This is Viewpoints for Thursday, Dec. 10, 2015
My opinion
Being a hometown boy growing up in Macon, I had the opportunity to connect with some great football and basketball coaches. Just to name a few, Mike Garuin, Goot Steiner, Gene Brodie, both John and Robert Slocumb, Bill Henderson, Alvin Copeland, Duck Richardson, Barney Hester, Lloyd Bohannon, Johnny Dixon, Jimmy Hammond. Billy Beale, Walter Johnson, Roy Robinson, both Big John and John Reynolds.
Billy Henderson once said it takes more than winning football games to be a leader. Mark Richt was done wrong. That's my opinion and I am entitled to it.
— Leon Jones
Macon
Thumbs-up for park
The proposed development of Wellston Park is an excellent idea. Warner Robins has long needed a safe and secure area for walking, cycling and other outside exercise. Atlanta has the Silver Comet Trail, Macon has the Heritage Riverwalk and most major Georgia cities are well ahead of us in this important recreational area. Many thanks to Jim Taylor and Charlie McGlamry for their efforts to move this project forward. I'm sure many local citizens would like the Warner Robins City Council to move this proposal to a top priority.
— John Trussell
Warner Robins
Why?
Why is it when someone questions the validity of the church or their belief they are called anti-Christian? I once attended a church where the preacher said, "if you don't believe exactly as I do you are going straight to hell." I never went back to that church. The healthy thing to do is ask questions. Martin Luther asked questions. He was condemned as a heretic. He changed the church for the good. Now we understand what is in our hearts better than ever before.
Every day we learn more about the God we worship only because we ask questions. That does not make us heretics. Does it? Don't call a man anti-Christian because he asks questions. Just say you disagree and think he may be wrong. You may be the one who is wrong. Only God knows.
— Brian T. Reid Sr.
Gray
Unkept commitments
As a resident of Stone Edge subdivision, I read with great interest the article in The Telegraph last week. Billy Hester, a real estate agent in our community, has obviously investigated the upcoming proposal well. Isn't it interesting that Southern Pines Plantations' president Travis Griffin acknowledged that his company fought Blackwater Resources and even paid, for all practical purposes, the entire legal cost to fight the developer? Of course, Griffin also admits that his company "saw the dollar signs" and protected its assets and interest in the area.
As Hester has already stated, there are many other areas in our vicinity that are available for construction. Citizens, please take a good look around Zebulon Road. Notice the buggies, boxes and debris left by pedestrians. Observe the road, the trash surrounding the islands between the Med Stop and Northway Church/Chic-fil-A and Sun Trust bank. This "pedestrian-friendly development" will only attract more debris and these upscale stores will eventually leave because customers will take their business to a better cared for area of town.
I have contacted Southern Pines several times about these islands. I have personally cleaned out these islands over the past few years, digging out garbage, sweeping, replenishing the pine straw, etc. I like for my area of town to be appealing. I want people to enjoy being in my neighborhood. However, if Southern Pines Plantations cannot take care of their present properties, how can we entrust them with the cleanliness of an area built practically in the middle of our neighborhood? If Southern Pines Plantations is not responsible for these areas, I would like to know who is.
Macon wants more citizens, better schools, more businesses. How do we attract more citizens? We should clean up what we have. We are concerned about blight and spend a lot of time talking about it. We applaud those who refurbish homes and neighborhoods, but we consider allowing a local company to build a "commercial zone" adjacent to a tranquil neighborhood? This is absolutely ludicrous. I would challenge our city/county government to get on the ball and use some of our hard earned money to keep the city clean. I would challenge Southern Pines Plantations to honor its prior commitment to the citizens in the Zebulon Road area.
— Tina Bowker
Macon
Body count
Here's the number of people killed by Muslim murderers in November:
Nov. 1: Somalia — 12 dead
Nov. 4: Egypt — 3 dead
Nov. 4 Israel — 3 dead
Nov. 5 Lebanon — 6 dead
Nov. 7 Iraq — 12 dead
Nov. 9 Chad — 3 dead
Nov. 9 Cameroon — 4 dead
Nov. 12 Lebanon — 43 dead
Nov. 13 Iraq — 26 dead
Nov. 13 Paris — 130 dead
Nov. 17 Nigeria — 15 dead
Nov. 18 Nigeria — 17 dead
Nov. 22 Mali — 19 dead
Nov. 24 Tunisia — 12 dead
It is really difficult to see Islam as the religion of peace and tranquility that both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama claim it to be. Perhaps if they would stop killing people, it might be a good start. Neither of them seems to understand that the confirmed goal of Islam is to destroy Western civilization and establish an Islamic Caliphate. If you don't believe that, just read some of their writings. And they started in November.
— Bob Hubbard
Perry
Selective outrage
There are so many things wrong with Robert L. Lehane's letter regarding Alex Rodriguez, I don't know where to start. First, Rodriguez was one of 13 players suspended for their involvement in the Biogenesis scandal. But I wonder where was Lehane's outrage at the other players who came back after serving their suspensions? Was he angry at Ryan Braun, who lied and besmirched the reputation of sample collector Dino Laurenzi? While Braun's contract doesn't equal A-Rod's, he's hardly poor.
I also wonder if Lehane was outraged at Pete Rose's role as a studio analyst for Fox Sports. Rose broke the first rule of baseball. He bet on the game. Rose also lied about gambling on the Reds while managing them. What about Hall of Fame pitcher Gaylord Perry admitting to scuffing baseballs. Hank Aaron, the man Braves fans still refer to as the "Home Run King," did greenies (amphetamines.) Where was Lehane's outrage?
As to Lehane's comment about "crime paying," does he not pay attention to the NFL? As a member of the St. Louis Rams, Leonard Little killed someone while driving drunk, but was arrested for drunk driving a second time. Ray Lewis won two Super Bowls as a member of the Baltimore Ravens and is currently an analyst for ESPN. Did I mention via a plea deal, he admitted to obstruction of justice in a murder investigation? Do I even need to mention Greg Hardy and his contract with Dallas despite what he did?
It would appear to me that Lehane's selective outrage is coupled with selective observation.
— Dave Whitaker
Danville
This story was originally published December 9, 2015 at 7:33 PM with the headline "This is Viewpoints for Thursday, Dec. 10, 2015 ."