The Candidate We Need

“And so we shall have to do more than register and more than vote; we shall have to create leaders who embody virtues we can respect, who have moral and ethical principles we can applaud with enthusiasm.”

– Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Vote Early!

Early voting for the State of Georgia starts Monday, October 15, 2012. Please check your local Voter Register's office for specific times and locations. If possible please vote early because life's unexpected emergencies may prohibit you from making it to the polls on Tuesday, November 6, 2012.

Register to Vote

The last day to register to vote in Georgia and be eligible to vote in the 2012 Presidential Election is October 9, 2012. Please do not disenfranchise yourself.

Prepare for the Fall

Hopefully, you have already voted and/or are preparing to vote in the July 31, 2012 election.  Please do not let Georgia's new voter ID law disenfranchise you.  Under Georgia's new law, voters must show a photo ID when voting in person.  Acceptable photo indenticiations includes:

• Any valid state or federal government issued photo ID, including a FREE Voter ID Card issued by your county's register's office or the Georgia Department of Driver Services;
• A Georgia Driver's License, even if expired;
• Valid employee photo ID from any branch, department, agency, or entity of the U.S. Government, Georgia, or any county, municipality, board, authority, or other entity of the state;
• Valid U.S. passport ID;
• Valid military photo ID; or
• Valid tribal photo ID.

If you lack any of the 6 above photo identifications, then the State of Georgia will provide you with a FREE Voter Identification Card, provided you have all of the following:

• A photo identity document or approved non-photo identity document that includes full legal name and date of birth;
• Documentation showing the voter's date of birth;
• Evidence that the applicant is a registered voter; and
• Documentation showing the applicant's name and residential address.

Sun May 1st 5pm-8pm
Elliott Street SW
Atlanta, GA

PSA Casting Call: Need 300 extra cast
Please wear a solid black Tshirt

Thanks for helping to end dog fighting!

My5th

I was reading over an UGA Law alumni letter and came across an article highlighting the 2007 Distinguished Service Scroll Award winner Brenda Jay “B.J.” Bernstein, Esq. She started a nonprofit organization called “My5th”, which is devoted to informing youth under the age of 21 about what laws apply to them.

The site isn’t all inclusive and shouldn’t be used as a definitive legal resource, i.e. you use it instead of a lawyer and/or completely reference it for legal advice, but it does provide important information that parents/adults should discuss with their children and/or family friends that are minors.

Please click HERE to visit the site, and as My5th says, “Ignorance of the Law is No Excuse”, especially when it comes to underage drinking, drug possession, bullying/fighting at school, and consensual underage sex.

5 Ways You’re Wasting Money, Not Saving It

1. Traveling out your way to buy gas at the least expensive gas station. Although you may save a few cents, you lose more money with the cost of driving. Solution: Choose the least expensive gas station that’s no more than one mile from your regularly traveled route.
2. Traveling across town trying to find the cheapest cost for your shopping items. Like above, you waste more money traveling around town. Solution: Find the closest store that will price-match.
3. Shopping for the least expensive price as opposed to the best value. Solution: Look beyond the price and consider the product, the quality, and the quantity.
4. Purchasing items that you normally wouldn’t have bought except for they happened to be on sale. Solution: All buy items on sale if you would’ve bought them at full price.
5. Buying items in bulk. Solution: Only buy items in bulk if you use the item at a consistent pace. The problem with buying items in bulk is a lot of the stuff is wasted.

V.I.N.E.

I went to an information fair a couple of weeks ago and spoke with a representative from V.I.N.E., a 24 hour automated information system used by the Georgia Department of Corrections. It provides survivors of crimes and / or their families with access to information about their offender. Parties are able to deal a toll-free number and learn the custody status of their offender. Additionally, V.I.N.E. also operates as a notification system. Survivors of crimes will automatically receive notification of the release of their offender from custody. The service is available in English and Spanish. The V.I.N.E. number is 1-800-721-8057. Survivors access the system by using the inmate’s six digit case number. Survivors can learn:

1. The current location of incarceration
2. The parole status / eligibility
3. Maximum or scheduled release date
4. The system will advise you if the offender is not in custody

Stop Family Violence

General Statistics:

1. 1/3 of all violent crimes occur in domestic households.
   
2. 1/3 of law enforcement's time / resources are spent on domestic problems.
   
3. Over 56,000 cases in Georgia reported last year - FBI estimates over 500,000 incidents of domestic violence each year in Georgia.

Protecting Children:

1. 50% of men who abuse their wives, abuse their children.
   
2. 74% of crimes by juveniles were committed by children who grew up in violent homes.
   
3. 63% of boys age 11-20 who are arrested for murder have killed their mother's abusers.
   
4. 87% of batterers grew up in home with domestic violence when they were children.
   
5. 80% of runaways were abused; 100 children are arrested in Georgia for prostitution each month.

Protecting Women:

1. 42% of women killed are killed by husband / boyfriends.
   
2. Women will leave and return 7 times before final departure because: (1) Fear - 75% of women who are injured, receive their injuries after they leave, also, fear for safety or custody of children if they leave; (2) Money; (3) Courts or police fail.
   
3. Incidents of violence are reduced by 80% after Temporary Protective Order is issued.
   
4. Each year businesses lose $4 billion because of domestic violence.
   
5. There are 3 times as many shelters for animals as for victims of domestic violence.