Lake Lanier is lower than it was at this time last year. Kedron Lake is dropping like a rock. And we still have morons pouring water on their stupid lawns. Could you possibly find something else upon which to build your self-image beside a green lawn? Put your ego in the back seat and your brain in the front seat.

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I, like many people I talk to, feel like I have no say in my local government. It’s definitely not because I’m apathetic and don’t care. It’s like many others; I am simply pressed for time. I work two jobs, one is in downtown Atlanta. Like many, by the time I get home, 6 to 6:30-ish, I’m hungry, tired and still have kids to get to baseball, soccer, karate, etc. City Council meetings and county Board of Commissioner meetings occur at 7 p.m. Has anyone reading this ever been to one of these meetings? Very few, if anyone is ever there unless an issue of extreme importance is at stake or a close friend/family member is being recognized for something. Even then, once the immediate issue is over, people usually leave. The only ones left in the room are the city/county high-ups and a few reporters.

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Election disappointment in Fayette: I won’t comment on any of the races. That would detract from the most important point: the poor turnout. No election is unimportant, but even the least motivated voter could not dispute that a large stake on our local leadership was decided last [week]. Sadly, though, nearly 3 out of every 4 voters that actually registered chose not to vote. Remember, too, that many Fayette Countians do not bother to register to vote since they are afraid they might be imposed upon with jury duty. So that makes the 1/4 vote total actually lower. That seems to indicate to me that most Fayette Countians are unconcerned about investing in our future. Voters have too many conveniences to avoid doing their civic duty. You can vote by absentee ballot weeks in advance. You can vote in Fayetteville the entire week before. You can vote in your neighborhood for 12 hours the day of the election. This also mirrors national trends. (Note: with our education, affluence and predominant two-parent families, one would expect Fayette to be higher.) In 2004, Iraqis were given their first vote for president. Many voters were intimidated, beaten and even killed. Even so, Iraqis voted in a higher percentage than Americans. One of my favorite questions to high school students is, “What country is most likely to destroy America?” They seldom get it right. Just like the Romans, we are destroying ourselves through sloth and apathy.

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Sure hope you all know what was best ... I will be waiting and watching to see what Wayne Hannah will do with his audit, especially since he got Randall’s endorsement at the 11th hour. Four years can be a long time. Also Hannah needs to try and rally the support of his deputies or Fayette County will not have any crime protection coming up in the near future. I sure hope putting Hannah in as sheriff proves to be the right choice for Fayette County. As for Dunn and the others that sent out campaign letters slamming the Fayette County employees, you will never win. You can’t put down the people that work for you. Fayette County employees are some of the finest, with great customer service skills and hard-working too. I hope the commissioners recognize this and go forward with the promises of retirement pension and raises too. Pfeifer, if you want a chance in the runoff you had better re-think your position and get out of that corner with Dunn and Bost. Lee Hearn has been a Fayette County favorite for years now. He headed up the Road Department and did a fine job. He is an engineer by education and family man. I think he understands the “insides” of Fayette County government. We should all look closer at him for the runoff. As for Joe Scarbrough in the Building Department, Joe has stepped up to the plate to handle a situation that nobody else could do. The previous building director could not stand the heat so he bailed out. By the way, will someone tell Greg Dunn that the Fayette County employees did NOT receive a cost of living raise to date? He should check with the Fayette County commissioners before he puts out information that is incorrect.

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Rudyard Hayes joins a long list of folks dating back over 20 years. Hayes is yet another candidate who moves in, campaigns hard, spends gobs of money, grossly distorts the incumbent’s record, and garners only 39 percent of the vote. The voters of the Griffin Judicial Circuit sized these two candidates up accurately. Scott Ballard is a decent, hard-working, good-hearted prosecutor. He is an experienced lawyer who knows the Griffin Judicial Circuit well. Scott is respected by the superior court judges and law enforcement throughout the four counties. He undoubtedly knows how to be tough, yet compassionate; good traits in a prosecutor. The voters, in resounding fashion, made the correct choice. The citizens of Fayette, Pike, Spalding and Upson counties are better for it.

