GwinnettForum | Number 21.15 | Feb. 23, 2021
ELIMINATE THE BOREDOM of the Covid pandemic by getting out of the house. Columnist Alex Tillman suggests visiting a park in the open air as one way to stop your boredom. It doesn’t have to be a gigantic state or county park to curtail the boredom, but can be a nearby park, such as the Discovery Garden Park in downtown Norcross. For more on boredom, read immediately below Today’s Focus.
TODAY’S FOCUS: Recipe for pandemic boredom: get yourself out of the house
EEB PERSPECTIVE: Recall elections: a safeguard that is mighty difficult to pull off
ANOTHER VIEW: Once disorganized, state Democrats under Abrams become major factor
SPOTLIGHT: Centurion Advisory Group
FEEDBACK: “Big Tech” eating away at our freedoms; Next? Thought Police?
UPCOMING: Gwinnett Stripers to open 142 game season here on April 13
NOTABLE: Chamber honors public servants with 2021 Gwinnett Valor Awards
RECOMMENDED: His Very Best, Jimmy Carter, A Life by Jonathan Alter
GEORGIA TIDBIT: CARE Atlanta headquarters operates with 300 staff members
LAGNIAPPE: Jerry Colley, Mystery Photo contributor, Bike Ride coordinator, has died
Recipe for pandemic boredom: get yourself out of the house
By Alex Tillman
VALDOSTA, Ga. | One of the by-products of the pandemic has been boredom. I’m not writing about depression, which is understandably on the rise, but about pure boredom, like being stuck in the house day after day.
Tillman
We are so limited in what we can do. Most libraries are closed. Many theatres are closed or have limited seating. Masks are required, but masks are uncomfortable. So how do you beat boredom during a pandemic?
Well, there’re the parks. I have always been a fan of public parks. When my children were young, I often took them to the city park to play. As a family, we use the roadside parks’ picnic tables at rest areas to eat while traveling. I like to get out of the car and walk around after eating my homemade pimento cheese sandwich. Did I mention I get restless? I love a picnic lunch. My friends accuse me of being too cheap to take my family to a restaurant. I admit that I am a bit frugal, but my pimento cheese is better than any fast food burger you can buy. And with kids, parks are more interesting than restaurants, where they can only sit with little to do.
Visiting a park can be the answer to your pandemic related boredom. I love state parks. My visits have increased during the pandemic. Most of them require a reasonable entrance fee. (These parks don’t maintain themselves. It costs money to keep them clean, so I gladly pay the fee.) I recommend checking them out online before making a visit, for times and conditions. The parks’ museums and other indoor facilities may be closed due to Covid 19, but the great outdoors is usually wide open. The outdoors can cure restlessness, plus you don’t have to wear a mask.
It will surprise you how many state parks are within an easy drive of your home. I live in Valdosta and I can make a day trip to state parks in Georgia and Florida from the Atlantic to the Gulf. Most of the parks are not as grand as Stone Mountain Park, but they are just as relaxing. Most parks have hiking trails.
Remember, the idea is to get out of the house for a while. In north Florida there are several simple parks along the Suwannee and Withlacoochee rivers and near large springs. They are not crowded. They are pristine. And I can remove my mask!
I also love the bicycling trails that are thriving throughout the South. Whoever came up with the rails-to-trails idea should get some type of recognition. It is wonderful to ride a bicycle through the countryside without worrying about traffic. And if it’s a former railroad bed means it’s a smooth, level ride! I understand the trails have had a positive economic impact on the communities that built them. I always spend some money in the community I visit on my bicycle.
I highly recommend camping in the state parks along the coast if you can get a reservation. Don’t forget to pack your fishing equipment. At many of the parks you can fish in the surf and in the marsh.
There is a cure for pandemic induced boredom. It’s simply: get out of the house. Visit a city or state park near you. Get some exercise. Get some fresh air. Leave your cell phone behind and reconnect to nature. You will feel better for it.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Recall elections: a safeguard that is difficult to pull off
By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher, GwinnettForum
FEB. 23, 2021 | The Constitution of the State of Georgia has certain provisions in it that give protection to those of us who elect public officials.
