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04-27-05

Smoky bars are like drinking in sewers. Eventually you don’t notice the smell and the diseases don’t show up until later, so who cares? Like drunk driving, if you are lucky, you’ll survive.

We should all be incensed at the lack of true representation by and for Fayette County citizens under the Georgia Gold Dome. This was illustrated in the recent session when people who are not Fayette residents, or whose main support base is not in the county, attempted to force district voting for commissioners, etc., on us. Where were our stalwart Fayette County Republican power brokers when the county was carved up like sliced liver, resulting in this representation fiasco? There is no way that Fludd, Seay, Yates, Abdul-Salaam, or Jordan can truly represent the interests of a majority of Fayette County citizens. Redistricting certainly sold us down the river, and I would like to know how and why. Anybody have an answer? It is interesting that these “outsiders” who claim to represent us on the state level are the same ones trying to bring us district voting on the county level so they can also manipulate things for their own narrow interests down at the courthouse. The great silent majority of Fayette Citizens ought to be out in the streets protesting this deplorable situation.

To the new administrators of The Fred, we don’t want our amphitheater taken to a new level. We like it just the way it was; just look at the renewal rate. When I purchased my tickets I was told the complaints about the series were overwhelming, but I understand the new administrators are saying there have been very few complaints. Who is the headliner? You might want to be a bit more visible and hear what your patrons are saying.

Now that we can purchase frozen drinks at The Fred, I need a clarification. Your Web site states alcoholic beverages are limited to beer and wine only. I assume we can now bring any type of alcoholic beverages to the concerts and the Web site just needs to be corrected. Did you even think to look at the number of complaints at a concert based on the volume of alcohol sold at concerts? Could someone explain the party tables that are now available and why they were not offered to the season ticket holders? And last I was told the ticket price increased because tax was previously not charged on tickets; what’s the deal with this?

Bring back Peggy, Lisa and Darlene to run The Fred. We don’t need people from out of state being hired to run The Fred. We need people from this community running The Fred.

One of our local citizens wrote last week that our taxes paid had doubled in the very recent few years, and that the elected officials here in Peachtree City and the county spent it all. If the excuse is schools, police, etc., then why doesn’t that mean that more people moved here to pay their share of taxes and that taxes shouldn’t have needed to increase, except for possibly inflation, which Mr. Bush says we haven’t had much? The problem is wasted capital expenditures, added unneeded salaries, and not using zero-based budgeting. Instead [they are] just adding to what was spent last year, each new year. Our newspapers also need to quit giving these politicians a crutch by bragging, or publishing their propaganda, about the lack of increase in the rate, when re-evaluation, which cost them nothing, is the cause of the bigger cash outflow for us, the homeowners. We are not all fools, or work for the government.

I suspect the county commissioners had reason enough to fire County Administrator Chris Cofty. I know of an instance in which he looked the other way when environmental-related county ordinances were being violated, even though he admitted a violation had occurred. The overuse of his expense account might seem like a minor reason to let him go, but it still shows his poor judgment and his arrogance towards Fayette taxpayers. He certainly wasn’t worth his $120,000 salary. Good riddance.

Pulte Homes’ plan to turn the sprawling Adams/Rivers property into a high-density, old folks’ ghetto will certainly continue to test the mettle of our politicians who were elected to uphold our low-density county land use plan. The results of this challenge will tell us once and for all if Fayette County will continue to be the kind of place we’ve all bought into, or if it will follow the path that Clayton, DeKalb, Fulton, etc., have all slid down. I’m betting that the good old boys of Fayetteville will be the ones who let us down, since they’ve had no experience saying “no” to anyone with big bucks to spread around, and appear to favor anything that goes against the county land use plan. Of course they’re supported by the in-house developer/builder moguls who have already been protesting “loudly” in this newspaper about the commissioners’ initial vote against this juggernaut. They’ve long been itching to poke holes in the low-density land use plan for their own exploitation. More low-density, quality homes, even with required schools, etc., which should be paid for by the new residents, are more appropriate and would preserve some semblance of our present lifestyles. Leave the old folks’ ghettos to the already overbuilt areas. Pulte, go redevelop land used for some old abandoned shopping centers or declining neighborhoods, or do something that can be a win-win situation. We don’t want to be your “losers” in Fayette County. I think if our politicians lose on this one, we can write this county off as a lost cause. And, I’m one of the “old folks.”

Scribe Beverly inquires (in reference to the request by the city of Senoia to tap onto the PTC sewer system): “Should a PTC governmental entity, unelected as the WASA board is, do this to their fellow citizens?” The reference to being “elected” is distracting. First, the fact that WASA might “do this to their fellow citizens” is because they have to. They have a very precarious financial profile (made much more troubled by the departure of good customer Photocircuits). WASA’s financial problems were caused by much too high a purchase price in the first place. Should WASA “do this to their fellow citizens”? No. Do they desperately need to do this? Yes. The elected part is irrelevant. When a fraction of the voters in PTC elected our past councils, the Old Guard shoved this sewer acquisition down our throats at a bloated price. All this from the same folks who gave us Harmony Village. Ironic that you will now see the Old Guard praising this deal and yet acting differently in the past. On the Internet, for example, I saw that back when Tyrone needed sewer for such real needs as an environmental and health need at the Sandy Creek school complex, the PTC council said “no.” Former Council member Annie McMenamin was quoted in the paper as saying, “Not on my watch.” Why the change now? Hmmm. While we appreciate your youthful optimism, Mr. Beverly, it is time to face reality: Fayette and PTC will end up looking like College Park and East Point in a few short years.

After voicing my opposition about the decisions the Development Authority of Peachtree City was making about the Tennis Center (at a Peachtree City Council meeting), I was approached by a Development Authority member who (sadly) suggested that I need not be concerned about the “how, what, where, when and who” particulars of the money decisions made by the authority members. He reminded me that the tax dollars that were being spent were not my tax dollars but the tax dollars of guests of the local hotels. Can you believe these men really thought that they could spend, award contracts and build whatever they wanted simply because they thought no one would ever question them because they were not spending “our money”? Thanks to Mayor Brown for reminding them that they are accountable for every penny and it is “our” money once it is collected. One has got to wonder why astute business men didn’t keep records of financial transactions. I guess because it was “their” money, not “our” money.

