The World This Week

I think you all may be interested to learn where the individuals live who read this Blog.  For the period May 2010 through November 2010 the report indicates the following:

United States 1,569

Netherlands 336

India 265

Russia 99

United Kingdom 53

Ukraine 48

Canada 47

Japan 33

Latvia 21

Luxembourg 19

Please be aware that I appreciate each and everyone who reads this Blog.  I Thank You and would encourage each of you to comment on what you would like to know more about which will assist me as I develop future Blog Post.  Again, Thank You!!!!

Veterans High School

Houston County Georgia

It was my good fortune on Monday, November 29, 2010 to visit the Veterans High School for a very special program.  The Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps as well as the Social Studies Classes were given a presentation concerning U. S. A. History which focused on the word "Freedom."

The first speaker was Congressman Elect from the Eighth District of Georgia, Mr. Austin Scott who recalled his conversations with his Grandfather who was a Prisoner of War during World War II.

The second speaker was a Retired Air Force Captain, William (Bill) Robinson who was a Prisoner of War during the Vietnam War and was confined to the Hanoi Hilton.

His discussion was a very emotional talk with these young scholars who were totally focused on the conversation he delivered in the auditorum of the Veterans High School. There were no distractions during the conversation as everyone was captivated by the speaker.  In additional to the Scholars from Veterans High many Military Veterans had been invited to hear Captain William (Bill) Robinson's conversation.

His comments can be best summarized by quoting "The Knoxville Journal" article which was published after he delivered his conversation this past Summer.  I quote:

"Vietnam POW recounts 7.5 years in captivity

By Natalie Lester

Captain William “Bill” Robinson attributed his survival of the Vietnam prison camps to the WWII and Korea veterans.






“The example had been set [for us] by WWII and Korea veterans, proving you could survive in the prison environment,” Robinson said. “They had set the example that you could do what we were striving for — to return with honor.”






Robinson also accredited his and his fellow survivors’ endurance to the families they had left behind.






“Our hearts were with our families enduring the difficulties they were experiencing back home,” Robinson said. “The real heroes are the families.”






On July 13, Robinson shared his story at a Smokey Mountain Blue Star Mothers’ meeting at West Hills Presbyterian. Robinson enlisted in the Air Force after his high school graduation in 1971. After training, he spent time at bases in Oklahoma, Korea and North Dakota before being sent to Vietnam.






He left in April 1965 for what was supposed to be a “simple four-month tour.” However, four months would turn into almost eight years when his helicopter was shot down in a rescue mission in North Vietnam. “We didn’t have all the things necessary to do the things we needed to do, but we had a mission,” Robinson said. “Being shot at was familiar, but being shot down was not.”






When asked to describe the experience in a few words, Robinson described his eight Thanksgivings, Christmases and New Years in captivity in more minute terms.






“It was minutes, hours, days, weeks, months and years of boredom punctuated by terror,” Robinson said.






He and his American peers were not able to communicate except through a tap code.






“We took the alphabet and removed ‘K,’” Robinson said. “Then, we made a five-by-five cube of the letters. The first tap recognized the row the letter was in, and the second recognized the column.”






Robinson left no dry eyes in the room as he explained how he survived.






“I told myself I was only in Vietnam for three days,” Robinson said. “I was shot down yesterday; today was today; and I was going to the house tomorrow. I prepared myself everyday to come home. I knew I had to be physically and mentally strong.”






Robinson was directly commissioned to Lieutenant upon his return home on Feb. 12, 1973. Yet, he remained humble about his experience and honor.






“My story is just one of 7.3 million,” he said. “The only reason I can tell my story is because of those who are not here today.” 






JULY 15, 2010 "

As Captain Robinson concluded his conversation on November 29, 2010 at Veterans High School he stated that he is often asked how the listeners can best honor our Nation's Heroes such as he.  He stated that our Former POWs, our deceased Heroes and our Current Heroes as well as all Veterans can best be honored by all Citizens Voting in every election.  He encouraged the youthful Scholars to encourage their parents to Vote.  Then he added, when you are old enough to vote, do so.  There is no better way to Honor the Service of our Military Men and Women!!!!!

