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PAGE 4A-THE MADISON COUNTY (GA) JOURNAL. THURSDAY. NOVEMBER 21.2019
A
Opinions
Thinking about the ‘gift of life 5
Many issues are simply snoozers for
most people until they're personally af
fected. I see organ donation as that type
of matter. It's easy not to think about this
until we’re in need or someone we love is
in a desperate spot.
Thankfully, I haven’t had that situation,
though it could certainly arise in my life.
But in this job, I have talked with several
people over the years who are waiting on
a miracle. They wait and wait for an organ
donation. And seeing this in someone’s
eyes or hearing it in their voice always
strikes a chord. I want them to get another
chance on life. It could be any of us.
Some people actually donate an organ
to a family member or even a stranger
while alive. And this is truly heroic, isn’t
it? If you contemplate actual selfless giv
ing, then this is, of course, one of the top
acts a human can offer another human.
I don't think I can summon that for a
stranger like some people do. It would
require some huge shift in me. Make it
immediate family and the question seems
different. If it’s our spouse or our child,
the issue holds so much more weight.
So. organ donation holds the intense in
ner debate on the value of life, not just our
own, but of others. What are we willing to
give up so that others may receive? Well,
that comes down to a lot of specific, hard
questions.
This even extends beyond our living
Two weeks ago, members of a Mexican
drug gang or cartel murdered three women
and six children en route to a wedding.
All nine victims were American citizens.
Many believe it was a warning and clear
message to the Mexican government to
keep their hands off the drug cartels.
Mexican officials first told news agencies
that it may have been a mistake, an error
that resulted in the murders of nine Amer
ican citizens.
U.S. President Donald Trump offered the
Mexican government assistance in bring
ing the killers to justice but his offer was
turned down by Mexican President Manuel
Obrador.
After being elected, Obrador did admit
that Mexico's war on drugs had been a fail
ure and he hoped to begin a peace process
between the cartels, gang members and the
Mexican public.
To say it has been a failure is a big. big
understatement.
In 2018, 36,000 homicides were reported
in Mexico. This year the country is experi
encing nearly 100 murders a day.
Favorite targets are Mexican police offi
cers and their families, as well as anyone
else who crosses a cartel or accidentally
stumbles onto a drug operation.
The drug cartels are hands off, set their
own agendas and take any action necessary
to protect their markets and distribution
routes. And it’s getting worse each year.
America is part of the problem.
A Council on Foreign Relations report
points out that the American market for il
legal drugs is the primary cause for such a
flourishing illicit trade.
Illicit drug use in the United States has
been increasing.
In 2013. an estimated 24.6 million Amer-
America could use a good food fight this
Thanksgiving.
Every day in our country, factions grow
and battle lines harden. Americans are
spending more time with like-minded peo
ple, their “tribes,” and less with people
holding differing viewpoints, those “Nean
derthals hell-bent on destroying the coun
try.”
Technology has widened our divide. So
cial media encourages us to befriend those
who think like us — and de-friend and de
monize those who don’t.
When I grew up in the 1970s, America
watched ABC, CBS or NBC. Since many
homes had just one television set, networks
maximized viewership by catering to fam
ilies. Walter Cronkite, voted “most trusted
man in America” by viewers, was at his ca
reer's peak.
Is any TV news journalist as widely
trusted today?
Meanwhile, cable TV's targeting of
niche audiences has produced talking-head
shows that lather up the left and right with
increasingly exaggerated and toxic rhet-
In the
Meantime
zach@
mainstreet
news.com
By Zach Mitcham
days. Our own death is no fun to contem
plate. It's easier to live with the illusion
that our days aren’t numbered. We know
the “fact.” But we don’t really know it un
til we can't avoid it.
That’s why I think many people never
sign up as organ donors. It's an unpleas
ant inner confrontation with life’s most
difficult truth. This is unfortunate, be
cause if a person takes just a moment to
sign up as an organ donor, they may add
years to a stranger’s life, which affects
not just that person but all of their loved
ones, too. As an organ donor, you provide
human presence, even in your absence.
You give something of life that can reach
years beyond your own days.
