TODAY'S ISSUE
Georgia gem of Cumberland threatened by Congress
By Annette Gelbrich
Norcross
Special to GwinnettForum.com

OCT. 5, 2004 -- Cumberland Island, reachable only by boat or ferry, is one of the most beautiful, natural areas in our corner of the world. It is a treasure to be guarded and enjoyed for generations to come. That is precisely why it was set aside as a National Seashore in 1972, and why , in 1982, the northern half of the island was designated wilderness or potential wilderness.

It has been a while since my last trip there in October 1988. However, it is one place I will always remember with a special fondness. At the time, my two now college-aged children were young pre-schoolers, filled with curiosity about the natural world.

We camped in the group area with two little tents, dining/rain fly, cooler for food (without ice), and two old backpacks with cooking gear and clothing for all four of us. While setting up camp, it started to sprinkle, and quickly the sprinkles turned into a steady rain.

We ate and then took a nice nap, listening to the pattering raindrops. When the rain cleared, we explored the area and enjoyed some time splashing in the waves at the beach. At sunset we watched the clouds dissipate as the evening's reds, oranges and purples reflected from them.

In the middle of the campsite was a funny-looking wire cage on a post. I wondered about it, but not for long. The next evening's meal, when getting food out of the "cooler", I felt a soft brush against my leg, like a cat trying to get attention. But it wasn't. Raccoons aren't the least bit shy when it comes to food! Other, more experienced campers nearby, hung a "bear bag" with their food high over a branch in a tree, far above the ground. The exclamatory moan from the neighboring campsite the next morning attested to the resourcefulness of the raccoons, who had climbed down the rope to have themselves a feast.

Walking along the paths, through the lush, two-tiered vegetation of saw palmettos and live oaks, we spotted armadillos, spiders, and snakes - keeping our distance, of course - as we listened to the soothing sounds of birds and insects. As the vegetation opened up near the historic Dungeness Ruins, we watched the "wild" horses graze, oblivious to our presence. There was a magical hush about the place.

However, we are at risk of losing the special wildness that Cumberland Island offers.

Current proposed US House and Senate bills, HR 4887 and S. 1462, will destroy this wonderful and sensitive ecosystem. These bills remove the wilderness designation of the three main roads through the wilderness. If this legislation passes, these roads will be overrun by motorized, commercial tours. This will fragment the wilderness and adversely affect both plant and animal life. The island is small. Even visitors treading softly to enjoy nature's best will not escape the sounds, sights and smells of "civilization".

We need to preserve the integrity of the Wilderness areas of Cumberland Island, not destroy it by "un-designating" parts of it for private, commercial interests. It's our duty to future generations.

Please write your congressman Defeat these bills.

Cumberland Island, we'll be back. This time, just the two of us, with light backpacks for no-trace camping.

ELLIOTT BRACK
Washington's Crossing raises surprising questions today
By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher
GwinnettForum.com

OCT. 5, 2004 -- Reading David Fischer's book, Washington's Crossing, in these days produces unexpected comparisons and revelations.

The book traces the early days of the Revolutionary War through the spring of 1777. It shows how this country early on almost lost its war with the British, who had superior forces and precise military tactics.

It also enlarges upon the leadership of George Washington, who at first was struggling with his volunteer soldiers, with cantankerous generals, and with the Congress. Yet the essential leadership qualities and humanity of Washington come through as two of his chief resources,. He also gave the United States a heritage in human rights which rings to this day.

To the surprising comparisons: the British had committed to the American uprising more than half their mighty professional Army, and brought in its top leaders to crush the revolution and insure that the colonies remained British. Its forces included among them some of the most elite of the British troops, and altogether numbered more than 30,000 men. Not only that, but the British government had rented from the Germans for this initial uprising some 10,000 soldiers from the state of Hesse, all crack troops. Before the war was over, some 30,000 Hessians were involved in the Revolutionary War.

Here were these two professional Armies, the best troops in the world, in combat on unfamiliar soil 3,000 miles from home, amidst a popular uprising and against liberty-loving patriots who were fighting for a cause. Not only that, but the American foes did not conform to the traditional norms of war, but used virtual guerilla tactics instead of charging straight ahead in the conventional, European manner.

So the campaigns began.

At first, the British in New England found victory, though eventually Washington with careful planning caused the Redcoats to give up Boston.

Yet the British immediately came back with victories by taking New York, and were moving south toward the capitol at Philadelphia, with the Americans on the run. With the oncoming winter, even Washington realized that when the Delaware River froze, the British could walk across the river and take the capitol.

