HELPING TO RESTORE POWER: More than 20 team members from Jackson EMC are heading to the Florida panhandle to assist a fellow electric cooperative restore power in the wake of Hurricane Michael. The Jackson EMC crews will assist Gulf Coast Electric Cooperative, based in Wewahitchka, Fla., restore power to its members. Gulf Coast Electric Cooperative serves 20,815 members. Its service area includes Panama City and Mexico Beach, which were some of the hardest hit areas by the hurricane on October 11. As of today, the cooperative reports that more than 1,900 meters, or about nine percent of its total distribution system, remain without power. Jackson EMC sent 18 linemen, two foremen and one mechanic Friday to Gulf Coast Electric Cooperative to assist in the restoration effort. The crews represent all of Jackson EMC’s district offices. Earlier, Jackson EMC also sent more than 60 team members to Grady EMC in Cairo, Georgia, to assist in the restoration effort from Hurricane Michael. All those crews returned to Jackson EMC October 23.
TODAY’S FOCUS: Still the Question in Jolly England: Deal or No Deal on Brexit
EEB PERSPECTIVE: We Hate To Predict, But Statewide Politics May Not Be Over on Tuesday
ANOTHER VIEW: Think Tanks Need to Produce Detailed Military Expenditure Proposals
SPOTLIGHT: Mingledorff’s
FEEDBACK: View of Washington Reminds Him of Third Graders on the Playground
UPCOMING: Georgia World War I Commission Offers Centerville Program Nov. 8
NOTABLE: GACS Theater Group Wins Four Awards in One-Act Competition
RECOMMENDED: The Cast by Danielle Steele
GEORGIA TIDBIT: Ellis Arnall of Newnan Rises Fast To Become Successful Governor
MYSTERY PHOTO: Watch Out Making Assumptions on This Mystery Photo
CALENDAR: Reindeer Games Coming to Braselton Next Weekend
Still the question in jolly England: Deal or no deal on Brexit
(Editor’s Note: Here’s the latest from our correspondent in Great Britain about the so-called Brexit situation. –eeb)
By Darryl McDonald, UK Correspondent
LONDON | Just when we thought that a deal for a Soft Brexit was possible, all hell breaks loose!
Prime Minister Theresa May held individual meetings with the three main heads of the European countries to help sell her plan prior to the October 18 meeting of the European Union (EU). All appeared to be looking good for a provisional agreement in order to move forward to the last stage of a Trade deal by November.
However at the meeting, the door was slammed firmly in the Prime Minister’s (PM) face by the EU on the basis that nothing new had been put forward. What was a small issue has now become a major one, which is the border between Northern and Southern Ireland.
Currently there is no hard border between North and South Ireland and it’s it easily crossed either way. However when the United Kingdom (UK) leaves the EU, the northern as part of the UK, will be outside the EU, so there needs to be some form of border check. The South of Ireland does not want a hard border.
Could this be a ploy to re-unite North and South of Ireland in the future? If there is no hard border between them, then there will have to be one between Northern Ireland and the Mainland thus dividing the UK itself, a totally unimaginable situation!
The only thing that Theresa May came away with was an extension to the Backstop period from one to two years. So, what is the Backstop? It is an extension period which has been agreed that after the Brexit deadline of March, 2019 the UK would pay up their exit bill of £38 billion but would stay in the EU for an additional year to allow for a smoother transaction rather than an instant break.
This extension would mean continuing under all the existing regulations and restrictions and pay a further £10 billion, so two years will mean £20 billion and not actually leaving till 2021! This has caused uproar in Parliament and with the people. It has also raised the stakes for another referendum on the actual deal, with a march through central London by 670,000 people demonstrating for this to happen.
So what of the PM? She faces pressure from both sides of her own Government. The Brexiters preferring a No Deal have the knives out but are reluctant to have a Leadership challenge at this late stage as it will take six weeks and delay the ongoing negotiations further.
The Remainers including the PM say that they have 95 percent of the Deal agreed, but not many Brits believe this is actually true!
