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^Reporter
October 22, 2014
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Opinion
Declare among the nations,
and publish, and set up a standard;
publish, and conceal not;
Jeremiah 50:2
OUR VIEW
The Reporter’s Election 2014 Endorsements
I
We hear it all the time.
You’re busy and you just
don’t, have time to research
all the candidates and
figure out how to vote.
After all, there are 15 com
petitive races on the Nov. 4
ballot. Well, leave it to us,
your friendly hometown
newspaper, to do the job
for you. Here we humbly
submit our endorsements
for the Nov. 4 election.
Feel free to carry this to
the polls with you, or,
merely use it to light
that first autumn fire.
As you wish!
U.S. Senate
David Perdue
The race between former
CEO David Perdue and
charity executive Michelle
Nunn is perhaps the most
important on this year’s
ballot. Georgia’s decision
here could determine
whether the Republicans
take over the U.S. Senate,
which has been in the cold,
bony clutches of U.S. Sen.
Harry Reid (D-Nevada) for
the past eight years. Reid
has done untold damage
to American governance,
blocking more than 300
bills passed by the House
to protect President
Obama from embarrassing
vetoes of common-sense
legislation. Voters fed up
with President Obama’s
poor leadership, horren
dous economy and bungled
foreign policy can send
a message by electing
Perdue.
But, Nunn supporters
say, she’s an independent
voice, a moderate like her
father. We’ve heard this
before. So-called moderate
Democrats have walked
in lockstep with Obama
for the past six years,
enabling him to pass his
failed stimulus bill and
miserable Obamacare
takeover of the health
insurance system (by
one vote, all Democrats).
Truth is there are no more
moderate Democrats.
When there’s a tough vote,
they always line up with
their liberal leaders and
betray their promises of
moderation. Anyone who
can represent a party that
boos God and promotes
unlimited taxpayer-funded
abortion at its national
convention cannot be
called a moderate.
To be sure, Nunn seems
like a nice person. But her
campaign, full of empty
pledges of “Kumbuya”,
demonstrates that
Democrats can only win
office by denying what the
party stands for: bigger
government, higher taxes,
amnesty and taxpayer
funded abortions.
We endorsed Jack
Kingston in the GOP pri
mary, but Perdue has run
a strong campaign. He has
a consistent message that
as an outsider, he brings
a fresh perspective to D.C.
to try and save the coun
try from ruin, debt and
economic malaise. Polls
show the race is tight and
Monroe County’s 15,000
voters could determine the
outcome. For the sake of
the country, we heartily
endorse David Perdue for
senate.
Governor
Nathan Deal
Polls show Gov. Nathan
Deal is in a tough re-
election fight with state
Sen. Jason Carter. Deal’s
stint as governor during
tough economic times has
followed the Hippocratic
oath: “First, do no harm.”
Deal has held the line
against the various forces
always asking for more
and bigger government
programs that don’t
address the problem and
siphon money out of the
economy. He has done no
harm. Even better, he has
rolled back some taxes,
such as the car tag and
business taxes, to make
Georgia more friendly
to enterprise. Under
his watch, Georgia has
attracted new industries,
increased tax revenues,
balanced its budget,
reformed the HOPE schol
arship to keep it viable
and kept spending under
control.
The nominations of
Nunn and Carter show
that Democrats are run
ning a campaign of re
treads this year. Empty of
good ideas, they’re trying
to use nostalgia in hopes
Georgians will cotton to
the idea of a line of royal
succession. The grandson
of former Gov. Jimmy
Carter, Jason Carter
has ripped Deal for “gut
ting” education spending.
Except, someone forgot to
tell Carter that he voted
for three of the last four
budgets proposed by Gov.
Deal. Caught in this quan
dary, Carter explained
that a Democratic task
force convinced him that
he had been wrong to sup
port those budgets and
he now realized what a
mistake he had made.
Which elicited the astute
question from reporter Jim
Galloway of the Atlanta
J ournal- Constitution:
“Your wife’s a teacher,”
said Galloway, “why did
you need a task force to
tell you he gutted educa
tion?”
Carter claims to be "fis
cal conservative”, but
then proposes spending
an additional $1 billion
on education. He says he
doesn’t support raising
taxes "right now”, which
sounds like he does, after
being elected. Like most
Democrats, Carter’s solu
tion to any problems of the
state is (surprise, surprise)
more money from the tax
payer.
Socially, Carter is for gay
marriage and abortion.
Deal’s not perfect, but we
cannot entrust our state
to another Democrat, or to
another Carter.
Lt. Governor
Casey Cagle
Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle
seeking a third term
against Democratic chal
lenger Connie Stokes.
