Georgia Heritage Coalition - Rep. O'Neal: Shipp Lied

Steve Scroggins

Steve Scroggins is a volunteer contributor to the Georgia Heritage Coalition who lives in Macon.

Rep. O'Neal says Shipp lied about the Liar – Commentary by Steve Scroggins

I found the following letter from The Macon Telegraph amusing and thought you might, too.

Macon Telegraph Letters August 19, 2004

Shipp wrong about Perdue's flights to Washington, D.C.

I am disappointed and appalled that you would publish in the commentary section of your paper on Aug. 16, the article by Bill Shipp without independent confirmation of the purported facts stated therein defaming the governor of Georgia. [Note to Rep. O'Neal: that's why they call it an OPINION page.]

Shipp states that "from his election in November 2002 to July 2004, Perdue journeyed by private aircraft 26 times into DC's Reagan National Airport, etc."

What Shipp obviously doesn't know is that due to tightened flight security into Reagan Airport following 9/11, any general aviation aircraft desiring to land there must receive a waiver from rules banning such flights for security reasons. The waivers include the time, date, type of aircraft and the names and Social Security numbers of all passengers on board, including the crew.

Any time prior to arrival that a change is made in the time of arrival, aircraft used or change in personnel, a new waiver must be applied for. Thus it is possible that a single flight to Reagan Airport can generate multiple waiver forms, which I can only assume Mr. Shipp must have counted as flights.

If a flight is approved, a request is logged. If a flight is denied, a request is logged. If a flight is changed, a request is logged. In fact, Gov. Perdue has flown into Reagan Airport six times, not 26 times, in his two years as governor.

I personally know that at least two of the trips had to do with dealing on an emergency basis with a "critical" air attainment issue that significantly threatened the perpetual viability of Robins Air Force Base. I would have peddled him there on a bicycle if flying had not been an option to deal with that issue.

I have long been a staunch supporter of our First Amendment rights of freedom of speech and freedom of the press to express an opinion; however, when the opinion is predicated upon groundless fact, it is nothing more than a published lie.

The Perdue administration is and has been an administration that welcomes constructive criticism grounded in accurate fact because you can learn from constructive criticism and hopefully govern better, but false innuendo, groundless allegations, and less then half truths are not constructive, serving no purpose but to retard progress.

There are other untruths in Shipp's column that could be the subject of subsequent caveat, but for now my question would be, Is his published lie a result of ignorance of the truth or just more of the malice he's demonstrated in the past?

In either case, it doesn't bode well for his journalistic credibility.

Larry O'Neal, a resident of Warner Robins, is one of Perdue's floor leaders in the state House of Representatives.

Shipp's Aug.15 Column that O'Neal is addressing
Shipp is right to question the wisdom of the Kemp/Gingrich faction and their attempt to install puppet candidate Dylan Glenn in Georgia's 8th District. Perdue's involvement in that puppeteering is not well known.

As far as I know, Rep. Larry O'Neal is an honorable man. He expressed support for our Fair Vote bill, but was never put to the test to actually VOTE for it. His chance to show his colors will come soon enough.

O'Neal has a point; it's evident that Shipp doesn't like Perdue and Shipp's been known to advance falsehoods and rumors in his opinion commentaries. Many of us KNOW that Perdue is a Liar, but most of us are honorable and we will not tell lies or knowingly smear Perdue's character with falsehoods. The facts speak for themselves. The fact that Perdue lied about giving the people a fair vote on the flag is well known.

It will become even more well-known as SONNY LIED signs and PUNT PERDUE stickers continue to proliferate across the state between now and November 2006. [ Alfred Hitchcock's Dusting A Liar ]

But why does Shipp dislike Perdue? Is it because Perdue lacks third generation Atlanta establishment credentials? That is for Shipp to explain. Is Shipp a liar with an agenda? Or just a sloppy journalist?(with an agenda)? WHY would anyone pay to read his political babbling and predictions? Read a few of his old columns (links below) to see how dead wrong he typically is. [ You have to sign up to access Athens Banner's website archive - it's free. ]

Shipp's 11/04/01 Parody Column on Sonny Perdue

Shipp demonstrates his ignorance of Georgia politics and flaggers

Shipp can't decide if he wants flag issue to return or not

Shipp clueless about State money being spent to enrich Atlanta

One on target: Georgia Democratic Coalition Dead at 40

ACJ: Flaggers Repudiate Shipp's Inflammatory Divisive Rhetoric

Shipp Calls Perdue 'Rude, Stupid Liar'

Though we might sometimes agree or enjoy the verbal bashing of a scalawag, Georgia citizens shouldn't put too much stock in the babbling ravings of Bill Shipp, even when he's bad-mouthing Sonny Perdue. Most Georgians agree that Sonny Perdue is a liar. But calling Perdue a "rude, stupid, lying crook" may be going just a little too far.

OK, maybe Shipp didn't call Perdue a "crook." That's the Democratic Party's job and they apparently take that job seriously as the links below reveal. They have their own reasons for considering Perdue a "backstabbing turncoat."

Democratic Party Press Release: Sonny needs ethics reform

Ethics Complaints filed against Sonny Perdue

The words of H.L. Mencken keep coming back to me: "...one party always devotes its chief energies to trying to prove that the other party is unfit to rule - and both commonly succeed, and are right." ~~H.L. Mencken, 1956

Both parties sling the ethics mud and it sticks to both sides. Though entertaining to watch, it makes it difficult for sincere Georgia voters to be enthusiastic about supporting a candidate from either party. Shipp wants to throw mud down from the peanut gallery but keep his hands clean.

Savannah opinion: Make Ethics A Priority

The above editorial from the May 2002 Savannah Morning News ends with the following obvious comment:

"Georgians are fed up with crooked politicians who betray the voters' trust and use their office for personal gain. It's time to put teeth in state ethics laws -- or, to put some elected officials out of a job."

We couldn't agree more, but we've also concluded long ago that we cannot rely on the proverbial fox to guard the chicken coop. Asking the General Assembly to enforce ethics (or impose term limits) is like asking chickens to vote for Colonel Sanders. It's entirely, 100%, up to the voters to remove the crooks and liars from government office.

For all their posturing on Ethics, I wouldn't trust Barnes or Perdue any further than I could throw them. Same goes for most in their respective Party's leadership. Their track records speak volumes.

Georgia citizens made Barnes a one-term governor (despite Shipp's predictions). Since Perdue has shown that he will "betray the voters' trust," we'll have to make him a one-term governor, too. But just to set the record straight, it's not because sloppy, half-cocked "opinion-makers" like Bill Shipp think Perdue should go.

Yogi Berra is credited with saying that "Baseball is ninety percent mental. The other half is physical." One might say that Shipp is ninety percent baloney and the other half is just sloppy.

Steve Scroggins is Adjutant of the Lt. James T. Woodward Camp 1399, Sons of Confederate Veterans, in Warner Robins, GA and a frequent GHC contributor of parody and political cartoons and graphics.