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PAGE 4A —THE MADISON COUNTY (GA) JOURNAL. THURSDAY. DECEMBER 31. 2009 Opinions Frankly Speaking frankgillispie671@msn.com By Frank Gillispie History may be about to repeat itself Michael Barone, writing in Tire Washington Examiner, pointed out that this is not tire first time a political party forced an unpopular bill through Congress by a narrow margin. While he was at it, he described the consequences of the battle. The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 was pushed through Congress by the Democratic Party with out a single vote from tire opposition Whig party. Stephen A. Douglas, of the Lincoln — Douglass Debates, in his eighth year as senator from Illinois, led the battle. The Democratic Party had control of Congress and the presidency. They won tire previ ous presidential election by 254 electoral votes for Franklin Pierce to only 42 for Winfield Scott. The Kansas-Nebraska act overturned the Missouri Compromise that had limited the exten sion of slavery in the northwest territory leaving the newly created states to decide for themselves if they would accept the "peculiar institution.’’ Opponents of the action responded by killing off tire Whig party and launching a totally new “Republican’’ party. A bloody political campaign between the supporters and opponents of slavery in the Kansas territory resulting in tire slogan of “Bleeding Kansas.” Eventually, this power play by tire Democrats led to the election of Abraham Lincoln as president by tire new party, which was the final straw forcing the Southern states to feel they had no choice but to secede from the union, which in turn lead to the outbreak of the War for Southern Independence. Now I do not think the action by the Democrats to ranr an unwanted health bill down the throats of Americans will lead to a civil war. But it stands a chance of causing a major political upheaval that once again may lead to a new political party and likely damage the Democratic Party so severely that they are at risk of being in the minority for years to come. A recent poll listed a large number of people who wish George Bush were still president. A generic poll showed tire Republicans with an eight-point lead over the Democrats. The Tea Party movement is making noises about organizing a new party and the idea polls well among tire voters. President Obama’s approval ratings are the low est of any recent president after one year in office. The voters are restless and very unhappy about tire way the country is going under his leadership. History may be about to repeat itself again. The national Democratic Party is forcing an unwanted bill through Congress on a totally partisan basis, and the majority of Americans do not like it. Many of them are "mad as hell and are not going to take it anymore." It is normal for tire party in power to lose seats in Congress during the mid term elections. But tire Democrats are at risk of losing much more than that. They might lose control of both houses of the legislature, and I do not think that President Obama has the political skills to deal with an opposition congress. 2010 will be a very interesting year, and 2012 may well bring tire upheaval that the physics are predicting. Put on your helmets and strap up your seatbelts. I think we are in for a very bumpy ride. Frank Gillispie is founder of The Madison County Journal. His e-mail address is frank@ frankgillispie.com. His website can be accessed at http://www.frankgiUispie.coni/giUispieonline. 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. ‘Don’t count my scars like the tree rings’ The only word the late Athens musician Vic Chestnutt ever uttered to me was a giggly shout into the microphone: “Busted!” A friend and I tried to sneak out of his show through the stage side door at the old Atomic Music Hall in Athens. It was locked. We had to walk back by in front of Chestnutt. He was amused and called us out. I started paying attention to Chestnutt in the early 90s, about the time I got really serious about song writing. Chestnutt was someone the general public never really caught on to. But if you wrote songs, and you tried to be serious about it, and you lived in Athens, then you knew who he was. Of course, going to see him live was a hit or miss proposition. There were the shows when he seemed pretty lit, where he couldn't remember the words to his own songs. He’d sit up on stage in that wheelchair, flubbing it all, and I remember feeling angry at him a time or two. You mean I paid for you to act this way? Music may have been a great love in his life, In the Meantime zach@ mainstreet news.com By Zach Mitcham but he mistreated it sometimes. And that was hard to watch. But I loved songwriting. And