After the presentations all of us Veterans were given the opportunity to tour the Lunch Room and the main halls of this great educational facility.  Everyone was impressed.

I was most impressed with the attitude and the display of respect for our Heroes by each and every Scholar who participated in this event.

Well Done, Veterans High School Scholars.  Each of you is certainly a credit to yourself, your family, your community, your school because you display the care and compassion that so many have invested in your education. 





Music - Sports - Trauma

Georgia Music Hall of Fame

Georgia Sports Hall of Fame

Georgia's Proposed Trauma Care Network

I suspect that by now you my dear readers are wondering why I am posting a Blog Entry about Music - Sports - Trauma!!!   Well it is fairly simple. Please take the time to read this complete Post.

" The Georgia Music Hall of Fame in Macon is the state's official music museum." This lovely facility celebrated the official opening on September 21, 1996 after a long planning process that involved many state wide elected officials.  The Georgia Music Hall of Fame was located in Macon, Georgia for a variety of reasons.

" The Hall of Fame serves to collect, preserve, and interpret the history of sports in Georgia "  The Georgia Sports Hall of Fame opened on April 24, 1999.  In addition to being a Hall of Fame it is also the Museum of Sport featuring athletics with a special Georgia connection.

I hope that everyone is still reading this post.  Please make special note that both of these Halls are known as "The Georgia........... Hall of Fame."  When each of these fine facilities were conceived by our States Lawmakers and other interested parties the focus was and still is to represent the Music and Sport in the State of Georgia.

Now that funds from income taxes and other sources such as sales taxes have decreased our Lawmakers have determined that one way to save State money is to defund each of these fine Halls of Fame.  Pressure from our lawmakers to have local City and County funding has been growing for at least a year.  In fact the future location/s of these Halls is now up for bid.  The City/Area that can provide the most funds will be able to have these Halls in their location.  What a shame.

Locally a group of concerned citizens has founded a "Save The Halls" non-profit to lobby our local governments to fund these fine Halls.  It is reported that if one million dollars is raised that the Halls can be saved.  This will allow the retention of these Halls in Macon for the next three years until the Halls can develop a fund basis to continue to remain in Macon.  Sounds great. 

I would suggest that each of these facilities, which have been in Macon for over ten years have had ample time to develop a fund basis to insure that they could remain here.  However, that is an aside.  Both of these Halls are State of Georgia facilities and as such I remain confident that our State can continue their funding.  Sure, it will be difficult; but history has clearly demonstrated that a Society that does not honor the past will decline in the future.  Here we have a rich legacy, a coveted heritage that many States in the United States of America envy and we desire to defund because we do not have the ability to make some hard choices.

So what does the current history regarding our Halls of Fame in Georgia have to do with Trauma?  I would suggest that the Voters in the State of Georgia saw through the proposal to require a $10.00 fee for auto tags to fund a State Wide Trauma Care Network as a sham.  In a few years when the Trauma Care Network is in a dire financial situation our duly elected lawmakers will put the Trauma Care Network out for bids just as they are currently doing with the Halls of Fame.

We The People have been fooled twice and I suspect that we do not desire to be fooled three times.  While the concept of a State Wide Trauma Care Network is appreciated I as one citizen of the State of Georgia do not look forward to any potential defunding of a State Wide System as a positive situation.

Therefore, before we in the City of Macon and the County of Bibb take on major funding of State Facilities we have to ask ourselves this question:  "What future programs/schemes enacted by our Lawmakers will we be asked to fund in the future?"

I would suggest that we all consider our Lawmakers as our servants.  Recently a local Senator was queried about why our General Assembly was messing up education, or juvenile justice his reply was words in this manner:  "You are sending the wrong people to Atlanta to represent you."

Enough said.  I would have to agree.  Just maybe we are sending the wrong people to Atlanta.

"We Can Do Better"

#16

I would like to take this opportunity to say "Thank You" to everyone who voted for me in the Post 8 Race to serve on the Bibb County Board of Education.

Warm regards,

Alan