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Suggests another idea to bring Iraq
the stability it needs
By
Allan Hytowitz
Special to GwinnettForum.com
(Editor's Note: Today's writer is a former Gwinnettian
with a son who has served two tours of duty in Iraq. The writer
is now a resident of Alpharetta. -eeb)
ALPHARETTA, Feb. 9, 2007 -- Logic may be valid, but it can only
be as relevant as the truth of the premises on which it is based.
Our assumption and desire to believe in Weapons of Mass Destruction
led to our "logical" invasion of Iraq.
Our assumption that Iraqis were like us led to our belief that
Iraq, after over 20 years of Saddam Hussein's corrupt despotism,
would be capable of instantaneous responsible democracy. (Saddam's
ominous last act before our invasion was to release all non-political
criminals from Iraqi jails.)
Our assumption that Iraq didn't need the stabilizing (albeit inhumane)
force of Saddam resulted in our disarming the Iraqi Army in August
2003 (when we "lost" the war) creating a "cultural
vacuum" with much of Iraq taken over by fanatics and criminals
claiming to be fanatics.
The fact is the "evil' of Saddam was not weapons of mass destruction
but a criminal mentality and culture of violence, which has made
non-violent democracy in Iraq nearly impossible. It appears to me
that the conflict and violence in Iraq is not a civil war or Cambodia-style
genocide, but criminal anarchy under the guise of fundamentalism.
It is a morass that will likely only get worse.
Those who oppose military abandonment of Iraq are likely correct
that Sunni versus Shiite genocide will get worse and expand outside
of Iraq. The worse- case scenario is not continued daily Iraqi slaughter,
with Americans caught in the middle, but international Shiite (Iran)
versus Sunni (Saudi Arabia) nuclear conflict, with Turkey versus
Kurds, and Muslims versus Israelis as added spice.
Stopping Iraq's chaos and violence can only be done by cutting
off financial and material sources of supply, physically disarming
the country door-to-door and border-to-border, and invalidating
the immoral concepts that promote and justify it. Our concepts of
morality and democracy, our relationships with Muslim countries,
and our inability to provide the 350,000 member military force necessary
for Iraq's physical security, makes the solution to end this war
far beyond our capabilities.
There is, however, a logical solution that could minimize the violence,
and quickly bring our troops home.
We must recognize that all of Iraq is not ready for democracy…..and
that countries with the most to lose if the world's oil supply shrank,
and the most to gain if that supply was increased, are those with
the fastest growth and dependency upon that oil. The fact is that
a minimally non-violent solution to the bloodshed in Iraq will have
to come from a country with strong credibility and strong political,
social, and economic ties to those cultures in conflict.
The country with the economic growth most at risk, strong ties
to both Iran and Saudi Arabia, and the most need for Iraq's oil
is China.
The solution to stopping the daily bloodshed in Iraq (and perhaps
Afghanistan) is a UN Resolution authorizing a 350,000 member UN
peace-keeping force from China that will disarm Iraq door-to-door
and border-to-border.
China has the:
- military resources,
- understanding of social discipline,
- ability to have their troops not recognized as Iraqis,
- engineering skills to rebuild Iraq,
- need for ongoing world economic stability to maintain their
economic growth, and
- need for Iraqi oil even greater than ours.
China also has one of the world's most notorious reputations for
its ability to create and maintain social order.
It would serve both countries right.
Eddie Oakes recalls olden days in Lawrenceville's
"Honest Alley"
By
Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher
GwinnettForum.com
FEB. 9 2007 -- We caught up with Eddie Oakes of Lawrenceville by
cell phone at Lance's Garage the other day, where he was "telling
lies," as he says.
Brack |
We wanted Eddie to tell us about an institution in Lawrenceville,
a place called "Honest Alley." Both it and an alley in
Norcross, "Skin Alley," have a somewhat checkered past.
What got us to Eddie is the current revitalization movement in
downtown Lawrenceville. Cynthia Sutt told us that she and her husband,
Randy, are moving their firm (Rock, Paper, Scissors, marketing and
design firm) to Lawrenceville from Duluth. They are rebuilding on
the former Johnson's Hardware site on Crogan Street, near Jackson
Street, on the site of the place once known as "Honest Alley."
That's where Eddie comes in. "My daddy had a mule barn and
livery stable on the property, and for a while, we lived next door.
