GwinnettForum | Number 21.94 | Dec. 16, 2022
THIS GRAPHIC GIVES YOU AN IDEA of how much of the digital advertising dollar was sucked up by only three companies in 2020. Note that, only 35.6 percent of this market went to newspapers. Know also that Amazon, Facebook (Meta) and Google’s news content is not something that they generate themselves, but comes from traditional media companies, without compensating these companies. For more on this subject, see Elliott Brack’s Perspective below.
TODAY’S FOCUS: National Republicans’ right-wing policies might backfire
EEB PERSPECTIVE: Amazon, Facebook and Google have no reporters, but rip off news
SPOTLIGHT: Mingledorff’s
FEEDBACK: About Stetson plus the long-term fate of the Republicans
UPCOMING: Tammy Shumate to be named Citizen of the Year by Chamber
NOTABLE: Jamaican immigrant finds her confidence at GGC
RECOMMENDED: The Bullet That Missed by Richard Osman
GEORGIA TIDBIT: Johnson was provisional governor of Georgia after Civil War
MYSTERY PHOTO: Twin Towers are the subject, but where are they located?
LAGNIAPPE: Winn DAR chapter names Terry Manning award winner
CALENDAR: Johns Creek Symphony plans two concerts on December 17
National Republicans’ right-wing policies might backfire
By Jack Bernard, contributing columnist
PEACHTREE CITY, Ga. | GOP national leaders complain about the Democrats “Far-Left socialist policies.” Well, the Republicans have won the House, although barely, because of their right-wing extremism. So, what are they going to do?
Here are just a few of the “far-left socialist” items passed by House Democrats in the last session that the GOP opposed. Because of the filibuster, each of these bills were stalled in the Senate by GOP leadership:
- HR 1- The “For the People Act” to make it easier for our citizens to vote, lessen the amount of money going to politicians as contributions, and improve the ethical codes for politicians.
- HR 4- The “Voting Rights Amendment Act” to ensure that the right to vote is not impeded.
- HR 5- The Equality Act” to end sex and gender discrimination.
- HR 6- The “Dream and Promise Act” to permit productive undocumented people who came here as children (“Dreamers”) to stay in the only nation that they have ever known versus being deported.
- HR 8/HR 1446- The “Background Checks Acts” to ensure that there is a background check every time a gun is sold (versus loopholes, like gun show sales exemptions.)
Here’s what voter polls show regarding each of the above areas of concern:
- Some 60 percent of Americans believe that voter registration should be automatic while only 19 percent are opposed. Most Democrats wanted no-excuse absentee voting like we have here in Georgia while most Republicans did not. And 68 percent want Election Day to be a national holiday, according to a Pew poll.
- A slight majority, 53 percent of those polled, think that new laws are needed to stop discrimination against LGBT people in employment, housing and other settings.
- Three fourths of Americans want legal status for “dreamers,” those who are undocumented and came here as children.
- Americans very strongly support firearms background checks. Even 83 percent of gun owners wanted expansion of background checks.
Obviously, despite the views of their constituents who clearly supported these “far right socialist policies,” the GOP controlled House will continue to oppose the above items. So, what are the GOP’s ideas for change?
How does the GOP intend to stop inflation? Reagan did by creating a terrible recession 40 years ago. Does the GOP simply want to let big corporations like petroleum firms continue to punish us at the pump while making exorbitant profits? Does the GOP seek to nationalize these companies? If not, how will they get them to produce more oil if doing so lowers their prices and profits?
Does the GOP intend to erect more fences along our Southern border, costing billions while having little effect on illegal immigration per conservative think tanks? Mexico has refused to pay for it. What other ideas does the GOP have?
It is the GOP that has moved further and further to the right, away from the clear views of voters, rather than the Democrats. In 2024, the GOP is in for a big surprise if it continues.
Amazon, Facebook, Google have no reporters, but rip off news
By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher, GwinnettForum
DEC. 16, 2022 | Recently reappointed Gwinnett Daily Post Publisher J.K. Murphy returned this week to Gwinnett to address the Gwinnett Rotary Club. He was there after Gwinnett Daily Post was purchased by the Times-Journal, the Marietta company that now publishes 22 newspapers in Georgia.
