Cobb County Republican Party Cobb GOP News

What does 'GRASSROOTS' mean to you?

Tue, 19 Apr 2022 20:12:18 GMT

What does ‘GRASSROOTS’ mean to you?

Politically speaking, we often hear about “the grassroots”. It’s a catchphrase with beginnings dating back to the early 1900’s. In the past 125 years, American grassroots were greatly responsible in creating monumental legislation. It helped give women and African Americans the right to vote, it created the civil rights and fair housing movement, it provided protections for our land, air, and water. It was public opinion and grassroots movements that changed wrongs into rights. Unfortunately, today, due to a lack of Republican grassroot mobilization, many laws are being enacted to placate partisan, identity politics while we remained silent.

Webster’s says the following:

grass roots noun, plural in form but singular or plural in construction

Definition of grass roots (Entry 2 of 2)

1. : the very foundation or source
//You must attack the problem at the grass roots.
2. : the basic level of society or of an organization especially as viewed in relation
to higher or more centralized positions of power
//was losing touch with the party’s grass roots

Another definition refers to grassroots as being:

noun (used with a singular or plural verb) Also grass roots.

the common or ordinary people, especially as contrasted with the leadership or elite of a political party, social organization, etc., the rank and file.

the agricultural and rural areas of a country.

the people inhabiting these areas, especially as a political, social, or economic group.

the origin or basis of something; the basic or primary concept, rule, part, or the like.

When thinking of “grassroots”, do you think of roots as the foundation? It is common knowledge that trees with shallow roots tend to sway with the wind and fall at the first stiff wind or storm. But having deep roots, allows a plants and people to stay firmly grounded, withstanding the storms, the winds, the floods, and the rains. This same reference holds true for the political grassroots, as they are the foundation of the party. Those who, “…after having done all – to stand” Ephesians 6

We also have the political elite; those who make a lifetime career out of politics. These politicians create the laws, far too often to benefit special interest or even themselves. It was never meant to be that way. The laws should be written for, “We the People”, and most often are when the grassroots get involved. Over time, we have allowed special interests to take over; we have given them the power over us through our complacency, ignorance, and apathy!

As respectful, law-abiding Republicans, have we forgotten that it is OUR voices that need to be heard, not those of the elitists and special interests? Our complacency led us to be indoctrinated with the liberal mindset that has infiltrated every facet of our culture! It is past time for the grassroots to unite – to plant the seeds that become firmly rooted, deep into our foundational beliefs. In order to protect America, we must propagate a culture that can withstand the storms.

Did you know that during the times leading up to the war for independence from Great Britain, John Adams remarked that one-third of the colonists were for the war, one-third were against it and one-third were neutral? It took the Boston Massacre to wake people up. It was brave men like John Adams, who were part of the grassroots of Boston, who educated the people on the dangers of the growing British stranglehold on the new colony. Without igniting the grassroots, America would not have become the greatest, free Nation on Earth!

We the People are the grassroots, we are the modern day, John Adams. We are the foundation of the Republican Party and we have not only the right but the DUTY to be involved. The attacks on our God given and Constitutional freedoms, have been allowed to penetrate our lives and take away our freedom because we have not firmly planted our seeds to grow OUR principles, that we so strongly claim we are aligned. We must be united; we must stand strong to withstand the heavy winds! We must BE THE STORM, creating a “red wave” tsunami, to WIN every race and take back our Country in November of 2022. We have a heavy load to carry and much work before us. Let us all do our part, no matter how big or small, get involved, plant the seeds, and give whatever you can. Let’s grow the Republican Grassroots movement together to protect and defend our Republic.

- Salliegh Grubbs

Are We Fractured?

Fri, 25 Feb 2022 15:41:02 GMT

Chairman's Corner:

Are We Fractured?

If you read the definition of that familiar word we hear so much about today, “fractured”, you’ll find in Webster’s Dictionary synonyms such as:

Broken
Busted
Disintegrated
Dismembered
Disrupted
Fragmented
Rive/Shattered/Cracked/Splintered

…..and so on. My question today is, “Are we really so ‘fractured’ that we cannot agree to disagree and instead unite to do what must be done to save our precious Republic? Save our State? Save our County?”

During primary season, you often witness some Republicans smearing and attacking their Republican opponents. They seem to revel more in fracturing their own party than standing up for their principles, defining their merits and fighting their TRUE opponents - the Democrats and Socialists. It begs the questions, “Where is the courage of conviction nowadays? Where is running a race because you truly believe your principles are better than your Democrat opponents?”

Instead of letting some people fracture us, we need to get back to the roots of good, honest campaigns, debates and grassroots efforts. We need to leave the internal fights behind closed doors. We must stay focused on the goal of beating the Democrats because the survival of our country depends on it. Can we put differences aside to fight for the principles that we believe in? I think we can. It’s time to stop, put egos aside, regroup, and join together to stand for America. To do anything other than stand for America is a distraction. A complete and utter distraction from fighting for truth, freedom, and the pursuit of happiness.

I call on every single Republican member of the Cobb County Republican Party to put differences aside, come together, unite, stay focused, remove the labels, and work together remembering that, at the base of it all, we believe in the Republican Principles as listed below – don’t we?

I AM A REPUBLICAN BECAUSE…

I BELIEVE the strength of our nation lies with the individual and that each person’s dignity, freedom, ability and responsibility must be honored.
I BELIEVE in equal rights, equal justice, and equal opportunity for all, regardless of race, creed, sex, age, or disability.
I BELIEVE free enterprise and encouraging individual initiative have brought this nation opportunity, economic growth, and prosperity.
I BELIEVE government must practice fiscal responsibility and allow individuals to keep more of the money they earn.
I BELIEVE the proper role of government is to provide for the people only those critical functions that cannot be performed by individuals or private organizations and that the best government is that which governs least.
I BELIEVE the most effective, responsible, and responsive government is government closest to the people.
I BELIEVE Americans must retain the principles that have made us strong while developing new and innovative ideas to meet the challenges of changing times.
I BELIEVE Americans value and should preserve our national strength and pride while working to extend peace, freedom, and human rights throughout the world.
FINALLY, I believe the Republican Party is the best vehicle for translating these ideals into positive and successful principles of government.

Across the nation, the party struggles with the results of the 2020 elections – not just the Presidential election but the down-ballot elections. We also struggle with the utter mess of the Biden administration. In the wake of 2020, we realize we have to do more, we must be engaged and we have to get involved. We realize that we can and must look ahead to the 2022 elections. We can make a difference in what happens in the future! We must stay united and not fractured and we must work together! If we focus on what we can agree on, we can see successes - a future of working together to do what America has never done before! While there is much work to be done, it is an exciting time to be involved, engaged and a part of the Republican efforts to save our Republic.

Please join us. 2022 has already gotten off to a sprint with a House District 45 Special Election and primaries fast approaching in May. The Cobb GOP is hyper-focused on turning out grassroots door knockers, staffing an army of poll watchers to secure our vote and winning all these elections. Our new volunteer management system will help us build this army. Go to our website and let us know how you want to volunteer to help us! Remember, we have more similarities than differences. Let’s unite, not fracture! Let’s get busy winning!

Remembering the Life of Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr.

Fri, 14 Jan 2022 15:44:39 GMT

Chairman's Corner:

Remembering the Life of Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr.

Division. Separation. Disharmony. Words that we hear all too often in the past period of months, even years. As a nation – as a state - and as a party, what better time to think about these things but on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. It is upon this day, that we should reflect on a man who exemplified having the courage of one’s convictions, in unification, of justice and authentic freedom. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., left a tremendous legacy of non-violent change. He created a movement in America at a time where there was much political division, particularly over the Viet Nam War. He stayed true to the ideals of love, of peaceful protest, and of the principles in the Declaration of Independence, and the United States Constitution. He stayed true to the words of the Lord, which are seen throughout now famous quotes.

“Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend.”

***

“I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of

former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit

together at the table of brotherhood.”

The above quote strikes a personal chord with me. Georgia was Dr. King’s home, and it was here in Georgia, particularly, that I’m certain he envisioned that one day we could all be unified, working together, toward common causes of liberty, justice and freedom for all. And not that just those things would exist, but it would become the norm across our great country. It is also my hope and dream that

we all can break bread together, without being bound by things like race, color or gender. And, that we can come together in unity for a better Georgia regardless of polarizing political views. It is a great fear of mine, that the younger generations will forget the lessons taught by Dr. King. The lessons of love, kindness, generosity and positive change that Dr. King lived by. Today I am thankful that

we have his remembrance to think on the things that he taught, lived and showed the world. It is by listening to his preserved speeches that we can hear his passion – his heart – and his words of how to treat our fellow man. And, it is in the same way we can hear his mission to have a better America by simply doing what our Declaration of Independence says, “We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness—That to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed…”

What I will be thinking of between now and Monday, is how I can do my part. How can I be part of his famous, “I Have a Dream” speech? I believe that what I can do is ensure that the Republican party exemplifies the same ideals of love, peace, unity and fulfillment of seeing that the consent of the governed is rightfully advocated for in Cobb County, remember Dr. King’s words:

“Oppressed people cannot remain oppressed forever. The yearning

for freedom eventually manifests itself.”

Let us all remember that it truly is not the color of one’s skin but the content of their character. Let us all move forward in unity and passion for our nation. Let us all pause and look in the mirror and ask of ourselves, “Am I doing all I can”? As Dr. King said, “Everybody can be great, because everybody can serve”. Are you serving?

Merry Christmas Eve, Eve!

Thu, 23 Dec 2021 15:49:06 GMT

Holiday Message from our Chairwoman

Merry Christmas Eve, Eve!

This Christmas, I am particularly thankful. We were blessed with a new addition to our family! A beautiful, healthy, baby boy. Unlike his grandmother, he arrived very early and we will be celebrating new traditions with new love this Christmas. We are thankful.

I am also particularly thankful this year for the gift we have in America, of freedom. Each day it seems that we get closer and closer to the loss of the liberty and freedom that our forefathers worked so hard to establish in America. It will take all of us, working together, every day, to keep America the land of the free, because of the brave. I ask at this time looking forward to the new year – the year of 2022 – to renew our sense of purpose in keeping freedom alive and making a conscious choice to celebrate freedom, to choose freedom and to spread freedom far and wide. Together we can AND MUST preserve the Constitutional Principles that have worked since 1776.

Let us not forget that Christmas is the reason we celebrate the gift of God – Jesus. As is written in Luke, Chapter 4, verse 18, “the Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised…” Never forget that our freedom comes from God – not from man. Certainly not from those who sit in Washington, DC, nor Atlanta, Georgia, nor the in the council chambers. If we want to truly be free and have liberty we need to remind the rulers of the day that that freedom comes from God Almighty. Celebrate that gift of liberty and freedom and never shy away from reminding everyone – that America is special. It’s different, and it’s a gift from God.

“We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

Thomas Jefferson

Unalienable rights. Not transferable to another or not capable of being taken away or denied; They cannot be transferred – because they don’t come from anywhere but God. So this Christmas, let us thank Him for the gifts that He gives, and for our forefathers who established our government that included un-a-lien-able rights for us.

Merry Christmas, and God Bless you all – and richly!

Lets Give Thanks - Together

Wed, 24 Nov 2021 15:50:40 GMT

Lets Give Thanks - Together

Every Thanksgiving, I reflect upon those things that I have to be thankful for in the past year, but also over a lifetime. Some seemingly simple things to be thankful for are electricity, running water, a roof over my head, a vehicle to drive, enough food for the family, and a job so that I can afford those things. If I have learned anything this past year it is the big lesson that all these things are all at stake in a Biden America.

I think about how the Pilgrims arrived in America with no shelter. No food. No warmth in a cold, New England November. Having arrived to the New World with debt on their backs from across the pond,

they gave it a go. That first winter was brutal. Many died from starvation, disease and exposure. The remainder, carried on with assistance from the Indians and America got a start. Hopefully, the full truth of Thanksgiving is told in schools now, but I highly doubt it. You see, the Pilgrims decided, (being small in number) that they should share everything. Socialism, while they didn’t call it that at the time, had its first experiment in America. With a limited number of people, they started without private property rights, and communal sharing of food that was grown. They quickly learned what we know, is that without the motivation to succeed for oneself, the wheels quickly come off.

This year, when I reflect on the Pilgrims and the settlement of Plymouth, I think about how in 1620 America got its start with a big lesson of how socialism and communism don’t work. Of course they didn’t call it that at the time, but it was what it was. Never in history has it been successful. Nonetheless we have a government in place now, that behaves and acts like it is the judge and jury of all things. From taking property from people, to false imprisonment to the heavy levy of taxes, education and dictates of life and health, “it” is taking over every aspect of our lives. This is contrary to everything the Pilgrims came to America to do. To live a free life – and free to worship free from government dictates.

Now here we are in 2021 faced with much of what the Pilgrims were faced with when they embarked on their journey. We have the choice to live in ignorance and allow the government to rule as they did under James I, or we have the choice to pursue freedom and liberty. I see so many who are willing to go with the status quo – and, I see so many who are willing to stand for the cause of liberty and freedom yet bicker among themselves while the storehouses dwindle (just look at the choice to use oil reserves) and become empty at the hand of an overreaching government. We must be united in our cause to see liberty and freedom prevail, or await the cold, dark, brutal winter that approaches. I choose, to work with lovers of freedom and liberty to pursue all the good in America. Freedom of worship, freedom of free enterprise, freedom to choose limited government.

I am thankful this year, that we still have a choice. Will we still have that choice in 2022, or 2023? Time will tell. But in the meantime, we cannot wait to find out. We have to make it happen. We the people

must give thanks by preserving those things for which we have to be thankful.

Happy Thanksgiving,

PRESS RELEASE: Cobb GOP Chair Calls on Democratic Counterpart to Denounce Vandalism

Tue, 27 Oct 2020 19:40:31 GMT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 27, 2020

CONTACT: Jason Shepherd

Chair@CobbGOP.org

Cobb GOP Chair Calls on Democratic Counterpart to Denounce Vandalism; Theft of Signs

Democrats Entering Private Property at Night to Destroy Signs for Trump; Other GOP Candidates

(MARIETTA, GA) – Cobb County Republican Party Chairman Jason Shepherd calls on Cobb Democratic Party Chair Jacquelyn Bettadapur to denounce the destruction, vandalism, and theft of signs on private property and to actively discourage Cobb Democrats from engaging in vandalism and theft of signs, especially Donald Trump signs.

“The issue isn’t limited to yard signs, which have been disappearing out of people’s yards at an alarming rate,” said Cobb GOP Chairman Jason Shepherd. “We are having to replace or repair our large Trump signs daily as Democrats are entering private property to slash, vandalize, and even steal the signs, most of which are 8x4 feet!”

The vandalism and theft started almost immediately as the Cobb GOP started distributing Trump/Pence signs back in July. As people started returning to Cobb County Republican Headquarters asking for replacement signs, the Cobb GOP decided to print signs notifying would-be vandals and thieves, “You May Steal Our Signs, But You Cannot Steal Our Vote!”

When the larger Trump/Pence signs arrived, the problem got even worse, starting with the very first 8x4 Trump/Pence sign being cut in half just hours after it was put up on the property owned by an Asian-American Trump supporter in Mableton. Within the last couple of days, Trump signs have also been either defaced, destroyed, or stolen on private property across Cobb, including at the home of Mrs. Gwen Tritt, the mother of County Music Star Travis Tritt, who is in her 90's. Vandals have even brought ladders onto private property in order to deface and destroy signs that were placed higher to be out of reach.

“If you needed any other evidence that putting our county in the hands of Democrats will bring the same kind of lawlessness we have seen in other Democratic run cities this past spring and summer, you only have too look at the utter disregard they have for both freedom of speech and private property, going so far as to frighten and silence a 90 year old woman” said Shepherd. “The Cobb Democratic Party, if it truly believes in law and order and free speech, will do everything it can to put an end to it.”

However, many homeowners are putting their signs in places where security cameras can pick up the thieves and are ready to prosecute if they can be identified.

“These Democrat ‘sign ninjas’ operate in the dark of night, but we are getting eyes on them and are ready to prosecute when they are caught,” added Shepherd. “This happens in every election, but I have never in more than 26 years of campaigning seen it to this level and extent.”

In addition to silencing the free speech of their fellow citizens, vandalizing and destroying candidate signs can carry with them a number of criminal penalties, including charges related to entering private property in order to vandalize, destroy, or steal a sign. These can include charges like theft, destruction of private property, and criminal trespass, each of which can carry jail time, fines, and probation.

However, in addition to the criminality of the action, Shepherd looks at it as a desperation by Cobb County Democrats.

“Winners don’t care what the other side says. Winners just win,” said Shepherd. “By working this hard in the dark of night trying to silence people shows the Democrats’ message is not a winning message and ours is winning BIGLY.”

###

Trump sign in Mableton on private property cut in half hours after being put up.

Trump sign defaced on private property in East Cobb.

A Trump-Pence sign with a Cobb GOP "You may steal our signs" sign.

PRESS RELEASE: Cobb GOP Files Ethics Complaints Against Dem Sheriff Candidates Owens, Herndon

Mon, 19 Oct 2020 16:06:41 GMT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Jason Shepherd

October 19, 2020 Chair@CobbGOP.org

Cobb GOP Files Ethics Complaints Against Democratic Sheriff Candidates Craig Owens and Jimmy Herndon

Complaints Outline Numerous Violations of the Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Act

(Marietta, GA) – The Cobb County Republican Party filed ethics complaints today with the Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission against Democratic Sheriff candidates Craig Owens and James “Jimmy” Herndon, alleging multiple violations of Georgia’s Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Act (“Campaign Finance Act”).