Why is it that right-wing Christians, who supposedly believe in eternal rewards and punishments, are always the ones most vehemently in favor of capital punishment? Don’t they trust their God to administer justice? Or could it be that deep down in their hearts, they really don’t believe in fairy tales? As an atheist, I support capital punishment for a few very heinous crimes because I figure that the worst punishment you can mete out to someone is to deprive them of the rest of the only life they will ever have. I can understand why an atheist would support capital punishment, but why would a sincere, believing Christian?

I was at a ball game for my son in Senoia and to my surprise the team was cursed by one of their coaches. I think that parents should be aware of this and ask your son about their meetings at the end of the games. Apparently, this is acceptable in our area but it is not acceptable to me and our team parents. Our children are out there to have fun and if they win, well, that is an added bonus.

I also worked with Sarah Collier at Trust Co. Bank. I can’t tell you how many times she cried and related to me how her daughter abused her and her husband and mistreated her to the point of violence. How can she even think that she had no part in the death of her parents? She should have been at home taking care of her daughter instead of being out doing things that got her locked up.

Thank you for printing the “What now for killer teens?” article. I think it could be a very effective lesson to teens who may have difficulty understanding the long-term ramifications of crime and drug use. Has Greg Moffatt considered speaking about this case at our area high and middle schools? Perhaps preventing something like this from happening again would be the only silver lining in this very dark cloud.

Criminals getting “easy street” was a good topic in your paper. You had articles, letters, and Free Speeches. One real good person with the right idea wrote in. Her name was Trisha Stewart and she wrote that “if a [Fayette County] family has enough money, power or prestige in this county the chances [are] a habitual drunk driver will not spend any time in jail for multiple offenses.” Bingo. Well, Ms. Stewart, you’re right, you have the right idea but you are banging your head against a brick wall. Folks have known for years around here that if you’re in with the good ol’ boys, you get a “DUI-vers” license, so you can drive home drunk from the golf course or wherever. Or with the case Ms. Stewart mentioned, that drunk driver (or drug dealer or molester or whatever) will just hire the right lawyer who “knows” the district attorney or the judge somehow and there will be “special circumstances.” That’s the way it always will be with prosecutors that quietly drop all kinds of cases and judges like our local judge who didn’t bother to read the arrest warrant before locking up some lady over that cat case. The guy who had it right was the Free Speecher who talked about the girls in that Harvey murder case and the lousy stinking sentences when he said, “Our courts are a joke, and our judges are buffoons.” Those girls won’t serve 10 years. Just watch. And to answer the other guy in the Free Speech, that’s why when folks have stray dogs messing up their yards they think about letting the ol’ 12-gauge take care of it rather than calling that dog judge.

Keep up the good work, Chief Murray. As the mother of three daughters, I am grateful for your management of the Peachtree City Police Department and the proactive steps you take to keep my girls safe. You may not be the FBI or GBI, but you’ve been catching dirt-bags they’ve missed. Those who don’t like the actions you’ve taken to help keep our kids safe on the Internet are either clueless Potato Heads or dirt-bag predators who want you off their scent.

Some of the citizens of Peachtree City need to wake up and get their head out of the sand. If you are waiting for the FBI or GBI to do something about the dog-fetish Internet pedophiles in our city then don’t hold your breath. I for one feel safer knowing my children are being protected from these vile, worthless humans I read about in your paper. I only wish more agencies would follow Peachtree City Police Department’s lead. Get off your high horse, Peachtree City.

On Apr. 19, a young boy (17) was sentenced to 11 years in prison following consensual sex with a 15-year-old girl, in Douglasville, Ga. What would Lincoln do? He was a fair and earthy man. I think he would have been appalled at such a sentence. When will the legislators and the governor of Georgia be brought kicking and screaming into the 21st century? When will they learn that even though Georgia has the highest incarceration rate in the world, Georgia children have the lowest SAT scores in the country? This has to tell you that something is wrong in the state. What is wrong is that the Pardons and Parole Board is unbalanced, composed of only former law enforcement people whose entire orientation is over-sentence, lock up forever, thus enhancing the prison population and keeping the DOC budget high, thereby siphoning off funds from education and healthcare. This latest travesty of justice is a perfect example. What do you think Lincoln would have said about all of this?

This latest letter to the editor from Peter Pfeifer and Greg Dunn was insulting. This latest letter was where they tried to “butter up” Alice and John E. Jones of North Fayette. As if folks are fooled by your bringing in one lousy recreation project and then looking around for votes. Where were you guys all these years when you were defending Judge Melear during all of his crisis when he was impeached? One letter to the editor doesn’t fool people.

I disagree with the person who wrote that this McNew fella (talk about a pseudonym) who has suddenly started writing to the paper is writing well. He reminds me of the wannabe academics in college who would get high and then come to the library trying to talk like Renaissance men. While trying to prove us with how smart they were, all they ever proved was how stoned they were.

I’ve never been a great Jane Fonda fan, but I’m tired of hearing self-styled Vietnam-era veterans whining about her exploits in Hanoi. Their anger should always have been directed at themselves for getting sucked into this misadventure, and at their government which lied to them to suck them into it. Plenty of us who served in that era could see through the scam, and nobody with half a brain could have failed to see what was going on when they arrived in the theater. [Stuff] like spitting in Jane’s face, or incessantly blowing off steam in protest against her just further denigrates Vietnam-era veterans in the eyes of the public, most of whom weren’t even born then. Give Jane Fonda credit, though; even as a dippy young starlet she had brains enough to see through the Vietnam scam. Those who couldn’t are probably of the same ilk as the ones who’ve turned the White House over to Dubya and his oil baron buddies and are now whining about Iraq and high fuel costs while driving SUVs.

