[tpc] - The Dawn of a New Day in Newton Co.

The Piedmont Chronicles 

~ est. 2010 ~ 

-M.B.McCart, Editor- 

[State of GA]
[Newton Co.]

(21 February '16 * Covington, GA) -

Yesterday, Saturday February 20, was a very important day. Throughout the great state of Georgia, various electoral precincts were reset and delegates were chosen & voted upon for the upcoming county conventions of the respective county parties of the Grand Old Party here in the home state. Those conventions will be held on Sat. March 19th.

Not all counties did this yesterday, however, as smaller and less-populated counties will reset their precincts the morning of convention day.

Here in Newton, it was an especially great day as many hard-working, tenacious & passionate advocates of Freedom and lovers of Liberty saw years of sweat, blood & toil finally pay off after a 4-yr battle with the forces of inertia and establishment, this editor proudly & humbly included. For what we saw in Newton was this - an inclusive, open and welcoming party that saw some 80 delegates who participated in the ultimate electoral process. It was truly a good day.

Much thanks and recognition go out to the many who helped make this possible. The following list certainly does not include everyone and if you're not listed here, please know - that we know - and we'll always be most grateful and are fortunate for your involvement.

~ Mr. Fred Wheeler - the original Captain of the Cause. 

Dating back to February of 2012...I fancied myself and my buddy Frank as his 1st Lieutenants...we were fighting a losing battle, and we knew it, and we loved every second of it...even though we were Ron Paul guys, and he wasn't, we struck a chord and bond, and while I'd known Mr. Fred since 2001, it was then and there that our friendship and level of mutual admiration really grew. He's been involved with party politics since 1968...a great man; there's never been a stronger friend of freedom in Newton Co. I'd like to see him become a national delegate to the RNC in Ohio this Summer.

~ Mr. Chairman Ray Cowan 

For stepping up to the plate and serving again a quarter-century after his 1st stint as Chair of the party. And for being exactly what the Newton Co. GOP needed at this exact time. And to his better half, Ms. Vivian. Both just truly wonderful people.

~ Liz Allen, current 2nd VC 

For never giving up and always keeping us whipped and riled up and ready to fight for the noble, just and good fight. And to her husband Andy.

~ Miss Jessica

Our C4L Lady of Liberty. For her unwavering passion, bravery and toughness of always fanning the flames of Freedom & Liberty despite major health issues over the past several years. And her Andy as well.

~ To Jason Pye 

For being Jason Pye 

~ My main man and brother from another Mother, J. Aaron Brooks. And the rest of my adopted family: Momma Brooks, Uncle Max and Uncle Bubba. 

~ Josh McKelvey

For being the missing piece of the puzzle and whose addition exponentially made of the sum so much greater of the parts.

~ Scott Jay, 1st VC of the NCRP 

For his tireless efforts and intelligence. And his lovely bride.

~ Norris Key, Doug Holt & the rest of the "In-Betweeners" who let their displeasure be known to the former establishment when they temporarily left the party in protest.

~ And last but not least - Ms. Delia Fleming 

For being a worthy opponent. For never ceasing to amaze. For, at times, -- ALLEGEDLY ( commentary/satire/opinion with no ill intent ) ALLEGEDLY -- possibly being prone to "cat" like ways. I love you, Madame Chair! You always remind me of the character, Grandmother, from Flannery O'Connor's "A Good Man is Hard to Find."

******

It truly was a great day for the home county. I'm glad to have been able to cover it as a Citizen-Journalist and also participate in it as a Qualified Elector.

'Til next time!

Your pal,

M.B. McCart 

[tpc] - (possible) Peace in the Valley - NCRP edition

The Chronicles
15 February '16

Per multiple reports, the Georgia Republican Party has finally given their say vis-a-vis the ongoing and deteriorating saga of the Newton County Republican Party (NCRP). On to the bullet points:

- Ray Cowan is the official Chair of the NCRP

- The official precinct mass meetings of the NCRP will be this Saturday, Feb. 20th, as advertised by the official call of the official NCRP, and its Chair, Ray Cowan.

