Letter to the Editor: Recovering some American common ground

Dear Editor, At a troubling moment in our country’s history, last Saturday’s prayer vigil for Charlie Kirk at the Putnam County Courthouse rightly called for unity.

Letter to the Editor: Concerned about right to free speech

Dear Editor,Our democracy is hanging in the balance, and the First Amendment is the rope we’re all holding onto.Freedom of speech is not a luxury or a privilege — it is the foundation of every other freedom we have. If we allow it to be weakened, every right that depends on it will crumble, too.

Rich: The light of wisdom

By the time I was 21, my good parents had taught me much of what they knew. And, that was a lot. Some of it had been hard learned in the mountains, some came from town life, and some were just born in them.

Tocher: We’ve got an ‘all of us’ problem right now

I’ll be honest, I’ve been deeply disturbed by the reaction of many of my friends, acquaintances, and colleagues to the horrific, televised murder of right-wing commentator Charlie Kirk last Wednesday at Utah Valley University.

Crane: Does anyone remember work ethic?

Improving health has allowed me to resume a more regular, slightly strenuous calendar, including frequent out-of-state travel.

Rich: The cabin

Dust to dust, ashes to ashes is the way we often say it. But the King James Bible says it more eloquently, “For dust thou art and unto dust, thou shall yield.

Yarbrough: A semi-intelligent look at artificial intelligence

Dr. Geoffrey Hinton is a British-Canadian cognitive psychologist and computer scientist who won the Nobel Prize in Physics last year “for foundational discoveries and inventions that enable machine learning with artificial neural networks.”Between you and me, I got hosed.

Letter to the Editor: Alternate take on Trump

Dear Editor,I would like to take the opportunity to respond to Mr. Menke from Athens in last week’s Eatonton Messenger. I’ll try to be gentle but direct.He seems to have tunnel vision regarding the administration’s actions that benefit all Americans.

Crane: So long, old friend

It will be 40 years next spring since I returned home to Atlanta from days away in college and began my career in Macon. I moved into a modest Midtown apartment, within stumbling distance of Manuel’s Tavern, and as I set up my utilities, I began my subscription to The Atlanta Journal.

Rich: The cowboy rides away

Three years ago, Tink and I attended my all-time favorite event. It is the induction into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. Songwriters are my favorite of all writers. In three minutes, they tell a story that hangs in your heart meaningfully.