TODAY'S ISSUE
Republican disagrees with GOP effort on illegal immigrants
By Thomas Vilardi
Special to GwinnettForum.com

(Editor's note: The author is a native of New York and has lived in Metro Atlanta for seven years. Of Italian descent, he is self-employed in the entertainment business, while he also has a second job with the Homeland Security Agency. He is married, and the couple have three daughters. His subject, Senate Bill 529, passed the Senate this week. ---eeb)

WOODSTOCK, March 10, 2006---Compassionate conservatism and strong family values are what Republicans stand for. Chip Rogers is simply wrong on his immigration proposals. I do not support SB529 (formerly SB170) proposed by Sen. Chip Rogers, as it will not solve the immigration problems that have been ignored for years by the Federal Government. I am one Republican constituent that won't vote for Senator Rogers again.

I would urge both Republicans and Democrats to support the McCain-Kennedy Bill. This bipartisan bill includes comprehensive border security and immigration reforms. I was pleased to see that Senator Sam Zamarripa proposed an amendment to SB529 to protect immigrant's access to higher education. While this is good news, it simply is not enough. What good is access to higher education if there is no driver's license to get them there? When graduation is upon them, the lack of a legal status will keep them from being able to work here legally.

Let me give you an example of how new reforms are already having negative effects on good families. A close friend of mine came here legally from Brazil to find a job. He has been here for 14 years, and owns a home where he lives with his two sons. They have no home to return to in Brazil so they were forced to overstay their visas. Both of his sons went through the Georgia school system and graduated quite successfully from high school. However, because of recent immigration reforms all three of their driver's licenses will expire and they will not be able to renew them. They will no longer be able to work and support themselves. This is only the beginning.

To say that an immigrant is taking away American jobs is simply not true. Currently, with unemployment around five percent, most economists agree that we have full employment. Additionally, most of these immigrants have been here for some time and are already absorbed into our economy.

Anti-immigrant politicians have managed to convince the American people that the real threat is the southwestern border. All of the 9/11 terrorists entered this country legally. Not a single terrorist has been arrested when trying to enter the U.S through the Mexican border. Terrorists are well-financed and can overcome any obstacles put up to deter them.

Anyone watching TV will be appalled by images of the illegal crossing, drug smuggling, and human trafficking over the southern border, which is without a doubt a serious issue that needs attention. I strongly agree with dealing with those cases, but I am not in favor of punishing families that have overstayed their visas when our government overlooked and encouraged them to do so.

The immigration reforms such as the one Senator Rogers has proposed will continue to punish the wrong people. The SB529 will affect good families who are ingrained in our culture and have committed no crimes. The Republican Party that I call myself part of is basically trying to starve out immigrants by stripping them of their driver's licenses, jobs, and eventually families. These law-abiding people are now deeply rooted in our communities, churches, and lives. Anyone who cares about family values will agree that provisions need to be made for these families. Furthermore, the undocumented children of these immigrants desperately need to be given legal status today in order to plan and continue on with their future.

ELLIOTT BRACK
Group takes unusual method of expressing press freedom
By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher
GwinnettForum.com

MARCH 10, 2006 -- Often you hear lots about "freedom of the press." Usually associated with that term is the concept of an individual airing their views on a particular issue in a letter to the editor, or editorial column.

Brack

That's not the only way to express freedom of the press. It's also possible in advertising, as we saw this week in an advertisement in Wednesday's New York Times (March 8, page 5A), which might affect a political race in Georgia. (Television spots in a similar vein appeared in Colorado, New York and Washington.)

It was a powerful advertisement, and was headlined:

These Religious Leaders
Have a Serious
Gambling Problem

The three pictured were Ralph Reed, former executive director of The Christian Coalition; the Rev. Louis R. Sheldon, Traditional Values Coalition; and James Dobson, of Focus On The Family. Reed, you remember, is a candidate for lieutenant governor of Georgia.

The advertisement was from DEFCON, the Campaign to Defend the Constitution, a project of the Tides Center of San Francisco. The Center is tied to billionaire George Soros, himself a Democrat.