The complaint against Owens, the Democratic nominee for Sheriff, highlights numerous violations of the Campaign Finance Act, including failing to disclose thousands of dollars in campaign donations and/or expenditures, failing to file a Personal Financial Disclosure Report as required by law, as well as late filings of his Campaign Finance Reports. The complaint against Herndon, who filed challenges to incumbent Sheriff Neil Warren and his other Democratic opponents to get them thrown off the ballot on technicalities, but lost the Democratic Primary on June 9, highlights his failure to file any Campaign Finance Reports after his April 30 report.

“Craig Owens is asking Cobb voters to elect him to a position to run a 3,500 bed jail in a one million square foot facility with a $95 million annual budget, but he cannot even file a simple campaign finance report correctly,” said Cobb County Republican Party Chairman Jason Shepherd. “How can Cobb County voters entrust him to handle the job of Sheriff when he cannot follow basic campaign finance laws?”

Despite running on a campaign slogan of “Truth, Trust, and Transparency,” Owens’s campaign finance reports show his campaign is anything but transparent. Absent from Owens’s disclosures is the representation of his campaign by Marietta attorney Cindy Yeagar of the Yeagar Law Firm, which represented the Owens campaign in an appeal to the Cobb County Superior Court from the unanimous decision by the Cobb County Board of Elections to remove Owens from the ballot after fellow Democrat James Herndon alleged Owens did not correctly qualify for the Office of Sheriff. The Owens campaign challenged the Board’s decision, and the Cobb County Superior Court reversed the decision of the Board.

The Owens campaign hired three law firms, including the Yeagar Firm, which also appears on Owens’s Campaign Finance Report as providing free office space for the Owens campaign, but Owens’s original April 30, 2020 Campaign Finance Report makes no mention of his legal representation by Yeagar or either of the other two firms that represented him. Four months later, on September 1, Owens filed an amended April Report showing payments of $3,000 and $5,000 to the other two firms, but still nothing regarding the Yeagar Firm, which is listed in Court documents as having filed and participated in the appeal.

“Whether it is an oversight or an intentional omission to hide his legal representation from the voters remains to be seen,” said Shepherd. “However, it is hard to be truthful, trustworthy, and transparent while withholding whether the Yeagar Firm represented the campaign as an in-kind contribution or if he had to pay the law firm like he did the others, or a combination of both.”

However, that is not the only area where the Owens campaign has failed to be transparent. Each candidate for public office is required by law to file a Personal Financial Disclosure Report detailing the candidate’s personal finances and whether the candidate might have a financial conflict of interest the voters need to know about. The Campaign Finance Act requires the Personal Financial Disclosure Report be filed within 15 days of qualifying for the office, which happened back in March. To date, Owens has not filed a Personal Financial Disclosure Report.

“It’s ironic that Craig Owens’s party has been demanding that President Donald Trump disclose his tax returns, which is not required by law, but are silent about Craig Owens failing to file his Personal Financial Disclosure Report, which is required by law, said Shepherd. “Just more Democratic hypocrisy.”

This is not the first time that Craig Owens has come under fire for lack of honesty and transparency. It was a failure to file a required affidavit during qualifying that lead the Cobb County Board of Elections, including the Democratic members of the Board, to unanimously vote to disqualify Owens, but he has also received flak for misusing his military uniform on his campaign pieces, a likely violation of Department of Defense rules and regulations.

According to Department of Defense Directive 1344.10, members of the Armed Forces, including retired members, may NOT, in campaign literature (including Web sites, videos, television, and conventional print advertisements) use or allow the use of photographs, drawings, and other similar media formats of themselves in uniform as the primary graphic representation in any campaign media, such as a billboard, brochure, flyer, Web site, or television commercial. For the purposes of this policy, “photographs” include video images, drawings, and all other similar formats of representational media.

Throughout his campaign, Owens has used photos of himself in uniform as the primary graphic of himself on his partisan campaign mail, his campaign website, and campaign Facebook page.

“Owens owes our men and women in uniform an apology for his misuse of the uniform,” said Shepherd. “It is clear that he either is choosing to ignore the laws regarding his campaign finances and use of his uniform, or is ignorant of the laws, which any good cop will tell you, is no defense.”

###

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE COMPLAINT AGAINST OWENS: Page 1, Page 2

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD COMPLAINT AGAINST HERNDON: Page 1

CLICK HERE FOR DoD Directive (see page 6)

CLICK HERE FOR EXAMPLE OF OWENS USING HIS UNIFORM FOR PARTISAN CAMPAIGN PURPOSES

Chairman's Corner: About those Constitutional Amendments

Mon, 12 Oct 2020 11:20:54 GMT

ABOUT THOSE CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS:

I know Democrat House candidate Caroline Holko was hoping I would focus on her this newsletter, but today is the first day of Early Voting and I wanted to focus this column on something more important, the Amendments and referendums on the ballot this year. I have received numerous questions on the Constitutional Amendments that are on the ballot this year. Here is an explanation for what each would do:

Georgia Amendment 1:

Authorizes dedication of fees and taxes to their intended purposes by general state law

House Resolution 164
Act No. 597

"Shall the Constitution of Georgia be amended so as to authorize the General Assembly to dedicate revenues derived from fees or taxes to the public purpose for which such fees or taxes were intended?"

Sometimes when the Georgia General Assembly creates a new tax or fee, they will dedicate all or part of that tax or fee to a dedicated purpose, like a portion of the tobacco tax going to fund programs to prevent youth tobacco use. There is a small problem, the Georgia Constitution does not require that fee or tax to actually go to that purpose. Instead, the funds go into the general fund and can be budgeted for any purpose.

If passed, the state's constitution would be changed to limit funds that are dedicated to those statute-specific projects.

In addition, the agency responsible for those funds would have to provide an annual report on the funds involved.

The tax or fee which generates those funds would also have to expire within ten years but could be renewed if the General Assembly wants to renew it.

Once the dedicated fee or tax is passed and enacted, the legislature would not be permitted to re-allocate revenues from those funds to the state's general fund unless the governor suspends the fund to which they are dedicated for, which could happen in the case of a budget shortfall due to an economic downturn or other financial emergency.

The Amendment defines a financial emergency as when total state revenue in the most recent fiscal year is 3% or more below revenue estimates or when the state has three consecutive months of declining revenues.

Georgia Amendment 2:

Waives state and local sovereign immunity for violation of state laws, state and federal constitutions.

House Resolution 1023
Act No. 596

"Shall the Constitution of Georgia be amended to waive sovereign immunity and allow the people of Georgia to petition the superior court for relief from governmental acts done outside the scope of lawful authority or which violate the laws of this state, the Constitution of Georgia, or the Constitution of the United States?"

The best explanation comes from Rep. Andy Welch, the amendment’s author, who posted his reasoning behind the amendment on Facebook:

“So, what is sovereign immunity? It is an age-old legal doctrine that says the King can do no wrong and thus cannot be sued unless the King consents. Our Georgia Supreme Court has correctly said that our State Constitution includes the protection of sovereign immunity. As a result, citizens cannot petition Georgia courts to declare a governmental action unlawful and issue an injunction to stop the government from continuing the unlawful action. But what does that mean?

Let’s say that the State passes a statute that says Georgians may have only one political sign in their yards, or a local building director refuses to issue building permits for any new churches in your area; or a state or local official begins issuing land disturbance permits in environmentally protected areas, or a local government passes an ordinance that prohibits the licensed carry of firearms. Without the amendment, you may not sue the State of Georgia or your local government in Georgia courts to stop such action. (The only way you could get justice is to sue in Federal Court or sue the elected officials or the public employees personally which may be very difficult, costly and prolonged.)

If you think the doors of Georgia Courts should be open to allow her citizens to sue and protect their statutory and constitutional rights against government intrusion, then you should vote for this amendment. If you think our state judiciary should serve as a check on legislative and executive actions of the State and local governments, then you should vote for this amendment.

While the amendment allows Georgians to sue to STOP unlawful governmental action, it does NOT grant monetary judgments, court costs, or attorneys’ fees. This amendment will allow suits to be filed against the government itself as opposed to suing individual members serving or working for these governments. (It is already hard enough to get good people to serve in public office or public employment; they shouldn’t have to worry about being sued personally.) The amendment will apply to actions taking place on or after Jan. 1, 2021.”

- State Rep. Andy Welch, Amendment Author

Georgia Referendum A:

Establishes a tax exemption for certain real property owned by charities.

House Bill 344
Act No. 149

"Shall the Act be approved which provides an exemption from ad valorem taxes for all real property owned by a purely public charity, if such charity is exempt from taxation under Section 501(c)(3) of the federal Internal Revenue Code and such real property is held exclusively for the purpose of building or repairing single-family homes to be financed by such charity to individuals using loans that shall not bear interest?"

This referendum will provide an exemption from property taxes for property owned by a public charity that is already exempt from federal taxes under Section 501(c)(3) -- such as Habitat for Humanity -- if the property in question is owned specifically for the purpose of building or rehabilitating single-family homes.

Currently, charities like Habitat have to pay property taxes even before transferring the home to the new homeowner. The Amendment would exempt charities like Habitat and the collection of property taxes would only begin when the home is transferred to the new owner.

In addition, the charity would have to provide interest-free financing to those purchasing the home.

Cobb's 2022 SPLOST Renewal

Also on the ballot in Cobb County is the renewal of the current Special Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST). The current penny tax is set to expire in 2022 and voters are being asked to renew it until 2028.

The list of projects the SPLOST is dedicated for can be found on the County Government's website.

If this passes, we will not see a change in our current 6% sales tax, but if it fails, we will see our sales tax decrease by $0.01 to 5%. Likely, the Cobb County Commission will seek other ways, like increasing property taxes, to make-up for the funds that had come in via the sales tax.

Chairman's Corner - It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World

Mon, 21 Sep 2020 13:06:38 GMT

Undoubtedly, if there was any year worthy of stealing the title to Stanley Kramer’s 1963 classic comedy It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, it would be 2020. The passing last week of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg (a.k.a. “The Notorious RBG”) has dropped a bomb on the political landscape less than 50 days before the election. The Democrats who were demanding a vote on Merrick Garland in 2016 are now demanding no nominations or confirmation until after the election.

While he may be splitting hairs, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell had vowed to move forward with a confirmation before the vote, justifying his change on the issue of “nominations in an election year” on the fact that the government was divided then, but not divided now.

In 2016, McConnell couched the primary reason for waiting until after the election in 2016 was the fact there was divided government in 2016, with the White House controlled by the Democrats and the Senate by Republicans. By waiting until after the election, as the editors of National Review point out in an op-ed, “the voters should be asked to break the deadlock between two branches they elected.”

That is not the case in 2020. In the last Presidential election (2016) and the last three Senate elections (2014, 2016, and 2018), the voters have chosen to back Republicans.

But the argument is not really about which party controls what and when. It is about the Senate’s role to “advise and consent.”

Yes, the President nominates, which Barack Obama did in 2016 and Donald Trump will do in 2020, but it is up to the Senate to “advise and consent,” not just “rubber stamp” the President’s wishes. The President’s right to nominate is absolute, but so is the Senate’s right to vote or not vote on that nomination.

Democrats are convulsing about the possibility that between now and January 20, even if Biden wins on Nov. 3 (or 4, or 5, or 6, or Thanksgiving), Donald Trump will be able to cement a conservative majority on the Court for a generation.

They are mad about the lack of Republican respect for RBG’s “dying wish” that Donald Trump not appoint her replacement.

However, Ginsburg herself said in a 2016 interview with the New York Times regarding Merrick Garland’s confirmation, “There's nothing in the Constitution that says the president stops being the president in his last year.”

To put it another way, as a friend of mine on Facebook quipped, “I have reviewed my copy of the Constitution and I cannot locate the ‘dying wish’ clause.”

The fever-pitched, over-the-top (dare I say “mad”) reaction of the left has brought up the “I” word again, with Speaker Nancy Pelosi agreeing with George Stephanopoulos on ABC News that the House could move to impeach President Trump or AG Barr as a “stall tactic.”

The absolute arrogance of the Democrats and disrespect for the Constitution and rule of law is maddening! Impeachment is only for “high crimes and misdemeanors,” not a trigger to be used as a “stall tactic” to stop the President and Senate from exercising their Constitutional obligations.

Yes, a bit of politics was played with Merrick Garland, however, the so-called “Biden Rule” about Supreme Court appointments in a Presidential Election year is politics as well. It was well and good for Mitch McConnell to use the short-sighted pontification of the then Vice-President against him when Biden, as a Senator in a Democratic Majority Senate was looking down Pennsylvania Avenue at a Republican President George H. W. Bush, and was chomping at the bit for the first Democratic controlled government in 12 years.

It was the Democrat’s rule, and we used it against them. That is how politics is played. Or as my mother often said, “Be careful what you wish for.”

That is why elections matter.

For now, the President and Senate should move forward with a nomination. That was Ruth Bader Gingburg’s and Joe Biden’s wish in 2016 (be careful what you wish for). The people have spoken, and they have put the Republicans in control of the White House and Senate. If they wanted divided government, that opportunity came and went in 2018.

If the voters are upset with the President and Senate’s decision, they can elect Joe Biden and a Democratic majority in both chambers in 2020 and the Democrats can move forward with their promise to increase the Supreme Court by four to six seats, allowing ~~Kamala Harris~~ Joe Biden and Chuck Schumer to pack the court and create a 9 to 6 liberal majority…assuming no conservatives leave the Court in the next four years, giving the Democrats a chance to appoint two or three more liberals to the Court.

It’s a mad, mad, mad mad world, and in the next 45 days, it is going to get a lot madder.

Yours in Freedom,

Jason Shepherd

Chairman, Cobb County Republican Party

Cobb GOP Chair Calls on Caroline Holko to Immediately Withdraw from State House Race After Racist Remarks Surface

Fri, 18 Sep 2020 02:28:11 GMT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Jason Shepherd

September 17, 2020 Chair@CobbGOP.org

Cobb GOP Chair Calls on Caroline Holko to Immediately Withdraw from State House Race After Racist Remarks Surface

Demands Cobb Democrats Join the GOP in Condemning Candidate's Racist Remarks

MARIETTA, GA – Cobb County Republican Party Chairman Jason Shepherd is calling on Democratic State House candidate Caroline Holko to immediately end her campaign for State House and withdraw from the ballot after the Atlanta Journal Constitution brought to light racist slurs posted by Holko on a blog in 2009.

According to the AJC, Holko, who is challenging Marietta Republican State Representative John Carson for the District 46 seat, wrote, “I do not agree that (n-word) should be banned from collective speech — I don’t hold with censorship of ANY kind, and if that means I have to occasionally listen to some (expletive) use mean words, so be it.”

“There is no question that she must immediately end her campaign for state house and withdraw from the ballot,” said Cobb GOP Chair Jason Shepherd. “There is no place in a community as diverse as Cobb County for an elected official who denigrates anyone based on their race.”

Holko has told the media she no longer holds those views and has “evolved,” however, Shepherd questions why at 35, she was still publicly saying things online like, “but the fact still remains that I have never been mugged by a white person.”

“Holko hasn’t ‘evolved,’” said Shepherd, “She just got caught. She is trying to spin this to save her political career, and it is not working.”

As the story has now gained national attention on FoxNews.com, Shepherd is also questioning why Cobb County’s other Democrats remain so silent.

In 2019, the Cobb County Democratic Party remained silently supportive of Erica Thomas when she told a Cuban immigrant to ‘go back to where he came from’ after falsely accusing him of accosting her, now Shepherd believes it is past time for Cobb Democratic Chair Jacquelyn Bettadapur, and elected officials like Lucy McBath, David Wilkerson, and the rest of the Cobb Democratic leadership need to finally stand up and stop being silent about the blatant bigotry that seems to run amuck in the Cobb County Democratic Party.

However, State Rep. Erick Allen (D-Smyrna) is openly supporting Holko telling the AJC, “what was said in 2009 is disturbing, I’ve worked with Caroline the last couple of years in the Cobb Democratic Party and I know that is not reflective of the person who she is today.”

Shepherd sees Allen’s comments as just another indication of Democratic hypocrisy. “Just like with Joe Biden’s often racist remarks and long voting record, Cobb’s Democrats are just planning to excuse Holko, like they did Erica Thomas, and sweep her bigotry under the rug if it will help them win,” said Shepherd. “Thankfully, Cobb County voters know better.”

###

Chairman's Corner - The Stakes in 2020

Thu, 17 Sep 2020 02:23:20 GMT

The stakes in the 2020 Election for Cobb County have never been higher. While we tend to focus nationally, with the Presidential race capturing most of the attention of the press and electorate, this year, we must not neglect our local races.

Our entire county government it at stake on Nov. 3. In 2018, Democrats captured the majority of the vote countywide, with Stacey Abrams receiving 30,000 more votes than Brian Kemp in Cobb County. With most of our countywide Republican officials on the ballot, 2020 is a “make-it, or break-it point” for the GOP.

For decades, we have enjoyed good, conservative, Republican governance in Cobb. It has allowed our schools to become some of the best in not just our state, but our nation. It has kept our taxes the lowest in the metro area and has provided safety and public service for our residents.