I recognized Chestnutt as a real lyri cist, someone to mimic. I played in bands, played some shows and recorded some stuff, but I was pre dominantly a bedroom musician for about 15 years, meaning I would spend hour upon hour sitting on my bed alone with my guitar. What if I start the verse as the first bar ends, instead of at the beginning? What if I tune both the E and A strings down to a D and a G? What phrase does this Phillip Levine book of poetry have in it that I can rip off in a song? I listened to Chestnutt’s music and could tell that he had spent countless hours in his bedroom, doing the same things, just much better. I liked how he would stick too many syllables in a fine and still make it work. Chestnutt had driven chunk and wrecked his car at the age of 18, losing the use of his legs. But he kept putting his fingers on the gui tar and singing. “I’m barely alive, ever since my daddy died. And I've been search ing for my own little babies to mis behave and betray me.” — from the song “Stupid Preoccupations.” That song is from the album “West of Rome.” And while I like a good bit of Chestnutt’s writing, it’s that album that really hooked me. I appreciate the songwriter who values imagery over declarations of love. And that album is full of vivid pictures. For instance, most every adult feels nostalgia for youth, for the childlike feelings they can no longer experience. And I like how he painted such a picture in the first verse of “Panic Pure”: “My earliest memory is of holding up a sparkler, high into the darkest sky, some Fourth of July Spectacular. And I shook it with an urgency I'll never be able to repeat.” Chestnutt always sounded like a sad fellow. And when he took pills last week and died on Christmas Day, it was not particularly surpris ing. We focus a lot on how people leave this world. And his was no glorious departure. It was a sad thing, not to be admired or copied by anyone. But I hold on to his lyrics and the sound of his odd, Southern squir- relly voice that offered some real poetry. "And to all you observers, in your scrutiny, don't count my scars like the tree rings.” If there’s one tribute I could offer to him, it's this: Whenever I lis tened to his good stuff, it sure made me want to close the door to my bedroom, pick up my guitar and write my own songs. I just hate that he left the show early. Zach Mitcham is editor of The Madison County Journal. Collectors will love ‘Antiques Roadshow’ “Antiques Roadshow” is a fas cinating television program for all collectors. It's so interesting to see people’s reaction when they find out their treasured item is worth much more or much less than they had thought. This is one show that my parents look forward to watching. They have always collected “stuff” and like to see if anything they have shows up on the show. I collect a lot of stuff myself, so I also enjoy checking out what is featured on the show. The new season will kick off on PBS on Jan. 4 and will feature an appraisal of four Chinese carved jade objects estimated to be worth as much as $1.07 million, the highest value appraisal ever fea tured in the 14 years of the series. The collection was discovered at a show in Raleigh, North Carolina, in June. Antiques Roadshow will air 20 new episodes in January, includ ing the following: •Jan. 4, 11 and 18, Raleigh, N.C. •Jan. 25, Feb. 1 and Feb. 8, Atlantic City, N.J. •Feb. 15, Feb. 22 and March 1, Madison, Wis. •March 29, April 5 and April 12, Denver, Colo. •April 19, April 26 and May 3, Phoenix, Ariz. •May 10, May 17 and May 24, San Jose, Calif. •Fall 2010, special edition, “Simply the Best.” •Winter 2010, special edition, “Naughty and Nice.” BOOK AVAILABLE “Roadshow” has a new book available. “Antiques Roadshow Behind the Scenes” is full of per sonal anecdotes, interviews with cast members and guests and pho tos. The book is written by the series executive producer, Marsha Bemko. She answers some of the most common questions about the show, including how to get on the show and what happens to the antiques after they are appraised. The book also includes the history of how the show was created, what the day is like during a taping and how the decision is made as to which antiques to feature on the show. It’s a great look into what goes on behind the scenes in this popular series. Readers interested in purchasing and selling antiques will also get lots of information, including how to protect antiques, how to chose a dealer or auction house and how to become an appraiser. The book is is $ 16.99 and is avail able from Touchstone/Stonesong Press. For more information, go to www.simonandschuster.com. Angela Gary is an editor with MainStreet Newspapers. She can be reached at AngieEditor@aol. com. Georgia politics: a year of quitters You could call 2009 “the year of the quitter” in Georgia poli tics. It was a 12-month period marked not by the accomplish ments of politicians serving in elected office, but dominated instead by the news of people who decided to leave office or drop out of an upcoming elec tion campaign. One of the first to give it up was Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle, who was assumed by most politi cal observers to be the favorite in the 2010 governor’s race to replace a term-limited Sonny Perdue. On a sunny day in April, Cagle summoned reporters to a press conference outside his suite of offices on the capitol's second floor and announced that medical problems with his back and neck had compelled him to abandon his campaign for governor. There was some truth to Cagle’s litany of medical prob lems - he later underwent back surgery - but his statement that he would run again for lieutenant governor, which requires a cam paign of similar statewide scope as governor, left many people shaking their heads and asking questions that still haven't been satisfactorily answered. Another powerful politician who at one time was considered a top contender for governor in 2010 or some future election The Capitol Report tcrawford@ capitol impact.net. By Tom Crawford cycle was House Speaker Glenn Richardson - but Richardson called it quits as well. He first tried to kill him self with an overdose of drugs in early November, a suicide attempt he blamed on depression stemming from a divorce from his wife and other family issues. After Susan Richardson went on TV and said that Richardson's problems also involved a roman tic affair with a female lobbyist, Richardson was forced to resign both as speaker and as a member of the Legislature. Speaker Pro Tern Mark Burkhalter, who was in line to replace Richardson in the House's top job, decided he didn't want to be speaker after all and indicated that he too may resign from the Georgia House soon. The pressures of the upcoming race for governor forced other elected officials to quit before serving out the full terms of office they had promised voters they would serve. Eric Johnson, an influen tial state senator for nearly 20 years, resigned from the Senate in late summer because he said he wanted to devote his full attention to running for the Republican nomination. Because of the way Georgia’s election laws are written, Johnson was able to leave office while insuring that the people in his Savannah-area district would still have someone repre senting them. A special election was held a few weeks after the resignation and Earl "Buddy” Carter was elected in plenty of time to replace Johnson in the Senate for the 2010 General Assembly session. There was no such luck for those Georgians who voted in 2006 for Karen Handel as secre tary of state under the erroneous assumption that she would serve the full four years of her term. Just three days before Christmas, Handel abruptly announced she was quitting at the end of the year so that she could show she was “all in” for the primary election campaign to decide the Republican nomi nee for governor. Handel's move was understand able. Disclosure reports indicate that she has not been as effec tive in raising campaign money as her opponents: Johnson, Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine, and Congressman Nathan Deal. If she remained in office as secretary of state, she would be prohibited from rais ing campaign funds during the three months or more that the General Assembly would be in session, starting on Jan. 11. Handel is now free to keep soliciting contributions during the months of January, February, and March, but she has also given some of her opponents ammunition they can use in the primary campaign. It is not hard to imagine a debate involv ing the Republican candidates where Oxendine or Deal turns to Handel and asks: “If you're elected governor, do you intend to serve the entire four years of your term?” No matter how Handel responds to that question, her opponent will be able to say that she has already proved she will not honor the most basic commitment a politician makes when running for office. There's an old saying that quitters never win and winners never quit. We'll find out in the 2010 election year if that’s really true. Tom Crawford is the editor of Capitol Impact’s Georgia Report, an Internet news sendee at www.gareport.com that cov ers government and politics in Georgia. He can be reached at tcrawford@capitolimpact. net. Want to submit a letter? Email us at zach@mainstreetnews.com, fax us at 706-795-2765 or mail us at RO. Box 658, Danielsville, Ga. 30633. Please include your first and last name, town of residence and phone number for verification pur poses.