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PAGE 4A —THE MADISON COUNTY (GA) JOURNAL. THURSDAY. OCTOBER 1.2009 Opinions Frankly Speaking frankgillispie671@msn.com By Frank Gillispie Playing in the mud Most news reports on the Internet are followed by a “Comment” section where readers are able to respond. If you read these comments regularly, you find a theme developing. One of the most common themes continues to be, “It’s George Bush’s fault.” Typical of these comments is the following posted by someone who identifies himself as ronnierayjenkins who was responding to a story about growing anger among Americans: “So, the Republicans are mad as hell. Where was their anger when GWB and Dick Cheney set out to destroy America?” There are two major flaws with this argument. First, many, if not a majority of the people show ing up at the Tea Party protests are independents who have never before taken part in political activities. To make a blanket statement that all these people are Republicans is simply wrong. Secondly, the suggestion that Republicans did it first does not justify political abuses by Democrats. They sound like a bunch of kids who were caught playing in the mud. "What happened to you Harry,” asks his mother. "You are all covered with mud.” "It's not my fault,” little Harry answered. “Nancy fell in the mud first, and I tripped over her.” "Why were you and she running through the mud to start with?” his mother asked. "Well, George and Richard were wading in the mud hole and we were running to get ahead of them,” he answered. "What was so important about getting ahead of George and Richard?” she asked. "Barry was standing on the curb telling us to run faster. So we were running as fast as we could until Nancy fell in the mud and I tripped over her. So, you see, it was George and Richard’s fault that I got so muddy.” "Did Barry get muddy as well,” asks his moth er. "No,” Harry answered. “He just stayed on the curb telling us to outrun George and Richard.” People like myself have been protesting the government’s power grab for many years now. We protested Republican overspending well before the Democrats took power and dramati cally increased the abuses. The problem is that too few people took notice. Now that the present government’s radical spending programs are too obvious to be ignored, people are finally speak ing up. People in America have become angry about government over spending. They are concerned for the future of their children who will have to pay these bills in one form or another. And it is not just Southern “white rednecks.” People of all races, economic levels and regions of this nation are realizing that the current crop of politicians is leading us all into the swamp and if we all get mired up in the quicksand, there will be no one left to pull us out. So I say to all of the "blame-Bush” crowd: You are doing nothing more that blindfolding yourself with this argument. And we all know what hap pens when the blind lead the blind. Frank Gillispie is founder of The Madison County Journal. His e-mail address is frank@ frankgillispie.com. His website can be accessed at http:/Avww.frankgiUispie.com/gillispieonline. The Madison County Journal (Merged with The Danielsville Monitor and The Comer News, January 2006) P.O. Box 658 Hwy. 29 South Danielsville, Georgia 30633 Phone: 706-795-2567 Fax: 706-795-2765 Email: zach@mainstreetnews.com ZACH MITCHAM, Editor MARGIE RICHARDS, Reporter/Office Manager BEN MUNRO, Reporter/Sports Editor MIKE BUFFINGTON, Co-publisher SCOTT BUFFINGTON, Co-publisher FRANK GILLISPIE, Founder of The Journal. Jere Ayers (deceased) former owner of The Danielsville Monitor and The Comer News Periodical postage paid at Danielsville, Georgia 30633 SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Madison & surrounding counties $19.75/year State of Georgia $38.85/year Out-of-state $44.50/year Military personnel with APO address $42.50/year Senior rate $2 off all above rates College student discount rate $2 off all above rates POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: THE MADISON COUNTY JOURNAL P.O. Box 658, Danielsville, GA 30633 A publication of MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. Away from family and into the fire The presidential election held our attention for nearly two years. The economic collapse consumed our thoughts. The swine flu has scared us. The health care debate has raised our blood pressure. Meanwhile, men and women have continued to cross the ocean on their way to two wars. We hardly seem to notice except for ceremonial occasions. When sol diers in fatigues pass by at the Atlanta airport, they get obligatory applause from those waiting in the latte lines. It's hard to believe we are still engaged in two armed conflicts. The wars have gone on so long they’ve lost their immediacy in our lives — that is, unless you are immediately affected, such as having a loved one a world away or gone for good. Then, the wars mean everything. And the public indifference must surely be a source of blinding rage. Of course, the war headlines are still there. They're just buried beneath other pressing matters, like unemployment figures or health care town hall gatherings. But the war debates will liven