News broke last Wednesday afternoon that Kinder Morgan had donated $50,000 to Strom Thurmond High School’s athletics department. And soon thereafter, I began receiving emails, text messages, and phone calls expressing concern about the substantial gift. As a refresher, Kinder Morgan is North America’s largest energy infrastructure company. It owns or operates more than 84,000 […]
Redo. This is an opportunity for redemption I offer my students when they perform poorly on a test because I believe in second chances. Last Wednesday afternoon, the students of Strom Thurmond High School were called out of their class to a hastily organized assembly (pep rally). We were given 48 hours notice but knew […]
It is not very often that our Edgefield County Council is asked to weigh in on foreign policy. It happened last week. As the regular meeting concluded on January 5th, a citizen rose to address possible refugee resettlement. Will our County Council, as other County Councils have done, pass a Resolution against refugee resettlement here […]
There has been a lot of talk lately about the prospect of denying Syrian refugees entry to the United States, but only if they are Muslim. Christians would be allowed in, or so some politicians in and out of office have argued. One Presidential candidate recently went so far as to say that, in his […]
by Robert Scott As we head into the political year 2016, we are certain to hear about many subjects; here are two of them. One will be called (depending on who is doing the speaking) either Sensible Gun Control (the speaker is a Liberal), or Second Amendment Rights (Conservative). The other will be called either […]
Poetry Floats My Boat Dear Editor: I’m so very pleased and proud that the “Poetry Floats My Boat” float in the Edgefield Christmas Parade was given first place as Most Original Float! Thank you to the judges for this great honor! Many, many thanks to everybody on and off the Poet Laureate Committee who helped […]
Opinion – By Robert Scott – In Paris, radical Islamic terrorists, almost all of them born and raised in Europe, killed 128 innocent people just under a month ago. The subsequent investigation, still in progress, indicated that this horrendous act was planned and orchestrated by what passes for the central authorities of ISIS, back in […]
Opinion – By Robert Scott – I attended two political meetings here locally over the past few days: the Edgefield County Delegation meeting held each November in Council Chambers, and a Presidential candidate rally over the weekend in Aiken. On one level the meetings were as different as they could be, but on another they […]
Opinion – Robert Scott – It was Benjamin Franklin who famously wrote, “In this world, there is nothing certain except death and taxes.” He wrote that in 1789, when our federal government was brand new. Ever since then, in every political year candidates seem to mull over Franklin’s wisdom and try to assuage the inevitability […]
Opinion – By Robert Scott – All of us send heart-felt condolences to those suffering after “The 1,000-Year Flood.” Accurate or not, that phrase describes the profound damage to people and property in South Carolina. Regular home insurance does not cover flooding; one must purchase that separately, and most people don’t. Government property is self-insured: […]