On June 7, 1776, Richard Henry Lee of Virginia introduced a resolution before the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia calling for American independence from Great Britain.
Lee’s resolution declared: “That these United Colonies are, and of right out to be, free and independent States, that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved; that measures should be immediately taken for procuring the assistance of foreign powers, and a Confederation be formed to bind the colonies more closely together.”
Four weeks later, Georgia’s members of the Continental Congress – Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, and George Walton — voted for a version written by Thomas Jefferson of Virginia and called the Declaration of Independence.
The first successful ascent of Mt. McKinley, also called Denali, in Alaska, the highest mountain in North America, was completed on June 7, 1913.
On June 7, 1942, Japanese troops occupied American territory in the Aleutian Islands off Alaska.
Ronald Reagan became the Republican nominee for Governor of California on June 7, 1966.
June 7, 2016 was declared “Prince Day” in Minnesota under a proclamation issued by Governor Mark Dayton. Prince was born on this day in 1958. Governor Dayton missed his chance to begin a proclamation with “Dearly beloved, we are gathered together today….” This year, Dayton proclaimed Prince Day on April 21, 2017.
Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections
At least four Georgians died of overdoses yesterday in Central Georgia, with dozens hospitalized.
Christopher Hendry, the chief medical officer at Navicent Health, a hospital in Macon, said at a news conference that officials believed the spate of overdoses was linked to yellow pills that users bought on the street. He noted, however, that toxicology reports will not come back for a few more days, so the causes of the deaths have not been confirmed.
“There is a new drug that’s surfaced in our community,” he said. “It’s being sold on the street as Percocet, however, when it’s taken, the patients are experiencing significant and severe decreased levels of consciousness and respiratory failure.”
In a statement, the Georgia Department of Health said while the overdoses were reported in south and central Georgia, the drugs may also have been sold in other parts of the state.
David Davis, the sheriff of Bibb County, appealed to anyone who had information to help the authorities find the source of the overdoses. If anyone were concerned that they’d be in legal trouble by coming forward with information, “we’re going to let that pass,” Sheriff Davis said.
There were likely more than 59,000 drug overdose deaths in the United States in 2016, the largest annual jump ever recorded, according to preliminary data. In 2015, there were more deaths from heroin alone than gun homicides.
The emergency room at the Medical Center, Navicent Health, has treated more than a dozen people for opioid overdose in the last 48 hours, said Dr. Chris Hendry, the hospital’s chief medical officer. Deaths have been reported at the Medical Center, the Houston Healthcare emergency room and Coliseum Medical Centers.
Someone is passing off the pills as prescription drugs, said Bibb County Sheriff David Davis. All of Navicent Health’s overdose patients so far have swallowed the medicine, Hendry said.
Patients have experienced respiratory failure and unconsciousness, Hendry said. Symptoms, which include difficulty breathing and slurred speech, come on fairly quickly after taking the drug.
“We need to know who’s putting this poison in the community,” Davis said. “This is a poison, and it acts very fast. Right now, our primary concern is to help those who are suffering overdoses and then get more leads.”
Hendry said Navicent Health is working with the state to make sure they have adequate supplies of Narcan, although the medicine isn’t effective in every case.
The Bibb County Sheriff’s Office has some Narcan kits but should receive more in the next month through a grant from the Medical Association of Georgia, Davis said. The hope is for all of the department’s patrol cars and drug units to carry kits in case deputies encounter people who’ve overdosed.
I think we need to make sure we get all the facts and, more importantly, have the public awareness so that people know what to watch out for,” said Ninfa Saunders, Navicent Health’s president. “We don’t know how pervasive this is. We don’t know how intrusive this is going to be.”
Seventeen Georgians died in the first four months of 2017 after taking two manufactured drugs that have since been banned, U-47700 and furanyl fentanyl. In comparison, a total of 17 people died during the entire 2016 year.
According to a press release from the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office, the counterfeit pills have the numbers 10/325 on one side and the word PERCOCET in all capital letters on the opposite side.
On the counterfeit pills, the word PERCOCET is not stamped as deep as the manufacturer typically does on their pills.
Also on the counterfeit pills, the imprint of the name is also at an angle.
This follows two deaths from overdose, including a 16-year old, in Catoosa County on Sunday.
Gov. Nathan Deal appointed Mike Rast as an At-Large Alderman for the City of Hapeville, after Ruth Barr was removed from office after being convicted of a felony.
DeKalb County Commissioner Nancy Jester (R) will serve on a White House panel discussing state and local infrastructure needs. From Facebook:
I am excited to announce that I will be attending an Infrastructure Summit at The White House.
A group of Governors and Mayors from around the nation will meet and work with Cabinet Secretaries, The Vice President, and The President on the challenges faced by states and cities when dealing with federal infrastructure funding.
