Cobb "Survives" Latin Day Of Dignity

Yesterday, March 24th was the opening round in the Final Chapter of the Illegal Immigration debate in Georgia. Sometime next week SB529 should be passed and the Govenor should sign it into law, and that will be that until the courts step in. The action to close Latin owned bussinesses and for immigrant workers to not report to work seem to bring out a couple of points that should not be lost in all the emotion of the debate.

These points are indisputable:

1. Not all Hispanic Immigrants are Illegal.

2. Not all Illegal Immigrants are Hispanic.

3. The law has no effect on legal immigrants.

Question:
Why have a boycott to protest the enforcement of illegal immigration laws titled as a Latin Day of Dignity?

Answer:
In order turn an issue on law enforcement into a racial issue so the libs can play their favorite old tune-- the race card

Come on! Can't you guys on the left come up with something new for a change??

I'm sure it won't be long before the Reverend Jackson will be making a whistle stop appearance in Atlanta to help set things right. After all where ever there is racial strife or tension there's a camera to grab and money to be made !

I bet all the illegal Chinese, Brazilians, and British are really feeling left out.

Another hint to those protesting next time - try waving the American instead of the Mexican flag, you might get more sympathy from the American public. - They already love ya down in old Mexico. ;)

3 Amigos of Cobb Senate Address County GOP Breakfast

February 19, 2006 - State Senators Judson Hill, Chip Rogers, and John Wiles addressed the semi-monthly Cobb GOP Breakfast last Saturday (February 18). The 3 Republican Senators gave an update on Senate Activity and answered questions from a crowd of approximately 30 people. Here is a summary:Senator Chip Rogers said the 3 main issues to be addressed by the senate this session would be
Sexual Predators
Eminent Domain
Illegal ImmigrationIf these three pieces of legislation are signed into law, these will be the toughest pieces of legislation to address these respective issues in the entire country.Senator Judson Hill said that the new Sexual Predator Act would protect the mentally challenged as well as minors. Other pieces of legislation also include a requirement for 2/3 approval from the House and Senate for any new tax increases.The establishment of a Georgia Healthcare Standards Commission supported by the CDC.Last week the Senate passed the Katie Beckett Waiver Program for families who are no longer eligible for services under the federal program.John Wiles spoke about his work on the State and Local Government Committee. There will be test voting machines used in 3 Counties, one of which will be Cobb, in the upcoming elections. Judicial elections will be moved to November to increase the number of people voting for judges.John Wiles continues to advocate for an ATM 911 button for ATM machines.There are currently 2 Bills pending in the State Senate concerning incorporation. It seems that the mass exodus from Fulton County Services has begun and that very soon there will be no unincorporated areas left to Fulton County. # new cities are looking to incorporate: the City of South Fulton, Chattahoochee Hills, and New City.With the 4% -7% raise given to teachers this session, Georgia teachers will be the best compensated teachers in the country based upon the cost of living.John Wiles departed the breakfast early to attend the funeral of Linda Church, not, as he put it, to go get a haircut.Bill Byrne, still sounding like he was running for Governor, thanked the 3 legislators for their work on the Voter I.D. Bill and then made 3 points:
Any excess revenue the state takes in should be returned to the voters in the form of a rebate. The state budget is growing too large.
Education should be increased, but the State should not be telling school districts how to spend the money, as in the 65% classroom mandate recently passed down.
Redistricting issues should be kept local also.Senators Wiles, Hill and Rogers responded to each of the issues.On the first issue, Chip Rogers mentioned a taxpayer’s bill of rights (TABOR) which may be acted upon next session. Apparently the governor’s people felt was better to wait until after the election to address tax cuts. The model being looked at is Missouri’s model.In other notes – There will be a Cobb GOP committee meeting March 14.

My apologies to Senator Wiles for not publishing photograph :)

Mass Precinct Meeting For Cobb GOP

February 4 2006 - The Cobb County Republican Party held its Mass Precinct Meeting at Osborne High School on Saturday, February 4 from 10 to 12 noon. There was a wide collection of State Representative and Senators, School Board members and wanna-be's and an occasional Precinct Chairman or two.

One of the more interesting announcements was the affirmation by Cindye Coates that she will run for the State house seat again. After narrowly losing last time this came as no big suprise.