When someone is elected to office, but begins to stir trouble, or acts untoward in that office, the Constitution says that these people may be voted out of office through a “recall” election.
However, undertaking a recall election is not to be taken lightly. Not only that, it is almost impossible to vote someone out of office.
We have been thinking of the people in the 14th Congressional of Georgia. They elected Marjorie Taylor Greene to Congress, in spite of her campaign filled with allegations that chilled many people. Her QAnon activities seemed out of place, even in right-wing Republican circles.
However, to recall Rep. Greene or any other public official whose actions disrupt the routine, is not easy, as it should be. After all, since the official was duly-elected by the people, it should be difficult to unseat elected officials. But it can happen.
Ballotpedia (on the Internet) has an explanation of recall. Recall is found in Georgia laws in Article II, Section II, Paragraph IV of the Constitution.
Here’s why the voters may recall officials, if the official acts in untoward manners:
- an act of malfeasance or misconduct while in office,
- a violation of the oath of office,
- fails to perform duties prescribed by law, or
- willfully misusing, converting, or misappropriating, without authority, public property or public funds entrusted to or associated with the elective office to which the official has been elected or appointed.
Now here’s what has to happen in such an instance. For a statewide official, those seeking to recall someone must obtain signatures of 15 percent of the number of electors who were registered and qualified to vote in the preceding election for that office. One/15th of the signatures must be from each Congressional district, that alone making securing such signatures mighty tough to recall a statewide official.
Or for local offices or state officers whose election districts encompass a part of the state (such as a Congressional district), it is even more difficult, in that the canvassers must get 30 percent of the “electors” qualified to vote in the past election. One more element making recall difficult: once signature petitioning begins, this must be completed within 90 days!
Whew! Whew! That’s a lot of people signing a petition in a short period of time And remember that each petitioner’s signature must be exactly as it is recorded at voter registration. Many people might not remember exactly just how they were registered. (A smart canvasser for petitions might have the local registered voters downloaded on his telephone to help signers get their registered signature correct.)
Therefore, in effect, though the Georgia Constitution protects the voters when bad public officials get elected, and though by law it’s possible to recall officials, it is most difficult. It is scant protection of the people from bad officials. The people are most likely stuck with that official until the end of that term of office. And even then, they could even get re-elected!
There’s one more element; recall petitions can cause a lot of consternation among people within that district, unofficially splitting the district. It becomes similar to a Hatfield-McCoy feud, and can poison a society.
Yet it’s still a protection—though a far-out one, for the citizens when bad or incompetent people get elected to offices.
Thanks to Lee Klaer of Duluth, who recommended we talk to Michel Fraiz, who authored the book about Africa we wrote about in the last issue. We failed to recognize Lee for his suggestion. We depend on various people in Gwinnett like Lee to guide us to people and activities of the county. We appreciate all of the many contributors.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Once disorganized, state Democrats under Abrams become major factor
By Jack Bernard, contributing columnist
PEACHTREE CITY, Ga. | A belief of mine is that Democrats generally have better state and national policies than Republicans, especially now that the GOP has deserted its traditional role as the party of low debt and balanced budgets. Governor Kemp just lowers taxes and cuts budgets regardless of benefits (causing some of Georgia’s pandemic problems). President Trump’s policies were erratic and often irrational, appealing solely to his blue collar, uneducated base.
I was a strategic planner for both government and private enterprise. Usually, the GOP excels nationally and state-wide at messaging, targeting, organizing and implementation. But they failed in the recent Senate run-off election in Georgia.
Democrats implied that Senators Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue were guilty of insider trading using prior knowledge of the upcoming COVID crisis to line their own pockets. The public agreed (hopefully so will Attorney General-designate Merrick Garland) and voted them out.
ckBut what have the Democrats done to organize locally and state clear policy positions? Because I have not been directly involved in politics for the last six years, I have some unanswered questions.
