Webmaster's Note:  GHC maintains a strictly NON-partisan stance, however, we understand and empathize with Dr. Swann's sentiments below. We fully understand why many Southerners feel betrayed and ignored by the actions and inactions of both major parties as well as their continued efforts to block ballot access by any third parties. This is a two-part commentary, a link to Part I is at the bottom.

Join the Republican Party? - Part 2 - Commentary by Dr. William H. Swann 

There are so many signs around the State of Georgia with SONNY LIED on them that in an article in Creative Loafing they stated that “The Sonny Lied Signs were so numerous they were the official sign of the State of Georgia”. In truth it is difficult to drive any distance on any Georgia Freeway, or major highway, without seeing those signs every mile or two. In some cases, around every 30 feet, if the Governor happens to be visiting an area close to that particular road or highway.

Now that brings me to the title of this article. For the past 25 years I bought into the Republican Southern Strategy, and as such I was a member of the National and State Republican parties. I’ve never had the money to be a big contributor, just my annual contribution of $25.00 to each arm of the Republican Party. My real contribution was the Church people I addressed in Men’s meeting and both before and after Revivals I conducted. Most recently I made the mistake of supporting President Bush in his reelection. This wasn’t because I was enamored of his policies, but because I literally hated everything John Kerry stood for.

The problem, as much smarter people than me have stated, is this Country goes through the motions of making it appear we have a voice in the election of our President every four years. In reality there are two nearly identical Candidates representing nearly identical philosophies while really worthwhile candidates can’t get on all the ballots.

We have, as so often is said, a choice between two evils and usually are left with electing the lesser of the two evils, we hope. It is entirely possible that I as an individual and we as a people have elected our own worst nightmare in reelecting Presidente Bush.

It seems certain that given the current attitude of Presidente Bush on Immigration and on opening our borders that instead of electing an American President, we elected a surrogate Mexican Presidente. It is further stupidity that we go halfway around the world to attack terrorists on their own soil, and invite them to cross our own open borders and retaliate against us.

Our, excuse me I forgot for a second, Mexico’s surrogate Presidente Bush has gone so far as to call the extraordinary American Citizens who are now volunteering to patrol our Southern Borders with Mexico, “Vigilantes” and even home-grown terrorists. These brave men and women are patrolling the border unarmed and unable to even restrain those illegal citizens who are sneaking across the border; all they can do is call the overworked and understaffed Border Patrol to come pick up those identified as illegal aliens. Of course the New Attorney General has also condemned those people who are giving of their time and risking their lives to do the job the Government is charged by the Constitution to do.

In the latest bit of absolute insanity Georgia’s two Senators are taking the lead in supporting the Presidents position on the Mexican Immigration and in giving amnesty to those who are abusing our every single Social Service in this Country. This hypocrisy on the part of our Senators is further proof that the Republican Party has totally lost all respect for the Constitution, the sanctity and quality of life of American and Georgia citizens, and for the Georgia voters who so recently elected both Senators. [ The Immigration Shuffle ]

So when the National Republican Party called, I explained that I would prefer to eat broken glass rather than support a Republican Party that had so totally abandoned everything the Constitution says and what most Americans believe. The caller attempted to refute my claims, but in the face of fact after fact about Presidente Bush’s anti-Constitutional stance on illegal immigration, he reluctantly agreed that I had a point. Then he went on to say couldn’t I make more of a difference in the party than outside it? I pointed out that this had happened while I was supposedly “inside” or at least a member of the Republican Party.

Thirty minutes later I once again saw demonstrated that GOD does indeed have a sense of humor, or at least irony, when a phone solicitor for the Georgia Republican Party called me and asked me if I was willing to help Georgia Republicans and support our Governor by rejoining the Georgia Republican party. I stopped my contributions last year.

Those of you who know me at all understand that I hadn’t recovered from my first Republican call of the day. I was already fuming about what I should have told the first solicitor and now had a chance to make amends for my first mistake. Of course with the Georgia Republicans they have so totally abandoned everything they once stood for that I started speaking faster than the listener could understand. That happens when you get a slow speaking Southerner speaking with the speed of a typical Yankee.

When I slowed down I started on the Governor, his lies about the flag, and then his lies about his lies. Everyone knows the Governor promised a vote on the 1956 Confederate Memorial Flag, but the Governor has lied so much and so often that he can no longer remember what lie he told to who. First the Governor said that he never promised a vote on the 1956 flag to anyone. When he was provided with both written and taped evidence that he had indeed made the promise, the Governor then said he had sent the proposal to the Legislature, but that they had changed the terms of the vote. When it was pointed out that Republican State Senators who were all close to the Governor changed their votes to get a deal on a cigarette tax, the Governor freezes up. Then he said he never made a deal on a tax for the flag.

Careful wording there, actually approaches the truth, the Governor fails to mention that without that tax he, like another Republican Abraham Lincoln, would not have the money to Govern. So both Republicans Perdue and Lincoln sold out the South and the State of Georgia for their respective 30 pieces of silver. It was almost surely a coincidence that Governor elect Perdue was flying to Falcon’s Games on Arthur “I’ve never seen a woman I haven’t sexually harassed” Blank's private plane. Mr. Blanks association with the Atlanta Gang of Thugs, oops sorry, Chamber Pot of Commerce is well know, as is his and their hatred of the 1956 Confederate Memorial State Flag.

According to the Governor, the fact that the flag got sold out by REPUBLICANS had nothing to do with his receiving over $10,000,000.00 in campaign contributions largely from members of Atlanta’s Chamber Pot shortly after the flag was abandoned. Then in his best Richard Nixon impersonation, the Governor reiterates, “I haven’t lied, and I’m not for sale...” of course as he turned around there was a sign on the Governors rather broad posterior that read, “Property of the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce.” I don’t know what that meant, but I have to admit it seems a little suspicious. [ Comparing Night and Day ]

Then I took off on House Speaker Glen “Mad Dog” Richardson, and Senate President Pro Tem Eric Johnson and their failure as leaders, at least from my perspective, to actually lead their respective chambers when given a chance. It was especially galling that Speaker “Mad Dog” Richardson refused to allow HB 15 out of committee for a vote by the full house. Neither I nor the 79% of Voting Georgia Citizens surveyed by the Mason-Dixon Poll will ever know with any certainty the level of commitment by the majority of Georgia House Members to support the wishes of the Voters of Georgia.

We know with certainty that Representative Austin Scott of Tifton who bottled up the bill in his committee is only slightly lower than a ground snakes belly. Rep. Scott has no honor, no integrity, no guts, and no pride in being either a Southerner or a Georgian. Rep. Scott is as superfluous as a screen door on a submarine. It is probably difficult to detect but I don’t think all that highly of Rep. Scott...one of the Gold Dome Gnomes.

So, I informed the Phone Solicitor for the Georgia Republican Party, if they would hang Sonny, Mad Dog, Eric and draw and quarter Austin, I would consider rejoining the Georgia Republican Party. Since it was unlikely the four cowards mentioned above would sacrifice themselves for the good of the Party (the four men above don’t mind sacrifice, they just insist the people do it, not them), I would rather poke a hornet's nest with a short stick, french-kiss a rattlesnake, or walk blindfolded across I-75 during rush hour than make a contribution to the treacherous, treasonous Georgia or National Republican Party.

There was a brief silence on the phone, and the voice said, “Does that mean you don’t want to rejoin the Georgia Republican Party?” (Clearly they are employing Rocket Scientists as telephone solicitors...)

“Yes, I replied, “that is exactly what that means!”

Join The Republican Party? - Part 1

Dr. William H. Swann
gunsmythe@oddpost.com