Cagle’s most notable
achievement in office is
announcing a campaign
for governor in 2010, then
dropping out claiming a
bad back, and then being
accused of having an
affair with an employee.
Cagle has aimed to keep
his head down with hopes
the storm passes so he
can seek the governor’s
job under fairer skies. We
half-heartedly endorse
Cagle only because of
his support for charter
schools, school reform
and private enterprise.
Republicans can and
should do better than
Cagle in 2018.
Attorney General
Sam Olens
Incumbent Sam Olens of
Marietta has been a good
attorney general, mak
ing changes to the state’s
open records laws that
have protected access to
government for Georgians
while adapting to chang
ing technology. He has
also been a stalwart in
helping Georgia fight the
smothering tentacles of
Obamacare in court. Vote
Olens over challenger
Gregory Hecht.
Ag Commissioner
Gary Black
Incumbent Gary Black
faces a challenge from
Democrat Christopher
Irvin. Like Nunn and
Carter, Irvin is part of the
Democrats’ nostalgia tick
et: He’s the grandson of
retired long-time ag com
missioner Tommy Irvin.
Black has done a good job
as commissioner, whose
main job is enforcing com
pliance with federal and
state inspections by ag
facilities and fuel depots.
We endorse Black.
Insurance
Commissioner
Ralph Hudgens
Incumbent Ralph
Hudgens faces Democrat
Elizabeth Johnson and
Libertarian Edward Metz
in an important race for
insurance commissioner.
The winner will have
much to say about the
ongoing implementation of
Obamacare. Hudgens has
bravely fought to curtail
the damage from the mon
strous law and we heartily
endorse the former law
maker for re-election.
School Sup’t.
Richard Woods
Republican Richard
Woods faces Democrat
Valerie Wilson for state
school superintendent.
Wilson served as presi
dent of the Georgia School
Board Association in
2012-13, a group that is
reflexively opposed to any
reform of public schools,
including charter schools.
A supporter of Common
Core, she would be the sta
tus quo candidate whose
only aim seems to be more
money for government
schools and less freedom
for parents. Among the
candidates, only Woods
has actually been a teach
er and a coach in Irwin
County schools, and thus
he rightly opposes the
poorly designed Common
Core curriculum cur
rently used in Georgia. We
endorse Richard Woods.
Labor Comm.
Mark Butler
We endorse incumbent
Mark Butler over chal
lenger Robbin Shipp. Go
on-line, watch the debate
and see if you don’t agree.
PSC
Doug Everett and
Bubba McDonald
We endorse Doug
Everett over John Monds
and Bubba McDonald
over challengers Daniel
Blackman and Robin
Gilmer.
Water and Soil
Barry Peters
This unpaid job is
thankless, and it’s sur
prising that it’s contested
when no other local races
are. Kudos to MP gradu
ate and UGA student
Russell Dye for having
the gumption to put his
name on the ballot, chal
lenging Barry Peters.
Nevertheless, Peters does
live here full time and as
a cattle farmer knows a
little about soil and water.
So we endorse him as
having the most at stake.
Russell, move back to
Forsyth when you gradu
ate and run for school
board and you’ll have a lot
of support.
Amendments
A. To prohibit the
legislature from ever
increasing income taxes.
Yes
We vote yes. This will
prevent future legislators
from raising income taxes
without a 3/4 vote, a very
good thing for Georgians,
especially if tax-happy
Democrats ever take over
again.
B. To levy lines on reck
less drivers for brain
injury research.
No
We vote no. DUI fines
are down dramatically in
Georgia so lawmakers are
trying to find revenue to
make up the difference.
Scalping those convicted
of reckless driving, a mere
misdemeanor, doesn’t
seem like a good way to
do it, no matter how good
the cause. This reminds us
of Georgia’s ill-conceived
Super Speeder law.
Referendum
1. To allow state uni
versities to sell dorms to
private companies which
would then be exempt
from state taxes.
No
We vote no. The univer
sities have over-borrowed
and over-expanded
and now want a way to
relieve their debt burden
by changing state law.
Oh, that we all had that
advantage. We oppose
special carve-outs in the
tax code for preferred
people and businesses.
Government should treat
everyone the same - that
was and should again be
the American mantra.
x
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Forsyth, GA31029.
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Include a phone number. Deadline is 5 p.m.
Friday. Join the free and open exchange of ideas!
Civil War in Monroe County - 150 Years
Swamp Angel claims Forsyth soldier
is published every week by
The Monroe County Reporter Inc.
Will Davis, president
Robert M. Williams Jr., vice president
Cheryl S. Williams, secretary-treasurer
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Deadlines noon on Friday prior to issue. Comments featured on
opinion pages are the creations of the writers, they do not necessarily
reflect the opinions of The Reporter management.
