Closed-door sessions are being held right before LOST hearing

Effingham County and the cities of Rincon, Springfield and Guyton are holding closed-door meetings today and tomorrow to discuss pending litigation. 

The parties are not identifying the topic of the sessions. But they are all due in court Monday morning for a hearing about how to distribute local-option sales tax (LOST) proceeds. 

If the parties were to reach an agreement on their own, they wouldn’t have to fight it out in court before Senior Superior Court Judge Albert Rahn III in a hearing set to begin at 9 a.m. Monday. 

Distribution of the tax is renegotiated every decade, based on Census data. The debate is an important one, determining the fate of about $8.4 million a year countywide.     

How much people pay in property taxes could be affected by the way the money is distributed.  

The cities and the county proposed their “best and final offers” to the court on March 1. The county's offer asked for the distribution to remain the same as it is currently: Effingham County 77.50 percent; Rincon 13.84 percent; Springfield 5.76 percent; and Guyton 2.90 percent. 

Rincon and Guyton worked together to come up with these numbers: Effingham County 76 percent; Rincon, 15.16 percent; Springfield, 5.82 percent; and Guyton 3.02 percent.  

That's for 2013. Their proposal calls for the percentages for the cities to increase in stages over the 10-year life of the sales tax. 

In 2014, they call for: Effingham County 74 percent; Rincon 16.83 percent; Springfield, 6.05 percent; and Guyton, 3.12 percent.  

In 2015, the numbers would change to: Effingham County, 72 percent; Rincon, 18.5 percent; Springfield, 6.27 percent; and Guyton, 3.23 percent.  

In 2017 and through the end of the sales tax, in 2022, the Rincon and Guyton proposal calls for: Effingham County, 71 percent; Rincon, 19.16 percent; Springfield, 6.60 percent and Guyton 3.24 percent.  

Springfield's proposal was for: Effingham County, 75.84 percent; Rincon 13.84 percent; Springfield, 7.42 percent; and Guyton, 2.90 percent. 

Rincon has argued that it has most of the retail business and should get a larger share of the tax. Springfield has said it hasn't been getting enough to compensate for having so much property that doesn't pay taxes, such as county buildings, schools and the hospital. 

The county argued that it really should receive all of the LOST money because service delivery agreements, entered into in April 2011, compensate the cities for the services that they provide.  

The sales tax provides revenue for local government services while reducing the tax burden to property owners.  

The governments have been working together since last summer to try to reach an agreement on how to distribute the money. When they couldn’t come up with a solution on their own or with a mediator, the issue headed to court. 

--G.G. Rigsby.

An accident involving two trucks has closed Blue Jay Road between Horsepen and Midland Road. 

Both trucks flipped and diesel fuel is on the roadway. The road will be closed until at least midnight, Effingham County Sheriff’s Office spokesman David Ehsanipoor said.

No life-threatening injuries are reported.

Deal will increase Rincon's annual share by $250,000

Effingham County and the cities of Rincon, Springfield and Guyton have reached a compromise for the distribution of local-option sales tax (LOST) money.

The deal calls for the county to give up about 3 percent of its share and for Rincon to collect about 3 percent more.

The deal will mean Rincon will collect about $250,000 more each year for the next 10 years, while the county will have to come up with a way to operate with that much less money each year.

County Commissioner Steve Mason, who voted against the compromise, says all county taxpayers will face a bigger tax burden because of the deal.

The compromise calls for the funds from the penny-per-dollar to be divided according to the following percentages: county 74.41 percent; Rincon, 16.71 percent; Springfield, 5.86 percent; and Guyton, 3.02 percent. 

That’s a change from the current distribution of: county, 77.50 percent; Rincon 13.84 percent; Springfield 5.76 percent; and Guyton 2.90 percent.  

The agreement reached tonight means the parties won’t have to attend a court hearing that had been set for Monday to hash out their differences.

The governments have been working together since last summer to try to reach an agreement on how to distribute the money. When they couldn’t come up with a solution on their own or with a mediator, the issue headed to court. 

