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OPINION
Sttnes
gainesvilletimes.com
Saturday, December 29, 2018
Shannon Casas Editor in Chief | 770-718-3417 | scasas@gainesvilletimes.com
Submit a letter: letters@gainesvilletimes.com
The First Amendment: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or
prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right
of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
LETTERS
What happened
to Mexico paying
for border wall?
I write in strict unbelief at the letter on the Dec.
27 Times editorial page. In 13 paragraphs, the
writer begins nine with the word “Democrats.”
We are in receipt of the most intellectually ster
ile presentation seen in recent memory of a topic
that could have been given a fine view of one side
of the matter if the writer had not been trapped by
his own logic.
He rails about those who do not support the
wall. He says that some leaders have supported
the matter in the past, and he backs up the asser
tion by telling us that “videos don’t lie.” This may
be one of the only true statements in the letter.
Several national journals report that there are
slightly over 335 videos of Trump promising that
Mexico was going to pay for the wall. Do we notice
how he somehow fails to mention even one of
those videos? None of those videos from 2016 and
2015 promise Mexico would reimburse the wall
costs. Every video says Mexico will pay.
The only other possible true statement made
is that Democrats refuse to fund the wall. Why
should they fund it? Fedex advises there are six
flights each day from Mexico City to New York.
Why cannot our leader, whose heart I sincerely
bless, get us the tracking number for the check
that, per his promise, is on the way to Trump
Tower?
I volunteer to track it for all of us to assure on-
time delivery.
He says that some say the wall is “too expen
sive” but that this is nonsense.
Of course it is nonsense because we were prom
ised we were not paying. It makes no difference
how much the wall costs since Mexico is funding
it. Why would we wish to fund a wall twice when
all we have to do is cash the check now in transit?
Our final paragraph informs that Trump was
elected because he promised to build a wall on
our southern border. Do we notice that our writer
only mentions half the promise? All our national
security concerns will be fully met as soon as we
get that tracking number.
Six inches to the right of this letter of omission
resides one of the most powerful recent columns
by Jonah Goldberg listing the top nine character
flaws of our leader, concluding with “his inex
haustible capacity to lie.” Surely he never lied
about the check being in the mail?
Michael Hawkins
Gainesville
Border wall is not best way to
control illegal immigration
Since the 9/11 attacks, Democrats and Repub
licans both have controlled the White House and
Congress working annually in a bipartisan effort
to keep our country safe from terrorist attack by
taking on terrorists abroad while upgrading and
improving our defenses at home.
The policies and the trillions of dollars spent
have been controversial with mixed results, but
what can be of no doubt is that no attack of the
smallest fraction has taken place since that fateful
day 17 years ago in September.
That is good news for us all, and we should
always be mindful with love and respect to the
men and women who work to make this happen.
An issue that has since flowered from 9/11 is
how to best deal with illegal immigration. Again,
both political parties with shares of control have
put forth policies and solutions to handle this with
mixed results, not to mention the politics played
on by each side. But like no new 9/11s, there are
measurable successes to show: The Border Patrol
reports illegal crossings have been on a steady
decline — down to almost 20 percent of what
they were in 2000. FBI crime statistics show that
rates of crime for all categories have also been in
decline for the past two decades, and crimes com
mitted by legal and illegal immigrants are less
than those by U.S.-born citizens. There are many
matters left unresolved like what to do with those
in DACA and periodic surges of young people
coming to our southern border.
When we ponder the recent government shut
down, we should not blame the political parties
and institutions of government for creating this.
No, the blame goes to the current occupant of the
White House.
The signature issue for Donald Trump during
his campaign and first few months in office was
that Mexico, i.e. the Mexican government, would
pay for a border wall covering most of the thou
sands of miles the U.S. shares with that country
while sparing the U.S. taxpayer from any expense.
For two years we all saw this at rallies, debates
and media events. Trump claimed he would use
his self-proclaimed talents at negotiation, forcing
the hand of Mexico to pay directly and not through
renovating NAFTA or taxing remittances.
Now that this epic scam is in full display, Trump
now must bear this cross with his most diehard
supporters by deflecting on Democrats and asking
you and me to pay for a wall. Thus, our shutdown.
Democrats and Republicans have an obligation
to push back on Trump’s border wall, which has
never been advised by those in our national and
domestic security services as a sensible, serious,
solution.
There are proven ways to reduce illegal
immigration like enforcement of visa overstays,
E-Verify for employers and an active diplomatic
effort with our partner Mexico to improve Central
America.
Folks, the only laboratory for a border wall
comes from within Mr. Trump’s warped cranium.
