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Page 12 — Wednesday, October 26, 2022, The True Citizen
Court dismisses lawsuits challenging Confederate statue removals
DAVE WILLIAMS
Bureau Chief
Capitol Beat News Service
The Georgia Supreme Court
Tuesday upheld the dismissal
of lawsuits against two county
governments over the removal
of Confederate monuments on
public property.
The justices ruled that vari
ous Sons of Confederate Vet
erans (SCVs) groups lacked
legal standing to bring the
suits against Henry and New
ton counties because they are
not residents of those com
munities .
At issue in the case were
votes by county commission
ers in the two counties to re
move Confederate monuments
from the courthouse square in
McDonough and from down
town Covington.
Both votes came during the
summer of 2020, shortly after
the murder of George Floyd, a
Black man, in Minneapolis by
a white police officer. Floyd’s
killing touched off a nation
wide push to remove statues
honoring the Confederacy and
Confederate leaders.
The SCV groups alleged
that the two county commis
sion votes violated a law the
General Assembly enacted in
2019 prohibiting the removal,
relocation, or desecration of
historic monuments located on
public property.
Tuesday’s state Supreme
Court ruling did not address
the merits of the groups’ ar
guments. Instead, the court
declared most of the plaintiffs
didn’t have the legal right to
sue.
“When a local government
owes a legal duty to commu
nity stakeholders, the violation
of that legal duty constitutes
an injury that our case law
has recognizing as conferring
standing to those stakeholders,
even if the plaintiff at issue suf
fered no individualized injury,”
Presiding Justice Nels S.D.
Peterson wrote for the court.
“Because the Sons of Con
federate Veterans groups have
not alleged anything resem
bling community stakeholder
status ... they do not have
standing.”
But the court did declare
one of the Newton County
plaintiffs, T. Davis Humphries,
is a resident of that county. As
a result, the justices reversed
a lower court dismissal of her
complaint.
However, the court took no
position on whether Humphries
has legal standing for her claim
for damages because the Con
federate statue at issue in the
Newton County case is still
standing.
“Because damages are au
thorized only for conduct pro
hibited by the statute, and the
statute does not prohibit a vote
to remove a monument in the
future, Humphries cannot seek
damages here,” Peterson wrote.
This story is available
through a news partnership
with Capitol Beat News Ser
vice, a project of the Georgia
Press Educational Foundation.
DABC
is only for the Raymond Tract,”
he said. “So, if we have a proj
ect that is at Waynesboro Park,
it can’t be used.”
Annually, the DABC spends
$44,800 on one event, The Red
Carpet Showcase, an event
in which a house is rented in
Augusta, includes invitees who
are wined and dined and taken
to Augusta-area festivities.
There is no effort made to bring
anyone to Burke County during
the week-long extravaganza.
Red Carpet is hosted by
the Augusta Metro Chamber
of Commerce in partnership
with the Georgia Chamber of
Commerce, Georgia Allies,
local development authori
ties and many private sector
businesses. The DABC is
offered the opportunity each
Veterans
at home at Fort Gordon. From
there he went to Fort Bragg,
where he married his fian
cee, Monica. The couple soon
found themselves living in
Germany.
“It was wonderful in the
sense that the atmosphere was
that they cared about nature,
clearly dog lovers and there
was so much for a family or
individual to do there,” he said.
“If you could not enjoy your
time there, you chose not to.”
However, while he was sta
tioned in Germany, Robinson
got deployed to Iraq.
Background on Iraq
Iraq was facing economic
hardship in the 1990’s, fol
lowing an 8-year war with Iran
years earlier. The United States
supplied Iraq with military aid
during their war with Iran. Iraq
now possessed the fourth larg
est army in the world, posing a
threat to Saudi Arabia, a major
oil exporter.
To fund its sinking economy,
Iraq borrowed millions of dol
lars in loans from Kuwait and
Saudi Arabia. When Iraq could
not pay back the loans, Saddam
Hussein requested the loans
be forgiven. It was refused by
both countries.
