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THURSDAY. DECEMBER 9. 2021 PICKENS COUNTY PROGRESS PAGE 5A
Letters to the. Editor
To the Editor:
In the November 18 Let
ters to the Editor section,
Keith Petty’s total lack of ob
jectivity, fueled by his hatred
for a man he doesn’t know, is
appalling. He regurgitates the
fact-free sound bites he lis
tens to on liberal media with
out once exhibiting the
critical thinking skills that he,
as a teacher, should be en
couraging and developing in
his students.
To Petty, Trump is “one of
the most egregiously evil
people” on earth. He states
no facts to support this asser
tion. He cites “countless ex
amples of Donald Trump’s
vile nature” but offers not
one, save his own opinion
that Trump tried “to over
throw a free and fair elec
tion.”
Some facts for Mr. Petty.
Through the Steele dossier,
the Democrat Party fabri
cated “evidence” in order to
frame Trump. The Democrat
laden Mueller investigation
spent three years and, accord
ing to reports, somewhere be
tween 25-40 million taxpayer
dollars in an effort to destroy
the Trump presidency. De
spite unlimited time and re
sources brought to bear
against this “egregiously
evil” man, they failed com
pletely. This is all now public
record Mr. Petty. You could
look it up. To survive that
level of hyper-partisan witch
hunt unscathed, the argument
can be made that Trump may
be the least corrupt human on
earth.
The “free and fair elec
tion” Petty cites is in the
process of being investigated
and possibly decertified in
numerous states despite mas
sive Democrat Party efforts
to derail these proceedings.
Corrupt government and cor
rupt elections are joined at
the hip. There was proven
comiption in the 2020 elec
tions. Again, Mr. Petty you
could look it up. Will the
courts of other government
agencies determine how
much? Time will tell.
It is a teacher’s responsi
bility to provide students
with the training to objec
tively look at all sides of an
issue. It is a teacher’s respon
sibility to stress to those stu
dents the importance of
providing researched facts
and examples, both for and
against their position, when
making their case. Petty’s
own November 18 “paper”
fails to live up to these tenets.
Had he kept these close-
minded, intolerant opinions
to himself there would be no
issue. Going public as he did
becomes a problem.
A teacher is entrusted with
our children. I would never
knowingly allow my children
to share a classroom with
someone so intellectually dis
honest. With teachers this
weak minded and ill-
equipped is it any wonder
why our educational system
is crumbling nationwide?
Joe Kelly
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Letters welcomed -
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Send to news@pickensprogress.com
or Pickens Progress 94 N. Main,
Jasper, Ga. 30143; All letters must
have a full name that will be pub
lished, and contact info.
(Email Address or Phone Number),
which will not be published.
Georgia's abortion laws could be impacted
by upcoming Supreme Court rulings
By Tim Darnell
Staff Writer
Capitol Beat News Service
The U.S. Supreme Court
will hear arguments Dec. 1
on one of the most significant
abortion cases in years, and
the aftereffects of its ruling
will be felt here in Georgia.
The case of Dobbs v.
Jackson Women’s Health Or
ganization has drawn more
than 1,000 friend-of-the-
court briefs so far — includ
ing one from Georgia — on
both sides of the issue.
The case revolves around
Mississippi’s abortion law,
which bans the procedure
after 15 weeks. That is nine
weeks fewer than the 24-
week precedent established
by Roe v. Wade in 1973.
Georgia’s brief was organ
ized by the State Innovation
Exchange’s Reproductive
Freedom Leadership Coun
cil, which describes itself as
a “network of state legislators
working to advance repro
ductive health, rights and jus
tice.”
The brief argues the
Supreme Court’s failure to
uphold the ride of law and
precedent would result in dis
astrous consequences for
women seeking abortions, as
well as for their families.
“State legislators are the
first line of defense against
policies that deliberately roll
back progress on abortion
rights and reproductive
health across the country, and
the overwhelming majority
of the public agrees we must
protect Roe v. Wade,” said
the organization’s Jennifer
Driver. “With this amicus
brief, nearly 900 legislators
are sending the Supreme
Court a clear message: We
cannot go back. You must up
hold 50 years of legal abor
tion in all 50 states.”
Georgia’s abortion law is
currently tied up in the U.S.
11th Circuit Court of Ap
peals, which is waiting on the
Supreme Court decision be
fore issuing a riding. Known
as the Living Infants Fairness
Equality Act, it seeks to pre
vent abortions after a fetal
heartbeat has been detected,
typically six weeks into preg
nancy, except in special situ
ations.
Lawsuits brought by the
American Civil Liberties
Union, Planned Parenthood
and the Center for Reproduc
tive Rights led the U.S. Dis
trict Court for the Northern
District of Georgia in De
cember 2019 to rale the law
unconstitutional. The legisla
tion, which the General As
sembly passed earlier that
year, had been scheduled to
take effect on Jan. 1, 2020.
