Oconee County, GA Politics

Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton in one of more than 5,000 photos taken during her tenure. From left to right: Unidentified, Phillip Martin, chief Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, Secretary Norton, C. Bryant Rogers, outside counsel for Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, and Jack Abramoff. The photo was taken February 5, 2002. [Credit Photo: Tami A. Heilemann]

The longer the President stonewalls Americans about his ties to Abramoff, the worse it will get for Republicans down ticket. Most Americans want Bush to reveal lobbyist ties: poll - Yahoo! News

Senator Sheehan has a nice alliterative ring to it. Sheehan Considers Challenging Feinstein - Yahoo! News

http://www.democrats.com/we-can-stop-alito The last two days have been amazing. Early Thursday afternoon, we broke the news that Senator John Kerry would lead a filibuster against Judge Sam Alito if he could get 41 Senators to sustain the filibuster. Three hours later, CNN confirmed our story. Naturally, the White House freaked out and told Senator Bill Frist to schedule a cloture vote as quickly as possible - Monday at 4:30 p.m. - to prevent Democrats from uniting behind Kerry. Then the White House called its media whores at the NY Times (David Kirkpatrick), AP (Jesse Holland), Pentagon Post (Charles Babington), CNN (Miles O'Brien), and MSNBC (Chris Matthews) and told them to trash John Kerry for daring to challenge the will of Emperor Bush, and to repeat over and over that Democrats did not have enough votes to stop Alito. But even as Karl Rove was doing his dirty work, progressive activists like you were calling your Senators urging them to support John Kerry's filibuster. A...

Governor Perdue, are you listening, or at least reading this letter? OnlineAthens.com | Letters to the Editor | Laura Davis: Photo reflected problem with Athens Tech space 01/28/06

I am happy that the homeless shelters will not be cloising at the end of January as originally reported. These are worthy facilities to be supporting. OnlineAthens.com | News | Donations will keep homeless shelters open 01/28/06

I love the Rankin Foundation and think it is a great tribute to the former congressmember to fund scholarships for women who would not otherwise be attneding college or getting a higher education. Please consider donating money or attending this event. OnlineAthens.com | News | Rankin Foundation marking anniversary 01/28/06

It is sad when a nice new public facility gets (allegedly) torched so soon after it has opened up. Remember the Titans! OnlineAthens.com | News | Fire set at school in Oconee 01/28/06

OnlineAthens.com | News | ACTION ends fight for Head Start 01/27/06

Wow, we are getting noticed outside of the 316 area. Thanks to one of my favorite Republican non-partisan elected officials for turning me on to this. Here I did not even know I was the forefront of a movement. Netroots? Cool, like grass roots on the web. Netroots vs. Establishment in Athens | ATLANTA.VOIC.US

Southern Broadcasting news director Tim Bryant admitted on his show Newsmaker Fridays on NewsTalk 1340 WGAU AM that he signed a petition using the fictious name of Jed Bartlet. That name is of course the Martin Sheen-portrayed Presidentiual character from the recently cancelled NBC television show "The West Wing." His name was immediately deleted from the poll. Having gone over the 1300+ names I can attest that less than 1% are suspicious or from out of country. Bryant also seemed to take issue with the age of one of the signees, a 6 year old girl who is a neighbor of his. I commend the 6 year old girl for taking such an activist stance against Republican redistricting efforts.

Seems like the folks in Madison County folks did not ask to be redistricted either. OnlineAthens.com | News | No new remap bid by county 01/27/06

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redandblack.com - Sen. wants to redraw lines

I just came back from a meeting, not one publicized in the newspapers, but an important one none-the-less. This meeting was at the new remote location of the Welcome Center on Nancy Drive in a building leased for the next decade from the Chamber of Commerce. Ever since the Welcome Center moved to there from the old Eagle Tavern site, tourism has suffered dramatically in our county. Members of the historic sites and tourism committee received Anita Ford's graduate thesis on the marketing and structure of Oconee County's pathetic tourism attempts. Anita does as much as she can, with an able staff of one in Ginny McCown, with almost no significant advertising budget and now well off the beaten path of Main Street. We need to promote Oconee County in creative and original manners to as wide a audience around the world as possible. We do get a story here and an ad there, but we need some big government budgets to really make Oconee County, Georgia known around the world. We will be ...

Hell yeah! Democrats ride momentum into mid-term election - Yahoo! News

Bauer Says, 'Stop Subsidizing Terrorist States' - Yahoo! News

Looks like our leader fears the political fallout from being seen with someone as nefarious as Abramoff. Bush refuses to release Abramoff pictures - Yahoo! News

The city of Watkinsville will conduct an hour-long work session to gather and refine ideas and concepts to celebrate this year's beicentennial. This informal session is open to any and all interested individuals who desire to participate in planning for the city's 200th anniversary. You are cordially invited to attend 7:00 pm Tuesday, January 31st to the Watkinsville Community Center on VFW Drive. If you have ideas, but are unable to attend, please send your ideas to City Hall via email to wkvcityhall@charter.net or mail to PO Box 27, Watkinsville, GA 30677 (ATTN: BICENTENNIAL)

Any chance Athens-Clarke County commissioner Tom Chasteen had of winning the Mayor's race just got flushed down the toilet with his vote against the condemnation of the tactics in Atlanta, Comer and Hancock Avenue. OnlineAthens.com | News | Commission condemning Clarke split 01/26/06

Welcome to Another Voice From Oconee County

OnlineAthens.com | News | Lawmaker: Put some college programs in abandoned buildings 01/25/06

