Son of a Gun
December 29, 2008       Let’s see now, its money and figuring and figuring and money and an unending supply of tax money to see it through. It is not a personal supply of money it is others tax money. I mean hey, we are not spending our own money, it’s theirs.

     As I read it, the Duplin Commons is costing tax payers over 2,500 a day. If this is true then Duplin County Tax payers will be paying back that 11 million dollar loan to the tune of over 36 million dollars. Guess what it is a 4% loan. Yep the interest rate is 4 percent. Kind of frightening isn’t it. Now I have not figured it down to the penny, but I am in the neighborhood. Which I think I think everyone else is.

     I saw another story saying the cost of the Commons was in the neighborhood of $1,800 a day. That is $700 less a day than the $2,500 estimate. I personally like this figure better. The $1,800 is 10 million less over the 40 year period. However, I still think that is high too. You know how figurers are, I figure it one way and someone else figures it another way and we will not know for sure until it is paid in full and I doubt if I will still be around in 40 years to see. I will just keep on paying my taxes and hope for the best.

     As for the Commons, I first heard talk of it way back many years ago. The leaders were looking for a place to have a County Fair. At that particular time the fair was being held at the Kenan Auditorium and the parking lot for the Social Services. Work on the project began, things changed and many years later the building became a reality. It was to be a time of rejoicing for all over the county. However, there just ain’t no one thing everybody likes and various reasons for and against pop up. Thus this facility that was to bring the county together fell into a category of the red headed stepchild. Some love him and some do not and the ones that do not love him make the most noise and this is what we hear and read. No pros just negative views.

     I think if as much promotional effort was put toward the facility as is negative it could be the pride of Duplin County. Like all things it will take some work and right now it is not getting any. These are some thoughts about this and that I hope you will take a little time and think about.

     Let’s talk about the price of gasoline. I have seen the price of gasoline as low as $1.43.9 recently and as high as $4.35.9 just a short time ago. When the price of gasoline was so high a just kept going up folks questioned why. The answers they were given were something like this … we were told the refineries were over worked and no new ones had been built in many years. We were told all kind of things and given excuses for this and that and the price kept going up. I did not believe those folks when they were telling their stories back then and still do not.

     I think it is amazing that the price per gallon has dropped to a price lower than it was before it started going up and those problems that caused it to go up have not been fixed.

     I sure do not know what caused the money men to cut the price unless it was due to the fact they bought lots of gas and we users stopped using so much. Think about it …if you mark your gasoline prices up to have a 10% profit and gas is selling at $4.00 a gallon you make 0.40 cents a gallon. When gas drops to $1.50 a gallon you make 0.15 a gallon. That is a loss of 0.25 cents a gallon. That is a lot of money even when you are selling millions of gallons. I have read the gas price will fall below a dollar a gallon. I do not guarantee that, I am just passing it on. I, like everyone else am just passing it on, take it or leave it.

     We are into a brand new year, it does not clean out your obligation cabinet or closet, you still owe what you did in this past year … you still owe your community, county, state and country to help your neighbor. Hoping you have Happiness every day of the New Year. SOG

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December 22, 2008

      As I was resting and letting the Christmas meal kind of settle, I began thinking of back many years ago when I was a youngster and the family Christmas dinner. I know Christmas sends most folks thinking to gifts, receiving and giving. My thoughts went back to the feast (the noon meal, dinner time) when I was a child. Don?t misunderstand I was excited about Santa making a delivery under our tree. It was a decorated pine tree that came from the near by forest, actually we called it the woods. Grandma, Mom and others began their cooking and gathering of the Christmas days meal long before the actual day.

     We had no turkey, but a fat old hen was singled out and fed well and was to end up on our table. A link of pork sausage had been hung in the smoke house to dry. It was in a casing (gut) the meat had been ground and put in a stuffing machine. The meat and some seasoning like red peppers and sage was mixed together with the ground meat and put in the stuffing machine. A gut was slipped on to a tube jutting out from the bottom of the machine and as the crank handle was turned it forced the sausage out of the machine and into the hog gut. I never did know what sage was. I guess that is why they called it sausage because of the sage.

     A pork ham or shoulder had been salted and put up to cure for this special day it was called a corned ham. I often wondered why they wanted to mess up a perfectly good ham like that. My suggestion would have been to cure the ham, slice it and fry it.

     Sweet potatoes had been dug from the tater mound, which was in the back yard. It looked kind of like an Indian tee pee. The potatoes were put in and wrapped up with pine straw and dirt was put on top of that. Pine poles were put in the ground around the dirt mound and brought together at the top like a tee pee to kind of keep it all together. Put up in this fashion meant we had sweet potatoes most all year long.

     Mom had bought a couple of coconuts from the store and we got to crack them after mom had punched holes in the ?eyes? of the coconut and drained the milk or juice from it. The hard job was pealing the dark skin off the white meat of the coconut from inside the hard shell. A really sharp knife was needed, but in the hands of a youngster it most likely would mean a cut finger and red pieces of coconut. So I got the dull knife while mom had a sharp one, thus I could not keep up with her peeling the chunks of coconut. Actually I could not have kept up with her if I did have a sharp knife, she knew what she was doing and I was trying to cut the hard part off and eat most of it too. Once in a while I would eat some of the white good stuff too and would be scolded at. After we got it all pealed mom would have to grade into fine coconut strands. Grading it was rubbing it on a grader which was a metal thing with slanted holes in it. As it passed over the slanted hole a small thin strand or strands would be cut off, because there were a rows of the cutting holes up and down the metal board It was now ready for mixing and spreading on cake layers for eating on Christmas, but mom would usually cook or bake I guess it more correct, an extra layer and double it over for a small cake for enjoying before that special day.

     There was a pecan cake too and this cake was beyond good. The pecans was of course shelled and cut in to semi small pieces. These small pecan pieces were mixed in with melted marshmallows and the concoction was spread between the thin layers as well as on top and along the sides. Whole pecan pieces were placed on top and around the sides as well. That was one more good cake. I tried to be in kitchen when the cake putting together was going on ? to ?lick the bowl?.

     We of course had collards, turnips, boiled potatoes, field peas and black eyed peas, chicken & dumplings as well as baked chicken, crackling bread, loose cracklings to dab with a sweet potato, country cooked biscuits and there was always pure butter, honey and molasses, sweet potatoes and sweet potato pie. There was real whipped cream. Don?t forget the sausage and ham.

     The bad part of it all in those days, the youngsters had to wait until all the adults had eaten before they could go to the table. Under that rule we children ate a lot of chicken necks and feet. The truth of it all is on Christmas day we little ones did get some of the good pieces.

     Grandpa called everyone to the table before the meal began and he would tell us how lucky we were to be living in America and after that he would pray thanking God for all our blessings on his day. It was and still is a joyful and thankful day. My wish for you is a time just like you dreamed about filled with happiness. SOG

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December 8, 2008

      We are coming into the season of forgiving and love. It should be our daily duty, but we do have at least one day of each, Christmas day and a New Year Day. As these happy and renewal days spread across the land perhaps it will soften our elected leaders notions into helping our and their county and forgetting the disagreements between them. I hope we will all pray for that to come about.

     We have been suckered by the people we elected to help us. I think Duplin politicians are individually arguing and being stubborn among themselves for personal reasons and have forgotten all about us citizens.. They are even attacking each other for making motions to change things. They are not gaining anything by their actions and motions, but seen to be trying show the other group or an individual commissioner they can mess up others plans. I also think we citizens are foolishly letting them get away with it. It seems they are no longer in office to help the county progress or keep our heads above debt. If Duplin County was a ship it would be sinking because of the dumb and foolish things our so called leaders are doing.

     Duplin is not a ship it is a county. A county which at one time was one of the most progressive counties around and now its thinking is stinking. It appears Duplin has thrown its pride and resourcefulness away. At one time problem solving and ingenuity filled the imagination of our elected officials and Duplin County was the county other North Carolina counties took pride in saying they knew or had friends in. Duplin was the county which other counties asked advice from or copied.

     Well friends it aint that way no more ? the county land is the same, but the politicians running it are not.

     Some of the county commissioners and board of education members are pretty good folks when they are out by themselves, but when they get into groups at their individual meeting places all that goodness is like a magician?s smoke it just blows away, you see it then it is gone. I personally am ashamed of them, I know they are better than they are acting, but I suppose they are allowing someone in the group to muddle their clear thinking. It is happening at the board of education and the county commissioners as well. Makes me wonder what happened to their originality and creativity.

     It is close to Christmas and time to rejoice and be happy, so after today I am going to try and ignore these dumb characters until the New Year.

     Remember when you get that tax card in the mail, if you don?t like what is printed on it you can go to the tax office and have it adjusted to your liking or take it to the board of county commissioners. It is your right to do so and it is in the rule book. The only way you can go wrong is not to vent your frustration to the commissioners and go around angrily huffing and puffing and not enjoying your family this holiday season. The commissioners set the value and the rate, they may have been pressured a bit by the board of education so don?t blame anyone but the two boards and ourselves ? Cause darn it we elected them. Wow! that is not a happy thought for this holiday?

     The county commissioners shot down the neutral valuation deal. So now we need them to set the tax rate so the amount we paid in property taxes this past year will be about the same we will be ordered to pay this coming year.

     Actually the commissioners need to work on the budget and help the entire county.

     This thing about using landfill money to pay for grass cutting and moving dirt at the Commons and Schools is just a bookkeeping thing. The pay came out of the wrong fund, but it is Duplin County Citizens money in both funds. So it was just moved from one place to another ? no money saved. The landfill had the equipment to do the work. The accounting office does not. I guess they will have to contract with an outside firm at a higher price.

     Rejoice in the season ? sorry it don?t last long, but our feelings and actions can. SOG

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November 24, 2008

      I don?t know, but it seems like a whole lot to do about nothing when there are other important wrongs that need help straighten out. It seems important to me that the tax kept school board or board of education refuses to open up their organization for a complete audit. Federal, State and Duplin County taxes make the thing operate. Millions of dollars from taxes are put into the BOE and yet they say to the people who took the hard earned money from their pockets and put it into the BOE, they can?t see where it is spent. Everything may be perfect and honky-dory, but it worries some folks when it is hidden and I am one of those who are concerned.

     This about the landfill operation moving dirt and cutting grass is simple to correct thru bookkeeping. A flick of the pen or key stroke on the computer will put it all right. The landfill is a county operation and they are the only ones with the equipment to do the job. Fact of the matter is it has been going on for years. I remember at onetime they were digging ditches to help things about the county. Moving county money from one account to another to pay for the grass cutting and dirt moving is not going to save county tax payers a dime. It will cost the same if not more, if the money is taken out of another department?s budget, tax payers will pay it still.

     I understand the landfill money comes from a different fund and is not taxes so to speak. The money was collected to operate the landfill and tax money is collected to do other things, but the people of Duplin supply the money for both operations.

     The money should not be taken from the landfill budget by law, but hey it is all county money and bookkeeping will fix it. So fix it and work on other things.

     There is another item that seems to be nick picking to me and that is the fuss about the lawyer?s bill who sued the county for the school board. According to the information I read in the newspapers when the lawyers sent their bill for payment they just sent a bill showing the total amount due.

     Some folks seemed to get all excited about the non listing of each item it took to get to the total.

     The lawyers said no one asked for an individual item listing. If someone had asked they would have sent the bill itemized.

     These folks are lawyers and I have n o doubt they can make the itemized statement fit the original statement with out a penny?s difference.

     I am not saying the original statement was in error, but there is no doubt in my mind the two would come to same conclusion as far as charges go and would be justified by those lawyers? offices.

     So as I said in the beginning, it seems like a lot to do about nothing.

     I think I would like to see an itemized statement before I paid the bill, but those who sent the bill said all that was needed was to ask for it.

     One other thing that seems a little too much worrying about is the property values. I personally am more worried about my tax rate. What ever the values are set at and I am reading they have to be set at actual value by law. Well then I want my tax rate set so I will pay about the same as I did last year.

     So if my value was $100 last year and the tax rate was 10 cent, which means I paid a dime in taxes. If the new value doubles and this year my value is $200 I would like the tax rate set at 5cents so I would still pay only a dime.

     The commissioners may have to set the value by state law, but that does not apply to the rate. They can set the rate at what ever they want to. I would want the rate not to cause me to pay much over what I paid this past year. SOG

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November 17, 2008

      Part two.. Continued from last week...

     When I got home I put the box in the trunk of the 53 Studebaker and told my son in law I had the parts and was ready when he had the time. That was the wrong season to get him to do things. It was near the planting season for farmers and it seemed like every one and his brother brought their machinery in for repair or reworking. I waited for about four months and when I went to my son in laws shop it was cram packed with work to be done.

     Several days later I saw a mechanic who had been doing some minor work on my Studebakers and other mobiles. I asked him if he thought he could rebuild the front end of that red Studebaker if I had all the new parts. He said he could, he said I?ll take an old one off and replace it with a new one that should be no big deal.

     I told my son in law about the deal I had made with the mechanic and he said ok. I mean he was too busy and I was getting antsy.

     I took the Studebaker to the mechanic and told him about the fix up clues the Kinston mechanic had told me about replacing some of the parts and off I went. The mechanic was putting it together little by little and he hurt his back. He could hardly walk, but he was in the shop point to this and that for others to do.

     He turned the car back over to me the day he went off to the hospital. I drove it to Beulaville to have the front end aligned and such.

     It is difficult to find people who will work on cars 50 year old and older. There are no plug-ins for computers to tell you what is wrong and how to fix the problem. The mechanic has to know before hand or figure it out himself. Several years earlier I had taken a Studebaker to a shop in Beulaville and they had set the alignment and stuff perfect. However, the fellow who did the work had aged out and left the company and the new ones were a little unsure, but with the help of a computer did find the correct settings (I guess). I drove the car home and it seemed to be a little off and not easy in its steering. I parked it in the garage and was very busy for the next several days.

     Donna told me I had to get the car out of the garage because we were having a birthday dinner in there on Sunday.

     I fired up my red jewel and backed her out. I turned the steering wheel to the left to drive forward and the steering column rod broke. I could not believe it ? the steering wheel just twirled around and around free wheeling. First thought in my head was suppose I had been driving 70 miles an hour and that had broken.

     I got some folks to help me and we pushed it out of the way, we kicked the front tires to steer it.

     I phoned my friend in Kinston to tell him what had happened and he said ?no way, I have been working on Studebakers 50 years and have never seen that or even heard of it.?

     We discussed what had happened and how things appeared to be to me. I told him if he had never seen such to come to my house and he could see it. He said OK and said he would come the next day.

     He came the next day and loaded the red Studebaker on a trailer and took it back to his place Kinston. I told him to do what ever was needed to fix it.

     He phoned me a few days later and told me he had it fixed and done a few other things as well and when I drove it the red machine drove almost like it was brand new. The best it has driven since I first bought it. You would not believe it, you would have to had driven it previously and then after they put their magic touch on it. I am so pleased and proud. You know, it is one thing to have a shinny old car, but it is a whole nother thing to have an old shinny car that drives like a new one?I mean wow.

     When the mechanic in Warsaw turned my Red Studebaker back over to me after repairing it I asked how much I owed him and he said $300.00. I thought wow that is better than I thought. When I asked the guys in Kinston how much I owed them they said $1,200.00. I thought utt-oh, but I paid the bill. And it did not take but a couple of blocks of highway to know I had gotten a bargain.

     About four years ago when I first started to try and get the front end fixed one of the Kinston mechanics told me it would probably cost around two thousand dollars. Well you can imagine my pleasure when it seemed I was going to get by on much less. The parts were $800.00 plus the mechanic charged $300.00. That is only $1,100.00. Then the mess broke and I had to have it done again, and the cost this time was $1,200.00. If you add it all together and consider the increase in the price of things the $2,300.00 is about on target. You will never know how much the driving of my red Studebaker has improved and how happy it makes me to drive it. SOG

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Son of a Gun
November 10, 2008

      I first got into loving Studebakers while in the Navy. I came home on leave and bought a new 1953 Studebaker from Reynolds Motor Company in Clinton. It was green and it was pretty to me. The first night I bought it home, I took Donna on a date in my new car. In those days there were very few paved roads and with a sweet thing under your arm who wanted a paved road anyway. We went down this dirt road and parked under a tobacco barn shelter while talking about the moon light and how it wiggled its way down on us thru the pine needles. It was a bright full moon night. When we started to leave the barn shelter Donna said ?I have never driven a new car?. Well heck fire sounded like a request to drive to me so I insisted she get under the steering wheel and drive. She pretended she did not want to drive, with a shy smile, but I told her to go ahead and off we went. She was doing fine until se got to a T in the road. We needed to turn on another dirt road to right or left, but definitely not go straight. You guessed it she went straight; I yelled ?mash the brake? guess what ? she mashed the accelerator. Wham bam thank you man into a ditch we went. I got a fellow out of bed to get us out of the ditch with his tractor. My brand new car had a bent front wheel several very deep scratches down the side of the car which barbed wire had ripped right on pass that pretty green paint and into the metal.

     As we were driving back to Warsaw Donna looks at me and says ?are you mad with me?? While she was talking, I was thinking yesterday I was proudly riding down Main Street of Warsaw with my Navy uniform on with my chest thrown out and driving a brand new shiny car. Today I will be driving a car that is bumping up and down on a bent rim and has an awful gash down the side dug deep into the metal, with mud and weeds hanging off the bumpers.. I thought it was not a good time to answer her question. I did marry her a few years later. I mean how could I ever get paid back for the damage she did to the car. So I married her.

     I bought a 1953 Studebaker a few years ago as a fix up project. It is red, a bright red, but it was a yellow when I bought it. Studebaker red in the 1950?s was more of an orange color than it was a red and I wanted a red car, a red Studebaker to be exact. Thus the red color paint I found to change the color of that coup was or is a 1976 Ford pickup red.

     I put white side wall tires and wire rims on it and the paint was a clear coat, so it shines just about all the time. The rims and paint is not original, but the rest is. I did not buy it to enter in shows but to drive and admire. I think it is so pretty that I will park it out in the yard, get me a chair and park the chair under a shade tree an just set there and look at it?that red paint shining, the chrome sparkling and those whitewall tires and chrome rims blushing because they are so pretty, now that is something to look at and admire.

     I have driven it in parades about the county and near by counties. However, it is over 50 years old and been driven many miles and the front end need reworking. Age and the miles had taken toil on the working mechanisms.

     For the past four years or so I had been trying to get a couple of knowledgeable Studebaker mechanics in the Studebaker club to which I belong to rebuild the front end. They kept telling me ?OK as soon as we get finished with the one we are working on now.? Seems like someone would always slip in another Studebaker which had a problem before I was able to get the 53 in their garage.

     I could drive my 53, but at times it would shimmy and shake and worry me. So one day I asked my son in law if he would fix the car if I got all the new parts and brought them to him. I wanted all of the parts on the front end replaced. He said he would, now my son in law is one of those folks like ?McGiver? he can repair most anything, he thinks out of the box as well as in the box. He has an amazing talent of being able to see from the beginning of a job to the end around the curves and over the bumps. Well, I am not the only one to know this about him and thus he has lots of business and when folks come to him they need their stuff fixed right now. When he finishes one job, there is someone standing there want him to do another. An old antique car is not that important to anyone but the owner.

     A friend, who is a Studebaker club member in Kinston has a world of parts for Studebakers and if he does not have what is needed he knows where to get them. In fact he is one of the fellows I wanted to fix the front end of the 53. I phoned him asking if he would sell me all the parts needed to fix the front end and he said he would. He called me back a few days later and said he had gathered up the parts and they were ready. I asked how much they would be and he said a little over $800.00. I asked if I should bring my pick up to pick them up in and he said no they would fit in my car.

     Donna and I went to get the parts and he came out of his garage with a paste board box about two feet square and handed it to me. I said is this all and he said ?yep that is all you will need.? I gave him the $800.00 plus and put the box in the back seat of Donna Buick. I was kind of expecting a whole bunch of long gangling things and do dads and stuff and all I got was a little box not much larger than the $800.00. I knew he knew what he was doing so off we went. I am not one of these mechanic type people. I know the difference in the tail pipe and the muffler and the tire and the rim, but much other than that and I am lost. Part two next week?..SOG

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November 3, 2008

      The memories of the glories of my childhood cause me to cling to ?Armistice Day? rather than the present ?Veterans Day?. Not because one phrases honors one war over the other, because all veterans/military people living or dead are special. In rural Duplin County in the 1940?s there was no day as special as the Armistice Day Celebration in Warsaw. Even the schools let out for Armistice Day. School let out at 11:00 am and if you did not go to school that day and you had an excuse from your parents it would not count as an absent day. There was no TV back then only the Duplin Theater thus the carnival and events around that carnival was enough to fill a young boys head so full of excitement, I mean it was better than getting the Sears Roebuck Christmas catalogue. Sears Roebuck put out a Christmas catalogue with red and green candy pictures and toys with colors. Armistice Day let you dream after the fact and the Sears Roebuck let you dream before the fact. Christmas was wonderful, but the dreams stayed with you long after the presents were gone.

     Armistice Day at the carnival was a day you could get close to your girlfriend on the Farris wheel, the Octopus ride and other rides. We could also go in the Tunnel of Love or go in the dark fright house. Back in those days there was no holding hands or anything with in the sight of anyone. The rides was an excuse to get close and feel the warmth of your friend and the darkness of the fright house, well what happened in there was up to you and your friend, But it was for only a few minutes.

     The next two paragraphs I got off the internet.

     Armistice Day Becomes Veterans Day

     World War I officially ended on June 28, 1919, with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. The actual fighting between the Allies and Germany, however, had ended seven months earlier with the armistice, which went into effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month in 1918. Armistice Day, as November 11 became known, officially became a holiday in the United States in 1926, and a national holiday 12 years later. On June 1, 1954, the name was changed to Veterans Day to honor all U.S. veterans.

     In 1968, new legislation changed the national commemoration of Veterans Day to the fourth Monday in October. It soon became apparent, however, that November 11 was a date of historic significance to many Americans. Therefore, in 1978 Congress returned the observance to its traditional date.

     If you will subtract 88 years from this year of 2008 you will get 1920 or 1921 if you are a math professor ? I guess. In any case if you noticed the official Celebration date was 1926. Thus, Duplin County?s patriotic people began honoring and celebrating around six years ahead of the rest of the country and have not missed a year. The main reason for this was because of the insistence of a Duplin County man and he was one of the key influential persons to cause Armistice Day to be nation wide. He could easily be called the father of Armistice Day.

     Those of you who may have forgotten, he was the National Commander of the American Legion and his name was Henry L. Stevens.

     These next paragraphs are also from the internet.

     One of the many thousand tragedies of WWI brought sadness to a Duplin County family and to many who knew Charles R. Gavin. He was killed at age 23 in the Meuse-Argonne, near Verdun, France, was more particularly a tragedy because it, as did thousands of others, occurred just a few hours before the signing of the Armistice on November 11, 1918. Nearly four years later, his remains were shipped by the US government to his parents, Mr. and Mrs. David Lee Gavin, and were buried in the family burial ground near Warsaw. The same year that Gavin's remains were returned to Warsaw in 1921, the American Legion was organized and named its post Charles R. Gavin American Legion Post 127 in Gavin's memory. After WWI ended, veterans groups began forming and marking Armistice Day with parades and special memorial services each November 11. Led by their first commander, Henry L. Stevens, Jr., Post 127 members organized a formal parade to their WWI comrades in arms. That first parade marked the beginning of Warsaw's 88 years of continuous tributes to the military who have served and sacrificed for America. SOG

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October 27, 2008

      ?Ole Possum Eyed? George Jones is headed to Kenansville. Oh, Wow, I could hardly believe it. I heard rumors and seen some small ads, but I was not sure someone was not trying to trick me. There was a solid story in last weeks Duplin Times Newspaper and that finally got me to believing. I mean this is Kenansville, not Myrtle Beach or Raleigh. My main man is coming to Duplin County ?gosh ? golly ? gee .. Son of a Gun. George Jones is my favorite singer of country music. Not only that, but he was my dads favorite too. I am as excited as a cat with its first mouse, wanting to consume it and show it off at the same time. Well that is a little strong, I don?t really want to consume ?The Possum? just enjoy him.

     I leaped over to his fan club when he came out with ?White Lighten? ?. In fact, back then I think I may have been consuming a little of that ?white lightening? myself. I have left that and liquor of all kinds behind, life is too much fun to have any of it forgotten or in a mist or misunderstood because of some alcoholic drink.

     I am still a little nervous about Ole George coming by for a concert. It was a long time ago but Loretta Lynn and Mel Tillis made it to Duplin County to the Kenan Gym for a concert. I was a lot younger but was still afraid they might not make it, but they did and now George is due.

     George is to be at the Duplin Commons or the Event Center or what ever you want to call it. It is across from James Sprunt and it is happening on November 15. Do you realize that is just a few days from another great happening in Duplin County? Veterans Day in Warsaw and George Jones at the Event Center?just don?t know if I can stand it all, my two of my favorite?s right here so close together.

     If this had of happened when I was a young man I would have done a turn over double flip and ate two sweet potato pies sliced down the middle and folded together like a sandwich.

     George got into some of that drinking and doping stuff and done himself wrong. Messed up a great singing and loving partnership with his wife Tammy Wynette.

     I forgave him and love his music right on. He was my main man no matter what. I love to hear him sing. This new wife he has seems to of straightened him out, well you know that is not quite right. No one straightens out a drunk but himself and I guess George wanted to straighten him self out for his new wife and his life.

     The song ?He stopped loving her today? just tore me up. When he got to the talking part my heart was throbbing and it was all I could do to stop the tears from flowing. He was my main man and he was hurting, you could hear it in the song. I was actually mad with Tammy for leaving him. Back in those days all the news that was news did not often filter down to the fans. Now days we are told and can see a picture of it if a star blows his or her nose.

     I would have still been one of his loving fans if I had known it all, we did not have many stars to worship back in those days.

      Robert Mitchum was one of my favorite movie stars. I loved to see him in an action movie and when I read he had been caught with marijuana and would not be allowed to make movies for several years I was ready to forgive him right then so he could make a movie. When he served his time and was back into making movies seems he did not get the great parts he did before. He was still the great star he was before, but that marijuana stigma followed him.

     You can bet one thing; Joe will be in the audience at the George Jones Show. Oh, hey I almost forgot to tell you there is going to be some singing by another great country music star Conway Twitty. The ?Hello Darlin? man will not be there of course, he passed away a while back, but some of his stuff and songs will be there. This sounds like a really great show.

     This aint about George but it does sound kind of like one of his drunken events. Can you believe the Chairperson of the BOE is refusing to allow the school employees to talk to the people doing an audit for the county? I wonder what Ms. Manning is trying to hide, bet the superintendent knows. Oh my gosh if someone would just tell us tax payers the truth. SOG

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October 13, 2008

      It is time to get serious about Duplin County Schools and stop this dickering and site selection nonsense, and foolish law suits or blaming the discontent on anyone, but the BOE & DCC. It is time for the board members and their supporters to think positive for Duplin County Students and stand up in public and show their positive beliefs and efforts for Duplin County. Stop these one-up-man-ships for your personal gain and/or pride. I don?t know just what amount of money it will take to move Duplin?s Schools ahead positively but slowly. I say slowly because Duplin County is not a prosperous county. Duplin does have sufficient funds to run the county and county schools. At times it appears the board of education seems to think they are smarter, but don?t notice they are being lead by non caring folks. The county commissioners seem to believe they are the smart ones even though they distribute insufficient funds without really checking projects even though their pet projects get well funded. I got news for both boards neither is smarter than the other and when they meet together they both appear that dumber up is the mode for the day. We citizens are not so dumb either. You board members may hide behind doors or in corners or whisper, but when more than one person knows something it is not a secret. We hear about what is said and planned and it may not be correct, but when you hide and say it ? what are we to believe. We know the numbers that each offered in place of the law suit and none are to brag on.

     We need to look at the situation like a father does who has a teenage son who is a student. I knew this fellow back when his son was in school. His son wanted a pair of $200.00 Nike shoes. Father told the young lad, ?I and your mother are doing our best to send you to school to learn and grow with that learning. At times we do without to make sure you attend school with decent clothing and the needed supplies. We do not see how it will help you learn any more with a $200 dollar pair of shoes when a $50 dollar pair will do the same thing as the $200 pair, they may not have the sparkle the $200 pair does, but they do what shoes are manufactured to do.?

     That should be the story Duplin Schools fulfills. That is, fill the schools needs with the $50 pair and understand that we can not afford the $200 Mecklenburg pair, but we are getting the same education, but not the fancy frills. We hope to get to that spot in the road one day soon, but for now let us work together to make our county and children show up as outstanding as we know they are.

     I think we need to find a way to ignore the superintendent erroneous ways and follow close behind the teachers. We are fortunate to have some very good teachers in our schools and some pretty good principals as well. The administration appears to be for administration only, while the teachers appear to be for the students. Another thing we seem not to know is how many teachers want to quit because of the superintendent. Many are staying on the job because of the students and their own commitment. I have been told the school board members are aware of this as well.

     If you want to see how money makes things change look at the $700 billion dollars the Feds threw into fixing the money problem in the USA banks. It did not fix it and now they are talking of throwing another wad much larger in to fix it. The $700 Billion aint going fix the US problem and $7.8 Million aint going to fix the Duplin County problem, because the problem is the lack of leadership. Someone needs to get into the system and fix it?then put money in it. By the way did you notice who did get fixed with the $700billion ? in case you did not I will tell you. It was the folks at the top?.remember ?dem thar who are at the top get the money?.

     Duplin schools needs to have an increase of funds each year when the bottom rung is found and a plan is established. The spending of the money needs to be closely watched and remember all that listed under education is not education. SOG

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October 6, 2008

      The people of Duplin County are a group of special people who live and work in a special county made so by the people who live in Duplin County. I think we are a little different. We tend to operate a step or so behind the wild people. We tend to keep our stuff together and act responsible and we rely a whole lot on family. We are as modern as technology allows anyone to be, but we look before we leap.

     Let me give you an example. This was back in time when everyone was smoking cigarettes. In Duplin County we were planting, growing, harvesting and selling tobacco. It was the main crop of Duplin. Many of the cigarette manufacturing companies were located in North Carolina as was most of the buying and selling of the tobacco crop. With North Carolina and Duplin County being so deeply involved in the tobacco industry you might think Duplin would be first in anything tobacco, well we were not. When the filtered cigarette hit the market Duplin people shied away from it. They continued to smoke unfiltered Camels, Lucky Strikes, Pall Mall, Chesterfields, Old Gold, etc and even roll your own cigarettes. While the rest of the country was puffing away on filtered cigarettes, ?A Winston taste good like a cigarette should?. This was before it was decided smoking was bad for you. I remember when a fellow moved here from Tennessee who he had a difficult time breathing and the doctor told his parents he should smoke cigarettes to help him breathe. He was the envy of every boy at school, by being permitted to smoke cigarettes.

     When the mild recessions came about and stifled the rest of the country by the time it got to Duplin it was over or the rest of the nations mild recessions was our normal. Life was and is good in Duplin, but we are being invaded by outsiders who tend to believe the life they left behind or escaped from is better than ours, but I got news for them they are wrong, bad wrong. There are times these misguided outsiders convince a few Duplin folks their former way of life is the way to go due to the fact they can not see the depth of life here. They don?t seem to be able to get down into things and see the whole of the story or it may be they just think they are so much more intelligent than the neighborhood they moved into. If a bad thing happens we join in and fix it. The words to take note of are ?join in.?

     Let?s look briefly at the school situation. Due to the fact the new superintendent conned, fooled, mislead what ever you want to call it, the people and the County Commissioners out of a million dollars the relationship got off to a bad start. When the budget came around there was revenge in the hearts and minds of a lot of folks. Again they were thinking of the attitude of the superintendent and not the children or students. What should have happened here was a joining of the people of the Duplin County Board of Education and the Duplin County Board of Commissioners. The Duplin County people only and work some compromise out. I believe it could have been done if only Duplin people had worked on it. The school system could have worked with a little less and the county could have given a little more. The county tax payers would have had at least half a million dollars fee they would not have to pay.

     I still can?t understand how the BOE can put three million dollars in a reserve while saying they are not being given enough money from the county budgets.

     Warsaw Middle School has a classroom 10 computers short while the BOE has $3,000,000.00 just setting in the bank. The interest would pay for them.

     The county has appealed the courts ruling of paying out around $4.8Million and the county is agonizing where to get the money to pay with if necessary. The county is also seeking an accounting of the BOE bookkeeping practices. To me this is the best thing being done. Let see where and what the BOE thinks is education. What ever is done don?t let it be anything but more money for teachers and less for administration. SOG

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September 29, 2008

      There just so many things going on. I went to Lancaster Pa. to a Studebaker Convention week before last and drove straight thru coming home, which was a seven hour drive. Looking and talking about the Studebakers and then driving home made for a long day. A longer day than I am used to. I was tired and was thinking about the happenings and it seemed kind of like a Science Fiction Movie or not being quite sure if things were real or something I had dreamed.

     The financial failure of our banking and credit system apparently occurred mainly because our money men were greedy, I am sorry I should have said are greedy not were greedy. The folks who apparently made it fail are coming out of this mess financially secure and are going to make even more money as us bottom enders loose our savings and will be forced to pay money we do not have to the big wheels who will get bigger. Just don?t seem right. We give $700 Billion dollars to bail out people who can?t pay for their stuff and we are paying it because we did the right thing and worked and saved. Does that mean we would be better off to stop work and join the welfare rolls?

     We been so free with our money we were taken advantage of and now we are about to loose it all. Next it will be the energy I guess. It is already gasoline.

     We are near the end of electing a new president and both men are sending out untrue signals and advertisements. This is important and we are getting political rhetoric. If they would just shut up the hype and give us facts.

     There new rumors circulating on the internet that both vice president candidates are going to be replaced. Remember these are rumors, true or not I do not know, but it is said Biden will be replaced by Hillary Clinton and Palin is also to be replaced and by a man. I heard his name but I forgot. This sounds like some kind of a joke to me, replacing the woman with a man and the man with a woman. Every one is jealous of the other.

     What about this great big Hadron Collider thing in Switzerland. Do you reckon it will throw our planet in a black hole? Seems like we are already in one.

     It was not long ago that I read North Carolina had more money than it needed. Now according to the political advertisements North Carolina is $7 Billion in debt. Where did it go ? did the lottery take it? Education did not.

     Look right here in Duplin County. The leaders who were elected to keep the county on an even par and safe just got out of a law suit against one another. Think about that, people who live in rural Duplin County can?t talk honestly with one another and neither knows what education is. They had to hire out of county lawyers to tell them and now they have that silly smile on their faces signaling they don?t know for sure. County Commissioners and Board of Education members with apparently so much personal ego and stubbornness they will not listen. The court case would only allow one side of the case to be told. I think it is like the letter writers were saying, ?now the court case is over it is time to get back to getting rid of the school superintendent?.

     County Commissioner David Fussell and his investors are trying to build a motel complex just off I-40 near Rose Hill. The estimated cost of the project is around $50 million ( I think it was million, to be sure it was not billion). He applied to the town to allow him to build a sewer line to the RH sewer plant and was turned down. The plant has enough extra capacity and The Fussell Group is to pay the cost of running the line. Now get this, the tax value of the whole town of Rose Hill is two million dollars less than the value the new project. The new project would double the tax value of the town. Speaking of taxes, revaluation is done and now we will be shocked with our property?s new value.

     These are just a few of the things we are waking up to each morning, but we are in Duplin County and Duplin Countians survive. Some times we just have enough strength left to drag our self along, but we survive. One morning after listening to the TV news I was so upset I ate two sweet potato pies with pecans and whip cream on them. I just took the whole pie, cut it one time down the middle and folded it over like a sandwich and ate it, boy that is some good eating. Can?t you just taste it? SOG

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September 15, 2008

      Once upon a time long long ago at that particular point in time you could hear the thunderous hoofs beats of the great horse Silver as he came from the Plains into town. The mighty horse stopped at the Longbranch Salon. A masked man with silver bullets in his gun belt dismounted and walked inside. Marshal Dillon and Chester was already in side the salon. This was to be the day of the big trial. There was no court house yet built in the town so the salon was used to conduct court.

     The town?s people were gathering at the salon and were excitedly talking among themselves. It was the day a county government was to be set up. Perry Mason was the lawyer for one side and a group from Boston Legal was the lawyers for the other side.

     The bar was closed (no liquor was to be sold during the hearing). The chairs were set up in rows for the spectators to set in and the tables were set up along the walls and stacked two high. The salon floor was cleaned as women were expected.

     The judge?s bench was set up where the piano usually sat. The judge to hear this case was Judge Roy Bean. He runs a strict court, no messing around allowed.

     There was some dickering and swearing by the lawyers as the trial began, but Judge Roy Bean put that down right quick. Crawfish Jack was asked to leave as he sour language was insulting Mrs. Bee. Each side had agreed on most of the divisions and departments to be set up for the county government such as Sheriff office and Fire Departments and so on. The biggest disagreement came when they were trying to set up the school organization. The education teachers were quickly named, but the administration group was tuff to pick. Once the officials were decided on it was unanimous that the school division would not be allowed to tax the people. It was the thinking of the officials that the educators tend to tax for what they wished for and did not consider who or what higher taxes would do to other folks. This was especially important for the poorer areas of the county. It was evident the richer town could pay more and build better than the poorer towns. Many educators can not see or seem to understand that one must not spend more than he earns even when it comes to school employees and buildings. There are other things that must be paid for to operate the county. To tax the people so heavily they suffer in their daily life will soon mean people will move away and the poor county becomes even poorer.

     Therefore the county commissioners were to divide the tax money needed for education as well as monies needed to operate the county?s other governmental needs. These laws which were set back in those earlier times have come under controversy since the business people no longer handle the school system moneys and the new handlers are former teachers with no financial experience.

     The above names have been changed to protect the innocent and there were no gun fights at the trial.

     Now for a little up to date stuff. During the past few weeks there has been another one of those events which have tried to understand both sides of the county and the school system. They disagreed with the original findings of many many years ago.

     I remember this same argument and threat being on the table during Superintendent Charles Yelverton time with Duplin County Schools. The Board Commissioners and the School Board were smarter back then for they worked it out and did not waste money paying out of county lawyers those high dollars.

     The county came out not having to pay that $63 million the school board asks for, but was ordered to pay over $4.5 million for current expenses. This amounts to a 16 cent tax increase on the tax payers. The question still remains ? will the money be spent in a way to help the students. I wonder if this forced tax will slow down the collection rate? SOG .

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September 8, 2008

      This old hard rusty metal is actually soft green folding money. Scrap metal has been sold for cash for a long time. In the past year or so the increased value of it has created a new group of collectors. The price has been as high as $16.00 a hundred pound, however it is now around six dollars or so. Right now I am talking about old cars and such. Copper, Aluminum, Brass, Nickel and other special metal goes for much higher prices. Copper for an example goes for around $2.50 per pound, not per hundred pounds but per pound. Nickel right now is over $5.00 a pound. When I say right now, it may be higher or lower when you read this as the market goes up and down quickly.

     You can see the evidence of how good the market is by checking the woods or forest where old junk cars, trucks, farm equipment has been sitting and rusting away and is now missing. They have been hauled away by truck and trailer to the junk yard for good old green backs. These eye sores have been sitting there for years and years, but they have become valuable and are swiftly being moved to the market. It is helping the environment which is a good thing and putting money in some folks pockets which is also a good thing.

     As I was returning from Clinton last week I met four vehicles pulling trailers hauling old cars and other metal stuff to a market. That could have easily been over two thousand dollars for just a little work loading the vehicles. Some of these vehicles had catalytic converters which bring from $65.00 to $100.00 in additional money; the battery is also more money and other things as well.

     There was a time when you had to pay someone to haul off your old machines and batteries, but the price of scrap metal is up and they bring a good price.

     I was in a scrap metal market when a fellow brought in one of those plastic five gallon cans with cloth covered wire which he was selling and it really looked like scrap. I decided I would hang around to see what he got for the can of ragged wire. The only reason it was in a can was to hold it together and be placed on a small scale and weighed. I watched the dealer write a check for over $28.00. I could hardly believe what I was seeing. I thought he might have gotten three dollars and he got over twenty eight dollars. I asked how that wire was worth twenty eight dollars. The dealer said it was copper wire, and he showed me the price per pound of copper wire. I would tell you the price, but I forgot.

     The dealers usually have a large truck size container to dump the metal in. It is dumped into the container just as it comes to the dealer and when the container is full a tractor trailer truck arrives to haul it away. The container is lifted on to the truck. It is then taken to ship docks where it is lifted on to a ship and off it goes to China, Japan, Africa or some such place.

     I?m told the Japanese has the best metal separator. I was told the Japanese unload an auto into a machine and the machine cuts up the vehicle and separates it into specific containers where the individual metals fall, aluminum in one, copper in one, plastic in one, and so on. Machine does it all, no labor to speak of.

     This has put people to work and cleaned up some of the environment which is good, however it has also brought on some bad too.

     With this metal and other components being so valuable people are stealing some of these sellable items off of perfectly good autos. Copper seems to be one of the top stolen items right along with catalytic converters from us folks who have not had to keep a close eye on our stuff in the past. That has changed and you need to keep a close eye on your home, garage, barn, anything you don?t want stolen. It was in the news paper about someone stealing around $60,000 worth of copper and doing $300,000 worth of damage getting it. Pay attention of anyone on your property or your neighbors property, any one you are not familiar with and drives by more than once. BE Extra Careful?BE Suspicious ?.. SOG

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September 1, 2008

      Does anyone know where you can find the truth? If you are like me I would thought the place to find it would be in court, but I now have my doubts. I am not even sure what we are trying to find is the truth. Did I say that wrong? What I ?m trying to say is, are we searching for the truth. The citizens of Duplin County is footing the bill for an on going court case against its self. That is right the tax payers of Duplin County is paying, the lawyers on both sides, we are paying the peoples salaries who brought the suit as well as those contesting it. DC paid for the building the court case it taking place in as well as the operation of it, air condition and so on. DC is paying the law officers and officials of the court as well as some of the judge?s salary. That is right we are suing ourselves and will have to pay for what ever the out come is.

     Now that we got that straight? How about this. Even though the tax payers are paying for everything, the truth is not available. Whoa! What? How can that be? Well, here is kind of how I found out about it, to my dismay. There was a conversation between three county employees. Two of the county employees were on the county commissioner?s payroll and one was on the board of education payroll. Items or out of court details about the case were discussed by these three. Remember we are searching for the truth about operation money that will be furnished by the tax payers. To skip all the minor details and just tell the basics. The BOE lawyers said things were told that should not have been told by the BOE employee to an DCC employee. This is were it gets really dumb in my opinion. The court case is about building a proper school system as well as renovations and perhaps some new buildings. I mean, how can there be secrets if we all want the same thing. Even with everyone wanting to keep the cost in line? There should not have been a court case in the beginning, but there is and it is about money and its use and people who know about these things are taken off the witness list. This is not a murder case where some facts the guilty may not want to be out. This is a case to try and find the truth about what Duplin can do and afford. We are not looking for or even thinking there are secrets. This is one of those things about the people for the people. We all are on the same side wanting what is best for DC. The county lawyer?s side can not even talk with school principals or assistant principals? These are people who know facts we may not find out about. The county lawyers can not talk about property taxes either even though tax rates will be a very large part of it all. We can get there on a 5 year old Ford we don?t need a new Cadillac.

     This is Son of a Gun and it is my opinion about happenings, but there are news stories in at least 6 news papers about the trial and what is happening and news stories are facts about what is happening. So do not just take my word about these things read the news stories.

     With all this nasty court stuff you are hearing and reading you may think Duplin County is a bad county. Well let me tell you it is not. It is a great county with proud and hard working people. The people want the education of their children first and foremost on everyone?s minds. They will put up with less for themselves to see their children get what is needed.

     There are some people in Duplin County who have humongous egos and are determined to have things their way and it is messing things up somewhat, but that is not the way all of Duplin County people are. Duplin is conservative and I think all farming communities are that way. Duplin County people are concerned if they do give the money BOE wanted if it will it be spent on education as it should be. They are aware of it not being spent as the BOE led us to believe in the past. The Supertinindent admitted it in court last week.

     Just think about how the money being spent on this court case could have helped the children in Duplin County schools. SOG

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August 25, 2008

      Two bunches of nuts appear to be chop each other up. In my opinion that is what the Board of County Commissioners and the Board of Education are trying to do. Each board was put into office by the voters of Duplin County to move Duplin County back to the progressive county it once was just a few years ago. It seems however, the groups have instead tried to disassemble Duplin.

     At the present time the BOE and the DCC are embroiled in a law suit that could be solved with each board giving a little and taking a little. However, enormous egos seem to be fueling the idiotic lawsuit.

     If the attorneys and boards would listen to the Judge it would be over in a day or so with no jury action. The county tax money flowing to the attorneys in fees has already reached over $100,000 and is still flowing. If anyone thinks this is good for the county they have a broader mind and secret facts which others do not have.

     I want the people of Duplin County to win in this lawsuit, but the way it is going right now it appears the only winners will be the attorneys. As I read parts of the lawyer?s opening statements it appears to me that is what they are trying make it last longer and longer. There are at least six newspapers covering the trial and all anyone has to do is read what is printed in these papers about what is said in court to understand it could have been solved long ago if those involved would put the personalities aside and try and help this county. The board of education is asking for too much money and the county commissioners are not willing to give a little more money. I was glad to read the BOE has reached into their over $3 million reserve and pull out over a million to help pay some of their bills. They should not have had a reserve in the first place. I mean how can someone save money back from the yearly budgets and then say they are not given enough. The county reserves are the schools reserves anyway. The county has been pulling money from their reserve to balance the budgets that should have been cut vigorously a few years ago. Both boards need to take a serious second look at their budgets.

     The state board of education decides how many school teachers are needed in a school system by the number of students attending the schools in each district. The school administration in Duplin got their pencils out and has done some multiplying, adding, subtracting and dividing and has figured more teachers are needed than the state has allotted or will pay for. Thus additional county tax money is being asked for to pay the new teachers, so money needed in the schools operational budget is coming up short. Also money from the county funds is used to give raises to the administration office workers. This is not suggested by the state. This is a county by county thing.

     I read that superintendent Wiley Doby testified that the old buildings could adversely impact students? grades and behavior. I assume he meant badly. I suppose he does not think any of Duplin?s students will attend college. Every college I have visited or even read about is so proud of their 100 year old or older buildings. They also have new buildings, but they did not tear the old ones down ? they added on. Most often the question is asked where should we build rather than should we build.

     I think Judge Haigwood will be the answer to Duplins dilemma as he seems to be eliminating the emotion and is trying to stick to the facts?What ever the outcome every citizen in Duplin County will pay for the personality lawsuit.

     I was talking with a fellow last week about cooking collards. He said he went to a friend?s home and the friend was cooking collards and chicken in the same pot. He said that was the only house he had ever been in that the flies were trying to get out of. SOG

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August 18, 2008

      We talked about the crappie digital TV signal I am getting in the last SOG. The telephone calls I got tell me I am not the only one receiving a bad signal. Four of you said there was such a thing as a VCR with a digital tuner. I checked out the internet looking for a VCR that would receive analog and digital signals and there are at least four companies manufacturing them, RCA, Panasonic, Magnavox, and Toshiba. They range in price from $89.00 to over $450.00. There are probably more and different VCR models and at different prices.

     Also, with the digital tuner you don?t need one of those tuner boxes on top of your TV. The box you get with the $40.00 coupon.

     My question about these VCR?s is will they be much good after the February cut off date for analog signal. They will still receive the digital signal, but what about the recording, is it a good price wise deal for just a few months use. Well to me it is, but not the $400 model. These guys also have DVD recorders that would change your old analog DVD and VCR recordings to the new digital ?great picture? format. If you are interested, I am not at this time.

     This new digital TV signal which at times gets all mixed up with its self and other things to such a degree that you can not see or hear it correctly reminds me of the old movie ?The Fly?. You remember this fellow in the movie invented a machine that would change an object into tiny micro bit pieces and transport them thru the air and reassemble them in a different machine in another place. Kind of like the transporter machine in the TV program Starship Enterprise. In The Fly movie a fly got in the machine with the fellow who was to be transported and thus parts of the man and parts of the fly got intertwined and came out as part man and part fly. That is kind of what my TV signal looks like some time when it breaks all a part. The parts I see are terrible looking. Thanks to some of you readers I got a bit more of information about this TV mess, but the TV stations have not replied to anything I have sent them?phone calls, email and I even sent my SOG about my TV mess to them ? still no reply.

     Whose idea was it to change the signal type anyway? Can you imagine the amount of money will be spent to get the public back to where it was in regards to TV viewing before the change? The computer is getting some of the TV viewers, but the most of us still sit in front of the TV box. The Satellite and cable TV companies were the first with this digital type signals and it broke up when there was a storm, so we should have known it would break up coming from the local stations. It may have been called a microwave signal, but it broke up just like what we got now.

     We were told of the wonderful picture we would get and no snow?we traded in ?snow? for ?break apart?.

     They know I am going to watch TV, like the rest of the nation I am hooked. By the way, I can?t figure what Victor Newman on the Young and Restless is going to do in Mexico unless he is going to take revenge on the guy that killed his new wife. So I will be tuned in to find out, but I hate to be suckered into buying a new TV set to get a sorry signal. I hope Victor don?t do his thing while it is raining or I will most likely miss it during a break up signal. They are tying to make me say ugly words, but I won?t.

     I have watched so much TV I think it is making me sick. These TV commercials which are selling medicine and they tell of the side effects the medicine will cause. These commercials are telling me about ailments I have never heard of in regards to the side effects. Some days I think I am suffering from some the side effects and I don?t even take the medicine. SOG

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August 4, 2008

      I have read it in the newspaper and seen it on TV that a new TV signal is coming and if we want to see TV we got to get some new stuff. Well since I retired I do a lot of TV watching and I think I should get the new stuff. I read about getting a coupon that will save me $40.00 on purchasing a converter. A converter is one of those things that sets on the top of your TV and will change the old TV signal receiving stuff to the new digital TV receiving stuff. These TV advertisements said that in February of 2009 the old type TV will be turned off.

