Oconee County, GA Politics

Subject: April book: Voltaire's classic, Candide Hello! Could you please help us get the word out to people about our book group's discussion date and topic? We'll be reading Voltaire's classic, "Candide" - and we've moved our meeting date to Wednesdays. Thank you! Pat Priest 353-8310 Member, Oconee Democrats FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE The community-wide book group sponsored by the Oconee Democrats will discuss Voltaire's quick-to-read and wryly humorous classic, "Candide," for their April selection. The book is available for just $3.75 at Books Galore in Watkinsville. The group chooses first-rate and affordable books about history, politics, and the natural world.  While Candide was first published in 1759, Voltaire's satire still resonates today.  The full title (though versions differ) is "Candide: Or, the Optimist."  Some scholars have pointed out that President Reagan evinced an optimism quite similar to that of one of the cent...

Hi! I just sent a message encouraging my U.S. Representative to protect the Flint River. You can do the same by following this link: http://www.protectgeorgia.net/                 What You Can Do to Protect the Flint River Dear Friend, This week, American Rivers released "America's Most Endangered Rivers: 2009 Edition." This report identifies ten rivers facing uncertain futures and Georgia's Flint River is # 2 on the list. Well loved by anglers, boaters and Georgia families, the Flint River is one of the state's most valuable natural treasures. But a two-year drought has revived calls to dam the Flint, even though more effective water supply solutions would save Metro Atlanta as much as $700 million. Congress m...

Dr. Glenn is a friend and an inspiration for his perspiration and drive (by pedaling!) I would urge everyone to donate what they can afford for this amazing endeavor. Trip of a lifetime indeed! Woven brightly, Daniel J. Matthews, Jr. Subject: Tony is cycling from Athens to Savannah Date: Thu, 9 Apr 2009 10:30:55 -0400 From: Anthony.Glenn@ARS.USDA.GOV To: aglenn@uga.edu As many of you know, I will be cycling from Athens to Savannah on May 1st and 2nd.  212 miles in two days......all by bicycle ! This trip serves two functions.  Personally, it is one of those "life" trips.....the kind of thing you do as a mental and physical challenge.  But most importantly, I'm doing this as part of a fundraiser for Clarke Middle School in Athens.    See the attachment for more details on this fundraiser, including how donations have aided a wide array of programs at CMS. I'm asking my friends to "join" me on this journey, but yo...

Son of John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson's Secretary of State Dean Rusk, Rich Rusk just sent this letter collection of articles from the Walton Tribune newspaper: Dear Moore's Ford friends, In an April 5, page one story, the Walton Tribune published news that a letter from Walton County Board of Commissioners Chairman Kevin Little has "called for justice in the Moore's Ford lynching." "The proclamation is believed to be the first such action for any governing body in the county," wrote the Tribune. Managing Editor Brian Arrington also wrote a column calling upon other Walton County leaders to step up, and thanking Mr. Little for having done so. Both stories are attached below. This action came one week after our March 28 film screening/public forum in Monroe. Remember the name of our event? "When justice rolls down..." Folks, I am thinking of the hundreds of phone calls and emails over the years, personal visits and pleas, urging ...

This is a worthy activity and event for you to investigate and contribute to if you are able to do so. The Jeannette Rankin Foundation provides no-strings-attached scholarships to women over the traditional age of college students and is named after the first female member of the U.S. Congress who hailed from Montana but had a summer and retirement home here in Oconee County, Georgia. D Woven brightly, Daniel J. Matthews, Jr. Date: Wed, 8 Apr 2009 10:04:19 -0400 From: andrea@rankinfoundation.org To: danmatt@hotmail.com Subject: Save the date! JRF High Hat Tea, April 19, 2009 You're receiving this email because of your relationship with Jeannette Rankin Foundation. Please confirm your continued interest in receiving email from us.   You may unsubscribe if you no longer wish to receive our emails. ...

Former Oconee County coroner and recent failed candidate for the office again Dr. William Mayberry is hosting a tea party in a tax payer funded venue in Oconee County on tax day. The Republican party seems intent on protesting President Barack Obama's attempts at spending our way out of the recession. I do not like to pay taxes anymore than any one else, but I also want our economy to get better without mortgaging our children's future. Until someone else can offer up a better prescription to what ails our country, I will continue to support our President and wish him success in our economic efforts to rebuild our country's infrastructure.

The Oconee County Board of Commissioners are to be commended for at least realizing the status quo of getting things done behind closed doors is no longer acceptable . It is just a little late to regain a lot of the public's trust on this or any other issue. So the Board of Education's David Weeks is turning the old Shishkabobby's in Town Center location into a Barberitos? Now there's a stretch. It was already built like one, and the food tasted like one, so I guess he hopes families will come buy beans and gas from him. Time for former Oconee County High School principal Mark Channell to be let go by the Central Office of the Oconee County Board of Education in the wake of the Brian Dickens sex scandal while at the head of the softball team. There needs to be a sacrificial lamb in this case before the public is satisfied.