Before that, I chaired both the Board of Commissioners and the Republican Party in my home county. People who read my columns are surprised that I was ever active in the GOP.
Abrams
Why did I run as a Republican? Even though I am progressive on social issues (especially healthcare and race), I am still fiscally conservative. Pre-Trump, so was the party… although with a $3 trillion national deficit it’s now the “cut taxes and spend wildly” party. But then it was more than fiscal conservatism alone that made me run as a Republican.
When I moved back to Georgia in the late 1990s, I was still young and wanted to get involved in politics. However, I found the Democrats to be completely disorganized on both the state and the local level. For example, when I visited the state Democratic headquarters, they could tell me nothing about the local party. They didn’t even know who the county officers were.
When I investigated locally, I found that the county party barely existed and was virtually all African American. It made no attempt to broaden its base locally, whereas my commission district was 85% white. But that was 20 years ago.
More recently, several physicians and I met with Stacey Abrams when she was still the statehouse minority leader. She impressed me as being pragmatic and politically sharp, although she didn’t support our position on advocating “Medicare for All.”
Subsequently, Governor Kemp purged the voter rolls, disproportionately affecting black voters and ensuring his victory in the gubernatorial race over Abrams. Since then, Stacey Abrams has been organizing the Democratic Party in Georgia. She did a great job flipping the state blue in the presidential race and the Senate run-offs. But will her commendable efforts last, given strong GOP push-back?
With Perdue contemplating announcing his 2022 run against Warnock, Georgia’s Republican Party is attempting voter suppression via multiple legislative bills. For the sake of our democracy and state, let’s hope they don’t succeed.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
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“Big Tech” eating away at freedoms; Next? Thought police?
Editor, the Forum:
It is apparent to me that many of the freedoms that we have as Americans are being eroded.
The “Big Tech” enclave seems to consider themselves the last word on what can be said and by whom. They curtail accounts on social media, thereby assuming that they have the right to allow some to make unsubstantiated slurs, accusations, etc. and refuse others to comment, refute or in any way try to defend their position. If these entities are going to allow certain people to make claims of wrongdoing, they should allow one to refute those claims.
“Big Tech” had Congress pass a law so that they would not be held responsible for statements made on their platforms. They might suffer some financial or other loss. If they reap the benefits, they should be willing to pay the price.
There seems to me, a way to change these problems, but of course politicians will not attempt to offend their largest supporters. The law should be revoked.
Those posting should use their REAL names, and if they do not, then both they and the purveyor of the service should be made to answer for libel and slander in a court of law. Our Constitution guarantees freedom of speech and to be presumed innocent until proven guilty. “Big Tech” guarantees either you agree with us, or we will not allow your point of view.
What next? The Thought Police?
— Prescott P Lawrence, Sr., Grayson
Overpopulation is a problem for the government of Mexico
Editor, the Forum:
In The Guardian, I read a most informative article about overpopulation in Mexico. Unemployment is a major problem in the country and more people pour into the capital of Mexico City, which is 17 percent of the population of the country. Imagine if 55-60 million were living Americans in Washington D.C.! I guess statehood wouldn’t be an issue.
Work for the federal government is sought. Moving the capitol is being considered, as well as decentralization by moving parts of the government to cities around the country. Consternation over relocation for the workforce is causing upheaval as this will separate families. The capitol population is 27,000,000 to 29,000,000 today.
— Byron Gilbert, Duluth
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, and include your hometown. We reserve the right to edit for clarity and length. Send feedback and letters to: elliott@brack.net
Gwinnett Stripers to open 142 game season here on April 13
The Gwinnett Stripers have announced their schedule of home and road dates for the 2021 campaign. The Stripers’ long-awaited 12th season as the Triple-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves begins on April 6 at Durham. The Home Opener at Coolray Field is April 13 vs. Memphis.
