cannabisnews.com: Barr vs. Linder: Great Republican Train Wreck Barr vs. Linder: Great Republican Train Wreck Posted by CN Staff on June 02, 2002 at 09:22:07 PT By Bill Shipp Source: Athens Banner-Herald When Laura Bush invited Bob Barr and John Linder each to bring a guest to the First Lady's Luncheon last month, Congressman Barr appeared with Georgia Right to Life President Caryl Swift on his arm. Linder showed up with Libertarian talk-radio host Neal Boortz.Barr and Linder's choices of escorts for the exclusive White House affair may be telling symbols of the campaigns of the ultra-conservative titans, who are pitted against each other for the honor of representing the newly configured 7th Congressional District. Georgia has never seen such a mean primary battle, between two well-known Republican incumbents, whose stands on most issues are almost identical. The Barr vs. Linder battle for the hearts and souls of metro Atlanta's northernmost suburbs has gained national press attention, and for good reason. Barr is the idol of the gun-toting, abortion-fighting, IRS-hating hard right wing of American politics. Linder is a former lieutenant to ex-Speaker Newt Gingrich and a foremost advocate of a national sales tax and -- get this -- repeal of the Constitutional amendment creating the income tax. He is beloved by millionaires everywhere, though passage of the sales tax and repeal of the income tax are about as likely as the sun rising in the west. The Libertarian Party has crashed this supposedly Republicans-only soiree on the side of Linder, hence the appearance of Boortz at the congressman's side. The Libertarians say they are prepared to spend $100,000 to help beat Barr because of his get-tough drug enforcement rhetoric. Libertarians favor legalization of some drugs. Does that mean Linder also wants to legalize drugs? Welllllll, not exactly. He just wants the Libertarians' help. So he hedges his answers on the drug questions. Likes to talk about the medicinal uses of marijuana. Linder also won't say exactly how he stands on the Northern Arc, a controversial highway that will run across the district. No ifs, ands or buts for Barr on this issue; he favors the highway. And Linder is oh-so careful not to be too specific on water problems, which are red-hot topics in both the Lake Lanier and Lake Allatoona areas of the 7th. Barr, on the other hand, is way out front on the complicated policies of the Tri-State Water Compact. He chairs a congressional subcommittee dealing with the water battles of Georgia and Alabama and Florida. Barr makes the Bush White House a little nervous. He won't stay completely hitched. He has raised serious concerns about the administration's efforts to invade privacy and curb certain civil liberties in the battle against terrorism. His criticism has been so harsh at times that he has received praise, probably unwelcome, from the American Civil Liberties Union. Linder, on the other hand, has been a good soldier on every Bush item. Barr describes Linder as ''a follower'' and himself as ''a doer.'' To many observers, that description sounds about right and may account, in part, for the feeling that Linder is slightly ahead. He sticks to the tried-and-true conservative agenda, keeps his head down on controversial local issues and plays to the hilt the part of good soldier for the Republican cause. By contrast, Barr, 53, is a high-profile maverick. He battled the late Paul Coverdell unsuccessfully for the Republican nomination to the U.S. Senate. He beat Democrat Buddy Darden to become a congressman, and then initiated the impeachment move against President Clinton. Before that, he was a hard-charging, headline-making federal prosecutor who seemingly set out to fill the federal prison system with drug offenders. And long, long before that, Barr was an analyst in the CIA. Though he has gained the reputation of a good-time guy in Washington, Linder, 59, appears the model of the strait-laced, no-nonsense lawmaker at home. Before entering national politics, he was a dentist and later a financial adviser. He also was a hard-working, though under-achieving, Republican member of the state House. What do Republican insiders think of this contest? ''It's too close to call,'' says Pat Gartland, southeastern director of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. ''The chamber likes both of them.'' Georgia GOP Chair Ralph Reed was unavailable to comment on the battle, though Barr backed Reed (and Linder didn't) in his bid to become GOP chairman. And what do Gov. Roy Barnes and the Democratic brain trust think? They won't say. They just smile with satisfaction at what they have done -- constructed a congressional district that will, for the time being, end the political career of one of Georgia's two most visible and influential Republican lawmakers. And Georgia Republicans are too dumb to figure out how to avoid such a catastrophe. At least that's what the King and his Democratic court believe. Bill Shipp is editor of Bill Shipp's Georgia, a weekly newsletter on government and business. Source: Athens Banner-Herald (GA)Author: Bill ShippPublished: Sunday, June 2, 2002Copyright: 2002 Athens Newspapers Inc.Contact: news onlineathens.comWebsite: http://www.onlineathens.com/Related Articles & Web Site:The Libertarian Partyhttp://www.lp.org/Libertarians Target 'Drug Warriors' for Defeat http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread12989.shtmlBarr, Boortz Square Off http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread12837.