A real outsider, John Konop, seems to be gaining some steam in his challenge to Tom Price for the 6th District seat. He addressed the audience on Saturday and has also done several radio appearences. He is challenging Price on immigration, budget, and free trade issues.

Dr. Teresa Plenge welcomed everyone to "Her House", and gave the story about how SPLOST money was used to help rennovate Osborne High School.

John Wiles gave a background briefing on the emminent domain issues.

There were also representatives from the Ralph Reed, Casey Cagle and the Tom Price camps.

Looks to be an interesting campaign season with lots of money to be spent!

Cobb Takes Measures to Curb Illegals

February 2 ,2006 - Although no one will admit to it Cobb County has finally started to take initial steps to address the issue of illegal immigration. According to the Marietta Daily Journal , Cobb County commissioners unanimouslyapproved an ammended ordinance that restricts the the number of unrelated people living in the same house to 4. The revision is effective immediately and does not allow grandfathering.

The move was prompted by the case of Jose Cruz Rodriquez who was accused of housing 12 people in his home.

Fines will range from $100 to $1,000 and jail time. complaints can be filed online at www.cobbcounty.org under the community development agency icon.

What do you think??

Debate Over Hillgrove Attendence Zones Draws Crowd

January 14, 2006 - The Cobb County Republican party drew a larger than usual crowd last Saturday thanks to a face off between Representative Earl Ehrhart (R-Powder Springs) and Cobb Board of Education Chair Dr. Teresa Plenge (Post 7) over the Hillgrove High School attendance zones.

The meeting opened with a presentation from Fulton County Commission Chair Karen Handel who is running for Secretary of State. During the presentation she adressed ther issues of voter fraud and election voting reform endorsing the revamped voter ID bill now moving through the Georgia legislature.

She was also in favor of denying illegal immigrants drivers license and punishing employers of illegal immigrants.

She advocated for a papertrail for voters and wanted to replace the current voting machines with newer models that were more secure. She endorsed the Cobb Pilot Program for paper trails. There are approximately 2,000 voting machines in Cobb County.

Karen Handel was followed by a question and answer session with State Senator Earl Erhart and Cobb Board of Education chairperson Teresa Plenge. During the Session Dr. Plenge retracted her earlier statement that "the use of racial diversity in school redistricting comes down to being in compliance with the No Child Left Behind Act." (East Cobb Neighbor, Thursday, 26 January 2006).

Angry parents lambasted Dr. Plenge while Ehrhart looked on. While the discussion was still in full swing, Dr. Plenge excused herself for a hair appointment.

Among all th talk of how the new Cobb Hillgrove High School is using race to determine the new school zones, the question is begged - What should be used? Is it race, geography, socio-economic demographics, or academic performance? How does one level th playing field in order to provide educational opportunity for all? Let me know.

State Reps Address Issues At Townhall Meeting

January 14, 2006 A townhall meeting was hosted by State Senator Chip Rogers on Saturday, 14 January 2006 at the Mountainview Public Library from 9:00 to 10:30 AM. He was joined by State Representative Bobby Franklin and State Senator Judson Hill. The audience included about 30 individual including Cobb County School Board member Johnny Johnson.

Anumber of issues were discussed including the following:

1. Voter Id

2. Senate Resolution 652 dealing with Eminent Domain

3. Term limits for the School Board, and reducing term from 4 year to 2 years.

4. Illegal Immigration Reform.

5. Fixing a "Loophole" in the Hope Scholarship.

6. Passing a Sexual Predator Bill which would be the toughest in the country.

The legislation coming up in the House and Senate this year is going to be very controversial despite this being an election year and much of the MSM (Main Stream Media) predicting that only softball legislation would be addressed. Part of the reason for this I feel is the activity at the grassroots level demanding some action be taken and representatives be held accountable.

Check the Political Calendar in the left hand colum for future activities.

Next week is goung to be verry busy with both a Cobb GOP breakfast and a Christian Coalition rally on Saturday January 21st.

Get Active!

What's Ahead in 2006

Like every election year 2006 will be a busy and exciting one. At the forefront of Cobb County politics will be the infamous Cobb School Board, Public Prayer, Illegal Immigration, SPLOST and the local elections.

