Rainbow Family Gathering in Georgia Disrupted by Federal Officers (UPDATE 1)
(APN) DAHLONEGA, Georgia — The 47th annual Rainbow Family Gathering was held in the Chattahoochee National Forest near Dahlonega, Georgia over the Fourth of July week, 2018.
Some 4,500 people, including students, veterans, teachers, homeless youth, professional people, some poor, some wealthy from across the country attended the gathering, which is held in national parks across the U.S. every year.
In Georgia, they were welcomed by the U.S. Federal Forest Service Law Enforcement Officers (LEO) with roadblocks; and illegal searches of cars, possessions, and persons. In the majority of cases, the federal officers found nothing. An unknown number of people were arrested for small amounts of cannabis.
Lt. Alan Roach with the Lumpkin County Sheriff’s Office tells Atlanta Progressive News that his report of arrestees from June 12 to July 8 shows 202 people were arrested but he does not know who are local residents and who are Rainbow attendees. Nor could he tell APN the average monthly arrest total in the County.
In response, about two hundred people held a peaceful protest on July 08 in front of the Lumpkin County Jail to expose the bullying, unlawful, and unconstitutional actions by law enforcement officers.
Incident reports filed by Rainbow attendees claim they were subjected to illegal search and seizure; unauthorized detainment; restriction of access to public property; failure to provide due process and stripping of human, civil, and constitutional rights.
Lumpkin County Police Chief Stacy Jarrard deputized thirty U.S. Forestry Service agents and coordinated with officials from the Georgia State Patrol, Georgia Bureau of Investigations, the Georgia Department of Corrections, the Department of Natural Resources, Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Family and Children Services, as reported in the Dahlonega Nugget newspaper.
The Lumpkin County Police Department sought to control every aspect of their visit instead of allowing people to enjoy themselves in nature for a week and then go home.
A Little Rainbow History
The first Rainbow gathering was held in Colorado in 1972 and was organized by Vietnam Veterans and anti-war peace activists on Independence Day to pray for world peace.
Rainbow is a non-hierarchical group of people with no official leaders, and no memberships. No individual can represent all Rainbows.
They are from all walks of life who share a love and respect for the land, which they say they always leave cleaner than they found it.
Their goal is to create a space of peace and love, to treat everyone with respect and kindness. It is a temporary community with a strong ethic of collective sharing of resources and volunteer services.
Some attendees are homeless and others are wealthy but everyone is equal at the Gatherings. Everyone can eat free; have access to water and medicine; and participate in music, art, yoga, meditation, educational workshops, and prayer.
Actions by Federal Officers
Hundreds, maybe even thousands of cars were stopped by road blocks; people were detained without consent; and their cars and possessions were illegally searched for drugs in what many now call a “dog scam.”
Here is a video one Rainbow attendee made that is representative of what happened to unknown numbers of Rainbow people as they are welcomed to the area by the U.S. Federal Forestry Service Officers.
The people were told that a K-9 dog allegedly smelled drugs, but in the majority of cases, no drugs were found, like in this video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tkGA4m5fxc
Michael, a participant at the gathering, said he was stopped and harassed three times by Forest Service LEO and once by Lumpkin County Police.
“I saw them walk through campsites and confiscate bottles of essential oils that they said they had to test for drugs. They did this daily until July third when a federal judge ruled in our favor and stopped this harassment,” Michael told APN.
“I watched a handicapped kid that was missing his leg and part of his arm get pulled out of a chair and slammed on the ground and put in handcuffs because he did not follow their orders to move his chair fast enough,” Michael said.
Another women was pulled from her “Gypsy Wagon” home where she and her son were sleeping. They spent 47 hours in jail and were finally released with no charges.
“We didn’t do anything wrong and we had no drugs,” Liberty, another participant in the Rainbow Gathering, said.
“The police walked through and searched everybody coming in, their vehicles, and their bodies. They pulled everything out of my pockets, took my shoes off, took everything out of my backpack, and searched everyone in the car,” Joey Hartman told APN. The excuse for this illegal search was because one person in the pickup did not have on their seat belt.
Garrick Beck, a longtime Rainbow participant, tells APN that he was detained for an hour by Forest Service police who tore everything out of his car and found nothing.
