Gonzo Lawmakers - Day 5

A daily recap of the Georgia Public Broadcasting show "Lawmakers". The show airs weekdays at 7:00pm with a replay at 5:30am the following weekday.

DAY 5

*A brief note. Sources tell me the herd of gremlins plaguing the show are due to changes in studio locations. Essentially, they are doing simulcasts from the Capitol and the 14th Street studios and all without a live truck. Those of you in the "bidness" will understand the difficulty of that challenge. Now on with the show!

* Audio - check. David and Nwandi - check. But everyone's wearing black. Some sort of ritualistic dress to ward off the evil spirits?

* Transportation. This is the second big egg after the Budget. Chair Vance Smith is talking about a statewide SPLOST (that's fancy talk for sales tax) for transportation. The disbursement would then be based on population in the 30 largest cities. I'd like to see the numbers on this. Some of the smaller burgs might only be able to hire an extra crossing guard.

* Sonny wants to tax hospitals to make up for a Medicade shortfall. It seems odd to tax the very institutions involved in the shortfall. Sounds a little like voodoo. Richard Sepulvado (also wearing black, I hope somebody didn't die!) is trying to explain this stuff and its making my head spin. Something to do with the Feds and reimbursements. Apparently if we don't raise this bit we could lose a larger amount from the Feds. Only in government.

* Rep. Ron Stephens is back on his tobacco tax. According to him its a cure-all for many a budget woe. I need to research how many times they've raised this particular tax. I seem to recall its happened before. Or maybe that was the Feds. Oh hell, where's Sepulvado. My head's spinning again.

* Rep. Roger Bruce wants to guarantee parents can take one day off work a year for school functions without losing their jobs. Yeah, that has a chance in Hades of passing. And if Rep. Bruce sounds familiar, he's the guy who also wants casino gambling. And yes, the combination is as odd as it sounds.

* Week In Review time! We're finally getting to see the Lost Tapes of The Eggs and Issues Breakfast! I'll take this time to reflect on the first week of "Gonzo Lawmakers". Okay. Done.

* They're already taking a recess?! What's next? Cookies and juice followed by a nap? Actually next week is the budget briefings. You can watch that meat grinder online and when it starts I'll provide a link.

* Resolution to apologize for slavery. A similar one failed in 2007. We need to start a checklist before each session starts. Bobby Franklin's HB 1, tobacco tax, apologize for slavery...

* More Eggs and Issues Basement Tapes! How long until we see Casey? Sonny's up first and we have good b-roll of the Chamber's fine china. These guys really don't know what to do with their hands with a clear podium. Makes you wonder what goes on when its not a clear podium.

* Casey Time!

* Back to Sonny and the State of the State.

* Minoo!

* The Southeastern Diesel Collaborative gave some award to Coke. What the hell does diesel have to do with Coke? And why is something that sounds like a trucker convention giving out awards? Apparently Coke has done something to reduce emissions. That joke just writes itself, doesn't it.

* Sen. Emmanuel Jones is asking that a portion of the auto bailout go to minority auto dealers. State invading the Federal playground - Democrat style.

* A choir from Florida is singing. They're here for King Weekend so hold the snark.

* Rep. Doug Collins was sworn in today. He couldn't participate Monday because he was serving in Iraq. Welcome back Rep. Collins and thank you for your service. Dude, also passed the bar while he was overseas! My lord, sir. The General Assembly's going to seem like a picnic!

* That's a wrap. Lawmakers will take a break over the next week and so will Gonzo Lawmakers. Back to the usual nonsense for now.

Gonzo Lawmakers - Day 4

DAY 4

*Not a lot happened today so maybe we'll have a lot of bands playings, pages being photographed and funky resolutions.

*David and Nwandi both on the set. Audio working. Best start so far. And I take back what I just said since the technical difficulties from yesterday probably means we're going to have a lot of Eggs and Issues Breakfast filler.

* Revenue estimates. This session is all budget all the time. Sen. Jack Hill, appropriations chair, has charts, cool! Uh oh, all the squiggly lines seem to be going down. Not cool.

* Rep. Roger Bruce (D-Atlanta) is talking about all the people boarding busses for jaunts to Victoryland. We need some homegrown gambling! His bill would allow the citizens to vote on the measure

* It's Dr. King's birthday and Governor Perdue is issuing a proclamation. Second mention of Nemehiah this session. Old Testament prophets are in vogue this year.

* Minoo!

* Education time. Kathy with a K Cox, State Superintendent and game show whiz, supports merit pay for Math and Science teachers. Why am I thinking this is the issue none of us saw coming but will boil over?

* More rules. Told you they were going to have to stretch to find interesting stories. Sen. Steve Thompson (D-Marietta, he's still a Democrat?) is talking about cross-over day being changed. Sausage making at its finest. There's one blogger I know that this kind of stuff probably titillates.

* Trauma Care. The special commission to study this says we need more trauma centers, especially south of Macon, durh.

* Casey time! And it's the same thing he said about trauma centers three days ago.

* Tort Reform. Our first Eggs and Issues clip. There was actually a very reasonable discussion on this issue at Peach Pundit. Get thee there and read. Bottom line this seems a loser to Democrats, some Republicans and the Libertarians. Judge those bones on your own. Wagering may be taken later.

* There are three bills regarding using cell phones while driving! Maybe I should take wagers on which one of these crosses the finish line first. It appears they got b-roll from a nearby AT&T store.

* Oh lord! Bobby Franklin. Get ready for a ride on the crazy train. Franklin submits his abortion bill every year and vows to continue to do so. HB1 was defeated last year 152-2. Will likely get the same result this year. That is all.

* Digital TV is coming! Apparently the legislators are the only people in the country who didn't know thus requiring a special meeting to explain how the new fangled technology works.

* And the MLK tribute continues and it is good. And with business done I will enjoy it without further comment. Back again tomorrow. For now that's a wrap.

My Morning Wooten

Keeping it simple today.

Jim's right.

The "Clunker" program is window dressing. The market is already adjusting towards fuel effecient/alternative fuel cars and as usual the government is behind the curve. Unfortunately, the window dressing this time is constructed from your tax dollars. Not good.

Another East Side Shooting

Another attempted robbery near an eastside drinking establishment. This time the intended victim was able to take action.

In the Wednesday incident, a man and woman had just left the Graveyard Tavern and returned to their car in the Ace Hardware parking lot across the street. They were sitting inside their car waiting for the vehicle to warm up when a man approached with a gun and demanded money, Atlanta police Sgt. Lisa Keyes said...“At that time, the male inside the vehicle pulled his own weapon and shot[the suspect five or six times,” Keyes said. The unidentified suspect died at the scene.

Good.

Gonzo Lawmakers

Day 3 - State Of The State

* Oh God. Public television doesn't have commercials

* They are doing the entire speech. You can watch here. I'll be back in 30 minutes.

* Now the Democratic Response. Which I was invited too (ahem Republicans, pick up the slack on the invites) but could not attend.

* Presumptive candidate Dubose Porter - "Parents and teachers are calling for help for our schools but instead, we built boat ramps" BOOYAH!

* Whoa. Now talking about horse parks in Houston County (home of Governor Sonny). The Dems are coming out swinging.

* "In Perry, we're building a fish pond". Damn, DuBose has the come-to-Jesus face on. It's about damned time.

