Newspaper Page Text
Page 4A
The Braselton News
Wednesday, January 15, 2020
Opinion
Hallmark of things to come
The Hallmark Movie Channel has come un
der fire recently for pulling a commercial that
included 2 brides kissing in a celebration of
same sex marriage.
The resulting uproar from the liberal left
proved once again those tra
ditional families and those
supporting a Biblical view
of right and wrong have
no advocates in the public
square. That parents who
believe that their children
should be able remain inno
cent until they reach puberty
have one fewer “safe space”
left where they can retreat
and protect their children
from exposure to the mod
ern morality of anything
goes and everything is “nor
mal.”
A culture that has elevated a distorted view
of “tolerance” to the highest virtue is a cul
ture that has lost its ability to discern right and
wrong. Not all behavior is "normal"; not all
behavior is worthy to be emulated; not all be
havior should be celebrated...there still exists
such a thing as a bad choice...and, in a society
that makes it virtually impossible for parents
to train their children with a moral code that
distinguishes between right and wrong, the
question becomes who will assume the re
sponsibility...neither the school system nor
the state have proven they can be trusted to
accomplish the task.
The old tripe that it’s the parents' responsi
bility to monitor what their children see and
hear on social media has been overwhelmed
by a constant drumbeat mocking tradition
al values and traditional families. Hallmark
Channel used to be a safe place for a family to
enjoy wholesome entertainment together...no
swearing, violence or nudity...modesty was
on display, traditional marriage preferred to
one-night stands...love and heartfelt friend
ships carried the day. Now I agree that some
times the syrup was a little too “sweet,” and
the “formula" too predictable, but the themes
always seemed to reinforce traditional family
values.
Because Hallmark Channel has chosen to
cave to threats from the bullies on the left,
it can no longer be a trusted “safe place” for
families...no parent is quick enough with the
remote to “edit out” the offensive advertise
ment messages being “normalized” by the
commercials that flash on our TV screens
without warning.
This is not an attack on “alternative life
styles," but a plea to end the war on traditional
lifestyles. Lifestyles which both history and
sociology indicate are the best and healthiest
choices. The push in the entertainment indus
try and the PC forces on the left seem bent on
not only legalizing their choices, but to make
the rest of us agree with them. Not everything
that is legal is moral...it is not “hate speech"
to disagree with others’ personal choices. It is
not “hate” that drives a mother to institution
alize a child who’s dealing with drug addic
tion. Neither is it “hate” for parents to seek to
help their children make the best choices for
their future wellbeing.
Is Hallmark's failure of conscience a har
binger of things to come? Is there a “safe
place” for parents with young children?
Capt. Jim Kinney USN (ret) is a highly dec
orated 26 year veteran of Naval aviation with
extensive experience in DC. He served on
Gov. Huckabee ’s presidential campaign staff.
A noted international speaker, Capt. Kinney is
available to speak to civic groups for special
events, luncheons, dinners and retreats. Con
tact him at Captain5772@gmail.com.
New Orleans
NEW ORLEANS - After Atlanta, my
home turf, the first major city I got to
know well was New Orleans, which has
a variety of pronunci
ations and nicknames.
“New Or-leans” is
commonplace as is
New “Or-lee-uns.”
Doesn’t matter how
you say it, a party im
age comes sauntering
to the forefront of your
mind when the city is
mentioned. “Nawlins,
NOLA, the Crescent
City," all suggest that
the birthplace of jazz
is the place to be when
you covet a festive occasion.
Just don’t come here when it is raining
or when it is bitterly cold, if you can help
it. New Orleans is a walking city best en
joyed on a sunny day. In 1968 when Geor
gia played Arkansas in the Sugar Bowl,
the weather that week was not much
different than what you might expect in
Nome, Alaska.
At a party for the two teams the night
before the game, Georgia President Fred
Davison almost caused Vince Dooley to
suffer apoplexy when he jokingly said,
“With the temperatures dropping, tomor
row ought to be a good day for a hog kill
ing.” Not sure if Vince ever forgave Da
vison since Arkansas played a peak game
while the Bulldogs were about as lethar
gic as they have ever been in a bowl game,
losing 16-2.
“Way down yonder in New Orleans,”
reminds you of the French Quarter, Satch-
mo, the mighty Mississippi, unparalleled
dining options, meandering bayous, voo
doo practitioners, graves above ground,
tug boats and ocean liners—like the
tide—coming in or going out.
I first came here during my college days
to participate in a cross country race, a
five mile trek up Canal Street. Whenever
the Southeastern Conference held its an
nual meetings in New Orleans, there was
a spike in attendance.
Before learning a smattering of the
city's charming history, I would walk the
French Quarter and read the street signs.
I would say out loud the names on the
street signs, wondering if I had gotten
them right: Bienville, Carondelet, Char
tres, Dauphine, Freret, Iberville, Gravier,
Pontchartrain.
