Biden Ed Plan DEAD Before Leaving Thought Box, Without New Gen of Academic-parenting OPINION

Academic-parenting is a concept that grew out of my early studies of how

to improve the Quality of the Condition of Education in the school my

youngest attended at the time. And from several surprisingly frank,

honest, and unexpected admissions by other parents of the challenge to

help and support their child at home. And these were parents of fifth

and sixth graders. I came to believe then and still do there is a need.

And by the fall of 2008, I had a descriptive name for it. Today as an

Autodidact Education Anthropologist (AKA as a student) of the field of

education, I can show you the need, which you'll see in the last part of

this post.

In a general sense: Academic-Parenting is activities you can do with

your kids to prepare them to learn in a formal teaching environment and

support them through High school graduation. The goal is to keep it

super simple. And the following reading academic-parenting skill most of

you already know; some to all of:

1. Reading to your child before they know how to read, and then

discussing what you read with them.*

2.  Reading the same book or text with them as they learn to read. Then

discussing it afterward.*

3. Reading together. Not necessarily the same book or text. Or even at

the same time. Then discussing what each of you read.*

* Discussing is not a lecture. It is a conversation where all parties

are comfortable expressing themselves. Effective communication between

you and anyone is identical to building a bridge. The longer you build

on the bridge and keep it open, the stronger it becomes. But if it

collapses, it is damn hard to rebuild. And children (bless them) may

occasionally be trying. The goal is to keep them comfortable and the

communication bridge open as you use your parental authority to address

the situation.

I don't know if anyone else uses the phrase academic-parenting. However,

people write blogs and books detailing numerous simple things you may

already know or can learn to do to equip your kid(s) for formal

schooling and support them through high school graduation.

I find it frustrating when someone writes an opinion without verifiable

facts. And I always wonder if their thoughts were pulled out of some

sunless crevasse or creatively made up for the sake of being argumentative.

The following section will show fact checkable evidence with links

(another pet peeve) showing the impact of parents' education level on

student's measurable academic scholarship, using National Assessment of

Education Progress (NAEP) published results.

1971 Parental Education impact on 17-year-old student acquisition of

Reading Proficiency; TABLE 1: Parent Education Level and Corresponding

Percentage of available Points earned by Mean or Average Score(1):

 > Not a high school graduate = 52%

 > Graduated high school = 57%

 > Some education after high school = 60%

Mean, or Average Score percentages in Table 1, are the equivalent of a

classroom grade. All equivalent classroom grades would be a letter grade

of an "F" if the minimum classroom proficiency were a 70 or better.

1978 Parental Education impact on 17-year-old students learning of

Mathematics Proficiency; TABLE 2: Parent Education Level and

Corresponding Percentage of available Points earned by Mean or Average

Score(2):

 > Not a high school graduate = 56%

 > Graduated high school = 49%

 > Some education after high school = 61%

 > Graduated college = 63%

Mean, or Average Score percentages in Table 2, are the equivalent of a

classroom grade. All equivalent classroom grades would be a letter grade

of an "F" if the minimum classroom proficiency were a 70 or better.

Forty-one and more years later, in 2019

2019 Parental Education impact on 12th-Grade student acquisition of

Reading Proficiency; TABLE 3: Parent Education Level and Corresponding

Percentage of available Points earned by Mean or Average Score(3):

 > Did not finish high school = 54%

 > Graduated high school = 54%

 > Some education after high school = 57%

 > Graduated college = 59%

 > Unknown = 51%

Mean, or Average Score percentages in Table 3, are the equivalent of a

classroom grade. All equivalent classroom grades would be a letter grade

of an "F" if the minimum classroom proficiency were a 70 or better.

2019 Parental Education impact on 12th-Grade student acquisition of

Mathematics Proficiency; TABLE 4: Parent Education Level and

Corresponding Percentage of available Points earned by Mean or Average

Score(4):

 > Did not finish high school = 44%

 > Graduated high school = 45%

 > Some education after high school = 49%

 > Graduated college = 54%

 > Unknown = 42%

Mean, or Average Score percentages in Table 4, are the equivalent of a

classroom grade. All equivalent classroom grades would be a letter grade

of an "F" if the minimum classroom proficiency were a 70 or better.

