30 December 2015

[tpc] - Same Basic Truths About Drugs: Part Deux; The Sequel - A Write-up by Ellis Millsaps

* editor's note: this is the long awaited follow up by J. Ellis Millsaps, cont. writer of TPC to the first installment from this Summer. As always, we appreciate you reading The Chronicles. `MBM  

Some Basic Truths About Drugs: Part Deux; The Sequel 
A write-up by Contributing Writer J. Ellis Millsaps 
Special to the Chronicles 

This part was in my original conception intended to be a separate piece. Then I decided to do a segue, then a continuation. Whatever. Here's the rest:

I was sitting outside the coffee shop in Porterdale, a place where the baristas wear guns, and a cop car pulled up and for the first time (I'm so dense sometimes) it dawned on me that their windows are tinted much darker than us regular peons are allowed to have. So I asked him about it.

He was very nice.

He said, "yes, they are," and there's probably a real good reason for that, I said. Something about how the Citizenry wouldn't know which ones of us the govt. agents were observing; I was just making conversation.

He said he didn't think so. At the last place he worked, the Chief apparently didn't want that. He wanted his government employees to be totally engaged with the People (Ed.note: who's that guy? Let's get him involved here close to home!). And so, that started me thinking...

~ We Have Perverted the Role of Law Enforcement ~

If you're as old as me (63), you likely grew up thinking the police were your friends - and back in Fannin Co. that would have included both the two deputies (Barney & Gomer).

That changed by the time I rocked college in 1969. The fact that weed was illegal made it more glamorous. W were outlaws that were sticking it to an establishment that was sending many of us to die in the jungles of what is now almost universally conceded as a pointless war.

For the next generation this fear of the police started in our middle schools and high schools, but back in the early and mid-sixties, the policeman was truly Officer Friendly. They rode in powerful and superior vehicles of course, but they didn't look like humvees and your could actually see them in there and you could wave to them.

Now, even though I know many cops, I have no idea who is behind the wheel.

Things didn't really get bad until the government allowed police departments to keep the money and cars they seized (I've written a novel, "Good Cop, Bad Cop," which somewhat addresses this; a few chapters of which will be appearing in this space soon).

It was then that the true para-militarization of the police kicked into high gear. The black windows, and the assault vehicles came. Special operations units were funded to spy on and harass citizens. Informants and many others were gotten on the payroll.

Before this started, the State Troopers patrolled the interstate highways alone and local police were happy not to have the responsibility, but once the seizure of private property was allowed, every jurisdiction with a police force and an interstate running through them - no matter how small - was out there looking for loot and revenue from procedural stops.

In fact, the city of Social Circle, GA a few years back incorporated a few hundred yards of I-20 so it could get its piece of the People's pie.

And so it continues, Officer Friendly is now your unfriendly Revenuer.


Ellis is an attorney by trade but has worn many hats over the years: father, bus boy, stand-up comedian, novelist, wiffle ball player, rock'n'roll band manager, and at one time wrote a popular and funny column for The Covington News. A Fannin Co. mountain boy originally, Mr. Millsaps now stays at the mill village of Porterdale by way of 20 years in Mansfield. Usually funny and at times irreverent and subversive, he leans left in his political philosophy but can always be counted on for a pretty darn good write-up. The Chronicles are proud to have him involved... 



29 December 2015

[TPC] - Tuesday Morning Check-in

~ The Chronicles ~ 
est. 2010
29 December '15 
(Covington, GA) 

G'morn' fine readers. It's another wet one here in the Georgia Piedmont. Oh well, sometimes it's just gotta rain. A fair amount to report since last time we've conversed, let's get straight to the bullet points:


  • The biggest news was when Keith Ellis put out a press release the day after Christmas saying that we wasn't going to be running for re-election. I think most folks figured he was either a glutton for punishment or was just simply arrogant enough to try to run again. I think it honestly caught a good number off guard, yours truly included. 
  • Trastastrophe 2015 
    • Apparently many were shocked and angered that some folks decided to put their trash out in front of the trash centers during the 4-day closing of said centers. I'll just repeat what I put on my FB: 

Empathy, or thy Sister would say, putting your feet in the shoes of another. It's not easy. No, in fact, it's very hard. But it is, in my opinion, the only way for me - to be me.
I'd like to be clear about something for a moment:
The people dumping their trash at the gates of the trash centers. Yeah, I get it. It's some vulgar & base behavior; however, I can also say this - I do have that sense of empathy & an appreciation of the Citizenry's frustrations and grievances. After all, a lot of these folks just simply work their asses off to be able to exist and all they want in this world is to be able to give their children and grandchildren a good Christmas.
Then, in the peak of trash accumulation season, they see that the trash centers are closed for four+ days. They don't get that much time off. Their friends and family members who are first responders don't get that much time off for the Holidays. And then they think about the local news articles and the word on the street that this almost year-long trash abomination is either the fault of Levie and Keith's pissin' match, the Dixie Mafia, or a concerted effort by the power elite to muck things up so that we'll have to sell the landfill to Greenhill PC, and then...they get pissed off! They get that feeling of righteous indignation, and so then a couple of them leave their trash bags by the fences of the trash centers. And then others see that and they do the same.
But now, per four sources and just by virtue of seeing the public reaction of the Commons, we now know that we're going to direct valuable and precious resources to go through these trash bags to find out who these terrible, evil "hoodrats" and "trash" are so we can raise even more revenue to feed the beast & the machine. Glorified Revenuers, everyone! That's what we need, y'all. We need to stick it to the Common men and women even more because they have not yet had ENOUGH!!!
If I was the Chairman of the Board now, this what I'd do:
I'd direct staff to just simply collect the trash and place it in the proper receptacle, and that'd be that.
But that'd be too simple, wouldn't it?
I'll be calling multiple people first thing in the morning. I'm willing to go on a crusade on this thing. Tonto tells me it's a winner. First off, the scores or hundreds of folks who left their trash out will obviously be pulling for me, and the thousands of others who "get it" will be in agreement.
Thanks for your time.
Vox Populi!
Best,
MBM

Too much? Nah, I don't think so. But seriously. What a damn mess!