Woven brightly, Daniel J. Matthews, Jr. EMAILING FOR THE GREATER GOOD Join me    Hey Young Dems,    Join us this Wednesday, April 8 at 6:00 p.m. in room 250 of the Miller Learning Center for guest speaker Doug McKillip! Doug is the Democratic State Representative for District 115, which encompasses much of Athens and includes the University of Georgia campus. He'll be speaking to us about this past legislative session as well as politics under the Gold Dome. We will have PIZZA, so be sure to bring your friends!    UGA YD elections are coming up soon (April 15 unless there's a conflict) and listed below are the currently declared candidates for office. We'll go over election procedures at this week's meeting.    PRESIDENT  Glenn Stegall  Stephen Pettigrew    EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR  Carter Bates    POLITICAL DIRECTOR  Alex Foster    COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR  -No Declared Candidate-   ...

Thanks to Pat Priest for letting us know about the goings-on at UGA.  To: oconee@yahoogroups.com> From: ppriest@charter.net  Date: Sun, 5 Apr 2009 14:45:52 -0400  Subject: [oconee] Campus lectures of interest    Here are some interesting lectures -- about politics, nature, the  financial crisis, and more -- taking place in April at UGA that you  might find interesting!    Pat Priest  Member,  Oconee Democrats    Tuesday, April 7, 2009    Getzen Lecture on Government Accountability: Effective American Policy  in a Dangerous World. Sponsored by the School of Public and  International Affairs and the Department of Public Administration and  Policy. Former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Newt  Gingrich gives the talk. 3:00 p.m. University Chapel. Contact 706-410-5182      April 9, Thursday    Annual Holmes-Hunter Lecture. Chief Justice of the Georgia Supreme Court  Leah Ward Sears delivers this year's lecture. The Holmes-Hunter Lecture  honors Charlayne Hunter-Gault...

So I succumbed to the almighty dollar and did what any money-hungry American capitalist would do, I tried to add advertising via blogger and Google and almost immediately people reporting having trouble connecting. So I will stay poor, keep the ads off, and realize the readers are the most important thing about this blog. What is going on you ask? Charlie Brooks called to ask me about the taxpayers revolt. I only know what I have heard from the Neal Boortz show and have heard that the new tea parties are primarily the unfair tax people rebranding their attempts at populsm. Meanwhile the Oconee County Board of Commissioners led by chairman G. Melvin Davis are continuing their moronic path toward an unnecessary new courthouse in Watkinsville. The white elephant that is a large lot of the Williams brothers have razed behind the jail in the latest location infatuation for Miss Vinnie and the Enterprising crowd. Personally I cannot think of a bigger boondoggle than this study of a courtho...

This is one of the foremost authorities in the world on cloning and stem cell research. Great choice Young Dems! Woven brightly, Daniel J. Matthews, Jr. Subject: Meeting- Dr. Steve Stice!     Hey Young Dems,   Join us this Wednesday at 6:00 p.m. in room 250 of the Miller Learning Center for guest speaker Dr. Steve Stice! Dr. Stice is a leading stem cell researcher and will be speaking about his work and the politics surrounding it. We will have snacks, so be sure to bring your friends!   Also, the UGA/ACC Young Democrats will be hosting a forum called "Where Is Your Money Going?" this Saturday, April 4 from 10 a.m. to 12 noon in Tate Theater on campus. The topic will be the effect of the Economic Stimulus Package on local communities, and panelists will include Athens-Clarke Mayor Heidi Davison, Dr. Greg Trandel, Dr. Wes Clarke, and Dr. Ernest Brothers.   See you then!   Louis Elrod  President, UGA/ACC Young Democrats

The Oconee Enterprise website sent out an email Friday announcing the closing of the Shishka-bobby's restaurant in downtown Watkinsville in the Town Center development in a story well written by Blake Giles. While I do not take pleasure the economic hardship of others, this restaurant never had "it" and was doomed from the start, It was Barberitos not on a stick, and it did not garner much of a following. Weeks recent problems with the suggestion of the school board wanting a raise probably did not help keep his restaurant open any longer, as commenters in the Athens Banner-Herald's onlineathens.com had his restaurant right in the crosshairs. I hope Weeks new theme is more family focused and a place where you want to come back to again and again. I do not pretend to have the perfect solution for this restaurant lacks or needs. The intangible of finding "it" is as difficult to describe as it is impossible to capture: the perfect flow, great tastes, memorabl...

I do not miss the long days of standing and fetching books for the students of Gainesville State College in Oconee County. But I am glad they have received money from the loggers at Plum Creek for expansion of this campus whose increase of students since I have worked there has clipped by at an astounding 865%! I do wonder if the Gainesville State College campus in Oconee County, Georgia will ever get the connection of Bishop Farms Parkways, North and South or if there is going to be an exit on Highway 441. Go check out there open house if you want to. I understand there has been a lot of expansion there. I would imagine Doc Hawley and Dr. Penny Mills are a few of those I will still recall there.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution will no longer be available in Athens-Clarke and Oconee counties in a month . I wrote a couple of stories for the AJC in 1981 and have seen the Athens office of this state newspaper change correspondents and shrink and grow. I am distinctly sad at the lack of this institution disappearing, although I cannot recall the last time I purchased a hard copy except maybe during the election day issues. I will grab an AJC next time I am at a Waffle House or Wendy's, and remember an ink-stained time gone by when we could read about all things Atlantan in this formerly mighty paper.

