Opinions

Loran Smith/Columnist

Loran Smith/Columnist

Smith: I’m thankful …

Each of us is given the gift of 86,400 seconds each day. How often have you used one of those seconds to say, “Thank you,” to those who extend a helping hand or those who are doing good for the world? It may be a neighbor, a family member, a waitress, a bellman, a construction worker, or a friend.
Ronda Rich/Columnist

Ronda Rich/Columnist

Rich: A Waffle House Thanksgiving

For about 27 years, I hosted Thanksgiving – long before I knew John Tinker – for family and friends who did not have a place to celebrate the blessings (and sometimes even the tribulations of the past year). It was a full week’s work.
Dick Yarbrough/File Photo

Dick Yarbrough/File Photo

Yarbrough: Trying to understand Artie Fishel Intelligence

RING! RING! “Hello? Dick Yarbrough Enterprises. Dick Yarbrough, one of America’s most beloved, yet one of its most modest, columnists speaking.” “Hello, human person. This is Artie Fishel, of Artie Fishel Intelligence, calling. I am not a happy camp ... um, robot at the moment.
Bill Crane/File Photo

Bill Crane/File Photo

Crane: Here we go again …

The new U.S. House Speaker, Congressman Mike Johnson of Louisiana, is about to experience the first major test of his mettle and abilities. Just a few weeks into the job, Congress is again approaching another fiscal cliff and likely 11th-hour increase of the U.S.
Tom Thompson/File Photo

Tom Thompson/File Photo

Op-Ed: Maybe we need to peel the onion

Last week’s Eatonton Messenger had two articles that caught my attention. At first glance, they appear to have no relationship. Looking deeper, perhaps they do.
Dick Yarbrough/File Photo

Dick Yarbrough/File Photo

Yarbrough: Why Israel has a right to defend itself

When I reflected in this space recently about having lost a grandson some 15 years ago, I received a lot of responses, including from those who had shared a similar experience of losing a child or grandchild of their own. One particular note stood out.
Eaton

Eaton

Letter to the Editor: What’s the update?

Dear Editor, It is not often that I sign up to speak on a (Putnam County Board of Commissioners) agenda item. This past Friday, I did sign up to speak on an agenda item that was announced as a “Discussion and action on Updates to the Commissioners Compensation legislation.
Ronda Rich/Columnist

Ronda Rich/Columnist

Rich: Southern murder gothic (Part Two)

In Walterboro, SC, kindness hangs in the air like moss in the oak trees, providing a gentle whisper of invitation. This is what people call the Low Country since it sets near or below sea level on the coast.