If the 11th Circuit decides
to strike down Georgia’s
abortion law in the case —
SisterSong v. Kemp — Geor
gia could appeal to the U.S.
Supreme Court, which may
then look at the law’s consti-
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tutionality and reexamine the
precedent of the landmark
1973 Roe v. Wade decision
legalizing abortion on de
mand.
“A Georgia judge struck
down Republicans’ HB
(House Bill) 481 last year be
cause the court saw it for
what it was — an unconstitu
tional infringement on the
right to choose — and we
hope the 11th Circuit Court
agrees,” said Rebecca
Galanti, spokesperson for the
Democratic Party of Georgia.
“Democrats will continue to
fight at every turn to safe
guard reproductive freedom
and stop Republicans’ dan
gerous anti-choice agenda in
Georgia.”
State Senate President Pro
Tempore Butch Miller, R-
Gainesville, disagrees.
“I’ve never subscribed to
the idea that it’s unconstitu
tional to save human lives,”
said Miller, who is running
for lieutenant governor in
2022 and who also helped
author the bill. “With today’s
technology, it’s no longer
possible to deny the clear hu
manity of unborn children,
even at early stages of preg
nancy. Upholding Georgia’s
law would send a clear mes
sage that we as a society will
protect our most vulnerable
and defenseless.”
State lawmakers ad
journed Nov. 22 after spend
ing several weeks in special
session, redrawing legislative
and congressional district
boundaries in accordance
with new U.S. Census data.
There was speculation that
lawmakers would draft a new
abortion law while in special
session, but the issue never
came up on either chamber’s
floor.
But the issue is almost
certain to arise when legisla
tors reconvene for their regu
lar session in January,
depending on the Supreme
Court’s ridings on abortion
bans in both Mississippi and
Texas.
A court riding is expected
soon on Texas’ abortion law,
which bans the procedure
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after roughly six weeks, a
law that has been in effect
since Sept. 1. The law bans
abortion once cardiac activity
is detected in the fetus, and
makes no exceptions for rape
or incest.
Opponents of Georgia’s
abortion law are fearful of a
Texas-style law in Georgia, if
the Supreme Court rules the
law is constitutional.
“Texas is showing us what
a world without Roe v. Wade
looks like — one where
wealthier people can travel to
get reproductive care while
poorer people are stripped of
their rights,” said Georgia
Rep. Kim Schofield, D-At-
lanta. “We can’t let that hap
pen.”
“What happens in Texas
won’t stay in Texas,” said
state Rep. Beth Moore, D-
Peachtree Comers. “Not
every pregnancy is an im
maculate conception or a
Hollywood-produced drama.
There is a limit to what gov
ernment can impose, and the
Republican Party wants to re
place God with government.”
While the Georgia and
Texas laws are alike in ban
ning abortions once cardiac
activity is detected, Texas is
different in that leaves en
forcement of the law to pri
vate citizens through civil
lawsuits instead of criminal
prosecution.
Miller has told Capitol
Beat “everything is on the
table” regarding the abortion
issue in Georgia.
This story is available
through a news partnership with
Capitol Beat News Service, a
project of the Georgia Press Ed
ucational Foundation.
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Board of Education
Called Board Meeting
The Pickens County Board of Education will
meet on Thursday, December 9 at 5:00 p.m.
for a called board meeting and will continue
to follow the Department of Public Health and
Pickens County Schools COVID-19 guidelines
for distancing and masking.
I. Call to Order
II. Approval of Agenda
III. Executive Session
IV. Approval of Executive Session Minutes
V. Adjourn
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Board of Education
Regular Board Meeting
The Pickens County Board of Education will meet on Thursday, December
9 at 6:00 pm for the regular monthly board meeting and will continue to
follow the Department of Public Health and Pickens County Schools
COVID-19 guidelines for distancing and masking.
This meeting will be available for viewing at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L45CRQ89m-g&ab_channel = PCBOEGA
I. Call to Order
II. Invocation
III. Pledge of Allegiance
IV. Approval of Agenda
V. Recognitions
A. Hill City Elementary School Recognitions - Director of Community
Engagement Destini Shope
VI. Superintendent Reports
A. Financial Update - Amy Smith, Chief Financial Officer
B. Operations and Construction - Stacy Gilleland, Chief Operations
Officer
VII. Action Items
A. Approval of Personnel
B. Approval of Financial Reports
C. Request for Approval of Revision of Policy GARH - Employee Leaves
and Absences
D. Approval of Memorandums of Understanding
1. MOU with Augusta University
2. MOU with Thomas University
E. Approval of January 2022 Regular Monthly Meeting Date and Time
F. Approval of Service Agreement with Pickens Urgent Care
G. Approval of Minutes
H. Approval of Surplus
VIII. Public Participation
IX. Board Comments