Distribution of the tax is renegotiated every decade, based on Census data. The debate is an important one, determining the fate of about $8.4 million a year countywide.     

How much people pay in property taxes could be affected by the way the money is distributed.  

Rincon argued that it has most of the retail business and should get a larger share of the tax. Springfield has said it hasn't been getting enough to compensate for having so much property that doesn't pay taxes, such as county buildings, schools and the hospital. 

The county argued that it really should receive all of the LOST money because service delivery agreements, entered into in April 2011, compensate the cities for the services that they provide.  

The sales tax provides revenue for local government services while reducing the tax burden to property owners.  

“We’ll have to find $250,000 per year more money,” Mason said. “If we can cut money out of the budget, we won’t have to raise the millage.”

The county commission approved the compromise by a 3-2 vote tonight, with Mason and Commissioner Phil Kieffer voting against it.

Kieffer said the deal might not be as good for residents of Rincon as it initially appears.

“You can charge a higher millage to city residents than unincorporated residents,” he said. “It may backfire.”

Kieffer said he wishes commissioners had been invited to the settlement conference where the compromise was reached.

“We weren’t notified until after the conference was over,” he said.

Commissioner Vera Jones said the county might have lost more money if the issue had continued in court.

The county commission and the cities all held special meetings yesterday and today to vote on the compromise.

Check effinghamnow.com next week for more about the deal.

Ottawa Farms hosted the annual Strawberry Festival over the weekend and featured live music, arts, crafts and fun activities for the kids.

View photos from the event:

• Ottawa Farms Strawberry Festival by Kim Bazemore/Spotted® Savannah
• Ottawa Farms Strawberry Festival Part 2 by Anthony Maben, Jr./Spotted® Savannah

An Effingham County man is offering a $10,000 reward following the burglary of several firearms from his residence.

Effingham County Sheriff’s Office spokesman David Ehsanipoor said the burglary occurred on Monday on Rose Hill Drive in the Hickory Knob subdivision.

Three fire proof gun safes containing several different types of rifles and a large amount ammunition were taken, Ehsanipoor said.

The victim, Mark Malke, is offering the reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of suspects.

The case remains under investigation by the Effingham County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Effingham County Sheriff’s Office at 912-754-3449.

A Rincon man and woman have been arrested for attempting to steal an ATV from a home on Ebenezer Road.

James Owens, 24, and Nicole Wagner, 27, were caught when deputies responding to a call found a truck, along with an ATV, stuck in a ditch in the 2000 block of Ebenezer Road.

Owens and Wagner told deputies they had seen someone trying to steal an ATV and notified the homeowners, Effingham County Sheriff’s Office spokesman David Ehsanipoor said.

Deputies determined that the pair took the ATV and in the process the truck became stuck in the ditch.

“During the arrest, Owens resisted deputies but was then placed in the back of a sheriff’s patrol car,” Ehsanipoor said. “Owens then kicked the back windows out of the car and continued to be combative.”

Ehsanipoor said Owens has an extensive criminal history. Owens was charged with theft by taking, obstruction of a law enforcement officer, unlawful use of a communication device, conspiracy and interference with government property.

Wagner, who also has an extensive criminal history and is a convicted felon, has been charged with theft by taking, conspiracy, and unlawful use of a communication device, Ehsanipoor said.

Both are in the Effingham County Jail.

The Effingham County Sheriff’s Office now has a “big white box” inside that they are hoping will help with the proper disposal of prescription and over-the-counter drugs.

The box can be used to drop expired drugs or those no longer needed.

The sheriff’s office reports that prescription drug abuse among all age groups is a growing danger.

In response to the growing demand for a safe and convenient way to dispose of household prescription and OTC drugs, the Council on Alcohol and Drugs launched Campaign Drug Drop Box.

The Council donated a Drug Drop Box to virtually every county in the state that requested one, 128 counties to date, officials said.

