***** UPDATE TO UGA FAKE INJURY FOOTBALL STORY BELOW ******

Now the UGA fans are claiming that in the play just prior to this ‘drop-and-roll’ by #84, that #84 got smacked in his nuts by the defensive player, and that explains “everything.” NO, actually, it doesn’t. Here’s our response to that claim:

A) We saw that video. (here it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BEEfB_97dPM )

B) We are not entirely certain that Read the rest of this entry »

Rumors have it that the NCAA is going to be calling a special meeting this week when news of UGA’s practice of “faking player injuries to stall the clock” is revealed via a YouTube video posted on September 1, 2013.

This is a link to an 8-second video from the Clemson v. UGA game played on August 31st:

Georgia calling in (Play Calling) fake injuries against Clemson

Read the rest of this entry »

Two weeks ago, arrest warrants were issued by the Canton Police Department against three individuals that accused them of “making false statements” to the police in relation to an incident back in mid-June 2013.  (For catchup purposes you can read this story here in the Marietta Daily Journal) 

Since that time period, there has been no release of a supposed “video” that, according to the Canton Police Chief, clearly shows the three accused to have “fabricated the whole thing.”

According to sources I’ve spoken to on condition of anonymity…as of two days ago, the Cherokee County DA’s office has NOT been given a copy of the supposed video proof, nor any other evidence on this case that would, presumably, prove these three individuals lied about an incident dealing with a car “buzzing” by them as one (or more of them) were crossing a street…at around 9:30 PM on a thunderstorm/tornado-occurring night…with the streets presumably still wet from the rainstorms earlier that evening.

Read the rest of this entry »

WHAT does “NSA” stand for again??? And, speaking of “pandering”…

Introduction

Have you ever pondered why it is that in this state, it is only the Executive Branch of Georgia’s three-legged stool of governance (i.e., Executive, Legislative, Judiciary) that is required to respond to Open Records Requests?

Think about that for a moment. The Legislative Branch operates strictly from taxpayer dollars. The Judicial Branch operates strictly from taxpayer dollars. And, the Executive Branch operates strictly from taxpayer dollars. Why is only one branch of Georgia state government required to be subjected to “sunshine laws?”

Do only “executive branch” people have the propensity to misuse and abuse their positions with taxpayer dollars? No, that would be an absurd position for anyone to take, as there are crooked-minded people in every branch of government at all levels of any government.

A couple of years ago, The Center of Public Integrity created a survey and sent it out to people in every state and asked them to judge the state’s disclosure, transparency, and ethics laws of varying natures.

In Georgia, the survey was answered by Jim Walls, a longtime journalist, formerly with the AJC, who now operates the AtlantaUnfiltered.com website.

When the results for Georgia came back as being dead last in their grade of “F” for being the “highest for ‘corruption risk‘, there was a tad bit of overreaction from some folks in the Legislative Branch. Someone I know very well went into immediate attack mode on Jim Walls, complete with trying to get as many people to throw rocks and pies at Walls for his process of filling-out a survey form that produced an “F” grade.

Too bad for the Legislative branch to overreact to the report and immediately become embroiled in a battle with the Tea Party who insisted on “limits for lobbyist gifts” as a way to improve Georgia’s score. (Their overreaction points to an apparent guilt feeling a lot of them apparently have in their role as a legislator who consumes lobbyist gifts.)

Rather than throw rocks at Jim Walls, what the legislators should have done was look more closely at what made-up the “F” grade. Hint: It was not just about legislative ethics.

There was a section called “Judicial Accountability” which Walls’ graded in such a way as that individual grade was “C-.” Frankly, I think that on that part of the survey, Jim Walls was woefully inaccurate in his judgement, and that grade alone should have been on the order of a “D”, or, even possibly, an “F.” (“Gasp! No! Not our judiciary!?”)

