Newspaper Page Text
Page 4A
The Braselton News
Wednesday, August 30, 2023
Opinion
The mugshot heard 'round the world
Donald Trump’s scowling mug shot in Atlanta last week
may well be his defining photo, as some commentators claim.
But it’s also a visual testament to just how unhinged Trump
really is; how long did he practice that “I’m a tough-guy
look?”
Trump will undoubtedly go down in
history as the nation’s worst president
(so far at least). He is corrupt to the core,
a massive liar and an egomaniac. That
he is now facing four separate criminal
indictments isn’t surprising given his
lack of ethics.
Still, it remains to be seen if any of
the four scattered prosecutions will be
successful in the courtroom. Even as a
never-Trumper and vocal critic of the
man, I have my doubts that he will ever
be held accountable for his misdeeds, or
that the legal cases against him will prevail.
But first things first: I’m tired of hearing that Trump is
somehow a victim of evil Democrats who are indicting him
for political and not legal reasons.
Nope, Trump is not a victim of Democrats — he’s a victim
of his own hubris and stupidity. He alone created the prob
lems he faces. His actions were morally and ethically wrong
even if they don’t result in any criminal convictions.
That’s not to suggest that politics is absent from the four
indictments he faces. It may well be that our highly-charged
political atmosphere does have a role in some of those cases.
It’s difficult to do anything in the nation today that isn’t
tainted by political overtones. And the reality is, if Trump and
his clan could weaponize the judicial system against their
enemies, they would quickly do so.
Still, Trump’s own actions and words are why he’s facing
four criminal indictments. They aren’t just trumped-up
charges (pun intended); they’re based on some very serious
allegations that were caused by Trump and the cadre of nutty
sycophants he surrounded himself with.
Everyone has an opinion on the four Trump indictments.
Here’s my take:
1. The hush money indictment: Trump was indicted in
New York on state charges related to hush money payments
made in 2016 amid that year’s election. The payments were
to cover up a 2006 affair he had with a pom star. In that case,
Trump faces 34-counts related to having falsified business
records to cover-up the payments to Stormy Daniels.
My Take: While Trump is probably guilty of the charges,
the overall case seems like an overshoot. It relates to his con
duct before becoming president and really has little to do with
his impact on the nation. While the case displays Trump’s
amorality, it’s relatively minor. Even if he’s guilty, so what?
This sounds to me like a case where a defendant should plead
out to a minor misdemeanor, pay a fine and go home.
2. The Jan. 6-related indictment: Following his defeat
in 2020, Trump tried various schemes to undo the election
results. Among those was his efforts to exploit the violence
at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6,2021, in an effort to stop the
counting of Electoral College votes. Trump faces a four-count
federal indictment of attempting to defraud the government in
a conspiracy related to those actions.
My Take: Trump’s words and actions following the 2020
election certainly led to the attempted coup on Jan. 6. He lied
repeatedly that the election had been stolen and encouraged
his followers to help him retain power by any means. Still,
I’m not sure it’s illegal to he about an election’s outcome.
Unless the feds can link him directly to the violence, I think
this will be a weak case. That’s unfortunate because the
assault on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 injected violence into our
political system in a way that hadn’t happened since the Civil
War. Trump was the instigator, but unless there’s a smoking
gun that directly links him to the violence, the criminal case
may fall apart.
3. The classified documents indictment: When Trump va
cated the White House in January 2021, he illegally took with
him a number of classified documents, including some secret
military documents. The federal government attempted multi
ple times to have Trump return the documents, but he refused
to send them back. Instead, he allegedly showed some of the
classified military documents to people not authorized to see
classified documents. In mid-2022, the FBI raided Mar-a-La-
go and seized the documents. Trump allegedly attempted to
move and hide documents and to have video footage erased
to hide those efforts. Trump faces 40 felony charges from
the feds related to having kept, and attempting to hide, those
classified documents.
My Take: This may be Trump’s most serious legal prob
lem. He took classified documents he knew he shouldn’t have
and actively attempted to hide them. If he were in the U.S.
military and did that, he’d be court-marshaled and sent to
prison. Unlike the other cases, this case appears to link Trump
personally to an illegal act. This case may send Trump to jail.
4. The Geoigia elections case: Following his 2020 loss,
Trump attempted to have several state officials in Geoigia
cheat for him and overturn the results that Joe Biden had won
Georgia. Georgia leaders refused, however, to do Trump’s
bidding. Trump and a slew of associates are now charged
under the state’s RICO law, essentially that the efforts in
Georgia to overturn the election were a criminal conspiracy.
Among the more serious allegations are that he had a fake
group of electors created who would say Trump had won
Georgia.
My Take: While some view the Georgia case as Trump’s
most serious, I’m not so sure. Trump is a bully, but that’s
not illegal. What could get him, or some of his associates
in trouble, is that Trump’s lawyers and others attempted
to break into voting equipment in Coffee County where a
local election officials was a Trump supporter and allowed
Trump associates to have unauthorized access to voting
computers. If those efforts can be linked directly to Trump,
it could bolster the state’s case. Still, RICO is complex
and I’m not sure such a sweeping case will be easy to
prosecute. If Trump is guilty of election interference in
Georgia, then why use RICO, why not charge him directly
rather than indirectly? In addition, the Fulton County DA is
overtly partisan and that could undermine the overall case.