People would gather there on Saturday and trade for mules like people
trade for cars now. And they usually drank a little liquor, I understand."
By then, we were getting the picture of why it was called Honest
Alley.
Eddie Oakes |
"My father was John Henry Hansford Oakes, and he built there
about 1900. You entered the upstairs portion, which had a cement
floor, and people kept their wagons and buggies up there. The back
part was made of wood, and there was a chute down to the bottom
floor, where they kept the mules and horses. He ran that mule barn
until he died in 1944."
Eddie's father had three wives. His first wife died in childbirth,
and his second wife (Blanche Haslet Pentecost) had seven children
before she died. His third wife (Deborah Grant Oakes) had four children,
with Eddie the oldest.
After Eddie's father died, the place was partially run by his uncles,
known as Oakes and Higgins Garage, with a gas pump, wrecker service,
etc. Then Roy Gunter had an Oldsmobile dealership at the location,
before the site became Johnson and Sons Hardware Store.
Since growing up around the livery stable and mule barn, Eddie
first went to Korea, returned to work for General Motors and stayed
31 years, retiring at age 50. "I told them I wanted to draw
retirement at least for another 31 years," Eddie, 75, says,
"And I've done it for 25 years so far….and am working
on it."
Eddie also gives us more insight of the Lawrenceville of years
ago. "My daddy would go out West and buy several rail box cars
load of mules and have them shipped back to Lawrenceville. Someone
would hop up on an old gray mare, and would lead the mules from
the box car up the hill from the depot through town and to the mule
barn. There would be all sorts of mules there.
"He would put these wild mules out on farms of sharecroppers,
where they would break then, then return them to the barn, where
they would be sold. Most everybody in those pre World War II days
worked their farms with horses or mules."
That's a far different view that a person gets today about quite-busy
downtown Lawrenceville.
Back to the Sutts: They will occupy 2,500 square feet in the 16,000
square building now undergoing renovation. Several other businesses
will be located in the building. Randy says that he anticipates
employing up to nine persons in his offices.
Now Cynthia and Randy Sutt know something of the heritage of the
place they're remodeling, and hope to occupy later this year.
 The
public spiritedness of our sponsors allows us to bring GwinnettForum.com
to you at no cost to readers. Today's sponsor is The Peachtree
Bank, located at 9570 Medlock Bridge Road. Duluth. The bank
also has locations at 185 Gwinnett Drive, Lawrenceville; in Roswell
at 695 Mansell Road; and at 1725 Mount Vernon Rd. in Dunwoody. Monty
Watson is president of the bank, which has assets of over $600 million.
Member, FDIC and Equal Housing Lender. Go to The Peachtree Bank
web site at : http://www.thepeachtreebank.com.
Senior moment
Another great cartoon by Bill McLemore:
Remembers working with similar group in Honduras
Editor, the Forum:
Please pray for the families of those volunteer mission workers
who were killed in Honduras on Monday. Also, remember their respective
churches in Newnan and Cartersville as well as those injured in
the tragic accident which occurred when a truck turned over in a
remote village.
In 2003, I was part of a group which went there and did work under
the guidance of Honduras Outreach, a Georgia group which has done
work there for almost 20 years. On our trip, we also rode in this
same vehicle which is used to reach the most difficult villages
who need the most basic services which are provided by over 1,000
volunteers annually who go there.
Honduras Outreach is a wonderful organization which has done a
tremendous job of supporting those needy people in the Agalta Valley,
which is the poorest area of the country. Pray that this will not
deter any future work, but will inspire more to volunteer to go
there.
-- Charles Summerour, Duluth
Wonders who is left
at form excellent radio station, WGST
Editor, the Forum:
Is traffic man Art "Madman" Mehring the last person still
in the studio at Atlanta's formerly excellent radio station WGST
? It's sad to see it self-destruct, even with the weak signal. I
miss Tom Hughes in the morning but don't miss the phony Boortz at
all, who used to claim he hated the station where he now works.
-- Marshall Miller, Lilburn
Dear Marshall: They tell us Art Mehring is still
on WGST from 3-7 in the afternoon. Now you know. -eeb
Legislative
delegation to hold town hall meeting Feb. 22
A "Town Hall Meeting" with a panel of Gwinnett legislative
members will discuss current issues at the Capitol and open the
floor for discussion.