That all can change Nov. 3.

As I told the Marietta Daily Journal, if Chairman Mike Boyce and Republican Fitz Johnson are defeated, then the Democrats control the Cobb County Board of Commissioners and they control the law enforcement in Cobb County. If they take the sheriff’s (office), they have the whole thing.

We have seen where the Democratic Party has gone when it comes to law enforcement, preferring to champion criminals over cops, chaos over safety, and seem to want to define lawlessness as a Constitutionally protected right.

Cobb Democrats want to try to say they are different, and in his response to my warnings, Democratic David Wilkerson (D-Powder Springs), Chair of the Cobb Legislative Delegation had only one way to respond…in typical Democratic fashion, he lied.

“You will not hear anybody in our delegation talk about defunding the police. That is typical Trumpism where they’re going to try to scare people into voting for them when they’ve done such a poor job. We have been nothing but supportive of law enforcement,” Wilkerson claimed.

While Cobb’s Democrats in the House may have enough disciple not to use the magic words “defund the police,” their actions speak louder than their words when everyone one of them voted against giving law enforcement in Georgia more tools to go after human traffickers when they voted against SB 394.

Then Wilkerson makes his most bizarre and false claim in the way of a personal attack, “They can’t forget, just a couple of months ago Jason Shepherd was doing the best he could to get rid of Mike Boyce because Mike Boyce was raising taxes. They raised taxes and continue to raise taxes.”

That claim is so ridiculous and odd that how can Wilkerson be trusted with ANYTHING he told the MDJ.

It is clear what the Democrat’s end game is, take control of the county commission, take control of the school board, keep control of the legislative delegation so they can gerrymander the GOP out of existence in Cobb for the next decade and beyond.

Friends, in Cobb County, this IS the MOST IMPORTANT ELECTION EVER!

Yours in Freedom,

Jason Shepherd

Chairman, Cobb County Republican Party

Chairman's Corner - I heard it from a friend who...

Wed, 09 Sep 2020 02:25:24 GMT

In the legal profession, we call this “hearsay” evidence, and it’s not admissible.

In music, we say, “I heard it from a friend who, heard it from a friend who, heard it from another you’ve been messing around...”

In journalism, the standard is, “if it makes Trump look bad...PRINT IT!”

Of course I'm talking about the recent article in The Atlantic claiming President Trump disparaged the military dead during a 2018 visit to the American Cemetery in Verdun to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the end of WWI.

The article sent shockwaves as several anonymous sources claimed that the President called those who died in the war "suckers" and "losers."

Democrats and "NeverTrump" Republicans were quick to jump on the bandwagon, citing Trump's statements in 2016 regarding John McCain, a former Vietnam POW, "I like people who weren't captured" as proof he would have made those remarks.

Of course, the reason for Trump's snarky retort in 2016 was McCain's constant attacks on Trump and was aimed at the fact that McCain constantly used his wartime record and status as a POW as a shield to deflect criticism for his loathsome and divisive actions throughout his political career, and not a statement about POWs in general. But back to The Atlantic article.

While the anonymous sources also spoke to FoxNews, which validated the sources as being those inside the Administration, FoxNews also delve into John Bolton's highly critical new book about his tenure in the Trump White House, The Room Where it Happened, which covered the trip highlighted in The Atlantic article and painted a very different picture of events:

Bolton even went on FoxNews to go on record that the statements made in The Atlantic article were "simply false."

Since then, there have been renewed calls for the sources to "come forward."

While there should be protections for whistleblowers, there is no way for the American people to judge the credibility of the sources or determine if there is not a certain conflict of interest. Maybe they were fired and are making this up for revenge?

Also, why is a two year old story coming to light now?

When this "bombshell" finally fizzles out, we can expect the media to concoct something else to dump on Trump before November 3. At this point, however, the media's credibility is shot and the only voters who will be influenced are the ones who are already willing to believe anything they hear from a friend who, heard it from a friend who, heard it from another that Trump has been messing around.

Yours in Freedom,

Jason Shepherd

Chairman, Cobb County Republican Party

Chairman's Corner - Erica Thomas and other fiery, but most peaceful, ethics woes

Tue, 01 Sep 2020 02:27:05 GMT

A few weeks ago I touched on State Representative Erica Thomas's ethics woes. After filing a complaint against her in August 2019, a preliminary hearing was finally heard on the complaint earlier this month.

Rep. Thomas, who also serves as the Vice-Chair of the House Democratic Caucus, a position her fellow Democrats in the House, like Mary Frances Williams, Michael Smith, Erick Allen, and others elected her to, despite her long history of ethical lapses and controversies, failed too respond to the charges in the complaint and did not show or send a representative to the hearing showing her utter contempt for the legal process, despite the fact she wants to make laws that others must live under and abide by.

The silence from the Democrats is deafening! So is the media's lack of scrutiny of a high ranking member of the Democratic leadership. Trust me that if Thomas was a Republican, the issue would be front page news across Georgia.

Every Democratic incumbent and candidate should be forced to go on record as to whether they will vote to re-elect Erica Thomas the Vice-Chair of their caucus. Of course, Minority Leader Bob Trammel, who would be the next Speaker of the House if the Democrats took control in November, could always ask for her resignation.

Of course, we haven't heard a peep out of him.

It is typical Democratic hypocrisy...they want us to live under rules they have no intention of following themselves and then blame Republicans, calling us "deplorable" for wanting to enforce and uphold the laws they pass.

As for Erica Thomas, the matter has been referred to the Georgia Attorney General's Office for further prosecution.

Lawlessness has become the theme and campaign rallying point for the Democrats in the 2020 election. We see this in the burning cities run by them while their accomplices in the media blame Donald Trump when he does something, then blames him when he respects the wishes of the Democratic Mayors and Governors to let them (not) handle it as not doing enough.

A CNN reporter even called the recent riots in Wisconsin "mostly peaceful" as he stood in front of burning buildings.

Only a Democrat in 2020 would call acts of arson "a mostly peaceful protest".

"Baghdad Bob", Saddam's propaganda minister who claimed there were no U.S. troops in Iraq as the tanks rolled by in the background wasn't as brazen as the modern U.S. media is in denying and covering up the truth.

In South Cobb, fliers distributed this week re-enforce the anti-law-and-order, anti-Public Safety message of the progressives running the Democratic Party today:

Mijente, which means "My People", is the group behind the fliers which say "Trump Out" all over them.

But their message is one demanding an end to bail and pre-trial detention. What is to stop someone from simply not showing up for trial, or having the opportunity to threaten, beat, or kill the witnesses who would be testifying against them? The left claims to be for victims, but, as we see with Joe Biden's frequent inappropriate touching, they will look the other way when it comes to one them, while they will decry and condemn a conservative, like Brett Kavanaugh, on nothing more than a rumor or unsubstantiated accusation.

Once again, where is the condemnation of Erica Thomas in the face of a mountain of evidence?

In Georgia, Democrats used to be different. As Democratic Governor and Senator Zell Miller used to say, he didn't leave the Party, it left him.

Now Georgia Democrats model their national counterparts on the radical left. In the waning days of the 2020 legislative session, every Democrat, including every Democrat in Cobb, voted against SB 394, a bill that gave the Attorney General's Office more authority to combat human trafficking, elder exploitation, and Medicaid fraud.

In today's Democratic Party, allowing law enforcement to have more tools to go after people who buy and sell children just doesn't play to their base.

Over 100 years ago, Mark Twain quipped, "I suppose all Democrats are on sociable terms with the devil."

He may have never been so right then as he would have been in 2020!

Yours in Freedom,

Jason Shepherd

Chairman, Cobb County Republican Party

In Memory of Marian E. "Bette" Tempest

Sun, 30 Aug 2020 02:29:27 GMT

In Memory...

Marian E. "Bette" Tempest

October 18, 1930 - August 29, 2020

The Cobb County Republican Party is saddened to announce the passing of one of most dedicated and honored volunteers, Marian "Bette" Tempest, after her long battle with cancer.

Bette was a veteran of the United States Coast Guard and spent 15 years with the American Cancer Society in Miami, Florida before moving to Georgia where she finished her career at the Cobb County CDBG Program Office.

Bette earned her Bachelor of Science (BS) and Masters of Science (MS) from Barry University in Miami, FL.

After retirement, Bette spent most of her time helping Republicans get elected, serving in numerous officer roles in the Cobb County Republican Women's Club and as Office Manager for the Cobb County Republican Party.

Bette's numerous awards and recognitions are a testimony to her dedication and commitment and her passing will leave a tremendous hole in the hearts of all Cobb GOP members who knew her and worked with her.

"Bette's dedication to the party was unquestionable," said Jason Shepherd, Chairman of the Cobb County Republican Party. "She was always the first to volunteer and the first to lead. She was a large part of the success of our headquarters as well as a mentor and trusted advisor to all of us."

We also pay special recognition to former Cobb VC of Membership Debra Williams and current VC of Membership Pamela Alayon. With no family to help her, these two amazing women spent the time to be with Bette, take her to her appointments, and stayed long hours with her, especially Debra Williams who was with her at the end. Please keep these amazing women in your thoughts and prayers as well.

Chairman's Corner - New appointments, new candidate for clerk

Tue, 25 Aug 2020 02:33:28 GMT

This past week Cobb County Republican Party appointee to the Cobb County Board of Elections and Co-General Counsel Neera Bahl accepted a judicial appointment from Governor Brian Kemp and was sworn in last week, requiring her to submit her resignation from both positions.

I personally want to publicly thank Neera for her hard work, dedication, and service to the Cobb County Republican Party and know Georgia is getting a fantastic judge!

However, with the election being so close, now is not the time to place a novice in the position, so I have asked Patrick Gartland to once again serve as our representative on the Board of Elections, an obligation he willing accepted.

A Vietnam War veteran, Pat Gartland previously served on the Cobb County Board of Elections a decade ago. The former Chairman and Executive Director of the Georgia Christian Coalition, Gartland serves as Honorary Chaplain of the Cobb County Republican Party. In 2000, Campaign and Elections Magazine named him one of their "Rising Stars of Politics," an honor the magazine also gave to Ralph Reed, Laura Ingraham, and others.

Additionally, we recently lost another Cobb Republican elected official when Governor Kemp nominated and the legislature confirmed Cobb Clerk of the State Court Angie Davis to serve as the Clerk of the new State Business Court.

Angie Davis and her Chief Deputy, Robin Bishop, were unopposed in both the Republican Primary and the General Election, so Davis's resignation required the Cobb County Republican Party to open up qualifying again for a Special Republican Primary to be held on the same day as the General Election, Tuesday, November 3.

Robin Bishop, who as Chief Deputy was sworn in as the Clerk upon Davis's resignation, was the only candidate to qualify for the open position, which means she will begin her own four year term in January with her new Chief Deputy Rochelle Taylor.

Congratulations to all of our great Cobb County Republicans who show that Cobb County continues to lead the way in the State of Georgia.

Here in Cobb, we will continue to raise fantastic, conservative leaders that Governor Kemp, and any future Republican governors, would be proud to place in key positions of state leadership.

Yours in Freedom,

Jason Shepherd

Chairman, Cobb County Republican Party

Chairman's Corner - Cobb Democrats still refuse to condemn Erica Thomas

Tue, 18 Aug 2020 02:34:45 GMT

About a week and a half ago, I virtually attended a preliminary hearing held by the Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission regarding an ethics complaint I had filed last year against State Representative Erica Thomas, Vice-Chair of the House Democratic Caucus, outlining numerous abuses and violations of the Ethics in Government Act.

We all remember what happened last June when Rep. Thomas falsely claimed she had been a victim of racial animosity at a Publix supermarket in her district. The incident gained national attention as an example of the type of hostile environment towards minorities President Trump was supposedly creating in America and the left was all too eager to buy into Thomas’s hate hoax. Thomas, for her part, wasted no time getting out the fundraising emails begging for money to continue her fight against the obviously racist, anti-immigrant, Trump supporter who not only “made her fear for her life,” but also told her to “go back to where she came from.”

A couple of days (and press conferences) later, the man who spoke up to her because she had too many items in the express checkout line came forward. Instead of the towering ogre Thomas had described, the man was shorter than her, an immigrant from Cuba, and a Democrat. Video showed it was Thomas who actually told the Cuban-American to “go back to where you came from.”

Whoops.

However, I had wondered what kind of campaign bump the incident had given Thomas, so, once her June 30 disclosure was filed, I pulled it up on the Commission’s webpage.

Shockingly, according to her campaign finance disclosure, she had raised NOTHING. And when I say nothing, she reported she had not raised any funds at all during the reporting period. What is more, she showed no expenses and had no money in her campaign account.

Digging deeper, I found fundraisers she had with the invitations posted on her Facebook page, including a joint fundraiser with House Minority Whip William Boddie on January 10, 2019, just before the start of the 2019 Legislative Session where Thomas asked donors to contribute up to $2,600 to host and at least $101 to attend, but nothing was reported. Trying to go back to other disclosures, I found a number of them had not even been filed where she skipped reporting periods completely!

Nearly a year after filing the complaint, an investigation by the Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission detailed how Thomas allegedly has repeatedly failed to file campaign disclosure reports, repeatedly failed to detail her contributions and expenditures by failing to report a single dollar in contributions or expenditures on reports she has filed, and repeatedly failed to file personal financial disclosure statements.

This is even though, as the Commission's staff attorney shows in her report below, the filed campaign disclosures of other PACs and elected officials show Thomas has received at least $16,300.

In showing her contempt for the the Commission, Erica Thomas did not respond to the allegations, did not show up for the hearing, nor did she send a representative. The Commissioners voted to continue with the investigation after the preliminary hearing.

This is public corruption by a high-ranking member of the leadership of the Georgia House of Representatives and shame on Georgia’s and Cobb County’s Democrats for remaining silent in support.

Shameful.

Thomas is being challenged in the November Election by businessman, West Point graduate, and retired US Army Colonel Jim Hickey. Voters will have a real choice between a leader with the highest integrity in Col. Hickey or continue to be represented by someone who hides who is financing their campaign and what those campaign dollars are being spent on.

Just like her #HateHoax in June 2019, Erica Thomas is being blatantly dishonest and is deceiving her constituents and the people of Georgia.

It is hard to tell if her violations rise to the level of criminal activity, or if she is using campaign funds to support herself personally, but a full investigation may show just that.

It is time Erica Thomas stop her deceptions and left public office. Clearly, she belongs in no position of trust and it is time the Democrats, who always seem to find excuses and turn a blind eye to their own corruption, stood up against Thomas too. But the continued silence of the House Democratic Caucus screams their support for Thomas.

Not a single Cobb County Democrat has condemned Thomas's repeated and continuing pattern of deception after deception, but continue to support her as a leader of their Party.

Think about that for a minute when people say we need to put the Democrats in charge of our county, state, and nation.

Of course, this is the same Democratic Party, as I pointed out last week, that openly fantasized about Cobb Republicans dying of COVID-19, so we probably shouldn't hold our breath waiting for them to speak out.

Yours in Freedom,

Jason Shepherd

Chairman, Cobb County Republican Party

Chairman's Corner - Cobb Democrats' death-wish fantasy

Tue, 11 Aug 2020 02:48:40 GMT

A little more than a week ago, the Cobb County Republican Party held its first in-person breakfast since March hosting Congressman Doug Collins. The breakfast was much different than the previous breakfasts as the pandemic required us to take several precautions:

We limited the breakfast to only those who pre-purchased tickets.
We set the number of tickets at 60, less than half the number of attendees we normally have at the breakfast.
We set registration up outside the building and took temperatures at the door.
Everyone was instructed to wear a mask unless they were eating or drinking or were at least social-distanced 6 feet away.
All servers wore masks and gloves.
Table seating was cut from eight to five seats per table.
Hand sanitizer sponsored by Karen Handel was placed at each table.

These instructions were also restated by me from the podium when the breakfast was graveled to order.

To allow others to participate remotely, we also live-streamed the breakfast over our Facebook page. As of today, that video broadcast has reached nearly 3,000 people.

Shortly after the breakfast concluded, the Chair of the Cobb County Democratic Party posted on her Facebook wall:

While her initial juvenile comment was snarky and easily dismissed, the unhinged responses that unfolded in the comments afterward show the gross levels of depravity that exist among the Democratic activists and leadership as the comments turned towards openly fantasizing about the deaths of Karen Handel and members of the Cobb GOP from COVID-19.

In her unwinding death-wish fantasy, the Cobb Democratic Chair noted that it was “Darwin’s Theory in action. You know, science.”

Shanita Wilkerson Bryant, a Democratic candidate for Peach County Commissioner joined in the hate-fest wishing, “Natural selection is going to have a field day…”

It didn’t stop there as the Cobb Democratic Party doubled down, taking to their official Facebook page to post: “Two days after Herman Cain passes away from COVID, the Cobb GOP hosts a super-spreader event. They do not care. Vote Democrat, November 3 up and down the ballot. Your very life depends on it.”

As the Democratic Party, both in Cobb and across the nation, continues to stand behind the mob protests, whether supporting the radical and Marxist Black Lives Matter organization, the “Defund the Police” movement, CHAZ, and any number of protests, street occupations, or riots where social-distancing and COVID are deemed much less of a concern that the cause being fought, they jump on any opportunity to condemn and indict any gathering of regular Americans.

Even the Cobb Democrats have posted photos proudly showing fists raised as individuals stand shoulder-to-shoulder, and without masks, against the perceived “injustices” of the day.

