Category: Georgia

Crop Mob happening!

blackberriesCrop mob– A group of landless and wannabe farmers who come together to build and empower communities by working side by side.

You don’t have to be landless or a wannabe farmer to support farmers who are committed to sustainable farming. You also don’t have to know anything about farming or gardening (that would be me).

You will need a decent pair of work gloves, sturdy outdoor work shoes/boots, a hat, some bottled water, sunscreen, and a willingness to get your hands dirty for a few hours. In exchange you’ll help a small farmer who needs additional help during a critical part of the growing season.

My friend, and organic farmer, Lyle Lansdell, is hosting a Crop Mob at her farm, Forest Grove Farm in Sandersville, Washington County, this Sunday, April 13.  Her passion for good health and good food inspired her to dig into (no pun intended) organic farming after retiring from a public health career at Chapel Hill. Lyle has also continued the careful restoration of her family’s 1850s era home, Forest Grove, which is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Lyle told me when she decided to raise and sell lamb, she committed to making sure she knew exactly how the lambs would be butchered and processed. She chose a processor after walking through the entire facility and talking with the owner. She sells at the newly renamed and relocated Green Market in Milledgeville on Saturdays and the Mulberry Street Market in Macon on Wednesday afternoons. You might also find her at the  Sandersville Farmer’s Market on Wednesday mornings in the summer.

If you’ve wanted to show a child where food really comes from, and how much work it takes to grow that food, bring them along to help. You’ll leave with a little dirt under your fingernails and a craving for ripe, red, sun-warmed tomatoes.

 

 

Buying a good experience

We like to paddle with our grandchildren, so over the weekend we piled into the car and went to REI to get water sandals for them. We are hopeful that warm weather may return to Georgia.

On the way to lunch in Decatur I promised them a trip to The a Little Shop of Stories, a fabulous indie bookstore across the street from the courthouse. It was an eye-opening experience for me, and I think them too.

The closest bookstore to us is 60-70. Barnes and Noble is fine for many things, but I grew up going to The Little Professor and Intimate Bookshop in Charlotte (and no, the Intimate Bookshop was not an adults only store). As a young grad student a day trip to Portland to go to Powell’s Books was a big deal (acres and acres of books and home to Annie Hughes coffee shop, the first one I ever experienced in a book store).

Does this just happen in the South?

The Friday Photo
March 28, 2014

photo credit Phyllis Bowen
photo credit Phyllis Bowen

For some time now I’ve wondered what the intent is behind putting the words “in memory of” on vehicles.

Did the driver buy the car in honor of the deceased? Are they driving in memory of the deceased?

When you trade the vehicle in, is there any type of decal removal etiquette? Does selling it mean the period of mourning is over?

And what about putting this type of thing other places? When a member of the wellness center I belong to died, a simple note was taped to the door reading, “In Memory of Jane Doe.” What was now “in memory of”? The entire building? Just the door?

What does it say about our culture that we have to put decals about a death on things like cars and doors and tailgates? Who benefits, besides the decal companies?

Being asleep at the wheel is costing GA taxpayers

From Better Georgia

When it comes to expensive, frustrating and broken websites for government programs, the President’s got nothing on Gov. Nathan Deal.

Georgia taxpayers are shelling out nearly half a million dollars a week just in overtime pay to fix Gov. Deal’s broken system for Georgia’s neediest families – those applying for help to feed their families.

And, what does Gov. Deal think about this problem?

He told 11Alive’s Rebecca Lindstrom that, despite a November letter from the federal government warning that unless the state takes corrective action, $75 million in funding could be in jeopardy, he was unaware of the scope of the problem until recently:

“I’d only become aware that it was of that magnitude just fairly recently.”

Gov. Nathan Deal, March 14, 2014

WATCH: DFCS spending $470,000 week in OT to fix food stamp backlog

For months, Georgia’s neediest families have found it almost impossible to apply for food stamps.

They’ve often waited on the phone for hours only to be disconnected.

Those who were lucky enough to have internet access got repeated error messages on the website. And thousands of Georgians who already qualified for assistance were accidently kicked off the program. In early March, DFCS officials acknowledged a 100,000 case backlog.

Half a million tax dollars each week in overtime costs.

$75 million of federal funds in jeopardy.

Thousand of families in crisis.

And Gov. Nathan Deal is asleep at the wheel – again – during a preventable crisis.

Sound familiar? It should.

Ignoring problems until they become a crisis that threatens the health and safety of Georgia families and costs taxpayers millions is an all-too-typical pattern for Gov. Deal.

This time, because the governor’s appointees invested in an out-dated, insufficient system to process applications for food stamps, Georgia taxpayers are now on the hook for nearly half a million dollars a week in overtime cost alone for the 2,000 DFCS employees who are struggling to fix the mess.

