Day At A Time

A lot of us have lost many people this year and sadly, you are not always given a chance to pay respects or to say goodbye at a visitation or funeral with things as they are this year.
I lost a former boss and friend last week. He died a few days before his 83rd birthday. Wilton Walton stood at least six foot tall but was really a quiet man with a different sense of humor who taught me a lot and helped me spread my wings in community newspaper.
He taught me to serve the community that a newspaper was in because that’s how you become a part of it. I’ve tried to remember that over the years and have served on various committees and organizational boards. Over the last few years have slowed down in that area some as I believe we need others to step up to that charge.
Wilton hired me at The Leader-Tribune, not long after I had received my degree from UGA. This was my second paying newspaper job and I began as a typesetter and quickly was allowed to spread my wings and write and do darkroom and production and even helped with bookkeeping
He reinforced what Jane had taught me at the first job, that as a leader, you have to set the pace and be willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done. He covered meetings, wrote editorials and a column, covered sports and instilled in me the real purpose of a community newspaper. It has served me well over the years.
During my seven years there when Wilton owned the newspaper, he had a good natured ongoing feud with Mayor Paul Rheeling. He held the mayor’s feet to the fire and unless you knew them, you wouldn’t know that they were good friends. Friendship did not stand in the way of doing his job, which some people never understand.
Wilton was a staunch support of the hospital which was known as Peach Regional at that time. It’s how I came to know Nancy Peed who would become CEO and is now a missionary in Uganda.
He also was a huge supporter of Fort Valley State University.
He loved sports as well and covered the Trojans.
When he sold the Tribune, I was devastated but glad we remained in contact through the years. He opened Fox Valley Printing and Walton & Walton Advertising and I would drop by there from time to time to talk. He always took the time no matter how busy he might be right then.
He enjoyed stories, writing and telling them and had the deepest laugh which made you laugh with him. He was a people person and listened intently to everyone who he talked with every single time.
At that time the L-T was next door to what used to be Ricketson Drug Stores. There was an entrance on both streets, Hwy. 49 and Church Street. The original production room which was moved to the backside, became his wife, Ann’s, location. Wilton’s office was also in that room at the back right side. Outside Ann’s office was a sign that read “accounting” and outside Wilton’s door the sign stated, “Accountability”.
No matter what happened or who complained, Wilton always felt the buck stopped with him in anything that involved the newspaper. He always took up for his employees, always took the heat for everything people complained about concerning what an employee had written.
I remember once I took a photo at a fire scene at a mobile home park which ended up winning me and the newspaper an award. One of the victims just had a blanket wrapped around her and someone complained that we should not have published that photo. It showed the woman’s bare arms and shoulders but nothing else as the blanket was wrapped around her.
It was probably one of my better photos because it told the whole story — the scene, the victims, the firefighters. Wilton did not back down about us publishing the photo. It was also one of the worst things I had ever covered and I returned to the office sick at my stomach. I had never before smelled burning flesh. It’s something you never forget.
Wilton took me up once in his plane which was yellow for some aerial photos. He thought it funny to cut the engine off while flying, just to see your reaction I imagine. He flew so low once that I swear the cows were turning over on their backs! It was the one and only time I flew with him.
Wilton and Ann had four children whom we would see from time to time and son, Sam, worked there some and became an excellent photographer. His sister, Linda, also helped out from time to time. His sisters, Georgia and Mary Frances also came by from time to time. Wilton was all about family and his employees were like family.
Ann and Wilton lived on a large piece of property and had an antebellum home which I enjoyed visiting. I once bought a Palomino horse from them named Dan. He had part of one of his ears missing but was the best riding horse ever. He would always find a way out of the pasture to come to my kitchen window to look at me. Dan, too, loved people and had a great personality.
There are so many great memories from those days at the Leader-Tribune and I met many people with whom I still am in contact with from time to time. Some have passed on since those days and others I have lost touch with over the years. Other than me, one or two continued their journalistic journey but most didn’t.
Wilton is one of those people you are glad that you knew. For me, he also impacted my career journey for the better. Thank you for the memories Wilton and one day we will meet again on those golden shores of heaven. Sending prayers for his family.

Condolences and prayers for Wade Yoder as well in the loss of his father. Once a parent passes, your life is forever changed. Hugs, Wade, we love you.
Remember to hug your love once and tell people you love them because none of us are promised tomorrow. This year definitely should have taught us that lesson.
Wishing you all many blessings and praying for us as we look forward to a new and better year. We must always look forward with expectation of the best is yet to come.

VICTORIA SIMMONS Is a columnist, author, motivational speaker, minister and publisher of The Georgia Post/Byron Buzz. Contact her at: vsimmons54@gmail.com