The Gwinnett Stripers will play a 142-game schedule (72 home, 70 road) in the newly-formed Triple-A East League, a product of Minor League Baseball’s realignment plan. The League includes all 14 teams previously in the International League, plus six additional cities making the move from other circuits: Iowa, Memphis, Nashville, and Omaha from the Pacific Coast League, Jacksonville from the Double-A Southern League, and St. Paul from the independent American Association.
Gwinnett will face eight of the 19 other teams in the League this season, a mainly regional group of opponents all located within 600 miles of Coolray Field. The Stripers will play 118 games against all six of their Southeast Division rivals, the Charlotte Knights (Chicago White Sox), Durham Bulls (Tampa Bay Rays), Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (Miami Marlins), Memphis Redbirds (St. Louis Cardinals), Nashville Sounds (Milwaukee Brewers), and Norfolk Tides (Baltimore Orioles). The remaining 24 games will be played against the Columbus Clippers (Cleveland Indians) and Louisville Bats (Cincinnati Reds) of the Midwest Division.
The Stripers will be home for 12 weekends in 2021, and will host holiday games on Memorial Day weekend (May 28-30), Father’s Day (June 20), and Labor Day weekend (September 3-5).
The Stripers are working closely with local health officials, Major League Baseball, and the Atlanta Braves on the possibility of limited capacities to start the 2021 season at Coolray Field. More information on new ballpark policies including contactless mobile-only ticketing, a socially-distanced seating manifest, and safety protocols can be found by visiting GoStripers.com/covid19.
Season ticket memberships are available now online at GoStripers.com/memberships and limited individual game tickets will be available to the public closer to Opening Night.
- Click here to see the 2021 Gwinnett Stripers Schedule (PDF)
Chamber honors public servants with 2021 Gwinnett Valor Awards
From left are Corporal Caleb G. Jefferson, Corporal Richard J. Lacey, Corporal William B. Webb, Corporal David S. Durenand and Corporal Joshua V. Daunhauer.
Local public servants received top honors for bravery and praise at the 2021 Gwinnett Valor Awards recently at the Infinite Energy Forum. The event, hosted by Gwinnett Chamber and presented by Mobile Communications America and Motorola Solutions, honored the men and women who have performed heroic and extraordinary acts to protect and serve the citizens of Gwinnett.
Top honors include:
Corporals Richard J. Lacey, Joshua V. Daunhauer, Caleb G. Jefferson, William B. Webb, David S. Duren and K9 Blue, with the Gwinnett County Police Department, were awarded the highest honor, the Gold Medal of Valor. These officers, having endured a hot and grueling search through a swamp, were forced to defend their lives and then to employ life-saving efforts on the suspect and on their fellow officer. These officers displayed calm professionalism and K9 Blue made the ultimate sacrifice while protecting his team and serving the citizens of Gwinnett County.
Gwinnett County Fire and Emergency Services’ Firefighter/EMT John Niekro received the Silver Medal of Valor for his quick thinking and selfless actions to save the three lives being carried by rip currents while on vacation.
Police Officer Senior Kevin Ehrenborg, with the Gwinnett County Police Department, was awarded the Bronze Medal of Valor for his heroic actions, under extreme duress, saving a woman’s life and preventing the suspect from inflicting additional harm to her.
School Resource Officer Zakia Williams, with Gwinnett County Schools Police, received the Lifesaving Award for her response and heroic intervention to save a baby that was not breathing in a car next to hers.
Public Safety Communications Person of the Year was presented to Gwinnett County Police Department’s Communications Officer Shaniqua Brito for her professionalism and calm demeanor under trying circumstances dealing with an officer down call on Jan. 25, 2020.
The Gwinnett County Police Communications Section was awarded the Public Safety Unit of the Year award for providing the highest level of service to the citizens of Gwinnett County, and during a pandemic. From January to November 2020, the center handled more than 640,000 calls for service, dispatched more than 700,000 police-related calls and more than 95,000 Fire and EMS calls.