04-20-05

Let’s see: if I’m contemplating murdering my grandparents, I know the worst that can happen to me is to be taken care of by the taxpayers for 20 years. Of course the judge may “sternly question” me. Is there anyone satisfied with these sentences besides the murderers? Five “life sentences” for a total of 34 years. They will be young women when released. Our courts are a joke , and our judges are buffoons.

I think Carla Harvey has a great of nerve to think she had nothing to do with her parents’ death. I worked with Sarah Collier at Trust Company Bank and saw first-hand the physical abuse that Sarah suffered at the hands of her daughter Carla. I specifically remember her mother coming to work with a black eye. Holly lived a life where she saw that it was all right to abuse her grandparents. Carla is just as responsible for the Colliers’ deaths as Holly.

Big Mike, Does this mean there won’t be anymore Peachtree City Golf Cart Skinny-dipping Tours? Other police departments hunt down murderers and robbers. Peachtree City police have to settle for skinny-dippers on golf carts.

The Peachtree City Chief of Police has said that he needs 30 to 40 more officers in order to patrol our cart paths. That certainly will keep us citizens from asking about that again! Wow! What a tax increase that would be. I have lived here since 1984 and use the cart paths more than most. I have yet to see a policeman, junior patrol, volunteer, or even cart path repair people. I sincerely doubt if the chief keeps his eye on all of the banks 24 hours a day, seven days a week, but he does check the door handles a lot at night. Just let them know that you are on the path once in a while.

Even though there are no sidewalks in Peachtree City, I’ll just bet you the city management would like to see the cart paths closed, especially the police. These paths provide just about the only way to meet new people here and are very valuable as a way of life. Of course these same reasons are why we have no city youth center of any size that would have adequate facilities to attract teenagers; too hard to manage.

Police Chief Murray says he needs more officers. He needs to check with Morgantown, W.V., and see how they get by with 50 policemen (same as Peachtree City) and approximately same population as Peachtree City except they have to deal with another 29,000 college students added to the city’s population. I think it is called management not political posturing.

The citizens of Peachtree City would be better served by their police department if the officers stepped out from behind their false identity as a 15-year-old promiscuous girl surfing the Internet to an actual law enforcement officers providing safety and security to our local paths and streets. They are not the GBI or FBI. As the April fools edition proclaimed, “Get off your high horse, Chief Murray”!

With Steve Brown’s “strong support” from Tyrone and Brooks you think they could convince him to move to one of those lovely communities so he can’t run again as mayor of Peachtree City. Best idea I heard since he was elected by 20 percent of the voters.

When the major expansion at the Peachtree City Tennis Center was approved, the previous Development Authority members were also employed by Group VI and Peachtree National Bank. Group VI got the multimillion dollar job and all or most of the financing and bonds went to Peachtree National Bank. Indirectly, or perhaps directly, these men that held these dual positions made a lot of money. Yes, they were all friends of former Mayor Bob Lenox. These so-called “Friends of Tom” who are planning to protest Mayor Brown are wacko and they will only bring shame to Tom Farr’s memory, not honor.

What was your real motive in criticizing the actions of the Friends of Tom Farr after they had the guts to step forward to defend Tom’s good name when he can’t defend himself? After all, who made the comment which started this movement? Wasn’t it Mayor Steve Brown who voiced this comment? How can you describe our response as low-class political bashing when what we did was to give an account of what took place (as reported by The Citizen), ask the mayor to cease and desist engaging in this type of tactic to advance himself and his own political and personal agenda, and call for a public response to the mayor’s comment in the next city election? Also, how do you feel that the members of the Farr family, which has done so much for this area, felt about what the mayor said? If you indeed looked at the list of those who signed the document, how can you possibly say that “anyone who ever knew Tom Farr knows his advice would be to stay home and not attend such a distasteful event”? Sounds to us that your item in Free Speech and your advice for us to “stay home” and not defend Tom are things which would be most welcomed by Steve Brown and his friends. Steve Brown’s attack on the late Tom Farr is just one of a series of actions like this on the mayor’s part. Should we just stay home and let him continue this type of behavior which so often results in bringing further embarrassment to our city? We don’t think so.

Tom Farr was a decent man. Even those who casually knew him recognized that. The current mayor in Peachtree City is an embarrassment. The vast majority of PTC residents have come to realize that. Nevertheless the “Friends of Tom Farr” might consider the fact that Tom Farr was the loan officer at Peachtree National Bank who loaned over $1 million to the Development Authority of PTC of which Tom Farr was also a member. In essence, he loaned money to a governmental entity on which he sat as a voting member. Turns out that governmental entity had little to no accounting practices, was being funded contrary to the law (i.e., with hotel-motel tax money) and was poorly managed. Now we have a loan in default and the taxpayers of Peachtree City may have to repay it. I suggest those members of the Development Authority who accepted those loan proceeds repay the loan that is now in default.

Look out, Peachtree City. It looks as if “Tom, Tom the Piper’s son” has moved into our midst. While he feels he is an all-star, we feel his penchant to run willy-nilly over little old ladies in tennis shoes indicates otherwise. If we are lucky, maybe his balloon will burst. Roger and out.

It took the county commissioners almost four weeks but they finally found a reason for firing administrator Chris Cofty. The best excuse they could make up was that he had as much on his expense account for 2004 as he did in 2003. What a joke. It is amazing that the commissioners couldn’t come up with the reason when they first fired him. Maybe it was short-term memory loss.

Why is the finance director still employed by the county? Mr. Pulliam developed and implemented the purchase card program that apparently was abused by both Mr. Pulliam and the former county administrator. The finance director knew and understood the policies of the purchase card program and repeatedly chose to violate those policies. Of all people connected with county government, the finance director should be the one setting the highest standards in fiscal matters. How are the citizens of Fayette County supposed to trust a finance director with taxpayer money after he routinely used our taxes to pay for his expensive lunches? The answer is that he abused our trust. It’s time for him to go.

Let’s see if I have this straight. We elected an “anti-Wal-Mart” mayor, who is now pro-Target and pro-Walgreens. Could it be that as long as the congestion is at the entrance to someone else’s subdivision, it’s okay?

