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BARROW JOURNAL
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 12, 2013
Opinions
“Private opinion is weak, but public opinion is almost omnipotent. ”
~ Henry Ward Beecher -
our views
Welcome to the age of ‘Big Brother’
I HAD a recurring nightmare as a
child. In that era of the Cold War, my
nightmare was that the Soviets would
eventually take over the U.S. and 1 would
become a prisoner of government con
trol. Freedom of speech would disap
pear and everything we said would be
monitored as was common in the Soviet
Union and Eastern Europe.
Maybe I read Orwell’s 1984 too many
times, but the idea of Big Brother watch
ing my every move was frightening.
Seems that I needn’t have worried
about the Communists. Today our own
government is monitoring us in ways
that would have made the Soviets proud.
Although we’ve known that the govern
ment was doing some monitoring, last
week’s revelations about the breadth and
depth of that effort was very troubling.
Just about every modern form of com
munication we use — phone, email, text
— is being collected and shared with
secret government agencies. That’s not
just for people suspected of being terror
ists, but everyone. Me. You. Your family.
Some thoughts:
• When it comes to the choice between
freedom and security most people will
choose the latter. That is a historical
trend that is hard-wired into our human
DNA. We crave the sense of being secure
and safe. And yet, we’re often uneven
in how we evaluate security. Today for
example, we have magnified the threat
we face from “terrorism” such that we
are willing to cede our basic freedoms
for what is little more than a veneer of
safety. Much of what we do in stripping
down at airports doesn’t really make us
safe, but it’s a theater of safety designed
to make us feel more secure. Far more
people are killed each year in the U.S.
by drunk drivers than by terrorists; yet if
asked, many people would say they’re
worried more about terrorists than some
one hitting them while drunk. This has
happened many times in human his
tory where people are willing to give up
their freedom to get
a sense of security.
It’s one reason the
Soviets were able
to maintain power
for so long. It’s
why Germans gave
up freedom under
Hitler. It’s why
kings and queens
ruled Europe for
hundreds of years.
Humans crave
security even if they
are less free. It is always a minority
of people who defend freedom. In the
American Revolution, only about one-
third of Americans supported the cause.
• Technology is its own imperative.
There is no stopping the march of tech
nology no matter what the ethical con
cerns might be about its power or mis
use. If it can be done, it will be done
by someone, somewhere. We live in
a digital age where technology tethers
us to each other and to government.
Nobody will ever again be able to go “off
the grid” as our ancestors did by moving
to a distant place and starting life over
again. Technology doesn’t march back
wards, always forward. It will reward us
with greater efficiency in our work and
social lives, but that comes at the price
of less privacy. There is no stopping the
intrusiveness of technology.
• Governments will always seek con
trol over technology for its own ends.
Governments are all about control and
power. That’s as true in a democracy as
in a dictatorship. The only difference is
in degree. Governments will always seek
to extend their power and control and
will use any convenient excuse to justify
their actions. Today that excuse in the
U.S. is “terrorism.” Government officials
seek to stoke our fears of terrorism as
a way to justify the extension of their
power and control over our communi
cations. Threats get magnified to justify
what officials want to do. That happened
in the Cold War and it’s happening again
today.
• Governments will eventually always
abuse the power they have. This is
human nature and institutional inevitabil
ity. Power corrupts even in democracies
where there are supposed to be checks
and balances. And eventually every
nation has someone come to power
who is inherently corrupt and who will
exploit their position to trample oppo
sition voices. That’s what the Obama
administration has been doing with
the IRS’ efforts to cower conservative
groups. Government is not inherently
good. When officials say “trust us” you
cannot believe them. Give government
the tools to abuse people and govern
ment will use those tools, if not today
then eventually. The U.S. government is
no different.
Today’s digital world has made it much
easier for government to monitor the
movements and voices of its citizens.
Using the threat of terrorism and the veil
of official secrecy the U.S. government
has expanded its reach into our daily
lives and little by little, is accumulating
an enormous amount of data about each
of us. Where we are. Where we go. Who
we call. What we email. Where we shop.
Our bank accounts. Our gas cards. Our
social contacts. What we say and who
we say it to.
