Oconee County, GA Politics

1 House victory offers strategy for Dems By TIM WHITMIRE, Associated Press Writer Sat Nov 11, 2:20 AM ET ASHEVILLE, N.C. - When Democrat Heath Shuler took the stage to claim victory on election night, he began his speech by saying, "I want to thank my lord and savior, Jesus Christ." The crowd — even Asheville's environmentalists and liberal activists — went wild. On the day when Democrats posted their biggest gains in the House since 1974's post-Watergate election, Shuler was one of only two congressional Democratic candidates in 10 Southern states able to tap the nation's discontent with President Bush' and the GOP and beat a Republican incumbent. Many view that success — built in part on Shuler's socially conservative views, which would make him a Republican in most other parts of the country — as a way forward for the party in a region largely locked up by the GOP for decades. "I think Shuler is the kind of exemplar of a conservative Democrat who c...

The Terrorists Who Aren't in the News By Jennifer L. Pozner , AlterNet . On Sept. 11, 2006, the fifth anniversary of the terror attacks that devastated our nation, a man crashed his car into a building in Davenport, Iowa, hoping to blow it up and kill himself in the fire. No national newspaper, magazine or network newscast reported this attempted suicide bombing, though an AP wire story was available. Cable news (save for MSNBC's Keith Olbermann) was silent about this latest act of terrorism in America. Had the criminal, David McMenemy, been Arab or Muslim, this would have been headline news for weeks. But since his target was the Edgerton Women's Health Center, rather than, say, a bank or a police station, media have not called this terrorism -- even after three decades of extreme violence by anti-abortion fanatics, mostly fundamentalist Christians who believe they're fighting a holy war. Since 1977, casualties from this war include seven murders, 17 attempted murders,...

Tom Vilsack: Running for President Could the former Governor of Iowa be our next President?

November 10, 2006 Dear County Chairs , Volunteers, and Friends, We have turned another corner in our quest for the Democratic Party and our values to be heard. While in my race we were not victorious in the sense of a seat, we were victorious in more unity, more discussions, and more strategy being gathered for the future. I appreciate each of you and what you gave to me in terms of time, talent, and energy. We have some of the hardest working and most resourceful people in the world right here in the 10 th Congressional District of Georgia. I am indebted to you and appreciate from the bottom of my heart your belief in me and your standing with me throughout this campaign. You have much to be proud of with the new Congress and should bask in the satisfaction that we all have worked together as Democrats across this great nation to have our voices heard in the halls of this Congress. Every time you work to set the tone and balance of our party in your communi...

I am sure this is going to not matter to anyone except the one person who seems happy to try and blow smoke up my shorts with various hateful anonymous comments. No longer will anonymous comments be allowed. So have a spine, show your name and tell me what you think. I need not justify my writing to you or anyone else. Please show some courage and sign your name or pseudonym at least before your pithy ponderings on this blog. Thanks for reading, thanks for writing, but if you are going to criticize me or the Oconee County Democratic Committee, you damn sure have to sign your name from now on. Agitation has its place in the political spectrum, I will admit that. I hope after the primary and general elections we can work together to make Oconee County a much better place. Let's try to ameliorate instead of exacerbate this already contentious and bitter county. Come celebrate at the Eagle Tavern Watkinsville's 200th birthday the day after Thanksgiving.

MINUTES OF MEETING OF MAYOR AND COUNCIL CITY OF WATKINSVILLE November 8, 2006 PRESENT: Mayor Luken, Council members Purcell, Walsh and Walter and City Attorney Reitman. ABSENT: Council members Link and Brodrick. VISITORS: See attached sheet. QUORUM CHECK: Mayor Luken acknowledges a quorum is present. Mayor Luken also asks those with non-emergency cell phones to turn them off or down. All speakers are asked to approach the lectern and address Council. WATKINSVILLE BEAUTIFUL YARD AWARD: Councilwoman Samantha Purcell explains there will be no beautiful yard award for November. We will have on in December and then not again until April, 2007. MINUTES: Councilwoman Purcell moved and Councilman Walter seconded the motion to approve the minutes of the October 11, 2006 Council meeting as presented. Motion carried unanimously. CORRECTIVE AMENDMENT TO BEER & WINE ORDINANCE: Councilwoman Purcell moved and Councilman Walsh seconded the motion to...

AP: Startling findings in Tillman probe By SCOTT LINDLAW and MARTHA MENDOZA, Associated Press Writers In a remote and dangerous corner of Afghanistan under the protective roar of Apache attack helicopters and B-52 bombers, special agents and investigators did their work. They walked the landscape with surviving witnesses. They found a rock stained with the blood of the victim. They re-enacted the killings — here the U.S. Army Rangers swept through the canyon in their Humvee, blasting away; here the doomed man waved his arms, pleading for recognition as a friend, not an enemy. "Cease fire, friendlies, I am Pat (expletive) Tillman, damn it!" the NFL star shouted, again and again. The latest inquiry into Tillman's death by friendly fire should end next month; authorities have said they intend to release to the public only a synopsis of their report. But The Associated Press has combed through the results...