See Free Speech for April 2005

See Free Speech for March 2005

See Free Speech for February 2005

See Free Speech for January 2005

See Free Speech for December 2004

See Free Speech for November 2004

See Free Speech for October 2004

See Free Speech for September 2004

See Free Speech for August 2004

See Free Speech for July 2004

See Free Speech for June 2004

See Free Speech for May 2004

See previous Free Speech comments

Bad Links?
Other glitches?
Notify Webmaster

05-25-05

Tyrone’s Mayor Lee, Councilman Letourneau, and Councilman Smola turned their backs on the citizens of Tyrone and signed its death warrant when they gave John Wieland Homes approval to build on half-acre lots and tie into the sewer system. Councilman Smola wrote on his campaign literature when he was running against Ronnie Cannon that he would adhere to the land use plan. He lied. When the town of Tyrone approved sewer for the current Wieland development, they promised that no other developments would be allowed to tie into the sewer line. They lied. When these councilmen and mayor said they would represent the people of Tyrone, they lied. I do not understand why, when these people were running for office they were against this type of development and after they are elected they shrug their shoulders and say you can’t stop it. What happened? You might think that when the next election comes around the citizens will remember but I don’t think that will be the case. Everyone that I know who have lived here for years are rapidly making plans to move. It is unbearable to see John Wieland Homes destroy the very reason why most of the people that live here have stayed all their lives, including Mayor Lee. I am ashamed to say that when I go to the polls next time I will vote for the names POWER and MONEY; that way I will know that my vote is counted.

Tyrone Town Council just approved a new Wieland subdivision despite the “no” from the Tyrone Planning commission and quite a few angry residence also saying ”no” at the last meeting. Paul Letourneau and Mike Smola voted yes. To break the tie, Mayor Sheryl Lee voted yes. You have to ask yourself, who are these people serving? Who are they looking out for and why? When the area is developed with half acre lots it will be just another overstuffed place people want to move away from. These people are not suited to make correct decisions for us and should be removed from office. They don’t know a greenspace from toilet paper. In the case of Berry Hill subdivision, 18 homes on one-acre lots are to be built on 38-acre track of land and the rest is suppose to be green space. Mr. Letourneau looked at the plat and remarked that with the greenspace it appeared almost two acres per house. Smola, who lives in Pendleton, next to Berry Hill, where their lake is filling in due to new construction in the area, did nothing. Berry Hill’s greenspace turns out to be a pond that was already there, two flood plains, part of a swamp and area next to the railroad tracks! In other words, all the land that couldn’t be built on. The people that move in will have a homeowners association and are saddled with the upkeep of this unusable land. So, again, ask yourself, who are these people serving? We are now paying higher taxes than any place in the county, including Peachtree City, and look at what we have. NOTHING! But, it could get worse! If these uneducated people keep making decisions for us that don’t represent us, we are going to have to pick up the tab for their mistakes in the form of even higher taxes.

To Booth parents: Those of you with some common sense and parenting skills need to step up and be heard. You’re being represented poorly in the press. The PTO president tried to redeem you, but the news article repeated the crazy comments of others. I suggest that those of you who make sure your kids are dressed appropriately and within dress code, who have raised your kids better than to have any kind of sex at school or on school trips (better yet, who have raised your kids to know that sex in middle school is simply wrong), who were concerned about “the hit list” but understand that the principal is limited in what can be publicly released if an investigation is ongoing, make sure that you are the voice of the parents at Booth. The parents who think that rules are for other people’s kids (i.e., the mom who was mad at Mr. Lombard because he wasn’t nice enough to her when she was complaining about her daughter being warned about the dress code or the dad who assaulted Mr. Lombard and mentioned the bigger problems in other systems) will end up taking over that place and ruin an excellent middle school. Don’t let it happen! Make your support for the administration known.

Thank you, Ben Nelms, for the stories about Harold Simmons. Mr. Simmons is a good, brave man. Our next police chief should be Harold Simmons; at least he should be Major Simmons again. Thank you, Fayette Citizen, for Ben Nelms. Ben, you have got guts. You asked good questions of the mayor and council. I was there at the city council meeting Thursday evening. I hope and pray someone will come here and clean house. The chief should have been fired. I resent, and I will protest my taxes paying this bully a salary. The smug mayor and a couple of council members will be voted out come election time. Three council members’ terms will be up this year. Numerous citizens know which ones sitting up there are the former chief’s sidekicks. I plan to help get them voted out. I have a feeling that more info will come out about all of this. Keep the stories coming, Ben. I have been telling people The Citizen is the only local newspaper that is not afraid to print the facts.

The “Mob of Farr” alleged that they didn’t want anyone to “politicize this movement.” What a hoot! Their ads have the phrase “Paid Political Advertisement” on them. They have hypocritical paranoia. Who could believe that Rick Schlosser would have the nerve to accuse anyone of bad behavior?

Why are roadblocks only performed out in the rural areas? I drive through five counties on my way home from work and would never be stopped anywhere except counties south of Fayette, Coweta and Spalding. There have been times when it was a weekly occurrence. More populated areas of Georgia do not have roadblocks like this. The police in rural towns already know who trafficks drugs and they are still trafficking. Roadblocks are not conducted to get drunk drivers off the road. If they were, they would be held later at night. These roadblocks run from about 7:30-10 p.m. and they are used to harass the citizens of rural areas. This is the time when people are still returning home from work, going to ballgames, etc. Teens are accused drinking and drugs, asked to get out of the car, have their car searched, asked where they are going, etc. Recently, I was stopped in a roadblock. The officer asked me why I was traveling on that road (since when did we get to the point where we weren’t free to go and come as we pleased?). He asked for my insurance card; I questioned about the new law concerning it being linked with my tag. His reply was the insurance companies were wrong and he could give me a misdemeanor if I couldn’t locate it. This is unheard of in other counties. I had to make a turn on another road to go home and, you guessed it, there was yet another roadblock set up. Little by little we are giving up basic American rights.

Sounds like the Fayette County marshals gave the Relay for Life volunteer the same amount of respect that the Relay for Life crowd gave all the residents within a couple of miles of the fairgrounds. What gives the Relay for Life people the right to keep awake until 5 a.m. all the people who live in that area? The music and announcer’s sound levels were extremely excessive and unreasonable. I’ve talked to many neighbors who were equally offended by being kept up the majority of the night. Even the carnival that the Kiwanis Club puts on every year ends the noise at midnight. I know and understand the importance of fighting cancer but that was ridiculous. Take it somewhere else next year or be more respectful and responsible. Perhaps an apology and a more respectful program next year might be in order.

Parents of gifted students in the Fayette County school system should ask the Board of Education for reimbursement for required summer reading books. I spent $45 for three books my gifted student is required to read during his summer “break” because the library may have one copy of each book but students have to be placed on a waiting list. The library doesn’t even carry one of the books on the reading list from one of the high schools. What is the problem? Why can’t gifted students have a summer “break” like all other students?

When my student is required to read inappropriate material for summer reading assignments, there is a problem which begins at the school/county level and extends to the state level. The following are actual excerpts from “required summer reading.” “Here’s a joke: What does a lesbian bring on the second date? A U-Haul. What does a gay man bring on the second date? What second date? Here’s another joke: Two 75-year-old guys are talking. One complains how he’s not getting any. The other says he has a new girlfriend, 25 years old. “How’d you do that?” asks the first. “Easy,” says the second. “I told her I was 95.” “David Buss, in his book ‘The Evolution of Desire’ mentions the Mehinaku men of the Amazon, who call sex with a spouse mana or flavorless, but sex with a lover wirintyapa or delicious. He also quotes an Indian man who says, ‘You don’t want to eat the same vegetable every day.’” Parents, you may want to review what your child is being required to read during his summer “break.”

I reserved a portion of a local family restaurant for an end-of-season celebration for a team of 5-year-old soccer players. The restaurant was happy to accommodate us; it is a common location for youth sports gatherings. As I went to register to get change for the many game machines the restaurant has in place for its child patrons, I listened to an angry woman berate the server assigned to our tables and ask to be seated in a different area. I would like to point out we are all respectable parents and would not knowingly have allowed our children to disturb another family’s meal. The couple I am about to refer to had not yet ordered their food, and never attempted to make contact with any of the 12 of us parents. She was accompanied by her husband and her two children, but proceeded to use strong language to describe the children in the party room (I want to emphasize that we were seated in the PARTY room). First, if you want a quiet meal with your family at a time when tee-ball and soccer leagues are ending, you should probably not choose a restaurant who frequently serves youth sports teams because it will likely be “overrun with obnoxious bleeping kids.” Second, if you have something nasty to say about someone’s children, you should make sure their mothers are not standing behind you. Your husband was right: parents are responsible in large part for their children’s behavior. I wish I knew your parents so I could have a discussion with them about how their daughter behaves in public.

