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PAGE 4A THE BANKS COUNTY NEWS THURSDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2008 Editor: Angela Gary Phone: 706-367-2490 E-mail: AngieEditor@aol.com Website: www.banksnewsTODAY.com Opinion “Where the press is free and every tnan able to read, all is safe.” — Thomas Jefferson All about the visuals Used to be, you would likely never see what the presi dent looked like, unless you happened to see a photograph in a newspaper or some publication. Well, you might have had a chance to see and hear a politician holding forth from the back of a train caboose, if you lived near town. If you were bom in more mod em times, you’d have the oppor tunity to hear the president on the “wireless.” Now we are all about the “talk ing head.” Watch (and listen to) a debate, and the emphasis in the wrap-up is a lot less likely to be about the message and the policies pro posed than about presidential “posturing.” jana a. mitcham Who looks the most presidential? Who has a good TV presence? Who will win the election? It is said that body language, or non-verbal commu nication, is just as important as words spoken, and those maneuvering the political machine take that very much to heart. When presidential candidates Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy debated for a television audience, the setting was simple. In film footage, it almost looks as if they are seated in school desks, and the podium is a plain, wooden post. Still, visuals apparently made an impact. A History Channel documentary reports that Kennedy took all the makeup he could get, while Nixon refused. Onscreen, Kennedy looks cool and collected; Nixon is wiping away the sweat. Nixon sits awkwardly at his “desk,” unsure what to do with his hands and feet, while Kennedy pres ents himself as “to the manor bom.” So, the political coaches enter the scene. On the documentary, coaching experts are shown watching footage of various politicians and celebrities, pointing out “unnatural” gestures that are designed to make the powerful appear natural, down to earth, friendly, approachable and connected to “the people.” If you look the part, perhaps you will win the part. Interestingly, in early politics, “campaigning” was frowned upon. Debates weren’t really heard of until Abraham Lincoln began appearing at public sessions held by another Illinois senator candidate in 1858. Still, I can’t help but suspect that people who were interested in the state of the nation and wanted to vote in the days before television, before radio, would read accounts in newspapers, when they could get them, with lengthy descriptions of candidates. In the 1850s, for example, many newspaper writers also wrote speeches for politicians and were cogs in the political machine. Writing was much more flowery and descriptive, and it would be interesting to read some of the accounts. Words can provide visuals, after all. And if words didn’t work and if there weren’t photo graphs, there were satirical cartoons. What comes around.. .comes around again and again, it seems. Corrupt politician William “Boss” Tweed, 1871, in response to Harper’s Weekly satirical cartoons: “I don’t care a straw for your newspaper articles; my constituents don’t know how to read, but they can’t help seeing them damned pictures!” A picture, a cartoon, a clip of “posturing” on a television debate, it’s worth a thousand words. Jana Adams Mitcham is features editor of Tire Jackson Herald, a sister publication of The Banks County News. The Banks County News Founded 1968 The official legal organ of Banks County, Ga. Mike Buffington Co-Publisher Scott Buffington Co-Publisher Angela Gary Editor Chris Bridges Sports Editor Sharon Hogan Reporter Anelia Chambers Receptionist Suzanne Reed Church News Phones (all 706 area code): Angela Gary Phone 367-2490 Angela Gary Fax 367-9355 Homer Office Phone 677-3491 Homer Office Fax 677-3263 (SCED 547160) Published weekly by MainStreet Newspapers, Inc., P.O. Box 908, Jefferson, Ga. 30549 Subscription in county $19.75 Subscription in state $38.85 Subscription out of state $44.20 Military with APO address $42.20 Senior citizens get a $2 discount Periodicals postage paid at Homer, Ga. 30547 Postmaster, send address changes to: Subscriptions, The Banks County News, P.O. Box 920, Homer, Ga. 30547 Member: Georgia Press Association Georgia Sports Writers Association National Newspaper Association Strange times and weird events Never pay a root doctor in another state with a rubber check for casting a voodoo curse on a political rival. If you do, the dark spell