In 1990, Kuwait was pro
ducing and exporting more oil
than the other members of the
Organization of the Petroleum
Exporting Countries (OPEC).
By June of 1990 the price
of a barrel of oil plunged to
$17, costing Iraq billions in
oil revenue. At the same time
Iraq also accused Kuwait of
illegally drilling into their
territory and stealing some
of the oil, a charge denied by
the Kuwaiti government. This
alleged theft of oil would be
one of the primary reasons for
Iraq to launch an invasion of
Kuwait. Hussein also invoked
territorial claims regarding
Kuwait. He mobilized his
army and launched a surprise
attack on August 2, 1990. Iraq
invaded its neighbor Kuwait
year to participate in Masters
Week via a sponsorship of the
Red Carpet Tour and Augusta
Showcase at a price of more
than $11,000 per year, accord
ing to official invoices. This
showcase is an investment
attraction program that seeks
to encourage existing and
new business expansion in the
region. It coincides with the
Masters Golf Tournament each
year and is designed to host ex
ecutives, consultants, existing
industry and statewide project
managers. On its website, The
Augusta Metro Chamber of
Commerce refers to the event
as a “week-long hospitality
extraordinaire.”
According to public records,
the DABC dished out $12,375
in 2018, to accommodate their
with four elite Republican
Guard heavy divisions and the
equivalent of a fifth composed
of special operations. The Iraqi
forces swiftly overran Kuwaiti
defenses, ending the invasion
in only 12 hours. Hussein
declared Kuwait as the 19th
province of Iraq.
OPERATION DESERT SHIELD
International response to this
invasion was swift. Kuwait and
U.S. delegations requested a
meeting of the UN Security
Council, which passed Resolu
tion 660, condemning the inva
sion and demanding a with
drawal of Iraqi troops. Soon
a coalition was formed from
many NATO countries as well
as from Arab countries such as
Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
“This will not stand, this ag
gression against Kuwait,” said
invitees in a 5-bedroom house
on Wheeler Road in Augusta.
In 2019, a 6-bedroom house
was rented on Wheeler Road
for $13,000. In 2020, the de
partment rented a house on
Ravenel Road in Augusta for
$18,000 to accommodate their
guests from April 5-12. The
cost of supplying the guests
with beverages typically ranges
from $500 to $700 and includes
beer, wine, mixers and distilled
spirits. Invoices show that in
2019, Masters Tournament
merchandise totaled $1,189.
Event t-shirts promoting the
Fiesta on the Fairway Event
amounted to $616. Invoices
from 2018 show the DABC
paid $3500 for Rock Fore
Dough Benefit Concert tickets.
In 2019, tickets for the same
President George H.W. Bush
August 5, 1990.
The president backed up
his words with a military re
sponse named Operation Des
ert Shield, a coalition of 35
nations to defend Saudi Arabia
and ultimately liberate Kuwait.
The XVII Airborne Corps, with
its elite 82nd Airborne Divi
sion, began to move to Saudi
Arabia the next day, beginning
a buildup of combat power in
the region of about 500,000
American troops.
Jones was deployed to South
west Asia December 26, 1990.
“We got a briefing before
we were deployed,” he said.
“Our lieutenant was a very
brief man and he said ‘some
of you will not come back. ’ So
that put a ‘for real’ thought in
everybody’s mind.”
The Iraqi leadership had
concert cost the department
$4,000. In 2020, securing a
band cost them approximately
$1,200.
Waldrop suggested during
the February 22 meeting that
the guests be transported to
Burke County for an event.
However, Office Manager
Stephanie Folker, said there
was not enough time to bring
the guests to Waynesboro.
Waldrop suggested last March,
the focus of the event should
not be on the entertainment,
but on building vital relation
ships. Folker also pointed out
in March that the Red Carpet
event has never resulted in a
company relocating to Burke
County.
