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Issue
9.73 |Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2009 |
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 SOME DOG! This is Rabun, a Golden Retriever, who is enjoying a few rays of sun in the lee of the day at a hunting cabin in Twiggs County, Ga. Rabun, whose master is Nick Nicholson of Atlanta, is a great dog whose disposition is better than some humans. Those of you who are not even dog lovers may be mesmerized by this calm setting of Rabun relaxing. |
TODAY'S FOCUS :: Hospitality industry passes out honors ELLIOTT BRACK'S PERSPECTIVE :: Not jolly: concealed weapons FEEDBACK UPCOMING NOTABLE ALSO INSIDE _::
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Meet a sponsor
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ABOUT US GwinnettForum.com is a twice-weekly online community commentary for exploring pragmatic and sensible social, political and economic approaches to improve life in Gwinnett County, Ga. USA. Contact us today. SEARCH GWINNETT FORUM |
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TODAY'S
FOCUS DULUTH, Ga., Dec. 15, 2009 -- Awards recognizing the Gwinnett hospitality industry were the focus of the annual Tourism Holiday Luncheon of the Gwinnett Convention and Visitors Bureau recently. In addition, the meeting highlighted Operation Christmas Child, this year's GCVB charity to support. It is run by Samaritan's Purse, a non-profit that has its holiday headquarters in Gwinnett. Operation Christmas Child puts together shoeboxes full of school items, toys and gifts that are prepared and distributed to needy children overseas. Over 150 boxes were collected during the holiday luncheon for the charity. Several awards were presented, of which Preston Williams, GCVB managing director says: "These individuals in the hospitality industry are pivotal in not just drawing meetings, events and visitors to our county, but making those people want to come back." The 2009 Friends of Tourism Award winners include:
These four awards are given to hoteliers or industry professionals who are strong partners in selling and marketing Gwinnett County as a meeting, leisure or sports destination and who consistently go above and beyond. Other award winners include:
EEB
PERSPECTIVE DEC. 15, 2009 -- Yes, "…'tis the season to be jolly…" but we've run across something that makes us far from jolly. Get set for a stream of diatribe from the gun lobby.
A proposal has been reborn by a far-out state legislator for a bill to extend the right to carry concealed weapons. Rep. Tom Bearden, a Republican from Villa Rica, wants legislation to allow the carrying of concealed weapons anywhere in the state, though he exempts them in courtrooms, jails and prisons. (How kind!) This proposal was reported recently in The Red and Black, the independent student daily newspaper at the University of Georgia. As the newspaper pointed out, the Bearden proposal would allow concealed guns on college campuses, and we presume, even in classrooms. What embarrasses us even more about this proposal is that when it first was proposed, the bill came from none other than a Gwinnett state representative, Bobby Reese, a Sugar Hill Republican. He says his bill was proposed since "The Second Amendment strictly speaks to the rights of individuals to protect themselves."
Talk about lame excuses! That's not our interpretation of the Second Amendment. Passing this bill would be akin to someone maliciously shouting "Fire!" in a crowded theater. And it comes from Mr. Reese, who is not seeking re-election in 2010, so that he can run for a Congressional seat? While gun advocates may want to support him, we hope and pray that he'll never be seated in Congress, for no other reason than because of his previous introduction of his concealed gun bill. Our hope is that the Georgia General Assembly, in its deliberations, will see the danger and foolishness of this proposal. We don't need to have such legislation in Georgia, or anywhere else. We see almost daily the problems that concealed guns will generate. And what if guns were permitted on college campuses? We don't want to think of the violence that could erupt from heated discussions among students. "Packing heat" in class is unthinkable. This is bad legislation. Now you see why we are not so jolly these days. * * * * * Meanwhile, we've been impressed during the recent football season by the policy instituted by one college football coach, that of Randy Shannon, coach of the University of Miami football team.
He instituted a rule in the behavior contract that each University of Miami football player has to sign, which says in effect: "If you're found with a gun, you are off the team." Not only that, but the coach says to this rule there are no excuses, no exceptions, no waiting for a trial to conclude months later. You are off the team, period, right now, if you have a gun. All this comes from Coach Randy Shannon, whose father was murdered when Shannon was three years old. Not only that, but when his twin brothers were 10, they became addicted to cocaine, which Shannon tried to halt. And eventually they, and a sister, were found to have AIDS, and eventually all three died. For Shannon to adopt this strong policy about guns and other behavior, remember it comes at a school---Miami---which once had a reputation of being "Thugsville." All too often we also see that same type of behavior in professional athletes, even here in Atlanta. It could turn people against professional thugs on their home teams. Randy Shannon's stand against guns on campus is a sharp contrast to two Republican legislators who want to allow Georgians more leeway to carry concealed weapons. It's a striking juxtaposition. ABOUT
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The public spiritedness of our sponsors allows us to bring GwinnettForum.com to you at no cost to readers. The Gwinnett Place Community Improvement District (CID) is a self-taxing district organized in March 2005 and comprised of 238 commercial properties. The CID's mission is to "enhance the economic vitality of Gwinnett's central business district by strengthening the area's role as the center of commercial activity." In addition to comprehensive planning efforts to address traffic congestion, an area-wide branding and marketing initiative, daily community patrols keeping the area free from graffiti and litter, landscaping enhancements, infrastructure improvements and promoting redevelopment opportunities, the CID Board of Directors remains committed to increasing the long-term economic sustainability of greater Gwinnett Place. The Gwinnett Place CID...Keeping Gwinnett Place the Place to be. To learn more about the Gwinnett Place CID and ways to find success at Gwinnett's central business district, please visit www.GwinnettPlaceCID.com or www.visitgwinnettplace.com.
