Remember the promises last spring from our PTC Recreation Department that Huddleston Pond would be repaired this summer? Remember the “mud puddle formally known as”? Well, summer is over and nothing has changed (except that the water level continues to drop and the smell continues to rise). The latest tap dance from the Rec Dept. is that the plans are almost final and work could begin later this fall, but since winter is not a good time for such projects, we’re told that it really probably will not happen until spring ‘07. At the current rate of deterioration, Huddleston Mud Puddle will be Huddleston Hole by next Easter. Hey, Mayor. Hey, Council. How about diverting just a little of the political and financial attention from TDK and other future developments and take care of what is here and what we are paying for. I expect deceit and shell games in Washington, D.C. I did not expect such dishonesty on Willowbend Road.

----------------------------------------------------------------

I feel so sorry for the people that live near the “poison plant” in Fairburn. I have had several experiences with the EPA. We had several sewage spills in the city of Fayetteville. I contacted the EPA. I was assured that I would get a call back after their investigation. I still haven’t got a call. That won’t stop me from calling them again if there’s another spill. The EPA will probably deal with the people that’s responsible for poisoning these people in Fairburn with a slap on the wrist. I hope the people that live there will pursue getting this plant closed. I smelled the onion odor back in the spring or early summer. I live in the city of Fayetteville.

----------------------------------------------------------------

I’m wondering: Since Officer Jordan has been demoted with a pay cut, does this mean Officer Whitlock is treated in the same manner or does he go under the good old boy discipline rule? I am very sure that protection for our youth where or whatever the cost comes from is much more serious than having a drunk at the wheel endangering our youth when it comes to reprimanding. It all comes down to money or the use of it, doesn’t it?

----------------------------------------------------------------

Saw a Fayette County deputy, in uniform, get out of his squad car at McCurry Park, let his Labrador out, unleashed so the dog could go about relieving itself. Which it promptly did, right in front of the picnic tables on the grass. Good old #2. Did the deputy clean up after his charge? Nope, the pile was still there, a day later. Signs abound in McCurry Park citing local ordinance about leash laws. Cleaning up after your animal is just plain old common sense and courtesy. Just another instance in which our public guardians think they are above the law.

----------------------------------------------------------------

How wonderful it would be if, at its next Law Day celebration next year, the Fayette Bar Association awarded its Liberty Bell award to The Citizen’s editor for his staunch defense of our First Amendment right to free speech. He’d deserve it.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Builders and developers are indeed parasites. Here’s why. These bottom-feeders of the animal kingdom purchase tracts of land to make huge profits at the expense of every person in this county. They do this by manipulating existing land use policies. They coerce none too honest politicians to push rezoning or incorporation into an adjoining township so that they can overbuild their land tract. Their policy is 50 cracker box houses on postage stamp lots are much more profitable than fewer well-constructed homes on larger pieces of land. This policy works for the parasite but it destroys the host (Fayette County). On Sept. 20, a writer tried to defend parasites. He/she argued that without the parasites, families could not sell their farms, send their children to college, nor plan for retirement. Nonsense. The builders and developers would pay exactly what they pay now for the land, but, they would have to charge more for their product. That would keep some people from moving to Fayette County because they could not afford to purchase a more expensive home. Is that a bad thing? Only communists/socialists think in terms of total equality. Population growth would be slowed and with this we would have less pollution, less crime, fewer paved-over strip malls, more pastures and farms (you know, open space). We would need fewer schools and other public services. Thus, we would all pay less in taxes. Note, Fayette County has land use codes. Many of us have lived and prospered under these codes. It is the parasites who circumvent the codes with a wink and a few pieces of gold. The parasites take as much as they can as quickly as they can. They sicken or kill their host (Fayette County) and then move along to their next victim. You have to be a real moron to defend a parasite.