I understand the squeamish factor to
these things. I feel a little of that, too. But
I believe the bigger picture transcends all
of my inner reservations about signing up
From
the Right
Jfc Mi
7 W
It — M
ejterrell65@
gmail.com
P? T'
m
By Jimmy Terrell
icans, aged 12 or older, had used an illicit
drug in the past month. This number con
tinues to rise.
The report stated that Americans put al
most $150 billion on the table in 2016 pur
chasing illegal drugs that included cocaine,
meth, marijuana and various different syn
thetic opioids. The demand is rising.
Law enforcement agencies are aware
that most of the illegal drug traffic cross
es the border on foot, in tunnels, boats and
aircraft. Unfortunately, a lot of the sales
receipts are used to bribe law enforcement
officers in both countries.
It is easy to understand how the bribery
works. An officer is told that he or she ei
ther takes the bribe to protect the distribu
tors or they and their families will be killed.
Pretty simple operation. It’s been enforced
enough times, for those accepting the
bribes to understand it’s a one-way street.
You play or you die.
In a recent article the Wall Street Journal,
talking about supply and demand said, “
Now elite and entertainment culture sends
a message that drug use is a victim-less
habit, even glamorous. There’s more social
stigma in the U.S. against cigarettes than
against cocaine or marijuana.”
oric that helps to destroy civil discourse,
as shameless producers turn niche viewers
into fat paychecks.
I don’t believe Americans are as divided
or rigid in our beliefs as we seem. I believe
we all want what's best, but have different
ideas for achieving that desired outcome —
and we should discuss them.
Here’s something we should discuss: 30
million Americans cannot read or write
above a third-grade level.
Also, according to the National Assess
ment of Educational Progress, 64 percent
of eighth-graders, 82 percent of black stu
dents and 77 percent of Hispanic students
can’t read proficiently.
How will these kids flourish in an econ
omy that demands strong reading and
writing skills? Here's a sobering statistic:
85 percent of juveniles in the court system
are functionally illiterate, according to the
National Center for Education Statistics, as
are the vast majority of prison inmates.
How can we address this literacy crisis?
Education reform? Tax and school-fund
ing reform? More charter schools? School
vouchers? Volunteering to tutor kids?
Why aren’t we discussing this issue?
as an organ donor. If I am no longer here,
then why not help another person?
Some countries have implied consent
laws, where instead of assuming that a
person doesn't want their organs donated
upon their death, the assumption is that
they do. And those who don’t want that
still have the option of opting out, but they
have to register as someone who doesn’t
want to donate. I think this is really sen
sible. But I doubt there would be politi
cal support for this in the United States,
just as I think many sensible things aren’t
done due to political paralysis. Would
you support such legislation?
Of course, the statistics are overwhelm
ing. There is such a shortage of organs
for all in need. I could go online and pull
some stats to try and convince you of the
need. But you know it's there. You don’t
need numbers. All you really need is to
think of the person who tugs the hardest
at your heart, whoever that is. Think of
them in a life-threatening physical pre
dicament and imagine some stranger giv
ing them the gift of life. Wouldn’t you be
thankful? Wouldn’t you like to be that for
someone else after you pass?
If you answer “yes,” then it’s pretty
simple to register. You just have to go to
www.donatelifegeorgia.org.
Zach Mitcham is editor of The Madison
County Journal. He can be reached at
zach @ mainstreetnews. com.
While the United States might not be
able to stop the trade altogether, it could
make life tough for the cartels if Washing
ton, and the courts, really wanted to stop
the illegal activity.
We have the capability in our military to
protect our borders using personnel, weap
ons and other equipment.
The drug cartels are taking advantage
of Americans and destroying our society.
They should be seen as we see ISIS, an
intruder with intentions of destroying our
country and harming American citizens.
Once cartel members cross the border into
American territory, they should be treated
as enemy combatants, especially those that
are armed and carrying weapons.
Drug enforcement agencies should not
have to be fighting losing battles.
Our technology and military forces are
superior to what the cartels can put on the
table.
American citizens living along the bor
der, and across our country, have a right
to expect our government to protect our
homeland and our citizens.
Taxpayers are paying the estimated cost
of drug abuse in the United States to the
tune of more than $820 billion a year and
it continues to grow. Substance abuse in the
U.S. affects the costs to society in increased
healthcare costs, crime and lost productiv
ity.