up again. Too many questions remain. What is our overall purpose, our strategy? What is “success?” Can we achieve that success with our current numbers? When can we leave Iraq or Afghanistan? In the Meantime zach@ mainstreet news.com By Zach The focus has clearly shifted from Iraq back to Afghanistan. It makes sense for us to try to keep Afghanistan out of Taliban control. A1 Qaeda attacked us. And the Taliban and al Qaeda are closely allied. Our military quickly drove the Taliban out of Afghanistan in 2001, but the success of that was compli cated by the fact that the Taliban and al Qaeda took up safe haven in a neighboring, nuclear-armed Islamic state, Pakistan. So, the ter rorists essentially traded one patch of protected dirt for a more pro tected patch. When it comes to pursuing bin Laden, both the Bush and Obama administrations have had to deal with Pakistan. And this has proved very difficult, whether you're a Republican or Democrat. I think Iraq split this country on partisan lines, with many in the GOP think ing it was a wise action and more Democrats thinking it was a bad move. But getting the folks who hit us on 9/11 — bin Laden and al Qaeda — has never been much of a political fight. People on the left and right can agree that this is a proper goal. But the pursuit of killers into Pakistan comes with numerous complications. Is Pakistan our friend or foe? They appear to be both at times. They say they are committed to getting bin Laden and fight ing the Taliban. Then again, they have a clear incentive to string us along, getting U.S. support as they “search.” Likewise, if they make too big a show of fight ing militants, they risk alienating many in their country who support them and facing a violent backlash. The continued U.S. support for Pakistan in fighting Islamic mili tants also means that Pakistan's biggest enemy, India, must accept an alliance between the U.S. and Pakistan, which strains U.S. rela tions with India. Pakistan has much of its armed forces committed to its eastern border. They seem to fear India more than the Taliban. And if there is a nuclear catastrophe in this world, it seems a high probability that it will be a blowup between these two nations. That’s why the attacks by Islamic extremists in Mumbai, India, were particular ly scary. If India perceived those attacks as state-sanctioned by the Pakistani government, then what? Yes, here’s where some folks respond to complications with sim ple answers. They inevitably jump in with "nuc’ em’ all” rhetoric. If that's your belief, there’s no argu ing you back from that. I won’t try. I’ll just say that I’m glad you don’t have access to the button. And I believe that the indiscriminate "exterminate-them-all” attitude is why we call a terrorist a terrorist. I don’t want to share that bond with them. No, there are no simple answers. The best hope for "success” is helping both Iraq and Afghanistan become self-sufficient societies where terrorists don’t have any hope of taking root, because their own governments prevent it. But how in the world do you make that happen? That’s a ques tion meant for a greater mind than mine. Such questions stretch over many years and many conflicts. In the meantime, our troops will quiedy pack their bags to fam ily tears and little fanfare, trudging through the airport terminals away from their loved ones and into those faraway fires. Zach Mitcham is editor of The Madison County Journal. Government is bad - except when we need it One of the themes underly ing this year’s waves of political protests - whether anti-tax, anti- Obama, anti-healthcare reform, whatever - is that government in all its forms should be abolished. I have some Libertarian friends who consider it a bedrock princi ple that government never works under any circumstances, so the sooner we get rid of it and stop collecting taxes, the better. I have no doubt that they are sincere in their beliefs. We have seen a milder varia tion of this anti-government view point during the healthcare reform debate from Georgia congressmen like Tom Price, Saxby Chambliss, Paul Broun and Johnny Isakson. They have strongly opposed pro posals for a government-funded “public option” or similar form of federal health insurance program modeled on Medicare. “As a physician, I can attest that nothing has had a greater negative effect on the delivery of health care than the federal government’s intrusion into medicine through Medicare,” said Price, who was an orthopedic surgeon before run ning for political office. “I will not be a part of driving Americans to a government-run health care system that we can’t afford,” Isakson said. The congressmen, like my Libertarian colleagues, are clear about it: government has no role The Capitol Report tcrawford@ capitol impact.net. By Tom Crawford to play in helping its citizens. As one Internet pundit expressed it: “The free market always can solve problems and produce what people need better than govern ment. There are no exceptions.” I thought of these folks as Georgia was being inundated with a series of rainstorms that dropped a record amount of water on the northern part of the state: 20 inch es or more in some counties. The historic floods that overran the state and killed at least nine