Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

PAGE 4A BARROW NEWS-JOURNAL WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 1, 2020 Opinions “Private opinion is weak, but public opinion is almost omnipotent. ” - Henry Ward Beecher ~ Richard Jewell and the media Clint Eastwood's latest movie initially drew rave reviews but in the end fizzled out of the gate at the box office after a sparring match took place be tween the film’s creators and various media outlets over its content. It’s ironic because one of the main culprits the movie wanted to portray was the media, especially The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. It remains to be seen how many, if any, Oscar and Golden Globe nominations the movie receives, but that is not what the main issue is here. No doubt any of us who lived in Georgia in 1996 know Richard Jewell’s story. He was working as part of a security detail when he discovered a suspicious backpack during the Olympic Games. Jewell reported the discovery and was credited with saving several lives. Immediately after the bombing, Jewell was hailed the hero he truly was. How ever, the FBI began to look at Jewell as someone who may have planted the bomb in an attempt to seek fame and glo ry and a possible prime job in law enforcement. Federal law enforcement was also portrayed in a negative light in Eastwood’s new film for obvious reasons. The news of Jewell suddenly being a suspect was front page news across the country (the world ac tually) and his life, as well as that of his mother, became a true living nightmare of which none of us can truly comprehend. A now famous headline that appeared in our state’s largest newspaper declared he was a sus pect. Of course, as it turned out, Jewell was not responsible for planting the bomb. Yet even with the real bomber, Eric Rudolph, now serving a life sentence as a result of that crime (and others), it wouldn’t take too much effort to find someone who would tell you Jewell was the one who was really guilty. Rudolph was an extreme anti-abortionist who had placed bombs at various clinics in his one-man crusade against doctors and medical personnel who performed legal abortions. For Jewell, however, once a seed of that nature is planted in people’s mind it is often difficult to re move, His life was ruined. During the time he was a “suspect” every detail of his life, both profession al and personal, became front page news and was covered on local and cable news shows. The spotlight was so bright that no one can really imagine what that was like. None of us would want that kind of scrutiny over every detail of our lives. Jewell sued several media outlets and many settled. They didn’t admit guilt, per se, but rather than spend more money defending themselves they simply offered to settle. The AJC was the exception as the paper said it did nothing to defame Jewell. The owners, publish ers and editor said Jewell was a suspect and that is what they reported. In huge stories of this nature, the best defense is always the truth. However, many contend that the media’s portrayal of Jewell was so vicious that it led to an early death for the man who was only in his 40s when he passed away. Jewell also had medical issues but you cannot deny the stress he was under from this contributed to his early death. Jewell, to his credit, rebuilt his life the best he could. He worked to get himself in better physical shape and worked for a time for the Jefferson Po lice Department. Still his life was never the same. The money he did win in his lawsuits (estimated to be around $2 million total) clearly did not make up for what he had been through. This story has always bothered me. As a member of the media, I understand how getting something wrong can impact someone’s life. And while the AJC never said Jewell “did it,” the details of his personal life were splashed for all too read. A man who was in reality a hero was portrayed as a pa thetic loner who would do anything to live out a fantasy of being a cop. The media can play a big role in shaping opin ion on someone. It’s not just the Jewell case. Once a person forms an opinion, it typically does not change despite future developments. Eastwood’s movie drew criticism for implying that the AJC reporter who broke the story got her information in exchange for several favors. The re porter, who has also died, was strongly defended by her colleagues and editors who said she would never do that sort of thing. The AJC wanted the movie distributor to put a disclaimer at the beginning of the film but it was not done. It should be noted that any film based on actual events is going to have some parts that are fictionalized. No film can be 100 percent accurate because even people who witness the same event are going to have differences in their version of what took place. Controversy involving Eastwood’s films is noth ing