends on it.

Johnnelle Raines

Pickens

In too many senior patients, going under general anesthesia for surgery can leave a lingering problem with impaired concentration or memory. It’s called post-operative cognitive dysfunction, and in some cases, the effects might be permanent.

The potential damage can depend on the degree of anesthesia. Add that to the trauma of the surgery itself, and there can be damage to the central nervous system.

A study done in Brazil might have an answer to this growing problem: a drug called dexamethasone, an anti-inflammatory. If given before an operation, the drug can help avoid problems while under anesthesia.

For this study, researchers looked at 140 patients (ages 60 to 87) and gave pre-surgery tests to determine their mental status. During surgery itself, the patients were divided into four groups and were given varying levels of anesthesia. Only some of them were given the drug. The testing was double-blind, which means none of the participants or researchers knew who was getting what.

The bottom line: All participants were tested on Days 3, 7, 21, 90 and 180 after surgery, with their cognitive and mental skills compared to their pre-surgery levels. The group that had superficial anesthesia plus the drug had 15.3 percent post-operative cognitive dysfunction, but within six months all those patients had returned to the pre-surgery testing levels.

If you’re scheduled for surgery, have a atalk with your doctor and your surgeon about the level of anesthesia you’re likely to receive. Deep anesthesia might not be required, and it shouldn’t be done routinely. Ask about the dexamethasone, too. Not everyone can take it, but it’s worth asking about if it helps preserve cognitive function.

(c) 2016 King Features Synd., Inc.

A former Marine in Nevada has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for a nationwide scam involving millions of dollars taken from the pockets of trusting people.

The scam involved Nigerian oil wherein the perp claimed to be a Shell Oil heir, an oil expert who’d already sunk $500 million of his trust fund into the venture. Investors’ dollars would go toward the purchase of an oil refinery in the Bahamas, where the crude oil would be shipped. Among the charges were conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, passing a fictitious financial instrument, lying to the feds and failure to file income-tax returns. Oh, and he also submitted false claims to the Department of Veterans Affairs.

The good: He’s going away for a very long time.

The bad: While the case dragged on, he was a free man. For over two years his attorneys filed repeated objections or requests for delay. It was the tenth one where the judge drew the line: DENIED, it said on the court documents, when an attorney claimed he hadn’t had enough time to review the case.

Why, one wonders, if he was raking in all that dough, did he also insist on defrauding the VA? Part of the multi-agency suit against him was for claiming service-related injury, which got him “decades” worth of disability benefits totaling thousands of dollars per month.

How was he injured? He hurt his knee playing basketball in 1970 and was given a medical discharge. Apparently he claimed benefits for his knee all these years, saying he couldn’t work.

Which begs the question: How is it that he could claim benefits for so many years without anyone checking? Without even being brought in for an examination or X-rays? Wouldn’t it be reasonable to assume that a basketball injury might get better in a few years?

(c) 2016 King Features Synd., Inc.

It’s not enough to say we have X number of homeless veterans on the street. Before there can be real solutions, we have to know why those veterans are out there, and specifically what they need. The Community Homelessness Assessment, Local Education and Networking Groups (aka CHALENG) is organized to bring together all those who can work to remove barriers for those homeless veterans.

CHALENG has two goals: pair Department of Veterans Affairs service providers with those in the civilian community, and conduct surveys to identify the real needs of homeless veterans. Previous surveys have allowed the VA to pinpoint and then create programs to fill specific needs. A 2015 CHALENG survey of over 6,000 participants showed the following:

• Needs that are generally being met for homeless veterans included medical services, testing for TB and HIV, services for psychiatric problems, substance-abuse treatment and case management.

• The top two unmet needs were the same for both male and female veterans, with housing for registered sex offenders being first on the list, followed by child care.

• Legal issues — hurdles that many veterans can’t overcome on their own and the VA can’t provide — include preventing an eviction, credit counseling, having a discharge upgraded, dealing with outstanding warrants and fines, child support and restoring a drivers license.

• Veterans between the ages of 45-60 provided the bulge in the bell curve, with their numbers exceeding half the total.

CHALENG has been able to bring together help from services for veterans families, dental programs, Housing and Urban Development housing help and legal programs.

If you’re a veteran who is at risk of being homeless or needs services, there is help. Veterans and families can call 1-877-4AID-VET (1-877-424-3838) to get VA services. You also can call the closest VA Medical Center. Don’t wait until your situation is dire. Address it early and ask for help.

(c) 2016 King Features Synd., Inc.

Brooke and Andrew are visiting this week from Arkansas.