On the other hand, the sweeping charges could force some
of Trump’s co-defendants to rollover and testifying against
him in return for a deal. Lots of drama, but drama doesn’t
equate to conviction.
• ••
I’m not convinced that any of these indictments will
bring Trump down either legally or politically. He seems
immune to normal logic and normal rales that would de
stroy any other politician.
I have no doubt that Trump wants to be an authoritarian
leader. At one point during the post-2020 election chaos, he
wanted to use the military to confiscate voting equipment
in the country in a bid to keep power. Only an autocrat
would think like that.
There is nothing ethical about Trump. The events of Jan.
6 proved he would endorse violence to achieve political
means. He is no different than Putin, or any of the other
authoritarian dictators who he seems to worship.
• ••
Justice is not blind in this country. Those with money and
means often get special treatment. Look around: There are
a lot of people behind bars for having done much less than
Trump is accused of doing, but who didn’t have the means
to fight back.
I expect Trump to use his money to delay and dodge
court proceedings, perhaps for years.
The irony: He’s using that sneering mug shot from At
lanta to raise money from those to blind to see the huckster
behind the mask.
Mike Buffington is co-publisher ofMainstreet Newspa
pers. He can be reached at mike@mainstreetnews.com.
About Blakely Ga.
BLAKELY - If you don’t have culinary affection for fried
quail and peanuts, you might not enjoy spending time in tins
town of5,000. There is a plethora of other dining choices,
but fried Bob White and a container of boiled peanuts are
always making somebody’s day in this
agri-business hotspot.
Blakely is known as the “Peanut
Capital of die world,” which is certainly
apropos. Early County grows more
peanuts than any county in die nation.
There’s more to appreciate about
the seat of Early County, including the
ultimate in downhome hospitality, a
courthouse square than reminds you of
the one in Oxford, Mississippi, and a
citizenry that bring food to wakes, share
vegetables with friends and neighbors,
and practice the Golden Rule.
Today, the rich soil here produces,
in addition to peanuts, cotton, grain, and com. It is also quail
country. There is a “Quad Motel,” and when you are down
town you likely will move about, at some point, on Bob White
Avenue.
Any reference to Bob White, brings about recall of two
South Georgia hunters bragging about dieir bird dogs, one
adamant diat he had a bird dog with “the best nose there ever
was.” To substantiate his claim, he put down his tailgate and
set his English Pointer free, whereupon the birddog circled
the block and came to a sudden stop. He pointed his nose at
a young boy-in that classic stance, stiffly erect with his tail
pointed finnly upward and his left front leg stylishly folded
under Ins breast.
“Look at that,” the proud owner exclaimed. His companion
scoffed at the scene and said, “That don’t mean nothing, that
dog is pointing that boy.” Hie birddog’s owner then advised,
“Come with me.” He went over and began interrogating the
boy in the street. “Son, you have a bird in your pocket?” Hie
kid shook his head negatively, “No sir, I don’t.”
Hie birddog owner then asked, ‘You been quail hunting
today? You had your hands on a quail bird?” The answer was
a convincing, “No Sir.” Hie dog’s owner wasn’t finished. “Son
what’s your name?” Hie kid, said, “Bob.” Hien, he asked,
“What is your last name?” “White,” the kid smiled.
You hear stories like that in towns such as Blakely where
quail hunting is very important—as much for the emotion
al benefits as anything of economic value. Hie two major
sporting interests in deep South Georgia are quail hunting and
Georgia football.
Everybody loves the Dawgs and dogs, as in birddogs.
Bumper stickers, painted mailboxes and yard signs confirm die
Georgia connection. Hie abundance of quail plantations is as
prevalent as caps, sporting the red and black “G.”
My first quail hunt was in Blakely. I came as die guest of
a grand gentleman by the name of S. G. (Guy) Maddox who
owned the cotton gin, the First State Bank and with a son-in-
law, Bill Young, of Lexington, Ky., developed Jif peanut butter.
As the guest of Lynwood Anglin, David Atkins, and the
Methodist Men’s Ministry, I spent the night in the former home
of Guy Maddox, which the bank uses as a guest house for
business friends and customers. Maddox was the first $500.00
contributor to the athletic scholarship fund at Georgia. Hiat
was a big deal in his day. UGA’s as well.
I had stayed in diat same house for a quail hunt in the late
sixties along with Jim Whatley, Georgia baseball coach, and
one of Maddox’s best friends. We quail hunted with Jack Clif
ton who was a local baseball player of repute. My sojourn here
was a flashback to an era of good times.
After visiting widi longtime friends Nelson and Libby Hat-
taway, who have spent much time in Athens over the years, I
was up early the next morning for a downhome breakfast with
Brad Hughes, publisher of die very successful Early County
News, at Smitty’s restaurant, where chef-owner, Trey Harrell,
wid make your day with the best downhome breakfast you will
find in the peanut capital of the world.