Even the aforementioned country boy
knew that when it came to names, Canal
Street was as out of place in the foregoing
list as an evangelist showing up at Chris
Owens' night club, unless it was Jimmy
Swaggart doing mission work.
Tourism has long been significant to the
city’s economy. The latest statistics con
firm that nearly 18 million visitors come
to New Orleans annually and generate
more than $8.7 billion dollars while they
are here.
If you take respite in the Crescent City
and enjoy the sights and sounds that are
uniquely New Orleans, bring money. New
Orleans is not cheap, but is there any
place out there that could be considered
a traveler’s bargain—unless it is Chit-
lin’switch!
Nothing could be more exciting than
to spend a week in New Orleans with an
unlimited expense account. Everywhere
you go, there are white tablecloths, a
signature dish, seductive ambience and a
casual pace that reminds you of how the
French treat mealtime—an unhurried ex
perience to be savored.
Breakfast at Brenan’s is about as good
of a way to start your day as there could
be. Bloody Mary’s and milk punches to
get your heart to beating but it is best not
to linger since you have signature meal
time options at noon and sundown.
Local’s prefer Galatoire’s which does
not take reservations, which means you
may stand in line for a long time which
seems not to bring about business deter
rence although it would fit Yogi Berra’s
description of a popular New York restau
rant: “Nobody goes there anymore. It’s
too crowded.”
For a while, a good friend, Vernon Brin
son, lived in an apartment virtually next
door to Commander's Palace. Owned
by the famous Brennan family, there are
times during the week, when 25 cent
martinis heighten the elbow-bending and
binging about morning after regrets.
Potato puffs still resonate at Antoine's,
shrimp arnaud at Anaud’s—which I
learned about from the late Dan Magill,
whose connection with Arnaud's came
from his wife Rosemary, a New Orleans
native. Shrimp arnaud would be great for
a pre-game meal.
Raw oysters at Felix’s Restaurant and
Oyster Bar are still in demand. Nothing
like bellying up to the oyster bar at Felix’s
and ordering, along with a dozen oysters, a
Dixie Beer, which was originated in 1907.
For sports junkies there is Manning’s, a
watering hole where you will likely find
the proprietor, Archie Manning, hanging
out.
War, hurricanes, jazz, fine cuisine, Ta
basco sauce, Cajun accents, have been
comingled for years to give New Orleans
a mystic flavor that takes one back again
and again. I am grateful encores are still
taking place.
Loran Smith is a VGA announcer and
columnist for Mainstreet Newspapers.
Loran
Smith
Want to submit a letter?
The policy for letters to the editor
submitted to The Braselton News is as
follows:
• an original copy of all letters must be
submitted for publication. Members of
our staff will not type out or hand-write
letters for people who stop by the office
and ask them to do so.
•letters to the editor must be signed
with the address and phone number of
the person who wrote them. The address
and phone number will be for our veri
fication purposes only and will not be
printed unless the writer requests it.
• e-mailed letters will be accepted but
we must have a phone number and ad
dress.
•letters that are libelous will also not
be printed. Letters may also be edited to
meet space requirements.
Anyone with questions on the policy is
asked to contact editor Alex Buffington
at alex@mainstreetnews.com or 706-395-
2752.
What will the 2020s bring?
We have just finished the decade of the
20-teens. It was a decade that began in misery
and in many ways, also ended in misery.
But not for the same
reasons.
A decade ago, the local
community was mired in
a deep, relentless reces
sion. Houses were being
foreclosed on in record
numbers. The local con
struction industry was at
a standstill. Local gov
ernments were mired in
red ink. Unemployment
was high. Banks were
closing.
Today, the econo
my has recovered from that deep downturn.
Growth is exploding across Jackson County
and the surrounding communities. Construc
tion is back with a number of major projects
being built.
When the recession first hit in 2008, local
governments were slow to respond. Nobody
expected the downturn to last very long, so lo
cal governments didn’t begin making any cost
cuts until late 2010, long after their resources
had been drained. Government layoffs were
widespread as local tax digests went down for
the first time in decades. A decade later, it’s
difficult to remember just how depressed the
local economy was in 2010.
Today, local governments are flush with
money. Additional employees are being hired
and major capital projects are in the works.
The lights that were turned off in 2010 have
been turned back on. (Except for the state
government, which is in a financial hole due
to political considerations overriding com
mon sense.)
But some things never change. In 2010,
like 2020, the City of Hoschton was in the
spotlight just as it is today. Here’s what this
newspaper wrote in 2010 among its goals for
that year:
Hoschton needs to decide its future. The
town has been struggling for several years
from poor leadership and fiscal mismanage
ment. It does not have the financial resources
to do everything and like many small towns,
has taken a hit during the economic downturn.