Mayor Brown, Chairman Dunn, Peter Pfeifer, Bob Lenox and the rest of the self-serving RINO politicians and political hacks: With all the talent in Fayette County this is the best we can do for leadership? Is the only alternative we have is to vote Democrat? Yuck! We are dead meat indeed.

Your newspaper recently listed John DeCotis’ salary as $140,645. It appears he actually makes about $24,000 more than that amount. Look at all Fayette County school district employee salaries listed at this site. I am very curious as to why the school district did not provide you with the accurate figure.

I don’t understand the reasoning of renting a lawn chair and not being able to bring in your own. What is the difference except a fee now to sit in a chair on the lawn of the same place we were going to put our chairs on? Is the ticket fee going down for the lawn seats? How are their chairs not going to obstruct the viewing of the stage? What also was the point of the frozen drink deal; how is that such a wonderful upgrade? Will we be offered pizza and Chick-fil-A and popcorn for the food?

What is happening at the Fred? Deli Delicious is now out of the contract because they wanted to promote the food more than $10 frozen drinks, and now you cannot bring in your own lawn chairs for the reason of viewing space but you can rent a chair from them? What kind of reasoning is this? It’s either you can have lawn chairs or you can’t. Not you can, if you rent them from us. Oh and by the way, they did talk of having waiters at the concerts. I think we are going to lose our home town atmosphere for the New Orleans type atmosphere. With a full bar and frozen drinks being offered we will be asking what is happening on the golf cart paths as more and more people are encouraged to drink then to eat. If you have ever gone into Martini’s you will know that drinking is encouraged beyond one’s limit. They do offer a taxi service though, so be prepared to see taxis lined up at the front of The Fred. Can hardly wait.

If Greg Dunn gets his county police force, will the commissioners be voting on who will and who will not be prosecuted, a la the unloaded shotgun in the Tax Commissioner’s office? Also what about Fayette County Sheriff Department? Do we need two separate law enforcement agencies for the county? Great example of why we do not need a county police force.

Congrats to both The Citizen and to Mr. Bill McNew, a recent contributor to your letters section: The Citizen for actually delivering a paper to me twice in the last six weeks and to Mr. McNew for his extraordinary writing talent. I hope both of you keep it up!

Lance Armstrong is the kind of hero I hold up to my children. He has survived an advanced stage of cancer and brought hope to so many people. I can not wait to see him here in town. I think the person who wrote such negative things about Armstrong might want to read his book. In the book he writes about his three children and how he met his former wife after he was cancer-free. He wrote all about what his former wife, Kik, went through to have their three children. Yes, sir, a hero to hold up to my kids.

Lance Armstrong, thanks for leading the way (in France and even right here in our own community), and showing us that even spreading cancer can be beaten. We will miss your dedication and spirit.

Awards for sale: Wasn’t that our own U.S. Rep. Lynn Westmoreland (R-District 8) who was on the April 6 news show handing out the for sale “Physicians of the Year” awards for those physicians who had donated the required $1,200 to the Republican party? For the right amount of money, you can be a hero. We have the best government that money can buy.

Local politics here in Fayette are now primarily based on whether or not one wants to hear their politician talk about his religion and his values, rather than what he intends to vote on once in office to benefit his community. Just “talk about,” not necessarily live by. I now notice the federal politicians are doing the same thing. Let us take a look at our next vote for representatives for those character flaws.

I’m sorry, but the journalistic abilities of your staff is just embarrassing these days. A prime example would be the article just written concerning the teen robbery outside of Waffle House. The teens “scampered off” to Big Lots? A robber of the vitamin store “scooped up” cash? This is a crime story in a town newspaper, not a small work of fiction you did as homework for your ninth grade creative writing class. Choose your verbs more wisely; otherwise, you come off like a joke.

I feel that it is absolutely absurd that we have shows such as the SuperNanny. Has it gotten so bad that parents cannot discipline their own children? These parents are the ones responsible for making their kids this way, then they expect someone to come rescue them. Have you ever heard of the word no? It works if you use it and enforce it. Twenty years ago we did not have these issues and there sure was not a SuperNanny to come to the rescue. Children were taught manners, respect, morals, and once in awhile a good old spanking does not hurt. Is it really that difficult to act like a parent and place the blame where it needs to be? You create it then want to complain. Grow up.

Ten Commandments: Granted the list of commandments in Exodus 20 is nicer, but it is bothersome that it requires borrowing the tablets and the “10 commandments” from Exodus 34. That is too much cutting and pasting for any timeless truths exempt from the fulfillment of Christ. We live under God’s love and salvation now. All of the laws were fulfilled by Christ, even those divisive laws against abortion and gays. It is inappropriate to use any laws from the Bible to intimidate, to dictate to, or to discriminate against our fellow man. God’s grace applies to us now. And the only laws which apply are those of the United States. Better to give up the withering biblical law and accept the blossoming universal Grace.

Catholic cardinals, please note: In today’s media-driven world a photogenic smile, friendly demeanor and good packaging are more important than good judgment or a solid grasp of reality. Example: George Bush.

Local residents protest Iraq War: Please tell me, what are Coweta residents doing protesting in Peachtree City? Why not protest in Coweta County where they live? Let’s not be naive to the fact that there is a serious hatred of Americans in the Middle East that has been allowed to fester for the past two generations and the World Trade Center tragedy is a result of that hatred. We can bring our troops home and wait for the enemy to come again. Would you like to get called up to defend your neighborhood? I don’t believe that we are in Iraq for oil. If so, we could have gone in a long time ago. We are in Iraq for the stability of the world and our own country. Many people in the Middle East have been persecuted by their leaders and deprived of the very basics of life. These leaders have brain-washed their people to believe that it is America’s fault for their condition. The only way that peace can come is through education and freedom and that takes time. I am proud of our troops and appreciate their sacrifices on our behalf.

