Thursday, November 27, 2014

Memorable Thanksgiving

A chicken, ax and mama’s love

Marilyn Langford

Unfair and Unbalanced

BY MARILYN LANGFORD
Published:
Thursday, November 27, 2014 1:26 AM CST
I’m supposed to provide you the liberal perspective of issues here. I don’t know about you, but I’m jaded from the past months of political overload and I need a break from it. At Thanksgiving time, I feel it would be irreverent to discuss the things that divide us. That’s why I’m deviating from my crusade to turn Monroe “blue” to talk about my most memorable Thanksgiving.

I WAS the caboose of nine children. During my childhood years, my siblings grew up and left home. Our Thanksgivings were typical for a very large family, lots of good food and good visiting. Even now, I associate the smell of burning leaves with Thanksgiving because it was tradition to rake and clean the yard for the big day. It was an exciting time, especially on Black Friday. Of course there was no such thing as Black Friday back then, but it was “Black Friday” for our hogs that my daddy and my brothers butchered so we could eat all winter.

BUT MY most memorable Thanksgiving was quite different from all those before it. My Daddy had been unemployed for a long time. He finally got a job out-of-town and Mama and I were alone for Thanksgiving. No money and no car. For various reasons, no other family members were coming that day. In keeping with tradition, we still raked, cleaned, and burned leaves. When Mama got tired, she went in to take her nap, as she did every day. Unless the house was on fire, you never bothered Mama when she was taking her nap. That’s a fine tradition I passed down to my children.

I LAY down with her but sleep would not come. I thought of something fun to do that would ease my boredom—I would feed the chickens a snack!  I eased out of bed being careful not to disturb Mama.


RETURNING TO the backyard, I took an ear of corn from the corncrib, got an ax without a handle, and chopped one kernel off at a time. It was a great game to see which chicken was the fastest at pecking up the corn, to see them stepping on each other’s heads, and even pecking each other. I was laughing and having a great time until…. one little pullet got over anxious just as I made a swipe down the corn with the ax. It cut her beak off even with her face (if a chicken has a face). She immediately started flipping and flopping. I was horrified! I had never hurt an animal in my life and I was fully aware of how important these chickens were for the sustenance of our family. I knew instantly I was in deep, deep trouble. I didn’t fear Mama would kill me, but I was sure she’d make me cut my own switch. And, if I woke her up from her nap, I would get a double whooping! So, I eased into the bed beside her. Her breathing never changed. I eased back up and went to check on the chicken. She was still flipping and flopping, still suffering. I eased back into the bed. After easing in and out about three times, she yelled at me, “Either stay up or down!” I started crying and said, “I cut the chicken’s pecker off!”

SHE DIDN’T answer for a minute, and I prepared to accept my punishment. She then said, “I was just lying here thinking that I needed to go kill a chicken for our Thanksgiving dinner.” She got up and did just that.

SOME MAY say I got away with murder. I like to think I learned a great lesson in love and parenting.

Happy Thanksgiving and I hope you make a memory.

Marilyn Langford of High Falls writes a regular op-ed column in the Reporter sharing the liberal perspective on events.

Thursday, November 20, 2014

Pray for President Obama

Obama ready to tell GOP ‘kiss my grits’

Unfair and Unbalanced

BY MARILYN LANGFORD
Published:
Thursday, November 20, 2014 4:23 AM CST
With due respect to Mr. Davis’ opinion in his “On the Porch” column last week, it is not the Democrats, especially Mr. Ham, Mr. Vaughn, and myself that are destroying this country that we all love.  Let’s just say that Mr. Davis and I view things from a parallel universe.

WE NEED to pray for President Obama!  Never in my lifetime have I seen the level of hatred and loathing directed at an American President by Americans.  The hatred even extends to his wife and his children.  

I DON’T expect everyone to agree with our President.  However, I do expect people to show respect and proper homage to the elected leader of our country.  That’s what my mother and father taught me, and that’s what your parents taught you.  How will all this hate speech and lack of civility impact our kids?  We were all taught civility, but that went out the window when Joe Wilson, U. S. Representative from South Carolina, shouted at the President during the State of the Union Address, “You lie!”  Joe Wilson has been forgotten, but the adverse affect his words had on our society have not.