Christopher E. Morgan
Gainesville
Here’s to the memory makers
Well, we can pretty much
stick a fork in the Year of
our Lord 2018. By the time
you are through roasting
chestnuts on an open fire or
eating the last of the leftover
turkey, 2019 will come knock
ing on the door. This has
been a very good year in one
respect: I did not read my
obituary and I am guessing
that you didn’t read yours,
either.
I don’t do New Year’s resolutions. For
one thing, that is about as original as a
broom handle. Nobody means them.
Nobody keeps them. It is a waste of
paper. My editors don’t like me wasting
paper. Editors can resolve to be very
cranky about this kind of stuff no matter
what the time of year.
Instead, it is my policy to give out
year-end awards and to recognize those
individuals and organizations who have
made this column a thing of beauty and a
joy forever. Bless their hearts.
Our first award is the Running and
Gunning Award, which goes to our Gov.-
elect Brian Kemp. He won a very close
race after running TV ads holding a
shotgun and threatening a little dweeb
proposing to date his daughter, which
thrilled all the gun-toters and must have
dismayed his daughters. I just wish the
little dweeb had told Kemp that he had
a Magnum .357 pointed somewhere
between daddy’s belt buckle and his
knees and one more threat and the
dweeb would make him a soprano.
The Son of a Gun Award goes to all the
gun-toters who are giddy thinking our
new governor is going to make guns his
top legislative priority. They are going to
be surprised when they find
out that public education and
rural development are likely
to be his top priorities — as
they should be.
The winner of the Nod-
Nod, Wink-Wink Award goes
to outgoing Lt. Gov. Casey
Cagle, who should have done
just that instead of blabbing
out loud to a former Republi
can gubernatorial rival, Clay
Tippins (or at least to Tippins’
hidden cellphone) about backing an
education bill he called bad “a thousand
different ways” so another candidate,
former state Sen. Hunter Hill, wouldn’t
get a few million dollars from Alice the
Walmart Lady and her deep-pocketed,
out-of-state special interest friends.
(Turns out that Alice didn’t give the
dough to either.)
The Howdy Doody Notable Quot
able Award is presented to state Rep.
Earl Ehrhart, R-Cobb, who is retiring
after 30 years in the General Assembly.
Mr. Ehrhart is to notable quotes what
Michelangelo is to art.
In fact, Earl Ehrhart’s quotes are a
work of art. He once referred to Casey
Cagle as “Eddie Haskell,” the smarmy
character on “Leave it to Beaver,” which
stunned the two dozen people who still
remembered that show. A group of
neighborhood activists earned his wrath
and the epithet, “Gladys Kravitz,” which
stunned the other two dozen people who
remembered that obscure character on
“Bewitched.”
To opponents who objected to his
efforts to shield private contractors and
subcontractors doing government busi
ness from Georgia’s Sunshine laws, he
said, “I think they need to readjust their
tinfoil hat.” I couldn’t find two dozen
people anywhere who understood that.
He will be missed.
The Golden Half Award is presented
to the scholar-athletes at my beloved
alma mater, the University of Georgia.
In both last year’s national championship
and this year’s SEC championship, they
decisively thrashed the scholar-athletes
from the University of Alabama for one
half. Alas, a close reading of the rules of
football indicates the game requires two
halves and, on occasion, an overtime.
Bummer.
The Tell-It-Like-It-Is Award is the most
distinguished of them all. It is presented
to a reader who in 25 words or less can
best describe the positive impact my
weekly efforts have in making this a
better world for all people. This year
was a tie. A reader on the Georgia coast
observed, “Just because you can write
that column doesn’t mean you should”
and a devoted fan in north Georgia
described me as “a jerk, knee jerk, snail
poop, bucket head.” I apologize if I get
emotional, but I love this job.
So, one year down and another one
about to begin. As in past years, I prom
ise that if you will keep reading, I’ll keep
writing (Oops! Was that a New Year’s
resolution?) — assuming this meets with
the editor’s approval. After all, you and I
are a team. Most of all, I wish you peace
and happiness in the coming year and
may neither of us read our obituary.
You can reach Dick Yarbrough at dick@
dickyarbrough.com; at P.0. Box 725373,
Atlanta, GA 31139 or on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/dickyarb
DICK YARBROUGH
dick@
dickyarbrough.com
"Why is this
year in review
article so short?"
"Well, you said to
leave out the negatives."
JIM POWELL I For The Times
The Town Crier
LISA BENSON I Washington Post Writers Group
She Stines
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Shannon Casas