“People have to stand up for their Constitutional rights. If we are not secure in our homes, cars, or persons from illegal searches and seizures; if we can’t assembly in peace or walk on the road without being ticketed, then we lose our democracy,” Beck said.
One woman reported she was harassed and traumatized by the federal police, which triggered her Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). She said she then suffered from a seizure and was taken to the hospital. The doctor told the police they were wrong and to release her, she said.
Many people were playing in the river and waterfall when an Officer Cooper showed up to arrest them for being naked in the river, participants said. A few minutes later, about twenty armed officers showed up to prevent witnesses from filming the incident or leaving the area. Everyone naked in the river were arrested.
On another day, a man was arrested for bathing in a creek without clothes on and was released on a 420 dollar bond.
Residents, Lawyers, and a Gubernatorial Candidate Speak Out
Many Lumpkin County residents support the Rainbow Gathering, while others are fearful and do not want them in the community.
“I believe they were profiled. A member of the sheriff’s department told me on Facebook that they were profiled as smelly hippies,” Frank Gilkeson, a local resident, told APN.
“The sheriff had a town hall meeting and indicated he was going to be gentle on them, but what he actually did was crack down mercilessly on them. He looked for every possible violation like a tail light out, no seat belt on, and used dogs sniffing every car. Even people playing in the waterfall were arrested for being naked. They were ruthless,” Gilkeson said.
A controversy over permits erupted at that town hall meeting. The sheriff and other citizens were angry that the Gathering is apparently exempt from the U.S. Forest Service Group Use Regulations because everyone at Rainbow Gatherings are individuals, not a group. Therefore, no one person can sign a permit for the others.
Two Atlanta attorneys, Jordan “Alex” Johnson and Catherine Bernard with Spartacus Legal, are investigating claims by Rainbow attendees of constitutional rights violations.
“It looks like the Constitutional rights of many people have been violated. It seems a lot of people… are being incarcerated over traffic tickets that other people would be let go of by having their license,” Johnson told APN.
Ted Metz, a Libertarian candidate for Governor of Georgia, was at the protest rally and runs on a platform that includes legalizing cannabis.
“I support the Rainbow Family because of the concept of equal protection under the law. What’s happening with the over-policing in Dahlonega is disgusting when you see all the 4th and 5th Amendment right violations, it’s un-American,” Metz told APN.
“They are generating revenue out of a peaceful group… it is disgusting to see the sheriff is deputizing federal forestry agencies to help him harass people because they are different.”
The Citations
Don Wirtshafter, an attorney from Ohio and Rainbow attendee, tells APN in a phone interview that he is “upset about the use of the federal court system for minor traffic violations that the Forest Service wrote.”
The Forest Service wrote 900 citations and they had the option to give the citations as a warning or as a mandatory appearance in federal court in Gainesville, Georgia.
But “for the Rainbow Gathering they issue these tickets as mandatory appearance, so you had this charade of people leaving the forest and going to court.” Wirtshafter said and added “this court does not accept cash and everybody that showed up got a bill to pay later by Internet.”
However, if they did not appear in federal court, then a federal bench warrant would have been issued for them.
There are hundreds of formal complaints from Rainbow attendees regarding the intimidation, harassment, and violations of civil and constitutional rights by law enforcement officers who conducted a massive illegal search looking for drugs without particularized cause.
Stay tuned to APN for coverage of the many lawsuits that will surely follow from the Rainbow Family Gathering in Georgia.
(END / Copyright Atlanta Progressive News / 2018)
UPDATE 1 and CORRECTION: A previous version of this article stated that prior Rainbow Gatherings have been without incident in terms of actions by law enforcement. In fact, there have been incidents at prior Gatherings.
we have in our country a handful of anti police violence groups that are sometimes effective. 2 are in the atlanta metro they are cop watch which won a 40,000 court case against the Atlanta Police Dept.