There is another EU meeting in November. If there is a final agreement made at this time, then we may well have a Brexit Deal in position for next March. If not, then we are heading for a No Deal scenario at which point Mr. Trump is keen to enter into Trade Deal negotiations with the UK, but at what cost?
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
We hate to predict, but statewide politics may not be over Tuesday
By Elliott Brack
Editor and publisher
NOV. 6, 2018 | Here’s what we’ll predict: if the political polls are as accurate as the pollsters hope they will be in the 2018 election, politics in Georgia won’t be over today. We predict we’ll have a runoff in the governor’s race, and at least two other statewide races.
That’s our thought if the candidates of the Libertarian Party poll at least five percent of the voters in any of this year’s races. Together with the supposedly tight governor’s race, it’ll mean no one candidate for governor gets more than 50 percent of the vote, so we will face a runoff.
Consider also: if a person votes Libertarian for governor, the chances are that they will also vote Libertarian for other candidates down the ballot. So we might also have runoffs for Secretary of State, Insurance Commissioner and the two Public Service Commission contests.
We might add here that our state’s requirement for a majority of votes (plus one) to gain election can be costly. If any of the statewide races go to a runoff, that means Gwinnett County alone must ante up $1 million for putting on the runoff. Statewide, the aggregate cost of a runoff will be between $5-10 million. That’s a mighty high price to pay for wanting a clear majority before a winner is declared.
Is there a better way? Probably so. We could amend our state Constitution (yep, another vote by citizens) to allow election if a candidate got, say, 45 percent of the vote. Would we have better government with a 45 percenter in office? Probably just as good as a race with someone getting five percent more. It probably would not make much difference to the average citizen. It wouldn’t matter too much to the two major parties. The real loser in a 45 percent for victory circumstance would be the Third Parties, who no longer have their stranglehold on pushing us to costly runoffs.
There are other ways to avoid runoffs. The nation will be watching today’s voting in the State of Maine, where they are having ranked-choice voting, for the expressed purpose of not having a runoff. If it goes well there, perhaps other jurisdictions could consider that for determining an election.
So, depending on the Libertarian turnout, Georgia may be facing a runoff this year. Doesn’t that excite you as it does me? Sure it does. Oh, boy! We could have one more month of targeted political advertising before the runoff, which would be December 4.
And if we think those political advertisements were outrageous and downright mean before, they’ll only get worse.
Consider those political advertisements. Once a candidate gets one he or she likes, why do we have to see it repeated time-after-time. Didn’t we get the message and either liked or didn’t like it the first 10 times it ran? Wouldn’t it make more sense to take that same money, run each of the advertisements fewer times, and take that unspent additional times money for new and creative advertisements that might appeal to another sector of the voters?
When you have seen an ad 41 times, why see it 42 times? Wouldn’t 10 times be more reasonable? But who are we to ask. We each are only one voter.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Think tanks need to produce detailed military expenditure proposals
By George Wilson, contributing columnist
STONE MOUNTAIN, Ga. | President Trump is running around to his political rallies bragging about how he has increased the military budget; let’s examine the reality on this issue.
The military industrial complex has grown exponentially since Eisenhower’s warning about it in his final address to the nation. It should be Job One to start getting control of this monster. Consequently, it requires oversight of government contracts, accountability for results, and consideration of foreign policy goals and a cost-benefit analysis of the best ways to achieve those goals.
For those things, a bipartisan consensus should be possible – provided – and this is the big caveat – that the consensus isn’t poisoned by corporate dollars seeking to maintain the status quo. Even worse, congressmen insist on maintaining a jobs program in their own districts, either through obsolete military bases or equipment that the military doesn’t need or want. Unfortunately, when reduced to a bumper sticker, the complex issues and tradeoffs in consideration of foreign policy and the workings of the military industrial complex become: “Support the troops.”
Who can disagree with that? That’s why discussion of these policies cannot take place at the level of retail politics. That’s why we need think tanks on both left and right not beholden to corporate dollars to consider detailed policy proposals. Furthermore, the people making our foreign policy and helping to set our military budgets and priorities should be barred from lobbying for at least five years.