is liable to bounce back, just like the check. Police say Cobb County Commissioner Annette Kesting must have been unaware of that hard-and-fast rule of Georgia politics. The commish is alleged to have contracted with a voodoo “high priestess” (known in some quarters as a root doctor) in South Carolina to cast a deadly spell over fellow Democrat Woody Thompson, who defeated her in the primary. Kesting admits she was “upset” when Thompson defeated her, but denies she tried to put a hex on him. Voodoo high priestess George Ann Mills says otherwise. Kesting paid her $3,000 in worthless checks to whack Woody with a curse, she told inves tigators. As for Thompson, he says he doesn’t believe in voodoo, but he’s still a bit nervous about the whole thing. Not to worry, Woody, you’ve received a million dollars worth of free publicity. Besides, voodoo spells bought with funny money never work. Everybody knows that. Thompson, a former commissioner, ought to feel proud. He is no longer just another Democrat trying to make a comeback. He is now part of a proud Georgia tradition that has a special place in our great his tory: Election season is a time for weird happenings across the Peach State. The voodoo curse fits right in with the long list of bizarre phenomena around election time in Georgia. In the 1940s, dead people in a Telfair County precinct voted in alphabetical order for Herman Talmadge for governor. That ghostly occurrence has never been com pletely explained. However, the voting dead were partly instrumental in launching a series of events that left Georgia with three governors and made our state famous throughout the civilized world. Just as our three-governor fame began to fade, Nick Belluso appeared on the scene and announced for governor. In 1978 the metro Atlanta investment counselor hired a hypnotist to appear in his television ads to mesmerize the entire electorate and instruct them to vote for Belluso for governor. It didn’t work. George Busbee was re-elected. Belluso barely scratched. Yet Nick’s faith in the power of sugges tion was unshaken. In 1982, he tried anoth er stunt. Belluso legally changed his name to Nick Reagan Belluso, a move he hoped would provide a connection in the voters’ mind to his hero, President Ronald Reagan. Nick Reagan Belluso received only 20 percent of the vote in a race for secretary of state against Max Cleland. “Georgia vot ers obviously don’t want me, so I am mov ing to Florida,” Belluso told reporters as he packed up and headed south. There are so many stories that keep alive Georgia’s grand tradition of election time nuttiness. How about state School Superintendent Linda Schrenko, who stole enough education cash to finance her bid for governor and get a facelift? Who could forget state Sen. Roscoe Dean who con spired to organize an illegal drug cartel on the Georgia coast to finance his campaign for governor? Roscoe had just one small problem: His co-conspirators were under cover GBI agents. Alas, poor Roscoe was arrested and sent to prison. Then there was the candidate for gov ernor who drove around Georgia with a portable electric chair hitched to his car, and another guy, a biker, who campaigned for governor to gain publicity for his bid to become president of his motorcycle club. Of course, Georgia’s most unusual high- profile politician may have been Lester Maddox, an Atlanta restaurant owner who handed out pick handles — some called them clubs — as campaign souvenirs on his way to becoming governor. To keep alive the true spirit of Maddox, Schrenko, Belluso and the voodoo queen, we need at least one more notably curious event before the Nov. 4 election. How about inviting Sarah Palin to come to Georgia for homecoming? She would certainly inspire more excitement than our gradually disin tegrating Bulldogs, and she might do some thing worthy of inclusion on our all-time strange happenings list. You can reach Bill Shipp at P. O. Box 2520, Kennesaw, GA 30156, e-mail: shipp 1@ bellsouth.net, or Web address: billshippon- line.com. Letters to the editor policy given The Banks County News has established a policy on printing Letters to the editor. We must have an original copy of ah letters that are submitted to us for publica tion. Members of our staff will not type out or hand-write letters for people who stop by the office and ask them to do so. Letters to the editor must also be signed with the address and phone number of the person who wrote them. The address and phone number will be for our verification purposes only and will not be printed unless the writer requests it. Mail to, The Banks