     I sent off for one of those forty dollar coupons, actually I got two of them. When the coupons finally came I went to a local electronic store and got two converters. They were priced at $80.00 each, so I saved $80.00 by using the $40.00 coupons paying half price for the two. Later I learned that some places were selling them for $50.00, thus I could have paid only $10.00 if I went to that store ? oh well.

     Not being sure I could hook the system up as I wanted it, I hired the service man to hook mine up. What I wanted was to hook up was my VCR to the new digital signal. I have gotten hooked on ?The Young and Restless? soap opera. Sometimes I am not around when it is on and I want to record it. Actually it is not me it is Donna, but I watch it with her.

     The new digital signal can not be recorded on the old VCR. In fact if I understand it correctly, they don?t make a recorder for the new digital signal. Oops I forgot to tell you I have an outside antenna for local stations. The satellite signals have their own way of recording, but I get satellite signals and signals from local stations. Doing it my way saves me $20.00 a month

     This great clear picture that makes you think you are right in the picture is better than good when the weather is good. Yes sir, no one could ask for a better clearer picture when all the elements are right.

     When it is raining or someone turns on a garden water hose any place between my TV and the TV station the picture on my TV breaks all apart and the sound goes away. The picture and sound will break apart, bumfuzzle and then just go away. Usually it goes away when the basketball player shoots the ball and I can?t see or hear if it went in or Mr. Monk or some other mystery investigator solves the mystery or an interesting news story comes on YAAAA. I had rather have a little snow mixed in with the picture and get the entire story.

     I thought perhaps my equipment was not doing as it should. Had it checked and it was doing great. So I thought the TV stations did not have their equipment set up right. I phoned three TV stations who had advertised to call or send email to them if I had questions. I emailed one and got no answer in two weeks. Next I phoned three TV stations. The secretary answered the phone and I told her I wanted to talk to someone about the new digital TV signal. She said ?sure, I will connect you. Shortly a recording came on saying the person I was calling was not in, but would phone me when they returned?. The message was almost word for word at each station. The great stuff is not being great and no one will talk to me about it.

     I saw an installer of the new system and asked if I needed to buy a new antenna or a booster of some kind. He told me that is the way it is and will not get any better. He said they are not telling the truth about the new TV system.

     So the government has pulled the wool over our eyes again, we have been bamboozled, suckered, and I would like to write the word that begins with a big ?S? and ends with ?ed? but I know the newspaper censor person will remove it. So I will say we can?t believe the people we are suppose to trust.

     I hope someone will write or call in and tell me how to get pass this Sc______ up mess to keep the signal coming in so I can see and hear it all.

     Oh, I saw Commissioner David Fussell the other morning at a restaurant and suggested he make a motion at the next county commissioner meeting to give a $50,000 grant to the people in the Faison area who are suing the Board of Education. SOG

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July 28, 2008

      Things are not always as they seem. I was traveling through Oklahoma a few years back and stopped at a Seven Eleven type store to buy some fuel. There were two elderly Indians getting into a brand new Pontiac Bonneville. The two Native Americans were well dressed in modern day Indian clothing. I got my gas, paid and left. Several miles on down the interstate I passed the two Indians. I was traveling around 75 to 80 MPH. I thought to myself as I passed them ?those old folks are just poking along?. Ten minutes or so later those two Indians had that Pontiac stretched out in the wind as they went past me like I was sitting still. They must have been traveling well over a 100 MPH. I mumbled under my breath? I apologize for my earlier thoughts?. They may have looked old and slow, but they were not.

     That is kind of like the school board. The citizens of Duplin County voted them into office to supply the county with a superior education system at an affordable price. We put our hopes and faith in them and what did they do? They put a plan in motion to sue the county tax payers for more tax money. That doesn?t seem quite right does it? To sue the hand that feeds you.

     The BOE asked for more money than was allotted to them in the new budget. The allotment was figured from what it took to operate the schools with last year. The BOC said tell us where the money is going and we will give you more. That is not an exact quote but it is the jest of what was said. The BOC did not want to hear ?we are using it to keep the school going?. They wanted a more in depth answer. The BOE did not give it and the BOC did not give the money.

     The BOE started a mediation which could end in a law suit in court. As of this past week the out of town lawyers have earned over $75,000 and it is not over. That money could have gone to help Duplin?s Schools. No matter what the out come is Duplin County Citizens loose. I don?t think it is so much about money for the schools as it about personality conflicts. Like ?aint no body going to tell me what to do?.

     Did you know if you add the two salaries of School Superintendent Dobie and finance officer Olivarez there would be enough money to hire nine (9) classroom teachers?

     This past week a Wake County Judge told parents who brought suit against the Duplin County BOE and the State BOE the STEM school at James Kenan is to be reopened.

     I think it is great the parents of Duplin School Students decided they do not have to take the crap being handed down by the BOE or BOC. When they ask and ask and ask and are ignored over and over and get nowhere they now have gone to court to get their voices heard and paid attention to. Perhaps the days of some politicians thoughts of ?just ignore them and they will go away? is a way of yesteryear.

     Please pay attention Duplin County is presently operating on a $0.91 cent tax rate. The tax rate we are being billed on right now is seventy nine cents on the hundred ($0.79). I got my bill Saturday. The reason we are getting by on the lower seventy nine cent rate is the commissioners have snatched around $4 million dollars out of the money the county has saved over the years in our reserve fund, to balance this years budget. They foolishly did not cut or reorganize the county operations this year and we will pay hurtfully next year at tax time. Their foolishness is going to be even worse next year when the new values will show up. It is re-valuation time. Perhaps with the economy being down we can talk the new values down some as they were taken when the economy was up and still rising. Remember the two Native Americans ? things are not always as they appear. SOG

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July 21, 2008

      The radio barked out ?There is a drowning at Lake Lemon?. Siren blaring, lights flashing the rescue vehicle came alive and headed toward Leman Lake. At Lake Lemon two females were pulling a young fellow from the waters of the lake, to begin CPR on him.

     According to what I hear and read this young fellow in his mid teens apparently took in a big gulp of water while swimming and became choked and panicked. A couple of ladies saw the youngster in trouble and helped him to shore. They began giving him CPR while others phoned the rescue squad or EMS which is correct. The two ladies doing the CPR procedure on him, in my opinion, is the reason the young man is up walking around today. Their quick action at Lake Lemon saved the life of that swimmer and I believe that.

     Just in case you are not of aware of where Lake Lemon is located, it is beside I-40 at the River Landing turn off or exit. When the construction company was building I-40 they dug a great big hole on each side of I-40 and hauled the dirt to make the overpasses over highway 41. Lake lemon was developed on one side of the road, but the other side remains undeveloped.

     Saving a person from drowning is some what more involved than is usually shown on TV and I am not going to try and explain it all to you right here.

     Those two young ladies who rescued the young lad from the waters probably do not think of themselves as heroes, but in my opinion are just that, heroes.

     Some of those nights while I was sitting at home watching TV these ladies were attending CPR classes. They made themselves an even more valuable part of society than they were, a life saving part. Had I been there I would have been a face in the crowd wondering what was going to happen next and would be hoping these two women would be successful at what they were doing. We all have made mistakes, like making a step too far, taking too deep a breath, misjudging a step and so on and we are so fortunate to have people like these two women who have took their time and trained to help us to hold on until the professional arrives.

     In case you did not know, the youngster was taken by rescue from Lake Lemon to Duplin General Hospital where he was put on a helicopter and transported to Pitt Memorial in Greenville. The last I heard last week he was up and doing well.

     The incident makes me wonder how many people have the CPR knowledge these two women did. That would come to the rescue of a possible drowning or some other incident where CPR is needed. Some of us may not be as fortunate as the lad at Lake Lemon.

     I hope others will seek out these CPR classes to attend and learn the life saving procedures. Not that they may want to be a hero, but you never can tell when the time may come when could keep an injured person alive until the professionals arrive.

     I met a waitress a while back who to me is a good worker and keeps her table well waited on. I talked a little extra with her each time I visited the restaurant and we became talking friends. She may have been talking to me hoping I would give a larger tip and I was talking to her because I am curious. She told me she was saving up money to go to college. I thought she was talking about James Sprunt Community College, but she named a four year college she wanted to attend. She told me she was going to work to another restaurant on the days she was off at the one I was eating at. I saw her week or so later and asked how the second job was going. She told me she had quit the other restaurant. Said she was not making enough money there, said they had too many waitresses. I ask if she was going to look for work at another eating place. She told me she was not, said she could make more money playing pool. This of course perked up my curiosity. She is a pretty girl, long and lankly and looks like the type of person I would think may play a mean game of pool. I ask if she played at a place I knew in Wallace. She said it was a small place and folks learned her after a couple of times. Said she went to Jacksonville. I asked ?are you a pool shark?? She said, ?I guess.? I asked what she planned to study in college. She said, to be a physiologist. I think that is what she said; this young lady bumfuzzled and amazed me, smart girl. The way she talks and thinks, makes me wonder if she may already one of them PHY--- something or other?s. There are youngsters who are planning to succeed and working toward making it a fact. SOG

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July 14, 2008

      There is just so much going on in Kenansville with our governing boards. The DCC (Duplin County Commissioners) are arguing over who can talk and who can?t talk. The BOE (Board of Education) are arguing who can say the number of DC property tax dollars the BOE can spend.

     In regards to the talking before or in front of the DCC, I think any citizen with a legitimate compliment or complaint, who wants to talk, should be allowed to do so.

     I think there should be a limit to the number of times he or she can bring the statement to the board for presentation. However, after a goodly amount of time the person should be allowed to come again if the matter has not been solved.

     Each board member most likely promised they would listen and or bring the matter of any voter to the board for the board to hear. This is just part of being a member of the board to listen to a citizen?s presentation. Some folks may be better at presenting a subject than others, but all persons should be allowed to present one.

     In the matter of someone being allowed to speak for a commissioner in my opinion can not be done. Only a commissioner can speak for him or her self. A person can give a commissioner a paper to be read by the commissioner. With the permission of the other board members it is perfectly alright for a commissioner to introduce someone to present an item to the board, but only after the other board members have agreed and you members quit being mad at one another.

     Now about the matter of the disagreement about the amount of money the BOE is allowed to spend. Duplin parents all want their children to have the best education possible. They do not want to bankrupt the county; they want a reasonable amount of money to be spent on the schools. Least ways the ones I have talk with say that.

     Most folks want the mediator to know the financial status of Duplin County and not to be swayed over the crocodile tears of the highly paid BOE administrators.

     I have been covering the meetings of the two boards for over thirty years and I do not remember anyone wanting to shortchange education, ever. I don?t remember any administration changing the pay policy as this present administration has in favor of themselves.

     Constructing School buildings has had controversy in regards to the amount of money being spent and location, but never were there arguments on educating students. Unless you count this mess we are in now.

     There just seems to be so many personalities affecting things now. If things were not in enough controversies now the joining of schools has been brought into the foreground. School locations and buildings are not right around the corner; what ever route is taken it is several years off.

     I hope the BOE and the DCC both realize and understand they were organized to help Duplin County citizens efficiently operate the county. If they can not understand they were elected to help DUPLIN COUNTY they should resign.

     It is no big deal; we have the best people, now help us have the best government. SOG

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July 7, 2008

      The people of Duplin put their children?s education at the top of things to do. These parents, grandparents and others will accept a necessary tax increase if they know the money is going to education and know where and what the money will be spent on. The small quarter of a cent sales tax did not pass because the citizens can not trust the present school administration or the BOE to put the new money to good use in education funding, it is just that simple. An example would be the B.F. Grady School Festival. The festival pulled in nearly$90,000 in one weekend, but the area voted down the quarter cent sales tax. They knew where the money from the festival was going, but did not know where the quarter cent tax was going.

     I have heard parents say they would agree to a higher tax for education and seen a vote taken at a meeting on the subject with practically 100% agreeing. Right now there is no higher tax needed. I believe however if the school administration was changed and the referendum was put on the November ballot it would pass.

     The mediation and possible suit is unneeded. All that has to happen is for the BOE to show where the new tax dollars is going to be spent. Doesn?t it make you suspicious when the BOE is reluctant to show where they are spending Duplin County tax monies? It does me.

     Is it an oxymoron statement when one says they need more money and have over $3 million in a reserve? It is also confusing when one can save $3 million from their budget and then say they have not been given enough money for years.

     We just had one of those ?run off elections.? Two of the folks who were seeking the county commissioner seat for district 1 held a run off to see who could get the most votes as neither had fifty percent of the vote in the original election. To me this was one of the goodest elections we have had in many a year. There were actually more votes cast in the run off than were in the original election. I also think each vote was ?for? someone and not ?against? anyone. In a lot of elections you will hear folks say ?I?m going to vote against that so and so?. What I heard in this run-off election was ?I ?m going to vote for so and so.? I guess we had two good people seeking office.

     DC has had mediation going on for two or more weeks to see if we will have a suit about funds for the schools, well it is actually about the BOE showing the DCC and the county what they plan to spend the county tax money for or on. The DCC told the BOE if they want the money they were requesting to show where it was going to be spent. I guess the BOE decided they were the masters of education in this county, they may even have a secret handshake and such, I don?t know. I suppose they were even thinking, who in the heck do the tax payers think they are wanting to know where we (the BOE) spend county tax money. In any case there is a mediation going on to see if a court case is needed or it may be over by now as I am writing this on one of the days the mediation is taking place.

     Guess who is paying the high-price out of town lawyers. If you said the tax payers you are right. The BOE hired the first two high price lawyers. The arguing or Mediation continues between the BOE & DCC while the taxpayers foot the bill. The BOE is paying $250 an hour for each partner from Schwartz & Shaw, P.L.L.C., $185 an hour for a legal attorney, and $75 an hour for a paralegal. BOE?s regular attorney David Phillips will continue to get $150 an hour. Mediation from J. Anderson Little is costing the county $185 an hour and the DCC will pay their out of town attorney, Neil Yarborough, $300 an hour.

     Think about this: the worse performing school in Duplin County (according to NCDOE) is short 15 computers in one computer class, while the BOE is hording $3 million dollars in a reserve account in a bank drawing a pittance of interest. Does that make any sense at all? They got $3 million and won?t spend $15,000 for computers to help kids in the worst performing school in the county.

     Ayy I had a dream and in that dream I saw a school superintendent and some of his staff walking down a road with a pink slips in their hands and they were mumbling to themselves ?I am superior to every person in that county?. Now it just needs to come true. SOG

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June 30, 2008

      Duplin County people are good people, they love their families, their God and their land and in no particular order. There is never a second or third they are all first. Duplin County has been and is singled out to be a special county unlike any other since before it was cordoned off from the world map to be Duplin County. It is unlike Wake County or Jones County, comparing it to other counties is a waste of time and paper.

     I believe if Duplin County was not a good and kind county the present school superintendent would be looking a new job.

     I had a dream and in that dream I saw a school superintendent walking down a road with a pink slip in his hand saying ?I am superior to every person in that county.? I don?t remember if my dream was before or after the mediation and suit.

     We just had one of those ?run off elections.? Two of those folks who were seeking the county commissioner seat for district 1 held a run off to see who could get the most votes as neither had fifty percent of the vote in the original election. To me this was one of the goodest elections we have had in many a year. There were actually more votes cast in the run off than were in the original election. I also think each vote was for someone and not against anyone. In a lot of elections you will hear folks say ?I?m going to vote against that so and so?. What I heard in this run-off election was ?I ?m going to vote for so and so.? I guess we had two good people seeking office and both of them live in the Calypso area. I guess they both have long distance phone numbers for most Duplin citizens.

     We have had mediation going on for a couple of weeks to see if we will have a suit about funds for the schools, well it is actually about the BOE showing the DCC what they plan to spend the county tax money for or on. The DCC told the BOE if they want the money they were requesting to show where it was going to be spent. I guess the BOE decided they were the masters of education in this county, they may even have a secret handshake and such, I don?t know. I suppose they were even thinking, who in the heck do the tax payers think they are wanting to know where we (the BOE) are spend county tax money. In any case there is a mediation going on to see if a court case is needed or it may be over by now as I am writing this on one of the days the mediation is going on. Guess who is paying the high-price out of town lawyers. If you said the tax payers you are right. The BOE hired the first two of the up to $300 an hour lawyers. The DCC hired one and then there is the mediator. So we got three high priced lawyers and a mediator to pay with our tax money. I think the mediator is paid $180 an hour and $100 an hour for travel time. Not all the lawyers are paid $300 an hour, but none are below $250.

     If you want to rehash all the malarkey that went on before the suit or mediation you can find it in the back issues of the four weekly Duplin newspapers, Duplin Times, Warsaw-Faison News, Wallace Enterprise and the Advertiser -News. The two daily papers on our borders also have past articles so stating, The Goldsboro News Argus and the Sampson Independent.

     Good old Harry Truman was correct when he observed, "My choices early in life were either to be a piano player in a whorehouse or a politician. And to tell the truth, there's hardly any difference." With that I wish you a Happy Fourth of July? Fly your flags and show your pride in the good old US of A?ayy SOG

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June 23, 2008

      I am writing this on June 22, 2008 for publishing on June 24, 2008. Some of the subjects I write about may have been met on or about by the time you read this. It will however, make no difference on what I am saying. The Duplin County citizens do not have to meet, they already know the county commissioners and the board of education have so many problems between themselves that nothing is working for the betterment of Duplin County.

     I am going to briefly tell what I think started it all and why it continues. Last year the County Commissioners sent two million dollars in county tax money to the board of education one million was designated for facilities the other million was for teacher supplements and for fixing things around the around the schools. When the money was used as salaries and not fixing, things between the two boards have been a mess. The superintendent even turned his nose up at the commissioners and walked out when they asked why.

     The new superintendent sent a letter stating $35,000 was to be spent for a new painter, $190,000 was to be budgeted for pressure washing and painting buildings and $775, 000 was budgeted for supplements. The school teachers got a small supplement which they deserved. Those working in the administration office also got supplements. The new superintendent got a ten thousand dollar raise this past year, he also gets a five thousand dollar supplement to help out with his living as he is only drawing $11,261.25 a month or $140,135 a year not including his $5,000 supplement . The finance officer Olivarez brings home $8,347 a month or $100,164 a year plus her $5,000 supplement. I don?t have the space to list all salaries. I can understand giving a school teacher a supplement as his/her pay is usually around $30,000 or less, but the finance officer getting a $5,000 supplement when she is paid over a hundred thousand dollars a year. Her job could be done by a $30,000 person, easily. I said it long ago that there will be no working together by the two boards as long as Doby Wiley heads up the BOE and I still believe it

     The BOE has messed around with not designating new school facilities. They BOE have commissioned studies on where to locate and build new facilities and they whimper among themselves about the results afterwards. The Duplin County Tax Payers are paying out of pocket for their personal whimpers. Some board of education members have said they were elected not to let a school be organized or built in a certain location. What he is saying is he does not care what is best for Duplin County but just what a few want in his district. I will give him the benefit of the doubt and say half the people in his district don?t want him allow a change in the schools in the district. That leaves half that does what a change. The election results do not show everyone wants that change. So he is ignoring half his district and telling them to shut up and leave the district, I guess.

     There is to be a meeting on Monday June 23, 2008 between the BOE & DCC and the information received will determine whether a suit will be filed by the BOE against the DCC seeking more money. My opinion is each board should sue the other and spend more of the Duplin Tax Payers money wastefully and uselessly. There are as many bad moves by the BOE as there by the DCC?.we got two wrongs and each wants to stay wrong. The next move is to sue each member of each board individually.

     There is not enough space to do this properly all is a hit and miss but I hope I have given you enough to think about.

     A DCC member stayed home and worked while the rest of the commissioners met and tried to figure out the budget. This guy did not go to the meeting, but he did stop at Hardees and someone ask him why one person got a $300 raise and another got a $9,000 raise. This commissioner went to the board meeting and was mad because he did not know one person got a greater salary increase than another. This is the guy who did not go to the meeting. He had missed several days of the budget workshop. If he had not missed a single day and was there ahead of time and stayed late he is a grown man and he should know in any organization some get paid more than others. Sheriff Deputies do not get paid any where near what the sheriff does. The same is true for any department and if a percent salary increase is given the more the salary the more the increase. The DCC just paid a big amount of money to a company to find out this is the way it should be and now some of them complain. Like some of the BOE members they just don?t need to be on any board that needs to make intelligent decisions.

     By the time you read this we will have a new commissioner for District One and we still will not have a thinking board. It will still be a board that works to please themselves not Duplin County. We need complete new boards all at one time not a new one mixed in with the old. Remember the story about the rotten apple? SOG

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June 16, 2008

      Oil, metals, and grain have set the world economy in to a dismaying upward spin, driving prices to unheard of heights. I remember something like this back in the 1970?s. I do not remember how it affected the world back then, but I do know what it did to me.

     I was working at a pretty good job making more money than I had need for. This was unusual for me; I had always worked hard and most times held down two or more jobs to have a little money ahead. I did not check the news for political or economic news, just checked on the sports. For some reason unknown to me I seemed to have money ahead. I did not save much, but spent more. I even bought a Cadillac. This was way above my raising. I kept working, but things changed again and I still did not keep up with the news and did not know why. The job or jobs that put more money I my pocket, continued to put the same amount in my pocket, but suddenly there was no extra money. What I knew was the price and supply of gasoline had changed. The price went up and the supply went down. The interest rate also changed and almost suddenly I was back where I was before I bought the fancy car. I worked hard and put in many hours and several years later I was back to making a few more dollars than it took to live. This time however, I put some of it in the bank for a rainy day or another back flip of the economy for poor folks like me. Now it has happened again and the money I saved in the bank by not going on that Saturday outing with a full tank of gasoline, a movie, and a steak ? that savings including the interest will not even buy me that steak today. I am not sure but I think I am still ahead even though the money does not have the value today as it did when I earned it?????

     When we put this present state of affairs of the nation and world in to Duplin County terms it looks something like this. To the farmer the price of fuel has more than doubled, the price of fertilizer and such has tripled and the value of the farm property has stayed the same. I do not know how much fuel and fertilizer is used, but for easy figuring lets say a thousand gallons of fuel and last year it cost $2,000. dollars. Today that same fuel is costing nearly $5,000. The seeds and fertilizer and chemicals cost two thousand dollars last year and this year it is over six thousand. Remember we are using low figures and are no where near the actual price totals. Using those same low figures on the farm property?.. it means the farm no longer has enough cash value to stand for the credit needed to make this years crop. Some farmers are wondering if the risk is worth it. A bad crop could mean the farmer may loose it all. Previously the farmer could recover from a bad year in three to five years, but not at these cost.

     There is one other way to look at it ?.. if the weather cooperates this could be the best year the farmer in this area has ever had. One reason for the possibility of being a great year is the flooding of the mid-west farm lands.

     I guess you noticed the news item that Exxon is selling their retail gas stations and plan to only stay in the wholesale business. If Exxon does not think the stations are a money making business any more, the local retail gasoline stations will have a hard time making it. They too are in this charging crunch. If the gas station is carrying a logging company or other truck companies on the books with three trucks and it used to take around $300 to fill up the fuel tank with diesel fuel and today it takes $1,000. It doesn?t take a computer to see the high risk of pumping three one thousand dollar tanks of gas a day for five days. That is $15,000 on the books when it was only $4,500 and this is just one customer.

     So what does this all mean to you and me? Slowly we will overcome and get by, but it will not be easy for us so called middle class and poor folks. I sometimes wonder if these up and down times are just a way to keep us non-rich folks in an uncomfortable category. I can tell you one thing for sure politics will not get us out of it.

     I read the other day that the Duplin County Board of Education Finance officer is paid a salary of over a hundred thousand dollars a year (100,000.00). You know it seems to me, that someone being paid that amount of money could come up with some wise ways to get money rather than complaining all the time about not having enough. She should check the salaries of those at the Administration Offices, but wait she is one of those over paid folks herself. I wonder if she is looking after self financing more so than the school financial operations?SOG

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June 9, 2008

      I do not know if you attended the public hearing on the Duplin County 2008-09 budget at the Agricultural Center, but I hope you did. I am writing ahead of a new budget hearing at the commissioners meeting place on June 9, 2008 at 9am. I hope you attended and got the correct information at this one as well.

     If all goes as hoped this last meeting put the budget on track for adopting. North Carolina Law says the budget must be adopted by the last day of June or all spending by the county ends. The present budget the county is operating under expires the last day of June.


     At the May meeting I did not hear a great deal of disagreement, but Duplin Citizens have had time to put their favorite story or influence in the ear of their commissioner. The big questions at the May meeting seemed to dwell on the funding for the schools, fire departments, and new salary schedule for the county employees. The tax rate was to remain the same at 79 cents on the hundred and borrowing or taking from the reserve funds was at $3.5 million.

     The things that made me think some folks got hoodwinked as I listened to the CD of the meeting were the amounts of false information that had been given the public. Some people attending the hearing believed the new tax rate was going to be increased by 35 cents others thought it would be increased by 3.5 cents when in actuality there was no increase in the tax rate proposed.

     The circulating of the crazy papers trying to compare counties and the sheet to try and embarrass the county about the amount of money spent on each student in school also added to the confusion about things.

     Never will any person, company, institution or investigation by the government be able to compare one county with another with the studies which are out there now. There has to be an involved study. You can?t just count people and say one county is paying more people than another doing the same thing. You can say one has more people on the payroll than another county. However to compare them fairly, the study would have to look into what each job is doing. One county for an example may hire their EMS people thru the hospital, they may also have an outside source doing the garbage and trash work. So their number of employees would not show the EMS or the Solid Waste people. This kind of comparison is just ridiculous, but it looks good on a campaign sign or interview. That kind of comparing is like comparing grapes and grapefruits. We should be demanding the truth be told. If you are going to put a study out make it correct and explain it.

     The Board of Education has for many years used the state survey figures of how much county tax money is spent on each student. The only reason I can see for the BOE to use these figures would be to attempt to embarrass the commissioners or the citizens to give more money. The new figures the BOE is showing has Duplin County at 104 out of about 115. There is no way Duplin can contribute as much as Wake county or lots of other counties. However, the correct way to compare is how much total money is spent on each student. Due to the fact Duplin is not as rich as Wake county Duplin gets extra funds other than county tax money. Duplin people want to put as much as any other county puts up for their children. They just do not have that money other counties have. There are other fed or state funds that help.

     For the school board to go out of their way to embarrass the county is unkind.

     One more thing about the school board or BOE unfairness. According to an article published in the Sampson Independent News Paper, Sunday June 7, 2008. ?Over $3 million is spent each year on salaries for personnel in Duplin County Schools. Central office administrators, principals, and assistant principals earn $3,154,725 before supplements, which range from $3,050 to $8,000, are given to employees.?


     It kind of behooves me to hear the administrators talk about small amounts going to the students when it takes over $3 million dollars to pay them. One of the first things that should happen is to remove central office personnel off the county paid supplement list.

     It worries me when government or people trying to get into government say there needs to be a change and gives no clear explanation. The change may be for the worst not the best. SOG

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June 2, 2008

      I am writing this Monday morning so I do not have the results of the Monday night meeting on the County?s 2008-2009 budget.

     However, I do know what was taken into that meeting, thanks to a couple of commissioners. There was no tax increase; the property tax for the coming year is the same as it was for the present year, 79 cents on the hundred.

     Without carrying you thru all the new budgets figures which amounted to over $47 million, briefly I saw no services cut, most did not get all they requested or wanted, but did get enough to operate. Three services ate up three quarters of the money, around 78% of it or just over $37 million. They are education ($8,836,910), human services with $16,104,503 and public safety with $12, 348,723. Oh yes, $180,000 was cut from the new budget for five sheriff cars and the cars were bought with money from the present budget. Some jobs were cut, but the positions were not filled at the time. Four million dollars from the reserve fund was figured in to fully fund the proposed budget, however that amount was cut to $3.5 million at the meeting before Mondays presentation.

     The tax rate stayed the same, but one of the most important parts of the budget is the new pay system. It is not perfect, but it is a heck of a lot better. The cost of the pay increase or salary plan came in around $800,000.00 rather than the over a million or half a million that was proposed in the study.

     If the commissioners had the guts to stick to this budget they all deserve a pat on the back and a thank you from us all. There is no doubt more money could have been used and some would say needed and I agree with both needed and wanted, but somewhere, sometime someone has to say ?whoa this is all we can afford, and in fact we are going into debt 3.5 million dollars to do this? (reserve fund).

     I guess you have seen some of the papers being handed out comparing Duplin County to or with other counties. Well, Duplin County is Duplin County and is not like any other county. We have run industry off for years and some has landed in Sampson and Sampson has prospered while we set back and say ?that smells bad or looks ugly?. I saw a newspaper photo of a lady complaining about the Fiberwatt location near Faison in Sampson County. The lady lives near Wallace. According the paper she said something in the tone of ?we don?t want you here?. I don?t know where she gets the ?we? from. She sure was not making statements on my behalf or stating my beliefs. Lenoir County has picked up several of our throw off industries as well. They too are doing well with our throw aways.

     Lets stay with the bad odor stuff?there is a pork processing plant that was aimed for Duplin, but we shooed it off. Sampson jumped right on it. There was a landfill that was shooed off and it was accepted by Sampson. All these and more industry located in Sampson County and they pay above average wages. Lot of Duplin folk work in those industries and many of Duplin people have moved to Sampson. Sampson has built three new schools and a lot of Duplin children are going to schools in Sampson.

     Pender County was on that list with many other counties, but how can anyone compare anything in Duplin to the Beach property in Pender. Many people in Duplin have property at a Pender County beach and they know the property values of both places. There is on comparisons what so ever. It is like comparing grapes to grapefruits. Aint no way.

     Gasoline is high and getting higher and you know that, but what about the credit card charge. I saw a station advertising gasoline at $3.80. The lowest price I saw near that was $3.88, but most was in the $3.90 range. I stopped to fill up at the cheep place and there was a note on the tank saying to pay inside before filling up. I went inside to give the lady my credit card and she said ?go ahead and gas up and then pay.? I did, I put $40.50 of gas in my tank. I handed the lady my credit card again and she said ?we charge $1.65 for using a credit card?. I said I don?t understand and she said the credit card companies charge to use the card. I told her that it has been that way since the cards were first issued. She said there is no reason for us going back and forth that is the way it is. I told her to give me back my card and I paid cash. I had no problem with that, but I should have been told to begin with. If I pumped ten gallons of gasoline at $3.80 and paid an additional $1.65 that would make my gas cost $3.96 a gallon. As far as I am concerned people can charge what ever they want to charge, but tell me before I have to pay. I may just decide to go to another place to do my shopping?SOG

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May 26, 2008

      Memorial Day 2008 Monday brightly popped up just like the thing it was, a new day and spread its self all about so proudly honoring those military folks who lost their lives protecting our way of life. Flags were brightly waving in the breeze along streets, at businesses and homes. I put mine out early, because I think it helps to beautify my home or any place it waves.

     I got to do some work on my flag pole. It wraps its self around the pole as the wind blows and I need some rings attached to the pole to keep that from happening. I will take it down around Wednesday and work on it.

     Monday was such a great day, sun shining brightly, wonderful mixture of green, grass, bushes and trees, beautiful flowers, spectacular clouds with a mixture of billowing white in a blue background. Donna?s rose bed was just billowing with huge blooming roses. If you ever wanted to be proud of a day this was one, it was right out of a Norman Rockwell painting.

     Memorial Day and July 4th are two holidays that in my opinion should be these spectacular looking days with nature making every thing just blend in. The kind of day that invites people to enjoy the out doors. People put their lives on the line daily to help us keep these celebration days to honor those who made the supreme sacrifice to help keep us and our country as it is today.

     I hear folks say ?they gave their lives?. I am from the old school and I believe their lives were ?taken? by evil people. They put their lives on the line to protect our way of live, but those lives were taken from them. They did not stand up and say ?here take my life?. They stood up and said ?I will fight you until my death to save the USA?. I enjoyed my Memorial Day and thought often of those who made it possible for me to enjoy it and keeping me speaking English.

     Let me tell you about my Memorial Day. I got up around eight o?clock that morning. One of my privileges, make possible by those who fought so bravely was being able to sleep late on that day. You may think my privileges are silly, but I believe they are possible because of what someone else did. So I could honor those special people and have a Norman Rockwell kind of a day.

     My wife Donna had my breakfast ready; in fact the aroma of it is what got me out of bed. She had made me a cheese, and sausage omelet, with a fresh pear as my side dish. I looked out the double windows in our living room and saw the birds feeding and bathing. The sun was shining and had every thing just sparkling with bright colors. There were four Blue Jays, two Doves, a red bird and his wife, all eating and running one another away from the feeder. That red bird or Cardinal is so pretty and he helps his mate. He and his family are one of my favorites. I was reading a bird book week before last and was shocked to find his actual name is Northern Cardinal. I did not know that red bird was a Yankee. Kind of saddens me, but I still like him and feed him.

     As I drank my juice as I watched a mean old black bird try and take over the feeder. Donna gives me a glass of juice, a glass of water and a cup of coffee for breakfast and insists I drink them all.

     A mocking bird flew in and landed on the four by four holding our yard swing up. He has a nest in a bush below our double window and brings in food for the little ones or the mom. I don?t know which; for they have their nest so well hidden I can?t see it. I know it is there, I just can?t see it. Next a red headed woodpecker swoops in at the feeder and he scares off the two black bird?s hording the seeds.

     When I finished my breakfast I went outside to take in the beauty of the morning and went to hear the Memorial Day Speech.

     We have two picnic tables in the back yard. One of them is a wooden octagon cut table I bought from Frank Whaley many years ago and the other is an iron table with chairs that came from Frederick Furniture Company in Rose Hill. At lunch time we had hot dogs and fresh fries along with a strawberry shortcake and ate outside at those tables. I have had that table from Frank so long I am beginning to worry about it breaking. We had ice cream later, but no watermelon. They are too expense right now.

     The town of Warsaw had a Memorial Day celebration for old and young alike in the park across from our house. They had games and entertainment including music (open mike to anyone who wanted to do some picking and singing). I will have to say some of those folks are close to being professional and some are like me who would be better off just staying off stage and listening.

     Fireworks at 9 o?clock and they were sparkling and bursting into the night sky and were exciting to say the least. It was one of those beautiful Southern Summer Days that make us so glad to be one of the special people who can call them selves an American. SOG

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May 19, 2008

      Stories about budgets and taxes are popping up in newspaper articles and sneaking into conservations about ever where lately. Well don?t let them frighten you; it happens every year around this time. It will happen next year and the next and so on. Taxing your property is how governments operate; they collect taxes on your property so they can spend your money on the needs of your county. Please note I said needs. We all know a commissioners or two who puts ?wants? in the needs list. Before we get too far along, let?s make sure we understand no single commissioner can pass or keep anyone else from passing anything, it takes four.

     Let?s talk about Budgets or the word budget. A budget is no big deal they show up every place. We got them in the home, church, schools, business, governments, industries and so on. It does not take a genius to set up a budget; moms and dads do it regularly. Where the problem comes in is sticking to the budget and understanding you cannot spend more money than you have coming in.

     We hear a lot about setting priorities and priorities is kind of a fancy word for deciding what you want to spend your money on. It makes no difference if you have hundred of dollars or millions of dollars they all work the same way. Having a million just means you can put more in to your needs column. One must decide what is the most important and put a part of the budget money into it. If you do not have enough money to put what is needed in each program or department then you put a little in each. Thus each program or department has some money and each must budget their own work to fit their money. The process goes on like that until the money is gone and we hope you put some money in reserve in before the money amount came to zero.

     That priority word is defined only by the one that says it, is not a definite thing or object. At my home my priority would be another Studebaker while my wife would say the priority is a new washing machine. We both know a washing machine is the needed thing so the Studebaker goes on next year?s list. Common sense is the winner.

     The county has grown since last tax setting time and I for one say let that growth fill the extra need since last tax time. That the commissioners set at a table and dish out the money chits where the most need may be and let the rest go lacking. That is the way it is at my house and should be at the county level.

     I read where the sheriff says he needs twenty (20) more employees. I do not doubt his sincerity, but on the other hand I also hear where we need 20 school teachers and from another corner there may be a need for 20 more EMS personal or the recreation department may say with 20 more employees they can keep the folks busy and out of trouble. From the last and most important and respected corner are the words ?we can?t afford either?. So the answer would be shuffle your people around and make do with what you have and make sure you are getting 8 hours of work for 8 hours of pay. I started this with the sheriff, but only because he was asking for 20 more employees. The shuffling people around and getting 8 hours of work for 8 hours of pay is for all employees. Now make sure some of those extra dollars from the county?s growth will go to wages or salary increases for employees. It takes more people to do a job when they are paid minimum wages, but good wages make good employees who are proud of their jobs and more work per hour comes from them. This is not an old codger?s tale it is a fact.

     Every voter in Duplin County knows a commissioner and we all need to tell our commissioner to make do with the money they have, no new taxes. Each commissioner can do as they want to do?remember as they want to.

     There are no rules that say we must to keep up with any other county. This is Duplin County we are part of a group that make up North Carolina which is a part of what makes up the United States which is a part of a group that make up the world. However, we are individuals and we think as Duplin County people and we operate as Duplin County people so don?t say we need to do as some other county may.

     I would think the commissioners got the word from the May primary when the quarter cent sales tax was defeated ? that we do not want any new taxes of any kind.

     On June 2, 2008, at 6pm there will be a public hearing on the proposed county budget. This hearing will be held at the Cooperative Extension building at Duplin Commons. If lots of us tax payers show up at this hearing, it will definitely make an impression on those setting the tax rate. It should show it is not in the citizen?s interest to have a tax increase. SOG

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May 12, 2008

      Thank you, Thank You, Thank You, I say to all of you that voted in the May 6th Primary. I am sorry to say only 39.25% did go out and vote. That is not even half the registered voters. More people (registered voters) stayed home than voted. I know it was a primary, but it was still important, especially on the local level. We can be sure of one thing; the people did not rise up and overwhelmingly vote anyone into office, but that is old news they never do. One other group I want to thank and it is those who put their names on the ballots for those who did vote to have a choice. You candidates are what makes the election possible ... thanks again, sorry all did not win

     There is one thing for sure about the Duplin County Board of Commissioners there aint no one person going to change that group. It takes at least four to make anything pass. We have seen that one person jump in there and we seen em try, seen em fail. The intellect is not so great at times, but egos are above average. As things progress I think we may see a struggle for leadership or the running of things.

     It?s a pretty good bet there will be a run off in Commissioner District 1 and following that vote we shall see what we shall see.


     If there is not one wrong thing busting out of the Duplin County Education System it is another. The Engineering School at James Kenan is just one more mishap that hurts the students and you can name the injured ones in this one. I have heard of illegitimate children, but I think we got an illegitimate Superintendent. This bad thing we call ?wrong? has bundled its self up quite comfortable since that man arrived at Duplin Schools Doors and keeps spreading its self all around. Covering things like a blanket.

     A while back Judge Manning looked the mess over in the James Kenan School District and advised the powers to be, to fix it. We all know how the powers to be react to suggestions ? in one word it is ?ignore?.

     As I see it, and I am not being paid around $200,000 a year in salary and fringe benefits as the head man is at BOE. So I may be wrong or incorrect which ever would be the right word. Any way, my viewing of the thing seems Judge Manning said fix up the JK School. So the powers to be had a jam session and decided to put a star in their crown by creating new schools while at the same time making it appear as JK had improved.

     They started a new technology type school and joined and at the same time un-joined it with JK. So they could have one school or two schools, so to some folks it would be two schools to others it would be one. They went around to all the schools and picked out the brightest students and gave them and the parents a jib-jab about the new school. The new school filled and the area knows as JK had a better over all grade average. This was great, just what the Judge ordered. Utt OH trouble is back in town. People, money, and facility numbers got confused. Reassignments began and students and parents became angry. The Judge dropped in for a look see and did he ever get an ear and eye full. Read the story in the Duplin Times else where.

     The fiasco will probably be blamed on Ms. Dora Jernigan, but who is it that is suppose to run the out fit?? I mean the head man is in charge and makes all important changes like a new school? Hey BOE wake up. It is probably going to take ten years to get out of this mess now, don?t let it get deeper. Oh, I think I have said that before.

     I thought the Technical or Engineering School was a good Idea. I did not know it was put up to circumvent the Judges order. I like others thought it was a great place for some students. Sorry we were hoodwinked again.

     The enthusiasm that went into the new school is one of the reasons I think the best idea was the one big high school at Duplin Commons across from James Sprunt. By he way, from what most folks I am being told the main reason the quarter cent sales tax did not pass was due to the attitude of and money spending ways of the Duplin County Superintendent of Schools. SOG

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May 5, 2008

      Hitting the nail on the head would be a great title to this message. It was sent to me on the internet and I think it does hit the nail on the head. I hope you will read it.

     60 YEARS LATER What a difference 60 years makes!!!

     I know everyone has a different opinion on the war and our current President. But, this article makes a lot of sense, and I hope you will take 2 minutes and read it and give it some thought. I have never seen the 'situation' expressed any better in words!

     Recently I was talking to a friend about the upcoming election and the candidates. As we ended our discussion he said 'the only decision you have to make is who you want sitting in that seat in the White House when - not if - when we get hit again and millions of American lives are put at risk!'

     This is from: 'You ain't gonna like losing.' Author unknown.


     President Bush did make a bad mistake in the war on terrorism. But the mistake was not his decision to go to war in Iraq. Bush's mistake came in his belief that this country is the same one his father fought for in WWII. It is not.

     Back then, they had just come out of a vicious depression. The country was steeled by the hardship of that depression, but they still believed fervently in this country. They knew that the people had elected their leaders, so it was the people's duty to back those leaders.

     Therefore, when the war broke out the people came together, rallied behind, and stuck with their leaders, whether they had voted for them or not or whether the war was going badly or not.

     And war was just as distasteful and the anguish just as great then as it is today. Often there were more casualties in one day in WWII than we have had in the entire Iraq war. But that did not matter. The people stuck with the President because it was their patriotic duty. Americans put aside their differences in WWII and worked together to win that war.

     Everyone from every strata of society, from young to old pitched in. Small children pulled little wagons around to gather scrap metal for the war effort. Grade school students saved their pennies to buy stamps for war bonds to help the effort.

     Men who were too old or medically 4F lied about their age or condition trying their best to join the military. Women doubled their work to keep things going at home. Harsh rationing of everything from gasoline to soap, to butter was imposed, yet there was very little complaining.

     You never heard prominent people on the radio belittling the President. Interestingly enough in those days there were no fat cat actors and entertainers who ran off to visit and fawn over dictators of hostile countries and complain to them about our President. Instead, they made upbeat films and entertained our troops to help the troops' morale. And a bunch even enlisted.

     And imagine this: Teachers in schools actually started the day off with a Pledge of Allegiance, and with prayers for our country and our troops!

     Back then, no newspaper would have dared point out certain weak spots in our cities where bombs could be set off to cause the maximum damage. No newspaper would have dared complain about what we were doing to catch spies.

     A newspaper would have been laughed out of existence if it had complained that German or Japanese soldiers were being 'tortured' by being forced to wear women's underwear, or subjected to interrogation by a woman, or being scared by a dog or did not have air conditioning.

     There were a lot of things different back then. We were not subjected to a constant bombardment of pornography, perversion and promiscuity in movies or on radio. We did not have legions of crack heads, dope pushers and armed gangs roaming our streets.

     No, President Bush did not make a mistake in his handling of terrorism. He made the mistake of believing that we still had the courage and fortitude of our fathers. He believed that this was still the country that our fathers fought so dearly to preserve.

     It is not the same country. It is now a cross between Sodom and Gomorra and the land of Oz. We did unite for a short while after 9/11, but our attitude changed when we found out that defending our country would require some sacrifices.

     We are in great danger. The terrorists are fanatic Muslims. They believe that it is okay, even their duty, to kill anyone who will not convert to Islam. It has been estimated that about one third or over three hundred million Muslims are sympathetic to the terrorists cause... Hitler and Tojo combined did not have nearly that many potential recruits. So... We either win it - or lose it - and you ain't gonna like losing.

     America is not at war. The military is at war. America is at the mall.

     I submit this as SOG for this week.

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April 28, 2008

      We are here in the last week of the down home Dupln County elections. May 6 is the primary election when the Democrat party chooses who they want to represent them in Novembers election. The republicans are doing the same thing. I being an independent have the responsibility to join one or the other for this outing. I have made my decision and will make my mark to day or tomorrow. I am going to do that vote early thing over in Kenansville at the elections office.

     My pick of the candidates for Commissioner of district one was not an easy one to come by. My vote goes to Frances Parks.

     Those on the ballot, Jimmy Dixon, Winston Jennings, Snodie B. Wilson and Francis Parks

     When this contest first started my vote was for sure with Jimmy Dixon. However, his negative newspaper advertising and letter writing made me feel different. When I saw the first newspaper advertisement, I thought to myself ?why are you doing this, you have enough positive stuff to brag on?. He kept on doing it and it kind of turned me off and it makes me uncomfortable to write this, but the truth has to come out.

     Then he seemed to just stir the controversy over Fiberwatt and I knew he was better informed than he was talking. Duplin County needs industry, needs jobs, and needs to get rid of poultry litter and other things. Thank goodness the Fiberwatt folks are planning to locate in Sampson County. We will loose that tax base and the local jobs, but the poultry litter will still be moved. I remember Mr. Dixon putting an advertisement in the news paper to start a ?help duplin club?. I assume he has used that club to stir up the Fiberwatt plan. I still like Jimmy, but I don?t feel he needs to be a county commissioner. I am sure he won?t like me after reading this, but that is the way things are.

     Ms. Parks on the other has not given out any negative advertising, all I have seen or heard was positive. It was my thoughts that Ms. Parks would not be a good mix in with the commissioners and it would just be a mess at the commissioner meetings and do on. I thought Mr. Dixon would go over there and run things. He is big enough and loud enough and has the ability to mismanage the truth to his advantage and pushes himself to the front look down on you and say ?you know you don?t believe that?.

     During these past weeks I have thought about that and it was hard too come to the conclusion not to vote for M. Dixon that Ms. Parks may just be what we need on that board.

     I don?t like everything about Mr. Dixon, nor do I like everything about Ms. Parks. Ms. Parks has in the past had some unkind words to say about the swine industry and the landfill. However there are enough county commissioners who are sold on those two industries to always off set her vote. There are six commissioners so no one commissioner can do too much. I don?t think there will be a lot of joining with Ms. Parks, but Ii do think there would be with Mr. Dixon. There is a lot more I could say, but I will stay away from it. I hope you will vote and hope you will look at what you might want your commissioner to be and act like.

     If you are voting for a friend and don?t care about the problems of Duplin County I would ask you to rethink and consider your county and try and help it. I am not asking anyone to vote as I do, just vote for Duplin. Snody Wilson is too fine a person to be put in the mess in Kenansville. I voted for him in the last election, but things have gotten nasty and extremely stressful since then.

     FYI The Confederate Memorial Day is May 10th and a celebration along with stuff from that time and people dressed and parading about is to be in Magnolia, headquarters for the event will be at the Magnolia Station General Store ? downtown Magnolia. SOG

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April 21, 2008

     I have been reporting news from the county commissioner meetings for over thirty years. When the present set of commissioners was sworn into office, I ended my task of attending each meeting. In fact I have not been to a county commissioner gathering for quite sometime, but I do get a live CD recording from each gathering. This CD recording covers each and every word that can be heard by the audience and some information or conservation that is not clearly heard by those in attendance. Sometimes everyone seems to be talking all at once, the commissioners and the on lookers as well so the words get mixed together and it sounds like a blur with nothing being clearly heard. I can however, separate the voices and hear was said by each person at the table. My computer can separate the voices on the recorded disc giving me a better sound bite. Thus, due to the fact I was sitting in the audience for over thirty years and now listening to the CD?s for several more years, I have personally heard the meetings for thirty plus years and I am here to tell you Duplin County?s board of commissioners is in as deep a black hole which excuses wisdom and intelligence and is deeper in the abyss than it has ever been. To make matters worse, I helped some of these intelligent vacant people get elected. I had thought we could get no worse than what we had on the board, but I was wrong. I was badly wrong, so wrong it makes me want to cry because I can see no way out this mess for many years to come. I used the word ?gathering? rather than meeting, because I do not think there is enough intelligence in that crowd to have a meeting ... it is just a gathering or a crowd.

     I heard one of those absent intellects who thinks he is important because people thought he was smart enough to be a commissioner. He made a stupid statement at the commissioners table. At the time I just smiled and thought ?one day he will learn?. Several days later I read a statement by him in a daily news paper about the stupid words he had put together in that sentence. He told the reporter he was glad he said what he did. I guess he wanted to make sure everyone knew just how stupid he was, or maybe it was the reporter wanting to make sure people saw it.

     It is my opinion that this fellow should be sent back into the swamps and not allowed out unless a person of intelligent would go with him and do his talking. In addition he was not to go in public and say he is from Duplin County. The news papers have been full of the flip flopping on the Fiberwatt program so everyone knows about the limited intelligence of our full board of commissioners. I read some striking editorials in several newspapers about this manure mess or is it a mess of manure ? heck no it is not manure it?s about litter and electricity. Let me stop right here and tell you Duplin County is one of the best of North Carolinas 100 counties. There some great and very intelligent people who live here, we just did not elect them to the county commissioner or education board.

     While I am on the Fiberwatt subject let me put my two bits in. Fiberwatt has said they have chosen Sampson County for their new facility. So what I say will make no difference one way or the other. First off I wondered if Duplin Commissioners were so jealous of Woody Brinson they were determined his last project was not going to be built in Duplin County even if it meant never building a facility that would bring jobs into the county.

     I wondered if farmers and non farmers understood this thing about using poultry litter on the farm. Some were saying the litter was worth $400 a load; however they were paying only $40. a load. The farmers know if the price ever did get to $400 a load they would use commercial fertilizer, because it is better than poultry litter and easier to distribute. The only reason for using poultry litter is it is cheep. Fiberwatt said they would pay what ever the going market price was.

     I wondered if anyone looked into the fact some folks were putting together plots of land to sell to Fiberwatt at market price and location that would be acceptable or were they so personally involved they did not want to look.

     I wondered if jealousy caused lots of cries against Fiberwatt because someone wanted to be in on the deal or did not want to loose their leased land.

     I wondered if it was really looked into when some folks said they did not want the plant near them and who and why most of the phone calls were made. I think it was mostly because of the green stuff you put in your pocket and not the odor some was claiming would happen.

