The Citizen Newsletter

The Conservative Voice of Henry County

Issue # 379

January 12, 2013

Henry County Board of Commissioners Makes Several Appointments

After a unanimous decision to appoint District IV Commissioner Reid Bowman as Vice Chairman of the Board and reappoint Shay Mathis as County Clerk, Commissioners approved several other board appointments

In This Issue:
Page Feature 1 2 2 3 3 4 5 6 6 7 9 BoC Appointments Henry Releases Financials The Study of History 912 Project News Cherokee GOP Us vs. Them, by Joanie Scott Commentary: Stockbridge Budget Bidens Gun Control Task Force Mr. Nick Obama Picks Hagel for Defense Obama Picks Brennan for CIA

Appointments to the Recreation Board are as follows: District I- Robert T. Mitchell, Jr., District III-David Wilkerson, District IV-Terry Sanders and District V-Eugene Edwards. Appointments to the Henry County Water and Sewerage Authority are as follows: District IMichael Barr, District III-Jimmy Carter, District IVHarold Jenkins and District V-Carlotta Harrell. Appointments to the Zoning Advisory Board are as follows: District I-Alton L. Head, District IIEdward Toney, District III-Jim Risher, District IVVikkie McReynolds, District V-Delander Nelson and the Chairman appointment is Larry Babb. Appointments to the Henry County Development Authority are as follows: District I- Geoffrey Cauble, District II-John Bozeman and District IIICharles Mobley. Appointments made to the Library Board are as follows: District I-Marianne Morfoot, District IIISandy McGarity and the Chairmans appointee is Janice Lowe. For the Council on Aging, appointments are as follows: District II-Geraldine Tanner and Carolyn Floyd and District III-Janie McGarity, Charlie Tomlinson and Judy Gilbert. .

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Henry County Releases Annual Financial Reports

The Henry County Finance Department has released its Popular Annual Financial Report (PAFR) and Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) for FY2011-12. The documents both detail the finances of Henry County for the year, though the PAFR presents the information in an easy to understand format, making it readable and accessible to all citizens. They are available on the Countys website for review at www.henrycounty-ga.org/Finance.

History is the Ideas, Hopes and Dreams of a People

Here is a good description of history by Dr. Stan Deaton and myself at the end. By Dr. Mike Moon, D.D. Many people assert that professional historians should only celebrate our past and focus on events and people in history that make us feel good about ourselves. Above all we should stick to the facts. But history is a discipline, and the critical examination and interpretation of historical evidence is an essential part of what professional historians do. Good history goes far beyond a dry recitation of facts. Facts are highly subjective, selectively chosen to buttress a particular viewpoint, and they never speak for themselves. We all understand that contemporary issues are complex. Why do we expect our history to be any less complicated? Its no more a summation of facts than the world in which we live now. Our past like our present is a complex maze of interlocking economic, political, social and cultural forces that historians struggle to understand and recreate. No account of the past is ever completely impartial, because no human endeavor is or can be. The best historians constantly ask new questions of old sources and re-examine previous interpretations in light of new evidence. No biography or work of history is therefore ever definitive. The past never changes, but history the telling of the past does. Certainly much of our past is heroic and inspiring. Thats often what draws so many of us to love it in the first place. But to examine it uncritically simply to make ourselves feel good or confirm what we already know would be indoctrination, not education. Certainly much of our past is heroic and inspiring. Thats often what draws so many of us to love it in the first place. But to examine it uncritically simply to make ourselves feel good or confirm what we already know would be indoctrination, not education. Leaving out the parts of peoples lives that may seem distasteful to us today does a disservice to everyone. History is about what weve achieved, but also about what weve failed to achieve. And history with boundaries cheats us all.
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A healthy debate about the meaning of American history in all its complexity and messiness is an essential part of a vibrant constitutional democracy. History is the ideas, dreams and hopes of a people who think and study on ways to make things better for everyone. Dr. Deaton is with the Georgia Historical Society and is a fellow historian. I have been a part of the History of Henry County for a long time now beginning with the aid to Mrs. Rainer when she put the Mother of Counties book together back in 1971. I was a teen at the time and helped to locate and sort papers for her. I learned a great deal from Miss Vessie. History is part of our souls and in our everyday lives. But in any history it is right to make it the truth and not something to sound good at the time. I have had pieces of work published around the world and much of it relates to Henry County so people can see a part of what our lives is truly about. Never stand in the way of history because it is made daily and many dont even see it. I have watched this county grow from a farming community with a small population to a bustling suburb community to Atlanta with a growing population of all races and religions. We have become part of the International face of Georgia. But the history of the past remains and is the foundation for all we see and live by.

