28 July 2018

Bess Tuggle - Memoirs of Surviving Children: The Teacher & Pooh Bear



As the school year begins again, I have to say that teachers have my utmost respect.  I’m an elementary school substitute teacher and I really don’t see how full-time teachers do it every day.  I cry at the thought of going back.  The students are not my kids, but they become your kids when you have a daily relationship with them.  Sometimes that’s the best some of the children will ever get.  Sad, but true.



            I also know some teachers that owe my children.  My boys’ trained them –well-!  This is about my all-time favorite teacher.



            My youngest is the one that really made me jump through hoops.  He had to be potty-trained before he could go to Pre-K (pre-kindergarten).  He ran it right down to the wire, but he got to go to school.  He was –so- proud!  He was also –so- lucky!  His first teacher was a new teacher; she had no preconceptions, but still did an absolutely awesome job.



            She is an adorable little black woman, tough as nails, and my kid put her through the hoops.  She might scold me for saying that, but she is.



            The first time she called me she was uneasy.  Again, she was a new teacher.  Here comes the call from a new, black teacher to a white mother to explain the problem:  “Your son jumps up from his desk, runs up to me, grabs me around the neck, kisses my cheek and runs back to his desk.”  I don’t know how to write about the tension in her voice, but it disappeared when I answered “I’m sorry.  That means he LIKES you!” and laughed.



            That wasn’t my only call from her.  The next one came to inform me that Thing 4 had a problem with their reading volunteer.  The volunteer would come in to read to them once or twice a week, and yes, she was a black woman.  She also wore a dress.  The problem arose when Thing 4 would creep up and start caressing her leg while she was reading.



            Bless his little heart.  His Mama worked at a ranch and well company.  I wore jeans and boots to work every day.  He didn’t know what to think about –stockings-.  He’d never seen them before.  He was completely enthralled. 



            We have some really awesome teachers and volunteers in our school system.  I’m jealous, though.  Thing 4’s Pre-K teacher is the only one that can get away with calling my youngest Marine “Pooh Bear.”  She’ll also scold me if I don’t get a new picture of his daughter.  I don’t –ever- want time-out in her classroom. 



- Bess 



A jack of all trades, Bess Tuggle has been a Covington resident since the late 70’s. She's been a K-Mart cashier, cabinet builder, vet tech, office manager for a beef cattle ranch and water well company (where she was able to hold benefits for D.A.R.E. and Scouts), a court reporter, business manager, assistant at a private investigation firm, legal assistant, convenience store clerk, landscaper and elementary school substitute teacher.  Her greatest pleasure is being a wife, mother and grandmother.  Her stories are all real, and all names will be withheld to protect the innocent, and also maybe the guilty, depending on the crime & the Statute of Limitations. 
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27 July 2018

A Moment from MB: Friday Night Check-in From Your Semi-esteemed Editor - TPC News; BOC Report Card; GOV Race


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Whaddup G's & G-ettes's?! Hope this post finds everybody well on this, our last Friday night of the month of July. 

So...the print edition of TPC. It was a noble idea, and I enjoyed it. And I appreciate all of the support; however, I've decided to scrap it. Why? Too much work, and as you know - I'm prone to laziness sometimes. But seriously, with working 7 jobs & trying to live a semi-normal life, it just wasn't in the cards. I do want to be the Publisher of the legal organ of Newton Co. one day; maybe I'll just have to buy The Covington News.

In other news TPC, a couple of you have mentioned that I'm not posting quite as frequently. Well friends, that's what contributing writers are for. In the words of Regis Philbin - "I'm only one man!" But, you're right. And specifically, folks are wanting to see more of the TPC treatment of the local politics & shenanigans. Of course. Happy to oblige, as I am, after all, a servant to The People. Vox Populi & all. Consider it done! 




And to that point: 

The 2018 Newton Co. BOC Report Card

The Chairman of the Board, Marcello Banes 

There was such promise with the Chairman back in January of '17. As this publication wrote about at the time, there was very much a sense of Pax Newtona & an era of good feelings. And it was such a good feeling, what with the shenanigans of Ellis & Douglas, the dark memories of the Wm Thomas Craig days; the dysfunction that was the home county. It was nice... 

And let me say this: Marcello has done some good things. It's true. Marcello has also made some grievous errors. We all have our spheres of influence, as it were, and I believe that caused some problems for the top public servant in our county. He's about halfway through this first term, maybe he'll improve over the next two years. 

