30 October 2016

[tpc] - Sunday Evening Check-in; 30th of October, 2016 Edition

The Piedmont Chronicles   
~ est. 2010 ~
[State of GA]
[Newton Co.]



Where to start? 

A Community in Unity, perhaps? 

What an amazing day by an amazing group. Yesterday, Saturday October 29th, upwards of 2500 people, 40+ vendors, upwards of a dozen and half featured speakers, bands,& artists, several volunteers & countless others came together and brought the community of Covington into a state of Unity. It was something else. 

Highlights: 

  • Trey Bailey, BOE Rep. of the 1st district of Newton Co., gave a powerful speech. 
  • Ditto to Melvin Everson, the keynote speaker, who gave a true encapsulation of what a community in unity is all about. 
  • The bands, man, the bands! Mojo Ave. killed it, as did Dustin Bragg, Drew Parker and others. It was a jam-packed day of great local talent. 
  • The rest of the speakers - Mr. Mayor Ronnie Johnston, Pastor Ben Wood, CPD Chief Stacy Cotton, Nikki Wells, JaNice Van Ness, Dr. Mabry, and several others really got the message across. 
  • Capt. America was there! 
  • So was US 4th of GA Rep. Hank Johnson. 
  • So many other great things and people were involved. 
It was something special, for sure!

UGA Football 

Pass...

Local Politics 

Pass...

Miscellany & What-Not

Uh....idk?

We'll get our heads right very soon, good people, and we'll be back with you to give you - the fine Citizenry of the home county - the full story...on errything!

You're pleasure is our pleasure, and we aim to please. 

Til next time,

M.B. McCart 

25 October 2016

[tpc] - Recap - Newton Co. GOP Meeting Down in the Lovely Mill Village of Porterdale

The Piedmont Chronicles   
~ est. 2010 ~
[State of GA]
[Newton Co.]


( 25 October '16) ~ 

The Newton County Republican Party (NCRP) met last night at The Speakeasy (The Company Store) in downtown Porterdale, GA last night & it was quite the event. Over 40 persons attended this Constitutional right of Assembly and it was truly a fine night and a good time was had by all. 

An action-packed agenda & program saw the following featured speakers: 

- Aaron Varner, candidate for Chairman of the Board of Commissioners of Newton Co. 
- Tommy Davis. Newton Co.'s Coroner 
- Victor Armendariz, candidate for US Congress - District 4 
- JaNice Van Ness, State Senator 
- Alex Johnson, GOP Liberty activist and attorney from Atlanta 
- The coordinator of the Trump for Newton Co. grassroots group 
- Jacob Mast with Community in Unity 
As I said, it was action-packed. 

On to the bullet points! 

  • Pretty much the entire evening, I continually marveled at how great of a meeting this was! For one thing - it was at a bar, and not just any bar. The Speakeasy is basically the coolest and most esoteric spot in the home county. It's a very special place. 
  • Tommy Davis really hit it out of the park. He gave - in equal parts - 1) a very good stump speech; and 2) he gave a very concise explanation & encapsulation of what, really, the Coroner does. He mentioned his several years of experience as Coroner, and previously, as Deputy Coroner, and his many years as a Funeral Home worker, and later, owner. He stressed the point of how this is a position where we don't want on the job training. He also, as many folks were glad of, really got after his opponent. As many of us have heard, she's really been talking a lot of smack about Tommy. He was rather gracious about it -  I sure as hell wouldn't have been - but in a logical and even keel manner, he basically eviscerated her campaign theme that he has an inherent conflict of interest as a funeral director. Hogwash. Most coroners work in the death business - it makes sense. And as many know, Tommy's as honest as the day is long. I've worked with him for years as I, too, work a very-part-time side project in that business on the cemetery side. Tommy's just a heck of a guy. And his staff and especially his Deputy Coroners are all top notch. Finally, Tommy always comes in on his budget, and that's a very small budget that they work with (dedicated write-up on this race coming up soon at TPC). 
  • Victor Armendariz. This man going against all the odds as the GOP candidate in the Dem-heavy US 4th had a great reputation coming in and only solidified that. He was easily one of the more dynamic, energetic and passionate candidates for public office I've ever seen. And brother, he was laying down pure nuggets of truth and wisdom like he was just ringing a bell! If the GOP establishments at the state & federal level weren't such weak-sauce scaredy cats and some money and resources were put into this thing, then you may have seen something special and amazing happen in the race. As it is, Victor, I believe, will blow away the previous GOP numbers for this race in the past (dedicated write-up on this race coming up soon at TPC). 
  • Alex Johnson is a helluva guy! He really is. Brilliant, passionate, and with an understanding of "Real Politick" as good as anyone. Alex is a true advocate for Freedom, Liberty, Justice & Equity. He sees what needs to be done with our governments, institutions, and political parties, and lays out a plan and a path to do what needs to be done to fix these entities. He is also, very much so, a "company man," as it relates to supporting the GOP  Standard Bearer, and laid out a pretty compelling case to support Trump because he is not controlled by the establishment or power elite. That he does represent "real change." 
  • JaNice Van Ness is a remarkable women! I just love her! I hope the folks in SD 43 understand that they've got a wonderful representative in the Gold Dome's upper chamber and don't just vote on race and party affiliation. 
  • Jacob Mast with Community in Unity spoke about the event coming up this Saturday at Legion Field. This is going to be an amazing thing! 
And per usual, the running of the meeting was great. The NCRP Chair, Ray Cowan, did his usual outstanding job as did VC Scott Jay and the rest of the executive board. The Speakeasy was awesome as always. Truly just a fine night.

