Category Archives: Opinions
A musical review of 2022
First, let me set the scene:
Imagine the voice of Johnny Cash and the guitar pickin’ of Carl Perkins, with a rowdy crowd of Folsom Prison inmates cheering them on, to a boom-chicka boom-chicka beat…
Now, in your mind’s ear, take an imaginary listen to my musical review of the old year, as it slowly fades into the tattered pages of history.
Kick it off, Carl!
Boom-chicka boom-chicka boom-chicka, boom…
Well I’m gonna sing a song about 2022
And it goes to the rhythm of “A Boy Named Sue.”
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Our hope for the New Year
We are at the end of another year, and it always brings thoughts of starting fresh and having hope for the future.
Most of us have watched the ball drop on New Year’s Eve, which officially declares “out with the old and in with the new.” At midnight, people from all over the world 
will celebrate the turning of the next page of their lives.
Over the years, the “time ball” has undergone several changes in design, and the most recent was created for the millennial celebration in the year 2000 by Waterford Crystal. It’s a geodesic sphere, six feet in diameter and weighing approximately 1,070 pounds. It’s covered with a total of 504 crystal triangles that vary in size, and each piece has a
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Enrolling in VA life insurance
As of now, for the first time in 50 years, the Department of Veterans Affairs is opening up enrollment in Veterans Affairs Life Insurance, aka VALife. Veterans who 
are age 80 or under, with any level of service-connected disabilities, are guaranteed to be accepted to receive up to $40,000 in whole life insurance.
A bonus is that there is no requirement for medical underwriting, meaning that no one is going to squint
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Billion safety recalls
It was recently disclosed that in the first half of 2022, there were over 1 billion recalls across the country of products that we buy.
That’s billion, with a “b.” Depending on the level of the recall, some of them can be extremely serious … even deadly.
How do we know whether we missed an announcement about a product we own? We can go online
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Saitta talks Highway 11 ordinance
As you may have read or saw on TV, there was a final vote on Scenic Highway 11.
I’m calling this plan passed by the council 5-to-1 (I voted “No”) “The Highway 11 Land Development Act of 2022.” Our section of Highway 11 will end up looking like 
Oconee’s Highway 11 in a matter of time, sad to say.
The council plan does very little to protect the beauty of the highway, as it allows manufacturing, commercial and subdivision development all along Highway 11. Really, it just controls the look of those things.
The dollar stores will be built; they’ll just have to look like a tree. The storage facilities, too; they’ll just have to look like the side of a mountain.
If you went to the public meetings or talked to those who live on the highway, an overwhelming majority oppose new
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Courier Letters to the Editor 12-14-22
Dear Editor,
I know people will be leaving their homes to celebrate Christmas with family and friends, so here are just a few ways to secure your home. Burglar alarms are the best option, but you can add fire alarms and even surveillance cameras if you want to.
I have personal experience with a burglary during the early morning while sleeping. A burglar got the front door open by prying it open. This set off the alarm, which made them run off. Don’t advertise your house — for example, mailbox overfilled, thrown-out papers on the driveway. I have seen this in my 28 years of law
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Wrong shall fail and right prevail
Most people have read or at least heard of a man named Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-82).
He was a literary giant in his lifetime and is still known today in many circles as “The Children’s Poet,” and several schools around our nation are named in his honor. You may remember some of his original works, which include “Paul Revere’s Ride,” “The Song of Hiawatha” and “Evangeline,” and he was the first American to completely translate Dante
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The joys of the food bank
A few months ago I escorted three very nervous elderly ladies to the food bank. By “escorted,” I mean I had to scout out the situation in advance, come back with a report (no, the food bank staff wouldn’t ask embarrassing questions about finances) and then actually take the
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Why, my soul, are you so downcast?
Since before the world was made, God has known you and loved you. He has never taken His eyes away or ignored you. If you were to write down all the blessings and victories He has given to you, they would prove He has called you, has been guiding you, and has many wonderful things planned for your future. Do you believe this today? Is your life heading in a direction that you are excited about, or are you downcast?
At this time of year, it’s common for many people to be filled with a mixture of emotions. Some are dealing with anxiety,
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Justice, security and order dependent on faith in action
To accomplish anything in this world, for something to transition from an idea to reality, knowledge, will and action are necessary. A simple example of this would be building a house. Knowledge alone will not produce a house. The house itself is the fruit of knowledge, will and action.
We can apply this same analogy to building harmonious, prosperous communities, and constructing a society that is characterized by justice and equity. Moral action is light — it is the building material for safe and peaceful communities,
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