Newspaper Page Text
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 7, 2017
THE JACKSON HERALD
PAGE 5A
Dear Editor:
I am glad that I waited and thought about
how I was going to respond to your article
on Trumpism. Jim Siegendorf did a much
better job than what I wanted to say, but did
not dare put in print.
You know, the internet is really marvel
ous. No longer do we need to depend on
getting our news from the local newspaper,
we can now get it delivered into our homes,
from around the world, via the internet.
I am beginning my article at the end rather
than the beginning. Read it through and you
will see why. Rob Green on May 26 post
ed in response to a post by Amanda Shea,
“Why would you stoop so low and run a
fake news story? This visit never happened.
You could have called the hospital and ver
ified, like legitimate reporters.’’ To which
Nathan Stein posted on May 27, “Gee, Rob
Green. If it’s fake, then why does Rachashei
Lev (a pediatric hospital in Israel) have
the visit posted on their Facebook page?
{See https://www.facebook.com/rachashei-
lev/photos...}. Did YOU follow your own
advice and try to find out if the story was
true? Are you just the victim of bad inter
net sources or are you simply sufficiently
opposed to the US President that you're
unwilling to accept that ANY positive story
about him could possibly be true?” {Also
check out Yeshiva World News}
Now, as Paul Harvey use to say, here's the
rest of the story - "Trump quietly slipped
out of sight for a few hours overseas - here’s
the unbelievable reason why. I am not going
to quote all of each of the stories - Google
them and read for yourselves. President
Trump and First Lady Melania have been
tirelessly traveling for almost an entire week
and are nearing the end of their first overseas
presidential trip...there’s been no shortage
of media coverage as the Trumps travel...
liberal news outlets wait with baited breath
for the first sign of slipup on the president’s
first overseas trip and will find anything
Dear Editor:
Let me begin by stating that I do not
support all the things that Donald Trump
has proposed, nor do I believe that he is as
terrible as your Opinion article has depicted
him. I would like to address some of the
points you made.
Trumpism is a political outlook made of
fog and vapor. You are correct in saying it
is neither liberal nor conservative. However,
that does not make it ephemeral. There is a
position, which many Americans would like
to see once again in this country, described
as middle of the road; you know, that place
where the common sense of a matter is what
is considered rather than an agenda which
pushes our country to either the extreme of
the right or the left. Common sense is not a
blank slate to be written on. Common sense
is the wisdom of the wise put into practice
in our government. It is neither partisan nor
influenced by lobbyists. It is, as it is also
known in law, the term reasonable. Reason
able has been a position that has been sorely
lacking in our political structure and because
of that, the people of America voted for
Trump because that is the position he rep
resented. He proposed governing by using
Common Sense,
Trumpism is rooted in fear. The fears
you listed in your Opinion article are more
than simply fears. They are realities. Illegal
immigration is a very well known situation
that plagues our nation. Fear of immigrants
- please do not blame Trump if that exists.
Since 9/11 every single American has wit
nessed attacks against our society perpetrat
ed by the immigrants who have specifically
entered our country with the intention of
doing America and Americans harm. Fear of
the media. I think in this case you give the
media much more credit than they are due.
We do not fear the media, in fact, based on
the heavily biased reporting and total lack
of true research based journalistic ideals, we
have learned that the media has resorted to
nothing more than yellow journalism. We
cannot trust the media because of their obvi
ous leanings to support an agenda - let me
note that the agenda can be either liberal or
conservative - either way - it ends up strong
ly biased, which more than anything else is
a tremendous disservice to all Americans
because they fail to report the facts and twist
statistics as well as situations to suit their
"cause.” Fear of other nations. No, once
again you apply the term of fear. We are not
fearful of other nations, however, what we
are is fed up with being the cash cow to other
nations and in return being abused and con
demned on the world stage. There are count
less examples of how this has come about.
Americans realize times have changed dra
matically, and America is not required to see
to the issues that sovereign nations should
be seeing to themselves. It is way past "post
WWII” and these nations do not require our
assistance, and in fact it seems have come to
resent our interference (except of course for
the financial aid the US has over-provided to
them). You are not seeing a political move
ment based on fear - it is based on a new
sense of empowerment where individual
voices matter, and they matter more than the
voices of large lobbyists and corporations.
It was those same voices that formed our
nation when they came together and said -
enough - to Great Britain.
