TODAY'S ISSUE
Lawrenceville Realtor was on visit to China -- to smuggle!
By Barbara Grastat
Special to GwinnettForum.com

(Editor's Note: Friday's column by Elliott Brack on China resulted in Realtor Barbara Grastat writing to tell of her visit to China----as a smuggler. We think you will enjoy her story. -eeb)

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. Nov. 22, 2005 -- Five years ago, I went to China with seven other members of my church. Our mission was to smuggle Bibles into a country well known for not allowing its citizens to worship freely.

We presented ourselves as a small group of friends traveling together on a tourist vacation. The week before, we had purchased old suitcases from Goodwill and stuffed them with the forbidden Bibles. Since our suitcases could not be used to carry our clothes, we filled our small backpacks with whatever make-up, sneakers, toothpaste and jeans we needed. These had to serve us for our ten day trip!

Fellow church members and our families and friends were praying that we would arrive safely and be able to disseminate the Bibles without being caught. We knew that if the Chinese security scanned our suitcases, as they normally would, we would be in trouble.

At the time of our arrival, before 6 a.m., a miracle happened. The airport scanners broke down! Really! The law-abiding citizens patiently waited for them to be operable again but my party and I were able to scoot out the doors without being held up.

We were met outside by our "travel guide and bus", part of the underground. They took the Bibles to a safe destination. All the time we were in China, we were followed by Secret Police. My party and I would not have been able to spot them, but our "travel guide" knew who they were. Evidently, the guide and the tour company were on a government watch list.

We also had dissidents smuggled into our rooms (I did not know this was going to happen beforehand). Two women we met had permanent gashes on their wrists from the handcuffs that were tightened on them while they were being held as dissidents.

We were introduced to a minister who had been held in jail for over 20 years without being able to see or talk to his family all that time. All he had to do to be released, the Chinese police said, was to renounce his religious beliefs. He would not. I don't know if I would have had the courage to do as he did.

We were allowed to visit a state-sanctioned "church." We were given earphones that translated the service into English for us. The Bibles that were handed out to the people had been "edited" and the people had to turn them back in at the end of the service. They weren't allowed to have them in their homes.

Listening to the service, I thought that I was listening to a lecture a mother and father would be giving to their children at home. It was "listen to the state authorities, do your work properly, be a good citizen, and a 'higher power' will smile on you." China felt it was being very progressive in allowing this!

I love China; its people, who are so friendly; its amazing Great Wall; and its temples. But even when you feel you are enjoying yourself, reality pulls you back in. I was walking in the vast Tiananmen Square with a friend one day, enjoying the sun and talking to students, when all of a sudden, an impromptu military demonstration was put on. We could not get back to our tour buses, and we were not allowed to leave the square. One poor old woman, walking with a cane, was not allowed to sit down or leave either. We all had to watch as Chinese military might was paraded before us. We were all frightened because we did not know what was happening.

Then, just as suddenly as it started, it was over and we were free to go. But, we had been reminded that this is never a free country!

ELLIOTT BRACK
Unrest in Iraq will continue as long as U.S. forces are present
By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher
GwinnettForum.com

NOV. 22, 2005 -- Think into the future, to a year from now. Will there be more or less unrest in Iraq?

We suspect there could be as much, if not more, unrest in Iraq a year from now. Car bombings. Suicide explosions. Sudden death, to many unsuspecting and peaceful citizens….and soldiers, Iraqi and American.

That puts little more into focus the raising of the question: when is the best time for the United States to pull out of Iraq?

Congressman John Murtha of Pennsylvania wants our country to start pulling out, or at least making plans for it, now.

We agree. Here's why.

Waiting even a year for the United States to leave Iraq will only mean that more Americans will find death from a roadblock, a bombing, or some fit of violence, brought on, in some measure, simply by our continued presence in Iraq. Even the British are hinting they want out. Perhaps that's a possible sign that the Bush Administration now realizes this, too.

President Bush continues to want to "stay the course" in Iraq. We would like to do that, but see no end to the course, whether three months, six months, or even six years, with us having our presence in Iraq.