This will be big - lots of press coverage and out-of-town guests, now including Alvin Sykes, who led the effort to secure congressional passage of the Emmett Till Bill. He is now seeking funding for the bill, which provides for investigating civil rights cold cases. The Walton County Dem’s are coming – hope you can make it too. Nice flier attached! – Cathi Watkins Moore’s Ford Memorial Committee FBI, Justice Dept. Officials, Ex-Klansman Seek Public Support in Solving Moore’s Ford Lynching of 1946 Feds, Locals Head for Monroe, GA to Re-invigorate Investigation On Saturday, March 28, key Justice Department and FBI officials are headed for Monroe, GA to meet with civic leaders and local residents and build public support for a 62 year old murder investigation. Beginning at 2 p.m. at the historic Monroe Community Center, filmmaker Keith Beauchamp will screen his one hour documentary, Murders in Black and White, on the Moore's Ford Lynching of July 25, 1946. On that day, a wh...

Veterans' Park is a lovely new facility. I have been playing basketball a lot ~ well, twice ~ at the adjacent Community Center. Woven brightly, Daniel J. Matthews, Jr. Date: Wed, 25 Mar 2009 13:55:07 +0000 Subject: [oconee] Poythress Event - Change of Venue Dear Dems: Due to a scheduling glitch, our ice cream social welcoming gubernatorial candidate David Poythress will be held at the Tennis Pavilion at Veterans Memorial Park rather than at Harris Shoals Park. The event is still taking place on Sunday, April 19th, from 3 - 5 pm, though I have secured the pavilion for 2 - 5 pm so that we have time to set up. Please tell everyone you know about the event and the new venue. It will be a great opportunity to meet General Poythress, and a great opportunity to show off Oconee County's new and beautiful recreational facility. I have heard from several of you who are willing to help. I will be in touch soon with assignments. Also, this wil...

Brigadier General David Poythress, Democratic candidate for Governor of Georgia, will be speaking to Oconee County voters April 19th at the Tennis Pavilion of the Oconee Veterans Park (3500 Hog Mountain Road) instead of the originally scheduled Harris Shoals Park in Watkinsville.

Begin forwarded message: From: Lee Becker < lbbecker@mindspring.com > Date: March 22, 2009 11:00:00 PM EDT To: lbbecker@mindspring.com Subject: Apathy the Winner Reply-To: lbbecker@mindspring.com Dear Friends, Apathy was the winner in last week's SPLOST vote. Care to guess where the winner is most prominent in the county? You'll have to go to my blog to find out. It's at its usual place: http://www.oconeecountyobservations.blogspot.com/ Lee -- Lee Becker Blog: www.oconeecountyobservations.blogspot.com Web: http://lbbecker48.googlepages.com/

Woven brightly, Daniel J. Matthews, Jr. > To: YDEM-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU Hey Young Dems, Join us this week for guest speaker General David Poythress, Democratic candidate for governor! General Poythress is the first Democrat to announce for the 2010 gubernatorial race, and has previously served as Georgia Secretary of State and Labor Commissioner. The meeting will be at 6:00 p.m. this Wednesday, March 25 in room 250 of the Miller Learning Center. There will PIZZA, so be sure to bring your friends! We're also pleased to welcome Jane Bradshaw, Katie Milway, and Daniel Fullerton from the Young Democrats of Georgia this Wednesday. Jane will be speaking briefly about YDG and the state convention coming up on April 17-19 at Unicoi State Park. Cost of attendance is roughly $45 per person (though UGA Young Dems may be able to help subsidize the cost), but we'll need to know before Friday, March 27. We need as many members to go as possible, so e-mail Louis Elrod (lelro...

Pat Priest has done a wonderful job with Dancing with Athens and Oconee Stars as well as this book club.  Please attend their festivities if you can. Woven brightly, Daniel J. Matthews, Jr. Date: Sun, 22 Mar 2009 10:13:09 -0400 Subject: [oconee] April book: Voltaire's classic, Candide Hello! We've changed* our selection for our April book to Candide . . . a strange and interesting classic that's a quick and sometimes-witty read. It's cheap, too -- just $3.75 at Books Galore in Watkinsville. We've also changed our meeting date to the last Wednesday of each month, which puts us at April 29th for our next discussion. We meet at Five Points Deli on Epps Bridge Parkway -- at 6 PM. We read really fine books about history, politics, and the natural world. While Candide was first published in 1759, the satire still resonates today. The full title (though versions differ) is "Candide: Or, the Optimist." So...