  • And as I found out yesterday, Newton Co. Administration and most departments were closed yesterday, Monday Jan. 28th. What's better than a 4-day weekend? Why a five day one, of course. Jeez...good work if you can get it I suppose... 
    • My take - I think this is a sign of desperation by the BOC to try to curry favor with staff and family & close friends of staff. That's how bad things have gotten, the BOC is trying to work real hard to consolidate support of about a 3 to 4% of the county's population. And to that point: 
    • I conducted an unofficial survey/poll about the job the Newton Co. BOC is doing vis-a-vis Congress, POTUS, and the GOV. 
      • The Newton Co. BOC rates below ALL OF THEM! I'd say the Newton BOC is on the bottom side of a 10% approval rating. That's terrible!
:smh::

Oh well, per usual, lots of moving parts. You know us - ear to the ground and we've got the fires stoked for those smoke signals. And the communications communicaid for today - get ya' that CB radio for your truck or vehicle. Citizens' Band! And having a police/fire scanner is never a bad idea, either. Keep that powder dry and - seriously now - if the creek don't rise, we'll be seeing you again very soon.

Thanks for reading!

`M

21 December 2015

[tpc] - The ever continuing saga of the NCRP; Bowen out as Chair

~ The Chronicles ~ 
21 December '15 
(Covington, GA) 

The Newton Co. Republican Party (NCRP) held a called County Commission (CC) meeting this evening at 6pm at the Cov. Women's Club. This writer attended the first 40 minutes or so then couldn't stand the excitement any more. As an aside, Delia Fleming stormed out about a half hour in when acting interim Chair Todd Bowen wouldn't violate Robert's Rules of Order. She was NOT IMPRESSED! Of course, she took with her, if my notes are correct, at least two proxies, so perhaps as one attendee mentioned, "she may have let her anger get the better of her."

As the soul-crushing and energy-sucking  hot mess of a public forum ground through the metaphorical bones of our Founding Fathers, apparently acting interim Chair Todd Bowen had his Charley James moment and announced he was resigning. Apparently, he was getting the lean-on and hard-sell from some of those from...how shall we say this - on high (congressional district, state, and per the Word, federal - and was feeling like he was being pulled, in a rough fashion, from multiple directions. Even after the objections of many members of the Assembly who wanted Bowen to remain as Chair for party unity, he wouldn't do it. Well, if you play the game, then yes, we all have our proverbial bosses and respective spheres of influence, as it were, which is yet another reason that this writer doesn't play that particular part of that particular game. But I digress...

After that, the rest of the CC, which was in a state of Quorum, came to a meeting of the minds and various motions were tendered, discussed, and passed, including, but not limited to, the following:

- Ray Cowan agreed to act as a temporary interim Chair for the interest of the party and to make the NCRP ExCom whole again.

- Similarly, Scott Jay is the new interim first Vice-Chair.

- And friend of the program and very intelligent and politically savvy Liz Allen was elected 2nd VC.

- Several new Precinct Chairs were appointed as well.

Existing Officers Linda Park and Vickie Henry retain their roles as 3rd VC and Sec./Treasurer, respectively.

By all accounts, everything was done above board and in compliance with NCRP and GA GOP bylaws, state & federal election laws, and Robert's Rules. There were at least 2 qualified electors and members of the NCRP in good standing who witnessed it as well as a Jasper Co. qualified elector. There also exists a detailed journal/log of the proceedings.

Well...looks like the best was made of a bad situation. Many are very thankful that Ray Cowan, a former NCRP  Officer from the Golden Days of the Party, was willing to do this for party unity; and many are very excited about the new members of the CC as well.

The final rub: it is in this writer's opinion that this assembled body did "the right things, and did things right" by not bouncing out the two establishment members of the ExCom or some of those others who are Precinct Chairs. It seems as if the long county nightmare - political realm/GOP edition - is finally coming to a close at the same time that maybe - just maybe - the elected office realm is also improving in the home county. Hell...maybe we can save ourselves and win "The Battle of Newton County" after all. But, as I've said a few times, let's not hold our breaths or nothin.'

Because there seems to be a disturbance in the Force, as it were, that this writer can detect from not even a half-mile or so as the crow flies. I can feel negative, frantic, nervous, and perhaps even possibly semi-nefarious energy emanating from a certain street in the east ward of that fair city Covington, GA. So...we shall see. But maybe not! Maybe we can start winning again, and perhaps we can make Newton Co. great again.

You know the drill. Tonto network and all. We've got the fires lit up for them smoke signals. And remember folks - get 'ya a land-line. If the network goes down, you're gonna want that good ole fashioned land line. And I ain't talkin' that uVerse crap or them o'er ones. I'm talkin' that good Dixie Bell/Southern Bell dinosaur of a line. It's still there. You have to give code words when you're talkin' w/ them ATT folks, though. Let me know if you need some help on that one...

Oh, but I just won't do, will I? Somebody needs to put me in the trash can and put a rock on the lid!

Y'all be good and Lord Willin' & all that, and we'll you see you on the flip-flop, by gosh.

Peace.