METHODOLOGY:

At, The Afterclap  Web: http://theafterclap.com/  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Afterclap-107153424017370  Twitter: https://twitter.com/@TAfterclap       

We translate large-scale Standardized Test measurement

systems through a process named "Calculating the Percent of a Perfect

Score." This KISS (keep it super simple) method converts results to a

percentage and equivalent classroom grade. This translation eliminates

the need for an education authority to tell you what they want you to

believe. Or provide an explanation you may not understand. The process

was created by a Founder of The Afterclap. He spent nine years serving

on Public School Councils with a Georgia legislated expectation to make

positive suggestions to improve the Quality of the Condition of

Education in the school he served. And be able to explain how well

students performed on large-scale standardized tests to parents and

interested stakeholders. As a former student and now as a parent, he

understands the implications of the Classroom Grade and suspects you do

as well. If your child brings home a grade of 57, the score eliminates

some questions and opens the door to specific targeted questions from

"what did you learn today?" To, "what have you not learned yet?" 

Bruce Kendall.

SOURCES:

(1) 1995 > Digest of Education Statistics > National Assessment of

Educational Progress (NAEP) Long Term Trends. > "Table 105. Average

student proficiency in reading, by age and selected characteristics of

students: 1971 to 1992."> Where the earliest year listed for Parental

education impact on 17-year-olds in "Reading Proficiency" was 1971.

https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d95/dtab105.asp

(2) 1999 > Digest of Education Statistics > National Assessment of

Educational Progress (NAEP) Long Term Trends. > "Table 123. Average

mathematics proficiency, by age and by selected characteristics of

students: 1973 to 1996." Where the earliest year listed for Parental

education impact on 17-year-olds in "Mathematics Proficiency" was 1978

https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d99/d99t123.asp

(3) 2019 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Reading,

Grade 12, Parental education level, from 2 questions [PARED] and

National jurisdiction. https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/ndecore/landing

(4) 2019 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Mathematics,

Grade 12, Parental education level, from 2 questions [PARED] and

National jurisdiction. https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/ndecore/landing

Henry School System Commits Child and Elderly Abuse

Henry School System Commits Child and Elderly Abuse

Early in 2002, a child was born into my family, a beautiful little girl. I helped to raise this little girl I watched her grow into a thriving little toddler going off to school to learn so she can be a great citizen of society. She went through Middle School on her way to becoming a teenager and later on an adult. She started High School and was going to graduate in the year 2020. All of us and the family are so proud of her and her accomplishments that she has made and as the school year was ending we began to prepare for her graduation in 2019. I purchased a four-wheeled walker so I would be able to walk to the stadium at the high school to be able to watch her graduate and receive her diploma. You see I suffer from neuropathy in my legs to the point that they are numb and I must have help to be able to walk and keep my balance not to mention suffering from heart failure which limits my breathing. Everything was going great until the pandemic here in early 2020. Then, everything changed the last part of her senior year. When the school system did not know how to handle this they finally decided on a plan so that they can still graduate and walk across the stage with their diploma. However, they decided not to have it at the stadium of the high school. They decided to have a grand place for graduation. They decided to have the graduation ceremony at the Atlanta Motor Speedway. A very large place that one must have to walk at least half a mile to get to the stadium itself. something that I could not do even with my walker. so I set out to find out if they would have shuttle buses or anything to help the disabled to get to the seats. I contacted the head of the school multiple times without an answer.  That is a sad state when a principal of a school will not help a disabled person to be able to see a loved one graduate high school. I tried to contact individuals at the school board, but no one answered my emails or phone calls. Calls to the Atlanta Motor Speedway we're never answered by anybody. it was as if they did not want disabled people to attend the event. This is a sad state that our community is in when the disabled are treated like we are not wanted.
So, on the night of her graduation, I was forced by the Henry County School System to sit at a computer and watch it online and not in person to be there for her. You do not understand how much this hurts. This is an event that I can never get back nor my loved one. This was a once-in-a-lifetime event for both of us and it is gone forever. And in this regard, the Henry County School System committed child and elderly abuse.  I ask you if you are reading this please call, email or whatever you can do to get in touch with the Henry County School System and let them know you are very disappointed and they're inactions to assist the disabled at the graduation ceremonies of 2020. As a result of this inaction by the Henry County School System, I would like to see the school system disbanded and restructured with new personnel that hopefully have a heart. I would also like to see the particular principal involved fired on the spot. Hopefully, this will not happen in the future and disrupt other people's lives by missing such an important event. 
Schools Announcement of Ceremonies for 2020 PDF
Blog Staff.