'Til next time!

-MBM 

24 October 2016

[TPC] - A Convo with the Chairman; 19 October 2016 Edition (Part I of III)

The Piedmont Chronicles   
~ est. 2010 ~
[State of GA]
[Newton Co.]

Per chance, I once again had the opportunity to have a conversation with our "esteemed" Chairman of the Board of Commissioners of Newton Co., a primary political subdivision of the great state of Georgia, Mr. Keith Ellis. 

It was last Wednesday. I had gone by North Covington to collect a few items and as I was heading back to the office and treehouse I saw that ole fella standing at the corner of Floyd & Elm waiting for the light to change. He was on his cell phone. I rolled down the passenger side window and tried to catch his attention; I know he saw me out of the corner of his eye but he acted like he didn't. The light turned and I had cars behind me so I proceeded south on Elm. In my rear view, I saw that he decided to head west on Floyd rather than proceed across the crosswalk as he'd originally planned. For I knew our Chairman was taking that usual walk over to a certain attorney's office on College Ave... 

I parked in the Sunbelco/Phillips lot and got ready. I knew what he was up to! After having seen me, he figured he'd go up a block to Church, head west a block or two, and then proceed over to the law offices of Wm. Thomas Craig, Esq. Well, fine readers, I was ready! I quickly eased back north a block to Floyd St. just to make sure he wasn't planning on trying to double back or anything. He wasn't. So I scurried back a block to the corner of Elm & College and waited... 

It took a few minutes, longer than I expected, and I started to doubt myself. But then lo and behold - here he comes - Mr. Chairman! Cutting through the Lofts parking lot and crossing through the vacant lot next to Tommy's office heading for the front door. 

"Mr. Chairman, Mr. Chairman," I shouted, as I crossed College to the sidewalk in front of the office. Keith started to pick up the pace, I mean - really! It was as if he was power walking. Well, I did my own power walking and cut him off at the pass, as it were, right in front of the walkway to Craig's office. 

"Well, well, well - it's my old pal Marshall McCart," Keith said with that infamous and near-legendary crap-eatin' grin of his. "How the heck are ya'?"

"Good," I replied, "gotta quick minute?" 

We then went into the age-old tradition of trading pleasantries, the required UGA football discussions, and quick recaps of what each other had been doing the last several months (we haven't spoken in quite some time and he hasn't returned several phone calls from me the last few months). 


As the discussion turned more serious, we also performed another long-standing ritual where we both gave each other a supposed valuable & largely unknown tidbit of inside information regarding...whatever. But, of course, it's just a game, because both of us already knew both pieces of information the other one was trading, but it's just part of that old model old-school way of doing things.

