What a bunch of whiners.  I refer to the jive-talkers that stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, waving their Trump flags and having a big ol’ time.  One even put a finger emoji on a fuzzy image of himself with the caption, “THIS IS ME.,” in case you missed it.  Oops! Maybe that wasn’t such a good idea after all.  Thanks to the magic of motion pictures, he and a lot of others – over 500 so far and counting –  are facing some serious jail time.  Now, many of them are apologizing for their actions saying they are so embarrassed at their bad behavior.  Even ol’ Buffalo Boy, who proudly posed for photos on the Senate dais, is expressing regret. Oh, boohoo.  Either you are proud of what you did or you are not. 

. . .

Last week, I wrote about a seemingly intractable dispute between the bishop of the North Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church, Sue Haupert-Johnson, and Mt. Bethel Church, the largest church in the conference.  The bishop is trying to move the pastor, Dr. Jody Ray, to another job.  He doesn’t want to go and neither do a number of his members.  I got one response defending the bishop, a number defending the church and a large majority saying “amen” when I call organized religion an oxymoron.  What I did not get was a single response concerning the fact that more than 40% of those between the ages of 18 and 44 claim no interest in any religion.   Isn’t that what we should be worrying about?

. . .

In my recent column on Medal of Honor recipient, retired Army Col. Ralph Puckett, of Columbus, I stated he was honored by President Joe Biden in the Oval Office.  Not so.  It was in the East Room.  I also said that in our nation’s history, less than 1% of the 40 million Americans who have served in the military have been awarded the Medal of Honor since its inception in 1862.  More precisely, it is .0001%. Normally, I would say ‘oops!” and let it go but not when it concerns a Medal of Honor recipient and a Great American like Col. Puckett.  My thanks to J.D. Lock, Lieutenant Colonel, US Army (Retired), in Forsyth County for helping me get it right. 

. . .

I receive a lot of surveys in my in-box touting one statistic or another. Most of them I ignore, but not this one.  Vacation deal website, NextVacay.com devised a “tourist politeness index” to ascertain, state by state, which Americans have the best and worst reputations when they vacation domestically.  Georgia is second only to Alaska for playing nice when we travel.  I don’t know how Alaska beat us except they are probably grateful to get away from the black flies and mosquitos.  We are nice because that is the way our momma and daddy raised us. The rudest travelers?  According to the survey, Washington state.  Not surprised.  Those elitists and their socialist pals on the Left Coast think their sweat doesn’t stink.  Hopefully, they will stay home and riot and defund the police. 

. . .

A list of the most popular names for boys and girls was recently released and Noah (#2) and Henry (#9) made the Top 10 for boys.  It just so happens that is the name of two of my great-grandsons.  (Are we a prescient bunch or what?)  On the female side, Olivia still ranks Number One.  That is appropriate because Olivia happens to be the name of the greatest retail clerk in the history of the world, who makes her customers feel like they are the most important people to ever enter our local pharmacy. 

. . .

It was thought that an asteroid named Apophis could collide with the earth in 2029.  Not going to happen says NASA.  Not even in 2068, another potential impact date.  NASA scientists say, in fact, their studies show no asteroid impact risk for at least the next 100 years.  I don’t know about you, but at this point I have lost interest in asteroid collisions.  I am more worried about colliding with idiot drivers on the Interstate. 

. . .

Finally, congratulations to Yvette K. Daniels, the 77th and newest president of the University of Georgia Alumni Association and the first Black female president.  I am not sure which number I was but it is an honor I will always cherish.  No recognition like it. Go Dawgs! Woof! Woof!.

Dick Yarbrough is an award-winning columnist from Georgia. Reach him at dick@dickyarbrough.com.