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Frankly Speaking - Frank Gillispie - November 16, 2011
Journalism schools teach us that every article should answer four questions known as the four W’s: who, what, when
and where. Then they suggest that two other questions might be appropriate, they are: how and why. It is my opinion that the
question of WHY should be moved up in the list.
Here is an example of a news item that answers the four w’s. Farmer Jones mule (who) disappeared from his barn (what)
on the Jones Farm Road (where) last Sunday morning (when). Now if we add the other two questions we might learn that the barn
door was open (how) because Farmer Jones forgot to latch it when he left Saturday night (why).
Answering the why question is important because it makes it clear that no one stole the mule. His loss was the fault of
the owner’s carelessness.
I wish more journalist would ask the why question about current events. For example, ever candidate for President should
be ask why they want the job. Then hold their feet to the fire until they give you the real reason. I suspect that at least
some of them are running for egotistical reasons. They think they are so great that they ought to be president.
All the Occupy Wall Street protesters need to be asked why they are protesting. From the comments recorded by a number
of journalist, many of them have no idea why they are out there.
The President and members of congress ought to be required to explain exactly why they want to raise taxes. Do they really
think we the people are not paying enough taxes, or is their motivation just getting more of our money to spend on their pet
projects?
Now, you should be able to tell that I am more concerned about their real reasons, not what they say to get their way.
When we ask why the first time, we are not likely to get the true answer. Therefore, our why question needs to be asked again
and again until we finally get an accurate answer. In other words, never accept their first answer. And when they finally
give an answer, we need to put in the time and effort to determine the likelihood that the answer is a true one.
Our founders designed a government that belongs to the people, not to some king, a ruling class or a government bureaucracy.
That is why we deserve to have the WHY question answered about every action they take. If they finally answer the question
truthly, they are far more likely to do things the way we the people want them done.
So, when politicians and bureaucrats declare their intentions, make sure you force them to tell you why they want to do
it. Then ask them again and again until the truth finally comes out. That is how we regain control of our government and make
it truly a government of the people, by the people and for the people
Frankly Speaking Nov. 10, 2011
Frankly Speaking - Frank Gillispie - Nov 10, 2011
People in rural America have a lot in common, regardless of race, sex or national origin. That is especially true of those
of us from the rural South. Thanks to the devastation inflicted on us by so called “reconstruction” living in
very primitive conditions became a way of life. We all learned to make do with what we had, to be personally responsible for
the necessities of life, and to depend on our neighbors for anything we could not handle on our own. Our ability to exist
without government help became a point of pride. My grandparents taught us that it was an insult to have to turn to government
welfare. Telling a man he was unable to care for his own family was a sure way to make him angry.
There were some who had no such pride. They would take anything they could get, especially if they didn’t have to
work for it. Soon we were divided into three groups: rednecks, the welfare seekers, and the ones we call trash. There are
blacks and whites in all three classifications.
Today these two groups are easy to identify. The rednecks are self sufficient, take pride in their ability to take care
of themselves, and are devoted to family, community and the church. The families who lined up for government welfare then
are still on welfare today. The trash group still raid our gardens and steal our eggs.
These divisions show up in politics as well. The self reliant rednecks are the conservatives of the tea party. The welfare
group are the left wing protesters who demand more and more federal welfare. And the trash group keep the jailers in business.
The left wingers, for some reason, have decided that all black people belong to their group. Any blacks who join the conservative
movement are traitors to their race and must be punished. And they are not shy in using old stereotypes in their attacks.
That is why any southern black conservative who gains any degree of political power is subject to the “high tech
lynching” confronted by Justice Clarence Thomas. He was a product of the rural south. His home town is called Pinpoint
because that is the amount of space it takes up on a map. He was supported by a hard working grandfather who taught him to
reach for the stars. You remember the uproar over his nomination to the supreme court and the effort by liberals to label
him as a sex abuser.
Now we have another son of the rural south who is a leading contender for president. His father worked three jobs to send
him to school and teach him to be the best he could be. And he followed that advice. He earned advanced degrees in math and
management. He worked his way to the top of the business world and is now leading in the race to be our next president. And
just like Justice Thomas, Herman Cain is now being subjected to vicious attacks by the left. They are using the same weapon,
accusations of sexual abuse of women co-workers.
You see, If Clarence Thomas and Herman Cain can come out of rural poverty and become successful, self reliant men without
the guidance of government, then thousands of other rural blacks can do the same thing. And if they can gain their strength
without the government, then those who depend on government are shown to be week and dependent.
Thomas and Cain are showing what black Americans who take responsibility for themselves are capable of. And the big government
liberals find that unacceptable. We need more Clarence Thomas’s and Herman Cain’s, and fewer left wing race baiters.
Frankly Speaking - Frank Gillispie - February 24, 2010
Every day the school bus stops near my home and lets the local children off. They are usually laughing, running and enjoying
their lives. Obviously, they do not realize what is in front of them. You see, we adults are running up a massive debt that
they will have to pay.
To see just what we are doing to them go to this web site: http://www.usdebtclock.org
As you can see, currently every person in the United States owes $45,594.00 on the national debt. But less than half of
us are currently paying taxes. So the debt per taxpayer is $127,833.00, and it is rapidly climbing. By the time those kids
start working and paying taxes, the debt will be at least twice that, if not more.
The current national debt is $14.174 Trillion dollars. The combined state debt is $1.163 Trillion, and local debts total
another $1,709 trillion. A trillion dollars is 1 followed by 12 zeros. Each of us would have to pay $12.00 a day in new taxes
just to stay even.
Obviously, we cannot continue to run up debt at this rate. Something will give somewhere, and when it does, it will be
the children who absorb the losses. If the states have to declare bankruptcy, that will cost millions of us our hard won retirements.
If the nations we owe money decide to collect their bills, the United States would go bankrupt.
So how will our children pay our debt? There are two likely ways. Either they will pay extremely high taxes, or our economy
will undergo massive inflation. If the taxes go up, more and more business will head for the border causing even less employment,
and this even higher taxes just to hold even. If we decide to pay off the debt with cheep dollars by allowing massive inflation,
then those of us living on retirement accounts, public and private, will find our income devastated by higher prices for everything.
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker’s battle with the public sector unions is just an example of what we can expect in the
near future. If the current policies are not altered, it will only get worse. And if we the people continue to demand more
and more for ourselves, then our children will clearly be left holding the bag. If the teachers in Wisconsin are truly concerned
about their students, they would be supporting budget controls rather than adding to the problem.
If we accept a little discomfort now, we will save our children from massive problems in the future. Only then will we
deserve their love and support as we become older and more dependent on them for our welfare.
Financial shortsightedness is not a good thing.
Frankly Speaking - Frank Gillispie - Feb 17. 2011
Do you seem to hear a faint trace of laughter coming from somewhere in the sky? Listen closely. The more attuned you are
to things spiritual, the clearer you will hear it. One of Georgia’s truly happy and funny men has just passed through
the pearly gates and Heaven will be laughing from now on. Ludlow Porch passed away last Friday.
Now some of you younger people may have never heard one of his radio broadcast. If so, you missed a real treat. Ludlow
Porch did not care much for politics. But he loved to talk with people, joke with people and always sought ways to make people
happy. His was a talk show designed simply to have fun.
Porch, whose actual name was Bobby C. Hanson, was a step brother of the late AJC columnist Lewis Grizzard. He broadcast
on WSB AM out of Atlanta for many years, and later organized his own radio network with stations around the southeast. He
called it “The Funseekers Network.” He always ended his broadcast by saying: “”Whatever else you do
today, you find somebody to be nice to”
Over the years, Ludlow accumulated a group of “whacko’s” who became regular callers to the show. Some
of them even had their own introduction music. These people, and others, joined into the fun of the program, often instigating
some of the more notorious jokes. And many of the routines became legendary.
For example, one day Ludlow opened his show with a story that the college athletic board had made a ruling that no two
teams in the same conference could have the same mascot. So Georgia and Mississippi State got together and flipped a coin.
Georgia lost and could no longer have the bulldog as their mascot. Ludlow ask his audience to call in suggestions for a new
mascot for the University of Georgia sports teams. Most of his regulars quickly figured out the joke and joined in. But there
were a few who became quite upset and their response was quick and angry.
Another time he announced the discovery that the state of Montana does not exist. It is actually a place where former spies
and FBI agents can retire safely.
I was, for a while, one of the lesser known “whacko’s.” I was “Frank from Dogsboro” if any
of you happened to hear one of those broadcast. I am the guy that Ludlow threatened to slap in the face!
It happened like this. Someone called in to ask for advice. She said her brother in law was suffering form bipedalism and
she wanted to know what caused it and what could be done about it. I joined in that conversation suggesting that sense baby
chicks display bipedalism as soon as they break out of the shell, that perhaps it was caused by eating too many chickens.
Now, Ludlow Porch loved to eat. He especially loved to eat chicken. Therefore, he argued that anyone who would suggest
that it was possible to eat too much chicken deserved a slap in the face!
I have about given up on talk radio. All you here are people on either side of the political spectrum calling each other
bad names. There’s just no fun in that! We need more fun and less anger on our radios.
Now the preachers and gospel singers all say that Heaven is a happy place. And I believe that to be true. But you can be
sure that it is a fun place with Ludlow there.
Frankly Speaking - Frank Gillispie - February 3, 2011
A number of years ago I operated a commercial photographic service in downtown
Athens. While I did some portraits and weddings, most of my business was publicity and advertising photography. I made pictures
of houses for sale to be used in real-estate books, local rock bands and my favorite, local beauty contests.
One day a man in a necktie came in and gave me an assignment to photograph
children being served by various government poverty programs. I ask him to be more specific about his requirements. He said
it did not matter as long as I have him a bill for a specified amount of money. Just take as many pictures as it takes to
use that amount
My natural curiosity took over and I questioned his intent. He admitted that
his government agency was approaching the end of the fiscal year and they had some money left over. That was not good, because
if they reported a surplus, they would not get an increase in their budget, so they needed to spend that amount to justify
their request for more money.
So I went to the sites he named and took a bunch of pictures of kids in government
childcare centers, after school basketball and such. I printed the pictures, put them in a folder and delivered them, to his
office along with a bill in the required amount. I got the check and put it in the bank..
That worked for him because his agency was funded by a continuation budget.
That is, each year congress would take the past year’s budget, and figure out how much to add to it. They paid little
attention to the value of the work being done. They never looked to see if there were other agencies doing the same work.
They just kept adding more money to the budget each year based on the amount spent the year before.
