This is Viewpoints for Monday, June 26, 2017

Changing history?

It saddens me to see that Wesleyan College has chosen to “rewrite” its history. As a History major who graduated from there I don’t appreciate that. History is what it is. It is something that happened in the past — good or bad. We have to accept it and move on. We must accept that the Ku Klux Klan was a part of our history and it still exists today. Changing the Tri-K Pirates name was never announced. It just happened. I was a Tri-K Pirate and I will always be one. In talking with another graduate, we never connected any of the hazing with the Klan. People today are wanting to be too politically correct. Look around you and accept what goes on.

Tax hike

I see in June’s Telegraph another tax hike was approved by the Macon-Bibb County Commission. Do you find it laughable and/or obnoxious how government camouflages their actions? Bibb picks one year to inform its taxpayers there will not be a millage increase, yet raise the property value that year. Then a pick another year to lower your property value, then raise taxes for that year.

Property values are set by the Bibb County Tax Assessors office, not the commission. The commission does control the millage level.

Help for ‘The Donald’

I understand that “The Donald” is having some difficulty finding people who are willing to work in the White House. I have a suggestion for him. He should read the “Letters to the Editor” in The Telegraph for a few weeks (or have someone read them to him since I hear he does not enjoy reading). If he did this he would discover there is a cornucopia of experts in Middle Georgia.

We have experts on prison reform, tax reform, budget reduction, immigration, trade agreements and education. He could probably find some experts on stump-pulling and alien space craft. He could even get advice on the proper religious beliefs.

I am sure any of these experts would be happy to go to Washington to help him out, but, sadly, we would never see them again. You know what they say — it’s hard to keep them in in Middle Georgia once they have seen Washington, D.C.

Middle East mess

I am concerned about the soaring regional tensions and our involvement in the Syrian civil war for six years and the Iraq insurgency for 11 years. We are supporting the rebels in Syria and supporting the government in Iraq.

The different rebel groups in Syria are trying to overthrow the central government. We are arming and training the Kurds. Russia and Iran are supporting the government of Bashar Assad in Damascus. Russia and Iran are bombing Islamic State positions. Iran has even launched ballistic missiles into Raqqa, an Islamic stronghold. They are also bombing our Kurdish allies. Turkey is bombing Islamic State fighters and Kurdish rebels in Syria and Iraq. Turkey considers the Kurds to be terrorists.

After Islamic State is defeated, Syria will still be controlled by the Assad government. Even with our support, the Kurds will not be able to replace Assad in Damascus, because Russia and Iran will continue to provide support to keep him in power.

We are supporting the Iraq government and the Kurds fight against the Islamic State fighters in Iraq. Iran is also supporting the Iraq government. Mosul, the Islamic State's stronghold, in Iraq is about to be captured. After the Islamic State is defeated, the Iraq government must reach an equitable settlement with the Sunnis and the Kurds if there is to be peace in the country. Iran will still have influence with the Iraqi government.

Russia has built a naval base and an airfield in Syria and will not leave the country after the fighting stops. Iran is establishing a land corridor through Syria to Lebanon so it can support Hamas fighters. They will not leave Syria after the fighting stops. Iran wants to be the major power in the Middle East. They want to intimidate the Arab nations and threaten Israel. We have to support our allies in the region. Also, we have to work for a peaceful resolution in Israel. We have to work to establish a political balance in Iraq. We have to work with Turkey to resolve its conflict with the Kurds.

I do not think it would take much to start a major conflict in the Mideast. Six countries — U.S., Russia, Syria, Iran, Iraq and Turkey are conducting bombing missions over Syria and Iraq. We shot down a Syrian aircraft and several of its drones. Russia does not want a war. They want to maintain their presents in the Mediterranean. Iran will continue to expand its influence, and will continue to be a threat.

July 4 events

Today’s Out and About feature, now sadly relegated to the B (Sports) section afterthought, an article listed 10 upcoming Independence Day events for our perusal. Of the 10, how many are actually happening on July 4? Two. How sad. If that’s not bad enough, the “News of the Weird” feature is once again missing with no explanation.

Where does it end?

For those of you who bought and held Amazon stock, congratulations are in order. On the other hand if you are a huge brick and mortar employee, the future has turned into a full fledged nightmare. Hundreds of thousands of jobs have been lost, and Nike has said it will sell direct to Amazon and the company bid $13.7 billion for Whole Foods.

What most folks have not appreciated is the horrific consequences of this centralized distribution system. Where has our federal government been to allow such overwhelming control of so many industries. The loss of jobs is enormous and is going to get worse if unchecked.

Adding to the problem will be the millions of square feet of empty department store space after the closings of Sears, JC Penney and other big box stores. It is going to cause a massive devaluation in lease and rental space. The sheer number of brand name stores facing massive closures or liquidations runs in the billions of dollars. This is a true example of the domino affect. Where does it end.

This story was originally published June 25, 2017 at 9:00 PM with the headline "This is Viewpoints for Monday, June 26, 2017."