`M

13 December 2015

[TPC] - The Sunday Edition of The Piedmont Chronicles; 13 December '15 Version

The Piedmont Chronicles

~ est. 2010 ~


The Sunday Edition; 13 December 2015


In this edition: 
 ~ Local & State 
 ~ Politickin'
 ~ Music, Art & Culture
 ~ Miscellany & What-not 
 ~ Word on the Street (Tonto Network) 


Local & State 

 ~ Greetings, fine readers, and we hope this edition finds you well. 

What's new? 

At the state level, the powers-that-be are once again trying to deny reality and "frame the narrative" vis-a-vis in-state cannabis growing. The people, and this writer, and almost errbody else will be siding with that folk hero of a state rep., Mr. Allen Peake. Deal et al need to get the memo, and right quick. 

Here locally, where to start? As this publication mentioned some time back, it seems as if our long county nightmare may possible be coming to an end. But there again, let's not hold our breath.

C-town. Questions about as to the way some departments and department heads are conducting their business without awareness or oversight from our elected ward reps and Mr. Mayor. Who are these people? What have they been doing? Obviously the city has seen a lot of turnover the past couple of years and there are many new faces of folks that many of us are not aware of. Lots of questions there. And as many have said over the years, if not for municipal services, C-town would be a bigger of a hot mess than Newton Co. Perhaps the failure is ours as the Citizenry. Well...maybe so. But that is changing...

Politickin' 

We kinda covered that in the first segment, but here's a few additional bullet points:

  • How excited is everyone in C-town about new Councilman Josh McKelvey? I've never seen anything quite like it. There's an excitement, enthusiasm, and energy in the air for this most impressive young fellow. 
  • Newton Co. gonna Newton Co. So if the word's true, Valet Levie Maddox has read the tea leaves and will not be trying to run for Chairman of the Board. But Tonto sez he studyin' up real hard to retain BOC 5. So, a 3-man race. I love it. Travis Moore, Jared Rutberg, and Garcon Levie. Good stuff! * 
  • DC Dave Belton is looking more and more like a champion of the common man. HD 112 seems lucky to have him. Great work, Cap'n - Ciao & blue skies... 
  • Developing... 

Music, Art & Culture 

  • The battle of wills between Sweet Harmony & Amici has seemingly been resolved. Look for that magnificent Americana group at Amici in January. 
  • Speaking of Amici, Whiskey Bent played there last Friday. Man, them boys are good. Fluff Whatley has turned out to be one helluva singer and that o'er boy play guitar real good. And I keep hearing good stuff 'bout High Charity. 
  • And those artists we got in C-town! It's just too much almost. The Indians said there was something in the water in this part of the GA Piedmont, and we're not inclined to disagree. Today's featured creators: 
    • I know I keep featuring her, but I just can't help myself. It is in the estimation of this writer that she is possibly one of the greatest Artists alive on Earth. Elise Hammond
    • But Cindy Murphy, though. Oh my. Just brilliant! 
    • But perhaps my all-time fav. The one. The only. Carol V
  • Culture:

Miscellany & What Not 

TPC Top 40 Dance Party has now been pushed back to March. 


Word on the Street

This is a very special place. As mentioned earlier, they say there's something in the water. Back in the day, this area is basically where the Creek & Cherokee Indian Nations met and overlapped. The coming together of what is now the four counties was known as a special and spiritual place. I've heard that there are major water resources underground in that area as well. Hmmm...there's somethin' there. I'm just not smart enough to put my finger on it right now. I'll keep studyin' up on it...

Thanks for reading. You are appreciated very much.

'Til next time,

Your semi-esteemed Editor,

- M.B. McCart 



09 December 2015

[TPC] - Wednesday Morning Check-in: Talkin' VanNess, Solid Waste, Form of Govt. and More

The Chronicles
9 December '15

Greetings, fine readers. Hope all is well out there. Just a few quick bullet points:


  • In re the lovely and talented JaNice VanNess who just shocked the state with her incredible victory in SD 43 (a 2 to 1 Democratic district), as this pressman had also heard - this impressive feat is also on the national radar as evidenced by this write-up by the Washington Examiner. Good on 'ya, Ms. JaNice! We're all very excited to see you in action in the Gold Dome this upcoming session. It is our belief that a smart, hard-working woman like yourself is exactly what we need up there with that crew. 
  • There were two public workshops that the Newton BOC did last night. Not much to report other than: 
    • It's looking like they will likely take the recommendations of staff and the citizens' committee and set up a solid-waste authority. Seems to be a prudent move to us. 
    • Regarding form of government, there were discussions about removing veto power and other lowerings of control of the Chair. Hey, here's a quick idea, since we're operating outside of our charter right now and everything - why don't we get right on that and then decide whatever we're going to decide and then let it go through our local delegation, then the Gold Dome, and then the Governor's desk like we're supposed to. I mean really - I just don't get it. We know Craig's advice has been crap for years - we ARE IN VIOLATION OF THE LEGAL CHARTER! Gawd...
    • It's good cheap entertainment except when it ain't! 
  • Also, regarding potential development at Stanton Springs, and then also here in C-town with Alcovy village, it's hard for this writer to understand why governmental entities are always so willing to basically just believe almost anything and everything a real estate developer says. Because, as we understand it, you could put them right behind used car salesmen and politicians on a certain list. Having been in the dirt game for some time, you must always remember the two cardinal rules: 
    • Trust but verify
    • Get it in writing
Oh well, Rome wasn't built in a day. Lots of moving parts as per usual. But always remember this, you sweet, lovely, talented and most-appreciated readers - there are people, lots of people, who are on it. They in there like swimwear, and just truly on it, dawggone it!

Just call us part of the Tonto network. We've got our ears on the ground.

'Til next time... 

08 December 2015

[TPC] - Had Wm. Thomas Craig's hourly fee risen to upwards of $800 per...

