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BARROW JOURNAL
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23, 2016
Opinions
“Private opinion is weak, but public opinion is almost omnipotent. ”
~ Henry Ward Beecher -
Of spring, warmer temperatures and campaigns
Take care when writing
While sitting at a local high school
baseball game last Friday, it was clear
spring was here.
We’ve all, no doubt, noticed the
signs. The greenness can be seen all
around us, as well as on our vehicles.
The temperatures have been unex
pectedly warm for this time of year
(despite Sunday and Monday’s dip in
the temperature).
While we are probably
not completely out of the
woods yet in terms of Old
Man Winter raising his ugly
head, creating havoc along
the way, it seems we are
going to be blessed with
an early spring, which has
now officially arrived.
Already, my lawn mower
has been taken out of win
ter storage and been put
to use. I used a Christmas
present for the first time
last week in the way of
some electric clippers for the shrub
bery at my house. After a few min
utes, I seemed to have the hang of
them and managed to get the job
done without cutting my legs or any
fingers. More yardwork has been
planned and with us now having
more daylight, we have more oppor
tunity in the afternoons to get outside
and get things accomplished.
At some point, yardwork became
a stress reliever for me. Sitting at a
desk anywhere from 40 to 50 hours
a week takes a toll mentally and
physically. Even being at the local
ballpark, while certainly enjoyable if
the weather cooperates, is still work-
related for me. Getting outside at
my house is not professionally work
related, however. I can take on those
chores for as long, or as little, of time
as I desire.
In recent years, we’ve battled some
rather rough winters here in Barrow
County. Snow, ice and temperatures
in the teens (or lower) have seem
ingly become all too common. We
seemed to have dodged those bullets
this year, however, and spring, even
early-summer like temperatures were
here in early March.
As I sat at the ballfield last week,
I could overhear students talking
about spring break and what they
had planned for those days. I heard
one proudly announce the number
of days — both calendar-wise and
school-wise — she had until gradu
ation.
Personally, it still brings
back a bad memory when
I hear the words “spring
break.” For it was during
spring break of my senior
year in college (1993) that
my hometown was blasted
by a winter storm like none
other. The storm had every
thing at a standstill for at
least a week. The worst part
was living in the country,
it took longer than that for
electricity to be restored. I
never made a trek to Florida
for spring break but I cer
tainly wished I had done so that year.
Even South Georgia would have been
fine. Just anywhere other than being
snowed in for a week.
• • •
Jody Hice, elected to represent
the 10th Congressional District two
years ago, did not have any opposi
tion sign up during recent candidate
qualifying.
However, one potential challenger
is trying to get on the ballot as an
independent. Leonard “Len” Ware is
currently trying to raise the funds to
qualify for an independent as well as
trying to collect enough signatures
for a spot on the November ballot.
Ware, who had been campaigning
for the seat as a Democrat, did not
qualify for that party’s primary (no
one did) and has announced he is
now running without party affiliation.
Ware told the Barrow Journal he
will have to collect 22,000 signatures
from registered voters in the sev
eral counties which make up the 10th
Congressional District.
It won’t be easy and, to be honest,
the only tougher challenge might be
trying to defeat a Republican incum
bent in a heavily GOP friendly dis
trict.
We’ll keep you informed on Ware’s
progress of getting on the ballot.
• • •
Supporters of fairer ballot access
have seen a victory in Georgia.
According to Ballot Access News
editor Richard Winger, U.S. District
Court Judge Richard W. Story ruled
earlier this month that the Georgia
petition requirement for independent
presidential candidates and the presi
dential candidates of unqualified par
ties is unconstitutional.
The judge imposed a temporary
requirement of 7,500 signatures for
2016 only, until the legislature acts.
The old law required a much larger
number of 50,334 signatures.
The decision only applies to the
candidate petitions for president,
Winger said. However, in Georgia,
candidate petitions can include a
ballot label other than just “inde
pendent,” so in effect, the decision
includes minor parties as well as
independent candidates.
The plaintiffs, the Green Party and
the Constitution Party, filed the law
suit in 2012. Winger said Georgia will
probably appeal, but it will not try to
obtain a stay for 2016.