     There is a lot more I would like to say, but I am running out of space. I don?t think it makes no difference who is elected in the up coming commissioner race, Duplin already has a black mark against it due to the indecision and miss information put out by the misfits in Kenansville. There is an old mange covered dog near my place, the dog warden is looking for the K9, and he probably would be as good as anything we have so far in reference to intelligence. He has managed to elude the dog warden. The fact is truthfully he would be better off with the warden

     I will try to fit this in too. It is a quote from Ms. Carolyn Olivarez the chief financial officer of Duplin County Schools. ?This is all a part of a wonderful initiative by Dr. Doby, (Superintendent Dr. Wiley J Doby, ) he went to the county commissioners and asked for the money to help make our schools saver.?

     This is a remark from a so called professional Finance Officer. I can kind of understand why Dr Doby brought the ?wonderful? accountant to Duplin County. The quote is from a presentation about the 1.5 million dollar security at the schools. You may remember last year the money transferred to salaries. I guess that too was a wonderful initiative. SOG

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April 14, 2008

      There times when a good thing gets all bumfuzzeled up. I was eating lunch at Bland?s Restaurant last week or beginning to eat. As I came from the cafeteria line with my plate I noticed a young man at the checkout counter dressed in a US Navy uniform.

     I took a second look at the sailor; you just don?t see many sailors in Duplin County. I was in the US Navy in the 1950?s and I thought this was a great chance to pay for this military mans lunch hoping to show him Duplin County was grateful for his efforts in the war. I know the Navy may not be on the front lines like we see on TV nightly, but they are there doing the part they were or are asked to do.

     As I sat down I saw the waitress coming my way from the other room. I caught her eye and motioned for her to come to my location. She of course did not know what I wanted. She had her moves planned in her head and was following her plan. She got a glass of tea and headed back to the booth she had just come from. I tried to stop her, calling her name while motion and asking her to come here. I wanted to pay for the sailor?s meal and do it on the quiet side. It was my plan to tell her what ever he got just put it on my bill. The waitress/cashier left the booth and headed for the cash register. I called her name again ? this time a little louder as I was getting nervous that my plan would not work. She continued on to do her job which was taking the sailors money, he was there before me. Again I made a plea as I was getting more nervous ... come here, I said and said it louder. Now things was like a TV or Movie program in slow motion as each item was slowly getting closer and closer ? the cashiers hand was reaching out for the money and the sailors hand was handing her the money. I made a real loud request which I am sure sounded like a demand? ?Stop - come here right now? I said. The quiet thing I was wanted to do had most everyone looking and wondering if I had gone or was going nuts. If I knew how to spell ballistic I would use it here. At my obnoxious ?come here? demands the young lady put the sailor?s money on the counter top and headed my way. I was over joyed, but my joy was short lived. There was another cashier right behind her and she picked up the money. I was embarrassed by my loudness by now and simply said ?I wanted to pay for that sailors meal, or what every his bill is add it to my bill. The cashier understood and did as I asked. I turned around and began eating my meal. I looked up at the folks at my table as I put a fork full of blue butter beans in my mouth and they were looking at me with eyes wide open and a shock look on their faces. I guess they were wondering about that word ballistic too.

     In a few minutes one of the cashiers placed a ten dollar bill beside my plate. I looked up and said ?what is this?? She said the sailor gave it to her and said it was for his bill and if I had paid for his meal to keep it as a tip. I turned and looked and the sailor was walking out the door and he looked at me and smiled and waved. I guess he thought I was ballistic too or one of those chain saw terrorist.

     I told the young lady to keep it as a tip, and a fellow from across the table said ?I guess he has more money than you do.? When I finished my meal I got up and went around apologizing to everyone. The young lady who I was first trying to get her attention when I hugged her neck and told her I was sorry, she said ?That?s alright, I thought you were real thirsty and wanting a glass of tea.?

     I have for some time tried to pay for military people?s meal when I see them in a restaurant in Duplin County. It is to try and show the military people some folks are proud of them and want to thank them for what they are doing for our country. What they are doing is not a political thing like those waving banners and being unruly, it is patriotic and no matter who may complain I believe they are doing a great job for us.

     I got in this trouble once before, this time it was at the Rose Hill Restaurant. I saw a young lady seated at a table eating breakfast in what appeared to be an Air Force uniform and I told the waitress to give me her bill. I paid it and later found out she was a stewardess for some air line. Oh well, who said I was perfect. By the way while I was going around apologizing hugging necks and shaking hands and showing a toothy smile, I forgot about the young mans meal and left without paying for the sailor?s meal. I am going back and pay the bill, though.

     One more thing, what someone says a product is worth and what it sells for is not always the same. Poultry litter was said to be worth over $400. a load, but it only brings $40. or less. If this was not an election year we may have gotten better information on Fiberwatt and Duplin County. I believe we (Duplin County) will suffer for years, industry wise over this latest flip-flop of the boondoggle. SOG

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April 7, 2008

      Teacher's salaries

     Their hefty salaries are driving up taxes, and they only work nine or Ten months a year! It's time we put things in perspective and pay Them for what they do... Baby-sit!

     We can get that for less than minimum wage. That is right. I would Give them $3.00 dollars an hour and only the hours they worked, not Any of that silly planning time.

     That would be $19.50 a day ( 7:45 AM to 4:00 PM with 45 min. Off for Lunch).

     Each parent should pay $19.50 a day for these teachers to baby-sit their children.

     Now, how many do they teach in a day... Maybe 30?

     So that's 19.5 X 30 = $585.00 a day. However, remember They only work 180 days a year! I am Not going to pay them for any vacations.

     Let's see . . . that's $585 x 180 = $105,300 per year. (Hold on! My calculator must need batteries!)

     What about those special teachers and the ones with master's degrees?

     Well, we could pay them minimum wage just to be fair, round it off to $7.00 an hour. That would be $7 times 6-1/2 hours times 30 children Times 180 days =$245,700.00 per year. Wait a minute, there is something wrong here!

     There sure is, duh! (Average teacher salary $50,000/180 days = $277per day/30 students = $9.23/6.5 hours = $1.42 per hour per student.) Very inexpensive Babysitter and they even educate your kids! Crazy! SOG

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April 1, 2008

      Some friends and I were talking about the price of gasoline a few weeks back and we came to the collusion that the price was going higher and by gosh we were right, it is higher. Drawing from our vast knowledge of the subject, due to the fact the news media had thrown it all over us like a pail of cold water. We summed it up as any intelligent group of old codgers would ? there aint no shortage of gas making it happen. It is the speculators making the gas prices go higher and higher.

     You see there is a group of money men ? come to think of it, some of them there folks are women and they might even like it better if we referred to them as female. Have you ever noticed that the words women and female have men and male after a couple of other letters? It is kind of like they came before male and men and some of them seem do believe something like that. We men know we came first, it says so in the Bible. If you do not read your bible this is reason enough for you to do so, but back to my gas price story.

     These folks with money who have that inter drive to make more money, saw clearly that we non- money folks have had a new gene in our bodies that came to life shortly after the automobile was invented. It is called the? go? gene and we are going to go no matter what. The money folks noticed we non-money folks kept right on buying gasoline when the price increased to over two dollars and a half a gallon. It was one of those ?Ah Ha? moments for them and their eyes were blinded by dollar signs and they began buying oil or gas futures. Being a non-money folk I do not know a lot about these terms relating to making money on the stock or futures market, so I may use a wrong term, but I do know when something is costing me more and the price on gasoline is causing a lot of things to increase in price.

     Gasoline and diesel fuel kind of makes the world go around right now and so those who control them are getting overly rich. According to the news, that mass media thing again, Exxon had a profit of five billion a year back when the oil spill happened in Alaska. This past year Exxon had a five billion dollar profit in one month. Do make a note we are talking Billion not Million. I know you must have heard of filthy rich, well I think this must be it.

     As I was typing out Exxon it made me think that company needed one more X in its name. You know, like the movies when the rating is XXX, it is going to be down and dirty ? Exxxon.

     I wondered if the banks were getting too much money in their savings accounts of us non-money folks and money folks began to be afraid we might catch up with them and get in on some of those deals the money folks seem to create ?. Not find, but create.

     Another one of those curiosities we questioned or were bewildered about was the sales tax on gasoline and diesel fuel. There just aint no telling how much tax money is collected on over the road gasoline and diesel fuel sales. I said there aint no telling, but I am sure there is an accounting some place; I just could not find it.

     There is a tax of a little over forty eight and a half cents ($.4855) on each gallon of gas sold and a smidgen over fifty four and a half cents ($5455) on each gallon of diesel fuel sold

     There is a federal tax and a North Carolina tax both is included in that rate. On Gasoline NC receives a little over thirty cents ($.3015) for each gallon sold while the Feds get a almost eighteen and a half cents ($.1840) of each gallon. The diesel fuel is figured a little different. The feds get around twenty four and a half cent ($.2440) while NC gets the same as from gas which is a little over thirty cents ($.3015). The tax amount does not change with the price of these fuels at the pump. No matter the price of gasoline or diesel fuel the tax amount stays the same. At one dollar a gallon the tax is still a little over forty eight and a half cents and it remains the same at four dollars a gallon and the same is true for diesel fuel.

     With that much tax money coming in with each gallon of gasoline or diesel fuel sold it would seem to me there should be a pile of money some place in Raleigh kind of like the piles of corn we see at harvest season here in Duplin County. There should be so much money the state would not have enough money vaults to hold it and it would be pilled on the ground some place. Oh heck, I think it passes thru the politicians as it comes in?.that explains where it went or is. What should be happening is we in NC should have the best roads in the USA. That being so ? how could Duplin County get left out? SOG

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March 25, 2008

      Tuesday before last I was at Duplin General Hospital at 8:00 AM. Not too long thereafter I was laying on a bed nearly naked, I did have one of those open back gowns on and that is darn near naked, oh yea I had a pair of non-slipping socks on too. The nurses treated me extremely well, even when they put the needles in my hand for the antibiotics and such to be dripping into me while the operation was going on, there was s slight sting when they stuck me, but that was all.

     It was time for me to have a colonoscopy. It was my second one. They found a couple of polyps the first time, and cut them out. Those polyps could have easily turned into cancer. So I skirted the awful cancer the first time around.

     Surgeon, Dr. Derek Miller met me in the operation room. The nurses had me covered with warm blankets and I was feeling comfortable and good. Dr Miller told me a little about the procedure that was about to happen and asked if I was feeling alright. I told him I was feeling good and doing OK. I said ?I thought you was going to put me to sleep.? He said they were and told me to turn over on my side. As I was turning on my side I remember asking, when and the next thing I remember I was in the recovery room and a nurse was saying, ?we are going to let you go home in a few minutes.?

     In a few minutes I was headed out of the hospital and it was just after ten o?clock. I am here to tell you it was all over and I had been treated royally the whole time. Everyone had a smile and a pleasant voice and the only ouch was the needle stick.

     The only unpleasantness of the whole affair was the taking of the medicine to clean out the colon, it had an icky taste. The two days of nothing but liquid to eat was kind of unpleasant, but not awful. I just love to eat solids, Jell-O and broth needs a little help... In fact, it may not have been the right thing to do after the surgery, but when we left the hospital I had Donna go straight to Hardees and I got a country ham biscuit, SOG it was good.

     Dr Miller had me visit his office this past week and he said I had two polyps again which he cut out and they were cancer clear. Well he had a single word for it, but I do not know how to spell it. I think it begins with a ?B?. Thus I have skirted that cancer once again.

     If you are 50 years old or older and have not had colonoscopy, my advice is to schedule one right now and carry thru with it. I am sincere when I say there is no pain to it, but it is a real comfort to know there is no cancer in that area.

     I had an uncle to die with this and I loved him a whole bunch. He never had a colonoscopy, and the cancer slipped up on him. He made me promises to have a colonoscopy. Actually he did not die with the cancer; it was hurting him so bad he committed suicide. Once again, if you are not on some type of schedule for a colonoscopy see your family doctor and ask him to set you up for one. Your family will love you for it and I love you too, so make us happy.

     I have disagreed with some of Senator Charlie Albertson?s program pushes and still do on some, but he sure laid some good words on the county commissioners the other week at their regular meeting. He kind of told them like it was and they were not doing what was best for Duplin County. His talk is in last weeks Duplin Times. He sounded like a real Duplin County person.

     You got this one right Charlie, Thanks. SOG

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March 17, 2008

     While in the US Navy I and other sailors studied naval tactics. Studied may be too much of a word, ?were told about? maybe closer to the truth, we were young and adventurous, but not very studious. In any case when Navy ships wanted to hide something they put up a smoke screen. So others would not see what was going on behind and in the smoke. The ships boilers were fed too much fuel oil and as the burners could not burn the oil efficiency, so it created a black smoke that came from the stacks and hovered close to the water. There was also a device at the fantail (rear) of the ship that put out a chemical smoke to which the ship could hide behind. To me this seems to be what the school board put out last week when talking about the accomplishments of the school system since Dr Wiley Doby has come on board as superintendent, a feat we can thank the BOE for.

     It is kind of like toilet paper. After toilet paper is used in the toilet most often one side is still clean, but the other side is a mess one does not want to put their hand in.

     What I am being told by people in the field is quite different than what I am reading from the administration. Perhaps the Board of Education has let their pride get in the way of the truth. What is truth and what is false should not get in the way of teaching Duplin County? children and preparing them for life in general or higher education. The purpose of the Duplin County Education system is not to employ administration people and teachers. It is here to help our children and those in the system should think that way.

     After listening to the Duplin County Schools Chief Finance Officer, Carolyn Olivarez explain about the money from the lottery. I better understand some of what was said in the letter I got a couple of weeks ago.

     Remember the finance officer and several others administration office holders were imported into Duplin County?s school system by the new superintendent Dr. Wiley Doby, I feel certain the BOE agreed with his selection before any hiring to took place.

     I have listened to the CD recording of her speech a couple of times and in my opinion she does not think we Duplinites are smart enough to understand plain and simple arithmetic. She may even think she has a little more class than we do.

     When asked how much money the county got from the NC Lottery she said some over a million dollars. When questioned further she said some over two million dollars.

     When asked to explain why she would answer the question in that way she said that only one million would go to buildings and the other went to pay for teachers etc. Apparently she did not think we could add one and one together.

     There was a lot of talk and side stepping about the lottery money and the explanation of it.

     The information received and put out by the lottery says Duplin will and has gotten some over two million dollars. With this information on hand and someone ask how much Duplin is to get from the lottery, the high and uppity lady with the numbers says one million. Well I can tell you it turns heads.

     County Commissioner L. S. Guy suggested when in the future she is asked that question she should reply that Duplin has $2 million dollars from the lottery and $1 million of that is go toward building construction, and the other million is to be used paying teachers. I forgot just the words for the second million, but it is to be used for teacher improvement etc.

     So it seems she thinks we are not smart enough to be turn loose on our own with the whole truth. You know what, I heard on TV last week there was a shortage of toilet paper.


     Hey, did you make it to the Duplin Expo? I did and had a great time. I saw some old friends and met some new folks. I discovered some new businesses I did not know was in Duplin County and shook hands and hugged some of the folks from the old businesses.

     I was talking to a Mary Kay cosmetic sales lady. I think her name was Patsy Matthews. I may have that last name spelled wrong.

     She sprayed dab of men lotion on my hand. Actually she sprayed one aroma on one hand and another aroma on the other one. She wanted to know which I liked the best and I don?t know the names, but the one on my left hand had the best aroma.

     Later that night at home when I washed my face before going to bed the sweet smell did not wash off my hands. I can?t tell you what was in the dreams, but I can tell you I had some very good dreams that night. I slept with my hands up near my face. No the dreams were not what you are thinking, they were nice. SOG

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March 10, 2008

     When I was a youngster I remember living about two miles out of Warsaw on what is now called Wards Bridge Road. We lived on the Miller Farm just past Joe Sutton?s Store. Back then it was called Red?s Store Road and was unpaved. One of the treats of a few summer days was to watch the ?Road Drag? drag the dirt about on the road to try and fill the ruts and holes that accumulated as gas powered vehicles and horse drawn vehicles traveled over the road.

     One of the Dunn boys had his Chevrolet rigged up with a one wheel brake. It was the rear wheel on the driver?s side. He would come flying down that dirt road at the great neck speed of 20 or 25 miles an hour. He would turn the front wheels to the left and mash hard on that break peddle and the old Chevrolet would sling or slide around and head in the direction he was coming from throwing dirt all over the place. I must tell you he was more exciting to see than the road drag. Us barefooted boys were just waiting for him to turn that car over, but he never did.

     During those days of long ago at night, the men of the area would accumulate under the shelter of Joe Suttons Store. There was two gas tanks at the edge of the shelter and a wooden ice box up near the store side. The ice box was painted green and held blocks of ice brought from the Ice Plant in Warsaw. Many used the ice box for a seat, others used the two benches up against the windows while others just stood around.

     I remember some of the conversation those adults were talking and joking about. This is not the exact words they used, but it is the thought. I heard someone say, ?If you want to keep them home on the farm you got to keep them pregnant and barefooted.?

     I remember em? talking about an industry wanting to build in or very near Warsaw and some of the farmers wanted to quit the share cropping life and get a ?public job?. Were saying they hoped it would come to Warsaw.

     I remember some others saying? You can forget about that, those who have businesses and property in Warsaw will not sell any land for a factory to be built on. They want to keep what they got. They don?t want any new businesses coming in here; they don?t want the wages to increase. The labor is cheap and they want to keep it that way.?

     I was reminded of those old conversations of many years ago when I heard what the County Commissioners had to say this past meeting. It sure sounded like they want to keep Duplin County citizens down on the farm and ignorant of the possibilities they could have.

     First off they have the school buildings and system so confusing that the people do not really know what to do about the quarter cent sales tax. Whether to build new school buildings or whether to just let them be as is with a little upgrading. Of course the School Board is the worse defender in this area; they apparently do not have the ahh ?.you know ?.. ahh, what it takes to make demands of the superintendent.

     Then the CC threw out a good plan of having the business people ( EDC Board) run the Industrial Finding Office and hiring someone to look for industry and help the local industry. They assigned the job of checking over or interviewing applications, to the already busy County Manger, he is to present 5 names to the commissioners for their approval and hiring of one. The good old boy system of hiring is back in the bad mix of things. The running of the Industrial Finding Office is to be in the hands of the political county commissioners. That is a catastrophic situation as far as the people of Duplin County getting any results from the office. One or some of the county commissioners may get some financial rewards, but not the general public, at least ways that is my thinking. It seems the CC is afraid of industry coming in with jobs.

     Another thing is the poultry litter conversion plant. I have been told our neighboring county has offered three and a half million dollars to get the facility to locate in their county. Our County Commissioners say they will offer nothing to get the facility to locate here. No one wants to pay a facility to locate here or anywhere, but others are doing it and you must play the game or fall behind as Duplin has.

     According to one of Duplin?s Commissioners if we offer property and other deals costing three and a half million dollars the facility may locate here. If Duplin does spend three and a half million dollars to get the company to locate here, in four years the tax value of the facility will repay the $3.5 million. In the mean time people will be working at the facility and the building of the facility will take a couple of years or more. That means building jobs and all paying above the average wage.

     If the neighboring county wins the contract and the company builds there, which by the way is on Duplin?s border, Duplin will get the same it would get all it would have if it built in Duplin except the tax monies.

     Someone said if it was located in the Industrial Park near Warsaw the county would be sued by the minority. The litter conversion company says there is no offensive odor coming from the facility. If you do not believe the company people, ask the people who live near one, they will tell you and the county has access to the phone numbers of the people and the administration folks of the town. I guess what the commissioners are trying to say is the minority does not want to work and I just do not believe that. I am out of space, but it sounds like the commissioners are thinking in the mid 1900?s or just purely against Duplin County progressing. SOG

     The first part is to show the thinking of the CC is old time. back 50 or more years,

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March 3, 2008

      Hey! Hey! Please, please keep them coming. I thank you all for your input to Son of a Gun. I need those anonymous phone calls, letters, notes and little talks here and there. I guess you noticed me getting chastised last week in my editor?s column. That was me on the receiving end, so do not worry about it. I have had a lot worse. I don?t run when folks don?t like what I say. If I did I would have been gone long ago when Charles Yelverton was school superintendent. When someone ask me not to tell their name, I will not and if my writing of SOG gives a hint of who gave me the information to research I will not print it until I find a way that will not indicate anyone.

     Son of a Gun is not a news story, it is a column in which Joe Lanier gives his opinion on information I found, discovered or was told about. I may not see things as some other folks do, but if I put it down I can back it up.

     ************ *** ************

      You can add it, subtract it, multiply it, divide it, or use calculus .. on it if you want to, but it is not going to change the facts. If you pump 100 gallons of water from the ground and you send bills to people for 60 gallons you have lost 40 gallons and that is just all there is to it, 40 gallons are gone.

     I hope you read the story about problems with water in the Duplin Times last week. The article?s writer talked with three towns about water problems. I have said in two SOG?s that Warsaw was running around apparently trying to run business off with new rules instead of working on fixing this multi-million gallon loss of water. There latest venture to beat down businesses is a $50.00 permit to put up a sign. No town near Warsaw has a fee that high. Kind of un-invites new businesses, don?t you think?

     Warsaw?s mayor and the town manager put up excuses about not losing all that water. One excuse was they flushed the town?s water pipes. When I see them flushing water pipes they are turning water out of the system on the ground to go splashing down the storm drains. Sure looks like they are loosing that water. That line flushing uses a pittance of the system losses.

     Another reason they gave was they were selling water at a flat rate to some places. If that flat rate lets the user use more than they are paying for ? sure sounds like someone loosing water to me. Oh yes they are selling water to folks outside of the city limits at in city limits rates. Outside city limits the water rates double!!!

     Their engineer says Warsaw is loosing water, but is fixing it the best they can. I am sure what the engineer is saying is true. It is the engineering firm?s job to tell Warsaw the best way to find and fix the problems and the engineering folks are paid well for their information. Thus when an outsider asked about the system, those who are being paid to check things and make suggestions, I feel sure they will say things are progressing. I also feel sure things are progressing ? the problem is how fast and what is the priority.

     Now let?s look at those outside the city and those on the flat rate. Just for figuring sake lets say to pump 100 gallons of water from the ground will cost 10 cents a gallon. I am sure my figures are way off, but just to figure with we will use them. So right off the bat we lost forty cents on that hundred gallons.

     Now to the flat rate customers. If we sell the flat rate customers 1,000 gallons on a rate less than the home owners, the home owners are paying fifty cents a gallon and the flat rate folks are paying twenty five cents a gallon. Remember we are using these figures to show a point and they are not the actual figures. There are pipe lines, meters, valves, water tower tanks, trucks and a lot of other stuff. When we add the cost of these things along with labor we now have a cost of water at twenty cents a gallon.

     So the home owner who bought 100 gallons for fifty dollars it cost the town twenty dollars to get the water to the home owner. The flat rate person paid two hundred and fifty dollars for one thousand gallons. The flat rate folks are wearing out the machinery and pipes ten times worse than the home owner, but are paying only half what the homeowners is. So it would seem the flat rate and the out of town folks are being supplemented by the home owners. It is their fault our water stuff is wearing out so quickly, but is not paying the rate the home owner is? Oh yes, do not forget no one can do anything the Town Commissioners don?t tell them to. Those folks on the town board sets the rates and puts the priority on things. SOG

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February 25, 2008

      I just had to let you read this; I did not feel I should hold it back. The letter was mailed to me with information to back up the statements; however the writer also put in some of their own opinions, but nothing that has not been said before. The letter was not signed and I understand why, at times some folks may be punished for telling it like it is. Hope you enjoy it....I did.


     Mr. Son of a Gun

     Really enjoyed your last editorial. Have one disagreement. Board of Ed. should not buyout Dr. Doby contract. That is probably what he would like. He's ready to retire isn't he?

     The real problem isn't so much Dr. Doby as it is the Board. Has anyone asked them why they hired a man from a county where they weren't going to renew his contract or where in the previous county they did buy out his contract (see enclosures)? Can anyone say "RED FLAGS"?

     If the Board knew what was happening to Duplin County Schools they would give Dr, Doby an assignment he can handle, purchasing and sharpening the pencils needed for testing. A person has to ask themselves why the Board doesn't do something because the longer this superintendent is here, the more years it will take to repair the damage he is doing

     It is obvious the Board doesn't want him to be evaluated by the central office and principals. Read the evaluation he got in Rowan County (see enclosure). Does the Board have any idea how little work Doby does or how many days he is out of the county? Per several staff, he doesn't even write his own letters. He has everyone else doing his work for him. When he does make a decision about personnel, look what we get. Folks who move here, treat us natives like we are bumpkins (they are better than us aren't they?) and care about what they get, not give to our county. After all, when things are in shambles, they can move back home. They don't have to follow the rules either. One of his great hires smokes in the school. Does any Board member see a problem with that? Apparently not.

     Look at all the good people who have left the county already. Who knows how many in the system are looking to get out. Understand that if you cross this fellow, he loves to retaliate, so the staff keeps their mouths shut, some take happy pills and many pray that he has a golfing match (I mean conference) to go to.

     If the Board wanted to know what is really going on have the central office staff and principals do an evaluation of him by an outside firm with full confidentiality so they could be honest. Have everyone evaluate him from the central office custodians to the directors, secretary's and see if they have a different idea of him than apparently this Board does.

     I think the Duplin Times will be a little "red in the face" also when it finally gets out what Doby has done to our system. Why haven't they been investigating?

     That is the story with only a very little editing, you can find the information stated in this story by typing in Salisbury Post into Google search?Look for Dr. Doby set for evaluation in the archives.


     I ordered some LP gas last week. They sent a truck and filled my tank. It is the gas company I have been using for many many years. I always thought they were looking after me and did not do much checking. The price of the LP Gas was so high I phoned and asked about the price. I was told I was given a good price that others were paying fifty cents a gallon more that I was charged.

     I though about it a while and then phoned other companies and asked their price. I discovered other LP Gas companies were charged fifty cents a gallon and less than I was being was charged. I paid $90.00 more for my gas than I would have if I had ordered it from some else according to the price I was given by others and this was not the poultry and swine industry low prices.

     So take my advice and check on the price of gas before you tell someone to fill your tank you might want to change companies.

     I think it is a crime and or a sin that the home owners are forced to supplement the poultry and swine farms for LP Gas. The pigs and chickens get LP Gas at a much lower rate than home owners do, sometimes as much as a dollar a gallon. I know about the volume pricing and it is unfair. The swine and poultry need the people, the people do not need the swine and chickens we can eat beef etc. Thus the home owners should be able to buy LP Gas at the same price at the Swine and Poultry farms. Now we know why the chicken crossed the road ?? to get warm. SOG

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February 18, 2008

      I sure do not know the answer to the school building confusion. I think we may be spending too much time on buildings and not enough on education. If buildings are constructed there is something to readily point ones finger at and show. The BOE and CC could say ?Look over there at that school building.? It is much harder to say look over there at that properly educated young man or woman on graduation night when testing show the statement to be wrong.

     I for one personally do not care what or where school buildings are constructed. I do very much care whether or not they are constructed for education purposes rather than for political purposes. The only consideration that should come up is for a better education. Finance and build our schools with one purpose in mind and that is for the betterment of education, not what district or area they may be in. The future of Duplin County and our children is based on education. We have bypassed the real reason for building schools and forward movement has been stagnated for the past several years just because of this.

     I think it is time the haggling stops and we join together and build the best education system to be found in North Carolina. If we think only of education we can do this. No matter what sex, race or religion etc. one maybe if we all jump on education and not look back all will turn out ok, everyone will be winners.

     There is no doubt a few will suffer a bit for a while under any plan, but with education the key we will all come out winners in the end and prosper.

     Please?. as our leader?s debate let them think only of what is best for the education of all children in our county.

     As I so badly want success for our children so they will be rewarded a future out of the mess we have made while trying to single out our own and ignoring the rest, I must look at the supposed leader of our education system.

     We have a man as superintendent who took the job a little over a year ago at a cut in pay. He was graciously warmly welcomed and many hopes were laid on his shoulders. The fist time he was given money with no stipulations on where to spend the money he gave him self a raise in pay. The public who supported him was disappointed. When he was called to the county commissioner meeting to give an expiation why the money was spent on people and not buildings he apparently thought he was too aloof to explain and he walked out of the meeting with no reason given.

     As time passed he found out the superintendent in an adjoining county was being paid five percent more than he was. An executive session (behind closed doors) was called at a Board of Education meeting. When the BOE came from the closed session it was announced the superintendent was to be paid an additional five percent to his over $125,000 yearly salary. As this new salary the Duplin County BOE awarded him is more than the state of North Carolina pays for superintendents this additional $10,000 or so will come from the county?s tax payers.

     It would seem to me he is more interested in his pay check than educating. His new salary is some over $135,000 a year. Let me state right here and now, if he or any superintendent makes changes that will cause Duplin County students to excel in education. Then as far as I am concerned there would be no limit to his salary earnings, $200,000 or more would not be too much. However, at the present time the only changes I can see go down hill.

     If we need schools then let?s build them, if we need to repair or refurbish school lets do that, if we need to do both then let?s do that. Let?s not do it to help someone?s ego or political stance let?s do it to help the county?s students get a better education.

     One other thing, when you hear these politicians and hangers-on say they got phone calls in regards to something?.chances are they got fewer than ten calls and most likely three are from the same person. There are over 3,000 voters in their voting district. When someone says 50%....remember if two people called?fifty percent is only one?.not hundreds as some try and indicate??..

     When we vote and try and persuade folks, lets do it for Duplin County and the county?s students, the whole county. SOG

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February 11, 2008

      Duplin County?s Education System needs help. There is an elected group of citizens called The Board of Education who are suppose to see to it that the children of Duplin County?s citizens are well educated. Those elected members of the Board of Education are to find and hire a superintendent who will see to it our children will receive a quality education. In order for this education to happen the superintendent is to hire teachers (most important) and administrators for the system as well as seeing to it the buildings are kept up and have a plan to accumulate moneys for new facilities. It is very important this superintendent get along with the people of Duplin County and not attempt or appear to be aloof.

     It saddens me to say that it appears the Board of Education and the Superintendent has failed badly on all fronts.

     Duplin County is a great county which is filed with the finest people you can find anyplace. Many of the citizens of Duplin County came from hard working ancestors who tilled the land. They were hard working people who moved ahead with the sweat and blood of their bodies and souls. Their dreams were to see their children educated and trained to build a better life for themselves. Those parents sacrificed their longevity and comforts to see their children succeed in being better prepared for the future. Those folks never complained or bragged about their sacrifices as they gave what ever was necessary to see the future brighter for those who they loved. These people believed in education and if their child got in trouble in school they were punished when they got home and most often taken back to school and made to apologize for the problem they caused. This group of people and the people of today I believe will do what ever is necessary to make Duplin?s Education system better and grow. To help their children move ahead.

     At the present time Duplin?s citizens believe they have been hoodwinked by the education system and those running it.

     When the present superintendent arrived in Duplin County, a welcoming committee of near 300 people met to say howdy and promised support nothing complicated just friendly and trusting. Everyone was hopeful and happy.

     Several months later the county commissioners set and approved the new budget. Many of Duplin?s Citizens complained wanting to see more of those tight and precious dollars go for up keep and improvements to the schools.

     The county commissioners took another look at the moneys available and dipped into the reserve fund and gave the schools another million dollars. Everyone was smiling and thinking they had done well, even if they may have used moneys they should not have.

     The commissioners sent the money to the BOE with no restrictions on how the money was to be used. The commissioners had toured the schools and were aware of the needs before they added the extra million dollars.

     Surprise, surprise most of the money the commissioners thought was going to fix up the schools had its direction changed by the BOE to supplements to teachers (which was known about) and administrative people (which was not known about).

     This change passed thru the board of education before it was made public. Well needless to say the welcoming committee along everyone else was very upset at the supplement (salary increased) of those office personnel.

     The cash salary increase plan went back to the BOE and was trimmed down. Duplin County folks were still up tight but not as much.

     Then the straw that broke the camels back was revealed. Several meetings later the BOE came out from an executive session (behind closed doors) and stated they have given the superintendent a salary increase. This was after that horrendous million dollar bungle. It was kind of like a slap in the face to those who pay taxes to make the county run and want a good education system. Folks wanted so desperately to support the BOE and superintendent, but that blow set the people back on their haunches.

     Now we have a huge problem. There is a referendum coming up in May to increase the sales tax by a quarter of a cent with the money to go to the schools.

     Those who will end up paying the sales tax want to support it because it will bring in some over $820,000 a year, but are afraid it will be squandered on the desires of the superintendent rather than on the school needs.

     I looked on the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners web site to find out if the bill could have stipulations added and this is what I found.

     Question: Can a county stipulate uses of the monies on the ballot as a part of the referendum?

     Answer: A county may not stipulate the use of the money on the ballot.

     This is what was on the web site. Take a look yourself it is www.ncacc.org.

     Look under questions and answers.

     So what can we do, vote for the tax and hope it is spent where it should be or vote against the quarter cent and hope we can get it to come up again when we have replaced the superintendent? First we have to convince the BOE not to renew his contract. I think it is a three year contract; of course we could use the first $200,000 of the tax money and buy out his contract. A better thought would be is, if the tax passed, by the time we would get the tax money his contract will be out and we would have another superintendent. SOG

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February 4, 2008

      Since retiring I have been watching a lot of TV. In fact I have subscribed to one of those companies which send the signal straight from a satellite to my TV. I have over 250 channels coming straight in to my TV. I signed up with one of those companies that gave me a deal of $10.00 off my monthly rate for the first ten months so I could pay the second ten months. They even gave me a free Movie channels for three months too, oh! Wow am I blessed?

     I know you have heard about folks having 250 channels beaming into their televisions and not finding anything worth watching. Well I am not one of them; I can always find something to watch. I can start watching an exciting story and fall to sleep in the easy chair and wake up watching the ending of another story. That makes it a whole new story. Of course at my age I don?t remember these TV programs very long so most of the time I am nearly thru a program before I realize I may have seen it before.

     The fast talking con man on TV tells me that $19.99 or is it $19.95 some number less than $20.00 plus shipping will buy most anything. Not only that, but if I send the order in within ten minutes they will send me two of the items for the price of one. I really do not know how they know if I placed my order within the ten minutes time limit.

     Those vegetable slicing, dicing, and cutting machines is something I would just love to play with. There aint no telling how many potatoes and heads of cabbage I could cut up in a day. Talk about a thrill a minute, what about one of those knives that will slice an over ripe tomato like it was near green and solid. Shucks, with one of those slicing knives I might even open a tomato sandwich shop. I wouldn?t need much else, just a loaf of bread and a jar of Dukes mayonnaise.

     Of course it may be like the time I thought about building a liquor still, I was afraid I would drink all the profit and not be able to pay my bond to get out to Jail when I got caught. With the tomato sandwich shop, as good as I like fresh tomato slices on bread with good ole Dukes Mayonnaise I would probably eat all the sandwiches. When I was not slicing or smearing Dukes Mayonnaise, that is.

     Another one of those slick talking TV salesmen makes me think I need one of those mystery cloths that soak up so much liquid. The fast talking salesman pours out nearly a full bottle of soft drink on a portion of rug and just lays that orange cloth on top of it and immediately it soaks up most of that drink. I know it does soak up a bunch because I see him wring the cloth over a bowl and drink just pours out. I was thinking I could wipe the water off my Studebaker after washing it in just one swipe with that cloth.

     Right now I am running the Avanti thru the car wash so the ?no spot spray? at the end of the wash lets it dry nice and shinny without spots. Cheapest wash is $5.00, look what a savings that would be if I just wiped the water off.

     The main reason that most of this will not work is the allowance Donna (my wife) has me on. When I retired I had all the income checks coming in sent to the bank and now Donna will not let me have but $3.00 a week. At three dollars a week it will take seven weeks for me to save up enough money to pay for the cloth and another two weeks to be able to pay for the shipping. With all the discounts and order quick promotions I would get eight cloths instead of one, and they have a 10 year guarantee. That would really be something, wouldn?t it? Eight, heavy duty water soaking clothes, I don?t know what I would do with all that amazing stuff.

     There is one other problem I feel would put a monkey wrench in my plans along about the eighth week. Staying home with nothing to do trying to save money would get my going fever gets so high I would use the money to buy gasoline. The desire for those TV products would just leaves and a smile would sneak across my face when I thought about that Avanti roaring to life and down the road I go.

     No more Oxyclean or cleaning sponges or car wax or Vidalia onion slicer or pocketbooks or purses or; what ever they may be selling would bother my mind. All I could think about would just be the open road and fresh air. My gasoline would eventually run out and I will be back in front of the TV dreaming again. Retirement is great, no matter how this may sound?SOG

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January 28, 2008

     Minnie Pearl would say ?Howdy, I am just so proud to be here and I want to tell you about Grinders Switch.?

     SOG is so proud to be here and I want to tell you good news about the Duplin County employees. I heard it last week during the County Audit Report. These under paid people who work for Duplin County have pulled off a kind of a miracle. They have put in a whole year of work doing the things they were suppose to be doing and did it spending less money than expected. They operated the county business the whole year and did not go into the reserved funds the county commissioners set up for them to use. At budget time three and a half million dollars were set up to be used in excess of the tax collections to help pay the bills. Well, the new county manager and county employees operated the whole year and did not spend any of the $3.5 million of reserve funds. However, the county commissioners in their infant wisdom decided to give the school system a million dollars and James Sprunt around hundred and fifty thousand dollars beyond their original budgeted amount, so the county commissioners spent $1.2 million of that $3.5 million. County employees did not need it or use it.

     Stop for a minute and think on that. The county went in debt (using reserved funds) only because of what the County Commissioners gave the board of education and James Sprunt above their regular budget. Now while your head is letting this settle. You should remember all the problems caused by that million dollars which went to the BOE with out a statements on where it should be spent.

     The state of North Carolina says the county should put up at least 12% in reserves in case bad things happen. Duplin County has around 23% in reserves and that amounts to some over ten million dollars. Ten million sounds like a lot and it is, but in today?s market it is not all that much. If a catastrophe occurs, that 10 million could easily fall short of what is needed. Remember hurricane Floyd, well that flood took lots of money from Duplin?s Reserve and it has not caught up yet.

     If we look at the reserves we find a very important thing missing. That is extra money to build schools, a jail and many other things needed. Most important to me is a good salary increase for the County employees, but that should come from the tax collections. These county workers have pulled this $2.5 million savings off and they should be paid well. They received a 2% salary increase last year, but the cost of living has long ago by passed that, but before the cost of living had a chance to get hold of their checks their health insurance took all that new salary money for many of them.

     There is a salary study underway right now and there is no doubt in my mind the study will recommend increases and the commissioners should grant the increases.

     I personally am proud of their work and bring the operating budget in using only the tax coming in. How about those guys and gals.

     There was a tax cut last year and to cut taxes again would be foolish in my opinion. The manager and the employees kind of have the operations under control and now we need to begin saving for thing we need as I have already mentioned. What ever the county may do it will cost money and either you save money to do the building or you borrow it. We all know when you borrow money you have to pay interest. So a building that would cost $10 million dollars turns into a $20 million dollar debt when interest is added. So if we save we pay half or we borrow and pay double.

     I have not given many figures about the audit, because figures confuse statements when you do not know it all. So I want to tell you that on Duplin County?s web site the audit is there. http://www.duplincountync.com is the address and on the front page of the web site is the audit?just click on it. Don?t let all the pages frighten you look at the index and it will take where you want to go.

     There is confusion about the passing of the new sales tax to help the school system get funds. The School Board and the County Commissioners need to devise a plan they can support together quickly.

     My Gosh, this thing is getting old. The people on both of these boards CC & BOE have cause the county tax payers to pay for several studies which they approve and then not support. If they can not support them, they should not approve them. I am not going to argue the point now, but I will say if they do not get together and support a plan that most of the county agrees on this money that would be available thru sales tax will not pass on election day. Neither will an increase in property tax later on. These board members were elected to do a job and they should ?get er done? or get the heck out of the way.

     The county residence remember what happened to the last million dollars that went to the BOE with no stipulations as how it was to be used and I doubt seriously they will vote for more money to go there with out a plan on where it is to be spent. SOG

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January 21, 2008

     Last week I told you about the five percent salary increase school superintendent Wiley J. Doby got from Duplin County money not the States money, but our local tax money. remember? Well that five percent did not include some other perks he got as well. His salary went from $128,700 to $135,135 which is over five percent. I also told you the Board of Education went behind closed doors to discuss and vote for this salary increase. I do not blame the BOE from hiding behind closed doors; I would have been so ashamed if I had done it I would have hid my face too.

     Now get this, the reason they gave for increasing the salary of Duplin County?s highest paid official was they wanted him paid as much as other counties pay such folks around us. I hate to say this, but that is a BS reason. Forgive my ugly words, but they are appropriate. Just because someone in another county is paid a X amount of money is no reason we should pay anyone that amount. I mean what the heck, the person in the other county may be a much better educator and the students in the schools he is assigned are doing wonders in the class rooms. They graduate well educated and folks are moving to the area just to get in those schools, on the other hand it may be no one wants to attend schools in that county because students are graduating uneducated. You pay a person by what they do. If the educator is good and sending out excellent educated students by the hundreds by all means give him a raise, give him a big raise, and surpass the other counties. From what I see and hear it just aint (that was not an educated word but I like it) happening here. What we got is an outfit that wants to raise salaries of the bureaucrats in the administration offices instead of the teachers who do the work.

     When I worked jobs, this is before I opened my sign shop, I asked the fellow who was doing the hiring if I could be paid by some kind of commission. Paid for what I did not for just showing up. Most others were paid by the hour, in every case my commissions exceeded the hourly workers and in a lot of cases I was paid more than the supervisors. Superintendents should be paid by what they are doing if it is exceptional then pay him what ever it will take to keep him. If he or she is just a on the job person, pay them as little as you can. I mean the supers job can be put on a sheet of paper and a 9th grader can check off the boxes. The kind of person worth paying is one you can and want to be in the open when giving a salary hike ? you don?t hide to do it you want to be proud of it because of the great things he has done.

     Let me give you two words to think on, Utopia and Bureaucracy. Utopia is a place where everything is just perfect. It is a make believe place and does not exist. Bureaucracy is an organization operated by a hierarchy of paid officials.


     Now for a fairytale that may be true. Many years ago in a state government the pay was not very good. Reason being, most of the folks who worked for the state were folks who could not get jobs anyplace else because they were lazy or not smart or some other unkind reason. Thus when a relative or friend was elected to an office these unqualified folks were given jobs because of their help in getting the vote out or passing out moonshine on Election Day. Every so often, over the years some of these folks who were given those jobs tended to be a little better than the average in the thinking category. Over the years as more and more of these better than average folks were put in the state working category the politicians saw a way to move money around using these government employees. Of course, some state money got moved directly to the politician?s pockets and some got moved to contractors of all kind of services etc. Once in a while money went where it was supposed to. If things were found to be not up to par these dumb state employees were blamed and the money funding continued even today. It is not as easy today, but it still exists.

     The state employees began asking for raises and the politicians could not refuse because of the favor in the new money land. As the years went on the salaries continued to rise. However, all the state employees did not know all the underhanded things that were going on. They began to ask how; a friend could be paid more than he or she was when they were doing the same job? So to keep every one happy and money flowing they came up with a plan to pay employees like the military was paid only higher. So each person was given a title or number and everyone with that title or number was paid the same regardless of what the job was or how good they were at that job. The bureaucracy soon saw how well this worked and their employee numbers began to multiply. The salaries were good and new intelligent folks began to join the ranks and it went on and on over the years and now the brain washing has dribbled down to county boards who will give some employees which the state has said they are topped out and will not add more pay. Thus counties like Duplin who are not think just right at times jump in and give these topped out people more money. It just proves to me the BOE has been suckered up into giving school bureaucrats more money than the people who are teaching.

     I believe one day a savvy organization will slip in and handle these medial things and the School Administration offices will be at thing of the past. The bureaucracy has formed its self a state wide utopia and will keep it operating because they know where and how to get the tax money freeded up for the politicians who pay them back?remember this may be the truth or a fairytale. SOG

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January 14, 2008

     I feel sure you are familiar with those doors usually found in a Hotel or large building. It is a door with several doors in a circle and they rotate as someone goes in or out. It is not a swing door, that is the kind of door that lets one in and out of a western salon or at least that is what I see in the movies. It is not a sliding door that just slides back and forth. Chances these sliding doors have recently taken the place of the door I am trying to think of. These doors are attached to an axis and I think there are usually four doors. You walk up to this door and push on a bar attached to the door and as you push to open the door it goes around in a circle as you follow it and the other doors move as well. Three or four people can go in or out at the same time. It is a rotating door, though I?m sure that it not the proper name of the door.

     In any case I felt like I was in one of those rotating doors going around in a circle the other day. I read in the newspaper where one commissioner indicated he was going to run for reelection. A few days later I saw a fellow that lots of folks thought may oppose this commissioner. I ask him if he was going to run against this commissioner and he said no. A week or so later I picked up the Duplin Times Newspaper and there on the front page was a turn around of what I thought was true. The one who said he was going to run was saying he was not going to run and the one who was saying he was not going to run was saying he was running. I mean every time that door rotated I got a different answer and when I thought I had one right the other was not. I thought to myself what the heck is going on? Then I remembered this was politics I was talking about and a falsehood lies right under the truth or the truth lies right under the falsehood when you are talking politics.

     I read in the newspaper where Commissioner L. S. Guy said he had not thought of not running or something similar to that thus I and a lot of other folks believed he was indicating he would be running for reelection. He did not say he was or was not only that he had not thought otherwise. Politician talk is what it was. I was at Bojanges eating breakfast a few days ago and saw Jimmy Dixon. I ask him if he was going to run against L. S. Guy and he said ? no way, that he had all he wanted of that crowd. That if you saw a fellow arguing with a rock do not blame the rock ? that if you saw a fellow arguing with a bunch of rocks do not blame the rocks. ? Now I have not put quote marks on the statement by Mr. Dixon, because I am not sure I have it word for word, because I was shocked by his answer and confused by the remarks about the rocks. I am still confused about the rocks. I don?t know what the heck he meant.

     Several days later when I asked Mr. Dixon at Bland?s Restaurant why had he misinformed me he said he had not? I advised him that he told me he was not going to run and now he is saying he is. He said what I had asked him was if he was going to run against L. S. and he was not running against L. S., because L. S. was not going to run. That was running for the District 1 seat on the board of county commissioners.

     At the point in time which I ask Mr. Dixon about running against L. S. Guy, Mr. Guy had not made a statement about not running in the up coming election, everyone thought he was going to run. When I asked Mr. Dixon about the misstatement, Mr. Dixon said he had known about Mr. Guy not running for a couple of weeks even though it had not been announced.

     So it sounds like I got side stepped by two politicians. I will try and remember this in the future. And in case you are wondering, I love both of them.

     You are not going to believe this, well on second thought you might with all that has been going on there this past year. I have been told by a reliable sour ce at the last Board of Education meeting the board went into executive session and voted to give School Superintendent Wiley Dobey a five percent pay raise.

     When I first heard this I wondered why they went into executive session (behind closed doors). It was too late in the season for tomatoes. So no one would be throwing tomatoes at them, but then I remembered there were some school books on some shelves and desks around the room and they would probably hurt worse than tomatoes.

     If you ever wanted to believe something good about superintendent Dobey this kind of pushes it back and away. I f he really does want to do well in Duplin Schools he would have said,? gentlemen we need this money much worse in the schools. I make a good salary, much better than most folks in this county and I want to do good in the schools so let?s add it to one of the program which is in need, in the schools.?

     Oh, I forgot to tell you that it is retroactive and goes back to July. So he will be getting back pay from July. Is this a really a plus for our schools??????.SOG

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January 7, 2008

     Talk about a month of Sundays, during the past month or so I have gone to bed each night thinking the day seemed like Sunday and tomorrow I will awake to a Monday only to find out it was another Sunday. The cold weather kind of brought that easy living Sunday period to an end. Well, it actually was not the cold weather, but a fill up of my LP Gas tank. When the deliver man left the bill for that toping off of the LP Gas tank that surely shocked me into 2008 and there will be no more Sundays, each day from now on will be a work day.

     Can you believe LP Gas is selling for $2.58 a gallon? The gas which went into my tank was billed at $2.58. Last year the LP Gas was going for a buck sixty and that was too high in my opinion. This year it is a dollar higher. First it was the gasoline and now it is the heating gas. The LP Gas may have been up for a while, but I was not aware of it, because I needed none. I had a full tank to begin the heating season with. Even the poultry and swine folks are paying around $2.20.

     When I retired I did not know everything was going to double in cost. I did figure for a small increase of things, but the only thing that is going up a little is my social security check. I may have to go back to work to keep up with these cost increases. I guess the best place for me to get a job would be at the Duplin County Schools Administration office, these folks not get paid above the average but they get a cost of living increase and a bonus or supplement. So I could live off the salary and use the supplement to pay for the increases in gasoline and heating fuel. Yes, I could get by on that. The poorly paid county employees will just have to suffer or get a second job. I?m confused as to why those who work for the school system under the same job title as those who work for the county are paid more. Did I hear someone say something about fair when comparing jobs of teachers and office workers? If so, why did I not hear about fair when talking about school system employees and county employees? Could it be that 2 + 2 adds up differently in the school system than it does in the county system?

     I kind of got off my subject. I spent a couple of years in school for accounting and dumb number placement causes me to look and question. My schooling does not help me stretch my dollars any further than they are already stretched. Thus I must do something. My heating system is LP gas heat and electric air condition.

     I got an exorbitant gas bill one day and the next day my heating unit went out. I have a back up unit and when I went to light the back up unit the igniter would not work. I phoned the repair man and they came right on and found a blown fuse. The repairman replaced the fuse and within fifteen minutes it had blown again.

     It was bed time so Donna and I went to bed and wait until morning to phone the repair man again. We phoned again in the morning, while the oven in the kitchen was used to knock the chill off. The repair person came out and replaced the fuse and did something to a wire.

     I was told I needed to replace heat exchanger soon. So I asked the owner of the Heating and Air-condition Company to get me some figures on replacing the unit.

