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Bob
Barr causes some heads to turn
as he stalks new Gwinnett territory
By
Elliott Brack
editor and publisher
GwinnettForum.com
DEC. 14, 2001 - - He seems like the Energizer Bunny, showing up
everywhere around Gwinnett. And he's turning heads of people who
have in the past spoken against him.
We talk of Bob Barr, the conservative Congressmen from Northwest
Georgia, who chose to run in the newly drawn Seventh District, which
includes a large chunk of Gwinnett.
He has shown up at first one business after the other in Gwinnett.
He visited on Monday at the North Metro Post Office in Duluth, and
Tuesday morning was at an 8 am meeting of the Gwinnett Chamber to
hear, of all people, Democratic Lt. Gov. Mark Taylor.
There is Barr, the incarnation of the Energizer himself, shaking
hands, maneuvering in a new territory, and at the moment, being
more visible than the sitting Congressman in the district, John
Linder. By the way, Linder's web site has as the only recent news
item that he was in Braselton in August, and says that he was scheduled
for one hour in Snellville on September 22.
The Democratic-laden Georgia General Assembly mandated the new
state Congressional map, which has had the effect of pitting four
Conservative Republican Congressmen up to grab only two seats. Saxby
Chambliss and Jack Kingston were drawn into the same South Georgia
District. Chambliss solved that dilemma by deciding to run for the
Senate, giving Kingston free rein.
Barr found the Democrats cut up his Seventh District and put him
in the same district with Linder. Linder, meanwhile, lost a large
part of the old 11th District, and has announced for the re-drawn
7th District, pitting him against Barr.
Barr never yelled "Foul" at the way the legislature drew
the map. He simply read the score, made up his mind, and jumped
into a race against a fellow Republican. "The Democrats had
complete control of the re-districting process, and forced this
situation," he says.
And today while Linder tells people that he's leading in the polls,
you wonder who is doing his poll. Meanwhile, here is Bob Barr seeming
to be in more than one place at the same time, pumping hands, listening
to people, and even coming out against some major Republican ideologies,
such as questioning the military tribunals that the Bush Administration
is pushing.
What's this? Bob Barr and the American Civil Liberties Union reading
off the same page? Isn't it amazing what an election can do for
a politician's thinking!
One thing seems certain: if Bob Barr keeps showing up everywhere,
it should do two things:
1. Smoke Mr. Linder out of his Washington seat of power and cause
him to go door-to-door seeking votes, as Barr is nearly doing.
2. Change some minds about Barr. Many Gwinnettians will tell you
that up until now, they never felt themselves in the Barr camp.
But his recent actions, including paying attention to the big bloc
of votes in Gwinnett, may turn some heads.
For sure, the potential Linder-Barr race has recently re-energized
political watching in Gwinnett. On August 20, 2002, we'll know the
results.
SPECIAL REPORT
Barr, Linder trade
blows about sponsoring support of CDC
DEC. 14, 2001 -- The Washington publication Roll Call this
week reported that the war of words between GOP Reps. Bob Barr and
John Linder....is just starting to get interesting.
Barr is furious over the fact that he has been trying for more
than a month, to no avail, to be added as a co-sponsor to Linder's
legislation that would beef up the Centers for Disease Control's
efforts to fight bioterrorism threats.
The two have been trading verbal jabs in letters, some of which
Barr released to the press and colleagues about the same time Linder
got them.
Linder wrote back Tuesday. "I....would have appreciated (it)
more if you had shared (your concern) with me before sharing them
with the press corps." As of Thursday, however, Barr had still
not been added as a co-sponsor.
FEEDBACK
12/14: Worries
about infringing on rights and grandmothers being searched
Editor, the Forum:
I appreciated your thoughts on Ashcroft and the current Administration
who seem to be heading toward infringing on our personal freedoms
instead of the freedom of foreign terrorists in our midst.
Just look at the fiasco now going on at airport security! Frisking
little old grandmothers, and using uniformed soldiers of the US
Army, etc. What's wrong with "profiling" middle eastern
men between the ages of 23 and 40. We don't need more laws or presidential
orders to allow us to be "politically correct! Just do it!
All this extension of government control kind of reminds you of
an extension of the "war on drugs" doesn't it?
- - E. F. Stuart, Norcross
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
About a certain bowl game
"That Seattle Bowl that Georgia Tech's playing? You could
call it 'Coachless in Seattle."
- - David Seago, Georgia Tech grad and Georgia
Power official in Lawrenceville.
SEND YOUR FEEDBACK
Send your thoughts, pet peeves or comments on any
issue to Gwinnett Forum
for future publication.
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