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PAGE 5A
ForsythOpinion
Thursday, December 1,2011
Newts box
of matches
As a Republican con¬
gressman, Newt Gingrich
filed ethics charges that led
Democratic House Speaker
Jim Wright to resign in
1989. Later, the House
elected Gingrich speaker.
Then, in 1998, Gingrich
resigned after his own
close encounter with an
ethics probe. Wright said
he didn’t want to gloat, but
he did compare Gingrich
to “an arsonist who sets
fire to his building without
stopping to realize the
flames are going to con¬
sume his own apartment.”
Gingrich truly is, to use
one of his favorite phrases,
a “transformational fig¬
ure.” He has this unsettling
history of morphing into
the very thing he once
denounced.
Gingrich was right to
challenge Wright for skirt¬
ing ethics rules by ped¬
dling copies of his self
published book,
“Reflections of a Public
Man,” to get around a
House cap on members’
speaking fees.
So what did Gingrich do
as he rose up the leader¬
ship ladder? Instead of a
book, Gingrich developed
a college course —
“Renewing American
Civilization” — that later
became the title of a book.
Gingrich defenders have
argued that unlike Wright’s
book, the course was not
about lining personal pock¬
ets. OK. But then Newt’s
supersize ego led him
astray. Course notes
extolled the then-GOP
whip’s role in creating an
“American movement”
with a GOP majority as an
“advocate of civilization,”
a “definer of civilization,”
a “teacher of the rules of
civilization” and pre
pare to feel a thrill up your
leg an “arouser of those
who form civilization.”
House Dems filed ethics
complaints charging that
the course illegally used
tax-exempt entities to pro¬
mote partisan politics. The
Internal Revenue Service
later ruled in Gingrich’s
favor.
But because Gingrich
provided “inaccurate,
incomplete and unreliable”
information to the House
Ethics Committee, mem¬
bers voted to fine Gingrich
$300,000 (the cost of the
investigation).
On its 2012 campaign
Web site, Team Newt dis¬
misses the ethics charges
as “politically motivated.” documents
The misleading
were “prepared by Newt’s
lawyer.”
That handy explanation
YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS
CITY COUNCIL
Mayor H. Ford Gravitt, RO. Box
3177, Cumming, GA 30028; (770) 887-
4342
Mayor Pro-Tern Ralph Perry, 1420
Pilgrim Road, Cumming, GA 30040;
(770) 887-7474
Rupert Sexton, 708 Dahlonega
Road, Cumming, GA 30040; (678)
936-9111
Quincy Holton, 103 Hickory Ridge
Drive, Cumming, GA 30040; (770)
887-5279
Lewis Ledbetter, 205 Mountain
Brook Drive, Cumming, GA 30040;
(770) 887-3019
John Pugh, 108 13th St., Cumming,
GA 30040; (770) 887-3342
COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
Secretary R.J. (Pete) Amos, Post 1,
110 E. Main St., Cumming, GA 30040;
(678) 513-5881; rjamos@forsythco.
com
Chairman Brian Tam, Post 2, 4410
Dorset Lane, Suwanee, GA 30024;
Send a letter to the editor to P.O. Box 210 Cumming, GA 30028; fax it to (770) 889-6017; or e-mail it to editor@forsythnews.com.
DEBRA SAUNDERS
Columnist
goes to the recklessness
that makes the prospect of
a Gingrich nomination so
scary. Gingrich knew that
Democrats were gunning
for him. In his lust for self
aggrandizement, he handed
his opponents ample
ammunition.
The new John Adams
couldn’t just teach a regu¬
lar course on American
history. No, he had to
involve his political arm,
GOPAC, and other ele¬
ments of “Newt Inc.” The
course burned through as
much as $450,000 in 1994
and again in 1995. While
under investigation,
Gingrich signed documents
that weren’t true.
The 1997 House vote to
reprimand Gingrich was
hardly partisan. It was
395-28. Republicans were
beginning to see that
Gingrich hurt them more
than he helped them. When
the GOP lost five House
seats in 1998, Gingrich
was forced to resign. He
had lost his party’s trust.