Oct 22 Coalition is another group that has been active. They have published a book of photos of people killed by the police.They have marched to the pretrial detention center.
there are some other constellations involved that have had a 1 day campout or assembled near the dekalb county jail on memorial
the costs of dead family workers is magnified by the extreme number of lawsuits that are made to collect money for the victims of wrongful shootings which according to the washington post average about 1,000 each year.
there have been no police shootings in 20 years in shamble,doraville,dunwoody,brookhaven or roswell
atlanta dekalb co and east point have seen violence by cops and so have other less sexy parts of the state
carry a number where you can report your version of what has happened to whom and why and where don’t let people die like flies
As a resident of Lumpkin County, I read in disgust how biased your article really is in its statements. Why not tell the entire truth? You fail to mention the filthy, nappy headed self confessed rainbow punk that went out into Dahlonega in front of the Wal-Mart and literally urinated on a war veteran’s cross erected along side the road for July 4th honors. Then after urinating on the cross, he stripped naked right there. Disgusting, filthy, and disrespectful. Also, you failed to mention the harassment the “Rainbow Family” dished out on the residents of Lumpkin county. Pan handling, knocking on residents doors asking for food and such, hitchhiking all up and down the roads. Arrested for being naked in the creek and waterfall? Absolutely! Thank goodness the officers arrested their sorry no moral backsides. They were on public lands where public nudity is a crime. No one else, with any morals and values, wants to see their nakedness. Were they high and get off on seeing other people nude? Adultery anyone? Disgusting people, but of course the “think their big shot” Atlanta attorneys probably get a kick back if they can sue and win. Maybe the residents in the area need to counter sue as these people probably fished without permits (which normal law abiding, tax paying citizens can’t even do) and they probably killed a lot of fish in the streams with their “playing” and who knows what else they did or poured into the waterways. Glad they are gone. Go to the desert next time.
Actually, it has been proven that a Dahlonega LOCAL, not a hippie, urinated on the veteran’s cross whilst nude. The photo circulated on Snapchat, then Facebook in May-BEFORE the rainbow gathering ever started. You can do a simple internet search & see the photo, along with when it was originally taken.
As a matter of fact, public nudity is NOT illegal on FS lands. The feds issue a closure order specific to Rainbow, making it (and other things) illegal just for the gatherings. Besides, most of your complaints sound like monoculture programming. Panhandling? Hitchhiking? Only the evil ask for help, am I right?
Stop acting like you own public land, public streets, etc. Believe it or not, other people have different value structures than you, and your judgment is far more offensive than anything I’ve seen at Rainbow.
Clearly you are a troll working for Lumpkin County, shameful! Skinny dipping is not for the immoral. It’s a primal urge every fucking person has. Teddy fucking Rosevelt is known for skinning dipping with buds, even the French ambassador. Your comments reek of bible thumping art holier than thou self righteous bullshit, fuck you You Trump supporting, empty headed, imperial empires butt toy! Yeah yeah, 7.3 billion people are going to hell, but not you….
I believe you are angry and confused how to communicate your frustrations. We will pray to Jesus to save your soul from the wickedness of Satan…
Jesus said you without sin throw the first stone at the adulterer…
Americans being led by the anti Christ no longer believe this and throw judgement as their moral obligation and right… in opposition to the teachings of the lord Jesus Christ… conservative movements towards the anti Christ for power is what is destroying America… and I will pray deeply that Jesus might still be able to save your soul from Satan
Jesus is my big shot attorney from atl…
The military pissed all over Pat Tillman and Amelia Earhart first
look em up brother…
don’t hate the people hate the evil
Honesty seeker posts with out an idenity … That in its self speaks volumes … Oh my god …nakid people how horrible … Fishing with out a lic. They should be shot … The only thing in America not taxed , regulated or illegal is masturbation ..that’s your freedom honesty seeker … That’s your honesty …so basically your free to go fuck your self just like the rest of us …
Wow! The level of ignorance!!! And out right lies. Your comments are based on prejudices deep rooted in your own lack of any credible knowledge
You are really wrong for judging all rainbows off the actions of some. You personally don’t like it so you are okay with the harassment of our people. Don’t try to tell us where to go, because we’lol set up camp in your back yard.
Hey “Honesty Seeker”, try looking into the actual laws of the National Forest – you are allowed to be naked in the woods. It’s legal!
Also, the Supreme Court ruled that woman are allowed to be topless anywhere that men are – punishment for a exposed nipples is discriminatory.
You sound like someone who wants to see the law enforced, as long as it doesn’t affect you directly. But why not want the law to be enforced correctly and fairly? Why wouldn’t you hold law enforcement officers to the high standard that we should expect from them?
