Georgia Gang Howler Of The Week

Haven't done one of these in a while, but this was just too good to pass up. "Socialist" Alexis Scott desperately tries to defend Dekalb's bloated public staff.

It's not a fair comparison to compare Dekalb with Cobb and Gwinnett because Dekalb County is a much older and much more populated than Cobb and Gwinnett.

Uh, no it's not.

Gwinnett is more populous AND older!

Georgia Gang Howler Of The Week

Hell, it should be the whopper of the week this time. Who else? Phil Kent claiming he opposed the PATRIOT Act.

You forget what a lot of us conservatives have said. We actually agreed with you
that freedoms were being eroded under George Bush.

Somebody pull the tape! I'm willing to bet a large sum that somewhere there's footage of Phil Kent defending warrantless wiretapping.

CORRECTION: A small slice of crow. Phil Kent said in 2003:

"We must balance at all times the fact that national security is important, but freedom is essential," said Phil Kent, president of the conservative Southeastern Legal Foundation, which has taken issue with expanded federal surveillance powers granted under the law.

I still find it difficult to believe that in the subsequent years on the Georgia Gang that there weren't occasions where Phil talked about "tools to fight terrorism" or the other nonsense that was bandied about, but lacking evidence of those utterances, I have to say Phil was right. I was wrong.

Georgia Gang Howler Of The Week

Phil Kent commenting on Kris Allen's upset win over Adam Lambert on American Idol.

The Christian won over the gay.

Phil. You know why people think you're an a-hole? Because you are.

Georgia Gang Howler Of The Week

Being a (some would say past the legal age) high school basketball referee does not make one an expert on basketball. Dick Williams -

The playoffs ended when Josh Smith tried that dunk through his legs - that showboating, hotdogging baloney...there's no room for guys like Josh Smith in basketball.

So here's the obvious question.

Would Dick have said the same thing about Bob Cousy?

Georgia Gang Howler Of The Week

Return of the howler.

The Gang took up the issue of Eric Johnson's deliquent tax ethics bill which failed this past week. As usual, the surface was touched but the depths were not plumbed. It also gave Dick Williams a chance to take a few shot at Democratic Senator Robert Brown who was repeatedly called a deadbeat. Towards the close of the segment, Dick let loose this stinker.

Unless you're in a coma, you can call your accountant...

Robert Brown was in a coma for a portion of the time in question.

Ass.

Georgia Gang Howler Of The Week

Vernon Jones first television ad.

It appeared three times on this morning's Georgia Gang.

Jim Martin's first ad may be boring as hell, but at least it doesn't look like a cheap infomercial.

"Why is food so high?"

"Why does everything keep going up but my paycheck?"

"It's because of gasoline prices!"

It all begs the question. Besides billboards and cheap tv spots, on what is all that campaign war chest being spent?

Georgia Gang Midweek Addendum

A refresher first.

Last June The Georgia Gang's Dick Williams and Phil Kent participated in a bizarre exchange regarding AJC music critic Sonia Murray.

Dick wondered aloud about the AJC having a critic "dedicated solely to rap". Which led Phil to opine "some say she can't write".

Well, boys. I do try to be helpful. You should have good hoot and holler this sunday with Sonia's latest piece on the evil rap music.

Don't say I never gave you anything.

Georgia Gang Howler Of The Week

Dick Williams responding to Jeff Dickerson's analysis of Barack Obama's speech.

I thought Romney's was much more important.

Remind me to not seek Dick's advice on any future wagers.

Georgia Gang Howler Of The Week

Phil Kent (who else) on Jane Fonda's rather bizarre use of the "See You Next Tuesday" word on The Today Show.

Well, it's a sick, warped, liberal culture

So, when liberals aren't busy aborting babies and lolling around in laziness, they are also responsible for producing all the vulgarity uttered in the great United States of America.

Georgia Gang Howler Of The Week

You knew it was coming. Dunwoody media mogul Dick Williams was just a tad but upset about Rep. Jill Chambers committee vote to nix the City of Dunwoody bill.

She lives in Dunwoody - or maybe that should be past tense - she lived in Dunwoody.

So, the good people of north Dekalb are going take one of the few Republicans who has avoided the taint of the last two years of craziness under the Gold Dome and run her out on a rail because she didn't want to create a city that even many residents don't think should be birthed? I'm willing to take book on that bet.

Georgia Gang Howler Of The Week

Who else? Phil Kent in his winners and losers segment.

I'm sorry. I know the holiday is right on us but the Martin Luther King Center running the fountain...that's a real loser. They're supposed to be stopping using the water.

Jeff Dickerson then pointed out they are recycling the same water. Kent's response? "I don't care."

Always the master of timing and taste is our Phil.

Georgia Gang Howler Of The Week

Yeah I'm a little late this week. I wasn't even going to bother but there were two things which could not pass.

On the recent Supreme Court hearing on Indiana's voter id law, Phil Kent (of course it's Phil Kent) claimed that particular law was virtually identical to Georgia's law. Jeff Dickerson correctly noted Georgia's law was amended to provide for a free ID and Indiana did not have that provision. Kent popped back the Indiana AG argued anyone could just walk down the street and get one.

Even for a dweeb like me this is not hard. The only hard fast mention of voting in the U.S. Constitution is the 24th Amendment which prevents poll taxes. Simply put, you cannot charge a person to vote. In Georgia, the main id is the driver's license which the state charges a fee - arguably creating a fee to vote. Georgia quickly avoided a constitutional fight by providing free ids to those who lacked. As far as I know Indiana has not.