new. and that goes for ones he has starred in and ones he has directed. Eastwood, who is almost 90 years old, received criticism for his films “Ameri can Sniper” and “J. Edgar.” His well-remembered Dirty Harry series of movies was not well-received in some circles and the same can be said for his westerns, often deemed too violent. See Bridges, page 6A A preview of 2020 If you thought 2019 was a year of disdainfulness and discernment in pol itics and media reporting, then you had better hold on to something because of what the year 2020 is about to dump upon us. While the United States is financially enjoying the best of times in several de cades right now, expect the Democrats to give a different story. They will argue the opposite even though we have low em ployment, a strong economy supported by the financial market standings and we are spending more on updating and rebuilding our military. The left continues its lean toward socialism and push ing the American voters to support higher taxes, free college, free medical care and an erosion of our rights as guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution. We can expect continued attacks on the First and Second amend ments by limiting free speech and pushing new gun control laws. The left hates Donald Trump and wants to remove him from office. The right doesn’t always like Trump but ap pears to be supportive of his repeat can didacy while wanting to win the House and keep the Senate right of center. “The swamp” would like for every one to be quieter so it can return to business as normal, stuffing pockets, calling in favors and telling our gov ernment what to do. Here’s a list of what to expect in the New Year! Topping the list will be final prepa rations for the 2020 presidential elec tions. Both parties will spend hundreds of millions of dollars in a fight for the right to occupy the Capitol in Washing ton. Not only do the parties want the White House, both houses in Congress have also been targeted. Next will be the formal impeach ment of President Donald Trump. The House doesn’t seem to know what to do next and many think the House will simply sit on what it has done, hoping that will cause Trump voters to desert the Republican ticket at the ballot box. The Senate hasn’t tipped its hand and appears to be waiting for the Democratic-controlled House to make the first move. The two articles of im peachment could very well still be on Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s desk in No vember without any formal action be ing taken by the Senate. We can expect nothing less from the national news media than what we re ceived last year. The gift box will in clude fake news, he said-she said finger pointing, accusations and political bias. Regardless of who holds the majori ty in Congress, both parties need to be concerned about North Korea and Chi na situations. Kim Jong-un, North Korea’s lead er, has demonstrated that he is not the most trustworthy person holding the keys to rockets and nuclear weapons. His people are starving by all accounts and he continues to rattle his small but significant sword. Jobs, cost-of-living indexes and prosperity depend heavily on our tar iffs and trade with foreign countries. It Write a Letter to the Editor: Let us know your thoughts: Send Letters to Editor, The Barrow News-Journal, PO BOX 1506, Winder, Ga. 30680. Letters can also be sent to sthompson@barrownews- joumal.com. Please put “Letter to the Editor” in the subject line. Please include the city of the writer. would benefit all Americans to see an agreement worked out on trade tariffs, especially with China. Russia remains an enemy and we could very well be in the early stages of another Cold War. Russian President Vladimir Putin, a holdover from the previous Cold War, does not like be ing in second or third place and he is willing to more than rattle a bigger sword. Russia is flexing its mil itary muscle in places not seen before and is develop ing new military arms and weapons. Governments are already suspecting Russia of field ing assassination teams tar geting people who are in public disagreement with the Russian government. There is no reason not to believe such a team would strike here in America, eliminating dissidents who have found sanctuary on American soil. Such a strike would create fear in smaller eastern countries that border Russia. Putin would like nothing more than to rebuild the old Soviet empire. We will have to deal in some way with the Mexican drag cartels. They are destroying the American lifestyle and culture at a tremendous cost. The big pharmaceutical companies are taking money from everyone’s pockets with soaring drug costs. Med ical facilities and medical practices are enjoying record payments for medical procedures and tests that cost much less in other countries. Other medical health costs and in surance rates are unreal and literally