This is Viewpoints for Saturday, April 2, 2016
Great impression
A couple of years ago, I lamented that my youngest grandchildren, then ages 4 and 8, missed the much hyped "Cherry Blossom Festival." Yesterday, my wife and I got a taste of what they missed: Nothing. That is unless you count a tour of southeast Macon through areas that resemble Dresden, Germany after World War II.
The grounds themselves were poorly utilized, with temporary water and power cables crossing the walks, covered with misaligned rubber mats and too many vendors jammed together. But the drive in was nothing compared to drive out. The one-way traffic pattern brings you into a parking area where the scheme can only be described as haphazard (did I mention the ruts and sand pits) and out along the "Escape from NY" scenic route that includes the old run down Luther Williams ballpark.
The worst is over, I surmised, as I turned right toward downtown and I saw on the left a well-maintained and active business. I was wrong. Traffic inexplicably stopped as we approached and old railroad bridge. I noted the retaining structures on the too-steep earth embankments along the tracks overhead that consisted of stacked railroad ties, now leaning backwards.
The hesitation in traffic turned out to be a pothole filled section of the road directly under the bridge. The four-wheel drive truck a couple of vehicles in front of us even had to creep through this water retaining section. Now, you turn left and the faint smell of corn dogs is replaced by the odor of a trash dump as you slowly pass the recycle center. Nice.
I have read in The Telegraph on prior occasions that many out-of-town visitors and some from Japan and other countries came to Macon for the Cherry Blossom Festival. I can only imagine the impression they took home.
By the way, with the exception of some pink blotches painted on the asphalt outside the park, not a Cherry Blossom in sight.
— Bob Carnot
Warner Robins
Alternatives
There was a time when national leadership said "Speak softly and carry a big stick." Now we have different approaches including. "Speak often behind teleprompter, warn, and do nothing," and he who "Pontificates about everything with a preponderance of wild statements utilizing conciliatory words such as stupidity," and then a diversity alternative, "I will continue the policies of our president" of obfuscation and an imperial presidency. (History reveals which candidate you can believe can succeed by each approach, or another alternative considered.)
— Arthur D. Brook.
Macon
Hands off
Gov. Nathan Deal's veto of House Bill 757 demonstrated courage and leadership. With the stroke of a pen he reaffirmed Georgia's commitment to fairness and the politics of hope. It was sound judgment.
Going forward we will likely hear shrill and disparate voices from sectarian and provincial media sources who cling to a system of beliefs that are presented as ideal but are in reality manifestations of intolerance. As we speak, self serving interest groups and their minions now regroup and enlist their legislative supporters to once again thrust a statutory cudgel to Georgia's gay citizens. It is telling.
Rather than move Georgia forward, these groups, small-minded as they are, expose themselves to a species of calumny exacerbating factional and separatist leanings in Georgia's citizens. They push the discriminatory animus: "People who are not 'like us' are less than us." For minority members we would work backwards "through the looking glass!"
We would remember in the historic Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education that "separate but equal " clause was unconstitutional because it violated the Equal Protection Clause in the 14th Amendment. Separate facilities are inherently unequal. This ruling paved the way for integration and was a major victory of the Civil Rights Movement.
In California, Proposition 8 had put on hold marriages of the same sex. In 2010, Prop' 8 was declared unconstitutional in that it violated federal "due process" and "equal protection" clauses. In 2013 the Supreme Court ruled that the Defense of Marriage Act defining marriage as a union between one man and one woman was unconstitutional under the Fifth Amendment Due Process Clause's guarantee of Equal Protection. In 2015, the Supreme Court ruled that same-sex marriages were legal in all 50 states. States could not keep same sex couples from marrying and must recognize their unions. A renown journalist was heard saying, "This is right up there with Brown v. Board of Education!" Clearly as we move forward the right of individuals and couples to move in freedom toward dignity is a course that is charted upward.
The opponents of legal status being granted to gay couples and the refusal to recognize those unions in the exercise of the "Freedom of Religion" clause in the First Amendment is legal "buffoonery." Clearly the clause prevents the government from setting up or establishing an official religion. Citizens are free to attend a church, mosque, temple or other house of worship of their choice. They can also choose to not be involved in any religion as well. This is the clear intent of the framers of the Bill of Rights in our Constitution. The Georgia Legislature has attempted to provide a solution to a problem that does not exist.
The governor in compelling certitude stated, "I find it ironic that today some in the religious community feel it necessary to ask the government to confer on them certain rights and protections ... we should heed the 'hands off' admonition of the First Amendment."
— Jim Norris
St. Simons Island
Don't fund terrorists
The U..S Department of Health and Human Services recently gave a grant of $270,000 to Islamic Relief Worldwide, a UK based charity and the largest Islamic charity in the world. Problem is that IRW has been banned in both Israel and the United Arab Emirates for dispersing funds to Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood.
Iyaz Ali, a Pakistani-born British national was arrested by Israel. He admitted to being a member of the IRW and he transferred funds to various Hamas institutions outlawed in Israel. Israel also charged non-government organizations with transferring goods and funds to a terrorist organization, Hamas, and tightened its supervision over NGOs. The IRW objected. They announced they had conducted an independent audit which found no ties to terrorism. They claimed that. "Islamic Relief abhors terrorism in all its forms," and "We are an impartial, independent, purely humanitarian organization whose sole focus is to alleviate poverty and suffering." They refused to name the auditor due to "sensitivities" in the region.
Israel as well as the United Arab Emirates rejected these findings and charged that Islamic Relief Worldwide "funnels millions of dollars a year to Hamas institutions." This is not the first time the U.S. government has funded IRW, despite concerns about the group's links to terrorism. Last year, the United States Agency for International Development awarded IRW a grant of $100,000.
I don't understand why the U.S. should fund charities with ties to terrorism. There are plenty of underfunded and laudable projects around the world with no ties to the Muslim Brotherhood or Hamas that could really use the money. Why isn't the U.S. government funding them instead?
— Hill Kaplan
Macon
Stirring the pot
Former Mayor C. Jack Ellis is already at it again. On March 31 The Telegraph reported that Ellis wants to end property liens for unpaid garbage and paving fees. Not only would that be illegal, but a service was provided and someone has to pay for that service. Maybe Ellis would pay those fees so that the rest of the citizens in our community would not bear this expense. He said "I think it's unfair to hard-working people, especially low- and moderate-income people who are struggling these days." How is it unfair to ask someone to pay for what they receive? If this is the case maybe Wal-Mart should remove their cash registers.
The lien is placed on the property, if the occupant is truly "low income" they are usually renting and don't own the property, so the property owner is responsible for these fees and bears the burden of the lien. Ellis is starting to stir and trying to mislead our citizens all over again.
— R. Vann Collins
Macon
This story was originally published April 1, 2016 at 9:17 PM with the headline "This is Viewpoints for Saturday, April 2, 2016 ."