Some Things Need Mentioning, Straight from the Mike – Michael Murphy

We all should be so blessed to be able to say daily that there are few dull moments in our life. I want to take this opportunity to share a riveting moment for me last week with the tragic loss of a public safety warrior on the Emory campus Friday afternoon. It caused me to reflect on one of the eight Beatitudes, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God”. We pray for his family and the repose of his soul.

As I think more about justice, along with public safety, I share in the deserved exuberance of Mr. Mahindra Patel. A gentleman that gave new meaning to the saying, no good deed goes unpunished.

Thankfully, Lady Justice saw fit to acquit Mr. Patel of any wrongdoing in this case. It seemed so clear to me that he had the camera’s evidence readily on his side. I can only imagine the depths of despair and consternations he must have endured during the time before trial. I would hope that similar accusations in the future will be given more discretion in light of such profound evidence to the contrary.

Additionally, I would be quite remiss if I did not also express a few deeply held political underpinnings of mine. If for nothing more than an optics check, the Texas legislators who decided to exit the state under the banner of saving democracy, could have put a much better face on a bad  decision by leaving on Greyhound bus, versus a private jet. Moreover, the issue of Gerrymandering has been on my list of public policy abuses used by both political parties to, in my opinion, the detriment of the voting populace. This practice, named after its advocate, Eldridge Gerry, thought it was the right thing to do back in the 19th century. Having cut my political teeth in the commonwealth of Massachusetts, I can attest to the illusion of inclusion supported by this practice. Let me share just one of the fallacies in the theory of gerrymandering.

When I ran for the U.S. Congress in Massachusetts, there were five Republican congressmen in office. Today, there are none holding office in the commonwealth. Historically, enough voters from the electorate saw fit to elect several Republican governors over the years. Out comes the district map canvas with its brush of demarcation. One interesting ruse was hue and cry for the creation of a ‘minority district’. It always amazed me how so many people think the same color skin folk are the best folk to represent you. My goodness, what more significance evidence does one need to conclude that such thinking is without whole cloth. I will spare you the long list but let’s survey the conditions of carved out minority districts across this nation.

I ask you to measure their progress in terms of education, economic development, health indexes, public safety, etc. Yet this ‘silver bullet’ solution really only served to strengthen the majority districts around the carved-out district. In most cases, it provided a political lifeline to elected officials underserving the voters of those districts. The needle of progress, if at all, would need to be measured by a caliper; never mind a yard stick. We see entrenched politicians in seats that practically ensure longevity, security and unfortunately for the voters, mediocrity at best. An elected official should stand on political principal by stating their position, casting their vote and then move on to the next challenge in the public policy arena of their state or national office.

And finally, on the local scene with our Clerk of Court situation. While I commend the Cobb County Democrat Chair for her appropriate statements in her interview with this newspaper, I raise the questions  of what did you know and when did you know it. If you knew what so many of us knew, the responsible sage advice to the incumbent should have been – stand down in the name of public trust and honor. There were very good Primary challengers, and a well-qualified opponent on the ballot in November. It appears our county got the short end of the public trust stick on this one. The court will ultimately decide the official’s fate on the judicial side, we have decided on a public opinion side. We deserved better.

Stay alert, stay involved and ask questions.

I am Michael Murphy