DICK YARBROUGH: In praise of our first responders both here and away

It seems to take a pandemic for us to get our priorities in order. With the death toll in the country having passed 60,000 and with over a thousand of those here in Georgia, suddenly we realize that those who entertain us — like actors and ballplayers — are nothing more than diversions. They are paid obscene amounts of money to make us forget the vicissitudes of our daily lives. In fact, they are as irrelevant as a bump on an elephant’s rump.

The real heroes are the first responders. They are the doctors, emergency room personnel, nurses (including one in my family for whom I pray every day), police officers, firefighters, EMTs and others on the front lines in the battle with the deadly coronavirus battle. They don’t get paid nearly what they are worth for the risks they are taking and the enormous pressures they are under.