Category Archives: Opinions
Courier Letters to the Editor 9-22-21
Republicans who vote like Democrats?
Dear Editor,
I read the Pickens County Council raised our property taxes a record amount for roads, and those tax bills are coming to a mail box near
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Personal perspective, part 2
Call me Jack.”
That’s what my cousin said after agreeing to talk with me on the record about his 35-year career in the CIA — or at least the parts of it he can tell without 
divulging any state secrets.
Having served under seven presidents, from Ronald Reagan to Joe Biden, he has, I would say, a pretty special vantage point on a lot of history. His best stories, I’m sure I’ll never get to hear.
But now, as a private citizen, Jack, while shielding his identity, can give his personal opinion on things. So, after
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The Labor Day Rule
Labor Day is supposed to be a holiday for the working man (or woman).
President Grover Cleveland said so in 1894. However, I spent Labor Day laboring over this column, and that is when it occurred to me that Labor Day is a 
marker. It marks the end of summer and the beginning of fall — even though fall doesn’t really arrive until Sept. 22.
Labor Day marks the time when trees begin turning red and orange and gold, and everyone looks forward to the
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Courier Letters to the Editor 9-15-21
Crying for parental authority
Dear Editor,
Pastor Mark Burns of Easley, who has been known as President Donald Trump’’ favorite pastor, was so very motivational the other night at Silver Bay seafood restaurant! He has lit a fire that will be hard for anyone to put out. The question of the night was and still is, “Do you believe your child’s education is your choice?”
Of course, the more than 60 people in attendance at this planning meeting to take this message to our local School District of Pickens County (SDPC)
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Light in the midst of darkness
When we see catastrophes unfold on television during the news, it can feel like we’re watching a movie — something that isn’t real and has nothing to do with us.
I think that’s a way we protect ourselves from what may be going on around us. When we were children, we thought we would always be safe and we weren’t afraid of anything.
We played in the woods and ran free of fear. We were invincible, with the innocence of childhood protecting us when our dangers were from those imagined in our games of attacking the fort and capturing each other during
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Personal perspective
There are a lot of things my cousin Jack could probably tell me about his 35 years as an employee of the Central Intelligence Agency, but then he’d have to kill me.
We wouldn’t want that.
Actually, Jack’s not his real name, but he is my cousin. And he did work for the CIA from 1986 until he retired earlier this year.
He was there, at CIA headquarters, when the Soviet Union fell. He was there through two wars in Iraq and at the start of the war in Afghanistan.
And he was there for 9/11.
I haven’t actually seen him in quite a few years. We have a cousins’ text group that we communicate on, but until he retired, Jack — again, not his real name — could never discuss his employment, other than that he worked for “the government.”
But ever since he retired, I’ve been wanting to try get a story out of him. So as we approached the 20th anniversary of 9/11, I thought it would be interesting to find out what that fateful, awful day was like for him.
So he got clearance from the CIA to tell me, and my readers — without giving away any state secrets — a bit of his
Treasure maps don’t talk
I had a meeting in Columbia and plugged the address into the GPS in my car. I like the GPS Lady — she has such a soothing voice. She said, “in 1 mile, merge onto I-26.” She is obviously oblivious to the four lanes of semi-trucks and speeding cars that are determined to keep me from merging. Later on, she said, “10
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God has not given us a spirit of fear
Soon after Jesus had resurrected, we find a beautiful passage found in John chapter 20 that is a wonderful example of how much God loves us and wants to encourage us.
The friends and family of Christ were gathered together after his horrific crucifixion and were still grieving over his death when all of a sudden, he appears in their midst! Even though they remembered how he had promised to
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Engage your brain
Have you ever listened to a podcast? A podcast is a digital audio or video file that you can access from the internet. They’re often in a series that you can tune 
into one at a time, almost like radio on demand. They’re usually associated with a website where you
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Courier Letters to the Editor 9-8-21
Soapstone hosting final fish fry meals
To my dearest and loving community,
For 22 years, Soapstone Baptist Church has held a monthly fish fry for the community and folks who journeyed from far and wide.
Sept. 18 and Oct. 16 will be the final two fish fry meals served by the church.
It’s time to retire the fish fryer.