To the person driving the mini-van with pro-life stickers all the way across your bumper: My small children, who were thankfully securely fastened in their car seats, as well as myself, have a “right-to-life” also. Try to factor that into the equation before you almost run others off the road to their demise while you fly around to pass them at the last minute. Were you running late to bomb an abortion clinic?

I’m not so sure that the motel tax in Peachtree City is being used as well as it could be. I know that the local airport, Falcon Field, expects a good chunk of it, and now that we aren’t wasting it on a Tennis Center for the benefit of a few, I’m not so sure we should support the airport for the benefit of a few flyers. They certainly don’t employ many high-paying jobs. Maybe someone can explain in detail the budget of both the tourism group and the old Development Authority. Are we looking for tourists to pay these bills? In Peachtree City? Seems to me the hotels take in the tax and then the above groups spend it for their own benefit, not for the citizenry in general. Also, doesn’t a tax on motels discourage them locating here, which then cuts down on the taxes collected there? Sounds like a way around good town management to me.

This Free Speech is less a Vent and more an unregulated editorial. Any meeting more than 30 minutes is too long and any Free Speech over four lines is too long.

Fayetteville’s mayor and councilmen: Your actions during last Thursday’s council meeting showed the voting public that you obviously do not intend on holding your political posts after this term. Your true colors came out when you let your arrogant, rude and obnoxious behavior overshadow the importance and significance of each public speaker. During the zoning presentations you handled yourselves in a professional, dignified and courteous manner. You went out of your way to ensure that everyone had a chance to make public comments. However, when it came to dealing with the issues surrounding ex-Fayetteville Police Officer Harold Simmons and the turmoil within the Police Department (that each of you helped to create) you went out of your way to attempt to shut out the citizens once again. During the May 5 council meeting, Councilman Larry Dell did the same. This proved to the public that you have held your posts long enough. With numerous elections coming up in the next year, you can expect to be replaced without hesitancy by the community.

Thanks for the mule with blinder comment, Chief Roberts. You have made us realize that we may have had our blinders on the last time we voted.

Chief Johnny Roberts and Major Steve Ledbetter, you are terrific people who stand for integrity and honor. You are leaders whom each of us should fashion our lives after. You have drive and ambition and deserve respect for the dedication you have provided to the city of Fayetteville. You truly cared for each and every officer who worked under you. You are both kind and loving people who have always been attentive to the officers’ needs. You will be sorely missed. We wish you both the best for your futures. Hold up, these dang blinders are messing up my writing! Forget what I just said. Let me start over: It’s about time your actions caught up with you. I know it is painful but stop your sniffling.

After attending the May 19 council meeting, I was shocked and disgusted at Mayor Ken Steele’s behavior. Mayor Steele, you have the obligation to listen willingly to the citizens of our fair community. You laughed repeatedly and interrupted throughout each public speaker’s comments. I was appalled that Fayetteville’s city government would treat its constituents with such utter disrespect. You should be ashamed. Joe Morton, you too should be ashamed. You seemed to feel that any police presence at the city council meeting would not be “productive” to your political career. Maybe, you felt that by telling the officers not to attend the meeting, either directly or indirectly, you were inferring that it would not be productive to the officers’ careers. How is the fear you instilled in the officers about their presence at the meeting any different from the fear Johnny Roberts instilled in them?

I am a Fayetteville citizen and a supporter of Harold Simmons and the Fayetteville Police Officers. This past Thursday, I attended the city council meeting in Fayetteville and witnessed city officials squirm in their seats during public comments. Afterwards, my girlfriend and I headed up to Loco’s to celebrate the good news of Fayetteville’s top two officers being run out of town. While there, I was fortunate enough to see council members and the city manager in a different light. It was clear who they were by their shirts and the identification tags hanging from their necks which labeled them as city council members and officials. I witnessed them boozing it up by consuming significant amounts of alcohol and then driving themselves home. Was this their celebration for making a mockery of the people speaking in support of Harold Simmons and the department or just their standard unprofessional behavior? Is it just me or does the notion that council members and city officials being out in public view, drinking it up while wearing adornments that clearly identify them as city officials and then driving home seem completely inappropriate and unprofessional, especially given the negative attention the city has received?

Let me get this straight. Fired Police Chief Johnny “The Fake Diploma” Roberts and Steve “The Lackey” Ledbetter are getting paid leave until August while the victim Harold Simmons is unpaid and without a job. Just doesn’t seem fair to this Fayetteville taxpayer. Maybe it is time to send some of the elected officials on unpaid permanent leave.

Joe Morton’s job as the city manager is to inform the mayor as to the status of each department within the city of Fayetteville. It was his job to know what was occurring within Fayetteville’s Police Department and to take corrective action immediately. The signs were visible for years and Joe Morton failed in his duties. I do not understand why I, as a citizen, have to foot the bill for Johnny Roberts and Steve Ledbetter until August of this year. I do not understand why, when the status of Fayetteville Police Department became public, that you allowed the chief to retire when he could have easily been removed from power since he was in an appointed position. As easily as he was appointed he could be “un-appointed.” I will not buy that the issues surrounding Harold Simmons are not the reason for Chief Roberts’ and Major Steve Ledbetter’s sudden removal from the Police Department and I will not buy that city council did not know what was going on. They knew and did nothing.

The city of Fayetteville Police Department is now hiring for the position of chief and major. Control freaks need not apply.

Someone wrote recently asking if it’s bad going from pigs to mules. Only thing I can tell you is what the word “pigs” stands for: Pride, integrity, guts, sincerity.

The citizens of Fayetteville need to know it all: the police department problems are just the tip of the iceberg. The Fayetteville Fire Department has just as many internal problems as the police department. I am speaking of the top management (fire chief) within the Fire Department. He also runs his department through intimidation and mind games. Each shift that you report for duty you wonder if you will continue to have a job. Everything is a big secret within this department, unless of course you happen to be one of the fire chief’s elite few. There are two different sets of rules in this department. If you happen to be one of his elite, then the rules and policies do not apply. But if you follow policy and try to do the right thing, you will be placed under a microscope and your every move criticized. The city council and mayor need to wake up. Gentlemen, take a long hard look at what is happening to our city and its employees. Take a look at the turnover rate at the Fayetteville Fire Department. At least 15 people have either been forced out or resigned from this department since our current chief has been in office. These are just the firefighters we can remember; the numbers are probably higher. The turnover rate is astronomical for a department of this size. The citizens of this city have lost a lot of good people because of the way this department is currently being run. Fayetteville top elected officials, I would strongly urge you to look closely into this department. You still have a lot of good people within this department, but believe what I say, [they] are looking for other jobs. Several other firefighters have resigned and been hired by the Fayette County Department of Fire and Emergency Services. The Fayetteville Fire Department structure is very weak and unorganized. Maybe the city council and mayor also need to look at the amount of overtime money that has been spent in the past couple of years to keep emergency vehicles staffed.

I hope this decision to allow ol’ Johnny to retire and Ledbetter to resign certainly clears your conscience. I know the current officers of the department are more than happy to hear that news. Unfortunately for those of us who fell victim to the reign of terror years ago, we were not allowed the same opportunities that you afforded your buddies Johnny and Steve. Once again it goes to show who you really care about and it certainly is not those officers that protect you daily, watch over your wives and children, and deliver your mail. From my count at the City Council meeting last night there were about 10 to 15 former officers who should have been given at least an apology, if not their jobs back. As one of them, it was certainly proud for me to look over their faces as it was read aloud that the evil empire was taken down. I recall Johnny saying in his interview with Mr. Nelms that he would have no problem leaving this department knowing all of his accomplishments and that he has taken the department to a “new level.” Well, sir, let me remind you of the work your “mules” have done for you all of those years you supposedly served the city. You have accomplished nothing. Your people, who served you and the city deserve the credit. You and Ledbetter deserve nothing but a swift kick, Mapquest directions to the local unemployment office, or a bus ticket to sunny Florida. And to Mr. Morton, who knew all along of this mess, (I recall nine years ago discussing the issue with you) you’re next!edbetter deserve nothing but a swift kick, Mapquest directions to the local unemployment office, or a bus ticket to sunny Florida. And to Mr. Morton, who knew ??

P>Well, it is about time that the powers to be in Fayette County, as a whole, are being talked about and the corruption exposed. Like many of the articles in last Wednesday’s Free Speech show, unless you are a part of law enforcement, either current or previous, you really have no idea just how bad it is. I was a part of law enforcement and have first-hand knowledge of the corruption in both the sheriff’s department and the city police department. The good ol’ boy system is very much alive and unfortunately, it is the good, honest citizens of the county who suffer. God help you if you are new to this county and don’t know somebody (or are too poor and your voice isn’t considered to be worth listening to). It seems the higher up you get in politics in this county, the more you have to check your morals at the door and only worry about who is funding your campaign or whose butt you gotta kiss to get the next vote. This county is an awesome county to live in, but the credit cannot go to law enforcement; it has to go to the good citizens that live here. I’m sure if someone were to check the addresses on the people who are arrested, they would find out-of-county addresses for most of the major stuff (although that is just a guess on my part). I hope this opens up many more inquiries into all aspects of politics in this county and finally let the spring cleaning begin.