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The person who wrote about being a “horgan donor” apparently has limited intelligence about the severe need of people in need of organs in this country and how many of these people die before they receive an organ. I am so upset that someone would even think this way. It is Free Speech and you write as you please, but please be sensitive to those who don’t have the pleasure to have good health and refrain from making jokes or remarks about organ donation. I feel you owe an apology to the community, organ donors, organ recipients and the ones who will die from not getting an organ. Do yourself a favor, educate yourself on organ donation and then sign up to be a real organ donor.

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Dave Houston is not a bad guy, but the voters simply saw his candidacy for what it was. One neighborhood in Peachtree City (the one Houston lives in), with a vocal minority, was disgruntled because their kids were (horrors!) shipped to Bennett’s Mill Middle School. The mothers in the neighborhood were near hysteria because the board did not see redistricting the way the neighborhood moms did, so a small, but vocal, group convinced Houston to run. Jan Smola has done a good job and has done nothing to deserve defeat at the ballot box. This was a wise choice for all of Fayette County.

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When I moved to Peachtree City, from up north a year ago ago, I thought the golf cart path system was a brilliant, unique idea and probably enormous fun for all. I now believe it to be the biggest mistake PTC has ever made and the root of many of the “juvenile” problems that exist here. Why? Target shopping center area is in particular an absolute haven for often very obviously underage golf cart drivers, more often than not with no parent even in the cart. Secondly, how many teens can you fit in one golf cart? As we all know, the more in number the more reckless the driving becomes. If a police officer took the time to hang out at Target for just one day probably from noon (when most teens start to emerge), the fines rendered could keep the traffic department solvent for some time. This area is by no means the only place where this goes on. All over the city one sees 10-year-old or thereabouts kids driving golf carts. The biggest negative of the golf carts, however, is the misuse of the carts on the paths for various devious activities such as drug dealing, smoking, loitering and general vandalism, all conducted in the conveniently wooded areas. It is a shame that the situation is like this, and I am sure that the original idea of the golf cart paths was a good one in this lovely part of the country where the outdoors is so enjoyable. I have seen first-hand no end of violations among the acquaintances and friends of my teenage children. Peachtree City parents are a lot to blame for these situations which often develop from inadequate supervision of bored teens. The author of “Thank you Peachtree City” comment needs to wake up and see what is really going on here. I personally have lived in several cities in the U.S. and Europe, and never have I encountered so many drug-related, delinquency and general misdemeanor problems amongst the youth in this relatively small community. The apparent non-enforcement of laws on the paths only serves to reinforce this.

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Okay, is it just me, or do gas-driven golf carts go against the whole point of having golf carts as recreational transportation around Peachtree City? Yeah, we live in an isolated, man-made bubble, but there’s really no need for a smelly, loud golf cart that runs on oil (ahem, like that big Hummer one I’ve seen roaming around). Just a thought.

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To the citizens of Peachtree City: Ms. Plunkett was against expansion / She was elected for taking this position / When it came time to vote / she soon turned coat / And now the citizens must remove this infliction.

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I am so glad I am not the only one who thinks the Red Room should close. What happened to that boy was just awful. Why did the security guards at Red Room not stop this instead of just standing by and watching this happen? Is what happens to the customers who leave the Red Room in the parking lot truly none of their business? We need to close this place down for sure. I cannot believe Peachtree City has not done so yet. They are such sticklers about these places. We really do need a police car parked outside this joint till closing.

