Wednesday, October 20, 1999
Column hit too close to home for Cal

My mother was a wise woman and she often would tell me that the truth can hurt. From your editorial on Sallie Satterthwaite's article, “Please, not in Peachtree City,” it was obvious that the truth pained you to the point that you felt justified in trashing one of your employees opinion. Isn't journalism suppose to present all sides or have my notion of the press been misconstrued.

Yes, you could say that what she wrote was one-sided, but so is Dave Hamrick's opinions, and not once have I seen you disagree so strongly with him. Could it be that you felt a need to attack her because she described you when she suggested that Peachtree City is becoming a not so friendly town? Did you see [publisher and editor] Cal [Beverly] as a part of this “elitism, racism and anti-Semitism” trend that she sees her town going through?

I understood what she meant and I don't live in Peachtree City. She meant that this city was a friendly, accepting town. Now she sees it becoming sectionalized. Let's be honest here. America is only as great as its people and the thing that is thwarting our growth as a great nation is our tendency to be a little snobbish in our feeling that we are superior to others. What is the greatest sins of America? Ask any of the people who are not included in the “one of their own” group. It's the combination of “superiority and silence.”

You seek the answer to your question among your liberal friend of “Is it bigoted to hate the bigot?” Well, let a conservative friend answer, Yes! However, it is also wrong not to expose the bigot and his buzz words (whether they are Christian or not) when we are confronted with him.

Standing your ground and telling an individual that their words are like a two-edge sword slicing and cutting is the mark of a Christian. If the individual which Sally did not name, but you chose to do so, is really a Christian, he would not have made this statement. If you are Christ-like, you do not exclude, you include. Do you still remember the greatest sins of this country?

Mr. Beverly, Sallie's article hit too close to home for you. Examine yourself. It was obvious that you could not see the forest from the trees in this case.

I enjoy reading a paper with differing opinion because I am an individual with differing opinions. If everyone agreed with me and I publicly chastised them as you did your employee then no one would want to be around me. What is a newspaper if it does not present all points of views. Would I want to read it? Would I want to advertise in it? Maybe, but probably not.

Barnetta Sanford
Fayetteville


What do you think of this story?
Click here to send a message to the editor. Click here to post an opinion on our Message Board, "The Citizen Forum"

Back to Opinion Page | Back to the top of the page