The Chronicles 
8 December '15 

(Covington, GA) 

Based on a copy of an invoice that the Chronicles were made aware of, it apparently seems that the law office of Wm. Thomas Craig, Esq. had submitted an invoice for services rendered in the amount of $12,528.88 to Newton Co. for an un- itemized list of services of 16 hours worth of "case management."

For your consideration, see the image to your right: 

As an aside, this invoice for work was done on the case, Hay vs. Newton Co., in which, according to our sources and understanding, the county decided to sue a citizen of Newton Co. for filing ORRs and questioning certain goings on of the home county.

If anything, this shows more and more that Newton Co. had, in our estimation, become more and more obtuse and tone-deaf, and that, quite possibly, we'd been dealing with a county attorney who was becoming more and more out of control.

And while the county has moved on to on new, interim legal team, and are no longer using the services of Wm. Th. Craig for new business or issues, it is our understanding that Craig is still the counsel of record on several cases in various court circuits and will be for some time. It is also our understanding that Craig is still very heavily involved with several various state-sanctioned agencies in Newton and other counties and has the potential for various residual monies, commissions, other fees, etc. down the road.

Lots of questions. Lots of moving parts.

We'll keep an eye on it...

* * * * * 


02 December 2015

[TPC] - Newton Co. BOC recap & JaNice Shocks the state

The Chronicles
2 December '15

Newton Co. BOC recap & JaNice Shocks the State

Well...last night was the first Tuesday of the month so 'round these parts that meant it was another installment in...hell, don't even know what you'd call it at this point. As a hero of mine always says - hey, it's good, cheap entertainment. But in the grand scheme of things, it's really not that cheap, right?

Our esteemed board took up the latest mess at the landfill. It's a mess. Everyone blaming each other. The latest crisis/fire was the topic last night. It looks like certain folks were on tap to try to get thrown under the bus and, by all accounts, they were ready for it. The thing is, and I truly believe this, like most things we're seeing - this is really more a failure of the system itself. It's a bad model.

Ditto on an attempt to cast blame about the handling of the county attorney situation. Here's just a quick PolySci 101 tidbit - when an issue is on about a 90/10 split and you're on the wrong side of that, it wouldn't be wise to try to work that issue especially if you were going to align with a certain person who has, at this point we truly believe, absolutely no political capital whatsoever with any group or demo. Seemingly not a good move.

But to revisit a train of thought from earlier - it really is a bad situation right now. For the record, Newton Co. has been illegally operating for, what...almost two years. I truly believe all one would have to do would be to file something in any state court. But would a judge take it up? So when you try to run a government that's in violation of your charter, I guess it seems intuitive that it probably wouldn't work too good. My word...

In terms of the proposed development at Stanton Springs, the Board tabled it. And that seems like a smart, prudent move. Now, nobody can try to sue them, and it gives them, and the public, the time to really study up on things. Well done, BoC. Well done...

JaNice, FTW!

JaNice Van Ness is the new Senator-elect for district 43. So...is it true that Senate district 43 went over 2 to 1 for Obama in 2012? And now we see a dynamic Republican win the dang thing? Wow. Just wow...

Obviously JaNice Van Ness is a very special lady. She's smart, honest, articulate, and a hard worker. She's made for a great candidate, and many believe that she'll make an even better Senator. I'm just glad that friend of the program Aaron Brooks and a few others made sure to get this on the radar of the folks at the state level. And I'm so glad that so many energetic and engaged folks helped JaNice on the ground. There really is no substitute for good ole fashioned politickin.'

As an aside, I, along with others, have wondered if political consultants are really just becoming slack-jawed dullards who would fit right in with the management of WKRP. Or Butts-Mehre for that matter. That one mailer, and who it was sent to, seemed like a bad decision. And as many have said before, a lot of times - good, dynamic candidates win in spite of their consultants. There seems to be a lot of tone-deafness out there. And that makes sense as many in that racket are firmly in the political class and really have no intuition or feel for the grassroots.

Hope all is well out there. Have a happy Wednesday!

01 December 2015

Update on the proposed Stanton Springs development

The Piedmont Chronicles

~ est. 2010 ~



There has been much attention and concern given to the proposed development at Stanton Springs, the multi-county development at the four corners of Newton, Walton, Jasper and Morgan counties. This will be the location of Baxter's Baxalta's new mega-site in which they're going to be...it seems as if no one is really completely sure (plasma, a new drug, "Capt. Trips"), which is a cause for concern in the eyes of this publication. 

Last week on Tuesday night, the Newton Co. Planning and Zoning Commission voted 3-1 to table any recommendation on a rezoning of a part of the land. There are actually two tracts involved and a developer by the name of Kippy Clarke is wanting to buy these to put in a residential development.

News was made some time before when Newton County's representatives to the Joint Development Authority ( the state-sanctioned body that has purview over Stanton Springs) voted against the folks from the other counties to deny this rezoning. It seems as if the main push is so the Bank of Madison can get some debt service, but all roads, at least in terms of approving the zoning request, go through Newton Co. at this time.

As the Chronicles mentioned earlier, this deal didn't seem to pass the smell test. Putting in a road, selling way below market value, and, since this entire residential area would be in Newton, the home county would have 100% of expenditures for fire, emergency, and other services, but would only be getting 37% of any revenues. And any proceeds gathered would be reduced by half after the JDA gets their cut.