Hooray! Chief Roberts is gone, now how about George Wingo? Come on, George, do the right thing and leave.

It doesn’t take a genius to figure out who is writing those Free Speech items praising Peachtree City Mayor Steve Brown and those items attacking the people who happen to disagree with the mayor. I’m no authority on writing styles, but all these items do sound as though they were written by the same person.

The Atlanta newspaper on Thursday made it easy for everyone who really cares about the city to support Steve Brown. The man gives more of himself in a month than Greg Dunn, Peter Pfeifer, Bob Lenox and the rest of the “Gang of Tom Farr” did in years. The thing that the gang hates the most is that everything is not about them anymore. Hurray for the everyday citizen.

The PTC developer crowd has found a martyr to rally behind, just like the insurgents in Iraq, or maybe the John Birchers, and hope to fool folks into forgetting what they’re really all about. Forget it! Even the peasant class in Fayette County must surely be smart enough to see through this smoke. Back when I was a banker, the loan review committee would have run me off the place if I had ever mentioned a credit situation like the one between Peachtree National Bank and DAPC. My being a nice guy wouldn’t have mattered at all. Regardless of anything Mayor Brown did, or does, to detract from his own record, the people of PTC should be forever grateful that he pulled the lid off that stink pot and exposed those feeding off the bottom. Tennis Center and Amphitheater fans should just get over it. Common sense should have told you from the beginning that anything too good to be true probably wasn’t, Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy notwithstanding.

Tom Farr is being used by the gang of PACS and others to cover up the obtaining of an illegal loan to operate a fancy tennis club that couldn’t pay its way, and to salvage a local bank’s loan, of which many on the 300 list have an interest in one way or another. Many, many of those 300 have gotten very wealthy in Peachtree City by back-scratching, not to mention being able to play tennis with too many professionals making too much money. I used to play baseball in either a corn field among the corn stubs, or in a hay field with sharp clumps sticking up, because the town or the county simply wouldn’t borrow the money to build fields and maintain them with high-paid people. If people vote for a tax to do such things, OK, but they didn’t here. We simply can’t pay this million-dollar-plus bill that was, simply put, wasted by some selfish people. We didn’t have to have such a Taj Mahal to get people to move here.deserve the credit. You and Ledbetter deserve nothing but a swift kick, Mapquest directions to the local unemployment office, or a bus ticket to sunny Florida. And to Mr. Morton, who knew ????

The fraud comes to light! The “Friends of T. Farr” had to place “Paid Political Advertisement” on top of their boring, whining, and selfish half-page ad. Remember at first when they said that they were doing it to uphold Farr’s name? Now we know that it was nothing but a hoax and another attempt at a “paid political” smear of the mayor. Bob Lenox and his crew are a welting affliction on our city. Shame on Bob for abusing a dead man.

Will the annoyed Planterra mother of the former tennis pro please stop acting as though she represents the entire subdivision? Most of us think that the mayor is doing a fine job and the tennis center is better than it was in the past. The Lenox bunch is full of envy, strife and spoiled sports.

I haven’t been to the Amphitheater all year until last night. Rows of empty seats; what a shame. Maybe they should copy the promotion they are running at the tennis center now; free court time or better yet they could do a double promotion, free court time and free seats. Although I am not sure that would help with their abysmal marketing skills.

Please ask your readers to quit calling the Amphitheater “The Fred.” I’ve lived in PTC for almost 20 years and have never heard it called “The Fred.” There’s a reason for it. It’s not catchy, and it sounds stupid. What? Is “amphitheater” too hard to say or spell? I just typed it twice without using spell check. It’s not that hard.

Finally, a great show at The Fred. Styx really tore it up and had the crowd with them the entire night. And, best of all, only one flamingo! How the mighty irritating have fallen! Next, a flamingo-free show in Fayetteville!

Does anyone remember the really good old days (20 years) when our amphitheater was just that, an outdoor stage with wooden seating, blue grass music and you brought your own, nonalcoholic drinks and most importantly, the kids. Ah, that we could go back to that time. And by the way, the place was always packed and it didn’t cost a dime to get in.

I can always tell when Greg Dunn and his wife write pieces for Free Speech. Their comments always include the term “good ol’ boy.” Why is it that every transplant that crosses the county line thinks he and she know more than anyone that was here before them? It is true that you are messing up our Mayberry but we weren’t all Andy and Barney before you got here. It’s not growth when you’re trying to reinvent the wheel and it comes out square. I guess I’d rather be a good ol’ boy than an out-of-place, arrogant, know-it-all Yankee whose hunger for power is destructive to the community.

The silence of the local chapter of the NAACP regarding the recent wave of robberies and violence perpetrated by African-Americans is deafening.

May I ask who picks the Grand Marshal for our PTC Fourth of July parade? A dog! Does the dog know we are rewarding her for winning a prize? I suspect we are rewarding the owner for winning a prize. Money to enter and go there could have been spent for much better causes, in my opinion. This is not culture, it is pride.

To any readers from Clayton County, please allow me to apologize for the “blanket statement” made by the bigot from Fayette County. Please do not think this is the opinion of all Fayette County residents. I recently moved from Clayton County to Fayette County, and prior to my move, I shopped at the Pavilion, even though I was not a resident of Fayette County. I was not aware that we could not cross county lines to shop. The only thing I agree with the writer of that letter on is the fact that we all should have manners and gain some class. Maybe he will take his own advice and realize that by issuing his “blanket statement” he showed the amount of manners and class that he has. I think it is totally off the mark for him to say that all the rudeness at the Pavilion only comes from residents of Clayton County. I think he should be careful with how aimlessly he tosses around the word hell. I am sincerely praying for this individual in hopes that he can see how his hatred can be turned around and used for the good of mankind.

The fine dining establishments of Fayette County wish to remind Fayette County’s Finance Director that we are still open for lunch and would welcome your return for a fine steak dinner at taxpayers’ expense. We may even offer some kind of rewards programs each time you use taxpayer money to pay for your fancy meal. Bring two members of the finance staff and the third one gets a free dessert.

The coach of the PTC U-8 softball team that yelled, “Don’t touch her until he (the ump) calls time,” when a player on the opposing team was hit hard by a line drive needs to find another outlet for his hard-nosed competition. His team was already up by 10 runs. Little girls playing their first few years of softball don’t need to be exposed to attitudes like his. We know you claim to be a “hard dad,” but not all parents share your win-at-all-costs attitude. Some of us are trying to teach our children sportsmanship and team spirit knowing that they will never be big league players or vie for college scholarships in athletics.

Why would the chairman of the County Development Authority be saying that Photocircuits is doing a good thing by shutting down? Showing laborers how to fill out a resume and sign up for unemployment, and the state is doing that! Paying some that are laid off on a different scale than others by offering a little instant cash is a good thing? The plant manager said to check their record as to safety: someone ought to do that and see if any heavy metals are around, along with chlorine leaks in the past. The old PTC development authority had some of these same jokers on the roles who worked at Photocircuits. There are many things around Peachtree City that smell in addition to chlorine leaks. Well, Photocircuits made several more millionaires for PTC and I guess that is what it is about.

A big thank you to all the players, students, band-members, parents and fans at Friday’s double-finals soccer games at McIntosh. It was just a wonderful atmosphere and made me proud to be associated with the school and all you fine people.

Reading about Kim Finck possibly having to chose between her animals to get rid of because of a neighbor’s complaint makes me sick to my stomach. Now that she has had them and kept them healthy and loved, you want her to give them up? All those roadkills aren’t loose uncared for animals. Some have got away because a fence gate or door was left open by a lawnman or child accidently. If you want to gather meetings to control animals go after the disgusting pit bull fights that harbor cruelty, drugs, gambling and makes mean cruel people out of young people who watch this mess. These fights are right here in front of your eyes.

So, Fayette gets its first free clinic, and the long-fought-for Fayette “Community” Hospital is going to offer “free” services to those who cannot pay. I find this truly ironic, seeing that Fayette Community hired a law firm, sued my daughter and are now garnishing her wages over a bill that in no way can she pay. Hey, Fayette Community, she had no choice but to come to the hospital. Hmmm, I wonder, does the hospital sue the illegals, or are they going to double charge those who have insurance? Makes one wonder.

Lynn Wastemoron does not have a “smug grin,” he is just glad enough fools voted him in. That is a “deer in the headlights” look. He is still “pompous and arrogant.”

To everyone who feels that they need to write a book in the “Free Speech” section of The Citizen News, remember, “You’re only a victim if you allow yourself to be a victim of anything.” Quit whining about how you’ve been wronged by someone else and ask yourself why you didn’t do anything about it sooner. Free Speech is for short takes on life and “get it off your chest” sound offs. If you want to write a book, call a publishing company!

