Category Archives: Opinions
Resisting temptation to be discouraged
Recently, I had an opportunity to chat with a wonderful lady as she shared with me about her health issues and other concerns.
Suddenly she stopped and wanted to know if she could ask me a serious question. I said of course, and she proceeded to relay that she felt silly asking me about 
salvation, especially with her being a church member since she was a child.
She wanted to know how she can know that she is going to heaven. I do not believe this is anything to be embarrassed about — in fact, it’s rather common as I examine my own heart and soul often.
I could sense the heaviness of doubt was stealing her spiritual joy, and this stress can escalate into fear and
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Looking behind rising food costs
It’s not over yet. Rising food prices, that is.
The best guess of experts is that food prices are likely to rise 5 percent in the first half of 2022. This is on top of the average 6.8 percent rise for all items, as reported by the Consumer Price Index in November for the previous 12 months. That report cited increases for foods such as eggs, meat, poultry and fish topping the list at 12.8 percent, the highest since 1982.
Which food items do experts point to as likely to see additional price increases? Nearly everything. And what are the reasons for all the increases? That depends on
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The VA vs. COVID
The Department of Veteran’s Affairs has been battling COVID-19 from the very beginning of the pandemic. The recently released Coronavirus Disease 2019 Response Report Annex B tells just how they’ve done. The facts are impressive.
So far they’ve vaccinated 4.3 million people.
The VA was the first federal agency to issue a mandate requiring all VA employees who work in health care to be vaccinated. They beefed up telehealth for veterans at home and those who live in rural areas. This resulted in 2,500 percent increase of telehealth care visits.
The VA carried out 43 Fourth Mission assignments, improving preparedness on the
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An allegorical analysis for the birds
They have kept solemn vigil over all who pass by on Calhoun Memorial Highway for lo, these many years.
And now, their exalted podium, the pedestal from which this noble assemblage has gazed upon us in majestic serenity, is gone.
I am referring, of course, to the Bodacious Birds of the Bypass, the Avian Aristocracy of Easley, the High Court of
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Birds of odd feathers can still flock together
There is a big bird feeder in the back yard hanging from a post and two smaller ones on the deck, hanging from brackets.
I keep them filled with a mix of wild bird seeds and usually have to refill them about once every four to five days.
That schedule changed drastically during the great snow storm.
The birds seem to know even before the weatherman that a storm is coming. I saw flocks of birds together in trees
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Did you feel it?
According to the South Carolina Geological Survey, it is common for South Carolina to have between six and 10 small earthquakes a year, scattered throughout the state. An ongoing sequence began in central South Carolina on Dec. 27 with a magnitude 3.3 earthquake. There have been 10 recent earthquakes ranging from a magnitude of 1.5 to 3.3. Several of the quakes have been felt locally, but none have caused damage.
Earthquakes occur when plate boundaries rub together or push against each other. Typically, one side will go down and the other side will lurch upward (that is how the mountains were created). The strange thing is that our quakes seem to be located within the plate rather than at the plate boundary. I’m not sure what that means, but
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Courier Letters to the Editor 1-19-22
Councilman on county’s road tax hike
Dear Editor,
As mentioned in last week’s Pickens County Courier, South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson has weighed in on the county council’s 9.6 mill/$6 million a year road tax hike that was above the state legal limit.
Prior to his legal opinion, the county council was told and the administration and their lawyers thought the entire 9.6 mills or $6
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Presidential power and the purple robe
I got a call from the president last week!
No, not Joe Biden. Not Trump.
It was the newly elected president of the South Carolina Senate, Thomas Alexander, whose district includes part of Pickens County.
He assumed his duties at the helm of the upper chamber at the start of this year’s legislative session this week.
I’ve been covering him ever since he was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1987, and I think it’s a
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Things I heard that may be true
Many times in life, somebody tells me a story they heard from someone who heard it from someone else. On a few of these occasions, the whole story has been true.
Sometimes a part of the story is sprouted from a kernel of truth that has grown into something else. And sometimes the story is made up completely.
I’ve covered news stories over the years that were unbelievably bizarre, but nevertheless true.
And after many years of covering meetings of various boards throughout the county and a 10-year stint in the
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A love story for America
On Jan. 6, 1759, George Washington married a widow named Martha Dandridge Custis. She would become the first first lady.
Martha was in her late teens when she caught the eye of Daniel Parke Custis, one of the most eligible, and wealthy, bachelors in Virginia. He was also 20 years older than she was. Daniel’s father was initially opposed to the marriage because the prospective bride’s family was not as wealthy as he would have liked. However, Martha had been schooled in useful skills, like music, religion, reading and dancing, most beneficial for the wife of a wealthy plantation owner.
After seven years of marriage and four children (two of whom died as toddlers) Daniel died suddenly, leaving 26-year-old Martha a very wealthy widow, with two children. Martha now managed the extensive Custis estate and
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