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Horrible tragedies occur virtually
every day in Iraq
By
Ralph Greene
Special to GwinnettForum.com
SNELLVILLE, Ga., April 20, 2007 -- The almost 24/7 cable news coverage
of the shootings at Virginia Tech are upsetting and distressing.
However, Iraqis face that kind of massacre every day and have done
so since the U.S. "Iraqi Freedom" invasion on March 19,
2003.
Iraqi universities struggling to operate in the midst of a war
zone have been struck repeatedly by bombings, shootings, assassinations,
and abductions that have killed or wounded hundreds, and forced
thousands of students and professors to leave the country.
According to Aswat al-Iraq (Voices of Iraq), on the same day as
the Virginia Tech mass shootings, two separate shooting incidents
struck Mosul University, one killing the dean of the college of
Political Science, and another killing a professor from the Faculty
of Arts at the school.
IraqsSlogger web site states that in January, Baghdad's Mustansiriya
University sufferred a double suicide bombing that killed at least
70 people, including students, faculty, and staff. A month later,
another suicide bomber struck at Mustansiriya, killing 40.
Kidnappings of students and faculty are a common occurrence on
Iraq's campuses. Members of the university community have been abducted
and murdered or held for ransom. One student reported to the IraqsSlogger
that he was abducted by sectarian thugs working in cooperation with
the National Guard forces, who were supposed to be protecting the
campus.
Earlier this month, the Dr. Qais Jawad al-Azzawi, head of the Geneva-based
Committee International Committee of Solidarity with Iraqi Professors,
said that "232 university professors were killed and 56 were
reported missing in Iraq, while more than 3,000 others had left
the country after the 2003 invasion."
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, speaking to a major UN conference
in Geneva, stated that there are up to four million Iraqis now living
away from home, including 1.9 million living as internally displaced
people. He estimates up to 50,000 people flee the violence in Iraq
each month.
In October, American and Iraqi epidemiologists released a study,
as reported in The Lancet, which estimated that 655,000 more people
have died in Iraq since coalition forces arrived in March 2003 than
would have died if the invasion had not occurred.
And as of April 17, 2007, at least 3,309 members of the U.S. military
have died since the beginning of the Iraq war.
We feel deeply for the victims and their families for the tragedy
that occurred in Virginia, but it seems that we've become de-sensitized
to the horrors experienced every day by the Iraqi people since the
U.S. invasion. The fact is that there are several disasters in Iraq
almost every day. The violent act that occurred at Virginia Tech
should help us reflect that we are all God's children and are equally
important.
Examining what is happening to the American
dream
By
Andy Brack
Special to GwinnettForum.com
(Editor's note: Since I've been out of town for
five days, let's let my son, Andy, have this space today. He expresses
my own views of a problem facing our nation today. Andy is president
of the Center
for a Better South, a think tank in Charleston, and publisher
of S.C.
Statehouse Report, from which this is reprinted.-eeb)
CHARLESTON, S.C., April 15, 2007 -- Consider what's been in the
news recently and the associated impacts:
- Cable television continues to feed a celebrity-obsessed America
with a steady diet of news surrounding the death of a mediocre
model in the Bahamas and the paternity of her new daughter.
- The country is in the midst of a war that has killed almost
3,300 Americans, yet most Americans don't seem to notice that
it is ongoing.
- A national radio shock jock is fired over racially-charged,
insensitive remarks about the Rutgers women's basketball team.
- A flamboyant Charleston economist is jailed after claiming amnesia
during an investigation into how he allegedly invested up to $134
million - or more - of people's hard-earned money.
You could probably create a similar list. But the bottom line leads
to a simple question: What is happening to the America where people
who work hard may realize the American Dream?
It seems our culture, saturated by television, video games, the
need for Hummers and disposable living, is even more in the grips
of what President Jimmy Carter called a "national malaise"
in 1979.
In a speech that July, Carter noted, "In a nation that was
proud of hard work, strong families, close-knit communities, and
our faith in God, too many of us now tend to worship self-indulgence
and consumption."
