Georgia to Invade Tennessee Over Water

Thu, Feb 21, 2008

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I don’t know how many of you knew this, but the City of Atlanta has been subject to what has politely been called an “extreme” drought recently.

drought

This has occasionally been comical, such as when the University of Georgia essentially asked 90,000 attendees of its homecoming football game to obey the “if it’s brown, flush it down…” maxim. It’s occasionally been sad, such as the protracted legal battle with downstream states Florida and Alabama over who got to use water from Georgia reservoirs. It’s even occasionally been terrifying, such as that day in October when the countdown until the pipes ran dry was a mere ninety days.

As one might imagine, this has all been of some concern to the state government, who have sought to protect Atlanta against a future water crisis of this magnitude in their own ways—I smirked when Governor Sonny Purdue led a prayer for rain on the state capitol steps—but the most recent attempt has been beyond the pale.

Two weeks ago two Republican lawmakers, Sen. David Shafer and Rep. Harry Geisinger, proposed that Georgians simply invade their northern neighbor and take their water.

Citing a survey from the 1800s, they claim that the state border has crept southward in an incorrect manner and advocate restoring the pre-1818 state lines. The obvious reason for this is the millions of gallons of water in the Tennessee River, one mile north of the present border.

Tennessee, for their part, seems to take this about as seriously as I do. They have offered to wrestle for the river, play a football game over it, or at the least not let it go without a fight. Georgia, on the other hand, has already passed the bill and broke out into song while doing so. Get your popcorn ready…

Info from AJC and The Tennessean

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69 Comments For This Post

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  1. beavis Says:

    “Get your popcorn ready” is a registered trademark of T.O.

  2. Jack Says:

    an TO actually went to college in the town that would be annexed, Chattanooga. So BOOM! right back at you

  3. TN Says:

    Come Get Some, GA.

  4. TN Man Says:

    Bring it on GA.

  5. Oddie Says:

    I’ll drive up from FL, to defend my house. It’s just half a mile from the TN/GA border.

  6. Georgia Boy Says:

    Not only do we want our river back, we will need reparations as well for unlawfully calling the Georgia River the “Tennessee River” (how absurd!) for all of these years.

    Oh, I believe you have stolen some of our mountains as well.

  7. No Mo Play In GA Says:

    I’m gonna get yo water

  8. lolGA Says:

    I live in Chattanooga,TN and the topic of GA wanting our water has come up frequently. They want our water, but don’t want to offer up anything in return.

    Also, TVA is having some hydroelectric power generation of their own. A price hike for power is going into effect for the next quarter because reservoirs are getting low. This is on top of a flat rate increase across the board for power.

  9. Jesse Gunderson Says:

    Can we get a representative from TN and GA to tape their hands together and knife fight? Sharks and the Jets style?

    Lets get it on.

  10. noertherner Says:

    I’ll try to care.

  11. TDave Says:

    What’s so absurd about praying for rain? Elijah did it in the Old Testament.

    Actually what is absurd is believing that praying for rain is absurd.

  12. Georgia Boy Says:

    Ahem — I believe you mean “Chattanooga, GA”

  13. Bam Bam Says:

    Ok..stop bickering, I have a solution.

    Next years Georgia vs. Tennessee football game will decide it all.

    Winner takes the water supply! What do you think?

    http://bambamtickets.com

  14. Where the water went Says:

    Of course, anyone who lives in Atlanta knows that the ‘drought’ was very localized. Major lakes to the north and south are unaffected. Somehow… over the past two years, we’ve lost all our water reserve…. gee… it couldn’t be the 800 million gallon swimming pool in downtown Atlanta [The Georgia Aquarium] could it?

  15. Georgia Boy Says:

    Oh, you mean the downtown reservoir?

  16. Volunteer State Fan Says:

    We do you think Tennessee is called the “Volunteer State”? Tennessee residents are not known for giving up anything without a fight.

  17. Avatar Says:

    Hmm…sorry, we only have enough water for our park, NOT your state!

    http://www.chattanoogan.com/articles/article_117702.asp

  18. Nathan Says:

    What’s so absurd about praying for rain? Elijah did it in the Old Testament.
    Actually what is absurd is believing that praying for rain is absurd.

    What is absurd is believing that talking to your imaginary friend will change anything in the real world.