Read the rest of this entry »

Prelude

I am reminded of a scene from the movie Lethal Weapon 2 where, towards the end of the movie, one of the evil guys from South Africa and the cop character that Danny Glover played are in a standoff. The evil guy is standing on a platform about 50 feet higher than Glover’s character and he whips out his South African credentials and says “Diplomatic immunity…” whereupon Glover’s character responds with a shot from a snub-nosed .357 and a reply of “…has just been revoked.”

Similar to the concept of “diplomatic immunity”, in Georgia, we have “sovereign immunity” whereby government entities in Georgia can claim, under special circumstances, an “immunity” from a lawsuit.

In a current case being heard in Forsyth County Superior Court, the legal counsel for the City of Cumming is telling one of its citizens, as well as the Georgia State Attorney General’s office, to, essentially, “Go **** “ themselves.

The case was initiated as a result of the actions and decisions made back on April 17, 2012. The City of Cumming was holding a city council meeting, and a citizen was there filming the proceedings with a tripod-mounted video camera.

Cumming Mayor H. Ford Gravitt ordered Cumming Police Chief Casey Tatum to escort the citizen, Nydia Tisdale, from the meeting and told her “You cannot film this meeting.”

Tisdale filed a complaint with the state AG’s office, claiming that Gravitt’s actions violated the state’s “Open Meetings Act.” And that brings us to this current-day situation…

“Sovereign Immunity”

Last Thursday in court, Kevin Tallant, attorney for the City of Cumming, argued (according to this Forsyth News story – H/T Todd Rehm & GaPundit.com): “…that Gravitt could not be held liable in the case due to sovereign immunity since he was acting in his official capacity during the April 17 city council meeting….Georgia’s Constitution…provides that officials cannot be sued when acting in those capacities. Therefore, the case should be dismissed.”

Read the rest of this entry »

Rumors have it that the following Republican U.S. Representatives from Georgia have successfully reached the nadir (someone help Lynn Westmoreland understand what this word means) of their political life, and who all have earned D.C.’s most coveted award known as “Who Will Kiss Obama’s Ass This Week?” Award:

Doug Collins (R-POS)
Phil Gingrey (R-POS)
Austin Scott (R-POS)
Lynn Westmoreland (R-POS)
Rob Woodall (R-POS)

Word is that Jay Carney has the White House gnomes busily etching granite award plaques so each member of this Gang of Five will have something to proudly hang on their office wall by the end of July.

Now, you might be pondering “Well, what on Earth did this Gang of Five do to earn such illustrious awards?” Very, very good question.

In today’s action on the House Floor, an amendment to H.R. 2397 (the “Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2014”) was voted on. The amendment was a bi-partisan amendment sponsored by Justin Amash (R-MI) and John Conyers (D-MI).

Read the rest of this entry »

For Immediate Release

Flowery Branch, GA – 7/22/2013 – Hall County Commissioner Craig Lutz announces his candidacy in the Republican primary for Post 4 of the Public Service Commission which will be decided by voters next year. Commissioner Lutz began his elected service to the public in 2008 as a City Council member in Flowery Branch, Georgia, which is located near Lake Lanier and approximately 45 minutes to the north of downtown Atlanta. In 2010, Commissioner Lutz was elected as a Republican to the Hall County Commission with 84% of the vote where he has consistently stood out as a true advocate for the taxpayer by working hard to keep taxes low, government small and both government and people responsible.

As to why he has chosen to run for the Public Service Commission at this time, Commissioner Lutz feels that now is the time to put the concerns of the folks first in decisions made by the Public Service Commission. He never could have believed how much of a blessing it has been to serve the public since taking his first seat as an elected official in 2008 and after lots of prayer, talking to his family and receiving the encouragement of so many friends and supporters, he is excited to become a candidate again and has confidence that he is the right leader to provide the same voice for ratepayers that he has given to taxpayers in Hall County for many years.