Finally, we are the world’s gun runner and our war machine is always hungry. To start, we need to end the recurring oscillation between realist and idealist in the foreign policy establishment: they follow the same narrative and the same practices. We should begin to use our bloated military budget to promote humane policies that build weak countries rather than exploit their weaknesses for our gain.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Mingledorff’s
The public spiritedness of our sponsors allows us to bring GwinnettForum.com to you at no cost to readers. Today’s featured sponsor is Mingledorff’s, an air conditioning distributor of the Carrier Air Conditioning Company. Mingledorff’s corporate office is located at 6675 Jones Mill Court in Norcross Ga. and is proud to be a sponsor of the Gwinnett Forum. With 37 locations in Georgia, Alabama, Florida, Mississippi and South Carolina, Mingledorff’s is the convenient local source with a complete line for the quality heating, ventilating, air conditioning, and refrigeration parts and supplies you need to service and install HVAC/R equipment. Product lines include Carrier, Bryant, Payne, Totaline and Bard.
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View of Washington reminds him of third graders on playground
Editor, the Forum:
I don’t agree with everything Debra Houston writes, but, I agree with her recent general theme.
Right now I’ve got a very cynical view of anything related to Washington and to the media. They remind me of third graders on a playground, calling each other names, pushing and shoving occasionally, without any basis of fact, integrity, nor of economic sense. Actually third graders, probably have a higher level of integrity. And this isn’t directed at any particular party or political persuasion, just the whole group of them.
Justice Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearings represented the worst behavior that I’ve ever seen in government. It is something I’m ashamed of, the same way I’m ashamed of the other travesties of our recent history.
The only optimistic note is that it seems that we’ve seen this folderol before in Washington, and that we survived it then and perhaps, if we’re lucky, we can survive it again.
— Ed Orr, Peachtree Corners, Georgia
Concerned by older trick-or-treaters with questionable decorum
Editor, the Forum:
A gentleman who was overwhelmed by the number of trick or treaters who showed up at his home on Halloween posted about it on NextDoor. Many people were unkind to him, essentially telling him to suck it up, that Halloween is fun.
I used to think it was fun, too, but when Halloweeners suddenly didn’t know or care that the whole night should not be dedicated to ringing doorbells and that turning porch lights out meant, “Please don’t ring our bell,” then it became a chore.
A few years earlier, in addition to the costumed little kids, six-foot teen boys without costumes showed up as trick or treaters, ringing my bell well past 9 p.m. My dogs barked incessantly all evening and the cats hid under the bed because of the outside activity and the constant “ding-dong.”
A few years, I went out to dinner on Halloween to avoid the problem. But then I’d come home to find eggs on my house. I went out this Halloween night and at almost 9 p.m., when I returned, there were still people on the streets in my subdivision, making it difficult to drive without fear of hitting someone. A group of 15-20 teens in dark clothing strutting down the street exacerbated the problem.
Maybe it’s time for some sensible trick or treat guidelines with time limitations. Opening doors to everyone, including large strangers, can even be a danger to residents. Nearly grown people without costumes can find something to do besides knock on doors asking for candy. Why not keep the tradition for little kids, the way it was meant to be?
— Louise Stewart, Norcross
Liked recent recommendations on which candidates to vote for
Editor, the Forum:
What a gutsy and reasonable list of candidate recommendations!
— Alvin Johnson, Sandy Springs
Send us your thoughts: We encourage you to send us your letters and thoughts on issues raised in GwinnettForum. Please limit comments to 300 words. We reserve the right to edit for clarity and length. Send feedback and letters to: elliott@brack.net
Georgia World War I Commission offers Centerville Program Nov. 8
Visit the Centerville Branch to view World War I military uniforms and an extensive display of WWI photographs of Gwinnett. Then join historian Gene Ramsey on November 8 at 7 p.m. in the Centerville Community Center for a discussion about the impact of WWI on Gwinnett County and the thirty Gwinnett sons who made the ultimate sacrifice.
