Rules

Live Apartment Fire has a list of old rules vs. new rules for local newscasts, but I think this one applies (or should apply) to old media vs. new media.

Old rule: Be good storytellers / New rule: more stories, less telling

The rest are pretty good too. Check 'em out.

Hamilton Jordan

Hamilton Jordan
1944-2008

Matt Towery:

"I understand that in the past few decades we have become such a polarized nation that it is impossible to extol the virtues of someone associated with a former Democratic president, particularly an active and often colorful former president such as Jimmy Carter, without immediately upsetting the most partisan of readers. Well, get over it. Hamilton Jordan taught a lot of lessons."

Obama In The Crosshairs

Another example of the left making the race all about race?

Apparently not.

The above provocative cover of the, to this point relatively unknown, weekly "The Roswell Beacon" has furfulled a few feathers.

But since they own/lease a printing press, they must be part of the liberal media conspiracy, no? Well, given their editorial page seems be nothing but Michelle Malkin retreads, I'm guessng not.

As to the cover itself, it is certainly provocative but I find myself having a hard time getting too lathered up about it. Frankly, the blaring head of "White Fright" is much more questionable than the picture of Obama framed by a high-powered scope.

It would be an interesting to hold a discussion about the process of creation here and to their credit some from Kos made that attempt. But with Beacon editor John Fredricks already stating his paper will not be influenced by "liberal blogger thuggery", I guess that's just a bit too much to ask these days.

The Little Blogger Fruforal

About the little local blogger fruforal. I'm gonna let Travis speak for me on this one.

But these things aside, let me drop a little knowledge on the blogosphere: Professionalism means not whining like a little baby when you don't get the big gig. Someone has to stay at the office and make the cop calls. Someone has to read the local county budget. Someone has to sit through that 3 hour appropriations meeting.Welcome to journalism...It ain't always fun.

Yep. That's about right.

More On The Impending Race War

Rush Limbaugh today:

"To you superdelegates, I feel your pain. You're afraid of the riots if you deny a black man the nomination"

Yep. Definitely the left making it all about race.

He also took time to mention McGovern.

The betting window is now open for wagers on McGovern mentions on Sean Hannity. The over/under is set at 8.

My Morning Wooten

A sure cure for the lost mojo is Jim Wooten.

Barack Obama’s now within a hundred delegates of securing the Democratic Party nomination to fulfill the legacy of George McGovern, Michael Dukakis, John Kerry and Al Gore.

Is there any Democrat outside of Joe Lieberman that Jim and his ilk wouldn't compare to George McGovern. Save your brain cycles. The answer is no.

John McCain’s spokesman Tucker Bounds set it up: “This election is fundamentally about who Americans can trust to secure peace and prosperity for the next generation of Americans. Without a doubt, Barack Obama is a talented political orator, but his naive plans for unconditional summits with rogue leaders and support for big tax hikes on hardworking families expose his bad judgment that Americans can ill-afford in our next president.

First of all, I don't remember any mention of meeting foreign leaders of questionable reputation with no conditions. I do remember him being asked if he would meet with certain foreign leaders and responding, yes.

More importantly, given the unbridled success of the foreign policy success of the last eight years, Jim, before you continue caterwauls of appeasement, please explain why we should trust your way as better.

What he neglected to say is that four members of the U.S. Supreme Court are likely to retire over the next eight years. And since Democrats control both the House and the Senate, a left-lock on the White House, Congress and the Supreme Court should be enough to complete the march to the welfare state.

Based on decisions such as the recent Indiana voter id ruling, the court is as balanced as it ever is. So the only common sense conclusion is Jim's real desire is a right wing super-majority creating a star chamber to rubber stamp his myopic vision of "original intent".

As far as the court's affect on the welfare state? For those playing Wooten Non-Sequiter Bingo, O-42!

“White voters played a decisive role in Hillary Rodham Clinton’s lopsided victory Tuesday in Kentucky’s Democratic presidential primary. Barack Obama got the victory in more liberal Oregon, where race and the hard-edged rivalry between the two embattled candidates was muted...[followed by three paragraphs about how race played out in various primaries]...The left is determined to make this election a referendum on white racism. But the fact is that a majority of this country has not and will not now elect a president who runs as far to the left as Barack Obama.

I don't really have to say anything do I?

It is essentially over. Obama will be the Democratic nominee. The party has what it has, a candidate who in Kentucky failed to win the votes in a Democratic primary of all age groups and incomes, the college-educated and those who aren’t, and those who described themselves as liberal,moderate and conservative.