As an example of Commissioner Lutz’s passion for protecting the interests of Georgia ratepayers, he points to the recent debate over the Georgia Power 20-year plan involving solar power. According to Commissioner Lutz, the Public Service Commission was designed to protect the consumer from State-regulated monopolies yet he noticed that sharp, divisive lines were drawn between the solar special interests and the utility, setting up a classic battle situation in which the consumer always loses.

When asked, if elected, how he would represent the citizens differently than the incumbent, Lutz said: “When elected to the Public Service Commission, my primary principle will be placing Georgians first. District 4 deserves a commissioner that will put the family and small business first when making decisions that will impact our budgets. Engaging in conflicts between special interest versus the utilities places our families in the crossfire.”

Commissioner Lutz is a military veteran having served in the United States Air Force. Before entering elected service, he was employed for 16 years with BellSouth. He resides in Flowery Branch with his wife Shanon Rumsey Lutz of 24 years and they have 2 daughters, ages 14 and 11.

To find out more about Commissioner Lutz’s campaign for Public Service Commissioner, please visit www.Lutz4PSC.com or call the campaign at (770) 338-4200.

Process of Elimination

Fellow Republican political travelers, do you sometimes find yourself at a point of dismay at having to make a choice among multiple candidates for a primary?

I must admit, as I grow older, I look for ways to decrease the amount of information and data that I have to go through in order to make a decision on things.

SO, luckily, I have a fall-back technique in which I can rely on: the process of elimination (“POE”).

Now, for you folks who actually attended any college not named “UGA,” whereby you likely took real multiple-choice exams (i.e., more than one potential choice on the test question…and, no hints given), you learned how to narrow your choices on multiple-choice exams via POE.

So, using that same skill-set developed through my grueling years at Georgia Tech, for me personally, I will now apply that technique to the 2014 Georgia U.S. Senate Primary to reduce the number of choices I have, and, therefore, increase the amount of time I can spend on more carefully examining the remaining choices…until I can further reduce the pool of choices.

First, the choices currently announced and in the race:

Broun, Paul
Gingrey, Phil
Grayson, Derrick
Handel, Karen
Kingston, Jack

[Note: At the time of this publication, David Perdue has announced he has formed an exploratory committee, but he is not officially “in” the race]

Due to the following facts, I am eliminating one of these choices from any potential of me voting for them in the Primary. If this person makes it out of the primary and becomes the candidate on the general election ballot, I’ll revisit his potential at that point.

So, my first candidate removed by POE is Phil Gingrey. In two distinct, documented recent cases, Gingrey has demonstrated himself to be someone who has clearly lost his ability to reason as a “conservative.”

After the Sandy Hook elementary school shooting in late December 2012, “Conservative”-“Republican”-“2nd Amendment Rights” “Defender” Phil Gingrey stated the following at the early January 2013 breakfast of the Smyrna Area Council of the Cobb Chamber of Commerce:

“There are some problems, and maybe these huge magazines even for someone who says, ‘look, I just use an AR-15 for target practice,’ but do you really need to be standing there shooting at a silhouette a shot a second or even quicker with that kind of weapon? For what purpose?” Gingrey asked. “I would be willing to listen to the possibility of the capacity of a magazine.”

What sticks in the craw of my throat the most about these comments by Gingrey is this part in particular: “…but do you really need to be standing there shooting at a silhouette a shot a second or even quicker with that kind of weapon? For what purpose?”

THAT kind of question is a demonstration that Phil Gingrey THINKS he has the right to question what other people may choose to do for no other reason than they enjoy doing it. What’s the purpose most people who have absolutely no intention of EVER committing a crime with a gun have for shooting at a silhouette?

Because, perhaps, they find it “fun”…”enjoyable”…whatever the reason is, as long as they are not interfering with someone else’s life, liberty, or pursuit of happiness, no one (much less a frickin’ moron of an elected official) should be allowed to prevent them from engaging in that activity.

For Phil Gingrey to ask that kind of question is to demonstrate to us that HE is an authentic statist ..someone who thinks the State should control what people do and tamp-down on free will.