Grade: C+ 

BOC 1: Stan Edwards

Stan the Man! Hell yeah! Just so glad that we've got that honorable fella on our governing board. Stan's good as gold, and a true taxpayer advocate. We're all so fortunate that he represents the 1st district. 


Grade: A 

BOC 2:  Lanier Sims 

As the dusk is starting to settle on the tenure of this fellow multi-generational Newtonian, one has to think of the following: he's obviously smart as hell. He is also, ultimately, a good man. But as several folks will tell you, there's always this general sense that Lanier, while certainly having good intentions for the home county, is maybe sometimes just looking out for Lanier. Many of us have heard the talk - Dual Deko, possible conflicts of interest. Whatever, he's almost done serving the county. But let it never be forgotten that Lanier was the key piece of the puzzle with at least stopping the bleeding a few years back. If it'd been someone else, like, let's say the previous holder of that office that just lost the runoff, things could have been much, much different.

Grade: B-

BOC 3: Nancy Schultz 

The true "swing vote" of the Board, and the bellwether of Newton, her position is an all-too-important one. A cool & nice lady, and, not unlike Lanier, we'd not be out of the terrible hole we were in if not for her. She can be a bit wishy-washy sometimes. And sometimes I just don't know where she's at.

Grade: B 


BOC 4: JC 




Grade: F 

BOC 5: Ronnie Cowan, Esq. 

Well, he's a lawyer, so that means a "B" is his ceiling. But honestly, it's hard for me to get too worked up with Ronnie. For one thing, he's serious about engaging with his constituents. He also deals in logic & facts, though he may be a pragmatist to a fault. It'd probably be nice if Ronnie was willing to rattle the cages a bit more, but it's just not in his DNA. Ultimately, I believe him to be an honorable man. 

Grade: B- 

GA GOV



No doubt that there are a lot of happy folks in & around C-town & the home county who are self-described Kemp supporters. And not just regular supporters, but "inner circle" supporters. Brother & Sis Smith definitely come to mind, as well as several others. And there's a reason for that. Tim Fleming, Covington resident, is Brian Kemp's Deputy Secretary of State & right hand man.

For years many have been hitching their wagons to the Kemp Train. His ascension to the Governorship has been in the works for years. This is America, and everybody loves a winner. And feeling special & having a perception that you're closer to the power source than 99% of the regular population? Well, for many, that's just a feeling that can only be described as euphoric.

By the way - for the record - let's not forget that this publication, the day before the primary, did basically give sort of an endorsement for Kemp in a  manner than many would probably consider back-handed in nature.




Thanks for reading. Til we meet again.

Your Pal,

MBM





Kayla's Corner, Week of July 28: Big Shows at 5 O'Clock & The Depot; Magnolia Village Market on Saturday

Kayla Leasure 


Welcome back to the Corner, a place for details on food & fun, cool destinations & local happenings.


There's a big weekend of music! Two local bars w/ great bands, great food & large dance floors for you to get your boogie on are having some great shows! 



At Five O'Clock Bar & Grill on Friday night, the Steel Rose Band returns after blowing everyone away at their first show last month! These guys rock & play a mix of Classic Rock, 80s & 90s rock, and a little bit of country. 




Then on Saturday, No Limitz returns to the Five. These guys are great and always blow away crowds with their wide range of music! "Everything from Etta James to Alice in Chains," to everything in between, this should be a fun one! 




And also on Saturday the 28th, The Depot Bar & Grill is hosting a "Support Our Local Bands" event. Several local groups & artists playing original music will be doing sets. Doors open at 7PM & the music starts at 8. Tickets are $8. 




A really great event is going on down in Porterdale, GA this Saturday from 5 to 9PM


The Magnolia Village Market's first Summer Market will be held in the open-air Porter Memorial Gym & promises "Fun Under the Sun." 

Join Magnolia Village Market for our first Summer Market! Enjoy shopping, local fare, beverages, live music and a sunset yoga class! It's an evening of fun under the beautiful Georgia sunset at the open-air venue in Porterdale, GA. 


Magnolia Village Market supports 30+ local vendors and artists at each Market.

Vendor applications are available on our Facebook page or can be requested via email at MagnoliaVillageMarket@gmail.com

Sounds like a blast!

