|
TODAY'S
ISSUE
Congress should censure
president for misleading us
By Ralph Greene
Special to GwinnettForum.com
SNELLVILLE, Ga., March 19, 2004 -- Today marks the first anniversary
of the invasion of Iraq. The Bush administration and Republicans
in Congress are eager to congratulate themselves on a job well done.
Donald Rumsfeld, Condoleezza Rice and other Bush administration
officials will be all over the radio and TV this week to convince
us we're better off as a result of the war.
But the casualties continue to rise, and families with loved ones
serving in Iraq are wondering when they'll see their children, their
spouses, and their parents return home safely.
The casualty count is still rising daily. Over 650 Coalition troops
(including over 550 American service people) have been killed in
Operation Iraqi Freedom, and over 3,200 have been injured. Thousands
of Iraqis have also been killed and injured.
The price for all military families is high. Reservists, National
Guard members and their families are being hit especially hard.
Soon, 40 percent of all troops serving in Iraq will be either reservists
or National Guard members [LA Times, 2/22/04]. Many of these soldiers
thought they would be serving overseas for six months. Now, they're
being told they'll be spending a year or more in Iraq. Thousands
of families had less than a week's notice to prepare for this separation
[Washington Post, 1/21/04].
Families of reservists and Guard members don't have the established
support resources that families of full-time soldiers have at military
bases. Many of these families will have to get by on less money
since reservists and Guard members often receive less money for
their service than their regular jobs pay.
The Bush administration has not been up-front with the American
people about the reasons for going to war, or about the costs of
the war.
In the run-up to the war, President Bush said that the United States
"must not ignore the threat gathering against us. Facing clear
evidence of peril, we cannot wait for the final proof - the smoking
gun - that could come in the form of a mushroom cloud. We have every
reason to assume the worst, and we have an urgent duty to prevent
the worst from occurring." [Washington Post, 1/28/2002]
That was not the message that he was getting from the intelligence
community. Here's what CIA Director George Tenet said about the
National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq, which summarized the pre-war
views of the intelligence community: "Let me be clear: analysts
differed on several important aspects of these programs, and those
debates were spelled out in the Estimate. They never said there
was an 'imminent' threat." [Transcript of 2/5/04 speech at
Georgetown University].
The Pentagon's year 2005 budget doesn't contain any money for military
operations in Iraq or Afghanistan. The White House won't ask Congress
for that money until January 2005 - after the November presidential
election. [Knight Ridder Newspapers, 2/11/04].
The Bush administration needs to face accountability for its actions,
rather than looking for congratulations from Congress.
Even Bush's own top weapons inspector, David Kay, called on the
administration to admit that there are no weapons of mass destruction,
"I think in this case, the evidence is out there to the extent
that the president really needs to say to the American people, 'We
made a mistake.'" [NBC News 3/15/04].
Congress has the responsibility to hold the President Bush accountable
for his actions, and should censure him for misleading the American
people.
ELLIOTT
BRACK
Low
pay, but many get interested in this particular position
By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher
GwinnettForum.com
MARCH 19, 2004 -- The job pays $50,000 a year.
Do you want it? It is up for grabs.
 You
will have something like nearly 700,000 people who are your bosses
and think they know what is best for you and what you should be
concentrating on.
They will call you at all times of day and night, since after all,
you work for them. Some may not approve of what you are up to, and
will tend to direct your activities into certain channels, where
you may not want to go.
If you resist their suggestions, they will not fail to let you
know what they think of you, and probably, your parentage.
Then there is another level. You see, you also have some assistants
in this job, who may or may not always be cooperative. For you are
one part of a five member team at this job, though you are the only
one who works it full time. The part timers have just as much individual
sway as you have, and collectively, can even overrule what you do.
How do you get this lucrative (?) job? You run for it, since the
position is that of chairman of the Gwinnett County Commission.
And though you have a budget of more than a billion dollars, they
only pay you $50,000 a year. Out of whack, some seem to think. But
that's what it pays. Your assistants (district commissioners) are
paid $12,500 annually.