Why do people go out and eat at restaurants and consume far too many calories than their body can possibly use at one time? Because they enjoy it. And, despite what idiots like Mayor Bloomberg of NY City thinks, people are allowed to enjoy their own choices in what they consume.

My point here is that Phil Gingrey thinks HE has the right to JUDGE what other, law-abiding citizens choose to do…and, as a legislator, I think that what was clearly in Gingrey’s mind to make that statement was that he had the right to, not only judge someone else’s leisure activity, but decide how someone else should choose to pursue their own, God-granted right to happiness.

Think about this: If Phil Gingrey thought that the solution to madmen using guns to murder people was to limit the magazine capacity of guns, then…by that same line of logic, we, as a society, should really…REALLY look at other issues too.

How about “surfing the Internet,” Phil? You know, Phil, people lookup on the Web how to make meth in their own home…they also lookup how to grow marijuana…or, make pipe bombs….or, they look at pornography….I mean, seriously, Phil, if you want to stop ALL crime perpetrated in America, you would seek to cut-off the people who can find out all this info on the Web, right?

So, knowing Phil and how his brain now works, I’m betting that he would be inclined to pass legislation to start fining anyone who looks-up a keyword on the NSA hit-list ..because, like someone standing-up in a gun range shooting at a silhouette while holding a legally-purchased AR-15, what legitimate, practical reason would someone have for doing such a thing unless it could possibly lead to a crime of some sort, right???

Now, the 2nd reason I will not support Phil Gingrey is his OTHER idiotic statement in support of Todd Akin’s demonstration of how stupid he is with regard to rape.

In this same breakfast meeting held back in early January 2013, Gingrey further demonstrated this ability to cram his foot into his mouth (which, when you consider where his head had to be to have made the first statement I discussed, signifies that he is quite flexible in the physical sense of the word) when he addressed the issue of what came out of Todd Akin’s mouth back in the election of 2012 when Akin made a comment about (paraphrasing) “legitimate rape does not lead to pregnancy.”

Though I know lots of people jumped all over Akin’s use of the phrase “legitimate rape”, I understood the point he was trying to make, though he clearly used the wrong word…my problem was with the CONCEPT that Akin (and several others, one of whom was Georgia State Senator Don Thomas several years back) had that forced vaginal sex would never (to rarely) lead to a pregnancy.

Phil Gingrey supported Akin’s beliefs regarding the concept, and he bolstered his position by stating that he had been a OB-GYN for a number of years, and yady-yady-yah, and therefore he was an “expert” in these matters.

Well, he’s not. He may be an expert in delivering babies, but he’s not an expert in what causes pregnancies. Because…well, we have the most recent case of the cruelty demonstrated by this guy in Cleveland, Ohio named Ariel Castro, who is accused of kidnapping and holding 3 women in captivity for 9 years…who repeatedly…forcibly…violently…raped these women who, in turn, got PREGNANT over and over and over again.

When I read that story, I realized just how big of a liar people like Gingrey, Todd Akin, Don Thomas, and other “pro-life” doctors really are who claim this kind of bullshit. And, I don’t think Phil Gingrey is any kind of “normal liar”…I think that anyone who uses their supposed professional, “medical knowledge” to put forth a medical claim that is not true may be a pathological liar.

If Phil Gingrey still has a medical license, I think it should be revoked. Seriously. Since he has been demonstrated to be incompetent in knowing the truth about the fact that forced-rapes CAN AND DO lead to pregnancies, then what else has he claimed in the past about medically-related issues that are categorically false, and that he made these claims on the basis of making political points?

Phil Gingrey is hereby removed from my list of qualified candidates for the 2014 Republican Party Primary.

Since there are a lot of people who are Republican-voters in this state who appear to have very different points of view about what the “Georgia Republican Party” should be about and what it should do for the Republican “cause” in Georgia, I think it is important for everyone, whether you are an old timer, a newcomer, or a middle-of-the-road experienced person in Republican grassroots activism in Georgia, to fully understand several key aspects of the “party” as you go to the State Convention as delegates and alternates…charged with the responsibility of choosing new leadership of the state party for the next two years.