One thing this year should have taught all of us, is that we should be thankful all of the time. Yes, we have one day a year set aside as Thanksgiving to recognize the Pilgrims getting through that first year and sharing the autumn harvest with the Indians.
However, we should be thankful every single day that God wakes us up. Being thankful every day can change your life in a good way. It improves your mental attitude and when it becomes a habit, your life will be more peaceful and happy. Thankfulness begins in the heart.
Even when we wake up on a Monday and not especially looking forward to a work day, e thankful you have something to do that day can only be done by you.
A thankful heart has no place for resentment, arrogance, anger or jealousy. Most people who always express genuine thankfulness have a pleasant and amiable personality. When thankfulness is accompanied by words of praise, relationships thrive.
But how many of us truly remember to express thankfulness? In the daily busyness of life, we often forget to thank those around us — neighbors, teachers, our parents, those who serve us each day as well as our friends.
It’s not merely saying thank you, it should reflect a deep humility and love that we feel towards one another. Saying thank you is just the beginning. You should also give back in any way possible for you.
I’m so very thankful to God for forgiving me all those years ago and that He continually is working on me, as I strive to become better each day.
I am thankful for parents, who taught me to be thankful for things. I’m thankful I had my dad as long as I did. I’m thankful for the children God gave me and though I was not perfect, my children are good people.
I’m thankful for being in this business all these years and for the people I’ve met through all of it. I’m thankful the Georgia Post is still here when many other community newspapers have gone under. God continues to bless us even through all of the craziness of this year. Thank you Jesus!
I’m truly thankful for our postmaster who goes above and beyond for us. He is one of the best postmasters we’ve ever had. Thank you Bryan.
I’m thankful Robby Robertson has hung in here with us as long as he has, delivering the newspapers for us and his wife, Laverne who has stood in for him. Pray for Robby. He has decided it’s time to leave us due to his illness and though we are saddened, we understand. We will miss him and Laverne. They have been faithful and I would trust them with my life. I have never had to worry about newspaper delivery or the money involved and that has not always been the case.
I’m thankful for my Bible study ladies who not only learn with me but correct me or help me adjust my attitude when needed. These ladies are true warriors.
I’m thankful for my employees. Some weeks are hectic, some weeks not so much but we keep it together and do whatever needs to get done without being really stressed. Thanks Kristi and Katelyn.
I’m thankful for the people in each community, who step up and make a difference. There are people who are talented and genuinely care about the community in which they live.
Roberta has a good mayor with a good heart and we are proud to call him our friend as well. Crawford has a good superintendent of school who cares as well. I can assure you that is not the case in many school systems, as some are in it only biding their time until retirement. I’ve witnessed that over the years.
Patti at the chamber goes above and beyond and has worked hard to get businesses to come downtown. That work is starting to pay off and we are thankful.
We have many wonderful elected officials in Crawford and Peach who go above and beyond as well. We appreciate those who are always transparent and answer our questions without hesitation. There are also many wonderful employees who work with them. We are thankful to each person who has a job to do and does it with a grateful heart and are always kind to the people they deal with daily.
People who serve on committees and boards year after year have a special place in my heart. I’ve been there, done that and know how thankless a job it is. However, no one does it for a pat on the back. They usually do it to serve their community and hopefully to make a difference at that level.
Thankfulness is not about more, it’s actually usually about less. Having more does not make you more thankful; it usually just leaves you wanting more and more. Until you learn how to be content with what you have and where you are, you won’t be satisfied with more. We first have to realize who we are in Christ and that He is in control and we are His children before we can truly be content.
Many states are canceling Thanksgiving. How foolish to think they can actually do that! Thanksgiving begins in the heart and the government or government mandates cannot take it away from you, just as they cannot stop you from praying.
After all we’ve been through this year, those people who let the government tell them they can’t see family members, or not to have friends and family at Thanksgiving, are setting themselves up for failure. I don’t believe people in the end will stand for it. If they do I guess they deserve to be told what to do by the government. I’m actually more afraid of losing freedom than I am anything else. But, however, God is still in control and that’s where all of my hope is.
This Thanksgiving I wish you all the best and thank you for any part you play in being on this journey with me and the newspaper.
I’m thankful I finally got my first devotional published and you can email at the address below for information on come by the office in Roberta for a copy. It’s entitled Day at a time with God, coming from the title of my column. I will have another one coming out next year and am still working on my book about my journalistic journey and columns from over the years. It’s slow go since I work on them late at night but I keep plugging along and I’m thankful God allows me to do just that.
As you gather with family or friends or if you are just by yourself, remember to count your blessings. As the song says, name them one by one and you will see what God has done. In reality, all of us have so much more for which to be grateful than we can imagine. Happy Thanksgiving. ©2020

VICTORIA SIMMONS Is a columnist, author, motivational speaker, minister and publisher of The Georgia Post/Byron Buzz. Contact her at: vsimmons54@gmail.com

Holy moly, Batman, what a mess we are in, so it seems!
I’m sure that’s what most people are thinking about this election, but I’m remaining optimistic knowing God is in charge and that evil will be exposed. What is frustrating to me, however, is the lack of knowledge people have concerning the United States Constitution and the election process. It’s not just they don’t understand it, they don’t know anything about either.
In not teaching these things in our schools as it used to be, we have done people a huge disservice.
The election is not over as it has not been officially verified and there are many lawsuits around the country. The more stuff that comes out about the programs and watching the shenanigans by some, for me, it is really hard to trust the election system as it is handled today. Seems it was set up to be fraudulent from the start.
Makes me question every election I’ve ever voted in and wondering whether my vote actually went to the person I cast it for in the first place. And I am not casting doubt on local election offices as in Crawford County, I would put Brenda up against any one else as she runs a tight ship. In fact, I think she could give other offices some lessons on how to do things properly.
But some of my friends in other counties have told me many, many stories about discrepancies and mysterious duffel bags showing up past deadline with who knows what and only certain people opening them.
Until a winner is certified, there is no reason for the Biden group to have access to national security issues and if you think they should, I think something is wrong with you. National security is nothing to play around with and in the wrong hands, could jeopardize our whole country.
Until the election is certified there is no president-elect either no matter what mainstream media tries to tell you.
As if all that isn’t enough, we have Fauci telling us all to just do as we are told. I don’t know who died and left him in charge but he is not in control of my freedom, that’s for sure.
I take offense to the advertisements that are saying you care if you are wearing a mask. That has nothing to do with the price of tea in China. If you want to wear a mask do so, but don’t force your fear onto others as that certainly is not caring at all. Looks like to me all those places where masks have been mandated, it has not helped one iota. That is if you believe the media hype about numbers rising and I do not. I find it strange that it is being hyped up again because of election issues. However, if Biden does become the winner, everyone is in for a world of hurt including more forced lockdowns worse than the first one.
It is sad to me how we are teaching our children to be afraid and to just comply with whatever the government tells you to do. Last I checked, I still live in the United States of America which by the way is a Constitutional Republic not a democracy as many people want to say. There is a difference.
It also drives me crazy hearing it’s time to heal when for the last five years, Trump has said that same thing and it fell on deaf ears. They have done nothing but whine and fight so they do not have the right to say anything about it being time to heal. It’s way past time for all of that, it’s time to fight.
I’m a confessed conservative but do not always vote down party lines, but for the person. And believe me there are issues with all parties, however, the mess we’ve seen this year came mainly from one party who would not condemn riots and condoned people for things they themselves have done.
How someone who calls themself a Christian can vote for someone who thinks it’s okay to murder babies is beyond me. They will be judged by God when they stand before Him though.
In the meantime, life goes on. Lots of things upcoming in Crawford County and Peach County as well.
Tonight, there is a Sparkle and Sass fall popup vendor gathering at the Civic Center in Roberta including yours truly. There will be plants, potions, books, artwork and much more. Drop by to see us: 4-7 p.m.
Roberta will do Christmas including the parade on December 5th. For more information contact Patti at the Chamber of Commerce.
Hard to believe that next week is Thanksgiving. Seems like this year has been two years long and then in October it began flying by faster. Lots of people are putting up their Christmas trees and decorations early but I just can’t. I barely got my fall decorations out.
Personally, I will be glad when this year is over and I am praying next year will make up for it. We shall see.
One thing I’ve missed this year is holding my annual women’s conference. I was up for it but others weren’t and there was too much fear about the virus. I refuse to not live my life and do take precautions, other than masks. So thinking about having it earlier next year. It’s usually in the fall, but perhaps springtime in 2021. We all certainly do need to be renewed and what better time than spring?
I’m so thankful that my Wednesday Bible study ladies have hung with me during all that’s going on in the world. We have grown in the Word and Lord this year and learned many things studying we didn’t realize before because many things are no longer taught. It’s been a great source of fellowship and the Lord has been with us at each one, providing discernment and wisdom. I’m looking forward to even more revelations this next year. If you’d like to join us, it’s on Wednesdays at 2 p.m. Because the church did not allow it, haven’t been able to hold the one on Thursdays and I have missed those ladies but God had other plans and has shown me so much through all of this.
I’m thankful for the connection with so many like-minded people who have stood firm in their faith and not lived their lives in fear. Living in fear is something God tells us not to do and it is not really living at all.
With the change in seasons though and going from spending lots of time outside to not to much does bring on seasonal affective disorder. I am not immune to it either and have experienced it somewhat already. Guess not going like we used to just adds to it. We haven’t been able to get a camping spot at our favorite beach this year and I’ve really missed that. There’s just something about being at the beach that revives you. Hope to make up for that next year too. ©2020