Sen. David Shafer, R-Duluth, who is pushing for a zero based budget, where
each agency has its budget zeroed out each four years, requiring them to justify their budget at least that often. Governor
Perdue vetoed the plan, but the state senate just voted to override that veto. The State House is expected to do the same,
especially sense the new governor Nathan Deal said he has no problem with the move.
I would like to see the federal government do something similar. Our federal
budget is packed with duplicate and out of date agencies that continue to exist simply because their budgets are automatically
renewed every year without having to justify their existence or usefulness.
President Obama took note of this problem in his State of the Union speech.
He said that there are twelve agencies that deal with exports. Five others deal with housing policy. That is just a hint of
the problem. Every time Congress passes a bill for more government spending, they create a whole new set of agencies and offices
to manage it. The never check to see if there are already agencies in place to do the same work.
Then once an agency is set up, the current budget process keeps it alive far
past its usefulness. Georgia’s legislature should move to zero based budgeting. The U.S. Congress should do the same
thing.
Frankly Speaking - Frank Gillispie - Jan 27, 2011
After General Lee surrendered at Appomattox many southerners proclaimed that the north had won the war, but the battle
over states rights will continue. Things are heating up again.
A new law being readied for the Idaho legislature attempts to revive a nearly two hundred year old policy of nullification.
They want to nullify President Obama’s unpopular health legislation. Several other states are looking at the bill in
case the current court challenge to the bill by 27 states, including Georgia, fails.
Nullification has been tried before. Most notable was the effort by South Carolina to nullify the federal tarrif act in
the 1830’s. Known as the tariff of abomination, this measure was intended to force southern agricultural states to trade
with northeastern businessmen rather than England where they were offered better prices for their cotton and timber and lower
prices for England’s manufactured goods.
The Supreme Court ruled against South Carolina, but the uproar was so intense that the state was able to persuade the federal
government to lower the taxes to a more reasonable level.
In 1854, Wisconsin sought to nullify the federal Fugitive Slave Act that forced non-slave states to return escapees, but
again, the courts ruled in favor of the federal law. This new nullification effort will probably go the way of the original,
being denied by the supreme Court.
A greater possibility is the challenge of the Obama health law in the courts. As of now twenty seven states have joined
the suit, or have declared an interest in the suit. This is an important number because it is close to the number of states
needed to force a new constitutional convention.
The Constitution list two options for amendments. Either the Congress can recommend amendments, or two-thirds of the states,
that is thirty four, can call for a new convention to recommend amendments. Then three fourths, or thirty eight, of states
would have to ratify any changes before they became law.
There is a danger in a state-called constitutional convention. Once it is seated, such a convention would be free to recommend
any number of amendments, even totally rewrite the constitution if they wish. Then if enough states agree, whatever they come
up with will be the law of the land.
It might be a case of “be careful what you wish for, you might get it!”
In any event, many people are now convinced that the federal government has far overstepped the limits set for it by the
Constitution and are determined to do something about it. This is likely revolt number three.
We won the first revolt (American Revolution), and lost the second one (The Southern Revolt that produced the Confederacy).
So it will be interesting to see how the current revolt comes out. I only hope that this one will be fought out at the ballot
box, and not in the fields and streets of America.
Frankly Speaking - Frank Gillispie - Dec 2, 2010
Militant atheism has once again raised its head in the form of public signs and protest. They always appear during the
most significant religious holidays, especially Christmas and Easter. As always, they argue that religion is a fraud and should
be ignored. They engage in harsh criticism of the church and believers.
This is America. Everyone has a right to express their opinion Everyone has the right to believe or not believe, to worship
or not worship. And everyone has the right to preach their version of truth. At the same time, we the people have an individual
right to choose which belief to accept, or even to launch one of our own.
My question to the non believers is: What does it matter. One of two things is true. Either God exist, or he does not.
Neither argument can be proven by logic, scientific evidence, or any other system of thought. It takes faith to believe there
is a God. It takes just as much faith to believe He does not exist. We cannot “know” in either case.
IF God exits, he fills the universe uniformly. To know that he exist, you would have to find some place where he is not
to contrast with the rest of the universe. If He does not exist, then the universe is uniformly empty of any spiritual essence.
Again, you would have to find some kind of spiritual existence with which to compare the vacuum.
My question to each side is : What if you are wrong? If God exist, what will be the effect on non believers. What if He
does not exist, what effect will that have on the believers? Suppose that there is not a God, and when we die, we simply cease
to exist. All our thoughts and memories simply vanish. Whether we believed or not, all our faith, prayers and beliefs will
simply vanish. We will be no better or worse having believed or not believed. The outcome would be the same.
But suppose some element of our existence extends past the grave. If our sprint flees the dying body and finds itself alone
because we never accepted God or his plan for us. You would be able to sense the existence of God and his host, but you would
shut out by our non-belief. How do you deal with that?
If there is not a God, then believing or not believing will not matter at the end. The result will be the same. But if
God exist, then the question becomes critical. Believing in a non existent God gains you nothing. Not believing in a living
God can cost you eternity. Why take the chance?
Frankly Speaking - Frank Gillispie - Nov 11, 2010
Recently, a TV pundit referred to a well known political figure as the “bell cow” of the group he leads. That
left me wondering how many of you know what a Bell Cow is?
All small family farms had a small herd of milk cows. These animals were provided a pasture where they could roam and graze
during the day. This space was always limited to the portion of the farm that was not suited to cultivation, such as badly
eroded land or bottom land that was too wet to plow. Today these marches are called “wet lands “ but then we just
called them swamps. The cows were free to graze on anything they could find, and to drink from the small streams that usually
passed through such areas.
One cow, usually the oldest, would assume the role of leader. Wherever she went, the others would tag along. Once she was
identified, the farmer would hang a cow bell around her neck that would ring from time to time as she moved about, lowered
her head to graze, or would use her tail to switch off pesky flies. She was, of course, called “the bell cow.”
The cows spent the night in their individual stalls in the barn. Early each morning, some member of the family would milk
the cows and give them hay. The doors to the stalls were left open. After the cows ate their morning breakfast they were free
to wonder off into the pasture for the day.
Then late in the afternoon, someone, often a visiting grandson, would be sent down into the pasture to drive the cows back
to the barn to be milked, fed and stabled for the evening. Because the pasture was often partly filled with brush, marshes
and gullies, the cows were not always visible. That is where the bell came in. By following the sound of the bell, it was
easy to locate the bell cow. The rest of the herd was always near by.
For someone to be described as the bell cow of their organization is quite an insult to the other members. It implies that
they are mindless followers of the leader, and that he or she can take the group anywhere he or she chooses without objection.
Members of a bell cow led group are viewed as having little or no individual ;motivation. They just go along with the leader,
regardless of his or her qualifications. None of them are supposed credited with any independent judgment.
Leadership of such a group is easy. With no one challenging your authority or motivation, you can take the group anywhere
you please. It is much harder to be a leader among a group of people who think for themselves. A group of that type will have
a many ideas and consider many directions of movement. Trying to be a leader in such a group fits another stereotype of leadership
called “herding cats.”
Bell cows lead their people along predictable paths. Cat herders are more likely to be pulled into new and often creative
directions. I think we need more cat herders and fewer bell cows.
Frankly Speaking - Frank Gillispie - Nov 4, 2010
The American people are determined to change the way things are done in Washington. And when one idea fails to work, they
try something else.
Over the past several election cycles, the American voters have punished the republicans for failure to control government
abuses by transferring power to the democrats. But when the democrats used their new power to make government even more intrusive
into their lives and pocket books, they reversed course and sought a new political movement which promises to do what the
voters want. This gave rise to the so called Tea Parties with their promise for smaller government and lower taxes.
The results of this year’s elections indicate just how strong the desire for government reform is Voters are making
their demands very clear. But they are not waiting around to see if the politicians in Washington will follow through with
their promises. Various groups are pressing for new constitutional amendments that would pressure Congress to follow their
instructions.
Four republican senators are supporting a term limit plan designed to block politicians from making elective office a lifetime
career. The plan would limit members of congress to three two-year terms or a total of six years. Members of the senate would
be limited to two six-year terms for no more than 12 years. Thus, any politician would have to win three terms in the House
and two terms in the senate to achieve his or her maximum time of eighteen years in office.
Another proposed amendment would take away the special perks awarded to members of congress. The changes would require
them to take part in the same programs they impose on the public. They would lose their special health benefits and be required
to purchase the same insurance as the public. They would be required to pay into their own retirement fund, and join the social
security program and pay the same taxes they require of the rest of us.
Also among the proposed amendments is the frequently suggested balanced budget amendment. If this amendment were to pass,
congress would be required to limit federal spending to the level of revenues from the previous year. Only in the case of
a declared war could the government spend money in excess of revenues.
And finally, several groups are pushing to repeal the 17th amendment. This amendment passed 100 years ago changed
the way Senators are chosen. In the original plan, the House of Representatives was to represent the people, and the Senate
was designed to represent the states. Originally, the two senators from each state were named by the legislature of the states
and was answerable to the state governments. This was intended to keep the power of the states equal to that of the federal
government.
Passing a constitutional amendment is a difficult and involved process. For any of these proposals to succeed will require
great effort, especially sense they tend to limit the power of current office holders. But the effort will at least make it
clear to the politicians that we the people are demanding that they listen to us for a change.
Frankly Speaking - Frank Gillispie- 10-21-2010
National and local pundits are talking about the chances of the Republicans taking control of Congress, and what impact
that will have on our nation. But the races for governor are not receiving as much attention. I think that is a mistake. The
campaigns for governor and for control of the various state legislatures may have a greater impact on our nation’s future
than the current congressional races.
We have just had our ten year census and the results are starting to trickle in. The number of seats each state has in
congress is determined by population, and there will be changes in the way Congress is divided among the states. That means
that congressional districts have to be redrawn next year and the party in charge of each state will have a large impact on
the process. Naturally, the party in power will attempt to draw the lines in a way that increases their power.
Georgia will be given another seat in the House of Representatives as a result of the census. Our state will now have fourteen
seats in congress, one of the larger delegations. And if the polls are right, the Republicans will control the state legislature
and the governor’s office. So, naturally, they will draw district lines that will enhance their power.
Currently, Georgia’s delegation in the House of Representatives is evenly divided. We have seven Republicans and
six democrats. Local pundits have the Republicans picking up one or two of them, thus contributing to the expected Republican
control of the House. You can be sure that the new district will be located in a strong republican area, thus enhancing Republican
control in Georgia.
I wish it were not so. We the people are supposed to control Congress, not political parties. Congressional districts ought
to be compact so that the people have easy access to congressional offices in their area. They should be drawn based on the
social and economic needs of the area. Coastal Georgia has an entirely different culture from the mountains in the north.
