Opinions & Viewpoints

March 18, 2025                             From the Southwest Ledger   Possibly the most misunderstood and controversial character of the Civil War is John Brown. As a child growing up in Virginia, I was taught that Brown was the enemy; a religious fanatic who was bent on violence to stop Virginia’s way of life by any…

Dear Lanier County News, I write to you today as a concerned citizen deeply troubled by the issues currently plaguing Georgia’s prison system. The Department of Justice’s recent findings echo the worries many Georgians have about the fairness, accountability, and respect for due process within our criminal justice system. In Georgia, about 4.7% of the…

March 18, 2025                             From the Southwest Ledger   Possibly the biggest story of the past week is our involvement with Ukraine. Most Americans’ opinion of President Trump’s handling of the situation probably has as much to do with their opinion of foreign assistance as it does with the way Trump handled Ukrainian President…

Is God Dead?   Now, back to the question, “How do you get from atoms to self-consciousness?” How do you get from the atomic chemistry in your brain to a mental thought—maybe even the thought about how fascinating this column is? If we are all just a conglomeration of atoms like the Darwinist, or the…

Is God Dead? The 17th-century French philosopher René Descartes famously said, “I think, therefore I am.” What Descartes meant by that was that he knew he existed because he was conscious of himself, which is what is called self-consciousness. Self-consciousness is a uniquely human attribute that all non-impaired individuals share. However, consciousness and self-consciousness are…

March 11, 2025                                  From the Southwest Ledger   With the sad and tragic story emerging of how Gene Hackman died, it is worth taking a moment to remember the joy he brought the world. To make one or two really good movies is rare, but to make as many as Hackman did is…

Is God Dead?    In 1883 the German philosopher Fredrich Nietzsche wrote these words: “Have you not heard of that Madman who lit a lantern in the bright morning hours, ran to the marketplace, and cried incessantly: ‘I seek God! I seek God!’—As many of those who did not believe in God were standing around…

March 5, 2025                                    From the Southwest Ledger   Have you ever considered what the vice president does all day? My guess is probably not, but the framers of Constitution did. When they got to the point where they considered a vice president, his only role was as a backup president — a spare,…