Picture police showing up at your family reunion at a public park… And spending every moment of your family’s time harassing you. See them searching Grandma for drugs repeatedly, see them ripping apart all your cars and pouring out your food. See them arrest the Grandkids for minor traffic violations, then refuse to offer bail only because they have your last name.
If you could see police behaving badly against your own family you might change your tone.
There is so much wrong and hate and fear filled in your post.
The one thing I will pick out you being wrong about is the fishing and killing of fish though.
Maybe some do but I’ve never seen anyone fishing at rainbow, there’s no soap used in the water, and they have strict rules about placement of camps and bathrooms.
Also no one is high and looking at naked people. We don’t care, a naked body is the same as a clothed one in my mind unless I’m sexually bound to said person.
I’m sorry for your hate and fear.
dude your a dick, no being naked as a hippee has nothing to do with sex it has to do with being natural and any resident in the state can go swim in those streams, so whats your point there, they arent stocked fishing holes they are natural rivers on public park land, these people were 5 miles into the mountains not on the side of the road where they could be seen, how do you think they eat they dumpster dive, they take our trash and feed thousands, think about that we as a society throw away enough food to feed thousands, we get people who knock on doors asking for money all the time, get off your high horse you dont own those public spaces and have no right to mandate the behavior that will be expressed on them! shesh 3 weeks of your lifetime what an incredible incconvienience. learn some tollerance of others, better yet just turn your nose up and avoid them, the world is full of snotty people and you have every right to be one of them, just like they have every right to be hippee’s, wherever they please, just like you!
You spoke of one individual ( urinating at monument) out of so many who attended. Seriously you want to worry about swimmers without suits? Who are they hurting? People asking for food? You can say no or give. Sounds like a good gathering of decent humans to me.
Thankfully you are welcome to come or NOT come, therefore you dont have to see the “UNMORAL” Hippies.
If you can post a link to the Walmart story, that would be helpful.
Can you actually prove any of these things you are saying?
It seems like you are not happy and that is sad. Find happiness..
These folks that filled the Federal Court system spent WAY more of your tax dollars than you can imagine. Deputizing 40 Officers probably cost the taxpayer 25,000 Dollars a day.
An important reason the Rainbow Gathers is simple. TO Ensure the Rights under the constitution to allow peaceful assembly. And when they are searched and harassed at YOUR tax dollar, they stand up against that.
For the purpose of NOT allowing it to happen to you or your children. When you allow your rights to be taken, used or adulterated, YOU are allowing the future to lose their rights as well.
You dont like “dirty’ hippes, we get it. You dont like the human form unless it is covered by mans clothes, we get it.
You are happy paying taxes to generate more waste and war, that is cool, if that is you.
Please find a way to practice what Brown Jesus would, when he was hanging with the sick, the homeless, the unfaithful, the whores and the Jews — Forgiveness, Acceptance, and INclusion.
ALL ELSE, makes you a FALSE Christian. In a world of takers, be a giver…
You are Us, we are you AND — WE Love you, even when you dont love yourself.
Vegetarians don’t eat fish or any other animals. Have you ever gone camping??? Did you exit the forest CLEAN after camping for weeks ??? If you wanted to clean yourself while camping wouldn’t you bath in the river or waterfall ???
The rainbow family cleaned up your forest while peacefully gathered, praying for world peace. One family united, ALL colors, religions, ethnicity, rich, poor, every “social status” , every age from baby to elder together eating, praying, loving, living in perfect harmony with Mother Earth. Its clear from your comments you have NO clue whatsoever what the rainbow family represents.
I would like for you to understand that ALL are welcome, your only requirement is to have a belly button, therefore not everyone attending a rainbow gathering (probably for the first time) know exactly what the rainbow family stand for, therefore, as a whole you judge. Perhaps you would have done yourself a huge favor by attending for a day rather than sitting in judgement of people you truly know nothing about, who want nothing more than to love their fellow man, including YOU, and live in peaceful harmony worldwide while caring for Mother Earth and each other.
One other thing I failed to mention. You said a “rainbow ‘ was seen urinating on the 4th of July at a Walmart.