Here is why not to vote for SPLOST V

“Here is why not to vote for SPLOST V”


It is being revealed every day that the former SPLOST programs voted on by the citizens have either been wasted in many cases or never finished as promised.  For example, the money that should have gone to the Hampton Senior Center was diverted elsewhere and the final building was not what was promised.  Yet the county bought the center in Locust Grove because the city could not afford what they built.  So, the Hampton money went to them.  That is not right.  The SPLOST was not designed to be handled like they have done ever since its inception.  The people of Henry County voted for SPLOST IV which included $5 million for a study on the interchange to be built on Bethlehem Rd at I-75 to divert truck traffic in the area.  But the three democrats on the BoC decided recently to take this off the ARC wish list for Henry County.  Why?  Who told them not to put it on there?  The BoC Chair said there are no plans for an inland port on Bethlehem Rd.  Why did Norfolk Southern Railroad buy all the land between Hwy 42 and I-75 on the northside of Bethlehem Rd?  Discussions were had about a decade ago about them building an intermodal train yard there for shipping trailers brought in from Savannah to be put on trucks to go across the southeast.  They would need the exit at Bethlehem Rd to handle all this traffic.  This was part of the agenda back then and the intent would be for this to be built in 20-25 years from that time.  The Chair of the BoC needs to learn the difference between an inland port and an intermodal rail yard.  If these commissioners can do no better than what they have done since they have been in office then it is a good idea to Vote NO on SPLOST V in November.  It is not for the children that is for sure.


The Staff

What Is Wrong With People Today

What Is Wrong With People Today

I grew up in the 70’s and early 80’s. I remember back then people were different than they are today and it’s not for the better. Back then you could count on your neighbors and friends to help out when times were tough. We came together to help each other when someone got sick or lost a job and needed to get food people would help them out without even being asked. I remember helping friends and family as a child and it always felt good to be able to help. I also remember being down to having to pick up aluminum cans so we could eat breakfast that day. I have been on both sides of being poor and being okay and just getting by. 

Six years in Federal Law enforcement I have seen some ugly things that would turn your stomach and make a maggot puke. But what I am seeing today makes me sick down to the core of my being. That is the war that is being waged on poor people by people that call themselves Christians, but they are far from it. 

For some time I have been trying to sell a few things so I can get the house that I have paid for while being on disability in my name. The people that I bought it from died and their children can’t be found. So, to get the home in my name I have to go to the courts to get a judge to sign off on it. This costs money as well as what I have to pay my attorney. To pay for my home I sacrificed a lot. I lived on bologna sandwiches, I cut my utilities down as much as I could. As for a social life I had none, no movies, eating out was not done. All this took a toll on my health. I have heart failure, I am diabetic that has caused my feet and legs to go numb so walking is hard and is getting harder every day. 

I have sold only one thing on Facebook. In my posts, I ask people to share the post if they are not interested in what I have for sale so more people would see it. But only two-three have done so. No one seems to care whatsoever, no one even asked how I am doing with it. I even posted a poll to ask what I should do. I got one saying I should not start a go fund me to see if I could get donations. One said yes and about four said to do both sales and do the go fund me, I even had one said who cares. 

What hurts the most is that when I post something about my love I lost on 9/11 just a few of my so-called friends say or do anything on the post, that I will not stand for at all. When my Cousin Mike Moon moved from next door from me he asked four of our friends to keep a check on me to make sure I was okay. That was three plus years ago and only one of our friends has done that. The other three I have not heard from them, but one did call me because they wanted me to do something for them. Note get this one friend lives about 200 yards from me and I have not heard not one thing from them at all. It reminds me of what my Mom would say that they are just “two-faced sons of bitches”. 