* Now we come to the plan. This is usually where the Dems lose it. But he's already mentioned Education and Transportation so maybe this time the Dems have come to play.

* We're into begging for Obama dollars. Not good.

* We must work with Washington is not something a politician in Georgia should ever say.

* Numbers. Numbers. Numbers. Democrats need to stop pushing numbers and be more righteous.

* Now we're into the guns and butter. I'm pretty sure we've heard all this before.

* I'd like a little preachin' here. It ain't happenin'

* Just saw a lobbyist in the background shot. They're like kudzu.

* Minoo!

* GAE lobbyist. I'll take gimmees f0r $400, Alex

* Watching the background in these interview shots is like watching DragonCon in an alternate universe.

* I just saw another person I know. You would think I would have more scoops by now. I might be getting lazy.

* AARP Lobbyist. We must be in Double Jeopardy where the scores can really change.

* Sen. Nan Orrock speaking for trauma care. It's going to happen this year. We just have to see what form it takes. Which reminds me. Where's Sen. David Shafer? He's gotta make a splash soon.

* Looks like Doug Stoner is the camera face for the Dems today. Second time he's been on. Conscious choice or just a nose for the bright lights?

* IA in the house! Chuck Clay gets the closing interview.

* "Education is the critical buzzword". Can someone tell me when it wasn't the buzzword?

* They're going to talk about Digital Television and child prostitutes tommorow. Can't wait. That's a wrap.

My Morning Wooten

Second verse, same as the first.

Surely the Legislature will not allow itself to be sidetracked on questions like Sunday beer, wine and liquor sales — the pet legislative agenda item of convenience store operators — or video gambling in Underground or elsewhere.

No Sunday alcohol sales. No casino gambling. Why? Because Jim believes the state should "draw the line somewhere on the exploitation of its vulnerable".

So called "conservativism" - government shouldn't tell you how to spend your money or live your life, until we decide it should.

Silly Before Business

I've given up trying to figure Sen. Jeff Mullis (R-Chickamauga) out. Last year, I called him a peckerwood. Yesterday, I marvelled at his admission that transportation in this state should involve more than asphalt. Now, we find that he's sponsored a resolution pleading with the Internal Revenue Service to revoke the tax-exempt status of ACORN.

"An organization that chooses to undermine the integrity of our nation’s election process should not be entitled to tax exemption benefits,” Mullis said."

Let's ignore for a second that the only evidence of ACORN tearing at the fabric of the Republic is in the fever dreams of right wing radio. Let's also ignore the group's tax status is not a state issue.

Instead, can we ask Sen. Mullis to leave the silly behind and focus instead on the business of Georgia?

UPDATE: It appears ACORN doesn't even have tax exemp status. It's gone beyond laugher now.

AND ANOTHER UPDATE: "Jesus, this never ends", so sayeth the Ginger Flash. Welcome to the rabbit hole, Thomas. So a division of ACORN does have tax exempt status? Maybe? Who knows? Who the hell cares? Get on with the business of the state and leave the stirring of mud to others.

Gonzo Lawmakers

DAY 2

* Audio's working today. That's good.

* And the glitch-free live broadcast didn't last long. Nwandi Lawson is not on the set.

* Eggs and Issues breakfast called a "tasty event". Oh my.

* The breakfast has a clear podium which looks a little bizarre. Hope everyone's socks match. Governor Perdue doesn't look comfortable with that much exposure.

* Protestors at the Capitol. Seems early for the picketing to start. They don't want Georgia Power to get money for power plants before they are finished.

* Ahhh the protestors purpose becomes clear. They're anti-nuke and the two new plants are nuke. They are holding large pink cardboard cooling towers that vaguely look like pigs with lipstick. Points for the clever.

* One protestor claims they're worried about the cancer. Republican Don Balfour disagrees and seems a little incredulous at the reasoning. Maybe later in the session we'll get anti-cell phone protestors.

* Senate Democrat Robert Brown - "This is not the time to whine". He's talking about the lack of committee chairs from the minority party. We're hearing a lot of "unity" talk this session.

* Rep. Cecil Staton (shout out to crazy Macon!) re-affirms the need for trauma centers. Despite the budget crunch there seems to be a lot of push behind some programs that are going to cost big bucks.

* More Casey! Speaker Richardson's gonna have harsh words for GPB if this continues. Once again, no gun brouhahas to muddy the waters.

* Oh lord. Lawmakers is one hour tomorrow. I'm going to get carpal tunnel.

* Reporters are so bored they've already started talking to lobbyists. Those guys and gals will talk to anyone. I even had one talk to me last year. Once he got past his skepticism, he gave me quite an earful.

* Back to the breakfast. The editing on this is giving me whiplash. More Casey! Is the equal time clause still in effect or did that go the way of the Fairness Doctrine dodo? I may have to start a running clock on Casey time.

*Nwandi!

* More lobbyists! Lord help us, it's D.A. King! We're already down to talking to the firebrands (I'm trying to be kind here)? We have 38 more days of this mess?

* South Cobb band playing. They're going to the inauguration, you know.

* The Casey time is explained. They are having technical issues showing the tape of the other speakers at the breakfast. Solution? More Casey!

* Load up the whole interview and let it roll! Seven minutes with the Lt. Gov. Now that's how you stretch during a glitch. And with the end of our daily Casey Time, that's a wrap.

Gonzo Lawmakers

Georgia Public Broadcasting's Lawmakers is an excellent resource to keep up with the goings-on under the Dome. It broadcasts nightly at 7:00pm (rebroadcast at 5:30am for you early birds) on your local PBS station.

You can also get a wild and wooly recap of the show here as I'll watch the show with my ID in high gear and spew forth whatever comes to mind.

DAY 1

*Audio is dead for the first two minutes. Not a good start.

*Newly elected Senate President Pro Tem has seen this meme.

*Rules, rules and more rules. This is the glue that holds it together but it's not very interesting.

*Now the already heavily reported capitulation of House Dems to the election of Glenn Richardson as Speaker. Although some might say they invoked Sun Tzu's maxim about not fighting battles you can't win.

*The "hawks" are back. Hawks allow the majority party to add extra members to attend committee votes. Republicans then talk about "engrossment". This is sausage making at its finest.

*Republican Jeff Mullis just invoked a future with high speed rail, light rail and passenger rail! Blow Joshua Blow! Walls be coming down!

*Lt. Gov Casey Cagle talks trauma. He points out $60 million went to trauma care last year but "not one new trauma center was opened". Wait a minute. Trauma centers are that cheap to open? Then why don't we have one in every metro area? Cagle also says we need to make sure "money allocated will really take care of our citizens". Interestingly, last week in an interview with Wilson Smith, Lt. Governor Cagle when asked about the the Governor's Go Fish program ($19 million) pshawed talking about programs that cost millions when we are talking about a budget of billions. Now, a program also involving mere millions that provides a critical service needs heavy scrutiny? Boat ramps vs. trauma care. One hardly bothers the larger picture while the other needs accountability. Figure that one out.

*Raise taxes on cigarettes and strippers. It could be a rough time in sin city but these things aren't going anywhere but they should fun to watch.

*It's the Casey Cagle show. He's up to four spots in the current episode. Handel and Ox need to court some GPB producers.

