The Troy Davis Death Penalty Circus, Part III, Justice Delayed Again

By Charles Jackson | 08/19/09

  Troy Davis gets his day in court. Again. Troy Davis was convicted 20 years ago of killing a Savannah police officer. Troy Davis has had multiple court hearings. Troy Davis has had three stays of execution. Troy Davis' Death Penalty Circus continues ad nauseam.     read more »

More Hysteria from Congressman Paul Your 'mama' Broun

By Charles Jackson | 08/17/09

  Shortly after last year's election, U.S. Rep. Paul Broun (R-Athens), criticized Barack Obama's call for a civilian national security force, suggesting that Obama might use it to establish a Maxist dictatorship. In an interview with the Associated Press (November 10, 2008), Broun said, "That's exactly what Hitler did in Nazi Germany and it's exactly what the Soviet Union did. When he's proposing to have a national security force... read more »

The Deadliest Month, Part III, The Summer of My Afghan Discontent

By Charles Jackson | 08/12/09

  As the death toll mounts in Afghanistan - including three Georgians in July and August (thus far) - so does my growing disaffection with the war there. The purpose of my two previous “The Deadliest Month” commentaries was to subtlety voice that disaffection while wanting to honor, by name, those Georgia boys who've been killed. I won't get into an analysis here of U.S. involvement in Afghanistan. However, we currently... read more »

The Deadliest Month, Part II, Georgia Marine killed in Afghanistan

By Charles Jackson | 08/10/09

  July had the highest death toll for U.S. troops in Afghanistan since the war began nearly eight years ago. The Associated Press reports that the Defense Department is confirming that a 29-year-old Marine from southeast Georgia has been killed in combat in Afghanistan. Capt. Matthew C. Freeman, of Richmond Hill, died Friday while supporting combat operations in the Kapisa province. Freeman was assigned to Marine Aircraft Group 36, 1st... read more »

The Guns of August

By Charles Jackson | 08/07/09

  The American people are fired up and those town hall meetings are the combat zone. The usual doldrums of August days are no more. Across the country, mostly Democratic members of congress are facing angry constituents. “The American people are angry, frustrated and fed-up,” I wrote last October and that hasn't changed. But the health care debate has raised the level of discontent among ordinary Americans but it's not just... read more »

The Deadliest Month

By Charles Jackson | 08/04/09

  The month of July had the highest death toll for U.S. troops in Afghanistan since the war began nearly eight years ago. 43 Americans were killed, along with 75 coalition forces. Among the July deaths were two members of the Georgia National Guard's 48th Infantry Brigade - 25 year-old Sgt. Brock Henry Chavers, Sr. of Statesboro and 24 year-old Spc. Isaac Lee Johnson, Jr. of Columbus. On the first day of August, three U. S. troops... read more »

Shots Across the Bow

By Charles Jackson | 07/23/09

> Tuesday, the Senate voted 58 to 40 to kill the F-22 fighter jet - manufactured here at Marietta's Lockheed facility On this one, I agree with President Obama and Sec. of Defense Gates. The F-22 is a bomb and the money is better spent on our current military needs including making sure that our troops in combat have the best equipment and resources available. John McCain agrees too. > “Murderer Nichol’s tab: $2.3 million and... read more »

The 'Hate Palin' Royalty at The New York Times

By Charles Jackson | 07/14/09

Since Sarah Palin announced that she was resigning as Alaska's governor, New York Times' op-ed columnists Frank Rich and Maureen Dowd have relentlessly bashed and trashed Palin. Rich, “The King of Venom,” was at his hateful, snarling best last Sunday. Dowd, “The Queen of Mean,” with her usual snide disdain for all things not of Manhattan, devoted three successive columns on Palin's Tweets, Secret Diary and Folly. While... read more »

Shots Across the Bow

By Charles Jackson | 07/09/09

  > Despite resigning as governor of Alaska last week, Sarah Palin remains popular with Republicans across the country, immensely so with the conservative base, (USA Today/Gallup Survey, July 9; Rasmussen Report, July 7). But three and a half years from now? In the meantime, though, Georgia Republicans don't need a poll to confirm Palin's popularity here. > The Gwinnett County Commission, when faced with either cutting the... read more »

Sarah, Oh, Sarah: Thanks for the Memories

By Charles Jackson | 07/05/09

 The GOP hits just keep coming. First the Ensign and Sanford revelations and now Governor Sarah Palin's surprise announcement. I'll leave it to others to speculate on why she's resigning, what her future may hold and the impact of her departure on the Republican Party. Suffice it to say, we haven't heard the last from her nor should we. From the moment she burst onto the national stage almost a year ago, I was captivated by Governor... read more »