THE SUMTER ITEM N.G. Osteen 1843-1936 The Watchman and Southron
FRIDAY, MARCH 4, 2016 H.G. Osteen 1870-1955 Founder, The Item
H.D. Osteen 1904-1987 The Item
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Margaret W. Osteen 1908-1996 The Item Hubert D. Osteen Jr. Chairman & Editor-in-Chief Graham Osteen Co-President Kyle Osteen Co-President Jack Osteen Editor and Publisher Larry Miller CEO Rick Carpenter Managing Editor
20 N. Magnolia St., Sumter, South Carolina 29150 • Founded October 15, 1894
NOTABLE & QUOTABLE SUMTER FARMERS FACE TOUGH REALITY In “Farms remain saturated: Extension agent says rains may have moved soil, nutrients,” Sumter Item reporter Jim Hilley sheds light on the tough conditions local farmers are facing. Read it online at www.theitem.com: It’s still wet,” Clemson Extension agronomist David DeWitt said earlier this week when asked about the condition of farms in the area. “The rivers and ditches are full of water.” That was before additional rain fell Tuesday night, on top of the three inches of rain DeWitt said some farmers received last week. He said rain amounts have varied, but farmers are still unable to get much work done in their fields. “When you are already at a saturation point, that’s the problem,” DeWitt said. Jay Willard, who owns Willard Farms in eastern Sumter County, said he was hoping to plant some corn this week, but the rain Tuesday night have made that plan unlikely. His property has more hills than many in the area, so he said he may have to plant the higher elevations and leave the lower acreage alone. DeWitt said the soil may dry a little bit when trees start taking up some water, but if the area stays in a cycle of getting several inches of rain every 10 days, it may not matter much. Farmers are trying to come up with strategies to deal with the conditions, he said. “We have got several farmers that are looking at growing vegetables, peas and stuff like that,” he said. “But that market gets saturated real quick, even with the cannery over in Florence.” McCall Farms in Florence produces several lines of canned goods, including fruits, vegetables and canned peanuts. DeWitt said while it takes a lot of vegetables to keep the cannery going, they can only handle a certain amount of new contracts. “You have to have a market,” he said. He said vegetables are perishable, and if there is no market, you could be stuck with it. •••
SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, THE GIFT THAT KEEPS GIVING Also in Thursday’s edition, The Sumter Item’s Jim Hilley reports that “Shaw’s contribution to economy tops $900M.” Read it online at www.theitem. com: During a two-year period, Shaw Air Force Base pumped more than $1.83 billion into the area, according to economic impact statements released March 1. In fiscal year 2015, Shaw Air Force Base pumped $909.8 million into the area economy, a slight decrease of $9.1 million from the $918.9 million impact reported for fiscal year 2014, which can be attributed to reduced operations and maintenance construction at the base west of Sumter. “Both of these years are just another wonderful example of the great impact that Shaw AFB has on this community and has had on this community for 75 years,” said former Sumter Mayor Steve Creech, who is chairman of the Sumter City/ County Military Affairs Committee. The statements, produced by the 20th Comptroller Squadron, indicates 7,548 military person-
nel and 1,052 civilians were employed at the base in fiscal year 2015, with a military payroll of more than $600 million and a civilian payroll of $64.5 million. Military pay at the base increased $25 million, and civilian payroll increased by more than $4.4 million during fiscal year 2014. •••
BOB DYLAN’S ARCHIVE MORE FUN THAN POLITICS Thursday was yet another “yuge” day in national politics, beginning with former Gov. Mitt Romney’s rebuke of presidential front runner Donald Trump. But instead of the bombastic world of politics, let’s turn to American culture and a fascinating New York Times story about “Bob Dylan’s Secret Archive.” TULSA, Okla. — For years, Bob Dylan scholars have whispered about a tiny notebook, seen by only a few, in which the master labored over the lyrics to his classic 1975 album “Blood on the Tracks.” Rolling Stone once called it “the Maltese Falcon of Dylanology” for its promise as an interpretive key. But that notebook, it turns out, is part of a trinity. Sitting in climate-controlled storage in a museum here are two more “Blood on the Tracks” notebooks — unknown to anyone outside of Mr. Dylan’s closest circle — whose pages of microscopic script reveal even more about how Mr. Dylan wrote some of his most famous songs. There have long been rumors that Mr. Dylan had stashed away an extensive archive. It is now revealed that he did keep a private trove of his work, dating back to his earliest days as an artist, including lyrics, correspondence, recordings, films and photographs. That archive of 6,000 pieces has recently been acquired by a group of institutions in Oklahoma for an estimated $15 million to $20 million, and is set to become a resource for academic study. In a preview of the Bob Dylan Archive by The New York Times, it is clear that the archives are deeper and more vast than even most Dylan experts could imagine, promising untold insight into the songwriter’s work. “It’s going to start anew the way people study Dylan,” said Sean Wilentz, the Princeton historian and author of “Bob Dylan in America,” when told about the existence of the archive. Bought by the George Kaiser Family Foundation — whose namesake is an oil and banking billionaire — and the University of Tulsa, Mr. Dylan’s archives are now being transferred to Oklahoma, the home state of Woody Guthrie, Mr. Dylan’s early idol. After two years of cataloging and digitization, the material will take its place in Tulsa alongside a rare copy of the Declaration of Independence, a cache of Native American art and the papers of Guthrie. Mr. Dylan said in a statement that he was glad his archives had found a home “and are to be included with the works of Woody Guthrie and especially alongside all the valuable artifacts from the Native American nations.” He added, with typical understatement, “To me it makes a lot of sense, and it’s a great honor.” The Sumter Item’s “Notable & Quotable” column is compiled by Graham Osteen. He can be reached at (803) 774-1352 or graham@theitem.com.