Agricultural areas require different programs from the urban centers. The sprawling suburbs have yet another set of issues.
Drawing congressional districts to assure elections for one political party or another is simply wrong. Just as it is wrong
to draw districts to assure that some special interest group gets a seat in congress. And most of all, it is unacceptable
to draw districts designed to keep some long term professional politician in office.
Our congressional districts ought to be drawn by a non-partisan committee, and submitted to the voters for their approval.
Political party officials and elected officials should be ineligible to serve on the commission. Only then will we the people
be fairly represented in Congress.
Congressional offices belong to the voters, not to the politician who currently sits in the chair. We need to keep it that
way.
Frankly Speaking - October 14, 2010
“Maybe It's Your Civic Duty Not to Vote” John Stossel said. Stossel is a former reporter on 20/20 who now works
for Fox Business Network. He made the above comment on the O‘Reilly factor. He was referring to young voters who do
are “ignorant” of public affairs. Many of them could not identify a portrait of the Vice president or other public
officials. Some did not know how many states make up the union or the difference between the Senate and the House of Representatives.
Many of the internet commentators agreed with Stossel. Some suggested that the voting age should be raised. Others thought
some kind of test ought to be given before a person could qualify as a voter. Well, both of those suggestions were in effect
at one time.
Georgia was the first state to lower the voting age from 21 to 18. The argument was that if you were old enough to join
the army, you were old enough to vote. But Georgia also once had a literacy test for voter applicants. But there was a trick
to it. The Board of Registers were free to decide who had to take the test and who could register with out it.
A few weeks before graduation, the Madison County High School class of 1958 was loaded on busses and driven over to the
Registration office to register to vote. We were all 18, or would be before the next election. We were not required to take
the test. As high school seniors, we were deemed to be eligible without it, and we were white.
You see, the literacy test was actually used to prevent most of our black citizens from qualifying to vote. And that was
true in most southern states. We still had segregated education in the south and the black schools were under funded with
poorly trained teachers and inadequate text books.
The “separate but equal” policy helped some. Madison County opened two new high schools in the fall of 1955;
Madison County High School in Danielsville was for whites. Southside High School between Comer and Colbert was for blacks.
I do not know if the senior class of Southside High was taken to Danielsville to register to vote. If they were, nothing
was said about it.
Finally, the voting rights act of 1965 outlawed literacy test throughout the nation. The Civil Rights movement organized
extensive voter registration drives in the black communities. Federally controlled redistricting plans created a number of
political districts with a majority black population, and black elected officials began to appear throughout the south.
Bit the problem of voters who do not know enough to cast a reasoned vote remains a problem, and as many white voters as
black fall into that category. In my opinion, raising the voting age or reinstating the literacy test are not the answer.
The responsibility for producing knowledgeable voters belongs to the schools, parents and the media, and we all come up short
in our responsibility to our young voters.
Voter registration drives are important. Voter education drives are even more important. We need to teach, not restrain
our voting population.
Frankly Speaking - Frank Gillispie - Sep 30 2010
Political professionals say that negative advertising works. Tat may be true for some voters, but not for me. I refuse
to vote against a candidate for any reason. I am looking for reasons to vote for the best candidate. In this search, I am
looking at all possible candidates, even those who have no chance to win.
I do not agree with those who argue that if you vote for someone who cannot win you are wasting your vote. The purpose
of an election is to give you a chance to express your opinion. If a third party or even a write in candidate best reflects
your opinion, then that is where your vote should go. To vote on the basis of who you think will win is the way to waste your
opportunity to express your true opinion.
Look at the present campaign for Governor of Georgia. We have a particularly vicious negative campaign underway. The two
major candidates and their supporters are spending millions of dollars trying to tear each other down, and very little telling
us what positive things they want to do. As of now, I cannot support either of them.
So that leaves me with two options: either vote for a less known candidate, or just stay home. Staying home is not an acceptable
option. So I am looking at all possible candidates for someone I can support. There are five possibilities. Three will be
on the ballot, and two others have qualified as write-in candidates. You can find a complete list of candidates for statewide
office at http://www.politics1.com/ga.htm.
You know about Roy Barnes and Nathan Deal, of course. How can you not know about them, thanks to the heavy barrage of hate
they are slinging at each other. The other candidate on the ballot is Libertarian John Monds. He is supporting the standard
libertarian positions of less government, lower taxes and personal responsibility. Learn more about him at http://www.votemonds.com/index.html.
Two men have qualified as write-in candidates, one from each side of the political spectrum.
Neal Horsley is an evangelist who is running against abortion and the gay lifestyle. While he is not directly attacking
Barnes and Deal, he is attacking other public figures who represent what he considers as Evil http://www.horsleyforgovernor.com/
Sam Hay III is an environmentalist who is making his second write-in run for the office. He has no web page that I can
find and has attracted no news coverage.
I have never endorsed political candidates, and I will not tell you how to vote this year. I urge you to learn as much
as you can about the various candidates, then vote for the one most reflective of your opinion, regardless of his chances
of winning. And I hope you can find someone you can vote for and will not be forced to select the one you dislike least.
Frankly Speaking - Frank Gillispie - Sep. 6, 2010
How quickly they forget! Just after the terrorist attack that destroyed the world trade center and killed nearly 3000 people,
this nation responded by flying our flag on every porch, flag poll, fence post and mail box. The demand for flags was so great
that all the stores rapidly sold out.
Every year the Madison County Greys, Sons of Confederate Veterans buys a booth at the Madison County Fair in Comer. The
fair always runs the last week of September.
Each year we offer flags for sale as a part of our camp fundraising efforts, so I had a full list of flag suppliers. So
I was able to find flags for our booth. Half way through the fair, we sold out, and I made a day trip to a warehouse to restock,
and we sold those.
It was beautiful to drive down any road in Madison County and see flags flying. They delivered the message that we could
not be terrorized into giving up our national symbols. Modern and historic US flags were on display anyway you looked.
But by spring, it was clear that the instant patriotism was over. You see, those flags flew all winter, in rain, snow and
ice. By spring, they were faded and ripped to shreds. Very few people bothered to replace them or to take them down By the
first anniversary of the attacks, most of them were gone. When I looked down the streets, all I saw were a few red and blue
fragments on fence post and mail boxes. My pride in my community declined with the flags. The sadness I felt for my nation
gradually gave way to sadness for the neglected flags.
That is not always the case, here and there you will find a bright new flag waving defiantly in the wind, usually in the
yard of one of our veterans. Several of our cities put out flag displays on patriotic and memorial holidays. They appear from
place to place during Independence day and Memorial day.
In my opinion, we ought to have flags flying all over our nation every day. We are still at war, and our fighting men are
still in harm’s way. Every one of them wear a flag patch on their shoulder to make it clear that the sacrifices they
are making are for America. The least we can do is to make sure we have a bright new flag at our homes and businesses to express
our support of their battles for our freedoms.
The flag is the symbol of our nation It deserves to be flown over every home, business and public office, and military
post, and to be changed as often as necessary to keep it clean and bright.
Let’s keep it flying!
Frankly Speaking - Frank Gillispie - Sept. 2. 2010
There is a popular line of jewelry that many people wear today. It contains a set of initials; WWJD. It means, of course,
What Would Jesus Do? We have a state and nation full of politicians and pundits who need to take that slogan into consideration
before they speak.
Consider, for example, the continuous barrage of criticism from both groups of President Obama’s failure to join
a church and take part in regular religious services. Jesus had very unkind things to say about those Hebrews who put on a
big show about their religion. He was very critical of those who stood on the street and prayed loudly to show the community
the degree of their fervor.
He instructed them thus: “But you, when you pray, enter into your closet, and when you have shut your door, pray
to your Father which is in secret; and your Father which sees in secret shall reward you openly.”
Clearly, those people who bad mouth the President for not displaying his faith in public are out of line with Jesus’
teaching.
Then here in Georgia, Candidate Roy Barnes and his supporters are constantly harassing Nathan Deal about his alleged ethics
problems. I would remind you that no crimes have been alleged, and no formal accusations filed. So the Barnes group are violating
both legal and spiritual rules.
Mr. Deal, as well as all Americans, is to be considered innocent until proven guilty. That is that is the law. And Jesus
had much to say on that topic. “Take the beam out of your own eye before you attempt to remove the splinter from your
brothers eye.” Judge not, less you be judged”
And most clear was his answer concerning the stoning of a prostitute. “So when they continued asking him, he lifted
up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.” John 8:7
Now I am not a fan of President Obama or Nathan Deal. Nor am I an enemy of Roy Barnes. In fact, there are very few politicians
or pundits that I find creditable, nor do I think any of them are evil. But I am a fan of the teachings of Jesus and I devote
quite a bit of time in studying his sayings and instructions.
And while I think the argument about separation of church and state is overstated, I agree that a person’s personal
beliefs, or lack of them, should not be grounds for criticizing their political philosophy.
I wish our candidates would spend more time discussing their goals and plans for improving our nation, and less criticizing
each other. Just knowing how much they dislike each other is not a solid basis for choosing between them.
Frankly Speaking - Frank Gillispie - 8-26-10
A number of years ago, you frequently heard the phrase “Two Georgia’s.” Those comments have faded because,
I suppose, the Atlanta crowd think that they have won and now represent all of the state. That is not the case.
There are, in fact, numerous Georgias. We are perhaps one of the most diverse state in the union. Geographically, we range
from the mountains in the north, to the swamps in the south. Our soil ranges from granite domes to red clay hills to sandy
lowlands to Cyprus bogs and salt water marches.
Each change in land forms brings out different ecosystems. Take, for instance, the fall line and its corresponding gnat
line. Millions of years ago, the sea level was much higher than now. The coast line at that time ran across central Georgia
from Augusta, to Macon, To Columbus. You can still find old beach sand all along that line. It is called the Fall Line because
it contains the final rapids and falls on Georgia’s rivers. Below the line, the water is slow and deep enough to allow
ships and barges to navigate. But they are blocked from going any farther north.
The soil below the line contains a significant amount of sand from the old beaches while north of the line the soil is
mostly clay. These two soils provide a habitat for two dramatically different forms of gnats. The gnats north of the line
just buzz around your face and irritate your eyes. The sand gnats south of the line bite!
I was quickly introduced to the sand gnat during the time I lived in Savannah. Being a native Georgia Red Neck, I am never
comfortable unless I have something growing in the yard. We moved into our home in the late spring and I immediately headed
to the back yard with my spade to dig up a small space for squash, tomatoes and corn. To my displeasure, every shovel of soil
I turned released a swarm of those pesky gnats! A neighbor told me that preparing a garden spot needed to be done early in
the spring before the gnats started hatching. He was right.