The administration has shared that they are committed to improving the amount of time it takes to move forward with federally funded projects. They want to remove burdensome requirements and make the process more effective and efficient. The administration has expressed that they want to make major Infrastructure investments in the upcoming years.
The Gwinnett County Ethics Board has recommended Commissioners censure Commissioner Tommy Hunter.
The board’s decision was announced in a conference room at the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center on Tuesday afternoon while Hunter and other county commissioners met downstairs.
“You need to be responsible and accountable for the things that you do and the things that we say,” Ethics Board member Charles Rousseau said. “It’s critically important that that message is delivered. It’s the proverbial throw a rock and hide your hand. We’ve got to stand tall and accept the consequences that sometimes come with it.”
The Board of Commissioners will make the final decision on Hunter’s fate. County Commission Chairwoman Charlotte Nash said a public hearing on the board’s recommendation will be held at 6:30 p.m. on June 20.
The ethics board found Hunter did commit two of the alleged Ethics Code violations outlined in a complaint attorneys for Atlanta resident Nancie Turner filed in February. The allegations the board found he committed included showing disloyalty to the county and engaging in conduct unbecoming of a commissioner by making the remarks.
Senator David Shafer “dominated” a straw poll held at the Georgia Republican State Convention, according to the Gwinnett Daily Post.
State Senate President Pro Tem David Shafer, R-Duluth, captured a commanding lead in a lieutenant governor’s race straw poll conducted over the weekend at the Georgia Republican Convention in Augusta.
The unscientific straw poll was conducted by the Georgia Association of Republican County Chairmen for governor, lieutenant governor and secretary of state races.
Results as of the end of the convention on Saturday put Shafer in first place with 54 percent of the votes cast in the straw poll. Results posted late Monday afternoon however indicated Shafer may have gotten 41 percent of the vote, with 33 percent of poll respondents undecided.
Either way, the results put him ahead of his competitors, Rep. Geoff Duncan and Sen. Rick Jeffares, by double digits.
“David Shafer is the overwhelming choice of grass roots Republicans,” state Rep. Clay Cox, R-Lilburn, said. “They know and trust him.”
State Sen. P.K. Martin, R-Lawrenceville, said, “This is a major victory for David Shafer. He is strongly in the lead and continues to build momentum.”
Warner Robins City Council Member Chuck Shaheen is considering running for Mayor this November.
Shaheen said he does not expect he will run again for his council post but he may run as mayor. He said that depends on whether the council approves a city administrator position before qualifying starts on Aug. 21.
Shaheen said he would like to serve as mayor again, but keep his job in pharmaceutical sales and have a city administrator running the day-to-day operations. He said he would not be interested in doing it as the job is now.
[Current Mayor Randy] Toms, who is in his first term, said he will seek re-election. He said he had no comment on the possibility of Shaheen running against him. However, Toms said he believes the city clerk’s position could be turned into a job similar to a city administrator by giving the city clerk more authority. But he said he does not advocate creating a new position for a city administrator.
Greg Dolezal is the first announced candidate for the State Senate District 27 seat being vacated by Sen. Michael Williams, who is running for Governor. From Facebook:
Natalie and I are excited to announce my candidacy for the Republican nomination for Georgia State Senate District 27 representing the citizens of Forsyth County.
It has been our joy to root our marriage, family and businesses in Forsyth County. The foundation of my candidacy is the strength of our community and I’m excited to have a diverse Steering Committee of intelligent, forward thinking, solution oriented, local leaders linking arms with us.
Together, we will ensure that Forsyth’s conservative values are represented at the Gold Dome. Please click on the link below to learn more about our campaign, join our email list, and feel free to contact me with any questions at 404.915.1212.
State Senator John Albers (R-Roswell) has called a special meeting of the Senate State and Local Government Operations Committee, which he chairs.
Mark your calendar for a special called meeting of the Georgia Senate State & Local Government Operations Committee. It will take place on Monday, June 19th at 4:00 p.m. to discuss the Fulton County Tax Assessments. The meeting will be held at Roswell City Hall. Public comment about your Fulton Tax issue is welcome and valuable to the discussion for finding solutions.
WHEN: Monday, June 19th @ 4:00 p.m.
WHERE: Roswell City Hall, 38 Hill Street
State Rep. Robert Dickey is holding a “ Peaches and Politics Rally” in Musella on Thursday, June 22nd. Looks like an awesome event. Heck, I’d buy a t-shirt with that artwork on it.
Georgia Sixth District Debate
Democrat Jon Ossoff and Republican Karen Handel clashed on the debate stage for the first time Tuesday night, sparring face-to-face over their resumes, campaign financing and foreign policy positioning in Georgia’s special House election after months of trading campaign attacks over the airwaves.