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Wake up, Peachtree City, it’s time for all of us to get to the next City Council meeting and demand that any and all projects in this city be put on hold until we can elect a new mayor and his two “yes- whatever-you-say-Mr.-Mayor” votes on the council. Look and see what is coming on down the road: a Christian college that says they will build in the city that will give them the most. Of course, our mayor is enamored by the idea of having an institution of higher learning within our city limits. How many more preachers are needed? Probably lots more so they can pray for you to pay your taxes and keep a roof over their heads. You all know they will not be paying any taxes, nor will they be paying for any services in the city. If you take the time, you will see that most of the early learning centers (day care ) in this city have more students than the college has currently enrolled. Once again, wake up.

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It’s so disappointing to read letters like the one from Kim Learnard where the attitude is let’s just settle for whatever we can get from our local government. No, Kim, we could’ve had a nice little shopping center like the one on Wisdom Road and Ga. Highway 74 with the Mellow Mushroom. That’s what our local laws allowed. Saying Cyndi Plunkett got $20,000 worth of concessions from CCD for landscaping the highway median when she sold the city streets to the developer at a bargain price is not saying much, either. Harold Logsdon, Steve Boone and Cyndi Plunkett have turned Peachtree City upside-down to the point where people are willing to settle for almost nothing. I can’t wait to see Ga. Highway 54 shut down with traffic again, as it will, no doubt, go along well with the Great Wall of China display being built along Hwy. 74. I think the reason only 25 percent of the voters bothered to vote is people think they just can’t win with government. The big developers can sway the elected officials and get whatever they want. Just my two cents worth.

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OK, maybe an ice rink would be nice. But raise our taxes for another fitness center? You must be kidding. We have (yes, I’ve counted) no fewer than seven fitness centers within five miles of the center of Peachtree City, with at least two more on the way. I think anyone in the area who has ever wanted a gym membership has plenty of reasonable options already. Why, oh, why would we be interested in raising our taxes again so that PTC can build Dar Thompson’s next gym for him? City Council, just say no.

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Now the City Council and the city mismanager want the citizens of Peachtree City (or should I say the little over four thousand of us who care to vote) to vote on funding the proposed ice palace. You all know that the city is not able to manage the current daily business. Just look around and tell me: how many city employees you can see standing around doing nothing productive, and they still collect their salaries and benefits? And now you want to throw into the mix managing and taking on all of the liability insurance, issues connected with operating a facility where falling down is a given. If this project was such a no-brainer, why hasn’t Dar Thompson put this deal together with his own money so he could reap all of the profits that are supposedly going to be generated by this venture? There are only a few givens. Once again the taxpayers take on someone else’s pipe dreams. You can’t find fault with Dar Thompson for getting the city to fund this enterprise; after all, where else can you get construction money that is interest free, and when the whole thing closes up, you can blame the city for the mismanagement that will surely occur. It is really a shame that every time I write in it is only to complain about something. But look around, folks: Cart path crimes, armed robberies at local restaurants and an increase in burglaries. When are you going to open your eyes?

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Fayette County Youth Soccer League is now controlled by the select club of AFC Lightning. Ten members of the new board are affiliated with AFC Lightning in some form or fashion. How can this be? The by-laws of FCYSL state that the only people allowed to vote for board members of FCYSL are those residents who have a player registered in programs administered and sponsored by FCYSL. AFC Lightning is neither administered by or sponsored by FCYSL. AFC Lightning is administered by a totally separate board, which two members are also on the board of FCYSL. AFC Lightning is only associated with FCYSL because GaSoccer requires select teams to do so. AFC Lightning has been associated with PTC, Griffin and a few others; now they want to control this league. All AFC Lightning does is rent field space. Along those lines, they pay less field use fees per player than the recreation players do, and they practice more than the allotted twice a week and for longer during the season. Is this fair? Evidently the AFC Lightning faithful seem to think so. Not only that, but they have not and do not charge the ODP (Olympic Development Program) any sort of fees to conduct their tryouts at McCurry Park even though each player has to pay ODP to try out. This program mainly benefits select players, AFC in particular. The USSF Academy program has been allowed to practice and play for free at McCurry Park. There was a tournament (Adidas Festival) held at McCurry where no fees were paid because, once again, the AFC Lightning faithful did not want them to pay. You can bet AFC Lightning benefited in some way, either in the form of discounts or free merchandise. Why? Because that is the way they operate. All of this has been brought to the attention of the Fayette County commissioners, the Recreation Department and the Recreation Committee. The head of the Recreation Department was told last year to do a study into all of the sports organizations; however, she elected not to do so. Now that all of this has come out, the study has been initiated. Why is she allowed to stay? Even with this being said, the county commissioners have not been able to, in a timely manner, been able to make a determination into some of the allegations levied about the recent board of elections procedures and how the new FCYSL board is conducting business. They are not following the constitution and by-laws of the league. One of these is allowing a board member who lives outside of the county. Some items that are being studied can be and need to be answered now. Commissioners, take note, because the citizens of Fayette County are. If you cannot make a timely decision in this situation, what are you doing running this county. Citizens of Fayette County, demand action now.