Also, the Covington Art Walk we talked about a couple of weeks ago that got postponed due to bad weather is rescheduled for Saturday from 5 to 8PM. Come check out all of the fabulous artists we have here in town. They'll have all of their works on display on the sidewalks of the Covington Square! 

And don't forget about Friday night Karaoke on the Square! 

Okay, y'all, see you next time! 

- K

Kayla's Corner: Keeping an Eye on Covington

Author of TPC recurring piece, "Kayla's Corner," Ms. Leasure is originally a Walton Co. gal who studied marketing & advertising & loves the beach, the woods & her dogs while keeping herself busy with multiple projects & endeavors. She has her finger on the pulse of the home county like no other & is always "keeping an eye on Covington." A beautiful lady, inside & out, it is The Chronicles' true privilege to have her talents as part of our team. 

25 July 2018

Perrin Lovett - Following Up on a Few Things: See, I Told Ya So

Remember the Statler Brothers’ 1973 hit Whatever Happened to Randolph Scott? Shame on you if you don’t. A line comes to mind: “...Disney's dead and the screen is filled with sex. ...” Walt is indeed dead and the screen is worse than you could imagine.

Here follow a few updates and confirmations regarding three issues previously explored in our ongoing examination of the affairs national. Remember, you read it here first.

Facebook, 1984

On April 18, 2018, I covered a certain smarmy billionaire as he galavanted about with a murder of wizened criminals. Some said the Congress was about to straighten Facebook out. I called out the ruse:

It seems to me that what I witnessed on the Tube was, literally, a meeting between a sly, elitist, globalist corporatist and a bunch of mid-witted, elitist, globalist statists. Allegorically, I saw an Uncle Remus tale unfold.


A dirty little secret of the political world is that large corporations are absolutely, head over heels, in love with government regulation.

There’s now a little more evidence of just how pervasive FB’s spying on you really is. After you read that link, follow the instructions therein and see what they know about you; they probably already know you’re reading this… And fear grows that, just as I suggested, the big social media monsters do or can work with Big Brother to monitor and track who is who and who does what.

Via that last link, I couldn’t help but notice the Forbes writer’s slight obsession with homos being targeted. Allow me to expand the concern categories to include: Christians, whites, white Christians, all other Christians, HETEROsexuals, (real) conservatives, right-wingers, libertarians, free-thinkers, business owners, gun owners, traditionalists, homeschoolers, preppers, children, the elderly, the intelligent, independent farmers, the hard-working, the tax-paying, veterans, rural dwellers, Southerners, and … You.

Regardless, if you are a homeschooler, you should keep at it because:

The Schools Still Suck

Way back on May 23, 2018, came my rational assessment of public education in America. The assessment was simple: the schools suck.

In Georgia, they suck so bad that, in 2017, the Gold Dome Goon Gaggle gifted the people the
State School Turnaround Office. This new agency is more than an admission of failure. It’s also a makework program! (Peruse their website). Therein they state six focus features, which I herein address and [render to plain meaning]:

Prioritization for grants - [Gettin’ that graft on!]
Support from an Improvement Specialist - [Makework]

Ga DOE Resources - [Wasting tax money]

Support with securing and coordinating parent & community resource - [Wasting more money]

Leadership development - [Wasting graft money on makework]

Support in implementing a school-driven improvement plan - [This nebulous “plan” is the only point arguably related to improving education. Why is its implementation dead last on the list?]

Only a year old, the Office is already “helping” the failing schools of Richmond County. Well, not all of them. I think, the magnet schools and an IB program aside, all RC schools - by an honest metric - are failing or failed. (“All” means 33 elementary schools, 11 middle schools, 8 high schools, the 4 magnets, and 3 “special” schools). That’s a total of 59 schools in trouble, minus a few exceptions. But, the State will just help the ones on the select list of special failures. Oops. Not all of them either, it seems. For now, only six out of thirteen schools will be “helped.” Screw those other kids!

And, that last sad sentiment brings us to the most unpleasant segment for today:

Pushing the Pedos (CAUTION: this one is a little strong)

On June 14, 2018, I dropped the bomb about where all the tolerance, equality, and diversity BS is going … now. The current push of the degenerates is for the normalization of pedophilia. The globos are meeting stronger resistance on this front than perhaps they ever have (thanks be to God). The lettering is a little crowded as is but I hear they want to add a “P” to the LGBTQWTF acronym.

