Sam Burnham, Curator @C_SamBurnham Hurricane Michael made landfall on Wednesday October 10. As I’m writing this, on the 17th, we have reached they say FEMA resources are expected to start reaching the affected areas. That’s a week. If this was New Orleans, there would be outrage in abundance. But this is the rural South. So this national spotlight has largely moved on. Now the inhabitants of this racially diverse area get to start picking up the pieces. Major media outlets poured in to capture the chaos, mispronounce the names of towns, rake in some ratings, and then move on to the next story. President Trump and Vice President Pence toured damaged areas in South Georgia yesterday. US Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Purdue was in Cordele this weekend to assess losses to crops and livestock. GOP gubernatorial candidate Brian Kemp visited South Georgia this weekend while Democratic candidate Stacey Abrams marched in Atlanta’s Pride Parade. Thats the rundown of the dog and pony show. As far as the work of recovery, that has been well underway. While politicians observed damage (or celebrated in parades), news networks made a lot of money, and FEMA did...whatever they’ve been doing for a week, Georgia put boots on the ground. The State activated GSAR - Georgia Search and Rescue - task forces that respond to disaster and other special incidents. The Georgia Forestry Commission dispatched rangers to do tree removal, clearing roads, and making the logistics of moving resources possible. The National Guard and State Patrol have been involved. Several charitable organizations have stepped in to raise funds, provide shelter, meals, medications, supplies. Duracell sent out its response units to provide batteries to storm victims needing power for flashlights, radios, and other equipment needed to get through a prolonged power outage. Utility companies, including local electric membership corporations, have been working nonstop to restore power to the area. But dont worry. FEMA is on the way. This would be a great time to consider the pros and cons of decentralization of resource allocation. Georgia has been busting it for a week with the resources it has. The efforts that have already been put into motion have me wondering if FEMA is on the way or if they’re coming to get in the way. Maybe it would be better if they just sent some stuff and stayed wherever they are. Between the quick actions of Georgians and the resilience of rural Southerners, this might be over by the time the federal behemoth gets moving good. Thats the rundown of the dog and pony show. As far as the work of recovery, that has been well underway. While politicians observed damage (or celebrated in parades), news networks made a lot of money, and FEMA did...whatever they’ve been doing for a week, Georgia put boots on the ground. The State activated GSAR - Georgia Search and Rescue - a statewide network of task forces made up of local emergency personnel who come together to respond to disasters and other incidents that require a specialized response. The Georgia Forestry Commission dispatched rangers to do tree removal, clearing roads, and making the logistics of moving resources possible. The National Guard and State Patrol have been involved. Several charitable organizations have stepped in to raise funds, provide shelter, meals, medications, supplies. Duracell sent out its response units to provide batteries to storm victims needing power for flashlights, radios, and other equipment needed to get through a prolonged power outage. Utility companies, including local electric membership corporations, have been working nonstop to restore power to the area. But dont worry. FEMA is on the way. This would be a great time to consider the pros and cons of decentralization of resource allocation. Georgia has been busting it for a week with the resources it has. The efforts that have already been put into motion have me wondering if FEMA is on the way or if they’re coming to get in the way. Maybe it would be better if they just sent some stuff and stayed wherever they are. Between the quick actions of Georgians and the resilience of rural Southerners, this might be over by the time the federal behemoth gets moving good. In an election year, it is a good idea to consider candidates and policies that favor agriculture. It is also wise to consider ways to decentralize disaster relief to get the response closer to the people. We need to be able to beef up our state and local response and be less dependent on a distant and clumsy national response. Most importantly, we need leaders who understand rural people and places.