Effingham County’s “big white box” is accessible to the public 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The Campaign goals are to keep these drugs out of the hands of children and teens, off the street, prevent overdoses and accidental poisonings, and avoid environmental contamination by not throwing drugs in the toilet, sink, or trash. Items that can be placed in these secure drug drop boxes include expired and unused prescription (non-narcotics and narcotics), OTC drugs, medication samples, medicated ointment/lotion, drops, inhalers, unopened epi-pens, herbals, and veterinary medications. Items that should not be placed in the boxes include needles or sharps, biohazard materials, and illegal drugs.

For more information on the Drop Box Campaign contact Sgt. Steve Edenfield at the sheriff’s office, 912-754-3449. For more information on preventing prescription drug misuse and abuse visit

http://www.stoprxabuseinga.org or email John Bringuel at jbringuel@livedrugfree.org.

Effingham County High School won over Jenkins High in baseball Tuesday night, 6-5.

Getting hits for the Rebels were: Cal Baker (1), Kyle Ward (1), Josh Gilliam (1), Alec Arnsdorff (1), Jacob Teston (1) and Jack Burns (2).

Josh Gilliam was the winning pitcher. Gilliam pitched 5 innings, throwing 77 pitches. He faced 24 batters, had 5 strikeouts and allowed 5 hits and 4 runs.

Spencer Gillis had the save. He pitched 2 innings, throwing 35 pitches. He faced 10 batters, had 2 strikeouts, allowed 3 hits and 1 run.

JENKINS (5) AT REBEL BASEBALL 2013 (6)

JENKINS AB R H BI REBEL BASEBALL 2013 AB R H BI

Hector Benitez 4 1 1 2 Cal Baker 3 1 1 0

Tyrick Cooper 3 0 0 1 Kyle Ward 3 2 1 0

Nicholas Crump 4 1 1 0 Eric Knox 3 0 0 1

Christian Odom 3 0 0 1 Josh Gilliam 2 0 1 1

Chris Herold 3 0 0 0 Alec Arnsdorff 3 0 1 1

Tripp Whitcomb 4 1 1 0 Jacob Teston 1 2 1 0

Frank Joyner 4 0 0 0 Ryan Ratchford 1 0 0 0

John Barre 3 1 2 0 Jack Burns 3 1 2 3

Dylan McGinnis 3 1 3 1 Brandon Davis 2 0 0 0

Josh Edge 1 0 0 0

Dusty Baker 3 0 0 0

TOTALS 31 5 8 5 TOTALS 25 6 7 6

JENKINS 000 040 1 -- 5

REBEL BASEBALL 2013 220 110 x -- 6

LOB--JENKINS 8, REBEL BASEBALL 2013 3. ERR--Nicholas Crump,

Frank Joyner, Josh Gilliam, Spencer Gillis, Cal Baker, Jack

Burns. 2B--Jack Burns. 3B--Hector Benitez, Jacob Teston.

HR--Jack Burns. SACF--Tyrick Cooper, Josh Gilliam. SB--Jacob

Teston.

JENKINS IP H R ER BB SO HR

Frank Joyner 6 7 6 5 1 2 1

REBEL BASEBALL 2013

Josh Gilliam (W) 5 5 4 2 2 5 0

Spencer Gillis (S) 2 3 1 1 0 2 0

SO--Hector Benitez (2), Nicholas Crump, Tyrick Cooper, Frank

Joyner (2), Tripp Whitcomb, Brandon Davis, Jack Burns.

BB--Christian Odom, Chris Herold, Jacob Teston.

________________________________________

4/16/13 Jenkins at Rebel Baseball 2013

Jenkins at Rebel Baseball 2013 Box Score

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E L

Jenkins 0 0 0 0 4 0 1 5 8 2 8

Rebel Baseball 2013 2 2 0 1 1 0 - 6 7 4 3

WP: Josh Gilliam, LP: -, SV: Spencer Gillis

South Effingham beat Screven County in baseball on Tuesday, 12-0.