They’re 8 and 10 now and interested in everything on the farm, including Dixie, our black mare. She enjoys a shower when it’s hot. They all like to have their feet washed off.

Andrew also learned how to gather eggs out from under hens who are sitting on the nest. The white hens are not a problem, so egg removal from their nests was a smooth operation. However, one of the Dominecker hens has some personal issues and tries to peck anyone who wants her eggs. Andrew has been pecked twice, but is valiant and gathered 15 eggs yesterday.

Brooke has learned how to make homemade peach ice cream with an egg custard base. She mashed the peaches up with the potato masher and stirred everything together. She’s got it down pat, knows to layer the ice and ice cream salt in the churn and we believe could now do it on her own.

This morning, early, she ran out and picked blueberries and then helped make blueberry pancakes.

She’s a natural born cook.

Last night we planned to have fried okra, which the children have never had.

So Fowler brought them a paur of plastic gloves and they sat next to me at the counter, each with their own chopping board and small knife, and proceeded to carefully chop the okra up for frying.

It’s child labor, but as Grandmama always said, “If they can walk, they can work.”

She would be proud of these great-grandchildren. They are a credit to the family.

It will be another busy day.

Tomorrow they will dig up potatoes and help make French fries for supper.

They didn’t realize that potatoes grow underground, but now they know. So tomorrow they will perform the entire cycle of making French fries all the way from the dirt to the table.

It’s a win-win situation for us all.

Yum, Yum.

It’s amazing how much help small hands can be.

If we need something. one of the children can run and get it before I can get out of a chair. Today we plan to hunt horseshoes.

My brother and Fowler will hide them, and we will have a team competition.

Last year Brooke and Andrew were the champions. Perhaps this year Laura and I can do better, but they are very difficult to find.

It will develop our character to lose gracefully if they retain their championship. But it would be thrilling to be the victors.

We’ll know shortly.

After that, Andrew is going fishing and the ladies are going to Greenville before the heat makes it unbearable to visit downtown.

Advice to the newest generation

Dear Editor,

Here’s something for the newest generation to think on. Always follow your dreams, for if you give up on them you will never be happy.

It’s far better to try and fail than to never try and wonder for the rest of your life what might have been. Don’t spend your time on the way to the grave saying, “if only.”

Expect resistance, for everyone who dares to dream gets it.

There are always the two ones — ones as in, there is always one in every crowd, and one monkey doesn’t stop the show.

Fear will destroy you if you let it. Don’t.

You never know until you try.

When you succeed, don’t take on a narcissistic complex. Be grateful for the praise of others and be humbled by it, not letting it go to your head. In other words, don’t blow and brag about your successes in life. Braggarts are a dime a dozen. You are never too old to find success. Harland Sanders was 62 when he started a restaurant in Corbin, Ky., which eventually became Kentucky Fried Chicken.

He lived, I believe, to 97 years of age.

It’s never too late. Keep dreaming, keep trying.

Don’t stop believing in yourself.

Eddie Boggs

Westminster

Community should be proud of PSC

Dear Editor,

I have just been amazed at the Pickens Senior Center from the first time I visited there. Having taught in Pickens County schools for 36 years, I remembered the place as the old Hagood School.

I was visiting the center because a dear senior friend kept telling me about a jam session for senior musicians. He said that the seniors enjoyed playing string instruments together and a wonderful supper was served to seniors on Tuesday nights at a minimal cost. Since my 91-year-old father loves to pick his guitar and is constantly looking for jam sessions, I took my friend up on visiting the Senior Center, even though it meant a good 40-mile round trip to get there and back.

I was so surprised to see the transformation that had occurred in the old school and all the programs, activities and things to do that were offered there for seniors. I was told that the program is basically run with volunteer help. I understand that the building and programs operate with the help of fundraisers, donations and a very small membership fee. I was told that most of the renovations or repairs had been done basically by volunteers in the community.

The people at the center explained to me that a meal was available to seniors at a minimal cost at lunch time and on the Tuesday night music jam night another minimal cost meal was available. I may add that the meals are very tasty and are a balanced nutritional meal. There was a busy group in the kitchen preparing, cooking and cleaning up.

A real team spirit and effort was evident all around the center. As I sat there eating my meal, I began to realize that this center provides not just a meal or classes, but also provides a safe, caring place for seniors to come socialize and visit their friends and neighbors. Many of the people I have met there have no children living in the area and they are lonely at times and are seeking companionship and someone to talk to.

It is so nice to have a safe, warm and friendly place for seniors to come and enjoy themselves. It makes that 40-mile round trip we make every Tuesday evening worth the effort. The Pickens community should be proud!