~*~*~ and remember - always look 'em in the eye. Say what you're gonna do & then do what you said...keep your friends close, and your enemies closer...it's not what you know - it's who you know...the other "golden rule" - those with the gold make all the rules...deal from a position of strength, power & influence...winning through intimidation. etc et al ~*~*~ 

Egad & Selah

After a few minutes, the conversation turned pretty serious. As he's done many times over the last few years, he went into the whole "you're so close, Marshall. You're right on the cusp." And Keith's always said that there is really only about 5 - 7 people who "really get what's going on in Newton Co."

Fairly decent-sized swaths of the conversation were "off the record," but most of it wasn't. It was rather eye-opening.

A few minutes in, and Tommy Craig opened up the front door of his office and peered out. He saw me and then immediately slammed the door shut.

To be continued (part I of III)... 

23 October 2016

[tpc] - A Letter to my Grandchildren: A Guest Post by Fred Wheeler

The Piedmont Chronicles   
~ est. 2010 ~
[State of GA]
[Newton Co.]


*ed.note: what follows below is an extraordinary piece by an extraordinary guy that I've gotten to know the last 15 years or so. Mr. Fred is a total American badass! I'm proud to know him, and I'm even more proud that he is a part-time guest contributor to TPC. The first part is the email he sent out to his Patriots' Table email list and what follows can only, in our estimation, be described as divine words of wisdom for all of our grandchildren. Read, enjoy & take notes! Thx for reading! Best - MBM.

~~~~~~~  


Hi,

   This is a "for what it's worth department". This weekend it occurred to me that the world my generation and the next generation are handing over to our grandchildren is one very different form the one we were handed. Some things in the technology department are better, but in a lot of different ways the world is a whole lot worse. I don't have to recount all the problems--you know what they are.

   So, I have sent a letter to my grandchildren. Now, it's not a letter of apology because on most of our problems I don't feel very responsible. As a matter of fact, I have been on the losing side of many political issues for a long time. And, I just didn't sit back and let it happen. In some cases I tried my best to hold back the tide.

   But, the world is what it is and our grandchildren must cope with it. So, for what it's worth, here it is.

~ __________________________ ~ 



 October 16, 2016

Dear Grandchildren,

  Because of the confluence of a number of recent events and trends I have felt the need to address a letter to you desiring among other things that you should avoid some common mistakes and allow you to lay a foundation for the acquisition of good habits of decision making.

  We live in a society in which political correctness runs amok. We risk electing a career criminal as president; we are welcoming into our nation massive numbers of illiterate immigrants who have no skills and who practice a religion that has enmity to all our western values; and all of our cultural values have come under the dictates of the homosexual cabal to the point that we don’t even keep men out of women’s bathrooms. And, the icing on the cake is we have a second-rate pro football player earning $19 million per year who refuses to stand for the national anthem because he is “oppressed”. Of course, he has become the cause celebre of the Elites.

  We have reached the point of which all utopian social planners from Plato to Rousseau to Robert Owen always have dreamed: the rejection of God, the destruction of the traditional family, and the establishment of a political-economic system based on coerced re-distribution rather than on private property, free markets and the desire of profits.

  The governing system of the future will be based on globalism internationally and crony capitalism domestically—a new mercantilism. There always will be an underground economy among the small businesses in the service area that are somewhat immune to the regulations and confiscatory taxes of the state capitalists—but, even this sector continually will come under attack and be eroded.

  The way to succeed in this de novo system is either to go with the flow or to stake out a position of independence. The latter will require a continued effort to resist the elements of authority (government, media, schools and universities, etc.) who constantly will offer up an alternate version of reality.

  So, let’s begin. I will offer in outline form some suggestions for you to lay a foundation of putting on the whole armor of rational defense against the prevailing system of interpreting reality and making decisions in your chosen career and private life. You can google the various topics for investigating them deeper.

  When I was in in college ROTC we were taught the principles of war. These principles apply in all situations whether strategically with whole armies at war or tactically with a squad in a firefight.  I have come to realize that they also have application in all other human endeavors—anytime there is organized effort attempting to accomplish some sort of goal. One can readily see that each principle can be used as a metaphor for an activity in a non-military context.

  1. Objective. Every military operation must be directed toward a decisive, obtainable objective. A business’s objective must be correctly defined and all members of the organization should understand what it is.

  1. Offensive. Only offensive action achieves decisive results. This means a salesman will not accomplish much sitting in an office hoping his phone will ring. He also must have  the willingness to “ask for the order”.