FEEDBACK Editor, the Forum: I read your article regarding the support for passenger rail. I am shocked that we could draw any sound conclusions from such a small sampling of registered voters. While I too support the idea of passenger rail, I find it very difficult to believe that 761 people could represent the approximately 375,000 registered voters in Gwinnett County. I sincerely think that much of the Gwinnett County population realizes that we have a congestion nightmare and most would like to find a viable solution to the problem. But I caution anyone to determine the will of the people from such a small sampling!
For a while, Atlanta had 4 passenger rail stations Editor, the Forum: Here's
more on Atlanta train stations. Did you know that at one time Atlanta
had four passenger stations?
UPCOMING Gwinnett
Senior Services and the Gwinnett Fire and Emergency Services Department
are working together to provide heat assistance to senior citizens through
Project AWARE (Added Warmth Assistance for Residences of our Elderly).
Electric portable heaters are needed to help local seniors stay warm during
the bitter cold winter months.
Irene Madden
of Snellville was thankful to receive an electric portable heater. She
said, "The Senior Services staff was even willing to deliver the
heater. I'm really glad this service is available. It has helped us out
a lot." Ten recent graduates or professionals in mathematics and science have returned to classes at the University of Georgia this fall to become future math and science teachers in Georgia's public schools, thanks to a new scholarship program in the UGA College of Education, funded by nearly $1 million in federal grants.
Among the ten is Jamie York, of Lawrenceville, who will be doing her student teaching in Gwinnett. York began to question her career goals after three years as an engineer. She took a strategic approach by researching potential careers and talking with more than 30 people in the teaching field. "My desire is for a career that has a lasting impact, not simply a bottom line," said York, who has a bachelor's degree in industrial engineering from Georgia Tech. "I also have a growing desire to work with youth, specifically those at risk. Having spent time volunteering with tutoring programs, at-risk youth mentoring programs, and high school discipleship groups, this desire has only continued to grow over the years. Finding a career path that integrated both my passion and my skill set was exactly what I was looking for." The Noyce Fellows program provides scholarships and stipends for science, technology, engineering and mathematics majors and professionals to attain a teaching certificate or a graduate education degree in exchange for a two-year commitment to teach in a high-needs public school in Georgia. For more information on the Noyce Fellowship Program at UGA, see www.coe.uga.edu/mse/nsf_info.html. NOTABLE Gwinnett County announces that the entire county has been designated as a recovery zone, standing ready to provide a tax exempt financing opportunity for $62 million in bonds to qualified businesses. Created by the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act, the new Recovery Zone Bonds (RZBs) are designed to help local governments finance public economic development projects and private development activities. Gwinnett
County received the largest allocation of RZBs in Georgia totaling $103
million. This fund allocation will help Gwinnett County and Partnership
Gwinnett attract quality new businesses to the area and assist existing
companies with expansion plans. Two types of bonds have been created: Economic Development Bonds cover county infrastructure projects ($41 million), while Private Facility Bonds ($62 million) target eligible private development activities. Bonds must be used by the end of 2010. To learn more about the program, including what types of projects qualify, those interested should contact Alan Durham, Gwinnett County's economic development manager at (678) 518-6219. This program is not a grant; financing recipients must have already collaborated with a lender that will underwrite the bonds. Gwinnett County does not finance or guarantee Recovery Zone Bonds, and the full faith and credit of the County government will not be pledged through the bond underwriting process. Goizueta Foundation grants Perimeter Latino scholarships Georgia Perimeter College has received a grant from The Goizueta Foundation to create a program to increase access and success for Hispanic/Latino students at GPC. The program will begin during the 2010 fall semester and is part of the college's long-range plan to provide more educational opportunities for underserved members of its community. The program targets Hispanic/Latino students with a demonstrated financial need who have been accepted or are enrolled at Georgia Perimeter College's four campuses and additional sites in metropolitan Atlanta. President Dr. Anthony S. Tricoli says: "The program is designed to address financial and social challenges, thus promoting educational success for Hispanic/Latino students. Our goal is to have a long-term impact on the community, to make a college education affordable, accessible and absolutely within their reach." The Goizueta Foundation has awarded Georgia Perimeter College $543,500 to fund scholarships for Hispanic/Latino students. Approximately 120 students per year will be provided with scholarships ranging from $500 to $1,500 based on the individual financial needs of each recipient. The grant also includes funds for a full-time student achievement director. Tricoli adds: "We are grateful to the Goizueta Foundation for its generosity and for sharing our vision. Student success is at the heart of Georgia Perimeter College's mission and increasing the success of our Latino students is critical to the strategic future of GPC. Consequently, we developed a scholarship and academic support program designed to remove barriers to degree completion specifically for these students. The program establishes an infrastructure to sustain their success from the point of enrollment through graduation and transfer."