VICTORIA SIMMONS Is a columnist, author, motivational speaker, minister and publisher of The Georgia Post/Byron Buzz. Contact her at: vsimmons54@gmail.com

By the time this week’s paper hits the streets, the election for the most part will be over.
Regardless of who wins, God is still in control, the world will keep turning and life will go forward. God disposes and places rulers in place and our hope resides in Him, not who is in the White House.
This election cycle has been crazy, diving family, friends and making everyone uptight. In actuality, I believe that’s what some of them wanted to do — divide us — because it makes it easier to conquer when people are divided. Sadly, we let them on many fronts.
Will life be changed after the election? Maybe. I would hope it would change for the better and we would get over this year and be the people God created us to be and that could happen with divine intervention.
But life as we know it, changed this year because we were afraid of something we cannot see, when we should have deepened our faith with our ever present Heavenly Father.
In some locations businesses have been boarding up in expectation of violence after the election. Some people have again expressed fear. I don’t get it. As Christians we should not be in fear because of our faith. Our faith should be in God, not people. When we put our faith in man, it is nothing but chaotic and heartache.
It has been ridiculous that mainly the democrats have upheld the rioting and looting instead of denouncing it. The mainstream media aided them in proclaiming them peaceful protests, but when it’s peaceful, businesses aren’t destroyed, people hurt and looting taking place. If they lose, they have threatened to continue the violence. Really? Wow, is about all I can say. That just tells me, they are part of the problem. They have also said they won’t concede even if they lose and that they will drag Trump out of the White House. I don’t understand why these people don’t get arrested. The average citizen would have been under the jail. So many things have blown my mind this year.
Whether he has won or not I think we should recap what he has been put through, much more than any president ever. There’s not room to list them all but here’s a few:
The Flynn Case – Gen. Michael Flynn was an innocent man selected by Deep State forces to serve as an example. Recall that Flynn, who devoted his entire adult life to the service of his country, was pilloried for misremembering minor details of a trivial phone call. By destroying Flynn, the elites could scare off any potential cabinet picks from working with Trump, assuring that his administration would be hamstrung.
The Emoluments Clause – This long-simmering accusation stemmed from a grotesquely convoluted interpretation of the Constitution’s emoluments clause, intended to prevent a chief executive from receiving payoffs from foreign sources. This was a grade school interpretation of the clause, used to trap him.
The 25th Amendment – This has popped up repeatedly (the last time from the Ice Cream Queen, only a couple weeks ago) over the past four years, more in hopes of causing uproar within the administration than any successful outcome. Trump haters have repeatedly called for administration members to declare Trump “incapable of carrying out his duties” in order to trigger the amendment.
Brett Kavanaugh – Trump’s eminently qualified selection for the Supreme Court was attacked with the same weapons used against Justice Clarence Thomas: sexual misbehavior in the distant past. The sole reason was that he’d been chosen by Orange Man.
Several turncoat appointees – A number of appointees who simply didn’t work out for various reasons – Scaramucci, with no gifts and no sense either, most prominent among them – have freely badmouthed Trump in the years since, cheered on by the same people who despised and insulted them when they were working for Trump.
Anonymous – There have been several of these, but Eric Ciaramella, was the whistleblower who fabricated an accusation that Trump had demanded that Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky dig up dirt on Joe Biden. (that wouldn’t have been hard, would it?)
The “Russian Collusion” Case – This is the effort triggered by Hillary Clinton, molded around a bogus “dossier” concocted by an English gun-for-hire, and involving several foreign intelligence agencies along with both the FBI and CIA. This was intended as a bloodless coup, and as far as the myriad American participants goes, represents something called “sedition.”
The “Impeachment” – Finally we have this, a useless effort, carried out while the country was enduring the onset of a serious pandemic, to… well, it’s difficult to understand exactly what it was about, considering that it was a no-hope scheme to start with. Suffice to say that it drew its substance from all the previous efforts in a kind of ritualistic eerie performance.
COVID was weaponized as well to destroy Trump, believe it or, I believe history will show this to be the truth. He is not responsible for it, acted in plenty of time and if Biden has such a magic pill to make it go away, he would have produced it right away instead of waiting until after the election.
The Flynn case is still dragging on in spite of the judge being told to dismiss the case. Judge Sullivan is narcissistic and seemingly vindictive. Leads me to the assumption that Flynn knows way too much and once the case is dismissed he is free to tell all.
In spite of it all Trump kept going and lesser men would not have, and neither would I, because it just wouldn’t be worth all of that hatred.
But we know in the end God wins, so all the rest is just a human adventure and exercise in patience and perseverance. Some days I didn’t make the grade as all the rhetoric does take its toll after a while.
If not for reliance on God, things would have been much worse and I’m thankful He’s my father. We have to keep our eye on the prize which is eternal life with Him and act accordingly. Some days that’s tougher with all that’s going on, but remembering it helps keep your joy in tact.
So day after election, I will be back at work, doing what I enjoy and praising God for it all.