SO…as basic as these points may seem to most of you, I think they bear a new look (or a review) in light of this year’s influx of new folks who…may not actually be aware of a few things:

1) There is a legal entity called the “Georgia Republican Party (“GRP”).” To be an actual “member” of this legal entity, you are either a member due to your volunteer participation in the odd-numbered years of “grassroots building” of this organization, or you are a member (albeit not a “voting member” of the party activities) via making a financial contribution of some sort to the GRP, or you are a member of some designated auxiliary organization of the GRP.

If you are a voter who votes “Republican” every time at the ballot box…but you have not participated in this “grassroots” building of the party, nor are you a financial contributor to the GRP, nor are you a member of any designated auxiliary of the GRP, then you are not really a “member” of the legal entity called the “Georgia Republican Party.”

To be a “voting member” within the GRP, you have to have participated in the actual “grassroots organizing process” that happens every two years, on odd-numbered years, and be an active member of, at minimum, some county Republican party committee in Georgia.

This legal entity operates according to a set of rules called the Rules of The Georgia Republican Party. These Rules define the various county, district, and state party organizations that all make-up the body of the Georgia Republican Party, as well as define what the specific responsibilities are for the operation of all these components to the Party.

If you want to learn about these operating rules, here is a link to them: Rules of GRP

2) Inherent in the Rules…in fact, in the very first paragraph of the Rules, it essentially stipulates the purpose of the GRP by way of referring to who can participate in the GRP…is this basic premise: The sole purpose of the Georgia Republican Party is to elect people who have declared themselves to be in accordance with the aims and purpose of the Republican Party.

“Republican Party” in this instance is NOT a “legal entity,” but a common philosophy of political beliefs.

AND…if you are a member of the Georgia Republican Party…especially if you are in an elected position in the party structure (whether county, district or state), you have agreed to abide by the concept of working for the election of EVERY Republican candidate whose name appears on the November General Election ballot. Period.

Why is this latter part so important to understand? Because, even if you are, say, the State Party Chair…or, 1st Vice Chair…or, 2nd Vice Chair, etc…and you personally only agree with a General Election Republican candidate’s concept of what he/she thinks about being a Republican 50% of the time…or 20% of the time…or 5% of the time…or, even if it is just 1% of the time…the simple fact is this:

Because the Republican philosophy is in agreement 0% of the time with the Democratic philosophy, even if you (as a party officer) only agree 1% of the time with a Republican candidate who is on the General Election ballot, 1% of the time is still a higher percentage of the time than zero percent of the time.

Does that math make sense? Because that is what the GRP is about.

SO…if you are in any kind of leadership role in the state-level of the GRP, you cannot bring your personal feelings about a Republican candidate, whether an incumbent or someone running for office for the first time, into your duties as a leader of the GRP.

AND...if you do, and you seek to either block GRP resources or engage in any activity, quite frankly, that is deemed to be “detrimental to the best interests of the GRP”, you can be removed from office (via something akin to an impeachment) by a 2/3 vote of the quorum of a duly called State Committee meeting called to hear the evidence (See Rule 7.5 of the Rules) …and, if they determine that ANY of your actions taken while holding an elected party leadership position at the state organization level are detrimental to the purpose of electing Republicans to public office, you will find your rear-end voted out and removed from office in the GRP.

And…inherent in each county party committee and each district committee party is the same…exact mechanism in their rules and by-laws. You participate in these committees, and you actively work against a Republican candidate, you can be removed for cause by that respective committee.

So…just for discussion purposes, for those of you who are running for a state level party position, and who have admitted that you did not like Mitt Romney last year, and you didn’t work to try to get him elected…all those activities back then are fine because you were not elected to any position in the GRP.