- It has also been reported that Todd Bowen has officially resigned his very tenuous hold on the 1st Vice-Chair position (if you remember, Bowen resigned as interim Chair back in December that was reported on in a previous tpc write-up)

- As others had previously reported, Vickie Henry had already resigned her position has Secretary-Treasurer of the NCRP. It is expected and legally mandated that Ms. Henry turn over any and all records she has in her possession to the current executive board.

- It was reported by a couple of sources that the State party advised that official notices be put up at the multiple locations that were advertised by the illegitimate "open call" of the non-sanctioned Newton Republican Party for tomorrow, Feb. 16th, telling potential caucus-goers that the official NCRP precinct mass meetings will be held on the 20th at Turner Lake.

Per multiple accounts, the state party, who had been very patient and accommodating to the multi-year establishment of the NCRP, had simply reached a point where they could no longer afford to do so or they would have been in violation of their own bylaws and possibly state and federal election law.

The system at work, one might suppose. It's actually rather heartening and encouraging. And as someone who has been intimately involved with this situation for over four years, I can tell you this - if all of this info is accurate, and this is indeed how the chips have fallen, then this gives a true glimmer of hope that the system is still workable.

I'm still not convinced that this is all settled, though. I'd like to believe it, but I'm just not so sure. But we shall see...

Our ear, as always, is close to the ground. Thanks for reading.

Best,

`M

[tpc] - Talkin' BOC 1: A semi-fond farewell to Pandering John; the super trooper, and draft Stan?

~ The Piedmont Chronicles ~

- est. 2010 -

[State of GA]
[Newton Co.]

(Covington, GA * 2.14.2016) - Howdy, readers! Hope all is well out there, and Happy Valentine's day to you all.

So, it's been a pretty big news week at least as it relates to the 1st district of the Newton Co. Board of Commissioners.

It hit both The News & the Newton Citizen that John Douglas will not be running for reelection. Well...just damn! With him and Keith Ellis and presumably Levie Maddox all NOT running again, who are we gonna be able to bitch at now? Jeez, what a drag!

Ha, ha. Seriously though, as much as editor M.B. McCart and John Douglas have disagreed and/or had public blow-out feuds on FB, etc., there is a glimmer of...dare I say it - sadness - that "Pandering John's" public service career is coming to an end. For one thing, you could set your clock by the consummate politician. You always could count on that Otis-lookin' fella to lick that thumb, cock it in the air, and see which way the wind was blowing. Of course, half the time he'd do that and still go full-on dumbass, but hey - none of us are perfect, right?

So now, we find ourselves without an incumbent for BOC 1. Who's up?

In terms of declared candidates, there is only one at the moment. Nathan Lee Bradley, aka the "Super Trooper," who you may have read about after he cared for some kids after their folks where killed in a car wreck until their family could come in from out of town. Him and his wife took them in that night rather than turn the kids over to DFCS. Good story. And by all accounts, Mr Bradley seems like a swell guy. I actually met with him and a few other folks a few weeks ago when he was contemplating on running. He's retained the services of Jesse Head, President of the NewRock YRs to head up his campaign, and that seems like a smart move. Jesse's been impressing a lot of folks with his youthful passion, energy & activism.

There are concerns from many about Bradley's age, though. Also, some have wondered if it's just too much, too fast. I know for a fact he's been talking book deals and movie rights, which, if he does that he would most likely help out those kids even more, and we've seen what he's done with the go-fund-me account for them young 'uns. But one has the think maybe he should just concentrate on that and being a Trooper and save the politics for when he's maybe 30 or so. Who knows? Again, he seems like a nice enough fella.

To that point, however, a grassroots campaign has sprouted up to "Draft Stan Edwards for BOC 1. Stan is currently the Rep. of the 1st for the Board of Education has told several that while he is humbled and grateful for the confidence and support to possibly run as a Commissioner, he felt like he made a promise to the voters of the 1st to serve a full term on the BOE. That's where this recruitment campaign comes in - the several folks who are really wanting Stan to run and wanting to let him know that they feel as if the district needs him to do this, and they want him to see it with his own eyes.

