Georgia Magazine - June 2013 - (Page 5)

www.georgiamagazine.org (800) 544-4362, in Georgia; (770) 270-6500 GEORGIA Magazine, the largest-circulation monthly magazine in the state, is published by Georgia Electric Membership Corp. (GEMC), the trade association for Georgia’s 41 consumer-owned electric utilities. On average, more than 500,000 members welcome the magazine into their homes each month. Georgia’s not-for-profit electric cooperatives provide reliable, safe and affordable electric service to more than 73 percent of the state’s land area serving 4.5 million residents. For more information, visit www.georgiaemc.com. EDITOR Ann Orowski, CCC ManagIng EDITOR Jennifer Hewett, CCC assOcIaTE EDITOR Victoria Scharf DeCastro PRODucTIOn cOORDInaTOR Gayle Hartman assIsTanT EDITOR Kevin Braun assIsTanT EDITOR Jim Jess EDITORIal InTERn Ally Boyd cOnTRIbuTIng WRITERs Lynn Coulter, Bill Durden, Jane F. Garvey, Pamela A. Keene, Jackie Kennedy, Jacqueline Rosser, Bryan Shaw, Nicole Tibbs cOnTRIbuTIng PhOTOgRaPhERs Scarlett Auten, Steven Belville, Lee Cathey, Chuck Cutler, Bill Durden, John Foxx, Jane F. Garvey, Pamela A. Keene, Tony Madden, Cara Pastore, Heather E. Pitts, Hans Rueffert, Beverly Taylor, Nicole Tibbs, Alison Wilson, Chris Yunker Laurel George, (404) 541-0628; Laine Kirby Wood, (770) 289-5700 aDvERTIsIng REPREsEnTaTIvEs naTIOnal aDvERTIsIng REPREsEnTaTIvE National Country Market, (800) 626-1181 DEsIgnERs Trudie Thibodeaux, Kerstin Weis subscRIPTIOns (770) 270-6500 Juanita Austin, Kelly Bodner, David Cleveland, Jane F. Garvey, Kelly Hester, David Murphy, Julie Musselman, Jim O’Bryan, Hope Paulk, Wendy Sellers, Lewis Sheffield, Barbara Tapp, Jim Tucker, Donna Yost 2013 aDvIsORy bOaRD gEORgIa EMc OffIcERs: chaIRMan Alice Mallory, Coweta-Fayette EMC vIcE chaIRMan G. Anthony Norton, Snapping Shoals EMC sEc.-TREasuRER Randy Crenshaw, Irwin PREsIDEnT/cEO, gEMc A. Paul Wood EMC GEORGIA Magazine (USPS-473120, ISSN 10615822) is published monthly by Georgia Electric Membership Corp., P.O. Box 1707, 2100 East Exchange Place, Tucker, GA 30085. Periodicals postage paid at Thomaston, GA, and additional mailing offices. POsTMasTER: Send changes to GEORGIA Magazine, P.O. Box 1707, Tucker, GA 30085. Printed in Georgia by Quad/Graphics. Acceptance of advertising by GEORGIA Magazine does not imply endorsement by the publisher or Georgia’s electric membership corporations of the product or services advertised. GEORGIA Magazine’s LIABILITY FOR ERRORS IN, OR OMISSIONS OF, ADVERTISEMENTS, WHETHER IN CONTRACT OR IN TORT, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO DAMAGES TO THE ADVERTISER’S BUSINESS, SHALL IN NO EVENT EXCEED THE AMOUNT OF CHARGES FOR THE ADVERTISEMENT THAT WAS OMITTED OR IN WHICH THE ERROR OCCURRED. June 2013 A flag above all others By Paul Wood President/CEO, Georgia Electric Membership Corporation M ost people think America’s experiment in democracy began when the British were defeated at Yorktown in 1781. However, the true beginning of our republic may have occurred two decades later when we fought the British a second time. It was officially called the War of 1812, but I had a history professor who called it the Second War for Independence. At that time, Americans were unhappy with the British for interfering with our attempts at international trade. We decided to teach them a lesson by declaring war on Britain in June of 1812. Things were going well until the British stunned us by marching into Washington and setting fire to the Capitol and the White House. The British troops then turned their sights on Baltimore, specifically, Fort McHenry. Many historians today believe a victory over the American troops at Fort McHenry would have given the British a strategic advantage that would have placed America’s future in jeopardy. The situation was most dire the night of Sept. 13, 1814, as the bombardment of Fort McHenry began in earnest. For 24 hours, the shelling continued. One of our troops later wrote they “felt like pigeons with their legs tied, waiting to be shot.” But the Americans survived the battle and stopped the British advance. The next morning, Francis Scott Key, from a distance of several miles, could make out an American flag waving above Fort McHenry. And he could see that the British ships More online at www.georgiamagazine.org were withdrawing from Baltimore Harbor. In my view, that was the first day in the life of the new republic. That was the day America became a force to be reckoned with on the global stage. That was the day we began to build upon the foundation laid by George Washington. And the poem Key wrote to celebrate “that star-spangled banner” made our flag a symbol of America’s strength and endurance. On June 14, Flag Day, and again on July 4, Independence Day, I urge you to raise your flag and give thanks for the defenders of Fort McHenry on that dark September night, when our flag was only visible as the bombs were “bursting in air.” The flag did not play a major role in the War of Independence, but it sure did in the War of 1812 and in every American conflict since. The huge Fort McHenry flag, fully 30 feet by 42 feet, became a symbol of our collective patriotism, courage and resilience. After the 9/11 attacks, as a nation, we raised the modern flag to let the world know America remained united and committed to defending our land from all enemies of freedom. The next time you are in Washington, D.C., on business or pleasure, stop by the National Museum of American History and take a few minutes to enjoy the permanent exhibition of the restored Fort McHenry flag. It is the flag above all others. Its simple wool bunting with its “broad stripes and bright stars” will give you chills like no other. 5 http://www.georgiamagazine.org http://www.georgiaemc.com http://www.georgiamagazine.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Georgia Magazine - June 2013

Georgia Magazine - June 2013
Contents
Viewpoint
Malbox
Liberty Notes
Picture This?
Georgia News
Calendar of Events
Currents
North Georgia on a Dime
Mobile Vacationing
Around Georgia
Planning your two- to five-day trip
My Georgia
Georgia Gardens
Georgia Cooks
Snapshot
More Snapshot photos
Plant of the month
June’s online trivia contest
Second helping: More recipes
Georgia Grown spotlight
Readers’ Choice entry form—last chance!

Georgia Magazine - June 2013