Then came Washington's counterattack by crossing a half-frozen and difficult Delaware River on Christmas Night, storming the surprised Hessians at Trenton, and taking the city. Soon Washington withdrew across the river, crossed the river again, and won a second battle of Trenton. Again surprising the British, Washington then flanked the oncoming relief columns of Cornwallis, attacked in the rear, and caused to British to flee northward, virtually giving up control of central New Jersey for the winter.

Without these victories, the American independence would have been sorely threatened. Though it was four years before the war was over, the Americans had made the British realize no quick victory was possible.

* * * *

Now the comparison: the US Forces in Iraq, today.

Here the strongest force in the world, the American military, is much like the British and German force of 1776. They are operating in a country far from home, where there is a different heritage, and against many people who look upon the Americans as uninvited occupiers of their country.

In the Revolutionary War, the greatest Army in the world eventually lost to the upstart and often outmanned Americans.

No doubt the American military has the best weapons, good soldiers, and good leaders. But can the United States prevail in a country far from home with increasing counter insurgency attacks, similar to what the British and German forces found in America?

It also raises even more debate. Just as the British found, for the Americans in Iraq, there is no easy answer.

Some 200 years from now, looking back upon this time, you wonder what the historians will make of the America who took on Iraq. David Fischer's book today raises surprising questions some 200 years after Washington's Crossing.

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FEEDBACK
10/5: Suggest book made him want to vote for Bush

Editor, the Forum:

A few weeks back you suggested I check out the book The Great Divide: Retro vs. Metro America by John Sperling. I did and it helped me better understand the source of many of the divisions in our nation which are being highlighted by this election.

Conservatives need to read this book to better grasp the nature of the socialist, anti-religion, anti-family, anti-free enterprise agenda of those who seek to divide America along racial, income, class, religion and regional lines.

Don't give this socialist propagandist your money. Read the book on line at www.retrovsmetro.org. Then vote for Bush. Vote against those who seek to divide America.

-- Bob Foreman, Norcross

Dear Bob: learning is wonderful. The guy who recommended the book to me got exactly the opposite thoughts out of it. --eeb

BOOK RECOMMENDATION
From Teresa Lynn
Duluth City Clerk

"The last book I read was Digital Fortress, written by Dan Brown. It's a good book, not great….lengthly… and interesting enough to keep me going back to it.

"I am currently attempting to read The Painted House by John Grisham…so far, I can't comprehend what he is trying to tell the reader!"

• An invitation: What books have you enjoyed? Send us your best recent book along with a short paragraph as to why you liked it, plus what you plan to read next. --eeb
  

ENCYCLOPEDIA TIDBIT
10/5: Did Brunswick stew start in Brunswick, Ga.?

Brunswick, Ga., claims to be the place of origin for Brunswick stew. A 25-gallon iron pot outside that coastal town bears a plaque declaring it to be the vessel in which this favorite southern food was first cooked in 1898. In truth, the one-pot meal is credited to a number of places with Brunswick in their names, but the honor (so far as the name is concerned) must go to Brunswick County, Virginia. There, according to an entrenched local tradition supported by a 1988 Virginia General Assembly proclamation, Jimmy Matthews, an African American hunting-camp cook, concocted a squirrel stew for his master, Creed Haskins, in 1828, the stew being named for its home county.

As the Georgia humorist Roy Blount Jr. quipped, "Brunswick stew is what happens when small mammals carrying ears of corn fall into barbeque pits." Stews that combine meat and grain probably originated with ancient agriculturalists, in both the Old and New Worlds. According to the anthropologist Charles Hudson, Southeastern Indians made a stew from hominy and groundhog or squirrel, and also boiled bear and deer meat with fresh corn kernels and squash. Brunswick stew belongs to a family of southern stews, its closest relative perhaps being Kentucky burgoo.

Frequently associated with barbecue and presided over by stew "masters" when made in quantity, Brunswick stew remains a customary feature of Georgia fundraisers, political rallies, and family reunions. In today's age of individualism, the preparation and consumption of Brunswick stew as a social activity is now more important than ever in supporting community cohesion.

• To access the Georgia Encyclopedia, go to http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org
  

THOUGHT OF THE DAY
Sometimes you wonder who really is in charge

"Sometimes I wonder whether the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on, or by imbeciles who really mean it."

-- Mark Twain, via Roy McCreary, Dacula.

• Another invitation: What's your favorite saying? Share with others through GwinnettForum. Send to elliott@gwinnettforum.com.
  

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