Trumpism rests on a cult of person
ality. It seems that your article, like many
others I have read, seeks to compare Trump
to the rise of the Third Reich. First of all,
Applauds Trump
to judge him for. Despite having cameras
following the couple practically around the
clock, there’s one outing in Israel that media
“conveniently” missed and it's clear as to
why they chose not to cover it.
Practically every second of the President's
27 hours in Israel was packed and planned
out, but he still made time to fulfill the wish
of a 14-year-old girl, Emilee, who heard he
was coming to her country. Emilee’s dream
was to meet the President of the United
States and she got that wish fulfilled by
our incredibly personable leader. Trump
truly loves kids as much as the First Lady.
Perhaps, not surprising, was that the entire
media ignored this incredible story, and
act of love from our President, since it is
counter to their narrative. You can bet that
if Barack Obama had done something as
thoughtful as this, there would have been a
media entourage in tow. On the contrary,
liberals accused Melania of only being inter
ested in the “photo op” at her frequent and
lengthy hospital visits, which is far from the
truth with the genuine love and concern for
kids this couple continually exudes.
The President did not go out and toot
his own hom. This is a little known story.
Wonder why this wasn't leaked. If Obama
had done this, it would have been front page
news and the top story on every network.
Trump - not so much —just another ridic
ulous media double standard. The local
news outlet was the sole source of the story
originally. However, if the mainstream
media can find a way to spin this story into
something grossly negative, you can rest
assured that every outlet will be running it
in no time. It’s disgusting that the Obamas
got coverage of their fake warm and fuzzy
things they posed for, but when any member
of the Trump family does something actu
ally genuine, and on their own accord, it is
ignored or twisted into something disgusting
that it is not.
The left wants the world to believe that
every candidate for every political office is
rated as an individual and personal charis
ma is a major factor in the perception the
voters have of that candidate. Where was
your criticism of the last president as far as
personal charisma being a detriment and a
potential cult of personality. That candidate,
as well as many others, was an exceptional
public speaker with a message that had no
underpinnings to its structure. If you recall,
it was called Hope and Change. It was
hollow and used purely to promote someone
who made hollow promises, not only to
minorities in America but to all Americans
because the slogan hid a globalist agenda, all
the while holding out "hope” to Americans
who were beaten up by the crash of the real
estate market in 2008 and ensuing economic
downturn this country was being lambasted
by. If you recall from history, that scenario
is exactly the type of situation under which
Hitler came to power - the economy of
Germany had been devastated and the polit
ical climate was ripe for hope and change
(please remember who exactly in America
is the one who proposed that “fix”). Also
please remember who has praised Venezuala
as a current day ideal model that America
should mirror - it was not Trump. So tell us,
how were previous political movements or
philosophies legitimate and larger than the
single individuals who promoted them?
Trumpism has the trappings of a mon
archy. If you look at America’s previous
presidents, let's just take JFK for example,
you will see many examples of nepotism in
political appointments. The last administra
tion was ripe with them, something all Amer
icans are more than aware of. In fact, many
individuals with heavy ties to the media and
various news networks found positions for
either themselves or their spouses in the last
administration. So you blame Trump, or
somehow believe what he is doing by his
appointments goes against the grain? That
is why I cannot take this criticism seriously
since it presumes that all previous politicians
on every level of government are not doing
exactly the same thing. If you are against the
basic concept, then reform needs to come to
all levels of government. Remember, that is
the swamp we all want to see drained - be it
on local levels, state or federal levels of gov
ernment. I would enjoy seeing an investiga
tive report on this issue beginning in our own
community. Who is related to whom just in
say Braselton, Hoschton, Flowery Branch,
etc. and what decision making positions do
they hold. Are there any conflicts of interest
because of it? Or, as you suggest is there a
monarchy in the making, albeit on a smaller
level of petty knights, dukes, earls, etc.
Trumpism is isolationist in tone. No it is
saying America needs to see to its needs first
- not at the exclusion of the rest of the world,
in fact at the inclusion of the rest of the
world - we just do not want to foot the bill
for the rest of the world while our own coun
try can’t fix its own roads or reach a level of
full employment. Get rid of bad trade deals
where once again Americans take it on the
chin. I have a small business, I cannot com
pete selling internationally. Why? Because
other countries can ship their products here
for pennies on the parcel, but I cannot ship to
them for the same low costs. That is just an
minor example of something that is totally
unfair. We want to compete and trade - but
on a level playing field. We don’t want to
withdraw from the world, we want it to be
all inclusive so everyone can make money
and exchange ideas and everyone can profit.