Gwinnett County Police Department’s Master Police Officer Darryl Nelson was awarded the Public Safety Person of the Year award for exceeding duty requirements and remaining vigilant in his pursuit of sex traffickers as part of the Criminal Investigation Division’s Special Investigations Section.
This year’s Leadership honoree, former Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners Chairman Charlotte Nash, was recognized for her many year of public safety service to Gwinnett County and especially being a champion of Gwinnett’s first responders. The inaugural Youth Leadership Award went to Suwanee Police Department Explorer Lieutenant Aracely Hernandez, a senior at Lanier High School, for exuding qualities that will surely make her a future leader.
Gwinnett County Police Department’s Communications Officer Amy Hardin received the Medal of Merit Award for creating the Communications Section’s Community Education Program—designing presentations and materials that provide detailed information to audiences of all ages, about how the Gwinnett 911 Center works.
Hours extended to buy vehicle tags on Tuesdays, Thursdays
Extended hours of operations for purchasing automobile license plates have been announced by Tax Commissioner Tiffany Porter. Closing times on Tuesdays and Thursdays have been extended to 7 p.m. at the tag offices in Lawrenceville, Peachtree Corners and Snellville. This will allow some customers to buy their tag in person without taking time off from work.
The Lawrenceville branch will keep its Tuesday through Saturday schedule, with new Saturday hours of 9-3. As a result of COVID-19 preventive safety measures that limit customer flow, tag office visitors are strongly encouraged to check wait times in advance at www.GwinnettTaxCommissioner.com/wait.
His Very Best, Jimmy Carter, A Life by Jonathan Alter
This may be the best book about the Georgian who was our 39th president. The author gives us an even-handed look at Mr. Carter, and it’s not always pretty, as Carter easily admits his faults. It also shows the pivotal role that Rosalyn Carter plays in his life, all the way from her attending his graduation at Annapolis to their marriage in Plains, where she was a tad bit late as the organ played on. The book is most up to date, published in late 2020, and includes references to the 45th president’s defeat. Through it all, two compelling aspects of Carter’s life abound: his staunch faith, and his striving to achieve in everything he does. For Georgians, they will enjoy glimpses into state politics, as Carter wins the governorship, and sets sights on the presidency, to everyone’s amazement. Settle in: it’s 670 pages long, a story told well.—eeb
An invitation: what books, restaurants, movies or web sites have you enjoyed recently? Send us your recent selection, along with a short paragraph (150 words) as to why you liked this, plus what you plan to visit or read next. Send to: elliott@brack.net
CARE Atlanta headquarters operates with 300 staff members
CARE is one of the largest private humanitarian organizations in the world. The nonprofit organization, which is based in Atlanta, works with poor communities worldwide to find a lasting solution to the problem of poverty through education, economic security, and civic participation. CARE employs about 12,000 people globally, including approximately 300 staff members who work at CARE’s Atlanta headquarters. CARE’s poverty-fighting work reaches about 55 million people through 861 projects in 66 countries.
Issues that CARE focuses on—in partnership with donors, other organizations, and the communities it serves—include HIV/AIDS, hunger, water and sanitation, education, economic development, and people’s right to participate in policy decisions that affect their lives. The organization operates programs in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East. CARE does not conduct humanitarian efforts in the United States.
CARE supports schools that permit girls to receive equal access to education; initiates village savings and loan programs that allow women to pool their resources to start businesses and provide income for their families; contributes seeds, tools, and information to help farmers enhance their crops; sponsors health projects, especially to fight HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other treatable diseases; and partners with other organizations to address environmental concerns.
Experience has shown CARE that working with women in poor countries fosters quicker and longer-lasting results. Helene Gayle, CARE’s president and chief executive officer, says, “When she is given adequate resources, a woman helps not only herself but her children, her extended family, and her entire community. An educated woman tends to have fewer and healthier children and is more likely to contribute to the financial security of her family.” Such knowledge has informed CARE’s work, which has evolved from delivering food and supplies to working particularly with women to identify the greatest threats to their survival.