BUT, these kinds of activities are not “fine” for you to engage in if you are in an elected position with the GRP, and work against any Republican whose name appears on the General Election ballot for a winnable-seat (“winnable” as decided by the numbers and commonsense, because, NO Republican will ever convince enough voters in, say, the 4th Congressional District, to vote Republican. Ain’t gonna happen, no way, no how.)

So, just to be clear, if, say, Phil Gingrey is the Republican nominee on the 2014 General Election ballot for U.S. Senate…and you don’t think he’s “conservative” enough by your standard…and you are State GOP Chair or you hold ANY other elected party position in the GRP…and you either seek to directly impede the election of Phil Gingrey in November 2014, or engage in any activity deemed “detrimental to the party” by the State Committee (e.g., fail in carrying out duties to support every single Republican candidate on the November ballot), you can be impeached.

You need to think about all the aforementioned facts if you think you can run the party the way you think it should be run by ignoring established Rules, because while you may think it oughta be a “rule” that dictates how “Republican” someone is in order to qualify to get on the ballot…the laws of this state prevent you from doing that. And, if, as Chair of the GRP, you attempt to prevent someone from qualifying, you will set the GRP up for being sued for not following GRP Rules.

Now, if you want to criticize candidates, don’t run for a party office or hold any such position in the GRP structure. You can act like, well, me when I call-out Republicans for doing things wrong. I’ve never sought anything higher than a precinct party position for the simple fact that I do not wish to abide by the Rules to keep my mouth shut when I observe State Senator Shouldna-Done-That or State Rep. Are-You-Out-of-Your-Freakin’-Mind? acting in a manner that I disagree with.

Oh…and while I’m sure there are some of you who think the majority of the State Committee are nothing but a bunch of old Goobers, Gomers and Betty Lous from 30 years ago whom you think may topple over and die at any moment…yeah…you keep thinking that…because if you violate the Rules, and, essentially give aid and comfort to the enemy (i.e., enable the Democrats to win a Republican winnable-position), and violate your implied DUTY to the GRP for which you ran for office and got elected promising you would serve on behalf of…you will see an injection of energy in those “old geezers” who will be inspired to come after you via a State Committee investigation and vote for your political death like the kids in Lord of The Flies hunted down and slaughtered like that pig.

3) The GRP is not a “policy” promulgating organization. It is a legal entity formed to communicate the Republican philosophy and to win elections. It is also the entity designated by Georgia law to act as the conduit of the legal process of “qualifying” candidates to run for office. “Qualifying” as used in elections in Georgia is not what the Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines “qualifying” to be. Qualifying is a specific legal process defined by Georgia State Law (also referred to as O.C.G.A.).

The GRP does not get to choose who qualifies to run on the Republican ballot for public office. This is an Open Primary State, which means the VOTERS who show-up for the Primary, who choose a Republican ballot, and then cast their votes…they are the ones who decide who they want to win the primary and get on the General Election ballot to oppose all comers, Dems or Libertarians.

SO…as you hear from candidates at the convention make all kinds of bullshit claims as to what they will do for you to ensure that such-and-such candidate pays attention to the grassroots, and blah-blah-blah, you need to know…and understand these…two critical…FACTS:

A) It is the role of the GRP to elect Republicans to public office.

B) It is not the role of the GRP to choose which Republican is elected to public office. That choice is made during the open primary by the VOTERS, not the GRP.

The ONLY people who can “hold a politician’s feet to the fire” are the VOTERS in that district/state.

And, in conjunction with these two Facts is Rule 7.6 of the State GOP Rules which says the following: No member of the State Committee, nor the executive leadership of the GRP, nor the state party staff, nor appointed members of the GRP, nor the member of any county party committee, nor the members of any district party committee can use their official title or position in any way to help one Republican candidate over another in any contested primary.

So, with Rule 7.6…it’s going to be really difficult for some of the folks I’ve heard claim that they will personally “vet” each Republican candidate that is on the ballot…because, well, if they are on the ballot, the candidate has already qualified for office (i.e., paid their qualifying fee and filled-out paperwork).