     He gave me replacement figures and also gave me information on a Hybrid Heat pump unit. New studies show that an electric heat pump is less costly to use until the weather gets down below 40 degrees. When it gets that cold a LP gas unit kicks in and brings the inside temperature up to a comfortable level.

     I read about the heat pump being cheaper to use than LP Gas a few years back when LP Gas sold for a lot less per gallon than it is now.

     I ?m going to have my heating unit checked one more time and if it appears the unit will begin giving me trouble soon I will have a Hybrid unit installed. Thus using less than half the LP gas than I used last year.

     The Hybrid unit is not free, but maybe I will save enough on the cost of LP Gas that it will keep me in the neighbor hood of what I can afford.

     Have you checked on the price of milk and eggs or grocery in general lately?

     If we did not already know, we have learned not to depend on politicians to bring the price down on anything. It is no longer what is good for the country; it is what is good for who ever is in office. The only part we play is to pay. I suggest you try and keep warm and be conservative. SOG

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December 31, 2007

     The Friday before Christmas I was wondering how money was flowing in Duplin County. I thought that perhaps the property tax payments may give me an idea or understanding of it all. The amount of property taxes billed this year was $21,039,252.12. Of that amount $13,438,276.86 had been paid by that time. Leaving $7,600,975.26 owing or there abouts. According to record, this is a little above the normal, just a smidgen more than usual at this time of the year. So I thought things are about average. When the county tax office opened after the Christmas holidays something unusual happened. Tax payers lined up in the tax office and overflowed out into the hallways. So I suppose a good bit of that seven million has been paid by now. If you are wondering why I say this is unusual, well it is because a line has never happened before.

     What ever I wanted to learn from these tax figures has been put in a plot of confusion ? I don?t know what to think of this. I am glad the money is coming in and I hope everyone who owes taxes pays before the deadline or interest starts.

     This past year of 2007 left a lot to be done for the betterment of Duplin County by those we elected to help us. Here are a few items that I have room for and they are in no particular order.

     We constantly hear about the need for teachers and how we need to come up with money to give them a pay supplement. I agree the teachers are under paid, this is not news. We all know they are underpaid and over worked. What I do not understand is why the supplement is being paid to other BOE employees. We are not short of the other workers; we are not trying to entice anyone but teachers. There are plenty of folks who can fill the shoes of those working in the administration offices and these administration workers are paid a lot more than the teachers anyway, no supplement needed here. School board, fix this and give our teachers the money you allow to be wasted on the administration staff. If they don?t like it they can find other jobs?they are so great.

     It is great the Sheriff?s office folks got a 4% salary increase. I do believe they are underpaid and need more. However, the rest of the county workers are underpaid as well. According to what I read in the newspapers there is a study going on now in regards to employees pay. So if the rest of the county employees must wait for the results of that study why not make the employees of the sheriff office wait or better yet give all the county employees a 4% increase. It was promised two years ago. I wonder if this early payment of the Sheriff employees is an indication the newly paid survey or study is going to be ignored just as the others were. If the new pay for the Sheriff?s office employees is in some kind of a grant, it would draw interest in the bank until the whole county is given a salary increase. By the way none of these increases can be called a cost of living increase?.just look at what it cost to live and the salary of those people who work for the county and you will know that is not a cost of living salary. That is beside the department heads.

     Procrastination is what the Town of Warsaw has been doing for a long time and because of it millions of gallons of water is being wasted. There are water leaks all over town. This has been going on for several years, but the amount of the leak increases each year and now for every 100 gallons of water pumped out of the ground they loose 40 for those gallons. Can you imagine what is happening underground, what is being washed away and undermined? How much money is being lost as revenue for water? The list goes on and on, but most important is the water that is being lost ? we are going to need it.

     Warsaw?s sorry treatment of Warsaw Welding Company is a sore that has not scabbed over on the town?s good side either. The town says Warsaw Welding must give up five feet of its property beside the pavement on Center Street, but on the other side of the street the property owners are allowed to plant flowers, trees etc right up to the edge of the pavement. Does that sound right or fair??? Does that sound like Warsaw is a town in tune with its business, I think not. The closing of the street in to the back of Warsaw Welding is just plain mean, no other way to put it. Trying to make Warsaw Welding accountable for where people drive is idiotic and to cut off an exit is even more idiotic. The owner of Warsaw Welding is a good fellow and he will try and please the town even though it will cost him thousands of dollars to do as the town wishes. What the town wishes will not make Warsaw any better looking or any better in any case or any where. It seems to me someone is just trying to push or show their power. By the way the owner is my son in law; I know he is a nice fellow. The town fathers should reinvestigate this and make some changes or ignore some as well as put some folks to work on the water system.

     2008 is a new date on the calendar, it came up just as 2007 did we knew it was coming and it is just another day. The calendar is a way of keeping up with time. There is not a blinding flash of light and every thing starts anew, but it is a space of time we call a year. This year I ask you to become more involved in the politics of this County. There have been some unkind things pushed on us this past year. It seems the new commissioners brought more fear than help. We need help, not fear.

     The first factory type business I remember coming to Duplin County was J. P. Stevens and there were incentive given way back then and every business or industry since then also have also been given incentive?s of some sort. Many of these ?factory type? businesses are out of business, closed and gone, but they created jobs, people worked, bought homes, sent children to college some are drawing retirement checks. So rather than saying no to a land incentive, a study should be made to see if the industry will pay back the taxes spent and more if so ? give what ever it takes to help Duplin citizens get jobs and add taxes to the county coffers as well. It just takes a little thinking???SOG

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December 24, 2007

     Just past the weekend was Christmas and just past this coming weekend will be a New Year. This New Year is a calendar thing for marking time. Simply put we got seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months and years. There is not flash of light and things change. The day before January first is the same as that day and the day after. Things change on a second and a tiny part of a second and we could call that a miracle because we are living and other things are living and that is a miracle. However nothing comes flashing by to change it all on that first day of the year. You may have an obligation that ends or begins on the first of the year a bank note on your home or a car loan or other things like that. Those things can also begin or end on any other day of the year.

     If there are things you wished you had done or began the starting of a new year is a good time to start or end what ever it was, because you have a good starting point that is easy to remember.

     If any thing works, it is because you worked toward it. You planned, you worked, and hopefully you succeeded. If however you did not, there is another year coming in something like 365 days. Even if you are not here, the year will come and if you believe, if you have faith your wish will still come to be or you will not know it. So there don?t worry about it, stop and smell the roses and work toward your goal or should I say gold, better yet both of them. 2008 will be what you make of it, just as 2007 was? it is up to you. I believe in 2008 and I believe in you, the people of Duplin County.

     I wish for you a very happy and successful New Year.

     P.S. Don?t let the presidential races overwhelm you. It will come out as it will and we will continue to serve whoever it may be. Duplin County is out concern.

     Now one more thing ? during this year 2008 I ask that you to get involved in the way your county is governed. We are right here in Duplin County and we deserve better than we are getting. The reason we are not getting better and are paying more is because we are not looking the Town Board, School Board or County Commissioners right in the eye. They know they can get away with whatever, because we do not follow thru. In 2008 let?s make them hesitate before they let their ego decide for them. There were some bad moves in 2007 lets try and turn at least some of them around?Please. SOG

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December 17, 2007

     When I was seventeen I asked my parents to sign for me to join the US Navy. I was seventeen and wandering around with no plan or idea of what to do. My parents had separated and divorced years earlier and I was on my own and not doing so well. No one was really looking out for me and a seventeen year old farm boy from Duplin County did not know a lot about life. I told my parents I needed more education and back in those days if I said education they would do what ever they could to help. They knew I needed education even if I didn?t. In fact I thought I was pretty smart and savvy. Even though I said education I was really interested in that old saying about sailors ? I wanted to have a girl in every port. I was in the Navy for four years and that thing about ports and girls never did surface. Now there were these houses of ill repute, but that is not the kind of girl I was looking for.

     I joined up and they put me on a train going to San Diego, California. It was my first Navy adventure. The train was going to California by way of Chicago. This poor old country boy had maybe ten dollars in his pocket and a ten day train ride. The Navy provided food and a place to sleep. The snacks, drinks and poker were to be furnished by each individual. By the time I got to San Diego all my money was gone and the major portion of my civilian clothes. I figured I would need no dungarees or other clothing. The Navy was going to furnish my uniforms etc. After the hair cut that left me with about half an inch of hair on my head and required vaccinations in both arms. They presented me with clothing and a bill for the clothing.

     They were sneaky about the vaccinations. When you walked through a door way you saw a fellow with a needle on your left just inside the door. As you were preparing for the pain of the vaccination on the left a fellow hidden on the right side of the door popped a needle in your arm. When you turned to see him the other guy popped you in the other arm. That was painful, but not as bad as the guy taking blood samples. We were in a line with the needle fellows popping and changing needles as fast as they could. When the blood guy took the needle from the vein in my arm he turned the blood filled part before he began taking the needle out of my arm and my heart was pumping blood out in spurts. I did not know what was going on, but one supervisor sailor did and pulled the needle out and all was fine.

     I was a Duplin County country boy a world away from what I grew up in and knew and everyone there was strangers. I made some friends, but it was not family and pretending all I could would not get me anyone who knew the things I knew. I mean there is no place like Duplin County.

     I was marching, exercising, marching, studying, training, marching and learning what it took to be a sailor. We done a lot more marching than swimming I began to think they may have put the shuck on me and I was in the army. Everything was strange even the air I was breathing was different from home. This was boot camp and even though they paid you they would not let you go any place to spend it. Not even to the canteen.

     Christmas time came, Elvis Presley was singing ?I will have a blue Christmas with out you? and I was about as homesick as you can get. Then one day at mail call I got a package. My wonderful mom sent me a package of many of the things I liked. Of my time in the Navy up to this point, this was the most wonderful thing that had happened. If you have someone in the service I guarantee nothing will please them more than a package from home with home cooking and other home stuff. My Moms package did not have any fat back and collards and cornbread, but it did have a pecan cake, I don?t know how that cake managed not to spoil, but it did not. I probably would have cried if it had. My mom?s pecan cake is my favorite cake in the whole world. She had my favorite candy bars as well as some hard Christmas candy and even some of those small cigars I should not have been smoking, but did. She even put in some of those sparklers that you light and they spew forth sparkles of light when you strike a match to them. A few packages of cigarettes a Stuckeys pecan log, and other things that made that Christmas the very best. It was not a California Christmas but it did have signs of Duplin County. The pecan log and the little cigars made me the envy of most of the new sailors in my company. (Company 144).

     Once more if you have a relative or friend in the military service I encourage you to package up some home cooking and other home stuff and send it to him or her. There is nothing as great as a package from home. I know it probably will not get to them by Christmas, but it will be wonderful when ever it does arrive.

     I wish everyone a very Merry Christmas ?. You may have some tragedies, but it is time to put them aside and have yourself a great Christmas.. Remember what it is all about and it is not presents under the tree. May God bless you. SOG

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December 10, 2007

      Never in a hundred years would I have thought the chicken poop I was trying not to step in back when I was child living on a farm near Warsaw, would ever be a source of electricity? In those days a good farmer had no grass in his fields or in his yard, no grass lawns. Chickens were allowed to roam at will around the home, barn and fields in hopes they would peck a bug or worm off a plant in the garden or else where. However they had no sanitary sense, when they felt like pooping they pooped. Thus, there were lots chicken droppings all over the place. During the summer when I was barefooted I carried a corn cob in my back pocket to clean away the squishy poop that I did not miss, of course you could only use the corn cob once. Today the poultry industry has grown so big they have tons and tons of poop.

     Fibrowatt, a company who burns poultry poop to turn machinery which creates electricity put on a good show this past Thursday at the Duplin County Agricultural Complex. According to their presentation they have a working plant in Michigan which has no offensive odors emitting from it. They showed a short film or video of the plant burning poultry poop and sending out electricity. These guys say they are looking for a site in our area to build a plant to burn poultry waste.

     Duplin County?s problem in all of this, is do we have people smart enough to make heads or tails of this prospect and do the right thing for our county. I don?t know about the rest of you, but I feel unsure about our leaders analyzing abilities, remembering deals of the past. Ego?s and personal gain at times get in the way of good thinking.

     I don?t know how close you read the Duplin Times, but last week Debs Recipe column was a good one about eggnog. She had all the good information anyone would need about eggnog. However, I must confess when I was in my drinking stage, I am a teetotaler now, but back then putting good whiskey into a concoction called eggnog was a waste of good whiskey. I know a lot of folks love eggnog, but when I was into that unwise drinking time of my life the only time I wanted a raw egg was in a glass with some other fixings the next morning for a hangover relief.

     I used Sundrop for a chaser and I used so many chasers that even today if I drink a Sundrop I get a little woozy. My body thinks there must be whiskey somewhere in there. Deb tells a good story before she gets down to the mixing of things to make a meal good or good meal or good eats?.

     I know you must be aware of our lack of rain fall so far this year and those folks who know about water say the crops will suffer the summer of this next year.

     There have been some programs on TV about municipalities recirculation treated waste water from homes. Fearing shortages for homes use.

     The town of Warsaw looses forty percent (40%) of the water it pumps from the ground. According to the records for each hundred gallons Warsaw pumps from the grounds only sixty gallons go to the users. Forty gallons of those hundred gallons is lost in the system some place. Some may be lost through leaks in the old water pipes, some may be going into the sewer, and some may be going out the storm drains or who knows where. Warsaw?s leaders have watched this percentage increase each year and have done nothing about it and now we are loosing almost half of what is pumped. I think we are about to see some very high water bills.

     I am sure of one thing; Warsaw needs to fix the water loss problem. I guess this has to mean a raise in water rates. There are regulations which state water and sewer systems must be self supporting. Thus it will not be a tax increase, but a water increase. Those who use it are to pay for it.

     I guess the town commissioners are too busy hiring folks to dishearten businesses than to be watching out for the water system. The town just went through a municipal election and now it is time them to clean up their own house and put this Code Enforcement Officer working on something the town needs. Or better yet hire a Goodwill Ambassador in his place to promote the town and stop running it down the drain.

     One of the best things to happen to the area roads in a while is the repair work done to the railroad crossing at Elliot. Hooray to the DOT. Bout time.

     You know how I love my Studebakers. Well last week I stopped at the Magnolia Station General Store. I told you about going there once before and it being a Museum, antique store and flea market combination. I found two magazines ?Ladies Home Journal? that had full page color advertisements of 1939 and 1938 Studebakers. I of course bought them and am making full page pictures for framing. I feel so lucky; by the way there is to be an open house on the 15th and Patsy Chestnut owns the place.

     How about them Tigers?let me say it again How about them Tigers! I mean Son of a Gun How about them Tigers?? Don?t sell out them Rebels either they went a long way and fought every inch of the way there. SOG

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December 3, 2007

      I have kind of suspected that Duplin County was deep in the taboo word that begins with an ?S? and it was kind of verified last week by some people out of or around Raleigh. According to them Duplin County has the largest supply of animal and poultry waste in North Carolina. I knew our politicians were full of it, but I did not know our county ranked number one in it. Some folks think it is bad others think it is good, I think it is something we need to deal with. I mean no one wants to be overrun with s_ _ _ foul smelling mushy stuff. To perhaps our relief I understand there is a market out there for it.

     Several years back a couple of Irish men came to Duplin County with a hand full or container full of bacteria which they introduced into piles of poultry litter. This litter stuff with an offensive odor calmed down and is being used as fertilizer. A great deal of this treated poultry house fertilizer is being used along the states highways and byways to grow grass and flowers. When this poultry litter is untreated and spread upon a farm field it kicks up an awful smell. When you drive by one of these fields you are aware of the untreated litter by the stench that arises until it has been disked into the soil.

     As I understand it, swine and human waste has been added to the poultry liter mixture in this non smelly fertilizer. The mix is there to eliminate our bad odors from twirling around with the air and finding our noses. The fertilizer will make good things grow, but no bad odor. The Irish guy?s fertilizer is going well and doing a good job, but there is more animal and human waste than the process can handle.

     One of our problems here in Duplin is there are people who want to get rid of the swine lagoons, but don?t want to approve ways to get rid of it. I am not one for big words or misunderstood words, but this sounds like a quandary to me. As best I understand a quandary, it is a dilemma: what to do in a particular situation with unsatisfactory choices: a situation in which somebody must choose one of two or more unsatisfactory alternatives. This definition of what a quandary is comes from Mr. Webster?s book. The problem of what to do and what not to do surrounds Duplin County more so than the offensive odors.

     Everyone wants the problem solved, but they want the solution put in someone else?s neighborhood. I don?t want it in mine and you don?t want it in yours, but it has to go someplace or we will be overrun. We are eating an abundance of poultry, swine and beef and they all do do-do as they grow.

     I am told there is a process of burning the waste and then a second burning of the smoke that comes from the first burn. I am sure there are filters and other stuff I?m not familiar with to help eliminate the odor. Did you catch those last few words ? eliminate the odor. That is right, no odor at the animal and poultry waste burning facility. I might ought to qualify that a little and say no offensive odor. Cause some people will say do not like the odor coming from a coconut cake baking.

     There is to be a meeting at the agriculture complex, December 6th across from James Sprunt and a plan to perhaps build a facility in Duplin County is to be presented. The company officials will explain the workings of the facility and how it may affect Duplin and the surrounding. Everyone is invited to attend and listen to the presentation.

     One of these plants or facilities has already been built in Michigan and I feel sure a local delegate will visit the location sometime after the meeting and return to tell us all about it.

     There are problems in with the way some towns, counties, states and countries have come to deal with new and expanding companies moving to a new site. I hope we can stay out of a bidding war in an effort to have this much needed animal waste burning facility in Duplin County. I read in the newspapers that one company presented a plan to the County Commissioners. In their plan to build an animal wasting burning facility in Duplin they wanted the county to provide land at a ridiculous price.

     In my opinion and I know Joe?s opinion amounts to nothing, but I am going to give it anyway. I hope Duplin will find a solid standing professional company who wants to build in Duplin County. That Duplin County will compete with other places who want the company to build in their county. Duplin County does have an abundance of what these people need to operate their facilities and the people of Duplin want to get rid of this smelly mushy mess, but if the price gets too high ? lets just let them haul it out of the county. Wonder if the county could put a tax on the smelly mushy stuff. The state is offering a premium to those companies who build these so called green power electricity making burners. Maybe we could get some of the money for our schools?..who knows, but it is for sure we want to get rid of the H.S. SOG

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November 26, 2007

      Wow! The newspapers were full of mis mis mis mistakes-understanding-facts-wishes-calculations and the list went on and on this past week. Some of the miss?s get bundle together and come out as self inflicted humongous egos. If you wanted a thankful thanksgiving you should not have read the local newspapers over the Thanksgiving Holidays.

     There were lots of Alice-in-Wonderland things, but lets start with the schools. I read where most everyone wanted a different plan. I have the answer and a choice of two plans, but let?s get to that a littler later.

     Duplin?s County Commissioners/ County Board of Education, I can hardly put one ahead of the other for they are equally guilty. When a decision is politically difficult they let their breath out in a gush whoooosh and then they declare ?We need a study done and it needs to be an outside source. A study source outside of the county by, someone one who has no political, personal or financial ties to anyone in the county?. A motion is made to do just that. A study is done, the company doing the study is paid several thousand dollars and the study is returned. Everyone yells Halleluiah, smiles at each other as they pat one another on the back.

     The plan is turned loose for the public to read and John Q. Public says ?no way, this is dumb?. The governing body says ?yes they are right this is a non-intelligent plan. Heck fire an outside source did the study; they don?t know nothing about us or this county.

     The fact that this is the third study which has been paid for with tax money about this same question has no shame to those who ordered it. They, the CC and or the BOE will most likely decide another study is to be paid for. Pretty soon they will have enough money spent on the studies to build what ever they were planning.

     It seems to me to satisfy John Q. Public and better educate the children of Duplin County the CC & BOE needs to take the responsibility they were elected to do and forgo that ego trip.

     What about a plan that would seem to satisfy some of Duplin?s citizens that we build a school at each residence. The better plan; however would be to build one high school near James Sprunt and the Commons. I have not talked to all folks in the county or even a fourth of the folks, but the ones I have talked with are interested in the one high school concept. Some folks who have gone out of their way to talk to me about this single high school proposition startled me. I would have thought they were all consumed with their local high school. However, they were more interested in their children getting a proper education than sustaining several high schools about the county. They figured the education available at a large single high school would far surpass what was happening at their local school and help Duplin County at the same time.

     This idea of a single high school is not new; it has appeared in SOG before as well as in Gary Scott?s Editorial Column in the Duplin Times newspaper. Thus the idea has been out in the county for a while. Ask your neighbor what they think about it.

     I am sure the CC and the BOE will pay no attention to this idea because they did not think of it and they didn?t pay some company to come up with it. So we will continue to spending tax money unwisely and the county?s youngsters will continue getting a so so to a no so education. The fact of the matter is and you can quote me on this ?no one is getting what they are paying for?, not the tax paying citizens or their families.

     The poor quality of education happening in Duplin County is an absolute shame with all the money being spent. I am not blaming the teachers it is the folks at the top. I see the education administration people has had time to figure salary supplements or bonuses they want for themselves while the job of educating goes lacking. When you are sitting someplace, like on the commode with time think, think about this. How much money and time is spent or wasted at the Administration office on people to shuffle papers against how much more money is needed to be spent on teaching students. I believe about 90% of the administration?s paper shufflers should be eliminated and that money given to the people who teach ? you know the teachers. The superintendent should check those papers himself if he wants the information or wishes to pass it on.

     If all of Duplin County citizens would rise up like those who have children at James Kenan High School did and ask for their schools to be returned as they were. We would have better educated youngsters and less frustrated teachers and hopefully better informed parents who will demand discipline. Just in case discipline is not understood, it means making people obey the rules.

     I did not have the space to get to the cleaning up of the landfill nor a couple of other things. SOG

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November 19, 2007

      Thanksgiving is a family day, the family gathers to give thanks for each other, and for ones that can not gather, for ones that we might not know and the friends of all and everyone. It is a day to cleanse our mind of unkind thoughts and let our eyes gleam with kindness.

     At my house it is a pleasure to get out of bed on Thanksgiving morning. My wife Donna got up early and is in the kitchen. You can hear her whistling and shuffling things around. As the morning goes on sweet aromas from Donna?s kitchen whiffed and curved around the living room causing the TV and newspaper to be unimportant.

     She is loading the oven with a pan of wet meal and fixing that will end up being freshly baked or cooked corn bread, there are some made from scratch biscuits in there too. I don?t know about these terms cooked or baked. I do know about eating and I can hardly wait.

     She cooked, baked, roasted or what ever the correct term may be the turkey and stuffing the night before. There is a real mouth watering aroma coming from the stuffing. There is steam rising from the colored butterbeans and a great sizzling sound from a skillet containing center slices of country ham. There is rice some place getting ready or is already ready. Another of those already fixed items is a bowl of potato salad, a few baked and pealed sweet potatoes and when that country ham finishes frying some good old redeye gravy will fill the bottom of that fry pan.

     Collards were cooked the day before and chopped to fit the taste and a spare piece of that county ham was added to the collard pot for seasoning. A small bit of that country ham was added to the pot of field peas and snaps when they were cooking. The peas and snaps are in a bowl sitting on the table waiting for a big spoon.

     The dining table has been pulled apart and the midsection has been added to extend its length. My daughter Gwen is setting the table with our ?Sunday church meeting? china and silverware. The tea glasses with diamond looking shapes on the outside are filled with ice awaiting tea. When I was a child it was Vesper Tea. I think that is spelled correctly, but you know my spelling. Some times my spelling is so bad even the spell checker don?t know how to fix it.

     The grand children and great grandchildren are arriving. They are running and hugging and playing. The noise seems to get a little loud, but it is a sign they are happy and having fun, so it is kind of over looked. A happy laugh and scream is a lot better than an unhappy one.

     When everyone gets hugged while being looked straight in the eyes it is time to begin. A small table is set up for the young ones.

     One of the youngest is asked to give thanks while we listen and mentally ponder all the things we are thankful for. For Donna and me a great deal of our thankfulness is what we are looking at?family. The dipping, passing and eating begins. A sweet potato pie and coconut cake awaits those who may have space left.

     I was at Bojangles a day or so before. I had a ham biscuit and cup of coffee with Roger and Margie Howard and I am always thankful to talk and eat with them. I had the ham biscuit they had something else. When we were leaving I went out the door on the right and Roger went out the door on the left. I was parked in the handicapped parking space practically in front of the door. I reached for the door handle of my car to open my door. I heard a big rumbling voice say? Hey Sugar?. I turned to my right with my hand still on the car door handle and looked. Standing there looking my way was a big and I do mean big like a professional football lineman, smiling looking at me. You just can?t imagine what thoughts were running though my mind?they were all ending with question marks. I don?t know what kind of shape my face was showing, but it should have been showing fear and confusion, because that is what was what I was feeling.

     Then I heard this voice from over my shoulder saying ?I see you ... you handsome thing?.

     I turned to the woman and said ?I sure am thankful you said that.

     I don?t know if she knew what I was talking about, but I sure was thankful she was there.

     Happy Thanksgiving?SOG

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November 12, 2007

      Warsaw?s town board seems to be taking one step forwards and two steps backwards. First off the town board has recently hired a ?Code Enforcement Officer? but don?t have a Recreation Director and has not had one for years. They said they could not afford one. I guess they believe the gangs will take care of the youngsters and show them which way to go, but they need to pay money to someone to make sure the businesses have fewer signs and less business.

     On the east side of town the town commissioners have blessed a new business which has hired around 32 full time employees and about 60 temporary employees for the holiday season. This is great because it means there are new pay checks being written. If there is one thing Warsaw needs along with some level heads is new jobs. The town and surrounding area has lost several places of employment over the past few years.

     The fact the newer old Quinn Wholesale Company building was empty and available was the prime reason the new business came to Warsaw. To further entice the new employer a low interest loan was made available from the town and county. The new business was also told they did not have to pay property taxes for several years.

     On the west side of town is a business that has been in the same location within the city limits for over twenty (20) years. This business has been providing up to 15 well paid jobs over these years, by well paid I mean above the norm for this area.

     This business has paid its property taxes on time and has been a good citizen and previously had practically no problems with the town.

     This west side business wanted to build two more bays on to the present building to have more space and perhaps to hire more folks. It was evident to the owner he needed a building permit, he applied. The new ?Code Enforcement Officer? and I suppose the town manager began looking in to the old and many outdated rules and regulations the town has enacted. Several items were found that could be enforced on the builder. Remember the business has been in the same location for over twenty years operating in full force and bringing business to Warsaw. To continue to be the good town citizen the business owner agreed to the town?s new request. He believed fairness would eventually come to light and the town would give some options.

     To add on to his building to a have a place his employees could work inside during bad weather and to possibly hire more employees. The town said they would close Center Street for his business use; he is to pay for a six feet high fence that is to be built along Center Street to the junction of Dudley Street even though the new construction is less than about a fifth the length of Center Street. Rose Street is between the improved area and the unimproved area, thus it is not joining. The fence is to be built on the WS business property five feet away from Center Street. One other thing, he must build a road on his property beside Center Street. How wide is a street, lets say eight feet so that is thirteen feet of property this man must give up? Let me make one thing plain and straightforward. The Code Enforcement Officer takes his orders from the town board and the town board can enforce or can make exceptions. So even though the Code Enforcement Officer may be blunt or even rude, what happens in regards to the rules he comes up with is not his fault it rest on the shoulders of the town board. It seems believing that fairness will finally win out is a pipe dream. Only the town board can make it happen. On one side of town the town board gave new business many thousands of dollars for free and on the other side of town the town board is making a business that has been a town fixture for over 20 years pay several thousand dollars from his pocket. Fair?

     I was pleased to see exceptions were made to the rule that caused a business to remove his reader sign and the reader sign is back. I enjoy being able to see what is on sale at his business as well as the reader board at the Piggly Wiggly. I was at the town board meeting several years ago when the Piggly Wiggly reader board was found to be in noncompliance and the town board made an exception to allow it.

     The Code man has said no off premises advertisement signs are allowed. I know of several that may appear as off premises advertisement, but are in actually direction signs pointing to an off highway business.

     Talk about ugly and unnecessary for Warsaw, there is two billboards in the city limits that come to mind. One is almost down town and it advertises a business in Wilmington, I believe. If it is not Wilmington, it is a town away from Warsaw. The direction signs point to a Warsaw business these billboards point to an out of town business. I guess it is alright to send folks to another town, just so they don?t do business in Warsaw. That sounds a little crazy, don?t you think? This is just a few of the bad things now happening in Warsaw, I don?t have space for it all.

     If a business prospect approaches a Warsaw business person or any person who is up to date with the happenings in Warsaw and would ask this person about the atmosphere for business in Warsaw and this person tells the truth do you think anyone would come to town?

     Warsaw is not a Norman Rockwell town and never has been nor will be. Some of the cleaning up is great, but the Hallmark folks are not coming back and never would have chosen Warsaw anyway. So it would seem the town board would stop trying to run business away.. Let us support and tell those businesses who are here that we are thankful they located in Warsaw and lets spend our money here too. SOG

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November 5, 2007

      The memories of the glories of my childhood cause me to cling to ?Armistice Day? rather than the present ?Veterans Day?. Not because one phrases honors one war over the other, because all veterans/military people living or dead are special. In rural Duplin County in the 1940?s there was no day as special as the Armistice Day Celebration in Warsaw. Even the schools let out for Armistice Day. School let out at 11:00 am and if you did not go to school that day and you had an excuse from your parents it would not count as an absent day. There was no TV back then only the Duplin Theater thus the carnival and events around that carnival was enough to fill a young boys head so full of excitement, I mean it was better than getting the Sears Roebuck Christmas catalogue. Sears Roebuck put out a Christmas catalogue with red and green candy pictures and toys with colors. Armistice Day let you dream after the fact and the Sears Roebuck let you dream before the fact. Christmas was wonderful, but the dreams stayed with you long after the presents were gone.

     Armistice Day at the carnival was a day you could get close to your girlfriend on the Farris wheel, the Octopus ride and other rides. We could also go in the Tunnel of Love or go in the dark fright house. Back in those days there was no holding hands or anything with in the sight of anyone. The rides was an excuse to get close and feel the warmth of your friend and the darkness of the fright house, well what happened in there was up to you and your friend, But it was for only a few minutes.

     The next two paragraphs I got off the internet.

     Armistice Day Becomes Veterans Day

     World War I officially ended on June 28, 1919, with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. The actual fighting between the Allies and Germany, however, had ended seven months earlier with the armistice, which went into effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month in 1918. Armistice Day, as November 11 became known, officially became a holiday in the United States in 1926, and a national holiday 12 years later. On June 1, 1954, the name was changed to Veterans Day to honor all U.S. veterans.

     In 1968, new legislation changed the national commemoration of Veterans Day to the fourth Monday in October. It soon became apparent, however, that November 11 was a date of historic significance to many Americans. Therefore, in 1978 Congress returned the observance to its traditional date.

     If you will subtract 87 years from this year of 2007 you will get 1920 or 1921 if you are a math professor ? I guess. In any case if you noticed the official Celebration date was 1926. Thus, Duplin County?s patriotic people began honoring and celebrating around six years ahead of the rest of the country and have not missed a year. The main reason for this was because of the insistence of a Duplin County man and he was one of the key influential persons to cause Armistice Day to be nation wide. He could easily be called the father of Armistice Day.

     Those of you who may have forgotten, he was the National Commander of the American Legion and his name was Henry L. Stevens.

     These next paragraphs are also from the internet.

     One of the many thousand tragedies of WWI brought sadness to a Duplin County family and to many who knew Charles R. Gavin. He was killed at age 23 in the Meuse-Argonne, near Verdun, France, was more particularly a tragedy because it, as did thousands of others, occurred just a few hours before the signing of the Armistice on November 11, 1918. Nearly four years later, his remains were shipped by the US government to his parents, Mr. and Mrs. David Lee Gavin, and were buried in the family burial ground near Warsaw. The same year that Gavin's remains were returned to Warsaw in 1921, the American Legion was organized and named its post Charles R. Gavin American Legion Post 127 in Gavin's memory. After WWI ended, veterans groups began forming and marking Armistice Day with parades and special memorial services each November 11. Led by their first commander, Henry L. Stevens, Jr., Post 127 members organized a formal parade to their WWI comrades in arms. That first parade marked the beginning of Warsaw's 87 years of continuous tributes to the military who have served and sacrificed for America. SOG

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October 29, 2007

      My good friend from Apex, J. C. Knowles sent me a Halloween story. The story is one he sent out in his column ?North Carolina Minute?. Tis the season for this kind of a thing and as J.C. is a good writer, so here it is:

     By J. C. Knowles

     Would Samuel ever come home? Is he hurt? These were the questions ask by the family of Samuel who was far off in Virginia fighting with the North Carolina troops during the Civil War. Samuel was 17 years old when he left home to join up with some of his friends. He also left his sweetheart behind. As they exchanged letters whenever they could, they talked about getting married when the war was over. Finally when the Battle of Bentonville was over in 1865, Samuel was able to return home. The war was over.

     About a year after returning, Samuel and Mary began making wedding plans. Both families were well to do farmers and had vast holdings in the neighborhood. Their lands joined and were located in what is now the Faison area of Duplin County.

     As the plans for the wedding were being made, a small cottage was being built for the couple. This was to be their home, where Mary could teach school and Samuel could look after the family farm. Everything seemed to fit into place and both families were getting excited as the big day was about to be. Everything was set into motion, as the big day has arrived. The morning of the wedding the couple?s parents took them to the new cottage to show them some of the furniture they were giving as wedding presents. One of the pieces was a beautiful grandfather clock owned by Mary's family. That afternoon the wedding took place without a hitch, everything was perfect. In the evening a dinner was held and dancing was the main activity of the evening. During the evening Samuel's father presented him with the family gold pocket watch, saying, "Son, today you become a man and I wish to pass on to you our family gold pocket watch which my father gave to me and his father before him. I hope some day you will have a son to pass it on."

     By late evening the wedding party drew to a close and the newly wed couple left for their beautiful little cottage. Retiring that first evening, as they laid in bed recapping the evening, the grandfather clock downstairs struck twelve. At the end of the twelfth strike, the young girl got up out of bed, walked over to a chair and litterly got out of her skin and went through the keyhole of the door. "No, it can't be, said Samuel to himself, "I married a witch!" throughout the night Samuel laid in the bed terrified and not knowing what to do. Just at dawn the next morning, he heard a rattle at the door, looking he say Mary enter the room again through the keyhole, went to the chair and got back into her skin, then laid down in the bed and went to sleep.

     Samuel was beyond his wits, who could he tell, she was a beautiful girl and from a wealthy family. No one would believe that he had married a witch.. He was at a lost as to what to do. Night fall came and finally it was bedtime again. On this second night the same act of witchcraft was played out, however, during the night Samuel went downstairs to the kitchen and took a large canister of red hot pepper and sprinkled it all inside her skin. At dawn as Mary returned and got back into her skin, that pepper burnt her flesh so bad that she had a fit and died. She died in the form of a horrible looking witch. Young Samuel dressed and went to seek help, knowing he had proof that he had married a witch. When the men with him arrived at the house they immediately went upstairs to the bedroom. There was no Mary and the bed was made up as though no one had slept in it at all. In Samuel's fright and dismay he threw the covers back and in the middle of the bed was a small pile of red hot pepper. Yet the men with him were not convinced.

     The next day some of the men went to the house to get to the bottom of this saddened affair. They knew Samuel was either playing a trick on them or that he had done some horrible deed. Again when they went to the house there was no answer at the door, so they entered the house and went upstairs to the bedroom. Again, one of the men telling what had happened the day before, pulled back the covers of the bed and there laid a small pile of red hot pepper and a gold pocket watch. To this day there as never been any explanation of what happened to that young couple.

     His last line is HAPPY HALLOWEEN.. I too wish you a great and memorable Halloween. SOG

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October 22, 2007

      I will try and clear up some miscellaneous stuff this week in an effort to clear up some brain space in my head.

     I did not go to the State Fair this year. I was in fear of not having enough lung power to walk the place over. That wicked ole Lupus and me being too lazy to exercise has cut down on my walking distance. However, during the last couple of days of the fair someone told me folks were renting battery operating scooters at the entrances. If I had known that I would have took the whole thing in.. I love an agricultural fair during the fall season of the year. Everything is so colorful.

     I read in the newspaper that the Members of the Duplin County Strategic Planning committee defined their top five internal and external negatives the county faces. The Planning Committee has declared the number one internal negative was poor quality schools, including the high drop-out rate.

     The Duplin County Schools was the number one thing that needs fixing for this county to grow or for that matter stay as it is. I have yelled, whispered, wrote, pleaded, scorned and begged for someone to pay attention and fix our schools. Halleluiah and bless my soul the story is being told ??.. again. I hope and pray someone will finally do something about it. Makes no difference if our young stay here or go other places they need to be well educated.

     What has been happening in the past folks are looking at a part of the school situation and saying ?yes this needs to be fixed?. After the ?needs to be fixed? statement folks just stroll away and begin doing what they were doing before. Thus most of Duplin County?s students are graduating with less than a quality education and some are not graduating at all. It is called drop out and one is too many.

     This causes Duplin County to stand very tall in the group of counties with a poorly educated citizenry. Companies who desire land to build factories upon look at the population of the area and check out the education facilities as well as the education of those who live in the area. When they find poorly educated workers in an area they just move their buildings and jobs on to an area with a better educated population.

     I do hope this committee fairs different from other committees who are appointed by the county commissioners. County Commissioner appointed committees work real hard looking into all kinds of facts and studies to come up with a feasible and plausible answer and sometimes even a solution. However, as a rule the commissioners thank the committee for their hard work, get everyone in a crowd take a picture for the newspaper. The committee members are patted on the back, everyone smiles and the committee members go home feeling good about making a difference. The study information and solutions are then stored in a drawer in a cabinet and it is never heard from again.

     I have my hopes up that a change will occur, but I am not going to try and hold my breath until something positive comes of their suggestions. It is so frustrating at times. Other things that need fixing in Duplin the SPC list: ?The number one external negative chosen in the meeting was the teacher shortage in the United States.

     Committee members listed increased gang activity as the second most important negative.

     The impact of major retail outlets outside Duplin County was third .

     The fourth negative was the United States immigration policy.

     Unfunded mandates by the federal and state governments, high cost and limited funding and the availability of affordable health care tied for fifth place.

     The commissioners have the list and facts, now lets see what they do about it


     Saturday night I visited the?Magnolia Station General Store?. The store is located in the old L.E. Pope Furniture Store and of course it is located in the Duplin County town of Magnolia. It is the aim of the owners to set up an old type General Store with antiques combined with a Magnolia Museum type of a place.

     There are actually two stores in one. Well that is not quite correct either. The building has a brick wall in the middle, thus two stores. One building is being used for an auction. The other building has the goods separated into three areas. One area is antiques and gifts, another has hotdogs etc and another area Magnolia Memorabilia. They are in the process of getting this all laid out and they are open but I do not remember the hours or days.

     They had a slave?s bed they were showing. It was a wooden box about six or eight feet long and thirty inches or so wide and high. On one end of the box top the boards were raised sort of like a crude pillow. The slave slept on the box and kept his belongings inside the box. When he died the box was used as a coffin to bury him or her in. This is just one of the oldies, but interesting things I saw. I enjoyed the auction too.

     The Social Security checks will be going up 2.3% according to a story I read in the newspaper. I told my wife I was in charge of spending all the increases in our checks. She said that is just fine with her, because the Medicare part is going up 3.1% and I could take care of that too. Joe looses again. I am going to learn one day to stop trying to out figure that woman, SOG

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October 15, 2007

      In last weeks Son of a Gun I wrote about folks seeing and complaining about Sheriff Department cars speeding over the posted speed limits when they were not on an emergency call as no blue lights or siren was on.

     Sheriff Blake Wallace phoned me and congratulated me on the article. It is his desire to have one of the best Sheriff Departments anywhere. He tries to hire the best people for the job and he requires employees sign a statement agreeing to his rules. That statement will follow this.

     He said he would like people who see Sheriff Department cars traveling above the posted speed limits without blue lights and siren on to call the Sheriff and tell him. If he happens not to be in his office, leave a message. He said you did not have to get a car number or know the driver, just phone giving the time of day and where you saw it. He can look on the dispatch log and find out who was in that area at that time. Also if you do not want to give your name that will be OK too, but do call. The number is 296-2150.

     Sheriff Wallace states in his rules ?Please keep in mind that you cannot help anyone if you do not arrive safely.? Also note the miles per hour over the maximum speed limit he suggests when on an emergency call.

     I personally think his rules are right on the money and it shows the Sheriffs intent and here are his rules and when he gave then to his deputies:  SOG


May 05, 2004

To: All Personnel
From: Sheriff Blake Wallace
Subject: Vehicle Operations

I continue to receive complaints by citizens about the speeds you operate your county issued vehicles. If you will recall, in June of 2003, each of you signed a memorandum outlining the procedures for vehicle operations. I want it clearly understood that failure to adhere to these policies will be dealt with harshly. As a reminder to you and those who have been hired since that date, I am re-printing the following policies: 

1. You will operate your county vehicle at the posted speed limit at all times unless en route to an emergency situation.
2. If you exceed the posted speed limit, you are to immediately activate your blue lights and siren and notify communications, via radio, that you will be responding to the situation with your emergency equipment activated.
3. While traveling to the emergency situation, with your blue lights and siren activated, you will not exceed twenty-five miles over the posted speed limit.
4. While traveling to the emergency situation and going through a town limit, you will not exceed ten miles over the posted speed limit.
5. While traveling near a school or athletic park, you will operate your vehicle at the posted speed limit, regardless as to whether your blue lights and siren are activated.
6. At no time will you provide an escort for another emergency vehicle responding to or from an emergency situation (i.e.: an ambulance). 

     I expect your complete compliance with these new policies. Failure to do so will result in disciplinary action that could include termination. Please keep in mind that you cannot help anyone if you do not arrive safely.

     If you have any questions and/or comments, please do not hesitate to contact me.

     Please sign this memorandum acknowledging that you understand these policy changes and return the original to Captain Thigpen to be placed in your personnel file. I would also suggest that you make a copy of these policies to keep in your assigned vehicle.

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October 08, 2007

      I have told you about enjoying backyard birds before, but I have some new stuff. To remind you of what I have said. I have two bird feeders, two bird baths, and several blue bird houses.

     The wrens have taken over the blue bird houses. I shooed they away for a couple years but they got ahead of me and ran the blue birds off. I plan to put up new blue bird houses this spring.

     The only feed I put out is sunflower seeds. I have tried other seeds etc, but the birds that come to my back yard only care for the black sunflower seeds. I was in hopes this single type feed would run some of the wrens off, but nothing seems to do that. A few wrens are alright, but they come in groves and eat most all the seeds. The redbirds, blue jays and doves are my favorite at the feeding station along with a redheaded woodpecker. I also favor the cat birds; they hang around and sing as well as catch bugs. I know this can?t be a factual thing, but it seems the cat birds try and tell me when the bird feeder needs more seeds. The cat bird gets on the post that holds up my swing and appears to be looking in my window at me. I know he must be looking for bugs, but it appears he is looking straight at me and if I go out to the feeder it is empty. I guess it?s just an old bird loving guy dreaming.

     I really enjoy watching the birds bathe. They don?t get naked, they just wash their feathers and body at the same time. They get in the water and splash the water up and over them selves with their wings and just splash around before flying off all freshly washed. I have to carry water to the bird baths and do so most days. For a couple of weeks now, I have noticed the water looks like someone washed their hands after using white latex paint. It has a faded milky color to it.

     For reasons I do not understand three crows have taken to coming to my backyard a little past noon. I have tried to run them off, but they come back. So I felt sorry for them and left them alone as they mostly just drink water or bathe.

     One afternoon I saw a crow with what I thought was a piece of light bread or loaf bread or sandwich bread or what ever the correct words are for this store bought bread. The crows had the bread their beak. I had seen the crows before with bread and they would dunk it in the water or drop it in the water to soften it and then eat it. I ask my wife if she was throwing stale bread out for the birds and she said she had not. Therefore, I figured the crows were bringing it from some other place. The bread seemed to be mighty big pieces, but I do know crows are smart. I mean I have seen them on TV close a plate glass door. A fellow comes along and crashes into it, but understand the crows in my backyard are real.

     I saw them when they first flew up and I went out the back door and slapped my hands together and they flew off dropping their food. When I went to the bird bath and saw what they had I was shocked and a bit confused. The pieces of food they were bringing to the bird baths were white on one side but grayish on the other side. They were dunking or washing mushrooms. I have never heard of crows eating mushrooms. I also wonder if they were getting some kind of ?high? of these mushrooms. I have read that some folks eat some kind of mushrooms to get a buzz on. A kind of high that LSD gives a person or leaves a person with.

     I have decided that I would not put water in the birdbaths for a week or so in hopes the crows will find another place to get messed up at. All I need is a backyard full of drunken crows.

     I was at Bojangles Sunday morning to get a country ham biscuit and a cup of coffee. Donna had gone with Gwen to the beach so fixing breakfast was up to me. I let Bojangles do the fixing. I sat down with a friend, his wife, son and daughter. I was telling them about watching the birds in the birdbath fluttering water all over the place as they washed and the crows eating mushrooms.

     I don?t know if my neighbor?s wife was putting me on or telling the truth, but here is what she said. She said she saw a cat in the birdbath next door and the cat was washing. That the cat would stick its paw in the water then rub it over its face. Now, I have seen cats lick their paw and rub it on their face, but never have I seen one dip its paw in water and wipe their face.

     The next thing she said got even weirder. She said the cat would put its tail in the water and then wash its back with its tail.

     My story about the crows was the truth, this thing about the cat, the more I think of it the less want to believe. I wonder if maybe, I did not hear her correctly.

     Next time I see her I plan to ask her about it again. SOG

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October 01, 2007

     I was in a business near Warsaw looking for something to eliminate some big old black bugs that were running around my house and trying to invade my home. I was told they were water bugs, or palmetto bugs. I ended up with some ?Over and Out?, but I am getting away from my story. A fellow at the business said ?When are you going to write something about the sheriffs department?. I asked him what he meant. He said ?some of the deputies are speeding up and down the highways seventy and eighty miles an hour. One of these days they are going to run over someone. They speed in towns just as fast.? I asked if perhaps they were perhaps after some crook or other. ?No! You will see them on down the road at a restaurant, or their home. Besides if they travel at a speed greater than the posted speed limit they should have their blue lights and red lights on.? ?When other drivers are preparing to drive on the main highway, they look both ways to see if a vehicle is coming and they expect that vehicle to be traveling the speed limit and judge their entrance to the road on that perspective. Someone driving 20 to 25 miles per hour above the speed limit will cause a wreck or a close miss and in all cases anger by the other driver.? I told him that I agreed with his assessment, but it is not all the deputies doing that reckless driving and perhaps who ever saw this take place should phone the sheriff and tell him about it. ?It is not my place to check up on his deputies, he is getting paid good money to do it himself. Do you think he knows about it and is over looking or encouraging it?? I told him I did not think so, besides these deputies are being paid to uphold the law, not break it. I was wondering how one could trust a law enforcement person about other things when they break the speeding law. There is that old tale about the rotten apple; you know one in a barrel will cause the rest of the apples to rotten.

     I must admit I have seen some vehicles with sheriff markings traveling at speeds faster then the local traffic, with no warning lights flashing and they are to the eating place before me. As the gentleman says if they are allowed to get away with speeding today, what will they try to get away with next. Remember we are not talking about all the deputies, just some. So you would ask why is it the deputies who are not breaking the law by speeding are not arresting those who are. I guess it the saying that folks in a group stick together even though a few are doing bad.

     When I was working for the Wilmington Star News they had a policy that a reporter could not accept a gift. If a person offers a free meal, it had to be turned down. They were afraid the next story you wrote may favor the person who gave you the meal or some other gift. I would think the same should be true about law enforcement people. When two break-ins occurred at the same time or near the same time would the person who gave the favor get better treatment? Would the person who gave the favor get a better deal if he or she was arrested for something?

     I started the story about a fellow near Warsaw, but those four folks who talked to me there are not the only ones who have ask the same question about the speeding. People in businesses near Bowdens, Kenansville, Rose Hill, Albertson, Beulaville, Magnolia as well as Warsaw have asked me, why. My main reason for not writing is there is so much to write about that I was over looking the speeding as I am overlooking something else now, but the questions kept coming so here it is. One guy said the reason I did not write about it was that I was afraid the law would retaliate. Well I do not believe that for one minute, but if others may believe it I need to write and clear it up.

     There is one other thing that bothers me. I have read and heard that gang related graffiti should be removed or painted over. That doing so would eliminate or quiet down actives in the areas it appears. Off highway 117 near Magnolia there is a gang marking that has been there for passers to see for at least a year. I asked a deputy why it was allowed to remain and he said it was Railroad property and they had not asked for or received permission to remove it.

     Maxine says:  "Be who you are and say what you feel... Because those that matter.. don't mind... And those that mind... don't matter." SOG

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September 24, 2007

      It has been a great weekend. It has been 50 year?s since I graduated from Magnolia High School and this past Saturday my class held a reunion. On Friday of this past week my daughter retired from her job after 30 years.

     I can hardly believe she retired. It seems like only a few years ago she was a pretty little baby that I was afraid to hold. I was afraid I would do something incorrect while holding her that may cause an injury.

     Then she was a teenager making a misstep and tumbling down the stairs steps, scaring me half to death. You see it happening to someone you love and you can do nothing, but watch and wish you could transfer the hurt to you. She was fortunate and suffered no injuries except to be embarrassed.

     A few years later she asked me to fix the window on her car. It would not roll down correctly. I said OK, but put her off a couple of times saying I had to get a special tool. One day I came home and she had the car door open with the doors inside off and was repairing the widow channel. She had a pair of pliers and a screw driver, no special tool. When she wants it done she wants it done. She has been that way most of her life, when she decides she wants it, you might as well move out of the way because she is going to get or do it. Now here she is retiring from folks who hate to see her leave. I am so proud of her and she is so special to me. She and her mom both are.

     When I became old enough to do so, I quit school and joined the US Navy. I thought I had all the education I needed. It disappointed my mom when I quit school, but as always she wished me well. It did not take long to discover my education beliefs were wrong. Even in the military service education was very important. I guess I had been watching too many John Wayne type war movies where there was lot of action and shore leave with no book learning to speak of.

