Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 5A
FORSYTH OPINION
Friday, November 9, 2018
ELECTED OFFICIALS
CITY'COUNCIL
Mayor Troy Brumbalow, 100
Main St., Cumming, GA 30040;
(770) 781-2010
Christopher Light, 100 Main St.,
Cumming, GA 30040; (770) 480-
1396 :
Jason Evans, 100 Main St.,
Cumming, GA 30040; (770) 781-
2010
Lewis Ledbetter, 100 Main St.,
Cumming, GA 30040; (770) 781-
2010 ;
Linda Ledbetter, 100 Main St.,
Cumming, GA 30040; (770) 781-
2010
Chad Crane, 100 Main St.,
Cumming, GA 30040; (770) 781-
2010
COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
- RJ. (Pete) Amos, Post 1, 110 E.
Main St., Cumming, GA 30040;
(678) 513-5881; rjamos @forsyth
co.com :
Secretary Dennis Brown, Post
2, 110 E. Main Street , Cumming,
GA 30040; (678) 513-5882;
dtbrown @forsythco.com
Chairman Todd Levent, Post 3,
110 E. Main St., Cumming, GA
30040; (678) 513-5883; tlevent@
forsythco.com
Cindy Mills, Post 4, 110 E. Main
St., Cumming, GA 30040; (678)
513-5884; cjmills @forsythco.com
Vice Chairwoman Laura
Semanson, Post 5, 110 E. Main
St., Cumming, GA 30040; (678)
513-5885; losemanson @forsyth
co.com
BOARD OF EDUCATION
Chairwoman Ann Crow, District
1, 320 Dahlonega St., Cumming,
GA 30040; (770) 490-6316;
acrow @forsyth.kl2.ga.us
Kristin Morrissey, District 2,
3310 Cany Creek Lane, Cumming,
GA 30041; (678) 250-4047; kmor
rissey @forsyth.kl2.ga.us :
Tom Cleveland, District 3, 5225
Millsford Court, Cumming, GA
30040; (770) 844-9901; tcleve
land @forsyth.kl2.ga.us
Darla Sexton Light, District 4,
50080 Hopewell Road,
Cumming, GA 30028; (770) 887-
0678; dlight@forsyth.kl2.ga.us
Vice Chairwoman Nancy
Roche, District 5, 7840 Chestnut
Hill Road, Cumming, GA 30041;
(770) 889-0229; nroche @forsyth.
kl2.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. David Perdue, B4OD
Dirksen Senate Office Building,
Washington, D.C. 20510; (202)
224-3521
U.S. Rep. Doug Collins, 9th
District; 513 Cannon House Office
Building, Washington, D.C.,
20515; (202) 225-9893; fax, (770)
297-3390
U.S. Rep. RobWoodall, 7th
District; 1725 Longworth House
Office Building, Washington, D.C.,
20515; (770) 232-3005; (202) 225-
4272; fax, (202) 225-4696
STATE LEGISLATORS
Sen. Steve Gooch, 51st District,
Suite 421-C, State Capitol, Atlanta,
GA 30334; (404) 656-9221
Sen. Michael Williams, 27th
District, Coverdell Legislative
Office Building, Room 323-B, 18
Capitol Square, Atlanta, GA
30334; (404) 656-7127 :
Rep. Kevin Tanner, 9th District,
Coverdell Legislative Office
Building, Room 401-E, Atlanta, GA
30334; (404) 656-0152
Rep. Wes Cantrell, 22nd District,
Coverdell Legislative Office
Building, Room 507-E, 18 Capitol
Square, Atlanta, GA 30334; (404)
656-0202
Rep. Sheri S. Gilligan, 24th
District, Coverdell Legislative
Office Building, Suite 612 F, 18
Capitol Square, SW, Atlanta, GA
30334; (404) 656-0326
Rep. Todd Jones, 25th District,
Coverdell Legislative Office
Building, Room 607-E, 18 Capitol
Square, Atlanta, GA 30334; (404)
656-0298
Rep. Marc Monis, 26th District,
601-D Coverdell Legislative Office
Bidg., Atlanta, GA 30334; (404)
656-0254
‘Send a letter to the editor to PO, Box 210 Cumming, GA 30028; fax it o (770) 889-6017; or email it to editor@forsythnews.com.
Nothing divine about having to
wait to talk about election results
Because of a finite dead
line, I won’t be comment
ing on the election results
in Georgia until next week
since some of you will see
this before the election and
some afterward.
But not to worry. As 1
have noted previously,
American humorist Will
Rogers used to say, “I don’t
make jokes. I just watch the
government and report the
facts.” Me, too. There will
plenty of jokes going for
ward after the results are in.
