Newspaper Page Text
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 18, 2017
BARROW NEWS-JOURNAL
PAGE 5A
Shame on Lewis and Trump
Enough is enough!
Shame, shame, shame on
Georgia U.S. Congressman
John Lewis and on Presi
dent-elect Donald Trump.
Both should
be sent to the
comer of the
room and have
to sit with a
dunce cap on
their heads.
Since Con
gressman Lewis
fired the first
shot, let's start
his story.
We know
Lewis’ his
tory. He was
a young man from Troy,
Ala. following and sharing
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr’s
dream during the Civil Rights
struggle. Lewis is an hon
ored icon of the straggle and
movement.
Lewis frequently reminds
the public of his arrests and
his beatings during those
turbulent times, especially in
Alabama. He is known for
his courage and willingness
to “fight the fight” when nec
essary.
Lewis made national head
lines seven months ago and
twice again in the past two
weeks.
The first incident occurred
in June when the Democrats
did not have enough votes
to pass handgun legislation
in the House of Representa
tives. Lewis led a sit-in on the
floor of the House, clearly in
violation of House rules and
etiquette.
The group also took photos
and video during the sit-in,
another House rules violation.
Two weeks ago Lewis
announced he would not sup
port the appointment of Jeff
Sessions as President Don
ald Trump's candidate for the
office of Attorney General of
the United States.
According to media reports,
Lewis “excoriated” the U.S.
senator’s nomination, offering
that Sessions “.. .would only
look out for some of us.”
Lewis spoke of his own
childhood of growing up in
a segregated southern
Alabama town only
miles from where Ses
sions grew up.
Lewis’ allegation
seemed to be saying
that because Sessions
is white, grew up in
a segregated Alabama
society some 60-70
years ago, he is not
capable of serving
today as America’s
attorney general.
Rep. Lewis report
edly summarized the segre
gation he saw growing up in
Alabama in the 1940s and
50s and hinted that a con
firmation of Sessions would
take our country back into
those times of social strife.
Though the Georgia con
gressman has a limited fol
lowing in denying Sessions,
there are some prominent
Democrats on board with
Sen. Sessions.
Former Georgia Democrat
ic Sen. Sam Nunn spoke on
behalf of Sessions' appoint
ment as did former Secretary
of Defense Robert Gates. Dr.
Gates has the distinction of
being the only Secretary of
Defense to be asked by an
incoming U.S. president to
remain in his appointed post.
Gates served under Pres
ident George Bush and was
retained by President Barack
Obama.
In addition, moderate
Democratic Sen. Joe Man-
chin of West Virginia stated
he would support Sessions as
did Maine's moderate Repub
lican Sen. Susan Collins.
This past week, Lewis
announced to the national
media that he would not be
attending the President-elect's
inauguration because he con
siders Trump to be an illegit
imate candidate and winner.
In an interview with CNN,
Lewis said he thinks Trump
stole the election from Hillary
Clinton with the help of the
Russians.
It sounds as if Lewis is now
denying the system he fought
so bravely for over the years.
He battled the system for a
change that was needed. He
needs to accept the legitimacy
of the election and the fact
that the system works.
You can’t have it your way
one day and a different way
tomorrow.
As to President-elect
Trump, we need to just say,
“grow up.” You wanted the
job and you got the job. Now
show us what you can do. We
can do without the tweets.
We’ve had a narcissist in
the White House for the past
eight years. It would be nice
if we could be exempt for
four years.
And, you have to wonder
what Martin Luther King, Jr
would say to both men today.
I think he would be disap
pointed in both.
Where is the leadership
that both Lewis and Trump
should be bringing to the
table? Instead of leading, both
are trudging through the kitty
litter in the litter box on the
back porch.
So far there has been only a
display of childish tactics by
both parties.
No willingness to give the
other side an opportunity, no
compromise, no open lines of
communication.
Take sides if you want but
either way you look at it;
John Lewis stooped to Don
ald Trump’s level and Don
ald Trump stooped to John
Lewis' level.
It’s time for somebody to
step up and show some bipar
tisanship leadership.