There are definitely two Georgias. North and South Georgia are different in topography, ecology, socially, politically
and economically.
But there are more than two divisions of the state. Savannah is a unique culture, as is Union County in the mountains.
Even the accent used by natives differs, Once you hear the native dialect of Georgia’s mountain people, you will see
what I mean My uncle Sloan married a mountain woman; Aunt Minnie. I will never forget her good bye following our visits. In
her slow somewhat nasal voice she would say: “Now you’uns come back to see we’uns sometime!” We don’t
all say “Y’all!”
Georgia is a unique and special place, made even more so by our great diversity. I hope we never lose it.
Frankly Speaking - Frank Gillispie - Aug 19, 2010
Do you remember The Nancy Hanks?” The Nancy Hanks was an intrastate passenger train owned by the Central of Georgia
Railroad that used to run between Atlanta and Savannah with a stop in Macon. It was named for a race horse which had been
named for Abraham Lincoln’s mother. The train left Savannah at seven o’clock each morning for the six hour run
to Atlanta and made the return trip at six o’clock each night.
The “Nancy” had four passenger cars and a grill for lunch. Until the 1960’s it was segregated. It was
the last passenger train to integrate because the owners felt that they were immune from federal law because the train was
intrastate. It never crossed the state line and thus only had to comply with Georgia law..
The Nancy Hanks had two lives. The first train, pulled by a steam engine, ran for only two years shortly after the end
of the War Between the States. The second train, which was officially called “The Nancy Hanks II” made her first
trip on July 17, 1947. The train's cars were painted blue and grey and, like the first Nancy, each bore a likeness
of the famous horse on the side.
The last trip made by the train was on April 30 1971, the day before the national rail service, AMTRAC started service.
Due to the speed and comfort of bus and air transportation, AMTRAC has never earned a profit, being subsidized annually by
the American tax payers. AMTRAC has never offered a Atlanta to Savannah route.
So, why should we remember the “Nancy Hanks?” That is because our political leaders are ignoring her. You see,
the politicians are spending millions of dollars to study and plan new rail passenger services between Georgia cities. Never
mind that the best estimates show that such services will never break even and the tax payers will have to bail them out every
year they operate. Look at Atlanta’s current rail service, MARTA. It cost all Georgians millions of dollars to operate
even though only a small part of our population ever rides it.
Oh, I have read all the arguments in favor of building these lines. They probably would reduce the number of cars on the
freeways around Atlanta. They might even reduce the level of air pollution. But I do not believe that the benefit they would
bring the people of Atlanta is worth what it will cost all Georgians in new taxes.
If the planners can find a way for these proposed rail passenger services to pay for themselves, then I say “build
them!” But if a major portion of the state’s people will have to pay for a service they will never use, then I
have to object.
Frankly Speaking - Frank Gillispie - 8-12-10
Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has just announced plans to reduce our military budget by eliminating the Joint Forces
Command in Norfolk, Va., and seek deep cuts elsewhere in the budget. He said that the cut will eliminate up to 3000 contractors
as well as removing redundancy from the nation’s military structure. This one cut will reduce the military budget by
$240 million a year.
The move is part of an effort to cut $100 billion over five years from the military’s overhead cost. Gates noted
that up to 40% of the cost of our military is involved in overhead that does not contribute directly to our forces in the
field.
Secretary Gates is right. The bureaucracy in the military is the same as all government agencies It is top heavy with highly
paid people who often duplicate each other unnecessarily. By streamlining the military command structure, he can save a lot
of money and improve the command and control of the necessary forces on the ground, in the sky and on the seas.
Now we need the rest of the government to follow his example. Every department of our federal government is over crowded
with bureaus, offices and agencies that are out of date, unnecessary or duplicates, And every time Congress decides to pass
a new law, they create another layer of bureaucracy. The new health plan, for example, creates hundreds of new bureaus and
adds thousands of new federal employees to the national payroll.
This massive bureaucracy is not only unnecessary, it places a massive burden on our national economy. The tax increases
necessary to finance these programs come directly from the pockets of productive Americans. The boost in the national debt
sucks up all available credit making it virtually impossible for small business to find the financing they need to expand
and create productive jobs. In addition, it forces borrowing from other nations, many that are potential enemies. That creates
threats for our nation that our military cannot defend.
If we could elect a congress that will dramatically shrink our federal bureaucracy and release the pressures on our economy,
I think we would experience an explosion of new small to medium business. They would easily provide jobs for the thousands
of bureaucrats removed from the federal payroll, for the nearly ten percent of our work force currently without jobs and a
large segment of those people living on welfare.
Rather than adding more and more people to the federal payroll, we need to change our direction and start reducing unnecessary,
and in my opinion, unconstitutional bureaucracies. Eliminating those agencies not authorized by the constitution and the duplication
that eats up our budget will free our people of unnecessary federal regulations and return to them the fruits of their labor.
That would be a good thing.
Frankly Speaking - Frank Gillispie - 8-5-2010
People often ask me how I think of things to write about in this column. That has never been a problem. Usually I have
too many things on my mind and I have to choose one of them and ignore the rest.
Take today as an example. I could write about Congressman Brown’s vote against the military funding bill because
the Democrats loaded it up with unrelated pork. Sense he knew that the bill would pass without his vote, he got to make a
political statement without putting our military in jeopardy. Brown is learning to play the political game quite rapidly.
Or I could respond to several recent blogs calling for a new American revolution because the federal government is out
of control. If the states ever decide that their rights are being destroyed by the federal government, they can rebel by calling
for a new Constitutional Convention. Once it is in place, such a convention could propose and send to the states any number
of amendments placing greater limits on the federal government and protecting the states. They could do this without going
through Congress or the President.
Then there is the case of thousands of secret documents being passed on to a radical web site where their publication puts
our soldiers, and our allies in great danger. During my deployment to Europe during the Cold War, I had a job that required
me to frequently view, and even create secret documents. The security surrounding those documents was intense. I cannot imagine
any unauthorized person gaining access to them. Clearly, something is wrong with the security of our national secrets.
I could write about the frequent massive crashes that occur on Interstate 85 in Northeast Georgia. Every few months, several
large trucks crash along with a number of smaller vehicles. It leaves me wondering if there is any kind of traffic enforcement
in that area.
I could comment on the fact that the University of Georgia has once again made the top of the list of “Party Schools”
in America With all that partying going on, how do the students find time to study? And what does that do to the value of
a UGA diploma?
Finally, I could describe some of the childhood adventures we had on the campus of what is soon to be the former Navy Supply
Corps School. That campus was formerly the Georgia Teacher’s College, and Clark County’s rural children attended
The University Demonstration School there so that the student teachers could practice on us. I attended grades one through
six there before the Navy purchased it.
As you can see, I always have plenty of topics to write about. Sometimes, I wish I were writing a daily column. Then I
would be able to cover all the subjects that attract my attention rather than having to choose one and ignore the others.
Frankly Speaking - Frank Gillispie - July 15, 2010
Election Abuses by the State of Georgia
Georgia’s primary election is July 20. On that day, the two political parties will select their candidates for the
fall general election. Nothing has changed in the rules. You still have the same restrictions we had for the last several
elections. You cannot choose from all the people seeking office. You have to choose from among the Democrats or the Republicans.
You cannot do both.
When you go to the polls to vote, you will have to choose which primary you wish to vote in, then you can only vote for
candidates running in that primary, and you cannot vote for any candidates in the other primary.
For example, if you want to vote for David Poythress for Governor, you have to choose the Democratic ballot. But if you
also want to vote for Ralph Hudgens for Insurance Commissioner, you will not be permitted to because he is running as a Republican
Or if you want to support Frank Ginn for state senator, you have to take a Republican ballot and would not be allowed to vote
for Thurbert Baker for Governor because he is a Democrat.
Now, suppose you wanted to support someone who is independent, not a member of either major party. The chances are that
your candidate will not even be able to qualify. Georgia election laws make it virtually impossible for an independent candidate
to get on the ballot. Take the case of Mary Norwood. She is seeking the post of Chairman of the Fulton County Commission as
an independent. But she had been denied a spot on the ballot. You would have to write her name in and then it may not be counted.
Norwood came within a few hundred votes of winning the last race for Mayor of Atlanta. But when she tried to qualify for
as an independent this year, she was denied because some of her petitions had the name of the county printed in rather than
being hand written.
Third party candidates are no more likely to gain ballot access than independents. Only a handful of Libertarian party
candidates will appear on the ballot, and they seldom receive more than five percent of the vote.
These primary elections are for the benefit of the political parties, yet the state of Georgia sets the rules and conducts
the elections I object to that. A political party is a private organization, and the state has no business being involved
in their candidate selection process. Any party wishing to choose its candidates in a primary, as the Democrats have done
traditionally, should conduct and finance the primary themselves. Any party that wishes to hold a nominating convention, ad
the Republicans formerly did, should be in charge of that process.
The state should have one set of rules for access to the general election ballot and all candidates should have to meet
the same requirements. If an independent candidate must collect petitions to get on the ballot, then so should the Democrats
and Republicans.
If you wish to run for political office in Georgia, with a few exceptions, you have to run as a Democrat or Republican.
Otherwise, your chances of even getting on the ballot are remote. And that, to me, is a crime
Frankly Speaking - Frank Gillispie - May 10, 2010
I have said it before and I am saying it again. A racist is a racist no matter the color
of the racist. Racism is alive and well in America as this story will demonstrate.
Recently a black news operation, a racist organization, held a debate for candidates in Georgia’s 4th
congressional district. This is one of several districts in Georgia with carefully drawn borders to assure a large black majority
of voters, also a racist program. Three black democrats and one black republican were invited.
When the one white candidate with measurable support, Republican Liz Carter, ask to take part, she was denied.
Newsmaker Lives’ event moderator, Maynard Eaton, told the campaign that because Carter is white, she’s only allowed
to sit in the audience and not participate.
I have two problems with this story. First, the idea that blacks can be as racist as they wish without being
criticized, and second, the fact that this story was ignored by the national media.
We will never solve the race problems in this nation by only attacking one side and ignoring the other. Black
racism is rampant, and it is seldom addressed. Black commentators who object to racism in their own community are roundly
branded as “betrayers of their race,” while whites who dare defy the leftist politics of so called “black
leaders” are branded “racist.”
Can you imagine a debate in mostly white Gwinnett County where only white candidates are invited? National
media trucks would line the streets of Lawrenceville. The sidewalks would be filled with sign waving protesters. Yet, when
a black only debate is organized in Atlanta, there was virtually nothing said.