Now we hear that the person holding this position, Wayne Hill,
is up to running for the post again, though if elected, he says
this will be his last four years in office. For him to have survived
three terms in office is qnd in addition, he has held key positions
in the region, in uite unprecedented. Athe state, and in the nation.
He has been elected as chairman of the Atlanta Region Commission,
the Association County Commissioners of Georgia, and the National
Association of County Commissioners. That's quite impressive.
There are always others wanting this position, it seems. Commissioner
Marsha Neaton has said that she will run for the top office on the
commission. Current Rep. Charles Bannister of Lilburn has toyed
with announcing that he would run. Even some others have indicated
some interest in this race.
Yet you wonder why anyone would subject themselves to the rigors
of the office of chairman. After all, on many matters for which
you must go on record there are groups who feel you are wrong in
the way you determined any issue. Often large stakes are involved,
yet this office is the determinant for that decision. It is from
this office, you realize, that the fate of the county centers.
Perhaps the relatively low compensation for this office virtually
requires a person of independent means to seek the office. Yet there
is considerable interest in the title of chairman, even in the face
of the low pay and complications in the job.
This year's qualifying to run for political office officially begins
on April 26, and ends April 30 at noon, with the state primary coming
on July 20. Soon we will know just who will throw their hat in the
ring for this office. One of them in the race will dramatically
affect what will happen in Gwinnett in the short term future.
ABOUT
OUR SPONSORS
 The
public spiritedness of our sponsors allows us to bring GwinnettForum.com
to you at no cost to readers. We welcome as a new sponsor of the
Forum today Norcross Station Café, located on Peachtree
Street in downtown Norcross. Come enjoy meals cooked as you remember
them from your mother's table, tasty items, with generous portions.
It has a family atmosphere, with a railroad motif in this converted
former rail station. We're in the middle of Norcross, easy to get
to, and open Monday-Saturday for lunch and dinner. No reservations
required. Check out our web site at
www.NorcrossStation.com.
For a list of other sponsors of this forum, go to: http://www.gwinnettforum.com/about/sponsors.htm.
McLEMORE'S
WORLD
Tofu peanuts
The latest from cartoonist Bill McLemore:
FEEDBACK
3/19: Wants equipment
barn in another location in Norcross
Editor, the Forum:
Several residents at Monday's Council session in Norcross voiced
concerns about locating the new equipment barn on Wingo Street.
The Mayor then commented that there was a lot of "hullabaloo"
about the Wingo properties bought by the City and location of a
new barn thereon, whereas there was very little said by the residents
when the decisions were being made. Also, she noted the Mayor and
Council are to represent all of Norcross' residents on this issue,
not just the vocal ones at the meeting. So why are so many residents
voicing concerns just now?
First, there was little if any notice to the residents that the
City intended to buy the Wingo properties, nor was it widely known
that the previous Council intended to put the barn there. No planning
document that we know of has been released with the planning for
the new City "complex" comprising the new firehouse, Wingo
Street parking and the proposed fire truck building. In fact, last
year we were led to believe the City was considering turning the
Wingo Steet properties over to the Downtown Development Authority
(DDA) for redevelopment.
The residents' immediate concern centers on location of the barn,
and specifically that it NOT be located on Wingo Street, for several
reasons. As Anne Webb and Gretchen Bailey have eloquently written,
the Council formed the DDA to redevelop the Historic District with
new retail businesses, mixed use housing, cultural centers and green
space. Nowhere in the LCI study was a heavy-equipment barn contemplated,
and it will clearly be out of place--even a brick one. If it is
built outside the downtown area, it would presumably cost much less
than the $1 million budgeted for it in 2004.
Finally, where are the residents that support placing the barn on
Wingo Street? We have yet to hear a single person favoring that
location, other than the Mayor, the previous Council members and
Public Works. If there are those in favor, let's hear from them
and get a balanced view from the residents.
Things have changed since the previous Council made its decisions.