The "Town Hall Meeting" will be February 22 from 5 to
7 p.m. at Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce. This event is free for Chamber
members and guests. RSVP to Karen Van Duren at 770-232-8807 or you
can e-mail it to karen@gwinnettchamber.org.
This program sponsor is the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic
Medicine - Georgia Campus, based in Suwanee.
Top
40 tech firms to be announced in Gwinnett Feb. 20
The Technology Association of Georgia (TAG) will be announcing
their Top 40 Innovative Technology Companies in Georgia at the Gwinnett
Chamber's Gwinnett Technology Forum. The event is Tuesday, February
20, 2007 at 7:30 a.m. at Gwinnett Technical College, Scientific-Atlanta
Auditorium in. Lawrenceville.
The Top 40 competition is the premier Georgia venue to showcase
cutting edge innovation. The competition serves to recognize tech
companies who have created innovative technology in Georgia.
The top 10 most innovative technology companies will also be selected
from the top 40. These 10 winners will be will be given the opportunity
to present their company overview at the Georgia Technology Summit
on February 28, 2007 at the Cobb Galleria Centre. This is expected
to draw many of the State's technology leaders.
Along with the Top 40 companies, the Gwinnett Technology Forum will
also feature a presentation on "The Future of AT&T Technology"
by Clifford L. Minor of AT&T's wireless operations in Georgia.
There is no charge to attend the Gwinnett Technology Forum, although
reservations are required. For questions or to RSVP, contact Jo
Anne Wymer at 770-232-8812 or Joanne@gwinnettchamber.org.
Suwanee needs volunteers
to work on daylong festival
Volunteers are needed with good organizational and people skills,
lots of energy, and a healthy sense of fun to help plan the 2007
Suwanee Day festival. This daylong celebration of community to be
held at Suwanee's Town Center Park Saturday, September 15.
This year marks the 24th celebration of Suwanee Day. Volunteer
opportunities available in a variety of areas, including parade,
exhibitors, marketing/promotion, sponsors, set up and clean up,
volunteer organization, and transportation. People with a high degree
of community commitment are preferred. Attendance at monthly planning
meetings is strongly encouraged. "Compensation" includes
participation on an effective, supportive team; an opportunity to
be active in the community; and a deep sense of personal satisfaction-and,
of course, a free coveted Suwanee Day t-shirt. Those interested
should contact Amy Doherty at adoherty@suwanee.com
or 770/945-8996.
- 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
Old "Aches
and Pains" Appling of baseball grew up in Atlanta
One of baseball's most revered players, Luke
Appling was for nearly 20 years (1930-43, 1945-50) the star
shortstop of the American League's Chicago White Sox. Born on April
2, 1907, in High Point, N.C., Lucius Benjamin "Luke" Appling
grew up in Atlanta. He played baseball at Oglethorpe University
for two years before joining the Atlanta Crackers baseball team
of the Southern Association.
Appling |
In 1930 the Crackers sold his contract to the White Sox. After
two nondescript seasons Appling blossomed into one of the game's
greatest hitters. He hit over .300 in 16 seasons, capturing batting
crowns in 1936 (.388) and 1943 (.328). Possessing a keen batting
eye, Appling bedeviled pitchers with his ability to foul off pitch
after pitch. In all, he collected 2,749 hits for a lifetime batting
average of .310. Something of a hypochondriac, he was nicknamed
"Old Aches and Pains." He was inducted into the National
Baseball Hall of Fame in 1964.
In 1982, more than 30 years after his retirement, Appling was the
centerpiece of one of the most touching moments in baseball history.
Playing in the inaugural Cracker Jack Old-Timers Baseball Classic,
the 75-year-old legend, who hit only 45 career home runs, blasted
a dramatic round tripper on a pitch thrown by his fellow Hall of
Famer Warren Spahn, leading the American League squad to a seven-to-two
victory.
Also during his retirement, Appling managed several minor league
teams and frequently coached at the major league level. In 1967
he managed the Kansas City Athletics for the final 40 games of the
season. He moved to Cumming, in 1976 to become a minor league hitting
instructor for the Atlanta Braves. He died in Cumming on January
3, 1991, and is buried in the city's Sawnee View Memorial Gardens.
Your ego might be taken
down a little with this thought
"Remember you are just an extra in everyone else's play."
-- The 31st American President, Franklin Roosevelt (1882-1945.)
Send your thoughts, 55-word short stories, pet peeves
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Forum for future publication.
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