Anita E. Collins

Greenville

Thank you to the Courier

Dear Editor,

Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative and Blue Ridge Security Solutions employees recently delivered checks to all 12 of our Blue Ridge Fest-sponsored charities. We were joined by many of our corporate-sponsor representatives in making those presentatiosn. This year’s record $201,000 in net process, I’m proud to note, enabled us to leave a sizeable financial donation with each of these fine human-help agencies.

There were many ingredients that contributed to the success of this year’s charity fundraiser. Certainly one of those was the generous coverage Blue Ridge Fest received from the Pickens County Courier. The Beach Night attendance this time around was the best to date, and your promotion of the event undoubtedly helped to produce that happy result.

On behalf of Blue Ridge Fest, I want to extend my sincere thanks to you for your valuable support. You can be sure that multitudes of struggling individuals and families in this area will benefit from your involvement. I also want to add my commendation for the year-round quality job your news outlet does in serving our Upstate community.

Charles E. Dalton

Blue Ridge Electric Coop

President and CE

Thanks from local youth volleyballers

Dear Editor:

What outstanding folks we have in this area! When our 12 and under Carolina One Volleyball Team qualified for the 2016 USAV Junior Nationals in Indianapolis, and funds were needed in order to participate, we were overwhelmed with support! First of all, our team parents, led by Team Mom Lyndsay Earnhardt, stepped in, planned and organized amazing fundraisers. Our players and parents all worked hard, and the community stepped up big to the plate! I want to thank everyone who participated in our fundraiser activities, donated money, prizes and who in any way helped out the FIRE team!

The Pickens Azalea Festival organizers allowed us to set up a booth to sell raffle tickets and candy. We were also assisted by World’s Finest Chocolate. Bojangles’ gave us a percentage of sales at our Bojangles’ Night. The Pickens and Easley teams at Wal-Mart, along with Eric Butler of the Anderson Wal-Mart, allowed us to set up and collect donations. Off the Wall Monograms helped with water bottles for the team and coaches. Powdersville Embroidery’s John Brouse gave us a great discount on T-shirts. Former Pickens High volleyball players and other well-wishers contributed to a GoFundMe account for us. We were allowed to use Legacy Square for a very successful yard sale and a Boy Scout Troop whose number I regret I do not have, let us share the square with them as they washed cars for their own donations!

Jon Guenther, the pro at the Country Club, was very helpful with our golf tournament. Our hole sponsors were Whitaker Tires; Tietex International; Rudy’s Exxon; Brian K. James LLC, Attorney at Law; Precision Textiles; Vita Nonwovens; and Dolly’s Roofing Inc. Prizes were donated by Park Place Corp; TaylorMade; Solid Gold; Pizza Inn; Pepsi, Cherokee Valley Golf Course; Pickens County Country Club; Larry Looper; and Lowe’s.

The following area businesses made generous monetary contributions: Walgreens; Auntie Ann’s; Tony’s; Parkette Food Service; Pepsi; Future Foam; Pickens Savings and Loan; Hiott Printing; Border Concepts; Main Street Pizzeria; Universal Forest Products; Yanks; Coastal Corrugated Inc; Pickens Auto Repair; Fletcher Place Farm; The Gatehouse; ELABS; Pickens Family Dentistry; 183 Automotive; Thomas Realty; and Fiesta Grill Liberty.

So to those listed, and to everyone who bought raffle tickets, candy, or stuff at the yard sale, gave us donations at Wal-Mart, played in the golf tournament, or helped in any way, thank you all so very much! Our girls were allowed a wonderful experience because of your tremendous generosity. For any omissions on my part, I apologize, but please know we do appreciate your help.

By the way, FIRE did well, going 5-5 in the four-day event. We lost close matches to teams from Richland Hills,Texas; Kansas; Griffith, Ind.; Oklahoma; and Buffalo, N.Y.; however we defeated teams from New York City; Amarillo, Texas; Virginia Beach; Delaware; and Plainfield, Ind., finishing 35th out of the top 96 teams in the nation and Puerto Rico. Most importantly, FIRE represented Pickens, Dacusville and Powdersville with pride, effort, and class and had a wonderful time at Nationals!

Peggy Anthony

Head coach

Carolina One 12U Black Team, Pickens Division

The best stories were told on the front porch in the evening. Grandmama and Mama would sit in the rocking chairs, weary from the day’s activities. They’d sip glasses of iced tea.

We children would run through the dusky evening with our Mason jars, home to lightning bugs for a brief time.

There would be holes punched in the lids of the jars with an ice pick from the kitchen.

