A newfound respect

Though our community faces its difficulties and challenges, it is important to pause occasionally and recognize the positive aspects Columbus does exhibit. One of these is the continuing good work provided by our law enforcement agencies. My family came to appreciate this more cogently by attending a course offered by the Citizens Law Enforcement Academy, sponsored by the Columbus Police Department.

This course has offered its participants the opportunity to both learn about and actually experience the benefits provided to our community by the CPD, the Sheriff’s Department and the Marshal’s Office. Officers of these units provided insightful information about procedures, manpower and equipment. Ride-alongs with patrol officers, close observation of 911 operations and a SWAT Team demonstration provided us with an actual feel of what our officers face and must contend with.

One comes away with a well-grounded appreciation of the important, often difficult and arduous work done on a daily basis by law enforcement personnel, and of its importance to the normalcy of our lives.

I extend a thank you to all the officers for their competent and caring contribution to the safety of our community.

A special thank you to Lt. J. F. Ross, diligent organizer and persuasive advocate of the CLEA course. His attention to detail and his constant cordial approach are genuinely appreciated. I would also urge all interested persons to attend the weekly, free sessions of this course, which shed a welcome light on impressive units and vital public servants.

Yes, we can

I read Charlie Harper’s “Vote ‘em out…” column and had to agree that generally things could always be worse. But after some thought, I’m not too sure. If you take the things that Barack Obama has done while in office, it’s hard to imagine how it could get worse.

His slap at Britain when he first took office by returning the bust of Sir Winston Churchill given to the USA as a gift of friendship and mutual respect, showing his disdain for perhaps the greatest statesman ever, was just plain un-American.

Or how about the blatant snub of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, our sole ally in the Middle East? When he visited the U.S. in February of 2015, Obama and Kerry refused to see him or even acknowledge he was here.

Let’s look at the Iran nuke deal. Less than 6 months into it, Iran is testing ICBMs, has taken our sailors prisoner, continues to promise to wipe us off the earth, and continues to fund terror groups. What could be worse than that?

So Mr. Harper, I guess things could get worse if you want to stretch the meaning of “worse.” However, I’m not sure when I think of Obamacare, a $19 trillion debt, the illegal immigrant mess, and Islamic terrorists killing innocents. We saw Barack Obama rushing off to play golf immediately after learning of the beheading of journalist James Foley. And the scary part is the Democratic nominee frontrunner promises to continue his policies. We have reached the bottom. It can’t get worse.

Shame on me

I did a terrible thing. I interrupted a lady's cell phone text/call to tell her both brake lights were out on her Honda SUV.

Instead of glaring at me at the inconvenience of having to roll her window down, she could've been saying pathetically, "Really, officer? I had no idea!" or be in the hospital wondering what happened.

Yep. I'm just a bad person.

Well done

On behalf of the State Bar of Georgia, I would like to congratulate members of the Columbus Bar Association and the Office of the Staff Judge Advocate for Fort Benning on a successful observance of Law Day 2016.

A special salute goes to Vick Partin and Carol Hiller, recipients of the 2016 Liberty Bell Award from Fort Benning and the Columbus Bar, respectively, as well as the winning students from the local middle schools and high schools in the Law Day Essay Contest.

Columbus Bar Association President Donna S. Hix and leaders of the Staff Judge Advocate’s Office at Fort Benning are to be commended for sponsoring the Law Day event, which featured U.S. District Court Judge Leslie Abrams of the Middle District of Georgia as keynote speaker.

All Georgia lawyers can be proud of our colleagues from the Columbus-Fort Benning area for this exceptional Law Day celebration. Successful efforts like this strengthen the cause of justice in our communities.

This story was originally published May 2, 2016 at 6:45 PM with the headline "A newfound respect."