Let's face it; no people in any nation want another country to "occupy" it. That goes against the grain. No matter what nation would be occupying another nation, tensions will erupt from time to time in violence. Just look at the problems Russia found in Chechnya. And wars rage in many parts of Africa because of some nation occupying lands of another.

It's no wonder that there is continued unrest in Iraq, merely because of our presence there. If we are there a year from now, there is no doubt that the violence will continue. While the Iraq nation has problems between the various elements within its own country, virtually all elements react unfavorably to our presence.

President Bush also wants our forces to remain in Iraq so that our country can ensure democracy to that country. Now with a democratically-elected government beginning to make its presence felt in Iraq, we have achieved this goal. Let the president declare this as his victory, even in some elaborate fashion like he did on the aircraft carrier, but also announce plans and a timetable to get out of this country.

Such an announcement would give our whole country a chance for an extended cheer, and sigh of relief. It will give the president a face-saving, something he desperately needs. Leaving will mean, simply, that far fewer Americans will lose their life in that country. This is reason enough for leaving.

Many Americans now question more than before, the United States ever going into Iraq. The earlier reason cited for going---the weapons of mass destruction----never materialized.

Going into Iraq was flawed. Let's not err again on delaying our exiting Iraq. Our whole country will be behind the president in the withdrawal. It can't come soon enough. We hope President Bush hears the American people on this, and that our country will never again repeat this chapter in our history.

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FEEDBACK
Upset that marketers send us from Halloween to Yuletime

Editor, the Forum;

Thanksgiving sales! While our country is still 'allowed' to remember Plymouth, Mass. with the celebration of Thanksgiving, have you noticed how TV advertising now goes almost instantly from Halloween related themes to Christmas related themes? There's little mention of Thanksgiving, except the day-after sale. I guess the Pilgrims and the Mayflower never existed.

God Bless America, indeed!

-- Debbie Seay Willis, Peachtree Corners

UPCOMING
Aurora plans Hometown Holidays beginning Nov. 23

Aurora Theatre's 10th Anniversary continues. Current offering is Hometown Holidays- Christmas Canteen 2005. This rousing musical review will get even the biggest Scrooge ready for the holidays while it pays tribute to the men and women of the United States Armed Services, both past and present. With the sentimentality of a Bob Hope and Andy Williams television special combined with the energy and showmanship of a USO show, this performance will take you back to a simpler time and will fill your heart with the joy of the season.

There will be a special performance for healthcare workers on November 23, at 8 p.m. Admission is free with donation of a new unwrapped toy or $10. This performance is intended for those who could not travel to be with their families at Thanksgiving because they are needed here to do the valuable work that they do for the community.

Hometown Holiday Christmas Canteen 2005 is to be presented November 25-December 23 on Wednesdays through Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $18-$25 and may be reserved at 770-476-7926 or through the web site at www.auroratheatre.com.

Foundation needs volunteers to help wrap at Christmas

Foster Children's Foundation (FCF) is again scheduling a chance to people to give of their time to benefit the Foundation at Christmas.

Again this year, the FCF will be Christmas gift wrapping at Barnes & Noble in the Forum Shopping Center on Peachtree Parkway in Norcross. FCF needs four to six volunteer Elves for each shift on December 9 and 23. Each shift must have at least one adult.

Put on your elf hats and other Christmas hats and attire and join us for the fun. Get in the spirit of the Holidays. To sign up to help, please email or call Micki at mvandyke@comcast.net or 770-623-6003

FCF also needs volunteers who can help on a regular basis at the Clothing Center to sort and organize clothes, accept incoming donations and assist foster families every Monday and Wednesday from 10 a.m.-1 p.m..

If you have a group that wants to help at the Resource center but needs to volunteer weekday afternoons, evenings or weekends, please contact Suzanne at suzanne@fosterchildrensfoundation.org or call 770-623-6135.

NOTABLE
City of Suwanee wins second straight ARC "Create" award

The City of Suwanee received a 2005 CREATE Community Award from the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) recently. Suwanee is the first metro Atlanta municipality to have received two consecutive CREATE Community Awards, which recognize local governments for innovative programs and initiatives that create strong, healthy communities.