And, the only way to do any kind of “vetting” would be for you to invoke your “official position” to add weight to your “vet”…and if you do that, you are violating the GRP Rules…and in violating the Rules, you’re not acting any differently than the Republicans you might claim to be in “violation of Republican principles” in their elected acts, are you?

And if they are on a ballot with one or more other Republican candidates, you cannot, by virtue of your position as State GOP Chair, or whatever, step into a contested primary and proceed to “vet” anyone.

And, if they are on the ballot in either a non-contested primary, or the General Election ballot…and you seek to “vet” them at either of those points??? Well, then you’ll likely be challenged by the State Committee on your acts and accused of helping the enemies of the Republican Party. Because, at that point, that will be the only possible interpretation of your acts.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 29, 2013

Angelic Moore, former 2004 Republican nominee for Fulton County Clerk of Superior Court, today officially announced her candidacy for State House District 54, currently held by Representative Edward Lindsey. Lindsey announced April 11th that he is seeking the nomination for the 11th Congressional District and will not be seeking another term in the Georgia House of Representatives.

As the nominee for Clerk of Fulton County Superior Court, Moore handily won District 54 precincts. She says, “This election is crucial to Republicans in Fulton County. If we lose this seat, we will lose our delegation’s majority. If we lose the majority, we lose our opportunity for further reform. Losing is not an option.”

“This seat needs to be filled by a person who understands the layers of bureaucracy and general waste of Fulton County taxpayers’ dollars. I worked as an administrative and constituent service assistant with the former Fulton County Commission Chairman Mike Kenn trying to cleanup Fulton County government. I know about these problems and have seen them firsthand. And, in order to continue vital reform and have our concerns addressed, this seat needs to be filled by someone who has working knowledge of the General Assembly. Having worked at the State Capitol and with legislators for nearly twenty years, I have that institutional knowledge.”

“Representative Edward Lindsey and our county delegation have made great strides, but we still have a lot of work ahead of us. I will continue working towards our goals of a reformed Fulton County government and fiscal responsibility not only at our county level but state level. House District 54 is vital to the economic sustenance and development of Atlanta as Atlanta is the heartbeat of our state’s economic well-being.”

Moore, who works with former Lieutenant Governor Nominee and State Representative Matt Towery as Vice President of Insider Advantage/Internet News Agency, is a graduate of Georgia State University, and has worked tirelessly as an active Republican for nearly twenty years including having worked at the State Republican Headquarters, and recently served as the Atlanta chairman for Newt Gingrich’s presidential campaign. “Progress is what will sustain our community and our state. The key is reform: county reform and tax reform.”

The campaign has two growing committees.

The District Steering Committee includes:
Brent Bremer, Brent M. Bremer Attorney at Law
Jill Chambers, former Republican State Representative and businesswoman
Bill Ellis, Callaway Geer CPAs
Hal Nowak, Hal’s on Ivy
Chip Sykes, Holliday Fenoglio Fowler, L.P.
Beth Wallace, Sotheby’s Atlanta Fine Homes.

Chairing the Advisory Committee is The Honorable Matt Towery, and other notable leaders on this committee include:
Senator Steve Gooch
Senator Jeff Mullis
Senator Jesse Stone
Senator Ross Tolleson
Representative Brett Harrell

For additional information please contact:

Angelic Moore
(404) 491-0054

Rumors have it that the fix may be in for one Respondent at today’s meeting of the Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission* in downtown Atlanta.

Here’s a link to the Meeting Agenda.

On Page 2 of this Agenda is a series of Case Numbers dealing with “Karen Handel.” Four total, to be precise. She is the “Respondent” referenced to above.

With the prefix number of “2010”, they appear to all be cases filed during the 2010 election cycle in which Handel was running for governor.

As you may be aware of, Handel has not announced yet that she is seeking the U.S. Senate race, but she has confided in some folks that she will enter that race.