     When I was discharged from the Navy I came home and married Donna Braswell. Knowing I needed more education I went to talk with Mr. Joe Newkirk who was principal of Magnolia School. I advised Mr. Newkirk just how much schooling time I could get under the GI Bill. He figured out the required subjects I needed and put me in a class with some great youngsters. They allowed an old married military man in their class and kind of showed me the ropes or rulers I guess it was. In any case I was able to get thru three years of school in a year and a half and that allowed me to get some college time under the GI Bill as well.

     Due to the fact I was married and had only the money the GI Bill gave me I had to work at a job as well. Thus I did not spend any fun time with my class mates except to be in the class room and of course the senior class play.

     I have actually learned more about those good folks after graduating than during school time. You could always tell me from the others in the class reunions photographs. I was the grey haired fellow with a pop belly. My class mates were about four years younger, and in the photographs they stood out as the good looking ones smiling brightly.

     When we graduated there were fifteen of us who walked across the stage to receive diplomas The students who welcomed me into their class were: Janice Batts, Jenell Bishop, Patsy Brown, Eva Dail, David Ezzell, Delma Ezzell, Joe Ezzell, Geraldine Howard, Mary Ann Lanier, Graham Johnson, Daphne Quinn, Wesley Rouse, Mary Anna Watson, Mattie Faye Williams and Sam Stroud. I am so indebted to them.

     Janice, Eva, David, Joe, and Mary Ann, were not at Saturday reunion. Eva was in the hospital, Mary Ann had job commitments and could not leave, Janice had home duties and David and Joe are no longer with us.

     There were three 1956 class graduate members at the reunion; Franklin Williams, Amos Johnson and Marley Merritt. Most 1956 &1957 graduates brought their wives or husbands. It was a joyful time and both classes honored Melvin Pope who did so much for the school and the town of Magnolia.

     Some more about my schooling. My mom Mary Alice Howard Lanier attended school thru part of the fifth grade. Her dad became angered with the school system because people on the school bus cursed and the school system did nothing to stop it. So he took all his children out of school. As I have told you before he spent time in prison because of it, but it did not stop him from his beliefs. My mom was an avid reader; she read everything she could get here hands on.

     So you can understand her disappointment when I quit school. I learned how important an education was after my stupid mistake of quitting school. I went back to school and got two years of college after leaving the Navy.

     Perhaps this may help you understand why I get upset when Duplin County allows some school, principals, teachers and most especially administrators to bumble along with education. Education is too important to allow political or career advancement idiots mess it up. In November of 2008 we will have an opportunity to vote for a quarter cent sales tax to help education. I think it is great for money to go to the schools, but if the accounting bumbling is not fixed by then I shall not vote for the quarter cent. It is a problem that can be fixed. All Duplin County wants is the truth and keep things honest. We do not want to have to check behind everything. SOG

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September 17, 2007

      In last weeks Son of a Gun I said ?Of course decisions on what is financially good for the county fails to get passed at our board of commissioners or are even seriously considered.? In regards to Cabin Lake and the billboard, Duplin County?s proud and prestigious board of county commissioners admitted they made a mistake and misunderstood what they were doing in regards to agreeing to or not to pay for the billboard. So the next meeting they voted to pay over $5,000.00 dollars for a billboard out of the fund balance account. So I guess they now believe they have cleared up the mistake by spending tax money on an account that should have been funded from the Tourist Budget. I wish you could have been there and heard the back and forth mess going on, the confusing nonsensical clatter added to the conversation that meant nothing at all in regards to the question before the board of commissioners. It did add to the confusion which may have been intended. By the way, you can hear what was said. http://www.duplincountync.com/ on the internet will get you there, and then click on the commissioners meetings for Sept 10, 2007. You would want the voice section and move down the agenda to Cabin Lake Billboard and just listen. Try and follow what is going on and I hope the county commissioners will also listen to what they said and what others said. It seems to me if there was a rhyme and reason it was to mess up the whole thing about Cabin Lake so it will close.

     The Tourism Office, Bureau, or Independent Nation, which ever was given over $180,000.00 dollars which was collected from businesses such as motels in Duplin County. This money was to or is to be used promoting Duplin County to get more tourist in to the county to spend money. When the Tourist Department was asked to pay for the Cabin Lake Billboard they said they had not put together a budget that would include a line item for things as a billboard for Cabin Lake. Hey! They got about $188,000.00 dollars on hand and a request from a tax payer facility asking for help and they can?t pull out $5,000.00. I mean lets be real, they are pulling out nice salaries for the Tourism Director and secretary out of the Tourism budget. The director is being paid more than was recommended by the DCC. The Tourism Committee decided on their own the Tourism Director was more valuable than the commissioners thought he was when he was running the Event Center as well as being the Tourism Director and yet they can?t pull out $5,000.00 to help Cabin Lake. It appears to me the tourism bunch is not going to do anything the county commissioner?s request. This makes two times that I know of the Tourism folks have told the DCC to go over the corner and suck on their thumbs.

     My money figure of $5,000.00 is a little off the figure the billboard company is actually asking for a little less than $5,300.00.

     One more thing about the Tourism folks?.they say they are Advertising Experts. Experts! Can you believe that? Reminds me of that joke. ?Yesterday I could not even spell ?Advertising? and today I am an expert. Son of a gun.

     The billboard the county is paying money out of the fund balance for is near Blizzard?s Crossroads. If you are driving from Beulaville toward Kenansville it would be on the left side of highway 24. The cars or vehicles that will see the billboard will be going toward Kenansville. The estimated number of vehicles on that particular portion of highway 24 going by the billboard each day is between 8, 000 and 9,000. However, only those going toward Kenansville will see the Cabin Lake advertisement, so that cuts the number to around 4 or 4,500 vehicles a day. This is still a goodly number, but not 8,500.

     I don?t know what kind of directions they will put on the billboard to get to Cabin Lake. As the billboard is near Williams road (1701) I suppose the billboard will indicate the driver should turn right just ahead on 1701 or Williams road and keep going until Williams intersects with 1703 or Cabin road, turn right again. Then follow 1703 until it intersects with NC111 turn right and follow NC111 until you see the Cabin Lake sign on the left.

     If the billboard was between Richlands or the county line and Beulaville on highway NC24 on the right hand side of the road. The directions would simply say. Turn right on NC111 - Cabin Lake 5 Miles on the right.

     Listen folks Cabin Lake is a great place to camp at and visit, but if the DCC are not going to supply the money to keep it open seven days a week. It is kind of foolish to be spending money to get people to go and visit. It seems the DCC jumped into something with out the proper information and flubbed the dub and now they are trying to pay their way out of it with tax payer money. BAU. SOG

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September 10, 2007

      I agree with County Commissioner David Fussell on the Cabin Lake Billboard. If the Cabin Lake facilities are not going to be open and manned seven days a week, the billboard will do more harm than good.

     Cabin Lake is an asset for Duplin County. It is a nice place; if you have not been there then you should take a trip to this county owned facility and check out the camping, swimming, boating, picnicking facility. Just sitting in the shade of a pine tree and relaxing and watching nature is a treat in its self.

     The billboard should attract folks to Cabin Lake and if I were from out of county and did not know about the Lake and its attributes and I drove from highway 24 to the lake and it was closed I would be upset. Chances are I would never go there again and I would tell my camping friends about its being open once in a while. In the first place it is not easy to find and I would be a little perturbed about the difficulty I had finding it. Then finding the darn place was closed would further upset me.

     I know the argument about putting the hours of operation on the billboard. Reading a billboard while driving sixty miles an hour is about a five second event. If you put lots of words on the billboard then the message will not be read. It will just be a blur as people drive by with lots of copy. Half a dozen words is about three too many. There needs to be a picture of the lake and camping facilities and the words Cabin Lake. Then near the bottom of the billboard an arrow and the words TURN LEFT or RIGHT on what ever road. Now that we have the drivers attention, up on near the top smaller letters could say ?Camping Sites? on the other side ?Swimming-Boating?. Chances are those who visit the lake from the billboard advertising would have passed the billboard several times. Of course small signs should be placed along the roads directing the driver to the lake.

     The money to pay for the billboard should come from the Tourist Budget and not from tax payers. This is a tourist attraction billboard, but it should not be put up at all if Cabin Lake is not going to be open seven days a week. Those people looking to make a profit or break even are not thinking straight. If it is a government facility it will not make a profit. The only government operation that makes a profit is tax collecting. Even the money from the ABC stores is not profit when the time law officers put in is figured in the with the cost.

     Government people only know how to give. If a profit is sought then it must go to private enterprise. I think the county should lease it out for a small amount of money if they do not want to fund it. Of course decisions on what is financially good for the county fails to get passed at our board of commissioners or even seriously considered. A fine example of that is the money for the schools. The commissioners budgeted $750,000 to help maintain the schools. The commissioners refused to give the money at first saying they wanted to understand where it was going. They have now released the money. I think they should have released it when they were supposed to. If they were not going to release it don?t budget it. The surprise part is they said they wanted to understand all about it and then they released and still do not understand the where and possibly even the why. Any one can talk numbers.

     Someone told me an accountant should be hired to run the school system and not an educator. Educators don?t know money, all their life and professional career they have eaten from the government trough where there is an endless supply and the ends do not have to meet. But back to Cabin Lake.

     Cabin Lake is a great place and should be used by county residents who are paying for it. I dislike county residents having to pay to use the facility except for the mobile campers and they should receive a discount.

     If county residence must pay do as the Federal Government and issue a Golden Passport that is paid for once in a life time. The passport fee is ten dollars. Duplin?s fee could be forty dollars for a life time use of the park, but not the camping facilities. A twenty percent discount should be given to holders of the passport for use of the camping areas. Once again advertising moneys for Cabin Lake should come from the Tourist Funds that were collected from the motels etc.

     Thought for the day: Bad officials are elected by good citizens who do not vote. SOG

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September 3, 2007

     My dad told of a man who loved to tell falsehoods or lies, which ever you prefer. Dad said he enjoyed telling falsehoods and mishandling the truth so much that he would climb a tree backwards to tell a lie rather than stand flat footed on the ground and tell the truth.

     I?m beginning to think some of those folks at the board of education administration offices are related to this fellow. Time I get settled on one statement coming out of that office there is another one coming out that repudiates the first one.

     First we heard that 25 teachers were not being rehired because of the lack of county funds. Then we heard the 25 were not fired, but were going to be replaced, reinstated or hired or something. This web gets so tangled it is hard to keep up with.

     Remember how desperate the BOE was to get county money to pay 25 teachers? The word was that the state was not going to pay for the teachers. This past week a new statement came from the BOE saying the state was going to pay for the teachers or already had paid for them.

     While the BOE was pretending to cry because they did not have the money to pay the 25 teachers, it was discovered BOE had $3 million dollars in reserve. They do need a small reserve, but no where near 3 million dollars. This money was given to the BOE to help the school children. If a catastrophe does happen in the school system the county commissioners are suppose to take care of it from their reserve.

     We became aware of this confusing money shifting game when the commissioners gave the BOE a million dollars for school facilities repairs and improvements and such. The school administration passed much of that new money along as salary increases or bonuses to the administration employees, and the mystery of it all seems to get worse each day.

     When the BOE said they did not have the money for these 25 employees in the county budgeted funds for the schools, I was suspicious. I attended practically every meeting the BOE and the County Commissioners held for over 25 years and I remember money being put in the budget for teachers each year. It caused me to doubt the words of the BOE administration when they said had no money in the county budget for teachers. So I looked at the past four years budgets to see where it was cut out. In the 04-05 budget the county sent $6, 097,646. to the BOE and the teachers were paid. In the 05-06 the county budget included $6,097,646. to BOE and the teachers were paid. In the 06-07 county budget, $6,597,646. was added to the BOE?s budget and the teachers were paid. By the way this 06-07 is the year the commissioners gave an additional million dollars after budget time. These funds were given later on in the year and a portion of it was routed to the Administration employees pay checks, we discovered after the facts.

     In 07-08 budget, $6,597,646. was budgeted to the schools as well as an additional $750,000. and the teachers were not paid, because there was not enough money. This sounds screwy doesn?t it? Three years of the same money and there was enough money for teachers. Then more money was added and there was not enough money for the teachers. ? There was enough money in the previous years, but under our new administration there is not enough money. Sure makes me wonder who is messing with it and what is happening to the money. The numbers I am using is the current expense budget. The additional moneys of the capital outlay budget figures are not included.

     It was my intention to vote for the quarter cent sales tax for the schools in May of 2008. In fact I supported a whole cent sales tax for the schools even though Senator Charlie Albertson said he did not have enough influence in the Senate to get it passed with out the full board supporting it.

     In any case until someone with a more reliable reputation on handling money other than Dr. Wiley Doby?s crew has shown so far, I shall not vote for sales tax or for any money going to the schools, even though I want to. This mess needs clearing up and believability returned to the BOE. I think we need to look for a new superintendent. Duplin County Schools desperately need attending to. They need public support, they need money, they need parent participation, they need us all helping and they need a new leader. I personally know some of the BOE board members and they are not the underhanded folks. I wonder why they are allowing this to happen. Maybe we need to wake up the BOE. Get your trumpet ready. SOG

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August 27, 2007

     A fellow from Rose Hill appeared before the county commissioners a few weeks back in regards to an ambulance ride or rescue trip or what ever the proper term may be when EMS picks you up and takes you to a hospital. This fellow wanted to know why the EMS vehicle could not take him on to Wilmington. This fellow called the EMS (911) to take him to his Dr. in Wilmington.

     When the EMS arrived they wanted to take him to Duplin General in Kenansville. He insisted he wanted to be taken to Wilmington to his doctor. The paramedic finally agreed to take him to Burgaw. EMS says they must take him to the closest hospital during an emergency. The paramedic decides if it is an emergency. The fellow was taken to the emergency room in Burgaw. Burgaw Hospital phoned an ambulance in Wilmington to come and take him on to Wilmington where he had been pleading to go. The gentleman had a heart condition and wanted to go to the doctor and/or hospital in Wilmington to folks who knew all about his ailment and had been treating him. Now he pays two of every thing, ambulances & Hospitals.

     In May a lady in Warsaw phoned 911 wanting to go to Wilmington to her surgeon. She had a hip replacement several years ago which had been given her problems. She had been to the doctor in Wilmington a week or so before and had an appointment around 2:30 of the day she phoned EMS.

     On the day she phoning 911 she fell and thought she may have broken the hipbone or something had come disconnected. She was in a lot of pain. The EMS crew arrived around one o?clock in the afternoon and took her to Duplin General Hospital against her and her daughter?s wishes. She and the folks at the house tried to convince the EMS to take her to Wilmington to her appointment, angry words were said. It was noted there was no bone specialist at DGH. The paramedic decided it was an emergency and off to DGH they went. When she arrived at Duplin General?s emergency room she told her story of discontent and desire to go to Wilmington. It was noted a bone specialist was on his way from Jacksonville, NC. When the bone doctor arrived he took a look and said he could not do anything with the injury. Thus at five o?clock, a transfer ambulance was called and she was finally taken to Wilmington arriving about seven thirty.

     These are just two incidences, there are more and in Joe?s humble opinion there should not have been a single one. That is right, exactly ZERO incidences. If the patients ?well being? and health was the only care anyone had at those incidents they would have been handled properly and everyone involved would be loving friends and the ailments would have not been quite as severe. The injuries or sicknesses were already painful and bad, but there would have been less or no anger, stress, or ego bruising that was carried on well beyond the incident time and caused other dangers. You do not heal as quickly when stressed and angry.

     I spoke with the EMS, the County, and the transfer ambulance trying to find out the rules etc. (I tried several times but could not get in touch with a JAS official, but I think the rules would be the same).

     It is the county policy for the EMS to transport emergencies to the closest hospital, with Duplin General Hospital being the closest one in most cases, but those right around the county?s borders can qualify if ask for.

     Transfer ambulances transport folks from hospitals to other hospitals, to and from Rest Homes, Nursing Homes etc., but not emergencies.

     I was told by some it was the insurance rules, but it is not. It is the rules of Duplin County. Back when all the fuss was made whether the county was going to be the EMS provider or if it was gong to be a private company these rules were put in place in an apparent effort to keep people going by county vehicle to a county hospital. It was the disbelievers who forced this mess to be the mess it is. The private company was believed to be the less costly way for tax payers, but as you know it did not go this way.

     I have been to Duplin General Hospital as a patient several times and have nothing but glowing reports for the hospital and its employees.

     How I think it should be; When an EMS crew/unit arrives at an incident, accident or house call, and someone ask to go to a hospital unavailable to EMS. The first thought of the paramedic as she/he is checking the patient should be ?can this persons request be done?? If it can be done call a transfer ambiance and get it started. If it can not be done safely, explain why and advise the patient or their guardian what can happen at the hospital. That, they can get a transfer ambulance.

     Everyone says where the money goes is of no concern, but lets be honest. It is a concern. Not enough calls means fewer people are needed, less money means less income and more taxes will have to be used. The commissioner?s rules cause this money concern. We have just had a law suit in the EMS which was caused by the need for money. This money cause should be kept away from anyone?s mind on a rescue or ambulance call. This stupid problem is easily solved if we only try.

     Let?s not allow it to get to the place where if your wife breaks her leg at home the best thing for you to do is throw her in the back of your pickup truck with the pig you are hauling to the Vet. Put some straw in for the hog and a blanket for your wife. You might ought to take one of those blue tarps things along in case it rains and head out for the hospital. Good luck to you when your wife gets back home. SOG

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August 20, 2007

     Let?s talk about paying for a new school building. I am not sure, but I think Duplin County may build a school or two. When needs and politics get involved in a project there is no telling what may happen. It would seem that needs and politics would converge in to a single effort and success for all involved would happen. In Duplin County it is like a drop of water falling on a hot skillet, it splatters and goes off in all directions.

     The best way to pay for a new school building is with money that was saved for such a project. If Duplin County does happen to collect more tax money than is needed for the present budget it is just spent, it is not saved. So the county has to borrow money and pay interest. Interest of course increases the cost tax payers must pay, just one more thing the lack of planning cost us all. Duplin County?s way of paying for a new school building is to have bonds issued.

     Under the present interest rates Duplin?s bonds should cost around five percent interest. Least ways that is what was on the literature handed out at a BOE meeting.

     At five percent interest for every million dollars which is borrowed you must repay an additional half a million in interest on a twenty year loan. So if 10 million is borrowed the pay back is 15 million. I have heard the expect cost was around 16 million on one of the plans for new school buildings, so the tax payers will be asked or forced to pay an additional 8 million in interest because we did not plan ahead. Seems to me if we can pay the cost plus the interest, we could have saved the cost in less time and saved 8 million dollars in interest charges.

     There was a new plan presented by an architect called Capital Leasing. The architect has gone a step or so further and investigated green power. Under this plan the school building is built with improved insulating as well as maintenance effects and the building is not paid for until the school is occupied with children or students. Under the bonds system the interest starts soon as the bonds are issued and construction does not start until the bonds are issued. The interest rate is somewhat higher under the capital leasing plan; I think I heard six percent. As interest rates are in a changing pattern right now, who knows?

     The trick the architect has up his sleeve is green power. Green power is an issue where electric power is created or manufactured by people or companies using solar panels, burning off methane from hog waste, windmills, etc.(environment friendly). Due to the fact the electric power is not made from pollution causing materials such as oil or coal etc. the governments, federal and states are offering rewards and the architect is using these rewards to help pay for the building cost. The solar panel deal is no new issue, but putting it all together and using the new energy plan is and it is the architects plan.

     Solar panels will be installed at the new school building which will manufacture or create electric power. Progress Energy, as the power supplier will sell all of the electricity that the school consumes at its normal rate (as an example 9cents a kilowatt-hr). The power produced from the solar panels will be sold to Progress Energy at approximately 5.5 cents per kilowatt-hr. Now because the energy generated by the school is not using oil or other pollutant causing materials, NC GreenPower will pay the school an additional 18 cents a kilowatt-hr. So the school system is getting 23.5 cents a kilowatt-hr. for the power it produces and paying only 9 cent so it is coming out with an extra 14.5 cents and the schools electric bill is also paid in full.

     I have used electric company figures for residential and the numbers surely would be a little different, but the concept is as I have stated.

     Schools are vacant on the weekends and the afternoons which is when the power company pays the highest for electric power because it is the peak usage periods. In preliminary figures the architect says his plan will save the county about 16 million dollars over the buildings life.

     The architect who presented this idea is stepping into new ground as it has not been done before. He is also presenting this plan to another county as well and if he can persuade those who control the money to go along with his plan I believe he will build a great many buildings. His idea is great in my opinion and the NC Legislature has just passed a bill to help this Green Power idea. It was on the governor?s desk for him to sign this past week. He may have signed it, I do not know.

     There are a few questions I would like to know and that is the cost of the better building and the interest rate and architect fee and a few other minor details. Right now it sounds real good. This architect is to come back with additional information, but for right now no one else has been smart enough to put this type plan together.


     FYI A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have. (Thomas Jefferson) SOG

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August 13, 2007

      Have you read or heard what the county commissioners did about a company who could not or would not pay a bill owed to the county? I fear if you look up ?stupid? in the dictionary you will find this deal as part of the explanation. This company?s name is Cropholding Inc... Cropholding Inc. operates from Duplin County?s West Park Technology Center which was constructed as a business incubator and is located near Warsaw.

     Cropholding Inc. is attempting to put together a diesel type fuel using discarded cooking oil. You know, cooking oil that has been used to cook with, but is still around. This process has been used for sometime and there are some folks using it in Duplin County at the present, however Cropholders Inc. doesn?t seem to be able to make their process work well enough. They have been putting their manufacturing and chemical mixtures together since October of 2006. Least ways that is when they moved in to West Park. They have had problems with permits, wax in the fuel, new clean air rules, and on and on. They apparently did not investigate the ins and outs of their idea before trying to manufacture and sell it. Thus these problems they did not know of and did not work out before trying to produce the fuel has shut them down. Now they are asking the tax payers of Duplin County to finance their business by supplying a place for their manufacturing work, the electric power, and LP gas for their trial and error period. Cropholding Inc. says if they can solve the problems with the cooking oil as well as satisfy the government regulations and get enough customers to make some money they will pay their rent, electric and gas bill. If they don?t, they will walk away. This walk away deal could cost the tax payers several thousand dollars.

     West Park was designed to help businesses get a start. That is where this incubator name came from. It is felt that most new businesses will need a little help when starting out. Thus the West Park Technology Center would supply a building at a reasonable cost which would be below the market value, but not free. The new business would need to have some start up money to pay utilities (electric, gas and water) as well as building or housing rent which ever way you want to say it.

     So if you have a good idea and a few dollars to get started with then West Park Technology Center is the place for you to make a start. It has worked for several new companies and will work for more. I do not believe it was ever intended to be used as Cropholding Incorporated is using it. In the presentation to the County Commissioners, when the commissioners ask Cropholding Inc. to pay the utilities if they could not pay the rent one of the partners said ?we are all tapped out?. He was saying the company had no money and the partners had no money to put in the operations of the company. Understand, they moved into the West Park building this past October and paid no rent or utility money and were saying they could not pay at this time and were not sure they could pay in two months.

     The county said they would take a lien or something like that on the pipes and tanks Cropholding Inc. bought from Duplin Winery. This should be a concern as the partner said if they did not make their plan work they would walk away and the county could load up the pipes and haul them away. If the pipes did not have a value I wonder what value the old winery tanks have.

     The partners of the company are Jeff Foster, Al Cobb, Steve Sheffield and Johnson Sheffield.

     Even though the company has not paid a dime to the county since their moving in on October of 2006 the commissioners gave them until October of 2007 to make it good and pay their bill or leave. I would assume everyone hopes Cropholdings will be successful. It is one of those deals where we get rid of a used item and make a new item to be used and not trashed. Whether or not Cropholding Inc. is successful, this is not a way to operate using county tax money. It should have been stopped and the company evicted last month. The county manager and the county attorney both said to evict them. The attorney Wendy Savori asked ?What kind of message does that send to other companies? She went on to say that the county can?t treat certain people one way and expect others to pay. She said that other companies will want space rent free.

     By the way our former county manager from Ohio did allow Nutragon to have free rent and utilities for a while. So Cropholdings Inc is not the first.

     I have been thinking about buying one of those new print and cut machines and do some wholesale business, but I did not have a place to put it. I might have just figured out where I could put it and plug in it. Wonder if they furnish telephones too. SOG

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August 6, 2007

     There is a wise old saying that goes something like this, ?You need to take a grain of salt with what he says? and there is a variation that goes ?You need to take a pinch of salt with what he says?. I don?t know which may be the original quote the grain or the pinch or which may be best, but when you are listening to County Commissioner Harold Raynor you better take a whole dose of salt. A grain or pinch will not do.

     I suppose this old salt saying is kind of linked a piece of fresh pork which needs a little salt on it to make it worth while and when dealing with words one needs a little salt because what is being said is not all true.

     I read that Harold Raynor told a crowd of about 5% of a school parents (according to the picture) he would vote against a schooling idea. Commissioner Cary Turner and BOE member Jennings Outlaw also got into the act. He then said he said he believed Commissioner David Fussell would also vote with them.

     There is no problem with folks stating their beliefs, but to be an official of the county and get up in an emotional stirred crowd and make a statement of what they will do or will not do when they do not know all the facts of the complete plan is juvenile. This type of action falsely encourages folks. It seems these three guys exchange slaps on the backs of each other. A three to three commissioner board is useless; however it seems as though some of the good old boys like the all tied up plan where nothing gets done.

     A few weeks later there was another meeting in which a financing plan representative presented a capital leasing plan to use solar panels to satisfy the electrical needs of a school building. The representative who was an architect stated the building would be constructed with a more solid and insulated wall as well as higher quality materials. His contention was with the extra construction materials the building would last longer, have less maintenance and the solar panels would save enough on the electrical bill to cause the pay out to less than a conventional building. When the building was paid off the extra electrical power could be sold to the electric company for an income to the BOE. This part of the plan was if the legislators pass a bill which was before them to allow or encourage electric companies to purchase the extra power.. Most of the people listening to the presentation said it sounded good, but they wanted the information on paper. Harold Raynor talked in a disagreeing manor as did Jennings Outlaw. The BOE chose Shuller Ferris Lindstrom and Associates to present the idea and most seem to be satisfied with the presentation, though still wanting more info in writing.

     I think it is evident that BOE member Jennings Outlaw, and county commissioners Harold Raynor would vote against the financing proposal or any financing proposal that would fund schools as they fear the school they publicly announced they would not vote for could be funded under the plan. When I read statements from those three that dose of salt is needed again. I just hate the fact the schools have gotten into this mess, I mean the schools already confused and struggling trying to contend with the new man at the helm, superintendent Dr. Wiley Doby . Oh wait, he wants his place to run like a football team so I guess he wants to be a coach or quarterback not the helm of a ship. The financing and constructing of schools is a whole nother thing. I don?t have the space or time to get into all that. I am just so disappointed when supposedly educated folks make dumb redneck statements. I mean these guys have out rednecked me.

     There was a good thing that took place last week; the state said they would take over Medicaid. This should free up some money.

     I do not know what school plan is best. I do know Duplin County needs to change its ways in regards to education. Instead of looking at the political view, personal view, or financial gain view, we need to look at the educational view for the whole county. Not the east, west, north or south, but the whole county. It seems one district is pulling against the other when we should join each other. Duplin County is a great county and grows the best people and we need to sit down our rivals and prejudices and work for an even better Duplin County. Please, let?s help our children get the best education possible.

     The figures I have heard is there are 2,500 high school students in this county. With politics and opinions as they are it seems certain we will build school buildings and tear them down for newer and better ones just as we have in the past.

     Most towns have lost their down town business districts and us older folks want to hold on to our local schools as an identity. Fact of the matter is we need to look at our county as a whole. I think a long term plan should include a super high school on land we already own at the Duplin Commons across from James Sprunt Community College. Just think for a minute what kind of learning place that would be, with a high school, agricultural extension service, James Sprunt Community College and students could walk from one place to the other. I do not believe a county could compete with us with such a learning center, but for the time being let us improve on what we must... SOG

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July 30, 2007

     In last weeks Son of a Gun I said I did not understand what was said at the meeting between the county commissioners and the board of education. I need to clear up that statement a little. I did understand what was said by the finance officer and others. What I did not understand was how they lost the money that previously funded those 25 positions. The school budget included more money than was in the budget the year before which included money to fund those positions. I do understand the state took away three positions because there were not enough students to justify them. If the students were there and the BOE did not report things correctly then the BOE needs to get their mess up to date. Other wise the money should have been there. I understand prices on many things went up, but not enough to eliminate 25 positions. You can call it flat funding or what ever you wish to call it, the funds should be there. It just does not add up.


     I told you sometime back and showed you a picture of my neighbors ?Flying Horse Touring Cart?. Well John has done some more figuring and work on that cart and it now has two horses between the shaves and a self propelled motor behind the seat. He worked and figured on that motor and clutch for a while until he got it just right. However, it would not surprise me if he decided to change it all around one afternoon. He and his daughter Megan takes off motor trotting around the neighborhood most any afternoon. They go by all reared back in the seat looking at the neighborhood as the neighborhood looks at them. Everyone shows a smile on their face including John.


     I hear and read lots of tales, stories, and adventures of others and this weekend I heard a supposedly fact about mules. I thought I knew nearly everything about mules, but this information came as a surprise.

     I see movies and TV programs in which mules or donkeys or burrows are walking on a narrow trail in the mountains where one misstep will cause the animal to fall down the side of that mountain. I was told that most of the load toting was done by mules and the reason they were so sure stepping was that they could see all four of their feet at one time. I must admit when I lived on a farm in my younger years I did not pay much attention to how a mule walked. I just know I got my bare foot out of his stepping path. I early on found out mules were stubborn and once they had their minds made up nothing out side of sudden death would change their minds. I have seen mules run a way while hitched to a cart and they usually take the shortest way to the barn, (their home). Most of the time, when that mule arrived at the barn there was little of that cart still attached to him or her. The cart was strung across the fields? one piece at the time. I have seen mules run away while plowing and as hard as it is to tear up a plow, by the time that mule arrived at the barn pieces of that plow was scattered from where the mule started to where that stubborn mule stopped. This information about a mule being able to see all four feet confuses me. I do remember the mules bridle usually had blinders on it. I thought the blinders were to keep the mule from seeing what was beside the mule not behind him, but who knows. If anyone has any proof or thoughts on this, please send me an email at joelanier@i40mail.net.


     There are a lot of folks trying to get on the ballot to run for president. The two front runners are not on my wish list. I have had enough of the Clintons and their lying and accumulation of money from less affluent people like us. Barack Obama is not on my list he is too young and he can wait. Next time around he will be a little older and have more experience.

      Right now my hopes are for Fred Thompson. He was once married to a beautiful lady and one of my favorite country music stars, Lorrie Morgan and anyone who has been fortunate enough to have lived with Lorrie Morgan has my vote??SOG

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July 23, 2007

     I attended the meeting between the Board of County Commissioners and the Board of Education which was held at the Agricultural Auditorium, which is in the building in front of the Duplin Commons Event Center. The meeting took place early Wednesday morning July 18, 2007. I think the room with the stage is called the Auditorium. In any case, there was a lot of talk about the school budget. The finance officer, Carolyn Olivarez who has a sweet and soft voice did most of the explaining. What she said and what others said, simply did not come together as I thought it would. I attended the board of education meetings for years before retiring and I remember the budget hearings. What was said Wednesday sure did not sound any where like I remember?

     My second attempt at finishing high school was completed in the late 1950,s and figured I needed some more learning. So off I went to Wilmington to get an accounting education. I had little money so I got a job at a funeral home to help me with my finances. This was the years before the telephone had all those transferring and recording voices. I attended school in the day time and stayed at the funeral home at night to answer the phone and door. When a call came in it was my job to call a couple of funeral directors to go and get the dead person. I slept with those dead folks for two years so I could get an accounting degree and still yet I did not understand all that was said Wednesday. I do not have a four year college degree and my learning was a long time ago, but I think I should have understood it all better. I guess it is my fault I did not understand it all, but I can?t figure how 25 teaching positions fell out of the usual funding.

     I understood the new group of accountants moved the money around from here to there, but the amount was still there and it funded everything last year. I understand things increased in price, but not in an amount it would take to fund 25 positions.

     The finance officer said there was no local tax money paying any teaching positions. Let me say that again, no local funding is paying teaching positions. During the thirty years or so I attended the county and school budget hearings there was local money in the budget to pay some teaching positions. According to the new finance officer there was no teaching positions funded in last year?s budget. Thus, last year must have been the first year local funding was not used to help pay teaching positions. That being the case, it seems that was the beginning of the mess falling apart, don?t you think?

     I have heard folks say that an accountant can take figures and make them say anything they want then to. They did not teach me how to do that when I was in school and if it is something you learn after school I failed to learn it then as well.

     I think the only way I could put this all together would be to get the figures from those two or three years and add each year?s income and expenses and see where things got out of line. With those totals I could see what went up in price and find out why.

     I became suspicious back when the supplements were given without permission or explanation. When it was said 25 positions did not have funding, my doubts returned. I understand when a new superintendent and his personal crew comes into a new school system they probably want to change things to their way of operating. However, if it changes things from the teacher?s classrooms to the executive office I think it needs to be explained before hand.

     From what I hear and read in the newspapers the school board members are being caught off guard as well as the county commissioners and the general public.

     Wow, I sure liked it better when our concerns were about better pay for the teachers, more discipline in the schools and new and better school buildings. I don?t think anyone wants to be so suspicious that you feel like you need to check how many rolls of toilet paper were purchased and where they went. SOG

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July 16, 2007

     When I read the Newspaper headlines about some 25 school positions not being filled because of a money shortage my mind immediately thought ?School Superintendent Doby is trying to sway public opinion and make the County Commissioners look bad when he is just fumbling with the funds.?

     I mean according to the budget the school system got as much county money this year as they did last year and they funded those positions last year?duh. The school system also has a $750,000 increase, but will only be released when the school system shows the commissioners where the money is going to be spent on a line item budget. This may P.O. Doby, but after the bonus and supplement disaster earlier, I sure understand it and agree with it.

     You remember earlier in the year or was it the end of last year, in any case it was in the 2006-07 budget year. The school administration gave the county commissioners a tour around to some schools showing the disrepair and worn out and inadequate communication system. At the next commissioner meeting the commissioners declared a motion to send a million dollars to the schools thinking the badly needed repairs were going to be fixed or fixed as long as the money lasted. Everyone felt good; they were helping the county school students.

     As I hear it the county commissioners and the board of education were both shocked to find out their new superintendent Dr. Wiley Doby had set aside a great deal of that million dollars for bonuses or supplements for his administration people. I guess it was perhaps to influence those under him, kind of nudging them to go along with what every his future projects may be. Some folks may believe it was trying to buy influence. There those who also say it was to pay a new staff what they deserved. Everyone did get a boost or a bonus after those ?unimportant? folks were added. The addition dollars they received were not in the outrageous amount Dr. Doby had set up for just a few.

     The state did cut school funds for about three positions. I think the number of funded teachers was cut from 431 to 428. That is not twenty four, it is just three.

     I do not know where superintendent Dr. Doby got the half a million dollars to start the Engineering School at James Kenan, but it is a very good idea and needs to be done. Of course as always, I mean in my opinion. As great as it is, it should not be done at the expense of ongoing programs. That is unless it is replacing a program or absorbing the program. The James Kenan Engineering School is like a second high school on the James Kenan High School campus.

     The $750,000 extra county funds given to the schools in the 2007-08 budget is ready to be released as soon as the school shows the county commissioners where the money is to be spent. I see this as no big deal, just indicate where or how the money is going to be spent on the schools and the money will be turned over. That is of course if it is not going to be spent on big salary or bonus increases as before.

     I believe the folks of Duplin are paying at their top end of the property tax and need someone to deal with the budget realistically, spending only what is needed and spending it in the right places. There is little doubt in any ones mind that more money is needed in our education system. I also believe most would sacrifice more if they knew it was getting where it was needed.

     I do not know about the rest of Duplin County, but with all the mess that has been going on since Dr. Wiley Doby took over as our new superintendent, I think it is time to begin looking for a new Superintendent.

     If I believe it is time for a change, think what the teachers must believe, they deal with his mess every day. It makes me wonder how or what the students missing because of what ever. The students are there to get as fine an education as is possible. I guess the big question is what is possible? If we all could stop trying to soothe our own ego, not try and be important for the sake of being important, stop trying to out do someone just to show we can and concentrate on educating our children everyone would be better off. If we could muddle through the BS and forget who or what we want to appear as and do what we are here for. Remember it is better to be P. Off than to be P. On?.SOG

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July 9, 2007

      I have been looking at old tax rates and found some interesting, so here they are just in case you would like to know. I will begin with 1977, but they go way further back. I thought twenty years may be enough. The rate in 1977 was .99 cents on the hundred; in fact all these rates will be on the hundred. In 1978 the rate dropped to 72 cents. In 1979 the rate dropped to .68 cents. In 1980 it increased to 70 cents and remained at 70 cents until 1984 when it rose again this time to 75 cents where it stayed for two years. In 1986 if decreased to 61cents, the next year 1987 it went up again this time to 69 cents. In 1988 it was still rising and this time it went to 70 cents. In 1989 it went up to 75 cents and stayed there until 1991 when it went up to .8250 cents. It hung in at eighty two and a half cents until 1994 when it dropped to .7350 cents. It was at 73 and a half for two years and in 1996 it went up to .7750 and stayed there for five years until 2001 when it fell seven cents to .7050 cents. In 2003 the tax rate increased to .7450 cents. In 2004 the rate jumped to 77 cents and stayed there until 2006 when it jumped up again to .8050 and then this year 2007 it came down to .79 cents. As you can see it has been a up and down thing for many years, but thank goodness it has not reached the rates it was in the 1950?s. In 1956 the rate was $1.70 per hundred. In the 1960?s the rate was $1.65 for most all of the 60?s dropping to 99 cents in 1974. The rest you have in the above article. To kind of understand the high rates of a buck seventy one must remember the value of things in the 1950?s & 60?s. There were lots of homes not valued over $3,000. This would have made their yearly property tax bill come in at about four dollars and a half. Today $4.50 is not a great deal of money, but in the mid 1950?s it was.

     As I looked over these tax rates I came to the opinion that most of these taxes were put on for political wants not needs. During these past months when the county commissioners were supposedly going over the budget, they were looking at numbers. I do not believe you can justify a budget or delete budget numbers by just looking at a numbers on a piece of paper. I know it is done, but it is done with out knowledge of what is or is not needed in a department.

     I also know about these so called studies. I recall companies sending representatives in to talk to the county fathers and those representatives asking what do you want to show. I have heard these questions asked about school buildings as well as salary and job classification. I have seen the studies come back and never adopted. I have seen them cut and implemented partially. Most of the time the money spent for the study would have been put to better use by putting it in the study question. Such as the salary study, instead of paying some company to study the question, put the money in the salary increase.

     Speaking of salary increases we just had another off color salary increase. This time it was the Tourism director. When he was given the duties of overseeing the ?Duplin Commons? he was given a salary increase of $3,600.00. The Duplin Commons has been taken from him and his work load has been cut. He is now just the Tourism Director. The salary increase was not taken away when the extra duties was taken away. So he was hired at a salary of or was being paid $38,650.00 during 2004-05. He was being paid $44,840 when the Commons was taken away and when the rest of the county employees got a 2% salary increase it moves his pay up to $45,736.80. The tourism committee stated his salary was not in line with the other Tourism Directors so they allowed him to keep the $3,600 as a salary increase. This man may be worth $100,000 a year, but it is unfair to keep allowing employees under the county?s policies to keep getting salary increases over and above the 2% the rest of the employees are tied to. This has happened too many times to call it a once in a while thing. All of Duplin County employees deserve a salary increase above and beyond that 2% or no one does. It is that simple. Going to study one, study them all and hold salary increases until all can be treated the same.

     For those who may not remember the school salary supplements were given to big city school employees because they said they were being treated unfairly. That places like Duplin County were paying the same salary as places like Charlotte, but it cost more to live in the big cities than it did in rural counties so the big city employees should get more money to be equal to the rural counties. That was when the supplement was born, but looks like someone is trying to make a 360 degree turn on reasoning. So the rural counties are not supposed to equal the big cities in pay?.right? Well supplement pay anyway, now how about that. SOG

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July 2, 2007

     My young memories of July 4th were from what I learned in grammar school. July 4th came right in the middle of tobacco harvesting time. On second thought it was probably in tobacco suckering, worming and topping time. In any case it was our survival crop and everyone worked at it and in it. There was no time for celebrating, just work. Though I did dream of those picnics where folks had hot dogs, bottled sodas and waved flags and had on new clothing and just jumped around with a brown and white spotted dog joining in the fun. I saw those pictures in the school books, probably Dick and Jane books. It sure looked like they were having a good time. The Fourth of July picture that always comes to my mind was one in the school book and usually a similar one was also hanging on one of the walls in the school room. It was of a young boy blowing on a fife (in my country fed mouth it was a whistle), beside him was an adult who was beating on a drum and the next fellow was carrying a pole with a flag on top of it. They all looked ragged as well rough and determined. They had just won a war and were proud of it. That pride transferred to the people of those thirteen colonies of which North Carolina was one. We tar heels have been in there swinging fist and rifles with the worst of them. America is still alive and thriving because of it. All of America?s wars have not been popular and people and or countries have been taught to hate us, but most foreigners want to come and live in our country. The USA is envied because we are an independence bunch of people with inherited freedoms that grow free ideas.

     I plan to be at a picnic someplace eating a hotdog and waving at least one American flag, oh and drinking a bottle coke and looking at a watermelon. I may have driven a Studebaker automobile to that picnic. Not a 1776 one, but maybe a 1953 model.

     This time of the year is also beach time. I discovered I could live at the beach for practically nothing during those two months school was out. School was out more than two months, but I had to earn a little money and it took a month or more. Remember this was in the late 1940?s. Like 1947, 48, 49. Twenty dollars back then would be over a hundred dollars today. I bought me an over sized sweater, I call it a sweater, but it was more like a zip up soft sweat shirt. I t looked good and hung well below my swim trunks. I am not trying to make you believe I was a body beautiful person, because I was not. In fact I looked like the 98 pound weakling in the Charles Atlas body building advertisements on the back of funny books or comics as they call them today. I wore a regular pair of pants and pull over shirt, that and the swim trunks and sweat shirt would keep me through the whole summer. Oh yes, I did have a pair of shoes if I needed to go some place off the beach. On the beach I was bare footed. During the day I would roam the beach looking at and for females laying out tanning. Most were country folks like me and saw no danger in anyone and were easy to talk with or to. Most folks were down for just a weekend or no more than a week. A few had cottages and were down each week end. Once you got to know who was who you would know were to sleep while they were gone. Many of the young girls would leave an unlocked door or a key to a place for you to sleep. Some would even bring sandwiches or fried chicken out to feed you. The fact that you were just hanging around the beach living off the land gave you an aura of some kind of a trustful needful person in there eyes. I don?t think many would be that foolish today or at least hope they would not.

     The bathing suits were not as they are today. Many were single piece suits covering from just below the neck down the legs. In fact if females wore the suits they do to day. Like Thongs and Bikini?s their fathers would have taken them home and locked them in a back room with no windows. I mean heck fire, back in those days there were men who were married for over fifty years and died at an old age that never saw their wife in the nude. If he had seen his wife in a thong swim suit in their private bed room back then he probably would have run her off thinking she was tart. I was a person of the 90?s back then and if I had seen her I would have flagged her down and soothed her feelings for a few days. I hope your summer will be a wonderful memory. Happy Fourth of July 2007. SOG

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June 25, 2007

     I had great hopes the county employees would be treated better by the newly elected commissioners than was happening with the old group. Most of the old commissioners had been on the government payroll most of their working life. Old may not be a good word back there, but it is those who have been around a while. I thought that perhaps they don?t have the down to earth experiences the new commissioners had. I thought for sure they would be right up front trying to raise the lowly salaries of most of the employees. I guess the title of ?County Commissioner? has inflated their ego and they don?t want anyone to be paid any more than they were. Did you notice the 2007-08 budget is just about the same as the old one. There?s hardly enough difference to tell them apart. Think about this when you have the time. The 2007-08 budget is a little over $47 million dollars and the population of Duplin County is a little over 50,000. Those numbers are too close together for me to be comfortable. Put your pencil to work on those figures.

     Were you aware folks have quit the county and went to work with Wal-Mart. Why would they do that? They make more money that is why. Many others are working two jobs now to try and keep their families provided for.

     I remember some commissioners saying there was not enough money to give the employees a salary increase and turn around and put millions in the reserves. Thus in my opinion that money the commissioners are taking out of the reserves to make the budget balance is due to the employees as salary increases or at least some of it.

     I understand a lot of so called ?boss men? do not want to increase wages because they want to keep their employees down trodden and so poor they cant go anywhere else.

     Fact of the matter is ?money attracts money? and poverty also attracts poverty. Thus Duplin County is a poor county and when you say that look at your county commissioner. I suppose it will just be a few years when illegal?s from other countries will be doing the county work because the former employees had to leave for higher paying jobs.

     Employees need to be paid a wage they can live on and be proud of where they work. Instead of slipping money into other accounts an honest and livable wage should be paid. I would suggest those employees who earn less than $35,000 be given a 5 percent raise, those who are paid more than $35,000. be given the 2 percent suggested by the commissioners if the commissioners cant give all a five percent. The money is available so use it to help those who work for Duplin County.

     While we are on the subject of five percent. Those folks who received a 5 percent raise this year because there was a surplus of money in the salary account because some one resigned or what ever. New money will have to be put in those places for salaries next year. Trying to hide behind extra money which was not used and was suppose to be put back in the general fund, but was ?:oh my gosh, with hands raised in the air? was suddenly discovered in a salary account is dishonest to the other employees. That is right dishonest, employees should be treated the same or alike which ever you prefer, but the way it was done this year was dishonest and maybe even illegal. It surely shows your lower morals. It sure as heck aint good business.

     I know there are a few more days before the final day of 2007-08 budget and some folks might say ?it aint over until the fat lady sings.? Well in Duplin County it aint never over. Duplins commissioners have time and time again changed things after the budget has been approved as well as six to eight months later. They have stated ?it is done in stone.? Duplin County?s budget stone is kind of like soft mortar it don?t harden and changes at the will of any commissioner. SOG

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June 18, 2007

      I suppose most of you are well aware of what a flim-flam is. It is usually a trick which shows you something you want, but it actually is not what it seems to be. The dictionary says it is ?1 - deceptive talk: talk that confuses or deceives, 2 - trick or swindle: a trick or attempt to cheat or swindle somebody.?

     In earlier times many of the flim-flam men sold lighting rods amd other things just as useless. This gave them an excuse to get in the house where they usually promised about anything they thought the listener wanted to hear, but I am getting away from my story.

     The commissioners have once again tried to slip one by while we were looking and we did not see it. It is over this tax rate. They say the rate is cut from 80.5 cent to 79 cent. Let?s look at this whole thing for a moment. One penny of the tax rate brings in $281,487 in cash to the county treasury. The last plan on this years budget that was presented stated the tax rate would be 79 cents on the $100 with a $3.3 million kicker from the county savings or fund balance. Before you sit down and say OK, get out your pencil and a piece of paper and start figuring. Divide the amount a penny brings in, $281,487 into $3.35 million and see how many pennies you will have to add to the stated 79 cent rate to get the real tax rate. To make it easy figuring, lets just use $281 of the $281,487 and divide it into $3.35 million (the amount they will use out of savings to be able to pay the 2007-2008 budget). You will be a little off in your figuring, but you will get the idea. Let?s see, if we say 10 times the $281. we will get $2.81 million. Thus, ten more pennies will not be enough to use up all the total of $3.35 million. We still have over half a million dollars left of the $3.35. The little over half a million will amount to another two cents in tax money. To be in the ball park of correct, there is $540,000 left after the 2.81 is taken away and 2 cents amounts to $562.000. So we are around $20,000 off.

     Now let?s take a look at what we got. We got a rate of 79 cents if we add the 12 cents we figured it would take to make up the money taken from the fund balance or savings we got a grand total of 91 cents. Now that is your actual tax rate ninety one cents on the hundred. That is $0.91 for each $100 dollars of value. That is what it will take next year to pay what your commissioners have budgeted for this year. Not 79 cents, but 91 cents.

     The reason they have money to kick in with the tax rate is because they have been over collecting taxes for several years. That is right, the tax rate of previous years was higher than they need to be and several million dollars accumulated in the county treasury and this has given the commissioners the flim-flam abilities to fool the tax payers. The political funding of Duplin County?s budget is putting its tax payers in the unenviable place of over paying everything, but the county workers salaries. The money that should have been paid to county workers has been put in a hidden pile in the bank. The budget hearings in my opinion were a political and emotional ballyhoo. There six commissioners who are involved in this mess.

     Well, if all Joe says is true. How will the commissioner figure their way out of this budget mess in the next year or so? I mean, you can?t continue to get money from the fund balance account. It is bound to run out sooner or later.

     They have that figured out too. The revaluation process is under way and pretty soon new values will be attached to each piece of property in Duplin County. The price of everything has increased and this includes land. Thus when the new values are introduced the tax rate will be reduced to reflect the new higher values. The tax rates have always been reduced at each revaluation. This is where the commissioners can get their tax rate and fund balance to come together. However, I am beginning to believe they are about to get the tax rate and fund balance so high there will be no tax cut when the revaluation numbers are presented.

     The way this usually works is the tax rate is set to bring in what ever the previous years tax rate brought in. The values are higher so the tax rate can be cut to a lower figure, a rate that would fund the previous budget.

     I am writing this on Sunday night and the numbers and figures I have stated in this column may change,, but the facts will not. The commissioners are meeting Monday for a budget review and perhaps passing.

     I was complementing one of the commissioners at the Clyde Edgerton affair at James Sprunt Tuesday night of last week on their calming down the budget and getting on a fairly decent path.( I did not know at the time the $3.35 million had been added) He looked at me and smiled and said ?it is not over yet.? So I guess things can change before you read this. SOG

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June 11, 2007

     I enjoy reading and going over the Sunday Newspaper. I even enjoy reading all the advertising supplements and colorful brochures and of course the Sunday Funnies. When I was a youngster and my parents lived on the Charlie Miller Farm out from Warsaw, my paper reading was limited to the fall of the year. My parents were sharecroppers and tobacco was the main crop or the crop that paid the bills.