people were a leading story for the national media, which broad cast stark images of bridges and subdivisions under water, roads buried under muddy runoff, and schools that would not reopen for a long time. There were heart-warming pic tures as well of courageous emer gency workers who piloted their boats through the most dangerous areas to rescue people from the rising waters. Many of these rescue workers were government employees like police and firefighters whose salaries are paid with taxpayer funds. I didn’t hear any of the rescued flood victims protesting that government ought to keep its nose out of their affairs. In Georgia, as in New Orleans after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, the situation was the same. When you’re standing on the roof of your house and the water is lapping at your feet, there isn’t much chance that the forces of the free market are going to magically come to your rescue. You’re not going to complain if some government-paid employee in a government-provided water craft saves your life. It is interesting to me that the same politicians who oppose the expenditure of government funds for health insurance were clamor ing for boatloads of federal dollars to help the areas that were ravaged by the flooding. Said Johnny Isakson: "I fully support the governor’s request for federal disaster assistance for communities in Georgia affected by these devastating storms and floods, and I hope the president will approve this request quick ly” Said Saxby Chambliss: “There are many areas that are going to need a helping hand and it is imperative that the president approve this request.” Even Tom Price, who opposes government funds for a program like Medicare, wanted those tax payer dollars: “Governor Perdue has asked President Obama to expeditiously declare a major disaster in Georgia. Today, I, along with Georgia's entire congressio nal delegation, sent a letter to the president in support of Governor Perdue’s request. It is essential that the appropriate resources get to where they are needed so the recovery process can begin.” It’s one thing to have an abstract debate about the feasibility of eliminating taxes and govern ment, but real life tends to be a lot messier. In real life, people get sick and need medical care. They need roads to drive on, water that is safe to drink, and sometimes they even need to be rescued from floods. I understand why people feel aggravated by the government. I feel the same way whenever I try to renew my driver’s license or pay my property taxes. As the flooding showed, however, there are times when we all need a help ing hand that only government can provide. Tom Crawford is the editor of Capitol Impact’s Georgia Report, an Internet news sendee at www. gareport.com that covers govern ment and politics in Georgia. He can be reached at tcrawford@ capitolimpact.net. Love of animals comes naturally It’s a regular farmyard at our house. We have chickens, rab bits, cats, dogs, ducks, fish, a horse and a mule. My oldest nephew, Jake, loves animals and keeps asking for more. A recent addition to our fam ily is Jake’s puppy, Lace. We adopted her at the Commerce Vet Clinic after finding her photo on the Humane Society of Jackson County’s website. She is a good-natured dog who is perfect for children. Jake and his little brother, Grayson, both love to play with her. The Beta Fish, named Swimmy, is another new addi tion to our animal family. The boys can’t pet the fish and run around the yard with him like they do with Lace, but they still enjoy having him as a pet. Jake feeds her every morning My View By Angela Gary and both boys love to watch her swim around in her small aquarium. Jake also loves to go the pens and check to see how the rabbits are doing and whether the chickens have any eggs for him to gather. He also loves playing with the baby rabbits. He brought a few up to the house Saturday and he and Grayson had lots of funny playing with them. The adults enjoyed watching the boys laugh and enjoy the bunnies. Jake and Grayson get their love of animals naturally. Our family has always had four-legged friends around the house. I’ve written many times about my cats, Missy and Quincy. Both lived long lives and I have many won derful memories of them. We also had rabbits and chick ens. I remember a big white rabbit, named Bunny, that we had as children. One of our first dogs was named Big Red. We also had a dog for many years named Pooh. Children will always remember those early pets and how special they were. Animals are wonder ful for children to have. They teach them responsibility, compassion and love, among other things. If you are looking for a pet, check out the website for the Madison Oglethorpe Animal Shelter at www.moaspets.org, or visit the Humane Society of Jackson County website at www.hsjc.com. It’s always great to adopt an animal from the humane society. They have many great cats and dogs to choose from. I adopted Quincy many years ago from the Athens Humane Society. This was before Jackson County had an orga nization. He was such a loving cat and important part of our family. Angela Gary is associate edi tor of The Jackson Herald and editor of The Banks County News. She can be reached at AngieEditor@aol.com.