Trump is a heartless, horrible man who is
out to dupe us all, take rights away, and kill
people he doesn’t like. If this first overseas
trip has shown us anything, it is how loved
the President and First Lady are around the
world. They aren’t swayed by the leftist
media in America that slanders our leader.
In other countries, they simply judge him by
his actions and not what people say, since
that’s what speaks louder than negative,
spiteful words.
Nathan Almodovar - your article enti
tled “Why the Right is winning” was, as
always, one of the few positive articles in
this newspaper.
Mike Rector - keep on shouting!
Mike Buffington - you certainly showed
us that you do not march in the same direc
tion as the rest of the band. You are so far
out of step I don’t think you can ever get
back to center.
I took a careful look at your newspaper
after your article. After I recycled the
majority of it, I am looking at 5 full pages
of newspaper print concerning all of the
crime stuff. Ever since I started taking
your newspaper, I have wondered WHY
you feel the need to report so much gar
bage in such detail. But, after reading all
of your rhetoric, I now see where you got
all of your viewpoints. By the way, have
you seen the movie Hillary's America, The
Secret History of the Democratic Party
yet?
Oh, and in case you do not have the time
to look up the meaning of “rhetoric” here
is one definition — language designed to
have a persuasive or impressive effect on
its audience, but often regarded as lacking
in sincerity or meaningful content.
You do, however, as Mr. Siegendorf said,
allow others to express an opposing posi
tion. For that, I thank you.
Sincerely,
Mary Brenda Strickland,
Commerce
We simply do not enjoy being penalized any
more on the world stage.
Trumpism is tainted with the stench
of white nationalism. I’m afraid that you
have stretched reality here. We all know
that Trump disavowed any connection with
the white supremacists you wrote about
and we are all bright enough to know that
“fringe” groups will always try to co-opt any
movement to suit their needs. The blame
here belongs to those fringe groups - not to
Trump.
Trumpism depends on lies and gross
exaggeration to sustain itself. Here I will
quote you: “Any government that depends
on the massive repetition of lies to survive is
a government without a moral foundation."
Let’s ask the public about lies - “It was
caused by a video.” “If you like your doctor
/ health plan you can keep your doctor /
health plan.” Tell me again about lies?
Trumpism is not about governing, it’s
about winning and losing. Actually it is
about governing America so that Ameri
ca wins instead of governing America so
America loses. It comes back to the issue
I originally spoke of - governing with com
mon sense being the very foundation for the
decisions made.
Trumpism is a political river flowing in
the wrong direction. One can only assume
that you needed word count for your article
and that is why you even added this com
ment. Trump rallied America, listened to
people's concerns and is now trying to move
our legislators to make the changes that
are based on common sense occur. And
no, this is not an egotistical solution for a
so-called "fragile" ego. If you look over
Trump’s history, he has always been a per
son who has come out against the inanity
of government policies that in the past have
deeply hurt America. He has been quite
verbal on the inequities that exist in this
country. He has been fighting this situation
for a lot longer than this political run. It
has been much larger than “me", as you put
it and has been about “we”. Just take the
ice rink in New York City - he didn’t build
that so he could skate there. He saw incom
petence, stepped forward and brought that
project in under budget and under time.
Trumpism as a political movement was
alive and well before Trump came on the
national scene - it will last a long time
because he is not the only individual who
sees the inequities and problems in a gov
ernment that has become deaf to the needs
of America and blinded by feathering their
own nests first as politicians rather than
using common sense in governing.
The bright light of truth that you men
tioned is in fact there, and surprisingly
will remain regardless of how the media
and agenda driven politicians who have
extreme (either right or left) views try to
twist it.
Thank you for stating your concerns in
your Opinion article. I have wanted to be
able to address these concerns previously
because it seems there is a dire lack of open
communication back and forth. My goal
is to see middle ground reached through
communication. Neither “side" in this
debate has all the answers. Neither “side”
in any debate ever does. But it is through
the interchange of all ideas that I believe
America will reach the great goals we have
set out for ourselves.
Sincerely,
Barbara Pintoro
Hoschton
What’s in a name?
