Comments on: Wednesday is International Walk and Roll to School Day

By: Bin Birru

Bin Birru — Sun, 07 Oct 2012 21:14:06 +0000

There’s nothing like erroneous, unsolicited advice.

By: Cubalibre

Cubalibre — Sat, 06 Oct 2012 22:07:14 +0000

Thanks for saying what I was thinking.

By: TeeRuss

TeeRuss — Sat, 06 Oct 2012 21:50:10 +0000

Chris, I’m Tim Russell from Adams St – you and I have met before when you brought the rake-and-run crew through. I think the world of you, so hopefully you doidnt take my reply the wrong way.

I actually said (or meant to say) “the built environment that we have”, i.e. the physical layout and buildout of our town. I take no credit for this. As someone recently said, I didn’t build that.

Anyway, I’m usually posting from my iPhone so sometimes the message gets a little screwed up. I’m working on it.

By: Marty

Marty — Sat, 06 Oct 2012 10:42:48 +0000

Wow, Chris Billingsley.

So, encouraging kids to exercise by walking to school when they can and teaching them not to bully kids that are a little bit different (the “No Place for Hate” campaign) is just “propoganda” and that stuff like this just might “screw this town up for the next generation?”

By: Chris Billingsley

Chris Billingsley — Sat, 06 Oct 2012 01:54:16 +0000

Thank TR. It is a rare occasion that I respond to someone on any blog. Usually it is to say I agree with them but today, I want to congratulate you on a well-written post. I am always amazed as to how well many of the DM posters construct their thoughts. Yours is so well stated that I will award you the first ever, “MOC Four” rating (MOC equals mean old’ conservative). I would award you a final point except that you left off your real name. If so, a big MOC5 for you. if I were in a different mood, I might write something about how it takes a certain amount of courage to use your real name but really, it’s smart to use an alias. I sometimes dream (really nightmare) that if President Obama wins reelection, someone might suggest that “There is this really outstanding former teacher in Decatur Georgia you should consider for Secretary of Education” but all anyone has to do is google my name and find out I don’t belong in the Obama administration. Oh Well. Maybe I’ll get lucky and another candidate will win.
But one more thing. You use the phrase”…in Decatur we built an environment…”. Not sure what you mean by this. Way too many of our current residents believe that if not for very recent developments, like the restaurants, bars, art galleries, festivals, bike paths, strategic planning meetings and all the other bread and circus like entertainments, Decatur would be just another sleepy old Southern town. I don’t think so. Decatur was a great place to live and raise a family long before both you and I arrived and if future generations are lucky, will be a great place fifty years from now.
What I learned from more than thirty years of teaching in our schools was not that I accomplished much (I don’t think I did) but that I didn’t make any major screwups that damaged the institution. My advice to you, and all the other know-it-alls is, don’t screw this town up for the next generation.