In his remarks, Murphy had sad news for those of you who like to have a newspaper in your hands as you read the day’s news. Newspaper readership is falling, and there are even questions if the printed newspaper, as we know it, can survive.
That’s because the majority of the country today gets its news electronically. A surprisingly large number of people read the news now….on their telephones.
Now a question for you: how many reporters do the three major electronic news sources employ? We’re talking about Amazon, Facebook (Meta) and Google, the three main platforms for electronic news.
Answer: These three sites employ no reporters. Instead, they rip off news produced by traditional news sources, and do not compensate the original source for their newsgathering at all. Not only does it seem wrong, but it also seems against the rules of business and fairness. The main companies gathering news, and paying their employees for it, is seeing its efforts used by these much larger electronic companies with no compensation whatsoever to the original source companies.
Meanwhile, these big three platforms sell advertising around that news. And in doing so, they suck up 64.4 percent of the digital advertising in the United States. Traditional media gets revenue from only 35.6 percent of digital media.
Other industries do not work that way. They pay for copyrighted material and protect the sources.
Look at how ASCAP (the American Society of Composer, Artists and Performers) protects its members. Every time a musical recording is played on any media, or sung in a nightclub, heard at a fitness center, dance hall or church, the artists gets paid a small royalty.
ASCAP puts it this way: “ASCAP seeks to pay its members based on performances of their works by the music users we license who pay us license fees. We use sophisticated technologies to monitor, track, match and process trillions of data points and seek to pay our members based on their performances fairly, accurately and efficiently.”
Seems fair. Song writers, and other artists, have a way to earn a living without some disc jockey, or TV station, or movie, ripping off their music.
The one country that has taken protecting artists as much as any country is the home of Mozart, Franz Schubert, Joseph Haydn, the Strausses, that is Austria. In that country, the counterpart to ASCAP is AKM, or “austro mechana.” Their website reads:” AKM and austro mechana represent the performing and broadcasting rights and mechanical rights, respectively, of more than 27,000 beneficiaries (“members”) in Austria and via reciprocal representation agreements with international affiliates of millions of copyright holders around the world.”
It goes deeper than you might think. The great classical artists of Austria, even in death, earn royalties for their work, which goes to support today’s Austrian artists who are writing, composing and performing music.
Austria is showing the rest of the world how it values its artistic musical talent.
Why newspaper groups don’t get together and take on the likes of Amazon, Facebook and Google, for using the newspaper’s material without compensation, we can’t imagine. Has no one suggested this before?
Meanwhile, it’s good to see J.K. Murphy’s name as a local publisher again. We welcome him and the Times-Journal family to a newspaper for Gwinnett.
- 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 40 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.
- For all of your HVAC needs, and information on the products Mingledorff’s sells, visit www.mingledorffs.com and www.carrier.com.
- For a list of other sponsors of this forum, click here.
About Stetson, plus the long-term fate of the Republicans
Editor, the Forum:
Stetson Bennett got his undergraduate degree in Learning Design and Technology. A philosophy major would classify that as Epistemology. I think it is part of a Master’s Program in Education, but he has political science as his graduate studies. He enjoys history. The Forum might be right about him as a future candidate.
I have concerns about the quality of the candidates on the ballot these days. We seem to be picking place holders, rather than leaders. The new senator from Pennsylvania is a perfect example. If Walker had won, we would have the same here. Voters are choosing teams, not leaders. What happened to the state of Benjamin Franklin, George Marshall, and Arnold Palmer? Great people aren’t stepping up to lead the country. We have too many who have stayed too long and made themselves rich and powerful.
The past mid-term election has some harsh realities being digested right now for the Republicans. Trump has changed the party and has a very loyal following, but everyone else is passionately against him. Without tremendous salesmanship, he and his chosen candidates are not viable to win office.
This year’s vote showed that the Republican party failed to satisfy the concerns facing the nation. The path chosen must have better leaders to deliver the message, with explanation rather than sound bites. America has minds that need convincing. The people still believe we are going in the wrong direction, but they aren’t convinced of what will best get us on the right track. I think they feel assaulted.
