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PAGK 5 A
ForsythOpinion
Thursday, February 2,2012
Leader right
from heart
Whew, that was close. I
almost became a Baptist the
other day. Not just any
Baptist, but a (gulp) Southern
Baptist.
Let me add here that there
have been times when the
Rev. Dr. Gil Watson, the
world’s greatest preacher, has
become so weary of trying to
save my sorry soul that he
would gladly trade me to the
Baptists, Presbyterians or
even the Islamic Center for
the Advancement of Self Pity
in return for two altos, a
Sunday school teacher and an
usher to be named later. Dr.
Gil only has these thoughts
when I insult some demo¬
graphic group, which is once
a week.
The Rev. Bryant Wright,
senior minister of the
7,600-member Johnson Ferry
Baptist Church in Cobb
County and current president
of the 16-million member
Southern Baptist Convention,
recently invited me to lunch
and 1 eagerly accepted. I had
never met the man, but I have
heard his inspirational mes¬
sages, “Right from the
Heart,” on local radio and felt
that for a Baptist, he made a
lot of sense. (Just kidding,
folks. Put down the poison
pens.)
I had the feeling that the
Rev. Wright had gotten a lot
of angry mail from around
the country about my com¬
ments concerning a Southern
Baptist Convention study to
take “Southern" from the
organization’s name; my
views on women preachers (I
am all for them and have one
picked out to participate at
my funeral); divorced Baptist
preachers; and the evils of
yoga. I had that feeling
because I had gotten a lot of
the same mail.
1 figured 1 would get a
Bible-thumping lesson of
righteous indignation and
before I had finished my
French fries, 1 would be con¬
demned to hellfire, damna¬
tion and told I was going to
downtown Atlanta for eterni¬
ty, w hich would be worse
than going to hell.
Imagine my surprise and
relief when l sat down with
the Rev. Wright. The man is
low-key, full of good-humor,
lacking in self-importance,
willing to accept someone
else’s point of view even if it
is at odds with his own (are
you listening, Bible thump¬
ers?) and — oh, yeah — a
devout Christian who does
credit to the faith.
Despite running what
amounts to a mid-sized cor¬
poration at home and being
president of a denomination
with a population larger
than many states, he must
have felt I was worth his
time. He was totally
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, 211 Hickory Oak
Hollow, Cumming, GA 30040; (770)
844-7929
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
R.J. (Pete) Amos, Post 1,110 E.
Main St., Cumming, GA 30040; (678)
513-5881; rjamos@forsythco.com
Brian Tam, Post 2, 4410 Dorset
Lane, Suwanee, GA 30024; (404)
392-6983; office, (678) 513-5882;
Send a letter to the editor to P.O. Box 210 Gumming, GA 30028; hoc it to (770) 889-6017; or e-mail it to editor@forsythnews.com.
r
DICK YARBROUGH
Columnist
relaxed, unhurried and
made me feel comfortable.
He joked he had suggested
to people that 1 was ecu¬
menical and picked on
everybody, except the
University of Georgia and
Methodists.
Alas, he was wrong. I have
reason to believe the UGA
administration has a dart
board with my face on it.
Also, there was a
Methodist from Emory
University who came to
preach at our church and
kept referring to God as
“Heeshee.” 1 thought that
was a Biblical term I had
missed — maybe I hadn’t
studied Deuteronomy
enough — until 1 figured out
he was referring to God as
“he” and “she.” Perhaps God
was amused by that, but I
wasn’t and said so in this
space.
The Rev. Wright says the
task force will report to the
SBC executive committee in
February about any recom¬
mendations on a name
change. He wouldn’t tell me
its decision, but 1 assume
they are going to replace
“Southern” in the name and
try not to look too regional
when trying to establish new
churches outside the
Southeast.
As for divorce, he said
Baptist churches are all inde¬
pendent and can do whatever
they want on that issue (I
suggest they read 1
Corinthians 7:11.) We
agreed to disagree on *
women preachers.
The Rev. Wright believes
strongly there is biblical
support for men being the
spiritual leaders in church. I
don’t think God gives a rip
about stuff like that. I
believe God wants us to
love each other and to
remember that just going to
church won’t get you to
heaven any more than going
to a movie will get you the
lead in the next Steven
Spielberg epic.
It was a great lunch and 1
managed to get out of the
restaurant still a Methodist
but with a new friend in
high Baptist circles. Who
knows? Maybe the Rev.
Bryant Wright will join Dr.
Gil Watson in praying for
my sorry soul. 1 can use all
the help I can get.
You can reach Dick Yarbrough
at yarb2400@bellsouth.net or
P.0. Box 725373, Atlanta, GA
31139.
brtam@forsythco.com
Secretary Todd Levant, 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
Chairman 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,
3, 5225 Millsford Court, Cumming,
GA 30040; (770) 844-9901; tcleve
land @forsyth.-k12.ga.us
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"Must have been a small businessman.