Ossoff and Handel, who are running to replace HHS Secretary Tom Price in Congress in suburban Atlanta, stuck largely to the same lines of attack repeated in the flood of TV ads that have made their race the most expensive House contest ever. But both of the candidates also weighed in on President Donald Trump, with Handel advising the president to change his “Twitter policy.”
“Sometimes you should just put down the computer, the phone and walk away,” Handel said.
But Handel also accused Ossoff of not wanting the people of Georgia to “know that he is a liberal Democrat and he’s supported by the most liberal elements of the Democratic Party,” adding that he “rarely mentions that he’s a Democrat.”
the most important moment of the debate came in Handel’s answer — sure to be played on repeat in Democratic television ads — to a question about the minimum wage.
“This is an example of a fundamental difference between a liberal and a conservative,” Handel said. “I do not support a livable wage.”
She added that she instead wants “an economy that is robust with low taxes and regulation.”
Prodding Ossoff’s residence — he and his fiancée live just outside the district while she attends medical school — Handel said: “I’ve been in Georgia almost as long as you’ve been alive. You might live just outside of the district, but your values are 3,000 miles away in San Francisco.”
Ossoff also hit Handel for the Susan G. Komen Foundation’s decision during her tenure as vice president for policy to halt its partnership with Planned Parenthood. The charity eventually reversed that decision and resumed funding breast cancer screenings at Planned Parenthood, leading to Handel’s ouster and her rise to prominence through a book called “Planned Bullyhood.”
On Tuesday night, Ossoff and Handel and faced off in a locally televised debate. And one moment that is going viral was when Handel asked the Democratic candidate one simple question.
“Who are you going to vote for in this election?”
Ossoff was literally speechless.
Why was he speechless? It’s because Ossoff cannot vote for himself due to the fact that he does not live in the district he’s actually running in, something he was criticized for back in April.
After several seconds of silence, Ossoff acknowledged his current residence was outside the 6th District of Georgia but he grew up there and retaliated by mentioning the fact that Handel was born and raised in Washington D.C. and not in the 6th District of Georgia.
Here’s a longer account of Handel’s response on Ossoff’s residence, from DailyCaller.com:
“Actually, it is of concern to the voters of the 6th district that you do not live in our community. And while I was born in Washington, D.C., I didn’t get to pick where I was born but the fact is I’ve been in Georgia almost as long as you’ve even been alive,” Handel shot back. “You might live just five miles outside of the district but your values are nearly 3,000 miles away in San Francisco, and that’s why so many of your contributions have come from liberals from California, New York and Massachusetts. It’s why you’re supported by Nancy Pelosi, and folks it matters.”
“It’s no wonder that my opponent didn’t want to do the Atlanta press club debate — it was going to be aired on CNN where all folks from around the country, all of his liberal supporters were going to see it and the fake Jon Ossoff was going to collide with the real Jon Ossoff who is a Nancy Pelosi-backed liberal,” Handel concluded emphatically.
“My record is one of results — in the private sector and in public service. As chairman of the Fulton County Board of Commissioners I was able to balance a budget without tax increases and Jon, I did that without a Republican majority, working with Democrats. As CEO of the North Fulton Chamber of Commerce I helped create tens of thousands of jobs with the economic development program,” Handel said.
“My opponent here, he just talks about it. He talks about cutting spending, I’ve actually done it, reducing the budget in the secretary of state’s office by nearly 20 percent. What we need is someone who knows how to get the job done, someone with real experience. What we don’t need is a career staffer who was a junior staffer for [Democratic congressman] Hank Johnson.”
Revisiting the issue of Susan G. Komen and Planned Parenthood, Politifact rated statements made in 2012 by Karen Handel as “True.” Those statements were virtually identical to what Handel said last night in the debate.
Some critics suggested Handel was behind Komen’s policy decision. But in her book, Handel says Komen had considered ending the relationship with Planned Parenthood “for at least a decade,” as Komen restructured its grant model to focus on measurable outcomes to fighting breast cancer. That focus, she said, excluded much of what Planned Parenthood did.
In her book, Handel makes pointed statements regarding Planned Parenthood’s services, noting that the organization promoted itself as a provider of mammograms to poor women.
“The truth is, Planned Parenthood does not provide mammograms,” she wrote. “Planned Parenthood refers women to mammography providers, serving as the middlewoman, if you will.”
Handel’s statement that Planned Parenthood doesn’t provide mammograms and only refers clients for those services at other facilities is supported by the organization itself.
We rate the claim True.
Jon Ossoff, on the other hand, was awarded a Pinocchio by the Washington Post for misleading voters and a “half-true” by Politifact.
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