The “fix” that may be in for Handel is that one of the five Commissioners who will sit in judgement today of whether the allegations against her warrant an investigation by the AG’s office…is actually working on getting his own candidate for the U.S. Senate race in 2014.

That Commissioner is named Heath Garrett. As most everyone knows who has met him, Heath Garrett is likely one of THE nicest guys you’ll ever meet, in Georgia, or anywhere else. That is a fact to recognize.

He’s also in the top tier of Georgia-based political consultants who is always more than ready, willing, and able to sell-out his Republican street cred for money (good money, mind you, but he’ll trade Republican principles for money just about any day of the week, and twice on Sundays).

AND…parallel to the concept of Garrett actively recruiting a candidate for the U.S. Senate race is this ever-so-slightly-too-convenient-case of Garrett sharing office space, and being really good buddies, with the person who is currently the chief strategist for Phil Gingrey’s U.S. Senate run: Chip Lake of Glendale Strategies.

Click here for address for Garrett’s company
Click her for the address for Chip Lake’s company

Both have the address of:
57 Waddell Street
Marietta, GA 30060

And, for those of you unfamiliar with downtown Marietta, this is a pretty podunk-sized building…so, yeah, they know each other.

Now, is all this relevant to anything? Well, yeah, it kinda is. Because, again, Garrett currently sits on the f/k/a ‘Ethics Commission’ and has, not only a 1/5th vote, but can also engage via Q&A to try and mislead the other 4 commissioners into a direction that would be more advantageous to him (and his money-making interests) and worse for someone like Karen Handel who may oppose both his own potential client (whoever it may be) AND a potential opponent to his current office pal-mate’s current candidate for U.S. Senate (Chip Lake’s candidate Phil Gingrey).

Now, golly, wouldn’t it be swell IF the f/k/a ‘Ethics Commission’ actually, itself, had a set of standards in which to operate that stated in a rule (or, be still our beating heart, in an actual law) that the people who sit on the “ethics” Commission cannot be actively involved in POLITICS FOR MONEY???

That way, Heath Garrett (again, nicest guy you ever want to meet) would not have to face this dilemma he will face today because he would not be sitting on this commission now!

But, nahhhh…that concept would make TOO much sense to the yahoos who sit on the Georgia State House Ethics Committee…and who have proclaimed over and over and over…and, yes, OVER to PV that “Look, where would it end if we banned conflicts of interest? No one would be able to serve in the government if we did that! What a silly, silly, silly idea you have, PV.”

So, in conclusion…will Heath Garrett have the integrity to completely recuse himself from…well, quite frankly, ALL these cases dealing with Handel…as well as these other cases dealing with groups like Tea Party Patriots (groups that were a part of the effort to beat the T-SPLOST down last year…which just happened to be the ballot initiative Heath Garrett was working in favor of…and missed-out on a big win bonus because of Tea Party-related groups)?

Gosh, don’t things like “ethics in government” just suck? If we could just…you know….trust our political “leaders,” life would be so much more happier and more carefree. (Sigh…Calgon, take us away for our bubble-bath…)

—————————————————————–
* Just as an FYI to those of you who may be kinda new to Georgia politics as to what this 7-word “commission” is all about (i.e., “Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission”).

See, for nearly 25 years prior to 2010, the name of this entity was “Georgia State Ethics Commission.” Four words. Just four of the simplest words that explain everything in 2 seconds or less. AND, a title dreamed-up by the Democrats, of all people.

In the Legislative Session of 2010, newbie Speaker of The House David Ralston hit upon an idea: “This concept of ‘Ethics’ is just too mean-sounding. I’m going to change the name of this commission to this big-ass, more complicated, more-wordy name and specifically insert the word ‘Government’, ’cause people like me do not know that ‘state government’ was ALREADY a part of this ‘commission.'”

Thus the reason why we have the current name of “Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission”…because a Republican thought that ‘bureaucra-cizing ‘ the commission name would trivialize the entity, apparently.