  19. Cartograffer Says:

    There is a long established rule in surveying as follows. It’s where the surveyor put down the stakes that controls, not where he should have placed them.

    It’s mentioned in the latest issue of Professional Surveyor, to which I subscribe.

  20. Adam Says:

    What the Georgia government really ought to do is spearhead an advertising campaign to attract more out-of-state rain clouds.

    You’re welcome, Mr(s). Governor.

  21. anonymous Says:

    Not surprising. This is the same government body that passed a resolution to whine to the NCAA that there should be a playoff after the UGA football team had already failed to take care of business on the field.

  22. Tom Says:

    It probably doesn’t help Atlanta much (water-wise) that Gatorade is the 3rd largest consumer of water in that city. Instead of attempting to pillage land and water from Tennessee, Georgia needs to look inward, and require individuals and corporations to do more to conserve. They’re ushering in an era of water-wars, disputes predicted by a number of US generals as one of the chief future threats to the stability of this nation.

    If “Don’t be so damned greedy and wasteful with your water” was an 11th Commandment, do you think they’d abide?

  23. Big Orange Says:

    I live in Chattanooga and think this is preposterous, they want to annex part of our state so they can move the very corner of theirs into Lake Nickajack and suck it dry. I think all the rednecks in Marion Co. would have something to say about that (and there are alot). Not to mention the fact that once they get their small piece they still have to pump the water 100 miles over 2 mountains (demolishing a few private homes on the lake).

  24. Jay Says:

    What’s so absurd about praying for rain? Elijah did it in the Old Testament.
    Actually what is absurd is believing that praying for rain is absurd.

    Right, wishfully believing that some omnipotent, omniscient being in the sky is going to intervene on the behalf of humanity by violating natural processes to shift weather patterns to accommodate your desire for rain is just so logical.

    Just as logical as using, as a reference for precedent, the unscientific and uncorroborated writings of some ancient man who, if he were to write and make the same claims today, would be locked up and treated for being the delusional individual he was, rather than being revered.

    After all that I can see how you would think that the claim of holding a prayer service to get rain would NOT be absurd.

    But then again, you probably believe that the continuing drought conditions are due to some imagined slight towards god on the part of the people living in the affected region, rather than a naturally occurring variation in climate.

  25. Me Says:

    Dear Atlanta,

    The last 18 years I’ve lived with you have been a’ight. We’ve experienced our own ups and downs, haven’t we? We got an IKEA, yay! And you totally built that monstrous Atlantic Station over the old steel mill, and are charging almost $2000 for apartment rentals on toxic land. Or what about when you virtually shut down all the projects and began systematically removing them? And what’s in their place, now? Are they condos and lofts? Yes? Maybe if we stopped building dumb shit like that, and making it seem like you’re a nice place to live with new slogans about how “Every day is an opening day!”, there wouldn’t be a surplus population of yuppies drinking all your water? I suppose the same can be said about any city, right?

    yours truly,
    Me.

    P.S. – After I finish grad school in the fall I’m out. Peace.

  26. Steve Says:

    They make fun of our weather in Buffalo, NY……Lots of fun…..but ya know what? There’s something to be said for living next to 20% of the worlds fresh water supply. I don’t remember a time when we had any water restrictions. Now as my wife and I are looking for where to live in our retirement, water supply will be higher on our list than weather, and right along side of taxes. Brrrrrrr…..it’s cold today! My water has ice crystals forming on it.

  27. Jack Says:
    What’s so absurd about praying for rain? Elijah did it in the Old Testament.
    Actually what is absurd is believing that praying for rain is absurd.

    What is absurd is believing that talking to your imaginary friend will change anything in the real world.

    What’s absurd is that you believe there is nothing bigger than you out there.

  28. sam Says:

    exactly, praying for water is a waste of time, because praying instead of actually trying to negotiate water rights would be, gasp, work?

    Maybe now i could go to Georgia Tech, since my house would now be in Georgia and I would have been a resident.

  29. Rob Says:

    All your waters are belong to us!

  30. nemo Says:

    If Georgia tries this, couldn’t Tennessee just dam or redirect the water just outside Georgia’s new corner?
    I mean, it’d be a little antisocial, but then, so is redrawing borders instead of buying the water outright.