VICTORIA SIMMONS Is a columnist, author, motivational speaker, minister and publisher of The Georgia Post/Byron Buzz. Contact her at: vsimmons54@gmail.com©2020

I don’t know when the trend that the government is supposed to take care of you happened. Coming from my background where everyone in my family were work-a-holics from my grandparents on down, I can’t wrap my head around it either.
Seems that mindset has gotten worse in recent year, especially this year. It’s supposed to be government by and for the people but we are relinquishing our freedoms and allowing the government to control our lives at an alarming pace. At least it’s alarming to me, maybe not to those who have that mindset of the government taking care of them.
Sadly, some of it happens by force, such as not being able to hold church and using safety as an excuse. The government assures us it’s for our own good or safety and the common good. The leaders say whatever will help them get the job done for us to submit to their plans.
Many follow blindly, like sheep to the slaughter, and those who don’t are portrayed as the crazy ones or conspiracy theorist and more. We have in fact, acquiesced. It does seem, however, that more people are realizing relinquishing control of our lives tot he government is not in our best interest. If you, like me, have realized that government is not our friend, welcome to the club. Those numbers are growing, however we are not as vocal as the others.
Perhaps the recent chaos of the pandemic is opening eyes to the degree our government will go to keep control over the citizens. Many of our national leaders are a disgrace to our country. They became millionaires and billionaires while in office and have a double standard when it comes to their shenanigans vs. others.
They withhold stimulus money for pork barrel projects to further their own agendas. They do not care for we the people anymore, only themselves.
We cannot have real debates about candidates or much of anything else. If you disagree with the other person, you have become the enemy and they label you and even threaten you in some places because of your party affiliation.
In reality, we have been deceived for many, many years, a lot of it is just coming to light now. Mainstream media has pitched propaganda and spun stories for their own agenda way longer than just recently as well. We just weren’t paying attention and no one was pointing it out.
When ACA (Affordable Care Act) was enacted (2013) we began the dissent to relinquishing all of private information about our lives to the IRS. This was unconstitutional and yes I know that is still being debated today, but I personally believe it to be. After that even doctors began asking if you had a gun in your home, which was reported if you answered affirmatively.
Though there were jokes about death panels in 2013, we have seen this day and time, government making decisions about whether or not we receive necessary health care. Look at New York were senior citizens were sent to nursing homes and many died just because this government said this should be done. And people did not revolt. So much for the government caring about safety and well-being of citizens.
Though many jobs have been added this year in spite of the pandemic which affected the economy, many are still without jobs. Seeing all the help wanted signs, I don’t quite understand it, except perhaps they don’t want to work in reality.
Congressmen and women earn $174,000 a year which is almost four times the average American’s salary. They also get additional compensation adjusting their salaries to close to $300,000. Yet, what are they really doing for the American people?
These millions of Americans who mistakenly think the government should take care of them or that they are owed something, place a burden on those of us who take personal responsibility for our own lives. We do whatever it takes, two or three jobs if necessary to support our family. Yet, we pay tax after tax to pay for those not working.
We have got to start pushing back and take our government back. Those we elect should start obeying the Constitution, preparing and living on a budget instead of spending and borrowing future generations into oblivion. Until we start doing that, and I believe it’s starting, we have no one to blame but ourselves.
If you think the Constitution doesn’t mean that much these days, then you don’t realize what could happen to “we the people” if the government had no boundaries whatsoever on what they could do to us. That is happening at an alarming rate. For many years now, the government has been oppressive and doing great harm to freedom.
But what can we do, I hear asked all the time. First of all vote for those people who are closer to your morals and values. If you value freedom and your Constitutional and God-given rights, there is only one choice for President. For the other candidate doesn’t care about your personal freedoms.
We should be responsible for our own health and make right choices and we just can’t do what a doctor says without asking questions. They do call it the practice of medicine after all. If you aren’t getting answers and needed information from yours, find another one who will answer questions. I will not take a prescription just because a doctor prescribes it. I want to know if it will cure what ails me and if not why do I really need it. Most do not cure anything and there are other things we can do.
I’m so blessed that I’ve connected with an M.D. that is more holistic and actually listens. We need to be proactive with our health and pro-active in the choices we make. I know it’s easier said than done and it takes work and being conscious of what we want to achieve.
Don’t be willy nilly about your health or anything else in your live, including researching candidates for which you vote. Don’t rely on someone else, do your own research. Be pro-active with your life. ©2020

VICTORIA SIMMONS Is a columnist, author, motivational speaker, minister and publisher of The Georgia Post/Byron Buzz. Contact her at: vsimmons54@gmail.com