More proof comes from the disgusting life and times of one James Gunn, whom I had never heard of until I read Cerno’s story. Gunn seems to be a pathetic creep who was just fired as the director of some sort of Disney trash. *Note: Walt and Roy have been dead for some time now though it’s the company they founded that’s stinking as it decomposes.*

Gunn was fired after Mike Cernovich revealed an archive of (since deleted) Gunn Tweets. In those Tweets, the freak … uh … just read a few at the link or below. He says they were all but jokes - 10,000 filthy, disgusting, Satanic, sick, very detailed and very personal, very telling jokes about rape, raping children, and animals raping children. By the way, this is the type of “man” standing in for Walt these days.

Okay, the quotes. Saideth the (very likely) pedo-queer:

“I like it when little boys touch me in my silly place. Shhh!”

“The Expendables was so manly I f-cked the sh-t out of the little p-ssy boy next to me! The boys ARE back in town!”

“I should have invited you – @cwotd was in your movie (Richard Christy). He said you had him castrate a little boy.”

“Watching Trapped in the Closet, R Kelly’s second best video after the one where he urinates on a child.”

That’s (more than) enough and not the worst of it. This is an example of the predatory lechery that is children’s entertainment in America, 2018. This is why I do not watch television, do not see movies, and do not give a penny to my enemies. You may be surprised, but not everyone shares in the revulsion about this garbage. Columnist Ben Shapiro, “conservative” darling and dark web ninja is aghast that Gunn ... was fired: “I also think that firing him for vile old joke tweets is bad precedent and a mistake. There is no limiting principle to the outrage mob.”

The actual mistake is allowing these people to continue to live in our country.

Picture (modified) from The Verge.

And that’s enough for now. I sometimes feel a twinge of jealousy, here. Other TPC columns recount the fun of family and festivals and the splendor of good company. MB keeps it real with really useful practical political info for your home county while keeping the beat with the music. Then, old Uncle Perrin emerges like a shadow of doom from the dark forest… Ah, well, it’s my job; there are wolves in the forest, wolves with plans you need to know about.


PS: I notice there’s increasing fervor about the coming election this year. You can bet I’ll probably weigh in before the leaves turn. Whatever opinion I express, then, will likely need one of those “the views expressed herein do not necessarily…” thingies. We shall see. Oh, on a completely unrelated note, I hear Lowes has a sale on rope.



Fellow Terry College of Business (UGA) grad Brother Perrin Lovett is a true renaissance gentleman & scholar. A recovering attorney, he's into guns & cigars, and the US Constitution. A published authorPrepper columnist & YouTube personality, and an acclaimed blogger, TPC is very proud to have our old friend on board as the C.F. Floyd Feature Writer of National Affairs

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23 July 2018

MB McCart - TPC Real Politick: Through the GA GOP Looking Glass

What's the good word, friends? Hope all is well out there in the glorious Georgia Piedmont.

So...tomorrow it finally ends - this crazed & bizarre GOP primary season we've had here in the great state of Georgia. So many storylines & surprises. Secret recordings. Ridiculous T.V. ads. Lie-infested smear campaigns. Total desperation. Being all out of give-a-[expletive deleted]s & so on. For the political junkies out there, it's been nothing short of magnificent; but for many it's further proof that our society is completely devolving & that perhaps the Mad Max days may be closer than anybody would care to think. Come to think of it, I could totally see Geoff Duncan tied up on the front of a marauder's car, but I digress...



He'd never make it


Clay Tippins...man, what a hero! But what an asshole, right? In terms of being out of giving a damn, you'd have to put him up near the top of this election cycle. The dynamics of the whole thing is what really got me. Let's go back to the first of the year. At that time, Kemp was totally on a treadmill. Getting no traction & mired in his Secretary of State gaffes. Internal polling at the time, as I'm told, showed it shaping into a 2-man race between Cagle & Hunter Hill. Then out of nowhere comes Tippins. Ripping off one of Hill's advertisements, he then begins a negative campaign against his fellow military member - the Navy Seal casting shade on the Army Ranger.