For a more in-depth understanding of all the moving parts involved with this one, we recommend readers study up on some recent articles by the one and only MP Pat (by all accounts an awesome taxpayer advocate), at the Taxpayer's Advocacy Group (TaxDogs): 


As this publication wondered a few days back, it seemed like a bit of a flip that Newton's reps' to the JDA, Keith Ellis (Newton BOC Chair) and Mort Ewing turned against it. So I reached out to Mr. Ellis. These were his four main gripes: 

  1. Paying for the road for the development - "makes no sense." Okay, check. 
  2. Price is "way too low...even with the flood plain concerns." Yes...
  3. "Giving up that commercial could hurt us down the road." Alright. 
  4. "One person involved has been known to flip properties." Yep. That's what we heard. 
Well damn. We agree with Keith Ellis on something. How 'bout that. 

I also asked him about a narrative that's been floating around with  some folks that there will be re-compensation for Newton Co. for those service expenditures. His response: 

"There is no documentation of that as far as I'm aware of." 

The Newton Co. BOC meets tonight, Dec. 1, to address this rezoning request. Since P & Z tabled last week, the Board may also table...but that could also vote on it. That's 7PM at the Historic Courthouse.

26 November 2015

Happy Thanksgiving from the Piedmont Chronicles

The Piedmont Chronicles

~ est. 2010 ~




The History of Thanksgiving
By Marshall McCart
*November 2010 edition of "About Covington to Madison" Magazine




Hello everyone! Good to be back with you once again. November already! Hard to believe, isn't it? Fall is in full force; college football is hitting the homestretch (and as a UGA man, I'll be “giving thanks” once this season is finally behind us); and Thanksgiving is just around the corner.

Many people consider Thanksgiving their favorite holiday—myself included. It's all about the gratitude we feel for the things we have and the people we love. Also, the traditional feast of turkey, dressing, and the rest of the fixins is pretty darned good. Some would also argue that while Thanksgiving has the food, family, and fellowship of Christmas, it doesn't have the stress and hustle and bustle that sometimes leads up to the December holiday. Of course, I think the people who say that usually aren't the ones doing the cooking! But what about the history of this wonderful holiday?

We all remember the story we learned in elementary school about the Pilgrims and Indians coming together for the first Thanksgiving at Plymouth Rock. And while it wasn't quite so simple (and maybe not quite completely accurate either), that basic story is pretty much true. In 1621, the Pilgrims, led by William Bradford, had a three day feast to give thanks for their first successful harvest and invited several of the local Wampanoag Indians including their leader Massasoit. Also in attendance was Squanto--the Indian who translated for the Pilgrims and who also taught them how to fish the local rivers and to grow and harvest the corn and other crops that they were celebrating. It was quite a feast and included turkey, deer, lobster, fish, fowl, corn, squash, and cranberries. This type of celebration as well as its Autumnal timing was similar to the harvest festivals that many parts of Europe had been celebrating for centuries.

Going back to the line about the first Thanksgiving not being completely accurate, I say that because most historians agree that it wasn't truly the first one in the new continent. In 1619, English settlers in Berkley Hundred, near Jamestown in the Virginia colony, had a “day of thanksgiving” which was actually more or less a religious ceremony but did not include a feast. However, that still might not truly be the first one either as it has been documented that the Spanish had a thanksgiving celebration starting in the mid 1500's in modern day Florida. Also, in modern day Canada, settlers there started celebrating a “thanksgiving” in the late 16th century. So while the basic story behind the Pilgrims is true, it would be inaccurate to label it as the very first Thanksgiving in what is now America. As an aside, Canada also celebrates Thanksgiving but does so in September.

Another inaccuracy with this holiday is the popular misconception that it disappeared for over two centuries and was brought back to life by Lincoln during the Civil War. While Lincoln did issue a proclamation to make the final Thursday in November as a national day of Thanksgiving in 1863, several earlier presidents had done the exact same thing including George Washington and John Adams. Also, many states, particularly in the North, had officially been celebrating the holiday decades before Lincoln.

Thanksgiving did not become an official national holiday until FDR and Congress did so in 1941. They specifically made the fourth Thursday in November (rather than the last) as the date for the holiday. A couple of years earlier, FDR had tried to move the holiday up a week to help spur Christmas sales during the lean times of the Depression. His idea flopped and many people, especially in the South, still celebrated on the last Thursday and jokingly referred to the earlier celebration as “Franksgiving” while some parts of the country simply celebrated both holidays. So after two years and “four” Thanksgivings, FDR and Congress made the change and it has been that way ever since.


There have been some recent trends with Thanksgiving particularly relating to the preparation of the turkey. The big thing lately has been deep frying the bird in peanut oil. Unfortunately, this has also led to Thanksgiving day becoming the number one day of the year for home cooking fires in our country. The experts stress three things. Make sure you're outside. Make sure the turkey is completely thawed out. And make sure you slowly submerse it—don't just drop it in there.
And finally, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention one other thing...just in case there is anyone out there who hasn't heard about it yet. In Louisiana, they eat what they call a “turducken”, in which a chicken is stuffed into a duck which is then stuffed into a turkey and then cooked. That's just crazy! Although, I must admit, I really want to try it sometime. There is also a variation called a “gooducken” in which a goose is substituted for the turkey. Strange but true...

Well folks...that's all I got for this one. Hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving and maybe some of us will be dining on turducken this year!

25 November 2015

Talkin' Tommy Craig, Stanton Springs, et al

The Chronicles
An Editorial

Talkin' Tommy Craig, Stanton Springs, et al

The analogy that has been bantered about is this:

The worker bees busily rearrange the deck chairs on the Titanic while Wm. Thomas Craig, Esq. has his finger hovering, with great aim and rank for a goal, over the nuclear option button because he's either got enough on everyone to be able to be in that position or those folks are just too damn embarrassed that they got fleeced by the slick fella so bad that they'd almost actually rather be guilty of something because then at least folks would say - "Well...that happens. Duality of man and all that. Homeboy chose unwisely."