Early voting has begun and hopefully, the next few weeks will fly by so we can get through all the election hoopla.
I’m certainly tired of it and will be glad when it’s all over. Unfortunately, President Trump is in a no win situation. If he wins the election, the onslaught against him will continue; if he loses the onslaught will be transferred to the American people, especially those who supported the President.
I cannot understand how someone can vote for someone that supports the killing of unborn babies, will take away your guns, raise your taxes, take away other freedoms like being able to worship as you please and have more governmental control over your life. It’s not about a person’s past, their demeanor, nor how great they can do in a debate. It’s about our country and what happens in this election can change the whole configuration of our country either for the best or worst, depending on how you cast your vote.
Perhaps this is the most important election in the history of our country. It’s exciting on one front; things that are happening for the better to move our country forward. Scary on another for those who are bent on trying to destroy our country and bring us to socialism and a one world order. You don’t have to like someone to vote for them, it’s not like giving them a valentine. You are not voting for the person, you are voting for what they can do and whether or not they have the best intentions for the betterment of all but especially our country.
So many people are so dead set against Trump, they cannot see the forest for the trees. They do not do enough research into what he’s actually done. They rely on mainstream media which has been proven time and time again to actually create the news with lies and innuendos because they also are anti-Trump because of the powers that be who owns or controls them. In reality, not to burst your bubble, but mainstream media has been using propaganda and lying to us for a very, very long time.
If you look other places than mainstream media, you get information being brought to light about Russian collusion, but it was not Trump. You can get information about the Clinton emails and a lot of other swamp members who have not been above the law and apply a different standard to their actions than they do others. It’s okay for them, but not you and they play the blame game which has trickled over into the citizens.
While saying this election is so important may seem like a cliché, perhaps it is but clichés tend to be truthful.
Voter fraud is rampant and many are pushing for mail-in voting. Doesn’t it make you wonder why they are pushing this so hard? They don’t care that it will overwhelm election offices across the country. They don’t care because that’s exactly what they want to do. They would like nothing better than to delay the election results so they can create more havoc.
Citizens no longer care as much about the wrong doing in government. Many are tired of hearing about it because they don’t see any arrests even if they know the whole story. Many are brainwashed about what is really going on in our country. They don’t believe how corrupt many politicians are or take even a moment to question how many of them became millionaires and billionaires while in office. They don’t have a problem with that congressperson living in a mansion or having armed guards yet trying to institute income equality, no matter how hard you’ve worked for your wage, and want to take away your guns. Double standard. The public has come to the conclusion that a guaranteed annual income works. This virus hysteria has provided a kind of test for both universal basic income and modern monetary theory—helicopter money. So far, anyway, it seems you really can get something for nothing. Income equality is not really equal.
There’s now a lot of antagonism toward both free minds and free markets. Polls indicate that a majority of Americans actually support BLM, an openly Marxist movement that has been declared a terrorist organization. Forget about free minds—someone might be offended, and you’ll be pilloried by the mob. Forget about free markets—they’re blamed for all the economic problems, even though it’s the lack of them that caused the problem. The idea of capitalism is now considered undefendable.
Let’s be real here. This election is going to hinge on who cheats the best. And the Democrats have, over the years, developed far greater expertise in cheating than the Republicans. Saul Alinsky’s “Rules for Radicals” wasn’t written for the kind of people who vote Republican.
There’s going to be more emphasis on mail-in votes, which make it easier to cheat. You can register dead people as voters. You can register your dog as a voter. If the fraud is ever even discovered, it won’t be until long after the election.
A consequence of this acknowledged dysfunction is to delegitimize the whole idea of voting. The election will be contested no matter which side wins because the country has become totally polarized. No matter who wins, the other side is going to be terminally unhappy with the result.
This election is undoubtedly the most important one since 1860. The outcome of that was the War Between the States.
The Democrats really want to change the very nature of the US. If they win, they’ll be able to do so, for several reasons. First, it seems almost certain that they’ll make Washington, DC, a state; there will then be 102 senators voting—and those two from Washington, DC, will without question be left-leaning Democrats. Second, the 20 million undocumented people—illegal aliens—now in the US will undoubtedly be made citizens; they lean heavily toward the Democrats. Third, they’ll expand the size of the Supreme Court and pack it with leftists.
There could be more, of course. Perhaps they’ll probably reduce the voting age to 16. Maybe they’ll even engineer a Constitutional Convention to change everything. The 2nd Amendment will go, of course, and the rest of the Bill of Rights would be heavily modified. America would never be the same and once this happens, it will be all but impossible to get them out of office or turn things back around. So yes, this is the most important election in our history and your country and your freedom lies in the balance.
For me, it’s an easy choice — give me liberty and less government interference in my everyday life. I vote for the candidate most closely to my morals and values and who seems to love America by words and actions. Do your part, go to the polls and vote in person. ©2020

VICTORIA SIMMONS Is a columnist, author, motivational speaker, minister and publisher of The Georgia Post/Byron Buzz. Contact her at: vsimmons54@gmail.com