  1. Simplicity. Even the most  simple plan is difficult to execute in combat. Keep it simple, stupid (KISS) is a good rule of thumb in every category of human activity.

  1. Unity of Command. At the Battle of Thermopylae (480 BC) the Greeks had an army of 7,000 from various cities, but King Leonidas of Sparta was selected to lead the Greek forces against the Persians. One of the greatest war movies ever was “Zulu” made in 1964 depicting the Battle of Rorke’s Drift of 1879.  Once the British forces realized they were about to come under attack, the first thing they did was decide who was in charge.

  1. Mass. Maximum available combat power must be applied at the point of decision. This is what R. E. Lee was attempting to do on the third day of Gettysburg with Pickett’s Charge. It’s what football teams do when they pull an opposite-side guard to block on a sweep.

  1. Economy of Force. Minimum essential means must be employed at points other than that of decision. This is why both Clinton and Trump spend no time in Georgia, Mississippi, and Oregon while they return over and over to Florida, North Carolina, and Ohio.

  1. Maneuver. Maneuver is the positioning of forces to place the enemy at a relative disadvantage. A beautiful example of this is the flanking maneuver that Stonewall Jackson performed at Chancellorsville. In civilian cases this is demonstrated by being flexible enough to make changes in a plan when circumstances change.

  1. Surprise. Surprise may decisively shift the balance of combat in favor of the commander who achieves it. In football, sometimes a fake field goal or a quick kick can change the whole momentum of the game.

  1. Security. Security is essential to the application of the other principles of war. A political candidate doesn’t share his polling data with his opponent. This element is why we have access codes for all of our computer activities.

  A few other things learned from the Army:
  1. Every test, every operation, every task is not complete until it is critiqued. If a test is not reviewed, the student will miss the same questions on the final exam. Before preparing for next week’s game, coaches must spend some time correcting the mistakes from the previous Saturday’s game.

  1. Effective leadership must include the willingness to delegate authority (Responsibility cannot be delegated—the buck stops where the leader resides.) A leader does not have the resources or ability to perform all of the tasks. The job at hand should be divided into tasks and good subordinates given authority over the tasks, checked regularly for progress, and held accountable for their results.

  1. When making promotions within an organization, always keep in mind and try to avoid the Peter Principle (In all hierarchies, people eventually tend to rise to their levels of incompetence). A great mechanic may make a terrible shop foreman.

  Some additional suggestions.
  Get familiar with Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave”. It demonstrates that often what the general population believes is true actually is a false reality resulting from the general acceptance of myth or by a deliberate act of deception by the Elites. We owe it to ourselves to not accept things at face value. Everything has a cause and sometimes the effects of certain policies or acts are not apparent.
  Read Frederic Bastiat’s “The Fallacy of the Broken Window”. Actions often have secondary effects beyond the obvious ones. More erroneous government policies are in place because of this fallacy than any other. The Left often bases policies on emotion rather than considering all the consequences of their actions.
  Take a few minutes and study in depth the Battle of Thermopylae (480 BC). This battle has all the elements of any drama: contesting opponents, all the principles of war, heroism, outstanding leadership, betrayal, and a case study of making the best of a losing situation. And, it is the source of one of the best heroic responses to a call to surrender of arms, ”Come and take them!” It has been repeated for 2,600 years.
  Become familiar with Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus (519-430 BC). He is almost unique in all human history. He voluntarily gave up political power. Read a biography of George Washington and see why a man who fought for his country’s independence, helped create its constitution, and then served as its first president is truly a great man—he emulated Cincinnatus and voluntarily gave up power. If the Constitution did not forbid it, do you think Obama would be running for a third term?
  Study the Bible. Our pastor recently preached a series of sermons on how Jesus as LORD and savior is revealed throughout the Old Testament. A study of the historical and prophetic books of the Old Testament demonstrate that our Old Testament heroes were all flawed men chosen by God to do His will. The  cycles of Jewish history show the inevitable result when nations come under God’s judgement.
  Read the chapter describing the Dutch Tulip Mania of the seventeenth century in “Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds” (1841).
  Read Adam Smith’s indictment of mercantilism in his “Wealth of Nations” (1776). So much of what he describes is very similar to the bureaucratic EU of today. That’s why the UK voted to leave it.
  Read “Animal Farm” an allegorical  novel by George Orwell (before he wrote “1984”) about the totalitarian system of Russian communism under Stalin. You need to know what they mean when someone says,” All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others.”
