My Morning Wooten

I'm feeling righteous.

New 320-place setting White House china selected by the Bushes cost almost $500,000. So what? It was paid for by a privately-funded trust. Let the man go.

Bush's china is the 14th official service. The official count is 7-5 Republican to Democrat with 2 belonging to parties we barely remember.

And every service since Johnson has been purchased by private funds. By the way, he was a Democrat.

You let it go.

Best suggestion for Gaza and the Palestinian Authority comes from former U.N. Ambassador John R. Bolton, writing in the Washington Post. Argues Bolton: “We should look to a ‘three-state’ approach, where Gaza is returned to Egyptian control and the West Bank in some configuration reverts to Jordanian sovereignty.”

Only one problem. Gaza goes to Egypt. West Bank goes to Jordan. I assume the third state is Israel. Because in a three state solution, we have to have three states. Jordan. That's one. Egypt. That's two. Israel. That's three. Wait a second. What about that Palestinian Authority thingie?

Jim. I'm just a simple boy from South Georgia. Can you help me? Please tell me the last time a nation voted itself out of existence?

MARTA’s projected deficit of $57 million may prompt higher fares (up 25 cents to $2), higher parking fees or service reductions. One other proposed “solution” is more tax. My suggestion would be to consolidate MARTA as a mass transit-only agency. Spin off the buses into the private sector and let them provide service where and how the market dictates.

Sounds like a good solution. Let's implement it right after you tell me when a paved road ever showed a profit.

We're going to take the next one in pieces.

Interesting dilemma for President-elect Barack Obama, who vowed to shut the Guantanamo military detention center.

So did John McCain. Oh wait. He lost. So we should probably blame him. If only he had run on that winning Republican playbook from 2006.

Turns out no nation wants the bad guys

Who does? Do you want bad guys? I'm pretty sure I don't want bad guys. But the UK (you know, the guys and gals who stood by us through the storm) accepted some of these bad guys as recently as 2004.

Take ’em, pleas U.N. torture investigator Manfred Nowak. Many, he says, are harmless. Maybe. But many aren’t.

Maybe.

This is the standard the supposed guardians of our forefathers believe in. Maybe.

Griffin Bell was one of the truly great men that Georgia, or any state, produces. He’s monument material.

Jim's absolutely right. But I can't help but think what Thinking Right would have said if it existed 30 years ago when Bell served as Attorney General under the eternal right wing boogeyman known as Carter.

Calling Atlanta’s neighbors to the north “northern suburbs” requires a definite perspective. For those of us who live there, Atlanta is our suburb. Wonder why you never see it described as Cobb’s southern suburb.

Stop attending Hawks game. Stop attending Falcons games. Stop flying out of Hartsfield. Stop getting airlifted to Grady. Stop talking through every damned show at Chastain.

Start paying for the MARTA that takes you from free parking at Doraville all the way to exotic downtown (including not only certain sports venues but also the ivory towers of the Atlanta Journal Constitution)

Start driving to the reknowned international point of departure known as Birmingham.

Oh. And when your teenager wraps that brand new car around a telephone pole? Make sure the medivac takes them to Athens General.

But most importantly build a concert venue where everyone acts like they are sitting in their living room watching American Idol.

All of us chickens down in the suburb called "Atlanta" will just stare up in wonder.

Selah.