In an unprecedented year of chaos in many areas, journalists find themselves figuring out where they fit in and what’s the next move. This week is National Newspaper Week and for the first time in my career as a journalist, I find myself not enjoying it as much as I used to at times. I believe in it and meet a lot of great people which really make it worthwhile. It’s just people don’t like the truth these days, especially politicians and they are too vocal about criticism.
Things are constantly changing and staying ahead of social media can be challenging. Criticism can be good as long as it’s constructive but when it becomes vengeful or hateful, that’s a totally different animal.
The pandemic definitely hurt many businesses and closed some as well. It’s no different for your local newspaper. We have struggled as we’ve worked this whole time to cover governmental meetings in the age of zoom and other platforms for meetings. Advertising revenue dropped drastically and by the grace of God, we have survived and revenues have started to pick up.
As the publisher of a small community newspaper for years, I learned how to do more with less a long time ago. Budgets for us have always been small and sometimes barely legible. There are times you even fork out some of your own money for certain things just to get by that week.
Gratefully, we picked up several new print subscribers — thank you — and our website has added many more.
As the world changes drastically, it is even more important to protect and help local newspapers survive. More than 35 years ago, I sat in a seminar at UGA listening to a speaker talk about the future of newspaper. His talk was grim and his prediction was newspapers would be gone in 25 years or less. He was wrong and I thought so at the time as well. But I cannot predict another 25 years for the industry from today, that’s for sure.
We need journalists, especially in our local communities. And us journalists need the support of our communities more than ever.
If we lose our community newspaper, we risk losing our democracy. We try to hold our local officials accountable and act as the public’s watchdog for their tax money.
We do not ask for accolades and it’s a good thing because they are few and far between but we do appreciate the pat on the back when it comes.
We don’t create the news, we report it and sometimes when it shows someone or something in a negative light, the people involved don’t like it. We had such a case recently but we know you can’t please everyone all the time. While we like good news too, it’s not always good.
We received many visits and phone calls thanking us for trying to expose what was going on. We were told many things we cannot verify but are keeping it all in mind. It is a sad fact that no one wanted to put their name to a letter, however, to show support. It’s okay though, we get it though we put our names out there every week, that’s our job.
We strive to be as accurate as possible and yes, sometimes we do make mistakes and will admit and correct it, when it is an actual mistake we apologize.
With only one full time employee and two part-time, each of us has to be multi-talented and learn to do more things at once. We can’t always do a lot of investigative reporting because of the time involved but when truly important, we work at it. We are currently working on investigating one entity in our community but it is slow go.
People tell us things we can’t publish without checking it out first and verifying. It is always not possible to verify but people don’t seem to understand we have to be responsible in our reporting. We learn many things people tell us “off the record” which means we can’t report unless we find another way to do so without acknowledging the source who did not want to be named.
These days newspapers are under siege thanks to social media and other platforms that have wreaked havoc on the industry. With all that’s happening in the world, businesses who are struggling fail to see the importance of advertising to increase business at times.
We rely on our community and our readers and advertisers to keep us up to date on what’s happening as we can’t be everywhere.
Local newspaper do not have time for frivolity like fake news. Even if we did have time, we would not participate. Mainstream news media has given us all a negative connotation which is not deserved by weekly newspapers.
Discussion pages pop up on social media continually and while every now and then they may provide something interesting about an event, etc. most of the discussion is complaints about one thing or another. Many times it is an issue which the person could have resolved easily by making a phone call to the proper authority or entity they are trashing. That is not what a newspaper is about.
As a community newspaper we are committed to our community and to keep striving to do the best we can and fighting for our citizens when necessary. All we ask is that you keep supporting us by reading and subscribing.
This past week we produced our first magazine, Hometown Heroes. We always do a special section for first responders and this year decided to do it in magazine format. We are proud of how it turned out. Is it perfect, no, but for our first attempt, it’s pretty darn good. It’s only a small way we can salute and say thank you to these people who put their lives on the line every day. We tried to include essential workers as well.
We are constantly trying to do things for our community and special sections that highlight our advertisers as well as our community and help us stay afloat. We cannot do any of this without our community — our readers, our subscribers and our advertisers. We are after all a business as well and as such need revenues to continue.
Many communities have lost their local newspaper and if you asked them about it afterward, they express regret that it’s gone.
Next year The Georgia Post will be 100 years old. It’s quite an accomplishment for the printed media. It’s a milestone I am looking forward to celebrating and hope you will join us in that celebration. We are currently looking at sometime in April, depending on how things are going.
I’d just like to thank Kristi, Katelyn and Robby, but also all of you who support us in any way. It is very much appreciated much more than you know. ©2020

VICTORIA SIMMONS Is a columnist, author, motivational speaker, minister and publisher of The Georgia Post/Byron Buzz. Contact her at: vsimmons54@gmail.com