This ruling will make it easier for
these parties to obtain ballot access
for the 2016 general presidential elec
tion in November. The Libertarian
Party was already assured a spot on
the ballot in Georgia.
The ruling also means there is a
good chance Georgia voters will have
five choices for president this year
including Democratic, Republican,
Libertarian, Green Party and
Constitution Party candidates.
The recent order would have also
made it easier for independents such
as Michael Bloomberg to get on the
ballot, but the New York billionaire
recently announced he would not
run.
Winder resident Chris Bridges is
editor of the Barrow Journal. You
can reach him at cbridges@barrow-
journal.com.
chris
bridges
The writer’s callus on my right hand ring finger is
slowly going away. I don’t write as much anymore, at
least not with a pencil or pen. And now my writer’s
callus, the one I created after years of handwriting
short-essay responses, spelling words and multipli
cation tables is becoming less noticeable.
I don’t write as much now that I’m not in school.
I don’t have to write in “blue books” or fill in any
multiple choice bubbles. I think it’s common to write
less in adulthood, depending
on your job. But I think an
increased use of technology
is adding to it.
I do less handwriting, but I
do more typing on keyboards
and signing on touch screens.
I type thank-you emails
instead of handwriting them
on thank-you cards. I sign
my signature for my morning
(and afternoon) coffee with
my finger on a touch screen
tablet. I write letters by typing
them onto my phone.
There’s a closeness of pen
to paper. It is a closeness that, to me, is not rivaled
by any touch screen or keyboard. Handwriting
requires a certain amount of care and attention to
detail. I think that care is often lost in the things I
write digitally. But it shouldn’t be.
When I write with pen and paper, I choose my
words carefully. Trying to avoid any erasing or hav
ing to “mark out” any errors, I think about my words
before I record them.
I think about them much longer than I do the
words in a Facebook post or Twitter update because
digital mishaps and misspellings seem easier to cor
rect. It’s simple to click the “edit” button or “delete”
button.
But is it really that easy? With the complexities of
data storage, I’m not sure anything digitally recorded
is ever completely gone. Even when it’s no longer in
your inbox or on your Twitter feed, it’s not perma
nently deleted.
Handwriting is easier to “delete.” Anyone with a
paper shredder or a match can do it. It’s not as easy
to delete something you’ve digitally recorded.
Handwriting is also contained. Social media posts
can be shared with a large amount of people around
the world. But reading something handwritten is
limited. It can’t be shared as quickly.
There’s a risk that something you don’t want
shared can be shared quickly and with a lot of
people when it’s online. Future employers can look
through your public Facebook feed to determine
if you’re a good job prospect. Colleges can look
through your Tweets during the admissions process.
Social media has higher stakes now. It’s riskier.
Even if you have a job and aren’t applying for col
lege, there are some things about your personal life
that your friends and co-workers should not know.
There are some things that, even in the digital world,
should remain private. What happens in Vegas stays
in Vegas...unless you posted it on Facebook. And
we should be aware of that risk before clicking the
“Post” button.
And there are some things that shouldn’t neces
sarily be said publicly. If you wouldn’t handwrite it
in a letter and share it with your friends, family and
co-workers, you shouldn’t post its publicly on social
media. It’s too risky.
Spring-cleaning is beginning. And many will use
the time to flip mattresses, clear out cabinets and give
their homes a thorough cleaning. And we should be
doing the same thing with our social media. Take
the time to clear out your social media accounts.
Look back through the things you’ve posted over the
years, and consider what impression it gives. Delete
the things you wouldn’t want your grandmother to
see. And do some spring-cleaning on how you write
on social media in the future. Use care and pay
attention to the details in your social media words,
just as you would with handwritten words.
Alex Pace is a reporter with the Barrow Journal.
She can be reached at alex@barrowjournal.com.
Gov. Deal has two choices on ‘religious liberty’ bill
tom
crawford
As Gov. Nathan Deal ponders the
“religious liberty” bill that the General
Assembly has adopted, he can look
to recent examples of how two other
Republican governors handled this
particular issue.
The example cited often
in media accounts is Gov.
