Columns

Writer’s note: My 16-year-old daughter, Jenny, gave the following speech for the Washington County High School Veterans Day program on Nov. 7. I’m reprinting it here with the dream that our politicians in Washington, D.C., would read it so they would come to know what selfless service for your country really is. If they were the kind of men that Mr. Murphy was, then our country wouldn’t have the problems we have today.

Today we celebrate Veterans Day.

There ain’t nothin like a good, old-fashioned scary show to get your neck hairs primed and standing up.

When I was a little kid I was drawn to scary movies like a skunk is to tires rolling down the highway.

That was a long time ago.

It was different then.

Now-a-days, kids have infinite sources of entertainment, whereas we had one. It was television, and we had only three channels.

Good gosh, I shutter to think about it.

Paula Deen was in the E!News studio recently, making media rounds to promote the launch of her new subscription-based online channel, the Paula Deen Network. It’s been over a year since her multi-million dollar culinary empire came tumbling down after her admission that she used a racial slur 30 years ago.

“They (words) can be very powerful, and they can hurt, no matter how old they are,” Deen told E!News.

When Today Show’s Matt Lauer asked her several weeks ago what she had learned from the experience, Deen immediately responded:

I was in the Sorghum Festival 5-K Race last week.

Now, I don’t like to brag, but in my day I was a pretty fair runner. Of course, “fair” means something less than “good.” I just don’t want to say how much less than “good.“

I got up that morning and said to Cindy, “Yep, I think I’m going down to the Sorghum Festival and show them what running is all about.”
Cindy said, “What do you mean? You doing a PowerPoint presentation at the Opera House on running or something?”