  31. What about the Trees? Says:

    If we agressively restored the Rain Forrests, there woul be an increase in rain and a drop on Carbon Dioxide and other gas level in the atmosphere.
    Global warming is going to genreate drought worldwide. Over 85-90% of the world’s water supplier is glaciermelt.
    Once all of the glaciers are gone, where will our water come from? Not TN, that’s for sure.

  32. angryrat Says:
    What’s so absurd about praying for rain? Elijah did it in the Old Testament.
    Actually what is absurd is believing that praying for rain is absurd.

    What is absurd is believing that talking to your imaginary friend will change anything in the real world.

    What’s absurd is that you believe there is nothing bigger than you out there.

    No, there are bigger things. Elephants, rhinos, stars, galaxies.
    Just not imaginary men with white beard, and sandals.
    Or, alternatively, Flying Spaghetti Monsters. (I find the latter more probable.)

  33. S Kinney Says:

    Atheism is a primitive superstition grounded in the propositon “It can’t work under my belief system therefore I know that it is not real.” All the proof an atheist needs is embodied in his or her refusal to look at the data.

  34. Colin Says:

    As a resident of Chattanooga, TN, I welcome GA to come and try to take it. I went to school right on the border (Chattanooga Christian) and currently go to UTC. Claiming a 1818 boundary is just crazy…just try it.

  35. Southerner Says:

    I’ll try to care.

    While you’re at it learn how to spell northerner.

  36. Jordan Says:

    Makes me glad to be from Eau Claire, Wisconsin..no droughts there.

    P.S. Why is Atlanta complaining? My other home towns(yes, everywhere I lived before age 11 is a hometown) of Las Vegas, Albuquerque, and Bakersfield(the one in CA) have had droughts for years without crying about it. Impose some water restrictions, build a bridge, and get over it.

    Go Tennessee!

  37. Jordan Says:

    If we agressively restored the Rain Forrests, there woul be an increase in rain and a drop on Carbon Dioxide and other gas level in the atmosphere.Global warming is going to genreate drought worldwide. Over 85-90% of the world’s water supplier is glaciermelt.Once all of the glaciers are gone, where will our water come from? Not TN, that’s for sure.

    ARe you retarded? if we heat up the world, the glaciers would melt and there would be MORE water. Jackass.

  38. Chief Palmer Says:

    Hah… Hah..ha! Hah hah hah hahh…….

    You know – my people have been wanting to see this revenge since we were forced of our
    lands by the white man (US people, at that time – not Europeans!). Don’t worry, Tenn., they will get Washington to redirect all the water you want! Damned Georgians!

  39. Kdizzle Says:

    Listen here, im a Scientoligist with a OT VII level… i command thee “body thetans” to leave the bodies of the delusional religious freaks that are posting comments on this article! Do not make me get out my e-meter! Next ill see if i can part the red sea i mean Tennessee River, into GA.

  40. Jordan Says:

    Hah… Hah..ha! Hah hah hah hahh…….
    You know – my people have been wanting to see this revenge since we were forced of ourlands by the white man (US people, at that time – not Europeans!). Don’t worry, Tenn., they will get Washington to redirect all the water you want! Damned Georgians!

    I understand Karma, but if you are posting here, YOU were not forced off of land. People TODAY did not force you off your land, or your people’s. I admit, being part Cherokee, that it was messed up, but we cannot hold people today responsible for their ancestors’ mistakes..

  41. DW Says:

    Time to cut off the golf courses!

  42. miran Says:

    The survey they (GA) are disputing was commissioned and paid for by the state of GA. The surveyors had requested funding for updated equipment (for the time) and were refused.
    Suck it up, Georgia. You got what you paid for.
    And shut off the residential waterfalls in Marietta. Using potable water for landscaping (particularly at the scale of some “estates” in GA) should be a crime.

  43. EMBRACE TECHNOLOGY Says:

    All the bickering stop! Whoever wants to be the next American billionaire can BUILD A GIANT DE-SALINATION PLANT on the coast, but as per usual, the Americans wanna fight it out. California’s gonna need it soon as well.
    read this:

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desalination

    There are multiple reasons why Dubai is *THE* world leading city.

  44. Myself Says:

    Atheism is a primitive superstition grounded in the propositon “It can’t work under my belief system therefore I know that it is not real.” All the proof an atheist needs is embodied in his or her refusal to look at the data.

