Dear Editor: There are three things people cannot control at their birth: when they are born, where they are born and who their parents are and the names they are given. The Covington News has taken a sickening approach and viciously attacked a local council member based on the name he was given. Your paper has poked fun at Councilman Keith Dalton by using his surname. You are saying he is guilty by association because his name is the same as the famous Western outlaw Dalton Gang. The "out-of-town" owned Covington News (along with its "out-of-town" employees) must think this type of journalism is "cute." We local residents, who were born and raised here and who made Newton County, find it very disgusting.

By the same analogy we can say that the so-called editor of The Covington News (a Jennifer T. Long) who comes floating in here from a western state, by her name is associated with and has characteristics of Huey P. Long (Kingfish) the corrupt governor of Louisiana. "Humpty-Dumpty sat on a wall — Humpty-Dumpty had a great fall — all the king’s horses and all the king’s men couldn’t put Humpty-Dumpty together again." Perhaps it is time for The Covington News to have a great fall. Their gift to print the county legals is only a gift from the county and is not an entitlement. Without this generous gift within two months they would probably have a few desks in a U-Haul on I-16 headed to Savannah. It is time for local residents to send our sheriff, probate judge and clerk of court a wake-up call.

The Covington News seems to be no more than a water boy for the private chamber club, and they tend to demonize any politician who does not adhere to their whims, and they refuse to print letters from citizens who oppose their views and support the demonized politicians.

Mr. Dalton has lived in my neighborhood for many years, and I find him to be an outstanding, honest gentleman, and thank God he votes the will of the people and not what I see as a "rinky-dink" newspaper.