Oconee County, GA Politics

Alpharetta lawyer sues Bush over wiretaps | ajc.com

OnlineAthens.com | Letters to the Editor | Patricia J. Priest: Redistricting proposal is an outrageous move 01/21/06

OnlineAthens.com | Letters to the Editor | Lorenza Rozier: Chamber doesn't reflect the will of the people 01/21/06

I commend Gov. Perdue for spaying and neutering animals of all political stripes. OnlineAthens.com | News | Surgical strike by governor 01/21/06

Great story by Merritt. OnlineAthens.com | News | City proposes limits on forest destruction 01/21/06

The Blog | Stan Goff: KIA in Alabama | The Huffington Post

Rove: GOP to Use Terror As Campaign Issue | ajc.com

OnlineAthens.com | News | School tied up in traffic 01/20/06

STOP I-3 Public Forum Monday, January 23 Lumpkin County Park and Rec Dahlonega, Ga. 6 p.m. - Delicious food 6:30 p.m. - Powerful program to protect our mountains Please don't let this opportunity slip by to put democracy into action, and speak up to the power brokers. Let's fill the seats! LET'S STOP PAVING PARADISE !!

06 LC 28 2668 Senate Bill 386 By: Senator Hudgens of the 47th AS PASSED SENATE A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT To amend Chapter 2 of Title 28 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to apportionment of the House of Representatives and Senate and qualifications of members, so as to provide for the composition of state senatorial districts and, in particular, Senate Districts 46, 47, and 49; to provide for the election of such Senators; to provide when such Senators so elected shall take office; to provide for the continuation of present senatorial districts until a certain time; to provide for other related matters; to provide an effective date; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA: SECTION 1. Chapter 2 of Title 28 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to apportionment of the House of Representatives and Senate and qualifications of members, is amended by striking subsections (a) and (c) of Code Secti...

AccessNorthGa.com - North Georgia's Newsroom

Great letter and much more cogent than the Brian Kemp press release run twice in the Enterprise. OnlineAthens.com | Letters to the Editor | Ron Evans: Chamber becoming Republican PAC 01/20/06

Scrushy Said to Pay for Positive Stories | ajc.com

Exhuming McCarthy once again. CNN.com - Expose�'radical' UCLA teacher, get $100 - Jan 19, 2006

GOP memo touts new terror attack as way to reverse party's decline By DOUG THOMPSON Publisher, Capitol Hill Blue Nov 10, 2005, 06:19 A confidential memo circulating among senior Republican leaders suggests that a new attack by terrorists on U.S. soil could reverse the sagging fortunes of President George W. Bush as well as the GOP and "restore his image as a leader of the American people." The closely-guarded memo lays out a list of scenarios to bring the Republican party back from the political brink, including a devastating attack by terrorists that could "validate" the President's war on terror and allow Bush to "unite the country" in a "time of national shock and sorrow." The memo says such a reversal in the President's fortunes could keep the party from losing control of Congress in the 2006 midterm elections. GOP insiders who have seen the memo admit it's a risky strategy and point out that such scenarios are "blue sky ...

Bible studies class pushed for schools | ajc.com

"Sometimes you've got to shock people," said Smith, the chairman of the Higher Education Subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee

Remember the Titans! OnlineAthens.com | News | School may get stadium by this fall 01/19/06

Courtney Gale is my hero! OnlineAthens.com | News | Owner slams brakes on truck stop 01/19/06

The second photo features some political junkie goober in a blue coat in the front row underneath Rep. Keith Heard. Good article by Blake. OnlineAthens.com | News | Senators scolded over redistricting proposal 01/19/06

After going to tonight's town meeting at the A/CC Library put on by State Representaives Jane Kidd and Keith Heard, I wonder what will the Republicans will stand to gain after chopping Athens-Clarke County in half. OK maybe it is more like 1/3 in the 47th and 2/3rds in the new 46th. I go back far enough to recall the shape of the State Senate district 46 (Russell and Bethlehem). I saw how Georgia voters rebelled against the Democratic leadership and elected Sonny Perdue. I think Sonny Perdue has probably called Ralph Hudgins in to his office and told him to hold off on the redistricting fiasco in an election year. Kidd said she was surprised the motion was not filed the day after zooming through the house (as it usually is). I give Oconee County Board of Commissioners chair Melvin Davis for being the only electedRepublican with balls big enough to show up in a room full of angry Democrats. I saw a few angry chamber types walking out after getting abused for a while. I did learn tha...