I have run tests on Facebook with the help of a family member that we both have a good number of friends in common. We post the same thing like a photo of the American flag or a puppy. We give it 24 to 48 hours and look at the results. The family member would have a lot more likes than my post sometimes 4 to 1 or more. Sometimes I would get nothing at all. That tells me something about most of our friends we share please note I said most not all. For me, it’s not about being popular I just don’t want to be ignored. Sometimes I post very important stuff and it is ignored with no likes. I could understand if I had done something wrong to someone, but I try to help anyone I can. It makes no sense to a sane person that would like to help and now needs some help. I am at my wit's end as to what is wrong with people cause I know it’s not me, I have done my best to help others. People need to start acting right and stop acting like a child who wants his way all the time. Act more like a Christian and God would look on you with more favor.

Alfred Britt.

   

Commissioners Needs To Help Our Police Department

The citizens have time to think about the safety and welfare of the community as a whole.  Not just the average people on the street, but those who the county hires to protect these citizens.  The Henry County Government is doing a poor job at providing the necessary items that the police department needs to do their job properly.  They are doing an outstanding job with the tools they have currently, but at a shortage of personnel and proper equipment.  This became apparent recently when a hostage standoff occurred and two of the HCPD swat team members were wounded.  It doesn't look good for other jurisdictions to have to come and take care of a problem in the county.  It takes away from the security of those other jurisdictions.  The Henry County Board of Commissioners need to provide more funds to equip and train our police better and to hire more people to do the job properly.  This has been an ongoing problem with the county for some time now.  These people in blue deserve better.  If those on the Board of Commissioners cannot provide the needed funds for these people  then, there needs to be a better Board of Commissioners elected to do the right job for the citizens of this county.

The Blog Staff.

Liberalism in Hampton, GA

 "Liberalism in Hampton, GA"

Henry County has once again made national news twice in one week.  Another embarrassing saga to the county in a long line of embarrassments in the past few years.  This time it began with a teacher at Hampton Middle School getting their students to write a letter to the Congress and supporting gun control.  Here we have a teacher putting their own political view into the school subject they are supposed to be teaching and using the students to promote their agenda.  We have learned the letters did not go to Washington.  But the teacher is still teaching at the school.  Why?  Then, we have another teacher who has had a rant in her class about make President Trump wanting to make America great again is taking us back to segregation.  This woman was recorded ranting on and on with her own racist remarks towards the white children in the class.  Again she is still teaching at the school.  Why?   If a white history teacher spoke about the Confederacy being a good government and good thing for the south he would be put on leave and then fired because the liberal faction in the county would rise up and say that is racist.  All this is occurring once again in District 2 of Henry County.  The same district where the commissioner made sure the Civil War Museum would be gone from Nash Farm.  She had her own agenda there by making sure her liberal friend has the "farmers market" or flea market there.    Some of this happening at the Hampton Middle School is also likely linked to the progressive liberals who have been elected to that city's council.  This looks and has the earmarks of a coordinated attack upon the people of the 2nd district of Henry County.  It is time for the parents to go to the Board of Education of Henry County and ask for the removal of those teachers involved in this activity at the school.  This is going to cause more racial division in the area because the teachers who are promoting this agenda know that by feeding the mind of the young will hopefully inflame them to want to be radical and liberal in their views towards society.

The Staff

State of the Union Address

The Democrats in Washington, D.C. showed their true self at the State of the Union Address.  As President Trump spoke and talked about various issues most of them were very disrespectful to the President and the people of the United States.  They would not stand up for border security, the American flag, fighting opioid abuse, the national anthem, bonuses for working Americans, the idea of low black unemployment, merit-based immigration, Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, 2.4 million jobs created, in God we trust, and many of them were seen on video playing candy crush on their phones.  There is an old saying in our nation that we get what we pay for and in their cases, they need to be fired.  They have no respect for our men and women in the military, our police and firefighters, and our hard-working Americans who go to work daily to feed their families.  These leeches are there to get a paycheck and to cause trouble back home across this land.  They have shown to the people of this nation that they are nothing more than bottom feeders who need to go and find something else to do instead of making things worse for those who are trying to make America stronger, safer and better.