I remember being very careful when we punched the holes so the bugs could breathe.

We’d run and laugh and when tired out, would come back to the front porch and sit on the steps.

And there we’d hear family stories, told and retold over the years.

There was one about our great Aunt Bonner, who was Grandmama’s older sister. She’d grown up in the house we lived in that was home to five generations of our family. She had a wicked sense of humor, and there were no dull moments when she was on the premises.

She was the one sent to the Maxton depot to pick up Aunt Mary Bellamy, who was coming to visit from Wilmington.

Aunt Mary was very proper and very proud. So instead of taking the buggy to pick up Aunt Mary, Sister Bonner hitched the mules to the wagon and brought Aunt Mary home to Sycamore Hill in a style she was unaccustomed to.

Sister Bonner was the one who’d hide in the graveyard in the evening draped in a sheet and would rise from behind the tombstones to startle anyone passing through. She was incorrigible.

Sister Bonner would come to visit when I was a child. She was a very old lady but lively, with a quick wit.

Grandmama said Sister Bonner was always up to something. Our great Aunt Olivia, the baby of that generation, had long, thick, wavy blond hair that came down below her waist. She could sit on it.

But Sister Bonner thought a trim would keep Aunt Olivia cooler in the summer. Or so she said. So Sister Bonner took the scissors out into the yard, sat Aunt Olivia down and cut her hair so short she looked almost bald.

Grandmama said all the girls wore 12 petticoats in the winter and six in summer. But even so encumbered, by our standards, they pursued lots of activities. They rowed the canoe down the river, rode side-saddle, swam, danced and played instruments. Friends would come to visit and stay for weeks.

Music was a big part of their lives, and they could all play and sing. Aunt Olivia was said to have a beautiful voice, and Grandmama would accompany her on the piano. As children, when Aunt Olivia would visit, she’d sing to us. She had a repertoire for children’s ears — “Froggy Went a Courting,” “String Beans and Irish Potatoes” and “I Wish I Was Single Again,” one of our favorites.

Summer was always a time of long visits from relatives. And they were a family of talkers.

We children were an almost forgotten audience on the front porch, hearing about the memories they all had from growing up at Sycamore Hill, where summer went on forever and watermelons were plentiful.

Old times there are not forgotten.

A growing problem

Dear Editor,

I want to thank all who voted in the June primary and run-off elections. Your participation and support was greatly appreciated.

I met many people during the county council campaign and gained some insight into the problems our county faces. Most are broader and deeper than most realize.

For example, all the county council candidates in all the races supported a new, renovated and/or bigger jail. Talking with patrolmen, a deputy, DSS, the solicitor, an employee at the jail and even a couple of former inmates, I came to realize the problem is beyond just building a new jail. The solicitor said 80 percent of those in the LEC are there for methamphetamine — making it, stealing to get money for it, getting high on it and then committing some other crime. Build a bigger jail, yes, but realize it will fill up in a short time.

There is also a legal aspect to the problem — not enough prosecutors, court time and public defenders — but that is not the scary part.

Meth is a devastating drug — poison. Look at some of its ingredients: acetone, which is paint thinner; lithium, used in batteries; toluene, used in brake fluid; anhydrous ammonia, used in countertop cleaners. Nor is meth like alcohol or marijuana, which take years to become a habit. A person becomes addicted to meth after using it once or twice. Also, the rehab success rate is extremely low — less than 15 percent — for meth addicts, so it is a tough clinical problem, too.

Add in most users are on government assistance, so they are sustained in their drug use and crimes — a maintained class, a class that is growing in the county. So it’s a social problem.

What’s the solution? Pseudoephedrine (PSE) is a key ingredient. Making PSE prescription-only like in Oregon and Mississippi could be one step. The drug companies will not like that, but our legislature must seriously consider this.

Since the rehab rate is so low, the cure is most likely to be generational — doing more to make sure our youth never try the stuff in the first place. Opportunity is the key there. If a kid graduates high school and lands a job here in Pickens, that’s the kind of habit we want him to fall into. Without such job opportunities, he could fall into a bad habit, and too many obviously are.

I’m all for building tourism, but that should not be the focus of our economic development. Tourism creates minimum-wage jobs. We need gainful employment — jobs generating a living wage and career paths. This is the economic piece of problem/solution.

I learned we are facing a very broad challenge here — law enforcement, legal, clinical, social and economic. It requires a coordinated effort across agencies that frankly I just don’t see right now. It needs to be undertaken, though, because the situation is quietly getting worse.

