Roy Exum: The Ghost & The Eclipse

  • Sunday, June 25, 2017
  • Roy Exum
Roy Exum
Roy Exum

So you don’t believe in ghosts, haints or spirits? And you don’t believe that smack in the middle of this August, it is going to be nighttime in the middle of the day? Then put on your seatbelt and sit next to me …

First, the ghost. The 6th Congressional District in the State of Georgia is in the northern part of Atlanta’s suburbs. It includes Roswell, Sandy Springs, Dunwoody and Alpharetta, and takes in parts of three counties, DeKalb, Fulton and Cobb. It is best known for the fact Newt Gingrich held the seat for 20 years.

Last Tuesday it was the site of a gargantuan battle where Karen Handel, once Chief Deputy of Staff for former Governor Sonny Perdue and a Republican, squeaked past Democrat Jon Ossoff, a 30-year-old filmmaker, in a special runoff election. It has been certified as the most expense race for Congress of all time. Over $55 million was spent and the Democrats, unbelievably desperate, spent over $400 for each of Ossoff’s 124,893 votes. (Trump spent roughly $5 per vote.) Handel received 134,595 votes, or 51.87 percent of votes cast.

The 6th District seat became open when Tom Price, an orthopedic surgeon at Emory, was chosen by Donald Trump to become the Secretary of Health & Human Services after Price had only been in office for several months. Price was elected on November of 2016 when he received 201,088 votes to a very mysterious Democrat, Rodney Stooksbury, who had 124,917.

Here’s the part that you’ll love: Stooksbury got 24 more votes than Ossoff, right? But the difference is Ossoff spent well over $24 million and Stooksbury spent zero ($0.00). Stooksbury didn’t buy one roadside sign. He made no appearances. There is no known picture of him. There is no family, no relatives, no sound bites, no campaign treasurer, no debates, no nothing. Yet 125,000 registered voters cast their allegiance to this ghost just a half-year ago. That’s 40 percent of those who voted!

The news media has searched everywhere. The election commission needs him to file financial forms. It was hopeful he would vote in the Handel-Ossoff runoff because he’s got some explaining to do but ‘Rod’ never showed. Won’t answer his phone either.

One campaign publication listing all the candidates revealed Stooksbury, age 55, was retired from Lockheed-Marietta but the company had no record he ever worked there. His neighbors had never heard of him. Nobody ever answered his door. He never saw Dr. Price as a patient.

The most popular theory is the Democratic Party, rather than concede the race in November, concocted Rodney from thin air but no one can adequately explain why 125,000 adults fell for such an outlandish scam.

* * *

THE TOTAL ECLIPSE COMES AUGUST 21

Most of the Southeast will get to see the total solar eclipse when it comes to pass on Monday, August 21, 2017 and the fact that it will begin just after “high noon” in Chattanooga should be a lot of fun.

According to my sources the “partial begin” will start at 11:46 p.m. (EDT) and it will become “total begin” at 12:48 p.m. The ‘greatest’ eclipse can be seen at 2:26 p.m. The “partial end” is expected at 4:01 p.m. and the “total end” at 5:01 p.m. The total eclipse will last just over two minutes.

This will be the first time the Southeast has had a total eclipse since March 7, 1970, and if you really want to get into it, there is a spot  -- 36°58'0?N 87°40'18?W -- near Cerulean, Kentucky, which is between Hopkinsville and Princeton, Kentucky, where “the greatest extent” can be seen.

Nashville is the largest city where the total eclipse can be seen, so they are having all sorts of events, and at Tennessee Tech they will have a huge viewing part in Tucker Stadium.

AN IMPORTANT CAUTION ADVISORY FROM NASA ABOUT THE AUGUST ECLIPSE

The Statement: “Looking directly at the sun is unsafe except during the brief total phase of a solar eclipse (“totality”), when the moon entirely blocks the sun’s bright face, which will happen only within the narrow path of totality

“The only safe way to look directly at the uneclipsed or partially eclipsed sun is through special-purpose solar filters, such as “eclipse glasses” (Amazon sells these for about $1 each in multi-packs … order early) or hand-held solar viewers. Homemade filters or ordinary sunglasses, even very dark ones, are not safe for looking at the sun.

Always inspect your solar filter before use; if scratched or damaged, discard it. Read and follow any instructions printed on or packaged with the filter. Always supervise children using solar filters.

Stand still and cover your eyes with your eclipse glasses or solar viewer before looking up at the bright sun. After glancing at the sun, turn away and remove your filter — do not remove it while looking at the sun.

Do not look at the uneclipsed or partially eclipsed sun through an unfiltered camera, telescope, binoculars, or other optical device. Similarly, do not look at the sun through a camera, a telescope, binoculars, or any other optical device while using your eclipse glasses or hand-held solar viewer — the concentrated solar rays will damage the filter and enter your eye(s), causing serious injury.

YOU WILL ACTUALLY FEEL THE ECLIPSE

During a daytime eclipse the temperatures can fall by 20 degrees. Yes! And dogs bark, pregnant women have babies, there could be an earthquake … it gets weird but as long as you have your eclipse glasses and a handy outlet for an adult beverage, everything works out in the end just fine. If stuff like this scares you like ghosts can do, go to Canada for a couple of days.

But I’m telling you, Rodney Stooksbury could even show up.

royexum@aol.com

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