– 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. The views of letters are the opinion of the contributor. We reserve the right to edit for clarity and length. Send feedback and letters to: elliott@brack.net.
Shumate to be named Citizen of the Year by Chamber
Shumate
The Gwinnett Chamber will celebrate its Diamond Anniversary with the 75th annual dinner at the Gas South District on Friday, Feb. 3, 2023. This event, presented by Northside Hospital, focuses on local and regional business growth while honoring the exceptional public servants, corporate citizens, and compassionate organizations who lead it.
Meanwhile, the Chamber has announced winners of its major awards, to be presented at the Chamber dinner.
Tammy Shumate is the recipient of this year’s Citizen of the Year Award, which honors individuals whose services have had the greatest impact on the overall quality of life for Gwinnett County in recent years. She is director of Corporate Development at Capital City Home Loans, LLC,
Public Service Awards are being given to individuals who have gone above and beyond in their service to the community and its residents. This year’s honorees include Dr. D. Glen Cannon, president, Gwinnett Technical College; Jason Chandler, president, Gwinnett Medical Center Foundation; Jennifer Hibbard, CEO, View Point Health; Tim Le, broker/owner, NDI MAXIM Real Estate LLC; Chief J.D. McClure, Gwinnett County Police Department; and Emory Morsberger, executive director, Gateway85 Community Improvement District (CID) and the Tucker CID.
The United Way of Greater Atlanta in Gwinnett County will receive the Humanitarian Award given in honor of Scott Hudgens, a respected developer, and philanthropist who unselfishly gave of his time and talents to ensure that many others, especially those with limited means, would benefit from his treasure.
The James J. Maran International Award recognizes a global company that has chosen to locate in Gwinnett, take advantage of Gwinnett’s pro-business mindset, and become an active member of the Chamber and the local community. This award will be given to Siemens Electrical Products.
- To purchase tickets for this annual event, visit GwinnettAnnualDinner.com.
City of Norcross relaunches tool for employers, job seekers
The newly relaunched NorcrossWorks is open and ready to be a resource tool for local employers, jobseekers and educational institutions!
NorcrossWorks is a user-friendly website, whereby employers can post and advertise openings at no cost. Such information will be reviewed and posted by the Economic Development Department of the city. Job seekers may access job postings and apply for them through the site.
This platform aims to address the city’s labor, income and educational gaps, which have all been exacerbated by the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and the rapidly changing nature of the global economy. The goal is to serve both businesses (employers) and individuals in the labor market (job seekers) by connecting both parties together. Check it out now, by visiting norcrossworks.com.
Jamaican immigrant finds her confidence at GGC
GGC student Angus
Geana Angus, 25, of Lawrenceville says she was introverted and shy growing up in Jamaica, so her journey to becoming the senior class speaker at her graduation from Georgia Gwinnett College this week might seem unlikely, but sometimes people can surprise themselves.
She says: “If you told 15-year-old Geana Joie that she would be standing in front of a committee to have the opportunity to speak in front of the graduating class, she would think you were lying. I looked up to people who could do things like that. I never thought I could do it. But here I am!”
Angus came to the United States with her mother and younger brother to visit relatives in 2017 when she was 20 years old. Until then, the tropical island life was all she knew: beautiful rivers and beaches, lush forests and sunny days year-round. So coming to Georgia with its cities and sometimes colder seasons gave her a bit of culture shock. Even still, when she landed a job as an assistant teacher at Legacy Academy in Snellville, she knew she had to stay.
“I was so excited to work with children,” she remembers. “I have an accent, and the children did not hesitate to ask me about where I’m from.”
Her brother needed to finish high school and her mother had to finalize some things back home in Jamaica, so that meant Angus had to stay behind and take the next steps alone. She reached into herself and found confidence there she never knew she had.
Angus worked at Legacy Academy for a year, living with a friend of her grandmother’s. When she learned about a local college that offered world-class degrees in business administration, she decided to apply to GGC and later move onto campus as a resident assistant, “I knew I needed smaller class sizes and an education that was not only good but cost-effective because I would be the one financing it,” she says. “GGC offered everything I needed.”