HENRY COUNTY 912 PROJECT NEWS

All Henry County 912 Project Patriots, First, please allow me to wish each one of you a very joyful and prosperous New Year. I know there are a lot of difficult issues that we must face in 2013 but we will face them together. It is important to remember that "WE ARE NOT ALONE." We have been meeting on the 2nd Monday of each month for the past three years. However, due to scheduling conflicts for the Henry County Meeting Room in 2013, our new meeting day will be the 3rd Monday of each month for the entire year. This is not bad news. This should make it easier for you to plan ahead knowing the exact date for the 912 meeting. Meeting times will remain the same, gather at 6:30PM and the meeting starts at 7:00PM. Please plan to bring your enthusiasm, your ideas and your Patriot friends to the meeting on the 21st of January. I look forward to seeing you then, and to a more exciting and productive Henry County 912 Project in 2013.

Cherokee County GOP

From CCRP Chairman Bob Rugg: The Cherokee County Republican Party extends its congratulations to Brandon Beach for his successful run for the Georgia State Senate, filling the seat vacated recently by Chip Rogers. We know that Brandon will do an excellent job of representing Cherokee County. Brandon is a Premium member of CCRP and we offer whatever help we can to aid his transition into this new position.

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UPDATE ON HENRY COUNTY SHERIFF KEITH MCBRAYER

Sheriff Keith McBrayer had chest pains on Saturday morning, January 5th, and was taken to Piedmont Henry by his wife Susan. After a procedure in which two stints were used, he was recovering well. He is at home recovering since Monday. Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers.

Us vs. Them
Posted by JOANIE SCOTT, Proof of Right HTTP://PROOFOFRIGHT.WORDPRESS.COM/2013/01/09/US-VS-THEM/

Following are excerpts from Scotts article. Please visit Proof of Right.

Them The Special Interests.

Ive been chronicling instances that have occurred in Henry County over the last four years of crony capitalism, favoritism, and blatant quid pro quo from some of our elected official whove been beholden to Special Interests. Real estate developers; lawyers; bankers; certain civic and business groups deals have been struck which have enriched many of them and in exchange campaigns have been financed in order for power to be retained. And the cycle goes on and on. Like many of you, I had never really paid much attention to local politics until a few years ago when I realized how corrupt things had become.

Us The Taxpayers.
During my research today for this article, I came across a cached version of a defunct website call HENRY COUNTY ONLINE where I read an editorial letter written in 2002 by a similarly pissed off taxpayer that nearly left me speechless (if thats possible). After reading it, I realized not a damn thing has changed in the decade since she wrote it. It reads, in part:

Again, alongside the same hardworking, battle-weary citizens, we struggled through dirty campaigns to fight to dethrone two highly controversial and unpopular county commissioners who had taken advantage of their positions and lost sight of the will of the people and stood firmly to support the will of the developers, their strong financial campaign supports.

The Gentlemans Agreement Argument Fails

The argument made by some of the Commissioners yesterday that, when it comes to these board appointments, there is a Gentlemans Agreement to go along to get along. But if that were the case, why bother voting at all? If these appointments didnt matter to the rest of the county, why not simply allow each Commissioner to make the appointment and be done with it? Those who think this vote is a formality

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are disrespecting the taxpayers. Theres a reason why appointees must be voted on by the full Board of Commissioners. Case in point, all of the members of the 2007 Development Authority were responsible for purchasing the Cottonfields Golf Course for which we currently owe $12 million dollars. Every current taxpayer in Henry County will have to pay for it and that is why every Commissioner gets a say so as to who sits on the Development Authority.