John Middleton McKenzie

Democrats Prefer Illegals Over True Americans

On January 19th-20th at midnight 2018, the United States legal citizens found out that the Democrats in Washington, D.C. want to put the interest of those living in our nation illegally ahead of those who are citizens.  They want to put those illegals ahead of the military Veterans who served this nation with valor.  That is a slap in the face to them.  They want to put them ahead of our elderly citizens who built this nation which is another slap in the face.  And they want to put those illegals ahead of our children who need medical care for diseases that cannot be helped and this is a deplorable slap in the face.  These Democrats want to play hardball with a President who knows all about that game.  They are also teetering on violating their constitutional oath to uphold said constitution and the American people.  Those who would condemn our lawful citizens in this nation should be put out of office and banished from our midst.  The Democrats want to play games with the lives of American Citizens over those who came here illegally and are sucking away the funds needed to help our people who are here legally.  We have veterans and others living under bridges in America, some of them freezing to death because they have nowhere else to live and many of them could be helped if the illegals were not taking the funds away from them.  The American Citizens need to wake up and see that those in Washington that love these illegals and there are some Republicans as well who find that they would prefer them over those born and raised here as US citizens.  They need to be put out of any leadership capacity because they don't know what they are doing except feeding there own ego.  Egomaniacs are destroying this nation daily.  All the way from small-town America to Washington, D.C.   They are trying to create a war in our nation that will be a war like no other.  It will pit those US citizens fighting for their homes against the rabble from other nations who would rather see us dead anyway.  They want to blame this on the President, but the blame lies squarely on the heads of those Democrats led by Chuck Schumer who have the unmitigated gall to put an illegal alien in front of a United States citizen and Veteran.  The veterans of our nation will not forget this.   But this has been the sad case in many empires of the world.  Rome let in too many people from the outside and were destroyed from within.  The people of this nation can see now that the leadership in Washington, D.C. under the guise of "we support our citizens" is nothing but a lie.  They take from the Social Security Fund that is the money that belongs to the hard-working US citizens and give it to these illegals.  They take tax money that is taxing the citizens to death to give to these illegals.  Remember what is really going on here and take a good look at those involved and you will see a monster the likes no one ever thought possible.  We were told years ago that we would be taken without firing a shot and that is very close to happening if the people who love their nation don't do something about it.

The Staff

A Good Man For Stockbridge!!

There is a man who is running for Stockbridge City Council who by far is well qualified for the position.  He once held the position and can still make a difference in Stockbridge.  That man is Alphonso Thomas.  Mr. Thomas has done much over the years to help the people of Stockbridge.  He began the Stockbridge Business Association and has always been one to be at the meetings to let those in office know what the needs are of the people.  He has been a friend to many and will continue to be that friend when he is elected once again.  The city needs his leadership and his morals.  He knows what is right and wrong in Stockbridge.  If ever anyone has been a friend to Stockbridge it has been Mr. Thomas.  A good man for the job.

The Staff.

Chaos & Debacle In Mcdonough And Kids Suffer

There was total CHAOS in McDonough on October 27th during the "Uncle Shaq trunk or treat event at the Courthouse parking deck."  There were families waiting in line 2+ hours and got up to the entrance and were turned away.  This was happening between 7:15 and 7:30 pm and the event was billed to last until 8:00PM.  There were kids not only crying, but screaming because they could not get in.  Some have referred this as the "poop show" in McDonough.  And there are several people, of course, taking up for him and his event, but they have no children and did not wait in line with them for over 2 hours.  Just think this man wants to be the next Sheriff of Henry County and he cannot manage a trick or treat event at a very large parking deck in McDonough.  It would be the same CHAOS with him being Sheriff.  This is another bad scar on the face of the City of McDonough thanks to those who want to be in the news and the look at me crowd.  There are mothers and fathers right now that would not give two cents to meet him or have anything to do with an event he is part of because of the way this has been handled.  Remember this will get around and people will stay away from future events because they don't want to wait in line forever to be told to go home by someone who doesn't give a tinkers damn.  It looks like the shenanigans of the City of Stockbridge have moved to McDonough.  Yep looking good there.