Alex Saitta

Pickens

Expanding Options

Dear Editor,

As a parent of children attending Pickens County schools, I have been disheartened and discouraged by the actions of the School District of Pickens County in its recent school closing decisions. These decisions and the contentious environment surrounding them have not only impacted the parents directly, but also our family members, friends and neighbors. The concerns of everyone affected now center on providing the best possible educational opportunities for our students. An option to provide a superior education here in Pickens County has presented itself with the 2018 opening of Clearview Collegiate Academy, which will serve grades 6-12.

Clearview Collegiate Academy will provide a host of advantages to its students. Core courses will be coupled with unique project-based learning modules in the middle school years. For the high school students, CCA will offer the opportunity for a student to obtain two years of college credit during the 11th and 12th grade years. During these college-level courses, students will receive more face-to-face instruction time than is required by the dual credit provider. CCA also plans an elite sports program with a goal of 30 percent of participating athletes receiving at least one offer to play on a collegiate level.

What is exceptional about this learning environment is that it meets the students on their own level and formulates a plan to have them achieve a competitive academic and athletic level when entering college. If a student is not yet ready for college-level learning, CCA will prepare that student for the transition to college-level work by providing needed interventions and free tutoring.

The CCA charter school is currently seeking accreditation through the School District of Pickens County. This accreditation process includes an initial letter of intent, a formal application and finally a vote from the SDPC board members. This vote provides an opportunity for the SDPC board to rise above prior conflicts and political agendas and to prove to the residents of Pickens County that they can make decisions in the best interests of the students.

I ask that every resident and/or parent in Pickens County contact each of the school board members individually, requesting that they vote “yes” for accreditation of the Clearview Collegiate Academy.

Deana McAnulty

Pickens

Humanity is divided into two basic groups. There are those who are willing to run over you in the parking lot when you fall down, and there are those in the parking lot who run to help you up.

Maybe that is a somewhat primitive test, but it is an accurate one.

Now the story I’m about to tell did not happen to me, but to a dear friend. And it happened just a few days ago in Pickens.

My friend Dot was in the drive-thru at Arby’s. She had already been to the bank and the produce stand and had picked up chicken at KFC. The person manning the drive-thru was young, short and female. Dot’s car cut off in the midst of her transaction, and she couldn’t get it cranked. It was brutally hot — close to 100 degrees — and there was a line was forming behind her.

The little girl working the drive-thru left the window and rushed out into the heat and told Dot she was going to push the car into a parking space.

Dot protested, telling her she couldn’t allow her to do that.

The little girl responded, “Well, who else you got?” Of course there was no answer to that, for there was no one else.

The young lady stepped back into the store and drafted a customer who was willing and able to help, and together they pushed the car on through while Dot steered. And then, Dot discovered her cellphone was dead, and this young lady helped her get into the store.

The customer took her to his table to join his wife, who offered the loan of her cellphone so Dot could call someone to come and get her. AAA was also called to come and get the car.

This couple waited with Dot until Carla, another friend, arrived to take Dot home. They transferred the produce and chicken into Carla’s car, and only then did they leave.

After Carla got Dot home, they discovered that AAA wouldn’t pick up the car unless the owner was there. So they drove back down the mountain to Arby’s and waited. Time passed. And passed.

Finally, they went inside in the cool and ate supper. AAA had apparently had many calls for help and didn’t arrive until after 7 p.m. After the car was hauled away, Carla and Dot went back up the mountain. It had been an ordeal of no small order, but was finally at an end.

If not for the kind hearts and generous spirits of the young woman in the drive-thru and the customers in the store, Dot believes she would have succumbed to heat stroke, plus the fried chicken would have been ruined. As it was, these kind people, who were much more useful than a superhero would have been, showed up when needed and saved the day.

Thank you to all the kind people who are all around us but who remain in the background until a crisis arises, when they come to the rescue.

Financial conscience

Dear Editor,

I read the news story on the Pickens County 2016-17 school budget. It was very informative and comprehensive. I can’t help but think our elected leaders always put their best foot forward to the public. For instance, they told us all the things they were buying with our tax dollars, but seemed to leave out a few important details when it came to how they were paying for it all.

Then school board member Alex Saitta told the rest of the story, that school district savings are being wiped out and the district has eliminated 65 teaching positions. I know all these other things they are buying are helpful, but what is most important when it comes to education is teachers teaching students. Larger class sizes are harmful to students, and they would have never told us that.

Mr. Saitta has proven to be the financial conscience of the school board and the town crier for our county when it comes to the school board. Without him, God only knows what they’d be doing, and we’d never know about it.

Barry Myers

Pickens