THE DECLINE OF CHRISTMAS
Opinion December 17, 2019
Has anyone ever thought of the fact that most of our Christmas songs and traditions are only
about 75 or so years old? Doesn’t it seem like this array has just always been there, always been
that way?
Well, it hasn’t always been so joyous and celebrated as it came to be after World War II.
Why is that?
Prior to the victory of the Allies and their return to home and family, Christmas was more
reserved and localized. Songs such as The Messiah and other religious hymns were in place, but
jolly and more secular songs came along with popular movies, such as White Christmas and
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, among others were the result of a desire to make the
Christmas holiday a very special time for families and friends.
Dad, brother, uncle, son and military women etc. had faced the horror of war, with its death and
destruction. There were sights that they could never unsee. Those who were able to return home,
to their wives, husbands, sweethearts and families, wanted to erase those thoughts to the best of
their ability. They had fought pure, unadulterated evil and had won. It seemed their intention to
eradicate such influences in the years to come.
Many of our Greatest Generation put a great deal of time and effort into making the world as
right as possible, to bring as much joy as possible to those they loved. Not only did they save the
world, they saved the best part of themselves and shared that desire for happiness and perfection
with the making of happy stories, happy songs and familiar bliss. No one can argue that the
generation of the 40s and 50’s worked very hard to create as much perfection in society as they
could. It was a halcyon time that, unfortunately, will never be repeated.
Television and movies had their morality department and strived to show family life as a
network of love, discipline and happy endings. Father always knew best and the Donna Reed
show lauded the middle-class family life.
What has happened to society that it has come from the pure entertainment of those shows to
today’s reality television, moral corruption and disdain of most things that relate to God and
religion?
In 1965, a wonderful radio announcer named Paul Harvey made an amazing prophecy on his
weekly show. The title was, If I was the devil.
Anyone who hasn’t heard or read this far-reaching piece that has come to pass in ways that no
one would have guessed. One of his lines quoted from the transcript is “If I were the devil, I
would make the symbol of Easter an egg and the symbol of Christmas a bottle.”
How close is that? He had it nailed and 54 years later, it is true.
Christmas was still reverent in the 70s, and the 80s. People dressed up, had parties, visited with
family and it was a happy time. God was still the Man in Charge in the White House (mostly)
and it reflected on the nation.
The 90s brought us the Clintons and their version of “morality” and the great decline began for
America.
Now in 2019, there are fewer parties, fewer gathering of family and friends than ever. Christmas
cards are not a thing anymore, just send a generic online greeting.
People are well engrossed in their electronic devices. Social life and the moral pressure of
society is long gone. Stores decorate for Christmas in August and begin the big sale that lasts
until well after the New Year.
Retailers completely pass over Thanksgiving, a uniquely American holiday from the Pilgrim
days when living through the winter to harvest was an occasion for thanking Almighty God.
Even Charlie Brown and his gang in Peanuts, when it aired in 1965, complained of the
commercialization of Christmas, lamenting the lack of meaning for monetary gain.
When Christmas songs from the 70s and 80s are played, it is depressing almost to the point of
tears when a comparison is made of the warm, loving, wonderful time of those decades to
today’s commercial apathy.
Maybe, this is an “old folks’ rant about the good old days, but what can be gleaned from today’s
lukewarm electronic holiday?
America has best go back to Ronald Reagan and remember his line:
“If we ever forget we are One Nation Under God, then we will be a nation gone under.”
If Christians don’t stand up and fight for our basic joys of the Lord, His sacrifice for us
and the right to celebrate such, these rights will be taken away by the Liberal Left with
their Atheistic and destructive ways. There are no more free countries to find with such
liberties as we enjoy. They must not be lost, as they will never be found again.
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#BKP interview with Georgia 6th Congressional District (R) Primary Candidate Marjorie Greene
Politics November 26, 2019
GMFTO with #BKP #AnythingGoes BKP’s Opinion on Local, State and National news and politics.
Let’s talk Georgia 6th Congressional District this morning. Not so fast Karen Handel there is the #TheOtherCandidate
Our guest at 8:45 as the AJC refers to her “The other” candidate Marjorie Greene.