     When the tobacco was cured and stacked to await grading for the market. It was stacked or pilled in the loft of the barn.

     Mr. Miller would bring newspapers he had saved during the year and probably others he had gotten from his neighbors to put between the tobacco grades as they were restacked. The papers were of course put in the loft with the tobacco to be used when the tobacco was graded and packed for market.

     During the fall when Mr. Miller brought the old newspapers and piled them in the loft to await use, it was a treasure place for me. My main interest at that time was the funny papers. Little Henry, Popeye, The Phantom, The Katasajammer Kids, Dick Tracey, Blondie, Smiling Jack, Jiggs, The Lone Ranger and Tarzan along with others who played with my imagination and let me dream wondrous things. There were several pages of funnies, but today there is only one double page, however there are several advertisement supplements.

     A couple of weeks ago I was looking thru the Sunday advertisement supplements and one had an array of Black and Decker tools. There was a new tool from Black and Decker it was a battery operated weeding hoe.

     One afternoon a few days later I was on the patio sitting at the picnic table under and umbrella to shade off the sun. As I was sitting there drinking a iced glass of Dr. Pepper. Donna was chopping weeds and grass from around her rose garden. I thought to my self ?Joe you could buy Donna one of those battery hoes and she would not have to work so hard.?

     A couple of days later I was driving past a store and thought perhaps they may have one of those new hoes. I drove into the parking lot and parked in the Handicapped parking place and went inside.

     I had not gone too many steps when this young lady of color came up to me smiling and ask if she could help me find something. I said ?yes, I am looking for a battery operated hoe.? She looked me straight in the eye and said ?you want what?? I said ?Black and Decker makes a battery operated hoe and I wanted to see one.? She turns her head and says ? Margie, come over here and listen what this man wants.? Margie was a lady of color too. When she got to us the first lady says ?he wants a battery operated ho.? They were both looking at me with cocked heads and hands on their hips, well one of them had their hands on their hips. They both were looking at me with those questioning eyes. I said ?Wait a minute, what I want is spelled H-O-E don?t get me mixed up with the Don Imus man. They looked at one another and began to laugh. So I guess I was the one with the nasty mind. They did not have the hoe, but showed me some weeders , which I was not interested in.

     When I got back home I told Donna about the incident and she said she did not want a battery operated hoe. I know Donna thinks she has something better than a battery hoe, and it is called Round-up. You know I bet it would be a best seller if there was a battery operated other thing.

     I was at L.E. Brown?s Sassafras Sing Saturday and had a great time. I got a bunch of hugs, I was gong to keep count, but I ran out of fingers and most folks had some kind of number we talked about, but it doesn?t matter as long as we both enjoyed it. There are a lot of folks who go to L. E.?s Sassafras Sing. Some of those folks I do not see between Sings. There is always lots of good food and the entertainment is varied and good. I just can?t get over some of the folks I saw. It had been 50 years since I had seen some and they were as much a joy Saturday as they were 50 years ago. I came home very pleased with my visit. SOG

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June 4, 2007

      It has been a pretty good couple of weeks. I have been rambling and staying away from most politics, well you can?t get completely away, but you can ignore them and I have pretty much done that.

     I am sure most of you have heard the old saying ?don?t throw the baby out with the bath water? It looks to me like when the commissioners started fixing the new budget they started with a new clean budget dishpan. They made some statements about cleaning things up and doing more with less. They started filling that dishpan with clear new dishwater added some new soap, new cleansing and waste cutting stuff and new dishtowels. They added new water out of those plastic bottles and some members brought water from home and poured it to the dishpan. They worked on this for a long time getting the water just right, well for part of them anyway. Each time they made a change in the dishwater mixture they told folks about it. Some even tied those new dishtowels around their heads and danced around like pirates, slashing make believe swords around. At about the end of their new planning sessions they looked at that new dishwater, got some advice from some close by citizens. Then dumped it all out and started filling the old dishpan back with the old water from where they were when they started. Well, that is not completely so, they have added what some say is contaminated water from the spring in front of the sheriffs office and from the ditch that flows between the Health Department and the Library. This amounts to some over a couple a hundred thousand dollars of what they said they planned to spend at the beginning. But it aint over yet, as some folks say it aint over until the fat lady sings. That budget has washed its face in that dirty dishwater and now we will see how much creamy lotion it puts on. We got a few more weeks before anything will be set in semi solid stone. I don?t think the money mortar ever really dries, so we can expect changes all year long.

     Can you believe the commissioners are promising a 2 percent salary increase to the employees who do the work and a way up yonder raises to others? I think the way up yonder raises are justified and should be given to all employees, not just a few?all employees.


     Memorial Day was a good one here in Warsaw. Warsaw is one of those towns who not only proudly announces they patriotic, but show it at every chance they get. Memorial Day was no exception.

     The Vietnam Wall with the names of all the fallen of that warring period was in town for all to see just a few weeks ago. A solemn, awe-inspiring sight.

     A Memorial Day recognition and party was held at the recreation park near my house. Adults and children filled the park which had games, rides, festival food, a stage for amateur picking and singing, entertainment of all kinds. To cap the flag waving celebration off was a half an hour of fire works. The night?s sky was filled with sparkling, burst of bright festive colors. These burst of fireworks in the night?s sky on patriotic holidays always make me think of the ?Star Spangle Banner?. I try and visualize what Frances Scott Keys must have seen in the night sky as the ship and shore guns blasted away. Gun powder flashes, smoke, and shells whizzing by as ships and shore battery?s artillery blasted and exploded. What a sight it must have been.

     Some friends and I watched the fireworks from my back yard. The fire works did their beautiful thing across the street as the days celebrations ended.

     I was at the recreation park earlier that afternoon and saw lots of old friends and met some new ones. I saw Warsaw?s mayor and thanked him and his board for patching some of the most horrid pot holes in the town?s streets. In my area of town there were some holes that would just rip the front end alignment right out and on some streets one driver would had to wait while another passed. It was a two car street but the pot holes were so bad one car had to come to a stop or risk loosing a front wheel or being sideswiped.


     This past weekend I went to my Studebaker Club meeting in ?Little Washington? by the river front. I drove my Studebaker Avanti and it done so well.

     Donna went to Topsail with our daughter Gwen on Friday and left me all alone to wake up and get out of bed and put my clothing on all by my self. Well she had laid the clothing out for me. Anyway I got up on time and was in Kenansville at Hardees for a ham biscuit before eight o?clock. I had stopped at Mike Rabon?s Car Wash for a cleaning before the trip to Washington and the Avanti was sparkling in the morning sun as well as sounding and riding good.

     I sat with some swine farm folks Hardees, I was in a good mood and tried to share it with them. After my ham biscuit and coffee, I drove out of the parking lot and headed for Kinston. A ways out of Kinston on the Greenville highway I turned right at a station near the tall TV tower. I don?t know the name of that road, but I went to the end and took a left. I stayed on that road until I came to 102. Took a right there and went past the Voice of America radio station. I had kind of thought the VOA stations had closed down, but I was wrong. I drove on 102 until the junction of 17 near Chocowinity. Then it was on to Washington. Man that is a rough sounding bridge that crosses the Pamlico River. They have patched it and it rattles something awful. There is a new bridge to open before long and it will not be too soon.

     Our Studebakers parked at the Washington River Park and it is a beautiful place, lots of water and boats, very peaceful. We had a good session and ate lunch at one of the renovated old stores which now houses a restaurant and bar. It was called the ?Downtown? something.

     From where the cars were parked to the eating place was three blocks. I walked those six blocks and got sunburn on my nose and cheeks ?. Face cheeks. I try and stay out of the sun and when I do get in its rays with no protection, I burn.

     I left Washington and headed for Surf City to be with my wife and daughter for supper and to spend the night.

     The Avanti performed like it was brand new, not over 30 years old. Of course the driver was a little older that everything, but he smiled all the way. SOG

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May 28, 2007

     I have been told the EMS program is back up to the original setting. The commissioners cut the number of people, ambulances, etc. in an effort to cut down on the money Duplin County Taxpayers would have to come up with each year to keep it going, or at least that is what they said.

     I am told about 250 people went to a commissioner meeting and complained about a lack of service and the commissioners did away with their economy version and set it back to the way it was at the start. Those complaining talked about people going to die because an ambulance was not close enough to where it was needed under the economy plan.

     Well I am here to tell you they did not solve that particular problem and never will. There are still people out there that will die because an ambulance is not close enough. In fact I feel sure if an ambulance was parked in front of each house in Duplin County there would still be people who would die because an ambulance was not close enough. To me that ?close enough? is a ridiculous idea because we just could not afford to pay the cost of having an ambulance parked in front of each house. To me, both the old and new plan were poorly planned and left out more than just people. I don?t want to get into what is right and what is wrong, but I wish someone other than the commissioners or their cronies would devise a plan.

     The best plan was shot down by the manager who came from Ohio, Mr. Fred Eldridge. In my opinion Duplin County took several steps backwards under Fred?s managing and is still suffering. The worse of it all; we are still getting shuffled about and around with information from the same group that confused things back then. There is still a carrier of that virus on the board and an outside intellect?. Note the question mark before the period.

     Thursday of last week, one of my kinfolk who had a hip replacement operation several years ago had that hip bone slip out of the socket. She was in a lot of pain and 911 was called.

     The hip bone had popped out a week or so earlier and just been temporarily fixed after being secure for twelve or so years. She went to several doctors in several hospitals and finally ended up in Wilmington. Apparently the walking, climbing and so on she had been doing over the years had cracked a part or loosened a screw or something allowing it to become loose and come apart. The specialist in Wilmington had set July 18 as the operation date to replace parts etc. The new parts to replace the old parts have to be from the same company that manufactured the original parts. Hospitals who do not have a bone specialist would not normally stock these parts. So, back to Thursday.

     When the 911 call was made it was said the patient did not want to go to Kenansville, but to Wilmington. When the EMS unit arrived they were also advised the patient did not want to go to Kenansville, but had a 2:30 appointment in Wilmington. There was a difficult time getting the patient out of the house and into the EMS unit. She was in a lot of pain and letting folks know so. The EMS unit was real gentle and caring, but took off and went to Kenansville; this was around 1:00 PM. The EMS unit said the rules said they had to take the patient to the closest hospital. If they went toward Wilmington they would have to stop at all hospitals they went by.

     At Duplin General blood test, X-rays etc were done. The patient and her friends were still trying to get the rescue unit to take her to Wilmington. She had a bone problem and Duplin General had no bone doctors. Duplin General said they had a bone doctor coming who comes from Jacksonville on Thursday and this was Thursday. When the doctor from Jacksonville looked at the situation he said he could not fix the problem.

     Sometime after five o?clock a different rescue unit loaded my kinfolk up at Duplin General and off they went to Wilmington. Some one said if my kinfolk had called for a transport ambulance she would have went straight to Wilmington.

     If she could have been taken where she wanted to go then why didn?t someone tell her, the EMS people, or the 911 operator, or the people at Duplin General or someone? She was picked up at one o?clock and it was after seven o?clock before she got to where she needed and wanted to be. An ambulance parked at her door steps would have still had the same problem. A six hour trip to Wilmington and there is no telling what kind of charges will be mailed to her. It appeared no one would listen to what the patient or the patient?s friends had to say.

     The EMS could have 32 ambulances and 300 paid workers and if they do not listen to the patient, people will still die before they get to where ever they may go.

     I phoned the EMS folks and they said it was believed to be an emergency transport, they did not know if the patient was bleeding inside or what so they went to Duplin General.

     By the way, everyone, the EMS folks, the transport ambulance, the hospital folks both in Kenansville and Wilmington were real nice. The rules just got in the way. My kinfolk had the operation the next day and all is going well. It seems to me the patient, client, subject or what ever you want to call them should have some say in where they want to go. And that is a problem that should be fixed. This EMS stuff will never be fixed correctly. If there is more than one person involved there is more than one opinion. SOG

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May 21, 2007

     Several weeks back Duplin County Commissioners held an appreciation luncheon for the employees of Duplin County. They held it at Duplin Commons in the Event Center. I guess the commissioners wanted to hold it there so they could show the employees where the money was spent that should have gone for cost of living raises. It was a barbecue dinner. I forgot who the commissioners paid to cater the meal, but I was told it was good.

     Before the meal Commissioner Reverend Reginald Wells said or ask the blessing. The bad acoustics of the place caused the words to bounce off the walls and ceiling causing many not to understand what he and those that followed him said, but some did. Following the blessing the employees clapped. Someone said, ?what?s going on, that was the blessing, you don?t clap after the blessing?. The employee sitting beside them said ?I know, but he promised us a raise in the blessing?.

     The employee?s doing the clapping may have thought the salary increase he mentioned in his prayer would have been the four to five percent they deserve, but it is still hanging in there at two percent, but as they say that is better than nothing, amen.


     I don?t care if he did not bring a Chrysler Motor Company manufacturing plant to Duplin County. I think the way he was dismissed was a dirty deed, dirty politics and personal. First off Chrysler never wanted to come to Duplin, in fact never asked and was not part of the decision to end the Economic Development Department. Just like saving money was not the reason to end funding the department July 1. It looks to me like it was aimed at one purpose to get rid of Woody Brinson and do it before his letter of retirement took effect in January. Brinson has been employed in Duplin for 23 years and because his job demands he keep secrets has caused many to dislike him even become jealous of him. In my opinion, it does not matter if you are jealous of him, dislike him, or even hate him the way he was treated at the last commissioner meeting was wrong, and a dirty deed. I know it was done by Commissioners David Fussell, Cary Turner, and Harold Raynor and their outside conspirers. Commissioners L. S. Guy and Reginald Wells voted to wait for the meeting that had been planned several months ago to happen May 21. However ?The Sidney Whiplash? three would not wait to do their dastardly deed until May 21. I do not believe saving the county money has nary a thing to do with it. By the way, Chrysler has never even heard of Duplin County I used it to make my point. In fact Chrysler is closing plants, not building new ones.

     The commissioners have held meetings and heard frightened people and the sheriff talk about gangs and how they seem to be growing. The commissioners have said they want to do something to stop, to end the gangs. Guess what they are doing to help cut down on those joining gangs? This is another David Fussell blunder. They are closing the recreation department. The one organization that could give youngsters something to do is shutting down. Youngsters are going to do something and keeping them playing sports would surly be a better deal than joining a gang.

     To me it would seem the best thing to do would increase recreation. Put more money into it and send someone around to the towns to encourage them to set up more recreation programs. This is one of those programs money which does not need to be cut from.

     Move the recreation director from Cabin Lake to Kenansville and insist on a daily routine to add and enhance recreation programs. Get the youngsters involved. To me it is kind of like the car filter guy says??pay me now or pay me later?. The sheriff can probably testify to this.

     Also turn Cabin Lake into a better and bigger recreational place. Just because you can?t tie your shoe string is no reason to throw it away. Learn how to make it work. Just because one can?t do it does not mean another can?t. Put some effort into it, don?t just look at it and say it is a waste of money.

     As best I can figure all the time and effort put into cutting these two projects cost a lot more than it will save in taxes. This cut might save less on the tax rate than a small glass of wine will cost or a couple of grapes even. The three new commissioners need to put their thinking caps on and stop being guided by private outside sources. I believe in you guys and I know you can think, so do it.

     When I went out Saturday morning the first gas station I passed had the regular gas priced at $3.25. As I drove from Rose Hill to Goldsboro each gas display price also had $3.25. The day before the price was from $2.88 to $2.95. So overnight, the price of gas went way up. Later in the day the price was down to from $2.99 to $3.17. I guess this was payback for the ?buy no gas day on May 15?. I am like the guy on TV ?somebody help me!? These prices are putting a stop on my going. SOG

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May 14, 2007

     Commissioner David Fussell?s latest antic reminds me of the ?Inspirational Story of a Kenya Elephant?. In my story David Fussell is the elephant and the Good Samaritan is Duplin County (DC).

     While in Kenya DC saw an elephant limping along as it was pulling logs. When the elephant got down on its knees to be unhook from the logs. DC went over to the elephant and saw it had a sharp stick stuck in its foot. DC carefully and gently pulled the stick from the elephant?s foot. The elephant gingerly put down its foot and turned to look at DC with a rather curious look in its face, stared at him for several tense moments. DC stood there wondering if he was about to be trampled. Eventually the elephant trumpeted loudly. Turned, and walked away.

     Twenty years later DC was in Cincinnati, Ohio at the Zoo with his teenage son. They walked over to the elephant enclosure; one of the creatures turned and walked over to where DC and his son were standing. The large bull elephant lifted his front foot off the ground and put it down. The elephant did this several times then trumpeted loudly, all the while staring at DC.

     Remembering the encounter in Kenya, DC wondered if this was the same elephant. DC walked into the enclosure and up to the elephant. The elephant trumpeted again, wrapped its trunk around one of DC?s legs and slammed DC against a rock killing him instantly. It certainly was not the elephant DC thought it was.

     Bunches of Duplin County citizens, including myself believed we needed some kind of hero on the County Board as things did not seem to be going in the county?s favor. We kind of thought that hero may be David Fussell, but this past week we were slammed against a rock, killing that notion. You just don?t treat people like Fussell and his two buddies did Woody Brinson. Especially him being an employee who been working with the County for 23 years. It was a dirty deed.

     In my opinion that was not business, it was just meanness. Brinson stated earlier in the day he was going to retire in January of 2008. Then a few hours later in the meeting commissioner Harold Raynor made a motion in a nervous sounding voice that the Duplin County Economic Development Department be shut down as of July1, 2007. Which in reality mean that Woody Brinson was fired? I ?m not sure if fired is the right word; they cut off the money from the department he was working in. A nice phrase may be ?let go?, but the way it was done was not nice. An effort by Commissioners L. S. Guy and Reginald Wells was made to stop this motion, but it failed. They were out voted with Fussell, Raynor, and Turner voting for the motion. You know it usually three members going one way and the other three members going another way, but Commissioner Zettie Williams was out sick. The nervousness in Raynor?s voice makes me think he knew it was wrong when he done it.

     I have read where Commissioner Raynor said the move was made to save money, guess how much it would save over a years time ? $51,126. Then they are going to spend $75,000 to get someone to do what Brinson was doing. Wait a minute they saved $51,126 and are going to spend $75,000 to get the same thing done. I am confused; I?m gong to have to do some more figuring on this one.

     Commissioners Harold Raynor and Cary Turner assisted in the dirty deed, but I do not believe they have been members of the county board long enough to learn about the Industrial Development Commission or the director. I believe they were influenced by rumors and David Fussell as well as by Fussell?s outside friends and were set up to do as they did. I doubt they will admit of being set up. They being new commissioners I don?t know which would be the worse, being set up or doing a wrong deed. However, this deed was not just wrong I believe it was personal done to hurt someone.

     Even the older commissioners wanted to wait until the planned meeting with the IDC on May 21 for any action if any was to be done. Commissioner Zettie Williams was absent due to sickness and most folks believe she would have voted to postpone any action until the commissioners heard the new information prepared by the IDC board.

     I recall reading where Commissioner David Fussell said they were going to force the IDC board to do something. The IDC board is made up of volunteers and you do not force volunteers to do anything. You ask them to do things and you do not fire their leader for personal reasons and then expect a lot of cooperation. I guess Fussell thinks they are not as devious as he is.

     I guess you have read about Wallace loosing out on a huge industrial deal that would employee over a thousand people. This was another of Commissioner Fussell?s plans which did not work. He now wants to hire that firm for $75,000 to do a part of the job Brinson was doing.

     In Brinson?s retirement letter to the board, he said it had been an honor to serve the citizens, residents and businesses of Duplin County since July 23, 1984. ?I look forward to the next nine months of preparing to pass the torch. Together we will work during these next nine months to continue to make Duplin County a better place to live, work, play and reside ? We learned from the Bible that if you teach a man to fish, he can feed himself for a lifetime. Help him find a better job and he will support himself and his family forever.?

     After this statement by Brinson they fired him. Sorry, it was not they; it was Fussell, Raynor, and Turner. There are more details I want to tell you about this screw up, but I am already using more space than usual .SOG

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May 7, 2007

     I was out among ?em this past weekend, the first time for several weeks. The yellow pollen that covered everything outside has kept me inside and sick for a little over five weeks. The pollen and my sinuses have been giving me a fit. My sleeping has been down to about half an hour a time and up coughing and another half hour nap and back to the coughing. I finally discovered if I would sleep sitting upright in Lazy Boy chair I could sleep for a couple of hours at a time. This past week was my first week of being breathable OK.

     J.C. Knowles, a friend who lives at Apex invited us to the towns Peak Festival. Don?t ask me what a Peak is for I don?t know. Donna and I got up early Saturday morning, let me make that very early and left for Apex around 6:15. I was on the road with a cup of coffee to go and it was about a hour and a half drive. The Rotary Club was having a pancake breakfast and J. C. had us a seat ready and waiting. I?m telling you something you can put in your pipe and smoke it or in your cap and keep it. If J.C. Knowles invites you someplace, you are going to get first class attention and treatment. He had us a special place to park just a little over a block from the Fire Station where breakfast was being prepared and served. When we walked through the door he was coming up the isle smiling with his hand out to greet us. He guided us through the pancake and sausage line. Showed us to a seat where a big dab of soft butter and a jug of syrup was waiting. He had the coffee there in a jiffy. A whole lot of folks came by to talk with J.C. and he introduced us to them all, including the news man from TV 17.

     We went outside to see what the street venders had on display after that delicious and filling breakfast. I don?t know how many of you were out early Saturday morning, but to Joe it was cold. We walked several blocks eying the saleable items being shown by the venders and Donna said ?it?s cold?. I said ?I know it, is my nose red?? She said it was and my ears too. We decided to go back to the car and head toward Goldsboro. J. C suggested we take highway 1010 and see the sights along country side, so we did. Most what we saw was cars for sale. There were cars parked near the highway on the lawns of many homes with for sale signs on them. Of course Donna saw nothing but the flowers and porches.

     When we got to Smithfield it was a festival time there too. Guess what it was. It was ?The Ham and Yam Festival?. There were stands selling country ham and biscuits and lots of other goodies to go along with that. Ask me if we stopped ? you knooow how I love country ham and scratch biscuits.

     We left Smithfield and went to Pine Level or to a cemetery out from Pine Level. Some of Donna?s ancestors were supposed to be buried there. She found two or three tombstones with Braswell on them. I stayed in the car with the heater on.

     Goldsboro was our next stop. We went to see to the movie to see? Spiderman 3?. The movie lasted almost two and a half hours and I was not impressed with the content. I have seen all three movies and this one was not as good to me as either of the other ones. I had to fight myself to stay awake a couple of times.

     After the movie we went to Western Sizzling and ate a steak. The Western Sizzling folks marinade their steaks in something that gives the steak a slight country ham flavor. Wow, think about that. I can eat beef flavored like country ham. That is a win win situation.

     Home was the next place on our trip. I was petered out and about half way to Warsaw I ask Donna to drive and I took a nap. What a day. After being kind of locked up for six weeks it felt good. I hope my venture in the cold weather does not bring back my cough.

     The day before, Friday I went to visit the ?Wall?. Which was here in Warsaw. One of my cousins, Jammie Jay Lanier?s name appears on that Vietnam Memorial Wall.

     The awesomeness of the wall engulfs you when you see its size while knowing in your mind it represents 58,226 dead or missing patriots who loved the USA enough to give up their lives for us. I looked at Jammie?s name and felt sad and proud. I looked at the names above, below and beside Jammies name and felt just as proud of these people I did not know and they did not know me, but they did feel the same as I do about these United States.

     As I was walking away I looked back and thought to myself what a horrible sight it would be if all those 58, 226 bodies were stacked out there in this Warsaw field. Politicians should stay out of wars. Send our military in to win or keep our military at home. I hear some politicians and other do-gooders say we need to be better than our enemies. I think that is good that would be better and I mean better at fighting at war and winning and then coming home. I love having Saturdays like I just had; I hope my grandchildren?s grandchildren will too.

     I, Joe Lanier support the United States Military and am honored they are trying to keep our country as we have loved it. SOG

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April 30, 2007

     Our Senator Charlie Albertson, ( I use ?Our? because we elected him not because he is representing us because he is not) he must have found more money in Raleigh than I thought he had. It takes a rich man, a real rich man to think hog farmers are poor and in need of financial help. The hog farmers I hear talking are trying to find a place to put their money so the government won?t tax?em to death. They are looking for new investments as they have paid off their start up debt and now have that extra money. They borrowed money to build the hog houses and now that they have paid the money back they need a place to put that extra cash.

     ?Good ole boy? Charlie wants us to pay the cost of fixing the hog lagoons with our tax money. I too, think the lagoons need fixing and closing. However, I think those who made money off hog farming should pay the cost of fixing their mess. I love just about all pork products and am glad the hog/swine business came to Duplin County. With the down fall of tobacco, Duplin people needed some way to make a living. The swine industry and the Poultry industry came along and helped and because of them there is money circulating in this county. Some are making a good living working with the hog industry, the hog producers make a great living and the integrators made a fantastic living. I think the fixing of those lagoons should be split someway between the owners of the hog houses and the owners of the processing facilities?but definitely not the tax payers.

     If our education system had been doing their job correctly all along and had given our children a proper education we may have had an opportunity to attract industries other than sewing plants, and swine and poultry facilities. The sewing plant work went overseas to another place where education is not so good and the pay for labor is very low. Swine and Poultry flourished and put people to work.

     Let?s get back to Good ole boy Charlie. This bill he is presenting ?senate bill S 1465?. This bill really does nothing that has not been happening all along. Well wait, I got that wrong ? there is one great big difference the bill says our tax money will pay the fixing fee for swine waste and that is a great difference. The news media, many of the legislature and the green organizations have yelled and complained so much about the lagoons and spray fields that we all knew something had to happen. I did however; believe it was those who were making a profit off hogs would use some of that profit to pay the fixing cost. Like I said earlier I love pork, especially country ham biscuits. So why not just add a nickel or so to that ham biscuit to help with the fixing. Put a five cent a pound tax on pork to help pay for the elimination of lagoons. That way those who buy the product would pay for the change over of lagoons to a better process. I remember NC State College was given a ton of money to help fix this problem. I remember the pork processors giving money to help find solutions.

     I grew up on a farm and we had hogs and mules and a huge black and brown horse stabled at the pack house which was not too far from the house I lived in. The odor was not always great when the wind blew in our direction and I got the ?ground itch? on my bare feet in the summer time. We complained some about the bad smell coming from the hog pen sometimes and about my ground itch and wondered about the water well being between the house and the pack house. We had a choice of not having pork to eat and mules to plow the land and I could do my walking and playing with shoes on or stay away from the pens at the pack house. We chose to put up with the unpleasant things because the pleasant things were so much greater. There is simply no utopia and with the good comes some bad.

     I supported the poultry and swine folks because I kind thought in the back of my head that when they got on a good footing they would clean up the lagoons. I also believed those searching for a better method to handle the waste product would have found one by now. Never in a hundred years did I think the tax payer would be asked to foot the bill. If Senator Charlie Albertson wants to give something away, let it be his personal stuff not our tax money.

     We need to put good ole boy Charlie back in the music business and out of politics, politics that are supposed to help us any way. SOG

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April 23, 2007

     I told you so last week. This is a small example of the budget makers thinking. Last week I told you about the $465,000. to be paid to Compass Management Company to look after the Event Center at Duplin Commons. This past week their budget expertise was exercised when they chose the company to do the County Audit. There were three companies bidding on the Audit work. All three were approved by the State of North Carolina. All three were insured. There was a low bid a middle bid and a high bid. If they had been spending the money as if it were theirs I feel sure they would have chosen the low bidder. They were spending money that would come from our pockets and they chose the middle bid. The middle bid was around $6,000 higher than the low bid. The bid they chose was from the company that had been doing the county audit for several years or at least last year. This company is familiar with how the county money has been spent in previous years. I would assume this may be the reason they chose the $6,000. more expensive company. My thinking is a company who is familiar with the ins and outs of the Duplin way of book keeping would be the cheapest of all bidders. They have been here before not only do they know Duplin bookkeeping style they even know where the offices they would use and most likely the chairs they would sit in. Of course there is one other notion that enters my mind on why they were chosen. Though I know it is not true, but keeping the same company year after year may cause an outsider to wonder if there something wrong the commissioners don?t want us to find out and even the audit company may not have found it. However, it is most likely they have been around so long that are friends and the commissioners just kept them on. In any case it is $6,000 spend unnecessarily.

     Duplin Sheriff, Blake Wallace has asked for a 5% salary increase for his deputies, this salary increase is above the 2% salary increase the commissioners have said they were going to give the other county employees.

     The health department has asked for salary increases for their nurses. Both departments say their employees are going to other counties because of higher pay.

     I agree with both the Sheriff and the Health Departments. Salaries should be increased. I do not however, believe the 5% should be limited to just the employees in those departments. I think it should be county wide. Every county employee should get at least a 5% salary increase. I repeat every county employee. Every employee knew the salary they would be paid when they signed on, and the salaries were and still are low. As all employees who do their job as well or better that expected figure when they learn the ropes they would be treated at least like the school employees and employees of other counties and would get a decent raise each year. Duplin commissioners did not see it that way and have let Duplin County Employees lag behind every one. These people and let me emphasize, Duplin County employees are people and should be treated like wise. They are not the walking dead though I feel sure sometimes they feel that way and neither are they slaves. Money that should have been used to keep Duplin employees up to par has been spent by the county commissioners on other things and I might add unneeded things. I do not think part of the county employees should receive decent raises and some people do not.

     Commissioner David Fussell still can not see as the stubbornness in his thinking is making him blind. His idea is good about no tax increase, but his equaling out processor in his head is being kept unplugged. When he made the statement and he has made it twice at the commissioners meeting about not voting for the sales tax increase. His mind jumps directly to reasons to back up his statement and he does not hear the good points of adopting the half a cent sales tax for Duplin Schools. Their must be a 100% vote to ask for the sales tax increase or Senator Charlie Albertson will not present it, he simply does not have enough clout after 19 years in Raleigh to push it through without a unanimous vote from the county commissioners. As far as I am concerned a whole cent for school construction isn?t too much, remember I said construction.

     Commissioner David Fussell?s one vote can stop the vote from being unanimous, but later in the year if it comes to a property tax increase his one vote can not stop and may be the very fact a property tax increase may arise. The way he votes right now may cause a property increase that only the property owners will have to pay?kind of dim sighted to me. Everyone would have to pay sales tax. I hope his short sightedness does not cause him to loose the backing of the two new commissioners. We have had enough of the self-serving ways of the previous group.

     If Senator Charlie Albertson had voted for the Lottery in the beginning when he had to power to demand concessions for his vote chances are Duplin Schools would have enough money to do things. Now I suppose he is trying to make up for his mistake by joining 19 other senators in asking for a school bond to help with construction of schools. I mean look at the lottery money coming to Duplin is around $600,000. to $800,000. I forgot just which, but Mecklenburg got about 10 million. Now that just aint right. And the bond is repaid from taxes. SOG

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April 16, 2007

     If you are wondering about the 2007-08 Duplin County budget, then you need to get you a copy of the April 2, 2007 CC meeting. The CC (county commissioner) meetings are on CD disc and will play on your CD player. Pay close attention to Senator Charlie Albertsons comments. They will tell you how close he follows what is going on in Duplin and his plans on some issues that will really affect Duplin.

     It also seems to point out the three new CC will have a most difficult time bringing down the cost of running Duplin County. The commissioners, who have been around too long, L. S. Guy, Reginald Wells, and perhaps Ms. Zettie as well, are going to try and keep things the way they are. I think they fear if the budget is cut, it will show what a sloppy job they did setting the other budgets. So commissioners David Fussell, Cary Turner and Harold Raynor will have a tough time during the budget herrings making cuts on that outrageous stack of numbers we tax payers are forced to pay.

     This blunt, ?the hell with you I am going to do it my way? attitude, first showed up under the previous county manager, I think. If you would like to see it working right now, look at the school superintendent Wiley Dobey. His handling of the supplements is still raising question and some one is going to be quite disturbed by what ever happens. Board member Reginald Kenan made a motion that passed not to pay the second half of the supplements except to the teachers. Which I think is a pretty good deal, figuring something needed to be done. I am now told the administration folks are fussing and wanting the second half of the supplements added to their paychecks, so they will be equal to the folks in Charlotte. I think this is the closest anyone can get to satisfy most of the people. I mean a $13,000.00 raise to do the same thing you have been doing all the time. That just doesn?t sound right, does it? If it must be let it be $6,500.00 or maybe $7,000.00 to round it out. If I had my way there never would have been a $13,000.00 raise. They all knew the pay they would get when they were hired.

     Back to the budget and the April 2 CD, by the way these CD?s are on sale at the County Administration Building. On a vote of five to one the commissioners approved the renewal or continue the contract with Compass Management to run the Arena or Event Center at Duplin Commons. David Fussell voted against the motion to continue.

     This is just one part of the budget, but let?s see how they handled it. Compost said their fee to the county to run the Event Center for a year would be $456,000.00. Compost estimated the county would possibly get back$165.00.00 in revenue. The county has a $600,000.00 a year payment on the loan used to construct the Commons. Check my arithmetic because I may be wrong. There are approximately 50,000 people living in Duplin County. If we add the cost of running the Commons and the payment on the Commons debt we get a round $1,000,000.00 more or less. If we divide the population into that yearly cost we get about $20.00. Which means each man, woman and child will pay $20.00 each a year just for the Commons to exist. If you are a family of four, you will pay eighty dollars a year for the privilege to say we have an Event Center in Duplin County. Even though you pay your $20.00 you still can not get in unless you buy a ticket.

     Speaking of the budget look at the figures at the Commons, we are paying $456,000.00 for someone to run a place that will only bring back $165.000.00. Looks to me like we could save half a million dollars a year if we would just hire a maintenance person to look after the building and let someone in the main office look after renting it. Not having someone out advertising and promoting the place, just have it available.

     Don?t get me wrong, I am proud it is here, I think it is pretty, but so is $300,000.00. We just need someone to examine ways to make it work with out costing us an arm and leg. Someone who?s pride or feelings will not be hurt at Duplin doing the running, but not like it has been run. We just do not need a high paid manager with a secretary and two high paid assistants. By the way due to the fact he is not running the Commons I suppose the extra money he was given to run it will no longer be paid.

     Oh Yes! The management Company wants the county to add about 200 animal stalls and a barn as well as lighting and sound improvements inside the Event center. The barn and 200 stalls would be constructed outside the arena. I have not heard any money amounts on this new construction.

     If this is the way the commissioners are going to figure the rest of the budget, Duplin County Tax Payers are in deep finical trouble. SOG

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April 9, 2007

     Duplin had to deal with Cold Weather and two Cold Politicians last week. Two cold mornings this past weekend did great harm to some of Duplin crops. The cold weather cut right into the plans and hopes of some of Duplin Farmers. Some crops were at the critical stage and can not be replanted and thus that income will be cut from the farmers and the workers pocket, and food will be cut from the tables as well.

     That was not all the cold damage that happened in Duplin County this past week, but this cold was not the weather. It was in two men?s hearts as they took selfish self rewarding stands against Duplin citizens. Some people want to try and prove their point so badly that they do not think of who their actions hurt.

     I do not know what Senator Charlie Albertson has against educating Duplin County children. I guess maybe he must want to keep them uneducated and down on the farm. Senator Albertson had the opportunity to put Duplin in the best position of any county when the Lottery was just one vote away from being passed.

     He had the winning card all he had to do was vote for the Lottery, but he did not. The whole state of North Carolina knew the Lottery was going to pass, but our man in Raleigh, Senator Albertson said no. It did pass just like everyone knew it would and we lost the opportunity to be in the driver?s seat and reap rewards of being the one who cast that winning vote. Not only did he not vote to put us in the favor spot. From what I read in the newspapers and the internet he is not even trying to see we get our fair share today. Even if he is against the Lottery, it has passed and he is our representative in Raleigh and Senator Albertson should try and make sure we get our fair share.

     At April 2, 2007 meeting of Duplin County?s commissioners there was a vote of five to one to ask for a half cent sales tax to be added to sales in our county to raise money for construction to Duplin Schools and James Sprunt. Senator Charlie Albertson said he would only present the bill to add the half a cent if the vote was unanimous. Duplin Commissioner David Fussell voted against the proposal and thus the board was one vote short of being unanimous. The five commissioners who voted for the half a cent, begged Senator Albertson to please present the bill to the legislature. They even gave good agreeable arguments for the passing of the bill. Albertson still said NO. Albertson apparently forgot that in the last election he was not elected unanimous to go to Raleigh, but he went any way. In fact since he has been elected to go to Raleigh to enjoy the advantages given elected politicians he has never been elected unanimous, but he went every time.

     I know you remember me supporting Charlie Albertson in his efforts to represent Duplin County in Raleigh and I did, in fact I care deeply for Charlie. However, he has apparently been in Raleigh so long he has succumbed to the self indulged wheeler dealers who hover over the hallways and eating places. He apparently now believes he knows better what we need than we do. We are the uneducated back on the farm bunch and he is big city boy with us to guide and look after for our own good. We are just not smart enough to do it for our selves. He apparently thinks we are just a dumb bunch of pigs he needs to look after or we will just wander off into the woods. In my opinion he should have agreed to present the bill as he was asked by the majority of Duplin commissioners to do so.

     David Fussell should think thru his actions. In my opinion he foolishly voted against the half a cent sales tax project. He said it was a tax and he was not going to vote for more taxes. He says he wants to cut taxes, if he had voted to pass the half a cent sales tax, a tax which everyone has to pay. Anyone who makes a purchase would pay this tax. As it is now only the property owner?s pay tax. Now if the sales tax had passed it may have brought in enough money that some of the 80.5 cent property tax could be cut. However, he was too stubborn to think it over or even look in that direction. If it does come to be that a property tax increase is to be added to the already 80.5 tax rate ? his one vote will not stop it, so he will be voting for the new increased rate because he did not vote for the half a cent sales tax. What is that old saying?? ?Cutting your nose off, to spite your face?. We do believe that Commissioner David Fussell, Commissioner Cary Turner and Commissioner Harold Raynor are trying to bring a change to the board of six, and Commissioner Fussell is presently the chairman of the board, but Commissioner Fussells every thought is not always a good one and he proved that this past week, when he not smart enough to join in.

     I too want the taxes cut and believe they can be cut, but I don?t think the commissioners are going about it the right way. I don?t think the planners should look at the previous budget and see what can cut. I think they should wipe the old budget clean and say to their self ?what do we need to run this county.? With a clean sheet of paper start writing departments they think are needed and begin putting operating numbers in. By doing things this way one might discover all the departments and projects are not needed. Make a whole new budget on what is needed, not what someone before you wanted. SOG

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April 2, 2007

     I hope the County Commissioners had their pencils sharpened and the knowledge of how to use the cross out X?s earlier this week. Information I received from the BOE meeting Monday night of last week suggest the BOE budget will be presented the 3rd or 4th of April to the CC.

     I am writing this on Sunday night April 2, 2007, so some of what I will write may have already happened or not at all.

     At the board of education meeting M arch 26, 2007 it was suggested the BOE ask for $12.3 million dollars for the 2007-08 budget out of the Duplin treasury. Now check these two figures..Last years budget request was for $10.5 million, the commissioners gave the BOE a little under $7.6 million. According to the figures in the information I got the BOE will be requesting $4.7 million more in the new budget than they received in the present budget. The CC?s are saying they are trying to cut the budget to make it fit into a lower property tax rate and the BOE is asking for nearly 5 million dollars more than they got last year. These two number will not go together one big and the other lower.

     I am not going to get into a breakdown of the budget identifying where the money will be spent because I feel there will be some cuts and rearrangements of figures before the CC?s set down for a final approval of the numbers.

     There a couple of praiseworthy programs I understand will be presented and funding money asked for. When I say funding asked for, I assume the funding is in that whopping $12.3 million request.

     Off these two programs one is to be at James Kenan High School and is a program we have heard was in the planning stage for several years. It is a technology type of program for about a hundred or so students. It is called STEM, which stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. I personally think this is a great idea, as I have said since it was first suggested. Some have said this type of thing is already at James Sprunt Community College. I believe it will work better for high school students at a high school facility. I also have heard the argument that it will cost less county moneys if it is established at JSCC. I do not know all the grant moneys possibilities and how they will work one place and not at the other. I hope we will look at what we can afford and if this is affordable, do it.

     The other program is ?I Can? program for sixth grade students. This is a program that is supposed to help sixth grade students in the transition from elementary to middle school. I like this program to, anything that will help students learn as they go through the grades. However, school has been going on in Duplin County for a couple of hundred years or so and this kind of program has not been needed. Fact of the matter is we have already paid an education system to see that this is done and we pay them every year to do this. We pay the administration to hire people who are able and can do this. Already paid for and flubbed the dub, but it is going to help students the administration has already let down, It is not the student?s fault; it is ours for not paying attention to those we paid and trusted.

     We most likely will hear about the No Child Left Behind program. If it was not for this program pointing out the inadequacies in our schools, where would we be? Better yet where would our students be?

     The Leave No Child Behind program says Duplin County is around 63%. That means we are around 37% behind. Now someone tell me why we paid Administration people to hire more administration folks, principals and teachers and then give these new and old employees programs to teach with that would keep our children in the 67% and not 100%. Don?t blame the teachers; blame the Administration for allowing it to happen.

     Perhaps this method of supervising schools is a method of adding more employees. More employees mean more money for those who run the system. I wonder if the recent addition of the $13,000 supplements were part of the plan? No, no way that would happen. I know we read about things happening in business and industry and government that have nothing to do with the system, except to increase someone?s pay. This is Duplin County; things don?t operate that way, do they.

     Wouldn?t it be wonderful if things were done honestly and truthful, and we all could jump behind this money request and what the county coffers could not fund we would find other sources to fund it. We have been paying our taxes, and it seems we always paid just a little more than other folks to make our schools be the best. However, the system we trusted did not come thru and the one we have now embarrasses a lot of folks. I don?t want to send my money over to someone who raises their pay before they fix what is needed fixed and Administration pay raises does not come before helping the students. Do not misunderstand there are lots of great teachers trying to do the right thing, but they have folks above them. SOG

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March 26, 2007

     The Duplin County School Board has been looked upon and graded by Duplin citizens as the BOE grade the students in Duplin County Schools on a ?Bell Curve?. The BOE has been in the 80 and above percentile, until recently. It seems they have been in the up and down and around business and no one really knows where they are or who is telling the non doctored truth nowadays. The complete and non doctored truth has always been a problem. Sometimes I think these educators believe they can throw a lot of words at us former students and throw them so fast and out of order that we who were educated by them will be so overwhelmed that we will set down and shut up.

     Thus there been very little controversy about board members at election time. Most of us have not been to demanding of the board members. There have been a few individual problems about a family member or close friend, but no serious problem effecting a whole school district or plan. We are all aware of the North Duplin/James Kenan joining and not joining problem. However, it seems there an equal number wanting and not wanting folks so that the matter is in a tie, which means nothing happens.

     I have watched and listened to board member Emily Manning over the years and most times she hangs in and around the middle of most controversy items. I believe she thinks she should support the school board and administration whether they are right or wrong on a subject. I read a quote of hers in several newspapers this past week which makes me believe she should call this her last term and retire, as she has lost sense of reality. She said and I quote ?Our teachers are making more than they? ever made. I?m sorry they don?t feel like they?re being valued, but I can assure them, they are valued. I wish we had more money, but we feel like the supplements were given the way they should have been. I wouldn?t change my vote on that.?

     Perhaps I should have put this quote from Superintendent Dolby before the Manning quote. ?One of the purposes of the supplement was to help us compete to recruit and retain more favorably with not only surrounding counties, but the rest of the state and the nation and teachers do a lot of hard work, but the administrators work hard also.?

     To recap just a little bit. The Duplin County Commissioners gave the BOE a one time $1 million special allocation in October. It was a no strings attached deal. Of the million the CC gave, $772,000 is being spent by the BOE on teacher and administration supplements, the rest on minor facility repairs. The teacher supplements averaged $2,967 and the administration employees got $13,000 each.

     The teachers and the citizens I have heard give their opinions think this is unfair, the teacher got too little and the administration got too much. I personally would think an administrator could be missing or eliminated and no school student or group of students would sit around with nothing to do, but I can?t say that about a teacher not showing up one morning.

     Judy Malpass , President of the Duplin County chapter of the North Carolina Association of Educators spoke up for Duplin?s teachers saying ?it is insulting to me for them (the administrators) to think they?re worth four-and-a- half times more than we are. Before I go any further let me, Joe Lanier say Judy Malpass deserves a pat on the back and a good word from every teacher and Duplin citizen for getting up and speaking the thoughts of Duplin Teachers. I have been in the news business since the mid 1970?s and many times I have asked teachers and principals to tell me about things I have heard that happened at or in or around their school and everyone was afraid of to say anything for fear of what the administrative office would do to them. Teachers who are afraid to say what they think are evident of a sorry school system. It is a public funded system, operating for public good and is afraid for the public to know what is going on..

     Let?s get back to the Dolby quote before I run out of space. Superintendent Dolby said the huge supplements were taken from the extra million dollars to help recruit and retain teachers and administrators. So Duplin could pay as much or more than others.

     Again let?s go back. This one million dollars which was given by the county commissioners to the BOE was a one time thing. Let me emphasize. ONE TIME.

     How the heck is a one time deal in 2007 going to help recruit people in 2008, or 09 or on and on?

     For God sakes, please do not tell me Superintendent Dolby would stoop so low as to take moneys from the regular budget to pay this additional salary and deduct it from the regular up keep of the schools. You talk about troubles, they will bust from the seams. This would be worse than one of those River City troubles I hear about.


     Oh my! I was talking to this young female and noticed she had one of these pearl stick pins in her nose. I said to her ?does this thing hurt? and touched it with my finger Arrrggguuugg. It was a white head pimple and it burst. SOG

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March 19, 2007

      When large companies make mistakes or errors the public finds out about these companies hire professional to retell the story. Some call them "Spin Doctors", but what ever you may call them it is their job to take a bad story and try and turn it around. They take the facts and move them around in the story. I don't mean they change the facts, but they move them about and make big things out of little things and little things out of big things in hopes to change your or confuse your thinking. If it looked like crunchy peanut butter they make it look like smooth peanut butter. They are trying to make it look licking good so folks will buy the product on and on or give money on and on.

     In my opinion the past week the Duplin County School Administration has attempted to do something like this in their "A message from the Duplin County Board of Education" which they release to the newspapers. The story says it is from the Board of Education, but I know in my heart the BOE did not write this. I do think they probably approved it in an attempt to remove the red from their faces. I also believe there was no school teacher involved with trying to smooth the facts.

     You see there was no big fuss about the teacher supplements or bonuses. I am not sure what they are calling the money that passed on to the teachers. I have read several things, but I can not trust those from where the words came. I have been reading misinformation and turned around facts ever since the Administration Bonuses or Supplement money amounts were released. This confusing stuff was not just from just the BOE either.

     If we remove the camouflage and just present the facts about this mess. It might just be what most people believe and understand. Practically no one objected to how most of the money that was handed over to the BOE was used, it was just that Administrative Bonuses or Supplements that curled the tax payer's hair. The smoothing process is when they tried to mix the actual building/facilities fix up, walkie-talkies for safety, and other communication extras in with the excessive administration bonuses. It appears Dr. Dobey was trying to pull the wool over our believing eyes. This not understanding how the money was to be used before they laid the cash in the school superintendent hands will cause problems for a long time to come.

     Superintendent Dr. Wiley Dobey is the new man on board and the man at the top. So I blame him for the mix matching of information and money and destroying an opportunity to solidify the County Commissioners and the BOE.

     This was the perfect opportunity to move Duplin's leaders into a joining of hands. We had a new thinking Board of Commissioners who were apparently wanting to give more to the schools. We had a new school superintendent we apparently mistakenly believed would change things for the better. We thought we had a mixing bowl set up with the CC and the BOE inside mixing together to build a better Duplin County. Suddenly we were shown another side of things when the new superintendent started handing out money under the name of bonuses or supplements. This money we believed was to be used on mortar, bricks, paint and lumber, and not his and his friends pockets.

     This was about to be one of the greatest steps in Duplin politics in many a year. Now it has turned out to be one of the worst steps. We and they are all going to try and fix it, but it will always be there in the backs of our minds. I don't know what made it happen, greed, I do not know. I have heard one of our problems was Wake Forest graduates looking after other Wake Forest graduates and letting Duplin fall where it may. To be sure this is not what is happening.

     We have some great education people here, not all but some. I have seen and heard how moving a principal from one school to another changed how students react to studies. How one school will improve and another will fall back. If people out side the education system can see this, then why can't professional education people see and react to it?


     Donna and I went to Clinton to the Expo Center Saturday night to see and hear the Cherryholmes band. It is a Bluegrass band with six members. Three males and three females and it is all one family. Mom, dad, two girls and two boys and they are good music makers. When they first came on stage it was easy to notice their hands and fingers were moving as fast as the feet of the Riverdance folks. They were fast and furious. I had not seen a really good Bluegrass band in a long while.

     In the first fifteen minutes or so the music was so good and I was feeling so good I found myself breathing short breaths one after the other like those you take at times when you are making love. Before you let your imagination carry you into places you should not go, it was only the short quick breaths that happened nothing else in the love making category.

     In this one family there were two champion musicians. The 16 year old girl Cia Leigh is a champion banjo player and she won it for three years. There is a 17 year old boy, B.J. that is a champion fiddle player. He plays with Ronda Vincent at times. I am sure you know I love Bluegrass music and I was one happy country boy listening to this family of Bluegrass musicians. Oh what a night. SOG

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March 12, 2007

     My wife went to Topsail beach with my daughter this past weekend. The weather was to be nice and was, however it was time to set the new daylight saving hour on clocks. This clock changing time is a chore that Donna does. I figure it is only one day; to be sure I can get along one day with no knowledge what time it is. I can see when it is day light and when it is night, the in betweens is no big deal.