THERE’S TALK about America losing respect in the world.  How do you expect the likes of Vladimir Putin to respect President Obama when people in this country say he is an illegitimate President, hates America, and is a Muslim (and that’s the nice stuff)?  Everyday on Facebook and e-mail there is a new eRumor so absurd, yet written so convincingly, that it receives two hundred thousand “Likes” and as many “Comments.”   I can’t fathom how so many  people could believe posts such as “Jesus named the Anti-Christ and it’s Barack Obama.”  Do us all a favor.  Before you share these ridiculous and inflammatory posts, go to www.truthorfiction.com and verify its validity.


PRESIDENT OBAMA has been the repeated victim of digital manipulation of photos. These photos are NOT real, people!  An example is the viral photo of President Obama and Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez in a lip-lock.  Really?

WHAT HAS President Obama done to deserve such utter hatred and why are people so willing to believe the absolute worst about him?  Why are so many people hoping for him to fail?   The near total collapse of the economy did not happen on his watch, yet he pulled us out of it.  The economy is doing pretty darn good.  He promised healthcare to millions of Americans if he was elected.  He delivered on that promise. He promised to find and kill Bin Laden.  He did.  He has had to fight obstruction to get the smallest victories.  He’s endured untold ridicule and given no recognition for all the good that he has done.



BRACE YOURSELF!
  I have a feeling we “ain’t seen nothing yet!”  Our President is about to deliver on another promise.  At the time of this writing, it is reported that President Obama will soon sign an Executive Order halting deportation of immigrants who meet certain criteria. The Republicans are foaming at the mouth with outrage.  Anything can happen. If a cross is burned on the White House lawn, I would not be surprised.

AFTER SIX years of exhibiting incredible patience, I think President Obama is finally saying to all the Republicans who have made his life so miserable, “Kiss my grits!”  That’s why we need to pray for President Obama.

Marilyn Langford of High Falls writes a regular op-ed column in the Reporter sharing the liberal perspective on events.


Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Post-Mid Term Election Results Monroe County

Now the Republicans must govern

Unfair and Unbalanced

BY MARILYN LANGFORD
Published:
Wednesday, November 12, 2014 7:43 PM CST
Everyone is wondering, “What in the world happened last Tuesday in the election?” Democrats were disappointed and Republicans were surprised.  To find the answer to this question, let’s look at the election results in our own Monroe County.

2014 Mid-Term Election

Nathan Deal       Jason Carter

67.81%               30.24%  

David Perdue     Michelle Nunn

68.43%               30.00%     

Now look at this:

2012 Presidential Election

Mitt Romney        Barack Obama

68%                     30.7%

Nothing happened! That’s what! It’s as clear as black and white.

Wise up Georgia Democrats! The statewide results are similar percentages as Monroe.  This reminds me that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. The Democrats had high-quality candidates but ran away from the message that defines Democrats.

My biggest disappointment election night was Michelle Nunn losing to David Perdue. I have always said that women are a woman’s worst enemy.  Women comprise 52 percent or more of the registered voters in Georgia; yet, Michelle got very little support from white women.  We had a chance to elect a smart, educated, down-to-earth woman who has spent her life consensus building. Someone more like us, the average person.  Michelle was someone who would have voted for our middle-class interests.  Instead, we elected a man who lives in a gated community within another gated community on Sea Island. This man has no idea what it’s like to be us.  Do you think this man, who is proud of outsourcing our jobs and paying women less than men, gives a rip about passing laws to help people like us?

I truly hope that the Republicans are now satisfied and can set about governing.  It’s a relief to me that the onus is now on the Republicans to fix all the problems they were so quick to tell us about in their campaign commercials.

They say some good comes from something bad.  It’s good that Fox News may actually have to report the news now, even if unfavorable to Republicans. It’s good that the Republicans and Fox News don’t have Harry Reid to kick around any more.  It’s good I can sleep without having nightmares brought on by those scary black and white ads accompanied by menacing music warning me of terrorists, Isis, and Ebola.

But the best good thing is that Mr. Davis and Mr. Daniel finally found out what name Michelle Nunn will use after the election.

Marilyn Langford of High Falls writes a regular op-ed column in the Reporter sharing the liberal perspective on events.