However, for the sake of argument and for your consideration, what if that's not fully true? What if the million dollar attorney is yet another, albeit large and with maybe a bit of dirt under his fingernails, allegedly, pawn in this multi-generational harvesting of our home county.

Per that o'er boy that stay down the street, this old-model, straight-up fleecing that has, allegedly, been going on for at least a few scores of years. Former Sheriffs, former Board members,certain construction companies former...whatever. More times than not, when there's a lot of smoke there is usually at least a bit of fire.


Who? What? Where, and When? Indeed!

The rabbit hole. Where does it stop? Do we want it to stop. Do THEY want it to stop? Who is they? Dark lords? Greedy grubbers? The lieutenants of the scam? The worker bees?

So, is the word on the street true? Is the 4-county JDA the last payday for the power elite types? Who is on the JDA? Who provided the money? The Bank of Madison? What't the tie-in of the Jasper Co. boys? Jordan? The Bank of Monticello?

And where the hell's Walton Co. on this thing. One gets the impression that them folks are just along for the ride and money and they're really happy to be here, thank you very much, and pass the popcorn while we watch this. And, oh yeah, Newton Co - y'all think you control everything? Social Circle is like that monster in Return of the Jedi! We must feed it! Social Circle gonna take over! Everything!  Annexation, FTW! Man, I just don't know. Questions abound!

Has it reached a certain point? Is it the death rattle of the old-model good ole boy network?

In the words of the wise one, Bustwafa - "shoot..ain't no tellin'"

So, where do we go from here when Keith Ellis and Mort Ewing turn against the JDA? What if there's been a monster created that wasn't foreseen? The law of unintended consequences, perhaps? What if Craig is on the right side of this thing? And the wrong side, too! Hey, it's not conflict of interest if everyone knows, right? A great friend of the program just recently said this to us - Newton Co. thrives on chaos. Errbody know that!

Maybe it's just some good old fashioned dumbassedness. And maybe a bit of the Fear...

We'll keep our ear to the ground. Y'all have a great Turkey Day! Gobble, Gobble!

`M


23 November 2015

[TPC] - Newton Co. GOP meeting with guest speaker Sheriff Ezell Brown and some thoughts on the Sheriff

The Piedmont Chronicles

~ est. 2010 ~




The Newton Co. GOP had its regular monthly meeting tonight in Covington. There has been, as of late, some major changes within that particular party which has been addressed here recently, but the main part of this evening was the program given by the Sheriff of Newton Co., Mr. Ezell Brown.

Sheriff Brown covered many things in his almost hour-long presentation. It was very interesting; this newsman enjoyed it immensely. The key parts were these:

  • The Sheriff mentioned the Newton County Sheriff's Office (NCSO)'s recent accreditation from the American Corrections Association. Our department is one of just a few throughout our great land to have it. 
  • He covered the 19 divisions within the department including: 
    • Uniform Patrol - "the first line of service" that deals with some 76,000 calls per year and comprised of 64 uniformed deputies. 
    • The Warrants Division which so far in 2015 has served approx. 4,400 of those. 
    • The Community Outreach Division - his favorite according to his own words - and the C.H.A.M.P.S. program that is aimed towards kids becoming "NBA" starts (NBA - never been arrested). 
    • Special Investigations, Detention Division (the jail, aka the "Ezell Hotel"), SWAT, et al
  • The Sheriff also discussed that while calls and services are way up while budgets have been cut or plateaued, the number of violent crimes, robberies, and burglaries are down. This is info that is confirmed and that this writer was already aware of. 
Again, I greatly enjoyed the Sheriff's presentation. To me,  he's a good man and a good Sheriff. I truly feel he is that guardian of Justice and the keeper of the Peace that he's supposed to be. 

### 

22 November 2015

[TPC] - Introducing The C-town Political Report Radio Show

The Piedmont Chronicles

~ est. 2010 ~


Hey guys,

A quick word from us - the proverbial us - me, your old pal and semi-esteemed editor-in-chief Marshall McCart. Hey!

Gang, I'm super stoked about hosting a new radio show on the Foundation for Christ Radio Network entitled The C-town Political Report, which will air on Mondays at 12 noon and 7PM and also on-demand on my page at the network.

Also in radio news, for the first time in probably two years, I contributed to Thy Brother and Sister's Keeper on WGFS 1430 AM today and interviewed JaNice Van Ness, candidate for State Senate 43.

But yeah...really excited about working with Christopher Williams and his outstanding  internet-based Christian radio station. I'm pumped.



[TPC] - Guest Post by Samuel Hay in re Keith Ellis

The following is a guest post written by Samuel Hay with express permission to be posted here. As always, we appreciate you reading `MM 

NEWTON’S SO CALLED COMMISSION CHAIRMAN
KEITH ELLIS

With malice and forethought, Ellis presented libelous and slanderous documents to the Board in order to destroy the company which had subcontracted the landscape work for Newton County, Ga, without the first complaint ever, in order that an alleged hand picked new sub could take over the work. It is paramount to note the new sub could not perform the work and turned in invoices which were approved by Ellis and paid, fraudulently as the work was not performed as specified in the contract with the new sub.
Ellis’ own administrative assistants thoroughly researched the smut sheet and returned to him with written confirmation, I have a dated copy, all the so called facts on the smut sheet were false. This is why Hay filed an action to see the public records. This is why open records are so important.
Two days later Ellis himself delivers the smut sheet to the Board of Commissioners as being accurate although he had in hand the truth which he failed to disclose.
Keith Ellis is solely responsible for the lawsuits which have followed his acts and actions and cost the taxpayers of Newton County hundreds of thousands of dollars.
This malice and forethought, being outside the scope of his office, disallows Ellis any legal representation by the taxpayers of Newton County, Georgia and requires he repay the citizens for any and all legal fees already spent, incurred by his negligence.
Therefore, we the citizens of Newton County, Georgia, do offer to Chairman Ellis the opportunity to resign, no later than December 1, 2015. In the event he does not, we will set meetings with the Governor, the Secretary of State and the Attorney General to have Ellis removed from office immediately.
Copies to the local press and Catie Beck 11 alive news.