  Read Henry Hazlett’s “Economics in One Lesson”. It was written seventy years ago but is just as valid today as it was then. It begins with an analysis of Bastiat’s “Fallacy of the Broken Window” and applies its lessons to such topics as minimum wages, rent controls, unions, taxes, etc.
  In 1949 my parents bought a new house for $11,500. Today, a new Cadillac costs $53,000—almost five times what my parents paid for a house! This shows what government has done to the value of our money during the last two generations. Learn how the Fed manipulates the money supply by buying and selling government bonds. Know the difference between a prime deposit and a secondary deposit. You will be the only one in your class who knows this—including the teacher.
  One of the biggest myths of the twentieth—and, now the twenty-first—century is that the Stock Market crash of 1929 “caused” the Great Depression. Just because A happens before B does not mean that A causes B. The Stock Market is a discounting mechanism. It attempts to anticipate the future. In fact, a relationship can be seen in the actions of the Market in the summer and fall of 1929 and the proceedings of the Congressional committee hearings  considering the Smoot- Hawley Tariff. The Great Depression was caused by the Fed restricting the money supply, the Smoot-Hawley Tariff, and the raising of income tax rates. All government actions. But, this does not fit the leftist narrative of the “failure of the market system”.
  Become familiar with the Laffer Curve. It a theoretical explanation of why higher tax rates don’t necessarily result in higher revenues. It also explains why lower tax rates actually bring in MORE revenues.
  Google the income tax tables of 1980 and see what the tax amounts and marginal rates were for a $50,000 annual income BEFORE the Reagan tax cuts. Reagan cut the top marginal rate to 25% and indexed the tables to inflation. What are some of the things people would have had to eliminate from their budgets if those tax cuts had not gone into effect?
  These are some of the things that I believe every person should know before graduating from high school. I wish I had known them. I must confess that I was not much of a student. I have always admired you for your reading habits. Keep it up. But, read good stuff.
  If you are interested, I will provide you with a list of books that are both interesting and will arm you as you confront your professors who have an agenda. Your generation will enter a world that we haven’t seen since the reign of the mercantilists. Good luck! Know that I love you.
Sincerely,

Grandpa

[MBM @ The News] - Marshall's Music Minute: Tons of Talent at The Community in Unity event

*ed. note: I usually don't post the music column that I do for The Covington News here on the digital pages of TPC but due to some issues with The News my column did not hit in today's print edition so I'm posting it here. Be on the possible lookout for it in the weekly CN Shopper and Advertiser and look out for digital versions at CovNews.com and their FB page next week. Enjoy! 





Marshall's Music Minute
Tons of Talent at the Community in Unity event

Greetings, C-town music lovers. It's a crazy big week of music, let's get right to it.

Featured Entertainment: Community in Unity 

On Saturday October 29th, an all-day festival will be occurring at Legion Field on Mill St. right in the heart of Covington, GA. In addition to all kinds of featured speakers, games, entertainment, raffles, 1,000+ free hotdogs, and a ton of vendors, there will be a full day's worth of music on the new stage at Legion Field.

The entertainment reads like a Who's Who of C-town talent, but there will also be some regionally known groups and one national act. It's quite exciting, here's the rundown:

The event starts around 11AM with the group Old Souls. This group is actually a bunch of younger kids - think School of Rock - and the word on the street is that they can rock like nobody's business. Following them will be a new, kind of one-off group called Mojo Ave. Headed up a fellow member of the CIU Steering Committee, Jeremy Jackson, this group features Ryan & Amber Betts and a killer lead guitar player. I'm hearing that their finale is going to be epic.

After that, the one and only Drew Parker will take the stage for a rare solo acoustic gig. Drew, who we've covered a few times, has been living in Nashville and is really getting his name out there as a Country performer. This will be a real treat! The midday headliner who will be hitting the stage around 1:45 will be Dustin Bragg. Dustin, son of well-known local music folks Tiger & Kathy Bragg, is someone else that the Minute has covered multiple times. He's a true talent, and this should be a great set with his full band.

The later hours of the festival will be capped off by the Almost Brothers - an Allman Brothers tribute band - that are well known regionally as one of the premier cover bands of this famous Southern Rock group. The evening headliner will be Euclid Grey, a nationally known R&B act that everybody is real excited about seeing.
This looks to be like an amazing day of fun and music for a great cause. You won't want to miss it.

Featured Venue - Bear Creek Marina 

We really do have a hidden jewel in our neck of the woods with Bear Creek Marina down at Jackson Lake. It's a really cool spot known for good food and they always do live music during the lake season.

Well known Country artist Gannon Adams played the venue this past weekend and coming up for their Halloween Bash on Saturday October 29th will be local legends Brother Pudge. This should be a really fun night!