I've known Stan for several years and I think a whole lot of him. He's a multi-generational Newtonian like me, though I don't think he can claim 6 generations like I can. He's smart, hard-working, and very passionate about the home county. If he does run, I'd most likely support him in any way I could.

Regardless, I think the 1st, just like the 5th, seems to be in good hands. We're very fortunate there.

Write-ups coming soon:

- The ongoing saga of the Newton Co. GOP
- A potentially damning piece about the Newton Co. Board of Elections and/or the GA GOP.
- A look at BOC 5
- A look at the Hwy 278 CID
- A look at the Covington city council getting serious about improving financials and efficiencies.
- A full report on Stanton Springs and potential hijinks & shenanigans w/ the JDA.

And much, much more. And next weekend - a long-awaited Sunday Edition from your local Piedmont Chronicles.

Y'all keep yer powder dry, and stoke up those fires and send out some smoke signals or hit us up at one of the various HQs if you need us. You know the drill, ear to the ground...

Your pal,

MBM
Tonto
-33-

[tpc] - Featured Citizen Journalist: The Perspicacious Conservative

- The Chronicles -
 6 February 2016

*******

Hey, gang. Over the years I, a time or couple, two or three, have mentioned fellow writers, bloggers, citizen journalists, etc. This go 'round, I wanted to mention quite possible my favorite one out there.

Jessica Szilagyi is simply a marvelous woman! Fearless, brilliant, and just such a superb writer. Even though I've had the online edition of the Chronicles since 2010 and have been working on other projects under its name since 1997, I only recently starting adding TPC or tpc to my posts. That was most assuredly a tip of the hat to Ms. Jessica's primary blog, The Perspicacious Conservative. I have spent a lot of time at this site reading posts and her plethora of archives. She doesn't post there quite as much these days, but she has a new vehicle:

Hair Blowers to Lawn Mowers has been a total joy for me to read. It's just great! Such good reads over there, you should totally check it out.

Jessica also has a dedicated page on FB for her writings, and she's on the twitters.

Though we still haven't met in person, it's almost like Jessica and I are kind of the ying and yang with Liberty-oriented, kinda-folksy, Georgia political stuff. TPC & TPC! And we're both fans of the Appeal to Heaven thing as well.

Check her out.

Hope it's good out there, fine people. Be on the look out for a Sunday Edition of the Chronicles tomorrow. It'll be a fat, juicy one!

Til next time, Good Lord willin'

[tpc] - A Report From Iowa - Checking in with Councilman McKelvey

The Chronicles 

1 February ' 16 

*******

Josh McKelvey, the most recent representation of the east ward on the Covington City Council joined a fellow Liberty councilman, Roger Marmol of Snellville, and several other Georgia Liberty activists and took the drive up to Iowa a few days back in order to help campaign and aid and assist the presidential campaign of Rand Paul.

I had the opportunity to check in with Josh yesterday for a phone interview. On to the bullet points: 

• The call center/HQ that they were at had made 85,000 phone calls the previous day and had added 2,000 to the list of new caucus goers who would be supporting Rand. 
• At this particular HQ, there were over 200 volunteers with the great state of Georgia being the most represented other than Iowa. Now that's pretty cool...
• A total of 1.1 million calls has been made out of this particular call center. 
• In terms of the ground support, the Rand campaign has 1100 precinct chairs in Iowa, way more than any other candidate, and they will have hundreds of volunteers at caucus locations where there isn't a known precinct chair. 
• Some demos for you: per the grassroots, Rand is hitting the under-40 crowd at +28. Those are some killer numbers there... 

In closing, Josh said that the mood was bright, energetic, and optimistic with the belief by many that a top-3 finish, which most Rand supporters are hoping for and somewhat expecting, could do a lot in the way of viability and help build momentum leading to the New Hampshire primary.

Going back to one thing. that plus-28% for the under-40 crowd. You do realize how huge that is, right? That's how O. won it in 2008. You can get a youth vote like that, and add to that Rand's work with justice reform and a common-sense approach to improving police and prison on top of his already impeccable street cred vis a vis fiscal conservatism, etc. And folks - it's a dang winner! He wins a general election way easier than any other GOPer out there. And that's just the fact, right there, man.

Rand, FTW!

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