It’s interesting how getting your name printed
in the newspaper means different things to differ
ent people. Unless you’ve
done something you'd rather
people not know about, most
people seem to be intrigued.
To some, it’s almost like an
honor. Some people remove
the segment from the paper
and save it like a treasured
artifact, especially if it
includes their picture.
For me, the fascination
wore off and it all became
rather mundane when my
name started appearing each
week atop my column. But
every now and then, usually in a letter to the
editor, someone will mention my name and
once again I get that little tingle that makes me
feel important and almost famous. Back in the
old days, I wasn't that enthused to see my name
in the section known as “Crimes, Fires and
Wrecks.” It appeared all too often.
At a friend’s house recently, they were having
a conniption because The Herald, had misspelled
their daughter’s name. I mentioned this to Scott
Buffington and he said that of all the things peo
ple get upset with newspapers about, misspelling
a child's name in regard to an athletic or academ
ic achievement is up there near the top.
* * *
A major snafu has developed in regard to our
trip to Big Sky, Mont., scheduled to take place in
two weeks. It appears that my older cousin, who
is supposed to go on the trip, has developed a
condition known as "shingles."
“Don’t get any ideas,” my wife said. “You are
getting on that airplane whether Dean goes or
not.”
* * *
I ran into an old buddy in Wal-Mart the other
day, literally. He was coming down one aisle as I
was coming down another. Our buggies bumped
together and since I hadn't seen him in several
years I hardly recognized him.
His story is this: We were roofing a house at
Talmo in July and it was so hot the shingles were
melting under our feet. We decided to take a
break and come back when the heat subsided.
We rode over to a dirt road near the job where we
could cool-off by a creek. There was soft sand
beneath an old wooden bridge that couldn't have
been much more than 10 feet above the shallow
water. One of the guys decided that if someone
would give him $10, he would jump off the
bridge. Another guy pulled-out a ten and in a few
seconds Jimmy hit the water.
That looked like easy money to this guy, who
had walked over to the spot where Jimmy had
just jumped from. He bounced up and down a
little and declared that for ten bucks he would do
the same thing. I pulled $10 out of my wallet and
said I didn’t think he would do it. He flexed his
knees again a couple of times and off the bridge
he went.
When he touched down, his feet seemed to go
further into the sand than Jimmy’s and he sort
of leaned forward when he hit. We heard a faint
“snap” followed by a string of cuss words.
“I have broke my (unprintable) leg,” he shout
ed. By the time we scrambled down the bank to
get him out of the creek he had already lost all
color in his face.
We formulated a plan. He would keep it on ice
until he went to work that night, then claim he
had just fallen off the dock. But the plan didn’t
work. Within a couple of hours his leg was swol
len so badly he couldn’t get his pants on and the
pain was unbearable. By then his wife was home
and they headed to the ER.
Today, he has remarried and seemed to be
doing well. He told me he reads my column
every week and mentioned something from an
article the week before.
“We never know if you are going to be Lewis
Grizzard or that Einstein guy, but it’s always
interesting,” he said.
Thanks for reading.
Mike Rector is a local contractor. Send com
ments to mikerector405@gmail.com.
Says ‘fine line
between opinion
and derision’
Dear Editor:
The letter in last week’s issue by Mr. Siegendorf
was, I though, well-organized and obviously sub
mitted with conviction. Thank you for printing this
opposing viewpoint.
I did not find it written through the lens of his
persona] rancor or emotional fervor. Thus I was
encouraged to read it through to the end, and I did.
Regardless of my own political views I considered
carefully what he had written: “hmm, he may have
a point there." He did not send me away with his
rhetoric, nor did I discount his meaning because
of the manner in which he presented his thoughts.
My concern about many editorials in The Jack-
son Herald is their tone. I cite a recent piece about
the City of Arcade and its dealings with develop
ers. I read the first several paragraphs and thought
them to be nah-nah-nah-nah-nah with a touch of
you-got-what-you-deserved thrown in. I quit the
editorial there.
I think the same about most of your political
pieces. Whatever the actual facts are, for me they
are lost in what I can only describe as emotion
ally-charged bias. There is a fine line between
opinion and derision. For me that line has been
crossed. The former can be engaging. The latter
loses me every time.
Sincerely,
Carolyn Porter
Jefferson
Disagrees with Trump analysis
mike
rector