The only guy that ran for Governor weirder looking than Cagle


It was during this time, and as written about by this publication, that the word started getting out that while there maybe wasn't an actual coordinated strategy between teams Cagle & Tippins, there was an understanding that both Kemp & Tippins would hammer Hill while Cagle would stay out of the fray because Cagle felt that going up against Kemp would be easier than Hill. My how the times have changed. Regardless, many felt that if Tippins hadn't entered the race, then Hill may well have finished in the run-off. In fact, some blamed Tippins, and felt that if he wasn't actually complicit, then the only alternative was that he was used as a useful idiot. Chances are Tippins didn't appreciate that sentiment one bit.

So we fast forward to after the primary when Cagle sits down with Tippins. The rest, as they say, is history...

So where does that leave Tippins now? While originally hailed as a hero, there seems to have been a bit of a change there. Personally, I think he's somebody that got used & abused and got pissed off about it. And I get it. And part of it too, I believe, is his sincere belief that Cagle represented all that was wrong with politics & wanted to do something about it. 

Speaking of Cagle - ole "Weird Eyes" - he, too, seems to be fresh out of give-a-f*cks. Now reduced to social media trolling, you have to give him credit on the tweet to Pence. That was classic! And it does reinforce something that now will be in the back of the minds of anybody & everybody dealing w/ Tippins in the future - "is homeslice recording me?" Hey, it's 2018. Everyone should assume they're being recorded at all times. 

So where does that leave us now, today, July 23rd. Presumably, Brian Kemp will be the GOP nominee. The cutting-regulations-with-a-chainsaw (total Rand Paul ripoff), big-truck-driving-and-illegal-alien-nabbing SOS will be the one going against Abrams in the general. And here's the rub, I think. Really the only argument left with Team Cagle was the "electability" angle; however, in light of the last two months, that just doesn't hold anymore. At this point I do believe Kemp would probably have the better shot in November. So with electability out the window, where does that leave Cagle? With Renee Unterman, I guess. Seems fitting...



Ms. Personality, she also hates children & dogs as we're told


However. This is a runoff, and strange things can & do happen. More so than in the primary, it really comes down to money & GOTV (get out the vote), and this is where Cagle does have the advantage. Word on the street is that the Cagle campaign has been dropping some big money to paid canvassers in this final push. And I'd have to imagine that the Kemp campaign team hated to see that Fox-5 poll showing that big lead. The last thing you'd want is complacency, especially in a runoff. It's not unlike how football coaches feel when their team is favored. You want to keep that edge. But with the wave of momentum that Team Kemp has built, particularly in light of the Trump endorsement, I just don't see how Cagle has a pathway to victory. And if it does turn out that way, the old fella will have nobody to blame but himself. Ruling the state senate as a petty tyrant & selling your soul can create problems. 


He grew up in a trailer, a fact he mentions every 7 seconds on the campaign trail


My vote for tomorrow? Hell if I know. I'd planned to vote for Cagle, but there's just no way I can do that now. I'm leaning towards just skipping it.

But this does lead to an interesting question. As we've mentioned before, with Georgia at least becoming a shade of the color purple, does a Kemp victory mean that the Governor's Mansion may become home to a Democrat for the first time in 16 years? One would have to think that it's at least in the realm of possibility. 



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So on to the Lt. Governor's race. In May this publication endorsed David Shafer for this position & we sure as hell still do. He's a good man who truly values freedom & limited government principles. I'm proud to be a supporter & I'm proud to consider David a friend. 





And as I've written about a few times, to hell w/ that techie sh!thead Geoff Duncan. My word, what as ass! For 6 months now he's been running a totally baseless & slanderous smear campaign against Shafer. He's been trying to hitch on to the Trump/Kemp wave but it doesn't seem to be working. Most Kemp supporters I know are behind Shafer, as are most all of the Cagle supporters I know. I believe that Duncan will be finding himself on a lonely island here in about 30 hours. I'm looking forward to casting my vote tomorrow for David Shafer - the right man for the job.

Secretary of State? I really have no idea. Most of the folks that I'm fairly politically compatible with seem to be lining up behind Raffensperger, but I just saw today that The Perspicacious Conservative, the one & only Jessica Szilagyi, is supporting David Belle Isle, so I may cast a vote for him. 



Jessica - one of the great Ladies of Liberty of Georgia


Any way you cut it, it'll be nice not having to suffer those damned political ads, at least for maybe a month or so...

As always, thanks for reading. Til next time. 


- MBM


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