USATODAY.com - Ties to Abramoff shadow Reed's run in Georgia

Perdue’s Chief D.C. Lobbyist on “Team Abramoff” (Atlanta) Gov. Sonny Perdue and Ralph Reed are dragging Georgia into the scandal currently engulfing Washington – the culture of corruption surrounding Jack Abramoff. According to The Washington Post, Gov. Perdue’s federal lobbyist Padgett Wilson was one of the “individuals [who] lobbied for tribal clients of Jack Abramoff and, along with some of their spouses, contributed money to politicians.” After negative press attention, Republican Congressman Jack Kingston recently donated to charity $16,000 given to him by Wilson’s tribal clients at the time Wilson worked with Abramoff. [“Who is Team Abramoff?” Washington Post, 12/12/2005; Dickson, “Kingston tossing Abramoff monies,” Georgia Times-Union, 1/10/2006] Gov. Perdue serves as Vice Chair of the Republican Governor’s Association (RGA), which took in $500,000 in October 2002 from a PR-firm owned by Abramoff business partner Michael Scanlon. The RGA has said that they will not rid itself o...

I love NASA and hope we can our act together better soon on the space shuttle, Pluto exploration, new deep space probes, et cetera. CNN.com - Astronaut questions shuttle safety in book - Jan 17, 2006

Let's play a political game where we both - Republicans and Democrats - come up with five suggestions for Oconee County. It can be anything and everything, with the obvious motive of improving our future. We can cross post and put up polls and examine and critique. I would suggest trying to get this wrapped up well in advance of the primary and maybe after the legislative session ends to really get it going. But I will start with a few from me. This in no way represents official Democratic or Republican dogma or platforms. This is merely a creative writing enterprise among political adversaries. 1. Impact fees on Oconee County development. Long needed, never really implemented to the best of my knowledge. I could be wrong. Please talk amongst yourself. 2. Tree canopy protection for all of Oconee County, but I will settle for my city of Watkinsville at this point. 3. More sidewalks in Oconee County. 4. More bike paths in Oconee County. 5. No truckstops in Farmington - not just in th...

I do not think anyone deserves being fired for disclosing their religion. Princeton 'witch' disputes her firing

Another great letter to the editor from an Oconee County Democrat! OnlineAthens.com | Letters to the Editor | Jay Hamilton: Media are not to blame for problems in Iraq 01/18/06

Brent Buice makes a great argument about how splicing and slicing Athens-Clarke County is a sham. OnlineAthens.com | Letters to the Editor | Brent Buice: Proposed redistricting is nonsensical move 01/18/06

Keep it up Angela. Good job and letter! OnlineAthens.com | Letters to the Editor | Steve and Angela Helwig: Snow's column on Iraq not grounded in reality 01/18/06

My pcikup truck starts chirping at me if I do not buckle my seat belt after about 15 seconds after I start my engine in my diesel truck. I have no problems with requirements for a seat belt law for the pick up truck drivers of Georgia. Seat belts for pickups? Bill advances in House | ajc.com

Fresh off an appearance on Newsmaker Wednesday with Tim Bryant on NewsTalk 1340 WGAU AM comes this from Charlie Baugh: Citizens for Oconee's Future PO Box 13011 Watkinsville, GA 30677 Subject: Proposed Rezone Hwy. 441, Truck Stop Good news! In the face of strong community and official opposition, the developer withdrew the proposed rezone. The withdrawal came at the last minute, 5:00PM yesterday. It will be at least 90 days before the proposal can be resubmitted. Citizens should remain watchful. The Regional Development Center had concluded the proposal was not in the best interest of the region or the state and the Oconee Planning Staff had recommended denial. This is the first time in the past 3 years that I have seen the RDC conclude a project was not in the best interest of the state or region. I encourage citizens to pay close attention to what your County Government is doing, not only with rezones but especially with the ordinance updates that are in process. The storm...