Gwinnett County Public Library, in partnership with Georgia WWI Centennial Commission, Gwinnett Historical Society, and OneStop Centerville, presents this tribute. The Community Center is located at 3025 Bethany Church Road, Snellville. It is free and open to the public.
For 12th year, Aurora Theatre presents A Christmas Carol
Anthony Rodriguez will play Scrooge.
Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol will return to the Aurora Theatre stage, November 23-December 22, for a 12th successive year! Audiences can follow the well-known, heartwarming tale of the curmudgeon Ebenezer Scrooge, as played by Anthony Rodriguez, as he journeys through the past, present and future of Christmas, ultimately embodying the spirit of the season! In this one-of-a-kind one-man version of A Christmas Carol, audiences will be transported to a cold, dark Christmas Eve in London in the late 1880s. This classic will be presented Wednesdays through Sundays on Aurora Theatre’s studio stage. Tickets start at $20 and can be purchased online at tickets.auroratheatre.com or by calling the Box Office at 678-226-6222. For more information or to purchase tickets for programming, call the box office at 678-226-6222 .
GACS theater group wins 4 awards in one-act competition
Greater Atlanta Christian School Theater begins the season with four awards for One-Act in the first performance of the school year. The Very Grey Matter of Edward Blank proves to stun local audiences and those at the Georgia Theater Conference. The cast won four awards for their moving performance that tackles the stigmas of mental illness. The conference hosted high schools from all over Georgia, meaning their competition consisted of some of the strongest theater programs in the state.
he cast won the following awards at the competition:
- Overall Best Show;
- Best Ensemble;
- Best Lead Actor, John Michael Vestal, as Edward Blank; and
- Josh Swope, as Mr. Net, Best All-Star Cast.
The original script held very little stage direction, which opened up the possibilities for actors’ interpretations and the director’s vision–which paid off.
Kristy Winkes, GAC Theater Director, says: “Our team went through a lot of research, creative meetings, line interpretation, acting exercises, problem-solving, and so much more to get to the final production.” She adds that so much of this interpretation process can be intimidating, but is well worth it.
Also to be performed this year will be the following plays: Sound of Music, Raisin in the Sun, Les Miserables, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
New Gateway85 CID camera installation catches illegal dumping
Gateway85 CID has partnered with FLOCK Safety to install 10 closed-circuit television cameras throughout the district as a pilot project, working in coordination with the Gwinnett County Police Department Westside Precinct. The cameras are located strategically throughout the district based on Gwinnett Police Department commercial area crime analysis reports. Recently, one camera located near an open space captured images showing that it was being used as a public dumping site. The pictures were used to identify the culprit participating in illegal dumping, which subsequently lead to a substantial fine and clean-up.
PCOM’s new class of 200 students gets their white coats
More than 200 doctor of osteopathic medicine (DO) and doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) students at Georgia Campus – Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (GA-PCOM) in Suwanee, recently received their white coats in formal ceremonies held at the Infinite Energy Theater in Duluth, Georgia.The two ceremonies were attended by faculty members, family and friends of the students who observed the traditional donning of the white coats, a rite of passage symbolic of healthcare professionals’ commitment to their patients and communities. Noting that there were 1,330 days until graduation, Pharmacy Class Chair Brent Chatoff, (PharmD ’22) said, “The white coat is symbolic of our abilities to improve the lives of others. … It is a symbol of hard work, dedication and professionalism” Thinking of the days ahead of them, he added that as a class, “we succeed together, we struggle together and we are there for one another.”
The Cast by Danielle Steele
From Karen Harris, Stone Mountain | Once again, Danielle Steele has written a gently paced story about a professional woman who overcomes many trials as she shifts careers and navigates changes in the lives of her grown children, and ponders trying again at finding love. Kait Whittier as an advice columnist, who pens a story that mirrors the life of her beloved and very successful grandmother. She sends it to an agent acquaintance who views it as magical as Kait’s life takes a dramatic turn. The story is to be turned into a TV series about women who puncture the glass ceiling in aviation in the 1940s and 50s. In addition to the deep bond Kait has with her three grown children, she builds an extended family with Hollywood stars. While the formula is familiar, Steele does have a way of connecting the reader to the characters in her stories and The Cast is no exception.