You see, it is not racism that draws the crowds, it is the politics. The people who organized the all black
Atlanta debate are politically left wingers. They all support big government, high taxes and uncontrolled government spending.
Blacks who oppose big government are condemned by their peers. But white voters, the majority of whom support conservative
values, are deemed racist simply because of their political beliefs.
To the left, blacks have earned the right to hold racist views as long as they vote for leftist candidates.
And any whites who object to left wing politics are proclaimed to be racist no matter what their true feelings are.
People on the radical left are convinced that they are superior to the rest of us and have the right, even
an obligation, to force their opinions on the rest of us. To make that easy, they routinely try to force us into boxes. We
are either black or white, rich or poor, northern or southern. We are expected to get into our assigned box and stay there.
The left wingers use such words as “racist” “bigotry” and “hatred” to force us into our
boxes. That makes it much easier for our masters to exercise the kind of control they lust after.
But we are all unique individuals. No two of us are alike. We deserve to express our uniqueness by deciding
for ourselves what our preferences are. That is what freedom is all about. We should be free to be ourselves without government
interference.
My freedom to be myself should never be considered a threat to anyone else’s freedom. Just get big government
and big media off my back and let me be me.
Frankly Speaking - Frank Gillispie - June 6, 2010
President Ronald Reagan made the observation that government cannot solve America’s problems because
Government IS the problem. The current efforts by Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal to rebuild the sand bars along his coast
as a way to protect the fragile marsh lands from the BP oil spill is clear proof of that statement.
These narrow barrier islands made mostly of beach sand have for many years helped protect the states marsh
lands along the mouth of the Mississippi from damage by the waves and winds of gulf storms. Then they were badly damaged by
Hurricane Katrina which washed out large sections of the barriers. Governor Jindal immediately approached the U.S. Corps of
Engineers about rebuilding the islands as a protection from the oil leak. Their response was that the state would have to
prepare environmental impact statements before any work would be approved.
Louisiana was, and is, facing an environmental disaster of massive proportions, and the federal government’s
answer is to demand more bureaucratic paperwork! Oil has already contaminated one hundred and seven miles of Louisiana’s
coast. yes as of Monday, June 3, they have received permission to repair only two and a half miles of the damaged sand barriers.
“We know the sand boom works, we have seen it work in Thunder Bayou and Elmer’s Island’
Governor Jindal said. ‘We are fighting to help protect our coast under this sand-boom plan” he said. “We
know this oil will continue to hit our coast again and again. We have to put multiple protection measures in place. We continue
to ask federal officials to approve our entire sand-boom plan.”
Experts say that somewhere between 17 and 39 million gallons of oil have spewed into the Gulf, and the latest
estimates are that the flow may not be stopped until sometime in August. Louisiana’s marshes will continue to be heavily
damaged until well after the flow is finally stopped. Thousands of people along the gulf coast who depend on fishing for a
living are having their incomes devastated by the oil. Tourism in the area is also being heavily damaged. Even if the flow
were to be stopped tomorrow, the damage will continue for decades. Damage to the coastal environment is already tremendous,
and will take many years to correct, if ever
Governor Jindal’s efforts to rebuild the sand barriers are the best and quickest way to save his state
from more economic and environmental damage. The delay in getting the projects underway are inexcusable. BP’s mismanagement
of the drilling platform is the primary cause, but the slow response by the federal authorities to Louisiana’s efforts
to protect its marshes from the oil is contributing heavily to the damage.
In this case, as in many others, government is a major part of the problem. President Reagan’s distrust
of government is clearly justified.
Frankly Speaking - Frank Gillispie - May 20, 1020
George Washington warned us that party politics would be damaging to our republic, but we chose to ignore
him. Now we are cursed with two powerful political parties that are tearing this nation apart. What should we do now? I think
we ought to take the power out of political parties by taking the profit out of politics.
It was never the intention of our founding fathers to have a class of professional politicians running (and
ruining) he country. The original idea was that we the citizens of various state and local areas would chose people from among
their number and require that they put aside their personal and business agendas for a period of time to represent us in the
various legislative bodies. Then, after a period of time, they would be allowed to return to their normal pursuits and someone
else would take their place.
Serving in elective office was intended to be a sacrifice on the part of the office holder, a debt he or she
owed for the benefit of living in a nation and state devoted to the greatest possible level of freedom. But today’s
office holders expect to make a career out of politics, and a very profitable one at that. They expect high salaries and a
benefit package that is far beyond the majority of those they were intended to represent.
One answer to this problem would be strict term limits. And I mean lifetime limits. No one should be allowed
to serve more than 20 years total in elective office. That includes all offices from dogcatcher to president. And they should
be required to take at least a six year break within that period.
For example. Someone might be chosen to a city council seat for four years. If he does a good job, then a
four year term as mayor might result. Then maybe four years in the state legislature. That would be twelve years total. At
this point, he would be required to go home for the next six years and return to his normal trade to earn his living. Finally
he would have eight more years he can serve in local, state or federal office. And that would be the end of his political
career.
To assure that politics never becomes his life’s work, we should put an end to government financed retirement
plans that exceed those of comparative private companies. His insurance program should be no better than what you or I have.
His travel and entertainment budgets should be severely limited, with the possible exception of the top handful of state or
federal officers, and even then there ought to be limits.
Do you want to take back our country from the politicians. Then take the profit out of politics.
Frankly Speaking - Frank Gillispie - May 6 2010
Do you remember Civics class in high school? I remember clearly the often repeated mantra “No one is
above the law, not even the President!” That is what is meant by a nation of law, not of men. But that is a rule that
we have allowed to slip away.
If we are going to live under the rule of law, we have to obey the law - all of it. If we chose to follow
some laws and ignore others, then law no longer has any authority. That is, to me, the whole problem of illegal immigration.
We have a very clear set of laws about immigration. They are clearly written and easy to understand. If you enter the United
States without proper documentation, you are violating the law. And if you are allowed to stay, then the law becomes meaningless.
Other countries rigidly enforce their immigration laws. Remember last year when two young reporters slipped
into North Korea illegally? They were treated harshly, and it took a special delegation of powerful Americans to get them
out. Right now, three young Americans are sitting in cells in Iran because they strayed across the border while hiking.
Mexico has very tough immigration laws. Illegal immigration there is a felony, punishable by up to two years
in prison. If you are deported and attempt to re-enter Mexico you can be imprisoned for 10 years. Violating the terms of your
Visa can get you a sentence of up to six-years Mexicans who help illegal immigrants are considered criminals.
So why are we in such an uproar because Arizona wants to enforce immigration laws in their state? Let me say
it again: Illegal immigration into the United States is a criminal act. Allowing it to go unpunished is a direct insult to
the rule of law.
Now if the law is unfair, or in some other way unacceptable, then it is the duty of our lawmakers to change
it. But until they do, the law is the law and needs to be enforced.
Arizona has every right, even a responsibility, to enforce all federal , state and local laws within its border.
That is especially true when the federal government has abandoned its responsibility. People in Arizona are being kidnapped,
assaulted, even killed by illegals crossing the border from Mexico.
Authorities there have a responsibility to investigate all people who might be violating our laws. If that
causes some people who are here legally to be inconvenienced, I am sorry. But it is a necessity. Their best response is to
provide all assistance to the authorities in detecting and arresting illegals in their communities. Their safety is just as
much at risk as anyone else.
Arizona is attempting to reinstate the rule of law which has been abandoned in so much of our nation. I say
good for them.
Frankly Speaking - Frank Gillispie - March 26, 2010
When you approach the old Madison County Courthouse in Danielsville from the south, you will see a marble
statue next to the building. Do you have any idea who it is and why it is there? It is a replica of one of the two statues
that represents Georgia in our national capital. It is of Doctor Crawford W. Long.
Dr. Long, the most celebrated native of Madison County, was born just west of the courthouse square on November
1, 1815. He is known worldwide for being the first doctor to use an anesthesia while performing surgery on a patient. he was
the son of a merchant and planter in Danielsville, Georgia. A transcript of the first meeting of the Madison County government
shows that Mr. Long received a license to sell “spurious spirits” in his store.
While a student at the University of Georgia Crawford W. Long shared a room with Alexander Stephens, Vice President of the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War. Long was a cousin of the western legend Doc Holliday.
As a student, Dr Long had been present when other students were experimenting with several chemicals known
as “laughing gas,” including diethyl ether. He had noticed that when people under the influence of the gas fell
down, they experienced no pain. So when James M. Venable came to his office in Jefferson Georgia to have a tumor removed from
his neck, Long exposed him to ether prior to the surgery. Venable reported no pain during the surgery.
Dr. Long then used the technique for numerous procedures from childbirth to amputations. The first event occurred
in 1842, but he did not report his success until 1842 when the results of these trials were published in The Southern Medical
and Surgical Journal. Although Northern doctor, William T. G. Morton, is known for performing a demonstration of ether anesthesia
on October 16, 1846 in Boston, Massachusetts, Long is now regarded as the first to have administered
ether anesthesia for surgery.
The marble statue, carved by J. Massey Rhind. was donated in 1926, and is Located in the Crypt area of the
capital building. Rhind was an American sculptor born in Edinburgh, Scotland, and trained in various European centers of art.
He is well known for carving monuments of many American Civil War personalities, but his carving of Crawford W. Long is considered
by many to be his best work.
The second statue from Georgia in the hall is of Alexander Stephens, the Vice President of the Confederate
States of America. It was carved by Gutzon Borglum who later became famous for carving Mount Rushmore. I will
have more about Borglum’s connection to Georgia in a later column.
Frankly Speaking - Frank Gillispie - March 4, 2010
Young men dream dreams and wonder how to make them happen. Old men remember memories and wonder why things
happened the way they did.
Sometimes, life events can not be explained understood. For example, Sunday morning, February 28 2010, my
younger brother Harold Lee Gillispie, suffered a massive heart attack that proved fatal. The day before he had been working
in his back yard with a chain saw cutting up an old oak tree. He was just over a month from his 66th birthday.
His death was almost identical to that of my father. On February 28, 1990, my father suffered a massive heart
attack that proved fatal. The previous day, he had disassembled a mower deck in preparation to installing new bearings. He
was just weeks away from his 76th birthday.
Both events happened shortly after they woke from a night’s sleep. Harold died twenty years to the day
after his father. Both appeared to be in relatively good health, having worked the day before. How do you explain that?
Harold was a good man. Like many of my family, he was essentially self educated. Yet he started several successful
businesses. He was a proud father of two sons, the husband of one wife, and a loyal supporter of his friends and extensive
family. His death will leave a vacuum in our lives.