The town has put off making tough decisions
for years; now with a new mayor and council,
maybe that won’t be delayed any longer.
We could say almost the same thing today,
a decade later.
In 2010, we also called for new leadership
in the Jackson County School System. Since
then, the system has gained new leaders and
greatly strengthened its administrative staff,
the real backbone of the system. At the BOE
level, the system has had changes as well,
although with three relatively new members,
the board is still adjusting and finding its way.
Still, the system has cleared some major
hurdles over the last decade, getting its finan
cial house in order and expanding its schools
to accommodate a massive amount of residen
tial growth.
But the decade ends a little like it began.
Although we’re not in an economic recession,
there is a deep undercurrent of unrest in the
country and by extension, the local commu
nity.
Many people are doing well economically,
but many are not. Poverty and cultural dys
function with massive amounts of drug abuse
and family violence are pervasive in the coun
ty. We are not breaking the cycle and helping
people elevate their lives out of those swamps.
The demand on public resources is growing at
the same time the political will to provide it
has weakened.
•••
So what will the next decade bring?
A good theme would be to always expect the
unexpected. We can’t foresee everything that
might happen and there are a lot of issues that
are out of local control. The recession that hurt
the county in 2010 wasn’t created locally, but
was perhaps made worse here by some poor
decisions.
Likewise, what we see in 2020 could radically
change in the next 10 years.
Here are a few thoughts:
• The economic boom probably won't last
another decade. The economy is ready for a cor
rection and slowdown; booms never lasts for
ever. The problem is, the tools used in 2010 to
help pull the nation out of recession are largely
gone, as is the political will. Jackson County is
hyper-dependent on construction as a key part of
its economy. Any construction slow down in the
next decade could have deep effects here.
• 2020 is an election year for many local coun
ty offices. Changes in political leadership could
have an impact on the county, depending on the
dynamics of those elections. Still, I don’t expect
to see a major local election cycle until 2024.
• That won’t be the case for national elections
where 2020 will be the most hyper-partisan
election since 1860. That national tone — divi
sive, partisan and full of fear and rage — will
undoubtedly filter down into local debates. To
day's political discourse is terrible as people
create their own reality with distorted social me
dia and pandering propaganda. Truth has died
in America; people only want what fuels their
biases. It’s likely this will get worse in the com
ing decade.
• One of the key issues in the next year or
two will be the fate of the massive SK plant in
Commerce. Billions of dollars are at stake here
and for the electric vehicle market. If ongoing
lawsuits go against SK, the Commerce plant
might become a bust. If SK prevails, infighting
over the tax funds could split the county into old,
warring factions.
• Jackson County is clearly a center for distri
bution centers and warehouses. This is the next
economic base for the county, the cycle that is
replacing the old textile industry and before that,
agriculture. But Jackson isn’t the only player in
the game for distribution centers in the South
east and as that part of the economy matures,
landing big distribution centers will be more dif
ficult. Jackson has a very good location for such
businesses, but is lacking in other areas, such as
a supply of skilled workers.
• In that regard, education will be critical in
the 2020s. The new county Empower College
and Career Academy will open in 2021. It could
have a major impact on economic development,
but it could also get lost if state funding and
whims shift. By 2030, we should have a pretty
good idea about how that is working.
• There will be an increasing divide in the
county between those moving here and old-tim
ers. The two factions largely have different ideas
of community needs. Tensions will grow as the
pressures mount. Anti-growth advocacy will
grow and at some point, be the major force in
local political decisions. At the same time, ex
pectations of local government services will also
grow, putting pressure on governments to deliv
er more. An increasing base of retirees in the
county could set up a lot of tension between that
group and young families about who should
pay for what services.
Mike Buffington is co-publisher of Main-
street Newspapers. He can be reached at
mike@mainstreetnews. com.
IS AMERICA ON THE
VERGE OF COLLAPSE?
The United States is the wealthiest, most powerful nation that
has ever existed. Its rise was no accident. It was formed out of
hundreds of specific events that started 3,000 years before the
adoption of the U.S. Constitution. But today, is the strength of
this nation eroding? Did the Bible see it coming? Will America
be history’s final empire?
OPENING SESSION:
THURSDAY, JANUARY 23 AT 7:00 PM
Republic Rising
History tells us that when Christopher Columbus set sail, he already
knew the world was not flat. So what was he really doing on his
quest? We’ll look at the evidence that points to Columbus’ true goals,
his deep convictions, and a journey that he believed was driven by
the hand of God.
Church Auditorium
99 E. Jefferson
Hoschton, GA 30548
FREE Admission
FREE Study Guides
FREE BOOK!
Final Empire by shawn boonstra
(while supplies last)
To view the full event schedule, and to reserve your seats, visit
FinalEmpire.com/Hoschton or call (888) 496-7756