Since most people in Gwinnett don't get The New York Times, we thought you would want to know what the advertisement said. It was simple and to the point:

"For years, they've stood at the pinnacle of power in this country, spouting pieties while delivering to the Bush-Cheney White House and its corporate friends, the votes of millions of their followers. Now James Dobson, Lou Sheldon and Ralph Reed find themselves exposed as base hypocrites, knee-deep in the muck of the Jack Abramoff scandal."

(The above paragraph contained a picture of Abramoff.) Then came a quote from Dobson in 2006: "Gambling - all types of gambling - is driven by greed and subsists on greed."

"This is the same James Dobson whose voice you could have heard on radio commercials paid for by Jack Abramoff's Indian casino clients. These casinos gave millions to Jack Abramoff to limit competition. Lou Sheldon, or 'Lucky Louie' as Abramoff called him, heads the Traditional Values Coalition which received thousands of dollars to oppose a Federal bill that would have limited online betting.

"I need to start humping in corporate accounts" -- Ralph Reed, 1998.

"Ralph Reed wrote those words to Jack Abramoff. His prayers were answered. In 1999, he received over $1 million from Abramoff's client, The Choctaw Indians. During 2001 and 2002, he got $4 million from Abramoff and his partners. All to promote the gambling interests of casinos.

"Dobson, Reed and Sheldon have formed an unholy alliance with the Bush Administration to wage war against our Constitution, to intrude in our personal lives. They led the fight to involve government in the Terry Schiavo case. They're among the leading opponents of stem cell research. All the time, they must have been betting they wouldn't get caught taking their thirty pieces of silver and selling out the millions who believed in them. They were wrong."

* * * * *

When you are a candidate in the middle of a political campaign, you don't want issues such as this appearing. The campaign must have Ralph Reed wondering if he can survive such an onslaught.

Of course Reed supporters will poo-poo the efforts, claiming smear tactics, etc. Yet even Reed supporters must recognize his close ties to Abramoff and the casino affair. Will they continue to support him, come what may? Will the GOP want him as one of their nominees?

We'll see. The August primary looms on the horizon.

This week's advertisements were another facet of expressing "freedom of the press."

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McLEMORE'S WORLD
3/10: Arming America

The latest cartoon from Bill McLemore:

FEEDBACK
3/10: Average American finding it more difficult to save

Editor, the Forum:

In a speech at the 2006 Summit on Retirement Savings, Vice President Dick Cheney observed that too many Americans aren't saving enough.

Cheney doesn't seem to understand that the real culprit behind America's dismal savings rate is lackluster earnings and bad public policy choices.

He stated that tax "relief is the best way to help Americans keep more of their paychecks. He touted the benefits of health savings accounts and urged the nation to begin addressing the looming entitlement crisis as the baby boomers begin to retire.

He did not mention the fact that millions of people live paycheck to paycheck and can't save. Families are increasingly indebted to credit card companies in order to have food, shelter and transportation.

Most Americans are caught in a vise grip of dwindling earnings and rising costs, but this administration isn't going to address these issues. They are going to tighten the vise with more tax cuts for the wealthy and by cutting public services and then give us a lecture about how we need to save more.

American workers are hurting, so why not raise the federal minimum wage or boost the earned income tax credit? Today's young workers without college degrees are making about $13,000 less in real dollars than they did a generation ago. The debt-for-diploma system we now have leaves the average college grad with $20,000 in student loan debt.

Maybe the average Halliburton executive can save, but the average working family can't.

-- Ralph Greene, Snellville

UPCOMING
The Moving Wall to return to Dacula for second visit

The Moving Wall, a replica of the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial, will be coming to Dacula for 24 hours a day from April 27 until noon on May 1. The Wall comes as through efforts of the Dacula Memorial Day Parade committee.

It will be on display at Hebron Baptist Church, located at the intersection of Dacula Road and Fence Road. There is no charge to see the wall, brought to the area by the City of Dacula, says Mayor Jim Wilbanks.

