MOULTRIE — “I don’t think in my heart that any man, woman or child is better than me. I don’t think I’m better than any other man, woman or child,” is one of the central thoughts given by Moultrian Jonathan Gary in naming American values.

The nation’s history has been one of gradual granting — in fits and starts and delays — of equal rights to groups who previously had not enjoyed them.

In March 1861, Alexander Stephens, vice president of the rebellious Confederate States of America, declared: “Our new government is founded upon exactly the opposite idea; its foundations are laid, its corner-stone rests, upon the great truth that the Negro is not equal to the white man; that slavery subordination to the superior race is his natural and normal condition. This, our new government, is the first, in the history of the world, based upon this great physical, philosophical, and moral truth.”

It took four years and the loss of more than 600,000 lives on both sides to bring the issue of secession to a close.

Gary, 48, a non-emergency transport driver for Colquitt Regional Medical Center, said it is too late to make restitution to his ancestors who were slaves. But in 2018 those willing to work and strive should not face discrimination.

“I don’t want 40 acres and a mule,” he said, referring to a promise reneged on generations ago. “I believe I should have the same opportunity to get where I want to be. I believe it’s for anyone who’s willing to work for it. I believe in working hard for it. Equality is a big (issue) for me.”

Gary’s take on equality echoes that of James Brown in the song “I Don’t Want Nobody To Give Me Nothing”: “Open up the door, I’ll get it myself.”

“The door, if it’s slightly open, that gives me the opportunity to use my hands, my feet, my mouth,” Gary said.

Other values he thinks worth keeping are faith and family.

“Having faith in God almighty – we can’t be who we are without him. I think family means a lot. The only way you can survive is if you have family behind you.”

Gary reads a newspaper every day and keeps up with current events. Being knowledgeable and voting are important to him, even though he did not vote for either the Democratic or Republican presidential nominee in 2016.

However, he does not think that President Donald Trump embodies the morals and values he espouses.

“He can say how much he believes in God,” he said. “His moral values, I don’t think they’re high at all.”

“I think a lot of religious people back him because of power,” he said in speculating on Trump’s support among evangelical Christians.

“The evangelical entity, especially the ministers, a lot of them have skeletons in their closets anyway. They’ve got a huge following who are going to believe what they say. These guys are human also.”

That doesn’t mean he is necessarily supportive of women who have come forward since Trump jumped into the presidential fray in 2015 with accusations of sexual improprieties and affairs.

The timing – and timeliness – of those accusations concern him.

“I’m all for women’s rights,” he said. “I’m all for women. The thing I have a problem with is why you have the women coming forward after 20 or 30 years. How do they remember the details? I don’t believe every one of them is telling the truth.”

He also doesn’t believe the biggest sex scandal – that of pornographic actress Stormy Daniels – is necessarily a political issue for the president.

“I think there’s lying on both sides,” he said. “She has a hidden agenda; he just wants it to go away. It’s nothing political. It’s a circus. To me, it’s between him and his wife at this point.”

As for the increased involvement of women running for office, Gary is supportive.

In Georgia, a black woman will be at the top of the state ticket for the first time as the Democratic gubernatorial candidate.

“It’s a great thing,” he said of more women seeking elected office. “We need a lot more diversity in the gender area. Men have been running things for centuries.”

When it comes to specific policies of the Trump administration, Gary has reservations, especially in foreign policy.

Poking his finger in the eyes of allies seems to be short-sighted for the president. If the country abandons allies and alienates trading partners, they might not be there when America needs them, Gary reasoned. Countries with whom Trump is picking fights are those who supported the country in Afghanistan and Iraq.

“We already have enough enemies,” he said. “America First, I believe that to a certain point, but we can’t do it alone.”

Gary also believes that Trump has done much to divide the nation, and his behavior of tweeting wild policy swings, firing staff and attacking opponents has not helped.

“Honestly, I wish I knew which direction we’re heading,” he said. “But I feel like we’re in a funk right now. I’m neither Democrat or Republican. I’m an independent. Last election I didn’t vote for either. I didn’t agree with her policies. I didn’t agree with his policies.”

Like Gary, Isabella Brooks seems willing at this point to give the president the benefit of the doubt on allegations made by women.

“I feel like in some cases if you waited 20 years or longer, why come forward now?” said Brooks, a long-time civil rights advocate and president of the Colquitt County Chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

Brooks said her opinion may not be a popular one, but she thinks people should speak up at the time of an episode.

“If something happened to you, you need to report it when it happened,” she said. “I don’t want to call a president a liar. It could be true. It could not be true. When you’re in the public eye, people try to dig up things.”

Brooks sees more women entering politics as a positive thing for the country.

“We have operated from a male-oriented point of view for years,” she said. “Maybe it’s time for a change, (and) see what they can do. Women are more compassionate. I feel women are more open-minded to making sure people are equal. I feel like women can bring a different perspective on things.”

For Colquitt County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Jerome Burgess, America’s values are: “family, hope in God, hard work and our freedom.”

“A man’s word used to be (trustworthy),” he said, “but it’s not anymore. We need to get back to the old ways.”

Burgess, 48, of Coolidge, grew up in the Orlando area, but for two months each summer worked on a grandfather’s farm in Georgia to earn money for school clothes.

“We toted guns to school. We dipped (tobacco) in class,” said Burgess, who is a solid supporter of President Donald Trump.

Even though there were guns in the pickup trucks, no one at that time would even have considered taking one inside the school, he said. And if he got in trouble in one class, his Future Farmers of America teacher would paddle him at school and his father would add more when he got home.

For Burgess, the old ways of giving kids responsibility and letting them know that misbehavior will be punished worked and would be a good idea today.

“I still try to raise my kids the same way (I was),” Burgess said.

As for women running for political office, Burgess is all for it.

“I’m good with it,” he said. “Who takes care of most of the housework? Who makes sure the bills are paid? I’m only as good as I am because I have a good influence. That’s my wife.”

Only one caveat: He wants those women to be good conservative females.

On the issue of women’s accusations of sexual improprieties against men, Burgess said each case should be weighed on its merits. If true, there should be consequences – no matter who has a finger pointed at him.

“If they’re true, they should be held accountable, locked up, sued and removed from whatever position they hold,” he said. “I don’t care if you’re Democrat or Republican or what you are. If he (Trump) is found to be at fault, then the same thing applies to him.”

Until accusations are proved to be true, Burgess said, they are just that – accusations.

“That’s just it; they’re allegations,” he said of what has been reported about the president. “The vast majority of folks have drawn their conclusions, one way or the other. There hasn’t been a fair investigation done, in my opinion, to prove the accusations are true or false.

“If they’re false, everybody that spreads that propaganda should be held liable.”