- An invitation: what books, restaurants, movies or web sites have you enjoyed recently? Send us your recent selection, along with a short paragraph (100 words) as to why you liked this, plus what you plan to visit or read next. Send to: elliott@brack.net
Ellis Arnall of Newnan rises fast to become successful governor
Ellis Arnall’s four years as governor of Georgia (1943-47) are considered to be among the most progressive and effective in the modern history of the state. Arnall undertook an ambitious ten-point reform program that was approved by the legislature within 24 days of his assuming the governorship—a record still unequalled in Georgia. He accomplished these and other democratic reforms and, in the process, paid off a state debt of $36 million.
Arnall
Ellis Gibbs Arnall was born on March 20, 1907, in Newnan, the son of Bessie Lena Ellis and Joseph Gibbs Arnall. He had one brother, Frank Marion II. After attending public school in Newnan, Arnall attended Mercer University and later transferred to the University of the South, in Sewanee, Tenn., from which he graduated in 1928 with a degree in Greek.
After graduating, Arnall entered the law school at the University of Georgia, where he served as president of his class, his legal fraternity, the student body, the Interfraternity Council, and the Gridiron Club. He finished law school in 1931 and returned to Newnan to practice law. In 1935 he married Mildred Delaney Slemons, and they had two children, Alvan and Alice. Following the death of Mildred in 1980, Arnall married Ruby Hamilton McCord.
Arnall’s rise to political power is one of the most remarkable chapters in the state’s political history. In 1932 voters in his home county of Coweta elected him to the Georgia House of Representatives when he was only 25 years old. The members of the lower house twice elected him to the position of Speaker pro tempore, that body’s second-highest elective office. Governor E. D. Rivers appointed Arnall to fill a vacancy in the office of state attorney general and, two years later, named him attorney general; Arnall was 31 years old. This appointment made him the nation’s youngest attorney general.
In 1942 Arnall ran against Governor Eugene Talmadge, who was seeking reelection. Talmadge’s interference in the running of the state’s University System had resulted in the loss of accreditation of most of the state’s public colleges. On this issue, the 35-year-old Arnall defeated Talmadge to become the youngest governor in the nation.
Arnall provided four years of progressive reform, replacing the state’s “Tobacco Road” national image with that of a progressive and forward-looking state. He successfully led efforts to restore accreditation to Georgia’s institutions of higher learning.
He reformed the state penal system, repealed the poll tax, lowered the voting age, revised the state constitution, established a teachers’ retirement system, and paid off the long-existing state debt. Promising to end gubernatorial dictatorship in the state, Arnall led efforts to create eight constitutional boards in an effort to reduce the power of the governor. He also created a merit system for state employees and the State Ports Authority. Arnall successfully led the South’s fight against discriminatory railroad freight rates, which had hampered the region’s industrial development. As a result of his reform program, members of the national press found themselves in the unusual position of praising rather than condemning a governor of Georgia.
(To be continued)
- To view the Georgia Encyclopedia online, go to http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org
Watch out making assumptions on this Mystery Photo
Watch out making assumptions about this edition’s Mystery Photo. Things may not be as they seem. Send your entries to elliott@brack.net, and include your hometown.
Was everyone sleeping, or watching football games, or checking out the colorful leaves, or just away from their computer last week? We ask since there were no entries in the Mystery Photo Contest. The last mystery came from Karen Burnette Garner, and is of the seaside town of Darmariscotta, Maine. She must have sent in the photo a couple of years ago, and we had not used it. And by the way, we need more mystery photos. Some of you have sent them in recently, and we appreciate it.
YES, THE LEAVES are changing. Roving Photographer Frank Sharp caught these glowing maple leaves along the edge of the Lawrenceville library property. It’s about the height of the leaf season in North Georgia now, so get out and enjoy the scenery.