This will be the second time that the City of Dacula has hosted The Moving Wall. In 1999, The Moving Wall first came to Dacula over the Memorial Day weekend. Thousands of people came to see the Wall that time.

Volunteers are needed to man The Moving Wall in 4-6 hour shifts, around the clock. Volunteers are also needed to help with set-up and take down of The Moving Wall.

The Moving Wall is the half-size replica of the Washington, D.C. Vietnam Veterans Memorial and has been touring the country for almost 20 years.

The Vietnam Veterans Moving Wall Memorial is owned by Vietnam Combat Veterans, Ltd. Of White Pine, Mich. John Devitt is chairman of Vietnam Combat Veterans, Ltd. When he visited the 1982 dedication of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, he felt the positive power of "The Wall." He vowed to share that experience with those who did not have the opportunity to go to Washington.

He, with Norris Shears, Gerry Haver, and other Vietnam veteran volunteers, built The Moving Wall. It went on display for the first time in Tyler, Tex. in October of 1984. Two replicas of The Moving Wall now travel the country from April through November, spending about a week at each site. The Wall contains 58,169 names of American casualties of the Vietnam War from 1959 through 1975.

For more information: contact: Marvin Atherton at 770-367-7371, or by e-mail at themovingwall@bellsouth.net.

New art exhibit open at Gwinnett Historic Courthouse

A new art exhibit, "Heart & Soul" is on display at the Gwinnett Historic Courthouse on the square in downtown Lawrenceville. This show features the two-dimensional paintings of artists Sallie Reinsel and Susan Townsend. Both artists have a love for the watercolor medium, and didn't start formal art lessons until after retirement.

The exhibit will be on display through May 25. The exhibit is free and open to the public.

The Gwinnett Historic Courthouse, located at 185 West Crogan Street in downtown Lawrenceville, is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information call 770-822-5450. The exhibit is sponsored by Gwinnett County Parks & Recreation Deparatment.

Sierra Club to address topic of "Rain Gardens" March 16

Gwinnett Sierra Club's March meeting will address the topic of rain gardens.

The meeting will be March 16 at 7 p.m. at Willow Run Condos. The meeting focuses on Rain Gardens-why they are beneficial, how to build them, and how they reduce stromwater runoff.

The Gwinnett Sierra Club seeks to "Explore, Enjoy, and Protect the Planet, and work to improve the health of our neighborhoods and the environment." Meetings are held the third Thursday of each month at the Willow Run Condos off Club Drive across I-85 from Gwinnett Place Mall. See map at the following link: http://tinyurl.com/4y9gb

For more information, please visit http://georgia.sierraclub.org/gwinnett/ or phone 770 921 0242.

NOTABLE
County to upgrade election equipment at each poll

Gwinnett County will spend almost $344,000 for new election equipment and another $236,250 on ballot printing following Board of Commissioners approval on Tuesday.

Every Gwinnett polling location will now have two Express Poll units, similar to laptop computers, which give poll officials access to both county and state databases of registered voters. Voters who show up at the wrong location will be able to get information directly by use of the laptops. The units will also allow better processing of voter history reports for candidates and elected officials.

The contract for the purchase of the Express Poll equipment is with Diebold Election Systems. Mid-West Printing Company got the contract to print ballots for all 2006 elections in Gwinnett.

County Elections Supervisor Lynn Ledford announced two additional locations for advance voting in 2006 primary and general elections. The Centerville Community Center and the Singleton Road Activity Building offer close proximity to major highways and the overall voter population, Ledford said. Additional voting machines are being purchased for these locations. Advance voting will also be available at the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center in Lawrenceville during the week preceding the election.

Gwinnett gains 14 acres along Alcovy River for green space

Almost 14 acres of land along the Alcovy River will be donated to Gwinnett County by the Gwinnett Open Land Trust.

Greenspace Planner Marcie Diaz of Gwinnett County's Parks and Recreation department said, "This land will be used for greenspace preservation to help protect water quality in the river. Some of this land could become part of a planned greenway trail system in the future." The property was once part of the Great Rivers at Tribble Mill subdivision.