It may seem a minor point but it is a critical one. If the plaintiffs can convince the court the only way certain voters can exercise their right is to pay a fee the law is patently unconstitutional. So they are not "virtually the same".

Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't Phil Kent a lawyer?

Finally, Dick Williams couldn't resist taking a stab at Hillary Clinton by rolling out that old canard about Sen. Clintion claiming to be named after recently deceased moutaineer Sir Edmund Hillary. Too bad what Dick claimed is not exactly true.

You know, that little fairy tale has almost reached the level of "Al Gore invented the internet" as a tactic for certain pundits to give whatever constituency they have left the loin shivers.

Georgia Gang Howler Of The Week

Non-verbal edition.

Today's winner is Dick Williams phone. I giggle every week in anticipation that a cell phone will buzz during the Gang's half-hour. Today, we had a full blown ringer. I don't know what was funnier - Dick Williams face as he pulled the traitorous device from his shirt pocket or the fact that in a moment of obliviousness he continued to let it ring as he peered to see who was calling.

I'm not even sure what happened after the rude interruptions as I passed out from paroxysms of laughter.

Georgia Gang Howler Of The Week

Yawn. No howler this week. It's getting difficult to be clever when all the crazy is just regurgitated talking points.

I will give them credit though for a pretty good discussion on the whole GOT mess.

Are Spacey and I the only people who watch this show?

Georgia Gang Howler Of The Week

Yeah, I know. It's a little late.

A shockingly reasonable Georgia Gang this week. What happened? Was it because I was out of town? The solution is obvious. More gambling for griftdrift means more sanity on local television.

The gang opened with a discussion of Grady and it was actually laced with realistic positions. I do want to comment on this briefly even though it's not a howler.

Jeff Dickerson, who is working behind the scenes to attempt to solve the mess, had it absolutely right. Despite some of the rhetoric of the recent Grady board resolution, all sides remain engaged and we are slowly working towards a solution. You are going to hear a lot of rhetoric over the next few months, so here are a few things to keep in mind: everyone is still posturing, eventually the board will go non-profit and eventually the state will pony up money as part of a new state-wide trauma center. Everything else is just theater.

Now on to he howler.

Phil Kent speaking on Andrew Young's nomination of Matt Towery and Sen. Emmanuel Jones for the JFK Profile in Courage award:

I'm not sure what part Jones really played, Towery at least did speak out very vehemently on the intent of the legislation.

The part Jones played was drafting the legislation which would have retroactively applied the "Romeo and Juliet" provision of the new law to Genarlow Wilson. A reasonable bill which with the exception of Sen. Dan Weber was driven to doom by the Republicans in the Senate.

You would think a "political expert" would have this knowledge.

Georgia Gang Howler Of The Week

We've got two today.

Dick Williams:

Our friend at Peach Pundit, Erick? What's Erick's last name? He criticized the gang or some of his people did, because we don't talk enough about local politics and we're not specific enough. And you know he closed up his shop Tuesday for Thanksgiving and we're here talking politics. I want him to know that.

Well, even though Erick is King Daddy over at Peach Pundit, he ain't the be all and end all. There are several front page contributors and if Dick, self-admittedly technologically challenged, actuallly read the site, he would see there were several posts during the Thanksgiving holiday.

And for comparing a blog which produces content daily to a once a week, 20 minute talking bobblehead television show, Dick, you get a gift basket of apples and oranges.

And the Phil Kent streak continues...

And my loser again still is last week's loser, Sonia Murray. I still couldn't figure out her column in the Access Atlanta...it's just unitelligible.

You know. The obsession with Sonia Murray is bordering on creepy.

Georgia Gang Howler Of The Week

I was desperately afraid we would not have a howler this week. The first 27 minutes of the Gang was all peace, love and hippies. But of course, Phil Kent and Dick Williams saved the day.

Phil decided to slam the AJC's music (not rap, Dick) beat writer AGAIN. At the end Dick let loose this puzzler.

The AJC is now all rap and all pander.

It might be considered offensive if it actually made any sense.

Georgia Gang Howler Of The Week

The easy target would be Dick's strange shout out to Peach Pundit and Athens Online. But in the it went by so fast you may have missed it category, I give you the strange ramblings of Phil Kent.

Well, it was an interesting trend, you had three elections nationwide and you had two Republicans in Louisiana and Mississippi get elected governor and you had a Republican lose in Kentucky for Governor. So, it's two to one, the Republicans aren't doing as bad as the liberals want.

So let me get this straight. A Republican victory in a state held by Republicans and a Republican victory in a state where the Democratic Party is such a corrupt embarassment the sitting Governor didn't even run trumps a Democratic victory in the oh-so-liberal state of Kentucky to show the "vast liberal conspiracy" is failing? Phil, exactly what flavor is your kool-aid?

Georgia Gang Howler Of The Week

But not for the reason you might think.

First, let me say the "Gang" showed remarkable restraint on the Genarlow Wilson decision. Even ardent conservative Phil Kent couched it as a philosophical question of one governmental branch versus the other. Nary one use of the "liberal" or "activist" slurs.

But wait, friend. It gets much, much stranger.

Phil Kent: I've come to the conclusion that we are going to have to start limiting some of this growth...and I'm not so sure if we were all county commissioners we'd want to put some building moratoriums on.

That sound you heard is pigs falling from the sky as their wings failed them.

Did someone put something in Kent's coffee?