Have you ever been to Kentucky? Before you fall prey to the conflation it represents the entire country, I suggest gentle reader you research the demographic breakdown in other primaries - even good ol' Georgia.

In the meantime, prepare yourself to hear the name McGovern a lot over the next six months. Its only just begun.

Pretty Cool

Looks like Amani is becoming an NPR regular.

Take a listen to him, Shawn Williams and Shaun King discuss the NAACP new President, gay marriage and immigration policy in the city of L.A.

Pretty cool.

Of course you have to listen to it online because here in Atlanta, instead of the show News & Notes, we receive audio morphine over the airways.

Pretty uncool.

The Set Up

Why is District 80 so compelling?

To those outside the perimeter and outside the inner circles. the answer probably is, "it ain't".

But for those in the know, the upcoming battle for the 80th is not so much Hatfield/McCoys as it is the DiMeras and the Bradys.

Take a sitting aisle jumper, a scorned party seething from betrayal, a stranger riding into town with thoughts of righteous revenge, put them in a district which is a demographer's wet dream and you boil a cauldron of trouble to the frothing point.

Only four years ago Rep. Mike Jacobs was the darling of the Democratic Party. Fresh out of law school and with strong backing from the state party, he won the 80th with 51% of the vote. In a district trending Democrat, two years later he won re-election by an astounding 66%.

Then, in 2007, Jacobs began doing strange things. He voted for Democratic scourge Glenn Richardson for Speaker of the House. He voted for payday lending and against the children of Peachcare.

The cinch was finally firmly clasped to the barrel in June of that year when he officially announced his switch to the Republican party. A mere three years after his first victory, he left his party, his youtful supporters and arguably a piece of his reputation in a choking cloud of dust.

The battle cry of vengeance sprang from the lips of practically every person who previously pounded the pavement from Toco Hills to Dunwoody.

Despite this passion and a full year to prepare, still no experienced Democrat living in the 80th stepped forward to challenge the betrayer.

Enter Keith Gross.

Georgia law requires those qualifying for the House of Representatives to be 21 years of age, have lived in Georgia for two years and in the district for one year. First glance at Gross' picture might call into question his ability to pass the first threshold, but it is the second and third which have caused consternation in the Democratic camp.

Residency challenges are not rare but also rarely worth a mention. They are hardly ever successful and usually only a subtle poke at the inexperienced and the unknown. However, in the case of Gross there exists enough flotsam and jetsam (a restaurant in Maryland, a car registered in Florida) in the water to spark curiousity.

Gross responded in detail to the criticism but will it matter?

As with all things politic the most important question is sometimes the most overlooked. Why? Why would a two-term incumbent, even one who recently switched parties, even on who is in a "competitive" district, even acknowledge the existence of a challenger who conventional wisdom purports doesn't have a hoot in hell chance of victory?

Two possibilities.

Jacobs' camp thinks the charge can stick. Gross' recent travels are certainly odd and though you would think the most basic vetting of where a candidate actually lays his head at night would be a fait accompli, we are talking Democrats.

More likely however is a carpetbagger strategy - make the charge now so you can stick him later. Even if Gross fights off the residency protests, this fall he will face attacks of being a mercenary, a Democratic party shill who rode into town not for the 80th but for revenge and pure political expediency.

Although rarely observed in the wild, the already wooly 80th may witness the gestation of a political meme.

How these horses finish is not known but the degenerate gamblers are placing the smart money on the second scenario.

In these weird early machinations one kernal of truth is discovered - at times the strangest move is actually the most clever. It is a maxim best not forgotten.

Georgia Politics Podcast Episode 17

Enjoy some good conversation on your Sunday afternoon.

Listen to the Georgia Politics Podcast.

The usual gang was there: our gracious host JosephG, Catherine, JenB, Kimberly and moi.

And children. We were only kidding about smoking pot and not wearing your seatbelt. We always wear our seatbelts.

Leaving New Orleans

New Orleans is still a great town and it is almost impossible to have a bad time, but the business did not fare so well this week. So I'm headed to the farm to contemplate next moves. Look for changes around these parts next week.

New Orleans

I've got my suitcase in my hand

Now, ain't that a shame

I'm leavin' here today

Yes, I'm goin' back home to stay

Yes, I'm walkin' to New Orleans

Tendaberry

My friend Blackjack and I used to see a lot of bands. From the granola grounds of Decatur to the boot stomping of Little Five to places on Trinity long gone, we sampled most everything Atlanta had to offer in the 90s. Now, we're older, grayer, a little tubbier and listening to Sirius and XM because there is so little out there to excite an aging hipster. We are close to needing aural viagra.