Which ones will dominate the news? which ones were the top issues of 2005?

Check the calendar link and try to attend some of the events listed. Continue to check back here as the year develops to stay on top of Cobb Politics and to get involved and participate in the occassional on-line poll.

The Conservative Sentinel will be here for you 24/7.
Truth Never Sleeps!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Isakson Joins Soros Backed Republican Moderates

I was dissappointed to hear on Michelle Malkin's blog today that Georgia Senator Johnny Isakson had joined the George Soros backed group of "moderate" Republicans known the Republican Main Street Partnership.

This group was behind the scuttling of the ANWR drilling amendment in the Energy bill.

The group is backed by a 527 of which George Soros is a major contributor.

I have always been a big fan of Johnny Isakson , but being a proud "Radical Right Wing Conservative" this is a sad day fior me.

What else is Senator Isakson willing to compromise on?
Illegal Immigration?
Tax Cuts?
Reduced Federal Spending?

What do you think?
I'm sure Senator Isakson would like to hear your opinion.
I certainly would.

Al

Tom Price Addresses GOP Breakfast

October 15, 2005 - Tom Price, U.S. Representative from Georgia's 6th District addressed the first Cobb County Republican Breakfast of October with a report on what was going on in Washington D. C. He said the following issues were the top priorities of the Republican Congress and would have serious effects on the citizens of Cobb County.

1. War on Terror
2. Taxes and the Fair Tax. - The Fair Tax movement has taken Washington by suprise according to Congressman Price, who says he has been inundated with requests for the Fair Tax book. Appearantly the grass roots movement has resulted in serious consideration being given by the Congress. Congressman Price said that President Bush's Commission on Tax Reform charged with fundemental reform dropped the ball and just wound up "tweeking" the system. The results of the Fair Tax movement will be evidenced in a fair tax vote on the House Floor sceduled for April 15th 2006.

3. Illegal Immigration - Congresssman Price has said Immigration Reform will be the button issue in '06. Look for passage of H.R. Bill 3693 and other legislation related to the Hostettler letter sent to President Bush on October 4.

4. The Budget Process - Congressman Price simply stated that the budget process was out of control and advocated a return to the Gramm - Rudman balanced budget approach.

Meeting Of The Mouths

Meeting of the Mouths - October 1, 2005


October 1, 2005 – WSB hosted a potpourri of talk show entertainment last Saturday at the Cobb County Civic Center. The 90 minute forum started at 10:30 AM and drew a crowd so large that parking spilled over to the Lockheed Credit Union and the ballfields.

The show featured legal expert John Carlson, Hollis Gillespie of Creative Loafing, consumer advocate Clark Howard, talk show hosts Neal Bortz and Sean Hannity, CNN’s James Carville and Neal Cavuto of Fox News.

Gillespie and Carville worked the issues from the left, Sean Hannity from right, and Neal Bortz stirred the pot with his Libertarian viewpoint.

Carville was especially entertaining as he relished wearing the black hat like some WWF bad boy. He continually taunted the largely conservative crowd by declaring Bill Clinton “The Best President Ever!”. I found myself laughing most of the time as he and Bortz and Hannity traded barbs while still managing to cover relevant political topics.

The audience was treated to photo ops and book signings after the show. This was part of a nation wide tour to encourage political discussion.

Ralph Reed Brings Out The Big Guns Early.

Reed to Dean: "I will buy your ticket to Georgia"

June 17, 2005 - Refering to the sudden drop in popularity polls for Democrats after a visit to Georgia by controversial Democratic National Chairman Howard Dean, Ralph Reed offered to buy his airplane ticket for his next trip to Georgia.

His first major political rally of the campaign was an unqualified success dispite the lack of media coverage. 1500 people attended the June 17th rally at Cobb Galleria.

Reed continues to draw negative press from the likes of the Atlanta Journal Costitution and Internet websites like the political vine. Despite this he has built up an impressive grass roots volunteer force 16 months before the November 2006 Election. Forget about the Indian Casino scandel, My money says a big win for Ralph in the primary and general elections.