The 4th of July is the rainbow families day to PRAY for world peace, in complete and utter silence from sunrise to high noon when the children break the silence during their parade for peace while ALL of the rainbow family are holding hands, praying, and Oming to break the silence. A true Rainbow family member would not be ANYWHERE ELSE but on that mountain with the family praying for world peace. Therefore whoever that person was….was not at the gathering doing what the Rainbow Family was doing. In my opinion, that Individual was not part of the family as the 4th is the MOST IMPORTANT DAY to be together in peaceful silence and unity.
Ok as another Lumpkin resident the man naked at the cross WAS NOT part of the Rainbows He was just a random druggie and that was before any Rainbows actually got here.
I’m ashamed at how half of my community has treated peaceful guests but that’s just my opinion.
Also, I watched several people for several days actually picking up trash that our residents had thrown on the side of the road.
Honestly, did you expect to not be around hippies and Appalachian trail hikers in the mountains when you moved here?
Your punishment for such bigoted, narrow minded and biased thinking is that you get to live your whole life in Lumpkin County!
In a response to Honesty seeker. I 100% agree with you. Im very libral and this mentions how Ted Metz belives this is awful. Im all for peace and love but when you have a group of people that size ruining our forests and trashing it is awful. Then we had two people go missing granted they where found but the fact they where last seen at the gathering made everyone there a suspect and a woman was murdered who was there the police had every right to search cars and campers ect. I dont agree with everything done in our small town but i think Republican or Democrat the citizens who live here can agree that our sherrifs office and cops ect did everything to keep us safe and took the right precautions so nothing bad would happens btw being nude in public is illegal.
Haters are gonna hate hate hate.
SHAKE IT OFF!
SHAKE IT OFF!
:p
Well thank God that you don’t judge others, especially out of ignorance and pharisaical hypocrisy, lest ye be judged with the same measure by the Lord, right? I’m certainly not condoning what one person did, stripping naked and urinating on the war veteran’s cross, but you use this one example to demonize all people who attend these gatherings, some of whom are probably your wealthy neighbors.
You also mention, “Pan handling, knocking on residents doors asking for food and such, hitchhiking all up and down the roads.” Is this harassment, or constitutionally protected activities? Are these crimes? Perhaps they should be, right? Can I conclude that you weren’t one of the good Samaritans who picked up one of these folks in your car when you passed them by, but instead looked at them in disgust and went on your way, just like in the parable? Those parables are there for a reason, you know? How can you witness of your faith to people if you’re already prejudiced and bigoted toward them? The scribes and Pharisees didn’t like for Jesus to be talking to the lowlifes at that time either. What did Jesus call them? Children of Satan their father?
Have you ever even talked to one of the organizers of the Rainbow Gathering? Have you ever asked about their vision? I investigated this group back in the early 1980s, and I attended 4 Rainbow Gatherings at the time. I can tell you that you have never met a group of more loving, caring, and peaceful people in your life. These are people who set up a whole temporary village for 5000-10000 people every year, and provide free water and food for every one, and they leave the area of the National Forest in better shape when they leave than when they arrived. They do this as an example of how thousands of people from all races, creeds and socioeconomic backgrounds can live in peace, in harmony with their environment for a week. THAT is the true “hippy” vision. Quite threatening to the established order that you apparently support, isn’t it?
Does this event attract reprobates? Of course it does, just like any large free event open to the public would. But you seize upon a few bad apples to condemn the bunch because deep down, you envy their freedom. You are scandalized by their nakedness and claim that, “no one else, with any morals and values, wants to see their nakedness.” A naked body… how shocking! Perhaps the federal park rangers should have arrested Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden, as well? You sound just like Pastor Dimmesdale in The Scarlet Letter. lol Are many of the rainbow attendees who parade around naked pagans? Yes, and as far as I know, their beliefs are protected by the First Amendment, INCLUDING their nakedness. Their are U.S. Supreme Court opinions confirming this. I remember one gathering where on one warm sunny day, a few local good ‘ole boys came by and sat back under the shade of some trees, and ate their can of Hormel’s chili while they ogled the pretty, young, naked girls dancing around so freely and happily. Now who are the reprobates?
People like you, who would deny the constitutional rights of others while claiming them for yourself are the the real reason why America is on the edge of collapse, at the hands of the real scum, the elite who have nearly succeeded in their treasonous plans, while you were asleep at the switch. I’ve been a born-again Christian for many years now, now I would much rather prefer the company of a Rainbow attendee than yours, any day!