----------------------------------------------------------------

I’ve been hearing a lot about the development that’s scheduled to happen just over our border in Coweta County and how we’re going to get all the traffic headaches while Coweta gets all the revenue from the development. I’ve heard several estimates on the number of cars that this development will add to our already congested area, but the one I’m going by is the 35,000 cars a day on weekdays and 9,000 on Saturdays. As I see it, a simple solution to this would be to make both Ga. Highway 54 and TDK Boulevard coming into Peachtree City toll roads. Charge each car coming in 50¢. Sunday would be a free day, no tolls on Sunday. This should bring in around $92,000 a week, or approximately $4,784,000 a year. Part of this money would go to DOT to help maintain the roads and tollbooths, and the rest could go toward our school system to help lower our property taxes.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Wow, what a coincidence that the big owner/developer of the TDK property in Coweta County wrote Senator Seabaugh a campaign check for $2,000, and then the senator just happened to write a $2,000 check from his campaign fund to Mayor Logsdon. Sure, Senator Seabaugh, we believe you. It was a bizarre coincidence. Mitch Seabaugh and Lynn Westmoreland are packing in campaign contributions from landowners around TDK at the same time they are lying to the people about TDK providing traffic relief, and somehow it’s all Steve Brown’s fault? We’re not ignorant, Mitch.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Sen. Mitch Seabaugh writing to say he has the facts is like saying the Pope is a Muslim. Ask Seabaugh why last session’s state ethics legislation didn’t include limiting gifts to elected officials like Gov. Perdue wanted. Ask Seabaugh why he voted for the passage of secrecy legislation that prohibits the public and the news media from having access to state records. This shyster makes the old Southern Dixiecrats look like patron saints.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Sen. Seabaugh forgot to mention some of the points that Steve Brown pointed out in his letter to the editor. First, Seabaugh continuously lied to the public and said the TDK road was for the purpose of relieving traffic. Second, Seabaugh and Rep. Westmoreland were actively taking campaign contributions from the developers who owned land around TDK, their families and their employees. Third, Steve Brown consistently said the road was going to cause substantial traffic and Seabaugh always contradicted him. Fourth, Seabaugh’s receiving contributions from the TDK developers and later forwarding big dollars from his campaign fund to Harold Logsdon’s fund looks shady as heck.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Representative Lynn Westmoreland: Does nothing; favors torture tactics; supports local traffic congestion and overdevelopment; wastes my tax dollars on worthless mailers which say nothing more on the issues than the local news; and he loses my vote in November.

----------------------------------------------------------------

How embarrassing to have U.S. Rep. Lynn Westmoreland representing Coweta and Fayette counties in Congress. Not only is he known as a Congressional laggard, but he also is an outspoken advocate of torture. Yes, Rep. Westmoreland was one of only seven votes in the entire Congress to vote in favor of the use of torture. Throughout the history of our nation’s conflicts, we have always stood on the moral high ground condemning torture. Rep. Westmoreland now joins the ranks of communist regimes, third-world dictators and terrorist leaders who stand behind the use of torture. By rebuffing Rep. Westmoreland’s extremist views on torture, the Congress has put the world on notice that we expect American POWs to receive the same moral treatment that those in our charge receive.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Congratulations to The Citizen staff for standing up for the First Amendment and preserving our right to hold our government officials accountable. Threats from dishonest politicians should never be tolerated. Rep. Lynn Westmoreland’s actions were reminiscent of former city attorney Jim Webb and former Mayor Robert Lenox’s shenanigans against the newspaper for printing letters exposing bad government dealings.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Since when do the citizens of PTC listen to anyone, yet alone an 18-year-old who has lived here all of three years? The arrogance of this young writer astounds me. Although I have no more ground than he or she does, I can say that his or her diagnosis of PTC is a little off. I agree that some of the petty thefts, vandalism, and golf-cart joy riding is done by white high schoolers (as my brother is one of them) but an equal amount is done by blacks and Hispanics. And there are reasons people instinctively get on guard when they drive through certain neighborhoods. Certain areas may not be as populated as others with the “bad guy type,” but there is no place where they cannot be found, in or out of PTC. A question: how is this article different from the complaints of the people who have lived here 20-odd years? All the author seems to offer is a whine about other people’s whining, the police force slacking off, and the teenagers doing stuff that’s wrong, yet typical of teenagers in every part of the country. The only difference is that this complaint is published. Not once in the whole page-long article does he or she propose to do anything about it. Anyone can tell you a car is broken when it won’t crank. For example, to help all the “spoiled suburban kids who are bored and have no respect for others” one could suggest better after-school programs, or the life-long habit of having a job. It is not a foreign concept, you know. Or perhaps someone could invent a better lock or protection on golf carts to avoid easy break-ins so further joy riding could not occur. Or, this one’s a doozy, one could encourage citizens to elect effective leaders into local offices. Our privilege of voting is often taken for granted. The right to vote and to participate in one’s local government is what separates Americans from the citizens of most of the countries on earth where all they can do is whine. Thus, whining is not an obligatory American practice. Although it is one of the most widely practiced political activities, it almost never achieves positive results. If Peachtree City citizens took interest in the campaigns for local offices and actually went out there and participated in their city’s issues, there would be better people in office, people who could and would enforce laws. Thus, the judicial system would work better. Most people don’t vote because they think that their one vote doesn’t count. If everyone voted, elections would change. PTC would change. I do agree that complaining is not the answer. Neither is whining. Action and change is the answer, and that is exactly what the author failed to mention. He or she, apparently filled with zeal over the matter, should start a petition to reform the police force or to have stricter charges and less warnings and ticket stubs. Maybe with good cause and a bit of leadership the people of PTC will listen, and maybe they will act.