She adds: “For that first year before I started attending GGC, I was unsure about meeting new people,” said Angus. “But moving onto campus, meeting people from different cultures and learning about them straight from the source themselves and not from books or documentaries opened my eyes and put me at ease. Additionally, the resident assistants and directors made it their duty to ensure that every new student felt welcomed. Before long, I knew I belonged here.”
“I have learned that sometimes the only thing in life that you have is your support system,” she says. “If I did not have my family supporting me from across the ocean or my best friend on Facetime in Canada while I stayed up cramming for tests, I don’t know how I would have kept going. There are people who want you to succeed here, and who want you to enjoy life as well as be successful.”
Angus is happy things are getting back to normal, but she said the challenges of the pandemic might have drawn her even closer to her new GGC family.
Angus received a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a concentration in international business. After graduation, she plans to take a long-overdue trip home to Jamaica before pursuing a career in student affairs as a resident director.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
The Bullet That Missed by Richard Osman
From Susan McBrayer, Sugar Hill: Have you ever read a book that makes you want to live inside the book’s world and be friends with the people there? This book is that kind of book. The story entertains with somewhat far fetched and quirky adventures and a number of twists and turns. But the real heart of the story is the friendship of four retired Brits. This is the third book in a series about a former psychiatrist, a MI5 agent, a union boss and an unflappable man-hungry nurse who live in the same retirement community. Though they struggle with the inevitable issues of old age, they haven’t given in to playing shuffleboard yet. Solving murders is their hobby! This book reminds us that, even though we may be getting older, that doesn’t mean our lives can’t be useful and that we can’t have fun. Or that we can’t murder someone . . .
- 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
Johnson was provisional governor of Georgia after Civil War
James Johnson was appointed Georgia’s first provisional governor following the conclusion of the Civil War (1861-65). In addition, he was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, a U.S. customs collector, and a superior court judge.
Johnson was born on February 12, 1811, to Nancy McNeil and Peter Johnson in Robeson County, N.C. He attended the University of Georgia with a scholarship from the Presbyterian Society of Athens. After graduating with high honors, he began studying law. In 1834 he married Ann Harris of Jones County.
Following a brief stint working as a teacher to pay for his legal training, Johnson was admitted to the bar in 1835. He then moved to Columbus to start a law practice. An ardent Whig, Johnson was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1851 but lost his reelection bid to future Georgia governor Alfred H. Colquitt in 1853. From there, Johnson’s political career continued to veer away from mainstream Georgia politics, as he supported the American (or Know-Nothing) Party instead of the growing Democratic Party within the state. This independent streak served him well in the difficult days of secession and Civil War.
When Georgia seceded from the Union at the secession convention in January 1861, Johnson was not among the politicians of the state celebrating this momentous act. He opposed secession and remained loyal to the United States throughout the Confederate period, and during the war he continued to practice law in Columbus. The Confederacy fell in early 1865, and with the reestablishment of Union authority in Georgia and the subsequent arrest and resignation of Governor Joseph E. Brown, Georgia’s future was subject to the whims of those in Washington, D.C. The decision to appoint a provisional governor fell to U.S. president Andrew Johnson, who looked to James Johnson (the two men were unrelated), his old friend from Congress.
Through executive order, Johnson assumed the governorship in June 1865 and began the process of initiating the directives assigned to him by the president. These duties included the calling of a state convention and the implementation of President Johnson’s Reconstruction policies. Meeting in October 1865 at the state capitol in Milledgeville, delegates quickly set about repealing the Ordinance of Secession, abolishing slavery, and repudiating Georgia’s war debts. In addition, the convention adopted a new state constitution, which incorporated the policies of Reconstruction, limited governors to two successive terms, and empowered the legislature to appoint judges to the state supreme court. The convention adjourned on November 7, 1865, and was soon followed by the election of Charles Jones Jenkins as governor on November 15. Johnson vacated the office on December 19.
