|
TODAY'S
ISSUE
Those co-opting God
for politics making terrible mistake
By Ralph Greene
Special
to GwinnettForum.com
SNELLVILLE, Ga., May 17, 2005 -- Republicans seem to have transformed
their party into the political arm of conservative Christians. Religious
Right leaders are trying to transform the church into the religious
arm of conservative Republicans. These partisan attempts to hijack
faith and politics are wrong.
Last week nine members ,including three deacons, walked out of
a church meeting when Chan Chandler, pastor of the East Waynesville
Baptist Church in Waynesville, N.C., asked them to sign documents
agreeing with his political views. The nine say their membership
was revoked because they were Democrats who supported John Kerry.
The developments at this church clearly show the result of pulpit-based
electioneering that leads to ill will among congregants and divides
congregations. This incident illustrates perfectly why our houses
of worship should refrain from telling people whom to vote for.
(And later that week, that pastor resigned his pulpit, though he
has "split the church" before resigning.)
This is the latest outrage in a continuing pattern. During the
recent Presidential election, news stories included Republicans
seeking church membership lists and mailing postcards implying Democrats
wanted to ban the Bible.
A few weeks ago, Religious Right speakers held "Justice Sunday
- Stopping the Filibuster Against People of Faith" in support
of President Bush's judicial nominees. Tony Perkins of the Family
Research Council stated that Democrats "Have targeted people
for reasons of their faith or moral position."
On ABC's "This Week," George Stephanopoulos asked Pat
Robertson about his statement that "The out-of-control judiciary,"
(in his last book Courting Disaster,) "is the most serious
threat America has faced in nearly 400 years of history, more serious
than al Qaeda..."
Robertson replied: "I really believe that. I think they are
destroying the fabric that holds our nation together...the gradual
erosion of the consensus that has held our country together is probably
more serious than a few bearded terrorists who fly into buildings."
These statements are examples of a growing effort from the extreme
right to whip up an intense fear and hatred of American judges and
opposition politicians. This is poisonous to our democracy.
The latest news from the North Carolina church is the inevitable
result of the road the Religious Right and some Republicans have
taken. It is the assumption that Christians must accept one partisan
political position on issues, or be accused of being non-Christian.
We must reject this assumption. We must insist on the deep connections
between spirituality and politics while defending the proper boundaries
between church and state that protect religious and nonreligious
minorities and keep us all safe from state-controlled religion.
We can demonstrate our commitment to pluralistic democracy and support
the rightful separation of church and state without segregating
moral and spiritual values from our political life.
The Republican Party is not God's own party, as the Religious Right
and some Republican leaders seem to be suggesting. Neither is the
Democratic Party.
God is not a Republican nor a Democrat. When either party tries
to politicize God, or co-opt religious communities for its political
agenda, it makes a terrible mistake. God's politics challenge all
our politics. Our faith must not be narrowed to the agenda of one
political party.
ELLIOTT
BRACK
Georgia
gains military jobs, but South Dakota is devastated
By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher
GwinnettForum.com
MAY 17, 2005 -- Ever been to South Dakota? It's beautiful, but
so few people. After reading the list of military bases to close,
I couldn't get out of my mind the fact that the military wants to
close Ellsworth Air Force Base, near Rapid City, S.D.
Granted, we in Gwinnett normally have little interest in whether
a base in South Dakota ought to close. We are more interested in
the four main Georgia bases that are on the closing list: Dobbins
Naval Air Station, Fort McPherson, Fort Gillem and the Naval Supply
School in Athens.
But even in the face of potential closing of thee four Georgia
bases, it turns out that Georgia and Maryland are the two states
that benefit most from the closings proposed by the Base Closure
and Realignment Commission (BRAC).
Georgia has major job losses at this level:
Post .............................................Job Losses
Fort Gillen ....................................1,081
Fort McPherson ...........................4,141
Naval Air Station, Atlanta .............1,498
Naval Supply School, Athens ...........513
However, Georgia came out ahead by a net gain of 7,423 military
and civilian personnel. Fort Benning gained 9,839, and the Kings
Bay Sub base scored 3,367 additional jobs. In addition, Robins Air
Force Base had a net gain of 749 people, and Moody Air Force Base
gained 575 others.
