The Citizen Newsletter

The Conservative Voice of Henry County

Issue # 374

November 8, 2012

With Your Help, the Henry County Police Department Wants to Recreate the Past See Page 2

In This Issue:
Page Feature 1 2 2 3 4 4-5 6 7 7 8 Ben Franklins Warning Obama Wins 2nd Term $6 Billion Later Henry PD Asks Your Help Amendment 1 Wins Approval Henry County Elections Your Voices

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN'S WARNING that

as soon as people learn they can vote themselves money from the treasury, it will signal the end of our republic. This warning resonates again and again as we watch our freedoms dissipate under the current administration and its ruthless treatment of our ethical framework, and our laws. People often wonder, sometime piously, how it is that tyranny occurs. We like to think the populations victimized were somehow less savvy, more gullible, or asleep at the wheel. We think ourselves better somehow, and that it could never happen here. Every generation that has fallen to tyranny has believed the same comforting fable. They only learn that they, too, were susceptible to tyranny when it is too late.

The Citizens View

Henry Community Coalition Boehner Puts Tax Hikes on Table

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Barack Obama wins election for second term as president

President Barack Obama handily defeated Gov. Mitt Romney and won himself a second term on Tuesday after a bitter and historically expensive race that was primarily fought in just a handful of battleground states. Obama beat Romney after nabbing almost every one of the 12 crucial battleground states.ack Obama wins election for second term as president In a sweeping victory speech early Wednesday morning, Obama thanked every American who voted, and vowed to work with leaders from both parties to tackle the country's challenges. "Our economy is recovering, a decade of war is ending, a long campaign is now over," he told a crowd of cheering supporters in Chicago. "And whether I earned your vote or not, I have listened to you, I have learned from you and you have made me a better president." Obama added he has "never been more hopeful about America. ... We're not as divided as our politics suggest. We remain more than a collection of blue states and red states." Romney conceded in Boston in a speech around 1 a.m. ET. "Like so many of you, Paul [Ryan] and I have left everything on the field. We have given our all to this campaign," Romney said. "I so wish that I had been able to fulfill your hopes to lead your country in another direction. But the nation chose another leader." Romney congratulated the president and his campaign on their victory.

$6 billion later, Americans voted for the status quo. Republicans will keep the House. Democrats will keep the Senate. Obama will keep the White House. The Obama campaign ran a very good campaign. The Republicans did not. There was no fraud. There was no stealing the election. There was just a really good ground game from Barack Obama. There will be a lot of blame to go around, but, if Republicans are honest, theyll have to concede that the Romney campaign ran a bad campaign and only almost won because the President had a bad debate. Romney could not even win his home state, his second home state, or his vacation home state. Whether you can bring yourself to say it or not, like it or not, Barack Obama, today, is your President. As for you conservatives who are convinced today that suddenly we are a socialist nation, sober up and pay attention: the next two years are going to be some of the most impactful and fun years in the conservative movement. Republicans who, overnight, were screaming about the country headed toward socialism are, if we are honest, not yet deprogrammed from defending Mitt Romney. The Romney campaign, truth be told, has been pathetic at defining a real, right-of-center alternative to Barack Obama.

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With Your Help, the Henry County Police Department Wants to Recreate the Past
The current Henry County Police Department was formed in 1991 as a response to explosive population growth that only recently abated with the economic downshift of the past few years. Although growth has slowed, interest in the origins of policing in the county have increased to such a level that the police department has decided to set out on a journey of self-discovery. With the help of citizens, the Henry County Police Department wants to recreate the past. Not to be confused with the Henry County Sheriff, who has done an excellent job of researching and documenting the history of that elected office in Henry County (CLICK HERE), the Henry County Police Department is looking for help in preparing a timeline of its history prior to 1991. Early badges and patches from retired officers and families have surfaced that hint at an existence in the 1960s and prior to midcentury. Artifacts and anecdotal evidence suggest that the county police department may have existed in some embodiment as early as the 1940s or before. However, information is sparse and research through the countys own documents is limited to 1991 and later. The Henry County Police Department is requesting the assistance of local residents, many of whom have lived here for a lifetime, who have personal ties to, or relics from, a bygone era that could find a showcase in this endeavor. Photographs, agency public information releases, print newspaper articles, names, dates and photos of the chiefs of Police, badges, patches, uniforms, training certificates, commendations and the like, earned by early department members are all being sought by the Department. The goal is to formulate a timeline of official police enforcement in Henry County, outside of the Sheriff and municipal agencies. In addition to tangible records, the Department seeks personal or civic stories prior to 1991 involving any command staff, patrolmen, detectives, and other personnel, precincts, incidents, cases, trials, promotions, liaisons, meetings, and contracts, and any activities of the many who served our county by wearing the uniform of the Henry County Police Department under that name, or any other. Coupled with the artifacts of the era(s), these oral histories can help illustrate a compelling cross-section of the historical and social fabric of Henry County through the guise of the Henry County Police Department. If you are able to assist the Department in this project and/or would like more information, please contact either Major Mark Amerman at MAMERMAN@CO.HENRY.GA.US or (770) 288-8277 or Researcher Kimberly Monast at KMONAST@CO.HENRY.GA.US or (770) 288-8133. Please DO NOT send unsolicited tangible materials without contacting us so that we may protect and be accountable stewards of your property.