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Sam Burnham, Curator @C_SamBurnham Speaking of working class families, here is another proposal by a progressive politician pandering to them. Sweeping anti-corruption legislation that is going to eliminate the influence of money in Washington and make heavily centralized government work for working families "again." There are so many problems in this tweet that it is worthy of an article. Let's look at the unsaid portion first. This isn't about pending or proposed legislation. This is about a soon-to=be-announced presidential run. This is a buzzword laden work of propaganda designed to launch a campaign for the highest office in the land. It sounds good in the ears of struggling parents, looks good on paper, but it is essentially nothing. While having secured a role as a media darling, Senator Warren has the charisma of the dust I boldly swept from the front porch this morning. She's Hillary Clinton without the stage presence. Here's a look at the buzz words: "Bold new plan" - Did you suspect that she might describe her plan as recycled, weak, mediocre, or routine? No. She adds hyperbole and tries to get you excited about it. I'm not. "Change the way Washington does business" - Washington does business by continually grabbing power through sweeping legislation. She's saying she's going to change the way Washington does business by enacting some business as usual. In essence, smoking is not only the cause of cancer, it is also the cure. "Anti-corruption" - That town has been claiming to be working on anti-corruption legislation since the government relocated the anti-corruption efforts there from previous efforts in New York and Philadelphia. It never works, it is always corrupt, it is never going to be not corrupt. "Eliminate the influence of money" - Elizabeth Warren, a college professor who CNN estimates to be worth between $3.7 million and $10 million and lives in a $1.9 million Victorian mansion is going to eliminate the influence of money in her $174, 000 job? I'm not convinced. "Works for working families 'again'" - The way she says this suggests that Washington once sided with the working class, regular people, over the rich and powerful. This has never been true. It has never happened. There has never been a time that it was the prevailing philosophy. Ever. The federal design, as used today, is not one that can be friendly to the working class. It is too far removed, too out of touch, too reliant on lobbyists and donors. Working class people are so busy trying to survive that they don't have the time, or really the energy, to lobby Washington themselves. The three seats that represent them in Congress are a drop in the bucket. The only answer is to move the seats of power closer to the people, where they will have more access, more influence, more say. Allow state and local governments to make decisions for themselves - especially on specifically local, state, and regional issues. Want to really help the working class? Make it easier to start small business, maintain family farms, and level the playing field to help small banks, credit unions, and other financial institutions. If you want to really help the average Joe, get the federal government out of his way so he can help himself. Most of all, quit slinging the same 240 year old line of bull. It's tired. Sam Burnham, Curator @C_SamBurnham I saw an interesting question on Twitter this week. NwGa Football was asking for opinions on why the state’s smallest classification, A, had the longest tenured coaches. My answer was that these small schools are more ingrained in the local community. The coaches become more of a fixture, the schools become more of a home to them. One must only look to Lincoln County's Larry Campbell who retired with 477 victories, 33 region titles, and 11 state championships. But really, this is more of a small town scenario than just a small school scenario. Way back when, Valdosta was in the largest school group but there was little chance of the New York Giants luring Nick Hyder away, much less some school in Atlanta. The City of Carrollton named the road Grisham Stadium is on after the late Ben Scott. Dalton has similar love for Bill Chappell. But this isn't just about coaches. It is about the stadiums, the traditions, the small towns that "roll up the sidewalks" at 5 pm on Fridays in the fall. I remember pulling into a vacant lot in Bowdon and paying the only human I saw in town outside the stadium $5 to park. That night I saw Larry Weathington's Bremen Blue Devils almost knock off Dwight Hochstetler's Bowdon Red Devils in "the Hole" - our old term for Bowdon's highly intense stadium environment, one of the biggest home field advantages you'll find anywhere. You can feel the excitement grow in the Cartersville crowd when the PA announcer places Weinman Stadium under a "Tornado warning." You know when Polk County is in the midst of Rockmart-Cedartown week. Pepperell's fire breathing dragon always "fires up" the crowd. Visitors in Trenton find themselves praying their defense can keep the Dade Wolverines out of the end zone and avoid hearing that air raid siren go off again. The mascots can be predictable - Indians, Eagles, Tigers. But there are also Atom Smashers, Syrupmakers, and Catamounts. The mascots show up on businesses in town. You may see tiger paws painted on the street. The teams are part of the local identity. If one of the kids signs with a college, especially a big one, he achieves a local hero status. Maybe you've heard of Herschel Walker, Garrison Hearst, Malcolm Mitchell, or Nick Chubb. In The South, this isn't just a game. It is a part of the culture. And it isn't just the team. It's the bands, the cheerleaders, and so many die-hard fans. Local eateries turn profits on fans heading to games. Local churches host after game events for students. You can't go anywhere on a Friday night where you don't see a cheese wagon bus headed to or from a game. Local radio stations broadcast shows that announce scores and allow fans to call in to share their pride in a glorious victory or in the face of a hard fought defeat. So if we're a little excited about the coming season, you'll have to forgive us. It's just a part of who we are. And we're thankful for it. |
Sam B.Historian, self-proclaimed gentleman, agrarian-at-heart, & curator extraordinaire Social MediaCategories
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