But this left-winged hypocrisy has not gone unnoticed. Writing on Politico.com, Tina Nguyen noted in her article, “Conservatives charge liberals with social-distancing hypocrisy,” that conservatives have observed the do-as-I-say-and-not-as-I-do attitude of the left.

Quoting Stephen L. Miller, a conservative media critic and contributor to The Spectator, Nguyen writes, “Conservatives ‘are upset at the political leaders who think protesting and mass gatherings are more important suddenly than being able to feed your family or keep your business open.’”

More so, while the Cobb Democrats were eager to invoke the name of the recently deceased Herman Cain while openly hoping the Cobb Republicans would follow his path, nothing was said about the packed pews at the funeral for Cong. John Lewis. While the Cobb Democrats chided the Cobb GOP about the few Members of Congress who had recently been quarantined due to testing positive for COVID while wondering if Cong. Doug Collins was now spreading it across Cobb during the hour and half breakfast, nothing was said about the Members of Congress who sat through the four hour long service for John Lewis.

As Boris Epshteyn, the strategic advisor for coalitions on the Trump 2020 campaign noted in Newsweek, “Viruses don't discriminate based on politics, but many Democratic governors and mayors sure seem to do so.”

It would seem that the sentiment has also filtered down to the Democratic Party leaders and activists as well, but they look at COVID with hope in their eyes…hope that it will strike down their enemies like some judgment from whatever Higher Power they don’t believe in. Hoping for illness and death to their political rivals is nothing new among the left. We already see the resurrection of the Italian Brown shirts in ANTIFA, now the leadership supported para-military wing of the Democratic Party, so why should it be any shock that the leader of the Cobb Democratic Party would fantasize about Karen Handel and the members of the Cobb GOP becoming sick and dying? Of course, she can do that because there are no consequences for left-winged hate speech.

In 2017, former Obama Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes barely made news when he replied to a tweet hoping a photo of Mitch McConnell, Mike Pence, and Paul Ryan in the Oval Office with President Trump would be used alongside their obits. Contrast that to the dozens of victims of the leftist cancel-culture who have been drummed out of the jobs, their companies, schools, and careers for saying, tweeting, or posting far less.

While the leadership of the Democratic Party here in Cobb were open and upfront in their ill-wishes, what is even more disappointing is the lack of condemnation from the Cobb’s Democratic elected officials or candidates. Throughout this year, we are told by the left and their allies in the media that “silence equals consent.” The slogan is supposed to indict anyone who does not agree with their version of society’s ills and how those ills are to be corrected, usually by implementing Socialism. As they see it, if you are silent about defunding the police, then you obviously support illegal police brutality.

However, to the Cobb’s Democratic elected officials, apparently silence does not mean they wish illness and death on the GOP, but shouldn’t they be held to the same standard they claim for others? Of course, maybe they do share their leadership’s sentiments and they are silent in support. We will never know because, unlike Republicans, the media will never question them on it for fear of showing any division in the Democratic Party.

For a political party that is so offended by everything they are even horrified by “microaggressions,” to make such a bold and callused statement, especially after the death of Herman Cain, who was high risk because of underlying health issues, and many others shows a complete lack of awareness or introspection by the Democratic Party Chair resulting in her posting and comments that looked more like mad, spittle-flecked rage than anything like sound or rational political discourse. Then doubling down by claiming that voters need to vote Democratic in November because “their very lives depend on it” shows a dangerous level of unhinged rage that could inflame real violence, which the left constantly accuse Donald Trump and Republicans of doing.

It is the type of rhetoric that lead to the near fatal shooting of Congressman Steve Scalise during an attack that our Congressman, Barry Loudermilk, also came under fire from the deranged left-winged gunman.

In the end, the Cobb (and national) Democrats have forgotten the lesson of the fable about the boy who cried “wolf.” The first few times the boy cried “wolf,” the town people came rushing to aid him. When the people realized it was a hoax, they finally wised-up refused to come when the boy called.

Voters have wised-up to the Democrats and their hyperventilating and shrieking that the “end is nigh” if Republicans win. When Democrats are losing, they always revert to their “vote or die” rhetoric trying to scare voters to the polls. However, none of the terrible predictions about Donald Trump that the Democrats have espoused over the last four years have come to pass.

Americans, at least Americans who do not live in cities and states run by Democrats, are freer in Donald Trump’s America and more prosperous. And even those hit the hardest by the pandemic induced recession will see Donald Trump as the candidate best suited to bring America back to prosperity and opportunity.

All the Democrats can hope for is their fantasies about their opponents coming true. Meanwhile, Republicans will hope for a brighter future for all when this pandemic is finally over, a brighter future even for Democrats.

Yours in Freedom,

Jason Shepherd

Chairman, Cobb County Republican Party

Chairman's Corner - the passing of Herman Cain

Tue, 04 Aug 2020 01:34:31 GMT

Last week we lost a great champion of conservatism with the passing of Herman Cain. Herman rose from humble beginnings. He often said his family wasn't poor, they were "po'" which was worse than poor, but they were happy.

Herman's father was the chauffeur for Coca-Cola CEO Robert Woodruff who saw the potential of Herman and helped him attend Morehouse College.

Cain went on to first distinguish himself in business and, eventually, in politics, for a time being the front runner in the polls for the Republican nomination for President in 2012.

Cain died July 30 from complications of COVID-19. Cain was high risk due to recent battles with cancer.

The Cobb County Republican Party produced a tribute video which we premiered on Facebook and showed at our breakfast. If you haven't seen it, you can watch it above.

Rest in peace Herman Cain. Your life made a difference in ours. The Cobb County Republican Party offers its condolences and shares in the grief with your family.

Yours in Freedom,

Jason Shepherd

Chairman, Cobb County Republican Party

Chairman's Corner - Vote in the Runoff

Tue, 28 Jul 2020 02:53:32 GMT

As early voting continues for the 2020 Primary runoff, I received a text from one of our Cobb GOP Members who thought he had received the wrong ballot. He does not live in Commission Post 2 and, when he requested a Republican runoff absentee ballot, he received the non-partisan ballot instead.

I reminded him (like I'm reminding you now), that for most of us in Cobb, we do not have a Republican runoff, just the non-partisan runoff for the two judicial posts.

Everyone in the County can, and should, vote in the judicial runoffs for Superior Court and State Court.

However, only those in Commission District Post 2 will receive a Republican runoff ballot.

Remember, turnout is expected to be a tiny fraction of what it was in June and there should be no waiting.

Please encourage your friends and family to get out to vote!

You can use the link above to request an absentee ballot if you want to vote by mail, but don't be surprised if you don't like in Post 2 when you receive a non-partisan ballot instead!

Yours in Freedom,

Jason Shepherd

Chairman, Cobb County Republican Party

Chairman's Corner - Voting instructions for the Aug. 11 runoff

Mon, 20 Jul 2020 14:55:18 GMT

Early voting has begun for the 2020 Primary runoff!

Everyone in the County can, and should vote in the judicial runoffs for Superior Court and State Court.

For those in Commission District Post 2, there is also a Republican runoff to see who will success Bob Ott.

Turnout is expected to be a tiny fraction of what it was in June and there should be no waiting.

Please encourage your friends and family to get out to vote!

Yours in Freedom,

Jason Shepherd

Chairman, Cobb County Republican Party

Chairman's Corner - Congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Darnell

Wed, 15 Jul 2020 02:57:06 GMT

We have a very busy week in Cobb County so please see the events below.

I would also like to congratulate our Vice-Chairman of Communications, Nathaniel Darnell on his marriage this past Saturday to Abigail Cochran!

Yours in Freedom,

Jason Shepherd

Chairman, Cobb County Republican Party

Chairman's Corner - the struggle for Liberty

Tue, 07 Jul 2020 03:04:08 GMT

Yesterday, on July 5 ^th , a friend of mine on Facebook published a list of injustices that were committed against blacks, mainly pertaining to slavery and government violations of civil rights, for instance, The Fugitive Slave Act, the 3/5 Compromise, the Missouri Compromise, Jim Crow, Plessy v. Ferguson , Dred Scott , lynchings, and numerous other laws and actions.

She concluded with, “ July 4th is a symbol of celebrating independence during the American Revolutionary War. However, Black people did not have independence. We were not free. So there's a little history for you. Use it to educate your children about the truth of our history. I hope this post helps you understand why some people find the monuments aversive and why some people do not want to celebrate the 4th of July. It is very important that we have the complete picture and education is the key.”

She noted more than once, that on July 4, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was signed, but black people were not free.

Her statement was not accurate.

While the vast majority of the black population of the new nation did, indeed, live in bondage, thousands of free blacks lived in the new nation. Many owned property, voted, and fully participated in society and commerce. Some enlisted in the Continental Army to fight for the new nation.

However, even free blacks faced discrimination. They were not alone as did many other groups; Catholics, Jews, Irish, Chinese, Native Americans, and Italians, to name a few, and this new nation whose creed was “All men are created equal,” would need more than the next two centuries to figure out what that meant and to strive towards its achievement.

The 4^th of July is not just the celebration of our nation’s founding, it’s the celebration of our nation’s founding document, the Declaration of Independence .

The core of the document forms the basis on what those who claim we shouldn’t celebrate July 4 consciously or unconsciously are fighting for, the idea articulated by Thomas Jefferson, “we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness…”

The grievance of any person, no matter who they are, that they are being oppressed is based on the fact we now take it for granted that we are all equal because we were created equal. The principle is so ingrained in our national DNA, we inherently believe it, even if we do not understand why or from where it originated.

However, Jefferson’s original draft did not stop there.

Today, when you read the “Declaration of Independence” the final version is missing a paragraph that was written by Thomas Jefferson but struck from the document by the delegates of the Southern colonies.

Jefferson wrote, “he [King George III] has waged cruel war against human nature itself, violating its most sacred rights of life & liberty in the persons of a distant people who never offended him, captivating & carrying them into slavery in another hemisphere, or to incur miserable death in their transportation thither. this piratical warfare, the opprobrium of infidel powers, is the warfare of the CHRISTIAN king of Great Britain. determined to keep open a market where MEN should be bought & sold, he has prostituted his negative for suppressing every legislative attempt to prohibit or to restrain this execrable commerce: and that this assemblage of horrors might want no fact of distinguished die, he is now exciting those very people to rise in arms among us, and to purchase that liberty of which he has deprived them, & murdering the people upon whom he also obtruded them; thus paying off former crimes committed against the liberties of one people, with crimes which he urges them to commit against the lives of another.”

Let us not for one second believe the progressive lie that this nation, from its inception, did not struggle with an institution it inherited from the Crown. It was not CAPITALISM that brought slavery to America, but MERCANTILISM, where a mother nation exploited its colonies for economic power. Both Adam Smith’s “ Wealth of Nations ,” which argued for an economy guided by the market and not government, and America’s founding, which had at its creed that a free people should be able to engage in commerce without the heavy hand of government, both occurred in 1776.

It took 90 years to throw off the remains of the mercantile system at the cost of over 600,000 dead in the American Civil War, including the first Republican President whose life ended with a bullet in his head.

Whatever you want to believe the start of the war was about, the end of the war was the end of slavery, and the beginning of another 100-year struggle for equality.

But not us forget for a second, that even in 1776, a 33 year old slave owner had to grapple with the fact that he, himself, was waging “cruel war against human nature itself, violating its most sacred rights of life & liberty in the persons of a distant people who never offended him...”

While Jefferson was never able to emancipate his slaves as he claimed to want to, he reflected both the ideals of the new nation, and its fears. In the end, his fears of bankruptcy and ruin overrode his own beliefs and principles that all were created equal.

However, throughout the next two centuries, there were plenty of people who risked, and often lost everything, including their lives, to end what they continued to see as injustice, usually for no other reason than because they believed in the ideals embodied in the document written by Jefferson and adopted on July 4. It would have been easier, and safer, to say, “it doesn’t affect me, concern me, and it’s not my business.” However, as the words of America the Beautiful point out, we had heroes who proved in liberating strife, that more than self, their country loved, and mercy more than life.

As Jefferson said, “The Tree of Liberty must constantly be refreshed with the blood of Patriots and Tyrants.”

This included tyrants found even in our own nation. Liberty has always had to struggle against a small, but determined minority who would claim freedom for themselves, but withhold it to others.

Those who will say July 4th is only about the list of injustices that were carried out against blacks, or anyone else, are missing the point of the day. July 4th is about having the courage to end once and for all injustice because July 4th is about ALL being equal. Maybe Americans were not yet ready to believe we were all equal on July 4, 1776, but on that day we, as a new nation, stated that we all are, and started working towards it.

We must still work towards it and teach the next generation what July 4 means, more than cookouts, fireworks, and parades, or risk losing it for every American who will follow.

Yours in Freedom,

Jason Shepherd

Chairman, Cobb County Republican Party

Chairman's Corner - The 2nd of July

Fri, 03 Jul 2020 03:15:12 GMT

On July 3, 1776, John Adams, a member of the Continental Congress and future President of the now seemingly independent United States of America, wrote to his wife Abigail back in Massachusetts stating, "The Second Day of July 1776, will be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance by solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more.You will think me transported with Enthusiasm but I am not. -- I am well aware of the Toil and Blood and Treasure, that it will cost Us to maintain this Declaration, and support and defend these States. -- Yet through all the Gloom I can see the Rays of ravishing Light and Glory. I can see that the End is more than worth all the Means. And that Posterity will tryumph in that Days Transaction, even altho We should rue it, which I trust in God We shall not."

While Adams prophetically described how American Independence Day celebrations would play out for future generations, it was the date that he fell a bit short on.

Today, most Americans do not even know the day we voted ourselves an independent nation was July 2, 1776, when Congress adopted Richard Henry Lee's (VA) independence resolution which had been introduced on June 7 and stated, "Resolved, That these United Colonies are, and of right ought 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 it is expedient forthwith to take the most effectual measures for forming foreign Alliances. That a plan of confederation be prepared and transmitted to the respective Colonies for their consideration and approbation."

It was not July 4.

Adams had seconded the Lee Resolution, and its nearly unanimous adoption (New York abstained from the vote) on July 2 meant the work Adams had labored on to see the colonies strike out on their own, severing ties with the old world and seeking a path of self-determination in the New World, had been accomplished. The colonies were now "free and independent states." There was only the the not inconsequential matter of winning that independence.

But that wasn't the day we would celebrate. The day after Adams wrote his wife, one more piece of business was to be completed, the adoption of the report of the Declaration Committee.

Of course Adams was on that committee. So was Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman of Connecticut, Robert Livingston of New York, and, a 33 year old from Virginia, Thomas Jefferson.

While the five member committee had the task of writing out the reasons that compelled the colonies to separation, the actual work fell on the young Jefferson, who was widely regarded as the best writer among them.

It was the adoption of that committee's report on July 4, 1776, their "Declaration of Independence," that is now celebrated.

The reason gets down to simple politics. July 2 and July 4 were both celebrated in the early Republic, with your day of celebration depending on if you were a Federalist or a Democratic-Republican. When Federalist John Adams became President after the Federalist-leaning George Washington, July 2 was the day of focus.

In the 1800 election, Adams and his Federalist Party suffered massive electoral loses and Thomas Jefferson's Democratic-Republicans came into power, shifting the focus on July 4, the day Jefferson's Declaration was adopted.

This rivalry is even noted in the painting above. If you look closely at the work by John Trumbull, a Democratic-Republican and fan of Jefferson, he painted Jefferson's foot standing on John Adams's as they stand before the newly adopted Declaration.

By 1812, the Federalist Party was all but extinct and July 4 was firmly cemented into American culture as our day of independence. As the 50th anniversary of the passage of the Declaration of Independence approached, Jefferson and Adams had been both invited to attend the celebration in Washington, D.C., Adams was 90 and Jefferson was 83. Both confirmed their attendance, but neither would make it. Both Adams and Jefferson died within hours of each other on July 4, 1826. Adams's last words were of his former rival and, through correspondence in their waning years, his friend, Thomas Jefferson.

"Thomas Jefferson survives."

Thomas Jefferson had not. Jefferson had died a few hours before.

In the end though, maybe it's more fitting we celebrate the document that outlines the "why" and not the procedural mechanism that was the vote for independence two days before.

The Declaration of Independence is so much more than just a list of justifications for separation. It was Jefferson's eloquence that insured that. The words harked back to those of John Locke and other writers of the Enlightenment, but combines their philosophy into a creed, a mission statement for a new nation...not one bound together by ethnicity, religious sect, language, or geography, but one that is bound by a philosophy... we hold these truths to be self-evidence, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, among them are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. - That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among Men driving their just powers from the consent of the governed, - That whenever any form of Government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or abolish it.

For 244 years this July 4 (or 2nd), we have welcomed anyone to the shores of this nation who holds fast to those ideas. If you believe as we do, as our national creed inspires, then you are offered a place at our nation's table, regardless of where you came from. It has helped to make us the wealthiest, the most generous, and most inspiring to opportunity nation in history. We all can imagine our own version of the American Dream, a dream that has as its root the words, "All men are created equal."

However, as the 50th anniversary celebration neared, John Adams issued a warning to his fellow citizens,

"My best wishes, in the joys, and festivities, and the solemn services of that day on which will be completed the fiftieth year from its birth, of the independence of the United States: a memorable epoch in the annals of the human race, destined in future history to form the brightest or the blackest page, according to the use or the abuse of those political institutions by which they shall, in time to come, be shaped by the human mind."

