This is Viewpoints for Sunday, Sept. 6, 2015
Wants Tubman to succeed
Please allow me the privilege of acknowledging that I was one of the many ministers of different faiths who expressed my concerns about the exhibit that was displayed in the newly opened Tubman Museum. Perhaps I had some terrible flashbacks as to how, down through the years, African-American men were always portrayed on TV and in the media as thugs, criminals, hustlers and Little Black Sambos. Therefore it was disappointing to see art placing clergy in that same light.
I’m told the artist has other pieces in this series that addresses the black athlete as a pimp as well as welfare moms. The question is, how then was the piece on the clergy chosen to be displayed and not the others? As you can see, the issue is not censorship, but good taste. Would not blacks be hurt to see a picture of a small black boy with missing teeth eating watermelon? Would not white Christians be in an uproar if Billy Graham’s picture was next to the exhibit? Would the museum put up an exhibit making fun of the pope?
My biggest disappointment is this issue was being resolved privately and somehow it has become World War III. I wholeheartedly agree there are far more pressing issues we need to be working on. After all, Macon is a great place to live and I reject the report that lists Macon as the worst place to live in America.
In closing, the church I pastor made a sizable donation to the Tubman. Neither I or anyone else has any desire to see it not succeed.
— Rev. David L. Stanley Jr.
Union Baptist Church
Macon
Helping build community
Each Labor Day, most of us have the privilege of pausing to reflect on the value of work, our career path and the dignity of supporting our families through earning a paycheck.
But for millions of Americans, there is no paycheck at the end of the work week because there is no work. Even though most indications are that our recession-damaged economy is improving, there is still a significant lag in job availability — particularly for individuals with disabilities or other barriers to employment.
Since 1902, Goodwill has worked to bridge that gap with education and training programs designed to help people in our communities find competitive employment and build family stability. Our Goodwill last year served more than 24,000 job-seekers who visited the eight Job Connection centers across our 35-county Georgia and South Carolina service area, and helped more than 4,600 find jobs.
Every one of those jobs creates an important ripple effect across our community: building self-esteem and dignity with the individual, providing stability and role models within families and adding new economic energy to our community.
On this Labor Day, everyone blessed with employment can provide a hand up to those in need of work by donating gently-used clothing, household goods, small appliances and even automobiles as well as financial gifts to Goodwill, where more than 86 cents of every dollar in revenue helps fund our life-changing mission of education, skills training and career development services.
We hope you’ll join us in creating new economic energy in our community, one career at a time.
— Vicki Mills
Director of Marketing
Goodwill Industries of
Middle Georgia & the CSRA
For one reason only
There was a letter to the editor in the paper on July 29, in which the writer said that, although he would like to see a woman as president, Mrs. Clinton was not the one for him. He did not give any reasons for his negative assessment of her. While no one seems ideally suited for the job, I know of one act by Mrs. Clinton that puts her, in my estimation, far above any of the other potential candidate.
By now there are few people in the United States — or in the world for that matter — who do not know that George W. Bush and his cohorts lied in order to bring about an invasion of Iraq. There was no connection between the government of Saddam Hussein and al-Qaida, and the Bush administration knew it. There were no weapons of mass destruction, and the Bush administration knew it. One of the chief purveyors of the bogus evidence used to justify a “pre-emptive” strike on Iraq was the embezzler and co-founder of a Shia exile group, Ahmed Chalabi. Bush hoped to have him made the leader of Iraq.
However, Chalabi had little support among the Iraqi people and the lack of evidence found in post-invasion Iraq for the scary stories he told to the American people made him an embarrassment to the Bush administration. However, Chalabi and the American government by its actions and inaction empowered the Shia in the country to form violently partisan groups “militias” who drove the Sunni Muslims out of southern and central Iraq. These dispossessed and outcast Sunnis regrouped as the Islamic State, also called ISIS, ISIL, or Daesh. Where does Mrs. Clinton fit into all of this?
When the Shia militias and the security organs of the new Iraqi government were killing the Sunni and driving them from their homes, Sen. Hillary Clinton in August 2007 was one of only a few people to call upon the Iraqi Parliament to discontinue its support of Nouri al-Maliki and his violently sectarian Shia administration in favor of a more inclusive administration. I know of only one other person in the U.S. government, Carl Levin, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, who cared enough about human rights to join in her appeal.
For that incident alone, in my opinion, Mrs. Clinton showed herself to be both more humane and more far-sighted than any of that herd of pachycephalosaurs who bellow, snarl, and trumpet their challenges across our TV screens.
— Scott Buchan
Warner Robins
An open letter
“Taxation without representation is tyranny.” This was the rallying cry of our founding fathers. Were they alive today, they would cry: “Representation without taxation is tyranny.”
The problem?
We are approaching the point where the majority of voters will pay no taxes. This is akin to voting in company meetings without being a stockholder. The tyranny of the disenfranchised voting as a majority bodes ill for the minority: the taxpayer.
Politicians argue about a tax increase/decrease. What we need is tax simplification. The tax code is incomprehensible to normal citizens. Give us a tax code we can understand.
The solution?
First, require all income levels pay their fair share. Enfranchise all of us as stockholders in our country. Second, make the tax code simple. Delete all write-offs. Give us a tax code that fits in a 10 page booklet. Third, reduce the size/cost of the IRS and change it from a tax code translator to a tax payment enforcer. If the tax code is easy for citizens to understand, it will be easy for the IRS to enforce.