----------------------------------------------------------------

There was a case in State Court last week that went before a jury trial where a man was charged with DUI and two counts of child endangerment with his children in the car, interfering with police and driving without a license. This person refused a breathalyzer and refused to cooperate with law enforcement officers while they were trying to conduct field sobriety tests. The police officers testifying had video footage of his arrest clearly indicating his impairment but he was still found not guilty of all charges except driving without a license. So, is there any justice? Can we all just refuse a breathalyzer? It appears the court system is eliminating our efforts of Mothers Against Drunk Drivers.

----------------------------------------------------------------

How many times do we have to see kids who are bullied going into their schools on a shooting rampage before school administrators get serious about the problem of bullying? This week in Wisconsin, we have seen another case of a child tired of being harassed and taking it out on the teachers and principal that he assumed were supposed to protect him. I am not a stranger to this issue. My son came to me over the past two school years asking why he had to deal with bullies instead of just going to school to learn. My son is not ugly, small or mentally challenged, but a good-looking, intelligent, well-built teenager who just happened to be targeted, maybe because his teachers liked him. Now, I find out that the same kid who bullied him relentlessly is still being allowed to harass and assault other students this year with minimal consequences to him personally. Why is the victim made to feel like he is the one under scrutiny? Is the administration afraid to deal with this kid and his parents? How many kids like mine will want to be home-schooled to feel safe in their learning environment instead of attending the almighty “lighthouse” school? It came to my attention that this week a hate-group was formed by girls against a sixth-grade girl. You might not think your child is being bullied or that your child is a bully but a wise parent will find out. Yes, sometimes our sweet angels do get full of themselves and decide to exert their power even at the sweet age of 11. Maybe when enough parents get angry about the negligence of our school in protecting our children, the administration will wake up and deal more harshly with these kids who feel they are so much better than everyone else. Find out what is going on, report it in writing to the administration, keep copies of all correspondence and hold them accountable before we have a gun-toting victim ruin our utopia.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Could our problems with E.coli and spinach be associated with the lack of health standards in California agriculture because of the farmers’ dependence on illegal alien workers? This writer experienced, first hand, illegal aliens defecating in pick boxes and then covering their excrement with juicy, freshly picked peaches, plums, grapes and tomatoes. I never witnessed contamination of spinach but it is not a giant leap to assume that it could be contaminated also. Water and food-borne diseases are major problems in the third world as any traveler will attest. Remember, when you travel to the third world you don’t drink the water nor eat the fresh produce. Illegal alien workers here are the third world citizens there. Golly, this month it is E. coli; when do we all get to experience typhoid and amoebic dysentery? They should really be fun.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Congratulations to the “dems,” their partisan-hack judges and the ACLU. Voter picture IDs will not be required for the November election and election fraud will again run rampant in some parts of the state. Election day will be upon us before we know it so you folks had better get started stealing utility bills from mailboxes, digging up the dead and mobilizing your illegal alien base.