A Very Irritated Parent

"What do you think? You decide." 'Stockbridge City Council Member Makes light of serious situation'

"What do you think? You decide."

'Stockbridge City Council Member

Makes light of serious situation'

In the days leading up to the visit to the Henry County area by Irma, the storm that was a Category 5 hurricane in the Atlantic Basin and was one of the strongest in recorded history, the City of Stockbridge council member Mr. Alexander who has annointed himself Mr. Atlanta South made fun of and ridiculed the Henry County Board of Education and many citizens of the county. He was saying that people were in a panic, but reliable sources said they witnessed no panic just people stocking up on supplies just in case things got bad here. Of course he was saying that the news being reported about the coming storm was "Fake News." There will be screen shots provided of all that has been said by this gentleman prior to the event. By him saying these things it could have caused some people not to be prepared for the coming storm. The National Hurricane Center issued a Tropical Storm Watch for the area and Governor Deal placed the whole state under a State of Emergency. That was all done after the Henry County Board of Education said that schools would be closed for Monday and Tuesday. They had gotten the word that it would be bad from Emergency Management. They cancelled an event on Saturday that can wait. He made a point of ridiculing the BoE for cancelling the event. Many people made comments on his facebook page about this matter. Then, he had posted on his Progressive Henry Page that Schools would be closed and when you opened to look at it the inside was a joke. This is no joking matter. When the BoE did call the schools to be closed he made the comment that, "This is exactly why 35 out of 51 Henry County schools are underperforming. Our kids need to be in school and so does the staff improving our schools." He went on to say, "The kids are out of school all the time, break after break and classes cancelled for snow storms that never materialize." He also said, "I have never agreed with the overreaction closings crying Safety to justify overreacting to what could be a simple wind or rain storm." This sounds like someone who doesn't need to be in a leadership position of any kind.

Then, make matters worse when he finds that the storm is bad he puts himself out there like he is the god send of all. He is praising the Lord which is fine, but just a few days earlier he was denouncing this storm and God was looking out for people by warning them. He was blind to it. And saying he was the person putting out information on social media that the south side depending on. That is thinking of self and wrong. In truth, he was trying to cover for his words and inaction that came earlier. His main reason for attacking the BoE like did was because his choice for school superintendent was denied. He has been on a crusade since to attack them and to cause them trouble.

If he wanted to be a true leader in the Stockbridge area why didn't he organize a place for people to go that needed a safe place to stay? The city of McDonough provided such a place and so did the people of Locust Grove. Other areas provided food and shelter during the storm. But the largest city in Henry County sat on their thumbs. Yes, the work crews of the City of Stockbridge did an excellent job clearing streets from debris. But he was not a work crew member. He was running around pretending to be a reporter. Remember before the storm he said it wasn't going to be bad yet there were thousands without power, roads blocked, homes damaged and people in fear because of the high winds. In the Stockbridge area alone the following roads were blocked by trees: East Atlanta Road, Rustic Road, Glenloch Lane, Jodeco Road, multiple roads in Swan Lake, Old Conyers Road, Mays Road, Scott Blvd, Charlotte Street, Millers Mill Road and Selfridge Road all within the Stockbridge area. The school buses could not have run so the BoE made the correct call to cancell school.

By him calling the storm a small wind storm and rain before the event shows poor judgement and leadership skills. The people of Stockbridge need to let the other leadership and city know that they disapprove of his actions and to not let him get away with after the fact saying that the storm was bad and He thanks God for helping him. That is so self centered and truly mocking that this person should step down from his job and let someone with the proper skills take over.