...He's bound head-to-toe in layers of red tape!
Jim Powall for the Forsyth County News
Romney faces tough opponents
Mitt Romney’s impressive
victory Tuesday makes it very
likely that we will look back on
the Florida primary as the con¬
test that determined the 2012
Republican nomination.
To be sure, the campaign fight
will go on, and Romney is by no
means assured of a sweep of the
relatively few February contests.
Newt Gingrich has vowed to
run all the way to the conven¬
tion, whatever the odds. He has
shown similar determination in
the past.
He ran and lost twice for
Congress before he was first
elected in 1978. He saw his party
lose seven straight elections for
the House before he led it to its
first majority in 40 years in
1994. Gingrich sees himself as a
world historical figure, whose
destiny should not be forestalled
by a few weeks of negative ads
and a couple of subpar debate
performances. He’s also
pumped up by anger.
Rick Santorum has shown
similar determination, in
Pennsylvania and in this cycle.
He made hundreds of cam¬
paign appearances in Iowa,
New Hampshire and South
Carolina with no perceptible
impact in the polls until he hit
double digits in Iowa at
Christmastime, two weeks
before the caucuses. Santorum
sees himself as a principled
leader, unafraid to take politi¬
cal risks.
It would be severely out of
character for either to with¬
draw And neither has any
other commitments on his cal¬
endar.
As for Ron Paul, he believes,
not without cause, that his
message of abolishing the
Federal Reserve, legalizing
marijuana and withdrawing
from much of the world has
been gaining resonance and
attracting followers. He
doesn’t expect to be president
Vice Chairwoman Darla Sexton
Light, District 4, 50080 Hopewell
Road, Cumming, GA 30028; (770)
887-0678;
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)
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.
1
MICHAEL BARONE
Columnist
anyway, so why not take
advantage of this chance to get
the message out even more?
The first February contest is
the Nevada caucuses on the
fourth. Romney won easily
four years ago, thanks in part
to the high turnout of his fel¬
low Mormons. But the Nevada
caucuses had never been held
before, and turnout was a low
— 44,000 in a state of 2.7 mil¬
lion people.
It’s likely to be higher this
time, with a lower Mormon
percentage, and in a state where
Republican primary voters
chose Sharron Angle in 2010.
The Maine caucuses start, but
don’t finish, on Feb. 4. Romney
forces are confident there, but
Maine Republicans nominated
and elected a conservative gov¬
ernor in 2010.
Three days later, on Feb. 7,
come the caucuses in Minnesota
and Colorado. Romney won
both in 2008, when he was the
only Republican candidate with
much of a caucus organization.
Maybe not this time. In state
elections, Minnesota Republican
caucus-goers have tilted far to
the right, with many strong
right-to-lifers a group more
likely to favor Santorum or
Gingrich than Romney.
Colorado’s caucuses have a less¬
er conservative tilt and look pret¬
ty safe for Romney.
Those caucuses are non-bind¬
ing; so is Missouri’s primary on
the same day. Missouri was a
tight three-way race last time,
and Romney did well in the two
big metro areas that cast about
half the vote. Gingrich is not on
the ballot, so Santorum has a
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; '
(770) local
844-6768
chance to shine in the rest of the
state where Romney ran weakly.
Finally there are the Michigan
and’Ari/.ona primaries on Feb.
28. Michigan is Romney’s
native state, where his father
was elected governor when he
was in 10th grade, and he won
there in 2008.
A Michigan poll taken in the
days after South Carolina
showed Romney leading
Gingrich by 5 points. There’s no
recent polling in Arizona.
Many analysts see February
as a Romney sweep month. I’m
not so sure. We may see among
Republicans a phenomenon
apparent in the 1980 and 1992
Democratic cycles: When a can¬
didate who is not hugely popu¬
lar seems to have a nomination
clinched, people with qualms
start voting for whoever else is
still campaigning.
Romney is seeking to lead a
party fired up by opposition to
the Obama Democrats. He has
campaigned with a feisty spirit¬
edness that is at odds with parts
of his record and often with his
temperament.
He has succeeded in large part
because the only ideologically
pure candidate, Michele
Bachmann, lacked stature, and
his more experienced rivals
lacked purity.
In Florida, Romney showed
fire, drive, energy and a willing¬
ness to attack, and carried just
about every segment of the elec¬
torate. Unlike his rivals, he has
maintained competitive general
election numbers in this largest
of target states.
Florida provided a bench¬
mark win, but more tests lie
ahead.
To find out more about Michael
Barone, and read features by
other Creators Syndicate writers
and cartoonists, visit the Creators
Syndicate Web page at www.cre
ators.com.