We made a quick trip to Texas at the end of last week to attend a memorial for my father-in-law. Because of our fur baby, Roxie, who has never stayed with anyone other than my daughter before she got married, we take her everywhere with us. So, we drove instead of fly so she could go. She gets traumatized and has separation anxiety and we don’t want to add to it.
It’s a 14-hour drive, depending on the number and length of stops. With Roxie, we stop every so often to let her out and walk around and do her business if needed. She rides really well. We put her bed and arrange blankets, etc . in the back seat so she will be comfortable.
The drive over didn’t seem quite so bad. When we arrived she was wound up and wanted to play. Her humans were tired and worn out but David did walk with her before calling it a night.
Friday, she was in heaven as there was a three-year-old boy she could love on and play with. She adores kids and always wants to give them kisses. She weighs over 60 pounds so that can not be fun for a small child. Fortunately, she minds well so we can keep her in check.
She had free reign of the house Friday but since the memorial was at the house Saturday, we closed the door to the back of the house. She was not happy and a couple of times, though we had asked no one to go back, someone let her out a couple of times.
She loves people so naturally she comes out and starts going from person to person wanting them to pet her. She also wanted to play with a couple of them and she can get quite wild if you let her.
We got her settled into the back of house again until after the service and people thinned out a bit. Then we let her out to visit again.
Come Sunday, she was ready to go home and would stand outside looking up at the truck. Once we started loading up, she stood by the door making sure she would not get left behind.
The trip home was just worse than the trip over. Don’t really know why but just seemed to take twice as long. Roxie was miserable, we were miserable and it late in the night when we got home.
Soon as we let her out though, she was happy and excited to be home. It takes her a couple of days to get over such a long trip. Honestly, it takes us that long as well.
We would really like to break the trip up and spend one night in a hotel, but not all hotels will take dogs that weigh 50 pounds or more. Perhaps we will find one though, as we most likely will have to make another trip over once the estate is settled.
One good thing is we got to see our two granddaughters that live there whom we very rarely get to see. Didn’t have as much time as we would have liked but it was still wonderful to spend some time with them. They are growing up so fast.
Seeing other relatives is also good. We have only been getting to Texas about every three years and lots of things change during that time. As we were traveling there, David was notified one of his aunts had died. We could not change our schedule about coming home because of work so could not make her funeral.
One thing we noticed along the trip was that roads in Louisiana and Alabama leave a lot to be desired. Mississippi wasn’t all that great either. I wonder why these states have not done any infrastructure work in a very long time. Mississippi was working on roads and bridges along the way. From our trip three years ago, we had already learned that you stick to the speed limit in Louisiana, so we were very conscious of that fact on this trip.
We also noticed that there were not many people wearing masks in Texas. Alabama and Mississippi were tied for number of masked people and Louisiana would have been next. Since their governor mandated them, we expected more but were glad to see many without masks. It was great to not worry about someone getting upset that you were not wearing one. Alabama had signs everywhere about it.
There are many things I like about Texas and if we were younger and not so settled, would consider living there. They do not have controlled zoning in some areas which actually works for them most of the time. I’m all for less government control but do see where controlled zoning is good in certain areas.
In Florida, the Governor has done away with all emergency order requirements and has completely opened the state back up without restrictions. A couple of other states have done so and it’s time the rest followed. Enough is enough, already.
Another thing I have always said, is a death brings out the best and worst in people. You see who people really are during these times. It’s an unfortunate and sad thing.
We are just really glad to be home and so is Roxie. Hopefully by this weekend she will be back to her usual spunky self. Boxers have such unique personalities and ours is so spoiled that it only adds to her personality. What would we do without our four-legged kids to bring us joy and laughter?
Going from one atmosphere to another is not good for your allergies. David is allergic to cats and his dad had several in the house. They have been re-homed but it takes a while to get rid of all the cat hair and for the residual smell to leave. His allergies were acting up the whole time and of course, there is nothing like sleeping in your own bed. It may be good to get away sometimes, but it’s really good to get back home.
Being back home, things are heating up in the local political scene. In Peach County certain candidates are spreading untruths to hurt some candidates without checking the facts. When you question them about it, they get defensive and cannot answer the question. They respond back that “we” probably wouldn’t be voting for them anyway.
First of all, there’s no way they can know that for certainty. It is certain for me if you don’t have a platform, don’t have any answers and can’t answer simple questions, I will not be voting for you. Starting a smear campaign also does it for me.
We have several in Peach County up for re-election who have proven themselves to be for the people as a whole and unless you have some concrete plans I see no need for them to replaced by people who have ulterior motives and personal agendas. Just doesn’t make sense to me. © 2020
VICTORIA SIMMONS Is a columnist, author, motivational speaker, minister and publisher of The Georgia Post/Byron Buzz. Contact her at: vsimmons54@gmail.com

Why is when someone dies, we sometimes try and turn them into a saint? I don’t believe in speaking ill of the dead, but you should embellish their life just to make them look good. It’s too late for that once you die.
At one funeral I attended, after the service, everyone was asking who were they talking about! You may think that’s funny, but it’s actually the truth. Even her granddaughter said they were not talking about her grandmother.
Yes, it’s sad but the truth is the truth. It’s been said that the life you lead writes your own eulogy but in today’s society that is not really true as they embellish the truth or make something negative seem like a positive. No one is perfect and we all have our faults and issues and those who matter will remember the good things without embellishing them to sound super fantastic.
Unless you’ve been hidden under a basket, by now everyone knows Supreme Court Justice Ruth Ginsburg died. She had been dealing with metastatic pancreatic cancer for years. She was 87 and had been on the Supreme Court since 1993. She was called a moderate justice when first appointed but then became a liberal wing as time passed.
She was the second woman to serve on the court after Sandra Day O’Connor.
Many tout her as an icon for women’s rights. I guess we can give her that on some fronts but she also thought the age of consent for young girls should be age 12. I can’t fathom that and it makes my heart hurt to even try and think about it. She was also pro-abortion.
She did co-found the Women’s Rights Project at the American Civil Liberties Union. As the project’s general counsel she argued six gender discrimination cases to the Supreme Court, winning five of them.
She was nominated by then President Bill Clinton to fill the seat vacated by the retirement of Justice Byron White. She had been recommended to Clinton by them Attorney General Janet Reno. She was the first Jewish female Justice and became the longest-serving Jewish justice.
As part of her confirmation hearing she refused to answer some questions concerning the constitutionality of some issues such as the death penalty. She was confirmed 96-3; received her commission on August 5, 1993 and took the judicial oath on August 10th.
When Justice John Paul Stevens retired she became the senior member of the highest court in the land. Going against majority opinion she advocated the use of foreign laws and norms to shape U. S. law in judicial opinions.
She was for same-sex marriage and even officiated at some. She opposed using “the year of our Lord” which the Supreme Court formerly inscribed on its certificates. Because of that Supreme Court Bar members were given other options to inscribe the year on their certificates.
She criticized Kaepernick’s actions on not standing for the national anthem then recounted her comments after receiving some criticism.
During Obama’s term as President, some called for her to retire based on her age and health issues. Ginsburg rejected those calls saying she wished to remain a justice as long as she was mentally capable. She authored numerous books and received many awards during her career and even had a praying mantis named after her.
Last year Fox News posted a graphic of her with her date of death as that day. This has caused much speculations as to whether she was still alive or not. Fox News recanted and apologized for what they called an error. Knowing what I know about graphics and how the news operates, it’s unimaginable this could have happened unless someone purposely did it for whatever reason.
Her death brings a vacancy to the Supreme Court which has caused all kinds of threats from the left and differing opinions.
Democrats and the left say it is a disgrace to do so soon before the election and want to wait until after. Others think it should be done right away. The Constitution allows for this and it can be done provided there are enough votes in the Senate.
The political games that are played daily are a real travesty and partisan politics has infiltrated every facet of government. Personally, I feel both parties have abandoned us and are not conducive to a government by the people. Both sides dig their heals in to get their desires accomplished and most of the time, it is not for the benefit of the people.
I would like to see a replacement right away as I don’t see what waiting accomplishes or that it really matters. I know the liberals would beg to differ, but if they really cared about our country, we would see them trying to actually get work accomplished for the people.
It’s evident many don’t know the Constitution as it is not really specific in the area of Supreme Court replacements.
Article II, Section 2: “[The President] shall nominate, and by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, shall appoint…Judges of the Supreme Court.”
That’s the only thing the Constitution really says. It doesn’t say, for example, that the Senate has to hold hearings to question the nominee. It doesn’t establish any threshold for what constitutes a quorum or even whether a justice can be confirmed by an absolute majority or a majority of those voting or even a super-majority, which the Constitution does require for other purposes, such as the two-thirds majority that is necessary to convict a president of an impeachable offense.
It does, however, allow the President to fill the vacancy temporarily should the Senate go into recess. The commission would expire at the end of the Senate’s next session.
Making threats serves no good purpose except to further incite division among the masses as they tend to choose sides based on media propaganda.
It is unfortunate that the climate in our country today, allows such utter disrespect and disregard for the Constitution and laws of the land. If it doesn’t fit the left’s narrative, then they would prefer that the country burn down.
It’s been said that this is the most important election in the history of our country so far, I have to agree. We can stop the madness that’s going on and vote our morals or we can vote for the socialistic agenda of the left. It’s a battle between good and evil. Vote accordingly. ©2020