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Charter Schools Amendment Glides to Victory

Georgias Constitutional Amendment 1 passed by a comfortable margin Tuesday. It will re-establish a state commission that can approve and fund charter schools over the objections of local school boards.

The amendment passed even in some parts of Georgia where it was not expected to do well. Supporters, by contrast, argued that the measure would expand the opportunities for school choice for the states students and their families. And that was the perspective that seemed to prevail for the majority of voters around the state, including Atlantas Chase Jackson. "I voted yes, because Im the product of a charter school, and I think theyre a great opportunity for most kids," Jackson says. "I think its all about the kids, either way it goes." The pro-amendment campaign focused its efforts on metro Atlanta, but the amendment exceeded its supporters expectations outside of the city as well, including in Bibb, Richmond and Chatham Counties. The charter school lobby heavily outspent the amendments opponents, and the amendments passage was also likely aided by ballot language that opponents argued was written to encourage yes votes.

The Citizens View:

In our experience there is a difference between "teachers" and educators. Still, those charged with educating our children are not, and never were the problem. It is the system of monopoly tied intrinsically to the flow of federal and state dollars that dictate policy, curriculum and outcomes. Given opportunity for competition and parental choices, the whole of Education will benefit.

TOMMY SMITH ELECTED HENRY BOC CHAIRMAN

Henry County voters chose Tommy Smith as the new Commission Chairman for 2013 Tuesday. Smith, a former mayor of Hampton, defeated Chairman Elizabeth B.J. Mathis in the Republican primary. Smith ran for office on a platform that highlighted a commitment to public-safety workers in Henry County.

BO MOSS (R) JAMES C. MAYS (D)

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9339 6421

59.17% 40.68%

BRIAN PRESTON (I) R J. ANDERSON-WOODS (D

9762 8338

53.90% 46.04%

Republican businessman William J. Bo Moss defeated attorney James C. Mays, a Democrat, to represent Commission District I. Moss got 9,339 votes, or 59.17 percent, while Mays received 6,421, or 40.68 percent. GOP District II Commissioner Brian Preston, an accountant, defeated Democrat businesswoman Jackie Anderson-Woods to retain his seat on the BOC. Preston received 9,762 votes, or 53.9 percent, and Anderson-Woods got 8,338, or 46.04 percent. In District III, Republican Gary Barham, former public works director for the City of McDonough, was unopposed in his general election bid. He will be sworn in to serve on the commission in January with Smith, Moss and Preston.

Brian Strickland: STATE HOUSE 111

BRIAN STRICKLAND (R) BILL BLACKMON (D) 13054 11570 52.99% 46.97%

McDonough Charter Referendum Fails

McDONOUGH An attempt to rewrite the charter that outlines the form of city government in McDonough failed Tuesday, while Sandra Vincent won a special election for the District 2 seat on city council. Voters were asked whether they wanted to amend the city charter to transfer the existing administrative powers and duties of the mayor to the city administrator and provide for the powers and duties of the city administrator.

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Your Voices
On social media
STEVE TARVIN You got to love political pundits that talk about the mandate this election just put on Washington. Let's see 100% of the house members just got re-elected. And for all who insist on our being a democracy, 60% said government should be smaller and 65% said we should not raise taxes. As long as Obama pays attention to the "mandate" I'm Good with the election results. JEFF STANLEY That's the way it goes. I voted for a man I didn't want to vote for to cancel out a vote for a man I didn't want to win....what good did that do? I feel I let myself down when I had the opportunity to cast a vote of protest against them both....I'm just venting. CHIP CONNER A very sad day for America. I am sure those who love Socialism are rejoicing. GREG WILLIAMS Its unfortunate that the state of Georgia doesn't exist in a vacuum. Because GEORGIANS had a great night, educational choice and freedom won, Romney/Ryan won, Hunter Hill won in the most important state senate district in the house, and we have a GOP legislature that now has the tools to put Georgia at the top of the list as the best place in the USA for companies to found/expand their businesses. PATRICK CORK For the first time in my adult life ... I'm scared for my child's future. I suddenly wished that I never studied history economics and political science for all those years. I thought NEWT GINGRICH was our best choice and I'll admit that Romney wasn't my first choice but, what I witnessed here tonight was that it didn't matter if we had nominated the Pope he would have lost to the Chicago political machine that allows a President to hug our enemies and snub our allies. ARMED FORCES TEA PARTY Tonight we mourn; tomorrow we fight. That's what we do. We are Americans. Our country has survived far worse crises and we will survive Obama. In the words of Captain Lloyd Williams, USMC - "Retreat, hell we just got here!