*TSPLOST is coming back. I doubt the House is going to be able to hold it up this time.

*And now everybody's singing Happy Birthday which means that's a wrap

What Is Goin' On: Jason Pye On The Session

Jason was on this morning.

His solution for prison budget short falls? Pardon non-violent drug offenders. I wish I'd thought to say that when I was on Wilson's show the other day.

Listen here.

Keeping The Lights On

How bad is the budget crunch?

One Atlanta councilman wants to shut off the lights on the interstates.

Since it’s a federal highway controlled by the state, “they should pay for it,” said Maddox, who’s been on the council since 1976. “That’s one million to offset the cutbacks.”

We seem to be getting closer to Mad Max land every day.

In The News

Twas the night before the gavel and all the legislators were tucked safely in bed.

Things are hottin' up so here's some reading to help you prepare.

Jason has been doing yeoman's work so he's about to get a lot of link love.

Georgia Legislative Watch has a comprehensive preview with a bit of a libertarian skew.

Keeping score is easy with this handy dandy lineup of the leaders of both parties. Then there's the guys and gals who do the real work - the Committee Chairs.

The budget is going to be item number one and that means cuts. One area under scrutiny may be the myriad Halls Of Fame and museums. I'd personally hate to see the Agrirama go as it's been around for like forever and their general store has the best jawbreakers in the state.

We can't have a session without politics getting in the way. GLW has the break down of the all important cash raised. Also, this morning Dick Williams scooped everyone by announcing SOS Karen Handel is entering the Governor's race. This afternoon Handel confirmed her entry to anyone who would listen.

Away from the pork trough of the Gold Dome, the story of John Henderson's murder continues.

It's a dirty little secret that sometimes the police peddle in disinformation but the level of inaccuracy in the initial report to the media is startling. It appears now that Henderson was not killed "execution style". Instead, the killers shot randomly through a closed door. Why does this matter? As the Brian Nichols trial showed us, getting a death penalty sentence in Fulton County is never a sure thing. Showing aggravating circumstances, a primary requirement for the most serious charges, just got a little harder.

Meanwhile, the citizens of Atlanta are taking action. Atlantan's Together had their first meeting in Little Five Points today. They had a lot of people show up and they got plenty of press. Pretty impressive for something that just came together last week.

That's the two big stories this week. Break's over. Time to start paying attention again.

In Today's Issue of WTF

Today, a channel 46 crew was in the lobby of City Hall East filming for an ongoing series about billing problems in the Water Dept. For reasons that are unclear, one of Atlanta's finest decides what the good publicity deprived department needs is for him to start cuffing the press.

Live Apartment Fire reports the APD admitted its error and Mayor Franklin issued an apology.

You can view the raw video here. It's a slice of Warholian weirdness.

More Preseason Prep

Georgia Legislative Watch has cranked back up.

We face a critical session this year. GLW is one of the best places to keep track of the madness.

You can also follow on Twitter.

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.

Atlantans Together Against Crime & Cutbacks

I don't get into advocacy too much but I'm going to give this one a chance.

Atlantans Together Against Crime & Cutbacks is an embryonic advocacy group born in response to the tragic death of John Henderson.

Grayson has video here with organizers Tessa Horelhed and Kyle Keyser.

Photos From The Vigil

Joeff Davis of Creative Loafing took the above photo. You can see the rest of Joeff's photos here.

Also, John Spink and Vino Wong of the AJC were there and you can see their photos here.

What Is Goin' On: The Preseason

Wilson and I tackle the upcoming legislative session which means we tried to wrassle with the budget and just how he hell we get out of this mess.

Economics is not a lot of fun to talk about but it's what we are all dealing with. Maybe next time will talk about guns, liquor and strip clubs.

Listen here.

Among The Candles

No notebook. No quotes. To interrupt the near silence with questions which had been answered or were unanswerable seemed inappropriate. Even the pros, the photogs, the camera jockeys, the tv faces moved quietly, respectfully, through the crowd which gathered in the pre-dawn chill at The Standard.

They walked from their houses, drove from nearby neighborhoods , even braved the cold by catching a ride in the bed of a pickup truck to honor the memory of John Henderson.

The previous morning, while closing the restaurant, Henderson was brutally murdered.

Tired, red eyes glistened with fresh tears. A young woman volunteered she was late because she was up most the night comforting friends. Some of the eyes glinted with anger.

Originally, there were ideas of protest. Questions about public safety in an era of shrinking budgets and police furloughs remained unanswered, but the owners of The Standard asked that now no be the time. Anger was present, but for the moment it remained internalized, pushed aside by the horror of having this young man's life ripped away.

No questions. No answers. Not today. Later questions will be asked and answers will be given. A reckoning will come - for the story of John Henderson is not finished.

To donate to the John Henderson Memorial Fund, go to grantpark.org and follow the link to make a donation via credit card or mail donations by check or money order to: Grant Park Neighborhood Association, P. O. Box 89235, Atlanta, GA 30312. Please designate “John Henderson Memorial Fund” on the donation

Skin In The Game

It's no secret I'm an advocate of first person journalism. My greatest influence would say in order to execute this form of writing you have to have some skin in the game.

So, I'm going to The Standard this morning. And a little later, we'll see if I can write the story. Or if it's too close.

Back in a while.

When Crime Hits Home

Not a lot to say right now. Although not a regular at The Standard, I certainly go there enough to be shaken by the news of the murder of one of their employees.

With difficult times, thieves and predators get more desperate and more violent. Also, cities strapped for cash make hard choices. Last week, the City of Atlanta announced all officers would take an extra day off every two weeks.

These are troubling time. It's a time where no matter on which side of the bar you stand, we all stand together.

UPDATE: There is a vigil tomorrow morning at The Standard. And that's not a typo. It's 7:00am.

Atlanta, GA, January 8, 2009 – Due to the January 7 Robbery and Murder at Grant Park bar, Standard Food and Spirits, residents of Zone 6 have united to protest cuts in police protection and public safety. January 8, 2009, concerned citizens should meet at 7:00am at The Standard to remember the victims of crimes city-wide and to voice our concerns. Participants are encouraged to bring candles to light as well as large signs and placards to help convey their message.

UPDATE II: The owners of The Standard have asked that tomorrow's event be a vigil and not a protest. Please do not bring placards and what not.

Jeb Bush Won't Run

Despite the desperate panting of some "conservatives", former Florida governor Jeb Bush will not run for the Senate.

After thoughtful consideration, I’ve decided not to run for the United States Senate in 2010. While the opportunity to serve my state and country during these turbulent and dynamic times is compelling, now is not the right time to return to elected office.

Now is not the time. Hmmmmmm.

This Means War!

I can't stop looking and laughing. That map is a hoot.

I don't give WMCC enough play. It's some of the best satire in the state and brings forth an underexposed truth - Macon is a very weird place.

The border "war" between Bibb and Monroe counties is quite serious. Well, at least as serious as our impending War of the Waters with Tennessee. You see, the big ol' Bass Pro Shops with its oodles of tax money sits in the disputed area.

Fishing. Guns. Outboards. Money. It's difficult to imagine a seriouser combination.

Count on WMCC to be there when the northern aggressors cross the Bolingbroke line.

Guns, Guns Everywhere

Things are ramping up fast. Lt. Governor Cagle held his first press conference an the Galloway was there. Budget was on the tongues but so was guns.