OnlineAthens.com | Oconee | Council to plan 200th celebration 01/18/06

OnlineAthens.com | Oconee | Zoning ordinance 01/18/06

The Gun is Smoking - 2004 Ohio Precinct-Level Exit Poll Data Show Virtually Irrefutable Evidence of Vote Miscount The National Election Data Archive (NEDA) is the first mathematical team to release a valid scientific analysis of the precinct-level 2004 Ohio presidential exit poll data. NEDA's analysis provides virtually irrefutable evidence of vote miscount. (PRWEB) January 17, 2006 -- There is significant controversy about whether the 2004 presidential election was conducted fairly and its votes counted correctly. According to results of the major national election exit poll conducted for the National Election Pool by Edison/Mitofsky (E/M), Kerry won Ohio's pivotal vote, though the official tally gave the state, and thus the presidency, to Bush. The conduct of Ohio's election was formally debated by Congress in January 2005. The National Election Data Archive (NEDA) is the first mathematical team to release a valid scientific analysis of the precinct-level 2004 Ohio presid...

This is from my friend Angela: Steve and I watched Sean Hannity interview Attorney General Alberto Gonzales last night. With our jaws practically on the floor, we heard the Attorney General of the United States defend the President's illegal spying orders. He told the American public that the wiretap program falls under the President's Constitutional authority. I was so frustrated and angry that I got out one of our Liberty Day booklets with the full text of the Constitution and read up on the President's responsibilities. Funny thing, I didn't find anything about spying on Americans or even anything about the President's responsibility to protect Americans. In fact, the Constitution says he has a responsibility to "preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States." Of course, I'm not a lawyer or a Constitutional scholar. I do know how to read. The following are quotes from Attorney General Alberto Gonzales on Hannity & Co...

On the evening when the withdrawl of the proposed truck stop in Farmington from the planning commission agenda was the big news, other items of interest occured at the joint meeting of the Oconee County Citizens Advisory Committee on Cultural and Recreational Affairs in the grand jury room of the courthouse. I made the motion, and Chiropractor Mike Streetman seconded, moving the recommendation for the location of the Central Schoolhouse from the back of Heritage Park at a cul-de-sac to the front of the park in the former location of a museum. This will be more representative of what an early 20th century town structure might have looked like, according to John Cleaveland of the Oconee County Historical Soceity, rather than the reprehensible cul-de-sac design. There are way too many cul-de-sacs in Oconee County already. The museum will still be located somewhere nearby in the front of the park, near Highway 441, possibly in a cotton gin like structure some 5-10-15-20 years in the future...

QUESTION FROM ANONYMOUS BLOG PERSON: May I please ask what your problem with Rep. Smith is that would cause you to comment on his hearing aid? Not trying to start anything (?)....just curious..... Answer from your truly, Dear Oconee County Ga. Blog person (I do not really know your gender or anything so, you could be a woman or a man) - thanks for making me so popular with all the local Republicans. Watch out, wonkette. I have no problem with the hearing aid of Rep. Bob Smith. Sometimes I try - however painfully - to come up with a little comedy writing to poke fun much in the vein of Saturday Night Live or the Daily Show. I am not ashamed or apologizing for trying to inject a little humor into an otherwise boring local political landscape. Satire is an accepted manner of political derision and humor for several centuries. OK, it was wrong and insensitive of me to make light of his hearing aid. It would be equally insensitive to make fun of your physical impairment or disability, so ...

I worked in Cornelia at the Northeast Georgian newspaper and it is good to see the folks in Habersham County and the surrounding area are still honoring Dr. King and the peace movement. Cornelia marches for King - gainesvilletimes.com

For all of the talk from our government's leaders about ethics reform, we have seen our government become less accountable and ethical Instead of working for all Georgians, our government has become focused on helping the insiders. Under the Perdue administration, corporations have underwritten research to benefit their bottom lines. And within the last few weeks, we saw the need for change when Governor Perdue's political team forced out our state's top non-partisan ethics watchdog. We can do better. Today I unveiled my plan to promote government reform, accountability and responsibility. This far-reaching proposal will close the revolving door of government, put ethics law enforcement in the hands of a truly independent body, create a tough code of ethics, and reform the way state contracting is done. You can download your own copy of the plan by visiting our web site. Among the specifics of this plan are proposals to: • Make the State Ethics Commission and the State Elec...

