*A Personal Political Story*

After my brother won his primary race for his County Commission seat in 2002, our Mom threw a hissy fit. For the rest of the story, make the jump with me.

   I live in a small county in the very Northwest corner of Georgia. It is mostly rural, and you can drive from city limit sign to city limit sign in less than 5 minutes in the only town in the county that has more than 10 buildings. The old courthouse sits directly in the middle of U.S. Highway 11, with northbound traffic going to the right of it, and southbound traffic going to the left. We have a new Justice Building one street over, which houses the County Sheriff's Dept., detention facilities, probate offices, and one courtroom. Between the two is a parking area with a small grassy area with a gazebo, and several park benches.
   On primary night, in July, 2004, there was a large group of people gathered to await the election results. My brother was in a tight primary race, running against the man that he had defeated in 2002. While we were waiting for all of the precincts to come in and the votes to be tallied, my Mom walked across the street and sat down on a park bench. A few minutes later she was joined by the Republican who decided at the last minute to run as an Independent against my brother in the general election.
   When we found out that my brother had won, someone went across the street to tell my mother. We were still waiting for all of the votes to come in on some of the county-wide races. A few minutes later, the Republican candidate(who was soundly defeated)came over to talk to Mr. Independent, not realizing who the woman on the other end of the bench was. He proceeded to start discussing with Mr. Independent the dirty tricks that they (the Republican party) would use to help him defeat my brother in November, with his friend trying to shut him up the whole time.
   I wish I could tell you that my 74 year old mother calmly told the man who she was, and then walked away in a dignified manner. But I can't, because she exploded. Witnesses tell me that she came up off that bench like a 16 year old track star, and chased him all the way across the parking lot, giving him a piece of her mind all the way.
   You would think that the Republican party would hide him in the closet, at least, after such an undignified display, right? Well, think again. Because the following January the elected him to be their new Chairman. Now here we are, almost two years later, working toward another July primary.
Reliable sources tell me that the local Republican party is in shambles, and judging from articles in the local paper, and letters to the editor, I don't have any trouble believing it. They are really going at each other.
   But back to Mr. Chairman. You would have to see and talk to this man to fully appreciate how stupid he truly is. I'm not talking about acting stupid. I'm talking seriously low I.Q., with an ugly disposition to match. This man makes George W. Bush look like a genius. Which is why I have trouble believing that he came up with these questions for the primary ballot on himself.
   1. Should the Dade County Commission send a letter to Democrats in Washington who have been blocking oil exploration in the United States and demand they allow us to drill for our own oil so we don't have to buy over-priced oil from countries who sponsor terrorism against us?
   2. Do you support the U.S. Military in their fight against terrorism wherever they can engage the enemy?
   3. Should the 17 Georgia House of Representatives members, all Democrats, who voted against the new law cracking down on sexual predators, including those who molest children, be recalled by their districts and removed from office?

   These questions sound to me like they came straight from either the state or national Republican party. What do you think?