----------------------------------------------------------------

In response to Eye for an eye, turn the other cheek is not something the terrorists understand for they do not believe in the God as Christians, and civilized people of the world believe. There is no way any of us could understand the mindset of people who want to kill us simply because we do not believe as they believe. There is no talking to them, there is no reasoning with them, and there is no way to understanding their “discontent.” It is pure hate that they have for Americans, Jews, and anyone who does not believe and conform to their faith and lifestyle. In my wildest imagination and I imagine yours as well, can you even begin to comprehend the amount of hate that would lead you to blow yourself up to kill innocent people, or allow your child or family member to do the same? Can you even comprehend the horror of chopping someone’s head off as they are pleading for mercy, all in the name of Allah. I am sorry, there is just no way I can understand this, there is no way I can be sympathetic. I have a son who is in the military who faced the enemy and stared death in the eye; it is hate pure hate that drives these people. There is no dialogue, or fair treatment, or reasoning. Believe me, the conditions we have them detained in at Gitmo is like a fine hotel in comparison to the conditions they are accustomed to and evidently willing to die to protect. As Americans we do abide by the laws of human decency and dignity. We are a nation who historically works for peace and dignity of all humans of the world, not just our own country. Regardless of how you feel personally about the current administration, if it were possible for a peaceful dialogue with the terrorists, we would be at the table. They do not want our peace, they do not want our way of life, and they do not want us to live in freedom. A simple column of free speech where you and I can freely disagree in a civilized manner is a threat to the terrorist way of life. I am sorry but for me, that freedom is something that our fathers and their fathers fought for and men such as my son are still willing to protect today. If you want to try to understand their discontent, please by all means feel free to take the next plane to Iraq or Afghanistan and good luck. If you don’t stand behind our troops, please feel free to stand in front of them.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Are you outraged that the our glorious leaders are considering combining the United States, Mexico and Canada?

----------------------------------------------------------------

The flora/fauna has survived the Mt. St. Helens volcano explosion, but according to some envirowackos, building a fence along the border will destroy nature for all time. Any excuse to keep from securing our borders.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Come on, you law enforcement types. Stop passing the buck. Illegal aliens break the following laws for starters: enter the country illegally, possess false documentation, drive without a license, drive with fraudulent tags, drive with no proof of insurance or emissions testing. You say, gosh, if INS won’t come and get them, guess we better let them loose into society. Nonsense. Other jurisdictions in the country are incarcerating and holding them, so could Fayette County. It is called where there is a will there is a way. Now, what about their vehicles? You say the vehicles are impounded. Surely they are not turned back to these criminals, are they? You know, without a vehicle an illegal alien would really have difficulty getting to work, buying beer at the liquor store, visiting his amigos and sending dinero back to Mamacita. Our county law enforcement agencies are soft on illegal aliens or we would not see several in the arrest columns with each edition of our local papers.

----------------------------------------------------------------

It’s not so much that graduates of our overcrowded schools will face, “Do you want fries with that?” wages, but that they must learn to ask the question in Spanish.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Oh, boo-who-cares-hoo. Poor illegal alien students can’t get federal grants and loans for college? Ask Mexico to fork over some of the $26 billion sent back to Mexico each year. American taxpayers already paid for your K-12 schooling.

----------------------------------------------------------------

The Hewlett-Packard corporate spying case has once again brought the issue of privacy in the electronic age to the front page. In their zeal to find out who amongst their board of directors was leaking corporate information to the press, the company took to spying on employees, journalists and board members. Can you really blame any of the corporate attorneys who gave tacit blessing to such an operation? After all, this was all happening at the same time that our own President was taking memos from our top attorney that were saying things like, “terrorists are not combatants ... Conventions do not apply ... under the War Powers, the President may authorize the wire-tapping of anyone without court approved warrant.” Ah, remember the good old days when your police had to get a judge’s approval before they could look in your mail? You know, the old illegal search and seizure clause in the contract between us and those whom we place in power, aka The Constitution. Fear not, neighbors, for unlike those recent power grabs by the executive branch and the meek response of a Congress that represents nobody that I know, new privacy protections will be coming soon. You see, companies legally spy on their employees all of the time, but HP had the audacity to spy on their board members — Foul. Watch the laws come, for we are once again reminded that in our great republic (notice, not democracy), to affect real change you must offend the rich.

----------------------------------------------------------------

The administration in Washington in addition to misleading the American people up to now about the Iraqi war is now doing it again. The misleading now is that they have failed to tell us of the current plan to survive a failed enterprise. The plan is: stop the wholesale deaths and injuries of our soldiers by stationing them in safe havens as about three groups, only venturing out a few at a time as absolutely necessary. This allows the terrorists, or civil warriors, to mostly kill each other at the rate of about 100 per day. Also most of the infrastructure is gone again. The police forces training has been a total failure due to the heritage of the old police force under Saddam. They are mostly corrupt and sorry. Fact is it won’t last much past the November election as the Iraqis will soon tire of being killed and maimed. I don’t know the plan to get out with our rear ends after that, but it can’t be great since we have no draft and can’t get volunteers now except by buying their next enlistment with $40,000, which their families need desperately.