Friday, March 27, 2009

Dawson Community News: Letter by James Thurmond

From this week's paper - a great letter penned by James Thurmond.

Thanks to all opposing the park

My name is James Thurmond and I love my family.

I would like to state publicly that, for me, one of the few good things that has come from this terribly wrenching debate over the inappropriate placement of the Atlanta Motorsports Park on Duck Thurmond Road in Dawson County is that I have met so many wonderful people these past few months that I may never have had the real honor of knowing otherwise.

While this debate burns ineffably around us, and what was once a strong, united community now sees its future dangling perilously on the threshold of permanent division, I have met what I modestly consider to be the most compassionate and indomitable group of citizens who, like me, are vehemently against the placement of this park on our road.

I am standing with these citizens against this park because it promises to threaten our lives, our quality of life and our livelihoods in a manner insouciant to everything we hold dear.

Wrapped within the gilded folds of “good intentions” lies a project that will upend the lives of hundreds of families in the surrounding area and mercilessly trample upon the sylvan beauty of our backyards.

We will not find peace next to this noisy and noisome injustice.

This park will rend the very flesh of the restful contentment so many families here have worked so hard to achieve and fought so long to preserve.

Beauty within Dawson County will be threatened. We will become over-developed, over-polluted and over-burdened.

Our fresh air will turn putrid, our trees will be felled and our water will become undrinkable.

I fight this because there is nothing in life I hold dearer or closer to my heart than my family. I would not see them be made to suffer just so some extremely selfish people can have a “place to play.”

I find this attitude deplorable and insulting.

Regardless of the gold-plated promises, I have no doubt that we will all be made to suffer for the careless greed of a few if this project passes.

And when it fails, we, as the taxpayers of this county, will be left holding a wasteland of broken promises, darkness and ashes.

The pieces left will be ours to clean up.

We’ve been called “whiners,” the opposition.

Of course we’re “whiners.” Loud and clear.

I should hope that those supporting this park would whine too if their families were being threatened the way ours are.

But that’s what honorable people do. They fight for their friends and neighbors. They fight for their families.

They ignore the aggrandizing rhetoric and search for the truth.

So, to all the wonderful people I’ve met opposing this park I would like to extend my eternal thanks.

You’ve all shown me that there is indeed still true, unblemished honor left in the world.

Indeed, ever since I’ve met the outstanding citizens united against this park, the number of people I consider family has grown exponentially.

James Thurmond

Dawson County
http://www.dawsonnews.com/news/article/1479/