The Coalition for a Better Henry County

Turning Fifty And Missing You Sweetheart

It’s been sixteen years sweetheart since you were taken from me on that clear blue September day. I have thought of you every day and I still miss you so much that tears still flow for you. For some time now I have been thinking of you in a different way. This year I will turn fifty later in September. I still see you as that beautiful twenty six year old that I lost. It’s hard to see you as a forty three year old lady you would have been. I think of what our kids would be now. They would be just a year or two younger than my grand niece Victoria. She was born in late January after you were taken from me. You would have love Vic she is a little like you were a little tom boy, but also a little girly too. She was born just four months after you were gone and she saved me from going crazy over losing you sweetheart. You see my niece Kristie needed someone to watch Vic, so she could work and I said I would watch her for Kristie. Vic helped me to keep my mind busy from your tragic passing.   

After I was injured on the job, and we decided I would run our farm and raise a small herd of ostriches, I think of what our farm would be like now with the horses and the birds. I can see you teaching Vic and our kids to ride horses and how to take care of them. I think of how well you would have done in your architectural and engineering work you loved so much. Whenever I see a couple I can’t help but think of us and how happy we were together and then I think of what would have been, and I get very sad and lonely in my heart. Baby, I miss everything about you. Your long golden hair, your bright blue eyes, your caring heart, your love. But most of all I just miss you being next to me and having my back on things. I look back and I can honestly say the six years we were together were the years I was alive. So, as I am about to be fifty years old I can still say you will always be my love of a lifetime.

Alfred Britt.  

Photographs, Memories Of You.

I look at your photograph and remember there was no mountain we could not climb,

Looking at your beautiful smile takes me back to a wonderful time.

I have photographs of you throughout the house,

My love for you is so strong it cannot be dowsed.

I think of your love that you gave freely,

For you to be in my arms looking into each other’s eyes is what I need really.

I have photographs of you and your bright beautiful smile,

I remember the love you had for me with your own kind of style.

Your photographs remind me of the time I was truly alive,

For the past sixteen years, I have ceased to live without your love by my side.

As I am about to turn fifty years old,  I still see you as the twenty six year old sweetheart I lost,

But I know you would be a beautiful lady now, but without you by my side, I am living in a world of the tumbled and tossed.

Alfred Britt

(c)2017

A New Attack on Personal Freedom by a Local Municipality in Georgia

A New Attack on Personal Freedom by a Local Municipality in Georgia

To begin with I would like to stress that I am not a smoker and never have  been.  I never 

wanted to smoke and it is my right  and choice not to.  And in the same vein, I feel that if 

someone wishes to smoke in their own car or home,  and yard that is their right to do so.

I have heard that the City of Stockbridge in Henry County wishes to create an ordinance that 

says you cannot smoke in your car with a child aboard.  I see this as a governmental intrusion upon the private life of a citizen.  In the Declaration of Independence, it says that people have the rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness that show three examples of the unalienable rights which the Creator or God and which governments were created to protect. The City of Stockbridge should be protecting the individual right for a person to smoke in their car.  Georgia law says that the citizens car is an extension of their home.  I don't like seeing individual rights abated by the government in any form.  This is a road that has a slippery slope to it that will cause further governmental intrusion into your lives. The most obvious concern is perhaps the most troubling: a fear that these laws invite a new level of government intrusion into people’s private lives. Many people believe that they have a sphere of privacy in their cars, much like in their homes.  For example the following case law is a good point of reference:

In City of Zion v. Behrens,  the Supreme Court of Illinois invalidated a

city ordinance that made it unlawful to smoke tobacco in any public place because it was “apparently an attempt on the part of the municipality to regulate and control the habits and practices  of the citizen without any reasonable basis for so doing.”  The court further found that the ordinance could not be upheld on the grounds of preventing fire and protecting city property because it sought to control smoking in places other than those with highly combustible materials. This also would have carried over into the home and vehicle of the citizen and they found this unlawful. Another case law example is the following:

In Hershberg v. City of Barbourville,  for example, the Kentucky Court of

Appeals struck down a local ordinance that made it illegal to smoke within the city limits of Barbourville because the law was so broad as to make it illegal to smoke within one’s own home or other private premises and vehicles.  They found this unconstitutional. We must stress that we have to protect that which we don't like because if not then we are sacrificing our freedoms in the long run.