As the elder brother battling cancer, I fully expected to die before either of my brothers. That is one reason
I was so stunned by Harold’s sudden death. So now I don’t know what to expect. As my 70h birthday approaches,
I am clearly past the dreaming dreams stage and well beyond the “how” questions and fully in the “why”
stage.
The dreams of my youth are almost past. A few were accomplished, many were abandoned and others took totally
unexpected turns. Founding a newspaper was not one of them, yet that is probably the most significant of my accomplishments.
I have always loved to write, so writing a newspaper came naturally to me. But this week will, I suspect, force a change.
I will spend less time writing about social and political issues, and more time recording the mass of memories that I have
accumulated.
A number of you have commented on the columns about growing up in the rural South, and I have a lot of those
stories I can tell. Perhaps I will collect those memories into a book that I can call “Growing Up Redneck.” You
will likely see these stories frequently in this column.
I apologize for rambling today, I am not in a condition to concentrate on anything else. I am sure you understand.
Frankly Speaking - Frank Gillispie - January14, 2010
Let me explain something to you. You have no “Constitutional” rights. The Constitution does not
grant rights. It only preserves and protects your natural rights.
Anyone who has ever studied the origins of our American system of government should know that. It is clearly
stated in the Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal,
and are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, and that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of
Happiness.”
The Declaration defines the Creator by the phrase, “The Laws of Nature and Nature’s God.”
The position taken by our founders was that the rights of man, all men together and each man (or woman) individually
is a product of this natural law. Natural law exist outside of governments of any kind, and they belong to all humans, regardless
of what type of government they live under.
Consider this: If any government agency or man made document was the grantor of our rights as humans, that
same or a similar government or document could just as easily take them away. But our rights under Natural Law are unalienable,
meaning that no human power has the authority to deny or interfere with those rights. Your natural rights can only be denied
if they do damage to the rights of other people.
You have a natural right to enjoy the profits of your labor. When you go out and work to earn money for the
use of yourself and your family. No one has a natural right to take that money and give it to someone who prefers to live
“on the government dole.”
You see, your rights are coupled with your responsibility. You have the right to enjoy any lifestyle you choose,
as long as you exercise the responsibility to earn the money to pay for it.
When you take the product of your neighbor’s labor for your own use without giving him fair value in
return, you are a thief. It does not matter if you break into his house and steal the money from his wallet, or have a government
bureaucrat do it for you. You are still abusing your neighbor of his right to freely enjoy the product of his labor.
Now, Natural Law requires all of us to assist those who are unable to care for themselves. And I know of very
few people who are not willing to do just that. I am happy to provide any assistance I can to anyone who truly needs my help.
But I resent having the fruit of my labor taken from my by force, including excessive taxes, to support people who make no
effort to provide for themselves.
Our government is on an ever expanding track to take from the rich (those who work to support themselves and
their families) and give to the poor (those who sit on their couches in front of their big TV waiting for everything to be
given to them.) And the current programs being crammed through congress at this time add dramatically to that abuse of our
natural rights to keep for our own use the money we earn.
No wonder our nation is once again rising up in rebellion.
Dec 30 2009
Michael Barone, writing in THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER pointed out that this is not the first time a political
party forced an unpopular bill through congress by a narrow margin. While he was at it, he described the consequences of the
battle.
The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 was pushed through Congress by the Democratic Party without a single vote
from the opposition Whig party. Stephen A. Douglas, of the Lincoln - Douglass Debates, in his eighth year as senator from
Illinois, led the battle. The Democratic Party had control of congress and the presidency. They won the previous presidential
election by 254 electoral votes for Franklin Pierce to only 42 for Winfield Scott.
The Kansas-Nebraska act overturned the Missouri Compromise that had limited the extension of slavery in the
northwest territory leaving the newly created states to decide for themselves if they would accept the “peculiar institution.”
Opponents of the action responded by killing off the Whig party and launching a totally new “Republican”
party. A bloody political campaign between the supporters and opponents of slavery in the Kansas territory resulting in the
slogan of “Bleeding Kansas.” Eventually, this power play by the Democrats led to the election of Abraham Lincoln
as president by the new party, which was the final straw forcing the southern states to feel they had no choice but to secede
from the union, which in turn lead to the outbreak of the War for Southern Independence.
Now I do not think the action by the democrats to ram an unwanted health bill down the throats of Americans
will lead to a civil war. But it stands a chance of causing a major political upheaval that once again may lead to a new political
party and likely damage the Democratic party so severely that they are at risk of being in the minority for years to come.
A recent poll listed a large number of people who wish George Bush were still president. A generic poll showed
the Republicans with an eight point lead over the Democrats. The Tea Party movement is making noises about organizing an new
party and the idea polls well among the voters.
President Obama’s approval ratings are the lowest of any recent president after one year in office.
The voters are restless and very unhappy about the way the country is going under his leadership.
History may be about to repeat itself again. The national Democratic Party is forcing an unwanted bill through
congress on a totally partisan basis, and the majority of Americans do not like it. Many of them are “mad as hell and
are not going to take it anymore.”
It is normal for the party in power to lose seats in Congress during the mid term elections. But the Democrats
are at risk of losing much more than that. They might lose control of both houses of the legislature, and I do not think that
President Obama has the political skills to deal with an opposition congress.
2010 will be a very interesting year, and 2012 may well bring the upheaval that the physics are predicting.
Put on your helmets and strap up your seatbelts. I think we are in for a very bumpy ride.
Dec 25, 2009
I knew when I left camp that I would experience a memorable Christmas. But it turned out to be much more than
I had imagined.
The year was 1962. I was serving in the U.S. Army stationed near the tiny town of Dahn, in the Westphalia
area of Germany. I had learned of a tour bus coming out of Frankfurt going to Italy with a vacant seat. I asked for leave,
booked the seat and prepared see the sights in Italy.
Now you have to picture an inexperienced 21 year old Georgia redneck riding across Southern Europe with a
bus load of total strangers, (they were Canadians.) The rest of the people on the bus knew each other. I knew none of them.
We passed through Austria, toured Venice, saw the leaning tower at night and made our way to Rome in time
for Christmas. We toured the catacombs and the Vatican on Christmas Eve. I was with the group, but not part of the group during
this part of the trip.
We returned to the square in front of St. Peter’s to hear the Pope’s midnight blessing. And that
is where I had my epiphany. I stood there, all alone, in the center of a tightly packed crowd of several hundred thousand
people, watching a dying pope give his final Christmas blessing. Pope John XXIII died a few months later.
This sharp awareness of being alone in a crowd in the center of a major Christian site immediately changed
the tour from a site-seeing trip to a pilgrimage of self discovery. A pilgrimage that continues today.
I became acutely aware of my surroundings and the way I reacted to them. Christmas Day we were left to explore
Rome on our own. I spent the day walking alone around the strange, enchanting city. I found the coliseum, the forum, the Spanish
Steps and the famous fountains. On a small street, I found an American style hamburger joint were I ate lunch. I found the
Olympic stadium were the Rome games were held, and many other well known locations.
During this fateful day, I never lost my direction. In my wandering, I crossed many busy streets, mostly filled
with people I couldn’t understand. When I became tired in the afternoon, I simply turned and walked back to the hotel.
This intense awareness of myself continued as we completed the tour, seeing Pompeii, the Isle of Capri and
parts of the Italian Rivera on the trip back north. When the bus dropped me off in Heidelberg to catch a local train back
to camp, I knew I had changed. I didn’t know the extent or nature of the changes for some time to come.
The adventure was not over. Later that year, the Berlin Wall was built. We were on a war footing for over
a month, with all the physical and mental pressures that brought along. But I never had a sense of fear or uncertainty.
When I returned to the U.S., I had developed a love of philosophy, and a deep interest in the world’s
religions. A survey of my private library will show just how much time, energy and money I have devoted to my studies.
And it all started on that dramatic Christmas Eve in Rome.
December 17, 2009
Are you rushing around looking for last minute Christmas gifts. I have a suggestion for you. Give them books.
I don’t mean one of those electronic book reader things. I mean real paper, hard bound books.
There is just nothing like holding a real book in your hands and opening it at the book mark to the last page
you read. You can get quality books on all subjects. Whatever your loved one is interested in, there are books about it.
Does she like to cook? There are cookbooks of all types. Every one of the cooking show hosts has one or more
book on the market. There are specialist cook books for vegetarian cooks, people with diabetes, dessert books - there is one
that is devoted totally to cupcakes.
How many of your friends and family are devoted to their church. Every one of the major TV preachers has one
or more books on the market and that includes such names as Bishop T. J. Jakes and Rev Joel Olsten. Bibles and bible commentary
are always in order for Christmas giving.
How about politics. You can have your choice from all areas of the political spectrum, from Glenn Beck‘s
“Arguing With Idiots”’ or Sarah Palin’s “Going Rogue” to Saul D. Alinsky‘s “Rules
for Radicals.
You can find the books that were made into block buster movies about vampires, magic worlds, great romances,
science fiction. Harry Potter books are still available along with some secondary books that relate to the system.
How about some of the older books that have been in the news recently. Ayn Rands, “Atlas Shrugged”
is still on the shelves. New and older biographies of great Americans are out there, and there is no better way to learn about
our nation than to read the life stories of the men and women who created her.
Books are works of art. Not only are the words inside the product of creative minds, so are the bindings,
the illustrations and pictures often found inside. There is nothing more impressive than to handle one of the “heirloom”
books bound in leather and embossed with gold leaf.
Books are great for children. I have never seen a young child who is not thrilled to have his or her very
own book. Learning to read from their own special books is a major part of a child’s education.
Books are easy to find, reasonably priced and always in style. So if you are in a rush, or have that one person
who is impossible to shop for, consider a book. So what if they don’t read. A good book will likely get them into the
habit.
Give books for Christmas. Its easy for you, good for them.
December 10 2009
What kind of things offend you? As some of you know, it is very hard to offend a redneck. We rednecks have
a level of self confidence that shields us from most insults. But there are a couple of things that really get our dander
up. One of them is people who go around looking for things to be offended about. I am almost equally offended by those who
bow down to the blackmailers who threaten to call people bad names if they dare disagree with them.
Take the example of so called Atheist. They run around threatening to file law suits against any public or
private business or office that dares to display Christmas decorations because the handful of non believers in America might
be offended. And far too many government offices, schools and even private companies cave in to their demands and remove anything
suggestive of Christmas from their displays. Christmas trees have to become “holiday trees.” Singing of Christmas
carols are forbidden. Some of them even refuse to allow Santa clause or candy canes.