Those who are now going about bashing Newsweek Magazine on their admitted publication of the item regarding the desecration of the Koran at Gitmo would be well served to get off their sanctimonious high horse. The White House, in particular, is the epitome of hypocrisy in this matter. If one is to be bashed for acting upon faulty evidence or lack of corroboration, the Bush Administration is at the top of the list. How many people have died as a result of Mr. Bush pushing us with faulty intelligence into Iraq? The tragic consequences are pale in consideration to the Newsweek article. Newsweek gave the Pentagon an opportunity or more to refute or comment on the story before it was published, and they did not say anything to the editors of Newsweek. By contrast, the Bush Administration ignored all who dared to oppose him in his fatal venture. Back off, Bush! Your quagmire has already dragged this country down to a status as a lesser member of this world of nations. Your efforts to make yourself look better by making someone look bad is a tried and stale weapon of office politics, and is as obvious as the stench of incompetence we see you perform each day in your job as the chief executive a once-great nation. We suffer at the hands of fools.

Afghanistan has 324,000 acres in Opium poppies currently, 90 percent of the world’s supply. We have 20,000 troops there trying to find Osama and keep the Taliban down. The leader we set up to run the place says we must give the Afghan farmers another way to make money before very much can be done about the poppies. Maybe we could do there what we do here? Pay out of our aid money to the Afghan farmers enough money not to grow poppies, as we do here for tobacco, and other crops. This must be one of the problems we here about from Iraq and Afghanistan about things happening that we didn’t expect. It is kinda like our homeland budget: six years ago we were to have a $9 trillion excess by now. Things we didn’t expect has caused it to be just about one-half the opposite.

The problem with doing away with the filibuster in the Senate is this: States like Rhode Island and Alaska have two senators just like California and New York. It isn’t hard to see how, not the majority, but the minority could actually win a vote. After all, these guys are supposed to represent the majority of the country, not some minority. So when one speaks of minorities, it doesn’t always mean the least votes in the country. Polarization is the problem. It is ridiculous to pass every law or make every vote along party lines. One hundred senators should want to vote for a good law or a good judge. They might if they could serve only one term. We must get there.

I see where Congress is slowly getting rid of the color code terror system. It will soon become optional, and then can be used only for a specific area when used. It must really hurt to admit something is useless, and funny. Without it however, Leno and Letterman won’t have nearly as many jokes. All we have ever needed is: beware in the Washington area today for potential bombers; or, go about your business. The things they do for a color change aren’t anything but putting everyone on overtime pay, with nowhere to go. A simple phone call or e-mail would alert specific localities to take action. If it were real bad, just put the President on CNN. Much of the things Congress and local police departments do is to convince us voters that all is being done that can be done, when it is not. Frankly, I’m tired of four star generals (police heads) getting on TV and reading a list of every police department in the world as helpers in a project. I even saw a five-star general the other day, Los Angeles, I think. Shouldn’t their ID just say chief, or sheriff?

05-18-05

Officers of the Fayetteville Police Department: It dawned on me as I have read the recent newspaper articles that the ongoing saga inside the police department sounded very familiar. I looked back through The Citizen News archives and discovered that the reason your story was familiar was because it had previously been published by The Citizen on Dec. 19, 2001. The allegations being made now, from retribution to dissatisfaction with the Fayetteville Police Department’s management, to Chief Johnny Roberts’ abuses of power, were all made public during an accreditation hearing. We as citizens owe you, the Fayetteville Police Department officers, an apology. We should have asked questions. We should have contacted city council and demanded answers. Please accept our apology for failing to act on your behalf when the problems within the department were first made public. We continued to vote each and every City Council member into office without examining true issues and each councilman’s role. I disagree with the earlier writer who mentioned that maybe city council has its blinders on. After looking back on the history of this matter, it is apparent that councilmen knew the issues and made a conscious decision to disregard them and proceed forward as if nothing was happening. Anything that councilmen say now, short of full acceptance of responsibility, is simply a lie. Rest assured, my vote in the future will be based on the current history of events and I ask that all voters come forward and make a statement when they cast their ballots. I encourage you, the citizens of Fayetteville, to come forward on May 19, 2005, at 7:30 p.m. at the City Council meeting and stand firmly behind the officers of the Fayetteville Police Department whom we have let down.

To any readers from Clayton County I issue a blanket statement regardless of race, creed, social standing, etc.: Stay the hell out of our Pavilion. You are not welcome. You take our parking spaces, you muck up our facilities, you drive with total disregard for laws and courtesy, and generally just embarrass yourselves. I have seen the Wal-Mart you have; it’s a great facility. Use it. I have seen some of the shopping centers you have; most of them are as great as or better than ours. Use them. Just stay away from the Fayetteville Pavilion until you either learn some manners or gain some class, whichever comes first, I don’t care.

I think I liked Peter Pfeifer better when all he said was “me too” to anything Greg Dunn said. When he tries to think for himself he seems unstable.

Recently I have read many complaints about the Peachtree City Post Office, about long lines, resulting in defensive, rude treatment by postal employees. I saw an ad about a new contract post office branch in the Cardsmart store located in the Braelinn Shopping Center. I visited it and the experience was great: no lines, same services and prices as the post office as it is an official branch. The people were knowledgeable, helpful and courteous.

I saw Lynn Westmoreland on TV the other night and winced seeing his smug grin. It reminded me what a pompous arrogant person he became once he was elected to the state House. Imagine how much better than us he will think he is now that he is in Washington. The only good thing is, we will seldom have to witness it. Lynn will do as Newt did when he represented Fayette County. He will go to the Capitol, feed his ego, and forget where he came from.

Yada, yada, yada! ENOUGH already of these long-winded tirades that really belong in the “Letters to the Editor” section. What’s the matter, too wimpy to sign your names? Whatever happened to “SHORT takes,” and “pithy” comments that are SUPPOSED to be put in this column? Well, just in case you guys don’t get it, NO one wants to read your overly-long “vents.” Just try to put all that stuff in the AJC and see if they will even bother. Hah!

05-11-05

I think it is sad that a Relay for Life volunteer (who had a sign permit) was putting signs out for the Relay for Life event this past Friday night and [Fayette County Commission Chairman] Greg Dunn sent the Fayette County marshals out to pick up the signs as fast as she could get them out. Then after speaking with volunteer and seeing she had a permit did not even help to put the signs back. Thanks, marshals office, for making her job a lot harder.

I would like a formal apology from [Fayetteville] City Council regarding their failure to allow public comments at the May 5, 2005 meeting after former Fayetteville Police Officer Harold Simmons completed his public statement. Everyone in attendance who had not yet walked out after the meeting heard Councilman Larry Dell say that the reason the public was not allowed to speak after Harold Simmons was because anything they would have had to say would have been redundant. Nice touch! Now, you not only do not want to hear your police officers but you do not want to hear the citizens of Fayetteville either. Maybe you don’t want to hear because you are afraid. Were you alarmed that the public came in support of Harold Simmons and Fayetteville police officers? Were you scared that the numerous “former” Fayetteville police officers and employees who attended were going to say something that would compromise either each of you individually or the city as a whole? Or maybe, the noticeable amount of current Fayetteville police officers, both in and out of uniform, had you running scared. I presume City Manager Joe Morton filled you in on the meeting he had with Fayetteville Police Department employees earlier that day. Did he tell you about the allegations made by female officers of sexual discrimination and sexual harassment? Were you afraid that would be made public? Be clear about this fact, in that meeting Fayetteville’s police officers heard their fellow officers’ claims and were outraged that they were being abused. They will not allow that abuse to continue. They will stand together to protect them and you had better too.

Is it safe to assume that morale is low in the Fayetteville Police Department given the fact that the chief publicly belittled and degraded his officers by calling them “mules with blinders on”? If that is how the chief feels about his own officers, I would hate to hear, or read, how he feels about the rest of the community or for that matter, mayor and council.

Joe Morton, you have only scratched the surface with the information that you have received regarding problems within Fayetteville Police Department. Any respect or trust for Johnny Roberts or [Major] Steve Ledbetter is gone and at this point can never be recovered.

Thank you, Citizen, for the story about the fired Fayetteville police officer. I hope that after what happened to this good officer and his career, someone will come to the city of Fayetteville and clean house. I have a good friend who is just a citizen and she had a horrible experience with the chief bully. A complaint was filed with the city manager and nothing was done about that either. They made up a completely different story. Why is this allowed? The mayor and the honest city council members need to stand up and say that’s enough, and send this chief packing.

Is it a good thing or bad thing to go from “pigs” to “mules”?

I think this is a sad situation for Officer Simmons and glad to see he is bringing the truth about law enforcement officials to the public eye. People have been left in the dark long enough about what goes on in these agencies. As for, “Morton said he could not comment on the meeting since it was a personnel matter,” does Morton not realize that under our laws that we the people have full rights to view law enforcement personnel records and that these records are open to the public?