For the remainder of his life, Johnson served in a variety of appointed government positions. From 1866 to 1869 he was the customs collector for Savannah, and later he served as a judge of the superior court in the Chattahoochee Judicial Circuit. He then returned to Columbus, where he reestablished his law firm and served as a respected member of his community as both lawyer and judge. Johnson died on November 20, 1891, and is buried in Linwood Cemetery in Columbus.
- To view the Georgia Encyclopedia article online, go to https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org
Twin Towers are the subject, but where are they located?
Check out these twin towers. Your job is to figure out where this photo was taken, and tell us something about the photo. Send your answers to elliott@brack.net and include your hometown.
The last Mystery Photo, Allan Peel of San Antonio, Tex, said: “Surprised me, as it was shot just four miles away from where my wife of 44½ years was born and raised! This photo was shot in the small tourist town of Percé at the tip of the Gaspé Peninsula in Québec, Canada.
“The town is most famous for Percé Rock, that huge, 1,421-foot-long, 300-foot-wide, and 280-foot-high limestone rock formation that was formed over 400-million years ago. It is one of the world’s largest in-water natural arches and is only 2,600-feet away from the shore. At low tide, tourists can be seen walking up to the rock over a sandbar, and even entering the hole formed by the arch. It can be a risky maneuverer, as the waves can come crashing in on you as you approach the hole. I know it first hand, as my family and I have approached the hole ourselves. For those not up to such a risky adventure, there are plenty of tour boats that will take you around and near “The Rock”, and drop you off at nearby Bonaventure Island, one of the largest and most accessible migratory bird sanctuaries in the world.”
Several other people recognized the photo, including first-timer Alma Ortiz, Alpharetta: George Graf, Palmyra Va.; Stew Ogilvie, Lawrenceville; Lou Camerio, Lilburn; Susan McBrayer, Sugar Hill; and Sara Rawlins, Lawrenceville. The photo came from the editor during a 2015 visit.
Winn DAR chapter names Terry Manning award winner
From left are former DAR Regent Lydia McGill, Virginia Manning and Terry Manning.
A Lilburn resident, Terry Edward Pyatt Manning, has been recognized by the Philadelphia Winn Daughters of the American Revolution chapter in Lawrenceville as a non-member who has demonstrated extraordinary effort to not only honor men and women who achieved American independence, but also educate others about their service and sacrifice. He has been awarded the DAR America 250! Commendation medal and certificate.
Manning was born in Columbus, Ohio, served in the U.S. Navy and is a graduate of the Ohio State University. His work has been with the Veterans Administration, first in Cleveland, Ohio, and since 1978 in the Atlanta office, retiring in 2001. He is a former president of the Gwinnett Historical Society and cofounded the Genealogy Study Group in Gwinnett County and regularly lectures in colonial attire state-wide on subjects of genealogy and early American history.
Two concerts are scheduled by the Johns Creek Symphony Orchestra on December 17,both at Johns Creek United Methodist Church, 11180 Medlock Bridge Road. At 2:30 p.m. there will be a kid’s Christmas concert. Then at 7:30 p.m., the orchestra will present a Christmas Pops Concert. To purchase individual concert tickets, visit johnscreeksymphony.org or call 678-748-5802.
Holiday bus tour of Gwinnett will be December 18 from 3-7 p.m. provided by the Gwinnett Parks. Stops on the tour will be McDaniel Farm Park in Duluth; Chesser-Williams House in Buford; Gwinnett History Campus in Lawrenceville; and the Gwinnett Historic Courthouse. The bus will leave from the Lawrenceville female Seminary, 455 South Perry Street in Lawrenceville. Admission is $11. Guests must register at GwinnettParks.com.
The 14th annual Father-Daughter Valentine Dance will be February 10-11, being put on by the Kiwanis club of North Gwinnett. This year the event will be at the Braselton Civic Center. Three dances are scheduled, from 7-9 p.m. on February 10; and on February 11 from 5-7 p.m. and from 8-10 p.m. All dances are $90 per couple, with $10 for each additional daughter. For tickets, visit: https://ngkc.bigtickets.com/father-daughter-dance-2023
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