Opinion
The Red Shoes
The Red Shoes is a literary fairy tale by Hans Christian Anderson published in 1845. A peasant girl named Karen is adopted by a rich old lady after her mother dies. Before her mother dies, Karen has a homemade, rough-looking pair of red shoes. After she is adopted, she gets the old lady to buy…
Read MoreMaking a Life: A look at Muhammad Ali’s wisdom
I recently came upon an interesting quote credited to the late boxing champion that provided a glimpse into the rarely publicized philosophical outlook of Ali’s thought process. He is, arguably, one of the best professional boxers who ever laced up a pair of gloves but fans are seldom allowed access to the incredible mind behind…
Read MoreLetter to the Editor
There is an Arc de Triomphe in Paris that commemorates the freeing of Paris in WWII. We all know that Paris is the capital of France. There are the same types of arches in Rome that date to the time of the Roman Empire. Why are we trying to get one built in Washington D.C.?…
Read MoreSummerall family featured in News-Banner
Dear Editor, From June through August, The Baxley News-Banner published a special series of columns by writer Billy G. Howard highlighting the family of Jack and Mariah Summerall. In addition, reporter Geavonna Starr covered the Memorial Park Dedication and shared highlights from the gathering in her article, “A Wonderful Family Gathering.” We extend our thanks…
Read MoreConvenience and safety
Convenience and safety are good things that we like and want in our modern society. They are both needed, but in moderation. The government uses our fears, wants, and needs for everything to be quick and easy to make us weak and lazy. They use every crisis to take a little more of our freedoms…
Read MoreWhen the shepherd becomes the wolf
Headlines this week delivered a gut-punch that has become tragically familiar: A prominent pastor and supposed “devout servant of God,” arrested for solicitation of a minor on a dating site. Details; the brazen listing of same-sex attraction while maintaining a position of married clergy, coupled with the chilling casualness of the offense, do more than…
Read MoreJamie and shopping don’t mix
Each year, I put on my big boy shorts, suck it up, and go shopping with my wife, Amy, for our children. It is one day out of the year that brings such joy, fun, and excitement… for Amy! (Not really, probably, because she must listen to me complain.) When asked what her favorite hobby…
Read MoreBah humbug: the perpetual season
It’s the day after Thanksgiving; the official, time-honored start of the holiday shopping season in the US. Or is it? As we emerge from our turkey-induced stupor and brace for the Black Friday/Cyber Monday whirlwind, a far more profound change has swept the retail landscape: the phenomenon known as “Holiday Creep.” Once, the unspoken covenant…
Read MoreThe coming storm
Anybody with two eyes in their head can see a storm is brewing. Not a physical storm but a worldly storm. The Bible tells us of many things that will take place in the last days. We are seeing that play out right before our eyes. The U.S. dollar is being destroyed, and prices on…
Read MoreI missed a deadline!
I have been in the newspaper business since I was a little boy. The first job I ever had was cleaning up waxed paper off the floor. In return, my Dad, Max Gardner, would pay me with a shiny 50-cent piece. Next, I started helping insert the newspapers and then progressed through practically every position…
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