It was in 1945 that 22 American organizations joined together in New York as CARE (or the Cooperative for American Remittances to Europe) to assemble, package, and ship lifesaving supplies to survivors of World War II (1941-45). The first 20,000 “CARE packages” arrived in Le Havre, France, on May 11, 1946, and contained U.S. Army surplus food. American citizens joined the efforts to help starving family and friends in Europe by purchasing packages for $10 apiece. After the army surplus was exhausted, CARE began assembling its own packages, which included such items as canned meat, coffee, chocolate, and egg powder. Over the next two decades at least 100 million CARE packages were sent to Europe, Asia, and eventually, other parts of the developing world. Over time, CARE packages came to include carpentry tools, books, blankets, and medicine. The food package program ended in 1967.
In 1993 CARE moved its headquarters from New York to Atlanta.
While CARE’s primary mission is to end poverty, the organization continues its history of responding to disaster. CARE’s experienced staff members, most often native to the countries in which they work, save lives, then stay for the long term to rebuild, restore, and improve communities hit by natural or man-made disasters. CARE’s work is guided by its core vision: a world of hope, tolerance, and social justice, where poverty has been overcome and people live in dignity and security.
In 2009 CARE was a presenting partner of the documentary A Powerful Noise, which tells the stories of three women struggling to overcome poverty and oppression in their countries.
- To view the Georgia Encyclopedia article online, go to http://georgiaencyclopedia.org
Lonely statue in open field may be symbolic Mystery Photo
Today’s Mystery Photo is that of a field, with a highlighted statue. All you have to do is tell us where this photo was taken, and who the statue depicts. Send your answer to elliott@brack.net, and include your hometown.
It was a familiar scene, and many recognized the last Mystery Photo of the Moulton homestead barn in Antelope Flats, Wyoming, with the Grand Tetons in the background. The photo came from Robert Foreman of Grayson.
Others readily identifying it include Mike Tennant, Johns Creek; Stewart Woodard, Lawrenceville; Lou Camerio, Lilburn; Mark Barlow, Peachtree Corners; Joyce Rovetta, Highlands Ranch, Colo.; Susan McBrayer of Sugar Hill; Jim Savadelis, Duluth; and Allan Peel of San Antonio, Tex.
George Graf, Palmyra, Va. gave us a timeline of John Moulton’s time in Grand Tetons area:
“1907: John first arrives in Jackson Hole with his brother, Thomas Alma. Both brothers settle on adjacent parcels and help each other with the necessary work to improve their land.
“1912: Alma brings his wife, Lucile into the valley. Her sister, Bartha Blanchard arrives to act as midwife for the birth of Lucile’s baby.
“1917: John marries Bartha Blanchard, and the two live adjacent to Alma and Lucile on Mormon Row.
“1920-29: John and Bartha go into the dairy business, supplying the valley dude ranches with fresh dairy products. Their customers reach as far north as Yellowstone National Park. To supplement the dairy, Bartha kept 60 chickens to lay fresh eggs. The eggs are highly valued, and used as money.
“1934: John and Bartha construct a new wooden frame house, with two stories and a basement. Today it is known as the ‘pink house’ because of its unique exterior color. (See photo.)
“1953: John Moulton sells his property to Grand Teton National Park, keeping a life lease. He and his son, Reed, who lives next door on the Thomas Murphy/Joe Heninger homestead, continue to run the ranching and dairy business.
“1990: At 103 years old, John Moulton dies in the town of Jackson and his property is acquired by Grand Teton National Park. The bunkhouse, shower house, outhouse, pump house, barn, corrals and pink house still exist.”
Colley
Jerry Colley, Mystery Photo contributor, Bike Ride coordinator, has died
It was with surprise that we learned of the death of Jerry Colley, a major contributor of many Mystery Photos, who died at the age of 76. He once resided in Lilburn and most recently lived in Alpharetta.
- To read his obituary, click here.
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