Why do all the pet owners get bent out of shape when a fed-up neighbor is forced to take matters into his own hands due to the irresponsible actions of letting their pets roam free? With total disregard to the leash laws they allow their pets to mess in yards, spread trash, scare my kids, and make themselves welcome as if I invited them over. My question is how would they feel if I sent my kids over to mess in their yards. Probably be a little bent out of shape, wouldn’t you think?

The difference between how the Nazis killed the Jewish people through starvation and how they killed Terry Schiavo is that even the Nazis gave their victims water to drink. Don’t tell me I don’t have the right to use this comparison as my grandfather was in one of Hitler’s camps. Funny, if Terry would have been a dog then the media and the world would have been outraged. Dogs and cats are mercifully put to sleep in a compassionate manner. But I guess in many people’s minds she was only a worthless crippled human. God help us all.

In regards to the loud, judgmental outcries we hear on the sanctity of life, I think Christian writers and speakers should at a minimum balance their response by reminding one to seek guidance by the Holy Spirit (James 1:5), reminding us of the beautiful gift of forgiveness when we are uncertain, and encouraging us in hope and belief in eternity. Yes, life is precious. Yes, everyone, disabled or not, has a divine purpose and has equal rights, but perhaps, we should not cherish life to the point of prolonging it as long as we possibly can. I pray and wish for peace to those God-loving, prayerfully people who consulting with God and sought wise counsel to make a life/death choice for a loved one. Satan is very witty. He can sometimes be seen most vividly in the unwarranted certainty of other believers. Let’s not get so bogged down in gray areas that we lose souls to the black and white: Jesus is the way.

It was hilarious to read someone’s comment about the “LaGrange Terri case,” trying to show their intelligence but not being able to get past the correct usage for the words “then” and “than”!

Abortions show us that abstinence has the highest failure rate of all birth control methods. Women (who want more than anything else to have a child) instead chose abortion because they understand they do not have the resources needed to properly care for or protect another life. The programs that could have helped them decide otherwise are being cut by conservatives (often Right to Lifers) who fight to only protect fetuses, not “once born” children. It does take a village to raise and protect a child, but conservatives don’t want government to do it, churches mean long-term proselytizing or begging, so abortions continue. Come up with a better solution and eliminate a lot of pain for both women and society.

04-13-05

Just a note about the Peachtree City 4th of July parade: In 1973 it was a family parade and kids, me included, decorated and rode our bikes in the parade. It was not about golf carts in those days.

Has anyone stopped to consider that the Lutheran’s opportunity to sell their property may not be “the answer to a prayer” as we understand that expression? Sad to say, but there are also other forces at work in this world. Since the Lutherans seem so determined to have their beautiful church replaced by a drugstore, regardless of any adverse impact on the city, what kind of a message does that send to the people of Peachtree City, especially to those the Lutherans would like to recruit for their congregation? They ought to stay where they are, expand to the maximum on their current property, as the Catholics have done, and work to overcome any bad publicity which may have already developed.

The Citizen’s Open Records Act requests should have asked about the fees paid to the county, city and Board of Education attorneys. That’s where the real money is.

While I agree that apartment communities can breed disaster for a community, I do not think the complexes in Peachtree City pose this risk at this time. I live in an apartment complex in Peachtree City and do not see any of the negative aspects that apartments supposedly have on communities. I am a teacher and my husband is an accountant. Being newly married, we knew we wanted to live in a safe community so we chose to move to Peachtree City. Like almost everyone else who is young and starting out, we could not afford a house, especially in Peachtree City, so we settled for an apartment. My apartment community is well-managed and most of the people who live around me are hard-working people in the industries of education, public service, and the airlines. I resent the stereotype that all residents of apartments are people who lump families together in an apartment and create crime. Just because someone lives in an apartment does not mean they are criminals or that they do not have a good job.

I say bulldoze Harmony Village and build some nice upscale housing on the land. Then, send the renters back to Clayton County. Oh, how I wish we could!

I moved from DeKalb to get away from this. You guys are being so “politically correct” that you will have another Stone Mountain, Indian Hills, deal before people can sell their houses. That was also an area of woods and trails and golf carts until this kind of thing started happening. Then those woods and trails and golf cart paths got really scary. No one wanted them or the house around them when someone was hiding behind every bush, with a good reason to be there. It was public property, but no one was guarding the fort. If the police and the town doesn’t get some [courage], you won’t be able to give your property away or be safe if you stay.

What can I say about PTC: Pampered, snobby and rude. If the citizens in PTC think for the last 10 years they have had a perfect city then they are completely delusional. I guess money does not buy common sense. The fact is PTC has always had a drug problem and violence. Where there is lots of money you will have lots of drugs and the GOOD stuff too, not the cheap stuff. Where there are drugs there’s violence. Also, it is not all the low-income people committing crimes. Have you checked the public safety reports? Yep, it is also you Smoke Rise teens and adults. As far as wanting the police to be posted at every golf cart path, that has got to be the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. Move to that crime-free place you are looking for and when you find it please let the rest of the world know about it. The way this city treats the police officers here is absolutely appalling. You call them Nazi and tell them off as if you are better then they are. You act like they owe you something because you think you pay their salaries. Reanalyze yourself and your actions [so] the police will be able to take care of the bigger stuff and not the fact that your neighbor took their dog off the leash to go potty and half of it landed on your property line.

PTC is a wonderful place to be from: to be AWAY from, that is. I’m constantly amazed at the childish bickering of the current and former mayors in the press; of talk about over-sexed eighth graders with “kill” lists; golf cart hold-ups; and the “CUCU-LULU” man that sounds more COO-COO everytime I read his words. April Fool’s Day? It seems to be that way EVERY day in PTC! And in regards to the church moving? Perhaps the rezoning will fail and they will sell for MORE money to a place like Hooters! At least they wouldn’t be open 24 hours and would give those pesky teens a place to hang out. Hey, Citizen, perhaps you need to publish more editions like the [online] April Fool’s edition. At least we can make excuses to our friends about the state of PTC!