It's as the story goes, that when Benjamin Franklin was leaving the Constitutional Convention in 1787, a woman stopped him and asked, "Mr. Franklin, what kind of government have you given us?" To which Franklin was said to have replied, "A Republic...if you can keep it."

July 4 reminds us that we must constantly work to keep our Republic. We fight against forces that Adams feared would shape our political institutions away from the ideals of the founding, away from the self-evident truths that the Creator has given, to those shaped, and warped, by the human mind towards a want and lust for human power.

Just as John Adams wrote his wife that long ago July 3, if we do not work to secure the blessings of liberty for our future, then we too should rue it, but with the faithful dedication of my fellow Americans, I trust in God We shall not.

Yours in the 244th year of our Freedom,

Yours in Freedom,

Jason Shepherd

Chairman, Cobb County Republican Party

Chairman's Corner - Who is to blame for Georgia’s election issues? Not who you think

Tue, 30 Jun 2020 03:29:19 GMT

NOTE: The following appeared as an op-ed in the Marietta Daily Journal on June 24, 2020.

“Voter suppression” was again claimed in Georgia’s 2020 primary election amidst reports of fewer polling locations and faulty voting equipment leading to daunting lines and raising similar allegations as Georgia’s 2018 gubernatorial election. While it is easy to try and point the finger at Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, those responsible for June 9’s voting issues may surprise you.

This finger-pointing occurs against the national meme that Georgians are incapable of holding fair elections. After the 2018 gubernatorial election, one of the most hotly contested elections in recent years, many Democratic leaders, including the former vice president and presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden, claimed that voter suppression gave an improper victory to former Secretary of State and now Gov.

Brian Kemp. Stacey Abrams lost the election by 55,000 votes; no irregularities have been found. Yet the national media still insists that “voter suppression” was the basis.

The media trumpets fake “voter suppression” — it may indeed be an issue in Fulton and DeKalb and a few other counties. Those crying voter suppression in the 2018 election claimed that removing dormant or ineligible voters was voter suppression. But only inactive voter names were removed, such as voters who had moved out of state. But because of the lawsuits and settlements following the 2018 election, all of those ineligible names were ADDED back to the polls for 2020! An additional 1.47 million names were added back to the rolls, and, due to the coronavirus, requests for absentee ballots were sent to all.

Every vote by an ineligible voter reduces the value of the vote by every eligible voter who stands in line or takes the time to make sure his or her vote counts. What is more, it is mandated by the National Voter Registration Act of 1993, passed by the Democratic controlled Congress and signed into law by President Bill Clinton. The 1993 legislation more commonly called “Motor Voter,” requires that states keep voter lists up to date by removing inactive voters from voter lists.

Click here to continue reading on MDJOnline.com.

Yours in Freedom,

Jason Shepherd

Chairman, Cobb County Republican Party

Chairman's Corner - Ignorance is not bliss, it's dangerous

Tue, 23 Jun 2020 03:00:40 GMT

They say ignorance is bliss. It is not…it is dangerous.

Over the weekend it was announced that the New York Museum of Natural History, an institution all but created by former Republican President Theodore Roosevelt, has decided to remove the statue of the former President and benefactor over the outcry from some.

“We have watched as the attention of the world and the country has increasingly turned to statues as powerful and hurtful symbols of systemic racism,” said the museum’s president, Ellen Futter. “Simply put, the time has come to move it.”

This decision comes after a week where statues of St. Junípero Serra, Ulysses S. Grant and Francis Scott Key were torn down in San Francisco.

Grant, of course, led the Union Army that accepted the surrender of General Robert E. Lee, and, as President, fought the newly established KKK in the South.

Apparently, that was not enough since he briefly also owned a slave, which he also freed.

Francis Scott Key, the author of the Star-Spangled Banner , was a lawyer and a slave owner. However, like many people of his time, or people of any time, his views on slavery and race were complicated and not one-dimensional.

He owned slaves but was one of few white lawyers who would go to court representing blacks trying to escape slavery, winning many of those cases. He would also represent slave owners trying to get back their so-called “property.”

He sparked a race riot in Washington, D.C. in 1835 for his aggressive prosecution of one black man, accused of trying to kill his mistress, but also stood firm in the jailhouse door, facing down an angry white lynch mob who wanted to dispense their own justice to the suspect on the nearest tree.

Francis Scott Key, like the rest of us, was complicated and full of contradictions. However, even as a flawed person, he made is mark on our nation and its history, which is why across the continent from his home in Baltimore, his statute stood…until last week.

As former President George W. Bush said in 2016 when he dedicated the National Museum of African American History (a museum he signed the legislation to create), “A great nation does not hide its history, it faces its flaws and corrects them.”

No nation is without flaws. History is a catalogue of suffering, injustice, brutality, and tyranny. The best a nation can do is honor those who, though products of their time, moved civilization forward a couple of inches.

Thomas Jefferson owned slaves. He also authored the Declaration of Independence which contained the formula which 89 years later would end slavery. A nation whose creed is “All men are created equal” cannot forever endure half-free and half-enslaved. His words would go on to inspire others towards freedom, and still do so today.

The mob has also torn down his statue in various places.

“Remembering is powerful. Remembering, forces us to become wiser,” wrote Sophia A. Nelson, and African-American author and journalist.

“We think of the words Never Forget and we instantly remember 9-11 or the Holocaust.” She continues. “We connect because we remember. We look. We learn. We discover. And hopefully, with a little faith, self-discovery and humility we grow into better, more loving human beings.”

While statutes of our past pay homage to great things the individual did, they do not hide the lessons they had yet to learn. We do not erect statues of perfect people, but flawed people. They are a reminder that anyone of us, no matter how flawed, can do great things. They help to open our eyes to the mistakes of the past, but also that our mistakes should not define us.

Forgetting our history does not erase the mistakes and misfortunes of the past, it just makes us ignorant to them. We suddenly lose that milestone, that marker where we got a little more civilized, a little wisdom, and more able to appeal to our common humanity, rather than the prejudices and hatreds of the old order. We learned to stop doing wrong, and learned to do what was right.

In a flash of mob violence, it has been erased.

However, as Sophia Nelson reminds us, "We do not learn when we run from our wrongs. We learn when we face them."

In the past, statues have been torn down as a symbol of regime change. Statues of Stalin, Lenin, and Marx fell when so did their inspired Communist governments. We cheered with Iraqis as the statue of Saddam fell when U.S. forces toppled his regime in Iraq. We should also not forget the statues of King George III that fell and were melted down into musket balls to fire at British regulars.

While racism and bigotry should be tossed on the ash heap of history, it is becoming more and more clear that this present violence is not about racism and bigotry, but about erasing America itself.

Attacks against symbols of the Confederacy have now given way to attacks on American history itself. When statues of Abraham Lincoln are defaced, statues of U.S. Grant are torn down, and statues of Theodore Roosevelt are removed, we are now engaged in wiping away our past, with a violent mob now setting us on a new course of history, one where the heroes of old must be erased and replaced, but who the new heroes will be should strike fear into the hearts of all who value freedom.

If the authors of our freedom are made to seem as degranged, cruel, violent, intolerant, racist, misogynist, greedy, and imperialist, then all they created, fought for, struggled against, and built up can be discredited in favor of the new order. They do this not because they know or understand the nature and purpose of the statue, but because they do not see why it was placed there anyway.

It reminds me of Chesterton's Fence. In G.K. Chesterton ’s 1929 book, The Thing, in the chapter entitled, “The Drift from Domesticity,” Chesterton relates a modern parable regarding a fence:

"In the matter of reforming things, as distinct from deforming them, there is one plain and simple principle; a principle which will probably be called a paradox. There exists in such a case a certain institution or law; let us say, for the sake of simplicity, a fence or gate erected across a road. The more modern type of reformer goes gaily up to it and says, 'I don’t see the use of this; let us clear it away.' To which the more intelligent type of reformer will do well to answer: 'If you don’t see the use of it, I certainly won’t let you clear it away. Go away and think. Then, when you can come back and tell me that you do see the use of it, I may allow you to destroy it.'"

Where elected city governments, mayors, and governors should be playing the part of the "intelligent reformer," too often they are standing weak and powerless, or simply joining the mob of "more modern reformers" who don't see the use of "this," and are simply clearing it away.

Clearing away the past will stemie future generations from being able to learn the lessons of history, leading our civilization into a vicious cycle of ignorance, permanently endangering the future of our culture of freedom, which we have have spent the past 244 years to perfect. The result of which will be a return to fear and tyranny, not Utopia.

That is why I will say, ignorance is not bliss, it is dangerous.

Yours in Freedom,

Jason Shepherd

Chairman, Cobb County Republican Party

Chairman's Corner - Voters' Mandate

Thu, 18 Jun 2020 02:05:36 GMT

Last week Cobb County Commission Chairman Mike Boyce made some unfortunate comments about the Cobb County GOP to the Marietta Daily Journal . I spoke with the Chairman on the day after the election and several times since his comments appeared. Mike Boyce has expressed nothing about admiration and faith in the leadership of our County Party, even as he privately (now publicly) expressed frustration with allied organizations which did not support him.

The Republican voters of Cobb County let their voices be heard as to who our nominees should be. As leaders of the Republican Party, we must respect the mandate placed on us by the voters and support our nominees. The only purpose of the Republican Party is to get our nominees elected once our voters select them.

I freely admit, I did not support Donald Trump in the primary, but the second he became our nominee, I was 110% with Donald Trump, because the voters of my party had spoken, and I chastised those Republicans who thought their opinion was more consequential than the will of those thousands of voters who went out and voted for Donald Trump. I'm still having to fight the few "Never Trumpers" who are still out there because this November, every vote will count.

This November isn't a decision between two Democrats like many in our Cobb GOP like to claim. The consequences of having a Democratic Commission Chair would be catastrophic to our county government. You cannot just look at the policies the Chair can advance, but also the appointment and hiring decisions the Chair has to place and replace county leaders with those who do not share our beliefs. Coupled with a tough election to hold Bob Ott's seat, we need to fight for every position to maintain the good government we have enjoyed as Cobb County residents.

We can see on our televisions and social media the type of leadership that progressive, Democratic government brings. Even if I disagree with the Chairman's tax policy, under his leadership, I'm not worried that anarchists will take over sections of Cobb County and declare those areas "independent zones" like has happened in Seattle. I also don't have to worry about Chairman Boyce wanting to "DEFUND THE POLICE," when he has consistently advocated for more police pay.

What's more, even if we disagree with a policy that one of our Republican elected officials advocates for, we at least are able to have a seat at the table and a more willing ear to listen to our concerns than we would with a Democrat who is likely not to even give a Republican a seat at the table.

If you think a Democratic lead county commission would care about the voices of Republican voters, just look at the contempt we see from Cobb School Board members Davis and Howard towards the Republicans on the Cobb County School Board.

Having a Democratic majority on the Cobb County Commission becomes a real possibility this year, unless we work together and fight for every vote. If you're saying "we can always get it back in four years," then maybe you have noticed elections are getting harder, not easier in Cobb County.

By the end of this or early next week, Chairman Boyce and I will be issuing a joint statement of support to move us forward towards the tough battle ahead. We are fortunate to have a Marine Colonel, who understands the battle we are about to face as our nominee.

If we want to keep the community we so enjoy living in, the community that has made so many people want to move here to enjoy, but who now seem to want to vote to change it into Seattle or Minneapolis, we have to come together behind our nominees.

The voters of Cobb County have made their decision and their voice was clear and unambiguous. It is our duty as Republican leaders to honor their decision...just like we did when they chose Donald Trump.

Yours in Freedom,

Jason Shepherd

Chairman, Cobb County Republican Party

Chairman's Corner - The thin line between justice and vengeance

Tue, 09 Jun 2020 01:08:58 GMT

A friend on Facebook recently reminded me there is a thin line between “justice” and “vengeance.”

Over the past two weeks, peaceful protests for justice have descended into little more than violent mobs destroying property, beating, and at times killing, people, and causing mayhem, all in the name of JUSTICE.

That is not justice. It is vengeance.

When innocent people are made to suffer because of the actions of another, it is not a form of justice, but a form of vengeance.

When private property is defaced and destroyed, not because the owners participated in, or were accessories to, or even complacent about the injustice that needs to be corrected, then it is done so as an act of vengeance, not justice.

While many Americans stand appalled at the actions of the police which lead to the death of George Floyd, they too stand appalled at the actions of mobs roaming the streets of American cities seeking vengeance, not justice.

While many of Americans, of all races, colors, creeds, and political spectrums rightfully condemn the violence, we are seeing more and more from the left statements justifying the violence, to excuse the mob. The justification in grounded in false narratives about “400 years of racism,” an all too often used phrase that even Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey employed to show solidarity with those committing violence.

The left has been so pervasive in their efforts to sow these seeds of racial discord, that their promotion of ideas of “white privilege” and “systematic racism” has resulted in “righteous indignation” exploding into justified anger at society. Even some members of my own church community have excused the rioters on social media, one even posting on Facebook, “ Condemning the riots in the same breath as condemning what happened to George Floyd dilutes the real issue of inequitable racial issues. Imagine being unheard (unseen, disregarded, looked past, ignored, unloved) for a lifetime. What voice do you have? What language do you have? None except acting out loudly, aggressively, and even violently. This language of rioting is a demand to be heard, seen, and regarded.”

Unfortunately, this is not a unique or isolated way of thinking in many church communities. It almost seems as if “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” is somehow justified, if within the context of “social justice.” More so, if you perceive to have a long-standing grievance against society, then it is even more justified to take any eye or tooth that can be found, even if it is the eye or tooth of a minority business owner who sunk his life-savings into the enterprise and, after struggling to hold on to his dream through COVID-19, is now watching that dream vanish in flames . That is not justice. That is vengeance.

What is more, it is a fabrication.

Zaid Jilani, a freelance journalist and a Pakistani American Muslim, writes recently in a column for The Tablet titled “ We are Individuals, not Victims ,” that he finds the left’s notion that members of ethnic minority groups are simply “virtuous victims, cast adrift on a plank in an ocean of white supremacy over which [they] have no control” as problematic. Jilani notes that under the left’s perception of the world, “basically everything in our lives is determined by the Leviathan of structural racism, a term that is both increasingly vague and ever more expansively used to explain every feature of the social conditions of America.”

Jilani wonders what has happened to the left which, in the 1960’s, demanded that everyone be seen as an individual, not of a race, religion, creed, color, or ethnicity. It was the liberal idea that was so eloquently expressed by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1963 when he stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and said he had a dream that one day, his little children, would be judged, “not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”

This past week, in the name of “justice,” the Lincoln Memorial was vandalized .

When we make every law enforcement officer answer for the actions of the four offices in Minneapolis, then we are judging as a group, not looking at the actions of the individuals involved. We know there are bad police officers, just like there are bad lawyers, bad teachers, bad waiters, bad accountants, bad doctors, and bad politicians. In other words, some people are rotten apples and they can be found in every sector of our society. That does not make every other member of their profession bad by association. Rotten apples only spoil the bunch if they are left with the other apples.

But the Minneapolis PD acted swiftly, firing the four officers involved and criminally charging them for George Floyd’s death. That is how justice is upheld. However, the antifa backed looters and rioters are not actually seeking justice…they are seeking vengeance.

Recently, I have seen protestors carrying signs with what the left sees as a solution to the policing problem. Their demand is simple enough: DEFUND THE POLICE.

Isaac Bryan, the director of UCLA's Black Policy Center, explained why to CNN , “Law enforcement in the South began as slave patrol, a team of vigilantes hired to recapture escaped slaves. Then, when slavery was abolished, police enforced Jim Crow laws -- even the most minor infractions.”

A whole Chairman’s Corner could be written on the absurdity of that statement, but CNN does not even question the validity. At this point, a majority of the Minneapolis City Council has agreed to "dismantle" the city's police department.

The idea that there is something wrong with every police department in America and that unarmed blacks are 2.5 to 3.5 times more likely than unarmed whites to be killed by police is how that stereotype is justified. Forbes staff writer Jack Brewster in his column, “ Conservative Commentators Suggest Protests Are Based On A ‘Lie’—Here’s Why That’s Misleading ,” provides the left’s thought process:

“As Philip Bump of the [Washington] Post points out, according to the same statistic category, twice as many unarmed white people (20) were shot and killed by police as black people (10) last year, but whites make up almost five times as much of the population (blacks were also much more likely to be arrested than whites in every year since 2012, for which data are available).”

In May 2019, the same Minneapolis Police Department that touched off the recent protests, settled with the family of Justine Damond Ruszczyk for $20 million in her death by one of their department's officers, who was convicted of her murder. Ruszczyk was white. The cop who shot her is black. In addition to the officer's conviction, the case also led to the resignation of the Chief of Police.

While there is racial stereotyping by police, the statistic that if you are black, you are much more likely to be shot and killed by a police officer is based on the manipulation of that statistic. In 2019, forty-one unarmed people were shot and killed by police nationwide, nine (21.9%) were black. But that nuance is lost on that reporting. Instead, it seems like there is an epidemic of police shooting unarmed black suspects. What that statistic does not look at either is the situation.