Clinton Says House Run Like 'Plantation'

Once again, it is the Republicans who (try to) tell you how you can live, how you can be born, and how and when you can die. Supreme Court Upholds Oregon Suicide Law

WASHINGTON, Jan. 17 (HalliburtonWatch.org) -- The Bush administration has not moved to recover large sums in Iraq that have disappeared through fraud and price gouging, the Wall Street Journal reports today. In an article titled, "Some Iraq Rebuilding Funds Go Untraced," the Journal said, "there hasn't been a concerted effort to trace what happened to the money and make recipients pay back any ill-gotten gains." Moreover, the Bush administration "said it doesn't plan to ask the Justice Department to file lawsuits or to conduct widespread audits of individual contracts to look for fraud." The inspector general of the U.S. Coalition Provisional Authority estimated that $8.8 billion in public funds had gone missing in Iraq. The Journal article reports that, since U.S. officials in Iraq "didn't keep extensive records, and often didn't track whether contractors performed the work they were paid to do," there is little chance that priva...

New Zogby Poll: 52% of Americans Support Impeaching Bush for Wiretapping By a margin of 52% to 43%, Americans want Congress to consider impeaching President Bush if he wiretapped American citizens without a judge's approval, according to a new poll commissioned by After Downing Street and conducted by Zogby International. "The American people are not buying Bush's outrageous claim that he has the power to wiretap American citizens without a warrant. Americans believe terrorism can be fought without turning our own government into Big Brother," said AfterDowningStreet.org co-founder Bob Fertik. Read the results and print out a one-page flyer summarizing the various polls that have been done on impeachment: http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/polling Tell the media to cover this news: http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/?q=node/1084 ____________ Bush on Trial in New York This Weekend Is the Bush Administration guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity? Even raising t...

OnlineAthens.com | News | Farmington citizens wary of truck stop 01/17/06

This is about Oconee County's only possibility of an outdoor water public recreation area - of course it is something I would support wholeheartedly - so should you - see you at the Planning Commission Tuesday?

"It's my belief that we should get out now." - Former CBS anchor WALTER CRONKITE, whose 1968 conclusion that the Vietnam War was unwinnable keenly influenced public opinion then, said Sunday he'd say the same thing today about Iraq. Cronkite Urges News Anchors To Push Withdrawal By Glenn Garvin Miami Herald PASADENA, Calif. -- Television news anchors should be calling for U.S. troops to withdraw from Iraq, former CBS newsman Walter Cronkite said Sunday, remembering his own editorial demand for American withdrawal from Vietnam as one of the proudest moments of his career. Cronkite also called his successor, Dan Rather, "a victim" in the 2004 scandal over a CBS story on President Bush's Vietnam-era National Guard service that led to the dismissals of several CBS staffers and hastened Rather's retirement. Rather was "a man who had done a great job over many years" who relied too much on an errant producer, Cronkite said. Producer Mary Mapes, w...

by Al Gore Remarks as prepared Congressman Barr and I have disagreed many times over the years, but we have joined together today with thousands of our fellow citizens-Democrats and Republicans alike-to express our shared concern that America's Constitution is in grave danger. In spite of our differences over ideology and politics, we are in strong agreement that the American values we hold most dear have been placed at serious risk by the unprecedented claims of the Administration to a truly breathtaking expansion of executive power. As we begin this new year, the Executive Branch of our government has been caught eavesdropping on huge numbers of American citizens and has brazenly declared that it has the unilateral right to continue without regard to the established law enacted by Congress to prevent such abuses. It is imperative that respect for the rule of law be restored. So, many of us have come here to Constitution Hall to sound an alarm and call upon our fellow citizens to ...