Mike Pence of Indiana.
Last year, the Indiana
legislature passed a
Religious Freedom
Restoration Act that was
similar to what Georgia’s
lawmakers have adopted
this year. Critics of the bill
said it would lead to wide
spread discrimination
against the LGBT commu
nity and damage Indiana’s
business image, but Pence
signed the bill anyway.
Reaction to the new law was immedi
ate, widespread, and intense. Several
organizations withdrew events from
the state, Angie’s List canceled a $40
million expansion of its headquarters,
and business boycotts were threat
ened.
The state was pilloried in the nation
al media, with the Indianapolis Star
running a front page editorial under
the headline “Fix This Now,” demand
ing that the new law be amended.
Indiana lawmakers quickly passed a
separate bill to provide protection for
LGBT customers, employees and ten
ants, and Pence signed the legislation
one week after he signed the original
bill.
“Over the past week this law has
become a subject of great misun
derstanding and controversy across
our state and nation,” Pence said.
“However we got here, we are where
we are, and it is important that our
state take action to address the con
cerns that have been raised and move
forward.”
The blowback that resulted from
Indiana passing a religious freedom
law could easily happen here if Deal
signs the controversial bill. “The fact
is, we will endure a boycott of this
state,” Sen. Vincent Fort (D-Atlanta)
said. “Get ready for it; it will affect this
state.”
Deal can also consider the example
of Jan Brewer, the Republican gover
nor of Arizona from 2009 to 2015.
Brewer is as staunch a conserva
tive as you’ll find. While she served
as governor of Arizona, she
signed the state’s controver
sial immigration law, called
“Papers, please,” that served
as a model for the anti-immi
gration bill signed by Deal
in 2011.
In 2014, the Arizona legisla
ture passed a religious free
dom bill called Senate Bill
1062 that was similar in its
provisions to the bill Pence
would sign a year later in
Indiana.
Senate Bill 1062 went to
Brewer’s desk for her signa
ture but, unlike Pence, Brewer vetoed
it.
“As governor, I have protected reli
gious freedoms when there is a spe
cific and present concern that exists
in our state,” Brewer said. “Senate Bill
1062 does not address a specific and
present concern related to religious
liberty in Arizona. I have not heard
of one example in Arizona where a
business owner’s religious liberty has
been violated.”
Brewer said she worried that the bill,
if it became law, “could divide Arizona
in ways we cannot even imagine and
no one would ever want. Let’s turn the
ugliness of the debate over Senate Bill
1062 into a renewed search for greater
respect and understanding among all
Arizonans and Americans.”
Brewer’s veto of the bill enabled
Arizona to avoid the political quagmire
that Pence would step into a year later
in Indiana. There were no economic
boycotts and businesses did not flee
the state.
Here’s the situation for Georgia now
that the religion bill is in a position to
become law.
The National Football League has
already warned that enactment of the
law could take Atlanta out of con
sideration as a future site for the
Super Bowl. The city could also lose
NCAA basketball tournaments and
other events that might be held in the
domed stadium being built for Atlanta
Falcons owner Arthur Blank.
Atlanta has already committed $400
million in tax funds to build and main
tain that stadium. The state is spend
ing another $40 million in public
money on a parking deck. Will all that
tax money go down the drain because
some legislators don’t like gays?
Atlanta and Georgia will also find
it difficult to attract new business
es. “This legislation will irreparably
damage our economy and diminish
the City of Atlanta’s standing as the
business and cultural center of the
Southeast,” Mayor Kasim Reed said.
Deal can follow the example of
Brewer or he can do what Pence did
when he takes final action on the “reli
gious liberty” bill. The choice is his.
Tom Crawford is editor of The
Georgia Report, an Internet news ser
vice at gareport.com that reports on
state government and politics. He can
be reached at tcrawford@gareport.
com.
Barrow Journal
Winder, Barrow County, Ga.
www.BarrowJournal.com
Mike Buffington....
Co-Publisher
Member:
Georgia Press Association
Scott Buffington...
Co-Publisher
National Newspaper Association
Chris Bridges
Editor
Georgia Sports Writers Association
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