There is an existing sewer pump station on a small portion of the property, so the County also issued a sewer easement to the Gwinnett County Water and Sewerage Authority, according to Community Services Director Phil Hoskins.

Gwinnett County now has more than 8,000 acres of passive and active parkland, with 28 existing parks and 18 more being developed. Most of the greenspace was acquired with funds from the last three sales tax (SPLOST) programs approved by voters in 1996, 2000, and 2004.

RECOMMENDATION
Chasing Daylight, by Eugene O'Kelly

Less than a year ago, Eugene O'Kelly was on top of the world as chairman and CEO of the big accounting firm KPMG. Then the 53-year-old executive got the tragic news that he had inoperable brain cancer. In true businessman's style, O'Kelly promptly set out to make the rest of his life become the best part of his life. Part of the process was writing this book to chronicle these times, which turned out to be a little more than three months. Chasing Daylight: How My Forthcoming Death Transformed My Life truly is an inspirational work that makes you comfortably think about things that you generally avoid. We were surprised at how much we enjoyed what could have been a real downer. If you enjoyed Tuesdays with Morrie, you'll find valuable insights in O'Kelly's last work.

-- Andy Brack, Charleston, S.C.

• 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
Georgia Guidesones, near Elberton, continue to confuse
(Second of two parts)

One of the most intriguing granite monuments ever erected stands in Elbert County, near the South Carolina border. The Georgia Guidestones dominate the highest elevation in the county.

The inscriptions on the Guidestones are meant for current and future generations. Sandblasted along the square capstone sitting atop the structure is the basic message: "Let these be guidestones to an age of reason," in Babylonian cuneiform, Egyptian hieroglyphics, Sanskrit, and classical Greek. The four granite slabs, each weighing 42,137 pounds and standing more than 16 feet in height, list 10 "guides" for mankind in eight different languages. The languages represented on the four major stones are Arabic, Chinese, English, Hebrew, Hindi, Russian, Spanish, and Swahili. The engraved messages can be subdivided into four major areas: governance and the establishment of a world government, population and reproduction control, the environment and humankind's relationship to nature, and spirituality.

While some of the "guides" are self-explanatory, others are open to discussion and interpretation. The rich variety of interpretations evoked by the Guidestones has likewise caused much controversy and debate to swirl around the hidden or intended meanings of the messages. According to the Guidestones, the following 10 principles are offered to ensure humankind's future survival:

1. Maintain humanity under 500,000,000 in perpetual balance with nature.
2. Guide reproduction wisely - improving fitness and diversity.
3. Unite humanity with a living new language.
4. Rule Passion - Faith - Tradition - and all things with tempered reason.
5. Protect people and nations with fair laws and just courts.
6. Let all nations rule internally resolving external disputes in a world court.
7. Avoid petty laws and useless officials.
8. Balance personal rights with social duties.
9. Prize truth - beauty - love - seeking harmony with the infinite.
10. Be not a cancer on the earth - Leave room for nature.

Astronomical phenomena are also associated with the Guidestones. The four large upright granite slabs that compose the face of the structure are oriented to the limits of the moon's migration during the course of the year. An eye-level, oblique hole is drilled in the Gnomen stone upward toward the celestial heavens and oriented on Polaris, the North Star. In the middle of the Gnomen stone is a large slot with a hole cut through the granite, orienting the monument with summer and winter solstices. The Guidestones also act as an enormous sundial. Drilled through the capstone is a seven-eighths-inch hole, which allows sunlight to shine on the southern face of the Gnomen stone at noon.

The Elberton Granite Museum, in Elberton, offers an impressive display model of the Guidestones as well as a short film detailing its construction. The museum also provides free informational brochures about the Guidestones and their creation.

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

THOUGHT OF THE DAY
There's more to journalism than just asking questions

"How we conduct ourselves when gathering information, interviewing people, observing situations and reporting stories, is as important from an ethical standpoint as what we put on the air or in the paper."

-- Robert Steele, director of ethics program, Poynter Institute for Media Studies, St. Petersburg, Fla., 2000.

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

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