District Three Commissioner Gary Barham is one of Them.

Every one of Barhams appointments is a throwback to the same old Henry County good old boys group that has disrespected the taxpayers. Barham, with these appointments, has chosen the status quo.

Please visit Proof of Right to read more: HTTP://PROOFOFRIGHT.WORDPRESS.COM/2013/01/09/US-VS-THEM/

Commentary: Stockbridge City Budget

Recently Stockbridge approved a redesigned budget created by the new mayor. The mayor who was ousted recently had presented a new budget for 2013. After looking at both budgets it is clear that the newly designed budget was already in the works before the old mayor was ousted. The city adopted a $22million budget for 2013 up approximately 3% over last year. A special called meeting for adoption came on December 27, 2012. The approved budget includes more than $9 million for the citys general fund which includes public works, administration, Stockbridge Municipal Court, police, parks, government buildings, city events, code enforcement, executive and governing body funds. (A sizeable amount for a city of this size.) The city is designating $11.8 million in non-general funds which include enterprise funds for storm water, sewerage, sanitation, water, city events and funds for the Merle Manders Conference Center and Ted Strickland Community Center. (Storm Water, sewerage, sanitation, and water are part of taking care of the citizens best interest. City events could be cut even more since there is no money for the Veterans events. Then the funds for the Merle Manders and Strickland Centers should be from the renting of those facilities to various groups for meetings and such. Some ran on platforms of cutting funding for these facilities due to the budgets they have and they have turned around and are doing exactly what they ran against.) Nearly $6.5 million is budgeted for capital projects in the city, which covers SPLOST funds and money for transportation enhancement. (The citizens that live behind the Food Depot would hope that some of this money would go toward adding sidewalks, fixing the intersection of Nolan St., and overhauling the other areas of roads that are the responsibility of the city. Most of the roadways in the city are delegated to the County and State D.O.T. systems.) The budget anticipates $9.2 million in general fund revenues, which is an increase from the $9.1 million in the 2012 budget. (Hopefully, this will materialize. With businesses leaving and the economy on fragile ground, it is hard to say.) Stockbridges hotel/motel tax budget will remain at $87,500 and permanent funds for the citys cemetery will stay at $350. (Now this is just great. There are three cemeteries in the city that are considered city
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cemeteries The Stockbridge City on North Henry, Burks Cemetery on North Henry and the Memorial Cemetery over on Cemetery Street. And they expect $350 to take care of the upkeep of these cemeteries? They can find money to build a sign that says Welcome to Eagles Landing that will cost way too much, they can spend nearly $1 million dollars to buy and revamp the old bank building, but they want to choke on $350 to the upkeep of the cemeteries.) Folks let me tell you all something. The citizens of Stockbridge have not had to pay any property taxes in some 34+ years now, so the announcement that the negotiations with the county will keep them from paying property tax this year or the next ten years is hype. The city over the next ten years is only going to gain three tenths of one percent of its share from L.O.S.T. At the rate things are increasing in price this will be obsolete in four years. The people want to know where the town hall meetings are held if any, they are wanting to know where the meetings are being held for laying out districts as promised for the city, they want to know why a city council person who was voted out of office was reappointed to the position. (They have nothing against this person personally they just want to know the reasoning behind it.) They want to know when the new mayor is going to present a candidate or candidates for the office of city manager. Several have asked what is happening with the historical society (which is meeting in private since the city doesnt seem to care.) They are wanting to know when and where new businesses will be relocating to Stockbridge to bring jobs to those who are unemployed in the city. They want to know if the city is going to be run by a mayor and three council persons for the foreseeable future because two of the council members are left out of the loop. The African American community is asking questions as to why any funding was cut for the Black History Gala. These are just a few of the questions and statements being made in the community where no answers have been coming. Well, it is election year and there will be some new faces; that is for sure.