Officer Simmons is a good man. I am a student at Fayette Middle School and Officer Simmons wouldn’t do anything to hurt anyone. I thank God he is in this world today because he treats the students at Fayette Middle with respect and we learn from him what to do right and not to do wrong. God bless him in all that he does.

Fayetteville’s city manager, mayor and council have been put on notice of federal labor law violations occurring within the police department. When will city government take the steps necessary to correct and pay restitution, as required by law, to each officer who has been forced to work for free, 15 minutes per day, for each day worked and those officers who have been placed on call but have never been compensated? The men and women of this department put their lives on the line to protect and serve this community and to ensure that you and your families can sleep peacefully at night without worry or fear for your safety or security. They deserve full and immediate restitution and protection to ensure that they are not being abused, even one more day, under the eyes of the law. They are entitled to what is rightfully theirs and expect that you act immediately to rectify this situation in full. Now that you have been made aware of this problem and the numerous other problems within the police department, it is trusted that you will do what is necessary to ensure that Chief Johnny Roberts and Major Steve Ledbetter never have the opportunity to abuse these officers, their families, and this community again.

What is the Fayetteville City Council going to do about the morale problem and poor management of the police department? How long are they going to continue to let highly trained and professional officers get run out of the department by Chief Johnny Roberts and Major Steve Ledbetter before they do something? There is obviously a problem with morale in the department. How can there not be morale problems when the chief refers to his own officers as “mules with blinders”? The chief can not honestly expect his men and women to be happy with him after being insulted in the local newspaper. I am sure the officers expect to be insulted while working out on the road but not from their own chief. The officers are not even compensated for being required to be at work 15 minutes prior to the starting of the shift. How much is it going to cost us taxpayers when the officers decide to file a lawsuit for back wages that are required by law? The officers are already some of the lowest paid in the county with the starting pay being up to $1,300 less than the sheriff’s office, the marshals office, and the Peachtree City Police Department. Maybe if they got paid for the time they actually worked they would not have to work extra jobs at the local businesses and could spend more time out of their uniforms relaxing. Another thing is that the chief said that Harold Simmons participated in the assessment and had his chance to speak to assessors about morale. How can Simmons speak up with the fear that he would possibly lose his job when it got back to the chief? An earlier writer wrote, ”The police department has 43 officers and I can count at least 19 that have left in the last six years.” What would be so bad about losing two more officers (Chief Johnny Roberts and Major Steve Ledbetter) if it would increase the morale and possibly save the city money in the long run? Maybe the City Council will do something before the city loses more good officers that protect us and our families.

I just wanted to bring you all up to date on Harold Simmons. I went to the City Council meeting last night along with off-duty FPD officers, former FPD officers and other members of the Fayette Middle family and community and listened to Harold present his case to the council. I have to be honest with you when I say that I had some reservations about continuing to support Harold because I felt that there must be something more to this than meets the eye and my suspicions were confirmed. There is a problem at the Fayetteville Police Department, but Harold is not the source. Harold presented evidence that made it clear to all of us who were there that he had been treated unfairly. I was so inspired by his presentation that I stood up to speak on his behalf and tell the council what a wonderful job he was doing at FMS when the door was slammed in my face. Instead of the council asking if anyone else had comments, they shut down the public comments forum and quickly moved on to adjourn the meeting. Outside, after the meeting, I had the chance to speak with some of FPD’s finest and heard first-hand how they are treated. To make a long story short, officers deal with the fear of losing their jobs at the drop of a hat. I listened to an officer’s wife talk, with tears in her eyes, about how she lies in bed at night wondering if her husband will still have a job tomorrow because of something he did or said that didn’t sit right with upper management. I heard officers talk about showing up to work with a knot in their stomach because of a hostile work environment and no opportunity to voice their concerns or grievances because standing up for yourself equals losing your job by being terminated for trumped-up charges or being forced out because your bosses are making your life miserable. I also met former officers who were wrongfully terminated or forced to quit. Harold is the first one to have enough guts to stand up for what is right. Harold has inspired the whole department to speak up and these guys are ready to quit unless something is done. I don’t know about anyone else, but I miss Harold and so do many of the other staff and students. I believe he was an awesome school resource officer and I saw the positive impact he made on FMS on a daily basis. Even if you don’t think he was an awesome SRO you should be concerned if you live or work in Fayetteville because our city police department has some major problems and I don’t see how these brave men and women are supposed to do their job if morale is low and they live in constant fear of loosing their jobs. I would prefer that they have a supportive work environment that will allow them to be there when we need them, focused and confident. If you feel like you would like to support the Fayetteville police officers, because this is much bigger than Harold, then you need to write letters to the council and the mayor voicing your concerns. If you want to remain anonymous then you can e-mail your concerns to The Citizen newspaper and if you don’t sign it they will put it in their Free Speech section. There is another meeting on May 19 and our boys and girls in blue sure could use our support.

How can Chief Johnny Roberts say that there is not a morale problem within the Fayetteville Police Department and in the same article call his officers “mules with blinders on”? Sounds like City Council members have their “blinders” on.

In response to the letter to the editor written by a “college student,” I just have to say that I too am a college student, but unlike the glorious place he made Fayetteville out to be, I beg to differ. In the last few months, I have stopped traveling to Fayetteville and its stores and restaurants alone. As a young female, I find it frightening that so many purse-snatchings, shoplifting events, robberies (armed at that) and other horrible things have been going on in that city. And even when I do go, accompanied by a male friend, the people have become ruder, often those from out of the county, and the businesses have become much less of what they were before. Drivers are taking worse risks, running stop signs and red lights, cutting off other drivers who seem to be getting in their way. The simple task of navigating a parking lot has become hazardous. Why? Because our out of county visitors don’t seem to have as much respect for our businesses as we Fayette County residents do. It’s frustrating to realize that maybe all of these people are coming to Fayetteville because they’ve ruined their own city. I just hope it doesn’t happen to ours. Despite the writer’s poetical ranting, I might not have said it as gracefully as he, but what Fayetteville really needs is more police presence, not a park for more crimes to take place in.

Be careful when driving through Fayetteville. The police are profiling again. Vehicle profiling, that is. I was stopped for speeding in a sports car while a minivan passing me wasn’t. I guess they just assumed I was eventually going to be up to no good.

Tax Commissioner George Wingo is the perfect paradigm of the modern American politician. After serving a few years, incumbents tend to blur (in their own minds) the distinction between their private lives and their public offices. Private citizen Wingo had no right to display a weapon in a public building. Tax Commissioner George Wingo should not either.

Wingo: “My Arrest is illegal” was an interesting story. It shows what’s wrong with our society in America. People don’t want to admit mistakes and take responsibility. They want to pull strings and call in favors. Are you part of the good old boys or not? Wingo’s excuse for toting a shotgun around a public building (his tax office kingdom) is that the good ol’ boys made him a deputy sheriff 10 years ago. He probably has a laminated card to prove it. So what’s so bad in the terrible tax office that they need to have shotguns (“Tag customer in line three with a scowl on his face”). Why not just admit you made a mistake and move on? If you or I made a mistake and forgot and brought a small Swiss Army Boy Scout pocket knife into Sanford Stadium they would lock us up and then make a big headline in the papers about tough on criminals. So now Wingo (rather than just fessing up) he gets the sheriff to spend this incredible amount of time and money to charge the guy who called it in with the crime of false reporting. He didn’t actually see Wingo toting the shotgun but Wingo admits it. The plan is to hassle this guy. Unlike Wingo, this guy will have to hire a lawyer. Then they’ll say, “You drop it against Wingo and we’ll drop it against you.” Or worse, this guy may get charged and Wingo will get a steak dinner. Next thing you’ll see is the courthouse crowd will lay down a nice long red carpet for Wingo and his case will be dismissed. It ain’t what you know but who you know.

I would like to ask Mr. Wingo a simple question. Did it ever occur to you to simply apologize for making, what has turned out to be, a bad decision? I think the answer to that is no. You would rather waste everyone’s time by attempting some long-winded lame excuse for your poor judgment. I can only thank God that you don’t work for the county school system.

Rolader gets what he wants again. I just wonder who else will get rich as a result. Why do we even bother having a discussion?

I can only hope that if my reputation is slandered after I have departed this world I would be lucky enough to have so many people come to my public defense. As for them having less than sterling reputations, that can be said about 98 percent of the human population. Growing up, I was taught to never speak bad of the dead; they aren’t here to defend themselves. I don’t see this as a political issue; it’s one of civility. I applaud those who chose to defend their friend.