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #11 posted by FoM on June 03, 2002 at 10:39:18 PT John Thank you. I'll go check it out. I like go.com because it is almost totally spam free. I keep getting this stupid virus sent to me in my regular email. I know to block and delete and I do but they are getting annoying and because of viruses I don't use much email at all. I never get viruses sent to me at go.com. Maybe my email for C News should go to hushmail instead of my regular one. That might help. [ Post Comment ] Comment #10 posted by John Tyler on June 03, 2002 at 10:31:05 PT: email privacy Try hushmail (www.hushmail.com). It is free. They allow totally anonymous registration. If both sender and receiver are using hushmail then the email is automatically encrypted. This is a nice feature if you have privacy conserns. [ Post Comment ] Comment #9 posted by FoM on June 02, 2002 at 22:35:03 PT SWAMPIE Good to see you. Please go ahead and send it to me because I might not have it. I'll forward it on to greenfox for you tomorrow. [ Post Comment ] Comment #8 posted by SWAMPIE on June 02, 2002 at 22:30:08 PT GREENFOX...... Good to see you.How was your trip? I live in the 330 area code too! We could be neighbors.If you would like to hook up sometime for coffee/beer,whatever,let me know.I,m sure that FoM has my e-mail addy,and if she doesn't,I'll send it to her and she can forward it t you.It would be nice to meet you. Let me know! Swampie [ Post Comment ] Comment #7 posted by FoM on June 02, 2002 at 15:25:16 PT greenfox I removed your comment with your email in it after I got it. [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by FoM on June 02, 2002 at 15:21:41 PT greenfox I sent you a test email. They aren't always as quick as a isp email. I've waited for email that I knew was coming but checked back later and it's there. The nice thing it can be used on any computer which is why I've kept my go account.Other free e mail I've had bombarded me with spam and fortunately go.com hasn't been bad at all. [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by greenfox on June 02, 2002 at 15:01:23 PT Go.com? Does go.com allow you to make an email without providing an email? Thats my problem. I have no email to provide for these free "verification" email services. If they don't, then I will set it up now. :) But ummm once I do that I will send you (via private email) a safe number to call. If you want, I can throw in a calling card number, (being that I work IT I get calling cards for free) just in case its long distance. I know you live in ohio, but I am in the (330) area code so it still might be ld. But in any event, I am going to check go.com out right now and see if I can't set one up. Get back to me! :) [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by FoM on June 02, 2002 at 14:40:00 PT greenfox Good to see you but I don't use any instant messengers and don't post on OG. You don't have an email account with like go.com? That would work. Can't you get one? I use go.comIt doesn't get much spam and seems stable. I wouldn't post information on any board either. That's just being smart. [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by greenfox on June 02, 2002 at 14:30:28 PT FOM- read me!on a seperate note (FOR FOM ONLY!) :) FoM: I have no email. but I want to get in touch with you to discuss a few things. I don't expect you to give me your number, (duh) but I can give you my contact information. I am a network admin, and I have a few ideas on how we could improve cannabisnews.com - the help, of course, is given "free" - I don't expect anything, (well maybe a thank you assuming you let me help) :) If there is no way I can give you my numbers, (obviously I won't post my personal info on this board,) then perhaps you could set up an account at overgrow.com? Currently it's my only "email" service, but you can't send outside of overgrow (of course) :)Either way..... would like to chat. Reply here, and we can work the rest out how you see fit. BTW- to anyone reading this, (I'm sure you already know this,) there are probably cops reading this too so that's why I am leary not to give out ANY personal information. If the narks want ME they can know i live in Cleveland, and that's IT. :) :) :) :) (let them try to track me down further than that..) heh.. ;) ok peace out all.sly in green, foxy in kind.....-gf [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by greenfox on June 02, 2002 at 14:25:36 PT Barr....grr....Barr .....Barr ...v....freedom Let's talk about Barr, (not the bars he wants to put you behind, but Barr the congresssssssssssss(as in a snake's ssss)man has personally decided...ah fuck it... niceaties aside for a minute, here. plain and simple: Barr is a TYRANT. He is SOLELY responsible for there being no MEDICAL in DC.PLAIN and MOTHER-F'in... simple/........"tyrant, capture of humanity, capture of us all, hideous destructor, every man shall FALL...My LEGIONS faithful UNTO DEATH, I shall summon at my call, and as you perish, EACH OF YOU, shall SCREAM as you are SOUGHT!"-Judas Priest, "Tyrant" (I thought it was fitting) [ Post Comment ] Post Comment