You need to realize that law enforcement tries to manipulate the public conversation about rainbows by sending in provocateurs to do outrageous things that make the family look bad. For example, peeing on a memorial is so provocative as to be obviously a set up. Don’t be fooled. Question everything.
Also, you benefit from these brave taxpaying Americans gathering peaceably and preserving your right to do so.
Peace and love to you.
You are obviously too sheltered to comment on society as a whole. I can’t claim the ability to comment myself, but I do have some experience with the Rainbow Family and was a resident of Dahlonega for a few years. I am not especially fond of the Family, as I don’t care for their organizational structure (you simply need established infrastructure to have a gathering that large), and I generally don’t like hippies (magical thinking irks me) though I am fond of human rights and maintaining an open mindset. I’m not going to tear you down point-by-point, but a few things. If seeing another naked person is going to lead you to commit adultery, then your marriage is already over. If other people’s bodies bother you, you don’t have to look! I strongly doubt any of those people were “getting off” on anything – they were just enjoying being in the river, as you might would say, “the way God made them”. Nobody killed any fish, at least, no-one being responsible. Maybe some people were fishing without a license, but that happens literally every day of the year in Georgia. This does not make it acceptable, but it is also not any of your responsibility other than reporting to the rangers.
If persons were harassing locals, it is on those persons. It’s silly to come to something like this without making appropriate preparations, but that is a reflection of a tiny and irresponsible minority.
As far as your “big-shot” attorneys go… honestly, most of what you said just makes you look like a stubborn redneck, unwilling to accept that they do not live in some baptismal-font washed version of the world. This isn’t 1950, you’re not the boss, and the world isn’t wrong for not running according to your value system.
I grew up on a farm in Euharlee, raising goats, tending fields, slaughtering hogs, selling produce and home-made jams and jellies on the road. Making ends meet. I also grew up reading constantly. Perhaps its the way I was raised, perhaps it is from choosing to educate myself to the best of my ability, but I’ve managed to be an actual adult who lives in the actual, real, extant world — not some hick refusing to recognize their backwater ideology. I hope that you are able to use this experience to expand your scope a bit, consider that perhaps other people can do things their own way.
Good luck with it!
Honesty seeker huh?
You are such a liar! There was no door to door, hitchhiking, nor other harrassment of the locals. I hope you have many sleepless nights where your lies swarm relentlessly around that little narrow minded brain you have.
I went to the first ones in ’72 and ’73 and this treatment is several orders of magnitude worse. One would think we’d have grown past this foolishness by now.
I am Glowing Feather the MaJi of the Rainbow Family of Living Light. This was my 42nd out of 47 since 1972 and verify the truth in this article. We are strong & united expressing our 1st amendment rights to peacefully assemble in our C.H.U.R.C.H. Collective Home Under Rainbow Conscious Humans.
I thought when Mr. Trump became president, he was going to stop this kind of federal agency harassment of citizens. If the Forest Service can afford to devote so much personnel and resources to these kind of antics, it’s time to cut their budget.
In response, about two hundred people held a peaceful protest on July 08 in front of the Lumpkin County Jail to expose the bullying, unlawful, and unconstitutional actions by law enforcement officers.
Not sure where you came up with those numbers. They are grossly exaggerated . I was there. Kinda takes away from any valid points you’re trying to make when you print false information.
It is Sheriff Jarrard, he is the Sheriff of Lumpkin County, not the chief of police.
I live in Lumpkin County and I am so glad to see someone telling the story! So many people here judged without even meatinfnthe Rainbow group. Because they are “different”
Many don’t accept them. Because they didn’t spend money ( unlike people that come on for Gold Rush) many didn’t want them here. Thank you!
*without meeting (apparently I need to spell check before posting!)
The video that is in this article leaves out that Finch is driving a vehicle with expired tags which allows the officers to extend the stop. The dog alerts to the car. FINCH ALSO leaves out that he transports Marijuana in California.
Go to his face book page
Adam finch Buxbaum
Wow. Can’t believe some of the comments. .ok so lets start with the beginning of the last one posted.. Yes the guy peeing on the memorial is wrong .and hopefully he paid for that..