The county commissioners want to convert the marshals’ office to a police force to keep unloaded shotguns out of the back areas of the county building? Go figure!

Rep. Dan Lakly’s opposition to legislation that would spare us from having to breathe the tobacco smoke of others has nothing to do with Nazi Germany. Dan smokes, and Dan votes for Dan. (The last time I talked with him I almost gagged from having to smell his stinky little cigars. How inconsiderate!)

Is there something we don’t know about our present town government in Peachtree City? Never in my life have I seen a large ad taken out in a local paper, signed by scores of “residents,” indicating that there is something sinister about one of our politicians because he was asked a question directly, and answered it directly. Now the politician could be wrong in his statement about who made money on the Tennis Center, but if he is, that is all it amounts to: He is wrong, not someone where old members of the development corporations, banks, and the Rotary Club, need to gang up on for war! The end does not justify the means, especially if the end and the means were bad. Someone obtained and spent one and one-half million dollars incorrectly for the benefit of those who play tennis, and the development people. The tennis outfit needs to either be run by the city, or by private enterprise. Let the bank have it.

The Tennis Center fiasco about a wasted million plus dollars, borrowed for construction or asset value, but spent for overhead, including salaries and expenses, can not be defended either by buying ads in the local paper, law suits, or blaming deceased people. The blame is the banks to bear. It made a bad loan and didn’t see to it that it was spent correctly. If they didn’t make a bad loan, why haven’t they foreclosed? If it were the fault of bank officers every time they made a bad loan, we wouldn’t have many bank officers. It is the bank’s fault.

Remember how Steve Brown got elected mayor by spending two years writing letters to the media about (among other things) the traffic congestion that would be caused by Home Depot and Wal-Mart? Of course, the building of Home Depot and Wal-Mart was something he couldn’t do anything about, since that property use was already permitted by the city’s master plan, but Brown definitely benefited at the polls by leading the dissent on this issue. Now a similar situation has developed during his term as mayor. A Best Buy is being proposed on the property adjacent to the Home Depot/Wal-Mart complex. While the proposed building meets the limitations of the city “Big Box” ordinance, this obviously can’t do anything to help the traffic problems along that stretch of highway. I wonder what the mayor will have to say about this situation.

Nice job on Flat Creek Golf Club’s renovation. It’s stunning!

Want to see a local example of the dysfunctional city of Atlanta? Just ride down Old Senoia Road between Redwine and Harp roads to see where they destroyed a perfectly good swamp last year at the old Sams Lake site to “create a wetland.” Then the first time we had a hurricane season trash-mover, their newly constructed earthen dam washed away. Now a barren mud flat awaits whatever. Maybe the city of Fayetteville will just annex it and bail them out, so to speak, with another high-density housing project, maybe on pontoons? It would be interesting to know who all got a piece of the airport money squandered on the little fiasco. They should have just left it to the far more efficient little beavers!

Looks like another Terri case, this time in our own backyard, in LaGrange, Ga., where it is reported an elderly woman is being starved and dehydrated to death. I guess those who warned us that first they come for the child in the womb, than the disabled and than the elderly …. Who next: those that expose them?

Headline on Page A13 of the April 6 edition: “Internet sex sting results in arrest of Cumming man.” Is this one for Leno’s “headlines” segment, or what?

To the parent disturbed by the out-of-district Whitewater baseball players: Sour grapes! The young men who are on the WHS baseball team E-A-R-N-E-D the positions they have; they didn’t “take” the spots. Coach Dixon doesn’t play favorites, unlike some other coaches I’ve dealt with through the years. If your son didn’t make the team this year, don’t blame it on others.

The Ten Commandments are listed in Exodus 20:1-17, not Exodus 34. The ceremonial and civil laws that are listed starting in Exodus 21 were fulfilled by Jesus Christ. But the Ten Commandments are different: they reveal God’s character, what He values and what His expectations are for human relationships. The Ten Commandments are timeless truths.

At some point in the last presidential election, Bush was asked about the increasing oil prices. I think what he said was that we need not worry about the price of oil as he could handle those who might want to rip us off. Someone needs to have the President’s handlers wake him up and tell him that the time has come for his little chat with his oil buddies before the economy takes another nose dive and we start seeing airlines, trucking companies and poor old farmers folding their tents and thousands of folks out of a job.

I am wondering if someone might explain to me the prevalence of drivers who make left turns at intersections in front of drivers who are trying to continue straight through the intersection. It is unlike anything I have ever seen anywhere else I’ve lived. The occurrence is so common that I went to the Georgia Drivers Manual to confirm that my own driver education had been correct and that Georgia law wasn’t different. As I thought it would, the Georgia Drivers Manual says: “When making a left turn at an intersection, alley or driveway, yield the right-of-way to all traffic from the opposite direction, then proceed when safe.” My interpretation would be that these drivers are failing to yield the right-of-way. By the way, I am not one of those drivers who likes to play traffic policeman from inside their car, motioning with hand signals to other drivers to “go ahead and break the law while I wait for you.” If this is a Southern “courtesy,” it is a dangerous one.

Due to the death of 149 million songbirds in three states, Wisconsin the latest, and scratched car hoods, and fouled flower beds, feral cats can now be hunted and killed. These are cats who wander at random with the owner showing little or no responsibility. We already pick up dogs for the same offenses in 50 states. Nasty cats aren’t harmless as supposed.

Friends of Tom Farr should be outraged that his picture, his good name and his integrity are being used in such a low-class politically bashing manner. You people need to stop making our wonderful city look petty and small. If you really do care and think you can do better then put your name on the ballot; otherwise sit down and be quiet. Anyone who ever knew Tom Farr knows his advice would be to stay home and not attend such a distasteful event.

Every store manager in Fayetteville should require their cashiers to read Lindsay Bianchi’s April 6 column. It’s not just the teenagers that don’t utter a hello or a thank-you. Most times when I shop I don’t hear anything from the cashiers; they are too busy talking and laughing among themselves. Last time it was a “here” as the receipt was shoved at me. A Target cashier actually tried to take my debit card and she proceeded to tell me that it was easier if she put it in the machine for me. I didn’t have time to wait for the manager to report her, but I will report her when I go back there. I have worked in retail sales and I have been a cashier. I was always trained to greet customers with a smile and a hello and a thank-you when they left. How hard is that?

