Okefenokee worthy of World Heritage status
The country’s largest blackwater swamp, the Okefenokee, is in jeopardy. Twin Pines Mining Company has proposed drilling for titanium at the site of a critical retaining wall for the swamp. The project would pump over 1.4 million gallons of water per day from the Floridan aquifer directly below the swamp, a critical habitat for endangered and threatened species, like the red-cockaded woodpecker, wood stork and many more.
Two bills to protect the swamp were introduced in the Georgia Legislature in the last two sessions, but neither got to a vote. HB 561 (The Okefenokee Protection Act) would prohibit mining along the refuge’s retaining wall; HB 562 seeks a permanent ban on mining near the swamp.
Former Gov. Sonny Perdue is working to add the swamp to the United Nations’ World Heritage List, which is comprised of the Earth’s most iconic natural and cultural treasures. Rena Ann Peck, executive director of Georgia Rivers, is pursuing passage of a bill in the 2026 session and educating the public about the swamp’s value.
Now, the legislators need to hear from us, the voters, about the importance of this natural treasure.
SANDIE WEBB, DECATUR
Trump is fixing problems Biden created
Democracy, in its purest form, means self-government. Elections allow voters to choose leaders who campaigned on how they will govern. The majority voted for Trump, who promised to secure our borders and deport illegals.
The fact that he is carrying out his promises is not a threat to democracy, as Democrats claim, but rather democracy in action. The same can be said of ending inflation and lawfare, making America energy-dominant, giving tax cuts to workers, preventing wars and stopping men from competing in women’s sports.
Voters chose Trump to fix the problems that Biden and the Democrats created. But Democrats don’t care. They reject the voter’s choice and are a real threat to democracy.
RONALD MEDHURST SR., WALESKA
Biden deserves empathy, not distrust
The callousness of our “leaders” is beyond the pale. Donald Trump and JD Vance share many traits — two being the most inhumane and amoral men in public life.
As a recent convert to Catholicism, Vance didn’t seem to learn much from his special meeting with the pope. When Vance heard about Biden’s cancer diagnosis, he stated, “This might not be the right time to have this conversation, but we need to be honest about whether the former president was capable of doing the job.”
Regardless of how one feels about Biden’s fitness for the presidency, it has nothing to do with being concerned or empathetic about his cancer diagnosis and how it affects not just him but his family and friends and everyday Americans who are facing the same angst.
Everything with this administration is about politics, power and supremacy. They are heartless, insensitive and cruel.
JUDY B. COHEN, ATLANTA
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