The result?
These steps will put the taxpayer back in control of their lives. Tax revenues will increase without actual tax table increases. Would you not gladly pay $300 more in taxes if you saved $300 for not needing someone to tax prepare your taxes? Politicians, endear yourself to your constituents while you help your country — demand tax simplification.
— Jim Smith
Bonaire
Criticism unfair
I have a few comments regarding Erick Erickson’s comments in his column dated Aug. 28. I take issue with his diatribe against Christians who are supporting Donald Trump. He evidently has a lot of issues with Trump, but Erickson disingenuously states that Christians who support Trump “have some idolatrous ideal of American Jesus” as well as other comments intended to demean those believers who support Trump. He criticizes Trump’s lack of faith, but it is interesting that there is no mention of the mainstream Republican politicians through the years who pontificate about their Christian faith but are later caught in affairs or financial improprieties.
Trump may not have Christian principles at the forefront of his campaign, but the reason he resonates with people is his openness and honesty. He is refreshing because he defies the tired, insincere political model that we see in every election season. He has began to flesh out more of his platform ideas from a few months ago. Look, he will probably not be the chosen candidate but for now he is showing how staid and boring the majority of the candidates of both parties have become. Those supporting him are fed up with the current political climate and the leadership that got us to this place. Erickson then lumps Christian supporters of Trump together with angry people who are against non-whites, which is unfair. I have been involved in inner city ministries for years as well as a surrogate father for 28 years to a man from the inner city.
— Bill Causey
Macon
Great pottery show
Georgia has a rich pottery tradition and is home to some of the best potters in the country. Georgia also hosts the biggest and best pottery show and sale in the Southeast. The show, Perspectives 2015, is going on right now in Watkinsville.
Perspectives consists of three exhibitions and sales. The sale in Rocket Hall is the largest sale of contemporary functional and decorative pottery in the Southeast. The sale is juried and limited to the 50 best potters in Georgia, so you don’t have to wade though table after table of junk to find the good stuff. Up the hill from the big sale is the main gallery featuring three of the best works of each of the 50 selected potters. Next to that is a gallery showing the work of Japanese potter Akira Satake. In the hall gallery is a display of figurative clocks by Isabell Daniel. Also, there are workshops, demonstrations and gallery talks during the show.
Admission is free and the show runs until the Sept. 16. It is well worth the scenic trip to Watkinsville.
— Jim Sandefur
Lizella
Customer-friendly?
Whatever happened to the customer is always right? I noticed in the Cop Shop Section of Sunday’s Telegraph a concerned citizen received a call from a telemarketer and returned the call to find out it was from Jamaica. I received my phone bill this past week and discovered I had a charge of $145 for a call we supposedly made to that same area code and talked for 86 minutes. The problem with this is the phone my wife has for emergency calls only. We got it about six months ago when my son had a seizure in the car and she decided she needed a way to contact emergency services in case it happened again. She has only made two or three calls all to my cellphone to make sure her phone still worked, and she doesn’t leave it around where someone else can use it. Well, after visiting two of my provider stores, talking to customer service and tech support, they say we made the call and are stuck with the $145 charge. Being on Social Security is tough enough now we’re stuck with a call we didn’t make. I’m now shopping around for another cellphone carrier who is more customer-friendly.
— Terry Zimmerman
Bonaire
Secret weapon
Many legal foreigners take pride in their status as a holder of the prestigious “Green Card.” These folks waited in line, went through the arduous process of gaining legal access to the U.S. in order to take advantage of the opportunities prevalent here in America. Like many Americans, they simply are not happy when illegal foreigners take opportunities away from them.
Many will not speak out to voice their grievances in this regard for fear of retaliation and being labeled a traitor. They have fast become another class of the so-called silent majority or Trump’s “secret weapon.” That is why the polls show him receiving a decent share of their support. He’s their pit bull. I believe Trump will continue to defy logic/conventional wisdom as we know it and continue his meteoric climb in the polls. Unless the pundits come to this realization, he will continue to baffle them.
— John Haugabrook
Warner Robins
Name calling
Alfred Graham refers to the Republican candidates as clowns. I guess successful governors, businessmen and women, neurosurgeons and senators are clowns in the eyes of Democrats. These are people who have, in many cases, risen from poverty and achieved success through hard work and perseverance.
They are living the American dream of success through striving to be their best. I guess that is the definition of a clown in the eyes of the Democratic party and Graham. One of their leading candidates is a self-described socialist. One who believes that the government should provide for all and hard work provides no individual benefit. The leading candidate talks about establishing more giveaway programs even though we can’t afford the ones we have.
Of course Democrats want hardworking Americans to pay for them. And as long as they shut up and go along and give their money to them to give away to their supporters they’re fine people. But, let them want to rein in spending and the giveaways, then they’re clowns. Yes Graham calls hard working, intelligent, successful people clowns.
Well, guess what, call me a clown too, because those are the people I want to run this country, not that bunch that’s in there now. And if Graham can think of some intelligent argument against them other than calling them names, send in another letter. But maybe name calling is all he knows.
— Eric Blazi
Warner Robins
This story was originally published September 6, 2015 at 12:00 AM with the headline "This is Viewpoints for Sunday, Sept. 6, 2015 ."