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The Forsyth County News
Opinion
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letters to Ok County
News, P.O. Box Cumming,
GA 30028, hand deliver to 302 Old Buford ® l * M ■*" Bo “ hk ’°
Road, fax to (770) 889-6017 or email to editor@forsythnews.com.
On your payroll
CITY COUNCIL
Mayor, H. Ford Gravitt
RO. Box 3177
Cumming, GA 30028
(770)887-4342
Mayor Pro-Tern, Lewis
Ledbetter
205 Mountain Brook Drive
Cumming, GA 30040
(770)887-3019
Ralph Perry
1420 Pilgrim Road
Cumming, GA 30040
(770)887-7474
Quincy Holton
103 Hickory Ridge Drive
Cumming, GA 30040
(770) 887-5279
Rupert Sexton
705 Pine Lake Drive
Cumming, GA 30040
(770)887-4332
John Pugh
10813th Street
Cumming, GA 30040
(770)887-3342
COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
John Kieffer, Post 1
4403 Pine Tree Close
Cumming, GA 30041
889-3255
office, (770) 886-2810
Chairman Bill Jenkins, Post 2
430 Oakleaf Trail
Suwanee, GA 30024
(770)887-0935
office, (770) 886-2809
Michael Bennett, Post 3
4301 Post Road
Cumming, GA 30040
(770)889-4515
office, (770) 886-2807
Wiliam “Andy" Anderson, Post 4
9740 Misty Cove Lane
Gainesville, GA 30506
(770)889-1829
office, (770) 886-2806
Julian Bowen, Post 5
5035 Pilgrim Mil Road
Cumming, GA 30041
(770)887-0784
office, (770) 886-2802
BOARD OF EDUCATION
Chairman Ben Benson
1265 Dahlonega Highway
Cumming, GA 30040
(770)889-9892
PaulKreager
9810 Kings Road
Gainesvie, GA 30506
(770)889-9971
Don Hendricks
5985 Polo Drive
Cumming, GA 30040
(770)889-2909
Vico Chairman Sherry SagemlNer
1460 Squire Lane
Cumming, GA 30040
(770)887-8388
Eddte Taylor
4195 Morningside Drive
Cumming, GA 30041
(770) 887-4405
NATIONAL
REPRESENTATIVES
U.S. Senator Zell Miller
Russel Senate
Office Building
Room C-3
Washington, D.C.
20510
Telephone: (202) Hvjfl
224-
Fax: (202) 228-2090
US. Senator Max Cleland
75 Spring Street
Suite 1700
Atlanta, GA 30303
Telephone: BHMIH
(404)331-4811
Washington: -
(202)224-3521
Fax: (202) 224-
0072
US. Rep. Nathan Deal, 9th
District
2437 Rayburn House Office
Building,
Washington, D.C. 20515
Gainesville: P.O. MfIHH
Box lols ,
Gainesville, GA
30503 ■ dB
Gainesville, (770)
535-2592 I
Washington: (202)
225-
Fax:(202)225-8272
STATE REPRESENTATIVES
Senator Billy Ray, 48th District
State Capitol, Suite 301,
Legislative Office Building,
Atlanta, GA 30334
(tax) (404) 656-
6581 |L
Telephone: (404) <«.
656-0048 (office) ’W
or (770) 822-0900 |
email:
bray@legis.state.gov.us
Senator Casey Cagle, 49th
District
421 State Capitol
Atlanta, GA 30334 (fax) (404)
651-6768
Telephone: (404) 656-6768
email: ocagle@inet.legis.-
state.ga.us
Rep. Mike Evans, 28th District
18 Capitol Square,
Legislative Office
Building, Room 604 1
Atlanta, GA 30334 <
Telephone: (404)
656-0265
(fax) (404) 463- ' KSB
7652; email: mevans2B@mind
spring.com
Rep. Bobby Reese, 85th District
State Capitol, Suite 511
Legislative Office Building
18 Capitol Square
Atlanta, GA 30334
Telephone: (404) 656-6372
Fax: (404)651-8086
email: breese @legis. state.-
gov.ua
CNow we’re
getting somewhere!