The lieutenant governor was emphatic about one issue in particular. A bill to expand the public areas in which a permitted, concealed weapon can be carried will be going nowhere.

Did I just hear the sounds of jets firing up in DC? Will we sound hear the clickety-clack of lizard skins in the halls of the Capitol?

Pre-Season

Just days away from fanciful feastings on eggs and wild hog, all in the legislature for the moment agree - it's all about the budget.

Other issues will fascinate and early wagers are on the perpetual sundays sales and the latest gun bills, but despite agency heads startlingly returning money to the till, revenue is down and the economy seems to continue sliding down a boat ramp. The budget will be front and center with the only question being whether the Republicans can hold the horses together to make the process as painless as possible or if we will see a third straight year of internecine warfare.

It seems a good time to take stock and prepare.

Dick Petty's has a good wrap up on the pre-files including the eternal submission by Bobby Franklin of HB-1.

Travis Fain focuses on the economy and how the upcoming hog wallow will affect Middle Georgia. No word on if higher powers will have to step into the looming Monroe-Bibb border war.

And despite all the sausage making, there's always room for politics. Sen. David Shafer and Eric Johnson are already throwing punches. They are both wily campaigners not afraid to get in licks. If the Democrats can pull in a big name, like maybe a certain pol from down around Lake Seminole way, the lite guv race could be the one to watch.

My Morning Wooten

A rare saturday edition.

I normally let Jim off the hook on the weekends but I just can't let this one pass.

First, we set the table with a certain type of argument which seems all too common in this era. Can you say strawman? Good. I knew you could.

A straw man argument is an informal fallacy based on misrepresentation of an opponent's position. To "set up a straw man," one describes a position that superficially resembles an opponent's actual view, yet is easier to refute. Then, one attributes that position to the opponent. For example, someone might deliberately overstate the opponent's position. While a straw man argument may work as a rhetorical technique—and succeed in persuading people—it carries little or no real evidential weight, since the opponent's actual argument has not been refuted.

Shorter version - say something absolutely ridiculous to make your equally ridiculous argument seem reasonable.

Now, can you spot the strawman here?

It’s not role models we need. It’s leaders willing to confront Hollywood and the rest of the entertainment industry for their depiction of what’s “normal” in marriage and families. The industry would burn film before it would allow a modern Katharine Hepburn to light a cigarette on screen, as she did in “Woman of the Year” in 1942, with Spencer Tracy, because of the bad example it would set. But in today’s Hollywood, the long-running affair between the two actors would have been on-screen and public. That’s important because children, especially those without a married mother and father in their lives, turn to the media for their role models.

Good I thought you could. Now, your homework for the weekend is to research the history of the MPAA.

Enough of this. Go Falcons.

More From The ABH

The seeming schizophrenia at the Athens Banner-Herald can be maddening.

Last June, Editor Jim Thompson picked on a commentor and rolled out the credibility canard, but less than six months later, he's defending "citizen journalists" from the cuckoo for cocoa puffs rantings of UGA Journalism professor David Hazinski.

Blake Aued and I have wrestled numerous times, but it usually turns out to be more about bowing up since at the core we actually agree. Also, he correctly points out the ABH has shown forward thinking by adding blogs and podcasts.

Now, new publisher Scot Morrissey (not confirmed but probably not related to the dour but earnest pop star) steps into the fray.

For years, we've been like doctors in the way we present news: 'Take it. It's important, you should take it, so just take it,' " Morrissey said. "People have choices now that they didn't have before. And we are still saying in essence,
'Take it.'

There's hope in those words. I wish Mr. Morrissey all the luck in the world. And maybe some mood stabilizing pharmaceuticals for the editorial staff.

New Blog Alert

Dovetailing nicely with our recent racous discussion of the Mulshine Beast, I discovered Ink Drained Kvetch.

No need for me to add superlatives, I'll let Wendy introduce herself.

My name is Wendy Parker, and after 25 years in the newspaper business, I have left it to pursue new opportunities in journalism. As of Sept. 1, 2008, I have accepted a buyout from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, where I worked for nearly 19 years, mainly as a sportswriter. For the last four years, I was a producer and editor on the AJC’s website (ajc.com), where I got a chance to reinvent my career...Now, I seek to recreate my career once again. I surprised myself by how easily and enthusiastically I came to embrace digital media. This blog is my attempt to persuade fellow journalists with a primarily print background to understand that if I can do this, so can you.

Now that's what I'm talking about.

The Whimpers of Dinosaurs

What does a wild eyed writer of politics from Georgia and a biologist from North Carolina have in common?

We both have a strange fascination with a particular species of journalist noted for its ceaseless caterwauling about the damned dirty bloggers.

From Coturnix:

Some guy named Mulshine, who is apparently an ancient journalist (remember: generation is mindset, not age), penned one of those idiotic pieces for Wall Street Journal, willingly exposing his out-datedness and blindness to the world - read it yourself and chuckle: All I Wanted for Christmas Was a Newspaper.

An example of Mulshine's keen insight:

Anyone can duplicate a long and tedious report. And anyone can highlight one passage from that report and either praise or denounce it. But it takes both talent and willpower to analyze the report in its entirety and put it in a context comprehensible to the casual reader.

Really? It makes one wonder if reporters are bathed in magical waters when they first enter the great shrines of soothsaying such as the East Greater Bumpkinville Daily Register Picayune Observer. How is it possible we the unwashed can't see the obvious truth that we do not have the special talents required to keep subjects and predicates straight, much less string many of them together to form something comprehensible!

Frank Wilson nails the black of the target Mulshine doesn't even know exists.

Actually, the people in a given school district are likely to be very interested in and willing to sit through such meetings and read such reports very carefully, since they are interested parties, more interested, apparently, than a cub reporter trying to keep himself awake during the proceedings "by employing trance-inducing techniques"

What makes Mulshine's argument more comical is his world is surely divesting itself of the local coverage he holds so holy while those he castigates are not only taking up the slack but doing it well.

In nature, niches are filled. Species adapt or die. It's tooth and claw time. The peddlers of the written word can either wail in the wallow of the tar pits with the Mulshines or keep moving towards the next horizon.

My Morning Wooten

Well, I'll be hogtied - we've finally got one where Jim and I completely agree.

While listening five years ago to legislators debate how to keep HOPE solvent long-term, Atlanta attorney Les Schneider concluded that something more was needed for students trying to afford college...The result four years later is a law sponsored by state Sens. Bill Hamrick (R-Carrollton) and Seth Harp (R-Midland), among others, creating a series of three low-interest loan programs. Rates start at 1 percent.

The loan system will be results based with rates set by the achievment of certain goals and post-graduation employment choices.

Frankly, I can't find any flaw except the current lack of funding. Given the state of the budget this may be a large hurdle but this is one idea where a way should be found. It makes a hell of a lot more sense than boat ramps.

And it came from Republicans. A fact that surely indicates why Wooten is so effusive and why Democrats should worry. At this point in the game, they can hardly afford to be outflanked on a core issue like education.

Swift Links

I don't dilly dally with the national blogs very much these days, but they are all over to your right if you ever feel the need to sample from the buffet.

One you should definitely try is Jon Swift. It is some of the best satire on the web.