Which is why I want to talk to you about Tendaberry.

The great thing about "500 Songs For Kids" at Smiths Old Bar is you get to see 40 or so bands in rapid succession. It is a feast of styles and flavors. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it don't. But it's always fun.

When the young men of Tendaberry hit the opening note of The Jackson Five's "The Love You Save", my tired ears suddenly perked up. My thoughts were instantly of Bad Brains with a dash of Fishbone tossed in. Perusing their webpage I realize I didn't give them enough credit. Their range is impressive and their many influences are evident.

They'll be at Lenny's on the 30th.

I plan to be there.

Will you?

Bissinger vs Leitch

You know. Buzz Bissinger wrote a really great book. This does not make him the be-all and end-all of sports writing. His opinions of internet writers on The Bob Costas show are very enlightening.

Deadspin's Will Leitch gets it. In fact if you peruse my run-ins with those who desperately clutch to the term journalist this past year, you will find striking similarity between mine and Leitch's points of view.

Watch the video of there exchange here.

WARNING: It's HBO so adult language abounds.

h/t: Rusty

Promoting this from comments. During a four week stay in Kansas City I became a big fan of sportswriter Jason Whitlock. Read his take on the Bissinger-Leitch dustup. Money quote:

"Bloggers might be inspired by their loathing of traditional media, but they are not the cause of our growing irrelevance. We did that with our refusal to adapt to new technology, our clutching of political correctness and the transparency of our agenda-driven "objective journalism.""

Songs For Kids At Smiths

Once again Smith's Olde Bar is hosting a week long event to benefit the charity Songs For Kids.

Last year, local bands from across the spectrum performed in order Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Rock Songs of All Time. I went to two nights and it was one of the most fun shows I've ever seen.

This year the musicians are performing the 500 Greatest Sing-A-Long Song of All Time. Don't think Kumbaya. Think "The Weight", "Come On Eileen" and "Sister Christian". So head down to Monroe and Piedmont and shout your lungs out for a good cause. You might even see a certain redneck writer lurking near the bar.

Doors open at 6:3o.
Music starts at 6:45 sharp.

White Trash

Blanche has her own list of Stuff White Trash People Like.

Marlboro Reds are for older, crustier White Trash, mostly men.

Can't say I disagree with anything on the list.

Josh Lanier On Saxby Chambliss

Earlier this week we had some Dale Cardwell guerilla video. Now comes Josh Lanier. In case you don't remember, this ad is play on the 2002 Chambliss ad which juxtaposed Senator Max Cleland with Osama Bin Laden.

I got a preview of this last week and thought it was interesting. What say you, gentle readers?

Chambers Re-election

Rusty has some interesting thoughts on the upcoming campaign of Democrat Chris Huttman against incumbent Republican Jill Chambers.

I'm going to ponder the matter a while longer before I share my own thoughts, however expect something centering on my fondness for the north Dekalb Republicans - Weber, Chambers, etal. A character trait which vexes my friends in Democratic circles.

My Morning Wooten

Sara has it.

I will add that I love the decision. It's exactly how the court works at its best. The two ideological poles balanced by the reasoned middle - a middle which contained elements of both of the poles. The court works best when all voices are heard but the ultimate decision is based on the law and the evidence. Crawford vs. Marion County certainly fits the bill.

Of course nothing will prevent those on both sides from using it to further stir political doomsaying.

Stormy For Rhonda

Sen. Rhonda Storms (R-Valrico) is not having a good time in Tallahassee.

First, she can't get her "let's pretend like there's valid criticism of the Theory of Evolution" bill through the Senate. Now her colleagues have killed her effort to create the "I Believe" tag seen above. Again.

Maybe it's time for me to slip down to Florida. Things seem a whole lot more sane down there.

Evolution Ping Pong In Florida

The Florida House passed its version of the infamous "evolution bill". It now goes back to the Senate where so far the more reserved body has refused to let through similar legislation.

The bill requiring that teachers present a "scientific critical analysis" of the theory of evolution just passed the Florida House on a 71-43 vote, despite concerns from opponents who say it isn't necessary and will allow the teaching of religious theories like creationism and intelligent design in public schools.

The Sunshine State leg is in its last week and now looks to the upper house to use procedural magic to disappear the more controversial issues - politics which should sound very familiar to Georgians.