Lovin holds acceptance to medical college Dylan Lovin holds his acceptance to the new medical college, to open next year at the University of Georgia in Athens. A story about two Gwinnett students, including Lovin, being accepted was published in the previous GwinnettForum edition, though a photograph of Dylan Lovin was not available previously when posting.
GEORGIA
ENCYCLOPEDIA (Continued from previous edition) When Sherman's Union army took Atlanta on September 2, 1864, Confederate prison authorities knew that Andersonville would be a prime target of any Union thrust into the heartland of Georgia, and they began moving Union prisoners of war to more secure locations. At Camp Davidson, constructed in July 1864 on the grounds of what had been the U.S. Marine Hospital in Savannah, prisoners were confined within a stockade that enclosed part of an orchard. The ample rations were a welcome respite from the horrors of Macon and Andersonville. The camp guards, the First Georgia Volunteers, had once been prisoners of war themselves. Because of overcrowding caused by the influx of Andersonville prisoners in September, a second Savannah prison, for officers, was set up on land adjacent to the city jail. Another stockade was hastily constructed for enlisted men. This structure, along with Camp Davidson, may have held more than 10,000 men, but both had to be abandoned after only a month and a half of use. The most substantial prison holding former Andersonville captives was Camp Lawton in Millen, about 40 miles south of Augusta. Camp Lawton was a stockade structure enclosing 42 acres, making it the largest civil war prison in terms of area. Set only a mile off the Augusta Railroad, the pen was designed to hold up to 40,000 prisoners, although the population never grew too much beyond 10,000. By all accounts the prison at Millen was infinitely better than Andersonville. A generous spring ran north to south through the site, providing a fresh supply of drinking water. Rations were also more plentiful, since the countryside had yet to be scavenged of its food resources. Yet disease and death were not unknown, because many of the prisoners were terribly debilitated from their incarceration at Andersonville. During the short time the prison was open, from late September to early November 1864, nearly 500 prisoners succumbed to disease. As Sherman's troops approached Millen in the March to the Sea, the prisoners had to be moved yet again. A large portion of these were sent to South Carolina, and other groups were sent to Savannah. From Savannah approximately 5,000 prisoners were transported down the Atlantic and Gulf Coast Railroad to Blackshear. This camp was basically a makeshift guard line with accompanying artillery pieces surrounding several thousand men in the piney woods of southeast Georgia. As might be expected, escapes were frequent, discipline lax, and resources scarce. The Blackshear area held prisoners for less than a month, from late November to early December. The collapse of the Confederate infrastructure caused much confusion about what exactly to do with these prisoners. Some were shipped back to South Carolina, but the majority went southwest to Thomasville, where the Atlantic and Gulf rail line ended. Impressed slave labor from nearby plantations constructed yet another stockade. The prison at Thomasville was located half a mile northwest of town, on a five-acre tract surrounded by a ditch six feet deep and ten feet wide. Planned as a temporary holding area, the site was occupied for only two weeks in December 1864. During that time approximately 5,000 Union prisoners were confined there. The men were allowed to construct their own shelters from existing timber within the site. Exposure to the elements and close quarters caused an outbreak of smallpox, which claimed the lives of hundreds of prisoners. Confederate authorities soon ordered the site to be abandoned, and the decision was made to send all of Thomasville's prisoners back to Andersonville. This meant a 60-mile march north to Albany, where they re-embarked on the Southwestern Railroad. This line took them back to Andersonville, where they arrived on Christmas Eve 1864. CREDITS GwinnettForum is provided to you at no charge every Tuesday and Friday. If you would like to serve as an underwriter, click here to learn more. Send
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TODAY'S
QUOTE "Your life and mine shall be valued not by what we take...but by what we give."
Those interested in the history of Gwinnett need to know that the recently published book: Gwinnett: A Little Above Atlanta, has sold fast, with the first editions about sold out. Get yours before they're gone. Go to www.elliottbrack.com to order, or buy the book at a local bookstore shown on the site. The books are available at:
MORE RECENT COMMENTARY
FOR CHARITY. You can give "A Gift of Laughter," a great book of cartoons by Bill McLemore, to help raise money for Rainbow Village. At just $20, it's a fun way to help. To order, call 770-497-1888, or email to info@gwinnettforum.com. SISTER PUBLICATIONS We encourage you to check out our sister publications:
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