Category Archives: Opinions
School board trustee weighs in on book uproar
Under Title 59 of the code of laws of South Carolina, the school board is given executive, legislative and judicial authority over the school district. Whether the book “Stamped: Racism, Antiracism and You” is in our schools is ultimately a decision that clearly sits on the lap of the school board trustees.
The mission of the school district is to educate our children and prepare them for community life, advanced college or trade education, and gainful careers. Pursuing their education, taking advantage of opportunities presented and working hard to
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Are you sick and tired of surveys?
Dear reader,
Would you be willing to take a brief survey at the end of this column?
… I hope not!
Not that I don’t care what you think about what I’m writing. I care very much. I hope that anything I write will entertain, inform, amuse or move you.
I just don’t want my work — or my worth as a human being — to be
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Words can be forgiven, but they’re not forgotten
We will never rise above or go beyond what we believe and what we speak. It’s a spiritual revelation to comprehend that words have power and where there is privilege there is also responsibility. I realize that we have much to pray 
about, but this request is crucial if we are to live a holy life of integrity and respect. “Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips” Psalm 141:3. Since what we say is what we think, it
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The 7 Wonders of Barnettshire
I’m thinking about starting my own banana republic right here on my property in Easley.
I’ll call myself Sir Ronald, the Bodacious Banana Baron of Barnettshire.
Problem is, I haven’t been able to get any banana trees going. Plus, I’m pretty sure the election would be rigged against me.
So I’m going to hold off on that for now. But there’s no reason why I can’t go
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The window of grace is open
God has been stirring me for the last several years to realize there are many levels in our relationship with Him and that we are to be continually progressing through the stations of the tabernacle on our way to the holy of holies.
He desires to give everyone a personal revelation to become more spiritually sensitive, to hear His voice, along with His wisdom to know what is right and wrong. To develop an awareness of His presence, we
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Letters to the Editor
Thank you for Gravely reunion
Dear Editor,
Thank you for your generous coverage of the multi-state Gravely reunion that we had to miss when I was hospitalized with sepsis on July 20.
I was able to connect on Zoom for the last hour of the event and greet some relatives.
Genealogy is not everyone’s cup of tea, but it can yield interesting stories.
In 1820, for example, the migrating relative from Virginia, John Gravely Sr. (married to Margaret “Peggy” Ballenger) and son, John Jr., signed a petition to the Pendleton District Grand Jury complaining about “peddlers and hawkers” wandering the countryside.
My uncle Horace began family history searches and was intent on connecting with English Gravelys, but was lost at sea Feb. 7, 1943. My father Marvin had similar interest, in part because he knew into his twenties his grandfather Ballenger, born in 1828!
PHS history teacher Lucille Hallum said frequently, “We are what we are because we have been what we have been.”
Will Gravely
Littleton, Colo.
Exercising at the rec center
The senior center commandeered a large space at the rec center to use in an experiment. Their goal: to determine if we actually meant what we said about not coming in for exercise classes in a cramped senior center space where 
we’re all breathing on one another. Find more room, we’d said, room to spread out.
Hence, the borrowed space at the rec center (which had to cancel the Tots and Mommy Workout Hour … something
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Do you remember where you were?
Do you remember where you were when you heard that Elvis had died?
Hard to believe, but it was 45 years ago this week.
I was living in Macon, Ga., and it was my friend and musical collaborator Kevin Vannoy who gave me the news.
It was a hot day — Aug. 16, 1977 — a Tuesday, like this week.
I had just gotten back home after walking a couple of miles to the Kroger store to buy some cream cheese.
A bass player from Australia whose name I can’t remember had drifted into
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Courier Letters to the Editor 11-17-22
Clarity and call to action
Dear Editor,
The right questions will lead to clarity. With clarity often comes a call to action…
Question No. 1: What do $4 a gallon gas and the skyrocketing cost of groceries have in common? Answer: Both are the result of Democrat party policies.
Question No. 2: Why are millions of illegal aliens flooding across our southern border? Answer: It is the direct
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Lines of communication
The path to victory was never promised to be an easy one. It’s filled with faith blended with hard work, persistence and a passion to follow God’s directions.
What type of victory are you referring to? The only success and accomplishment that has eternal value is when we follow and accomplish God’s will. So, what is this? Well, there is His general will which includes His written word that is given to help us learn how to
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