Despite spending nearly a half million dollars per week, callers are still left holding for hours and more than 44% of the calls still go unanswered.

Not being able to get their calls through is more than an inconvenience for Georgia’s 1.9 million recipients of food stamps. Getting cut off means going hungry or scrambling to get help from local charities – or both. Of those who qualify for food stamps in Georgia, 52% are families with children.

Nearly a quarter of those receiving food stamps are 6 years old or younger.

The media has been reporting on this growing crisis for months.

Yet, Gov. Deal was unaware?

We don’t know why the State of Georgia invested in a technology boondoggle, but we know, from his own mouth, that Gov. Deal just wasn’t paying attention. Now, instead of creating more problems for needy Georgians caught up in this crisis, Gov. Deal should wake up, pay attention and stop wasting our  tax dollars.

Call Governor Deal’s office today. Tell Gov. Deal that instead of making it even harder on Georgia’s neediest families, he should fix the system his political appointee broke. And, after you call, let us know how it went. Call now.

Sincerely,
Bryan Long
Executive Director
Better Georgia

Lewis requires no coach

My Congressman, Rep Paul Broun, spent $33K of taxpayer dollars to hire a rhetoric coach. He didn’t do that because he isn’t making his opinions clear to voters. He made the hire because he knows he can’t get elected saying what he believes (you know, Big Bang Theory and Evolution are lies from the pits of Hell).

Another Georgia Congressman, John Lewis, honed his speaking skills as a young man fighting for civil rights. He never falters in speaking up for those who are discriminated against, regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, or sexual orientation.

Maybe that’s why he has time to take the occasional dance break and get Happy.

Quit whining!

I can’t even wrap my head around Minnesota’s Republican State Rep Andre Keiffer’s comments on equal pay legislation for women in her state.

Keiffer must be sharing a playbook with Texas GOP leader Beth Cubriel, who thinks women are just so “busy,” and we should learn to be better negotiators.

Ralph Reed is still stuck in the middle of the 20th century too. He thinks we can reduce the demand for food stamps by making divorces harder to obtain for women who have children.

We need more Elizabeth Warrens and Al Frankens in all levels of government.

Even Bill Koch has given up on coal

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“The #coal business in the United States has kind of died,” says Koch brother. Energy Trend Tracker

Just press pause

Senator Josh McKoon R-Columbus, thinks that Georgia taxpayer dollars shouldn’t be used for legal medical choices that a teacher or state employee covered by state health insurance might make with her doctor because some people might find her decision to be “morally repugnant and reprehensible.”

Does this mean Jehovah Witnesses who pay state taxes and object to blood transfusions can expect state health insurance to no longer cover transfusions because it is in direct contradiction to their faith?

How about Georgian’s paying their taxes who object to the death penalty as “morally repugnant and reprehensible.” Does this mean no one will be executed in our state as long as a taxpayer says they find the death penalty to be in conflict with their personal beliefs?

Will any Amish come forward and ask that we abandon the grid, mass transit, and all things electric?

What if a taxpayer is just kind of annoyed by something, but not really worked up about it? Will the state hit the pause button while said taxpayer sorts out their feelings?

McKoon’s sponsored SB98 is “morally repugnant and reprehensible.” It is reflective of the GOP and Tea Party’s lack of respect for teachers and state employees. We entrust them to teach our children and do our state’s work, but not enough to let them make health decisions without the General Assembly cherry picking what is covered by the state’s health insurance.

Georgia doesn’t need to legislate hate

Rocco's Litte Chicago Pizza in Tucson, AZ
Rocco’s Litte Chicago Pizza in Tucson, AZ

Arizona’s Republican United States Senators, John McCain and Jeff Flake, are joining the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and major corporations and calling for Gov Jan Brewer to reject SB 1062, a bill designed to allow discrimination against gay people (and who knows who else) based on the religion of the person who feels a need to discriminate. The uproar and pushback are so strong that four major companies are reconsidering decisions to bring thousands of jobs to the state. Arizona hobbled itself over establishing a Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday years ago, and there is already plenty of talk about moving the 2015 Super Bowl out of the state if Brewer signs the bill.

Arizona’s bad idea is also a bad idea for Georgia, and there are two bills in the General Assembly that would hurt our state by legalizing discrimination based on the “preservation of religious freedom.” The House version of this hate bill masquerading as religious freedom is HB 1023. The Senate’s version is SB 377.

I was stunned to find Rep Mack Jackson’s name on the House version of this bill. Mack, a Democrat who serves District 128 where I live, is the minster of St. James Christian Fellowship in Tennille.

My first questions to him were, “Have you talked to Dr Lowery about this? Would Dr. King support you on this?”

I value religious freedom and the separation of church and state. But there’s a big difference between religious freedom and legalizing discrimination based on one’s personal faith.