We live in the age of Big Brother and
that should be very frightening to those
who realize just what it means for the
future. What our government is doing
today is no different than what the Soviets
and East Germans did in the Cold War
in gathering intelligence on its citizens.
Someday that will be abused here just as
it was in the Soviet era.
My childhood nightmares have become
reality.
Mike Buffington is co-publisher of
Mainstreet Newspapers. He can be
reached at mike@mainstreetnews.com.
mike
buffington
“Dad taught me everything I
know. Unfortunately, he didn’t
teach me everything he knows. ”
- Al Unser
“I YELL because I care,” was
my dad’s motto when my brother
and I were growing up. We were
a busy pair and there was always
plenty to yell about. The angry-
sounding decibels never bothered
us, though, because the love that
was their undercurrent was always
so clear.
My dad is a skilled man, knowl
edgeable about many things, and a
perfectionist. He was also a teach
er, well aware and often weary of
the ways of youngsters. Pleasing
him wasn’t easy, but I don’t remem
ber that bothering me much either.
Again, it was just so obvious how
much he loved us that all the gruff
stuff wasn’t scary; it just masked
how much he cared.
My first memory of my dad is rid
ing on his shoulders. I don’t know
how old I was, but I remember
how broad and strong his shoul
ders felt. It seemed like I was on
top of the world, riding there, so
safe and tall in his arms. In a way,
that’s how I’ve always felt about
my dad. I knew he’d never let me
fall and if I slipped, he’d catch
me, even if there was some yelling
along the way.
The first time I got really mad at
my dad I was five. He was teach
ing me how to swim and we were
having a great time. We were in the
shallow end of a bright blue pool.
He backed a short ways away and
‘I yell because I care...’
lorin
sinn-clark
told me to
swim to him.
I paddled and
he encour
aged, and I
paddled and
he encour
aged. After
what seemed
like an awful
lot of kicking
and splash
ing, I finally
reached him
only to find that we were at the far
end of the pool - in the deep end.
He’d been slowly walking then
treading water backwards, making
me swim the entire length of the
pool — even through the dreaded
deep end. I was furious.
“Don’t you ever do that to me
again!” I cried, feeling like my trust
had been forever betrayed.
He just laughed and said, “I knew
you could do it and now so do
you.” That’s my dad, ever willing
to do what it took to teach us and
build our confidence, even when it
made us mad at him.
I don’t have a lot of clear memo
ries of one-on-one time with my dad
because he was always working.
His teacher’s wage only stretched
so far and my mom didn’t work
while my brother and I were grow
ing up. My parents always wanted
the best for us, so my dad farmed a
wheat farm for extra money in the
summer. He often had a side job
to pay for Christmas or our braces
or new band instruments or what
ever. He also maintained every
thing that needed maintaining in
our lives — the vehicles, the house,
the yard, you name it, he could fix
it. The thought that he should be
spending more time with us never
occurred; we knew he did what he
did because he cared.
Some dads cut their kids loose
once they’re grown, but my dad
never did. Even though age has
tempered some of the yelling, his
support and willingness to guide
and help us whenever he can
remains as true today as it has
always been.
There was the time he flew
from Colorado to help us paint
our house. Here he came with a
suitcase full of tools, including a
paint sprayer, and three days, 50
gallons of primer and 50 gallons of
paint later, the job was done. Years
later, there’s my dad hunched over
some brown fuzzy cloth, reading
glasses sliding down his nose,
hand-sewing a bear costume for
my daughter’s wedding. The little
boy who was the ring bearer want
ed to be a “Ring Bear” instead and
so, with the blessing of the bride
and groom, my dad made it so.
And, there’s the beautiful pergola/
gazebo he built in our backyard
for our son’s wedding. One of us
mentioned the idea or showed
him a magazine picture and there
it was, done.
As long as I can remember, my
dad has been like those shoulders
I remember riding on — a strong
and loving foundation on which
I could depend, there to catch
me when I fall, always expecting,
indeed yelling for, the best of me.
Yes, ours is a loud family — we
yell because we care. We’re also
a group of people who can work
hard, get things done right, and
keep family first. So, thanks, Pop,
for all that you are and all that you
do. And, HAPPY FATHER’S DAY! (I
yelled because I care...)