    But what if my data doesn’t match your data? Then whose data is right? Why should I believe your data is better/more correct than mine is? Because you have a book? The book had to start at some time, and something tells me blind scribes weren’t the ones who copied it. [For those who don't know, "blind" scribes were people who could copy the symbols (read: alphabet) but could not read or understand what they meant.]

    However, just because something doesn’t work under a belief system doesn’t mean it is not real. That just means that someone doesn’t believe it. It’s people like you who say that your data is “better” that make your “data” look worse, because you are practicing what you say atheists do: not looking at all the available data. Congratulations on your bigotry. :)

  45. TN/BROOKLYN Says:

    Have any of them (Georgians) heard of such terms as: “City-planning”, “Codes”, “Building Restrictions”, “Limitations”, “Zoning”…? The way they’ve built Atlanta is like an utter free-for-all run-a-muck.

  46. oj Says:

    blame florida

  47. TN7006 Says:

    Can we just give GA their 40 acres and a mule and be done with it?

  48. Reverend Ralph Says:

    both states are so frail and weak in motivation and spirit that this whole thing will amount to nothing more than a sissified slap fight. face it, the south sucks. ;-)

  49. Perry Says:

    Atheism is a primitive superstition grounded in the propositon “It can’t work under my belief system therefore I know that it is not real.” All the proof an atheist needs is embodied in his or her refusal to look at the data.

    Data? where? Every time I get comfortable with humanity someone goes and says something amazingly bogus like that. Believe what you want just don’t call it fact or science. The only thing close to the supernatural is the ignorance of Christians when they confront blunt logical failings in their belief.

    Fun to see another Eau Clairian on here. It might be flipping cold up here in Wisconsin but at least we have no shortage of water. Hell, I think we have too much. If it were up to me I’d say take some of ours. All these lakes and rivers just get in the way.

    That big one between us and Michigan takes hours to get around. ;)

  50. lolcat Says:

    I can haz watar?

  51. NE Ga Guy Says:

    That guy who said the poles would flip when the planets aligned lives in that direction. And he thought there’d be a space threat. I can watch the howitzers from here :D

    I’ve collected a bunch of arrowheads from the Creek Indians, anyone need any ammo? :P

  52. Aussie Bob Says:

    Americans are so damn stooooooopid.

    Get your water from the same place we all do, the toilet bowl. You still had 90 days of water left. How much of the damn stuff do you drink anyway? Ever heard of EVIAN?
    How much water has Osama got out there in his dank little cave?

    Harden up you soft bastards. Drink urine. Drink Motor Oil, Drink Metho, just drink! Forget the water, it is gone. Look to the future.

  53. SouthernBoy Says:

    both states are so frail and weak in motivation and spirit that this whole thing will amount to nothing more than a sissified slap fight. face it, the south sucks. ;-)

    Them’s is fightin’ words boy…

  54. Berkana Says:

    Looks like our foreign policy has come home.

  55. LoLCatJerry Says:

    I’z in ur riverz dreenkin ur waturs.

  56. codyg1985 Says:

    Not only can the borders not be redrawn due to an error in surveying as Cartographer mentioned, but the water is not accessible by areas that lie outside of the TVA service area. Since Atlanta isn’t part of the TVA service area, that means no water for Atlanta, even if the border is moved north.

    Birmingham, AL tried to do something similar a couple of years ago but failed.

    Besides, if we let Georgia have their way with the border because it was surveyed incorrectly, then who is to stop MANY individuals from challenging that their property corners and lines were surveyed incorrectly. The courts would be jammed…

  57. F*ck Georgia Says:

    Atlanta burned once, it can burn again. I will personally go to the border with a fucking musket civil war style.

  58. Fireman4501 Says:

    If Georgia fires the first shot,(’Cause you know us Tennesseeans ain’t giving up without a fight.) We’ll stop the invasion just South of Athens. That way UGA’a new colors will be Orange and White!
    I live 2/10 of a mile inside Tenn. for a reason, to get OUT of georgia. I figure I can take out at least a dozen er so with my 12g before they get me. And my daughter is right handy with a 410!

  59. Ha ha ha Says:

    Atheism is a primitive superstition grounded in the propositon “It can’t work under my belief system therefore I know that it is not real.” All the proof an atheist needs is embodied in his or her refusal to look at the data.

    Seeing someone say that ATHEISM is a primitive superstition is the funniest thing I’ve seen all week.