In 2017, I was in a store in Buckhead when a naked, unarmed black man broke into the store, using a brick to shatter the glass storefront and proceeded to assault the store’s armed security guard, who was also black, throwing everything in reach, and sometimes coming close to hitting the other employees and customers, who I was trying to move out of harm’s way and towards the exit at the back of the store. The guard used so much pepper spray that I was affected by it, but it did not slow down the assailant. Eventually the guard had to draw his gun and was begging the man not to make him use it.

Most suspects shot and killed by police are armed and the killing of unarmed suspects is extremely rare, about 1% and 63% of those killed by police were in possession of a firearm .

What no one on the left seems to care about is more police officers died in the line of duty last year than suspects who were killed by police. According to the FBI , forty-eight police officers were killed in 2019. Of these, 40 were white, 7 were black, and 1 was Asian. This is eight less than 2018 when 56 officers were killed. Forty-nine suspects were associated with those forty-eight killings. Of those suspects, twenty-eight were white (40.8%), fifteen (30.6%) were black, and six (12.2%) were other races or the race was not reported. Using the left’s definitions and reasoning, that would also mean a law enforcement officer is 2.5 times more likely to be killed by a black suspect than a white one.

The problem with the manipulation of statics like the left is doing, is that it puts a higher distrust between blacks and law enforcement. People are less likely to act rationally if they are in fear of their lives and law enforcement is more likely to wrongly judge the situation when someone is not acting rationally because they have been constantly reinforced the fallacy that their situation is more likely than average to end in their unjust incarceration, or even their death.

Thus, it becomes a needless, self-fulfilling prophecy, which the left then jumps on to justify the fallacy and create division and demand vengeance in the name of justice.

In Kirsten Weir's article, Policing in Black & White , she highlights one study that notes the problem this can become. "Social media has turned a spotlight on cases of racial discrimination. As the list of black citizens killed by nonblack officers grows, tensions between black communities and police are running high. 'It's a nuanced problem but people continue to take a polarized view,' says Jack Glaser, PhD, a social psychologist at the University of California, Berkeley. 'It's not productive to demonize police.'"

The left’s social failure by their justification of the violence, including the defence of antifa activists who are helping to fuel it, lies in the fact that it is up to society to police itself and dispense justice under the rule of law. A mob is the ultimate expression of democracy. Whatever the majority of the mob wants, it gets, especially in dispensing its own brand of "justice."

However, as a constitutional republic, justice means due process and upholding the rule of law, not the rule of the mob. We must stand in unity on this, or be torn apart as a nation in a wave of vengeance.

The officers on trial will get what they denied George Floyd...justice. When the mob demands vengeance, it is up to society to stand on the right side of that thin line between vengeance and justice and uphold justice.

In doing so, we find, more often than not, that the thin line is, indeed, a thin blue line.

Yours in Freedom,

Jason Shepherd

Chairman, Cobb County Republican Party

Chairman's Corner - Healing not hatred, justice not chaos, are the mission at hand

Tue, 02 Jun 2020 00:11:50 GMT

It seems in less than a week that America has gone from social distancing to social unrest.

Peaceful protests over the death of George Floyd at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer have sparked the worst wave of civil unrest since the 1960's.

Monuments in Washington, including the Vietnam Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, and the World War I and World War II Memorials, along with others, have been defaced, spray painted with "Black Lives Matter" and similar slogans, and even a few Communist hammer and sickles. Even the historic St. John's Church across the street from the White House was set ablaze .

The President, and all Americans, need to put the blame squarely on where it needs to be, not on the tens of thousands of all races, creeds, and political persuasions who have come out to peacefully demonstrate for justice for George Floyd and policies which will allow departments to remove bad cops who tarnish not just their badge, but the badges of other LEOs, but those in ANTIFA and the radical left who are inciting the violence to divide the nation.

George Floyd's death had united the nation like few tragedies have. When Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, and Al Sharpton are all pretty much on the same page, you know it's an issue that has brought us together.

That is not what the left in our nation wants.

The problem is, those that incite the mobs, and those who join them in their destruction, are hurting those who had nothing to do with George Floyd's death, people who were already suffering from the loss of business that COVID-19 had caused.

Korboi Balla was a firefighter in Minneapolis who saved enough to open a bar. Balla, who is black, had to watch as protestors burned it down. " It hurts, man. It’s not fair, it’s not right. We’ve been working so hard for this place. It’s not just for me, it’s for my family.”

There were small business owners in Atlanta who experienced the same thing Mr. Balla did. As the Democratic Mayor of Atlanta, Keisha Lance Bottoms said in her press conference, "We're better than this."

But what I experienced in east Atlanta on Saturday night celebrating a friend's birthday showed it is only a few that are causing the problems. Under the specter of the 9:00 PM curfew, seated outside (no indoor dining thanks to COVID-19) and on the Beltline as people walked by, we all saw the helicopters hovering in the distance wondering what was happening.

People of all races (and I assume political backgrounds) were united in condemning the violence, and wanted to emphasize that we truly are the "city too busy to hate."

While others on the left try to justify the violence as some sort of weird, cathartic letting out of frustration and defend the ANTIFA rioters.

Biden campaign staffers were ev en donating money to bailout some of the rioters.

It shouldn't be lost on us that these incidents tend to occur in cities governed by Democratic Mayors and Democratic city councils who want to protect the strong public employee unions that finance their campaigns, which make it difficult to fire bad public employees until a crisis occurs. It shouldn't take someone dying to fire a bad cop!

Democratic Presidential candidate Amy Klobuchar has come under fire for failing to prosecute in 2006 the very officer who knelt on George Floyd's neck. While Klobuchar said the case occurred as she was leaving the office due to her election to the U.S. Senate, and her successor took the case to a Grand Jury which said the shooting was justified, there was still a laundry list of abuses by the officer going back years.

Civil Rights Attorney Leo Terrell, a Democrat who is not a fan of President Trump, was a guest on Hannity. However, even he praised President Trump on his handling of the George Floyd injustice and then issued a personal warning to the Democratic Party.

Fast forward to 28:00 to listen to Mr. Terrell’s thoughts on the matter. His admonishment to Democratic activists/leaders is about as real as it gets.

In the end, America will get through this period, like we have so many other periods of civil unrest, because America is not found in the violence of the rioters, or the government officials who abuse their authority, but America is found in moments like this and this.

As President Trump has said, "Healing not hatred, justice not chaos, are the mission at hand.”

Yours in Freedom,

Jason Shepherd

Chairman, Cobb County Republican Party

Chairman's Corner - Cobb's lead Dems justify candidate's profanity-laden tirade

Tue, 26 May 2020 01:15:31 GMT

ICYMI, while the AJC was obsessing about Sheriff Warren's Annual Corn Boilin', one of his potential challengers running in the Democratic Primary had a campaign implosion thanks to the real journalism over at the Marietta Daily Journal .

James "Jimmy" Herndon, who you may have remembered tried unsuccessfully to have all of his opponents removed from the ballot, served a number of years as a Cobb Sheriff Deputy before he was terminated from the Sheriff's Department.

The MDJ, through an open records request, obtained body cam video of one incident that led to Herndon's suspension, one of three incidents that led to his eventual termination, according to the MDJ.

The body cam video shows Herndon unleashing a profanity-laden tirade while serving an eviction warrant.

If Herndon was little more than an "also-ran", then it may not matter, but Herndon's candidacy has obtained the backing from a number of key Cobb County Democrats.

Below are the endorsements from Cobb School Board Members Dr. Jaha Howard and Charisse Davis.

Despite the new evidence of Herndon's tirade, neither school board member has felt inclined to pull their endorsement.

Caroline Holko, the Democrat running in House District 46 against John Carson felt so strongly about her endorsement of Herndon, that she posted a 16 minute long video justifying it, even in light of the new evidence against Herndon. You can watch it below.

While neither Howard or Davis seem to have felt the need to justify themselves, Howard was quick to change the subject. It's good to know if we had just put the response to the pandemic in his hands, so many lives would have been saved.

So many self-proclaimed "leaders" on the left, like Dr. Jaha Howard, would rather throw shade on those standing on the front lines, and wave the bloody shirt to make political fodder of those who are suffering, all the while blindly standing beside one of their own party's candidates and ignoring their outrageous behavior.

That's exactly the reason politics turns so many people off.

Yours in Freedom,

Jason Shepherd

Chairman, Cobb County Republican Party

Chairman's Corner - Early voting (Finally) starts today!

Tue, 19 May 2020 01:19:50 GMT

After a few starts and stops and two date changes, in-person Early Voting Begins TODAY, Monday, May 18!

Of course you can still request an absentee ballot online by clicking here.

Several Early Vote Locations will be available for in-person voting. To see the times and locations, click here. Dates and hours do vary by location and Saturday voting is May 30 .

Due to COVID-19, locations, hours, and equipment may have been reduced to limit possible exposure to the virus and to comply with the social distancing guidelines encouraged by Governor Kemp and our medical professionals.

If you do not vote early or by absentee, you will vote at your normal polling location on Tuesday, June 9.

Yesterday, both myself and my Democratic counterpart were quoted in the Marietta Daily Journal concerning the preparations for the upcoming Primary Elections. How each of us responded says a lot about just how different each party is on our guiding principles and philosophy, especially how the parties view the people.

She articulates fear that people won’t do the right thing, while I am confident common sense will prevail. I talk of hope and optimism, believing voters will use common sense when they vote in person. She’s pessimistic and talks of fear, questioning if the voting machines will be wiped down, will people wear masks, will social distancing occur.

In the end, I trust people to do the right thing and she doesn’t seem to. That’s the difference between individual freedom and government mandates and control.

Finally, she questions why there are not drop boxes at voting locations for people to drop rather than mail their absentee ballots, stating, " It sort of defies logic to me, why they couldn’t have a drop box at an in-person early vote location so that I would not have to stand in line, that I could just walk in and drop that off."

Of course, we've had drop boxes for absentee ballots for the last couple of weeks. You can find the drop box locations here .

Just more Democrats spreading fear and misinformation.

Yours in Freedom,

Jason Shepherd

Chairman, Cobb County Republican Party

Chairman's Corner - volunteer virtually

Mon, 11 May 2020 23:21:22 GMT

Just because public gatherings have been shut down doesn't mean there isn't a lot going on to get our candidates elected and re-election this November, events we need you to be a part of!

This week we are having a TRUMP NATIONAL WEEK OF ACTION! If you can give some time just one day or every day, you can do a lot to help re-elect our President. Our economy has been hot hard by COVID-19 and we know Donald J. Trump is the one we need in the White House to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN after this crisis is over.

You can sign up to volunteer here !

Also, mark your calendars for May 18 and May 19 as the Cobb County Republican Women's Club will be hosting online forums from 7-9PM those days for our local candidates. We will have more details in next week's newsletter and on our Facebook page.

Finally, we are excited to announce that an old friend of the Cobb GOP, former Maryland Governor Bob Ehrlich will be joining us on Saturday, June 6 as the speaker for our June Virtual Breakfast.

See below for more information and registration. Also, be sure to follow Governor Ehrlich on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/bob_ehrlich .

You can also get an autographed copy of Gov. Ehrlich's book, Bet You Didn't See That One Coming from the Cobb County Republican Party for $30 for non-Cobb GOP members and $10 for Members !

Yours in Freedom,

Jason Shepherd

Chairman, Cobb County Republican Party

Chairman's Corner - Making a difference in a COVID world

Mon, 27 Apr 2020 17:22:59 GMT

I have a first cousin and first cousin-in-law who are health care workers. Ashlea Stumpert, the daughter of former Cobb GOP Chairman Scott Johnson is a RN and her husband is a police officer. Cobb GOP member and HD 40 Secretary Fun Fong is an ER doctor who was recently highlighted by U.S. Senator Kelly Loeffler for his work combating COVID-19. Throughout our GOP community, many of our members are actively engaged in fighting COVID-19, and we cannot thank them enough.

However, it's not just the front line workers who we owe a measure of gratitude to. Our Cobb GOP members are also going the extra mile to help during this crisis.

Recently, Cobb GOP Deputy General Counsel Neera Bahl and member Juan Violantes , co-owner of Giovanni's Italian Restaurant in Powder Springs, surprised workers at the Kennestone Hospital, Cardiology Department by delivering 50 lunches.

Each week, Georgia Federation of Republican Women President and Cobb GOP 1st Vice-Chair Kim Sherk volunteers with "Backpack Blessings" at Mt. Bethel United Methodist Church to make sure kids who are learning at home will have enough to eat. She has also been recording videos reading children's books to be played at story time in local schools. I've even recorded one myself.

These are only a couple of examples of the dozens I see on social media or hear about talking with others. Cobb County Republicans are quietly making a difference for our community each and every day of this crisis. In the articles below, how have ways you can help too.

The Cobb County Republican Party especially thanks those on the front lines during this crisis who put their health, safety, and welfare on the line daily to support us.

We have posted a video on facebook to show our support . It has already been shared 38 times and reached over 2,500 people. Please take a moment to watch, and share.

You can also view it right here:

Yours in Freedom,

Jason Shepherd

Chairman, Cobb County Republican Party

Chairman's Corner - Join us for virtual candidate forums

Tue, 21 Apr 2020 03:25:10 GMT

Tuesday, April 21, we will begin the first of a series of Virtual Forums hosted on Facebook live to help Cobb voters get to know their candidates running in the June 9 Primary.

Tuesday, beginning at 7PM, we will have the candidates running for judicial positions in Cobb County for both Superior and State Courts.

There is no registration required, just visit www.Facebook.com/CobbGOP and we will be streaming live on there. I want to thank Cobb GOP General Counsel Tonya Boga for getting the candidates together and Catherine Busse and Michael Murphy for agreeing to serve as moderators.

Be on the lookout for future forums with our School Board and County Commission candidates as well. The Cobb GRA has their County Commission Chair Candidate Zoom Interviews on Tuesday morning running from 10:00am to 1:00pm with all three candidates. We will also be looking to hear from candidates from the districts at some point.

In addition, we are pleased to announce that Congressman Barry Loudermilk will be the speaker for our May Virtual Breakfast. Registration details are below.

Finally, there are plenty of opportunities to volunteer and help in the re-election efforts for President Trump! The Georgia Trump campaign needs people willing to make phone calls for the President. The campaign has an app which will allow you to turn you own cell phone into a PHONE BANKING MACHINE! See the TRUMP VICTORY NEWS section below for more information.

Yours in Freedom,

Jason Shepherd

Chairman, Cobb County Republican Party

Chairman's Corner - Remembering Babe Byrne

Mon, 06 Apr 2020 23:27:13 GMT

In Nov. 2010, I got my notice that I had passed the Georgia Bar exam, but a couple days later lost my election for State House district 37 by a narrow margin 53/47%.

With the craziness leading up to the election, I had copied down the wrong day for my law school class’s swearing in and missed it.

I needed to find a judge to swear me in, and nearly a month later, it hadn’t happened. So, I called up Babe Byrne who almost immediately got me before her boss, Judge Kreeger the day before my 35th birthday. You don’t get to practice until a judge swears you in and for me, that wouldn’t have happened without Babe Byrne making it so. On Dec. 10, 2010, I started on my new career.

No other members of my family were there for this occasion, but Babe was.

Thank you Babe Byrne for being part of one of the most important days of my life.

Bill Byrne , I know I share the sentiments of our members who have known you and Babe for years that you and the family are in all of our thoughts and prayers. Blessings to you all.

Yours in Freedom,

Jason Shepherd

Chairman, Cobb County Republican Party

Chairman's Corner - Join us for our first virtual breakfast

Tue, 31 Mar 2020 03:30:17 GMT

Technology is an amazing thing.

It has allowed us to stay connected to the outside world, work from home, and educate our children, all while the world is shut down.

While for now, the Cobb GOP office is still remaining closed, this Saturday we will be moving our Cobb GOP Breakfast ONLINE too.

Georgia's National Committeeman Jason Thompson will be our keynote speaker to discuss the election process for delegates and alternates to the Republican National Convention, what the RNC is doing to make sure the convention still goes on as planned, and other topics dealing with the Party.

There will be two ways you can join. If you want to be able to ask questions, you can join via Zoom Conference call. You can log on to the call with your smart phone or computer. Be sure to download the app prior to joining the call.

If you just want to watch, we will also be live streaming the call on our Cobb GOP Facebook page, www.Facebook.com/CobbGOP .

I look forward to seeing you (virtually) on Saturday!

Yours in Freedom,

Jason Shepherd

Chairman, Cobb County Republican Party

Chairman's Corner - The world has shut down, but we aren't

Thu, 26 Mar 2020 06:27:19 GMT

The world has certainly changed a lot since our last weekly newsletter.

Schools are closed.
Businesses are shuttered.
People are working from home.
Unemployment numbers are soaring.
An political rallies and debates have been postponed or outright cancelled.
Emergency declarations have been issued for our state, county, and cities.
Each day the number of new cases of COVID-19 increases, as do the number of deaths.

The Cobb GOP has faced its own tragedies in the past week as Dowell 01 Precinct Chairman Reid McAlister passed away after a short battle with cancer, the step-father-in-law of former Cobb GOP Vice-Chair Bernard Reynolds passed away from COVID-19 and COPD, former Cobb County Commissioner Scott Chadwick is in the ICU battling COVID-19, Babe Atkins Byrne is also in the hospital on other health issues. Please keep them and their families in your thoughts and prayers.

However, on a positive note, Sen. Bruce Thompson is out of the hospital and on the mend from COVID-19 and Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick is recovering from it too.

For now, the Cobb GOP office will remain closed.