Mr. Swift did the kindness of linking to me in his year end best of post.

Return the favor by visiting the others on his extensive list.

Bloggy

Something new in media land! Actually I should clarify. Something I just noticed in media land. It could have been there for a while and I just sped right past.

Wooten and Bookman have blogrolls. Sort of.

They both have something called "Favorite Sites"

Here's Bookman's:

Talking Points Memo
Abu Muqawama
Peach Pundit
Over The Monster
Eschaton

And here's Wooten's:

realclearpolitics.com
instapundit.com
powerlineblog.com
americanthinker.com

Edifying. Kudos to Bookman for throwing a line to a local.

My Morning Wooten

It is the time of the year where inspiration for the clever tends to run dry. Some do lists. Some wax poetic. Some just fall back on the same regurgitations.

When fair-minded historians examine the Bush legacy, he’ll be fine. It may not be “pretty soon,” as Rice believes, but the day will come when generations will “thank this president for what he’s done.”

Let's play word association.

Unnecessary war.

Detention of citizens with no due process.

Warrantless wire tapping.

Torture.

Who do think of first when these terms are tossed about? Don't bother. No doubt, the leftist hippie historians have already filled your wee little brain with false preconceptions.

Pre-emptive historical revision. Now, there's a term for the new century.

Top Ten Blog Stories 2008: The Recap

The top ten:

1. The Senate Race
2. The Presidential Campaign
3. #atlgas
4. Powell vs Handel
5. The Rise of the Hyperlocal
6. Ethics In Blogging
7. House District 80
8. Troy Davis
9. The Banana Republics
10. The Firing of Ken Edelstein

If you make lists, you will leave something out. And I left out a big one.

As Rusty pointed out, the tornado was one of the biggest new media stories of the year. There were real time reports on twitter, location photos on flickr and video from Shelby, Spacey and the ever present Amani. The storm was a tragedy to be sure, but it was also the biggest mashup of networking, new media, citizen journalism or whatever you want to call it in 2008. And I shouldn't have left that out.

But I like the top ten I compiled and don't think any deserve to get bump. So just slide it in where ever you think it's appropriate. Next year, I'll try to jog my memory a little harder. Although I will be another year and about a thousand beers older. So, no guarantees.

Thanks to everyone for reading, commenting and participating in this year's top ten. We've got a helluva community. And it's only going to get better.

Blog Stories 2008: #1 - The Senate Race

Climbing smokestacks replaced kissing babies and the roller coaster of the 2008 Senate race bucked, jostled, threatened to pitch an incumbent to the turf but finally came to rest exactly where expected.

The Democrats rolled out the usual clown car with the usual menagerie of pretenders. Former newsman Dale Cardwell sounded like a Republican and performed throwback stunts from the era of flagpole sitting. Young Rand Knight seemed to model his leap into politics after Ron Paul with fanatics frantically frisking the internet for any mention of their man. Josh Lanier drove around in his jeep collecting tip jars and channeling Kinky Friedman. Former Dekalb CEO Vernon Jones played footsie with everyone by putting up non-descript "Vernon for Georgia" billboards which overnight morphed into "Vernon for Senate" placards. And no one knew what to make of Maggie Martinez who didn't seem to understand Puerto Rico is not a state.

All that was lacking was an establishment candidate.

Enter Jim Martin.

Martin was the top vote getting non-winner (in some circles known as first loser) for the Democrats in 2006. He gathered a staggering 42% of the vote in his bid for Lieutenant Governor and in an era where the top of the ticket was receiving 38%, some saw an oasis of hope. Most saw a shimmering reflection of the sky better known as a mirage.

It was inevitable that Martin would weed out the pretenders and just as predicted by the big wigs in the state party, he began to draw money.

With the Obama wave building, the possibility of a 60 member Democratic Senate and incumbent Saxby Chambliss riling the blood of the deficit hawks, Martin suddenly mattered.

Money poured into Georgia from the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee and when polls showed Chambliss in real danger of being booted, the Republican counterpart responded in kind.

Commercials flowed like rivers. Sunday football games were no longer safe havens from the madness. Car lots in south Georgia could not hawk their latest deal of the century. The political money had sucked the tv teat dry.

TV and the madness stirred by the frenetic Libertarian Allen Buckley proved just enough to push Martin and Chambliss into a runoff.

Georgia, wracked by electoral convulsions for over a year, endured one more month of whispers and whip lash. The political junkies, the jones never fully satisfied, predicted Obama visits (didn't happen) and Palin visits (did happen) all the while casting eyes towards a trial in Alaska and a circus in Minnesota. As reality and the possibility of the DTs set in, the possibility of a grand finale faded.

Martin could never climb the final hill and Chambliss' people finally came home. The incumbent Republican won in a whitewash.

The longest election year in memory finally ended. Democrats were left to ruminate on what was gained and what could have been gained. Republicans wiped their brows with relief that the breakwater they worked so hard to build held back the wave that wiped many of their brothers and sisters out to sea.

Quiet now covers Georgia as the players, the poseurs and pushers leave the political earth fallow. But after the hangovers fade and the wheels once again beg for grease, the furrows will be turned again. After all, 2010 is just around the corner.

Photo courtesy of Joeff Davis and Creative Loafing

Blog Stories 2008: #2 - The Presidential Campaign

We're not used to waiting.

As dark fell on February 5th, the polls closed and the waiting began. Most of the bones readers knew how things would throw down. Obama and Huckabee would win Georgia. But this was not the usual election - the grass was blue and the sky was green.

For six years, Georgia had been an ardent red state. As sure as the sun coming up, Republicans win and the winner is pre-ordained. We had become so boring, the national press hardly bothered to notice. On primary night, they started to come back.

Obama did win but it was how he won. As the numbers rolled in even the hardest of political warriors were staggered. 66% of the total vote. An astonishing 90% of the African-American vote. For the first time in years, more Georgians pulled Donkey than Elephant tickets.

And this time it was the Republicans, those starch shirted, never get into a nasty fight Republicans, who had to wait. Deep in the night, Mike Huckabee won Georgia but a resurgent John McCain placed second and placed the final nail in the coffin of Mitt Romney.

The next day the whirlwind left Georgia. There were bus trips to the convention. The occasional rally. But after our brief, shining moment, Georgia became more swing-through than swing state.

All that remained was November but even as it approached, inevitability set in. Not even the Obama wave could crack the red state. All that was really left was the party.

Music boomed from the basement to the suites in the Hyatt Regency as Democrats danced to the sounds of history. Georgia's part had been small but no one cared. It was the moment. And the moment was so grand that even a noted cynical independent leaped into the arms of another man and they danced round and round.

But after the lights faded and the music quieted, Georgia awoke to the realization there was one chapter left unfinished.

Blog Stories 2008: #3 - #atlgas

When does a widget grow up?

Who made the first emergency call on a cell phone? When did a blog first get quoted by major publication? Who was the first person to get married after meeting love on an online dating site?

The answer to those questions and millions of other web lore may be lost to time but people of Atlanta will always remember the time when Twitter suddenly mattered.

In September, Hurricane Ike whammied the gulf coast, severly impacting the oil refineries that sprawl around Houston, TX. Atlanta, eternally hampered by a lack of storage facilities, saw its pipeline to the go-juice dwindle to near nothing.