VP Bidens Gun Control task force

Statement from the NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATION-NRA after their meeting with Vice-President Joe Biden: We were disappointed with how little this meeting had to do with keeping our children safe and how much it had to do with an agenda to attack the Second Amendment. While claiming that no policy proposals would be prejudged, this Task Force spent most of its time on proposed restrictions on lawf...ul firearms owners - honest, taxpaying, hardworking Americans. It is unfortunate that this Administration continues to insist on pushing failed solutions to our nation's most pressing problems. We will not allow law-abiding gun owners to be blamed for the acts of criminals and madmen. Instead, we will now take our commitment and meaningful contributions to members of congress of both parties who are interested in having an honest conversation about what works - and what does not.

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Mr. Nick
We Are Henry Magazine WWW.WEAREHENRY .COM

Mr. Nick (as he is fondly called by the students at Woodland Middle School) represents what Tom Brokow describes as ...men and women whose everyday lives of duty, honor, achievement and courage gave us the world we have today.They are the greatest generation. When you talk with Mr. Nixon you realize this soft spoken gentleman is an American treasure, and his life experiences put him up where the air is rare indeed. Mr. Nixon was born in New Orleans on December 21, 1926, and raised in Houma, Louisiana. He became a Marine recruit in March of 1945 at the age of 18. Private Nixon was among the 20,000 Afro-Americans Marine recruits who received basic training at the segregated Camp Montford Point, adjacent to Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. Most of the men trained at Montford Point went on to serve as members of support units in the Pacific theatre in World War II. Private Nixons first duty assignment was in the Norfolk Naval Yard. He laughs as he recounts ...we were the first black Marines anyone had seen and we received mixed reactions from other Marines and civilians.I just wanted to do my duty and serve like any other American. Then U.S. Marine, Southern Nixon, Jr. received the assignment that proved to be a defining time in his life. He was sent to Hawaii! I was on Waikiki Beach every chance I got. The young people were very curious about us and very nice.One day a Marine Colonel came up to me and told me, he was proud because we wanted to serve our country and we were a credit to the Marines. I still remember that day. We were Marines and we had a job to do. We were proud and happy. Friendships were formed with the Hawaiian peopleall in all, it was a great experience. When the war was over, Marine Private Nixon joined the Air Force and served his country for another four years! I asked Mr. Nixon if he had any advice for the younger generation. He paused for a moment and told me: Your time in service is invaluable for anything you want to do. Whether you decide to make it a career or go to the next challenge that life offers you. Change comes slow and I am so glad I have lived to see how much this country is changing every day. I have seen many different people and countries. I am proud to have had the opportunity to serve my country.