Publication No. USPS 997-840)
BY RALPH BASS
ralphbassjr@gmail.com
O ne hundred and fifty
years ago, the Swamp
Angel, according to
family sources, ended
the life of Joseph H.
Shannon in South Carolina. A
native of Monroe County, he was
23 years old.
Shannon had grown up
in a wealthy family in New
Market (Cabaniss). His
father, the Irish-born phy
sician Dr. John Shannon,
owned hundreds of acres
of farmland. To cultivate
those acres in 1860, Dr.
Shannon worked 53 slaves.
He was responsible for
16 others belonging to his minor
wards.
That many residents of Cabaniss
have the last name of Shannon
today is evidence of the continuing
importance of the Shannon family.
Emphasis on education was a
Shannon trait. When Dr. Shannon
was growing up in County
Monaghan, Ireland, his father, it
was said, built a school house so
that he could ensure the education
of his boys. Two of Dr. Shannon’s
brothers also became physicians.
One brother, James, became a
Baptist minister (at one time) and
an educator.
In the 1850’s when two of Dr.
John Shannon’s boys, James and
Joseph, reached college age, he
sent them from New Market to
Missouri, where his brother was
the president of the University of
Missouri at Columbia and later
of Christian College, now Culver -
Stockton College, at Canton. Thus
in Missouri, far away from Monroe
County where the Shannon family
lived, Joseph Shannon received his
college education.
Travel for the Shannon boys to
and from Missouri must have been
an adventure. When they came
home in 1856, they had problems
catching a boat in St. Louis for
BASS
Memphis and went by a round
about way to Nashville. For part
of the journey, they had to hire a
two-horse wagon to carry them for
50 miles. When they got to Atlanta,
these college students were out
of money but happened to meet a
friend of their father from Butts
County at “the Tavern.” The friend,
who was returning from
Kentucky with mules, pro
vided them with enough
money to get home.
In the autumn of 1860,
Joseph returned from
Missouri to Monroe
County bringing with
him his cousin Rebecca
for a visit. With the out
break of war and with
Missouri’s remaining in the Union,
that visit extended into five years.
By the time Rebecca Shannon left
Shannondale, the family’s home
here, her cousin Joseph was dead.
In the spring of 1860, Joseph had
started farming, planting almost
200 acres of com in March and
then he started preparing his cot
ton land. By the end of March, he
had planted his melons.
But farming was not the only
thing on Joseph’s mind in that
spring of 1861. Lincoln’s elec
tion the past year “has caused
some of the Negroes in Monroe to
think that they are to be set free,”
he wrote his widowed aunt in
Missouri. Joseph had visited the
cabins on the plantation, but he
had not heard the Shannon slaves
themselves say anything about
their freedom. However, he was
worried.
In writing his aunt, Joseph H.
Shannon intimated that the slaves
were at present under control
because “we have a very strict
patroll.” Nineteen-year old Joseph
belonged to one patrol company,
whose responsibility was to ride
the countryside and make sure
that any black person had a legiti
mate reason to be where he or she
was.
Joseph H. Shannon became a
private in Company H, Thirty-
second Georgia Infantry at least
by mid-1862. His brother-in-law
Douglas Mobley was its captain.
The Thirty-second was involved
at Battery Wagner when the 54th
Massachusetts attacked it in July
1863.
After that, the Thirty-second
went to Florida to help turn the
Battle of Olustee (Ocean Pond)
into a Confederate victory. The
Thirty-second suffered significant
casualties there. Shannon him
self, wounded, came home to New
Market to recover.
After four months here, he
rejoined his unit in Charleston and
there on Oct. 26, 1864, a shot from
the Swamp Angel, according to a
family tradition, ended his life.
The Swamp Angel was an eight-
inch Parrott Rifle that fired a 200
pound projectile over 7,000 yards.
The Federal forces began to use
it on Aug. 22, 1863 to bombard
Charleston. While firing its 36th
round the next day the weapon
burst. Probably the Shannon fam
ily in Georgia in their grief made
no distinction between the disabled
Swamp Angel and the weapon that
took the life of Joseph two months
later.
The somewhat improbable family
story is that an army ambulance
brought Shannon’s body home
from Charleston. Probably his
brother-in-law Douglas Mobley saw
to it that the body was returned
to Monroe County. Most likely,
however, the body, prepared with
formaldehyde and charcoal, came
by rail. The remains of 23-year-
old Joseph H. Shannon were then
interred in the Shannon family
cemetery, now located back of the
Cabaniss Baptist Church.
Ralph Bass Jr. writes about
Monroe County history for the
Reporter. E-mail him at ralph-
bassjr@gmail.com.