In addition to their legendary wings and fried shrimp, the Marina has also gotten rave reviews on their fish tacos. They have a full bar, and inside lounge area, and an outside deck that has a great view of the water. The usual lake season runs from March 1 - October 31st, and there has been discussions between the ownership, management, staff and regulars as to whether or not they should stay open, with at least limited hours, through the off season as they've been staying so busy lately. At a minimum, you might want to get down there at some point this week and enjoy some of the good food, drink & atmosphere and let your voice be heard regarding their decision...

Odds & Ends

- Matt Moncrief live at Amici Covington. Friday October 28. 8 PM. The cool one, Matt M., brings his righteous guitar chops and varied mix of tunage back to the groovy pizza joint on College Ave.
- Gavin McLendon live at The Listening Room @ IBP. Friday October 28th. This local up and coming Country artist is playing a free show at the Listening Room.
- "Wrasslin' at The Speakeasy. Porterdale. Saturday the 29th. 6PM
- Live Music at Mystic Grill. Thursday, Friday & Saturday nights. 7PM
- Porterdale Bar & Grill. Vishus Cycle on Friday; Halloween Party with The Psycho-Devilles on Saturday.
- Open Mic at TLR on Mondays; The Depot with Shane Clark on Tuesdays
- And The Social House has been sold! New owners have taken over this cool spot down in the lovely mill village and there's lots of buzz and excitement about this venue moving forward.

Enjoy the music, friends, and we'll see you next time.

16 October 2016

[TPC] - Sunday Evening Check-in: Everything is Terrible Edition

The Piedmont Chronicles   
~ est. 2010 ~
[State of GA]
[Newton Co.]

(North C-town, GA, USA * 16 October '16)

Greetings, Fearless Readers, it's so good to be back with you here on the digital pages of The Piedmont Chronicles. What a week, huh? It was a real stinker, no? Where to begin? Lord help us, where does it all end?! Well, fear not, good folks, we always seem to work our way through it no matter how dark and bleak it may look.

National Level

So...the Wikileaks email dumps for the past week. With scant a mention from the main stream whores media. The analogy we've used before is this - if the old model was the Great American Scream Machine at Six Flags, then the day would come when as "the ride" was going up in flames, there would be - and too bad for them - a group of dullards who didn't read the tea leaves and decided to play the game only to find themselves riding that aforementioned ride as it was going up in flames and crumbling to the ground. Well, I think we're pretty much there. We're seeing it all levels - Federal, State, County, and Municipal - and...hell, you buy the ticket and you take the ride, don't you?

So, vis-a-vis Hillary, everything is true. She's a corrupt, evil bitch, and my name is Capt. Obvious. She sold out her own country for money. It's a fact. It's proven. But Trump, though, right?! People are now openly saying that they know she is evil incarnate, but they HAVE to support her because...well, because of Trump. Jesus! Seriously, I'm calling out for Jesus. Come back now! Bring the rapture, or whatever the hell is supposed to happen, because things are just too damn much at this point.

The real juicy one was Podesta talking about "wet works," code for assassination, by the pool and vineyard. Damn if I don't think they killed Scalia. I think it's pretty much a given at this point. They probably justified it per "social justice," or "ends justifies the means," or something similar. And damned if I don't think a lot of folks who are supporting her would give her a pass on it. "He was archaic. He needed to die," they'd say. They'd totally be cool with it. Again, Jesus take the wheel and all...

And on the other side, we've got the biggest buffoon that's probably ever lived, Trump, and now we know he's rather rapey and creepy. There again, you could have total and absolute proof that he'd had illegal carnal knowledge of some of the underage Ms. Teen Universe gals, and many of his supporters would probably say something like this: "Well...that's really bad, but we just can't let Hillary get it!"

Most people, as a rule, are dumber than buckets of warm spit, or, bags of hammers. Take your pick. Just know this - they're f'in' tardy tards. They suck, and they are the reason why those of us on the upper echelon can't have nice things. How long do we abide by them? Perhaps they are as much the problem as the political whores and agents of dark and evil. Doesn't there come a time when we have to classify them as much a problem as the rest of them? Thoughts?

Selah

For anyone interested, we can save our country right now. You can vote for Gary Johnson as President. It's really quite simple.

State Level

Gov. Nathan Deal is, in our estimation, preparing for his own end-game. So he's "promoted" Sam Olens to president of KSU and is going to try to bring in his own ringer, Carr, to take over as state AG. Well, Mr. Governor, it's in violation of the Georgia Constitution, not that that has ever stopped you before. Who's going to stand up to you? The State Troopers? The Georgia Militia (Civil Defense Force)? Anyone else? You're your own Obama, aren't you? Just another sell-out to the old model.

Smh


Local

For Chair of the Board, we're having to decide between Aaron Varner and Marcello Banes.

Life's a bitch.

And UGA lost to Vandy. The Falcons lost, and Tech won.

Just damn!

'Til next time!

-MBM



04 October 2016

[MBM @ The News] - The Esoteric South: Reaching Nirvana Through Lawn Maintenance

*ed. note: originally ran in 2016

My latest posting of The Esoteric South over on the pages of The Covington News. This edition is entitled "Reaching Nirvana Through Lawn Maintenance."
~~~~~~~ 