Take another look at the Georgia realignments. North Georgia got
the brunt of the cuts, but the "other Georgia," south
of Macon, gained significantly. While no area likes to lose jobs,
the Atlanta and Athens areas can make up those job losses much easier
than the struggling economy of South Georgia.
And that bring us to South Dakota. With only 754,844 people in
the entire state (2000 census), the Ellsworth AFB loss of 3,852
jobs gave South Dakota a terrible blow. The base is the second largest
employer in South Dakota! Another 55 job losses were lost at an
Air Guard station.
Think of it this way: South Dakota has a similar number of people
as Gwinnett county, which marked 700,794 people in the July, 2004
population estimate. What if the BRAC closing had hit Gwinnett with
a loss of nearly 4,000 jobs? Would we feel it economically? Sure,
we would!
South Dakota is being slammed in base closing more heavily than
most states, considering their meager population. After all, more
than eight million people live in Georgia. And we're gaining jobs.
While we are saddened to see the BRAC report list the four major
closings in Georgia, should this not change, Georgia can sustain
the impact of job loss. And it's good that the state is gaining
jobs where it need it the most, in South Georgia.
We worry far more about few people in South Dakota, that rugged,
flat and vast state, where they are losing nearly 4,000 jobs. The
BRAC report deals a crushing blow to South Dakota.
We recognize the Pentagon's move to make our military as efficient
and combat ready as possible. Yet spreading jobs around this country,
and keeping economies of all the states as healthy as possible,
will go a long way in making our country stronger, and our military
more prepared.
South Dakota, we feel for you, and hope that this is only a temporary
setback. We also hope that the government will restore Ellsworth
AFB to a list of bases which will not close, and not wreck havoc
with the South Dakota economy.
ABOUT OUR SPONSORS
 The
public spiritedness of our sponsors allows us to bring GwinnettForum.com
to you at no cost to readers. Internet shopping for new and used
automobiles is easy at Dwight Harrison Volkswagen in Snellville.
Just click to our site at http://www.dwightharrison.com/en_US/
and see how easy it is to navigate for cars with Dwight Harrison.
Or come by our location at 3500 Stone Mountain Highway in Snellville
and look for yourself. Don't forget Dwight Harrison offers top-of-the-line
automotive service to customers. Our state-of-the-art facility features
the most current diagnostic and repair equipment available, and
our factory-trained technicians will deliver the most efficient
and quality vehicle care. Telephone 770 979-2000.
For a list of other sponsors of this forum, go to: http://www.gwinnettforum.com/about/sponsors.htm.
FEEDBACK
5/13:
UPCOMING
School superintendent
to address Gwinnett Chamber soon
Keynote speaker for the Gwinnett Chamber's Luncheon on May 25 will
be Gwinnett School Superintendent Alvin Wilbanks. The meeting will
be. at the 1818 Club on the third floor of the Gwinnett Chamber
of Commerce Building at 6500 Sugarloaf Parkway in Duluth.
Registration will begin at 11:30 a.m. and the lunch will begin
at noon. For more information, please contact Meghan Schroder at
Meghan@gwinnettchamber.org and 770-232-8816.
Prior to this general membership meeting, the Chamber's Education
Action group will meet May 24 at 8 a.m. at the Chamber. For more
information on this meeting, contact Gail Macrenaris at 770-232-8803.
Duluth to honor those
in military in ceremony May 28
Citizens of Duluth will come together to honor and thank neighbors
who serve in the armed forces - active duty, National Guard and
Reserves - on Memorial Day Weekend, Saturday, May 28.
The Duluth Blue Star Salute - a celebration of the Memorial Day
weekend - will feature a military vehicle display and musical entertainment,
starting at 5 p.m., followed by a memorial service. The highlight
of the service will be the presentation of certificates of appreciation
to hometown military members and their families.
The American Legion will present Blue Star Service Banners to families
with members serving away from home.
Activities will take place in the Duluth Town Green and Amphitheater
in downtown Duluth. For more information please contact Audrey Turner
at 770-467-2454.