The Mustangs had 10 hits in the 5 inning game.

Phillip Kieffer Construction Inc. won a $388,000 contract to finish renovation of the Mars Theater in Springfield.

Work should start soon and take six months, said City Manager Brett Bennett. The work will include finishing the bathrooms and lobby but not the seats or high-end audio-visual equipment.

“It gets it useable,” Bennett said.

The Springfield Revitalization Corp. (SRC) has about $40,000 and will raise funds to install the seats, he said. The theater will get by with a less expensive audio-visual system when it first begins operating later this year, he said.

A steering committee will begin work on an operating plan for the theater. The committee will be made up of two people appointed by the SRC, two by the city council and one by the merchants’ association.

The goal is to have the theater in operation in time for the city’s fall festival.

City Council members awarded the contract for the work to Phillip Kieffer Construction, the low bidder, at their April 9 meeting.

Also at that meeting, council members agreed to donate $1,000 to help pay for Olde Effingham Day, which was held April 13.

And Justin Cribbs took the oath of office to fill the unexpired term of Troy Allen, who moved out of the city.

Cribbs, a chemist at Intercat in Pooler, was chosen in a special election and will fill the term that ends Dec. 31, 2015.

— G.G. Rigsby

Photo courtesy of Effingham County Chamber of Commerce

The Effingham County Chamber of Commerce recently held a ribbon cutting for Rincon’s newest restaurant, Ms. Jeans. The restaurant is located in the old church building on Ga. 21 and across from the

Curiosity Shoppe. Ms. Jean and her daughter, Andrea Allsbrook, opened the restaurant recently and feature country cooking, which can be bought by the plate or as a buffet. The restaurant also has a shaded courtyard to the side which can accommodate parties. Chamber Ambassadors and restaurant staff were on hand to officially welcome the new business.

South Effingham student wins

The Exchange Club of Effingham County recently held its annual American Citizenship Speech Contest. Each student was advised that the speech must carry a positive theme of patriotism and pride in the democratic form of government under which we all live. The speech had to be memorized, no notes were allowed and the speech had to be between 5 - 8 minutes in length. The winner of the contest was Sarah Lynn Bowser. She will receive a $250 check and certificate at class night in May. The first runner-up was Natalie Starling. Starling will receive a $100 check at class night in May. For more information on the Exchange Club of Effingham County, call Yvette Carr, president, at 657-5423.

Guyton’s “Sale on the Trail” and the commemoration of 150 years passing since the Confederate Hospital was established in Guyton are set for Saturday.

The rummage sale is held every spring along the walking trail that runs through the center of town. This year, it starts at 8 a.m. and lasts through 2 p.m.

Yard sale items, crafts and baked goods will be sold.

The sale was started so that people attending the annual bluegrass festival at Mossy Oak Music Park would have more to do. The 35th Bluegrass and Gospel Music Festival continues through Sunday at the park near Guyton.

From 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the intersection of Ga. 119 and Ga. 17, people wearing period dress will demonstrate medical practices during the Civil War. A tent will have cots and medical instruments. Interpretive signs and brochures will describe what happened at square where the hospital was located.

The hospital building was taken down shortly after the war and the materials were taken to Savannah and used to build the Beach Institute, which still stands, and the Freedmen’s School, which no longer exists.

A wall will list the names of the 4,000 people who were treated at the hospital, as well as the names of the officers and doctors who worked there.

At 9:30 a.m., Effingham Health System CEO Norma Jean Morgan, who is president of the Historic Effingham Society, will speak.

Historic cannons will be fired as part of the observance. Walking tours will be given featuring the outside of historic homes in the city.

The events are sponsored by the Effingham County Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Guyton Tourism Commission.

The Effingham Community Orchestra will present a Spring Concert on Sunday, April 21 at 3 p.m. The concert will be performed in the Effingham County Recreation and Parks Department Gymnasium at 808 Ga. 119 South in Springfield. Admission is free.