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Sheriff Clinton talks retirement: “Politics are a strange beast”
News November 25, 2019
HIAWASSEE, Ga. – Days after announcing a decision to no longer seek re-election, Towns County Sheriff Chris Clinton shared his plans beyond law enforcement on a radio broadcast, Monday, Nov. 25.
Sheriff Clinton announced intent to seek a fourth term as the county’s chief officer on Sept. 19, before the Towns County Republican Party, later retracting the bid via a social media post issued Friday, Nov. 22.
Clinton stated on live radio that it’s “time to move ahead and move forward,” adding that he has never been “much of a politician,” and looks forward to spending time with family post-retirement. Clinton revealed that he plans to share stories – along with a possible screenplay – based on the life of his late grandfather, and intends to release a second album of original songs.
Clinton listed his proudest achievements as acquired state accreditation by the Towns County Sheriff’s Office, the success of the annual Empty Stocking Fund, community support for Georgia Sheriffs’ Youth Homes, and the CLEA program as highlights of his 12-year career. The sheriff included that he is proud to have restored the “public trust lost in 2007” which led to Clinton taking office through a necessary special election, adding that crime statistics in Towns County have declined in the years that followed.
When asked regrets, Clinton said that the time spent away from his family rated high, and on a professional level, that better pay for officers, and an increase in the number of deputies is needed in the county.
Clinton signed off by stating that he intends to make good use of his final year in office. “We don’t care about politics anymore so be careful,” Clinton warned with a laugh, adding on a later broadcast that he intends to weigh-in on the upcoming election as the season advances. “I know what’s under the hood with these folks…,” Clinton said, predicting additional candidates may enter the race. “Politics are a strange beast.”
Archived articles on the subjects mentioned above can be found by clicking on the highlighted links.
Additional archives related to Towns County Sheriff Chris Clinton are available here.
Follow FYN for current coverage as the 2020 election cycle continues.
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Sports talk Thursday with Lauren Hunter-Politics in sports?
All of TeamFYNSports, Sports July 12, 2019
The U.S. Women’s National Team has been making headlines recently for victories as a team, and as individuals for political statements.
Last week, the team won their second back-to-back World Cup. Shortly after the game, player Allie Long was seen dropping an American flag during the post-game celebration. Her teammate Kelley O’Hara recognized the significance of a flag being dropped on the ground, and immediately scooped it up.
One report from The Daily Wire explained that Long dropped the flag to participate in a celebratory dance with teammate Megan Rapinoe. But the video quickly went viral and comments poured in criticizing Long for her carelessness and thanking O’Hara for stepping in.
It’s very possible that Long meant no disrespect, but just got caught up in the moment and didn’t know that an American flag is NEVER supposed to touch the ground. Nonetheless, millions of viewers were not happy.
If you watch the video, it doesn’t appear that Long is trying to make any sort of political statement by dropping the flag. However teammate Megan Rapinoe has CERTAINLY been making headlines recently for her statements.
Megan Rapinoe (far right) is a great soccer player, but her political statements anger some. Credit: The New York Times
Although Rapinoe is mainly known for being a phenomenal soccer player (she won both the Golden Ball and Golden Boot awards this year), her progressive ideals have, let’s just say…raised eyebrows. Rapinoe is very outspoken about her homosexuality and dislike of President Donald Trump. She has followed the example of former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick by refusing to sing or put her hand over her heart during the National Anthem. The pose she makes after scoring a goal of standing with her arms outstretched is supposed to be a symbol of fighting for equal pay, race relations and issues at the United States/Mexican border.
For years athletes have used the attention given them for their athletic success as a means to shed light on their social platforms. There’s nothing wrong with that if they’re promoting awareness for a disease or a foundation that supports children with special needs. But should we as a society draw a line when it comes to political issues?
Some would say there’s no problem- depending on what they do to make the statement. Certainly being a famous athlete gives one more media attention than the average person. Like I mentioned in my last column post, there’s no difference in an athlete and an actor or actress, and they supply their endorsement all the time!