In summing up,  the right of privacy is a broad concept, used in diverse contexts to refer to a variety of claims or entitlements. One of the more significant branches of the right of privacy concerns the right of an individual to make personal decisions about his or her life free from government control; that is, the right of individual autonomy. The right of individual autonomy or privacy potentially may encompass matters such as the right to marry, the right to have a family, the right of reproductive freedom, the right of bodily integrity, the right to ingest substances such as alcohol and smoking,  the right to refuse medical treatment. and so on.  The concept of privacy or autonomy often is used interchangeably with the concept of liberty, both referring to a fundamental right of self-determination. The right of privacy is based on the principle that “a person belongs to himself and not others nor to society as a whole.” It embodies a sense of “personhood”—an “autonomy of self”—that should remain free from intrusion or coercion by society or the government. It comprehends that there are certain personal decisions concerning one’s life that an individual should be able to make for oneself free from interference by the state.  The right of privacy has developed primarily through decisions of the United States Supreme Court interpreting the Federal Constitution. It is the right of privacy for a person to smoke in a home or vehicle that is theirs.  If a child is in the vehicle the parent is usually the one who is driving and if they wish to smoke around their child it is their choice as  a parent.  When the government steps into your life in this manner to try and ban you from smoking in your car or home it is another step towards a dictatorial government that has it's fingers in too much of your life as it is today.  And for a city that has been embroiled in too many court cases for over a decade now, they shouldn't  go down this road of attacking a citizens rights.  They should go about the job they were elected to do and make sure the citizens have a police, fire, roads and utilities instead of getting into the cars and bedrooms of the community.

Dr. Mike Moon

9/11 Hijacked Again

9/11 Hijacked Again

For years I have been writing about how Henry County holds a remembrance service on 9/11. The problem is the place they hold it is too dangerous for parents to bring their kids so the kids can learn and respect what happened that day in 2001. The County holds the service at the intersection of Hwy 81 at the Walmart drive just a few yards from the Interstate I-75 ramp. If the County does not know how to hold a proper service then here is some free advice. You have a park called Heritage Park with a Veterans Wall of Honor that has a depiction of the Twin Towers on the wall. This is a great place to hold the 9/11 remembrance services people can bring their children, it is a safe place for them to learn. 

McDonough's 9/11 Service Location

Now this year 2016 comes a move by the most moronic City in Henry County. For the first time ever Stockbridge decides to hold a 9/11 service. Where do they decide to hold it, wait for it. At the intersection of Hwy 42 & 138 at the Walmart drive. Has 9/11 become the Walmart service day? Now we all know Stockbridge can’t run the City too well. They have maybe two Council members that know what they are doing, but the rest well let's just say they need a little help, the poor things. So here is some free advice for Stockbridge. You have a park called Memorial Park that would be a lot safer than the middle of a State Hwy intersection. You also have the park next to the conference center that can hold a large crowd.

Stockbridge's 9/11 Service Location

I looked at photos of both events and hardly anyone showed up. And in Stockbridge more photos were taken than people in attendance. They even had Ch 11 Alive come down to cover the event. All Stockbridge did was to hijack 9/11 for their own gain. 

Also there was a prayer service put on by community leaders that evening in McDonough. Reading over the list of things they were going to talk and pray about I noticed that yes they were going to talk about first responders and pray for them because of the tensions going on now with the anti- police movement that is infesting our Nation at this time. Nothing about the people that died that day in 2001 was listed. What has this nation come to when people take such a tragic day and turn it into a publicity stunt. It’s time we get new community leaders that have morals and integrity to do the right thing and not belittle the deaths of 3000 Americans. 

Alfred Britt.

Governor Signs HB 229 Nicholas' Law

APR 28, 2016 — Governor Deal officially signed Nicholas' Law on April 26th, 2016! This change will begin July 1st, 2016! Thank you to everyone that signed this petition and agreed this was an issue that needed to be addressed. Thanks to Brian Strickland and many others GA law has been changed to suit "The best interest of our children!"

Jessica Patton.

Great Work Jessica on getting this law passed for our children.

The Henry County Community News Blog Staff.