Roots in Alpharetta

I’m a conservative. I’m a true conservative. I was a foot-solider in the Reagan Revolution. I’m so far to the right I can’t turn my head left. These are all lines I’ve heard in this election year. Well, the last one I made up, but you get the idea. The election of 2010 has been an amazing one so far. It reminds me a lot of 1994, only more intense. Candidates are tripping all over themselves to come across as conservative. We live in one of the most politically conservative parts of the country, yet politicians are trying to out-conservative each other. It is almost comical to watch.

At the same time I’m puzzled with local government and how very un-conservative their policies seem to be this year. City and county governments around here stomp on the principles of private property rights and limited government with impunity. Here are a few examples…

Forsyth County in the Golf Course Business – Some Republican county commissioners in Forsyth County want to use taxpayer money to purchase a golf course, namely the Lanier Golf Course. Never mind that other privately owned courses in the northern burbs are struggling financially. I’m sure Forsyth County can do a better job running one while still being good stewards of the taxpayer. Fore!

Roswell Denies Cell Tower Request. Milton Rejects Two Cell Towers – This has been written about a LOT. I’ll probably beat on this dead horse in a few months when Roswell and Milton are dragged into court. The odd thing is that fighting cell towers is politically popular among residents even though the law is clearly NOT in the side of the cities. Tea party principles be damned, we’re talking NIMBY! Can you hear me now?

Gwinnett’s New Garbage Plan Takes Effect – Citizens in unincorporated Gwinnett County now have zero choice in which garbage company to use. This isn’t as big a deal to me since many municipalities do the same thing (the City of Alpharetta being one of them). It is more the principle of the matter. In the name of reduced traffic and pollution citizens had a small freedom taken away from them. That stinks.

I could go on with examples of legit zoning applications being rejected for NIMBY purposes, but you get the idea. In 2010 we will hold politicians in Washington and Atlanta to a higher conservative standard. We’ll demand to have it the other way with city and county commissions. We’re not as conservative as we’d like to think here in the northern burbs.

About a month ago I wrote about south Forsyth’s NIMBY mosque on Tidwell Road. Looks like Alpharetta is in the news for the same reason; except in this case, an existing mosque wants to expand. I am hesitant to write about this a second time, since this debate can get heated, but here goes.

The Islamic Center of North Fulton operates a small mosque on two lane Rucker Road. They want to expand the facility to 15,000 square feet. Here is an article about it. Local residents are opposed to it for pretty much the same reason some in Forsyth were opposed to the Tidwell Road location. Traffic.

If you have any doubt that bigotry plays a part in this, then read the comments from the link above. Or check out this debate thread from the same Appen Newspaper website. Again, I hesitate to post this for fear that I bring legitimacy to the nonsense these guys are pushing.

Look folks, people in the Islamic faith worship differently than Christians or Jews. They go in for prayer and they leave. It is more of a slow trickle of people going in and out, not the mad rush you might see going into a Sunday morning service at a Christian church. If you’re gonna have a religious group in your backyard, I’d say a mosque should be your first choice!

Also, there are already two fairly big churches on Rucker Road right now. St. Thomas Aquinas boasts a membership of 3,200 families! Restoration Church of God is also nearby.

I’m embarrassed to see some in my community react this way to people of a different faith. Let’s get these zoning requests approved and move on.

It’s the traffic we’re concerned about. Yeah, that’s the ticket. Oh, and the parking. Lots of people parking. It isn’t that it is a mosque, or that they are Scientologists. We would have the same concern about it being a church. *wink wink*

What am I talking about? Forsyth County is in the news again over a proposed mosque to be built on Tidwell Road in the extreme southern part of the county. This time the sewer hookup is in question. The locals don’t want the mosque there because of “traffic”. Uh huh, riiight. Not that Forsyth doesn’t already have a bunch of large churches on rural roads. Not that there isn’t a VERY large mega church on Old Alpharetta Road (very much a traffic-clogged two lane road). Not that there isn’t a freaking WALMART on a two lane road in Forsyth. Two lane roads haven’t kept Forsyth County from approving anything… well except a mosque.

“Traffic” is a very thinly veiled excuse for intolerance. Oh, you say it isn’t intolerance? Then show me an example where folks are signing petitions to deny zoning for a Christian church. Show me the newspaper articles about it. When did hundreds come to zoning meetings to speak out against a new church on the grounds of parking? I’ve lived here a while and I don’t remember such a thing.

Forsyth isn’t alone in this. Sandy Springs is still fighting the Scientologists and their plans for a facility in the city. The matter is going to court. That wasn’t before 700 people showed up at a city council meeting opposed to it. We can’t have that cult in our charming new little town, now can we?

Look folks, having a mosque in your neighborhood is fine. There is one near Roswell. Are you afraid they’re gonna start planting IED’s on Old Milton Parkway or something? Give me a break. I welcome more diversity in the Alpharetta faith community. You should too.