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The Forsyth County News Opinion This is a page of opinions ours, yours and others. Signed columns and cartoons are the opinions of the writers and artists and may not reflect our views. Kerry’s environmental record may haunt him WASHINGTON Last Oct. 20, Sen. John Kerry, in nonstop derision of President Bush, declared: "Where we see a beautiful mountaintop, George Bush sees a strip mine." That environmentalist rhetoric, backed by Kerry's Senate vot ing record, injects the senator into confrontation with the coal industry that could defeat him for president. That is his burden in Wheeling, W.Va., Monday, on a campaign swing that includes visiting a coal mine. Coal is a side issue in Congress, but it is critical to two states won by Bush in 2000 that could decide the 2004 presidential election. Coal pro duction is important for Ohio and absolutely vital to West Virginia. If Kerry is perceived as anti-coal, he could lose both states and the presidency On this week's visit to West Virginia. Kerry is likely to con demn as inadequate Bush's investment for clean coal tech nology (currently $2 billion over 10 years). He echoes the anti-Bush line by the stye's most powerful Democrat, Sen. Robert Byrd. Mine owners laugh it off, noting you can't have clean coal if Kerry-backed measures eliminate all coal. While governors (Jimmy Carter. Ronald Reagan. Bill Clinton and George W. Bush) have obscured their positions on delicate questions. Kerry cannot escape the impact of thousands of votes during 20 senate years. One such vote came in 1999. Byrd, grand protector of West Virginia, proposed an amendment to preserve coal production. It was designed to override liberal U.S. District Judge Charles Haden's deci sion, since reversed, to end mountaintop mining in West Virginia. Byrd told the Senate that his amendment was intended "to allow for the continuation of our coal industry and the jobs it provides white better protecting the mountains and hollows of the state we love." With the United Mine Workers strongly behind Byrd’s amendment, it passed the Senate Nov. 18, 1999, by 56 to 33. Kerry was one of the 33. Kerry also co-sponsors environmentalist Sen. James Jeffords's Clean Power Act, which the coal industry regards as a death sentence in eliminat ing 90 percent of mercury emissions by 2008. The non partisan Energy Information 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 Dr., Cumming, GA 30040; (770) 887-3019 Ralph Perry 1420 Pilgrim Rd., Cumming, GA 30040; (770) 887-7474 Quincy Holton 103 Hickory Ridge Dr., Cumming, GA 30040; (770) 887-5279 Rupert Sexton 705 Pine Lake Dr., Cumming, GA 30040; (770) 887-4332 John Pugh 10813th St., Cumming, GA 30040; (770) 887-3342 COUNTY COMMISSIONERS Charles Laughinghouse, Post 1 3550 Rosewicke Dr., Cumming, GA 30040 (770) 8867937; office, (770) 886-2810 David “AJ.” Pritchett, Post 2 4840 Chesterfield Court, Suwanee, GA 30024 (404) 392-6983; office, (770) 886-2809 John A. “Jack” Conway, Post 3 6130 Polo Club Dr., Cumming, GA 30040 (770) 886-9226; (770) 8862807 Marcie Kroeger, Post 4 9810 Kings Rd., Gainesville, GA 30506 office, (770) 8862806 Eddie Taylor, Post 5 4195 Morningside Dr., Cumming, GA 30041 o (770)8862802 \ r Administration (EIA) estimates the Jeffords bill would reduce coal consumed for electricity by 43 percent, losing 1 million jobs. Last year, Kerry voted for (while Byrd was voting against) the Lieberman- McCain Climate Stewardship Act. which would move the U.S. toward the Kyoto global warming protocol. The EIA estimated the bill would reduce coal's share of electricity from 50 percent down to 11 percent, eliminating 50,000 coal indus try jobs. Kerry has not deviated from this environmentalist standard. And he must find away to defend it in Ohio, where huge industrial job loss could por tend Republican disaster and Democratic bliss. Republicans never have elected a president without carry ing Ohio. The Ohio Coal Association, which orchestrated the state legislature’s passage of a reso lution condemning the Jeffords bill, is preparing to put Kerry's record in the hands of every coal industry worker in the state (and neighboring states, including West Virginia). While Ohio long has been pivotal in presidential elections. West Virginia has been a back water until recently. George W. Bush visited