No matter the outcome or
the party, the government is
the government and a poli
tician is a politician.
In the meantime, I have
been analyzing Dante
Alighieri’s classic poem,
the “Divine Comedy.” (How
is that for a nifty segue.
Jokes? Comedy? Is this guy
good or what?) :
Actually, I have discov
ered that the “Divine
Comedy” isn’t funny at all.
It would be appropriate to
compare it to Bill Maher
and Kathy Griffith, who
call themselves comedians
but who aren’t funny, either.
The “Divine Comedy” is
a poem that describes 3
Dante’s dream of traveling
through the three realms of
the dead: hell, purgatory
and heaven. It was written
between 1308 and 1320. If
Signore Alighieri were to
write it today, he might
describe hell as Detroit City
after dark ,and purgatory as
waiting to hear a live voice
America, providence or destruction?
One obvious truth of social
media is that Americans will
never again make political
decisions without input from
others. It is pretty easy to see
where most stand on the
issues. It should be easy to see
where I stand. I've been
accused of shilling for
President Trump, for wearing
a tinfoil hat, for being naive
about Trump’s supposed ulte
rior motives. I hear Trump is a
puppet for the elite, that he is a
member of the cabal himself,
that everything he does is in
seek of even more power and
money. Trumg is a megaloma
niac’s envy. How could I be so
blind?
But even the critics would
have to agree, Trump is the
rainmaker. Where Trump cam
paigns, it rains Republican
votes. As of this writing, the
GOP stands to gain vital seats
in the U.S. Senate, holding
important governorships in
swing states such as Florida
and Ohio.
In that same breath, I admit
an uneasy feeling going to bed
Tuesday night. At that time, it
was looking very much like I,
along with all the other
Republicans in Forsyth
County, would soon be repre
sented in the Congress by a
socialist. Maybe it’s just me,
but my mind just won’t go
there.
An hour later it appeared the
socialist uprising would be
quelled. But the closeness of
the vote should be a wakeup .
call for 7th District
Congressman Rob Woodall, as
well as all of those
Republicans in Congress who
have not fully embraced
President Trump. Those who
did, did very well. Those who
Letter policy -
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include full address and a daytime and evening phone number for verification. Names and hometowns of letter writ
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Mail letters to the Forsyth County News, PO. Box 210, Cumming, GA 30028, hand deliver to 302 Veterans
Memorial Blvd., fax to (770) 889-6017 or e-mail to editor@forsythnews.com. <
a V)
DICK YARBROUGH
Columnist :
when you call for service
while a robot tells you your
call is very important.
Heaven could be no place
but the University of
Georgia, the oldest state
chartered university in the
nation, located in Athéns,
Georgia, the Classic City of
the South. (Thatone is a
no-brainer.)
When Dante made his
imaginary trip to hell, he
discovered nine circles or
levels there and where you
were located depended on
how serious your sin was.
For example, there is limbo,
where a lot of virtuous
pagans reside. I know a
couple of atheists who are
nicer to deal with than
some stiff-necked, know-it
all Bible-thumpers. limbo
sounds like just the spot for
them.
Of course, some of the
pagans could wind up in the
Heresy section of hell if
they push God too far.
That’s not my call. I think
some of the stiff-necks are
liable to get put in the
Sullen and Wrath circle.
Maybe they can bring their
guns and tell whoever runs
that department, it is a
“sanctity of life” issue.
HANK SULLIVAN
Columnist
didn’t, did not do as well. I am
gratified to see that Forsyth
County weighed in to restore
sanity in the end.
The Democratic Party came
into Tuesday’s election in dan
ger of extinction. Give them
credit, those people fight like
grim death approaches. They
could have Tost'viability as a
national political party, per
haps for a generation or more,
the party’s supporters clueless
ly backing candidates who
“desire permanent overthrow of
America and all it stands for.
So now House Democrats
find themselves in an interest
ing position. In control of the
U.S. House, they must now
perform. They are going to
have to do something, not just
resist. Will they impeach
Trump, as many have indicat
ed is their plan? We can only
hope. Will they begin more
House investigations of -
Trump, wasting the taxpayers’
time? Oh, please do. Will they
elect Nancy Pelosi as House
Speaker? I dare them.
I believe in a two-party sys
tem. It would be a good thing
for the Democratic Party to
purge itself of socialist lean- -
ings. Perhaps in that respect
the moderate Dems who won
on Tuesday will help restore
some rationality in Congress.
Many new elects have sworn
that they will not support
Pelosi for Speaker. We will
see.
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.
Down toward the bottom of
Hell is the Violence Circle.