The Department of Homeland Security needs to change its name to Department of Halliburton Stock. Looks like our domestic prison camps on on the way since the outsourcing of American terror and torture facilities has proven to be a public relations nightmare. Halliburton Watch

Flagpole Magazine

OnlineAthens.com | Letters to the Editor | Lee Smith: Chamber president's arguments are specious 01/25/06

Democrats introduce bills to re-regulate natural gas | ajc.com

Another great letter to the editor, this one coming from Carlton. Could the Republican majority begin crumbling over this silly maneuver? OnlineAthens.com | Letters to the Editor | Ed Gilmore: Hudgens isn't interested in Madison County voters 01/24/06

At the very least, this shows how the Governor of this state is a hypocrite when it comes to redistricting, A race with some juice in it, judging from all the money | ajc.com

Dear Mr. McKinney: I wish to follow up on your suggestion in the newspaper this morning and register my disapproval of your attempts at redistricting Athens-Clarke County. Having worked on several political campaigns in at least three versions of State Senate District 46, can we just leave well enough alone? Why confuse voters and disenfranchise the student voting bloc? You waste taxpayers money, your own funds on the elegant appointments in yoiur new building, harmony and cooperation in the Athens area business community and your political capital with more than half of the local area voters. You come off as somewhat disingenuous when you can get elected officials from outside Athens to propose legislation. I think you should have at least called the Mayor and Council members before you asked Ralph Hudgens to introduce Senate Bill 386. I don't think your legislation will do a thing except dilute Democratic strength in Athens-Clarke. At least admit what you are really trying to do...

OnlineAthens.com | 2006 General Assembly | Lawmakers lobbying against split 01/24/06

Sounds like Ralph Reed was out in the rain a little too long with the Fetus Day celebrators yesterday at the state capitol. OnlineAthens.com | News | Reed: Voters will reject 'guilt by association' 01/24/06

OnlineAthens.com | News | Clarke's split may not be last 01/24/06

OnlineAthens.com | Opinion | Winders: Senators wind up clueless in Athens 01/22/06

Pete McCommons editorial

OnlineAthens.com | News | Davison, commissioners protest county split 01/23/06

This was just some of our fun at the gold dome today. I recommend it to everyone. Find a topic like malapportionment, which is a word I saw on a display at the statehouse, and go visit every elected official you can imagine. Best to target a few folks who actually have some control over the destiny of the said legislation. I was lucky enough to tag along with Rep. Jane Kidd and a few of the Athens Clarke County Commissioners who could go after our elected officials and let them know in person we did not appreciate the introduction of legislation (Bill 386) without even the knowledge or introduction to the local governments. We finally found Comer Senator and investor Ralph T. Hudgens coming out of a committee meeting on the fourth floor and he talked to me for about five seconds. ME: Hello Senator Hudgens, thanks for representing Georgia so well, we would like to let you know of our opposition to Senate Bill 386. HUDGENS: Well who are we? ME: Well I am the chairman of the Oconee County...

This is a must-read for any student of political science and current events.

OnlineAthens.com | Business | Nelson: Chamber must communicate in a better way 01/22/06

OnlineAthens.com | Letters to the Editor | John Jeffreys: Democrats offer views on redistricting bill 01/23/06

OnlineAthens.com | News | Halliburton cited in contamination of water source for troops, civilians 01/23/06

WSBTV.com - News - Photos Show Bush, Abramoff Together

UGA student from Atl. found dead in residence hall | ajc.com

WASHINGTON, Jan. 22 (HalliburtonWatch.org) -- The U.S. military spies on individuals protesting Halliburton, Newsweek reports today. In an article titled, "The Other Big Brother," investigative journalist Michael Issikopf reports that a "harmless" anti-Halliburton protest in 2004 by 10 peace activitists outside the company's Houston headquarters "was regarded as a potential threat to national security" by people inside the Bush administration. The purpose of the 2004 protest "was to call attention to allegations that the company was overcharging on a food contract for troops in Iraq," Issikopf writes. The protest was organized by anti-Halliburton activist Scott Parkin, who was deported by the government of Australia in 2005 for organizing peaceful teach-ins on Halliburton's war contracts. Issikopf reports that the spying activity was conducted by the ultra-secret Counterintelligence Field Activity (CIFA), created three years ago by the De...

With the Republicans attempting to once again dilute the student populace with their wasteful gerrymandering in 386, I doubt they will let some students on the Baord of Regents, but I commend them for trying to get a seat at the table. AP Wire | 01/22/2006 | UGA students joining push for student seat on Regents

Welcome to Watkinsville. OnlineAthens.com | Business | Buffalo Horticulture relocates to Oconee 01/22/06

OK, so I misspelled Comer Representative Ralph Hudgens name on it, but we have a petition up targeted to Chairman Bobby Franklin on the Reapportionment committee to let people know of our displeasure with the attempts at redistricting State Senate Districts 46, 47 and 48. It is up at ThePetitionSite.com: I have just read and signed the petition: "Reject Redistricting - say no to 386" Please take a moment to read about this important issue, and join me in signing the petition. It takes just 30 seconds, but can truly make a difference. Please sign here: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/765293860 Thanks! Feel free to forward it to friends and associates.

As if an illegal dmoestic spying case was not enough, now the Bush Administration wants to know who and what you are googling. I saw an ABC watered down version of the relatively recent movie of the film "Enemy of the State" with Will Smith and Gene Hackman last night. Some of it was dead-on accurate and some seemed really dated already as far as NSA snooping ability. Analysis: Google Case Raises New Questions - Yahoo! News