“Our Spring Concert will have pieces that should appeal to almost any musical taste,” said Orchestra Director Andrea Huff. “It will include classics, TV themes, favorites from the movies, marches — and a couple of surprises.” Huff said the orchestra’s performance will also include music not previously performed for its audiences.

“Part of the orchestra’s mission is to help develop the talents of our musicians, Huff said. “We’re especially pleased, therefore, that one of our college student musicians, who is majoring in music, will conduct one of the pieces. This will be his debut at conducting.”

The 6-year-old Effingham Community Orchestra has 45 active musicians including both adults and high school youth musicians. The orchestra has performed quarterly concerts and for community events at various locations throughout the county. It is funded solely by contributions from participants and interested supporters.

The orchestra is now accepting additional musicians. Information may be obtained by visiting the website at www.effinghamcommunityorchestra.org. Huff encourages all interested musicians to contact her by email at effinghamcommunityorchestra@windstream.net or by calling the orchestra’s office at 912-826-5300 ext. 110.

From April 18, 2002

Boy’s Soccer Standings

Area 2-AAA

Sav. Christian: 7-1

Liberty County: 4-3

South Effingham: 4-4

Richmond Hill: 2-4

Effingham County: 2-6

From April 16, 2002

Baseball

Effingham Co. 4, Liberty Co. 3

W-Norman Chapman (3-2); L-Morse; S-Adam Joyner (1). Leading hitters-LC, Martin 2-4, RBI. Records-EC 8-10, 6-4 in 2-AAA; LC 2-8 in 2-AAA.

From April 14, 2002

Boys’ Soccer

Effingham Co. 3, South Effingham 3

(ECHS won on penalty kicks)

Goals-Effingham Co., Matt Vickery 2, Sean Hanratty, Jody Morris. Assists-Effingham Co., Eric Brierton. Saves-Effingham Co., Jacob Horne 7, Levi Davis 6. Records-Effingham Co. 11-6, 2-5 Area 2-AAA.

Effingham Co. 5,

So. Effingham 1

Goals: EC, Dani Friess 2, Ashby Graham, Carrie Rahn, Tabitha Burgstiner. Assists-EC, Burgstiner 2, Dee Witherspoon, Jamye Friess. Saves-EC, Elizabeth Stone 9. Records-EC, 10-5, 3-4 in 2-AAA.

The Effingham County Rebels were winners over Ware County in baseball 4-1 in play on April 11.

Getting hits for the Rebels were Cal Baker (2), Kyle Ward (3), Eric Knox (1), Alec Arnsdorff (3), Jack Burns (1) and Dusty Baker (3).

Effingham County 4, Ware County 1

WARE COUNTY AB R H BI EFFINGHAM AB R H BI

Kobe Manders 3 0 1 1 Cal Baker 3 1 2 0

Josh Aspinwall 3 0 1 0 Kyle Ward 4 1 3 1

Logan Meeks 3 0 0 0 Eric Knox 3 0 1 1

Dayton Beasley 3 0 0 0 Josh Gilliam 4 0 0 0

Kyle Valentine 3 0 0 0 Alec Arnsdorff 3 0 3 1

Ty Bennett 3 0 2 0 Jacob Teston 2 0 0 0

Austin Chaney 3 0 0 0 Jack Burns 3 0 1 1

Ty Hobbs 2 1 1 0 Brandon Davis 2 0 0 0

Grayson Yeomans 1 0 0 0 Josh Edge 1 0 0 0

Dusty Baker 3 1 3 0

*Justin Sipes 0 1 0 0

TOTALS 24 1 5 1 TOTALS 28 4 13 4

WARE COUNTY 001 000 0—1

EFFINGHAM COUNTY 000 1 2 1 x—4

LOB—WARE COUNTY 3, EFFINGHAM COUNTY 9. ERR—Logan Meeks, Josh Gilliam. 2B—Ty Hobbs, Kyle Ward (2), Jack Burns,

Dusty Baker (2). SACB—Grayson Yeomans. SB—Justin Sipes.