It is one thing to act out in public, but Mayor Brown managed to top that by viciously attacking the city planner at the last council meeting. It was doubly embarrassing for Christ Our Shepherd Lutheran Church. He degraded the only favorable vote they got by association. And all this in a 40-minute tirade well after midnight in front of a full chamber. Mayor Brown, you need to make a public apology to city staff, council, the Lutherans and anyone else forced to sit though this unprofessional, disrespectful and petty display. What were you thinking? Yes, the commercial rezoning that you wanted failed, but those that disagreed still deserve to be treated with dignity.

I learned a lot about the mayor of Peachtree City at last week’s City Council meeting concerning the Lutheran church rezoning. Since he had already made up his mind to support the rezoning, for reasons that are still unclear, he looked bored and fiddled around for most of the presentations. In addition, when it became clear that there was no support from the other council members, he became agitated and attacked his own city planner, David Rast, with a barrage of pointless questions and accusations at 12:30 a.m. My hope is that Mr. Rast knows that what happened was unfair and unjustified. He should be commended for his patience and professionalism. I encourage Mr. Rast to hang in there until November when the people bring in a new mayor that will treat his staff and the people of Peachtree City with the respect they deserve.

Peachtree City Mayor Steve Brown and statesmanship mix like oil and water. He carved up the Christ Our Shepherd rezoning staff recommendation and publicly berated City Planner David Rast at the last council meeting. This was done for almost 45 minutes and, get this, after midnight before an audience of a couple hundred exhausted citizens and staff. The mayor was abrupt, disrespectful, rude and petty. It was so bad that I began anticipating a question like, “In this sentence, what is the meaning of ‘is’?” It is one thing to disagree with a city planner’s analysis and recommendation, but quite another to do so in such a degrading and inappropriate way in public. Differences of opinion can be discussed politely. Common decency aside, Mayor Brown, please remember that your behavior reflects upon all Peachtree citizens. This is not your sand box alone. Please quit burning the oil off everyone else’s good intentions. As to Mr. Rast, keep standing tall. You deserve better.

This is getting ridiculous. Please tell me what is going to happen when there is a major house fire at 5 o’clock in the afternoon during the week? Or if there is some other major catastrophe that the police, fire, or EMS services needs to get to? Then, tell me what’s going to happen when it happens in the neighborhoods along MacDuff Parkway such as Wynnmeade (the one I live in), Centennial, or the Summit apartment homes. This is what will happen: the fire department will get there just in time to see the fire burn itself out, or the person or persons who need medical assistance will simply pass away, or, well, you get the picture. I have lived in this fair city all my life (27 years), and I grew up loving it and admiring it for its precise planning and development. Boy, has that gone down the tubes! The decisions the current administration have made have truly been poor at best. I voted for each and everyone of you on the council including the mayor, and I realize it’s an odd concept, but I expected you to do your jobs. I certainly didn’t expect you to write a new letter to the editor every week in response to some nasty thing someone (probably a former mayor) said about you. Guess what: you’re in politics now. People are going to say mean things about you. They will say anything to try to discredit you. Here’s another concept that works: Ignore them and get your job done. Please help the residents of the above listed neighborhoods by doing everything you possibly can to either speed up the road widening process or get MacDuff parkway extended to Ga. Highway 74. Please don’t continue to trap us behind miles and miles of traffic with no way for anyone to reach us if there is a true emergency!

If the county is going to impose water penalties, impose them on everyone, residential AND business. If there is a looming shortage then there is a shortage and EVERYONE should conserve.

Amphitheater patrons, your amphitheater is getting run just like the tennis center, into the ground. The Tourism Association has gone cheap on everyone. Have you seen this year’s lineup? It’s a joke. Overcharging for cheap acts, shoddy food and now you have to rent a lawn chair. It’s all about the dollar. Just like the tennis center, overcharging patrons for less qualified pros and to top it off at the 10-year anniversary party, they served hot dogs and hamburgers. What a class act.

Last year at The Fred, patrons were given surveys asking who they would like to see perform at The Fred this year. I can’t believe so many people voted for Mickey Thomas, 38 Special and Kool/Gang. It seems that the management staff at The Fred ignored what the people of the community want and pick the acts they felt would draw people to The Fred. So far it looks like they were wrong.

Kristi and Donna, we are sorry we took you for granted. Please come back. The Fred needs you two more than ever.

From a quote in the May 5 edition: “Councilman Steve Rapson said, It seems like it follows part of the Peachtree City creed, which is first-class recreational amenities.” That must be why in the many years of the softball complex at Rockaway Road we have such a wonderful restroom situation.

I received a letter from a Fayette County High School principal that contained two obvious grammatical errors. All junior parents received the same letter. I was shocked, to say the least. I would expect the person in this position to proofread anything that goes out under his signature. It makes you wonder if he read it before he signed it. It makes you wonder what’s wrong with this administration. Yes, success is a choice. In order to be perceived as successful you can’t misspell basic words on important letters.

Does anyone else think that a local photographer wanting to charge me $120 for copies of my son’s football pictures is too much? I needed an extra 8x10 and two 5x7s and was quoted this outrageous price. I voiced my complaint to the school and I hope that next time they have a different photographer.

I am a lover of animals but it is ridiculous having a dog lead a 4th of July Independence Day Parade. What about all our veterans and what about supporting our boys over in Iraq? They have and are defending our great country. We could not believe a dog was chosen for the parade. Just goes to show you, Peachtree City is going to the dogs!

The 2005 Grand Marshal is NOT “just a dog.” Dogs are such an integral part of today’s American family. They give us such unconditional love and extraordinary companionship. Not to mention what dogs have done in search and rescue for missing children, the Twin Towers, etc. Also, the assistance given to those who are physically and mentally challenged. To many people dogs are their eyes, ears, even arms. In the past PTC has honored past and present politicians, sports figures, even a highly deserved senior center beauty queen. These are all outstanding attributes to our community. So in 2005, we should have the freedom to honor a local canine’s achievements. My hat is off to the person who nominated Crystal; you are not “just a dog,” but a representative of all of our loving pets and dedicated service animals. God bless America and our pets.

I am so glad that I live in a neighborhood of cat lovers. Not only do the cats keep the moles in check that can ruin our lawns, they also kill off disease-carrying rats and other rodents that could bring harm to our children. At the end of a hectic day, there is nothing better than to relax in front of the TV with a warm, purring cat in your lap. There are some people that think that cats should come under the same leash laws that dogs do. Have you ever tried to put a leash on a cat, or keep a cat in a fenced-in yard? To have a cat de-clawed and kept in the house all the time would be borderline animal cruelty. Thank goodness our lawmakers used common sense when they passed the leash law.

I have the perfect example of why this county needs the Free Speech section. My uncle wrote a letter to The Citizen, which he signed his name to, criticizing some of the county commissioners. The day the letter came out in the paper, my uncle got an unwelcomed and very intimidating phone call from one of the county commissioners telling him what he should and should not say in the paper. We should be able to criticize our elected officials without fear of being intimidated by them. They have already shown they will use the marshals against their political enemies. We need Free Speech to send them a message when they need it, even though I’m afraid it falls on deaf ears. There was a time when this county never reelected incumbent county commissioners. We need to go back to those times.

One solution to the Harmony Village problem would be to convince the owner of the property to convert them over to high-end condominiums.

Why doesn’t the town of Tyrone collect business licenses fees for all businesses?

I live in Georgia and want to write a living will that says do not pull the plug under any circumstances. Yet the standard Georgia form for living wills points in the opposite direction of stopping nourishment, etc. Where can I find a living will form that reflects my wishes?

Has logic gone down the drain in Georgia or is it that I am dumb? The federal government is trying hard to come up with an identification card that is hard to duplicate and kept up to date with possibly a microchip. Meanwhile, our governor, due to complaints, is making our state ID card (driver’s license) good for 10 years, with no eye exam. Just about the opposite. Another case of if you have a good bit of money you can avoid hassle. This is a stupid as when Georgia dropped mandatory high school driver training because the federal government quit paying for it under President Reagan.

You know, it has always been the case that we wait for history to determine the guilt of our revered people. We usually just want to discuss their praiseworthy accomplishments during their tenure and leave the overall criticism for posterity. I have noticed several instances of this recently such as the football player who supposedly gave up millions to serve in the Rangers (maybe he expected more when he returned; who knows?) but was unfortunate and was killed. At first certain officers in his group told his brother and in their reports that he was killed by the enemy. They knew then that he was not, but by his fellow soldiers, according to some there. The army did later admit what happened, although all of the false papers submitted earlier were destroyed by the army. The killed soldier will keep his high medals for bravery in battle although all he did was get killed by his fellow soldiers by accident, as are many killed that are not accidents, and receive no such medals. The army needs heroes in such wars, it appears, and I can’t explain what kind of officers it takes to promote such skullduggery. Maybe the ones like we apparently now train a lot of at the service schools, picked from selfish families who sometimes are bigots, and for their ability to be good test takers. Now, we have the miniature soldier who was a guard at Abu Ghraib that is now determined to be incapable of knowing right from wrong, but whom the army enlisted and kept, and awarded three rows of medals as evidenced by pictures. They need numbers and bombs only, they thought. Recently, the President awarded Medals of Freedom to the three people who have failed their country the most in recent years, apparently strictly for bad effort and loyalty to power. These things are not new. One could write a book of such things happening in the past also, although one might think we would have improved by now. Books will be written by historians in the future telling us all of the good with the bad. We just can’t face it now, I suppose.