The Esoteric South 

Reaching Nirvana Through Lawn Maintenance 
Cutting grass is a passion of mine, and I believe it to be good for the soul. I truly do.
Now, that statement probably comes as a great surprise to some of my neighbors in and around the North Covington historical community. They'd probably speak to this in the contrary, and, if so, I'd probably not have much to say to dispute it. However, I think I've got a pretty good excuse. For most of the last year or so our lawn mower has been broken, and while we've tried to pay folks to cut it a fair amount, it's just so much harder to put it high on the priority list when we have to dish out money. In addition, I've been known to have a propensity for laziness, and it's just been so hot! And maybe the whiskey sometimes plays a role...
In fact — truth be told — the last time the grass was cut, after our lawn mower was fixed, it was my lovely wife who cut the grass.
There was a time in my life when I used to concern myself whenever she'd cut the grass (so you can tell it's been more than once). I'd think to myself something along the lines of: "Man, the folks around here are going to think you're a total and absolute no-account." I used to concern myself with this but not anymore. No, I finally learned to embrace it. It's like the lyrics to "Good Hearted Woman." I realized, ultimately, that it was a win for Yours Truly. "That rascal Marshall McCart," they'd say. "He won't even cut his own grass. Poor ole Ann has to do it."
For the record, she says she likes to cut grass. Therefore, in my mind's eye, I'm just helping her to be happy and reach Maslow's concept of Self Actualization, right? We do what we can here, folks, I'm just happy to help!
Really, though, cuttin' grass is serious business. A lot of heavy thinking gets done in the course of the process. For me, the usual identities of these thoughts are as follows: God, UGA football, Led Zeppelin, and Hunter S. Thompson. And I think about my wife and daughter too, for sure. Sometimes I think about the weather, and whether or not it may rain. Sometimes I think about government and politics. I pretty much think about those things all the time anyway, but it seems like the thinking is more important when one is in the act of this endeavor.
I remember one time many years ago when I was talking to this yokel about the differences between how men cut grass vs. women. This fella was a real piece of work. He was basically like a Southern-style Redneck, but he was from Ohio, or maybe Pennsylvania. But anyhow, his whole thing was this:
"Men and women cut grass different, ya' know?"
I nodded while maintaining eye contact, letting him know I was really interested in what he had to say.
"Us guys have a plan when cutting grass, ya' know." We cut the outer perimeter, and then we go back and forth in straight lines...we try to make it efficient."
He went on to say, "Women don't, though. They're just all out there haphazard and willy-nilly. No pattern. No logic. It's just a free-for-all."
I, once again, let him know I was listening and that I respected his point of view (although I really didn't put much stock in it. At that point, I was just ready to get back to the house).
But later on, it did get me to thinking. Men and women do cut grass differently. I'd seen it before with Ann. She'd be out there all over the place. Going back and forth, cutting in circles; as the fella said — no real pattern, or so it seemed.
I remember my dad giving me the rundown on how you properly cut a yard when I was a young kid, and that's the plan I've always tried execute. Sometimes, though, especially when you get to the end of the process, or if you have a unique yard design (like ours), you can't always stick to the plan. And I, on many occasions, have found myself cutting grass like a girl. It happens. Invariably, though, whenever this occurs, it always seems like my old-timer neighbor who served as a Marine, drives by right at that precise moment.
It's like I can hear him muttering under his breath, "he cuts grass like a …," and I swear I always see him shaking his head as he accelerates after making the turn in front of my yard. Oh well, maybe it's just all in my head.
Another thing about cutting grass is getting the dang thing started. It always takes me back to my childhood when, probably about every other time, I couldn't get it cranked and I'd have to get Dad to do it. Usually, it would end up being, for at least a brief amount of time, a bit of a struggle for him as well. You could always count on some contorted faces and maybe a couple of choice words as he was pulling the cord. It was as if all the stress of the previous week was being channeled into this cathartic ritual. The whole earth might be a big ole catastrophe and there are about 127 different things on your mind, but by God, we're gonna get this darn lawnmower running! And that's how it is with me, years and years later.
You do some really good thinking when you're cutting the grass. At first, it's a ton of thoughts, in all directions, all at once. But as you expend that energy, and continue to get more and more done, those thoughts tend to whittle down and the energy seems to get less frenetic. You tend to feel more peaceful and serene. And about the time you finish up, and get to sit down on the porch with your ice cold beverage, you look out and smile. That feeling of instant gratification we're always yearning for envelopes you, and with a calm, quiet mind, you think to yourself maybe something like this:
“The world might be a mess, and there's so much going on in this crazy place, but I got my grass cut today, and it was good.”
And what is it about the smell of fresh-cut grass that simply captures us?
Marshall McCart aspires to one day be able to fully and truly articulate that peculiar essence of what The Esoteric South is all about. He can be reached at marshall.mccart@gmail.com.