Gas stations began running out of gas. Lines began forming. Atlanta drivers began stalking tanker trucks like desperate, feral dogs. A station with a single open pump became a honey pot for swarms of thirsty cars.

There would be no succor for days but salve came in the form of one young woman's idea.

Tessa Horhled rarely used a car. A chance favor for her mother led her to the QuikTrip on Sidney Marcus and into the swirl of chaos. Not one to sit as a story formed, Horhled used her cell phone to send an update to the social media site Twitter.

By adding the hashtag #atlgas, she created an easily searchable method for others to report on gas status. Her idea played on Atlantan's obsessive nature to stew over the latest "disaster". From Alpharetta to Forest Park, hundreds of drivers began reporting on the availability of gas at individual stations.

Little blogstorms normally burn bright then fade away, rarely noticed by those in the larger world. But the beast Tessa unleashed would not be stopped. The Atlanta Journal Constitution linked directly to the #atlgas search and told its readers it was "real time" information. The news of the innovation reached as far away as Fayetteville, NC.

Soon, gas began flowing again, the lines disappeared and #atlgas began to fade away. Only the future knows if the idea of collective consciousness attacking a problem will become as ubiquitous as cell phones, blogs and online dating, but for one sliver of time, one bright mind and one little widget showed us possibilities we hardly imagined.

Blog Stories 2008: #4 - Powell vs. Handel

The smallest sparks can create the largest fires.

Residency challenges occur every election. They are small, quiet battles involving much inside baseball and arcane code sections. Rarely do they burble up to the top of tickets, for anyone running for high profile office surely knows where they live.

When Democrat Jim Powell signed up to run for the Public Service Commission primary, few realized he started a chain of events that would roll and buckle Georgia political blogs for months.

For motivations still unrevealed, fellow Democrat Jim Indech challenged Powell's residency based on the anomaly of a homestead exemption outside the contested district. Although Powell lived, played and voted in Towns County, he maintained homestead in Cobb County.

Few thought the case would go far, particularly when an Administrative Law Judge found for Powell in late June, but on the Friday before the election, Secretary of State Karen Handel overruled the ALJ and removed Powell from the ballot.

Chaos reigned. Signs were hastily posted at polling places, requests for injunction were filed and outrage boiled over on Democratic activist blogs.

Powell received the requested injunction and remained on the ballot for the primary. In that contest, he stomped Indech by 70 points, but the battle was far from over. Although the electorate spoke, the court had not. The real threat of Powell being removed from the ballot post facto thus invalidating the votes of thousands of Georgians remained.

What followed were a series of legal challenges which travelled all the way to the Supreme Court of Georgia. Such unprecedented publicity of a residency challenge gave opportunity for Georgia's political blogs to delve deeply into both the politics and the law.

In November Powell won the case with a terse court ruling in his favor 9-0, but lost the race against Republican Lauren McDonald 56-44.

It may be debated for some time whether the strange twists of Powell vs. Handel ultimately helped or harmed the Powell candidacy, but one surety emerged - no one will take a residency challenge lightly again.

Blog Stories 2008: #5 - The Rise Of The Hyperlocal

Long have the internet cognoscenti predicted that blogs would turn inward. The theory held that as traditional media scaled back on local coverage, blogs would fill the niche.

At their most honest, blogs are reflections of an authors immediate surroundings. For this reason, local blogs have been around since blogs have been around. In Georgia, the venerable (in internet terms) Cable and Tweed and Drive A Faster Car cover music, Atlanta Metblog covers a wide range of happenings across the city and the ur-hyperlocal Dora-blog covers the strange turns in that tiny hamlet. But it was the emergence in 2008 of two hyperlocal blogs, ironically in the same place, which may have fulfilled the visionaries early predictions.

DecaturMetro and inDecatur cover the hip little city like no other.

At a time when the AJC was removing resources from local burgs, Decatur was emerging from a haze to once again blossom as a community. The MARTA station was finally finished. The square, once a lonely place except for now-ancient Eddie's Attic, buzzed with activity. Residents roamed, street characters did their thing, beer flowed and bands played. The only thing missing was a place to research all these wonderful and strange goings-on.

On September 9-26-07, it all began with "Welcome To Blogging Decatur!". The first post questioned whether Decatur High School should go charter and provided the time and place where locals could attend hearings. Later, the site would switch its label to DecaturMetro and expanded its coverage to everything from crime reports to local restaurant discounts. But it was all Decatur all the time.

Around the same time that DecaturMetro began its meanderings around the square, inDecatur also emerged. Although sometimes the two overlapped and inDecatur would occasionally range into commentary beyond the borders of the town, if it wasn't noted by these two it probably didn't happen.

In November 2008, DecaturMetro and inDecatur shared Atlanta Magazine's Best of Atlanta award for Best Neighborhood News.

The ground broken by the two Decatur hyperlocals and their predecessors continues to be turned. Dekalb Officers takes a cynical look at the shenanigans in the Dekalb PD. Dekalb County School Watch focuses on the education system in the county. Heneghan's Dunwoody Blog (originally a hyperlocal in the vein of the two Decatur blogs) documents the trials, tribulations and triumphs of a nascent city.

The revolution might be televised, but it damn sure will be local.

CORRECTION: Small correction. ACE the owner of inDecatur pointed out that technically his spot launched on 8-6-07 or almost two months before neighbor DecaturMetro. The story was published based on the fact that his front page listed archives only going back to March 2008. I should have dug a little deeper. Twice as many corrections in the past two days as the entire year! I need to beat my research assistant. Wait a minute...

Proceed to #4

Blog Stories 2008: #6 - Ethics In Blogging

We took a hit this year.

Only one of us sinned but we all took the hit.

On July 1st, Georgia Politics Unfiltered's Andre Walker reported officials from the Democratic Party of Georgia pressured powerful political ally the Georgia Association of Educators to remove their endorsement of Senate candidate Rand Knight. The story contained only anonymous sources with no additional corroboration. Two nights later, the story vanished into the vapors.

The stink did not so easily disappear. Before the removal, the story was repeated on two of the state's most prominent political blogs. The furor and subsequent removal led these blogs to either remove the story completely or issue a correction. It also led a suddenly silent Andre to issue his own retraction and apology.

The passive "mistakes were made" nature of this retraction did not pass unnoticed.

Less than one month later, Andre once again made blogosphere news when local gadfly publication Atlanta Progressive News broke the news he published positive stories on Democratic congressman David Scott without disclosing he was receiving payment from Scott's campaign.

Walker's initial response was the public record of FEC reports were his disclosure. When pressed, Walker finally issued a statement listing not only Scott's payment but a virtual resume of gloat showing his "support" for Democrats over the previous two years.

The arrogance of the disclosure statement did not pass unnoticed.

As predicted by some, the two sins made very real the specter portrayed by the traditional media chicken littles - the blogosphere has no rules, no ethics and it cannot be trusted. The sudden tangible nature of these previously esoteric ideas led to a raucous, free-wheeling discussion which crissed and crossed from blog to blog.

The fires eventually cooled and if some understanding was not reached, all agreed the conversation must continue.

That the original sinner did not participate in these conversations and instead allowed others to defend a community stained by his actions did not pass unnoticed.