Donald Trump: Defender of the faith
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hat happened to the evangelicals? They were supposed to be the bedrock of the Ted Cruz candidacy. Yet on Super Tuesday he lost them to Donald Trump. Cruz still did make a reasonably good showing, winning Alaska, Oklahoma and Texas, the latter by an impressive 17 points. But he didn’t have the great night he needed to put away Marco Rubio and emerge as Trump’s one remaining challenger. Cruz had done all the groundwork to win evangelicals and sweep the South by putting together strong alliances with local pastors and leaders. And yet, outside Oklahoma and Texas, he lost them to Trump by stunning margins — by 21 points in Alabama, 13 in Georgia, 14 in Tennessee, 16 in Virginia and 36 in, of all places, Massachusetts. How could this have happened? A more scripturally, spiritually flawed man than Trump would be hard to find. As several anti-Trump evangelical voices have argued, Christian witness cannot possibly support a thrice-married man with such an impressive list of sins, featuring especially spectacular displays of the seven deadlys. These theological arguments are both eloquent and impassioned but, in this season of fear and anxiety, beside the point. This time around, evangelicals are not looking for someone like them. They’re looking for someone who will protect them. They’ve tried backing exemplary Scripture-quoting Christians — without result. After Mike Huckabee and Rick Santorum and considerations of Cruz himself, they are increasingly reluctant to support like-minded candidates who are nonetheless incapable of advancing their cause in a hostile political arena so dominated by secularism. They have no illusions about Trump. They have no expectations of religious uplift. What he offers them is not spirit but “muscle” (to bor-
COMMENTARY row a word from the notorious former Professor Melissa Click of University of Missouri). The transaction was illuminated by Trump’s January speech at Liberty Charles University. Krauthammer His earlier halfhearted attempts to pose as a fellow evangelical were amusing and entirely unconvincing. At Liberty, he made another such I’mone-of-you gesture by citing a biblical verse in “Two Corinthians,” thereby betraying a risible lack of familiarity with biblical language and usage. Yet elsewhere in the speech, he described how Christians abroad are being massacred, and Christians here at home are under cultural and political siege. He pledged: “We’re going to protect Christianity.” Interesting locution. Not just Christians but Christianity itself. What Trump promises is to stand outside the churchyard gates and protect the faithful inside. He’s the Roman centurion standing between them and both barbarians abroad and aggressive secularists at home. The message is clear: I may not be one of you. I can’t recite or even correctly cite Scripture. But I will patrol the borders of Christendom on your behalf. After all, who do you want out there — a choir boy or a tough guy with a loaded gun and a kick-ass demeanor? Evangelicals answered resoundingly. They went for Trump in a rout. The essence of Trump’s appeal everywhere, far beyond evangelicals, is precisely the same: “I’m tough; I will protect you.” That’s why he remains so bulletproof. His lack of policy, the contradictory nature of his pronouncements that pass as policy — especially their capricious eruption and summary abandonment — have
‘The message is clear: I may not be one of you. I can’t recite or even correctly cite Scripture. But I will patrol the borders of Christendom on your behalf.’ turned out to be an irrelevance. Who cares? His support has nothing to do with actual prescriptions. Tuesday night, the immigration issue ranked low among Republican voters’ concerns. Only about 10 percent deemed it their No. 1 issue. The political success of Trump’s draconian immigration stance lies not in the policy but in the attitude — a not-goingto-take-it-anymore defiance. That’s the reason none of the rhetorical outrages that would have destroyed another candidacy have even left a mark on Trump. He mocks John McCain’s heroism, insults Carly Fiorina’s looks, fawns over Vladimir Putin — nothing. If anything, he gains support for fearless “telling it like it is” candor. This is a man who three times last Sunday refused to disavow David Duke and the Ku Klux Klan. No other candidate could survive that. Trump not only survives, he thrives. Two days later, he wins seven out of 11 Super Tuesday states and ascends to the threshold of presumptive nominee. Which is why the only possible way to stop Trump is a full-scale, open-thebomb-bay-doors attack on the very core of his appeal: his persona of the tough guy you can trust to protect you. It may be too late. But everything else will simply bounce off the Teflon. Charles Krauthammer’s email address is letters@ charleskrauthammer.com. © 2016, The Washington Post Writers Group
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