SWGA Politics

The Edge of Chaos[ February 28, 2010 – 10:04 am]by Jeff Posted in » 2010 Campaigns

Of the self organizing behaviors, two are of particular interest to the study of evolution. One is adaptation. We see it everywhere. Corporations adapt to the marketplace, brain cells adapt to signal traffic, the immune system adapts to infection, animals adapt to their food supply. We have come to think that the ability to adapt is characteristic of complex systems – and may be one reason why evolution seems to lead toward more complex organisms.

But even more important is the way complex systems seem to strike a balance between the need for order and the imperative to change. Complex systems tend to locate themselves at a place we call ‘the edge of chaos’. We imagine the edge of chaos as a place where there is enough innovation to keep a living system vibrant, and enough stability to keep it from collapsing into anarchy. It is a zone of conflict and upheaval, where the old and the new are constantly at war. Finding the balance point must be a delicate matter – if a living system drifts too close, it risks falling over into incoherence and dissolution; but if the system moves too far away from the edge, it becomes rigid, frozen, totalitarian. Both conditions lead to extinction. Too much change is as destructive as too little. Only at the edge of chaos can complex systems flourish.

And, by implication, extinction is the inevitable result of one or the other strategy – too much change, or too little.

Wait a second! Science on a political blog? Yes, once again I intend to use science to make a point about politics, much as I did a couple of months ago with a more basic concept (pendulums).

Where am I going with this? Find out below the fold.
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The Rights of Free Press and Free Association Are In the Constitution[ February 3, 2010 – 8:46 pm]by Jeff Posted in » 2010 Campaigns

I just wanted to clear that up, since many of the so-called “Constitutionalists” have been flooding my Facebook feed and inbox with status updates and emails telling me to call the Beacon, the host of tomorrow night’s “Big 5″ GOP GAGOV debate and protest them deciding not to include Ray McBerry and Jeff Chapman.

Indeed, apparently they are also now planning a protest outside the event over McBerry’s lack of inclusion.
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Ray McBerry Second GAGOV Candidate To Support Equal Ballot Access[ February 2, 2010 – 5:21 am]by Jeff Posted in » 2010 Campaigns

Ray McBerry is the second GAGOV candidate to openly support equal ballot access, and I genuinely like his response to at least the first question in the video below.

I can’t say I like his other answers quite as much, though he does make some good points before jumping off the deep end on nullification – as usual.

I encourage Ray, and everyone else, to join our FB group working on this issue, Equal Ballot Access for All! (Ga Chapter). I also hope to have an announcement soon about some further work I may be doing in that regard.

Will This Be the Results on July 20, 2010?[ January 24, 2010 – 8:42 pm]by Jeff Posted in » 2010 Campaigns

Recently, some McBerry supporters have been telling me I needed to get my facts straight on him while maintaining that he has “won every straw poll except one in the winer’s home county.”

So I went through the PeachPundit archives – possibly the best single source of information for GOP straw poll results – looking for straw polls from 2009 and specifically how Ray McBerry did in them. The general data was also very interesting from the 14 straw polls I found from April through November, here’s what I saw:
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Ethics Complaint Filed against Mcberry, 11 Others[ January 22, 2010 – 2:30 pm]by a.coalson Posted in » General

An ethics complaint was filed this week against Ray McBerry, and 11 others running for office around the state. The complaint is based upon the failure of each candidate to file their Campaign Contribution Disclosure Report with the State Ethics Commission.

The report is due no later than January 8th, which is the end of the grace period for filing. As of today at the time of this writing, McBerry and the others still have not filed. The report discloses cash on hand, individual contributions, and expenditures among other things.

McBerry, a Republican candidate for Governor, is campaigning on the promise of totally restructuring state government. It looks like he is trying to get started before he’s even elected.