WARE COUNTY IP H R ER BB SO HR

Ty Bennett 5 2-3 13 4 3 3 5 0

Ty Hobbs 0 1-3 0 0 0 0 0 0

EFFINGHAM

Spencer Gillis 7 5 1 1 0 9 0

WP—Ty Bennett (2). SO—Ty Hobbs, Josh Aspinwall, Dayton

Beasley (2), Kobe Manders (2), Kyle Valentine (2), Grayson

Yeomans, Brandon Davis (2), Cal Baker, Eric Knox (2).

BB—Jacob Teston, Cal Baker, Eric Knox.

The South Effingham Mustangs beat the Effingham County Rebels in baseball on April 10 by close score of 7-6.

Players with hits for the Mustangs were Dylan Griffin (2), Austin Peigh (1), Corey Horne (3), Chase Clayton (3) and Dalton Griffin (2).

Rebels with hits were Cal Baker (2), Kyle Ward (1), Josh Gilliam (2), Alec Arnsdorff (1), Jacob Teston (1), Jack Burns (2) and Brandon Davids (2).

The Mustangs also beat Statesboro on April 11, 8-4.

South Effingham 7, Effingham County 6

EFFINGHAM AB R H BI S. EFFINGHAM AB R H BI

Cal Baker 4 2 2 0 Dylan Griffin 3 1 2 3

Kyle Ward 3 1 1 0 Austin Peigh 4 0 1 1

Eric Knox 3 0 0 1 Holden Marks 3 0 0 0

Josh Gilliam 4 1 2 2 Zack Smith 4 0 0 1

Alec Arnsdorff 4 0 1 0 Corey Horne 3 2 3 0

Jacob Teston 4 1 1 0 Brandon James 1 0 0 0

Jack Burns 3 1 2 1 Caleb Gonsolves 3 0 0 0

Brandon Davis 3 0 2 0 Chase Clayton 4 2 3 1 Dusty Baker 3 0 0 1 Dalton Griffin 2 2 2 0

Avery Collins 2 0 0 1

TOTALS 31 6 11 5 TOTALS 29 7 11 7

EFFINGHAM COUNTY 113 100 0—6

SOUTH EFFINGHAM 120 003 1—7

LOB—EFFINGHAM COUNTY 6, SOUTH EFFINGHAM 8. ERR—Jacob Teston, Dusty Baker, Caleb Gonsolves, Avery Collins (2).

2B—Jacob Teston, Brandon Davis, Josh Gilliam, Cal Baker,

Jack Burns, Dalton Griffin, Dylan Griffin. HBP—Dalton

Griffin. SB—Cal Baker.

EFFINGHAM COUNTY IP H R ER BB SO HR

Eric Knox 3 6 3 2 0 0 0

Jesse Whaley 2 1-3 2 3 3 1 3 0

John Ratchford 0 0 0 0 2 0 0

Josh Edge 1 3 1 1 1 1 0

SOUTH EFFINGHAM

Zack Smith 2 2-3 8 5 4 1 0 0

Carlton Redding 4 1-3 3 1 1 1 1 0

SO—Kyle Ward, Chase Clayton, Austin Peigh, Caleb

Gonsolves, Zack Smith. BB—Kyle Ward, Eric Knox, Corey

Horne, Holden Marks, Avery Collins, Dylan Griffin.

Effingham County High School hosted Jenkins High in soccer on April 9, winning 4-3 in a penalty kick shootout.

Logan Flagg had 2 goals for ECHS and Tanner Carden had 1. Nick Trapp had 1 assist. Shaw Bennett had 6 saves at keeper.

Zachary Gay had 2 goals for Jenkins and Devin Qualls had 1. ECHS won in the over time penalty kick shootout 8-7.

Everyone likes to be showered with “I love yous”. I enjoy it every day when teaching my pre-k class. A 3-year-old has a way of sharing sunshine and making you feel better all over. As one student says, I love you Mrs. Donna, another one follows with I love you more, and then the third joins in saying, I love you the most. I get to experience every woman’s dream day.