When Colin Kaepernick first kneeled during the National Anthem in 2016, many Americans were outraged. Not necessarily because of his protest of police brutality, but because he chose to do so in a way that many Americans found disrespectful to those who have served in the military. I was, and still am, one of those people. In my opinion Kaepernick and now Rapinoe are missing the mark. Kneeling or not showing respect during the National Anthem is to turn a blind eye to those who have sacrificed everything to give you the freedom to play your sport. It doesn’t have anything to do with first responders.
Nowadays there’s a gray area between sports segments and political talk shows. The two intersect on a daily basis. Just the other day on our live sports show, Instant Replay, my co-host Dave Garner and I had an entire segment dedicated to Nike’s decision to pull the sneakers with a design of the American flag sewn by Betsy Ross on the back. This decision was made after Kaepernick insisted that the flag had a racial history.
I thought Colin Kaepernick was out of the spotlight, but he found a way back in.
I suppose the whole reason this gray area exists is because of the technological advancements of the media. Celebrities who want use their status as a means to promote a certain viewpoint can do so more quickly because of how easy it is to post to Twitter. And in a society that demands news at every moment, something has to take up time in a sports show!
So back to the original question- should there be a line, and if so, where?
Here’s my opinion- sports is sports and politics is politics. Part of the reason I watch a football game or a baseball game is because I want to watch a football game or a baseball game. We are living in a time where politics are more divisive than ever before. One reasons sports are as big as they are today is because of the communities they create. Why should we mix something that causes so many problems to interfere with something that is supposed to help solve them?
When I turn on ESPN, I don’t want to listen to people debate over what is considered disrespectful to the National Anthem. And the next time I watch Fox News, I DARN sure don’t want to hear the name Colin Kaepernick.
Author
Gov Kemp Appoints Replacement Insurance Commissioner with Ties to Anti-enforcement Immigration Lobbying Group, GALEO
Politics, State & National June 18, 2019
By: D.A. King
Last week, Georgia Republican Governor, Brian Kemp, announced his appointment of a metro-Atlanta police chief, John King, to be the replacement for the now-suspended elected Insurance Commissioner, Jim Beck. In Georgia, Insurance Commissioner is a statewide, constitutional office.
Jerry Gonzalez, Executive Director of the corporate-funded, anti-enforcement lobbyist group, GALEO, was quick to send out a media release praising the “historic” appointment and boasting that King had assisted the activist group as keynote speaker at a GALEO breakfast fundraiser several years ago.
“Congrats to Chief King, close friend of @GALEOorg !” was the much-repeated celebratory post on the GALEO Facebook page.
Kemp’s Insurance Commissioner appointee has no background or experience in the insurance industry.
Kemp’s appointment of the GALEO-connected police chief to Insurance Commissioner comes as a shock to many Republican voters in the state. Georgia’s conservative U.S. Senator David Perdue stopped the Obama nomination of a one-time GALEO board member, Dax Lopez, to a federal bench seat in 2016 because of his concern with the GALEO relationship.
DeKalb State Court Judge Dax Lopez. Image: Daily Signal
Perhaps unknown to most Republican voters, in addition to marching in the streets of Atlanta against enforcement of existing federal laws on immigration, GALEO and its director are well-known in the state Capitol for lobbying against state legislation aimed at reporting criminal aliens to federal authorities and establish an official database of illegal aliens serving time in the state’s prison system.
GALEO lobbies against voter ID, official English and local jails honoring ICE detainers. Executive Director Gonzalez is known to verbally attack female legislators when he does not approve of speeches or positions on illegal immigration. In 2011, Gonzalez posted this angry explanation of being asked to leave the Georgia Capitol when he lashed out at state Senator Renee Unterman for a speech she made on the floor of the senate.
GALEO online poster opposing 2018 legislation to improve reporting of illegal aliens to federal authorities
State rep. Katie Dempsey. Image: Georgia General Assembly
In 2011, GALEO’s Gonzalez was escorted out of a Rome, Georgia luncheon that featured a panel discussion on immigration when he began yelling at diminutive state Rep Katie Dempsey as reported by the Rome News Tribune.