Lorin Sinn-Clark is a writer for
the Barrow Journal. She can be
reached at lorin@barrowjournal.
com
The Barrow Journal
Winder, Barrow County, Ga.
www.BarrowJoumal.com
Mike Buffington Co-Publisher
Scott Buffington Co-Publisher
Chris Bridges Editor
Susan Norman Government News Editor
Lorin Sinn-Clark Writer
Jessica Brown Photographer
Michelle Stewart Reporter
Susan Treadwell Advertising Manager
Susan Mobley Office Manager
Jeremy Ginn Marketing Manager
Debby Sisk Public Notices
POSTMASTER: Send address changes
to: The Barrow Journal, 77 East May
Street, Winder, Georgia 30680
Published 52 times per year by
Mainstreet Newspapers, Inc.
Periodicals Postage Paid at Winder, Ga.
Email: news@barrowjournal.com
Phone: 770-867-NEWS (6397)
Fax: 678-425-1435
SUBSCRIPTIONS:
Inside Barrow County $15.50/yr
Senior Citizens in Barrow $13.50/yr.
Surrounding Counties $19.75/yr.
Other In-State $38.85/yr.
Out of State $44.50/yr.
Military/APO $42.50/yr.
Out of county Senior Citizens Deduct $2
We will continue
our mission
THE OWNERS of the Barrow
Journal had a simple plan when
they decided to launch this newspa
per almost five
years ago.
Among
other goals,
they wanted
to provide
a source of
news that
would not
back down
from intimida
tion, in any
form. It’s nice
to say we have
lived up to that goal, even though it
has not always been easy.
We’ve been cussed, threatened
with being mn out of town, threat
ened with lawsuits and even blacklist
ed from time to time. Less than five
years later, however, we have certain
ly changed the way news is reported
in our county. Many of those who
have complained the loudest have
themselves moved onto other things.
All of this is mentioned because
on Friday, a long way from Barrow
County in scenic Jekyll Island, this
newspaper was named the best for
its division for the second year in a
row. I compare this to a high school
football team winning a state champi
onship. The accomplishment speaks
for itself, although in this case only
those inside the newspaper industry
tmly understand just how big of a
deal this is.
There are numerous top-notch
papers in our state which never
win the coveted General Excellence
Award. We’ve won first for it twice
now and also placed in the top three
another year. When you consider the
Barrow Journal wasn’t even around
five years ago, then it tmly is a special
thing.
All of the response to our paper
has not been negative. We constantly
hear from readers (and even some
elected officials) that the Barrow
Journal was just what was needed
here. For too long, the established
newspaper in the county turned a
blind eye to things which needed
to be reported on. It was their duty
to do so.
Remember a few years ago when
the district attorney for Barrow
County was sent to prison for the
way he conducted business in his
office? Well, one of the co-founders
of the Barrow Journal wrote those
stories. The paper which was sup
posed to look out for Barrow County
residents at the time ran away from
that story as fast as it could. Even
before I worked for the competing
local newspaper, I remember the
disgust I felt as a Barrow taxpayer by
the so-called local paper not cover
ing that major story.
Most of our staff has been in place
since day one. Susan Treadwell,
Susan Norman, Susan Mobley,
Jessica Brown, Lorin Sinn-Clark and
myself are still fighting the good fight.
We’ve had a few people move on
(some within our company) and
their impact has also played a role
in where we are today. Our local col
umnists such as Shelli Bond Pabis,
Helen Person, Gina Borg and Tyler
Rollason also add a tme local flavor
to the topics they write about each
week.
It’s not easy climbing to the top of
the mountain and it’s even more dif
ficult to stay there. We continue to sit
at the top this week and it is a good
feeling. It shows we are clearly doing
something right despite some who
are still cussing.
No doubt, there will continue to be
those who degrade us and want us
to leave. I know there are elected offi
cials and members of the infamous
“Good Old Barrow Network” who
would celebrate if we closed up shop
tomorrow.
However, we aren’t going any
where. We have already outlasted
several adversaries and no doubt will
continue to do so. We have a dedi
cated, talented group of people here
who all played a role in this award.
It’s a team effort and I am certainly
honored to be a part of this team.
Chris Bridges is editor of the
Barrow Journal. You can reach him
at cbridges@barrowjournal.com.
chris
bridges