I don’t want to think
about the fact that
Gingrich started dating his
last two wives while mar¬
ried to the first two wives.
Impossible, it’s like look¬
ing at Cyrano de Bergerac
and not seeing his big
nose.
The problem is, you can¬
not delineate between his
personal life and his public
life. The Newter won’t let
you.
He insists on parading
third wife Callista, who
had a role in his conver
sion to Catholicism, in a
“Callista and I” tour to
promote core American
values and stave off secu¬
larism.
Leave it to Gingrich to
pump up his family values
credentials by joining a
church that does not recog¬
nize divorce.
Gingrich later explained
his extramarital activities
as “partially driven by how
passionately” he “felt
about this country.” He
makes you roll your eyes.
Listen to Gingrich long
enough and you’ll feel like
one of his ex-wives.
Debra J. Saunders is a
nationally syndicated colum¬
nist. E-mail heratdsaun
ders@sfchronicle.com.
(404) 392-6983; office, (678) 513-
5882; brtam@forsythco.com
Todd Levent, Post 3,
110 E. Main St., Cumming, GA
30040; (678) 513-5883; tlevent@for
sythco.com
Vice Chairman Patrick Bell, Post
4, 110 E. Main St., Cumming, GA
30040; (678) 513-5884; home, (678)
648-6130; pbbell@forsythco.com
Jim Boff, Post 5,110 E. Main St.,
Cumming, GA 30040; (678) 513-
5885; jjboff@forsythco.com
BOARD OF EDUCATION
Ann Crow, District 1, 320
Dahlonega St., Cumming, GA
30040; (770) 490-6316; acrow@for
syth.k12.ga.us
Kristin Morrissey, District 2, 3310
Cany Creek Lane, Cumming, GA
30041; (404) 550-3083; kmor
rissey@forsyth.k12.ga.us
Chairman Tom Cleveland, District
3, 5225 Millsford Court, Cumming,
GA 30040; (770) 844-9901; tcleve
land@forsyth.-k12.ga.us
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I think of a sales tax on food as a kind of flat tax...
the kind that leaves a lot of families flat broke! n
Jim Powell for the Forsyth County News
Tribute to a wise man
Today, I ask for a moment of
personal privilege. It was two
years ago this week that I
wrote about the Three Wise
Men that have so greatly influ¬
enced my life; Roy Hodnett, a
real estate magnate on St.
Simons Island; Dr. Raymond
Cook, my college professor,
now residing in Valdosta and
John W. Jacobs Jr., a broadcast
pioneer and philanthropist
from Gainesville.
All three in their 90s or close
to it. All three a part of the
Greatest Generation. All three
family men of faith. I could
not have asked for better role
models.
Last week, John Jacobs died.
I am richer for his having been
in my life and poorer now that
he is gone.
Ironically, I spoke to the
Gainesville Kiwanis Club a
couple of weeks ago and was
able to share the head table
with my brother, Bob, and
John and Martha Jacobs. It
doesn’t get any better than
that.
While John had suffered a
stroke earlier, there was little
evidence that he had slowed
down as we reminisced about
our long association together,
going back to the days when
two colleagues of mine from
WSB Radio and I had broad¬
cast the Gainesville High
School football games on his
radio station.
Our lives intertwined over
the years. I joined the tele¬
phone company and came in
contact with Jacobs through
my various job responsibili¬
ties. Southern Bell was a hier
archal organization, which
meant the higher you moved
up in management, the more
influence you had and the
more that people who had
ignored you down the ladder
suddenly discovered what a
Vice Chairwoman Darla Sexton
Light, District 4, 50080 Hopewell
Road, Cumming, GA 30028; (770)
887-0678; dlight@forsyth.k12.ga.us
Nancy Roche, District 5, 7840
Chestnut Hill Road, Cumming, GA
30041; (770) 889-0229; nroche@
forsyth.k12.ga.us
NATIONAL LEGISLATORS
U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson, 120
Russell Senate Office Building,
Washington, D.C. 20510; (202) 224-
3643 or (770) 661-0999
U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss, 416
Russell Senate Office Building,
Washington, D.C. 20510; (202)
224- 3521 or (770) 763-9090
U.S. Rep. Tom Graves, 9th
District; 2133 Rayburn House
Office Building, Washington, D.C.,
20515; (202) 225-5211; fax: (202)
225- 8272
U.S. Rep. Rob Woodall, 7th
District; 1725 Longworth House
Office Building, Washington, D.C.,
20515; (770) 232-3005
This is a page of opinion—ours, yours and
others. Signed columns and cartoons are the
opinions of the writers and artists, and they
may not reflect our views.
