To the Editor:
In early September I had a home accident that has left me temporarily wheelchair-bound with three limbs in casts. I am writing, with my undamaged writing hand, to express my thanks to family, friends, and community for their ongoing support. Firstly, let me thank the first-responders from the Sheriff, Police, Fire, and 911 services who came to my aid. (Where else but in Morgan County could you find firemen willing to clean the spilled paint from my driveway and to return later to build an exterior ramp for my chair?) Secondly, my wife and I thank the emergency room staff at Morgan Memorial Hospital who, through their competence and professionalism, eased me through my immediate trauma and calmed my wife's concerns.
This experience has convinced me of the value of MMH to our community. Not once during this period have I been required to seek medical services in another community. From ER, to x-rays, to CT and MRI scans, to Orthopedic services---everything I needed has been available through MMH. As disruptive as this accident has been to our lives, at least we were not further inconvenienced by having to travel to Athens or Atlanta for follow-up services.
Until such time (Christmas?) as I can walk into the hospital, 911, and the fire house to personally thank people, let me say how deeply thankful I am to be alive and healing because of the efforts of these people.

Bill Mahoney
Madison
Via e-mail

To the Editor:
Recently I was a patient at Morgan Memorial Hospital. The treatment I received on the ambulance and in the emergency room was done quickly, effectively and professionally. No other hospital could have done better. After I was admitted I received wonderful and courteous care by all the hospital staff and by Dr. Pamela Hall. I wish to thank everyone involved in my care and to say what a blessing it is to have Morgan Memorial Hospital in Morgan County and our community.
 
Lois Harper
Rutledge
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To the Editor:
We haven't been regaled with the details, but the rumor that a solid waste landfill would like to operate in Morgan County has finally been revealed to the community as a proposal to county government. I thank Ellen Warren, Morgan County commissioner for bringing citizen discourse early to the process.
My objections are on several levels...first of all - the transportation issue. Solid landfill waste is more dangerous when it is mobile. Waste would come to Morgan County on trains and trucks. The memory of the toxic train wreak in Graniteville, S.C. several years back is still vivid to me. Perhaps that's because I live in a subdivision that would be blocked by a train disaster in Buckhead. Train wreak nightmares aside, trucks would come from all directions and would require a substantial road infrastructure investment. Living near to the Buckhead Asphalt Factory, I can tell you that transport trucks will be a problem. In spite of all the promises, Morgan County can't/don't/won't enforce the traffic laws 24/7. Almost everyone I know in Buckhead has had a truck scare, a near miss story.
Additional concerns are more litter, decreased water and air quality and impact on wildlife. I'm sure all these issues will be considered, then permitted by the EPD and EPA. In spite of all the plans and permits that are made to reassure us, environmentally bad things do happen at landfills. Ask the folks who live around our old (closed) landfill. The hazardous constituents and their concentrations in the ground water plume discovered in the '80s are reported to be decreasing - a good thing. However, I believe the damage to our community was not fully assessed. It's hard to say what future research will tell us about landfills, but don't expect it to reveal positive things.

To the Editor:
I don’t know that any of us knew what to expect the weekend before last I was honored with the privilege of accompanying the Morgan County GOP up to Washington D.C. to protest taxes at the September 12 Tea Party march as the representative from MCHS’s Young Conservative’s club. None of us were really the protest types. I remember looking onto the group and remembering all the names they had been bequeathed with by several leftists. Racists, radicals, a threat to our nation. It’s interesting; as I heard the discussions about glass vs. plastic Tupperware I was not very threatened.

As for Nancy Pelosi dubbing us “Astroturf,” I found this possibly the most amusing of all. Astroturf is supposedly an artificial grassroots movement, paid political advertising made to look like a political movement sprung out of the community. I believe the phrase we coined in honor of Pelosi’s jibe proves this statement to be undeniably ludicrous: “Kiss my astroturf.” We were honestly a rather motley crew, you would find a similar grouping at a PTO meeting, which is not at all extraordinary because honestly that’s what we were. Concerned parents, grandparents and me.

The morning of the march was a haze of banners and hollered slogans, pure pandemonium with me following our group obediently. I was rather star struck to begin with honestly, the enormity of it had by no means sunken in. One of the most powerful moments for me was when as we were packed near the center of Freedom Plaza. As we started up a chant of “USA,” reacting to a speaker the chant eventually began to die down, and that’s when I heard it. Another chorus of “USA” from far behind, like a booming echo. That’s when I recognized the full magnitude of our numbers. The police there estimated 1.2 million.

To the Editor:
Antioch Baptist Church, Godfrey, held its Bicentennial Year Revival and Homecoming September 8 to 13. Our congregation is overwhelmed with the good spirit and warm wishes shown to our church during the past weeks. The church was filled to capacity at Homecoming. The gospel message was presented by Rev. J. Robert White, of the Georgia Baptist Convention. Good food and visiting was enjoyed by all. Music provided during the week and Homecoming day was spectacular. We also are proud of the proclamations presented to us by Senator Johnny Grant, State Representative Doug Holt, and Commissioner Ellen Warren. We were joined at church by Godfrey Methodist Church and New Enon Baptist Church.
The Bicentennial Committee, Frank Underwood, Terry and Sheree Evans, Chip and Pat Underwood, Aubrey and Thelma Moon, and Jim and Yvonne Briscoe, planned this event for two years. No detail was left unmet and they did a fantastic job.
 On behalf of the Bicentennial Committee, I wish to extend a hearty thank you to Adam Carter, of Carter Funeral Home, for assisting the church in creating and setting a beautiful granite commemorative monument in front of the church. Walter Rowland, our oldest member, and Joshua Talevski, our youngest, unveiled the monument.
We also thank our special speakers for the week, Rev. William Kitchens, of Eatonton First Baptist Church; Pastor William Tribble, of Social Circle; Rev. Fred Rowell, the Morgan County Baptist Association Missionary; and of course, our own beloved Pastor Joe Hughes.

To the Editor:
It was a tragedy accident two week ago with a bus driver ran over a child that had exited her bus. We as parents need to ask ourselves what can we do to help bus drivers who pickup and bring our precious cargo home?  The children can not be replaced.
Here are some suggestions: Tell your children if they drop something to let the bus driver know. Once they get in front of the bus to cross look at the driver, he or she can help them cross the street. Never go behind the bus; always cross in front of the bus; walk and do not run.
I can tell you that it is the bus driver’s biggest fear. If the bus has to cross a railroad track do not make a sound until the bus gets across the tracks. Do not put your head or hands out the window. Pray for the children’s to get back and forth from school safely. At least once a week remind your child of these things.
Now the driver of that bus will have a hard time knowing that a child was killed.
The big thing is for the child to always let the driver know where he or she is.
 
Elaine Alldredge
A former school bus driver
Madison