The cartels also provide an avenue into
the country for terrorists and illegal aliens.
It's time for Washington to step up and
utilize our military to protect our borders
and our citizens.
Jimmy Terrell is retired from a career in
law enforcement and is a Winder city coun
cilman. He can be reached at ejterrell65@
gmail.com.
I believe Americans are much more nu-
anced, thoughtful and well-meaning than
we give ourselves credit for. We allow
self-serving interests — profit-driven me
dia executives — to pit us against each oth
er.
They sensationalize impeachment, anon
ymous sources and ever-more-ridiculous
hyperbole to profit at the expense of im
portant discussions we should be having to
correct so many problems that need to be
corrected.
That's why America needs a good food
fight this Thanksgiving.
Look, Thanksgiving is supposed to be a
day of coming together and showing grati
tude for our many blessings. Regrettably, in
our highly agitated state, tensions between
left- and right-leaning folks and everyone
in between are ruining our holiday meals.
So this year, let the mashed potatoes fly!
It will be impossible to dislike conserva
tive Uncle Mike with gravy dripping from
his nose and cranberry sauce in his ear.
It will be impossible to be angered by lib
eral Aunt Suzy with a dinner roll in her hair
See Purcell, page 5A
View
pchris
bridges@gmail.
com
By Chris Bridges
Presidential race
figures to be close
in Georgia
The 2020 general election is less than a
year away and indications show Georgia will
be a competitive state.
In a recent poll pitting President Trump
against five would-be Democratic challeng
ers, he trails each one. Joe Biden holds the
largest margin of victory in the poll with an
almost 9-percent advantage.
Bemie Sanders leads President Trump by
almost 4 percent while Elizabeth Warren
holds a 3.4-percent lead.
Pete Buttigieg leads by almost 3 percent
in a one-on-one matchup with the president.
The closest race shows Kamala Harris with a
slim 1-percent lead against President Trump
in the Georgia general election.
It’s interesting that only five of the Demo
cratic candidates were included.
It’s too early to even begin forecasting
who the Democratic nominee will be. Early
on it was thought that Biden held a lead too
great to overcome.
However, some Democratic voters have
become cautious about having Biden as the
nominee.
It’s also tough to say what is going on be
hind closed doors in Democratic Party cir
cles. If voters were wise, they would nomi
nate a new, young face.
Buttigieg was unknown nationally until
recently but has the youthful energy to lead
the party next November. He is also a vet
eran and no doubt would make health and
mental care for veterans a priority. A recent
poll now shows him leading in Iowa.
Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii is also a new face
on the national scene for Democrats and has
drawn some bizarre criticism from Hillary
Clinton. Gabbard, a current member of the
military, has embraced the criticism and re
sponded to it well.
A new wild card has also been thrown into
the Democratic race as billionaire Michael
Bloomberg is signing up for primaries in
various states. By the time you read this, he
is expected to officially announce his candi
dacy. Anyone who is a billionaire has to be
dealt with by the others in the race.
Bloomberg is said to be completely fi
nancing his own campaign (similar to how
President Trump did in 2016). While he will
no doubt receive some small contributions,
his self-financing does have one drawback.
One of the criteria for making the Democrat
ic presidential candidate debates is having a
certain number of donors. Bloomberg may
not have those numbers.
One report said Bloomberg is skipping the
early contests (Iowa. New Hampshire and
South Carolina) to focus on other primary
dates where voters in several states will go
to the polls. In addition, it is said that some
of the later contests (California for example)
See Bridges, page 5A
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: 800-795-2581
E-mail: zach@mainstreetnews.com
ZACH MITCHAM, Editor
MARGIE RICHARDS, Reporter/Office Manager
MIKE BUFFINGTON, Co-publisher
SCOTT BUFFINGTON, Co-publisher
FRANK GILLISPIE (deceased), Founder of The Journal.
JERE AYERS (deceased), former owner
of The Danielsville Monitor and The Comer News
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Mexican cartels at war with America
America, let’s talk this Thanksgiving...after the mashed potatoes fly!
By Tom Purcell