03 October 2016

[tpc] - Newton Co. BOC meets Tuesday evening, October the 4th

The Piedmont Chronicles   
~ est. 2010 ~
[State of GA]
[Newton Co.]

(North Covington * 10.2.16) - It's the first Tuesday of the month so that means the continuing train wreck that is the Newton County Board of Commissioners has another installment of "How Can We Embarrass Ourselves Even More While Possibly Destroying Our Home County?" It's quite the event!

We're hearing that this will be a very important meeting. Several different folks have put different calls to action for folks to attend this meeting for various reasons. One, from our good pal and friend-of-the-program Fred Wheeler, founder of Patriots' Table: 




   "Hi. This Tuesday (10/4) the BOC will have a joint work session with the Water Authority at 6:00PM and its regular meeting at 7:00PM. John Douglas will introduce a measure to incorporate regulations that Bibb County has in place concerning burial sites.

   These measures are very reasonable and will bring our codes up to date with what is happening in the twenty-first century. Bibb County has one and half times our population and their rules make sense (see attached). They go a long way to protect the surrounding watershed of a cemetery and provide for preserving remains so that subsequent disinterment can be performed if necessary. The only reason someone might vote against them is that they are too proud to accept another county's work.

   It is very important that you attend this meeting. Please notify your friends.

   Also, John will propose that citizen comments be at the BEGINNING of the meeting. That will allow people to address the BOC BEFORE the vote. We need people who are on wells to express concern.

Fred



Also, since this was an election year and two of the incumbents (District 1 & 5) are not returning, then that means this edition of the Board has only three months of existence left. Look for attempts to seal legacies, but also be on the lookout for some to try to possibly get things slid through as the next edition of this group is shaping up to be a strong one, who will not be peddling in influence or favors, and who may very well be the BOC that the home county has been longing for. Hey, a boy can dream, right?

But seriously, try to get to some of these BOC meetings. We need all hands on deck.

Thanks for reading, folks. 'Til next time...

-M.B. McCart