Gwinnett Forum.com -- Gwinnett County's community forum and idea exchange

TODAY'S ISSUE
Friend remembers distinctive personality of Thomas James
By Hoyt Tuggle
Special to GwinnettForum.com

(Editor's Note: The passing of Thomas James, 57, of Lawrenceville caused a stir among those who knew him. His friend of many years has written this tribute to him. -eeb.)

LAWRENCEVILLE, MARCH 23, 2004 ----"Thump! Thump! Thump!" I was awakened by this constant "Thump! Thump! Thump!"

I was sharing a room with LeRoy and Thomas James on a business trip in 2002. When I awoke I saw Thomas on the floor doing one-armed pushups, bouncing from one arm to the next.

My God, why would anyone want to do that at 6 a.m. in the morning? I had always been a little jealous of Thomas' robust health. Thomas didn't drink, didn't smoke, ate right and exercised daily. Now I realized more why he was so robust.

I first met Thomas about 50-51 years ago. Even then he dressed so neatly. His shirts were always starched and never ruffled. His jeans looked to be tailored, as his clothes would be when he became an adult. He would become an immaculately dressed businessman.

It is still difficult for me to realize that Thomas is gone. I have never known a more decent man in my life. Thomas was well read, very articulate and respected everyone's position. He was generous to a fault.

On second thought, fault is not the right the word. His generosity was genuine and he would help anyone in need. His deeds and contributions are too numerous to list. I will leave that for others.

In October of last year, Thomas was diagnosed with cancer. It had started in his kidneys and had spread to his shoulder, among other places. Doctors believed it had been in his shoulder for acouple of years.

News of Thomas' illness moved through the community, who knew him, like a knife stabbing at each heart. The most common remark, after the initial expression of unfairness, was "All who knew him believed they were better off by having known him". Grown men cried at the news. Thomas was LeRoy's little brother by blood but he was a lot of people's little brother by choice. To me and to many others, Thomas was "family".

Thomas would come by my office when he was working on his "Pledge". He wanted to know what I thought and he was determined to come up with a "Pledge" that not only acknowledged and respected all people, but one that could capture the essence of what it is to be an American. I believe he was successful.

That morning I heard those "Thumps," Thomas said, "Hoyt, I am sorry I woke you". That was the way he was.

As he, LeRoy and I walked to breakfast I asked him how he could do all the exercises he did. He said that once you started exercising it felt good and he knew it was good for him. Thomas also said that his shoulder hurt a little bit but he guessed that was just old age.

ELLIOTT BRACK
Gwinnett Chamber invitation to Hannity raises eyebrows
By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher
GwinnettForum.com

MARCH 23, 2004 -- Recent action by the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce has some business people scratching their heads, and others questioning whether they will join or re-join the Chamber.

This comes after the Chamber promoted WSB Radio Talk Show host Sean Hannity at a Chamber function recently at Wild Bills's in Duluth. These Gwinnettians are upset over the Chamber inviting to speak at one of its gatherings an overtly conservative and Republican-leaning talk show host, instead of walking a more center-of-road course, as most Chambers do.

Perhaps the new president of the Gwinnett Chamber, Jim Maran, and its board never considered the implications of the invitation. It certainly seems to launch the Chamber on a new course. Or perhaps they thought in relatively-Republican Gwinnett such a sponorship by the Chamber would be warmly received by the business members.

Yet in extending the invitation and hosting the national radio personality, it was looked upon askance by some more liberal members of the Gwinnett business community, mostly Democrats, but many themselves middle-of-the-road moderates.

Most charitable and civic organizations have come to realize that it's best to remain away from partisan politics and not to inject themselves into controversy by inviting people from one side of the any spectrum. It's fraught with peril. The least they can do, once personalities from one side of the are brought into the fray, is to be balanced and present the "other side," whether it's on a political, social, or community issue.

Hannity, with his openly-conservative stance, may be the darling of the WSB and national radio audience. Hannity may also be loved by many Gwinnett residents. Yet bringing him into Gwinnett under the sponsorship of the Chamber banner is stepping over a previously-drawn line of the Chamber.

So far, the Chamber has not announced an invitation to the "other side," whoever that may be. Al Franken is about the only person who comes to mind. (There are not a lot of similar candidates. Most talk-show hosts are conservative, and their audience tends to be heavily-male conservative, too.)

Granted, Gwinnett is generally considered Republican, and has voted Republican in most elections since 1984. In recent years, however, Gwinnett seems to be on an uptick for Democrats, as the demographics of the county continue to change.

