This is Viewpoints for Friday, Oct. 14, 2016

Fair lives matter

I saw an arrogant display of policing Tuesday at the Georgia National Fair. I was one of the volunteers charged with getting schoolchildren off their bus to visit the fair, and insure they got into the gates together and undamaged. These children debark their bus, assemble on a grassy area at the North Gate while their teacher checks in at our tent. Then they go together to the gate to enter the fair.

At about noon, this peaceful process was rudely destroyed by eight deputy sheriff vehicles parking directly in the center of the grassy area. The deputies vacated their cars without regard to the children or the process, and gathered as a group laughing and shouting to each other much like teenage boys — except they had cruisers and weapons. There were volunteers and our Fair Bear in the area at the time.

They left their cars right where they chose to park them. Their display of arrogance and total disregard of the civil populace was simply reprehensible. Their public persona seemed to be “we are the law, don’t bother us, don’t get in our way.” There could not have been any doubt what was going on in that area, as there were 29 yellow school busses right beside the grassy area. And, plenty of lined parking slots within a hundred yards of where these individuals chose to assert their authority. I did not get all the cars, but did identify cars from Bibb County, Dooly County, Wheeler County and Fayette County. The sheriff in each of these counties should be ashamed of the behavior of their deputies.

Sheriff Talton of Houston County and the police I see working in Perry and Houston approach policing with intelligence and respect. I have yet to see any officer locally display what I saw on Tuesday. Perhaps Sheriff Talton could contact his counterparts in the other counties and offer to conduct some training for them. They certainly are in great need of someone doing so. If what I saw on Tuesday is any indication of what policing has become in these counties, at a fair in a generally white, high income area, what must policing have become in areas not so affluent — or white?

Personally to these law enforcement organizations: If this is all you have to offer then keep your people at home. We don’t want you in Houston County under the guise of being police officers, fair or not. Yes, I’m an old white volunteer and have photographs.

No comfort?

Rinda Wilson’s letter to the editor on Monday offered the following comfort to those concerned about the “nuclear danger with Trump’s temperament”: Never. The generals would resign and Congress would impeach him before he ever got that far.

Unfortunately, Trump made clear months ago that he has no respect for our generals or their opinions. If President Trump had not already replaced them with yes men, their resignations would not deter him one instant. Recent events show that he also has no respect for the opinions even of congressmen of his own party. Their threats of impeachment would not stop him and impeachment itself is far too slow.

History is full of good people who believed they could control an evil or deranged strong man with a recipe to make their country great again. The German army and politicians believed this about Adolf Hitler. What they got was fired generals and politicians stomped flat.

This man has already demonstrated the exaggerated sense of ego, power and entitlement he feels because he is rich, famous and a presidential candidate. This is nothing compared to what he would feel as president.

Loop hole or smart business?

Net operating business loss can be and should be carried forward to offset future earnings. That is the law — not a “loop hole” one man’s loss is another man’s gains creates a balance with zero net affect to the U.S. treasury. To lose close to a billion dollars and rebound from that is remarkable and worthy of praise not criticism. I commend Donald Trump in this regard.

A perfect candidate?

There is no perfect presidential candidate, however, Donald Trump is less flawed than Hillary Clinton. Trump is not a politician. He’s a successful businessman employing tens of thousands of satisfied workers. Clinton and her husband have lived on taxpayers’ money for decades without success unless you include sex scandals, impeachment, lawsuits, email security concerns, four embassy deaths, multiple lies, acceptance of millions of dollars from Middle Eastern countries and Russia in exchange for State Department favors harmful to the United States.

All Clinton can do is accuse Trump of being sexist or racist which informed Americans know to be false. It’s one thing for Trump to respond to a Rosie O’Donnell insult and another thing for Clinton to accept millions of dollars from nations that suppress and kill women, Christians, Jews, Muslims, gays and lesbians for their beliefs. Did I mention lies and corruption?

Trump is an outsider who wants to eliminate the fraud, waste and abuse in our federal government, stop the flow of illegal immigrants and drugs into our communities, reduce taxes on business and individuals, repeal and replace Obamacare, balance the federal budget, reduce our $20 trillion debt, ensure school choice for all by returning public school education to individual states and communities, support our military and law enforcement personnel, defeat Islamic terrorist organizations at home and abroad, and, in his words, “Make America great and safe again.”

There may have been a perfect candidate, but he was born more than 2,000 years too early for this election.

Real debate?

I am waiting for a debate to take place. So far all we have seen are accusations hurled, butting in, unqualified debate monitors, prevarication on both sides, insults and we are yet to see a debate. Why the moderators allow the debaters to interrupt the other is beyond me. It would be nice to see a real debate, of course it would be nice to see real debate moderators, and maybe even real debaters rather than 90-minute campaign advertisements.

Ode to the Cool Kid

No!!! Mr. Cool Kid — you can’t go away! You left us with a riddle that you were moving onto something else. Will that be bronco-busting, mattress-testing, dolphin-riding? Methinks you were testing to see if we were paying attention. I hope you’re actually moving on to share your intellect, wit and perspective with us in The Telegraph.

I surmise you’re a dog rescuer, physics major, wife lover, avid reader and very special person. My shoes are glass slippers — just for you!

This story was originally published October 13, 2016 at 9:00 PM with the headline "This is Viewpoints for Friday, Oct. 14, 2016."