Sam Olens introducing Ralph Reed

Cobb County Commissioner Sam Olens introduces Ralph Reed to the throng of 1500 gathered for the Freedom Rally in support of Ralph Reed. Could this be a foreshadowing of Olens running for State Office after the end of his current term ??

Sean Hannity "passing the baton"

Sean Hannity, above, called Ralph Reed "the future of the Republican Party", in the mold of Reagan and Bush. Hannity recounted working with Reed during the 2004 election when Reed was in charge of Bush's Southern Campaign.

Hannity spent time in Atlanta as a local talk show host prior to joining Fox TV and getting a nationally syndicated show which he broadcasts from New York.

Zell Miller Addressing Ralph Reed Rally

June 17, 2005 - The State of Georgia further solidified it's place as the Republican anchor of the South with the entry of Ralph Reed into the Lt Governor's race. Although he will have to win a tough Republican Primary first, Reed looks to be the man to put the State's second seat into Republican hands.

Above Zell Miller is addressing the June 17th Freedom Rally at the Cobb Galleria which drew a standing room only crowd of 1,500. Reed interned for Miller in the Lt. Governor's office when Miller was serving in that capacity prior to becoming Governor.

Busting the Myths Of Illegal Immigration

Cobb Town Hall Addresses Illegal Immigration

June 1 2005 - Radio Station WGKA and Citizen Georgia hosted a Town Hall meeting on Wednesday night at the Theater on the Square in Marietta. The first topic addressed was that of illegal immigration and it's effects on Cobb County. Althought the invited opposition of Mexican Consulate representative Remedios Gomez Arnal and Sam Zamarripa failed to show up, State Senator Chip Rogers presented his side of the debate and answered questions from the audience for an hour.

I think it's time to bust some of the "myths" associated with this hot button issue. I think it is going to be THE number one issue in the 2006 elections at both the State and National level reaching emotional pitches usually reserved for the Abortion debate.

Myth #1 If you are against Illegal Immigration you are a racist.
Illegal Immigration is not a racial issue, Although Mexico is the biggest violator, our borders fall victim to Asians smuggled into the West Coast from the Pacific, Eastern Europeans brought in by the Russian Mafia, and Canadians invading the U.P.

Myth #2 Illegal Immigration helps the economy.
Illegal Immigration hurts the economy, the drain on public services caused by the excess burden of illegal immigration has forced hospitals to close and valuable law enforcement resources to be diverted from domestic crime issues. They divert millions of dollars from the U.S. economy when they send money out of country.

Myth #3 All Illegal Immigrants just want to come here to work hard and support their families.
This is a generalization that belies the truth. The South American Gang M-13, increased drug smuggling, and murderers coming into the U.S. and then fleeing back into Mexico to avoid extradition, are all results of our porous borders.

Myth #4 It is wrong to deny anyone social benefits.
When State resources are used by someone in this country illegally, because the availability of that resource is less than it's demand, you are denying that resource, education or health service, from a tax paying American Citizen.

Myth #5 Illegal Immigration doesn't hurt anyone.
Illegal immigration is not fair to the millions of legal immigrants who have played fair and spent great time and expense to enter the country in pursuit of the American Dream. It artificially inflates our taxes, by the requirement of additional social services. It threatens our national security by providing a cover for possible terrorist infiltration, and it diverts money from the U.S. economy.

I hope these points will help in the debate that is sure to continue for years to come. This issue is more than a matter of legality. It has social, economic, moral,and national security implications which will be felt for generations.

Al Meyer

SPLOST Debate at WGKA Town Hall

Bill Byrne To Run For Governor?

May 24 2005 - Bill Byrne was seen at the Cobb County GOP Breakfast last Saturday looking and sounding like a man who was about to enter a race. He appeared with his wife and State Representative Bobby Franklin. Byrne addressed the current displeasure of conservative Republicans with both the State and National parties. He expressed his view of how in his opinion the grassroots activists have been ignored at both levels.

Byrne ran unsuccessfully against Sonny Perdue in the 2002 Republican gubernortorial primary and he may be itching for a rematch. Stay tuned!

Al Meyer

Florida Governor Jeb Bush Delivers Keynote Speech at GA GOP Convention

State GOP Chair Alec Pointevent

Senator Chambliss at GOP Breakfast