Several years ago one of the Atlanta TV stations did a series on how our taxes were being wasted. Question in point was the public workers of Atlanta and how they were wasting time on the job and even sleeping. Maybe they need to come to Fayetteville. There are several vehicles from Fayetteville Public Works that spend several hours in the middle of the day at Ultimate Gym. During the annual tent sale at Smith and Davis last week, two or three of these vehicles were also spotted during work time. I understand that they have been seen at other spots during working hours.

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The Fayette County Board of Education will have to make some tough decisions that will make some residents unhappy regarding the opening of Bennett’s Mill Middle School, but will they be fair? My suggestion is that they take a protractor and draw a two-mile radius around each middle school and work from there. Why should students who are within 13 minutes walking distance be made to spend 45 minutes on a bus to attend a school almost nine miles away? This has nothing to do with attending PTC schools, but only proximity to our local school. If a student is involved in extracurricular activities, such as band, academic teams, or sports, is the school board planning to have a second late bus? Or are they willing to handle the students who have to wait around until a parent can pick them up? The neighboring subdivisions around current middle schools were built out years ago, and have not added to the overcrowding of these schools. If anything they have reduced in numbers of students impacting the local schools. We may not have the size and clout of the larger subdivisions, but our plight is more justified.

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In response to the person who complained last week about the “new” Crabapple area getting to stay at Booth and McIntosh: Seven years? You’ve been here seven years and are complaining? I live in the Crabapple area, and my house was built well before you moved here. Get your facts straight. Rather than trying to justify why your kids should stay and other PTC neighborhoods should move, you should present a united front for your community. Elitism doesn’t get you anywhere.

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In “Featured Image Galleries” on The Citizen Web site is a picture of a protest sign objecting to the redrawing of school district lines. If the photo is any indication, it seems that it really doesn’t matter which high school the kids go to — they, or their parents, obviously can’t spell “Lakemont.” Come on, people. Can you really expect the board to take you seriously if you don’t even take the time to spell correctly?

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To the person that wrote that perhaps Fayette County should give a tax credit for the illegal students from other counties, why you don’t complain about the enormous amount of money expended for the education of illegal immigrants from other countries. I believe this is a bigger problem and some more people should complain about.

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I am and have been a resident of Fayette County for 20 years, and my children, and now my grandchildren, attend Fayette county schools. During this 20 years we have watched our taxes climb without knowing that teachers, bus drives, and other county employees were allowed as perks with special permission to enroll their children in Fayette schools whether or not they were residents of this county. That must stop. If these people want their children to attend our tax-paid schools then they can move into this county and pay high taxes just like we do. No wonder our schools are so overcrowded. I understand that there are not even enough school books to go around due to non-district students attending our schools. Our children’s education is going lacking because of out-of-district students overcrowding our schools. This needs to stop now. It’s time for teachers, bus drivers, and county employees to join the real world. Perks are insurance, pension plans, paid holidays, 401K, etc. I’m sure the average Fayette County citizen has no idea that this has been going on.

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When is the school administration going to do something about the cheerleading squad at [a local school]? First they schedule cheerleading tryouts for new students only and — believe it or not — a student that was not new to the school made it at this tryout. She was also the only returning student allowed to try out. Also, one cheerleader was suspended for 10 days and yet attended the cheerleading sleep-over several days later and is still on the squad. What kind of message are you sending to the good students and the students that follow the rules? And most of you parents are worried about being redistricted?

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Any football player that feels the need to whine to his parents about what the coach said during practice or half-time needs to grow up. These coaches are doing their best to teach boys how to be tough, work hard, and most of all, give 100 percent to a team. If they are falling short, it is up to the coaches to point it out and coach them up. For the parents: you have no right to criticize unless you are willing to quit your high-paying job, go back to school (at your own expense) and become a teacher and coach. Neither of which are paid what they are truly worth. I say that our county has some of the best and everyone of us should appreciate what they do every day for our children. Have you thanked your child’s coach today?

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In reference to the bicyclists who threw water into a school bus while it was driving past them: The PTC police not only met with the bus driver at a location named by the bus driver, but they were also out looking for the bicyclists. More than one officer was looking for them, on more than one road. Based on the description they were given, they could not find them (or any other bicyclists). PTC is divided into four zones that are patrolled by the officers. Except when shifts are overlapping (twice a day, for a few hrs each time), there is usually only one officer per zone, with maybe one extra city-wide officer, one sergeant (who also responds to calls) and 1 lieutenant (who is sometimes on the road, sometimes having to deal with the massive amounts of paperwork). At the most, that is seven officers, at the least, four. Some calls require two officers, like domestic situations and fights and accidents where traffic is being blocked. This means that there are times when all the officers are busy, or when an officer must travel a further distance (out of their zone) to answer a call (meaning a longer response time). Higher priority calls get answered first (for instance, a domestic call will be answered before a “keys locked in the car” call). What this meant for the call you are talking about is that whatever officers were available responded. One or two were actively looking for the bicyclists. And another met with the bus driver, as soon as possible. What more did you expect the police to do?