But everything else is just people being themsleves enjoying life that god has created. And maybe making it a little better then when they got there. So they where naked ??!. Bathing and playing in the water. The way the good lord created . don’t you bath naked. Its not adultry till you cheat on your husband or wife . or look at anotjer lustfully . I think it says somewhere in the bible before eve ate of the forbidden fruit. do not feel ashamed cause we where created in his image. That after eve ate of the fruit that clothing became a thing. The human body is supposed to be a beautiful thing. Am I right. Created in our lords image. We are born naked. Some of us die naked. Its not their fault that you see the naked body as being dirty . or your words “Adultry much ” so lustful. I’m ASSuming here
Now panhandling. i see That weekly in Dahlongea and here. In Cleveland. So whats the big deal about strangers coming to do it. And knocking on our doors. Asking for food. Or drink. Didn’t jesus feed the hungry. Didn’t or lord jesus Christ ask for food. And say. Love thy neighbor and brother as they self. . help The poor and hungry.
For us to be in the bible belt we sure are hypocritical when it comes to others from outside asking for it. If I had. Well even if I have someone knock on my door today. Asking for food or drink because they where hungry. I would feed them. Without a problem. If I had it to give. And Im Sure there is many of us that has something in our cabintets that we can give to someone who is hungry.. I have been there. I have been without food. And gone hungry. I have had to bath in a river because I had no running water at my house. It sucks. .. But I guess you have to be in that position to know what its like . and want to truly give.
And as far as fishing with out a license goes. I think its bull shit anyways. Only another thing that the government uses to take money from us. To tax. To get tickets out of ppl . who can’t afford the license . then they can’t afford the ticket. So they get on probation. Which is just more money that they can take.
Fishing should be free. That way the poor and the homeless can feed themselves And in some states it is.
And as far as law enforcement goes. I usually will back our brothers in arms.. When warranted. And this was not the case. They weren’t just illegaly searching people . But violating their constitutional rights. Being searched for no reason. Bringing drug dogs into their tents. . into their homes.
Bet you would feel differently if It was your home. Being searched. Because the dog alearted to a scent ?? Or Your car. For having a tail light out. Now those arresets will lead to a few convictions. I’m sure. Some where warranted. And some wasn’t. They had the obligation to write warnings or tickets. And unfortunately many tickets where written when warnings could have been sufficient.. Which means money into their pockets. .. And ones who can’t afford to pay their tickets will either get probation or jail time. which will come out of the taxpayers dime. . to y’all naysayers. When some of the more minor things could have been left alone with a warning.. I am ashamed the way some of us handled ourselves. All because some people choose to live differently then you do.
Becuase they look or act different. How are we to teach our kids not to shun. Belittle or put down others who are different when adults do the same thing.
Yes there is bad people in the group. Who needed to be jailed. . but there is bad ppl in every group. Some just hide it better then others.
There is ppl in your own community or even a neighbor that does drugs. And other things that you would be apalled to hear about. .
Next time. Open your eyes . your ears and your hearts. Listen to some of their stories. .
See why they live life the way they choose to . and not judge them for it. Just as you shouldn’t be judged for being a self rightious hypocraite a$$. Who thinks they’re better then others. .. I love living in a small town. Because there is many who don’t think like that. But there is just as many who do.
Who go to church on Sunday. But Monday through Saturday. You Pick and choose who you want to be nice to. If they fit into what your world in what and how ppl should live.
You have your cliques in church. You have your cliques at work. And perhaps at home too. . Love one another.
Be kind to one another. . and help those in need. If you can help someone then do it. . for once don’t look at what they are. But look at who they are. . not where they work or how they work. Or what was done in their past life. . our Lord sure didn’t do that. And nether should we
I am writing for out of towers, immigrants and the poorly educated.Much of these mountains in n ga refused to join the confederacy because there were few slves in the counties near dalton, dahlonega, blairsville, ellijay and others.the union flag flew over the courthouse in union county and there was a safe house for deserters there as well.
east tennessee had a similar arrangement with an union army that fought with the north and participated in the battle of atlanta.
there were some confederate supporters but more families sided with the anti slavery part of the economy in the hills letter written from doraville library
See you at harvest council.