     I began worrying about the time some time after lunch, even though I did not need to. I thought to myself "it is two o'clock now and it would be three o'clock if the time had changed already." With a clear confused head I went to Goldsboro to see the movie Zodiac. I thought for sure it would be an exciting and thrilling movie. It was not; in fact I slept through about a third of the movie. It was an old story that I knew and after an hour of dullsville. I began to wonder why I would go see a movie to which I already knew the ending as well as the middle. Maybe it was to refresh my memory of what happened. By now I was wondering on this day light saving thing do I move the clock ahead an hour or back an hour. What is that saying, "fall back into spring and spring ahead in the fall?" Oh well it does not matter, I will just leaver the clocks alone and go by the time schedule I already have. Hey wait a minute, if the time changes now and the computers are programmed to change in April, I will have to change the clocks again when they automatically change in April. I think I will just leave mine alone and let them change when they are suppose to. I started to get up a couple of times and leave the movie, but I stayed to see the end. I am not sure just why I did not get up and leave, maybe it was because I paid to get in. I paid $5.25 to get into a movie and be bored. I could have stayed home and took a nap and it would have cost me nothing.

     I went to bed around 12 o'clock believing it was 11 o'clock. In the morning I rolled over to check the time. The daylight of morning awoke me. The red numbers on my clock was beaming 7:30 am. I thought it was actually 6:30 am. I got up and done the bathroom stuff, dressed and headed to Bojangles for my breakfast. When I drove up there were not many autos in the parking lot. I thought to my self "wow I have beat everyone to breakfast." I went inside got a Country ham biscuit, a bo-berry biscuit and a coffee. I sat down at a table with Earl Rouse and Cecil Guy. Cecil ask how I was doing. I told him I was not sure, that I did not know if it was about breakfast time or lunch time. I ask what time it was and was told it was 9:30 am. Well I had goofed on that time thing. No matter, Donna will be home this afternoon and will straighten the clocks out. I can go back home and sleep till then.


     I was reading a story about education and funding and a question was asked about a young boy who was in the fifth grade and could not read. The question was how much money will it take to make this fifth grader read? I think this is a good question. Lets see, there is a lottery that is suppose to dump millions of dollars into the education system, there is a 200 million dollar bond deal asking to be passed, there is already a sales tax percentage adding money to the system, there is sales tax money state wide added to the system, Duplin County is putting property tax moneys into the system and Duplin Commissioners are asking the legislature to allow an extra half or whole penny sales tax to be paid by Duplin citizens and added to the system and there are court fines going into the system. I am sure there are other moneys going into the system that I have left out.

     Know what I think? I think there is too much of this money going to administration and/or bureaucrats and not enough to help that fifth grader. If you did not see and read the salary chart published in the Duplin Times Newspaper, Thursday March 8, 2007. You should get a copy. That chart may be in Wallacelive, I have been working on getting it put it in. So check out other portions of Wallacelive.

     Did you notice the Newspaper articles of the last meeting of the Board of Education? I have read it in three newspapers. The cost of Duplin's BOE's facility building plan is approximately $60.9 million dollars. Robbie Ferris, president of architectural firm Shuller, Ferris, Lindstrom and Associates stated if the county would allow his company to build the schools and then lease the buildings back to the county school system he estimated that over the course of the 40-year lease, the school system would save about $30.7 million on that $60.9 million price.

     I sure hope this is not another one of those "to good to be true" items that no one looks into. It sure sounds like it should be examined and explained. SOG

Don't for get to check out the March 8, 2007 Duplin Times Newspaper.

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March 5, 2007

     Duplin Expo Number Two has passed on and was good. The red dust was gone, I could breathe, my clothing was not tinted red and the folks with display booths had their products or wares showcase shinny. The cement floor was a great help, it did not come at a bargain price at $50,000 or so, but it will be a great help with this kind of show. I understand they use backhoes or something akin to backhoes to haul that red dirt in and out when there is an event with animals. I suppose they clean up that dirt before they haul it out to the dirt pile after a show.

     I really enjoyed the Expo, I got some information on some things and found out who was operating some businesses I did not know about. I met a whole bunch of people and got and gave enough hugs to ah.ah.ah. I need to change the way this sentence is going cause I ant never going to have enough hugs. I got some great or maybe even fabulous hugs and let me tell you there are some folks out there that are masters at hugging and what some say while you are in that embrace just makes you warm all over. Before we get past this hug thing I want to say I appreciate each and every one and mine are given with love.

     There is one thing I would like to see added to the Duplin Commons. There are several handicapped parking spaces near the entrance and they are filled up quickly. The events going on at the Commons are long winded and do not end quickly, so those few handicapped parking spaces stay filled. I guess you don't notice these things until they affect you.

     Lupus has gotten into my lungs and thus I am short winded, very short winded. I parked in the last row in front of the entrance. The walk to the ticket window is all up hill and I had a tough time getting there. I was by myself so I had no one to let me out at the ticket window as they parked. I will know better next time. I think they should have an electric golf cart rigged up to transport handicapped or old folks to the ticket window.

     A person would drive by the ticket window when they came in and request the handicapped cart pick them up from the parking lot. Once inside we walk only a few steps and stop to talk or look at someone's displayed stuff and that is kind of easy breathing, heart pumping walking.

     Once again I thought the Expo was great and it looked like they were just about filled up with vendors.


     I stopped at a restaurant last week and ordered a well done steak and fries. The waitress brought my food to the table. I got my knife out to cut a small piece of the steak to sample it to make sure it was done. I do not want a steak if it has any red in it at all. The steak was done and had that marinade flavor to it. The steak was right, but when I picked up my French fry it did not look good.

     I don't know if you have seen the advertisement on television about killing worms. Well the artist drew the worms to look like crinkle cut French fries and these crinkle cut French fry looking worms are falling of the plants to the ground and piling up like the ones on my plate. They looked like worms, but they tasted like French fried potatoes and I just went on taste not looks.

     When I was a youngster Nabisco Sugar Wafers were the best tasting item in the cookie line. They were in a small flat like package and had metal like paper wrapped around the thin box. They were priced out of my spare change pocket. Once in a while I would save up and buy a box and savor them. Most often I would buy the cheaper item, like a Johnny cake , a package of nabs ( cheese crackers with peanut butter between them) or a bag of peanuts and a RC cola. The biggest and cheapest.

     My wife Donna does the shopping at the grocery store, so I do not go in one very often. Last week I was in a grocery store and saw these NBC Sugar Wafers. Memories of how great they tasted ran through my brain and I bought a package. I could just pre taste those wafers all the way to the car. My memories were of a young boy not an old man. Wow, those were the sweetest things, when I say sweet; they were too sweet, so sweet I could not eat them. Come to think about it there are a lot more things that have changed, but not all bad some have improved.

     That reminds me, when people get together now and talk of politics. The most often thing they say is they want to be told the truth. There was a time when that did not have to be said, but those days are gone. In fact even if the truth is asked for it, doesn't mean you will get it. SOG

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February 26, 2007

     Remember when you were a child and wanted a pony, a bicycle, a set of drums, or some other thing that was important to you so you asked your parents for it and they suggested Santa may bring it at Christmas. On Christmas morning you went running to the Christmas tree and it was not there. Teary eyed you went to your parents and told them your prize was not under the tree. Your parents said "well I told you he might bring it.I did not say he would". But look at the other things he did bring.

     This kind of thing is what has happened to the Duplin County employees in regards to salary increases. Their pay increases have been more like the amount the "Tooth Fairy" puts under your pillow. We all know that over half the time the Tooth Fairy forgets and does not leave anything under the pillow.

     A short time ago the commissioners were talking about a bonus for the employees due to the fact they were underpaid and had gotten very low pay increases. Now I personally think the pay increase or bonus for employees came up to off set arguments that were sure to arise when it was discovered the commissioners were going to take money from ("extra discovered") fund balance and give it to the EMS. The commissioners did vote to take money out of the fund balance for the EMS for salaries. Let me make a note here money to pay EMS folks is classified as Salary. Money to pay the other county employees is classified as Pay Raises. Now this is my personal classification the commissioners seem to feel EMS is more important than the lowly regular county employee. Thus the regular county employee additional pay would be called a pay raise. For reasons I can not quite understand they seem to look down on some county employees and the commissioners wonder why the moral is so low.

     Fact is moral had increased with a new manager and two new commissioners on board until the announcement of a possible pay increase of 2 % in the next budget came out. Two percent pay increase is and was an insult to most employees.

     I remember when a bonus of four hundred dollars to a one thousand dollars was in the thinking or we were told it was. It was to come from the fund balance, but then we were told that the $400 thousand dollars it would take for the thousand dollar bonus would almost empty the fund balance. We were "kind of" promised a 4 cent pay increase at the next budget; guess what . it did not happen. We now learn that over 20 million dollars is there. The county needs to keep about $12 million or so in the fund balance by law. Three and a half million was taken out for last years budget and a great big smidgen was taken out for the EMS and they are talking of taking out over a million and a half to fund this up coming budget. What I want to know is what was not there. Was it the money or the willingness to give the money to those who earned it? In hind sight I would say it was the willingness to give it to those who earned it.

     I feed birds in a couple of bird feeders. I have lots of different kind or types of birds feed from the sunflower filled feeders. The feeders are invaded at times with black birds. These black birds perch on the feeder and look to the sky. I would have thought they would begin eating right a way, but they look to the sky and sometimes make peculiar moves. I was pointing this out and asking why these black birds do this to my great granddaughter, she said they were looking to the heavens and thanking the God for the seeds.

     I really liked what she said and was proud of her for saying it.

     I think the county commissioners should be looking to the heavens and thanking the county employees for hanging around and working with the low pay they get.

     I heard it said and I got the CD it was said on. Commissioner L.S. Guy said "I move we do number 2". Chairman David Fussell said "I have a motion and a second we do number 2." And everyone voted Yea. So if you ever think the policies coming from the commissioners seem to be a little bit smeared with brown smelly stuff . I guess they have permission to do so and now we know. SOG

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February 19, 2007

     I am not usually shocked by things the commissioners say. Most of the time, the official statements are amusing or bordering on unintelligent. The remarks by commissioners Reginald Wells and Zettie Williams in regards to adding a seventh member to the board of County Commissioners were shocking or maybe startling would be a more correct word in describing my reaction. I thought they would be very much in favor of the additional member. It would be an end to the tied motions that went no where. A seventh member would eliminate ties on what ever the vote. I believe there should be 3 or 5 or 7 or 9 or may be 11 or more members so the problem of a nonsense no action motion would not happen. I surely thought they wanted an end to the tie vote, the fool that I am, I was tricked. I thought all votes were for the betterment of Duplin County. I did not know the tie thing was a NAACP manipulation. I knew a sixth member was added on because of a NAACP deal in 1988, but I did not know the tie thing was fabricated on purpose within the deal.

     Wells and Williams stated that any change in the number of members would upset their effectiveness. (I assume everyone is aware Wells and Williams are black members). I understand there are no guarantees when people are involved, but I believe they are wrong in their belief of being less important. Just like I don't believe Commissioner Reginald Wells really meant folks were marching about shouting his name when he said "Folks fought and died and marched so I can sit on this board". I feel sure he meant "anyone".

     Commissioner Wells stated he would ask the "NAACP" to bring a suit against the county if the motion for a seventh member passes. I personally think it would be a great idea for the NAACP to be called in. I want the NAACP to look at the Warsaw school district since the board was changed to six members. The education of black and white students in the Warsaw District has constantly gone down since this tied up six member board came into existence. I do not believe NAACP members want black students poorly educated or uneducated. I believe everyone should have as good an education as possible and possible has been sloppy in the Warsaw District.

     I would not ask the NAACP to take my word; just ask the state of North Carolina. One of the ideas of seven members is to eliminate tie votes. It is a go no where board that can not pass a motion because there is an even number of members. Perhaps this is one of the reasons we have such a high tax rate, the problems with EMS or the landfill or a lot of things we did not understand because we thought the commissioners were trying to come to a conclusion when they secretly wanted a tie.

     I recall reading that Commissioner Wells said "sometimes a tie is good." To me that is one of the most foolish statement he has made. I would question why anyone would go to a meeting if the decisions were going to end in a tie. The members may as well stay home if no action is to be taken..Dumb, Dumb, Dumb.

     This seventh member would not just stand around and wait for a tie vote to take any action. He or she would be voted into office on a county wide vote and would make decisions on each and every motion the board made. He or she would be seated along with the other members and take part in all board action just like everyone does now. I have heard it said many times that two heads were better than one so would it not also be true that seven is better than six. The idea is for a better and more responsive board not one to lessen the effectiveness of the black vote. I believe Commissioners Reginald Wells and Zettie Williams will keep the power they have now if there is a change in the number of members or not. For your information, I personally will not trust a seven member board any more than I do the present six. People are people and they all seem to like to have power and prestige and this usually brings on distrustful decisions.


     FYI. The recommendation by commissioner Cary Turner that the tax rate for 2007-08 be set at or allowed to be set no higher than 79 cents and use no more than $1.85 million of the fund balance is not quite as good as it sounds.

     In case you were wondering the $1.85 million amounts to a little over 6 cents in the tax rate. Thus a 79 cent rate and 6 cent borrowed or stolen from fund balance amounts to 85 cents which is a 3 ½ more than this year.

     It is lower than what was taken out of the fund balance for this year which was $3.7 million (13 cents in taxes) just in case you were not aware, the fund balance is about out of extra or surplus moneys. I wonder where the extra monies will come from to help make the tax rate livable when the surplus fund dries up. SOG

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February 12, 2007

     As the Duplin County Commissioners were fixing to go into Executive Session (behind closed doors so the public could not hear what they were saying) at their February 5, 2007 meeting Commissioner Cary Turner asked they hold off for a minute so he could make a statement for the minutes.

     The public had been dismissed but came back in and sat down. Commissioner Turner stated: "I would like to be as tactful as I know how to be on this. It is not directed at any one individual. Last meeting we had ,when I left here I have to admit I felt pretty gloom because of some things that went on in our closed session. I got to thinking about it and I ran across some of the laws in our Open Meeting Laws hand book and under this same general statue 143-31811, it would be number 6. What it says, basically in a nut shell is. That during closed session any board member can not consider or question the qualifications, conference, performance, character or fitness of appointments of another board member. So I would like to go on record saying that in the future if there is any disagreement in closed session that according to law it's not in order and as a gentlemen I will dismiss myself and stand outside until the county attorney gets the meeting back in order and I will come back in. I don't want any part of it and a reminder that we are breaking the law when we do that and we should conduct ourselves as gentlemen. I just wanted to go on record as saying that."

     Commissioner Turner finished his statement and the motion for a closed session was repeated and everyone was shooed out of the room so the commissioners could talk in secret.

     The reason for Commissioner Turner's statement so it could be logged in the minute book was because of a ruckus between two of the commissioners at the last secret meeting. Rumors has it two members almost came to blows over some subject. I am unsure about the almost fighting, you know how rumors seem go grow, but it was emphased that tempers were flaring above and beyond the call of duty.

     Apparently Commissioner Turner's words had an affect. When they came out of the closed session, voices and tones were a lot more pleasant sounding. Commissioner Turner even made the motion after the secret meeting. I guess the other commissioners were sugar coating things for him. I say Hooray to him for saying what he believed and being strong enough to stand up for it. We all are ready for some honesty out of that crowd. I guess they are at least proving to commissioner Turner that in certain cases some people have not fully evolved into intelligent, thoughtful human beings. ( Most of that last sentence, the intelligent part, came from a letter to the editor on another subject by Kevin Davis), but it sure fits some of our commissioners.

     I can only hope Commissioner Turner continues to question things that don't look or sound right. Also hope he will not believe something just because someone said it. Remember the $19,000 salary grant? Before the submitting and talking was over it was presented as a one time bonus. Kind of makes you wonder if you can trust your department heads. Looks like a good way to get ones self a raise.a three step raise. I was also wondering if you give one department a bonus, shouldn't you also give the other employees a bonus. Every one works for a salary and I must admit county salaries are low, but bonuses should be for all around unless it is for something unusually outstanding that others could have done but did not. One does not deserve a bonus for just showing up for work.

     When I was three years old (1938) my dad had a car. In those days most cars cranked with a bent piece of iron pipe shoved into the front of the car. There was a smaller piece of iron sticking out from the end of the larger piece of iron. Looked kind of like a cross. This cross fitted into the engine and someone would turn the larger iron and thus turning the engine over, causing it to "fire up" and the engine would crank or run.

     Sometimes to crank the car people would get behind the car and push the car. As it got a little speed the person in the driver's seat would "let out "on the clutch and the engine would fire up. The people pushing would turn loose what ever they were pushing and the car would go off down the road. One day I was pushing and the car's engine caught and the driver begin driving off. No one told me to turn loose and I was dragged along. By the way it was dirt road. Everyone who was pushing was waving their arms and aprons and yelling to the driver to stop. It was my dad and he did stop. My mom came running and picked me up she was crying and laughing at the same time saying she did not know whether to spank me or love me and that is the way it has been most of my life..getting loved or being blessed out. SOG

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February 5, 2007

     Do you know Senator Phil Berger? Chances are you do not, although you may have heard or read about him. He is another one who got himself voted up to Raleigh and now thinks he knows what is best for all of us. He wants the movie makers who plan to do their craft in North Carolina send their scripts to him or a soon to be established committee for approval or disapproval. The North Carolina Legislature has recently approved a bill to give movie makers a percentage of their cost back. North Carolina did not have this kind of program until recently and almost lost its lucrative movie industry. Millions of dollars of business has moved out of our state to other states and other countries even due to these pay off deals NC did not have. This new program has some of those who left coming back. Now this know it all Senator Berger wants to tell the movie industry what they can do and what they can not. If this happens we can kiss the movie industry bye for good. The cause for this recent conflict was or is a movie at the Sundance Festival which was made in Southport, North Carolina The movie titled "Houndog" I think is the name attached to it at this time. In this movie there is a scene where a young girl is raped. In the movie you know what is happening, but you do not see the actual events happening. All you see is the hands and face of the actress. The actress is Dakota Fanning who is a very fine actress in my opinion.

     Some say the movie should be banned and Senator Berger joins right in with them. I personally have no problem with it. When the movie comes to our area no one is going to make me go see that movie. In fact if I want to go see it I will to have to pay to get in. Not only will I have to want to go I will have to pay to get in. Sounds to me that right there is enough bars in front of that door. There are movies out there rated X that will make Houndog look like a nursery rime. And there is more to this movie that one scene.

     For those of you who do not go to movies they are rated before they are released for public viewing. P - PG - R and X and more X's can be added as the restrictions get more.. The P is for kids, PG for kids and older kids and adults. R is for adults and older kids and X is really questionable stuff, I do not know who these are made for, but someone buys them. The thing is you have to pay to go see these movies. If someone will pay to see it the movie that is their privilege. If someone will pay to a movie someone will make it some place and rent it for that money. You can run the movie maker out of North Carolina, but you have not run them out of business. Remember that a rape scene to be cut this time may be a wedding scene in the next one. If it starts there is no telling where it will go or end if ever.

     I go to movies often. My wife and I usually attend at least one movie a week. It is our weekend recreation. We look at the marquee and decide which movie we will pay watch. We hope the good directors and actors will continue to choose what and how they want to present a movie and on that we rely. Please keep these politicians out of movie making and script making. I would like to see Senator Phil Berger walk off into the sunset waving his paper as he disappeared behind the hills somewhere..

     If that did not confuse you read this.

     When I was a young lad around ten or so I would spend the summers with my Grand Pa and Ma Howard. My uncles would let me do about anything when we were away from the eyes of Grand Ma and Grand Ma. My uncle Johnny had a Model A or some kind of car like a Model A. When we would go riding to someone's home or to a job I would sit between Johnny and who ever was sitting in the passenger seat. There was no time or money for pleasure riding.

     One day as we were leaving my Grand Parents home. The road was sandy with a shallow creek at the bottom of a slight hill. When we reached the creek and started up the hill Uncle Johnny said "give me a cog J. T.". My hand was on the round knob on top of the gearshift leaver and he put his hand over mine and changed the gear into second gear. Well this was the beginning of a dream for me. Each time we would go some place I would sit next to Johnny so I could change those gears.give him a cog. I of course did not know one cog from another, but I thought I was about grown up. I could change the gears in a car and when it would not crank and they had to push it they would let work the clutch so it would crank. They would set the speed with those little livers on the steering wheel. I remember thinking one day that I was so growed-up it would not be long before I would be eleven and they would let me smoke cigarettes and drink white liquor. Well I got to eleven, but things did not change as I thought they would. SOG

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January 29, 2007

     Warsaw,Warsaw, Warsaw. Why are the three schools assigned to the voting district of Warsaw continually disappointing to the North Carolina Board of Education? Warsaw Elementary, Warsaw Middle, and James Kenan are the schools the Duplin County Board of Education has set up to educate the children of the people of the Warsaw area. Two of these schools carry Warsaw's name. Think about this, when the school names of those who are not up to par are printed they are printed state wide. That information is then made available nation wide. When industries, people and businesses look for a place to build or set up a factory or a nice real estate development, these facts will appear in their research.

     Warsaw's voting district is divided into three pieces. This means that three different County Board Members and three different Education Board Members are suppose to look after the Warsaw Election District. The split districts are so small that under normal circumstances they are useless in the political arena. Most often the voters turn out at fifty percent or less and most of the time it is less. Thus Warsaw has no power and it shows.

     If the people in the Warsaw election district would band together and vote as a block in each of the three districts they could carry their candidate in each of the three districts. In two of the districts the numbers are there and in the other district they would have to join a group that wants the same as they do.

     The problem is for some crazy reason Warsaw voters or people which ever way you want to call them dislike one another and don't want to join together for the better of the area. It is extremely difficult for me to believe there are people who do not want the best education for their children, but there are folks who are that way right here in Warsaw. I have heard them say "leave it alone and let it stay as it is".

     I have lived in and around Warsaw most of my life and I know the trials and tribulations of the youngsters in this area. I know how most of the parents came up and I know it was difficult. I did not and do not want children to grow into adulthood and unprepared as I was.

     There some great people working in the three schools in the Warsaw district. These people can change things, they can make a difference. I have seen things begin to change. I admit to the fact that I did not believe things could get better, but I saw it happening. They need help, they need backing. The parents need to back these people up, the board of education needs to back them up and we need to get into the effort and back them up too. We need to stop seeing color; this is education and not a racial contest. Let's make education the goal and not let black, brown and white be any part of the problem, but of the success.

     Due to the fact Warsaw people have been slighted because of the three small sections the voting district was split in to, it would seem to me the board of education owes the Warsaw School District an extra effort.

     I hate to say this but I have little faith in the board of education, in fact one of the reasons one of the schools is in the bad shape it is in I think can be traced to the board member who once was a principal at Warsaw Middle School. However, I do not want to get in to a blame game I want to get into an education game. These three schools can be fixed, but it takes involvement. Setting in an office in Kenansville will not do anything, but enlarge a butt.

     I wonder sometimes if the powers to be are afraid of Warsaw intelligent. That maybe they are afraid if they educate Warsaw's students they will come back and take over things. Wouldn't that be wonderful that we were given a future by our students? They enlarged their brains rather than their butts in Warsaw.


     I have told you about my buddy Frank Whaley's wizardry fixing and enlarging photographs. I told you about him moving people from one photo to another or making things appear in an old picture that was hardly seen, or changing sides of buildings to the front and so on.

     The Duplin Expo is coming up soon at the Duplin Commons and Frank has received some orders for banners and posters from those who will be displaying at the Expo. I may have bragged a little too much or have been misunderstood about all the things Frank can do. Frank comes up with things that I was not sure could be done. However, he got an order that was too much for even Frank the other day. Someone brought in a photograph, it was a great picture, all was clear and all was in focus. It was a picture of a barn. The fellow handed Frank the picture and said "I want a picture of the rear of the barn. I have heard some of the things you can do with old pictures. I did not take a picture of the back of the barn and I would like to have one." I think the main reason Frank did not do it was he did not have time. SOG

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January 22, 2007

     It happened again, I can hardly believe it did, but it did. This time I can pass some of the blame on to someone else. At least it should be some kind of a technical foul anyway.

     This past Wednesday after lunch I was sitting on the couch watching "The Young and Restless" on TV. I ask Donna what day the Doctors office had changed my appointment to. She said it was changed to Monday the 29th. I ask if she was sure and she said she was. I ask her if it was January 21st and she said it was the 29th. I told her there was something I was supposed to do on the 21st and ask if she remembered what it was. She said she did not that I was always making appointments and I should keep up with them.

     This past Saturday Donna, our daughter Gwen and great granddaughter Taylor went to the movie in Wilmington. They were going to see "Charlotte's Web" and I wanted to see "Letters from Iwo Jima" so we drove two vehicles. I saw part of the Charlotte's Web with the family and when my movie came on I left. Gwen and her husband Bill have a cottage at Topsail Beach. Donna, Gwen and Taylor went on to the beach I went home when the movie was over.

     Around three thirty Sunday afternoon Donna came home and when she came into the living room she had a paper bag in her hand. I ask what it was and she said it was my supper. It was a kid's meal from "Hardee's" I had a hamburger and curly fries. There was a toy inside the bag too. Donna said "this is not very much for an anniversary meal." Son of a gun, I knew I was forgetting something. January 21st is my anniversary. Dagon, it made me feel so bad. Here is where that technical foul comes in I was telling you about. I mean I ask Donna about January 21st, the very Wednesday before. Donna knows I love her, because this is the 51st year of our marriage. I guess after 51 years she had gotten used to me forgetting things. It's just hard to believe I forgot and had been talking about it a week before. Oh well, I guess I am not perfect and I know that is hard for some to believe.

     Something else that is hard to believe is how we continue to get double talk from our county commissioners and board of education. Perhaps I should say is put up with the doubletalk coming from these two groups of people who were elected to represent us. I think the school board has got a tiger by the tail and don't know what to do with it. They complimented and bragged on what a great new superintendent they have and he seems to be pleasing himself and ignoring and maybe even laughing at them. A smooth talking con man can fool our folks because we want to believe folks and trust in them. We are country folks who love their neighbors and welcome strangers in. Even when one does wrong we will give them a second chance. Some times we get into believing the conman and wanting him to do those things we believed he would do in the beginning and just keep waiting for him to do it even though he is still working a con on us. It's kind like a football game and he needs to be penalized for holding.

     Last week Board of Education member Charles Farrior told a group attending a meeting at the auditorium of the Cooperative Extension Service he supports the school superintendent one hundred percent. Farrior also said the supplements were a concern and "this kind of fiasco won't happen again." Remember he called it a fiasco.

     Someone sent me some sayings or quotes on the internet and one of them seem to lend is self right into our commissioners and school board members. "Our leader had a mind like a steel trap, only that it had been left out so long, it had rusted shut". SOG

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January 15, 2007

     I ran out of bird feed this past week. I usually buy a 50 pound bag of sunflower seeds to feed to the birds in my back yard. I use an old plastic Cool Whip bowl to transfer the seeds from the bag to the feeders. I fill the bowl about three quarters full and put most of the seeds in a feeder on top of a four by four post. This feeder looks like a small version of an old cabin. It has a top (roof) and bottom (floor)and two ends, but the front and back of the cabin are open for the birds to fly in and out. Another feeder is on a metal Shepard's hook. A Shepard's crook is a round metal rod about an inch thick with a couple bends in it giving it an appearance of a wooden cane Shepard's carry while they tend sheep. One of the crooks has a feeder that appears like a small gazebo hanging by a rope. I fill the bottom of the gazebo with seeds and throw a few seeds on the ground for the squirrels.

     I have been doing this for several years and I almost drove a group of squirrels crazy one year. The squirrels were getting all my sunflower seeds and the birds were getting practically none. I began installing obstacles to keep those little furry animals out of my bird seeds. I moved it away from the picnic table so they could not jump over to the feeder. I put a round sheet of aluminum on the post and bent it downward so the squirrels could not climb the poles. They were smart enough to get past the first sheet so I cut a larger one and put it just above the smaller one. This was the last draw. I had stopped them. They would gnaw at the aluminum on the pole and dig in with their claws making scratch marks down to the ground where they tried to hold on.

     I saw one squirrel try to climb, jump, and swing and jump over and over. None of his efforts were successful and finally he ran around and around the pole as fast as he could until he fell over exhausted. I figured I had drove him crazy so I started putting a few seeds on the ground for the squirrels. If they had of eaten sensible I would let them eat from the feeder, but they wanted to eat all that was there.

     Each year a new batch of young squirrels come from the nest in the pecan trees and they too try and figure how to get into the bird feeders. This year one has been able to get into the gazebo and I don't think I will change anything, just put less seeds in it.

     Over the years a catbird has appointed himself as the one to alert me when the seed are all gone. I have a wooden swing set up kind of behind and to the end of the bird feeders. The swing is held up by two four by four post sunk in the ground with one other four by four post across the top of those and the swing is attached to the one across the top. This cat bird will fly to the cross post and run up and down the post when the feed is out. If I pay no attention to him, he will run to the end of the post near my house and stand there looking in the window at me. Of course I am sitting or laying on the couch looking out. It takes me a day or so to put more sunflower seeds in the feeders and he comes two to three times a day to alert me. When the feeders have seed in them he is not to be seen on the swing cross member.

     Let me get back to my seed buying trip. I usually buy a fifty bag of seed at a cost of about $9.00. The last several times I went to buy seeds there were no fifty pound bags. So I would buy two twenty five pound bags at about $7.00 each. Thus my feed cost went up. This past week the largest bag I could find was a twenty pound bag and it was $8.00. In fact I think it was a little over eight bucks.

     I ask why it went up and the answer I got was "Minimum wage went up and we had to go up". Think about that . in a huge discount store the price of one bag of sunflower seeds went up over one dollar while dropping five pounds of seeds as well. There is more to this than minimum wage.

     Dona and I went to the movies and the price of a ticket went up a quarter. I ask why they said minimum wage. After the movie we went to a steak house the steak we usually eat went up by a dollar and again the reason was minimum wage. I do not believe minimum wage was responsible for the size of the increase. It is like the price of gasoline there were many reason or excuses why it went up, but the real reason I believe is profit..more cash money in their pockets.

     The following was written by a friend of mine, J. C. Knowles

North Carolina lost a Giant

Dr. William Dallas Herring, 90, of Rose Hill, North Carolina went to his heavenly home on January 5, 2007.

His accomplishments in life stand on their own and North Carolina can be proud that a man like Dr. Herring came along when he did. Governor Terry Sanford said, "Dr Herring was North Carolina's greatest spokesman for education in the 20th Century." Martin Lancaster, head of the State's Community College system said, "Dr. Herring was North Carolina's renaissance man, the closest thing we have ever had to Thomas Jefferson."

I visited in Dr. Herring's home several time and had lunch with him of several occasions.

He was a man that was easy to talk with, ever comfortable in his presence. He will be greatly missed.

I question the idea of having a highway marker in Rose Hill directing travelers attention to this great North Carolinian. I am told a person must be dead for twenty-five years before any consideration can be given for a highway marker. What a shame! Of course, there are other ways of honoring Dr. Herring and I intend to pursue them.

My take: Dr. Herring was one of the nicest persons I have ever met. I have two books he wrote and autographed to me, which I will always treasure.

This is from J. C. Knowles January 15, 2007 weekly newsletter "NC Soap Box".SOG

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January 8, 2007

     I don't know what is going on with these boards & such. The county Commissioners, the board of education and the school superintendent all seem to be, well that is just it.what? Remember the old Indian saying when the Politicians said one thing and did another. "Somebody talks with forked tongue." I think we wanted to believe one thing and something entirely different happened.

     I can tell you what it looks like to me. Duplin's board of education hired a new school superintendent from outside our area. During the interview he put the right answers the questions. He talked of making changes and getting Duplins' school on the right track. This is something all of Duplin citizens would be proud of. He was unemployed at the time. Salaries were talked over and he accepted a lower salary than he received at his last job. He came from what some would call a sophisticated county to our redneck county. Being well educated and experienced he probably saw a wide open rural county whose people would do about anything to help get their children properly educated. The people of the county were not rich, but were proud and would sacrifice for their children.

     This proposed healer of schools duped the BOE first. The BOE desperately wanted to see good things happen. The county commissioner and board of education wanted so badly for good things to happen they did not ask all the questions they should have asked. They took for granted what each board wanted what the other board wanted. These wants and desires had been discussed for years. With both boards believing they were on the same track, a lot of assuming was going on.

     I am not saying this is the exact way it was, but it is what it looks like to folks who do not have psychic abilities, but do have the newspapers, recorded disc and word of mouth.

      This new savior of schools guy comes into our redneck country and is given a million dollars. Actually he is given some over 2 million dollars, but the other money was designated to be spent on facilities. The extra million was well, lets look. This guy just took a salary cut from his last paying job and do you reckon he looks around and thinks, I am going to get me a part of this million. BOE has hired some new administration folks as well, so to keep the old and new administration employees loyal to the new guy a good size supplement was added to their pay checks too. To try and make this crazy money passing out slip by the BOE, a teacher supplement was added. Everyone knows good school teachers need more pay and less teacher homework. BOE members were still in the clouds believing that new and great school stuff was about to happen and they over looked or were too trusting when the numbers came around. The fine details were not checked as closely as they should have been on this new administrative supplement. The story of all these outrageous administration supplements came out in the newspapers. People read them and did not believe what they were reading. They had believed their hard earned money was being spent on school buildings. Yet, another story came out about those monster salary increases in the administrative offices. John Q. Public was in disbelief and asked questions of the money givers, which were the county commissioners.

     The county commissioners asked the superintendent to come to the January 2, 2007 meeting. The commissioners were hoping to get an explanation about the extraordinary high supplements going to the school administration so they could pass the WHY on to the citizens. It did not work that way. The new superintendent sent a letter stating $35,000 was to be spent for a new painter, $190,000 was to be budgeted for pressure washing and painting buildings and $775, 000 was budgeted for supplements. Indications were he believed the information in the letter and the report in the Duplin Times Newspaper was adequate and finance officer Carolyn Olivarez was not going to be at the meeting.

     However, things changed a little. The superintendent came to the meeting and told the commissioners he had sent a paper stating what the money was spent for and if they wanted a line by line item of what was spent they should get the county accountant to meet with the BOE account. He then said it was the first day of school and he had some work to do and walked out of the meeting room.

     He did not say it, but in my opinion he must have been thinking as he was walking. "You dumb rednecks, I am a highly educated professional and I am not going to spend my time in here trying to explain things to you which you are not capable of comprehending or understanding". I feel sorry for us all.

     About a week before the release of the report on what the million dollars was spent for. I was visiting at a couple of country stores and folks were talking. I remarked that the commissioners should say what they wanted the money spent for and I almost got thrown out of the store. Everyone said "The school board knows more about where the money should be spent and they should decide where to spend it. After the list of supplements and salaries of the school administration came out every one of those folks that I have seen since then have said the money should have been earmarked.

     As for teacher supplements, if Duplin raises their supplements $2,000.the rich counties will just raise their supplements another $2,000. And we will be where we were before. Lets Face it Duplin can not keep up with the rich counties. Our best bet is to have a better system and that can be done with out spending the county broke.

     The commissioners and the school board jumped on the wagon a little early and now that have to stand solid to save face. They have made a mistake and now can not publicly admit it. Board of Education member Reginald Kenan, said at the last commissioner meeting "We asked the county to give us the discretion to spend the money in a wise way. We all have to gel together and trust each other to do our jobs. It's time to stop this bickering amongst ourselves," he said. "It's gone on long enough, and it's hurting the county. We need to set aside our personal agendas and do what's right for this county." I think this is the problem right now; the commissioners did give money with no strings and now find they made a mistake. What a wonderful time it would have been if it had been spent like folks thought it would be.

     I, on the other hand am always on Duplin County's side. Duplin is one of the best counties in the state. I believe it is the best in the state, but I know some will argue with me, so I will go along with "one of" for now. We just need leaders who join together and help make it so. Also I think we need to start looking for a new superintendent, one who likes small rural schools. We pay in greenbacks just like any other county and we do not have to take rejects from other counties. It seems to me this is the second time we got shown a pretty picture on which the ink faded. SOG

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January 1, 2007

     I don't care what anyone says or what anyone is afraid to say. We got screwed in this school supplement deal. You might ask why I used the word "screwed". The main reason I used it is because my editor would not have printed the "F" word. You may ask why I did not use something like "pulled the wool over our eyes"? Pull the wool over our eyes is too polite. I feel we were "violated" not just mislead and that wool statement would not show that. The commissioners did the greasing part of the act when they gave the school board $1 million dollars that popped up from a swept and wiped clean empty treasurer. The school board or school administration pushed it on in on us when they assigned $775,000 of that money into supplements and most of that went to administration. That greasing and pushing in got us a 3 cent tax increase for year after year.

     We have heard and read about how badly our schools needed repairs and supplies. Did you know some school students had to take toilet paper from home to use at school, because the school did not have paper in the restrooms this is a small problem, but it shows how broke the schools are? We heard how low on cash the county was. The commissioners fretted because they did not have sufficient amount of money to give county employees a raise in pay.

     We heard about short comings in every department, but EMS. EMS had lots of money in their budget. EMS seems to be the commissioner's funding favorite. They told EMS they were funding all EMS ask for, however they did not have the cash to fill their promises, but would cut someone else off to fund EMS if necessary. These are just a few of the problems that were thrown at us when the commissioners were trying to justify a tax increase.

     We all had hopes of two new commissioners after the elections and that set us off smiling and bout filled us with hope. We read and heard rumors of a new school superintendent being hired. The information on the street, email and around was this person was coming to Duplin County to take a job paying a lot less than the last job he was let go from. Everyone was excited as our schools desperately needed a new kind of help. We were excited because we believed someone was coming to help us who was more interested in education than money. Many of our schools were getting bad reports from the North Carolina Education Commission. We were graduating students who were not properly educated. We had lower grade schools that were not performing up to par. New personnel came and we believed our schools would rise to the level we expected, we would not let anyone make derogatory remarks about the new superintendent. It was almost like a country church revival. A hallelujah, hand clapping event. Recently the county commissioners were fumbling around during one of their Executive Secret Sessions meetings and found a million extra dollars they did not previously know they had. They had to have misplaced it at one of those behind closed door meetings or we could have seen it coming at an open meeting and we did not. I don't know just how they found a million dollars after all that looking they were doing at tax rate setting time. I would vision that during one of those secret meetings when they suppose to be talking about personnel they were discussing money and one of the commissioners was lazing around looking the funnies in a "Mad" magazine and someone knocked at the door. The commissioner was startled and accidentally slipped a million dollar note between the pages of "Mad" magazine and forgot it.

     A few weeks back the commissioners were relaxing and fumbling in that same room and one member was looking through that "Mad" magazine and that million dollar note fell out. The million dollar note was passed around and they all were smiling at the new found money and one probably said "Hey! Let's give it to the schools. That would make us lots of good points with the voters, and the schools need some fixing up anyway." So there was great to do about giving a million dollars to the schools. And we would like to say " and everyone lived happy there after." That did not happen though. We got the information on how it was spent and everyone fell back into that dark, drab and dreary depression.

     The million dollars was spent as follows: $35,000. budgeted for the salary of an additional panter. $190,000. budgeted for power washing and painting contracts for the buildings. $775,000. budgeted for salary supplements for all personnel to bring them to the state level. Administration salaries may be state level, but they seemed to be outrageous in Duplin County as compared to county salaries. An example.The School Maintenance Director is paid more than the County Manager or the Sheriff.

     I have talked to several teachers who told me they were happy to get the salary increase, but they would have rather seen all the money spent on the schools.

     We have heard about high supplements to keep teachers. I ask about that too and got negative responses to that from teachers. One county that joins our borders give a supplement check of a little over $700. a year. They tell me they have the same problems Duplin has and supplement is not the answer. I talked with some in a county that pays in the neighborhood of what we pay now and they too said they had the same problems as Duplin has. I was also told every county has the black teacher problem and a supplement does not work there either. Best suggestion I have heard here is to give talented black youngsters who want to be teachers some money to help out in college with a clause saying they would have to come back to Duplin and teach for so many years after they graduate or pay the money back. Back to my opening lines and the screwed part. The $775,000 spent for supplements. This will cost us about a 3 cent tax increase. That is right this new salary for the administrators and teachers will cost tax payers another 3 cents. Everyone is talking tax cuts and this money given to the schools with no strings attached will amount to about a 3 cent tax increase, and I feel violated because I believed we were on a citizens relief campaign and when we were not looking we got shafted - ouch..SOG

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December 25, 2006

     The story of Grandma's House in last week's column shut down before I told you of a special gift she gave me. Grandma was a beautiful woman and I do not mean beautiful like a Hollywood pinup model. I mean like a grandma. She stood about five and a half feet tall, she was rounding in the middle, grey hair put up in a bun and pinned to the back of her head. Her face had a smile on it most of the time. That smile extended to her eyes and when she looked directly at me, she made me feel as I was the most important person in the world and her love put a protective shield around me. My mom had that same characteristic of making me feel important. Grandma was less strict than mom. Mom wanted me to learn the right things and be educated. Grandma believed earthly things were more important and put less emphasis on being strict. An example is a gift grandma gave me one year. My uncles smoked "roll your own" cigarettes, corncob pipes, and even chewed tobacco and dipped snuff at times. Uncles being uncles, they would roll me a cigarette at times even though I was way too young to be smoking. I would light it and puff away on it. They thought it was cute or funny for a while. I thought it was grown up like. Uncles being uncles would also think being a little mean at times was funny. I was puffing and puffing on the cigarettes they would prepare for me, never inhaling. They got tired of rolling my cigarettes and made me roll my own. It seems I could never get the right amount of tobacco in the paper, or crease the paper right. Once I rolled it and licked the edge of the paper I would leave too much spit or slobber. Thus the pitiful looking excuse for a rolled cigarette would tear and my tobacco would start to fall out. I would get another cigarette paper to put around the one that was moist and tearing. Most of the time two papers would work, but sometimes it would take three. Now when I would light that over papered cigarette it might catch fire and flair up. The paper that is, not the tobacco. It was like putting a match to a wad of paper. My uncles "Bud & Pete" would laugh at me for not inhaling. They would call me a sissy. I tried swallowing the smoke and belching it up. This of course caused loads of laughing from them. I finally inhaled, and liked to coughed my head off. One would think I should get a clue from that and stop trying, but not me. I kept on doing it until it became as easy as breathing. It took about twenty years before I figured how bad it was and quit.

     Grandma knew of Bud & Pete's antics and probably laughed with them some times. She got me even with them, by giving me a store bought package of "Lucky Strike" cigarettes. I was too young to have cigarettes, most especially to smoke them. Bud & Pete looked at my gift with envy. I had cigarettes that were already rolled and smoothly rolled at a factory. Grandma made me the most important person around, a proud feeling I carried for a long time. I felt I was almost grown. My parents did not like it and would have taken my cigarettes away. I smoked all I could and traded the rest to Bud & Pete for future favors before I went home.

     This past Christmas, just a few days back. I got several jogging suits. Around the house I wear a blue cotton like jogging suit which is about thread bare. Donna will not allow me to wear the jogging suit out of the house. Sometimes I slip out when she is not watching. With the new Christmas gifts, the givers have over ruled her for the time being. I can now go outside with the loose fitting jogging apparel and feel comfortable. Both gifts were something maybe I ought to not have had, but they made me feel good.


     In case you do not know. The son of Son of a Gun and wife Donna Lanier, Jimmy Russell Lanier was killed in an auto accident this past Thursday near Wilmington. According to the NC Highway Patrol he was driving on Castle Hayne road when the vehicle ran off the road and into a utility pole. Jimmy was 49 years old and indications are that he had a heart attack while driving. He was buried at Devotional Gardens Cemetery near James Kenan High School this past Saturday.

     I was told by a good friend to, Lean on the Lord Joe and not on your own understanding, for we cannot understand. Another friend told me that 49 years may sound short and one hundred years may sound long, but when compared to eternity is it like a snap of the finger.

     A new year will begin in just a few days. It does not explain away the past, but it gives us a bench mark to begin anew with. SOG

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December 18, 2006

     Merry Christmas! It is time to draw your family around you like one of grandma's warm and comfortable quilts. Everyone squeezes and snuggles together to get under its magical spell. Nothing but smiles and love goes under that quilt.

     When I was a youngster Christmas had to be about love. No one had very much money and what they did have had to go toward living. There were a few gifts, and what ever was received was precious. People were the magic of the day. There was no TV and most of the entertainment was from stories told by family. When family gathered everyone wanted to get close and listen to what someone had done or a story they made up. It was all entertainment.

     I was in church Sunday and the preacher said people were light. I am not going into all he said, but he is right. People are light. A room lights up when people come in. The more that come in the brighter it becomes. Please remember that "people are light."

     Now let me tell you about going to grandma's house and the trip there was kind of like the song. We turned off the highway down a dirt road and bumped over some railroad tracks and onto the one way dirt road again. We took a left turn and drove for a while then there was a curve to the right and a slightly downward hill. There was a shallow creek running across the road at the bottom of that hill. We drove through the water as there was no bridge. Some years earlier someone had placed several logs in the creek to make the road bed solid and over the years the running waters had flushed sand over the logs and it appeared as it was just clear water running over the road. I am calling this a road; I guess it was more like a path and this story is about me sixty years ago. Over the creek or I suppose I should say through the creek and up a sand hill. The driver had to get some speed up after crossing the creek to get up that sand hill to keep from getting stuck in the sand.

     The house was one of those called a shotgun house. Standing at the front looking to the back there was a hall way on the right side and there were three rooms coming off from that hall. Then there was a kitchen at the end of the hallway. The sand hill stopped its upward venture just past the front porch, thus the rest of the house was on level ground, well kind of level. Everyone parked on the level ground. The trip up or down the hill was in sand and one could easily get stuck going up or going down. When it was time to leave everyone left at the same time. The reason being was so the "men folk" could help push those cars that got stuck down that sand hill.

     If I were fortunate enough to spend the night with grandma on one of those cold nights she would heat a water bottle and place it between the sheets on one of her soft feather beds. When bedtime came she would take me to that far off bed room. We would kneel beside the bed and say our "now you lay me down to sleep" prayer and she would add some words after that. Then she would turn that pile of quilts back and help me into that bed. The soft feather bed mattress would fold its self around me. It was so nice and warm as grandma covered me, kissed my cheek and smiled that smile that made me feel so loved. Everything so soft and warm and grandma smile made it complete. Her whole face smiled, mouth, eyes, cheeks, chin, forehead. As I closed my eyes that picture of grandma filled my head and kept every thing else out.

     Merry Christmas - God loves you. SOG

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December 11, 2006

     Duplins' new board of commissioners are trying too hard to be open and above board. At lease I hope that is what it is. The last meeting of the board it was suggested they meet before the official meetings and discuss that what was going to be discussed at the meeting.

     The new members are not familiar with all that has been going on or that which has been held back. The meeting was to bring the new members up to par on these items or matters. I personally think it is good they are not too familiar with the path laid out by those before them. It could be, the explanation of it all would blur the thoughts of the new members. The plans already thought up may be the best there is; however let us allow two new heads think on them before voting.

     You know meeting between meetings to clear up things could be looked upon once again as being sneaky. In fact this was stated by one commissioner at the meeting. Several were talking at the same time and no action was taken. I suppose the commissioners will think on this and dismiss it or bring it up at the next meeting. I for one think it should be dismissed. That is what the meetings are for, to figure things out. Not to pass or delete things that has already been discussed in private. It is a public meeting, or supposes to be.

     Many things were discussed at the meeting, but there is at least one other item that sounds like a children's discussion at the play ground. It seems there is a recommendation that the commissioners sign a paper of confidentiality. This would mean they could and would not discuss what ever may have been taken up in a secret meeting sometimes called an executive meeting. Thus what ever they talked about in that meeting could not be told to anyone. This is a bad idea in my opinion and I guess most folks would think I would say that as I am in the news business and want to know it all. I do want to know it all and tell it to the people who finance this government. Us tax payers do not always finance this government because we believe in what is going on, but because we are forced to do so. The tax payers are those who foot the bill and should be privy to what Duplin County's government is up to at all times.

     Next let's look at a thought or two about the commissioners in this confidentiality agreement. The commissioners may go into a meeting where one or two of the commissioners disagree whole heartily with the idea. They want to leave the meeting and tell the world how wrong the idea is that was discussed in the meeting. However, they are bound by their signed document that they can not tell. Thus if you are responsible enough to be a county commissioner, you are responsible enough to tell only what you think you should. I am not sure it is legal to sign such a deal anyway. If it is most any lawyer can get the commissioner out of it.

     I wonder what the punishment would be. Would he or she be banned from meetings other commissioners were to attend? Would the offender have to pay a fine? Would he or she be flogged in public? Would their elected term be cut short? Would they have to wear a sign saying they "disclosed confidentiality" and walk around and around the court house? This is another one of those notions that should be left on the play ground with the children.

      Personnel and some property deals are all that may need confidentiality anyway.


     I was at Mikes Tree Farm this past Saturday. The Studebaker club of which I am a member had a business meeting and car show there. Mikes Tree Farm is just across the Duplin County border. In my opinion one of the best things about Mikes place is the Country Ham Biscuits. The waitress brought me a small galvanized bucket filled with plain biscuits; some biscuits had been sliced open and had country ham slipped in them. She also set a syrup container filled with molasses down beside me. There was talk around the table, but my attention was on fixing my lunch. I smiled as I poured molasses in my plate. I uncapped a container of honey, poured it into the molasses and added a small dab of butter. I stirred all those ingredients together, got them sopping good. Picked up a fork, stirred that fork around in that Joe made sweetness and spread some of that sweet stuff on a biscuit. It was all I could do to keep that biscuit from jumping into my mouth before I got it spread good. Then it was biscuit, syrup, and coffee for a while. I went through two of those right quick. They were gooder than good. I took one of those country ham biscuits out of that bucket and that ham smell grabbed me like one of those invisible hands and I could not keep that country ham out of my mouth any longer. I bit into it and I knew right away it was "Westwater County Ham". Henry West's Westwater Country Ham is cured between my house and Kenansville and it is the best commercial country ham anywhere.

     I used a fork to put the molasses mixture on my biscuit, the reason I did not use a spoon is it would put too much at a time. I wanted the mixture on the biscuit edge not the inside. This taste brought back memories from a long long time ago, when I was a younger.