In 2000, Harvard professor Robert Putnam outlined how the once
vibrant American spirit of civic engagement was dying due to less
community involvement in everything from parent-teacher associations
to civic associations, such as Shriners, Masons and Elks. The Odd
Fellows organization, once huge across the nation, had dwindled
to almost nothing. Participation also was down in bowling leagues,
the NAACP and friendly poker games, he discovered.
"In 1992, three-quarters of the U.S. workforce said that
'the breakdown of community' and 'selfishness' were 'serious' or
'extremely' serious problems in America," Putnam wrote in his
book, Bowling Alone.
This continuing civic malaise seems to be due to the sense of generalized
contentment that most Americans have. Compared to 100 years ago,
most Americans have a home (shelter), food (they're not hungry)
and clean water. They've got at least one TV and a phone --- probably
more than one of each. They've got transportation.
In other words, Americans of today are comfortable and prosperous,
compared to those of two or three generations back. Perhaps with
this contentment comes a focus on the individual, not society. Instead
of working to make communities better, today's Americans are more
focused on satisfying selfish needs.
A January
2007 poll by the Pew Research Center appears to confirm this
observation. It showed young people (18-25) generally had more casual
sex, resorted more often to violence, had more binge drinking, used
more drugs and voted less than the same group 20 years earlier.
Today's young adults also told researchers that their number one
goal was to get rich or famous.
Yet there is a glimmer of hope in this "Generation Next."
The same poll showed voter turnout increased between 2000 and 2004.
They were less cynical about the role of government than the previous
generation. They see the value of using the Internet, but admit
it can make people lazier.
Challenges exist on every level of American society. Communities
want a better quality of life. States want better education, health
care and services that meet people's needs. Nationally, people want
a better functioning government, reliable energy and protection
from threats like terrorism and global warming.
But maybe America's biggest future challenge is to keep the American
Dream alive in the midst of the malaise and contentment that have
fogged our society.
The 19th century is known as the European century. The 20th was
the American century. The 21st is supposed to be the century of
China's rise to power.
If America wants to remain relevant over the long haul, it has
to balance its zeal for creature comforts with a reinvigorated spirit
of competitiveness and shared sacrifice.
 The
public spiritedness of our sponsors allows us to bring GwinnettForum.com
to you at no cost to readers. Today's sponsor is the Gwinnett
Chamber of Commerce. From answering your questions and providing
a host of useful information, to promoting growth in our county,
there are people working every day to help make Gwinnett a place
where businesses thrive and success lives. For more detail, go to
www.gwinnettchamber.org.
Concerned
about amount of litter and trash along roadways
Editor, the Forum:
Every day I become more dismayed by the amount of litter, garbage
and trash on our roadways, shopping centers and even our subdivisions.
I can't imagine what tells a person it's okay to throw trash out
of their vehicle.
I used to think the county should use prison labor to clean it
up. However, nowadays there is so much litter it would take an army
to make a dent in it. Now I'm thinking there should be more community
projects to clean up, more public education and awareness and especially
more personal attention and action to the areas around our own property.
We should abolish the attitude of "I didn't throw it down,
I'm not picking it up". After all, none of us should think
it's beneath us to clean up our own front yards. If we leave it
for someone else to do, it probably won't get done. We can do it,
I know we can.
-- Barbara Hood, Lawrenceville
Dear Barbara: many of us share your concern.
And thanks for your positive thinking. One more element: the three
CIDs in Gwinnett are stepping forward to help clean in their particular
areas, at least. That's one small step. Now it's up to the rest
of us. -eeb
Anticipates bashing
from recent shooting in Virginia
Editor, the Forum:
This week's tragedy at Virginia Tech will stimulate yet another
chorus of bashing both guns and those who believe that the right
of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. I challenge
any GwinnettForum reader that believes that the passage of any law
will get the guns out of the hands of criminals and those intent
on carnage to make a cognizant argument to support that view.
In a March
23 column, the Editor and Publisher of the GwinnettForum stated
that the proposed Georgia legislation to allow concealing a gun
in an automobile was "unreasonable" and endangered "you,
me, and all the rest of drivers in Georgia". The Editor encouraged
readers to "Think of all the crazies …who become violent
with road rage!"