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What is Fayetteville’s Mocha Moms group all about? My guess is that it doesn’t stand for moms that all like mocha lattes. It’s probably a group for women of color that are moms. Think anyone would mind if Fayetteville started a group called Vanilla Moms?

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To the obviously ignorant citizen who has been so freely bashing PTC over a dead deer by the soccer fields on Hwy. 74, let me help you out. Here’s how it works: You see an unfortunate dead creature while traveling through our beautiful city. You pick up the phone and you call the public works department (770-487-5183) and inform them of the creature and its location. They reply, “Thank you, ma’am/sir, for letting us know; we’ll take care of it.” They do indeed take care of it, just like magic. All it takes is for them to know that the problem exists. I have called them many times and they have always responded on the same day. In the case of a domestic animal, I asked and was assured that they attempt to retrieve owners’ information and contact them about the sad end to their pet’s life. I have called about squirrels, dogs, cats, armadillos, deer, you name it. Now you have the know-how to solve the problem, maybe you can teach your children the answer also, instead of jeering at the poor creature as you pass by. By the way, I have called public works for you regarding this unfortunate deer, so I know it will be long gone by the time this is printed. I guess our public works department is too busy to read the Free Speech column to get their notifications for animal pickup.

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To the person who thinks the public is funding the police officers/crossing guards at the intersection of Hwy. 54 and Flat Creek (or any other church area on Sundays): Those officers are on what is called a “special detail” and are not on official duty. The churches pay the police department, which pays the officers for this (a different kind of pay than their normal pay). That pay covers the cost of them using the patrol cars and uniforms, too.

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I’d like to say thank you once again to the three bikers on Robinson Road who asked this geriatric bicyclist to join them, Thursday morning, July 17. I did take the advice of one of them and raised the seat on my bike. It helped! Thanks! Hope you had a great ride.

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If you can’t afford to properly tip the pizza delivery guy, then don’t order delivery. Get in your car and drive to pick it up. Spend your own precious time and money on gas, brakes, tires, general maintenance, and insurance. That’s what the delivery driver does. Or better yet, if you’re that strapped for money or that cheap, then spend that same amount of money on groceries for several meals. Also, did you know pizza delivery is considered a hazardous job by the U.S. government? They are third most likely to be murdered on the job, right after police officer and taxi driver. I know some pizza delivery drivers that are trying to get out of debt and the stories they tell are ridiculous. The delivery charge is not part of the tip. Usually that goes back to the pizza company. If you don’t like paying it, then don’t order delivery. If you like the conveniences of having your dinner brought directly to your door, then take care of the delivery guy. Especially those who are good, courteous, and do extra things to make your experience as enjoyable at home as it is in the restaurant. These people work very hard for every penny they make. If you don’t believe it, then try it yourself. Chances are, you can’t handle it. So take care of the ones who can so they will continue.