The question is, who is offended most, those who oppose Christmas, or those who support the holiday. I talk
to a lot of people. I can tell you that far more people are offended when Christmas is taken down, than those who are offended
when it is put up.
Why do you suppose all these complainers are offended by Christmas. I mean the real reason. I think it is
a power play. They know that their anti-religious stance will always be a minority position. The vast majority of Americans
reject their non-belief. That leaves them with a justifiable feeling of inadequacy. They just cannot convince many people
to adopt their position. So, rather than try to win points through discussion and debate, they decide to force the issue.
They have no respect for the opinions of the majority. In their arrogant minds, they have the right, or even the responsibility
to force their opinions on the nation by what ever tactic they can come up with.
They don’t care about the Constitution, they twist and distort it as a way of forcing their opinion.
They do not care about the opinion of the majority. Sense they are so superior to the rest of us, anyone who agrees with the
majority is week and deserves to be punished.
Now back to my original question. Who would you rather offend, the arrogant elitist minority, or the massive
majority of believers who want to celebrate the birth of Christ? For clearly, you have to offend one or the other. You choose.
December 3, 2009
We now know that all the data used to proclaim a world wide climate crisis was manipulated to yield the result
the advocates wanted. The millions of dollars that have been spent and the billions that have been budgeted or proposed are
all based on a lie.
Why? It was designed to gain massive financial, social and political gains for the proponents of climate change
at the expense of we the people who were expected to sacrifice our own financial, social and political freedoms to satisfy
their ambitions.
So, how many of the other “emergencies” fall into the same category. Has our nation’s health
been misjudged for the sole purpose of turning over a major part of our economy to the politicians and bureaucrats in Washington?
Are all those appeals for donations to one desperate cause or another real, or are they based on false or non existent data?
Would all these financial institutions that were “too big to allow to fail” have done as much
damage as the massive spending deficits being run up by our government? Would General Motors and Chrysler have survived after
a normal bankruptcy without the billions of federal dollars they collected from our pockets?
I believe that in every case above, and many others, government intervention did far more damage than good.
If we could just get government out of the way and allow the market place work as it should, most of these so called crises
would be resolved If we remove the unnecessary government regulations from the work place the cost of American made goods
will be competitive with those from outside the U.S. A dramatic cut or even elimination of payroll taxes would boost employment
to the point that even those unneeded government workers would easily find truly productive jobs.
Just imagine a nation where workers get to keep all the money they earn and are allowed to spend it as they
wish. Imagine a nation where workers never have to worry about filing income tax returns on
April 15. Imagine a nation
where everyone who wants to work can easily find jobs, and those who don’t want to work will have to find a way to take
care of themselves. Imagine a nation were anyone who wants to start a home based business can do so without having to fill
out tons of tax forms and permit requests.
How do we achieve this? First, we should insist that our governments strictly obey the limits set by the Constitution
as written, not as some judge thinks it should have said. We should eliminate all payroll taxes and apply a consumer tax at
the wholesale level. That would force imported goods to pay the same taxes as the things we build here at home. We should
dramatically reduce or eliminate government welfare programs, returning the responsibility for the care of those who cannot
care for themselves to family, church and community where it belongs.
With these changes, U.S. made products will be competitive with imports. People will be free to start their
own family business without interference from government so that they can support and care for themselves and their families.
Unemployment would virtually vanish from our economy. And government can devote their time to preserving the safety, defense
and communication systems that cross state lines.
President Reagan was right when he said, “Government is not the solution, government is the problem.”
November 26, 2009
While public pressure is swaying numerous decisions to remove “Christmas” from sesional celebrations,
Athens-Clark chooses to continue the boycott.
Here is the official announcement from the city’s web site: “Downtown Parade of Lights on Dec.
3: The annual Athens-Clarke County Downtown Parade of Lights is scheduled for Thursday, December 3 starting at 7:00 p.m. This
year’s theme is ‘A gift from the heart.’” Notice the absence of any reference to Christmas.
Contrast this with the recent decision of The Patchogue NY Riverfront Committee to return Christmas to their
parade. They had dropped Christmas from the name of their festival a year ago, but when attendance dropped dramatically, they
quickly decided to return to the original title of "Christmas Holiday Boat Parade"
Note also the move by a number of national retailers to return Christmas to their stores. They include Target,
Sears and Lowes.
If you are unhappy with Athens-Clarke about this decision, I have a recommendation for you. You will be welcome
at the 2009 Comer Christmas Parade to be held at 2PM on Saturday, December 5, 2009. This year’s theme is: “Christmas
in Comer, The Old Made New”
I think I can safely say that Christmas will be very visible in the Comer parade. Among the units in the parade
will be a number of church and civic floats depicting both religions and secular Christmas themes. You will very probably
hear carols about Bethlehem and the baby Jesus. There will be Christmas trees, of course, and reindeer, and Santa will likely
be the last float in the parade. He has held that position in every Comer parade I have ever seen.
Now I realize that the season represents many things to many different people. Many religions have celebrations
at this time of year. The spirit of giving is not limited to Christians. And they all will be able to celebrate the season
in accordance to their beliefs and traditions. But for the vast majority of Americans, especially in the South, the predominant
reason for the season is the birth of Jesus Christ and any event that fails to keep Christ in Christmas is a slap in the face
of the millions of Christians who make up the majority of our population.
So, enjoy the season. Visit those stores that keep Christmas in their displays. Attend events that put the
birth of Christ at the center of their programs. And, perhaps, you might want to ignore any event that chooses to ignore Christmas
and stage a strictly secular celebration. They deserve to be ignored.
Nov 19, 2009
What is that dollar in your pocket worth? There is a lot of concern being expressed in the media these days
about the weakness of the dollar. It is losing value, especially in the world markets. So how do they determine what it is
worth?
The simple answer is that the dollar is worth whatever it will buy. For example, if the price of crude oil
goes back up to $100.00 a barrel, which it may, then $100.00 is worth one barrel of oil. But if the dollar continue to lose
value in the world markets, that barrel of oil will cost more. If, in the future, the price of oil goes to $200.00 a barrel,
then the value of the dollar will have been cut in half.
Now here is how it works. Our economy has a certain amount of goods, services and property at any given time.
And we have a certain number of dollars depending on the governments monetary policy. These two figures will always balance
out. The amount of dollars will always match the amount of goods, services and property. If the number of dollars is increased,
say by the government spending more money than it collects in taxes, the price of the goods, services and property will increase
until the balance is restored. That is what causes inflation.
We are currently in a financial crisis caused by excessive government spending. Government is spending trillions
of dollars they do not have, creating a vast new number of dollars. That means that one of two things must happen. Either
we need to vastly expand our production of goods and services to absorb all this new money, or the price of everything we
buy will have to increase dramatically. (The amount of property, especially land, is not likely to increase significantly.)
Inflation will help solve one of our problems, the national debt. If we double the number of available dollars,
thus cutting the value of a dollar in half. Then we would be able to pay back all that borrowed money to China, India and
our other creditors with cheep dollars. They will not like that very much and will likely refuse to extend credit to us in
the future.
But the real suffers will be those people on fixed income. Those who live off of income from saving accounts,
pensions and such. and such. They will find themselves having to buy less and less as the price of everything they need rapidly
increases. Their fixed dollars will not keep up with the prices.
The massive spending programs currently underway by our government cannot be sustained. They simply cannot
collect enough taxes to support these programs which means that the deficit will continue to grow, creating more and more
dollars without producing goods and services to balance them. Our elderly citizens will be severely damaged by this policy
by having their fixed incomes greatly reduced in value.
And our young people will be heavily damaged by being forced to
pay off the massive debt out of their future earnings.
Unless there is a dramatic change in our government’s spending policy, we face a very poor future.
November 12, 2009
In a letter to James Madison written from Paris, on January 30th, 1787, Thomas
Jefferson had this to say”
“I hold it that a little rebellion now and then is a good thing, and
as necessary in the political world as storms in the physical. . . . . . .It is a medicine necessary for the sound health
of government.”
This statement is just as applicable today as it was in the aftermath of
Shay’s Rebellion which Jefferson was addressing. A rebellion by the voters is what we need today and a rebellion by
the voters is well underway.
The rebellion has been underway for some time now with brief periods of conflict
that were most often put down by the power of the federal government. But a year ago, it broke out with strength. Voters were
tired of their voices being ignored. On the right, they were angry about candidates who campaign as conservatives, then govern
from the center-left. When John McCain was nominated, they saw him as being at best a moderate, and expressed their displeasure
by staying home in 2008. On the left, voters were tired of leaders who campaigned as liberals then govern from the center-right.
Obama campaigned center-left, but the radicals were convinced that his rhetoric was a political necessary and once in office
he would push the nation to the far left. They were partly right.
A number of Republican legislators ran into the same problem. The result
was a Democratic sweep. And a government that, while not pushing as hard as the radical left wishes, is still trying to change
our nation in to a socialist Mecca.
The conservative gamble may be paying off. Obama’s rush to the left
is leaving a large majority of voters out in the cold. They are turning to the more conservative voices for guidance. They
are launching street demonstrations featuring thousands of people who were never before active in political matters. And in
Virginia and New Jersey, they threw out the ruling democrats for conservative republicans. This was a great surprise in heavily
democratic New Jersey.
In upstate New York, a liberal Republican was pressured so strongly by a
third party conservative, that she withdrew and threw her support to the liberal Democrat. This move managed to hold the seat
for the left, but just barely.
This whole experience has left voters in all states and at all levels in
an angry mood. They are not overly interested in supporting candidates, as they are kicking out the current offices holders
for new blood. That happened a year ago in Madison County when the two key elected officials, Chairman of the Board, and Sheriff,
were replaced by new faces. Thin just this month, voters removed two of our county’s mayors by two to one votes.
As Jefferson said, a little rebellion can be a good thing. In the current
political climate it is essential if we are to preserve our individual liberty.
Nov 5, 2009
In the late afternoon of November 9, 1989, a member of the new East German Government was asked when new unrestricted
travel rules would come into force. His answer: “As far as I can see - - -straightway, immediately.” Thousands
of East German citizens responded by heading to the gates of the Berlin Wall demanding that they be opened. At 10:30 p.m.
the gates were opened and the official fall of the Berlin Wall was underway. Monday, November 9, will be the 20th
anniversary of that momentous event.