Jimmy Terrell is a retired
law enforcement official. He
can be reached at ejterrell@
gmail.com.
jimmy
terrell
Statham ‘disruption’
provisions not needed
Statham City Council
Tuesday night
approved one
ordinance and
added a section
to another city
ordinance. Nei
ther were nec
essary.
Both were to
“strengthen” the
mayor’s author
ity to control
public meet
ings and public
records, the city
attorney said.
Plenty of authority
already exists to deal
with public meetings and
records.
I should note the city's
new provisions are legal,
but they are unnecessary
and give fodder to those
who scream and holler
about corruption and
cover-up.
The changes are the
reaction, mostly, to the
continuing brouhaha over
arrests made by city offi
cer Marc Lofton.
According to Police
Chief Allan Johnston,
Lofton made 63 arrests
within about 10 months.
Nearly all of those arrests
are for “DUI - less safe.”
It is a charge, near as I
can tell, that does not
require specific levels of
alcohol and/or drugs in a
person's system.
That would seem to
open a whole can of
worms, but that is for the
legal eagles to debate.
The more pressing
question is a letter the
Prosecuting Attorneys’
Council wrote recently
to District Attorney Brad
Smith. The language
“clears” Lofton of crim
inal actions, but it also
says in pretty strong lan
guage that Lofton needs
more, and more detailed,
training before
he would be
qualified to
determine lev
els of impair
ment. More
fodder for the
attorneys.
The changes
made Tuesday
are not extraor
dinary.
Many other
towns and cit
ies have similar
provisions.
The problem is the
way it looks. It looks as
though Statham is trying
to stifle requests for open
government.
I don't believe that is
the case. Opponents have
been given time to speak
before council. They
have been heard. It's just
that council has no inten
tion of bending to the
complaints.
The council has poli
cies, under the mayor’s
authority. One, in partic
ular, is onerous and not
worthy of a public body.
The provision is part of
the “policies for public
comment.” It requires
anyone who wants to
speak before council to
notify the city clerk by
noon Thursday before
the meeting.
It is an unneeded and
harmful provision. The
council typically has a
work session on the day
that notice is required.
The council's meeting is
the following Tuesday.
Anyone who wants to
speak should be allowed
to sign up the night of the
meeting and speak.
The council is con
cerned about disruptions
at its meetings and it has
some instances of those
disruptions in the past
few months.
Opponents of the Lof
ton arrests are not among
the politest folks in the
room.
At last Thursday’s
work session, council
member Perry Barton
and Kendra Sextion, a
frequent council attendee
and speaker, tried to talk
over one another. Neither
covered himself or her
self with glory.
In his eruption, Bar
ton said Moore “has done
this to us for two years.”
So what? That is her
right.
On the other hand,
Moore was rude, insis
tently interrupting Bar
ton’s comments. She did
create a disturbance. The
mayor could have shut it
down simply by pound
ing a gavel and telling
Moore to allow Barton
to speak uninterrupted,
or be removed from the
meeting.
Public officials agree
to serve when people are
angry.
Those folks have the
right to speak, repeatedly
if they choose.
Public officials can
insist that speakers be
civil and not holler or
interrupt others.
Statham is not different
from other public bod
ies. It needs to remember
it is a public body and
its members have all the
authority they need.
The provisions passed
Tuesday should be
rescinded.
Ron Bridgeman is a
reporter for Mainstreet
Newspapers. Send email
to him at ron@mainstreet-
news.com.
ron
bridgeman
Thompson continued from 4A
Pet clinic offers low-cost spay, neuter
the wrong with their state
ments. but only one of them
is going to be president.
At some point, if Donald
Trump is going to do as he
promised and unite our coun
try, he has to learn tact and
how to handle himself better.
Many of his supporters,
though, revel in his confron
tational nature, his thirst to
dominate the conversation.
Trump used his Twitter plat
form to perfection through
out the campaign — out
pacing any superior ground
organization Clinton report
edly had — so. in his view,
why should he stop with the
insults?
Outgoing President
Barack Obama has faced his
own litany of attacks over
the years.
