Intellectual Nourishment

The nice part about living in a small town is that when you don't know what you are doing, someone else does.

Friday, January 2, 2009

Resolution For GSSD

By Sara Laub
The December 4th meeting brought a new resolution. Resolution #2-08 was passed but not without debate. The resolution states that the board members need to document all conversations with "one having jurisdiction over the GSSD". This resolution only applies to board members and not to the public citizens. Todd Taylor had made changes to the original resolution to resolve some of the problems that were seen in it by other board members. He had given the resolution to all board members and asked for more comment or questions and had received none by the meeting. Odean Bowler still debated that the resolution was irreconcilable and the main reason for him disagreeing was that private communication was not allowed.
Taylor argued that it was a trade-off and a duty that the board members take on when voted on the GSSD to give up privacy. Nadine Heaton did some research and called other Water Boards with her questions and they supported her that the resolution was a strong measure and the GSSD rules weakly and said "I don't know how to enforce this". The state says to document but was it mandated? Taylor then stated that they are ruled with policy and procedures and there is not a penalty to enforce many of those. He also stated that documenting is a good idea.
The questions continued: Why is it needed? Why do they need to be monitored? Why make it complicated? The response to these were that documenting helps, private communication should not be feared, it creates a healthy public record, they are public entities and there should not be a private conversation when board members discuss matters with one having jurisdiction over the GSSD. With all the debate, the resolution passed 3 to 2 votes.
Other items to note from the meeting were the park's septic system was evaluated and the pipe that goes into the tank needs the fitting replaced to make it larger to perform better. The chlorination system has been researched further and the tablet method has been looked into. The GSSD is first on the list to receive a grant for this year to continue to improve the water system and will do the survey for funding next year. This is "Good News" reported Bowler.

The Swearing-in of the President

The swearing-in of the President of the United States occurs upon the commencement of a new term of a President of the United States. United States Constitution mandates that the President make the following oath or affirmation before he or she can "enter on the Execution" of the office of the presidency: I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States. The swearing-in traditionally takes place at noon on Inauguration Day at the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C., with the Chief Justice of the United States administering the oath. Until 1937, Inauguration Day was March 4. Since then, Inauguration Day has occurred on January 20 (the 1933 ratification of the Twentieth Amendment changed the start date of the term).
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inauguration_Day)

The Meaning of a New Year

By Sara Laub
  The freshness of the new year is a time to shake off the past of last year and move on.  There is a chance for us to become better, become happier.  The past has left its mark and how the future is giving us second chances.
 Goals and resolutions are being made. People desire to create a better existence, a superior existence. Unreachable goals are set to pursue the image of happiness people seek. Reachable goals are made to find happiness in reality.
  Another mark of passage of time has been achieved. Memories have been made and hopefully some are treasured. Pictures and journals are the proof of these. History is made to help us into the next year. What have we learned? What do we want to take with us? What kind of purpose have we given ourselves in life? What measures will be taken to avoid previous mistakes or to continue positive achievements? What will define our happiness this coming year?
  The freshness of a new year settles in on us again and we have another opportunity to do with it as we desire. The goals we pursue or do not pursue will make the year 2009 our next history. The second chance to make our reality in life happier has come again as it faithfully does every year.

Martin Luther King Jr.

"I have a dream… I have a dream that one day little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers. I have a dream today"
Each year on the third Monday of January schools, federal offices, post office and banks across America close as we celebrate the birth, the life and the dream of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. It is a time for the nation to remember the injustices that Dr. King fought. A time to remember his fight for the freedom, equality, and dignity of all races and peoples. A time to remember the message of change through nonviolence.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was born on January 15, 1929 in Atlanta Georgia. His father was the minister of the Ebenezer Baptist Church, as was his father before him. "M.L.," as he was called, lived with his parents, his sister and brother in Atlanta GA. Their home was not far from the church his father preached at. M.L.'s mother and father taught their children what would become an important part of M.L.'s life - to treat all people with respect. Martin's father worked hard to break down the barriers between the races. His father believed African-Americans should register their complaints by voting.
As M.L. grew up he found that not everyone followed his parents principles. He noticed that "black" people and white people where treated differently. He saw that he and his white friends could not drink from the same water fountains and could not use the same restrooms. M.L.'s best friend as a child was a white boy and as children they played happily together. But when they reached school age the friends found that even though they lived in the same neighborhood, they could not go to the same school. M.L.'s friend would go to a school for white children only and M.L. was sent to a school for "black" children. After the first day of school M.L. and his friend were never allowed to play together again.
When M.L. was ready for college he decided to follow his father and become a minister. While attending the Crozer Theological seminary in Pennsylvania he became familiar with Mahatma Gandhi, who had struggled to free the people of India from British rule by "peaceful revolution." M.L. was also inspired by the work of Henry David Thoreau, particularly his essay called "Civil Disobedience." It stated that if enough people would follow their conscience and disobey unjust laws, they could bring about a peaceful revolution. It was also at college that M.L. met a young woman named Coretta Scott and they would eventually marry. In 1954 M.L. received his PhD. And accepted the job of pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama Martin Luther King, Jr. would now be addressed as "Dr. King".
Dr. King's involvement with the civil rights movement began with the arrest of Mrs. Rosa Parks on December 1st, 1955. Mrs. Parks, a African-American seamstress on her way home from work, was arrested for not giving a white bus rider her seat. Mrs. Parks was not the first African-American to be arrested for this "crime", but she was well known in the Montgomery African– American community.
Dr. King and the other African– American community leaders felt a protest was needed. The African-American residents of the city were asked to boycott the bus company by walking and driving instead. The United States Supreme Court would end the boycott, which lasted 381 days, by declaring that Alabama's state and local laws requiring segregation on buses were illegal. The boycott was a success and Dr. King had showed that peaceful mass action could bring about change. In January 1957 the Souther Christian Leadership Conference (SCLSC) was formed with Dr. King as their president. The following May 17, Dr. King would lead a mass march of 37,000 people to the front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC. Dr. King had become the undisputed leader of the civil rights movement. Partly in response to the march, on September 9, 1957, the US Congress created the Civil Rights Commission and the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice, an official body with the authority to investigate voting irregularities. Dr. King and the SCLC organized drives for African-American voter registration, desegregation, and better education and housing throughout the South. Dr. King continued to speak. He went to many cities and towns. He was greeted by crowds of people who wanted to hear him speak. He said all people have the right to equal treatment under the law. Many people believed in these civil rights and worked hard for them.
To be continued…
http://www.holidays.net/mlk/

Gunlock Town Events for January

* Jan 1: New Year's Day
* Jan 8: Gunlock Special Service District Meeting at the Town Hall at 7:00pm
* Jan 15: Gunlock Fire Department Meeting at the fire station 7:00pm.
* Jan 19: Martin Luther King Jr. Day
* Jan 20: Presidental Inauguration