04-06-05

A hold-up at gunpoint on the golf-cart paths? Great! I moved back to PTC because I recalled the great schools and climate in which to raise children from when I loved here 10 years ago. I live very near Harmony Village, and walk with my three young children everyday. Now do I need to find a new walking route? What are the police doing about these problem areas? Will there be a police person posted on the paths now? This is ridiculous. The problem needs to be taken care of now. This is an election year; people need to start demanding some change. I guess I need to move yet again.

Part of the problem in PTC is that an excessive amount of apartment complexes now exist. The owners of these properties have to compete with each other to attract renters, and so ridiculously cheap monetary incentives and short-term leases are offered. Additionally, government subsidized housing often attracts many that have spent a lifetime beating the system, and whose priorities are not always within the law. Apartment managers claim they do checks on prospective tenants, but in reality will let anyone with a deposit move in. Two or more non-related families often share one apartment. Crowding brings squalor, and squalor breeds crime. Let’s stop quibbling about the minor stuff, and get down to brass tacks, QUICK!

I was reading the Free Speech column where the writer asked, “Where do teens really have to go around here”? The writer must not have read about the number of PTC teens who have been arrested for breaking and entry, starting fires, drugs, alcohol, auto theft, shoplifting, vandalism, illegally driving golf carts, and loitering long after midnight on our golf cart trails. I really believe that the businesses of the city, the school system, the city government, and let’s throw in the churches for old time’s sake, are conspiring against parents by making our kids misbehave and commit crimes (Honestly!). Kids all around this nation would feel so fortunate to be catered to like the PTC teens.

To those who are upset because we don’t have teen clubs, skating rinks, movie theaters, etc., we’ve been down those roads before. It actually takes customers to keep theaters and skating rinks in business and the customers have to be willing to abide by certain standards of behavior. Once upon a time, PTC had a large teen club. It was great. The teens would leave the house dressed conservatively. By the time they arrived at the club they had undergone a transformation into something unrecognizable. In some cases, the transformation even took place while standing in the line to get in the door. I guess when they took the book-bag to the club it wasn’t really to do homework. Unfortunately, while the club remained open, teen alcohol arrests soared through the roof. We can’t blame the club. It didn’t sell the alcohol (once again, those darn book-bags). That club finally closed when a young man brandished a firearm and emptied the business. The second teen club made a good effort but also went bust. They wanted financial support from the city, but being a private business, this could have been a little unethical (I don’t know). Even the city has tried to get in on the act. The city used to sponsor weekend dances, but unfortunately the four teens in attendance grew tired and began to seek new and more exciting experiences at Starbucks. You can find them hanging out in the parking lot on Friday and Saturday nights (you get the point).

I guess unlike Terri, the Pope had a living will. Godspeed to both and may they be in Heaven before the devil knows they died.

We are a nation that has accepted the rule of law as our guiding principal in disputes. Terri Schiavo’s husband has legal jurisdiction. This is between her parents, her husband and the law. Everyone else butt out. P.S. Who paid for 15 years of 24/7 care, what was the cost, and who paid it?

Can anyone tell me what is going on with the opening of the Three Dollar Cafe? The building has been complete for months and it was reported in this very newspaper that they were shooting for an opening at the beginning of December 2004. I e-mailed your newspaper editor as well as the corporate office and neither chose to respond. Help!

Your reporter, DON’T BELEEVIT, who wrote in The April’s Fool Citizen that the PTC police “may soon have it’s own mounted force,” lost all credibility when he showed he couldn’t even write “its” correctly. To anybody with horse sense, that was smelly grammatical output.

I appreciate the principle of Booth Middle sending home a letter of concern about too many eighth graders having sex. I’m still waiting on my letter of concern about the “To Kill List” that was found at Booth Middle. I find both of these incidents very disturbing and would have appreciated a notification letter on the threat made to Booth students and teachers.

Lance Armstrong is not the kind of hero I would ever hold up to my children. Call me old-fashioned, but I prefer my heroes to have personal ethics rather than just physical accomplishments. He may have survived cancer, but he lost my admiration when he dumped the woman who nursed him through his illness, who is also the mother of the two children fathered with his harvested seed. Do you know any women who have had in-vitro and the trials and drugs they have to endure to conceive? I do, and it is daunting. Yet, after all that, he dumped her for rock star Sheryl Crowe. What a husband, what a father, and what a man. No, ma’am, not a hero I want to hold up for my boys.

Mayor Steele, please explain: The Fayetteville Planning and Zoning Commission showed good sense and a concern for public safety when they linked the approval of a temporary trailer at the hospital to a requirement that approval be obtained and installation scheduled for a traffic light at the entrance on Ga. Highway 54. A traffic light at this increasingly busy intersection is overdue. Mayor Steele and City Administrator Morton: Why would you try to subvert the efforts of the Planning and Zoning Commission to increase public safety for the citizens of Fayetteville? None of the development that is currently occurring there should have been approved without the installation of a traffic light to help citizens navigate this dangerous intersection. The Planning and Zoning Commission did the right thing when linked trailer approval to the installation of the traffic light. Mayor Steele and Mr. Morton: Do the right thing and back them up.

It is beyond me why the city of Peachtree City continues to NOT vote on turning down the developer and the Lutheran Church about selling out to a drug store. When it is evident that it won’t pass due to the planning commission recommendations and most all citizens other than some members of the church, it is delayed to maybe a more favorable time.

Men only allowed at the Peachtree City Tennis Center? The last female pro quit last week. The Tennis Center is having its 10th anniversary bash, it’s potluck, bring your own food and if you are a member it’s free. What a great deal. You would think for its 10th anniversary at least the Tourism Board would throw a big party and have it catered. Guess they aren’t bringing in the money like they said they were. Who wants to have a 10th anniversary party with people who haven’t worked there more than 10 months?