My opinion is that it is time for those who would take firearms
out of the hands of sane, law-abiding citizens to stop spreading
fear. It is time for those who argue that taking firearms out of
the hands of sane, law abiding citizens makes us safer to clearly
explain how the students at Virginia Tech were safer because no
one other than an insane wacko had a gun.
-- Wayne Buchheit, Dacula
Dear Wayne: You're right about people realizing
more and more that some people don't need guns, and that we need
ways to keep guns out of some people's hands. Far as that goes,
here the gun control laws failed in this most recent case. It
points to stronger laws and better enforcement of the laws we
have on the books. The NRA knows one line only, and always gets
hyper when anyone dares mention that guns might hurt someone.
They should be ashamed and work for better and tighter enforcement
and better limits on gun ownership by the crazies of the world.
--eeb
Likes having two sides
so she can make up her mind
Editor, the Forum:
I can't tell you how much I enjoy reading the Forum twice a week.
I especially appreciate how you present more than one side of an
idea and/or argument. Case in point: the recent discussion concerning
county commissioner districts.
You trust me to make my own decisions, but you give me tools by
which I can make an informed decision. That isn't something you
ordinarily find these days. Thank you so much!
-- Bunny Drueke, Snellville
Mourning Virginia Tech
Another great cartoon from Bill McLemore:
7th
Senior Olympics kicks off today in Gwinnett County
On April 20, some 350 of Gwinnett's most athletic seniors will
gather at the Gwinnett Senior Center in Lawrenceville to mark the
opening ceremonies of the seventh annual Gwinnett Senior Golden
Olympics. This year's games, sponsored by Gwinnett County Parks
and Recreation Department, will have the largest participation the
event has seen since its inception in 2000.
Opening ceremonies will be held at 11 a.m. at 225 Bethesda Church
Road in Lawrenceville. or more information call the Gwinnett Senior
Center at 770-564-4680 or visit www.gwinnettseniorgoldenolympics.org.
.
New Norcross pocket
park to be discussed on Monday night
A public meeting on the redesign of Lillian Webb Field and on a
new pocket park in Norcross is set for Monday, April 23. The meeting
is at 7 p.m. at City Hall.
Stephen Fuller will present his final concept drawings for the redesign
of Webb Field into a public park. Among the features will be a waterfall,
splash fountain, lounging terraces, youth play ground, baseball
memorials, trails and open green space. Implementation of the program
will be discussed.
Vines Garden Railway
plans first spring operation May 6
The Vines Garden Railroad will have its 2007 Grand Opening on May
6, Conductor Bob Giselbach reports. The railroad, a G Scale model,
runs on 1,200 feet of track at Vines Botanical Garden, between Grayson
and Loganville.
Two features have been added since the railroad closed for the
winter season in November. Vines railroad hobbyists have added a
waterfall to the landscaped site, and have also laid a third track
for G Scale train owners to operate.
Altogether, the Vines Railroad is composed of 40 cars, and operates
with 10 different locomotives. It is the only free garden railroad
in Georgia.
Those interested in model railroading particularly are invited
to join Conductor Giselbach in operating the railroad for Vines
visitors. The line is operated on Sundays, weather permitting, from
11 a.m. until 3 p.m. during the warmer moths. Those interested should
contact Mr. Giselbach at 678-546-8722. For more information, go
to www.vinesgardenrailroad.com
Special
purpose park of 26 acres coming to Club Drive area
Construction documents for Gwinnett's first special-purpose neighborhood
park will be developed by Lose and Associates, Inc. under a $117,543
contract. The new Club Drive Park will have a total of 25.9 acres,
including the 6.7 acres the County acquired in 2005 that is adjacent
to land the County already owned. Seventeen area residents served
on a citizen's steering committee that helped design the new park's
layout and amenities.
Major park features will include an open lawn recreation area,
a playground, gazebo, fishing dock, basketball courts, a multi-use
trail, restrooms and parking.
Phil Hoskins, director of Community Services, said phase one construction
will begin next year, using funds from the 2005 SPLOST program.