draining the pockets of hard working Americans trying to raise families. We must resolve the legal issues sur rounding the Federal Bureau of Investi gation and the abuse of the federal For eign Intelligence Service Act (FISA), as well as the Hillary Clinton violations of federal law concerning her emails and illegal servers. Unfortunately, it is hard to believe we will get much of anything done in 2020. The best we can expect is Congress will continue to collect their checks and travel fees. Finally, we can expect the Democrat ic Party to continue to try to change the face and heart of America while our poor and sick continue to suffer and those on the international scene will be emboldened to do all of us harm. It’s not a very pretty picture. Jimmy Terrell is retired from a career in law enforcement and is a Winder city councilman. He can be reached at ej- terrell65 @gmail. com. The Barrow News-Journal Winder, Barrow County, Ga. www.BarrowJournal.com Mike Buffington Co-Publisher Scott Buffington Co-Publisher Scott Thompson Editor Susan Treadwell Advertising Claire Harrison Office Ron Bridgeman Reporter POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: The Barrow News-Journal PO BOX 1506 Winder, Georgia 30680 Published 52 times per year by Mainstreet Newspapers, Inc. Periodicals postage paid at Winder, Georgia 30680 (USPS 025-132) Email: sthompson@barrownewsjoumal.com Phone: 770-867-NEWS (6397) Subscriptions: $45/yr., $40 for seniors. Trump has been consistent, give him that Donald Trump has been exactly as advertised, I would venture. He has been crude, rude and con cerned only with his pleasure or satis faction. The recent impeachment of him by the U.S. House was nearly foreordained when he was elected president. Trump was so different from other presidents his impeachment became a necessity if we take our Constitution at all serious ly- (Aside: It should ing attention that Trump loves the electoral college, one of many com promises required to pass the Consti tution, because it made him president and denigrates the impeachment pro cess, which also is a part of the Consti tution.) Trump always has been a blusterer and bloviator, spouting off about subjects he does not know but pretends he does. He always has been prone to extreme language and opinions of himself. Long before he was a presidential candidate, he offered contradictory and often false comments about other political figures. After three years as president, he still makes derogatory remarks about Bill and Hillary Clinton, who attended one of his weddings. (Seriously, couldn’t he pick a less obvious target.) He was a Democrat (largely because everyone in New York was) for a decade or two. Yes, some of us have wanted him impeached, and assumed he eventually would be, since before he was inaugu rated. Yes, it has been completely po litical. Yes, Trump made it inevitable with his actions. If he were not in the position he occu pies, his ranting could, and should, be ignored. He would be the small, weak man he always has been - if not for his position. Trump has now reached the point where few people pay much attention to what he says. Trump created his impeachment. We always should remember - and say to his supporters - he asked for a political favor and help from a foreign country and withheld money for that country that had been approved byCongress. He was not “fighting” corruption. He was seeking personal help. He did that. He was not held at gun point and forced to say those things. He did it. Impeachment then became a necessi ty - much as I hate to say it - and in evitable. His contradictory comments are am ple evidence of his inability or unwill ingness to recognize reality. When he was a real estate guy trying to make this or that deal by bullying and lying, we could ignore him. He should be ignored now and he largely is by other coun tries’ leaders. Elected officials take all sorts of oaths, presidents and members of Con gress among them. They should pay attention to the content of those oaths - things such as upholding the Consti tution. Those are not simply words. They should be recognized and honored, not trashed and ignored as Trump has done. Trump’s lies and actions make him unfit for office - from president to dog- catcher. I apologize to dogcatchers and other presidents. The differences he exhibits are what endears him to supporters - he makes people like me furious. I have been a moderate all of my adult life and my political heroes - Dan iel Patrick Moynihan, Howard Baker and Sam Nunn have been in that line. Trump has changed me. I have become a Never Trumper. I will vote in November 2020 for any creature but him. My dog, Doodle, is smarter and more civilized than our president. I would vote for her. Ron Bridgeman is a reporter for MainStreet Newspapers. Send him email to ron@mainstreetnews.com. jimmy terrell tell anyone pay roll bridgeman