I always thought that the desperate TV news shows (and I use this word reluctantly, as I think they are programs) were ABC, CBS, and NBC. They are losing the most watchers. However, CNN, FOX, and MSNBC are the ones who seem to be out of something rational to say lately. Fingers in chili that probably didn’t happen, buried treasure that was stolen, and a bride who caused the cable channels to hang her boyfriend while she joy-rode in Vegas and Mexico, were covered as if it was an atomic blast at the Washington Monument. I’m sure this gal Nancy Grace had them all hung immediately. I know Bill O’Reilly said there was no doubt but what there was foul play with the runaway bride gal. He said that because she was a debutante, white, rich, and not of that type. What on earth has happened to second sources who are reliable?

05-04-05

Homes have been revalued again this year for property tax purposes. Mine went up nearly 10 percent again. Now the politicians can say they have reduced the tax rate for me, but unfortunately since my house is worth more, I’ll have to pay 10 percent more taxes. They may even reduce the tax rate and have a party to announce it, and then I may not have to pay but 9 percent more money! Some states have already passed a law to stop such spending and expansion using ever-increasing budgets by making it mandatory that the rates be reduced to match the new evaluations. Time we did that as nothing else will work no matter which party is in power. Desperate people make desperate decisions and sometimes they make the situation worse. Thank goodness Jennifer Wilbanks bought a bus ticket instead of a suicide gun.

The Peachtree City Planning Commission recently voted 5-0 against recommending approval of Walgreens request to build a 24-hour drugstore at the critical intersection of Ga. Highway 54 and Peachtree Parkway. I applaud that decision. A drugstore there would increase traffic and safety problems. It would reduce property values of homeowners in the vicinity. It would establish a terrible precedent for future rezoning requests along the rest of the Hwy. 54 corridor in PTC. It would be an irreversible step closer to developing another Hwy. 54-74 intersection nightmare. Although the Lutherans would structure the rezoning to prevent a gas station or liquor store on the site, this restriction would only apply for 20 years, a short time in the life of a town. After that, the stage would be set for further changes. At the very least, the proposed rezoning would permanently damage the character and balance of this key intersection in the very heart of PTC. Our City Council does not exist to serve Walgreens’ best interests. Let Walgreens find another spot in PTC to build its drugstore.

I suppose we will find out [Thursday] whether or not our zoning laws have any meaning whatsoever, or if the council gives a rip what almost everyone with nothing to gain wants. I expect it to be put off until things die down which would mean that it is intended to eventually slip through. Courageous people would nip it now. Unless money means more to these religious zealots than what they will put onto people for scores of years, they will go ahead and build themselves a church where it doesn’t crowd the neighbors and simply pay for it out of their tithes.

Where were all the self-righteous citizens when Line Creek Baptist Church sold their soul to the devil for a teeny, tiny Best Buy?

Wake up! There is no such thing as consensual sex with a 15-year-old. Fifteen-year-olds are not old enough to agree to have sex. You cannot really think it’s okay for a 15-year-old to have sex.

Of course the golf cart paths can’t be patrolled. Seatbelt violations and missing license plate lights are indisputable priority offenses that should never interfere in potentially dangerous incidents in the woods. (By the way, a fine of over $100 for a burned-out license plate light? With those kinds of fines, every path in the city should long ago have been repaved.)

This is in response to the “Free Speech” against the Peachtree Police and the officers needed for the city. I found out on the website for Morgantown, W.V., that the city has 26,809 people at the last census in 2000. The West Virginia University is located in the city, but as I found out via the net, they too have their own police department to handle the 21,500 the college says enroll each year. One department for the citizens of Morgantown and one department for the college. They have 10 miles of “paved fun” and 17 miles of “packed sand trails” unlike here with the 90-plus miles of pathways. Maybe you should check your facts before you make a judgment.

You think PTC Police Department is bad, try the city of Fayetteville. Officers with the city of Fayetteville keep leaving for unknown reasons and the high turnover rate is costing citizens daily. Do you realize how much money it costs to send a new officer to the police academy (approximately $3,000)? To pay his or her salary while he or she is attending the academy for three months? To pay to train the officer “on the road” after he or she graduates the academy (another three months)? To pay the officer who must train him (thus distracting him or her from their normal functions)? Then, after all the expense, the officer quits within three years. The police department has 43 officers and I can count at least 19 that have left in the last six years. That is a 44 percent turnover rate. Is anyone going to start questioning this? To top it off you have a school resource officer making $52,000 a year because the chief couldn’t fire him legally so he demoted him until the officer filed an EEOC complaint (then he fired him). That is $20,000 more than a school resource officer should be paid. I am confused. Think of how much money it will cost us if the chief is found guilty of discrimination and violating the Civil Rights Act by firing the officer after he filed an EEOC complaint. My tax dollars are being piddled away because the City Council will not protect the city’s officers. City Council and [Chief] Roberts, quit wasting our money and come clean about what is going on inside the police department.

To quote a well-known philosopher, “How many times can you put me down ‘til in your heart you realize, if you chose to criticize, you choose your enemies.” Well, maybe not a well-known philosopher, but you get the gist, right, Peachtree City?

I read with interest, “A Call to Action” ad/opinion on this week’s editorial page (where it should be) defending Tom Farr. Now I don’t know Tom Farr but, if I were him, I would probably have said, “Thanks, but no thanks,” to the offer of defense. This is in light of the, shall we say, less than sterling reputation of some of his “friends.” As the old saying goes, with friends like that who needs enemies?

“Friends of Tom Farr” sent me an e-mail, asking if I would lend my name to their newspaper ad which is being used in an ongoing political spat. I said no. I knew Tom. Tom was reserved, understated and worked quietly for the community. If the lawyers and developers on this committee want to honor Tom, then they should please build a children’s park or something for the seniors in his name. This would be appropriate. I would even contribute to that type of project. But using Tom’s name for this political mess is not appropriate.

This country was founded on the principle of a democratic society. Democracy simply put means majority rule. Our Constitution modified democracy to protect the rights of the minority, so today what we are supposed to have is majority rule/minority rights. The majority set the rules, but the minority has rights within those rules. The recent actions by elected officials, many of whom live in other counties, brings the principle of majority rule/minority rights into question. By Representative Virgil Fludd’s introduction of legislation to mandate district voting into Fayette County, the majority opinion of the population did not matter. In fact, such legislation should always be put to a vote to see if the majority would like the change. What happened was a classic case of democracy gone awry. Our society is rapidly changing the rules to minority rule/minority rights. Imagine the outcry from the minority should we decide to change the rules to force them into a voting system that they did not seek. We have seen such an outcry in the recently passed legislation requiring a photo ID to vote. That legislation does not deny, nor infringe upon a person’s right to vote; yet screams of racism rang through the halls of the state capitol. There is nothing racist about having to provide a photo ID. The minority have created organizations to help protect them from the wrongs of the majority. The NAACP, the Rainbow Coalition, and the SCLC are examples of such organizations. Do these organizations really care about right and wrong, or do they simply care about pushing the minority rule/minority rights issue? What the three black representatives attempted to do with district voting was wrong. Why didn’t any of these organizations do the right thing and publicly condemn them for their attempt to infringe on the voting rights of the people and not just the minority? Of course now I will be labeled as a racist for raising this issue. I’m no more of a racist than Virgil Fludd, Jesse Jackson, and Louis Farrakhan. These people are not fighting for right and wrong, they are simply fighting for one race. Doesn’t that make them the racists?

The AJC’s report on “Key House Votes” for the week of April 18-22 shows our beloved new congressman for Fayette and Coweta voting in a lock-step with Dubya and his oil baron buddies to heap a treasure chest of tax breaks, environmental rip-offs, and other assorted insults to common citizens and taxpayers, on the oil and gas industry. What with their already swollen excess profits from the outrageous gasoline and natural gas rates, these Texas tycoons really are “needy” and deserve to be on the public dole, right? And, we sure don’t want to hurt them with any higher fuel-efficiency standards for vehicles that would reduce consumption, now do we? I’m sure our two stalwart senators, with their tails wagging, will also oblige their master when it’s their turn. You know, I’ve voted for a Democrat or two in my time, even while holding my nose, and it looks like I’m going to have to do so again! After seeing what the Ugly Republicans in the Georgia Legislature did, or tried to do, this session, I certainly understand why Democrats reigned there for 130-odd years. The main thing these self-styled conservatives seem to do well, state or federal level, is increase the public debt. The next thing is to rob the middle and lower classes of whatever to make the fat cats fatter. We’ve either got to get us a new breed of Republicans, who care more about ol’ Joe Six-pack, or get behind a new third party that will look out for the great silent majority and not be lap dogs for either the robber barons or every kooky special interest group that threatens to boycott or march. With a ton of common people issues needing to be dealt with, this current crop of Republicans is totally obsessed with either undoing the New Deal, or narrow far-right agendas, or lining the pockets of the already wealthy. And, our beloved new congressman is right in there behaving like a good freshman. He needs to recall that Dubya and Company didn’t get him elected, and sure won’t get him reelected.