"This is the first example of the new neighborhood park concept
recommended in our most recent Comprehensive Plan," said Phil
Hoskins, director of Community Services.
The Board also awarded a contract for new lighting at the existing
Harmony Grove Park soccer fields in the Lilburn area. Over and Under
Contractors, Inc., will remove old lights and wood poles and install
new concrete poles, light fixtures, wiring and controls under an
$89,012 contract.
Jock Connell is newest
member of hospital board of directors
Jock Connell, Gwinnett County Administrator, has been named the
newest member of the Gwinnett Health System board of directors.
He joins Carolyn Hill and Tommy Hughes as the third new member in
the past year.
Connell |
Connell began his service with Gwinnett County in 1986. In 2005,
the Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners appointed him county
administrator.
He is a member of the First Baptist Church of Mountain Park, where
he has served as chairman of the finance committee and as a Sunday
school teacher. He has served on the boards of the Woods of Parkview
Homeowners Association and the Woods of Parkview Pool and Tennis
Association. He resides in Lilburn with his wife, Tina, and their
children, Barry and Emily.
Grand Buffet,
Norcross
"My husband, Mark, and I just had a nice night doing dinner
at the new Grand Buffet, located on Jimmy Carter, close to Holcomb
Bridge Road, in Norcross. Dinner was $9.39 all you can eat, including
drink, and there was plenty to choose from. I enjoyed chicken and
seafood and veggies and dessert, and my husband had a tasty range
of meats and sides and fruit. (Their lunch buffet is $6.55.) There
is mostly Chinese, Japanese and American cuisine, and features a
sushi/steak/seafood grill as well. Their telephone number is: 678-969-7883."
-- Cindy Evans, Duluth
- 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
Spud Chandler
one of Georgia's, nation's best ever pitchers
Georgia native "Spud"
Chandler was one of the best baseball pitchers in the American
League from 1937 to 1947, when he won 109 games and lost only 43.
Playing his entire career with the powerful New York Yankees, Chandler
never had a losing season, and his .717 winning percentage is the
highest in major league history among all pitchers with 100 or more
victories. He was named to the American League all-star team four
times and is a member of the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame.
Chandler |
Also an outstanding all-around college athlete, Chandler earned
a posthumous induction in 2000 into the University of Georgia (UGA)
Circle of Honor, the highest tribute paid in UGA sports.
Spurgeon Ferdinand Chandler was born on September 12, 1907, in
Commerce. He grew up in Franklin County and graduated from Carnesville
High School in 1928. In 1931, Chandler played football for Georgia
against New York University in Yankee Stadium. He walked out to
the pitcher's mound (the stadium was used for both football and
baseball games during their respective seasons), hurled a football
through the uprights of a goalpost, and told his puzzled teammates
that he was destined to pitch for the Yankees, his favorite team
since boyhood. Immediately after graduating from UGA, however, Chandler
signed to play baseball, his first love, with the New York Yankees.
Chandler's finest season was 1943. He tied for the league lead
in wins with 20, and led the major league in both winning percentage
and earned-run average. He pitched two victories over the Cardinals
in the first and final games of the 1943 World Series. Chandler
won the American League's Most Valuable Player award and The Sporting
News player of the year award.
Chandler missed the 1944 and 1945 seasons while serving in the
U.S. Army. He returned to the Yankees in 1946 and again won 20 games.
Injuries plagued the 40-year-old Chandler in 1947, and he retired
as an active player at the end of the season. He had pitched for
seven pennant winners and six world champions.
After his playing days ended, Chandler managed teams in the minor
leagues, served as a major league pitching coach for the Kansas
City A's, and scouted for the Yankees and other teams. When he finally
retired in 1984, he had spent more than 50 years in professional
baseball. Chandler died on January 9, 1990, in South Pasadena, Fla.
There's one very good
reason to visit the past
"One of the reasons why old people make so many journeys into
the past is to satisfy themselves that it is still there."
-- British Rural Life Author Ronald Blythe (1922 -), via Roy
McCreary, Dacula.
Send your thoughts, 55-word short stories, pet peeves
or comments on any issue to Gwinnett
Forum for future publication.
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