The residents are now insisting they be involved in planning, and
the DDA has been created. We urge the Council to find a way to put
the equipment barn on the Mitchell St. yard across Buford Highway,
and let the DDA decide the proper use of the Wingo Street properties--with
input from the residents, of course!
-- Charlie Riehm, Norcross
3/19: Maintains disinformation
campaign going on about Spain
Editor, the Forum:
Of course, the Bush junta would like us to believe that Al Qaeda
was responsible for upsetting the reelection of the conservatives
in Spain. They cannot acknowledge that almost 90 percent of Spaniards
opposed Aznar's support of the invasion of Iraq and were waiting
for the opportunity to oust his party. This mischaracterization
of the Spanish democratic process is purely political, and intended
to give credence to the idea that by not supporting our occupation
and pillaging of Iraq, members of the Coalition of the bribed and
bullied will be capitulating to Al Qaeda.
The American public should be accustomed to the disinformation
campaign waged by our government, in the same manner as citizens
of communist bloc countries used to ignore propaganda printed in
their government-controlled media. Since our Supreme Court selected
the president, has any instance that was granted authenticity by
Bush been proven to have any validity? The 9/11 Commission, and
the inquiry into the outing of Wilson's CIA wife are being sandbagged
by Bush, and the prevarications of our "I didn't say/mean that"
administration have become routine. The world has become much more
dangerous as a result of our military actions.
-- Ben Adams, Los Angeles, Calif.
NEWS
3/19: Grayson church
plans Day of Service on Saturday, March 20
An estimated 200 Grayson United Methodist Church members, family
and friends will spend this Saturday, March 20, the church's second
annual Grayson Day of Service, tackling projects at community organizations
throughout the Gwinnett county area.
For area senior citizens, church volunteers will do home repairs;
for the Boys & Girls Club in Lawrenceville, a team will cleanup
around the facility; for the Gwinnett Battered Woman's Shelter,
a team will make beauty supplies and kits; and for the Gwinnett
Animal Shelter, a group of children volunteers will make homemade
dog biscuits.
"We have 26 teams of volunteers to provide service to 15 different
community organizations," said Dot Desjardin, the Grayson Day
of Service coordinator. The Grayson United Methodist Church teams
will be working from Grayson to Suwanee, completing one-day projects.
Among the organizations benefiting from this day of volunteer efforts
are the Quinn House; Center of Hope; Southeast Gwinnett Co-op; Gwinnett
Children's Shelter; Pregnancy Resource Center; Creative Enterprises;
Department of Child Services; the Hi Hope Center; the American Red
Cross; the Gwinnett County Health & Human Resources Senior Services;
Annandale Village; and several area nursing homes.
ENCYCLOPEDIA
TIDBIT
3/19: Larges swamp
in North America is in south Georgia
The largest swamp in North America, the Okefenokee Swamp covers
roughly 700 square miles and is located in the southeastern
corner of Georgia, encompassing most of Charlton and Ware counties
and parts of Brantley and Clinch counties. The swamp has a distinctive
and fascinating natural history. Cypress swamps, winding waterways,
and floating peat mats are a major part of the Okefenokee's
habitat mosaic.
Wet and dry prairies, swamps dominated by shrubs, and forests
of blackgum and bay trees intersperse the array of other habitats.
A high ridge of sand known as Trail Ridge forms the eastern
edge of the swamp. Wildlife abound; more than 400 species of
vertebrates, including more than 200 varieties of birds and
more than 60 kinds of reptiles, are known to inhabit the swamp.
THOUGHT OF THE DAY
One sure way to success
from comedian Bill Cosby
"I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure
is trying to please everybody."
-- Bill Cosby (via Jim Dumond).
SEND
YOUR FEEDBACK
Send your thoughts, 55-word short stories, pet peeves
or comments on any issue to Gwinnett
Forum for future publication.
===========================================
MORE: Contact Gwinnett Forum at: elliott@gwinnettforum.com
© 2004, Gwinnett Forum.com. Gwinnett Forum
is an online community commentary for exploring pragmatic and sensible
social, political and economic approaches to improve life in Gwinnett
County, Ga. USA.
|