Peter Pfeifer picked a peck of pickled peppers and then began writing long boooooring letters to the newspaper. Peter, pleeeeeease shut up!

I laughed out loud when I read that the Fayette County commissioners passed an ordinance which prohibits sound levels above 44 decibels to battle kids on dirt bikes. I pictured how they will enforce that and envisioned their large-waisted marshals creeping through our wood lines and cow pastures with sound meters trying to snare our 11-year-olds on their dirt bikes while gathering their evidence. Then what? Now that’s a chase I want to see on “Police’s Wildest Videos.” My money’s on the kid.

So the board of commissioners is now going to tell us we can’t ride four-wheelers or dirt bikes?

I am really tired of politicians who disguise themselves as members of a certain political party, because it is the more popular party, and then conduct themselves in their own true colors (Sonny, that includes you.) Fayette County is a majority Republican county but the Fayette County Board of Commissioners, who all claim to be Republicans, continue to inundate us with more and more government. They have now passed an ordinance proclaiming that citizens with acreage cannot ride all-terrain vehicles on their own land. We moved to Fayette County to NOT have our liberties taken from us by small-town politicians. You are not Republicans, commissioners; quit claiming that you are.

Senator Saxby Chambliss (on Lou Dobbs) both wants the illegal immigrants to stay to do stoop work and also to be sent home if they are illegal. This is an impossible position, but a political one.

Fayette County is absolutely swamped with illegal aliens. All one has to do is look at most of the laborer jobs being done each day, right here locally. Our right-thinking local politicians rant and rave about these illegals, and at the same time look over the actualities in order to please the farmers and construction people. Our left-thinking politicians want them all in with no border guards. I truly regret such tomfoolery.

Considering the high price of gasoline, why is it necessary that all Public Works vehicles be left with the motor running while employees rake, weed, mow or perform other duties? Not only is it a needless expense but it adds to an already polluted environment.

I think it is a sad state when a dog is selected to be the Grand Marshal for a July 4th Parade. I love dogs, but they are just dogs. The July 4th parade causes us to reflect on our country’s freedom and not on our pets. Shame on you, PTC.

To the person upset by Pulte Homes: Honey, come to Tyrone and you can be served up on a silver platter to the developers by nothing less than the paid, with your tax dollars, people who were supposed to be protecting you. Come feel their hatred and narcissistic vindictive wrath when you question why did they gave permission to put up 2,400 square-foot houses on one-acre lots on flood plains and wetlands, next to your house sitting in the woods on five acres that is bigger. Come get told if you don’t like it, although you have paid taxes for the past thousand years, to go find 10 acres someplace else where you won’t be bothered and tried to make feel petty. When they are caught selling you down the river’ to the developers and they get their feathers ruffled and tell you they are having a learning experience, what’s your problem? Come here and enjoy the good life in Tyrone. Your money is always welcome, but your input? Stuff it!

I was at the last Tyrone Planning meeting and Barry Amos stated that he was proud of our Colorado Waffle house that he got the plans for, but he also mentioned being proud of the fact that our little mussels in one of the creeks in Tyrone were going to be used in another creek somewhere else in Fayette County to help clean the water there. The way Mr Amos stated the two things someone just hearing it might think that these little clams were a city project or that the town in some way should be given credit. The credit is due to Dennis Chase, who was never mentioned. He has nurtured and protected our wildlife and lands for us on his own free time. He has spoken against the way Hadley Ball park was developed by the town of Tyrone, what it has done to Lake Pendelton. Please don’t think the town of Tyrone has anything to be proud of concerning the poor little mussels; the mussels have survived in spite of the town of Tyrone, and the developers deserve no credit for conservation at all.

If more police officers are needed in Senoia, it may be to protect the citizens from the ex-mayor.

The PTC Amphitheater has traded flower bouquets and great food for selling the hard liquor needed to stomach the hot dogs and other “Little League” snacks. It helps to drink liquor, knowing that Fayetteville’s “The Villages” enjoys a better line-up. Have we just thrown away 10 years of experience and knowledge for shortened shows and liquor sales?

The Tennis Center and Amphitheater seem to have lost their community feeling now that they are run as just another “profit at any cost” business. Did you notice the hidden 5 percent increase in the “same price” tickets? And this is without paying for the loans that made it all possible. Shame on you for trashing our community friendly treasures.

Who owns The Fred? If this is owned by the city of Peachtree City shouldn’t the residents have the right to vote on the management and the selling (and bringing in) of alcoholic beverages? It seems that somewhere along the way the laws have changed for patrons of The Fred to become intoxicated (either by bringing their own or purchasing alcohol) and then driving a golf cart home. I’ve been to concerts. I’ve witnessed this. It’s a pretty sad day when we feel that the only way we can sell more tickets to an event is to allow alcohol to be present.

I would like to make a comment about opening night at The Fred. My son has worked as an usher at The Fred for a couple of seasons. He always like working there until this weekend. The management staff seems to think they are running The Georgia Dome. The ushers were told to bring their own flashlights, that The Fred would not be providing them. In the break room, the refrigerator for the ushers was taken out. Water has always been provided for the ushers, but no more. On opening night in the gold seating, none of the seats had numbers on them. When asked about how they were supposed to tell people where to sit, they were told to deal with it the best they can. The ushers were told to stand up in the Gold Seating area for the whole concert. Only when people started complaining that they couldn’t see were the ushers allowed to sit down. Saturday night when it was cold, the ushers were told, they could not wear their jackets. Finally the ushers were told once the concert was over, the ushers were to usher out everyone sitting in Gold Seating. Remember, Ms. Linda, these are the people that pay your salary.

How to take a great venue, The Fred, and choke the life out of it. First, have a mediocre, at best, series line-up. Follow that by replacing good food by some sorry hot dog stands, add LOTS of liquor, and price it far too high. Then to close the deal, stop people from bringing in chairs, or their own liquor (can’t upset the smooth deal). Any wonder why there were hundreds of empty seats for The Four Tops? There is one way to redeem the season, however, and that is by banning one more item: flamingos! Come on folks, your “look at me” act wore thin three years ago.

I hope all the people that travel west using the traffic light at Ga. Highway 54, Brandywine Boulevard and Oak Street are happy this light has been set up so the traffic flows. I don’t think people thought about who this light serves, which are drivers from Fayette Medical Center, the apartments and duplexes of Brandywine plus homes in that area. I am not one that lives on the northside of Hwy. 54 but on the southside in the Deep Forest subdivision [and] we appreciated the safety of this light very much. I don’t think the people that decided the flow of the traffic was more important than safety really studied this. Also, if plans go like I read in the paper there are suppose to be at least two more traffic lights installed, so how are these people going to treat the flow of traffic then? Why install all these traffic lights if we are not going to use them properly? I can see safety is not top priority. Also, at this light please notice the nice crosswalks where there are no sidewalks.

The number of young people having a part-time job has drastically dropped in recent years due to an increased focus on grades and after-school sports. I’m asking you to remember those jobs now: bagging groceries, mowing lawns, waiting tables, mostly jobs that were service-oriented that fit the skill levels of a teenager or 20-something. Believe it or not, those jobs still exist, and people are still working them. Do you remember the rude older people that looked down on you because you were younger and in a low-skilled job? Do you want others to remember you that way? Working in a restaurant, I have served many of you, some very friendly and understanding, but most of you not. Just as you used those first few jobs as stepping stones to buy a car, put yourself through school, go out with your friends, we are now doing that same thing. This entry is not as much about the tips (although servers make, on average, $2.13 an hour, so really our only salary is what you leave us) but about the attitude. I ask that the next time you go out to eat in Fayette County that you treat your server like a human being, like you would have liked to have been treated in your beginning jobs. Although we are waiting on you, and you are the customer, we are people as well. Most of us are more than willing to serve you with a smile, but that smile becomes harder and harder to offer the more and more you forget that we are people with real lives outside of that restaurant. I realize that there are more important issues in life that could be occupying newspaper space, but while we cannot do much to drastically change the war in Iraq and world hunger right now, we can make life a little more pleasant by treating people with common courtesy, like we would each like to be treated ourselves.

This sincere, believing Christian supports capital punishment because the Bible says, “An eye for an eye ...” Murder is the killing of an innocent person, so the death penalty is not murder.