We are officially cancelling the April breakfast. We will be highlighting the two sponsors who paid to sponsor the April breakfast online as our newsletter sponsor through April.

Despite the bad news, we see Americans do what we do best... come together, united for the common good . Businesses are pitching in to find ways to serve those on the front lines. CEOs are giving up their pay so their workers can continue to get a paycheck, meetings are moving online so work, including the work of the party, can continue.

Our commitment is to keep you informed and provide opportunities to make a difference right from home.

Yours in Freedom,

Jason Shepherd

Chairman, Cobb County Republican Party

Chairman's Corner - COVID precautions for the County Convention

Tue, 17 Mar 2020 01:30:23 GMT

Please watch this video about changes concerning Saturday's GOP Conventions:

Yours in Freedom,

Jason Shepherd

Chairman's Corner - Most Democratic candidates since when?

Tue, 10 Mar 2020 01:31:52 GMT

Qualifying ended this week, but on Saturday the spin began. The Democrats trumpeted the fact that they had qualified the most Democratic candidates since "Reconstruction."

Is the Democratic Party actually crowing about qualifying the most Democrats since the Democratic Party in Georgia started stripping away the rights of newly freed slaves to vote?

The AJC quickly picked up on the Democratic Party press release making a big deal about the 800+ Democrats who qualified across the state, especially the 187 who qualified for legislative seats, the most since 1996.

However, in 1996, Georgia Democrats ran the State House, State Senate, and had most of the statewide constitutional officers, and typically incumbents are not challenged in the primary.

While Republicans were winning the state at the federal level (Bob Dole would carry Georgia in 1996 after Bill Clinton carried it in 1992), we were still searching for relevancy at the state and local level.

And while the Democrats are challenging in every Congressional seat, the first time since 2008 that has happened, the GOP is taking on every Democratic member of Congress too, something that is not a common occurrence. What's more, over 1,500 Republicans qualified across Georgia for local, state, and federal office.

In Cobb, we did not shy away from challenging supposedly "safe" Democrats either with Jim Hickey taking on Erica "Publix" Thomas (should she win her primary) and Stephen George facing off against Democrat Michael Smith.

Then there is Rose Wing (HD-37) and Taryn Bowman (HD-40), both are challenging incumbents that flipped from red to blue in 2018. And while several Democrats are facing primary challenges in their Cobb legislative seats, the same is not so for our Republican General Assembly members, none of whom had primary challengers. There is a Democratic Primary to challenge Sen. Lindsey Tippins, there are also Democratic primaries in House Districts 35, 39, 42, and 46.

Locally, however, it was two countywide elected Republicans who saw themselves re-elected for four more years as neither State Court Clerk Angie Davis or Tax Commissioner Carla Jackson saw any challenge.

Yours in Freedom,

Jason Shepherd

Chairman, Cobb County Republican Party

Chairman's Corner - Looking for a few good candidates

Mon, 02 Mar 2020 07:35:51 GMT

The GOP is looking for a few good candidates to be the ballot this fall!

If you ever wanted to run for office, this next week is your chance! If you missed the alert last week, here's nearly everything you need to know to qualify for the GOP ballot this week!

QUALIFYING begins at 9:00 AM on MARCH 2, 2020 and ends at 12:00 NOON on MARCH 6, 2020.

The Cobb County Republican Party will be open from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM Mon-Thu and Friday from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM for candidates to qualify. The phone number for the Cobb GOP office is (770) 272-0458 .

Candidates may pay their qualifying fees by money order, cashiers check, or in cash. Personal or campaign checks will not be accepted!

PARTISAN OFFICES:

The following COUNTY partisan offices qualify with the Cobb County Republican Party at Republican Party Headquarters, 799 Roswell Street NE, Marietta, GA 30060:

Commission Chairman
Clerk of State Court
Sheriff
Clerk of Superior Court
Tax Commissioner
County Commissioner, District 4
County Commissioner, District 2
County School Board (Districts 1, 3, 5 & 7)
Surveyor

The following FEDERAL & STATE partisan offices qualify with one of the State parties at the Georgia Capital:

U.S. Senate
U. S. Representative (Congress) (All Districts)
Public Service Commissioner (Districts 1 & 4)
State Senator (All Districts)
State Representative (All Districts)
District Attorney

NONPARTISAN OFFICES:

The following COUNTY nonpartisan offices qualify with Cobb County Elections:

State Court Judge (Posts 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 & 7)
State Court Judge, Division II (Posts 2 & 5)
Judge of the Probate Court
Chief Magistrate Judge

The following STATE nonpartisan offices qualify with the Secretary of State:

Supreme Court Justice (3 seats)
Court of Appeals Judge (6 seats)
Superior Court Judge (7 seats)

Candidates may use the following forms and bring them pre-filled out (BUT NOT PRE-SIGNED UNLESS NOTARIZED). All candidates must fill out the first form. Other candidates may be required to fill out the specific form for their office below.

The Cobb GOP will have a notary on site to notarize all documents.

QUALIFYING FEES:

Fees must be paid with a cashiers check, money order, or cash. No personal or campaign checks will be accepted.

Click here for the qualifying fee schedule.

For more information on candidate qualifying, visit https://www.cobbcounty.org/elections/candidates/qualifying-office

Yours in Freedom,

Jason Shepherd

Chairman, Cobb County Republican Party

Chairman's Corner - Democrats fully embrace Socialism

Tue, 25 Feb 2020 02:38:04 GMT

This weekend, the Democratic Party further embraced socialism as the Nevada Caucuses gave Bernie Sanders yet another primary win on his road to the Democratic Party Nomination.

It shouldn't have been any surprise given the tepid applause the audience at the Democratic Debate this week gave to Michael Bloomberg and Amy Klobuchar when they defended capitalism on the debate stage. Clearly, the Democratic Party is poised to complete Barack Obama's fundamental transformation of America, a transformation that was only stymied when the GOP took control of Congress in 2011.

While I can write all day about the evils of socialism, I decided it would be better to let Gloria Álvarez ‏do it. I met Gloria at a Conservatives International Conference that I attended in May 2017 in Hollywood, FL.I was immediately impressed by her presentation and her story.

I hope you will watch and share this video.

Yours in Freedom,

Jason Shepherd

Chairman, Cobb County Republican Party

Chairman's Corner - Precinct Caucus instructional video

Tue, 18 Feb 2020 03:40:44 GMT

This Saturday, the road to the 2020 Republican National Convention begins!

Watch this video to know what to expect at the 2020 Precinct Caucus. If you are registered to vote in Cobb County and haven't pre-registered for the Precinct Caucus, you must do so by WEDNESDAY!

You can still register at the door.

Scroll down for more details.

Yours in Freedom,

Jason Shepherd

Chairman, Cobb County Republican Party

Chairman's Corner - Left winged intimidation

Tue, 11 Feb 2020 04:42:28 GMT

This week I was at a CLE (Continuing Legal Education) seminar where the topic for the seminar was voting and election law. Any pretense of the event presenting a neutral view was quickly dashed by the first lecture, given by Emmet Bondurant, who is among other things the lead counsel for Common Cause, one of those organizations that claims to be non-partisan, but tends to only be led by progressives.

Bondurant noted that Georgia is the most partisan gerrymandered state in the nation (not California, Maryland, Illinois, New York, or North Carolina) with the only evidence presented being the fact that in 2016, 80% of legislative incumbents faced no general election opposition.

Never mind that other considerations like incumbency and the financial advantages and name ID that brings may be a factor, or that people of similar political thinking tend to live by others with similar political thinking.

But this Chairman's Corner isn't about the biased information presented in that, or any of the other lectures. It's about something sadly far more troubling.

After the lecture I was getting coffee when I heard another attorney behind me talking with Mr. Bondurant. The man, likely in his late 50's to mid-60's asked Bondruant if he thought there would even be a 2022 election if Donald Trump was re-elected.

Maybe it was the nearly 2 hour drive in the rain that morning to get to Emory's Law School by 8 am or the fact I had to bite my tongue during Mr. Bondurant's talk, but I couldn't let that level of malarkey go without butting in, to which I turned, looked squarely at him and simply said, "Really?"

He double-downed his assertion with the progressive's favorite go-to, and claimed it was so because Trump is a "fascist."

To which I replied, "So he's just like those people who put my great, great uncle in Auschwitz and gassed him to death?"

He tried to protest, and I said I don't discuss things with illogical and irrational people and he was too old and too educated to state such ridiculous things.

Sadly though, he is not the only one who believes the fairy tales the left has spun about Donald Trump. To be fair, they are not much different than one's I heard on the right during the last presidency, including questions as to whether or not Obama would relinquish the office to Trump. Maybe in Georgia we are a little skittish. After all, Gov. Ellis Arnall didn't hand over the office after his term had expired during Georgia's " three governors controversy ," however, as much skepticism the right had about the President who reminded Congress he had a "phone and a pen" and bypass them with both (and why wasn’t that abuse of power impeachable), what was not as prevalent on the right was the vitriol that the left has fomented against Donald Trump and those of us on the right.

The last election was full or stories about GOP headquarters being vandalized and volunteers being attacked by progressives. Even our own Cobb GOP HQ had someone call and say how bad it would be if we found ourselves down range and just last year, our own Carolyn Meadows had to have extra sheriff deputies patrol her house because of threats from the “tolerant” left.

If you thought this was going away any time soon, it’s now an election year and things are looking to get worse. Just this Saturday, volunteers from the Duval County, Florida (Jacksonville) Republican Party were allegedly nearly run down by 27-year-old Greg Timm while holding a voter registration drive. Luckily, no one was injured and by the end of the weekend, the end of the weekend, Timm was in jail on $500,000 bond .

However, as with any terrorism, and violence designed to achieve a political end is terrorism, Duval County GOP Chairman Dean Black told the press in a statement that the Duval County GOP would not be deterred. Black stated, “ The Republican Party of Duval County will not be intimidated by these cowards and we will not be silenced. I call on every Republican in our great city to stand up, get involved, and show these radicals that we will not be intimidated from exercising our Constitutional rights. ”

I know every Republican volunteer in Cobb County, Georgia would feel the same way.

The stakes this election are too high to sit on the sidelines. They are too high to say we can live with a Democrat because we just don’t like the Republican. They are too high not to look at the bottom of the ballot with as much passion as the top of the ballot.

And if you’re not willing to be intimidated into silence by a punk kid (or a 60+ year old lawyer), then there is nothing out there too scary to face to win in November!

Yours in Freedom,

Jason Shepherd

Chairman, Cobb County Republican Party

Chairman's Corner - Groundhog Day

Mon, 03 Feb 2020 19:45:14 GMT

Yesterday was Groundhog Day. Apparently Speaker Nancy Pelosi emerged from her office at the Capitol and didn't see her shadow singling an early impeachment acquittal.

Yours in Freedom,

Jason Shepherd

Chairman, Cobb County Republican Party

Chairman's Corner - Beam me up!

Tue, 28 Jan 2020 02:45:51 GMT

The left and the liberal media hit a new low this week (was that even possible?) in a way that should make any right thinking (and logical) person exclaim: BEAM ME UP!!!

The mainstream media, social media, and the Twitterverse were all in upheaval because this week the Administration unveiled the new logo for the United States Space Force. Critics of the President, who must assume that he is also a graphic designer, immediately started to accuse him of ripping off the logo for Star Trek.

The Washington Post boldly proclaimed in its headlines: Trump reveals Space Force logo, and ‘Star Trek’ fans aren’t happy

NPR said in its headline that the logo "Incited 'Star Trek' Fan Outrage"!

Sopan Debs, a reporter with the New York Times took to Twitter screaming , " THIS IS THE STARFLEET LOGO! THE U.S. GOVERNMENT TOOK A THING FROM A TV SHOW AND MADE IT THE OFFICIAL EMBLEM OF A BRANCH OF THE MILITARY."

Even Star Trek cast member and left-winged activist George Takei Tweeted he expected royalties from the new emblem .

The problem with all of these attacks, like so many by the media and left, is none of it's true.

National Security expert Joe Noonan took to Twitter himself to note that the new logo looked a lot like the shield logo for the United States Space Command, which was established in 1982 by President Ronald Reagan.

"For those excitedly tweeting that Trump stole the Star Trek logo!!!!, the patch on the left was the existing Air Force Command logo."

While some media reports did note that the new logo was more likely a modification of the Space Command logo, they pushed it aside basically claiming that Reagan ripped off Star Trek too.

However, no one seemed too concerned about asking where did the Star Fleet logo come from in the first place?

Star Trek premiered on NBC in 1966. The US and USSR were locked in a space race and the U.S. was trying to fulfill President John F. Kennedy's desire to land a man safely on the moon and return him back to Earth. That program, the Apollo Program, began in 1962.

Its patch looks strikingly similar to the Star Fleet logo.

Gene Roddenberry, the creator of Star Trek, was a veteran who flew 89 combat missions during WWII. He had a love for aviation and the United States Space Program. The original name for the Enterprise was going to be the S.S. Yorktown, named for the aircraft carrier sunk at the Battle of Midway. Roddenberry drew inspiration from NASA, including inspiration for the Star Trek logo.

But in the end, the final design for the Space Force drew its inspiration from several existing government logos:

As usual, the media in its rush to bash the President has completely mischaracterized the efforts of the administration.

This week saw the passing of journalist Jim Lehrer at the age of 85. Lehrer had penned several " Rules of Journalism . " The first three seem to fall on deaf ears for today's mainstream media:

Do nothing I cannot defend.
Do not distort, lie, slant, or hype.
Do not falsify facts or make up quotes.

If this week's manufacturer controversy is any indication, I doubt you will find too many members of the modern press who still hold fast to Lehrer's words.

Scotty, beam me up!

Yours in Freedom,

Jason Shepherd

Chairman, Cobb County Republican Party

Chairman's Corner - individualism overcomes racism

Tue, 21 Jan 2020 01:52:14 GMT

This week we stop and focus on the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. For the second year in a row, the Cobb Republican Party sponsored a table at the Cobb Ministerial Alliance's (CMA) Martin Luther King, Jr. Gala. We had no idea what an overwhelming response we would have and have to give a shout-out to the Metro Area Republicans for filling three additional tables with Republicans.

Additionally, as a point of pride for our Party, we got to watch as Cobb Young Republican Chair DeAnna Harris stood at the podium to introduce Kelvin King, an active part of our County Party and the recipient of the Pacesetter award.

In the end, Pastor Sherman Scott, the head of the CMA, talked about unity, which was the heart and soul King's message. He spoke about how proud he was to have a room full of Republicans, Democrats, and Independents, and how his organization would be working with all organizations to educate voters.

Dr. King's dream was that one day, his four little children will live, "in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character."

King's legacy was on full display in that Marriott Ball Room last night, but is it on display in anywhere else in politics? I wrote most of what I am saying below last year, but it's sadly all to still relevant, especially in light of the Democratic members of the Cobb School Board who can all see the color of one's skin, not the content of the character, and are judged by their colleague on their character alone, but they only believe it's because of skin color.

Today we seem as far away from that dream as our nation was when Dr. King spoke those words over 56 years ago in front of the Lincoln Memorial during the March on Washington. Many who would claim the mantel of Dr. King and claim to be among his disciples do not seem interested in that day. They may bring it up in speeches and interviews, they might write it in essays and op-eds, but their actions speak louder than their words.

The left continues to use race as a divider and, in the name of social justice, attack minorities who believe in conservative values as somehow being "traitors" to their ethnicity. It is a concept that flies in the face not only of Dr. King's speech, but in the face of the very concept of who we are as Americans.

Embodied in a statement like, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights, among them are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" is the essence of Dr. King's dream.

How can we be equal when we are judged solely on the color of the skin, a trait that is not chosen by us, but chosen for us when we were conceived, and not the content of our character?

Dr. King's statement truly resounds more on the right, which holds as its precipice the ideal of "the individual." Republicans go further as we speak of "rugged individualism" as central to the values and platform of the Party. In that regard, we must hold the idea that an individual must be judged by who they are as an individual defined by their character, not by their group or national origin or ethnicity or race.

My colleague in Gwinnett County, Chairman Edward Muldrow is black. He writes in an op-ed in the Atlanta Journal Constitution , " Historically, Black people have been conservatives. We hold strong family values, have an undeniable faith in God, and we believe in hard work. The Second Amendment serves to allow us protection, and today’s conservatives refuse to let us forget that the Republican Party freed Blacks from enslavement. The problem is that, on all sides, they want black people to be monolithic."

If we are created equal, then none of what is part of our creation can be considered unequal to anyone else's creation. In the eyes of our republican constitutional system, we are all equal, just as we are all equal in the eyes of our Creator.

It is for these beliefs that Republicans are call "racists."

You see, for too many Democrats, they do not want to judge an individual by the content of their character, but by the color of their skin (or gender, or sexual orientation, or natural origin).

"Diversity" has taken the place of "rugged individualism" as the highest goal and the greatest morality. The goal then becomes making sure groups are represented by checking off boxes in the ultimate triumph of the superficial.

Muldrow makes that point as well as he continues to write in his op-ed, "Dr. King’s message of unity was not unity by forsaking individuality. It was quite the opposite. Dr. King recognized there is diversity in unity. Part of his message was that we should live in a place where we would not be judged by the color of our skin but by the content of our character. Dr. King recognized there is uniqueness in unity. Individual character, individual experiences and individual thoughts should be the core that unifies us."

