GHSA needs to rescind decision TO THE EDITOR

The Georgia High School Association passed a measure on August 29, that will move state championship high school football games to neutral sites in 2006. The GHSA has also proposed to move state championship football games to the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, and then the semifinals to neutral sites in 2007.

State championship games have been hosted in communities across the state of Georgia since the advent of organized high school football here. Many believe myself included that moving these playoff games to large venues like the Georgia Dome is a horrible idea, and one that should be stopped. An online petition drive has been started to urge GHSA to rescind this decision. It can be found at www.petitiononline.com/no2006.

How will this affect Lincoln County? Well, if your team makes the playoffs next year, instead of the possibility of hosting either the semifinals or finals, they will host neither. Your booster club won’t be able to gain revenues from those home playoff games (programs, concessions, etc.). And your community also won’t reap the benefits of hosting a playoff game meaning, your restaurants, hotels, and gas stations, etc., will lose revenue they would have received otherwise. All those funds go to Atlanta, and not to your community, your businesses, or your children.

Again, please go to www.petitiononline.com/no2006 if you want to help rescind this decision. Or call GHSA or your local legislator and tell them how you feel. Sign the petition and let’s send a signal to GHSA that our communities and our children are tired of being kicked to the curb.

JUD WEST VALDOSTA

Unhappy with ruling TO THE EDITOR

Since moving to Lincoln County (yes we are NFL) over six years ago, we have come to love the friendly and helpful attitudes of the residents. We appreciate the way the county commission is leaning forward by improving the zoning laws, by paving more of the county roads, and by extending the water lines. And, whether or not you like the way it was done, we laud their attempt to improve the handling of trash in the county. We fully back the new sheriff and his department’s crack-down’ on the criminal element.

What we don’t understand is the apparently common practice of shooting a deer to keep them from eating flowers and shrubs. A neighbor of ours was observed for the second time, shooting at deer to keep them off his property. The first time, years ago, he told me, “I shot it in the butt with a .22 caliber to chase it off.”

This time he shot on a June night, with a .22, at the deer’s gut, in a neighborhood of seven families, within 250 yards of, and in the direction of, a main access road. The wounded deer stumbled off and after suffering for hours, died in another neighbor’s back yard with the bullet hole in her belly.

This time we called the Game Warden, who came out, got a “mirandized” confession from the shooter, and wrote him a ticket.

Now, if this neighbor needed meat for his hungry family, perhaps I could understand leniency on Judge Lee Moss’s part. If this neighbor had shot to kill with a larger caliber weapon, and then tracked the deer down and disposed of the meat, then perhaps, just perhaps, I could understand leniency on the Judge’s part. If this neighbor lived out in the middle of a 20 acre tract with no neighbors, it would have never come in front of Judge Moss.

But the case did come to court and Judge Lee Moss effectively ‘dropped the charges!’ Voters, what do you think? Are we all moving forward together, or just some of us?

JIM STRATTON