Gonzalez is a former lobbyist for the radical MALDEF corporation. GALEO founder, former state Senator Sam Zamarippa was a MALDEF board member. MALDEF founder Mario Obledo is best remembered for his promise that “California is going to become a Hispanic state and if anyone doesn’t like it they should leave. They ought to go back to Europe” on the Tom Likus radio show in 1998.
According to the left-leaning Georgia Budget and Policy Institute, Georgia is home to more illegal aliens than green card holders.
Kemp ran on a platform that included his now famous “I got a big truck, just in case I need to round up criminal illegals and take ’em home myself,”
Kemp and a GALEO fundraiser – Advice from a liberal AJC political blogger
Republicans are learning that before he was elected governor, then Secretary of State Brian Kemp also gave GALEO a fundraising boost when he attended the annual GALEO Power Breakfast fundraiser in 2015.
On GALEO, the liberal AJC political blogger informed readers today that the Republicans will need to court the illegal alien lobby group as a necessary first step to “court Hispanic votes in the future” which ignores thirty years of election results since the Republican immigration amnesty of 1986.
All this creates a simple question: Does appointee John King agree with the GALEO agenda? He is due to be sworn in in the next few weeks, somebody should ask.
Governor Brian Kemp’s office can be reached at 404-656-1776 and Brian.Kemp@georgia.gov
D.A. King is president of the Marietta-based Dustin Inman Society
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Main Street digital billboard, water rate increase discussed at Hiawassee City Hall
News, Politics May 1, 2019
HIAWASSEE, Ga. – Hiawassee City Council rejected the proposal of a digital billboard that would have been placed on West Main Street, near the Tater Ridge Plaza. Terry Poteete, the owner of the current billboards at the location in question, revisited the council at the Monday, April 29 work session. Poteete announced that he was granted permission via an application to erect the digital advertising device, following a previous report on the issue by FYN. The billboard owner took the community’s wishes into consideration, however, and returned to City Hall to appear before the council. Council members Amy Barrett, Nancy Noblet, and Anne Mitchell offered input, explaining that they did not believe that a digital billboard was the correct option for the small town of Hiawassee. Councilwoman Barrett expressed appreciation at Poteete’s offer to take the issue “off-the-table” given the council and community’s negative reponse. Poteete appealed that digital signage is the “future of advertising” to which Councilwoman Anne Mitchell cheerfully replied, “Maybe we’re just not there yet.” Council members Kris Berrong and Patsy Owens were present at the meeting.
Of other interest, Mayor Liz Ordiales announced that the residential water rate resolution is due before the council at the May 7 regular session. The proposal was discussed during a prior session, following a study by the University of North Carolina. The paced resolution would more than double water rates for Hiawassee consumers by 2023. Mayor Ordiales reminded that a rate increase has not occurred in the past six years, and that water revenue is running at a deficit. Councilwoman Anne Mitchell was the sole official to comment on the matter, noting that the icreased rates may “begin to make a dent” in the debt. Business customers will not be affected by the rate hike, nor will North Carolina citizens who receive water from the City of Hiawassee. Sewer rates will remain stable, unaffected by the increase. A minimum base charge will be set at 1,200 gallons should the resolution pass favorably through the majority of the council next week.