History book club
picks title for discussion at next meeting
The Gwinnett County Public Library and Gwinnett County Parks and
Recreation co-sponsor a History Book Club. The club is open to anyone
who has a love of reading. The club meets every other month at the
Lawrenceville Female Seminary Building, 455 South Perry Street in
Lawrenceville.
The next History Book Club Selection is: Devil in the White
City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America,
by Erik Larson.
The discussion will be Monday, July 18, 7pm at the Gwinnett History
Museum.
For more information call 770- 822-5178 or 770-978-5154.
RECOMMENDED
READ
From Roger Hagen of Snellville
"I recently read Coffee on 2nd Street written by a
mother and son team, Mary Ann Shires Montgomery and Dr. Steve Norby,
who happened to become friends with the main subject of the story
via a dentist's chair.
"This book is the true story written about a man's life and
his victorious battle with Alzheimer's. The book is about is a scientist
who grew up in the hills of West Virginia, who served in the SeaBees
during World War II. It is a gripping tale and lends yet another
case of truth is far more interesting and stranger than fiction.
"The book for me was impossible to set down as each new chapter
brought another adventure in Tom Law's life where he creatively
overcame many obstacles and yet lived his life on purpose. His final
and most difficult challenge though is dealing with his wife and
soul mate' s Alzheimer's. Reinnette or 'Renni' as Dr. Law called
her, was herself a strong woman who had rejected her family's wishes
early in life and was herself a force to be reckoned with.
"The authors do a fantastic job of creating the context of
the places in which the stories are set in each chapter. I call
it highly recommended reading for all."
- An invitation: What Web sites or books have you enjoyed?
Send us your best recent read along with a short paragraph as
to why you liked it, plus what book you plan to read next. --eeb
ENCYCLOPEDIA
TIDBIT
5/17: Office of governor
was once one of little power in state
The office
of governor can trace its ancestry to Georgia's founding as
a British colony in 1733. Although he never held the title of governor,
General James Oglethorpe, founder of the Georgia colony, is generally
considered to be the first executive officer of Georgia. The state's
first governor after independence from Great Britain was John A.
Treutlen. Given the experience of strong royal governors during
the years leading up to the Revolutionary War (1775-83), Georgia
governors in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries
were initially weak in the amount of power granted to them. Since
that time subsequent state constitutions have delegated greater
powers to the office of governor.
The governor has a number of formal powers that are stipulated
by the Georgia Constitution: The governor is:
- Chief executive of the state and oversees the executive branch.
- Chief law enforcement officer. He or she shall "take care
that the laws are faithfully executed and shall be the conservator
of the peace" in the state. This power to enforce laws is
almost identical to that of the president of the United States.
- Commander-in-chief of the state's military forces.
- Given the power to veto legislation, although the Georgia General
Assembly can override a gubernatorial veto with a two-thirds majority
in each chamber. \The governor is allowed to fill any vacancies
in the Georgia House of Representatives and Georgia Senate.
- Permitted to propose any policies or laws of his choice.
- The person to call the General Assembly into special session
as he or she deems necessary. Special sessions last for only forty
days unless three-fifths of house and senate members agree to
extend such a session.
- Allowed to appoint officials in the event of a vacancy until
the next election of any state political office. Under the U.S.
Constitution, the governor also has the power to appoint a replacement
if a vacancy occurs in the office of one of Georgia's two U.S.
senators.
Over time, a combination of constitutional changes and state statutes
have greatly enhanced the power of the governor. While the formal
powers of the governor may seem limited, the informal powers are
formidable. A combination of factors works to give the governor
power. The most significant of these factors is that the governorship
is a full-time position, while the position of state legislator
is part-time-the General Assembly meets only forty days per year.
The General Assembly's session is one of the shortest of any state,
which serves to make the governor stronger since legislators as
a group are at the state capitol in Atlanta for only three months
of the year. The governor can call the legislature into special
session but historically has rarely done so.
THOUGHT OF THE DAY
What humans are put
on each to do
"You are here to enrich the world and you impoverish yourself
if you forget the errand."
-- Former US President Woodrow Wilson, via Cindy Evans, Duluth.
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
© 2005, 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.
|