     There was one problem at the table. I had to keep my eye on that bucket of biscuits cause they were put on the table to serve several eaters and someone kept moving my bucket. It was a great weekend. Studebaker cars and trucks, Christmas trees, country ham biscuits and sopping molasses. I was one satisfied redneck when I went home. SOG

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December 4, 2006

     Two newly elected members to the Duplin County Board of Commissioners should be installed by the time you are reading this. They have been elected by the voters and sworn in under North Carolina law. I would like to say we have a new board, but in fact it is just two members. With hope in my heart I will watch this board and pray to see it take off in a new direction with what is best for Duplin County in mind.

     We have a weird make up of a board. Maybe I ought to have said a stupid make up of a board. We have a six member board which means it can be a do nothing board as tied votes stop any motion. This also allows members to smile, throw up their hands and say I tried. When in actually they kept that tie alive.

     What is needed is a five member board or maybe a seven member board. You can't hide behind a tie with an uneven board. It will make a commissioner show his or her true vote and the public can more easily associate each member to the vote. I personally would prefer a five member board. Motions and reasons can be kind of lost in a board with lots of members, but seven is better than six.

     Christmas is less than 20 days off and New Years is just around the corner from that. Some commissioners are putting together what could be called a Christmas wish list and a New Years resolution as well. It is a list of things they would like to investigate and attempt to do, undo or change. Voters as well as the commissioners are putting forth ideas or suggestions. These are not things that are going to happen, just things that will be considered.

     A few of the things they are reportedly looking into is the next budget and it is to fit into the 77 cent tax rate. Other things will be that a hiring freeze be placed on all departments and when employees leave, shift responsibilities of their jobs to other employees. Some adjustments to this no hiring policy will find its way into public safety such the Sheriffs Department and EMS.

     A Tourism Board could be set up with members from the tourism industry in DC. This board would hire its own director. The board would be asked to look after The Events Center, Cabin Lake, Parks and Recreation, Arts Council, Cowan Museum and perhaps others. The Tourism Board would look for private enterprises to offset operations cost with naming rights, sponsorships or even leasing.

     The outside consultant contract with Duplin Events Center which is costing Duplin County $6,000.00 plus a month may be canceled.

     Changes may be made in the Economic Development Department to allow it to be a non profit corporation, private enterprise etc. At present time it has the most outstanding grants person in Southeastern North Carolina.

     Investigate ways to reestablish the volunteer departments, survey and review the EMS services and locations.

     Change the Solid Waste tax from $90.00 to $45.00 a year. Investigate the best way for Duplin County to handle its landfill waste. To honestly survey the possibility of a DC landfill and what would be best for DC..HONESTLY.

     Form a Fire Department Board with members being Fire Chief's from each DC Fire Department and the county manager. Investigate advantages and disadvantages of leasing county vehicles. Investigate the possibilities of private businesses operateing DC's government services.

     These are just a few of the suggestions and ideas that are finding their ways to the commissioners and I have not included explanations behind the suggestions, so please do think about what the realities would be and pass your thoughts on.

     I have written several times that Duplin employees need salary increases. The commissioners have given them the odor of an increase. Like you would smell the odor from a freshly brewed cup of coffee, but did not get any to drink. The small increase they did get relates to something like that.

     Guess what? Duplin County has no health inspectors. The inspectors have been hired away to other counties who do pay better salaries. When you go into a restaurant, school lunch room or any eating place look on the wall and see what the grade is. Then look at the date when it was inspected. There are no eating establishment inspectors in our county. These employees informed our county commissioners they had better offers, but they would stay here if the commissioners would pay an equal amount that was offered. As we have no inspectors I suppose you can guess what the commissioners said. Let's keep a close eye on what happens here.

     These inspectors are not the only employees to leave for better pay. The Health Department, EMS, and Sheriff Department all loose employees quite often because of low pay. Most professionals are ashamed to tell other out of county professionals where they work, because everyone knows the low pay scale in Duplin County was set afloat on a corn cob in a hog lagoon and no one wants to wade out and get it and fix it. SOG

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November 27, 2006

     Ever hear of Clark Byers? What about Garnet Carter? I did not know the names either, but I do know about what they did.

     I have been in the sigh business for thirty or more years. First I painted with a brush and later I let a computer do most of the work. Things really got rolling when the computer came on the scene. Computers have changed so many things . after a statement like that you should see . DUH.

     I was at a sign mans place near Dunn a week or two ago and we were talking about the sign business of the past. His father was a sign painter and he has photos of his dad panting signs back in the 30's or maybe even in the 20's. I was having a great time looking at pictures of vehicles, sign boards and buildings his dad lettered. My friend went to the back room and brought out a book titled "Rock City Barns" "A passing era". He gave me the book and I have been through it, reading the story and looking at the pictures. I learned some things and am going to pass some of my reading on.

     David B. Jenkins is the writer and photographer. His book informed me and set my brain on a trip of my past. I remember seeing those barns painted with the "See Rock City" signs. Clark Byers was the sign painter and Garnet Carter is the fellow who owned Rock City and set Byers to work painting barn tops.

     Clark Barnes painted so many barns that no one knows just how many was painted. The deal was if the farmer allowed Byers or his crew to pant the Rock City Message on the barn they would paint the entire barn roof black. In the beginning the painters used lamp black and linseed oil to mix the black paint, and once it was on it stayed on. Some of the advertising slogans were painted on barn sides or a combination of both the roof and barn side.

      I remember reading those signs for years as a child, they intrigued me and caused me to want to go and see that place called Rock City. My child brain came up with many different ideas of what it would look like. There were no TV's in those days. There were radios and several songs about Chattooga, Tennessee and when I heard Chattooga I thought about Rock City. There's still a few of those signs around today. When the book was started in 1994 there were believed to be around 85 or so left, but I think I remember he found some over a hundred.

     The owner of Rock City was Garnet Carter. He was the developer and owner. The books writer David B. Jenkins called him "a freewheeling, cigar-smoking entrepreneur". Carter was developing a 300 acre subdivision. His wife Frieda Carter was putting together Rock City as her kind of nature garden.

     Carter was the inventor of miniature golf. The stock market crash of 1929 put a stop to the building boom of the 20's, and Carters fortunes took a downward turn. He sold the golf franchise for a goodly sum and invested most of that in U.S. Steel stock at $298 a share; however US Steel stock price dropped $30 a share shortly after he bought it.

     This is when Carter turned his attention to his wife's garden. Where he improved, expanded and added to. Rock City opened May 21, 1932. The nation was in a depression and only a few over eighteen hundred visitors came the first year.

     In 1936 or 1937 the barn signs See Rock City began to appear. The joining of Byers and Carter and the barn painting campaign the attendance numbers increased to half a million yearly. Byers was getting $40 a sign or barn.

     I have just touched on a few highlights of the book and did not completely explain all of what I did touch on. I do not know the price of the book, but it is worth reading. If I did not have it I would buy it. SOG

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November 20, 2006

     Thanksgiving is here and we have so much to be thankful for. No denying there are problems, but the good out weighs the bad by a whole load of collards, two bags of corn meal and a country ham. We have several grand holidays' right here near one another and they all talk of events that involve people.

     I just love Thanksgiving when family and friends gather around a table filled with good things to eat. I am aware that everyone does not love to eat the same things, but there is usually just the dish each one at the table does love and there is love, laughter, smiling and talking of good memories and future events. Happy times, in happy lives as we let the worlds problems stay outside for one day. Those problems will be right there waiting for us the next day, week, month and year. It is a love day, if you have bad or worrisome things to say, go to the toilet and holler them down the toilet hole. Let the children see the happiness and fun of the day, problems belongs down that toilet hole. I hope you are reading this and planning to do all you can to make Thanksgiving a happy day. Jealously, envy, spitefulness, hatefulness and just plain old meanness have no place on this day. Happy Thanksgiving and I plan to say that several times..

     We have had a fairly good election in Duplin County. The voters saw to it two of the gang of four will be sent home. In fact the first County Commissioner meeting in December will be their last. Two years from now and a few days before Thanksgiving I hope we can finish the replacement job on that board.

     In the next election it may be a good idea to replace some folks on the school board. We will be looking at some of those folks as the two years move along.

     The NAACP has done some good things, but their efforts in regards to Duplin County Schools seem backwards..it makes no sense to me.

     If you look at the studies made by the state education folks there are problems in the Warsaw schools. The NAACP is asking for more black teachers to be hired. Apparently the NAACP does not care how good a teacher may be, just that black. In my opinion the NAACP along with everyone else should be yelling at the top of their voices to get better teachers or train the present ones new ways.

     The latest ABC/AYP test scores are lower again. Testing coordinator Kim Harvell said in regards to the test scores "What they are trying to do is make sure a child is getting a full year of growth for a full year of instruction." This is a good thing to me. Now for the latest test scores.check them closely.

The percentage of students achieving grade level proficiency:

B.F. Grady Elementary -- 69.7 percent - Beulaville Elementary -- 70.9 percent
Charity Middle -- 55.7 percent - Chinquapin Elementary -- 72.0 percent
* Warsaw Elementary -- 50.4 percent - E.E. Smith Middle -- 59.9 percent
East Duplin High -- 71.0 percent - * James Kenan High -- 48.6 percent
Kenansville Elementary -- 71.3 percent - North Duplin Elementary -- 63.7 percent
North Duplin Jr. Sr. High -- 68.8 percent - R H-Magnolia Elem -- 55.7 percent
Wallace Elementary -- 73.9 percent -Wallace Rose-Hill High -- 64.2 percent
* Warsaw Middle -- 50.0 percent - Duplin County Public Schools -- 63.12 percent

Check out the lowest percentages and you will see the lowest ones run the Warsaw School District complete. The pattern is as clear as foot prints in the snow. Warsaw Schools need help to help their children. I personally do not care what color the teacher or principle is, they can be black, brown, yellow, red, or white just so they are of a type that will cause a youngster to want to learn. You know the old saying that "you can lead a horse to water but you can not make him drink". I have seen it tried and he will only drink only when he is thirsty not when you want him too and you can not force him to. Same is for education, you can not make them learn, and we need teachers who approach teaching it in a way that will make the child want an education.

     If you want to be even more embarrassed about our schools check out how the test is graded. Check this.if a child gets one third of the answers correct he is at grade level. The new test wants the student to get half the answers correct. So if the child answers 50 percent of the questions correctly he gets 100. If he answers 25 percent of the questions he gets 50 which is passing. Did you understand that? Read it again to be sure.

     There are folks who want the USA to build a fence along the Canadian border? Not because it may be needed, but if a fence is built at the Mexican border (which is useless), the Canadian may be insulted because a fence was not built along their border. We got to treat everyone alike; this is so dumb it should not be printed.

     I am also confused about this illegal aliens stuff too. Why is there so much fuss and why are some folks defended the illegal. The simple thing is to do is let the illegal's go through the riggers to become legal's.

     A few weeks back I was at Terry Futrell's store which is near BF Grady School. Some hunters were discussing or telling tales about hunting. They were hunting with black powder rifles. These were the kind of guns used by the pilgrims. You pour black powder down the barrel, put in a wad of chewed paper and then a round lead shot and pack it all down with a stick. Once you have all that completed you put a firing cap under the hammer and it is ready to fire or shoot.

     This all reminded me of my school days and my first grade reader and the pictures of pilgrims going out to shoot the Thanksgiving turkey. These hunters at Terry's said, in the early morning while the dew is still around and close to the ground. When one of those black powder guns is fired it looks like a tunnel of smoke going from that gun barrel for quarter of a mile across the field. You can tell a black powder gun man from the burns beside his face. These guys were also questioning the old stories of Davie Crocket , Daniel Boone and others out shooting the Indians with black powder guns. They seem to think an Indian could shoot three or more arrows while a hunter or soldier could load and shoot a black powder gun.

Hope your Thanksgiving is great and your meal is even better. SOG

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November 13, 2006

     Son of a Gun It seems the law could not or was too political involved to or just simply did not want to, so the voters did it. When people ask what happened in this past election, no matter if it was county, state or national, I think the answer is "voters are tired of corruption and/or the appearance of corruption". I think it was not a Democrat Party movement or a Republican Party non-movement. I believe it was a people movement looking for an honorable political environment. I hope those elected can maintain their belief whether it would be popular in the ranks or not. Those remaining in power will try and cuddle up to the newly elected and do their thinking for them. I ask that you new political representatives continue to do your own thinking. You were not elected to continue the old plan. We want a new one.

     I read a column in one of the financial papers saying that wars are about money. Not religion or freedoms, but money. That was a hateful thing to say, but if we could get to the very bottom of the cause it may be closer to the truth than I would like.darn it.


     I suppose most of you have read or heard about the trial of Duplin's EMS mess. I, for one think Duplin County citizens got slam-dunked at that trial. I assume you already know about some of Duplin County's commissioners and employees trying to push Johnston Ambulance Company out of Duplin and taking over Johnston's business. Duplin's government ruling folks were trying to get Coastline Care Ambulance Service to join them in pushing JAS out of the county. One of Coastlines officials had the good sense to secretly record the meeting so there would be no question about what was going on. Coastline rejected the idea in February and turned their information over to officials. Charges were finally filed on EMS director Curtis Brock and part time employee Barbara Coman. Coman was a former employee of JAS and used her knowledge to get into the JAS computer and retrieve JAS company information for Brock.

     When the plan, which was reportedly concocted by some or all of Duplin's commissioners along with Curtis Brock, was implemented, Coman would be given a job with a salary of over $55,000.00 as a supervisor. County Commissioner Larry Howard's voice was easily recognized on that secretly recorded tape.

     These people entered into this illegal plan under the good name of Duplin County. They were ready to do things that were against the law in the name of Duplin County and they got caught in the planning stages.

     In Duplin County court last week both defendants were found guilty. Coman pled guilty of computer trespassing. Her attorney, Joe Zeszotarski of Raleigh, said." She made a mistake at the direction of her supervisor, and she's doing what she can to correct it," Coman's sentencing was held up until after she testifies at the Brock trial.

     Coman has been cooperating with officials since the crime was reported.

     Brock was found guilty to two counts, one of illegally accessing computers and one of computer trespassing Judge Rodney Goodman, sentenced him to 30 days in the Duplin County jail, but suspended the sentence for one year. He also fined Brock $200 and ordered him to pay court costs. However, Brock's attorney, Bob Rice filed an appeal. The case will be heard by a jury in Superior Court at a later date.

     To me this is no punishment for a really dishonorably bad crime. If it were a baseball game this minimal punishment would be equal to an intentional walk. The labor cost for cleaning up the court room for that one day cost more than the court thought the crime was worth. This was our trusted elected officials cheating and having others cheat right in front of us. They seem to have no shame and are rubbing our faces in the fact they can get away with it. The citizens of Duplin County were wronged by this sneaky mess. The only person in this mess that might not have known the depth of the wrongness was Coman. The rest of the crowd needs to end up with enough punishment to deter others from doing criminal acts under the name of Duplin County and I'm not just speaking of Mr. Brock. The population of Duplin County is over 50,000 and each one of those 50,000 people were insulted and wronged by that minimum amount of punishment from our court.

     The best thing I can say about this is the voters were not fooled by the sneaky way those involved were trying to get away with this and other miss deeds. In two years there will be another election and some more will be sent home.if the law enforcement people will not do correct these miss deeds, the voters will do it and some of those law folks will go too.

     There is to be another trial in Superior Court, perhaps our insurance lawyer will consider the trial more important than his time spent here. I assume he was anxious to get back to his office and spend as few dollars possible. This may be good for his company, but we want justice. If our only desire was for money, this trial would never have happened. SOG

     It is time to change your doctor if your Prozac comes in different colors with little "M's" on them.

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November 6, 2006

     I, along with your great, great, great and some more great grand children want to thank you for voting Tuesday, no matter who you voted for. Just the fact that you made the effort and took the time to vote makes you a hero in my book.

     I fear if we continue to ignore our duty to vote, we will lose it. We have drive in and drive up food places, drive in dry cleaners, drive up banks and in fact just about anything you want to do there is a drive up window for it. We also got the internet on which we can do about anything. We do not have to make an effort to do it, just drive by or do it on the internet by cell phone. Things that take an effort to do like voting and church, little by little we are ignoring. The numbers of people doing those things are declining. I fear that one day we are going to wake up and someone is going to say "wasn't this suppose to be vote day?" There is going to be a discussion about whether is was or not and then someone is going to say "I remember when this was the most important day of the year . why we would stand in lines just to get to vote for the person we thought would so the most good". Another fellow will say "yes those were the good old days; we had the freedom to do as we wanted to. Now days in this slave like society someone tells us all what to do, when to do and the privileges we will earn for doing it". So once again I say thank you for voting Tuesday.


     Most of you know I'm a Studebaker buff. I just sold two of my Studebakers and have two left. The two I now own is a 1953 Studebaker coup and a 1983 Avanti. The Studebaker Company closed down the last of the 1960's, but a Studebaker dealer out of Chicago bought the rights to build the Avanti. Right now the Avanti's are being manufactured in Georgia; however I got notice this past month the company is building a manufacturing facility in Mexico. It is of course no longer a Studebaker of old. New federal highway laws will no longer allow many of the old manufacturing ways to exist. Headlights, exhaust systems, and gas tanks are a few of the items which the old way of building is no longer allowed. The designs can no longer be as they were, but I am getting away from my tale of woe.

     There was a Southeastern North Carolina Studebaker Club meeting a few weeks back at St. Lewis, North Carolina and I was going. St. Lewis is out from Wilson in the direction of Greenville. For those of you who buy used parts for trucks and farm equipment it is near Jim Bo Greens place.

     That morning I was off to Rose Hill to eat breakfast at the Rose Hill Restaurant. Donna and our daughter Gwen were headed for Topsail for the weekend.

     When I cranked the Avanti it seemed to idle a little high. I tapped the accelerator with my foot and it slowed down. When I parked at the RHR it was idling a little fast. I just turned the key to off and went into the restaurant. I sat at the information table. This is a table where talkers and know it alls sit. I consider myself one of the bunch. I sat beside a fellow I had never seen before. We talked some and I discovered; he was from Greensboro and was here to go fishing that morning and deer hunting in the afternoon. He was gong with a Duplin County fellow who knew where and when to go for results. As we talked I thought he was a pretty savvy guy. Guess what he did for a living . he was a plastic surgeon. His specialty was fixing, enlarging, sliming down and enhancing boobs. Wow, I thought to myself, this is starting out to be a great day. You meet all kinds of interesting folks at the RHR. I spent most of my breakfast time in awe and envy. The smoothness and softness of my thoughts were clouding my normal thoughts. The Avanti and I headed out for St Lewis. The idling was still a little fast when I cranked it, but I thought I am getting on the highway and will be driving at 55 MPH so a little high idling will make no difference.

     I stopped for the traffic light just before the bridge near Goldsboro. The idling was higher than at anytime before. I tapped the accelerator and it sped up. I tapped it again and it sent still faster. I could hardly hold it back with the brakes it was going so fast. Now I began to become uneasy. I pressed down on the accelerator hard and it did not come back up. The motor was whining loudly. There were cars on my right, my left as well as in front of me and behind me. I thought if I switched it off I probably would never get it cranked again and I would cause a traffic jam and might get run over if I got out. I thought that I could not do anything while holding one foot on the brake. I tried to move the gear shifter to neutral. I was nervous and moved it past neutral into reverse. The Avanti jerked backwards, I pressed the brake harder and tried moving the gear shift again. Once again I missed the neutral and it went into forward, the tires squealed as the Avanti lurched forward. I pressed even harder on the brake. I looked to the car beside me, but he seemed not to be paying attention. I tried the gear shift again and got it right this time. The engine sounded like an airplane trying to take off. I was confused as what to do. I decided to unbuckle my seat belt and reach down and see if I could pull the accelerator up to slow down the engine. When I reached down the floor rug was all over the top of it and in the way. I though, what am I going to do. That roaring engine was causing my thinking to blink off and on. I reached down again this time I tried pulling on the rug and it moved off the accelerator and to my amazement and disbelief the engine slowed right down to normal. The rug was holding the accelerator down. All this happened over about a minute or so. I looked up and the traffic light just turned green as my engine slowed down to normal. I sat up and drove off like nothing had happened. It may have a minute in reality, but it seemed like half an hour to me.

     I breathed a sigh of relief and went to St Lewis with no more auto problems. After that ordeal I took highway 111 out of Goldsboro to St Lewis. The scenery was marvelous. There was very little traffic and the pavement was smooth, the trees leaves were turning to brilliant fall colors, the sun was shining bright, the sky was blue with a few white clouds lazily moving around. The cotton fields were white, the farm houses were clean, the lawns were mowed it was just a pretty day. I slowed my speed to 40 MPH and enjoyed the sights.

     At the Studebaker meet there were about 30 cars, it was a great afternoon meet. Still yet every once in a while my eyes would see something that would cause my mind to wander back to that Surgeon at the Rose Hill Breakfast table.SOG

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October 30, 2006

     If you buy a lottery ticket you will have a chance of winning even though the odds may be in the millions to one. If you do not vote in this election you will loose with no chance of winning. Not only will you lose more of your tax money, but you will loose prospects of improving your county. The incumbents (those already in office) are hopeful that you will stay home and not vote. As a rule, the fewer people who vote in these off season elections make the odds the better for those already in office to keep their positions.

     This election is called an off season election or something like that and what it means is there is no big national candidates such as the president on the ticket to bring people to the voting poles. The vote numbers show that those voting will be less than a third of those who will vote in the national election. That being the case, your single vote at this election will be the same as 3 or 4 votes in the main election two years from now. So vote while your vote is so powerful.

     The two county commissioners up for election this year are Arliss Albertson and Larry Howard. I believe both needs to go home and tend a garden where their decisions will affect only themselves.

     Don't let the county commissioners make fools of you for another four years. All you have to do is go to the poles and vote to change things. Our schools are failing our children and that means we are failing our children education. We can make a difference by voting to change things. What makes a difference, like it or not is money and our tax money makes things work. Duplin County's present board of Commissioners have sent less and less of the collected tax money each year to Duplin's Schools.

     Our EMS system is in such a mess that some or all of the commissioners have attempted illegal things to try and fool us. A commissioner whose voice is easily recognized on that tape, which was secretly recorded, says he is not going to a meeting between the county's insurance company attorneys and the ambulance company attorney's. The meeting is an attempt to straighten some of the mess out so operations can get back to normal. Know why he says he is not going? He said he would look guilty if he went. This is the guy who everyone has heard him saying the ambulance company made him look like a fool. I think he believes he can have his pants pulled up before those who voted for him can figure out where that brown stuff came from. When some people believe they are better than other people the best job for them is in a home garden working the dirt all by themselves.

     Trash talk is what we got and apparently what the commissioners' love. Duplin County has a trash problem and has had one for several years. Duplins Commissioners who dressed down to be on the same level as the county's trash collection site employees, have been running about the county waving imaginary signs with NO painted on those make believe signs when anyone mentions any thing about disposing of trash.

     A few years back, a man came to Duplin with a plan to build a new type of incinerator to burn the trash and debris. Some folks said it would not work. The man said he would build the plant with his money at no cost to the county. If it did not work the county would loose nothing. If it did work he would sell it to the county or he would keep it himself and burn the trash for the county at a price. Some ladies from the Calypso area told the commissioners they looked it up on the internet and it did not work in Alaska. The man said he would put up $150,000 in cash to insure he would not leave the county in any type of a bind if it did not work. The man would put up his money to build it, use his money to operate it and if it did not work he put $150,000 in the commissioners' hands to tear it down. By the way, this incinerator was to be located in the same area as the present landfill near Rose Hill.

     I never will forget what one of the commissioners said and he is not running this time, he is a professional minister who I assume ask his congregation to believe in something they can not see or touch. This commissioner said" if it sounds too good to be true it usually is not true". These were the preachers' words. He and the rest of the commissioners voted against the proposal, did not even give the man a chance to show what he could do. Then there was a proposal to build a landfill in an area out from Calypso in which the company who would build the landfill would pay Duplin County a several million dollars a year or more, plus give the county schools a million or so dollars. The commissioners voted that down as well or did not vote on it so it would go away. It is now in limbo with a possible law suit against the county for not being forthright on the matter. You can add the new landfill building to the extravagant spending by the commissioners. A building that would have not been needed if the commissioners would have listened to experienced landfill operators. These same Calypso ladies who did not want a landfill near Rose Hill now do not want one near Calypso.

     These are a few of the major problems the present board of commissioners created and rammed us into.

     I think it is time we all voted for HONEST and good MORAL leaders who do not operate just under the letter of the law, but support it all the way and will stand up for it and promote the legality of things.

     Donna and I have already voted, I did not want something to happen and we not vote. If the commissioners stay in office and laugh and make fun of folks it wont be us because we didn't vote..We VOTED You can vote too. Poles will open at 6:30am and close at 7:30pn on November 7. So there is plenty of time to do it.

     Warsaw will do their Veterans Day celebrating and honoring all veterans on November 11. Pay attention to who of the County Commissioners attend this day to honor our veterans. Everyone knows this day of honoring veterans happens each year and has been happening for 87 years.so no excuse of I didn't know.SOG

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October 23, 2006

     Vote counting time is not too many days away and the commissioners are running like some one with good case of diarrhea headed for a one hole outdoor toilet and are afraid they will not make it in time and are unaware there is no Sears Roebuck catalogue in that outhouse.

     They are trying to cover up their short comings at this late date hoping the press will write of their efforts, but are going about it wrong and putting Duplin County directly below that outdoor toilet hole. We all know what is coming through that hole.

     This past meeting they voted to give the board of education one million dollars and I want to shout hooray because Duplin County schools need help. I do not know of a single area in the schools that does not need help. Notice I said schools I did not include the administration.

     When the motion passed to give the BOE a million dollars my shoulders relaxed and fell a little as I breathed a "thank you breath". I smiled and looked down and closed my eyes thinking how wonderful this funding was. Maybe this has broken the hold out of funds and more of the much needed money will began flowing to the schools. I began thinking over what superintendent Dr. Doby had said about what new money was needed for and it came to me that the commissioners had not given any direction for the money to be spent. Best I can remember the BOE was not ask to come back and tell what they spent the money on. As desperately as they need money, I would want to know where it would be spent.

     One of the items spoken on was supplements to teachers. I do believe teachers should receive more pay, but teachers pay is a state obligation. Duplin County will never and let me repeat that "NEVER" be able to give teacher supplements equal to Mecklenburg or Wake County. I am concerned the county commissioners would give money to the BOE to increase BOE employees' salaries when DC employees pay is below everyone's base salary. If there is money available for anything, one of the first things that should be funded is the salaries of Duplin County employees. The million dollars to the BOE is one of those things the Commissioners are using to try to stop the diarrhea with. That million and much more is needed, but they were in such a rush they did not think it through, but not thinking is nothing unusual for that bunch. If we look behind them rather than in front of them we may see a vote getting plan. You don't suppose on this late date they were attempting to get the teachers vote, do you?

     As they were trying to get their pants unbuttoned and down while running to the toilet they skipped over some more facts and I said skipped not slipped. I am sure you are aware of the proposal to build a Hospice Center on land donated by Kim Quinn on Highway 24 on the Kenansville bypass. This too is a great program or project. One any of us may need. It is a project that has been on going for around eight months or more. A great deal of work has been done to make this project come true. As in about anything you try to do complications arise and there is never enough money. The project has not been let to bids and folks are estimating building cost will rise. However, there are other folks who say building cost will most likely come down as the New Year comes in. They were referring to the drop in the housing market and winter coming on. This is opinions not facts about the increase and the decrease.

     The project needs a letter from some source that water will be available when it is needed or when the facility opens. That someone seems to be Duplin County. As best I understand there are grants which will fund this water line cost which is between one and five hundred thousand dollars. The catch seems to be, the construction could not begin until the last of February 2007. The project committee is fearful that the building or construction cost will be higher if they wait until February and they seem to be pushing, crying and begging for that letter. Guess what? The commissioners agreed to give that letter even though they have no money to back it up with. They gave that letter without even knowing the cost of the water line project, but what ever the cost, the county does not have the money to pay for it. Waiting until February they would have meant a grant would pay for it. If they do everything just right even with the letter that obligates money they do not have, they still can not begin construction until February. Did you get that . it makes no difference if they have that letter from the county or not they still can't began construction before the last of February. What ever the construction cost went up I doubt if it would have been as much as what waterline will cost. However, I guess there are votes to be gained the way they did it.

     Four months back this same bunch of commissioners voted for a budget that would have taken a little over 17 cent increase in the tax rate to fund. The commissioners borrowed about 3.5 million from the reserves to keep from making Duplin citizens pay that 17 cents increase. They did increase it 3.5 percent and I guess we will pick up the rest of the 17 cents next year. These folks sure know how to make a debt for the tax payers to find the money to pay.

     The Hospice Center is a great project and I feel that it will happen no matter what funding comes from where. Getting in a hissie fit and going off half cocked will not help. Just be confident that it will happen. I'm confident it will, even if it has to wait until March to begin.

     Voting machines are open right now at the Elections office in Kenansville. Please help your county by voting and voting correct and take a friend.

     Herbert Hyde once remarked "I could have been a great politician if only I had started right. Unfortunately, my mother taught me to tell the truth". SOG

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October 16, 2006

     On Thursday of this week, which will be October 19 of 2006 we can begin voting. One Stop Absentee Voting will begin in Kenansville at the Elections Office from 9am until 5pm daily. The Election Office is located in a brick building beside E. E. Smith Middle School at the entrance to the school off Highway 24, 50.

     This means we can vote any day of the week, Monday thru Friday at the Election Office from 9 am until 5 pm. We do not have to wait until Election Day on November 7; we can do it right now. So, instead of just talking about it lets go and do it. I personally think we need to Dis-elect some folks and the only way we can do that is vote for someone else. It would be a great day's work if you and your neighbors would load up a car with your friends and visit Kenansville do your one stop voting at the election office and see the sights of Kenansville. If you are not too sure how you want to vote take a ride by the Duplin Commons to see where a big bundle of your taxes are going. The Duplin Commons is a beautiful facility and is occasionally used.

     When I was a teen growing up in Duplin County and wanting to look like I was somebody. My parents were sharecroppers and had next to no money. I felt kind of inferior because I could not do as the other teens. I thought to myself if I could get me a great looking car, it didn't matter if the engine was a lawnmower engine and the transmission was a chain drive from one of those child's peddle cars, but if others saw me sitting in this fine automobile they would think I was somebody. I knew I could not afford a nice car; in fact I could not afford a car of any kind. The car never happened, but I did dream about it. Duplin Commons kind of reminds me of that dream, can't afford it, but did dream. However, no one forcibly took my money and made me pay for a dream I knew I could not afford, as it seems to be happening in DC.

     Assistant U. S. Attorney Dennis Duffy stated "People are sick of public officials serving their own interests, their friends' interest and special interest". He said this after getting a guilty verdict against North Carolinian Kevin Geddings. He happens to be one Jim Blacks appointees to the NC Lottery.

     We here in Duplin County have observed and heard stories and rumors of all kinds of misdeeds which are illegal, immoral, and just plain mean, about some of the commissioners on the board of County Commissioners. I am sure some of those tales are from others being jealous and some are probably untrue, but do you remember that old saying "where there is smoke there is fire". Well I think we can rest assured some of it, if not all has some truth in it, and the best way to cure this is to change commissioners. This will put out part of the fire.

     Have you seen some of the advertisements many of these incumbents are putting out? You know those who want to be reelected. Where they say they are against higher taxes and illegal aliens and so on. They have to mean they are going to take a complete 180 degree turn and go the other way, because they have not been doing that. This turning degree kind of confuses me. If they make a 360 degree turn they turn all the way around and are back where they started from. The 180 degree is half way around. I don't know just which one they are talking about and chances they do not either. I do know much I trust what they are saying, and that is 0 degrees.

     We can make a difference by voting correctly, so just pick your day and time and vote to help your county and take your voting friend along with you. Please do not just sit back and complain, help make a change.


     I am sure most of you have read or heard about the new Bio-diesel project near Warsaw. It reminded me of some of my kin folks. He is a young man with the burning desire to go to college. Like a lot of people he has the desire but not quite enough money to make ends meet. He registered and headed off to the campus, believing he could find part time jobs and other ways to make his money stretch in to the enough column.

     Well he has done a good job, made good grades and has lasted through four years. Now he wants to continue his education over seas. This overseas college brings up a problem. He has to get rid of one of his money savings ventures.

     Several years back he bought a used Mercedes diesel automobile. He also bought a kit and converted it to burn cooking oil. He has done his traveling on used cooking oil he got from restaurants etc near the college.

     His venture to a college across the waters means he can not take his cooking oil car. It is going up for sale.

     I though it was interesting that he has been using cooking oil for several years to power his mobile and now in his home county a company has just started to process used cooking oil in huge amounts for diesel vehicles. Now that is recycling, an old worn out car and used cooking oil. Both the car and the cooking oil was used up but were recycled by a young man wanting to continue his learning. He was just finding a way to "get er done". SOG

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October 09, 2006

DRESS DOWN TO THEIR LEVEL AND FOOL THEM

     Do you think anyone employed by Duplin County who works at the landfill collection centers would not know the county commissioners whether they be dressed in a suit or jeans? Commissioner Regional Wells must not. He says the folks working there will not give him the real low down if he is dressed in his suit. He wants to come in incognito, wearing jeans and a polo shirt, dressing down to the employees' level.

     I can just see it now; L. S. Guy would come dressed with a white wool sweater, green shorts holding a tennis racket. Arliss Albertson would come dressed in overalls wearing a straw hat and a checked shirt. Regional Wells would come dressed in jeans and a polo shirt. David Fussell would come dressed in a tan shirt and tan shorts wearing a tan floppy hat. Larry Howard would come dressed in a three button white sport shirt with blue stripes and blue shorts wearing one of those hats you see on jungle safari visitors, he would be slinging a piece of telephone cable in his hand. Zettie Williams would be wearing a dark blue tank top and purple bermuda shorts and chewing green bubble gum and blowing green bubbles. When they all climbed out of the Duplin County van no one would guess they were commissioners. Please remember their supervisor has advised the m of the visit before hand and chances are it was in the newspaper, but the commissioners fooled the heck out of them and got all the secrets of the work problems.

     Below is the back and forth talking that went on October 2, 2006 at the commissioners meeting about the visit to the landfill collection centers. If you can get up to their level of talking to get down to your level to reading this. It is word for word, except sometimes when two or more people were talking . so it is just about every word.

     Regional Wells - Madam Chairman why can't we do an alternative date .. I particularly don't want to wear my suit out.. I am just being honest. I mean . I think we need to walk around. if you are going get out there in that construction I don't particularly want to wear my suit out there. I think we . we can do something else that morning and go tour . do something .. but I think . that uh.relax . you know . afternoon ..if we do have to do it in the afternoon . relax and wear some work clothes and go out there and get in it and see what is going on, that is my personal opinion. If we choose to, I will do that.
     County Manager - We can take you through with out getting you getting dirty, I think
     Regional Wells - I think to get the full effect we need to get out and walk around.
     Zettie Williams - Well we will never get (? word) at the site I hope. There is some new Construction (Two voices) new construction going to get dirty.
     Regional Wells - I think we need to---this is what I - my opinion if we show up at he collection site what kind of message does it give to the attendant if you are in a suit-I think you need to get down to their level of dress that day.
     L.S. Guy - I think we aught to honor the commissioners request.
     Regional Wells - it has nothing to do with my suit let's put that issue aside. - Mr. Dixon don't print that in the newspaper - But I do think if we are going out we need to - we need to go out approaching them in a matter of not in a suit - or whatever. That may sound crazy, but it is not crazy. I am telling you - if you have a person working at a site and you come up in a suit it really do not give a good impression. You need to go on their level that day of dress. You don't have to agree but I think that..silence..
     County Manager - What ever you think if you want to schedule something now fine.if you want to schedule something later we can do that.
      Regional Wells - No I think we need to do it, but what I am saying. David Fussell - We will meet with the au au.
     Zettie Williams- We will have to - Zettie and Fussell - the over site committee.
      David Fussell - We could do it before that meeting with the over site committee one of those Mondays.
     Zettie Williams- We will have the same problem. We will have to come back - oh we m eet at 5:30with the over site committee - lets talk with Bee and see when he can reschedule it.then.
     County Manager - He is there every day, he is upstairs. The sites are not open every day as you know, but the transfer station is there at anytime.
     Zettie Williams - It is not open on Monday mornings, I know. It is open on Tuesday morning. See Sites are not open on Monday morning.
     County Manager - Not open on Wednesday or Friday. Open Monday afternoon, all day Tuesday, and all day Thursday, and all day Saturday.
     Arlis Albertson- Let me make a suggestion......let them go individually.that is what I would do.
     Zettie Williams- you want to do it Tuesday morning?
     Regional Wells -Again, again please do not misunderstand me. I think if we are going to go and we are working on PR. ... this is PR and also the information you mentioned..If I go out of here in a suit to a site location they are not give me - they are going to be as apt to talk to me or feel comfortable as if I showed up in a pair of blue jeans and polo shirt . again we are going out. we say we are going to visit these places.
     Zettie Wiliams - Tuesday alright with you . the 17th alright with you? . they are closed Wednesday.
     Regional Wells - I want to make that point again Madam Chairman. I think whenever we go we don't need to go in our best attire. We need to go in the work atmosphere, you know.
     County Manager - Bring your work clothes with you when you come that day you want to go and we will be ready.
     Zettie Williams- At our next meeting.
     Regional Wells - But I will say and I say it again I know we need to get off that point - when we go we need to go casually not dressed up. (A commissioners voice - I hear what you are saying)
     Zettie Wiliams - I think you should go with what ever you are comfortable with, it is fine with me. What ever you are comfortable with.
     Joe Lanier - This government business is sure a complicated thing. I hope the county manager advises those folks when they will tour the collection sites and the Landfill, cause I don't think anyone at that meeting knows for sure, but for heavens sakes do not wear a suit..SOG

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October 02, 2006

     My grandma could fix this EMS mess. Grandma looks like what one would think a grandma would. She is kind of short and chubby, wears a apron every day except Sunday. She of course spends most of Sunday at church or doing church work. She had a very pleasant face and if there is any meanness in her I never saw it. She was however, very strong willed about right and wrong.

     If she were here today, she would go up to those commissioners and tell them face to face they were elected to office on the principal that they would do good for Duplin County and its people and she would ask where their principals were now. She would tell them they knew wrong things have been done. That they should be truthful, not hide behind closed doors in secret and cause more misunderstanding in trying to fix their mistakes. Be responsible for what you have done. Tell the people what you did and that you are now ready to be responsible adults about it. Stop talking out of both sides of your mouths like those Yankee carpetbaggers did when they came flouncing down on the south. Be the Southern Gentlemen you are supposed to be and tell the factual truths about the matter. Remember you are no better than your word. DC people will remember you and this action you took for the rest of their lives.

     Grandma would say those folks who are suing Duplin County that it is not Duplin County who meant to harm you. Way back when the paid EMS was being organized and Duplin County was trying to better its self, the majority of the citizens wanted you to be their ambulance provider not the county. The voices of Duplin County citizens as well as the volunteers who manned the rescue squads were ignored by the county commissioners. They did it their way.

     Grandma would tell those folks who were doing the suing to sue the individuals who were out for revenge and not Duplin County. The tape that was recorded in secret in a behind closed doors meeting specifically states that fact. According to the tape, Commissioner Larry Howard told the folks who were listening he was upset because the ambulance company made him look like a fool with a better bid at the last moment. He warned the ambulance folks he was trying to illegally influence not to do as the others did and make him look like a fool. I suppose that was a warning, but he ended up looking worse than just a fool.

     Grandma would look each one of them right in the eye with an understanding smile on her face and say now go and do your Christian duty. Take the responsibility for your actions. Duplin County folks will respect you more when you stand up and tell the truth. She would say "when I looked in your eyes I saw that some of you were truly Christians and are disturbed about these falsehoods." She would tell them to be more concerned about what is morally right than what they may be able to sneak off and hide behind the dress tail of Miss Justice. Thinking they have found a legal rat hole to sneak into.

     In the past few months everyone in Duplin County and surrounding counties has read newspapers, listened to TV or a radio have read or heard those revealing secret tapes. You can not hide from them and pretending to ignore them will make you a nervous wreck and cause some folk to laugh at you. Oh yes! This thing about allowing other ambulance services to work in Duplin County is further proof that revenge is what drives you.

     Grandma was soft but a strong talker and I remember she had Grandpa to back her up, but she never needed him. Grandpa was a blacksmith and as strong as an ox and could wrestle a mule to the ground. His dress was washed overalls with a denim shirt, buttoned up around his neck. Unlike Grandma he did very little talking unless it was about his savior Jesus Christ. Grandpa's face was strong looking and clean shaven, he had a flat forehead, strong eyes that were set back a little from his sharp pointed nose, a straight out chin, high cheek bones and a mouth that seldom smiled, but was usually had a chew of Black Maria tobacco. There was never a spot of tobacco juice or spit on his clothes. If I had needed someone to back me up, I can think of no one better than Grandpa. A mule kicked him down one time, but no man did.


     There are 17 of the 100 counties in North Carolina with a higher property tax rate than Duplin. However if one considers the $3,700,000.00 taken from our fund balance as a property tax increase (which it is) Duplin is the second most highly taxed county in North Carolina - only Scotland County exceeds Duplin with a tax rate of $1.10 whereas with the fund balance considered Duplin Property tax is 94.5 cents. Having a property tax rate 44% higher that the average county in North Carolina is not acceptable and if not fair to the citizens of Duplin.

     The average property tax rate for the 100 counties in North Carolina is 65.2 cents. As good stewards of Duplin County's Citizens trust Duplin's commissioners must make reducing the burden of the excessively high tax rate a priority as they address 2007-08 budget. It is most important the commissioners begin making constructive changes. Check out North Carolina Tax Rates at, http://www.ncacc.org


     I got this from a friend over the internet. When something is 'new and improved!'. Which is it? If it's new, then there has never been anything before it. If it's an improvement, then there must have been something before it, couldn't be new. SOG

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September 25, 2006

     Do these jumping around gasoline price changes confuse you? They are jumping around like hot grease in the frying pan when you are frying fat back, up and down and up and down and when they get too high they you burn just like the hot grease. This unregulated pricing confuses me, not enough to cause ET dysfunction, but it may cause a dysfunction further up, say in my head.

     Let's talk about this for a minute or so. Earlier in the year we had kind of gotten used to paying a too high of a price for our fuel. Then all of a sudden that price started going up. As we were sweating and wondering what we were going to do to come up with the extra money to pay these prices and were looking at our spouses considering options. The price settled in for a few days and stopped going up. We took a deep breath knowing no harsh decision had to be made; we would just cut out Wednesday night supper for the family at the uptown restaurant. Well, before we could take up that notch in our belts the prices started going up again. We were told by the media the problem was the War and hurricane Katrina. I'm going to tell you up front I do not trust the media. I mean I used to be one and you need to read the words carefully, not so much the sentence, but each word. When a politician gets up and makes a statement everyone knows in the back of their head that that what is about to come out of that politicians mouth is untrue. We don't know how big the true part is against the untrue part. The media jumps on the part they think will sell the most papers or TV ads.

     Oh yes! I have a very good friend named Katrina. Her dad was my very best friend. I visit her often and see him in her and her actions. I am very proud of her and talking and reading bad things and blaming them on Katrina upset me, Hurricane or not.

     But let's get back to the gas prices. We need to do a little pretending to get the point across. When I say pretending I do not mean distorting. So for the sake of the story let's say it cost 50 cents to drill, process and so on to get a gallon of gasoline from the ground into a pump ready to put into your car. Before the prices began to increase it cost 50 cents. Along came a more intense war scene. (if it is possible). In any case the media said it was the reasoning for gas prices to go up again. Nothing changed in the process of getting the gasoline from the ground into the gas pump. Still 50 cents. Wham bam Katrina came busting into New Orleans and the coastal oil drilling and processing facilities. The price of gasoline went rushing up and up at the gas pump, if it had been a thermometer it would have busted out the top of the pump. Up to and over $3.00 a gallon. How can this price be when it still only cost 50 cents a gallon to get it from the ground to the pump.

     The price of a barrel of oil went up, the transportation went up, the profit went up, but the cost to get it out of the ground and to the pump was still 50 cents. These other things added to that 50 cents and customers paid $3.00 or so, but remember it only cost 50 cents to get it from the deep deep depths of the earth to the gas pump.
     Now this ET dysfunction may take place as I watch the price go down, not that I don't love the fact the posted price is less and less. Why is it coming down is my problem. When I look around to find a reason, I remember that there is a national election in November. I am aggravated that politics may be the reason, but I sure am glad gas prices are coming down. Remember when the price was high it cost 50 cents and when it is low, the price is still 50 cents, now aint that confusing? With folks staying home and not driving during the high price of gas, some folks may think there would be a baby boom, but thanks to ET dysfunction because of the confusing high prices it will not happen.

     I'm nearly 72 years old and these advertisements I see on TV about ET dysfunction don't bother me. In fact it took along time for me to figure out what they were talking about. I thought it had something to do with a bowel movement. I mean what they were saying sounded to me like E-rect-tile.like the rectum. My wife was at Topsail this past weekend with my daughter. Thus, I have been home along. You know one of the things that's good about being home alone? I do not have to put the toilet lid down after each visit.

     At this past week's county commissioners meeting the continuing problem of the commissioners ignoring or denying their involvement in the illegal mess about the EMS came up again as it should have. Now listen to this; They decided they needed to clear up the differences between themselves and the holders of the secretly recorded tapes. Here comes the kicker.they say they are being accused of things which are not true and folks are hurling hurting insults at them and they want to hold a secret meeting to clear it all up. That is right they want to go behind closed doors, in secret and fix the problem. The voters will not know what happened; the voters will only know what those behind closed doors want us to know. What will be told about that secret meeting will always be questioned is it true or untrue or just made up. SOG

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September 18, 2006

     Well here we are on the internet. This is a new media source and a new company for Joe and Son of a Gun. Son of a Gun has been in the newspapers and on the radio, but this is the first time on the internet. I hope you will like this new place "Wallace Live" and will visit often.

     First off let me tell you that I agree 100 percent with Jimmy Dixon's Duplin Times column "We the People" of August 22, 2006. The big hoop-to-do put up by the commissioners in regards to the "hiring freeze" was an act to put down and embarrass Commissioner David Fussell. I read the "Hiring Freeze" story by three different newspaper writers in three different newspapers and could find no reason for the excitement the stories seem to indicate.

     Next I went to the county offices and got a CD disk recording made live at the meeting and listened to the remarks made by everyone. In fact, I listened to the recording three times and still could find no reason for all that miss-mouth miss-direction mush other than the commissioners trying to make Commissioner David Fussell motion sound foolish. However, it seems to me the other commissioners were the ones who sounded foolish.

     I talked with a few county administrators or supervisors and a few regular county employees. I asked what they thought of the hiring freeze which was talked so much about at the commissioners meeting. They told me they could not see where it would make any difference one way or the other.

     To me, the only difference it would have made from the day to day work that is going on right now, is it would have been a beginning or starting point for savings in the next budget. The next DC budget is going to cost Duplin County tax payers enormous amounts of money. I am afraid to even guess at what the tax rate will have to be set at for next year. It seems to be politics over common sense.

     It was said that employee morale was better I don't know if it is better, but employees have relaxed some. Most of the employees believe the new county manager Mike Aldridge will look after the employees' best interest and I also believe he will. The employees are not dumb; they remember just as I do about the county commissioners moving money from the employees salary increases last year to the EMS budget. The commissioners spent the salary increase money for other things and promised a better salary increase when this present budget was put together. Once again the employees were lied to. They did get a raise in pay, but not what they were promised and to say the money was not there for a larger salary increase is admitting they spent it for other things, because it was there at one time. Everyone in the county remembers that county commissioner slight of hand movement on that issue.

     As for the county manager, Mike Aldridge looking after the employees best interest I do believe he will, but I am aware the county commissioners are his bosses and they can shoot him down his suggestions anytime. I have seen this group of commissioners ignore good advice from professional people who were paid to give them legal advice and do foolish things instead. What usually happens is one commissioner makes a statement something like this "if we wanted your advice we would ask for it". The person giving the advice says "you are paying me to keep you out of trouble and I was trying to do that". Then the hurtful remark comes "well you just keep quite until spoken too". Most of the other commissioners join in and agree with the commissioner even though they know he is wrong. They just need that ego boost, falsely believing it makes them appear important. Thus County Manager Mike Aldridge will be hindered by these unthinking and many times uncaring commissioners. You can count on Mike to try and make the county government work better and more efficiently to save tax moneys. SOG


     I will be putting new Son of a Gun columns on this site once each week on Monday for reading on Tuesday. SOG will remain here for reading until a new one is posted. I am not sure about an archive, but will let you know when I do find out. Also as time goes on I may post things other than SOG here and will try and keep you up to date on things. If you are not registered to vote in this November elections please visit the elections office and do so. There are some people in politics that need to be sent back to the farm.


Tropical storm weather
     The rains came down so plentiful and so fast the water hung around covering many of Duplin roads, fields, yards, etc. Ernesto made the rains fall at my house all night long and it came is sheets with the wind forcing it into places it normally would not go. When morning came my back yard looked like a lake as it was covered with water. As I was looking out my window at the water standing in my backyard the TV was blasting away with the news of the day. I think it was on channel nine and the announcer said to take a picture of the damage from the hurricane and send it to the TV station. He said if the station used the photo on the air they would send you a ball cap. I looked at the mess in my yard, landscaping poles floating in amongst debris from crape myrtle bushes. I thought if I were to get Donna to sit down in that water and let me take a picture they would think the water was up to and over her behind. I could send it in and they surely would send me a cap.

     Later on I heard people were being evacuated from the Chinquapin area because of the flood and the ball cap thing was no longer funny. Around two o'clock that afternoon the water was gone from my yard. I suppose it went to the Chinquapin area. I did not have anything to do with where it were it went, but I am sorry it increased their problem.

     I heard it said at the commissioners meeting that Governor Easley came to Duplin in a helicopter and asked Senator Charlie Albertson if he wanted to be picked up to fly over the area with the Governor. Senator Albertson asked his foolishly babbling mouth brother county commissioner Arlis Albertson if he wanted to go and he did. It has been quite a while since they flew over the area and saw all that damage and it has yet to be declared a disaster. SOG

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