County News, P.O. Box 920, Homer, Ga. 30547. E-mailed letters will be accepted, but we must have a contact phone number and address. Letters that are libelous will not be printed. News department contact numbers Anyone with general story ideas, com plaints or comments about the news depart ment is asked to call editor Angela Gary at 706-367-2490. She can also be reached by e-mail at AngieEditor @ aol.com. Anyone with comments, questions or suggestions relating to the county board of commissioners, county government, coun ty board of education and crime and courts is asked to contact staff reporter Chris Bridges at 706-367-2745 or by e-mail at chris @ mainstreetnews.com. Bridges also is sports editor of the paper and covers local high school, middle school and recreation sports. Anyone with comments, questions or sug gestions relating to Alto, Lula, Baldwin and Gillsville, should contact Sharon Hogan at 706-367-5233 or by e-mail at sharon@mainstreetnews.com. Calls concerning the City of Maysville should go to staff reporter Justin Poole at 706-367-2348 or e-mail him atjustin@mainstreetnews.com. Calls for information about the church page should go to Suzanne Reed at 706-677-3491. Church news may also be e-mailed to churchnews@mainstreetnews.com. The Banks County News web site is updated throughout the week and may be accessed on the Internet at www.bartksnewsTODAY.com. McCain stands above rhetoric at own rallies ITEMS FROM my political note book as the most important election in decades draws closer: •If you want to know what type of man John McCain really is then all you have to do is look at a news clip from a recent cam paign rally. McCain was listening to the concerns of a supporter when the Republican nominee declared enough is enough. A woman in attendance was carry ing on about how she was afraid of Obama being elected president. Fair enough. She continued, however, to go right over the edge saying things which were simply not true and declared that Obama was an “Arab." At this point, McCain shook his head negatively, took the microphone back and said. “No, ma’am.” McCain said while he disagrees with the Democratic nominee on issues, Obama is a good man. McCain deserves credit for drawing a line and stopping the woman from continuing when she was telling an outright false hood. He could have stood there and smiled and allowed her to continue. However, McCain is honest. He is, as I have said in this space, a hero. He doesn’t have to drop to that level, even if some of the people who are going to vote for him do. It’s obvious this woman has been brainwashed by too much conservative talk radio and/ or FOX News. This incident only scratches the sur face. however. At other McCain ral lies in recent days, extremist support ers have been recorded yelling about Obama phrases like “KILL HIM!" and "TRAITOR” and "OFF WITH HIS HEAD!" Amazing, truly amazing and dis turbing. •Most political observers agreed the second presidential debate recently was not even worth watching. Even the ultra conservative leaning Drudge Report website headline screamed: “BORING” the following day. One has to wonder what voters’ reaction would be if other candidates were allowed to participate Libertarian candidate Bob Barr continues to be excluded along with independent can didate Ralph Nader and Constitution Party nominee Chuck Baldwin. Green Party candidate Cynthia McKinney has also been denied access to the debates. Until voters demand more, how ever, we will continue to receive more of the same. I guess if you are having trouble sleeping at night the current debate format is a great way to fade away, no prescription needed. •On the home front, Democratic candidate Jim Martin is making a strong ran against Republican Saxy Chambliss in the race for U.S. Senate. On paper, it’s easy to see why Martin is doing well. The economy is in the tank, for several weeks drivers had trouble finding gas to put in their cars and our state’s Republican gover nor bailed out of the country. Martin is a decorated Vietnam Veteran while Chambliss did not serve in the military. Chambliss has done nothing but been a rubber stamp for the failed policies of President Bush. The race is there for the taking. All of this is on paper, however. Martin still has one major handicap to over come. He has the initial “D” by his name on the ballot, as in Democrat. You see, a majority of Georgia voters have been brainwashed into thinking they can’t vote for one. What a shame. Chris Bridges is a reporter for The Banks County News. E-mail com ments about this column to chris @ mainstreetnews. com.