What lies at the heart of this bill is legalizing discrimination against gay people. In addition to a business choosing to refuse service to gay people, they could also discriminate against Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, …….. How about overweight and obese people if your faith deplores people who are more than a healthy weight (that could reduce revenues for businesses in the South where we seem to have an epidemic of weight issues)?

It is stunning that in the state where Dr King is buried, and Civil Rights champions Dr Joseph Lowery and Rep John Lewis call home, any state legislator would put their name on a bill like HB 1023/SB 377.

Crossover Day in the General Assembly is Monday, March 3rd. That means you need to act now! You can sign this petition, contact your legislators, or do both.

As this morning has progressed Mack replied to my text message saying he took his name off the bill (it still appears in the online version). A couple of hours later he posted on Facebook that he didn’t sponsor this bill. Now, as I am posting here, he has texted me saying, “My name was on the bill but was taken off in the clerk’s office after it was brought to my attention the effect of this bill. It is never my intention to discriminate against anyone. I did not sponsor the bill.”

Thank you for stepping back Rep Jackson. You and others under the Gold Dome will better serve your constituents if you fully understand the impact legislation will have on individuals, families, businesses, and our state before filing bills. Our job is to hold you accountable.

At a glance, February 21, 2014

The Atlantic covers a Brookings Institute report on income inequality in 50 of America’s cities. Atlanta leads the list.

Got water? Centerville resident Bill Ferguson says SB 213, the Flint River bill, isn’t a good idea. He explains why in today’s Macon Telegraph.

Rep Mike Dudgeon’s HB 874, which would have made solar power much more affordable for Georgians, has just about seen the sun set on it. Dave Williams at the Atlanta Business Chronicle covers it.

Freshly sworn in to the Georgia House of Representatives, Rep Sam Moore, R-Macedonia, thinks:

Would it be a good idea to remove coal ash waste from places where there is groundwater and surface water contamination? “You don’t need to be Joe Chemist to figure that out.” says Avner Vengosh at the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University.

It isn’t about honoring heritage. The war is over. Really.

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Georgia has issued a new car tag featuring the Confederate flag, with $10 dollars of the $80 fee going to the Sons of Confederate Veterans, who will use the revenue for “educational activities” and preservation efforts.

What century is this Georgia?

Four and counting

petition-deal-walks-away-hospitals

Remember that little ice event we had in Middle Georgia last week? As bucket trucks streamed into Washington County, preparations were underway to house approximately 25 linemen in the wellness center at Washington County Regional Hospital.

While the storm was making its way east towards us, Lower Oconee Hospital in Glenwood closed its doors. That’s the fourth small hospital to close while Governor Deal has been in office. Fifteen to twenty more are at risk for closure, but much-needed federal dollars are being turned away by Deal and his supporters in the General Assembly.

Beth O’Connor, the Virginia Rural Health Association’s Executive Director wrote in the Roanoke Times yesterday, “Hospitals are not businesses. If someone goes to a hair salon, grocery, clothing store or movie theater, but does not have money, they will not receive service. But federal regulations require hospitals to treat anyone who walks through the Emergency Room door – regardless of ability to pay.”

O’Connor goes on to point out that Virginia’s legislators are turning away $5M per day of federal funding that her state’s small hospitals need. Those federal dollars are tax dollars paid for by hard-working Virginians. But Virginia’s tax dollars are going to other states.

So are ours. Georgia’s tax dollars are also going to other states where leaders know Medicaid Expansion makes sense for the health of small hospitals and the people they serve.

And now there are efforts underway to allow a part-time legislature to have the power to fix Georgia’s already hobbled healthcare system.

Governor Deal could take action right now, today, and direct the tax dollars we’ve already paid, to come back to Georgia. Instead of taking the long view that stretches beyond November’s election, Governor Deal refuses to help small hospitals and the 1 Million rural citizens who count on them every day.

What will happen when Governor Deal hits the campaign trail outside Atlanta and finds it littered with closed hospitals? Will the four counties now without a hospital be campaign stops? Will he be met at campaign rallies in rural Georgia by already angry teachers and recently unemployed hospital healthcare professionals?

You can tell Governor Deal and our state legislators to bring our federal tax dollars home to serve Georgians. Sign the petition and tell Governor Deal to Save Georgia’s Hospitals Today!


Where will the next one happen?

The Charlotte Observer reports that Duke Energy notified the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources on Sunday afternoon that one of their coal ash ponds at the Dan River Power Station was spilling coal ash waste and toxin contaminated water into the Dan River. The company’s early estimate was that 82,000 TONS of toxic coal ash waste and up to 27 MILLION gallons of water had poured into the river supplying municipal drinking water systems downstream.

photo Catawba Riverkeeper
photo Catawba Riverkeeper

Duke Energy officials waited until 4:03 on Monday afternoon to inform the public.