I have been absent from class a bit lately due to family illness. My students and their “I love yous” have helped to brighten my days. With the fact in mind that I may be absent from time to time, my reply to the students comes, “If you love me, mind me; be good, and do what I ask.”

There are 11 students in my pre-k class, and might I say that they are the smartest and most loving kids in Effingham County. I am very proud of them and all of their accomplishments this year.

The story of Simon Peter telling Jesus that he loved Him illustrates an important lesson for us. Jesus asked Simon Peter three times if he loved Him. In frustration, Simon Peter was hurt by the asking. He told Jesus that if He knew everything, He should know that he loved Him. Even when we know that someone loves us, it is still nice to hear the words and see the actions.

Love is an action word. It is a verb and not a noun. If you love someone, show them. Find ways to do something in order to show your love. People know you love them when you try to bring happiness into their lives. Life is all about sharing the love of Jesus. Let us teach children how to love. Let us teach children the importance of loving each other.

Even the Lord likes for us to show Him love with action. Jesus’ reply to Simon Peter was “If you love me, feed my sheep.”

I used to rock my newborn daughter and tell her about all her enemies.

I said she had little enemies all around the globe — all nursing, or burping, or pooping in their diapers. Just like she was.

A few people took me literally and thought I was doing something horrible to my infant.

But in those days when she was too young to make much sense of what I was telling her, I was marveling at the idea of a tiny child being born into the world with ready-made enemies.

Some of whom would grow up to mistrust her, sight unseen. And even maybe vice versa.

And others who might not even be her enemies by that time. They might be replaced by new enemies from different parts of the globe.

It depended a lot on the decisions of powerful people who wanted to retain power.

It seemed so ludicrous, on the surface.

Part of me was hoping that somehow my daughter would grow up to see it as ludicrous, too.

She did not disappoint me.

One day decades earlier, in elementary school, it occurred to me that I had to be one of the most fortunate kids alive.

I lived in the right country. I was a member of the right church. My parents even voted for the right candidates, most of whom were from the right political party.

How likely was that? What were the odds of being born on the right side of everything?

And then, a disconcerting question began to suggest itself.

What if all those other people thought they were right, too? (Even though they were wrong, of course.)

At the moment, most of my little enemies were in Russia. Not nursing and burping and pooping in their diapers anymore, but maybe playing and doing homework and sometimes even giggling.

And I wondered if the Russians might assume they were right, too.

Just like I had been doing.

But I wasn’t sure. So I asked a grown-up.

“You know,” I began, “we think we’re right and the Russians are wrong, but do the Russians think they are right and we are wrong?”

The grown-up eyed me suspiciously.

“And if they think they’re right just like we think we’re right, how can we know we are really right?” I continued.

The grown-up cleared his or her throat.

“Julia,” the grown-up proclaimed, “the Russians would just love to hear you saying that.”

I suddenly felt foolish, as if those Russians had set a trap and I had fallen into it.

The shame was so intense, I just let the question go. As if it had never entered my mind.

Social psychologists have a term for this phenomenon — cognitive dissonance.

Cognitive means “having to do with thought” and dissonance is pretty much the same as conflict. So cognitive dissonance has to do with holding conflicting thoughts at the same time.

Typically, in a state of cognitive dissonance, one of the conflicting thoughts has to go.

That day, for me, one conflicting thought was that the Russians might trust their viewpoint as much as we trusted ours.

The other conflicting thought was that the Russians would love to hear me express that first thought.

The part of my brain that was conditioned to count the Russians among my enemies was getting a boost from the grown-up’s response to my question. And that part of the brain is already a lot harder to change than the part that asks questions.

No matter what the issue is.

Russians, Americans.

Even garlic.

Julia Cochran is a licensed professional counselor in Rincon. She can be reached at 912-772-3072 or by email at JCochranPhD@GileadCounseling.com.