Thank you for the condescending reply to my vent about bicycles and Brooks. As a fellow venter noted, residents of Brooks are not notified when our roads will be taken over by the out-of-town bicyclers. They just arrive, like the locusts. This year, thank goodness, it wasn’t on baseball opening day, but they will be here soon. It actually wouldn’t be so bad if it was just once a year, but it is an everyday thing. As soon as the weather warms up, they arrive in hordes, riding three or four abreast and clog the roads. And yes, my family and I do own bicycles. We even ride them occasionally. But when we do, we go to the bike paths so as not to inconvenience other people.

What we need in Brooks is a paved bike path, or recreation area accessible to bicyclists. I heard of a plan several years ago to turn the old railroad bed into a paved path like the Silver Comet Trail in Northwest Georgia. That would be a great amenity and might be added to the current Brooks Park. Who do I go to to get this started?

Our county government has done an excellent job of alienating everyone in Fayette County. It should come as no surprise that Greg Dunn has gone into hiding.

I can’t believe the audacity of Gary Ortiz to complain about George Wingo showing his shotgun at the tax office. Why doesn’t he mind his own busy like every other citizen in this county and it sure would be a much better place to live. Mr. Wingo has been our tax commissioner for years now and has never shown any reason for him to not be trusted. He is also the one person that would take control of the Sheriff’s Department in the event that something would happen to our current Sheriff Johnson. I think he should be allowed to have a gun or shotgun in his possession. Please find some better things to worry about than a unloaded shotgun that was behind closed doors and not in the public view. Obviously it had to be an employee of the tax commissioners running his or her mouth or how else would this gotten so out of hand. What ever happened to respect in the work place of your employer?

Once I tried to pay my boyfriend’s car tag fee at the Fayetteville tax office. I waited until I got to the front of the line. Once there I was told that I couldn’t pay for his license tag sticker with a check. I was frustrated and asked to speak to George Wingo. He told me that they didn’t advertise this policy because it was “just common sense” to know that one couldn’t pay for another person’s car tag with a check. Today I learn that George Wingo thinks that it makes sense to take a gun with him to work in a public government office. No wonder his views and my views about what makes sense don’t line up.

For crying out loud, Pfeifer needs to give it a break. He’s doing everything except talking about the issues. We don’t want to know who visited you in the hospital, pal. We really don’t care if you are bosom buddies with Greg Dunn. The “moral” argument about paying back your campaign contributor at the bank was sickening. Where are the funds for the ambulances?

I was visiting Peachtree City from out of state and read the article in The Citizen about the woman arrested for late cat spaying paperwork. You must have a wonderful crime-free area if a major incarceration offense is to have late paperwork on a spayed cat. Is there anyone in the Fayette County Sheriff’s Department who is sane? Personally, I think the sheriff needs to be spayed. Can you hear meow?

The hysterical and ignorant rant concerning which groups commit the most violent crime was elucidating. Is this an example of someone who forms opinions based on watching television? Let’s see, how many violent crimes were committed nationwide last year by folks like Jeffrey Dahmer and followers of Marilyn Manson? How many were committed in one city, Atlanta, and who committed them?

Why do Christians not read the Bible? Those obsessed with posting the Ten Commandments should at least post the correct list. In Exodus 34 God instructs Moses about making the tablets and then provides him the list of commandments which in verse 28 are called the “Ten Commandments.” This list contains no mention of murder, stealing or adultery. It does command us to participate in the Feast of Unleavened Bread and in the Feast of Weeks. It also forbids cooking a baby goat in its mother’s milk. If you are going to post the Ten Commandments, at least post the correct set.

Remember greenways, buffer zones and saving trees in Peachtree City? The new Target has been landscaped by bulldozers. You can now see Crabapple Elementary and Wendy’s from Georgian Park. Congratulations on well-planned devastation.

Representative Dan Lakly (Republican for central Fayette including Peachtree City) said in front of the Georgia Assembly the Smokefree Air Act reminded him of Nazi Germany taking away the rights of Jews. My Jewish relatives would be appalled by his comments. I thought killing innocent people needlessly was why we fought the Nazis.

Thomas Sowell, a columnist, had a blurb about Nolan Ryan’s career in baseball, indicating that Ryan had pitched to several dads and sons during an extremely long baseball career. For example, Bobby and Barry Bonds. That brought back to me something of yesteryear. In the late 1960s we had a rookie league in Marion, Va., the New York Mets. I was a Jaycee at the time working the hot dog stand at the ball park. Normally we paid little attention to the game as we were busy most of the time and didn’t have a very good view of the field. However that particular day we began to hear an unusual noise coming from the field. First there would be a loud thump and then the small crowd would react with noise to the thump, it seemed. Later in the game, or maybe after the game, someone said that a tall skinny pitcher for the Mets had a hundred mile an hour fast-ball and was nearly knocking the catcher over with each pitch, that is, when the catcher could catch the ball. Many pitches sailed everywhere. The opposite team was not hitting Nolan Ryan that day, but he did walk a bunch and hit a few players. Most of the other team’s players were just kids and were glad to just get out of the batter’s box. He went on for three or four years, I think, wild as a buck and optioned out several times before he eventually settled down and started pitching with the Rangers. The Hall awaited him. I am finally beginning to feel old now with such tales as this, along with Johnny Carson who I saw start his TV career, and a whole raft of others who have died in the last year or so. However, I don’t think there will ever be another approximately 72 years that could possibly be as interesting as has mine. For that I am thankful. We used to be surprised with new improvements to society and now we expect them. Oil lamps to electricity, horses to autos and planes, staticky radio to full-wall TV, two week letters to instant e-mails, no pills available to doctors, to literally thousands of concoctions to better our health (I actually took some of the first penicillin pills for fever). I’m sure future generations might also have some surprises (pills for Mars travel maybe) but it will be hard to beat the 1930s, ‘40s, ‘50s, ‘60s, ‘70s, ‘80s, and I’ll stop there.