-33-

20 November 2015

[TPC] - NEWS FLASH - Bill Perugino has resigned as Newton Co. GOP Chair; Todd Bowen to become new Chair

The Chronicles
20 November '15

[State of GA]
[Newton Co.]

(Covington, GA) - The Chronicles were made aware of a change of leadership of the Newton
Co. Republican Party late last night; however, the source was second-hand. During the course of the day this publication received multiple corroborations of this turn of events, albeit all second-hand and therefore we were not comfortable in posting any new reports on this issue.

But after having had a lengthy conversation tonight with Todd Bowen, formerly the first Vice-Chair of the Newton Co. GOP, and effective as tomorrow, the new Chair of the aforementioned county party, the Chronicles can report the following:

  • William "Bill" Perugino has resigned as Chair of the Newton Co. GOP. 
  • Todd Bowen is the new interim-Chair and will be the new Chair contingent upon a vote by the County Committee of the party. 
But what County Committee will that be? The one duly elected by the various precincts, or the committee created after, as we understand it to be - the illegal and in-violation-of-the-GA-GOP-bylaws, version of the County Committee after the "purging" of duly elected, dues-paying members of this party? That's the big question. That's the rub...

I will say this - I heard some good things during this conversation. All the right words. Promises of olive branches being extended, but...we've been hearing that for three years. But those were other persons; that was another time. Perhaps things may be different this time around. That is up to Todd Bowen, if confirmed by the Newton Co. GOP's County Committee. We shall see. But if what we hear is true, none of this matters anyway as an appeal is underway of the aforementioned purging that a heavy majority of the the State of Georgia GOP committee is ready to act on in favor of the aggrieved as soon as they are legally able to do so.

So we'll just have to wait and see...

'Til next time,

`MM 

19 November 2015

Word on the Street: Is Craig Really Done as County Attorney?

In the aftermath of Tuesday night's Newton Co. BOC meeting in which Wm. Thomas Craig was relieved of his duties as county attorney for Newton Co. by a 4-1 vote, recent information has been given to us from an anonymous source. This info has been corroborated by another source of the Chronicles.

That information is this: the various judges presiding over the various cases that Craig is representing the county on would have to sign off on a change of counsel, and the word is that at least a couple of these judges aren't keen to do that at this time. What does this mean? Well, frankly and unfortunately, it could mean that we will be stuck with, and will have to keep paying for, Tommy Craig as our county's attorney for at least a while unless the judges sign off on a change of counsel. It was also mentioned that there could be upwards of a two year backlog of these cases.

Egad...

Surely this can't be right, right? But then again, according to the one and only Sam Hay, at least one of our Superior Court judges is on a first name basis with Ed Tolley. And that's during court proceedings, no less.  Hmm...

Judges, for the most part, are regarded as sacred cows; however, they are nothing more than partisan, elected officials just like all the other elected officials in our political system. It's funny how an appointment seems to usually turn into a lifetime job. Perhaps that's a problem. Perhaps that's the ultimate problem.

Most interesting....

-33-


16 November 2015

[TPC] - Plagiarism Concerns About William "Bill" Perugino

The Piedmont Chronicles

~ est. 2010 ~



[State of Georgia]

[Newton County]

After months of research, this publication has reached a point where it is comfortable to publish the following report:

William "Bill" Perugino is a local Newton Co. citizen. He is also the Republican representative to the Newton County Board of Elections. In addition, he is the appointee of John Douglas for the Newton County Library Board of Trustees, as well as the Chairman of the Newton County Republican Party.

Let's take a step back in time. To early 2013. At the time, Perugino had spent the last year or so writing a weekly column for the Covington News, the legal organ of Newton County. Around January that year, his column abruptly stopped.

There was word on the street as to why this happened, but this column isn't about the word on the street. No, this column is strictly about the facts and wanting to ascertain if an appointed government official, governmental-entity trustee, and an officer of a state-sanctioned political party had committed plagiarism.

Here are the facts:

write-up from The Daily Signal from May 22, 2012:






Compare that to Perugino's article that came out a few days later in the Covington News:





With the exception of the removal of the first word of the article, most of this article appears to be complete copy-and-paste job.


Another example for your consideration:


Here is a column from the New York Times from January of 2013.





Compare that to this column from Perugino that came out just one day later:




Picking up with Perugino's 5th paragraph and comparing it to the other article and one can see that it is completely the same. Word for word, another copy-and-paste job. 

And a third example:

Compare Perugino's Covington News column versus this write-up from Heritage.org: 







~~~~~~

According to a source who was involved with the Covington News during this time and who wishes to remain anonymous, a copy editor working at the time was the one who discovered this activity. This same copy editor allegedly wrote a column talking about plagiarism very shortly after Perugino's column abruptly ended. 

The Chronicles received help on this story from another person who also wishes  to remain anonymous who came across these three examples (plus a few others) using a tool that college professors often use to verify if their students are using their own words instead of copying the work of others.

Again, let me stress to the readers that this column did not come quickly nor was it taken lightly. This is big, big stuff - and we so get that - and we wanted to do this the right way. I reached out to Mr. Perugino to ask him about this situation and he responded, "I don't know what you're talking about." The Chronicles had also previously reached out to T. Pat Cavanaugh, who was the Publisher of the Covington News at the time, who said that all he could say was that he would not rehire Perugino at the Covington News.

I will offer no other commentary at this time other than to say this raises many questions about the judgement and character of someone who, as previously mentioned, serves in an official governmental capacity.

###





21 July 2015

[TPC] - The Moore's Ford Bridge Lynchings: Update - 21 July 2015

The Piedmont Chronicles

~ est. 2010 ~




Some years back, on this website, I started up a page to address the killings that happened back in July of 1946 of four black people outside of Monroe, GA in an event that is widely believed to be the last major lynching in American history:

Over 65 years ago, two black couples, George and Mae Dorsey & Roger and Dorothy Malcolm, were ambushed, shot, and killed right near Moore's Ford bridge in Walton County right at the Oconee Co. line. It is believed to have been the last mass lynching in American history. To this day the case remains unsolved and no one has been charged with this horrendous crime. A couple of years ago, the FBI and GBI reopened the case with what they considered to be new evidence; however, that was over three years ago and nothing has happened. With each passing day, it seems more and more unlikely that this mystery will be solved and that Justice will be served.

Unbeknownst to me, some recent developments have occurred with this story earlier this year. It was first reported in The Guardian, back in February of 2015, that the FBI had interviewed Charlie Peppers, an elderly man of 88 years and also Walton Co. resident,  to ascertain if he had anything to do with the killings or knew any information that could help solve this horrid crime. Apparently, Peppers vehemently denied any involvement or knowledge of the situation. By all accounts, this interview by the FBI was a direct result of an accusation of the nephew of Mr. Peppers, Wayne Watson, who said, on video back in 2013, that his uncle was involved with this crime.

As of this time there does not appear to be any other news and neither the GBI, US Justice Dept, or the FBI is willing to comment on an ongoing investigation.

Here are some other write-ups of this recent information:


One has to wonder if anything will come of this. After all, this recent development with Mr. Peppers is at least 5 months old. Naturally, the gears of Justice are a slow moving thing; however, there has always been a culture and a conspiracy of "silence" with this event going all the way back to 1946. We'll see...





15 July 2015

This Day in Georgia History: July 15th

GeorgiaInfo is a marvelous resource for the Georgia history buff. With tons of information, be prepared to spend a good bit of time on this site.

One of my favorite features of this page is "This Day in Georgia History."

Here's a few for today, July 15th:

Sherman crossing the Chattahoochee River (1864)


Bobby Jones wins his first major title (1923) 


James Ogelthorpe gives chase to the Spanish (1742) 


On the main page here at the Chronicles, we also have a link to another similar site hosted by the The Georgia Historical Society and Georgia Public Broadcasting entitled, "Today in Georgia History." Personally, I like the GeorgiaInfo one better.

Good stuff.

Things have been kind of light lately - vacation and busy with life, but we've got some stuff coming down the pike: another write-up from contributing writer Ellis Millsaps and some local C-town news and politics. So stay tuned...







03 July 2015

Happy Independence Day from the Piedmont Chronicles



“What is my Remedy against a Robber, that so broke into my House? Appeal to the Law for Justice. But perhaps Justice is denied, or I am crippled and cannot stir, robbed and have not the means to do it. If God has taken away all means of seeking remedy, there is nothing left but patience. But my Son, when able, may seek the Relief of the Law, which I am denied: He or his Son may renew his Appeal, till he recover his Right. But the Conquered, or their Children, have no Court, no Arbitrator on Earth to appeal to. Then they may appeal, as Jephtha did, to Heaven, and repeat their Appeal, till they have recovered the native Right of their Ancestors, which was to have such a Legislative over them, as the Majority should approve, and freely acquiesce in."
Those are the words of John Locke, the father of Classical Liberalism, the political philosophy in which I most identify. This flag, my favorite of the Revolutionary period, which by all accounts was based on these immortal words, was the flag of the Continental Navy during the Revolutionary War.
Happy Independence Day! Long Live the Republic!








IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776.
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,
When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.
He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.
He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.
He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.
He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.
He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.
He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.
He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.
He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.
He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:
For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:
For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:
For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences
For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:
For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:
For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.
In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.
Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our Brittish brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.
We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

The 56 signatures on the Declaration appear in the positions indicated:
Column 1
Georgia:
   Button Gwinnett
   Lyman Hall
   George Walton
Column 2
North Carolina:
   William Hooper
   Joseph Hewes
   John Penn
South Carolina:
   Edward Rutledge
   Thomas Heyward, Jr.
   Thomas Lynch, Jr.
   Arthur Middleton
Column 3
Massachusetts:
John Hancock
Maryland:
Samuel Chase
William Paca
Thomas Stone
Charles Carroll of Carrollton
Virginia:
George Wythe
Richard Henry Lee
Thomas Jefferson
Benjamin Harrison
Thomas Nelson, Jr.
Francis Lightfoot Lee
Carter Braxton
Column 4
Pennsylvania:
   Robert Morris
   Benjamin Rush
   Benjamin Franklin
   John Morton
   George Clymer
   James Smith
   George Taylor
   James Wilson
   George Ross
Delaware:
   Caesar Rodney
   George Read
   Thomas McKean
Column 5
New York:
   William Floyd
   Philip Livingston
   Francis Lewis
   Lewis Morris
New Jersey:
   Richard Stockton
   John Witherspoon
   Francis Hopkinson
   John Hart
   Abraham Clark
Column 6
New Hampshire:
   Josiah Bartlett
   William Whipple
Massachusetts:
   Samuel Adams
   John Adams
   Robert Treat Paine
   Elbridge Gerry
Rhode Island:
   Stephen Hopkins
   William Ellery
Connecticut:
   Roger Sherman
   Samuel Huntington
   William Williams
   Oliver Wolcott
New Hampshire:
   Matthew Thornton