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I, too, am happy that Helen Sams Parkway is open, but I have never had any problem with the light not changing for me. The reason? I stop my vehicle at the stop bar and not at the crosswalk. What is a stop bar, you ask? It is the large white painted line at all intersections that have an on demand light setup. There are sensors in the pavement that detect your car and the light will change. If you miss the sequence of the lights, you will have to wait until the sequence cycles back to you, so it seems like you sit for a while. Many people stop beyond the sensors and feel the light is stuck. Be patient; that Wendy’s triple stack will still be there.

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The root (canal?) of all evil: Perhaps it was a miraculous recovery. Or not. It may have been a little white lie, if there is such a thing. In any case, Lynn Westmoreland has some explaining to do. The folks at the Chattahoochee-Flint Regional Development Board of Directors need to know for sure. Here’s the story: Westmoreland did not arrive as invited for the Board’s Thursday evening meeting. He sent an aide, who explained that the congressman was recovering from a root canal he had suffered earlier in the day. A half-hour later, Democratic challenger Mike McGraw, who had kept his promise to speak to the Chattahoochee-Flint meeting, dashed to a dinner hosted by Newnan Utilities Manager Dennis McIntire. To his surprise, Mike McGraw found his Republican opponent, Lynn Westmoreland, chewing heartily and happily on a full plate of steak and ribs. McGraw said later he was amazed that Westmoreland could eat a second helping with his foot planted so firmly in his own mouth.

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Rep. Westmoreland, so, now you’ve changed your mind and “are on board” to close the Fairburn waste treatment plant. How nice. And your repeated rhetoric that the reason isn’t because election day is just around the corner. If you think anyone, especially the voters, is going to swallow this, I have a citrus grove in Alaska to sell you. What will happen after election day? You flip-flop your stance again. And no, we don’t live anywhere near that plant, thank goodness.

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Holiday kudos to Lynn Westmoreland and [Fayetteville Mayor] Ken Steele. With so many government officials afraid of separation of church and state, Lynn and Ken have taken a bold step forward. In order to help us remember Christmas year round, they have seen to it that Ga. Highway 54 between Fayetteville and Coweta is a non-stop blur of red and green traffic lights. Merry Christmas!

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Mayor Logsdon gave the Board of Education a tongue-lashing and told them he would find land for a new middle school. He did find a site in East Coweta on the other side of TDK.

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It wasn’t a pretty sight watching Jim Stinson come totally unglued on the letters to the editor page. The little whiner told us he has never supported Lynn Westmoreland, he hates Free Speech and he hates Steve Brown. Poor irritating Jimmy ranted with nasty speech for almost three full columns, but he still had the audacity to criticize others for what they say. Talking about the pot calling the kettle black; get a life, Jimmy.

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This Stinson guy openly admits in a blog on the Citizen Web site that the quotes he attributed to Steve Brown weren’t Brown’s. Stinson says he was assigning the quotes to Brown because he “associates” those words with Brown. How low can it get?

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I had a discussion with letter author Jim Stinson on The Citizen Web site. I asked him for clarification on some of the quotes he attributed to Mayor Steve Brown in his letter. Mr. Stinson replied the more sensational quotes didn’t come from Mayor Brown. He admitted to attributing Free Speech quotes to Mayor Brown saying, “I admit that it may not be totally fair ... Every word was quoted from Free Speech.” Mr. Stinson was very polite and graciously replied to my request; however, I’m a shocked at his tactics of attributing the quotes to Mayor Brown. Are all Republicans pedophiles by association because of Rep. Foley? Mr. Stinson needs to behave and retract those quotes if they didn’t come directly from Mayor Brown. This is indeed misleading.

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Stealing a golf cart and slamming it into a school: Free. Attorney fees and court costs for stealing a golf cart: $5,000. Daddy buying you a new golf cart when you get out of Juvenile Hall for a “coming home present”: Priceless.

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To the Griffin police officer, vehicle number 281, who was speeding through the Huddleston Elementary school zone on Peachtree Parkway on Oct. 25, I don’t think you were in pursuit of any type suspect as you had no siren or flashers on. I believe the speed limit is to be followed by all drivers, no matter what our status.