Time will tell if the actions of one blogger will be used as a cautionary tale in future judgments of the community, but as we will shortly see, the power of the medium cannot be contained and retrograde movements can be followed by massive leaps forward.

Proceed to #5

Blog Stories 2008: #7 - House District 80

We are used to politicians lying while in office. We are used to politicians lying during an election. We are not used to a politician lying before he qualifies.

When Rep. Mike Jacobs switched parties in 2007, the screams of betrayed Democrats echoed from Dunwoody to Toco Hills. Given Jacobs began his career in the trenches with Young Democrat organizations and those most passionate of supporters wore out their Buster Browns getting him elected, the first opportunity to oust the turncoat created political bloodlust.

Lust is wonderful in the short term. Cling to lust, however, and it will eventually lead you into the darkness of stupidity.

So blinded were the Democrats of the 80th, they ignored their own and fell sway to a young unknown named Keith Gross.

On paper, Gross was just fabulous. He claimed to be a successful business owner. He claimed to have a war chest full of money. And in a district where gays and lesbians are a potent demographic, the opportunity to elect Georgia's first an openly gay representative didn't hurt.

Then it all began to fall apart.

One would think such a successful businessman would be proud to roll out the resume. Strangely, Gross refused. The Southern Voice did verify the existence of one of the businesses Gross claimed to have owned but it was in Maryland. The only connection to Georgia was a website registration with a Georgia address but with a Florida telephone number.

Then the condo which didn't exist was discovered. On his qualification paperwork, Gross listed a complex which does in fact exist but a unit number which did not exist. The Gross campaign's response was Gross was concerned for his safety and didn't want people just knocking on his door.

A final twist of the tale was when snoops found not only a Keith Gross Florida drivers license but a snazzy Porsche with Florida plates.

High noon was an adminstrative hearing in July where Gross mumbled his way through questions concerning his activities and ultimately was thrown off the ballot.

Shell shocked Democrats pulled their act together quickly enough to put write-in "independent" candidate Michelle Conlon on the ballot. Hampered by lack of name recognition, little money and even less time, the earnest Conlon was trounced by Jacobs.

When all the dust settled, Gross once again disappeared and local Democrats were left to wipe the stains of snake oil from their faces.

CORRECTION: A reader reminds me that Karla Drenner was the first openly gay representative.

P.S. Honorable mention goes to the nasty slugfest in House District 81 but Top Ten only had room for one crazy ass local race this year.

Proceed to #6

Blog Stories 2008: #8 - Troy Davis

It is terrifying to me to think that my state might kill an innocent man in error based upon legal technicalities. If it is terrifying to you too, there is not much that we can do to stop it. Except maybe to pray. ~Sara of Going Through The Motions

Outstanding ~Rogue109 of Peach Pundit on the Supreme Court's decision to allow Troy Davis execution to proceed

Capital Punishment inhabits the rare place where passion's flames consume reason. However, it takes an unusual case to spread those flames beyond the borders of the political. It takes the impending death of a possibly innocent man.

According to a Savannah jury, nearly 20 years ago, Troy Anthony Davis brutally murdered a police officer. Seventeen years after his conviction, 7 of the 9 witnesses whose testimony led directly to the verdict say they may not have been completely truthful.

The questions in the case have led such divergent voices as a former FBI director and the Bishop of Rome to beg for pause.

In Georgia, the usual political warriors either pled for mercy or demanded blood. It also touched places that normally discuss recipes, UGA football and teenage vampires.

Finality now approaches. Davis' probable last hearing occured yesterday.

One day lives will continue and routines will return, but there is little doubt that those who inhabit the raging land and those who only briefly touched its scorching earth will forget the strange, possibly tragic path of Troy Anthony Davis.

Proceed to #7

Blog Stories 2008: #9 - The Banana Republics

If one does something which hasn't been done in 40 years, either Guiness should be called or the bodies should be hidden as quickly as possible.

Unfortunately for the children of Clayton County, the local school board had neither the competence to locate a phone book nor the basic Machiavellian instincts to cover their posteriors.

On August 28th, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools pulled the accreditation of the entire Clayton County school system. The last time the organization took such action was 1969.

With the stroke of a pen, young men and women's college applications were relegated to limbo, the usual recriminations were fired, the board chose to make things worse by potentially violating open meetings law and finally it got so hooptie, the Governor had to step in and run four sitting members the hell out of Dodge.

Incompentence with a generous slathering of schadenfreude is like ambrosia to bloggers. The Clayton County shenanigans seemed to spew so much sweetness that all should have been sated.

Then along came Lithonia.

In just one city council meeting, the Mayor fired the police chief, the council re-hired the police chief and locked the Mayor out of the building. The Mayor managed to unlock City Hall only to have the council boot her out again and call a locksmith toot sweet.

It took Clayton County years to embrace the crazy. In a single instant, Lithonia ran into its arms seeking a big bear hug.

On November 4th, the citizens of Lithonia exercised the ultimate lock by booting their Mayor out of office. On December 3, former Mayor McKibben was arrested after a confrontation at a city housing project. She claims they are still out to get her.

Doraville must be jealous. They made the top ten last year and all they did was fire their Iraqi war veteran Chief Of Police.

Continue to #8

My Morning Wooten

Decaturguy handles it today.

Check it out.

Blog Stories 2008: #10-The Firing of Ken Edelstein

The subhead here should be Crazy Cracks The Creative Loafing.

The story began last December with the first round of layoffs at the venerable alt-weekly and ended this November with the firing of long time editor Ken Edelstein.

The departure was noted by all, for whether you considered him a friend, an enemy or a frenemy, everyone in the community understood Ken was one of the straws that stirred the drink.

He, via his publication, was one of the first in traditional media to build bridges between the old and new world.

When the AJC turned up its nose at SoCon and Podcamp, he sent reporters to participate. When AJC Editor Julia Wallace was proclaiming her publication was going to show us how it's done, Ken was, in his own combative and frankly irritating manner, talking to us about what it all means and how he could make his own world better. And God help us all, he did the one thing so many in his field fear - he started a blog and let the fertile minds of Wheatley, Freeman, Shalhoup, Henry and Nouaree run wild.

If you like him, you worry about the future of Creative Loafing and its relationship with the community. If you loathe him, well, you won't have Edelstien to kick around anymore. At least for now. After all, New Years bring new beginnings.

Proceed to #9

Top Ten Georgia Blog Stories 2008

Tis' the weird season, Bubba.

Erick is simultaneously having a baby and penning intellectually dishonest screeds about religion. His minions at Peach Pundit are trying to rationlize shutting down HBCUs and discussing the latest Communist tactic of trash collection. Their flouride hating grandaddies would be so proud. Meanwhile, the Democrats are playing their favorite post-election game of hate and hair pulling.

Tis' the season indeed.

I'm going to do my best to ignore the politics for the next ten days. Sometimes the swirl of stupid becomes too dark and deep for even the most experienced cave divers.

Instead, it is time for reflection. It's time for the top ten Georgia blog stories of 2008.

Last year, the top ten spanned two entries. This year, I'll do things a bit different. The top ten will be published as individual entries over the next ten days. So let the guessing begin!

I, your humble scribe, will do my best to keep the distractions of idiots away and my eye on the ball.

Continue to #10.

The Tanton Menace

The above destroyer of public property received more votes for Cobb County Tax Commissioner than Jesus Christ.

