Thank You, Vidalia Police Department

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR…

I want to publicly thank our City of Vidalia Police Department for offering the Women’s Firearm Safety Course. The class was held on three consecutive Saturdays in March, and it was a great investment of my time! The first Saturday was spent in the classroom under the instruction of Investigator Chris Morgan with the assistance of Captain Randy Clark. We learned about the use of force and de-escalation options for gaining compliance. He covered relevant statutes and basic shooting fundamentals.

The other two Saturdays were spent at the firing range. I was paired with another student, and we were privileged to be tutored by Captain Roger Calloway. He helped us individually with our grip, stance, sight alignment, trigger sequence, breath control, and follow through. Each session, we were able to fire fifty rounds of ammunition allowing us to become comfortable in the use of our firearms. We were given different commands for firing at our targets. There were enough officers to work one-on-one with the participants; the experience was safe, organized and very professional.

During the last session, we changed our shooting distance and worked on making adjustments to hit the target. Our targets were scored by the instructor, and we were given a performance rating. At the conclusion of our target practice, we were awarded individualized plaques and treated to a catered meal by Commissioner Brian Scott. This was an excellent time to fellowship with the police personnel who had made this training possible.

Now I feel comfortable carrying my weapon, and I believe I am better equipped to protect myself and my family. I value my safety, and I do not take my right to bear arms lightly. I would highly recommend this safety course regardless of one’s prior experience. Again, I wish to thank our wonderful Police Department for providing this training as a service to our community. Lisa Parker Vidalia

SB202 Opinion

Dear Editor: I have heard and read about SB 202 in the news, and everyone seems to be missing key bits of information. I actually broke down and read it. I have several points that are being glossed over by the media.

First, the Secretary of State, which is elected by us, is being replaced with a Chairperson who is elected by the legislature or governor (if the legislature is not in session). They can be replaced at anytime. Even though they cannot donate or participate in partisan elections and are supposed to be nonpartisan, that doesn’t mean they won’t be somebody who is sympathetic to whichever party is in power in the legislature and has elected them. Also, if they displease them they can be rapidly replaced with a vote which makes them beholden to them if the results displease the legislature.

Second, this Chairperson can replace local election officials for the littlest things. For example, if the official doesn’t announce the results of an election by 5 p.m. the next day. They could be replaced by the Chairperson. This may not matter much in rural Georgia where there isn’t a whole lot of us, but in Atlanta, Savannah, maybe even Statesboro?

Third, the ballot counters are only going to use the driver’s license number to verify a ballot. Yes, they will check to see if the oath is signed, but the driver’s license alone (and not in conjunction with the signature ) will be used to verify the bal- continued from page

lot. How long before a bunch of illiterate drivers place a ballot in a box?

Speaking of a ballot box, why is the number of ballot boxes reduced to whichever is lesser: one ballot box for 100,000 people or number of advanced polling places? Does that mean one or two ballot boxes for all of Atlanta to use? Does Reidsville need to share a ballot box with Vidalia? If you are concerned or confused about this tidbit, you’re not alone.

Anyways, I could go on with the problematic tactic of not allowing people to give out water so no one has to leave a line and risk not being allowed to vote. Or I could go on about the need for donation money to buy more voting machines to cut down on lines or upgrades because tax money is insufficient in poor and rural communities. However, I think the above may be more than sufficient to point out how problematic and unfeasible and ridiculous this bill is. I am not comfortable with our politicians electing the man who watches over the votes that keep them in power, and I don’t think we should rush counting ballots or simply rely on easily stolen driver’s license numbers. I think this bill needs to be repealed and replaced with a better one. Thank you. Sincerely, April Roberson Reidsville, GA