I met up widi A1 Hutchins, a fonner assistant to Guy
Maddox, who remains employed by the bank to oversee
the old homestead. Hutchins is a member of die city council
and enjoys great memories of his days with Maddox. “Hiis
October will be 54 years that I worked for diat man, and his
family,” Hutchins says. “Nobody ever treated me better dian S.
G. Maddox. He was good to his employees, and he was good
to his friends and neighbors.”
hi Blakely/Early County those altruistic qualities are as
traditional as quail and peanuts.
Loran Smith is a commentator for UGA and a columnist for
Mains treet Newspapers.
t ^ Wf
Loran
Smith
Tellers of Songs —
Rodney Crowell
Several years ago, I cohosted a radio show that was
recorded in a studio on Nashville’s famed Music Row.
Top on my wish list of guests was
songwriter Rodney Crowell. His
songs range from light and fun to
deep and thought provoking. “Cool”
- a word I seldom use to describe
a person - is perfect for Rodney
Crowell.
Raised in Houston, Crowell came
to Nashville after being discovered
by Jerry Reed. Nashville was “a
cold splash of water” in his face, he
admitted. When Emmylou Harris,
who had recorded his song, “Blue
berry Wine”, offered a spot in her
legendary Hot Band, he hightailed it
for Los Angeles.
Nashville was a natural fit for Crowell because it
appreciated his Kris Kristofferson-way of writing a
country song that could be country or pop. So, a few
years later, he returned to Music City and found him
self comfortably amidst the “in” group.
Crowell, for several years, was a recording artist. In
1988, his fifth studio album, recorded in Nashville with
top musicians, was co-produced by Crowell and Tony
Brown, who made his mark by producing George Strait
and Reba McEntire.
This album, “Diamonds and Dirt”, remains one of
my favorites. It will be remembered for much including
five number one songs, tremendous critical acclaim,
and commercial reception which turned it into a plat
inum seller. It included, “She’s Crazy For Leaving,”
which he co-wrote with his mentor, Guy Clark, and
“It’s Such A Small World”, a duet with Rosanne.
One of my longest, most precious friends, Judi Turn
er, handled Rodney’s publicity on that album so my
first call was to her.
“Let me see if I can track him down,” she said.
I also tried two other mutual friends. Within a few
hours, I received an email that said simply, “Are you
looking for me?”
Rodney Crowell! I still have the email. I wrote back,
asking him to guest on the show. He readily agreed. It
became two of my memorable hours in life.
We talked about hit songs he wrote including, “Leav
ing Louisiana In The Broad Daylight” and the smash,
multi-awarded, “Please Remember Me” sung by Tim
McGraw.
He explained that he tried not to pay much attention
to critics, good or bad. We agreed - it’s distracting.
I said, “Yeah, the problem is that my fans keep dyin’
and my critics keep goin’ strong.”
He nearly fell out of his seat, laughing. “I might find
a song in that.”
In the years since that day, Crowell has continued to
write hit songs, critically acclaimed songs, and won
a Grammy for an album with Emmylou called, “Old
Yellow Moon.” I recommend it.
Rodney Crowell is country music’s version of Paul
McCartney. Medium height, lean, and always has a
modish shag of hair which has now turned to silver.
He has not slowed down with his writing. At 23, he
pretended to have wisdom in “Song For A Life,” a
hit, years later, for Alan Jackson. I love the line, “I’ve
learned to listen for a sound like the sun going down.”
These days, he writes from hard-earned wisdom.
In our interview that day, he shared admirable stories
of being Johnny Cash’s son-in-law (he and Rosanne
divorced years ago) including the day he met Cash.
Crowell and Rosanne had been living together in
L.A. They flew to Cash’s home in Jamaica for the
meeting.
“I was nervous,” he laughed. “I drank a lot of whis
key on the plane so I was pretty cocky by the time we
landed.”
Cash showed him to his bedroom, making it clear
that Rosanne would be elsewhere.
“I pulled myself up. ‘We will be in the same room.’”
Cash eyed him seriously. “Son, I don’t know you
well enough to miss you when you’re gone.”
Crowell laughed. “I learned a lot from John. Boy, I
miss him.”
I’m glad that Crowell continues to write. I’d hate to
have to miss him.
Ronda Rich is the best-selling author o f the new
novel: ST. SIMONS ISLAND: a Stella Bankwell Mys
tery.
The Braselton News
Mike Buffington Co-Publisher
Scott Buffington Co-Publisher & Advertising Manager
Ben Munro Editor
Wesleigh Sagon Photographer/Features
MEMBER
• Georgia Press Association
• National Newspaper Association
• International Society of Weekly Newspaper Editors
Postmaster: Send Address Changes To:
MainStreet Newspapers, Inc.
PO Box 908
Jefferson, Georgia 30549-0908
Web Site: www.BraseltonNewsToday.com
Email: ben@mainstreetnews.com
Voice: 706.367.5233
Published weekly by The Braselton News
33 Lee St.
Jefferson, GA 30549
Periodical Postage Paid at Jefferson, GA 30549 (SCED 23390)
Yearly Subscriptions: $35