Opinions & Viewpoints

  By Dan Barkhuff and Naveed Shah Machine gun fire, sharpshooters, barbed wire, bayonets, bombs of every kind, and finally, fist-to-fist fighting. That was the Battle of Belleau Wood where the German infantry and U.S. Marines clashed outside Paris a little more than a century ago. It was a turning point in World War I, a key…

Reviewing “American Soldier: General Tommy Franks”:  Historically Speaking     May 30, 2024 From the Southwest Ledger   By James Finck, Ph. D. On March 19, 2003, over a telecast President George W. Bush authorized General Tommy Franks to execute Operation Iraqi Freedom and bring the United States to war against the Saddam Hussein regime in Iraq.…

Is a public official working for the Lanier County and surrounding area citizens when … ? Official limits information available or refuses to post information on a government’s website. Official doesn’t look for ways to be transparent, particularly with on-line information, limiting citizens right to know Official tells citizens to follow the law, but privately…

May 15, 2024 From the Southwest Ledger By James Finck, Ph. D. There is no doubt that colleges across the nation are more and more starting to look like the 1960s. Within the last month buildings have been taken over and tent cities have sprung up on dozens of campuses filled with students protesting the…

Is a public official working for the Lanier County and surrounding area citizens when … ? Official limits information available or refuses to post information on a government’s website. Official doesn’t look for ways to be transparent, particularly with on-line information, limiting citizens right to know Official tells citizens to follow the law, but privately…

Is a public official working for the citizens when … ? Official offers solution which isn’t a full solution, just to appear ‘helpful’ Official claims truth is what’s being said at the moment, instead of information in accordance with fact or reality Official tells staff to ignore Open Records Requests instead of responding to them,…

Is a public official working for the citizens when … ? Official orders other board/council members to figure out how to “get” someone Official doesn’t update government’s website and keep it current Official commonly uses derogatory ‘pet’ names for anyone who does not hold identical views or anyone perceived as questioning or challenging that official…

Here’s what happens to communities when local journalism collapses: Taxpayers pay more and know less. When local newspapers shut down, county payrolls swell, jumping $1.4 million within a year of a newspaper closing. Taxpayers pay more in taxes—an increase of about $85 per capita. It costs more to borrow money for government projects like roads…