Gleaning Facebook: 75th Birthday greetings

 From Lillian:

Please wish a happiest of birthdays to the one and only Terrell Shaw, also known these days as GrandShaw, who turns 75 years young today! This is the man who raised me with unconditional love, who taught me the names of plants and trees and various local historical figures, who helped give me my own name, my large forehead, my scattered brain, my smart noggin, my powerful voice, my sense of justice, among many other varied attributes. I know I’m his daughter because I got obsessed going through pictures on my phone this morning looking for photos to share and found myself misty-eyed and laughing to myself and also running late. My Dad is absolutely one of my top two heroes and biggest fans (tied with Mom), and I’m forever forever grateful to be blessed in this life with this amazing human to look up to, who lifts me up, reminds me that I’m loved and capable, who is so so silly and cares so deeply and loves so fiercely. I love you, Dad! Happy 75th Birthday!!

Comments:

Barbara Reece
Have a wonderful birthday!!!!

Amy McCalla Scott

Caleb Blaylock
Omg Grandshaw? 

Lillian Shaw
Caleb Blaylock I know, so cute.

Linda Floyd Blackwell
Beautifully said Lillian Shaw!

Terrell Shaw
So now here i am looking at a blurry screen, with noone but the snakes and turtles to witness my blubbering. I do love my baby girl.

Hill Sawyer
I love ALLLLLL of the things that make you you Lillian, and so happy you inherited them so very honestly from such a great man. Happiest of birthdays Terrell!

Michael J. Burton
It’s been a long friendship from the time I was his Sunday school teacher in the 1960s. Lots of memories including your family

Bitsy Burton
What wonderful pictures and memories

Julie Hatfield Burton
Happy Birthday, Terrell Shaw!!

Nora Matthews
HAPPY BIRTHDAY uncle Terrell

Katy Joy Croft
Happy birthday!!!!

Andrew Bressette
Happy Birthday!

Suzan Redmon
Happy Birthday Terry!

Christie Hufstedler Boyd
Happy belated birthday!

From Carol:

Happy birthday to my brother, Terrell Shaw. Growing up, Terry was my hero, and I looked up to him. Hope you have a wonderful day, Terry!

The photo is of Terry and his wife, Sheila, at their 50th wedding anniversary last August - standing next to a life size cardboard cut-out of them at their wedding. Their two daughters planned a beautiful party for them.

Comments:

Nelda Myers Hartline Happy Birthday!

Fred Ergle Happy Birthday

Terrell. Hope you have a wonderful day.

Steven Savage

Guess what? There wasn’t a smoking gun.

Georgia Republicans have rarely done much I approve, but I'll give them this: When they replaced the unverifiable voting system we had used for years with the carefully verifiable Dominion system that we use now, they relieved my mind greatly. I had complained for many years that I had to cast my vote each election in a blind system controlled 100% by my political opponents and with absolutely no way to review the ballots to be sure they were counted correctly. I actually was fairly confident that the elections were being handled, for the most part, correctly as far as counting the votes cast. BUT a republic is asking for trouble if there is no way to review and confirm the actual ballots. The new system fixed that.

Then came Mr. Putin's protege to the White House. And the Space-Laser-body-builder woman to our Congressional seat. And the Trumpist takeover of Floyd County's Republican Party.

We had the most secure voting system of my lifetime and the Trumpists were screaming "Fraud!" -- with absolutely no evidence. Exhausted but sincere, efficient, over-worked, under-paid elections officials were disrespected, derided, and threatened by these armchair "experts" who "saw" boxes being pushed under tables (So?) on TV. 

Anyway, it was good to see the Rome News-Tribune lead editorial today. I'm glad to see that some local capital-R Republicans are quietly opposing Mr. Putin's favorite Congresswoman. Unfortunately we do not hear them speaking out against Mr. Putin's favorite presidential candidate.

Click the City Clock below to read the editorial:

Click my ID badge to read about my experiences in monitoring the last election as a Democratic Party volunteer (with my Republican counterparts)

Got One?

Y'all all know that I collect political items. So if any of my friends has this old political button lying around your house, I'll be happy to take it off your hands and give it a good home. The fellow on the left is publishing magnate and two-time Ohio governor James M. Cox who won the Democratic nomination for President of the United States in 1920 on the 44th ballot. He likely chose his young running mate, 38 year old Franklin Delano Roosevelt, primarily because of his famous last name.

This button sold tonight on the famous Hakes auction. It was the first time this particular design and size has been auctioned since 1981. The winning bid? 

$185,850.00. 

Wow.

Teeth!

 Susannah has a tooth... or is it teeth?

Floyd County Elections Putsch

 Rome made the Washington Post today and not in a good way in an article by Stephanie McCrummen. 

Vanessa Waddell has worked for 27 years at the Floyd County Elections Office.
I found her quietly efficient, business like, and absolutely evenhanded.
She has been treated shabbily by people who should know better.
(Detail from a photo in the Washington Post)

During the 2020 election cycle I got a first hand look at the election process as a volunteer observer. I watched the opening of absentee ballots. I watched some of the computerized counting of ballots. I served on the team of folks who adjudicated ballots that were in question for one reason or another. I participated as an observer in the hand recount of the ballots. I observed the electronic recount. In one instance I served with, of all people, Majorie Taylor Greene, to duplicate a single ballot that was accidentally mutilated. During the lead-up to the run-off I drove all over northwest Georgia to track down folks whose absentee ballots were, for one reason or another, in question, so that those voters could be sure that their sacred franchise was not squandered by mistake.

As a result of my experience I can say with great confidence that the 2020 election and its run-off were likely the fairest and most carefully scrutinized election of our lifetimes. The process was not with out a mistake or two, AS ALWAYS IN HUMAN AFFAIRS, but those mistakes were quickly found and quickly remedied.  Anyone who says that the election in Floyd County was decided contrary to the wishes of the actual voters is either ignorant of the process, blinded by prejudice, or lying through their teeth. 

I have now written several times about my experiences. You can read what I wrote at the time in the following four posts:

• • Getting serious about securing the franchise, November 22, 2020
• • The Georgia Elections and the Accusations of Fraud, December 27, 2020
• • Curing Ballots for "We the People", December 29, 2020
• • The 2020 Overtime, January 5, 2021