Cardwell On Martin

Look for more guerilla theater from the "outsiders" later this week.

I'm Not The Only One

Seems another big ol' "liberal" is a little fed up with the demogogic spew coming from some of the "true Republicans".

The question, of course, is whether this kind of crude, content-free racial and ideological demagoguery will backfire outside places such as Mississippi. I don't know. But if Republicans want to know why so many of us cannot stomach their politics any more, they don't have far to look.

Then again, those who also claim to know who the "true Christians" are probably mentally excommunicated Andrew Sullivan long ago.

Music

Caroline Monroe

Tonight at Red Light Cafe

553 Amsterdam Ave

7:30

My Morning Wooten

Jim's kinda all over the place today.

If a Katrina occurs on his watch, John McCain says he would immediately fly to the nearest Air Force base, presumably to direct operations. “Never again, never again, will a disaster of this nature be handled in the disgraceful way it was handled.” Once again, the locals and then the state are responsible for preparation and for first response to disasters. McCain shouldn’t use this dead time in Republican presidential politics to federalize those roles.

What McCain understands and apparently Jim does not is it is not about federalizing any role. It's about appearing to actually give a crap when people are suffering.

I have rarely been more embarrassed for my alma mater, the University of Georgia. Protesting the choice of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas as commencement speaker, as some faculty members have done, embarrasses the institution. I’m not a vindictive guy, but those who are so intolerant of free speech don’t belong in the classroom.

The professors are wrong. But we shouldn't let a few bad apples spoil the barrel. Wait, why does that sound familiar?

OK, it turned out badly.but the decision by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to try to save taxpayers $138 — the cost of a metal pulley that’s part of the gauge measuring the water level at Lake Lanier — is hereby lauded. Imagine that. Bureaucrats who spend millions actually concerned about $138. Give ‘em a raise. On me.

A faulty gauge which led to an untimely release of water which led to millions of economic loss during a drought of biblical proportions and Jim wants to give them a raise? Do you still wonder why those of a certain political stripe saddle future generations with so much debt we may have to sell Oregon to the Chinese and call it sound economic policy?

Headline: “Donors generous just before session.”

Copywriter Jim strikes again! Maybe he just needs a transfer.

An 11-county poll for the Transit Planning Board, another of those groups involved in the process of talking about transportation fixes, finds that 58 percent of Metro Atlantans say they would support a 1 percent sales tax to fund a specific list of transportation projects. Me too — as long as it is the right fix and actually reduced traffic congestion.

Forget the will of the people. What matters is what Jim wants. Which is no rail or any of that hippie crap. PAVE! PAVE! PAVE!

Quiz the school kids: Do they know more about Earth Day or the Declaration of Independence or World War II. I’m guessing Earth Day.

Instead of guessing let's bet. Jim, let's take ten 5th graders and ask them. I'll bet you a sawbuck it's not Earth Day. Despite the myth spinning of some our public schools aren't birkenstock's required communes.

Till next time....

Songs In My Head

10th District Republican Debate

For months I've sought an elusive beast - an actual Republican event. They skitter into the brush whenever I got close but now I've got one spotted and I'm going to hogtie this one!

The UGA College Republicans will host a debate for 10th District Congressional Candidates.

Please join the University of Georgia Chapter of the College Republicans for the first debate between Congressman Paul Broun and Representative Barry Fleming. It will be an exciting event designed to help voters get to know the candidates better. The 90 Minute debate will include questions from the panelists, from members of the College Republican, and from the audience. The University of Georgia College Republicans will host a reception at the conclusion of the event. Seating is first come first served. The doors will open at 1:45. Please plan to park in the North Campus Parking Deck.If you have any questions, contact Josh Findlay at jfindlay@uga.edu

The debate will take place at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, 03 May, at the Dean Rusk Center on UGA's North Campus (in the Larry Walker Room on the 4th Floor).

Finally! I get to see real live Republicans up close and personal!

Gonzo Athens

Random notes of a deranged blogger who attended the YDUGA Senate Debate:

Cardwell used an analogy of cigarette packs to PACs.

Josh Lanier on a politician's need to know the audience: "I'm Rand Knight Saxon"

Apparently there's been a lot of defacing of Senate desk 32 over the decades.

Rand Knight: "We can't continue to live on coffee shops and condominiums".

Cardwell after Lanier explained his theory of universal healthcare: "I loved that."

Rand Knight on the environment: "We're defecating in our own house."

Josh Lanier: Looks forward to the day we "tax bad things like pollution and stop taxing good things like working".