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Whatever happened to people saying thank you? Over the past three months, I have given four graduation gifts, two wedding gifts, and a baby gift. I have not received a single thank you, not a call, not a note, not even an email. Now, all of these people took the time to address an envelope, take it to the post office and mail it, so why on earth are they so lazy they can’t send a simple thank you? Parents, teach your kids some manners. Young adults, be gracious; if people take the time to give to you, take the time to respond.

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If I need a new shirt, I can purchase one at a number of different stores. If I want a beverage, I have a slew of options to pick from. But if I want cable television, I have only one choice, Comcast, and that is a very poor option of choices. I have been forced to use Comcast because there are no other cable television providers in Peachtree City. I must put up with their poor quality customer service, long wait times on the phone, the endless maze one must travel to speak with a decision-maker within the company, their bewilderment when I ask questions about my cable service and a general lack of professional attitude toward the consumer. And for this aggravation I am asked to pay over $60 a month. I must have crawled out from under a rock or something to continue to ask for this treatment. Why can’t the citizens of PTC have other options for cable TV? Advanced technology has allowed me to check my email from my phone, order a pizza while in an elevator, and do all my Christmas shopping from my desk without getting off my backside. But a choice of cable TV providers? Ah, not sure if that one can be figured out. Well, I have decided to figure something out. Fool me once, Comcast, shame on you. Fool me twice, Comcast, shame on me. Goodbye, Comcast. Hello, Direct TV.

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As I was driving across Peachtree City this past Sunday, I saw something that shocked me to the core. It was a rainy day, somewhat similar I imagine to what Noah saw just before the flood, and yet even so, a good number of homes I drove past still had their American flags on display during the rain storm. As a veteran of the United States military and former member of the U.S. Embassy, Baghdad Honor Guard, I am quite familiar with the U.S. Flag Code. The flag code is a system of rules established concerning the proper display of our national banner, and apparently is something with which many Peachtree City residents are unfamiliar. United States Code Title 4 Chapter 1 Sec. 6c. states, ”The flag should not be displayed on days when the weather is inclement, except when an all-weather flag is displayed.” Considering the saturation I noticed of many of the flags, they did not appear to be “all-weather flags.” A desire to show off patriotism is not a bad thing, of course, but it can have a detrimental effect when done improperly. The flag is a symbol of America’s glory and ideals, and when that symbol is misused, it can be quite demoralizing. Not only that, but the pure ignorance shown by flying the colors improperly, such as during a storm or at night without proper illumination (another violation of the flag code that I have also noticed several times here in PTC) is shameful and disgraceful. If you want to show the colors, that is fine and by all means, do, but at least do it properly, with the right amount of respect for what it stands for and those who have sacrificed beneath it.

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Have the governor and the legislature lost their freakin’ minds? It’s bad enough allowing guns in restaurants, etc., but actually picking a fight to allow guns in the airport? Don’t they remember 9/11? Only in Georgia.

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For those who think that slavery has ended, think again. Slavery is alive and well. It’s the illegals who have willingly stepped into the role of the slave, although I wouldn’t dare to compare the life of an illegal to that of a slave. Illegal workers instead enjoy all the benefits of the average American citizen, thanks to all those social programs we have set up for them. Cross the border illegally, and all you have to do is give birth in America. We have a new American citizen, even though that child was brought to America through illegal means. How did this ever make sense to the folks who granted these babies citizenship? The companies who employ and profit from the use of illegals are reminiscent of the slave master. Aren’t they the ones who are truly benefiting from the illegal worker? I’m sure there are many who don’t want to see the illegals deported. Until you fine the companies, and deport the illegals, slavery will continue to thrive. I encourage any person from another country to seek citizenship in the United States. Just cross the border the right way. Come to our country through the front door.

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Calling an illegal alien an “undocumented immigrant” is like calling a drug dealer an “unlicensed pharmacist.” They are both criminals and should be jailed or deported.