This year, Suwanee, along with the 1,200 volunteers who helped build a 10,000 square foot playground in just five days during the summer of 2004, was recognized in the Community Building category for efforts to build better parks as well as a stronger community. The award acknowledges the broad community commitment and involvement in Suwanee's Open Space Initiative and parks projects.

Last year, Suwanee's Open Space Initiative was recognized in the Environmental Sustainability category.

Gwinnett County also took home a CREATE award for the second consecutive year. The county was recognized this year in the Educational Excellence category for its Jobhunt Training Partnership. The cities of Morrow, Roswell, and Woodstock also received 2005 CREATE Community awards.

Gwinnett Place walkability results available online

Results from a recent walkability workshop focused on the Gwinnett Place Community Improvement District (CID) are now available.

The Gwinnett Place CID, the Gwinnett County Planning Department and the Atlanta Regional Commission conducted a Walkable Community Workshop focusing on the CID's district in mid September. Local business and community leaders were in attendance.

As a result of the workshop, the CID generated a priority list of proposed sidewalk projects and requested Gwinnett County consider the items when allocating sales tax funds for sidewalks in Gwinnett's revitalization areas.

Workshop participants named their top sidewalk priority as Venture Parkway from Pleasant Hill Road to Mall Ring Road along what is know as "motel row." The 2,200 feet of sidewalk is proposed to run along one side of Venture Parkway at an estimated cost of $330,000.

"This workshop was an important tool to help us identify real-world projects that will have a direct benefit for those visiting, working and shopping in our community," said Gwinnett Place CID Executive Director Dave Rosselle.

Rosselle said: "I was pleased with the enthusiasm and quality of participation we received during our first public input session for the CID's Traffic and Transportation Study. These residents and business people showed that our CID is heading in the right direction by taking their personal time to join in the planning process.

"Our transportation plan will be a key planning tool as we move forward to correct the congestion and access issues currently present in the CID district and the surrounding community. The CID Board of Directors recognizes that resolving traffic congestion problems is an important key to sustaining Gwinnett Place as a vibrant regional center for shopping, living, working and playing."

The workshop report is available online at www.gwinnettplacecid.com.

RECOMMENDATION
From David Earl Tyre, Jesup

"I just finished Oskar Schindler, by David M. Crowe. The book starts with Schindler in Poland in 1938, just before the Nazis invade in 1939. He was a member of the Nazi party, partly because he was an industrialist. He wanted to open a factory that manufactured for the war effort.

"Later, he became disillusioned with the Nazis because of the way the Jews were being treated, and found a way to employ them in his factories. Toward the end of the war, he helped prepare the "List" in order to keep his 'children,' as he called them, from being sent to the extermination camps.

"My next book to read is Fair Weather Flying, by Richard L. Taylor. It's for VFR pilots who want to improve their skills and flying enjoyment."

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

GEORGIA TIDBIT
Ku Klux Klan gains power in Georgia during Reconstruction

The term "Ku Klux Klan" also gained currency in 1868 to describe what Georgia Republicans considered to be the terrorist wing of the Democratic Party: night riders who acted to suppress Republicans of all races and origins. According to most historians, the Klan's debut in Georgia had been the Ashburn killing in Columbus, and its "Grand Dragon" was none other than John B. Gordon. (More on Reconstruction.)

Turner

Black Republicans, particularly their leaders, served as the principal target of the Klan. Arguably foremost among these targets were Henry McNeal Turner and Tunis Campbell. Turner was a Union chaplain during the war and a minister in the African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) Church. Working first among the freed slaves as a minister, he soon became their political leader, promoting the Republican Party, as did many other A.M.E. preachers. Campbell, a New Jersey native, settled in McIntosh County after the war, organized an association of black landholders along the coast, and registered black voters. Both men served as delegates to the constitutional convention in 1867 and were elected to the Georgia legislature in July 1868.

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

THOUGHT OF THE DAY
Consider yourself learning when irritated with others

"Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves."

-- Carl Gustav Jung, (1875-1961). Swiss psychiatrist via Roy McCreary, Dacula.

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

MORE: Contact Gwinnett Forum at: elliott@gwinnettforum.com

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