I’m not sure how big a deal
that was in Dante’s day but
we could fill the place up
today with all the violence
going on. To know a bunch
of white supremacists,
street gang thugs and ISIS
terrorists were sharing the
same circle and getting
their collective fannies
burned would be heavenly.
There are a bunch of
other circles like Lust
(Look out, Jimmy Carter. .
God may forgive you for
your racist campaign for
governor — I don’t — but
He probably remembers
you talking to Playboy
Magazine about having lust
in your heart. You might
want to alert your apolo
gists.) And then there is
Gluttony where a lot of:
people end up when their
arteries explode after their
second and third trips wad
dling through the line at the
All-You-Can-Eat buffet.
A lot has happened since
Dante wrote his “Divine
Comedy” some 700 years
ago describing who goes to
what circle in Hell and why.
With all due respect, the
poem could use a bit of an
update. We’ve got a whole
new crowd that deserves
consideration for a misera
ble forever after. Let’s start
with robocallers who man
age to disrupt our supper
and the bad people who try
to trick us on the internet
into giving them our bank
But nothing on Trump’s
agenda has changed. In many
ways his hand is strength
ened. He now has a foil in a
do-nothing Democratic
House. He can play that card
each time they resist doing the
work of the people. Trump’s
order to declassify the incrimi
nating FISA memos now has a
clear path forward. The crimi
nals of the past remain crimi
nals of today. There have now
amassed more than 63,000
unsealed Federal indictments
awaiting opening. The crimes
of the Clinton Foundation,
Hillary and Bill Clinton and
others as benéficiaries, are still
indictable crimes.
The swamp is still draining,
many swamp dwellers having
been Republicans, such as
Speaker Paul Ryan, who had
to be forced out (yes, he was
forced), necessarily leaving
open seats for Democrats to
gain. That’s OK. It was impor
tant for those Republicans to
go. Some Democrats will wish
they had taken the easy way
out soon. It is too late now.
The storm is still at the door. It
is just outside. Expect its win
try winds soon.
And as you read this,
America begins to celebrate
another Veterans Day week
end. It is hard to think of the
sacrifices of our veterans and
celebrating them. So instead,
let’s honor our veterans, living
and deceased, who have stood
in the gap to protect the free
dom of the American people.
And as we do, let’s remem
ber why America is worth pro
tecting. Simply put, in 1776
our Founders establisheda
new nation among nations,
separate and equal to Great
Britain and all others. The
account information.
Anybody who abuses a
child or an animal needs to
go to hell, where a ‘
Rottweiler can chew on
their nose into eternity
while cherubs slap them .
upside the head.
And let’s leave room for
the professional football
players who make millions
of dollars playing a kid’s
game while siring multiple
children with multiple
‘mommas, slapping around
their girlfriends, snorting
drugs, getting in nightclub
brawls but still finding the
time to kneel on Sunday
and disrespect their country,
alleging police brutality.
‘Wait! Did I just generalize?
My bad. They would never
do that.
Please don’t tell Dante I
said this, but I find the
“Divine Comedy” a divine
bore. Will Rogers is a lot
funnier. If it wasn’t for this
infernal deadline, I would
already be jerking the |
chains of a bunch of pomp
ous politicians. Having to
wait a week is just pure —
well, you know.
You can reach Dick Yarbrough
at dick@dickyarbrough.com;
at P.O. Box 725373, Atlanta,
Georgia 31139 or on Facebook
at www.facebook.com/dick
yarb
principles on which they
founded America were God’s
laws, those they referred as the
“laws of Nature and of
Nature’s God.” Multiple refer
ences within that and other
founding documents together
certify that when the Founder:
spoke of God, they spoke of
God of the Bible. That fact is
undeniable. Theirs was no
deist god who simply spun the
universe into creation and
stood back to watch. Our
Founders believed that a
nation established to follow
God’s laws would be protected
by diving Providence. They
designed America as an exper
iment to test whether their the
ory might be true.
They defined America with
only that authority deriving
from God’s laws. That is what
the Declaration of
Independence is all about,
determining whether a nation
following God’s laws and thus
performing his will would
receive the divine
Providence. That is the mean
ing our veterans have served
and died for. America is
founded on the Biblical laws
of God, not any ideological
preferences of man.
155 years ago next week,
President Abraham Lincoln
spoke of a test whether this
nation, or any nation so con
ceived and so dedicated, could
long endure. Maybe it’s time
we ask that question again.
What is it going to be
America, Providence or
destruction?
Hank Sullivan is a Forsyth County
resident, businessman, author
and speaker on American histo
ry, economics and geopolitics.