I have a personal interest in this story. You see, in the fall of 1961 I was a member of the U.S. Army stationed
in Germany when the Berlin Crisis began. I can clearly remember the reports coming in of U.S. and Soviet tanks standing eyeball
to eyeball at Checkpoint Charlie. I remember the rush of adrenalin when we were ordered on full alert. And I still remember
the intensity and fatigue we experienced in the month following the event. We watched on Armed Forces Television as East Germans
made desperate dashes for freedom through the barbed wire and flying bullets as construction of the wall proceeded.
Things were especially tense in my unit. I was assigned to the Advanced Weapons Command (AWSCOM). We were
the maintenance company for the command and that made us a very rich target for any invading Soviet army. I had made the mistake
of scoring well on all parts of the Army proficiency test so the commanding officer figured I could do about anything. When
he learned that I had taken a course in mechanical drawing, he assigned me to draw up a diagram of our post showing the placement
of explosive charges in case we had to blow it up and run.
My security clearance was SECRET. But when I finished the blueprint, the officer directing me stamped it TOP
SECRET and told me I could not look at it anymore! But that is typical of the military mind.
Our company had a full company of Military Police assigned to guard our work compound day and night. But when
the Berlin crisis started, the commander decided we needed more protection than that, so we were assigned patrol duty in addition
to our normal work schedule. When you add in our house keeping chores, and meals, we averaged four hours sleep a day for that
first month.
Because of the secret nature of our mission, we were restricted in what parts of Europe we could visit. We
were not allowed to go to Berlin, or to go within twenty miles of the so called Steel Curtain that divided East and west Germany.
Before I left for a weekend pass, I had to list all the locations that I intended to visit and submit it to the security people
for their approval.
I was in Germany in 1961when that wall was built. I was watching on TV in 1989 when if finally came down.
It hardly seems that long ago. My memories of both events are still fresh. And it kind of makes me feel old.
Oct 23, 2009
Children will be children
Have you ever watched a group of children playing? You will see all kinds of conduct on the play ground. Some
kids are believe that they have a right to rule over the others. Some are so spoiled that they ruin the games for the rest.
Some of them are bullies and some are even thieves.
For example, say there are children playing in a room. Then cannot agree on which game to play, so one group
storms out of the room. But on the way out they lock the doors to prevent the other group from playing there as well. It is
the old “If I can’t have my way I will take my ball and leave” trick.
On another play area, one group demands that the game of their choice be played, and when the others object,
they start insulting them and calling them childish names. Some take this to an extreme, obtaining great pleasure out of making
the other kids cry.
Then there are the bullies. These kids try to use force and intimidation to gain control of the play area
and impose their games on the others. And of course there are the extreme bullies who make great efforts to steal the other
kid’s lunch money.
Now, those of you who watch real news rather than the slanted propaganda so common on TV today have already
figured out who I am talking about. And I suspect that you are the only ones who read my column. I write for people who think
for themselves, not those who devote themselves to parroting the party line of their leaders.
So, what do we need to do? First, we need to find all the children in our government, especially the ones
who occupy grownup bodies, and sent them back out to the sand boxes where they can play their silly games without doing any
real harm. Then we need to establish a set of political time limits so that when we mistakenly send a child to do an adult
job, we can correct the problem within a reasonable time.
We need to break up the two big gangs that these childlike adults use to boost their power so that mature
people have a chance to take responsibility for our actual children and their future. Then we need to make sure everyone has
a strong zipper in their pockets so that the bullies can no longer steal the money we are saving for our children’s
future.
I often hear statements about educating our young people so that they can take control of the nation when
their time comes. But worrying about their future is pointless if we continue on the path of destruction that will assure
they have no future to control.
Only when the childlike antics in Washington are ended and we are allowed to be responsible for ourselves
and our families, will our children have a chance to build a future of their own.
October 15, 2009
Friction can be a good thing, and it can be an agent of destruction. It takes
friction to smooth and polish objects and ideas. The crankshaft in your engine has to be highly polished to avoid wear and
distortion. A small stone can be polished into a jewel for your ring or pendant. Your wood furniture can be buffed into a
deep shine. All this takes friction.
But friction can also be harmful. If you let grit or sand enter your engine,
the friction it creates can destroy the crankshaft causing the engine to seize up. Air friction determines the maximum speed
at which an airplane can travel. Friction from your shoes can gradually strip away the finish from your floors.
Friction can waste energy. If your tires are not properly inflated, the extra
friction with the roadway damages your car’s mileage. Accumulation of dust on the blades of a fan will reduce the flow
of air from your heater.
In the late spring of 1908 a massive explosion in Northern Russia, known as
the Tunguska Event, was caused by friction from the air acting on an invader from deep space. The asteroid or small comet
hit the atmosphere at an extremely high speed, and became so hot, so fast that it exploded in the air destroying thousands
of acres of trees below.
So. What does this have to do with today’s events. Friction can occur
in non physical ways, such as politics. Our two party political system creates significant amounts of friction between their
ideas and plans. \
Usually this is a good thing, as the friction from the party in the minority
helps to shape and polish the legislation from the majority. The results is usually policies that are beneficial to and approved
by most citizens. But that is not always the case.
In the past, political power has been evenly divided between the two groups.
As a result, friction from the opposition party can bring the efforts of the ruling party to a virtual standstill. In these
cases, government grinds to a halt and important things are left undone.
Today, the greater risk of political friction is a clear possibility. The
Obama administration is trying to push major changes through congress at a rapid pace. These high speed efforts are generating
high levels of political heat that could result in a massive explosion. Clearly, the fallout from such an event would be damaging
to our nation for years to come.
In order to avoid a political Tunguska Event, President Obama and his liberal
Democratic supporters need to dramatically slow their push for reform, allow their ideas to fully develop, and then be polished
and shaped by the friction from the conservative Republican opposition. That is the only way programs satisfactory to the
majority of Americans can be achieved.
Physical friction by the atmosphere caused a massive explosion over Russia
that destroyed thousands of acres of trees. Political friction in Washington D.C. could cause a policy explosion that will
destroy the careers of hundreds if not thousands of politicians. Which will it be? We will probably know by this time next
year.
Frankly Speaking - Frank Gillispie - October 1, 2009
Most news reports on the internet are followed by a “Comment” section where readers are able to
respond. If you read these comments regularly, you find a theme developing. One of the most common themes continues to be
“It’s George Bush’s Fault.”
Typical of these comments is the following posted by someone who identifies himself as ronnierayjenkins who
was responding to a story about growing anger among Americans: “So, the Republicans are mad as hell. Where was their
anger when GWB and Dick Cheney set out to destroy America?”
There are two major flaws with this argument. First, many, of not a majority of the people showing up at the
Tea Party protests are independents who have never before taken part in political activities. To make a blanket statement
that all these people are Republicans is simply wrong.
Secondly, The suggestion that Republicans did it first does not justify political abuses by Democrats. They
sound like a bunch of kids who were caught playing in the mud.
“What happened to you Harry,” ask his mother. “You are all covered with mud.”
“It’s not my fault,” little Harry answered. Nancy fell in the mud first, and I tripped over
her.”
“Why were you and she running through the mud to start with,” his mother asked.
“Well, George and Richard were wading in the mud hole and we were running to get ahead of them,”
he answered.
“What was so important about getting ahead of George and Richard.” she ask?
“Barry was standing on the curb telling us to run faster. So we were running as fast as we could until
Nancy fell in the mud and I tripped over her. So, you see, it was George and Richard’s fault that I got so muddy.”
“Did Barry get muddy as well,” ask his mother.
“No,” Harry answered. “He just stayed on the curb telling us to outrun George and Richard.”
People like myself have been protesting the government’s power grab for many years now. We protested
Republican overspending well before the Democrats took power and dramatically increased the abuses. The problem is that too
few people took notice. Now that the present governments radical spending programs are too obvious to be ignored, people are
finally speaking up.
People in America have become angry about government over spending. They are concerned for the future of their
children who will have to pay these bills in one form or another. And it is not just Southern White Rednecks. People of all
races, economic levels and regions of this nation are realizing that the current crop of politicians are leading us all into
the swamp and if we all get mired up in the quicksand there will be no one left to pull us out.
So I say to all of the “blame Bush” crowd: You are doing nothing more that blindfolding yourself
with this argument. And we all know what happens when the blind lead the blind.
Sept 24, 2009
Are you smarter than a politician? The Institute for American Civil Literacy
decided to find the answer to that question. For the last several years, they have conducted a survey of Americans to see
just how much they know about civics and history. The Answers are disturbing.
In 2008 they ask 2,508 Americans a series of 33 questions, then gave the nation
a grade from A to F. Only 21 people received an “A” meaning they scored 90% or above on the test. Another 66 people
received a “B”, 165 managed a “C” and 445 people qualified for a “D”. An amazing 1791
people out of 2,508, or 71.4%, failed to achieve a score of 60 or higher.
On most of the questions, elected officials scored lower than the general
public. For example: 44% of elected officials were able to identify Rowe vs. Wade as the primary Supreme Court ruling involving
legal abortions. The public did a bit better with 51% knowing the answer.
Less than 46% of elected officials knew that the Constitution gives the power
to declare war to Congress, not the president. The general public did a bit better with 54% answering correctly.
How did President Roosevelt react when the supreme court ruled against some
of his programs? About 25% of us knew that he tried to expand the court so he could appoint judges who would support his programs
while fewer that 20% of elected officials knew that.
But the politicians came out ahead on a couple of questions, but even then
they were not impressive. App. 24% of our elected officials knew that the Lincoln-Douglass debates were about expanding slavery
into the new territories. Only 19% of the general public got that right.
If you would like to take the test, go to http://www.americancivicliteracy.org/
So what are we to make of this? In its summary, the Institute listed among
its major findings that Americans failed the test with a average score of 49%. This failure crosses all political and regional
lines. Liberals earned a 49% score: Conservatives came in at 48%. Republicans averaged 52% and Democrats achieved only a 45%
score.
Nor does higher education help. College graduates with a bachelor’s
degree scored 57% which is only 13% higher than those with a high school diploma.
Our educational system is a failure when it comes to teaching fundamental
history and civics to our citizens. Or as one commentator said, Americans are to dumb to cast an enlightened vote. In my opinion,
our schools spend far too much time being politically correct and pushing social changes and far too little time in basic
education. And if we loose track of our history and heritage, we will loose America.
At the end of the Constitutional Convention, someone ask Benjamin Franklin,
“What have you given us?” He answered, “A Republic, if you can keep it.” A radical politician once
said. “If you would conquer a people, first take away their heritage.” I am afraid both of those statements are
coming true. Our culture, our history and our heritage is nearly lost. And so is our liberty. Time is running short.
Signing the Declaration of Independence
Historians agree that this is a stylized picture and that the actual signing did not look this way.
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