Simply look at the numbers in the last general election in Gwinnett. We realize that the new Governor, Dr. Sonny Perdue, captured the county as expected, with 85,387 votes. But that leaves his opponent, Democrat Roy Barnes, with 36.7 percent of the vote, as represented by 52,495 votes. That's a lot of people, no doubt many of them business people, who belong to the Chamber. It puts the Chamber in an awkward position with these voters.

(What we have never reconciled is how WSB, owned by Cox Enterprises, is allowed to air Hannity. After all, Anne Cox Chambers is a major Democratic fund raiser, and was ambassador to Belgium under President Carter. We could see the station featuring a conservative Atlantan, such as Neal Boortz. The station using Hannity in its lineup says a lot about liberalism in the Cox family practices for the management, and freedom in general.)

No doubt in our mind, Gwinnett has one of the most stable and best Chambers of Commerce in the entire county. It recently won re-accreditation by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce for its extensive programs for its members. (I realize the extent of depth of the programs, since I recently chaired the re-accreditation process and generally support the Chamber programs.)

Yet for the Gwinnett Chamber to move into a position of unbalance by its decision to bring in an obviously polarizing host, puts the Chamber in an awkward position with many members. It was not the move to make. The Chamber should be above such political posturing.

The public spiritedness of our sponsors allows us to bring GwinnettForum.com to you at no cost to readers. Today's sponsor is Howard Brothers, which has outlets in Duluth, Norcross and Oakwood. John and Doug Howard are the owners/operators of the Howard Brothers stores, which specialize in hardware, outdoor power equipment and parts and service. Major trade brands are a hallmark of Howard Brothers. And did you know that Howard Brothers is the largest seller of Stihl products in the United States? Visit the web site at www.howardbrothers.com.

This is in response to the commentary in the Forum on March 19.

Realizing that I might be shooting myself in the foot, I'll state that I have no family in the military, nor friends in the military who are stationed overseas right now.

Should we get out of Iraq? Yes. When and how are different questions. How do you determine if the situation in Iraq is stable enough that the U.S. can leave? I have no idea myself but only have qualms about leaving Iraq just ripe for another pro-terrorist dictator to take over. The culture over there seems to only be able to see a despotcracy or a theocracy. In just a year, can we say that the mullahs over there are sophisticated enough to see the wisdom of functioning in a republic?

All this is before you get to the response to terrorism, be it Al-Queda or whomever. The nature of the enemy is elusive, recognizing no national boundaries. You respond by cutting off their hiding places and, by the brutal proof of their own senses, let them know that they will be punished.

A terrorist mentality is a bully's: opportunistic and constantly on alert for the lack of a will to fight. Bin Laden gambled that the U.S. would not have the will after 9/11. Now Iraq and Afghanistan send a stark message: oppose us and you will end up like this.

-- David Suddoth, Duluth

NEWS
323: Chamber seeks nominations for top small business persons

The Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce is now accepting nominations for the 2004 Small Business Person of the Year. For more than 20 years, the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce has presented the Gwinnett Small Business Person of the Year, created to recognize outstanding small business owners for their personal achievements and contributions to the community and to the local economy.

Selection criteria for the award include: staying power, growth in number of employees, increase in sales and/or unit volume, current and past financial reports, innovative product or service, response to adversity, and evidence of contributions to the community.

ENCYCLOPEDIA TIDBIT
3/23: Mother of blues was Georgia native "Ma" Rainey of Columbus

Styled as the "Mother of the Blues," Gertrude Malissa Nix Pridgett Rainey, better known as "Ma" Rainey, was one of the most important of the early blues singers. In her thirty-five years of touring and recordings she made with Paramount, the Georgia native did much to establish the "classic" blues in American musical life.

Ma Rainey was one of the first women to incorporate blues into minstrel and vaudeville stage shows, blending styles from country blues, early jazz, and her own personal musical idiom. In 1904 she met and married her husband, William "Pa" Rainey, who was a minstrel show manager. For more than three decades the Raineys toured the South, the Midwest, and Mexico.

In December 1923 Rainey began a five-year association with Paramount, becoming one of the first women to record the blues professionally, eventually producing more than 100 recordings of her own compositions with some of the finest musicians of the day. She was inducted into the Blues Foundation's Blues Hall of Fame in 1983, the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame in 1990, and the Georgia Music Hall of Fame in 1992. In 1994 the U.S. Postal Service issued a stamp in her honor. To access the Georgia Encyclopedia, go to http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Home.jsp.

THOUGHT OF THE DAY
Lack of TV quality raises certain issues

As a family opens a 50 inch plasma screen HDTV: "Do we really need a high definition television to watch such lowbrow programs?"

-- Cartoon, March 11, 2004, in The Christian Science Monitor.

SEND YOUR FEEDBACK

Send your thoughts, 55-word short stories, pet peeves or comments on any issue to Gwinnett Forum for future publication.

===========================================