VICTORIA SIMMONS Is a columnist, author, motivational speaker, minister and publisher of The Georgia Post/Byron Buzz. Contact her at: vsimmons54@gmail.com

This week is Constitution Week with September 17th as Constitution Day. It’s an amazing document that still stands the test of time. Each day though, we see it being trampled and the rights it gives us stripped away. It can only happen if we allow it and unfortunately many give in to the craziness going on and will not push against the tyranny.
I ask myself why and there are many answers but one main one to me, is that people don’t know what the Constitution says and more importantly, what it means for us. It was taught when I was in school and we had to learn the preamble. Civics was also taught as was taking pride in our community and nation.
The Preamble outlines the Constitution’s purpose and guiding principles. It reads:
“We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”
Our forefathers fought against tyranny and government intrusion into their lives. Freedom was so important to them, they were willing to die for it and continue to fight for it.
There is no mention of “democracy” in the Constitution. In fact, the United States of America isn’t a true democracy; it’s a republic, which is how the framers intended it.
In a pure democracy, the people make decisions directly. In a republic, the people make decisions indirectly, via representatives. The men at the Convention believed pure democracy to be a dangerous form of government
The Constitution of the United States established America’s national government and fundamental laws, and guaranteed certain basic rights for its citizens.
It was signed on September 17, 1787, by delegates to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. Under America’s first governing document, the Articles of Confederation, the national government was weak and states operated like independent countries. States having so much power lead to a poor economy and week national defense. It is interesting that during the American Revolution, there was rarely enough money to supply or pay the army.
At the 1787 convention, delegates devised a plan for a stronger federal government with three branches—executive, legislative and judicial—along with a system of checks and balances to ensure no single branch would have too much power. (How far wrong have we gone on that with partisan politics.)
The Bill of Rights were the first 10 amendments guaranteeing basic individual protections, such as freedom of speech and religion, that became part of the Constitution in 1791. The Bill of Rights is one of the most historical and treasured documents because it is the foundation of basic American liberties. Its laws specify the fundamental rights of American citizens. It protects our freedom of speech, press, assembly, petition and religion as well as protects people from “unreasonable searches”.
The Bill of Rights was added because many feared a strong federal government would abuse its citizens unless there were guarantees of basic rights and liberties included. Many of these limited the powers of the federal government. Though the Constitution protects against this, you can see we are far from that original intent as government controls many facets of daily life.
Though some didn’t think the Bill of Rights were needed because they couldn’t fathom such government control, to get the Constitution ratified they had to support it.
Here’s some facts I thought interesting and many many not know about the Constitution. Originally it contained 4,543 words which included signatures. With the 27 amendments it contains 7,591 words. This makes it the oldest and shortest written Constitution of any major government in the world. Short and to the point and very powerful.
In spite of what some think, Thomas Jefferson did not sign the Constitution. He was in France during the Convention where he served as the U. S. minister. John Adams was serving as the U. S. minister to Great Britain during the Constitutional Convention and did not attend either. George Washington and James Madison were the only presidents who signed the Constitution.
There was a proposal at the Convention to limit the standing army for the country to 5,000 men. Washington sarcastically agreed with this proposal as long as a stipulation was added that no invading army could number more than 3,000 troops.
Grammar nazis beware as the original draft of the Constitution contains multiple spelling errors including misspelling of Pennsylvania as one of the “n’s” was left out.
The constitution’s opening line was not included in early drafts of the document. The preamble originally started with individual states listed from north to south. The five-person Committee of Style is thought to be responsible for composing much of the final text, including the revised preamble.
A proclamation by President George Washing and a congressional resolution established the first national Thanksgiving Day on November 26, 1789 and the reason was to give thanks for the new Constitution.
Other than English, Latin was also used in various parts of the Constitution.
There were no amendments from 1804 to 1865 until the end of the Civil War when the 13th amendment was added to abolish slavery. This was the longest period in American history where there were no changes to our Constitution.
More than 11,000 amendments have been introduced in Congress. Thirty-three have gone to the states to be ratified and twenty-seven have actually received the necessary approval from the states to actually become amendments. The Constitution has only been changed seventeen times since 1791.
Several of the framers met with untimely deaths some with suspicious circumstances.
Governor Morris of Pennsylvania was nicknamed the Penman of the Constitution but Jacob Shallus wielded the quill that scrawled the final copy. He was an assistant clerk of the Pennsylvania Assembly and was paid $30 and given just two days to write it.
Our founding fathers knew what they were doing and the U.S. Constitution passes the test of time and is perhaps even more relevant today. It is up to us to preserve and protect it. We owe it to ourselves and founders to do so for our republic to stand.

VICTORIA SIMMONS Is a columnist, author, motivational speaker, minister and publisher of The Georgia Post/Byron Buzz. Contact her at: vsimmons54@gmail.com©2020