Most of them have been
much more severe, includ
ing grand conspiracies such
as his being a Kenyan-born
Headmaster’s
Corner
by
Steve Cummings
ii
ILLEGITIMATE? - This Fri
day, our Country will have a
new President. Late last week,
Rep. John Lewis said that
Trump’s presidency was not
legitimate.
Lewis complained that Rus
sian hacking of DNC emails
destroyed Hillary Clinton’s
campaign and turned the elec
tion. Of course, no one knows
for sure whether the revelation
of DNC emails swung any
votes Trump’s way. What we do
know for sure is that the emails
were real. They weren’t fake
news.
My hope is that President
Trump will be able to rise
above the political noise and
slow down the Twitter feeds. If
Trump had not called out Lew
is by saying his District was in
“horrible shape,” the comments
from Lewis probably would not
have gotten much attention.
ATHENS
CHRISTIAN SCHOOL
“Affordable Quality Education Since 1970”
K3-12TH CALL (706) 549-7586
www.athenschristian.com
secret Muslim agent with a
clandestine plan to destroy
America.
I don’t recall him taking to
Twitter to rant against those
accusations.
Ironically enough. Trump
had to say at a news confer
ence he believed Obama was
indeed bom in the U.S.
“Sad,” indeed.
The act is long past tire
some, but it is just getting
started.
Scott Thompson is editor
of the Barrow News-Jour
nal. He can be reached at
sthompson@ barrownews-
joumal.com.
Leftover Pets offers low-cost spay/neuter
surgeries at its clinic in Winder, 610 Barrow
Park Drive.
January clinic days are Mondays, Tues
days, Thursdays & Fridays. Prices are $85
for a female dog over 25 pounds, $65 for
a female dog up to 25 pounds, $55 for a
male dog, $55 for a female cat and $35 for
a male cat.
There is a $5 discount for any surgery
patient no older than 5 months (as deter
mined by Leftover Pets veterinarian).
All surgery prices include a free rabies
vaccination. The clinic does not add fees
for in-heat or pregnant animals. Financial
assistance is available for any low income
Barrow County resident. For more infor
mation on clinic services, go to http://www.
leftoverpets.org. Appointments are required
and must be made by calling 770-307-3499.
January 18, 2017 ~ Crossword Puzzle
Across
I. Angling worm
5. Tissue that conducts food
in plants
II. 1937 Steinbeck novella
14. Feed storehouse
15. Raised pattern cotton cloth
18. Prophetic signs
19. Cowboy competitions
21. Ophthalmic products com
pany, Worldwide
23. Prefix meaning inside
24. Arousing or provoking
laughter
28. Plant spike
29. Atomic #94
30. Himalayan goat
32. Patti Hearst’s captors
33. Rock TV channel
35. Pen point
36. Tiny bite
39. Organized work group
41. Atomic #58
42. Food fish of the genus Alosa
44. Fleshy slice of meat
46. Shallowest Great Lake
47. Tapered tucks
51. Winter muskmelon
54. Isaac’s mother
56. Picasso’s birthplace
58. Lowest hereditary title
60. Streisand/Reford film
62. Verb states
63. Soluble ribonucleic acid
Down
1. Sink in
2. Hairdo
3. Muslim leaders
4. Ringworm
5. Oppresses or maltreats
6. Cut fodder
7. Natural logarithm
8. Not divisible by two
9. Independent Islamic ruler
10. Written proposal or reminder
12. Tilt or slant
13. Nests of pheasants
16. Portable shelters
17. Swiss singing
20. Body of an organism
22. Opposite of “yes”
25.41st state
26.007’s Fleming
27. They speak Muskhogean
29. Payment (abbr.)
31. “Spud Papers” author’s
initials
34. Large vessel for holding
liquids
36. Nanosecond (abbr.)
37. Worn to Mecca
38.1/100 rupee
40. Of I
43. Distributed cards
45. Public promotion of a
product
48. Hard to find
49. Thinks or supposes
50. More lucid
52. Thai monetary unit
53. Phil , CIA Diary author
55. Dialect variant of “heron”
57. One of the tender bristles in
some grasses
58. Pass
59. Hot or iced brewed beverage
61. Equally
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