FEATURE PHOTO: (L-R) Hiawassee Councilwomen Patsy Owens and Nancy Noblet
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Hiawassee Work Session Agenda – April 29th
News, Politics April 25, 2019
HIAWASSEE WORK SESSION AGENDA
April 29th, 2019
The April Work Session Meeting will be held at 6:00 p.m. at City Hall, Upstairs Training Room
1. Call to order
1.1 Invocation – Anne Mitchell
1.2 Pledge of Allegiance
1.3 Mayor’s Introductions of Guests and Announcements
1.3.1 Samantha Church
1.3.2 If I were Mayor Essay winner – Jaden Taylor
1.4 Motion to Adopt Final Agenda as Distributed
2. Old Business
2.1 Mayor’s Report
2.2 Terry Poteete – Visual Outdoor Advertising
2.3 Water Rates – Resolution on May 7th for changes on June 2019 bill
2.4 Budget – Adoption and 2nd Reading May 7th
2.5 Defined Benefit Plan – 2nd Reading May 7th
2.6 Defined Benefit Plan Adoption – 2nd Reading – May 7th
3. New Business
3.1 Mural Project Plan
3.2 Personnel Policy handling
3.3 Police Department ATV
3.4 Surplus Sale of:
3.4.1 Old Chairs
3.4.2 Vehicles
3.4.3 Dining Table – Conference Room\
3.4.4 Old Computers
3.4.5 Old Furniture
3.5 January and February Financials
3.6 Consent Agenda for May 7th
3.6.1 January & February Financials
3.6.2 April 2nd City Council Meeting minutes
3.6.3 Budget Public Hearing minutes
3.6.4 April 29th Work Session Minutes
4. Police Report
5. Economic Development Report
6. Adjournment
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Absolute Dysfunction and Eggs!
Opinion April 23, 2019
Absolute Dysfunction and Eggs!
Let’s see if we can figure this one out. Three hundred people, including at least three Americans, were murdered and five hundred injured, in separate Islamic attacks against two Christian churches and three hotels in Sri Lanka (Ceylon) on Easter Sunday. If you didn’t know that, I recommend you should urgently reevaluate your news gathering habits. The phony Mueller business is over at last. Let it go!
The mainstream media, the propaganda arm of the Progressive Left, don’t want to share these ugly stories of Muslims murdering Christians with you lest you become Islamaphobic in the process. No, not al all! Islam is the religion of peace, isn’t it?
The MSM is motivated to flood the airways with Progressive drivel. For example, while Sri Lanka burns, Elizabeth, the phony Indian, Warren, in her feckless attempt to charge up her flagging presidential campaign, doesn’t even mention the deadly Islamic Easter attack in Sri Lanka, but wants to turn Americans into pot heads. She says “Pot” can be an economic boon to the poor, destitute denizens of neighborhoods that prosperity forgot; that vast throng of poor, uneducated, inept, unqualified unemployable creatures who have not shared in the spoils of Capitalism. Let’s give them money.
Pocahontas is not alone. The wannabe Mexican fool Señor “Beto” O’Rourke, thinks he was gifted with the looks, charm and erudition of JFK, while the former mayor of South Bend, Ind, Greg what’s his name, hyped by a media love fest, has gone off the rails himself defending Socialism as a panacea for America’s problems. AOC demonstrates, every time she opens her mouth, why the cost of her education was money misspent. These people are all the same, identical, leaderless and ignorant, like a carton of eggs.
I put a carton of a dozen fresh eggs in my fridge yesterday, added three eggs on top from the previous carton and, Lo!, fifteen white eggs that look exactly the same, like the Democrat contenders for President. They all sound the same, say the same things, each one out shouting the others to be heard about the same things…nothing! Can I refer to the Democrats as “eggs” now? Would it be understood? Will anyone understand “eggs” as a metaphor for sameness?
Not even a dozen intelligent eggs can possibly do what Donald Trump has done to Make America Great Again, but they all want the same things for Americans, open borders to allow immigration, including invading Muslims, free education, free healthcare, free housing, and monthly salaries whether they have a job or not. The Democrats promise of a socialist utopia remains as big a scam as Mueller’s investigation was. America is not a Socialist country!
This Democrat hysteria over demands for results already provided, on a two year investigation already concluded, is a direct reflection of the dysfunction that the leaderless and inept Democrat party has become. If they were real eggs, they should be scrambled by now. As a political observer, I’m not sure I any longer know how best to describe the Democrat party, as fragile eggs or as further evidence the inmates are running the institution.
The Democrats, now in tatters, are passing through the five stages of Trump: grief, anger, bargaining, depression and soon, we hope, acceptance. This is seen in the House of Representatives, in the context that the House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, is no longer captain of her ship, but is trying to tut-tut over a primary class of ignorant children, em, I mean eggs!
Remember, freedom is the goal, the Constitution is the way. Now, go get ‘em!
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