Town Center ribbon cutting in Peachtree Corners is Nov. 13.
REMEMBERING WORLD WAR I: Thursday, November 8 from at 7 p.m., at OneStop Centerville., 3025 Bethany Church Road, Snellville. Look at period photos and uniforms, and learn from historian Gene Ramsey about how World War I affected Gwinnett County. This tribute is to the 30 Gwinnettians who died in The Great War, and is presented in partnership with the Gwinnett County Public Library, the Georgia WWI Centennial Commission, and the Gwinnett Historical Society.
SMALL ART WORKS and holiday show of the North Gwinnett Arts Association will be on display from November 9 through January 15 at the center office, 3950 Charleston Market Street off Town Center. A reception will be November 9 starting at 6:30 p.m.
CONCUSSION DISCUSSION will be Friday, November 9, from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. at the Busbee Center of Gwinnett Technical College. This will be an educational symposium and awareness day put on by Gwinnett Medical Center’s Concussion Institute. Topics include concussion care best practices and protocols; challenges in concussion care; new programs unfolding in Georgia; and concussion management.
CAPELLA’S MARTIAL ART, or barbershop harmony, with the Stone Mountain Chorus, will have two performances on Saturday, November 10 at the Peachtree Corners Baptist Church, at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. This year’s special guest artists are Banks and Shane, an Atlanta entertainment tradition since 1972. Tickets are online at the secure web site: www.stonemountainchorus.org. Advance purchase tickets are $22, with discounts to $20 for seniors (60+), students and groups (12+). All tickets at the door are $25, cash or personal check.
SUWANEE CLASSIC CAR SHOW will be Sunday, November 11, at Town Center Park from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. This is sponsored by the North Gwinnett Arts Association. Showcasing a variety of cars, including street rods, muscle cars, trucks, exotics, and imports, the show will also feature Junior Dragsters on exhibit, Paint-A-Wreck, a silent auction, 50/50 raffle, music by Uptown Entertainment, and artists creating in the park. Prizes will be offered in several categories.
VETERAN’S DAY ceremony will be November 11 at 1:30 p.m. at the Fallen Heroes Memorial located at the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center. With granite slabs bearing the names of the honored dead as a backdrop, the ceremony will include an honor guard, speakers, including Col. Rick White, co-director and chairman of the Georgia Military Veterans Hall of Fame. There will be a 21-gun salute, and bugler playing Taps. The Fallen Heroes Memorial is located at 75 Langley Drive, Lawrenceville.
RIBBON CUTTING and dedication of Peachtree Corners Town Center Boulevard will be held on Tuesday, November 13 at 5:30 p.m. Work is underway on the 21-acre tract of land, located on the 5200 block of Peachtree Parkway, that will be the site of the city’s new Town Center, which will feature entertainment venues, restaurants, shops, office space and townhomes.
AMERICA RECYCLES DAY is November 17, from 9 a. m. until noon at Coolray Field. To celebrate, Gwinnett Clean and Beautiful is partnering with Gwinnett County Solid Waste and Recovered Materials Division. Recycle items that are typically harder to recycle, such as electronics, tires, paint, ink cartridges, clothes, and more! Free paper shredding will be available, up to five boxes per vehicle. To volunteer, visit http://www.volunteergwinnett.net.
REINDEER GAMES in downtown Braselton is Saturday, November 17 at 10:30 a.m. It’s the year of the Deer! And we’d love for you to join us as we kickstart the holiday season. Parade entries are free and a little doe is awarded for the best floats. So put your antlers together and start planning today! For more information contact Amy at apinnell@braselton.net .
FOURTH ANNUAL CHILI COOKOFF to benefit the Gift of Adoption Fund will be Saturday, November 17 at Suwanee Town Center. Sponsored by Peach State Federal Credit Union, there will be over 50 chili teams vying for the $1,000 Grand Prize, voted on by the attendees. The fund assists Georgia families with their own domestic and international adoptions. Advance tickets are available at www.peachstatechili.com.
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