OBAMA PICKS HAGEL FOR DEFENSE; ANTI-WAR, ANTI-ISRAEL ACTIVISTS REJOICE

HTTP://WWW.BREITBART.COM/BIG-PEACE/2013/01/07/TAKE-THAT-OBAMA-PICKS-HAGEL

What more would you expect from our ANTI-ISRAEL President? It is official: President Barack Obama will announce the nomination of former Senator Chuck Hagel as Secretary of Defense on Monday afternoon. In making his choice, the president has fulfilled the worst
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expectations of his foreign policy critics, while delighting anti-war activists and the anti-Israel left. The Hagel nomination represents the return of the radical Barack Obama, hitherto hidden under an opportunistic anti-terror persona. There is, as Bill Kristol observed last week, no case for Hagel. His supporters cannot cite any substantive reason he should be Secretary of Defense; instead, they argue that Hagel must be appointed in order to spite many of his critics. Peter Beinart of the Daily Beast confirms that assessment with his weak defense of Hagel this morning: he must be appointed, Beinart argues, to destroy the Republican foreign policy establishment. Not to defend the country, not to strengthen our military, but to win a political argument. Beinart--whose wife worked for the White House vetting operation, a fact that is rarely mentioned when he comments on politics but is perhaps relevant here--represents the lefts consensus on Hagel. (And on other matters--Beinart is so slavishly politically correct that he is careful to assign female gender to a hypothetical Martian in his piece.) The case against Hagel is clear. He has opposed sanctions on Iran while supporting negotiations with Hamas, the terrorist Palestinian group. He voted for the Iraq war but opposed it at a time when pulling out would have led to civil war and genocide. He has openly expressed bigotry against gays (for which he has offered a belated apology). He prefers a smaller military and a humbler America on the world stage. As does Obama. Those pro-Israel, pro-defense Democrats who argued that Hagel was the wrong man, being considered for the wrong job, at the wrong time (as Alan Dershowitz put it) now face the reality that they have been used, and abused, by Obama. Dershowitz in particular renewed his endorsement after being reassured that Obama would support Israel and stand up to Iran in his second term. Obama misled him, and to many others. Jewish legislators are unsettled by the choice of Hagel, a man who once railed against the so-called Jewish lobby. Sen. Chuck Schumer has refused to endorse Hagel. Even far-left Barney Frank, who covets John Kerrys Senate seat, opposes Hagel. Perhaps now we will be spared the absurd, empty boasts of the likes of Democratic National Committee chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who has insisted that President Obama has been a better, more consistent friend to Israel than previous administrations. It is amusing to watch liberal pundits like Michael Tomasky and Andrew Sullivan fall all over themselves to excuse Hagels anti-gay views: It's really not hard to imagine that what Hagel thought on that issue in 1998 isn't what he thinks today, says Tomasky. So much has changed. Hagels anti-Israel, anti-neocon views trump everything else. The left likes Hagel for the same reason President Obama does: he offers a chance to punish the Republican opposition, first by making them argue against one of their own, second by assigning him the task of slashing defense budgets and capabilities. And all under the veneer of a contrived bipartisanship that unifies the ascendant anti-war left with the rejected isolationist right. Welcome to the new, flexible, second Obama term.

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Obama to Nominate Hamas & Hezbollah Supporter as CIA Director

DANIEL GREENFIELD, FRONTPAGEMAG.COM Just when you thought that Chuck Hagel was as bad as it was going to get, wait until you meet John Brennan. AMERICA, MEET YOUR NEW CIA DIRECTOR.

Brennan gave a speech to Islamic law students at New York University, where he was

introduced by Ingrid Mattson, president of the Islamic Society of North America. Mattson, who had been involved with the Obama inaugural prayer service, had come under fire then for her organizations longstanding terrorist support. During his NYU speech, Brennan defended the administrations highly unpopular move to try al-Qaeda operations chief Khalid Sheikh Mohammed in federal court (which the administration eventually backed away from). He claimed that terrorists are the real victims of political, economic and social forces, said that Islamic terrorists were not jihadists, referenced AlQuds instead of Jerusalem, and described the 20 percent of former Guantanamo detainees returning to terrorist activities as not that bad when compared to ordinary criminal recidivism. During a talk at the Nixon Center in May 2010, Brennan said that the administration was looking for ways to build up moderate elements of the Lebanese terrorist organization Hezbollah. Two weeks later, at a speech at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Brennan defended the Islamic doctrines of jihad as a holy struggle and a legitimate tenet of Islam.
And Brennan has had a great track record so far. A UNAMBIGUOUSLY qualified to replace Petraeus.
TRULY SPECTACULAR TRACK RECORD WHICH MAKES HIM

a known top U.S. Hamas official had been given a guided tour of the top-secret National Counterterrorism Center and FBI Academy at Quantico under Brennans watch, several former top intelligence and defense officials again called for his resignation. Last month, it was revealed that Brennan was implicated in a serious intelligence breach detailing an ongoing counterterrorism operation led by British and Saudi intelligence agencies that had placed an operative deep inside the al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) organization. The White House leak forced the termination of the operation and the immediate withdrawal of the double agent, infuriating our foreign intelligence allies. Just two weeks ago, internal White House documents obtained by Judicial Watch through a FOIA request revealed that Brennan and other White House officials had met twice with Hollywood filmmakers preparing a movie about the killing of Osama bin Laden, providing them unparalleled access including the identity of a SEAL Team 6 operator and commander along with other classified information. Amazingly, these high-level White House meetings between Brennan and the Hollywood filmmakers took place just weeks after the Pentagon and CIA had publicly warned of the dangers posed by leaks surrounding the successful SEAL raid killing bin Laden.

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