Morgantown, W. Va„ the last weekend of the 2000 campaign to pin down five electoral votes from the overwhelmingly Democratic state, which Al Gore had alien ated partly because of his per ceived anti-coal position. Nearly all the early political maps made for 2004 have West Virginia swinging back to the Democratic column this year, but the most recent poll by the American Research Group shows a flat-out tie at 46 per cent. Kerry does not help by lauding his endorsement by the League of Conservation Voters, an organization that has labeled coal as one of the "inefficient, destructive fossil fuels of the past that pollute our air and water." John Kerry on the cam paign trail this week pre dictably will avoid embracing that position. Robert Novak is a national ly syndicated columnist. /kMANCEoX ' » Vi--** —>»•—»»-- xTWoiIT A ** Voters can’t escape talk of war records WASHINGTON There is no law that says elections have to be about anything important. Most would agree that the presidency is a significant job since Sept. 11, 2001. our president is now also viewed as Protector of the Homeland and we would like to be believe that the way we elect presidents is significant, also. But if modem presidential elections have taught us any thing. it is how trivialized the process has become. Not every presidential election has to be about war or peace, prosperity or poverty, leadership or drift. But I would like to think a presidential election is about something. The election of 1988, one of the worst elections in mod em history, was about nothing nothing that mattered any way. It was about flag facto ries and Willie Horton and the Pledge of Allegiance and who really was the wimp. It was so bad that George H.W. Bush felt he had to promise "a kinder, gentler nation" if he won. Bush's media adviser, Roger Ailes, described his the ory of dealing with the media during that campaign this way: "You try to avoid as many mistakes as you can. You try to give them as many pictures as you can. And if you need coverage, you attack, and you will get coverage." Judy Woodruff, then with the "MacNeil/Lehrer News- Hour." responded. "So you're saying the notion of the candi date saying, I want to run for president because I want to do something for this country,' is crazy." "Suicide," Ailes replied. As David Von Drehle of The Washington Post wrote NATIONAL LEGISLATORS < U.S. Sen. Zell Miller Russell Senate Office Building, Room C-3 Washington, DC. 20510 (202) 224-3643; Fax: (202) 2262090 U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss > 1019 Longworth House Office Building Washington, D.C.20515 (202)224-3521 . < U.S. Rep. Nathan Deal, 10th District 2437 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, D.C.20515 Gainesville: RO. Box 1015, Gainesville, GA 30503 Gainesville, (770) 5362592; Washington: (202) 226 5211; Fax: (202) 2268272 U.S. Rep. John Linder, 7th District > 1727 Longworth House Office Building, Washington, D.C. 205161011 Washington: (202) 2264272; Fax: (202) 2264696 STATELEGISLATQRS < Sen. David Shafer, 48th District 109 State Capitol Atlanta, GA 30334 (404)651-7738 Sen. Casey Cagle, 49th District > 421 State Capitol, Atlanta, GA 30334 Telephone: (404) 6566578; (tax) (404) 651-6768 < Sen. Dan Moody, 27th District (770)495-3127; Off ice (404) 463-8055 Roger Simon this Sunday, our nation is not sharply divided today by acci dent. The presidential candi dates, he writes, no longer are trying to unite Americans but are trying to divide them. "Occasionally, speeches may pay homage to broad, unifying themes," he writes, "but the campaign day to day seems intended to deepen, rather than erase the rift." Nor is that the only prob lem. While hot-button issues (abortion, affirmative action and so on) are often used to divide people, at least those issues are about something. As 1988 shows, campaigns don't have to be about any thing at all, and there are signs the 2004 campaign is heading in the same direction. The John Kerry campaign had to spend precious time last week defending Kerry against charges that the first Purple Heart he was awarded in Vietnam (he ended up with three, as well as Bronze and Silver Stars) was for a trivial rather than a serious wound. Even though there is noth ing funny about Purple Hearts, I had to smile when I first heard that accusation. As any one in the military can