Opinion

The Oglethorpe Echo

The Oglethorpe Echo

Exclusive Subscriber Content

Editorial: The Echo’s Opinion

News Staff
Wednesday, July 12, 2023
Thumbs up and down   Sometimes the meeting room is packed. Other times, empty chairs are aplenty during the monthly meeting of Oglethorpe County Commission. The traditional July meeting was moved to July 10 because July 3 was the eve of Independence Day.
In October 2012, Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black hosted a lunch in Atlanta. Bert Lance, left, was among the invitees, along with Larry Walker, right, and me. The next year, Larry and I visited the former DOT commissioner and his wife, LaBelle, in Calhoun on our Legends Tour that also included Bobby Lee Cook and Gov. Zell and Shirley Miller. (SUBMITTED PHOTO)

In October 2012, Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black hosted a lunch in Atlanta. Bert Lance, left, was among the invitees, along with Larry Walker, right, and me. The next year, Larry and I visited the former DOT commissioner and his wife, LaBelle, in Calhoun on our Legends Tour that also included Bobby Lee Cook and Gov. Zell and Shirley Miller. (SUBMITTED PHOTO)

Exclusive Subscriber Content

Opinion Column: Legends Tour began with Lance in Calhoun

Dink NeSmith
Wednesday, July 5, 2023
Note: What’s one of the easiest things to do? Procrastinate. What’s one of the hardest things to not do? Don’t procrastinate. In 2013, Larry Walker and I quit procrastinating and launched a Legends Tour. All three legendary friends — Bert Lance, Bobby Lee Cook and Zell Miller — are now gone.
The Oglethorpe Echo

The Oglethorpe Echo

Exclusive Subscriber Content

Editorial: The Echo’s Opinion

Echo Staff
Wednesday, June 28, 2023
Thumbs up and down   Hot. Muggy. Even before the first official day of summer (June 21) folks were wondering just how high the temperature will get this year. There’s nothing we can do about the weather, but we can do our part to keep Oglethorpe County a beautiful, friendly and safe place to live.
Our family — all 16 of us — love basking in the natural wonders of Georgia’s outdoors. Sunrise on the coast of the Golden Isles is a special time of day. And it’s an extra special time for our son Alan to take his sons, William and Fenn, fishing in the surf of Cumberland Island. As soon as all eight of our grandchildren could walk, they were holding fishing poles. (HEATHER NESMITH/SUBMITTED)

Our family — all 16 of us — love basking in the natural wonders of Georgia’s outdoors. Sunrise on the coast of the Golden Isles is a special time of day. And it’s an extra special time for our son Alan to take his sons, William and Fenn, fishing in the surf of Cumberland Island. As soon as all eight of our grandchildren could walk, they were holding fishing poles. (HEATHER NESMITH/SUBMITTED)

Exclusive Subscriber Content

Opinion Column: Georgia is always on my mind

Dink NeSmith
Wednesday, June 28, 2023
The fascination came early.   Even before I could drive, I was smitten.   Decades later, I’m still like a kid in a candy store. I struggle to decide which I like best. That’s why I can never get enough.    When Emily was in pigtails, we would slip through the Altamaha River swamp in a skiff.
The Depot in Crawford will host the Oglethorpe County Chamber of Commerce’s Business Expo at the Historic Depot in Crawford from 1-7 p.m. The public is welcome. (DINK NESMITH/THE OGLETHORPE ECHO)

The Depot in Crawford will host the Oglethorpe County Chamber of Commerce’s Business Expo at the Historic Depot in Crawford from 1-7 p.m. The public is welcome. (DINK NESMITH/THE OGLETHORPE ECHO)

Exclusive Subscriber Content

The Echo’s Opinion: Local matters

News Staff
Wednesday, June 21, 2023
Oglethorpe County has about 15,000 residents. Among those 15,000 people, there is a wide range of opinions.   But there is a consensus on some issues.    One topic that is — for the most part — unanimous.
(SUBMITTED PHOTO)

(SUBMITTED PHOTO)

Exclusive Subscriber Content

Opinion Column: Jekyll Island: A gem among our Golden Isles

Dink NeSmith
Wednesday, June 14, 2023
Millions of Georgians would probably ask, “Who was Melvin Ernest Thompson?”   Four times in the past week, I passed over the M.E. Thompson Bridge. And each time, I said, “Thank you, Melvin Ernest Thompson.”   M.E. Thompson, Georgia’s 70th governor, didn’t serve long.
The Oglethorpe Echo

The Oglethorpe Echo

Exclusive Subscriber Content

The Echo's Opinion: Thumbs up and down

News Staff
Wednesday, June 7, 2023
Thumbs up and down   What is a good newspaper?     We believe it’s a community talking to itself through the pages of the local newspaper. This page — traditionally Page 4 — is the editorial page. Page 4 is different from every other page in The Oglethorpe Echo.
The personalities of my maternal great-grandparents were as different as sugar and salt. But Ma and Pa McNeal made a good team — rearing five children — on their Baker County farm. (SUBMITTED PHOTO)

The personalities of my maternal great-grandparents were as different as sugar and salt. But Ma and Pa McNeal made a good team — rearing five children — on their Baker County farm. (SUBMITTED PHOTO)

Exclusive Subscriber Content

Opinion Column: Ever traced your personality’s DNA?

Dink NeSmith
Wednesday, June 7, 2023
If we put our personalities under a microscope, we might wonder: “Where’d I get that trait?” If I traced my suppressed short fuse, the answer wouldn’t be a mystery. I try — hard — to keep my temper in check.

Exclusive Subscriber Content

Opinion Column: America needs to bring back the draft

Dink NeSmith
Wednesday, May 31, 2023
Tom Brokaw’s book “The Greatest Generation” should be required reading for every high school student in America.   If you don’t know which generation is the “greatest,” I concur with the famed broadcaster who gave his answer.