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111
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Gore using religion to advance his campaign
The selection of Joe Lieberman,
an Orthodox Jew, as Al Gore’s run
ning mate was part of a secret plan
to smuggle religion into the
Democratic Party. It was an act of
desperation by a party with an ugly
image, badly in need of a moral
bath and a character lift.
Lieberman dutifully made reli
gion a campaign issue. His first
public words after being selected as
Gore’s running mate were, “Praise
God from whom all blessings flow.”
Speaking to a prayer breakfast,
Lieberman said, “This is the most
religious country in the world ... “
He described Americans as the
“children of an awesome God.”
He also let it be known that his
religious values will inform and
motivate his political positions. He
asked, “Isn’t Medicare coverage of
prescription drugs really about the
values of the Fifth Commandment
honor your father and mother?”
One has to wonder why Lieberman
does not ask himself, “Isn’t the
abortion of viable babies really
about the values yi the Sixth
Commandment thou shall not
kill?”
Observant Orthodox Jews hold
to the traditional view that abortion
is an atrocity and homosexuality is
a sin. It is no mystery why so many
orthodox rabbis are dissociating
themselves from Lieberman.
Al Gore has done his part to
execute the strategy of piety. During
the primary campaign, he identified
himself as a born-again Christian
and said that his guiding principle
as president would be, “WWJD
what would Jesus do'?”
It could be interesting, if one
were so inclined, to contemplate
how Vice President Lieberman,
who does not believe Jesus is the
Messiah, could help Al Gore figure
out the answer to “WWJD?” It
would be even more interesting to
contemplate what Gore would do
with Lieberman if Jesus instructed,
“He is not a believer. Convert him.”
Gore ran a major risk by making
a place for religion and legitimizing
“God talk” in a party that has dedi
cated itself to wiping every trace of
religion out of the public square. He
had to be concerned about the reac
tion of those liberals who, after half
a century of toil, sweat, and tears,
believed themselves to be on the
threshold of a glorious victory over
mean-spirited and judgmental reli
gious values.
In such a context, Gore chose
well. He not only inoculated him
self against the moral failings of
Clinton, he inoculated himself
against the hostility of powerful
special interest groups in the
Democratic Party. He achieved this
by defining a new religion for the
party, one headed by a God who is
prepared to bless same-sex sex and
partial-birth abortions, while frown
ing upon moral discernment and the
rebuke of sin.
Thus liberals can have their God
and exorcise Him, too. They can
have a “God" who does not stand
between them and what they want
to do and be. This is the fallen state
which liberals are asking the people
to ratify at the ballot box. It is the
world view that man is the creator
and God is his pawn.
While both Democratic candi
dates have openly stated that they
will derive public policy from the
Scriptures, one might righteously
conclude that their source of inspi
ration has more to do with opinion
polls and political expediency than
with divine guidance.
An honest look would convince
even the most skeptical that we
have strayed far from the two basic
principles which guided the
founders: the principle of limited
government that empowers the peo
ple, and the principle of moral
responsibility, which makes that
empowerment possible.
The obvious question is, why
have we abandoned our seminal
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Forsyth County News
PUBLISHES ) ■£
OCT. BTH, 22ND 8L NOV. STH
DEADLINE
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 28TH
! ' > I ,
FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS - Friday, Saptawbar 8,2000 -1
values? Was it because they didn’t
work?
To the contrary, our economic
system was energized by a people
who had a work ethic based on indi
vidual freedom, and our society was
shaped by a life ethic based on
mandates from the Creator of the
universe. It made of us the most
affluent country in the history of
human civilization and the most
moral.
At a different and better time,
“In God We Trust” was not a slo
gan, but an affirmation that each of
us must answer to an immutable
system of laws and justice com
pletely beyond man’s reach laws
not subject to popular will, lobby-
Linda
Bowles
ists, activists, opinion polls, votes,
wishful thinking or repeal by any
court designated as “Supreme.”
Our basic problem is that we
have put ourselves in the hands of
fools and charlatans. Our basic
solution is their replacement with
men and women of character and
wisdom.
Linda Bowles is a nationally
syndicated columnist.
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