  60. blatherbeaver Says:

    The rain is God’s tears, so god must be happy with Georgia. Suck on that, thumpers.

  61. lulz Says:

    i are in ur lakez drinkin ur waterz!

  62. Mouth Troll Says:

    What’s so absurd about praying for rain? Elijah did it in the Old Testament.
    Actually what is absurd is believing that praying for rain is absurd.

    There’s no doubt in my mind that this is the dumbest, funniest and, at the same time, saddest crap I’ve ever heard in my life. Praying never helped anybody attain anything but a steaming pile of false hope and time wasted praying instead of acting. I used to be able to understand why people needed faith/religion, even though I don’t believe in a higher power, but I’m sad to say that I don’t anymore.

  63. Kevin Says:

    Georgia, welcome to tennesee the patron state of shootin stuff. You want our land you goin to have to take it from our cold, shotgun weilding hands

  64. eddy Says:

    Well Well I was born in Georgia. I moved out because the carpet begger yankees were taking over. I moved one mile over the border to escape. (if you wish to see the future of Atlanta and Georgia then look at Detroit, Michigan. And several other yankee states, where their political choices wrecked their states.) The new Yakee Georgia is making all the wrong decisions and the attack on Tennessee is really showing their colors. In as little as 4 years Georgia and Atlanta will be no diffrent than Detroit with poverty and crime hitting an all time high. But they will never turn my property into Georgia……..Go Home yankees……

  65. tnmountains Says:

    We the people of Tennessee will never let Georgia pry the first drop of water from our River.It is the Tennessee river not the Georgia river. We will fight and it will be like a war between the states. Everyone knows Tennessee is a proud state and not a sneaky gluttonous fat Government run,,hmm what else,,craker. Georgia has lost its roots and identity to imigration.
    They should have at least offered the General back after they stole it at the beginning of negotiations.Instead they go in our face with lawyers.
    Not only that we are having a good ole boy bass tournament this weekend if the water gets down. To much rain has made our banks over flow.
    Good luck Georgia.We do not need you and really do not care.I forget how many lifes we lost trying to stop the north from burning down Atlanta in the civil war.Maybe you guys need a fresh start again but we(the volunteers) will not be there to help this time. How do you say it in Georgia? Adios Amigo !

  66. tnmountains Says:

    That guy who said the poles would flip when the planets aligned lives in that direction. And he thought there’d be a space threat. I can watch the howitzers from here :D
    I’ve collected a bunch of arrowheads from the Creek Indians, anyone need any ammo? :P

    Hey I would be interested in some good stone points?

  67. J.T. Patton Says:

    This thread is hilarious! Let’s keep it going- Hey, I’m a Georgian, born and raised, but willing to be a Double-Nought spy for Tennessee. You see, I despise Hotlanta. It has always been a cancer on our fair (to middlin’) state and must be controlled, if not with a controlled burn like Old Cump (Willie T.) did, then with the spigots running dry- like Ma Nature’s doing.
    You just can’t crowd, er, sprawl, millions of people into a place and expect it to be self-watering. How, oh how? -will they irrigate all them goof courses? How will they flush their sewage and toxic chemicals out?
    Without water, what will they cut their already-over-priced rotgut with now?
    The Georgia Legislature and Governor’s Office prattle and pray and piss down our backs and tell us it’s raining. “Atlanta uber alles”.
    While the State Leg. wants to invade Tennessee, U.S. Rep. Westmoreland wants to declare war on the Chattahoochee river mussels- I don’t think they have enough revenue (or brains) to fight a two-front war.
    Georgia is one state, Atlanta is another, so I’m declaring war on Atlanta. Go Tennessee! Go Mussels!

  68. shainy Says:

    Sorry i can’t express in words to it,I hope the solve problems Atlanta against a future water crisis of this magnitude in their own ways—I smirked when Governor Sonny Purdue led a prayer for rain on the state capitol steps.
    =======================
    shainy

    Addiction Recovery Georgia

    Addiction Recovery Georgia

  69. miss new orleans Says:

    I hate Atlanta. I watched GWTW 10 times just to see Atlanta burn. There is nothing worse than arrogant AA people who think the world owes them everything. Atlanta epitomizes this rotten attitude. Maybe if it dries out it will cease to exist.

    BTW, I wouldn’t p**s on the city of Atlanta if it was on fire.

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