ATLANTA - An interesting First Amendment battle is being waged in the federal appeals court in Atlanta by an ex-Georgia sheriff who claims a barrage of leaflets that falsely painted one of his critics as an ex-con was politically protected free speech. The argument by former Forsyth County Sheriff Dennis Lee Hendrix came before the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday after he challenged an April 2007 jury verdict that awarded one of the critics, Danny Bennett, a $3.6 million judgment on libel claims. The case started in 2000, when Bennett claimed he was the target of a Hendrix smear