The others candidates are:
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Religion and the GOP GAGOV Candidates[ January 21, 2010 – 5:35 am]by Jeff Posted in » 2010 Campaigns

Ray McBerry seems to want to make the intensely personal issue of religion a campaign ploy, so let’s humor him for a moment, shall we?

Ray mentioned his religion three separate times in Tuesday night’s debate. I honestly don’t recall any of the other candidates mentioning theirs a single time – which is what prompted this post. You see, Ray seems to think that by constantly telling you he is a Christian, you will think that none of the other candidates are, and if that is one of the major things you vote for a person based on that he will get your vote. What Ray leaves out is that from what I can tell, he is a member of an ultra-conservative fringe sect, the likes of which make even the stereotypical “Independent Baptist” church look hedonistic. Indeed, he sent this guy to speak for him at the Plains Tea Party. (In Ray’s defense, he and that guy have since had a falling out a couple of months ago. There have also been reports of him being at various PeachPundit gatherings in bars, yet simply not drinking himself, and I have been told he does not have a problem with Sunday Sales.)

I can tell you from personal experience that one of the things Austin Scott said he liked best about the South Ga leg of his Walk of Georgia was that he was close enough to home to go to his own church on Sundays, and several times he reported being invited to attend churches near his route while he was walking in other parts of the State.

I can also tell you from personal experience that Jeff Chapman prays over his meals, even in public restaurants when meeting someone for the first time.

And while I wanted to mention those two, they are not the real subject of this post. No, for this post I want to look at someone who is so dedicated to his religion that he will travel literally halfway around the world to further its message, yet is comfortable enough with his own religion that he does not feel the need to mention it at every appearance on the campaign trail.

That man is Eric Johnson.
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Now McBerry is Copying The Ox[ January 20, 2010 – 10:44 pm]by Jeff Posted in » General

Over the summer, Ray McBerry complained of The Ox crowding in on his States Rights agenda. Indeed, as much as I hate saying I like anything The Ox does, even I was forced to admit that at Tifton, The Ox was more sane than McBerry and thus had the better message.

Now, it seems the tables are turned and Ray is copying The Ox, as seen in this paragraph from the email he sent out today (emphasis mine):

The Debate
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What is Ray McBerry Hiding?[ January 15, 2010 – 2:06 pm]by Jeff Posted in » General

As of 2pm on Friday, Jan 15, 2009, he STILL has not filed his Dec 31 disclosure, at least per the State Ethics Commission website.

What is interesting about this is that he is one of the candidates basically running on his ethics and integrity, yet he can’t find the time to fill out a simple form and get it in on time.

Is Ray McBerry still running for Governor? If he is, how can we expect him to “take care that the laws are faithfully executed” when he can’t even comply with a very simple one regarding his campaign?
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Malevolence vs Stupidity[ January 9, 2010 – 8:07 am]by Jeff Posted in » Editorial

A couple of nights ago, a friend pointed out what he saw as a key difference between myself and Ray McBerry, and I think he was spot on.

He basically said that Ray sees government as “out to get him”, while I see government as more of a stupidity/ignorance/greed perfect storm.

To me, that typifies our differences perfectly. Ray pushes his “States Rights Bills” – aka “War Bills” – because he thinks the Federal government is actively going to come and grab your guns from your home. He thinks that the federal government is actively being evil by enforcing their laws, and therefore he will throw its law enforcement officers in jail on felony charges. I simply actively oppose the Federal government where I see it as being wrong by working to convince other people that I am right, by actively talking to various officials, and by supporting court challenges to laws I see as unconstitutional.
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Ray McBerry Makes a VERY Positive Move[ December 18, 2009 – 6:24 pm]by Jeff Posted in » 2010 Campaigns

I just got an email from Ray McBerry where he makes quite possibly the best political move I’ve seen him make – ever.

He fired Jenny Hodges, who had been serving as his campaign manager and had said over the summer that she was “THRILLED” a private businessman had been executed in his church.

But I’ll let McBerry tell you about this one in his own words, from the email:
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