tell you. Purple Hearts have over the years been awarded for all kinds of reasons. My father, a combat veter an of the Pacific in World War 11. received a number of medals including a Purple Heart. The Purple Heart was the only one he would talk about. "We were unloading sides of beef off a ship," he J FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS -Thur»d«y, April 28,2004 - told me, "and there was an air raid, and some jerk let go of his rope, and the side of beef fell right on top of me. \\hen 1 woke up in the hospital, an officer was going down the rows handing out Purple Hearts to everyone. So that's how I got my Purple Heart." According to the Associated Press: "Kerry got his first Purple Heart after he got shrapnel in his left arm above his elbow. Kerry's third Purple Heart came from an incident on March 13, 1969. when a mine had exploded near Kerry's swift boat. A small piece of shrapnel lodged in his left upper buttock. He was treated with a tetanus shot, topical dressing and an ace bandage. Kerry also was wounded by a piece of shrap nel on Feb. 20. 1969. on his left thigh. Doctors decided to leave the shrapnel in place rather than make a wider opening to remove it." So here is a guy still walk ing around with shrapnel in his thigh that he got while serving his country in combat, and he has to defend himself against charges that his first wound wasn't big enough? Which leaves me with two questions: One. how many of those who are questioning his service in Vietnam served in Vietnam at all? And. two, who the hell cares about how big his wounds were? What's the standard? The bigger the wound, the more qualified you are to be president? Because if that is the stan dard, then George W. Bush is in big, big trouble. That was last week. This week began with another Vietnam accusation. Monday, Kerry was accused of contra dicting himself as to whether he threw away his combat Sen. Renee Unterman, 45th District > (770) 466-1507; Office (404) 463-1368 ** < Rep. Tom Knox, 14th District Legislative Office Building, Room 504 18 Capitol Square, Atlanta, GA 30334 (404) 6560188, or (770) 887-0400, law office Rep. Jan Jones, 38th District > 412 Legislative Office Building, Atlanta GA 30334 (404) 656-0137 < Rep. Jack Murphy, 14th District Legislative office Building, Room 612, Atlanta GA 30334 (404) 656-0325; (770) 781-9319, home BOARD OF EDUCATION Ann Crow 96 Barker Rd., Cumming, GA 30040 (770) 887-9640; acrow@forsyth.kl2.ga.us Paul Kroeger 9810 Kings Rd., Gainesville, GA 30506 (770) 889-9971; pkreager@forsyth.kl2.ga.us Nancy Roche 7840 Chestnut Hill Rd., Cumming, GA 30041 (770) 889-0229; nroche©forsyth.kl2.ga.us Rebecca K. Dowell 2030 Commonwealth Place, Cumming, GA 30041 (770) 844-0830: rdowell@forsyth.kl2.ga.us Chairman Jeffrey Stephens RO. Box 169, Cumming, GA 30028 (770) 889-1470; jstephens@forsyth.kl2.ga.us medals when he returned from Vietnam or his combat rib bons. Kerry has said frequently that he threw away his rib bons. But a TV network found a tape of Kerry in 1971 saying he threw away his medals. Got that? This whole story hangs on whether it was medals or ribbons. Do you know the difference? Do you care? Kerry says that he and the military make no distinction between medals and ribbons, but in any case, he is sticking to the story that he threw away his ribbons. And he snapped back that this "comes from a president who can't even (pro vide evidence) whether or not he showed up in the National Guard." Perhaps Americans are bored with discussions of Iraq, terrorism, jobs, health care and schools. But are we really going to spend the next seven months talking about medals, ribbons, shrapnel and the National Guard? Sen. John McCain. R- Ariz... put it this way: "I'd like to see us put the war that was over more than 30 years ago behind us. I've spent the last 30 years trying to heal the wounds of the war. ... We have enormous challenges facing America. I believe that Pres ident Bush served honorably in the National Guard. I believe that John Kerry served honorably, and I wish we would move forward and face the challenges that lie ahead of us. I don't think most Amer icans are enjoying this." Well, they may not be enjoying it, but. boy, oh boy, are they going to be getting it. Roger Simon is a national ly syndicated columnist. He can be e-mailed at Write Roger@aol.com. PAGE 9A