Mr. Ballard is obviously missing his true calling as an advocate for those inclined to make bad life decisions. I support his prayer group efforts in supporting pedophiles and alcoholics. Those efforts are truly admirable. Mr. Ballard nneds to take his spiritual gift back to a career that more closely resembles his passion and calling. He was a good defense attorney and the ministry could certainly use a man that proclaims himself as a sophist.

soph·ist

a. any of a class of professional teachers in ancient Greece who gave instruction in various fields, as in general culture, rhetoric, politics, or disputation.

b. a person belonging to this class at a later period who, while professing to teach skill in reasoning, concerned himself with ingenuity and specious effectiveness rather than soundness of argument.

2. a person who reasons adroitly and speciously rather than soundly.

3. a philosopher.

Vote for Ballard...for Public Defender.

Looks like an interview to me.

This is not a letter to the editor. This is no more than a press release drafted by Scotty and the good ole boys which at this very moment is being spammed across the circuit.

Have fun bloggers. This press release can and will be picked apart with the facts so easily. Let's start with Mr. Softy's tough on illegal students:

{Ballard} announcing publicly that his office would prosecute those who defraud the taxpayers by lying on affidavits to enter the public schools. “That’s the figure the school system gave me,” he said. “And we’re just getting started.”

School fraud arrests diverted Crackdown: Grandmother, mother were charged with 'false swearing' on residency forms for three children.

BYLINE: BRIDGET GUTIERREZ Staff
DATE: November 23, 2006
PUBLICATION: Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The (GA)
EDITION: Main; The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
SECTION: Fayette PAGE: JM1
The first Fayette County arrests for residency fraud -- highly promoted by local law and education officials -- will not result in any convictions. District Attorney Scott Ballard said last week that the first two cases he took on had been settled by "pre-trial diversion" -- meaning the Clayton County grandmother and mother arrested will not be prosecuted. Ballard blamed a "technicality" for his decision not to take the cases to the grand jury next month or demand restitution for the time the three children may have attended school here illegally. But Ballard said he was happy with the outcome in which the women agreed not to re-enroll the students in Fayette schools, unless they lived here. "This just wasn't a very aggravated situation to me because the family had actually lived in Fayette County for some time," he said. This past summer, education and law enforcement officials held a press conference announcing a unified effort to crack down on nonresidents sneaking their children into Fayette schools. Three months later, they stood before TV cameras to tout the arrests of Denise and Michelle Slay -- accusing the women of "false swearing" to a Fayetteville address on student enrollment forms. If convicted of the felony, the Slays could have been fined as much as $1,000 each or been sent to prison for five years. They did not respond to a phone call for comment. Sam Sweat, the school system's assistant superintendent for operations, admitted he was disappointed in the outcome of the first cases. But he's hopeful about others being pursued. Sweat said the message is getting out that residency violators are not being tolerated. During the past two months, he said, 13 students voluntarily withdrew from school as investigators began checking into suspicious addresses. "Even with the Slays, we sent the right message," Sweat said, "because they're no longer in Fayette County schools."

Now, does anyone want know what the "technicality" was that justified Ballard dropping this case? If there was a valid "technicality" then why wasn't a proper explanation given? Sara Harp Minter, WWMS and WWHS are bustling with illegal students. Near nothing is being done about this. These tax thieves were nailed by the county. They confessed to their illegal actions and our DA, found some sort of technicality to justify his soft on crime decision.
________

"That man was Griffin Judicial Circuit District Attorney Scott Ballard".

CLICK HERE FOR THE REST OF THE STORY

I wonder if Ballard's opponent will have the opportunity to respond in a similar format - a Letter to the Editor that reads more like a front page political forum. I know the Fayette Citizen is fair and I'm sure they will afford Mr. Hayes the same advantage. From what I understand, Ballard's opponent has a VERY impressive record of fighting child predators, as well. In fact, I believe Ballard's opponent (when he worked with Ballard) may have lead the case in some of those child molestation cases Ballard gets credit for. This election is very important to me (for personal reasons). I have heard Scott Ballard's side for the past four years and seen what he is capable of. I have also had the pleasure to meet with his opponent and discuss certain issues that are important to me. As a life-long Fayette County Resident, I would like to forewarn all other Fayette County Citizens to research both sides first. Take the extra step (as I did) to meet and discuss issues with Rudjard Hayes. You just might be as impressed as I was with his honesty and conviction. The issues that are most important to me are being covered by Hayes' platform - child advocacy, online predators and stopping the invasion of drugs (especially Meth) in Fayette County. I'd like to hear more from both sides on these issues.

This letter, which is supposedly authored by Scott Ballard, speaks entirely in the 3rd person. Until I got to the bottom of the letter, I thought someone else was writing it. Very strange.

If you want to write a letter to the editor, it should sound like a letter. If you want an article written about how wonderful you think you are.... ummmmm, maybe the Citizen isn't the place for you. But I'm sure the Daily News would be happy to oblige you!