This is possible in our society because people understand the value of true diversity in achieving success. We learn more and understand more when we surround ourselves with those who have had different experiences, come from different backgrounds, and provide different perspectives. But that kind of diversity is still a diversity based on the content of one's character, and not simply the color of one's skin. The best teams do not look at the outside,but what's inside. Talent, character, drive, competence, and devotion do not come from the outside, but the inside.

In the end, it is not diversity, but division that is created. That division is used to set those who should be joined together with a common creed, into disunity. We become Balkinized based on the lines and the result is a house divided against itself cannot stand.

However, the answer to the dream lies in the very speech itself. Dr. King concluded it with the words, "Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty we are free at last."

The triumph of the individual is also the triumph of freedom. We know that while the Creator created us as equal, man has since made that creation unequal. It is when we are unshackled from man's division of the Creator's order, then our natural state is made whole and that is a state of freedom.

Speaking in West Berlin in front of the Brandenburg Gate in 1987, Ronald Reagan noted, "Freedom leads to prosperity. Freedom replaces the ancient hatreds among the nations with comity and peace. Freedom is the victor."

That is not to say we do not have those in our party who speak counter to that, but the obsession of our party as a whole is not one bound in the color of one's skin, but the content of one's character. For the Democrats, that is not the case. That is why they can without a moments hesitation call the right "racist" for not being focused on the color of one's skin, while they do not see themselves as such for focusing only on that.

They see a couple of bad actors and label the group, because they have forgotten the dream and still, like Democrats in 1963, judge people on the color of the skin, not the content of the character.

Yours in Freedom,

Jason Shepherd

Chairman, Cobb County Republican Party

Chairman's Corner - Weekend update

Sat, 18 Jan 2020 04:56:06 GMT

Although we do not often send out of full email blast in the mid-week, with so many time-sensitive events coming up over the next few days, we wanted to make sure you were aware of them.

First, you will not below that we have added a "Trump Victory" section to the newsletter. This section will keep you abreast over the coming months of the efforts to help re-elect Donald Trump President of the United States, so that you can be a part of these efforts, if you would like. The Trump Victory team has two events coming up as soon as tomorrow, Saturday morning.

Second, today is the last day to take advantage of the "early bird" online registration discount for the GRA's 3rd Annual President's Dinner, being held at the Adventure Outdoors on this coming Tuesday evening, January 21st.

The Franklin Roundtable has two interesting talks taking place at the Cobb GOP Headquarters Monday evening, January 20th, and GRTL is hosting their annual "March for Life" rally at the state capitol on Wednesday, the 22nd — and the Trump Victory team will be doing a voter registration push at that event.

There are many more exciting events in store over the next few weeks listed here as well. We appreciate all of you who are active in our community to promote these for the success of our party.

Yours in Freedom,

Jason Shepherd

Chairman, Cobb County Republican Party

Chairman's Corner - Pumped for Trump!

Tue, 07 Jan 2020 01:57:49 GMT

It's 2020 and it's election time again!

While the Cobb GOP has spent 2019 training and organizing, 2020 will be time to reach down and put all we have learned and all we have organized into effect.

We kicked off 2020 with what is possibly the largest Cobb GOP breakfast ever. Selling out 4 days before didn't stop people from travelling, some over 100 miles, to attend the breakfast!

In addition to a fantastic visit by our new Senator, who will be sworn in by Vice-President Mike Pence today, we premiered our 2020 "Pumped for Trump" Hype video!

Be sure to watch and share!

Yours in Freedom,

Jason Shepherd

Chairman, Cobb County Republican Party

Chairman's Corner: Remembering those who lost their lives on 9-11

Thu, 14 Sep 2017 03:24:58 GMT

This week we remembered the nearly 3,000 who lost their lives 16 years ago on September 11, 2001. This year, that remembrance came again at a time of national strife as Hurricane Irma bared down on Florida and Georgia. It is at times like these that we truly see the greatness of Americans.

Sixteen years ago, Americans came together and stood as one against a common enemy. We also pitched in and volunteered, donated our time and funds to help shattered lives begin to rebuild.

We saw that same spirit again last week after Hurricane Harvey hit Texas. We will see that again in the aftermath of Irma. The media would love to continue to portray an American that's hopelessly divided, but when faced with adversity, we find an American that is hopefully united.

Please continue to keep those still trying to recover from Harvey and now Irma in your thoughts and prayers and we will also be posting on our Facebook page ways you can help out.

Also, see below for a great event for Congressman Barry Loudermilk on Saturday. You may have heard that Barry and his wife Desiree were involved in a rollover crash in Tennessee today, but, thankfully, neither were injured.

Have a great Republican week!

Yours in Freedom,

Jason Shepherd

Chairman, Cobb GOP

Chairman's Corner: Socialism eventually leads to the concentration camp

Wed, 16 Aug 2017 03:09:53 GMT

This weekend our nation was rocked by news of violence surrounding a white supremacist march and counter-march in Charlottesville, VA. Many on the right were quick to condemn, almost as quick as the media and the American left was to lay the blame at the feet of President Trump. The reason is the American left and the media are quick to call these groups "right-winged." That may be true when you talk about the European definition of "right-winged" which is synonymous with "authoritarianism."

In the America definition, this is false.

In the American experience, the "right" champions rugged individualism and rejects the idea that people are nothing more than a group they belong to.

These Nazis want the government to get rid of everyone not them (blacks, Jews, Hispanics, Catholics, etc) which requires a pretty big government accomplish their goals. This is preciously why conservative Republicans abhor big government. It is in totalitarian states, not Constitutional Republics, where people's rights to life, liberty, and property can be taken away because those in charge of the government define them as "inferior."

I received a very stark reminder of that when I visited the Auschwitz Concentration Camp this past summer. There, on the wall of the Dutch memorial to their victims of the Holocaust were the names of my great-great uncle, aunt, and their children. His sister, my great-grandmother, came to America. He didn't. He and his family died in Nazi gas chambers in the fall of 1943.

The left is not even immune to these types of protests at their own events as Cobb County Democratic State Representative Stacey Evans, a candidate for Georgia Governor, was shouted down at the progressive NetRoots Convention in Atlanta this weekend. These supporters of her Democratic Primary opponent, Stacey Abrams, carried signs and shouted messages like, "support black women."

Evans had to give up and leave the stage without being able to speak, but Abrams is refusing to condemn the actions of her supporters. Liberal State Senator Nan Orrock even took up for Abrams posting on her Facebook page, "[W]hy is Stacey Abrams expected to disavow a protest she did not organize? Whether you disagree with their actions or not, please understand that protestors <sic> make their own decisions to exercise the right to independently organize and act, particularly at a progressive conference for activists..."

Can you imagine the outrage if a Republican U.S. Senator made the same statement about Donald Trump and the white supremacists in Virginia?

This reminds me of the crickets from the left in 2002 when State Representative Billy McKinney, father of Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney, blamed her loss on the, "J-E-W-S." McKinney wasn't condemned, far from it. In fact, a portion of I-285 in Fulton and Cobb Counties is still named for him.

We are reminded it is the left which turns to scapegoats when their socialist policies fail to create the worker's paradise on Earth they have sold to their willing victims. That's why the path of socialism always eventually leads to the gulag and the concentration camp.

While Republicans should condemn and, in fact, are condemning, what is happening in our nation at the hands of domestic terrorists, and should name the names and the groups responsible, we should also be quick to add which side of the political spectrum this violence comes from, and it's not the American right, whose very DNA rejects the policy of hyphenated Americanism.

Just because they wear "MAGA" hats does not make them part of us any more than buying camouflage at a hunting store and sewing a patch that says "Army" onto the sleeve would make one a soldier.

Oh, and never forget, you can't spell "NAZI" without "National Socialism."

If you agree, and you have not joined the Cobb County Republican Party, then we need your help standing up for our freedoms and conservative, Republican values. Join or rejoin the Cobb GOP today! The invite a friend to join with you.

The above statement reflects my views and my views only and not necessarily the views of the other officers, leaders, and members of the Cobb County Republican Party.

Have a great Republican week!

Yours in Freedom,

Jason Shepherd

Chairman, Cobb GOP

Chairman's Corner: Training for House District and Precinct Officers

Thu, 27 Jul 2017 03:01:29 GMT

Great news. Last night the Cobb Board of Commissioner voted 3-2 to keep the millage rate the same. Thanks to Commissioners Birrell, Ott, and Weatherford who stood the line against the tax increase.

We will also be having our first training for House District and Precinct officers. The training will be held Saturday, August 19 from 9AM-1PM at Cobb GOP headquarters. The training and lunch are free, but we need to have a headcount to prepare. Please click here to get your free ticket and register for the training. TRAINING IS CRITICAL TO HELP YOU PREPARE YOUR PRECINCT FOR 2018!

Remember, Pre-orders are now open for our Saturday, August 5th breakfast, which is returning after a 2-month hiatus due to the State GOP Convention and July 4th. Our speaker is the winner of our straw poll for Secretary of State, State Rep. Buzz Brockway. Before being elected to the State House in 2010, Rep. Brockway served as Chairman of the Gwinnett County Republican Party, a candidate who like so many of us, got his start serving at the grassroots. We also will have a very special surprise guest who you will not want to miss!

Save $2 on breakfast by getting your ticket early, or RSVP for a free ticket which does not include breakfast to save a spot. See below for more information!

Have a great Republican week!

Yours in Freedom,

Jason Shepherd

Chairman, Cobb GOP

Chairman's Corner: Thanks to our Freedom Day volunteers!

Tue, 18 Jul 2017 02:59:18 GMT

Between the Congressional Special Election and promoting the Freedom BBQ on July 4, we thought you were due for a well deserved break from emails. That said, this one is packed full of information and events including what's happening in the Cobb Young Republicans and the Cobb County Republican Women's Club .

Pre-orders are now open for our Saturday, August 5th breakfast, which is returning after a 2-month hiatus due to the State GOP Convention and July 4th. Our speaker is the winner of our straw poll for Secretary of State, State Rep. Buzz Brockway. Before being elected to the State House in 2010, Rep. Brockway served as Chairman of the Gwinnett County Republican Party, a candidate who like so many of us, got his start serving at the grassroots.

Our annual Freedom Day BBQ was a huge success. More than 500 tickets were sold and more than 250 people participated in our straw poll. The winners were:

Governor: Hunter Hill

Lt. Governor: David Shafer

Secretary of State: Buzz Brockway

We also had a stirring tribute to our veterans and honored our POW/MIAs with a special ceremony.

photo credit Jeff Souther

Special thanks goes out to all of our volunteers who worked diligently to decorate and work the event including, Helen Story, Phyllis Slaght, Wanda Becker, Scott Johnson, Jeff Souther, Charlie Williams, Eileen Alberstadt, Debra Lieb, Lisa Atkins, Bette Tempest, Michael Davis, Miriam Corbin, Darlene Knight, Sue Marshall, Dorothy Baskin, Pam Croxton, and, especially, our event chairman, Debra Williams.

You may have also heard in the news this past week that the Cobb County Board of Commissioners are proposing to increase the millage rate. Chairman Mike Boyce is having a couple of town hall meetings to hear from Cobb taxpayers on the tax increase. See below for the schedule.

Have a great Republican week!

Yours in Freedom,

Jason Shepherd

Chairman, Cobb GOP

Chairman's Corner: Report of the State Convention

Wed, 07 Jun 2017 02:54:49 GMT

It was an exciting weekend at the State Convention...or at least so I heard. I had the honor of being appointed to the Credentials Committee along with two other great Cobb Republicans, Phil Daniell and Johnell Woody. Our work started at 9:00 AM on Friday and didn't finish until about 11:00 PM. We started back at 7:00 AM on Saturday and closed up business when the Convention ended at 7:00 PM. After handling the credentialing challenges, we became the vote counters along with the Sgt. at Arms Committee members. The vote in each section was certified by both the Credentials Committee member and Sgt. at Arms member assigned to each section. Our totals were certified by Chairs of each committee.

While I was in constant meetings, Pamela Croxton did a great job leading the Cobb delegation. All of our alternates were moved up.

I was also honored by my fellow county party chairmen who elected me to represent them on the State Executive Committee as the Over 80,000 Caucus Chairman.

Finally, I would like to thank all of the candidates for all offices who put themselves out there to serve the Party. I would especially like to thank Alex Johnson, Michael McNeely, and Mike Welsh. Each one is a fine individual who I would have been proud and honored to work with.

Moving on to Karen Handel's runoff, we will be hosting a Debate Watch Party at Cobb HQ on Tuesday, June 6. Doors open at 7:00 PM. See below for more information.

Finally, you can still get tickets for the Meet-and-Greet and Braves Game with Taiwan's Ambassador to the United States, the Hon. Stanley Kao. Tickets are $100 and include the reception and the game. This is an event not to be missed!

Get your ticket now at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/youre-invited-to-a-reception-braves-game-with-taiwan-ambassador-stanley-kao-tickets-33940530039.

Have a great Republican week!

Yours in Freedom,

Jason Shepherd

Chairman, Cobb GOP

Chairman's Corner: One Week until the Runoff

Tue, 06 Jun 2017 02:56:46 GMT

We have a little more than a week to go before voters in the 6th District will choose between Karen Handel and that guy who lives somewhere other than the 6th. We will have opportunities to volunteer both at Cobb GOP Headquarters and Karen Handel's Cobb campaign office through the week. Handel's headquarters are at 3750 Palladian Village Drive, Marietta, GA 30066-8207.

We will also be having the Meet-and-Greet and Braves Game with Taiwan's Ambassador to the United States, the Hon. Stanley Kao. Friday, June 16. Tickets are no longer available, but those who did purchase tickets, they will be available at will call. Be sure to arrange your parking in advance and arrive before the reception starts at 6:00PM.

It's also now time to get ready for July 4 and tickets are on sale now for $10 in advance or $15 at the door. Purchase your advance tickets now. We will have great BBQ from Williamson Brothers Catering, live music, candidate speeches, as well as plenty of activities for the kids.

There will so be a straw poll for Governor, Lt. Governor, and Secretary of State, so come out and support your favorite candidates.

Sponsorships are also available through the ticket link above or you can download the application and send it back in.

Have a great Republican week!

Yours in Freedom,

Jason Shepherd

Chairman, Cobb GOP

Chairman's Corner: Republicans turning out for the Senate 32 runoff

Tue, 16 May 2017 02:49:10 GMT

We had a fantastic volunteer event on Saturday for our Kay in May Day BBQ. We had more than 50 Republicans from, not just Cobb, but Fulton, Cherokee, and Gwinnett as well, all working to win the Senate District 32 runoff!

Lt. Governor Casey Cagle came by to thank volunteers and enjoy a great BBQ lunch thanks to Andy Soha and Bob Terrell. Then at the end of the day, State Senator Hunter Hill drew our winners! Thanks as well to Rep. Bert Reeves for helping sponsor the event.

If you would like to see photos from Saturday, click here and visit our photo gallery.

There is still a lot of work to be done before the polls close tomorrow at 7:00PM. You can still help by filling out the form at http://cobbgop.org/volunteer-for-kay/.

We especially need sign wavers for key intersections!

Be sure to reach out to friends and family who live in the 32nd and remind them to vote on Tuesday for Kay Kirkpatrick!

Today is also the last day to get the early bird rate for the Meet-and-Greet and Braves Game with Taiwan's Ambassador to the United States, the Hon. Stanley Kao. Tomorrow the price will go up from $65 to $100 a ticket. This is an event not to be missed!

Get your ticket now at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/youre-invited-to-a-reception-braves-game-with-taiwan-ambassador-stanley-kao-tickets-33940530039.

Let's make this a GREAT REPUBLICAN WEEK for Kay Kirkpatrick and Karen Handel!

Yours in Freedom,

Jason Shepherd

Chairman, Cobb GOP

Chairman's Corner: GAGOP Chairman's debate

Tue, 09 May 2017 02:40:59 GMT

This has been an exciting week in the Cobb GOP. Each day Cobb volunteers worked to get out the vote for Kay Kirkpatrick and Karen Handel. Once again, it was standing room only at our monthly Cobb GOP Breakfast as Scott Slade, host of Atlanta's Morning News on WSB radio moderated the forum with State Party Chairman candidates Alex Johnson, Michael McNeely, John Watson, and Mike Welsh. The forum was covered by The Marietta Daily Journal and CBS 46 Atlanta, as well as the Monica Matthew's Show Sunday morning on WBS radio.

At the breakfast, Virginia Galloway with the Faith and Freedom Coalition held a drawing for a free trip to Washington, DC to attend the FFC's "Road to Majority" Conference. Another trip will be given away at Saturday's KAY IN MAY DAY BBQ (see below for more details and how you can win!)

Karen Handel also opened her campaign's Cobb HQ on Sunday and it was great to see so many Cobb Republicans out to support her.

Early voting starts TODAY for State Senate District 32 and the election is a week from tomorrow, Tuesday, May 16. We need you help making sure District 32 voters come out for Kay in May. To volunteer, please click here and sign up to make calls, wave signs, or canvass neighborhoods.

We did suffer a set-back as a federal judge re-opened voter registration striking down the Georgia law. More than 20,000 new voters who turned in their registration late will be added to to rolls just in Cobb County and registration will remain open until May 21.

Let's make this a GREAT REPUBLICAN WEEK for Kay Kirkpatrick and Karen Handel!

Yours in Freedom,

Jason Shepherd

Chairman, Cobb GOP