The Observer quotes power company officials saying on Tuesday that it was “definitely unexpected” that a reinforced concrete pipe would break.

Except Duke Energy didn’t use concrete pipes for two thirds of the length of the pipe where the leak continues to spill into the Dan River. The company thought it had used concrete pipes in the 1960s when they built the coal ash ponds, but now they know that only one-third of the length of the pipe work is concrete.

Ooops.

photo by Appalachian Voices
photo by Appalachian Voices

Late yesterday Appalachian Voices reported that coal ash has reached the intake point at the Danville water works. Virginia Beach authorities have turned off the pumps at Lake Gaston until the full impact of the spill is determined.

The water problems aren’t over for West Virginians either. The News Observer reports that Dr. Rahul Gupta, health officer for Kanawha and Putnam counties  urges parents with children ages three and younger, as well as people with weakened immune systems, to avoid drinking the water. Yesterday two schools had to close when students and teachers were overwhelmed with the licorice fumes associated with the coal processing chemical that contaminated water resources last month.

There are plenty of potential coal ash spills waiting to happen. Today’s Washington Post notes that there are 207 plant sites in 37 states where coal ash contamination has violated federal air and water health standards. Georgia could be next.

Georgia is riddled with coal plants and the toxic waste they produce. Even as Georgia Power begins to shutter coal units, the coal ash remains. Middle Georgia’s Plant Branch and Plant Scherer as ranked as Significant for hazards. After the doors are locked at Plant Branch next April, the tons of coal ash and toxic-soaked water will still be there in retention ponds, right there on the banks of Lake Sinclair that feeds the Oconee River.

How can this be? Easy.

IN HARM’S WAY: Lack of Federal Coal Ash Regulations Endangers Americans and Their Environment, a report by the Environmental Integrity Project includes this on coal ash waste regulations and monitoring, “Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia either require no monitoring of their numerous ash ponds or monitoring only after the ponds have been closed, a rare event as most ponds are operated perpetually as ‘storage’ sites. Monitoring data from state files in Georgia were so minimal that no assessment of impacts could be made.”

Power companies in Georgia are allowed to self-monitor their coal waste storage sites. Not the state agency that issued their permits, not river keepers, not municipal agencies. The power companies get to make the waste and monitor the safety of its storage.

We’ve allowed corporations, lobbyists, and legislators to put us at risk for decades and we can’t afford any longer to think “it won’t happen to us”.  The “us” is everyone in the Charleston, West Virginia, Danville, and now Virginia Beach.

And the time to speak up is now.

Why I’m not going purple today

If you are using social media (at least Facebook) you may see a lot of profile pictures washed in purple as part of World Cancer Day today. There are all kinds of good ways to support cancer research, cancer patients and survivors, health care professionals, and caregivers.

I have a friend who begins chemo tomorrow. She’ll beat this.

Cancer sucks.

I’m not going purple today.  Instead I’ve picked up the phone and shared a call to action.

The Georgia Senate Natural Resources Committee is meeting this afternoon to consider SB 299, which will strip away water protection and leave us just as exposed and vulnerable as the people in West Virginia.  I called and left a message asking Chair Ross Tolleson to vote NO on this bill.

coal ash waste
coal ash waste

Yesterday a shuttered Duke Energy coal plant spilled at least 50,000-82,000 pounds of coal ash and 27 Million gallons of water into the Dan River near Eden, North Carolina. The coal ash and water are saturated with cancer causing heavy metals and toxins that never “go away” or evaporate.

There are all kinds of ways we can support cancer patients today, and tomorrow, and the day after that. The ribbons and the walks are fine, but we also need to have the hard discussions about what we are doing to the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the food we eat. Because cancer sucks.

Keeping the lights on

The Friday Photo
January 31, 2014
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Solar panels at John and Gretchen Quarterman’s farm Okra Paradise cranked out power despite a coating of sleet earlier this week. John took this photo while he and Gretchen, along with their dogs Brown Dog and Yellow Dog, surveyed their farm in southwest Georgia.

January 30, 2014

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You can watch the shouting matching here or read about it. And by the way, we don’t get paid what we’re worth and we ought to be.

that-39-s-right-but-where-39-s-my-dinner

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This piece from The Weekly Sift, The Distress of the Privileged, is worth a read too (It’s long but will be time well spent).

UGA and Emory journalism professor Rebecca Burns has a keen piece in Politico on why Tuesday’s snow was such a disaster. Burn’s points here also hold true for the multitude of problems that will occur when the Braves move to Cobb County (add heat and humidity to the picture then).

Jay Bookman  writes about Georgia’s bare bones budgeting, and what it means for our state.

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