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To the person that referred to “Southern activists” and claimed to not be able to get an answer to the question, “What is Southern pride?” please allow me a chance to answer for all of those who have not satisfied you. Southern pride means that you are proud to be a Virginian, or a Georgian, or a Texan, first and foremost. Gen. Lee himself said he could not fight against his “country,” meaning Virginia. Southerners were for centuries agricultural people that lived in small towns and villages with few true cities. This sense of isolation led our ancestors to think of themselves differently than did the rapidly industrializing North where many people lived in large cities like New York, Boston, Philadelphia, and later Chicago. Just as modern day Scots and Welsh think of themselves as such more so than British, so did, and in large degree still do, Southerners. Southern pride means that you are conscious of your own heritage. It’s a Southern thing that most natives can name not only their grandparents, but their great, and second great-grandparents as well. Knowing your family history means that you grew up around front porches and swings and listened to old folks talk about the past. When you didn’t have AC and TV, you did that a lot. Having a strong tradition of manners meant that you listened even when you weren’t really interested. I’m proud of the stories my grandparents shared with me. I thought it special that they deemed me worthy of their time. Southern pride means that you get goosebumps when you hear the words “Yorktown,” “Bunker Hill”, and “Valley Forge.” That feeling is multiplied by 100 when you hear “Manassas,” “Shiloh,” “Gettysburg,” or “Appomattox.” It means that you are proud of General Lee for his military skills, but more so for his character. It means that you take pride in reading the words of the great northern warrior Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain when he described YOUR soldiers at Appomattox as “the very embodiment of manhood.” It is food (grits, peas, garden vegetables, jambalaya, fried chicken and biscuits). It is our accents, all seven of them from the Piedmont to the Highland to the Piney Woods. It is Dixieland jazz, Texas swing, Memphis blues, The Allman Brothers Band, and Hank Williams. It’s bluegrass, and rock and roll whether it be from Elvis (Mississippi) Chuck Berry (Missouri), Little Richard (Georgia), or Jerry Lee Lewis (Louisiana). It’s gospel, and Celtic ballads passed down for hundreds of years. It’s Booker T. Washington, and George Washington Carver. Southern pride is George Washington, Patrick Henry, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Andrew Jackson, John C. Calhoun, Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee, John B. Gordon, and Joe Wheeler. It is Ellis Arnall, and Hugh Dorsey (Georgia governors from Newnan and Fayetteville). It is hot days on the farm, snow in the Virginia mountains, and golden leaves in the Tennessee hills. It’s Kentucky basketball and Alabama football. Hook ’em, Horns! And War Eagle, Bulldogs, ‘Jackets, and ‘Noles. It’s Panama City, and Daytona Beach. It’s Bear Bryant, Darrell Royal, Vince Dooley, and Shug Jordan. It’s Dale Earnhardt, Bill Elliott, and Richard Petty (not Jeff Gordon!). It’s Jeb Stuart, and the Tuskegee Airmen. Southern pride is George Patton, Simon B. Buckner, Chesty Puller, Husband E. Kimmel, Claire Chennault, N.B. Forrest, Teddy Roosevelt, Jr., leaders of American forces in World War II, and all descendants of Confederate soldiers. It’s Stonewall Jackson’s great-grandson sacrificing his life in that war for the defeat of Nazism. It is Audie Murphy of Texas and Sgt. York from Tennessee. It is Cherokees, Choctaws, Creeks, Seminoles, Chickasaws, and Catawbas. Mostly it’s the fact that my sons say “Yes, m’am,” and “No, m’am,” to their mother and every other lady they speak to. It’s the fact that father is a retired farmer who taught me to respect the resources God gave us and to respect my neighbor’s privacy as long as he respects mine. It’s being taught to never stand by and allow a woman or a child to be assaulted or abused. It means very much getting involved when you see an injustice being done by a bully. Southern pride is owning a gun as is my right and never pointing it at anyone. It means hunting, and fishing, and eating everything you kill. Most importantly it is the Bible belt, and we are proud of it. It’s not, “Do you got to church?” but “Where do you go to church?” Our ancestors were Christian warriors like their hero and Southerner George Washington. Millions of Southerners still carry on despite what the world says about us. I realize that many of the attributes and traditions I have mentioned are important to other parts of the country. As Southerners we respect that and appreciate it, and we do not claim to be the only folks that believe in such. (It’s those manners again.) At the same time, geography, weather, ancestry, and history make us very different. God made Norwegians and Japanese and that’s not a bad thing. Neither is it a bad thing to have pride in your world, and our world is south of the Mason-Dixon Line, and of the Ohio River, and east of El Paso. The South is a way of life. North is simply a direction.

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President Bush signed the Border Security Fence bill because of election year pressures. But it is clear that his heart belongs to putting illegals on the guest-to-citizen-path, and the promise of a fence is just window dressing.

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It is appropriate that the heirs to America’s standards and freedoms should claim them. But it is not acceptable when illegal aliens also claim those freedoms and standards. Our forefathers, not theirs, sacrificed to build this nation.

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Mexico says that a border fence will be an “embarrassment for the United States.” The real embarrassment is the fact that one-tenth of Mexican citizens have emigrated to the U.S.