There's only one conclusion. Cobb County hates Jesus.

The Radicalization Will Be Blogged: The Two Way Street

The man who said

The larger issue here is not about Palin, but about the mercenary political operatives who have no loyalty to the cause nor to the candidate, only the money. These people must be rooted out, exposed, opposed, and made lepers.

now has his holier than thou appendage out of joint because some have called for the ouster of CTIA's Steve Largent due to his wife's constributions to pro-Prop 8 groups.

In this country, we’ve gone from a Red Scare to a red, white, and blue scare. People with traditional American values are to be hunted down, fired from their jobs, and destroyed.

Plank. Splinter. Eye.

My Morning Wooten

Perhaps it's the holiday spirit, but Jim and I have rarely jousted lately. Today, peace on earth once again takes a back seat. Let's have some fun!

Clark Howard’s not running for mayor of Atlanta. Smart guy, Howard. The time to pinch pennies was when they were accumulating a mountain of debt. They’re now into juggling. The radio personality they need is get-out-of-debt guru Dave Ramsey.

It's a clever turn of phrase. I have to admit admiration for the skills of the scribe. But it is also evidence Jim worships the trinity of WGST's Beck, Limbaugh and Ramsey. If he ever roamed up the dial, he would discover home town hero Clark Howard has a pretty good handle on debt as well.

Disagree if you will on policy, but there can be no disputing that President Bush will be remembered, as he wishes to be, “as a person who, first and foremost, did not sell his soul in order to accommodate the political process. … I came to Washington with a set of values, and I’m leaving with the same set of values.” A decade from now, maybe sooner, the man’s worth as a leader will be measured alongside Harry Truman as a wartime president. A modern politician who can ignore polls to do what’s right for the country is a jewel.

A needless war. Taking America's legitmacy in the world from a pinnacle to an absolute abyss. Imprisonment without due process. Torture. I'll take book on whether history views Bush as Jim does and as I do. What wants to place a bet?

Two state senators who left the legislative arena to seek judgeships, both of whom were probably more temperamentally suited to the judicial branch, lost. Michael S. Meyer von Bremen, an Albany Democrat, lost on Nov. 4 in a crowded field for a seat on the Georgia Court of Appeals. This week, Joseph I. Carter, a Tifton Republican, lost a runoff for a Superior Court seat. Good guys, both. Thoughtful and calm.

Can't disagree here.

Get out the sniffing salts, Betsy. A Cobb County law firm, Gardner Groff Greenwald & Villanueva, announces that it’ll cut its flat-fee rates up to 12 percent below 2008 and won’t increase hourly rates.

A private firm adjusting its business model due to market pressure? Isn't that a fine example of conservative philosophy? But this is lawyers - one of the usual right wing pinatas - therefore instead of platitudes, we get snark.

The outcome of Tuesday’s U.S. Senate runoff does not bode well for Georgia Democrats in 2010. Barack Obama was a phenomenon. Nobody currently on the scene is capable of matching his appeal to Democrats and independents in Georgia. DeKalb CEO Vernon Jones is right, I believe, when he asserts: “The Democratic Party has to stop putting up these liberal candidates who tend to win in the primary but not in the general.” But I’ve read enough post-election advice from liberals to Republicans that they become Democrat-lite that I’ll avoid the condescension of suggesting that state Democrats become Republican-lite. They should fix it as Mr. CEO and others think necessary to win statewide.

Jim Wooten choose your own adventure! (Insert Democrat name here) is an idiot/corrupt con-artist/the most evil creature walking the earth except when he switches parties/is criticized by Daily Kos/agrees with me.

Honoring the president-elect in the only way government knows how — by giving public employees another paid holiday — officials of Perry County, Ala., declare the second Tuesday in November to be a Barack Obama Day holiday from work. Perry County, in central Alabama, is one of the poorest in the state.

Yes, what they did is stupid. But what is stupider and far more insidious is certain members of the right wing, usually limited to whacko right wing radio but more frequently on the pages of the paper that covers Dixie like the dew, insistence on finding every turtle on a fencepost then attempting to convince us all that the not yet arrived Obama presidency will cause us all to smother beneath a crush of turtles.

Selah.

Where Dragons Be

There are normally two impulses which cause a poltician to light on a particular perch.

The most common urge is politics. It is a safe place to land because it is the familiar and it is also about winning. Winning at politics means advancing a cause for some sort of gain and the gain all desire is re-election.

Less common is the ideological urge. Ideology is a precarious roost for politicians for it requires standing on principle. It can lead a particular species of ideologue called the "spending hawk" to vote against that needless contract even though it will cost the home folks the latest, greatest government doo-dad. When the home folks don't get their doo-dads, they sometimes opt to hire a new doo-dad getter.

But there is a third, very rare synaptic firing which may guide politicians into lands where dragons be. Insanity.

Sen. Seth Harp (R-Midland) wants to address the current budget crisis by merging Historically Black Colleges & Universities.

Merging Historically Black Colleges such as Savannah State University and Albany State College with nearby white-majority schools, Armstrong Atlantic State University and Darton College, will save our taxpayers and the state a significant amount of money.

So on which branch did this particular hawk alight?

Given the recent history of African Americans voting somewhere north of 80% for Democrats, it is hard to imagine a move to eliminate the legacy of their schools as a ploy to gain votes. So it ain't political.

Republicans claim to be the party of accountability. In fact, they frequently argue we should move beyond race and make judgments solely on merit. Yet, nowhere in Harp's proposal is there the idea of viewing all schools and then eliminating based on performance. So it ain't about principle.

Sen. Harp's only get one landing place left.

Perhaps, on waking in the morning, cleared of fever dreams, he will reverse course and seek one of the branches of the political tree he so eagerly swooped past.

(P.S. Sen. Harp, as some of your colleagues can attest, I'm always open to someone explaining to me why I'm the one perched in the crazy tree. Feel free to drop me a line)

My Morning Wooten

Jim writes about the automaker bailout.

Congress should not intervene.

Agreed.

That one was easy.

The War Moves South

With the sudden announcement by Florida Republican Senator Mel Martinez that he will not seek re-election, all eyes shift to 2010 in the state of sunshine.

Former Governor Jeb Bush indicates interest in the open seat while the Hamlet of Tallahassee, current Governor Charlie Crist demures. Since Crist won his office by eschewing events with the Florida Family Policy Council and ignoring a nasty whisper campaign about his sexuality, his candidacy in opposition to 43's little brother would land Florida squarely on the front line of the Republican Civil War.

Meanwhile, in Georgia, culture warrior Erick Erickson says of Martinez departure, "good riddance".

Martinez crime? He dared criticize St. Sarah Palin.

What Is Goin' On: Another Election Hangover

Wilson and I discuss life now that the infernal, eternal election is finally over.

Take a listen here.

Quick And Dirty Voter Guide

Runoff today.

SENATE - Vote Martin. At least he's for individual privacy.

PSC - Vote Powell. Despite certain obnoxious football ravings of his progeny (almost cost him my vote), he's reasonable on energy policy and does not have a long history of canoodling with certain companies containing the initials GP.

COURT OF APPEALS - Vote Doyle. She all but told the Georgia Christian Alliance (all theocracy! all the time!) to stick their questionnaire where the sun don't shine. That tickles me a bit.