After Tuesday’s meeting,
Martin could not give answers
severely underestimated the
technological capabilities of
the coalition which would be
a costly mistake. When the
deadline to withdraw from
Kuwait passed, the time had
come to launch Operation
to the most important ques
tions Burke County taxpayers
may want to ask. When is the
last time the DABC brought
jobs to the area? How can the
DABC justify spending more
than $40,000 a year on one
event that has never resulted
in bringing jobs to the area and
doesn’t even bring consultants
or company owners to view
the county?
“If we are going to do it, then
we need to bring the people
here,” Martin said of the failure
to bring invitees to the Bird
Dog Capital. “We need to put
on something down here.”
Martin said he didn’t realize
the DABC was dishing out the
cost of renting a house by itself
and thought they were splitting
it with other counties.
Desert Storm.
Veterans Day, originally
known as Armistice Day, is a
federal holiday in the United
States observed annually on
November 11, for honoring
military veterans of the United
Continued from front
“We’ve got fat probably in
every department,” he said
laughing and then specifically
focused back on the DABC’s
Red Carpet event. “As far as I
am concerned, they don’t need
to be doing none of that over
there and I guess we either need
to get the board members on
board or we need to quit giving
to their budget.”
Also, Lupo may just have
to prove himself before he is
provided with a newer vehicle.
“I am not for a new car,”
Martin said. “There is nothing
wrong with the car he’s got.”
Martin pointed out that he
was against this year’s budget
and felt it needed to be reduced
in multiple areas.
Continued from front
States Armed Forces, who
were discharged under condi
tions other than dishonorable.
Sources: U.S. Army Center
of Military History, U.S. De
partment of Defense, Byju’s
Exam Pre, Wikipedia
IRAQ
DESERT SHIELD/DESERT STORM
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NOTICE OF ELECTION
TO THE QUALIFIED VOTERS OF BURKE COUNTY, GEORGIA
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that on the 8th day of November 2022, an election will be held at
the regular polling places in all the election districts of Burke County, Georgia (“the County”), at
which time there will be submitted to the qualified voters of the County for their determination
the question of whether a one percent county special purpose local option sales and use tax (the
“SPLOST”) shall be imposed on all sales and uses in the special district created in the County for a
period of six years for the raising of approximately $40,500,000 for the purpose of funding capital
outlay projects (“the Projects”) specified in the form of the ballot set forth below.
“( ) Yes
Shall a special one percent sales and use tax be imposed in thespecial district of Burke
County for a period of time not to exceed 6 years for the raising of an estimated
amount of $40,500,000 for the purpose of (1) funding Broadband Internet, Road &
Bridge Improvements, Recreation Facility Improvements, Jail Improvements, Law
Enforcement Vehicles for Burke County; (2) for funding Water Capital Improve
ments, Sewer Capital Improvements, Storm Drain Capital Improvements, Road &
Street Improvements, Recreation Improvements, Building Capital Improvements,
and Equipment for the City of Waynesboro; (3) Water & Sewer Improvements,
Downtown Strectscape/Facade Project, Capital Equipment, Multipurpose Building
& Renovations and Roads Paving and Sidewalks for the City of Sardis; (4) Water
& Sewer Improvements/Major Equipment, Street Improvements/Major Equipment,
Equipment/Technology LTpgrades, City Building Improvement/LTpgrades for the City
of Midville; (5) Waterwork Improvements, Park & Beautification, Community Cen
ter, Outdoor Cook Shed/Picnic Area for the Town of Girard; and, (6) Water & Sewer
Improvements, Roads & Recreation Projects - Splash Pad, Small Gym, Media Cen
ter, Land Acquisition for City of Keysville; and (7) Water System Improvements,
Building Construction and/or Renovations to City Hall, Recreation Facility LTpgrades
& Beautification for the Town of Vidette?
( ) No”
President George H.W. Bush prompted a military response named Operation Desert Shield, a
coalition of 35 nations to defend Saudi Arabia and ultimately liberate Kuwait.