■jtar
DICK YARBROUGH
Columnist
neat guy you were.
Not John Jacobs. Whether I
was regularly mispronouncing
the name of the Gainesville
quarterback on the Friday night
broadcasts those many decades
ago or we were conducting
serious business on behalf of
our respective organizations
years later, he was always gra¬
cious, always a gentleman. Our
relationship never changed.
In the meantime, his own
media empire was expanding.
From one small radio station
to a successful cable franchise
he later sold, until today where
Jacobs Media owns three radio
stations, an online news site
and a travel service. Behind
the nice guy persona was a
razor-sharp mind. No one ever
questioned his business acuity.
Still, John would tell you his
greatest accomplishment was
his marriage to Martha, his
soulmate of 53 years, and two
children they raised and who
carry on in the business and
the seven grandchildren.
The biblical injunction,
“From everyone who has been
given much, much will be
demanded,” sums up John
Jacobs. Except good works
were not demanded of him. He
did them because it was the
right thing to do. There is not
enough space available here to
list all of his contributions to
Gainesville and to northeast
Georgia.
The generosity of his time
and tithes is legendary. From
Brenau University to Riverside
Military Academy to the
Northeast Georgia History
STATE LEGISLATORS
Sen. Steve Gooch, 51st District,
Coverdell Legislative Office
Building, Room 321-B, 18 Capitol
Square, Atlanta, GA 30334; (404)
656-9221
Sen. Jack Murphy, 27th District,
Coverdell Legislative Office
Building, Room 325-A, 18 Capitol
Square, Atlanta, GA 30334; (404)
656- 7127
Rep. Mike Dudgeon, 24th
District; Coverdell Legislative
Office Building, Room 608-C, 18
Capitol Square, Atlanta, GA
30334; (404) 656-0298
Rep. Amos Amerson, 9th
District, Suite 401-G, State
Capitol, Atlanta, GA 30334; (404)
657- 8443 or (706) 864-6589
Rep. Mark Hamilton, 23rd
District
Suite 218, State Capitol,
Atlanta, GA 30334; (404) 656-
5132; local, (770) 844-6768
Center to his church, Grace
Episcopal Church — all these
institutions prospered and
grew under the influence and
leadership of John Jacobs.
I have had the privilege to be
involved in a number of spe¬
cial moments in John’s life. A
few years ago, I was asked to
be the keynote speaker at a
dinner at Riverside Academy
honoring the great man’s
career and his many contribu¬
tions to his community. It
looked to me as if the entire
city of Gainesville turned out
to pay him homage that eve¬
ning.
During a video tribute to
Jacobs it was revealed that
during World War II, he had
earned not one, but two Silver
Stars. It took many in the audi¬
ence — including me — by
surprise. The Silver Star is the
third-highest combat decora¬
tion that can be awarded to a
member of the military for
valor in the face of the enemy.
John got two of them. And
he never talked about it. He
had done his duty for his coun¬
try and moved on to the rest of
his life. That tells you more
about John Jacobs than I can in
this short space.
If you are even the most
casual observer of this column
you have no doubt read on
more than one occasion my
assertion that we are placed on
earth for only one reason to
leave it a better world than we
found it.
I can think of no one no
one — who did it better than
John Jacobs. He made a lot of
lives better, most particularly
mine, and I am going to miss
this wise man very much.
You can reach Dick Yarbrough at
yarb2400@bellsouth.net or P.O.
Box 725373, Atlanta, Georgia
31139.