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Ten Commandments Judge Roy Moore Restored to Chief Justice of Alabama Supreme Court
Roy Moore, also known as the Ten Commandments judge, edged out his Democratic opponent Tuesday to win back his seat as Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court. Moore won by a vote of 52 to 48 percent, garnering just under 100,000 more votes than Democrat opponent Bob Vance.

The Citizens View

We are Americans. We will survive because that is what we do. Political parties and the cults of personality are not America. America is the still the last, best hope in a world of chaos. Our founding principles - the great experiment in Liberty and Freedom will end only when we resign to its demise. We have not survived The New Deal because we are still paying for FDR's legacy. Call it Stimulus or Welfare or whatever, the intrusion of government into our private lives and private industry is socialism. The 47% and their sympathizers figured it out. Not only the poor among us, but all classes have learned they can vote themselves a share of the public treasury. We have an ample supply of politicians who also know the perks, profits and benefits of pandering to that segment of our society. Yes, we have a Republic - if only we will resolve to keep it. They say all politics is local..... We are the same people we were one day ago, one week ago. Henry County is our home and we will survive this national election. Mike Lustri said, Henry County has some very good and wise people. In the end, it is about doing what is right. We got it all together; and together we got it all! We'll get 'er done!!! The meaning in our political lives stopped being about Democrat or Republican a long time ago. Focus must be held on quality of life and principles. We must never forget we are Americans with differing ideas about which roads to travel, but we are all going to the same destination.... a country where liberty and freedom are more than rhetoric.

Henry Community Coalition, Inc. To preserve, protect and promote a

diverse and sustainable community by participating in governmental processes, communication with our elected officials, and supporting open government. You are invited to our next meeting on Monday, November 12. Meeting starts at 6:30pm at Fairview Elementary School, 458 Fairview Road, Stockbridge, GA. Phone: 770-474-8265
WWW.HENRYCOMMUNITYCOALITION.ORG

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Roger's BBQ in Hogansville, Georgia "A Southern Tradition Since 1945" What's On The Menu for Thanksgiving?
Holiday Orders: Let us cook your Thanksgiving and Christmas meal for you! You just enjoy your company. WHOLE SMOKED TURKEYS AND HAMS Deadlines coming soon to order your Thanksgiving smoked turkey and hams, plus dressing, stew, vegetables, casseroles and dessert

What's New? Home cooked Casseroles & Desserts

Roger's BBQ in Hogansville is now providing a large variety of casseroles that our wonderful cooks have created for you. With all of our busy lives, we do not always have time to cook for our family or friends, special occasions, church, funerals, reunions, etc. But we want to take something special to these folks. So we have made some special casseroles and desserts for you. Our casseroles are Poppy Seed Chicken, Creamy Vegetable, Squash, Broccoli, Green Bean,

Potato, Creamy Corn, Sweet Potato, Macaroni and Cheese, plus we have desserts too. Desserts are Banana Pudding cooked to order, Peach Cobbler, Cream Cheese Brownies, and Lemon Bars.
Casseroles and desserts are frozen, ready for you to thaw and bake except for Homemade Banana Pudding. Check out our order form. CASSEROLE ORDER FORM. We can prepare larger orders for parties or corporate events. Just give us a call.

What's Happening?
Standing Rock Red Barn Auction on November 24, 2012! Preview at 4:00 pm EST, auction at 6:00 pm EST Mr. and Mrs. James Kent Arnold of LaGrange, GA are offering select family estate antiques for collectors & buyers this holiday season! JW Smith, Auctioneer at auction ZIP.COM, ID#31566 Click on this link for details HTTP://WWW.AUCTIONZIP.COM/LISTINGS/1590353.HTML
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BOEHNER PUTS TAX HIKES ON TABLE

by AWR HAWKINS

The day after Obama's spend, spend, spend, and tax, tax, tax, policies garnered him a second term in the White House, House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) offered the president a way to save the economy which included RAISING TAXES "under the right conditions."
With all due respect to Speaker Boehner, when in the hell are the right conditions to raise taxes? Our economy is not simply on its last leg but its last knee. We are down, and headed toward down and out if the president continues along the path he's been on for four years. How in the world can taking even more money out of the America peoples' paychecks help this situation? Any additional increase in taxes will make the already high gas prices, the looming end of the Bush tax cuts, and the $2600 more a year middle class families are paying for healthcare under Obama unbearable. Tax hikes could truly spell the end of middle class upward mobility. For those of you who've come of political age under Obama, the phrase "middle class upward mobility" speaks to the fluid nature of capitalism, and the way a family that is middle class today might save and invest wisely or open a business, and rise from the middle class to the upper class tomorrow. Such mobility has been largely absent under Obama, and it could be lost for a number of future generations if the Republicans in the House try to play nice and give Obama everything for which he asks. If Congress wants to do something for the people, cut spending and cut taxes. As the government's take and obligations shrink, the people's purses will grow and money will flow through our economy again.

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