Republican like moment of the night - Josh Lanier calling for an end to capital gains taxes on entrepeneurs.

Careless allegiances moment of the night - Dale Cardwell bragging about a Georgia Tech professor less than a mile from Sanford Stadium

Campus police ask me if I know who had put all the signs out front. It's Rand Knight.

Dale Cardwell referencing the Gene Hackman "Posiedon Adventure" which was released before most of the audience was born. Should have gone with the Kurt Russell "Posiedon".

Asked how they would show young people appreciation Knight jokes he'll forgive all student loans.

Although he couldn't resist taking a poke at the lowly blogger's alledged immunity from libel suits, Athens Banner-Herald boy reporter Blake Aued agreed to join me for a beer in the future.

Selah

Outsiders In Athens

Sometimes, it is about who ain't there.

Although a resident of Athens, Democratic Party Chair Jane Kidd was not. Despite resigning his party post the previous day, former Vice Chair of Constituent Services Virgilio Perez-Pascoe was.

U.S. Senate candidates Dale Cardwell, Rand Knight and Josh Lanier were. Coy Vernon Jones and apparent Democratic Party of Georgia darling Jim Martin were not.

The "greasers" showed up for the rumble but the "socs" were nowhere to be seen.

Although the absence of the putative front runners was not the only topic at Wednesday's debate sponsered by the Young Democrats of UGA, the three attendee politicians took quite a few swipes at the big bucks boys as well as the party they are vying to represent.

Josh Lanier, whose campaign has been defined by campaign finance reform, pondered the possibility that Martin and Jones were too busy raising funds. Given, he said, a sitting Senator uses 1/3 of the day to raise money, the absent candidates were acting like "Saxby Chambliss with a blue tie".

Dale Cardwell was more blunt. He noted a study which showed 99.7% of the U.S. population does not contribute to political campaigns and said he believes Martin and Jones count on voters to choose the person they "dislike the least".

"Young" Rand Knight called forth the ghosts of elections past comparing the $330,000 Jim Martin raised in the first ten days of his campaign to an alledged $310,000 debt from his last campaign. He also noted Sonny Perdue beat Roy Barnes in 2002 despite an 8 to 1 money disadvantage.

When asked if all three would support any eventual Democratic nominee, Knight proclaimed "any Democrat is better than Saxby Chambliss". Cardwell levelled the harshest criticism of the night, openly alledging his belief Vernon Jones is being paid by the opposition to run. Cardwell flatly refused to support Jones but agreed he would support any of the other candidates. Lanier demured, reserving judgment, but agreed somewhat with Cardwell that everything he read supported allegations of Jones supporting Republicans in the past.

As the three insurgent candidates move on to future confrontations, they find themselves only two months away from the fateful primary day where voters will deterimine if they are Johnny slowly slipping away in a hospitial bed or Ponyboy surviving and striving to "stay gold".

Senate Debate In Athens

The Young Democrats of The University of Georgia and Athens-Clarke County will host a forum for the Democratic candidates for U.S. Senate on Wednesday, April 23 from 6:00-9:00 p.m. in the North Psychology-Journalism Auditorium on the UGA campus. Confirmed attendees are Josh Lanier, Rand Knight, and Dale Cardwell, and tentative is Jim Martin. Josh Lanier is a retired Vietnam War veteran from Statesboro, Georgia. He has worked in business for several years, and at one time served on the staff of U.S. Senator Herman Talmadge (D-Ga). Rand Knight is an ecologist and businessman from Atlanta. Dale Cardwell is a former investigative reporter for WSB-TV in Atlanta, and currently resides in DeKalb County. Jim Martin is a former state representative and Commissioner of Human Resources, and was the Democratic nominee for Lieutenant Governor in 2006.

I'll be there if I can slog my butt through the Gwinnett County traffic.

Should We Trust The AHSA?

According to Erick Erickson, of course not! They support Democrats!

Who is the AHSA? It is the American Hunters and Shooters Association.

You can find an alternate viewpoint from Erick's "we're all going to soon be gulaged away by the Godless communists gun takers" worldview by reading what I wrote nearly two years ago on the AHSA . I leave you to your own judgment.

In the meantime, I have a question for Erick.

Should we gun owners instead trust an organization which promised failing grades to any legislator who refused to succumb to the strong arm tactics of mercenary lobbyists on a single local issue which even its local chapter deemed foolish?

I guess the grade only matters when the curve goes in favor of the class pets.

Carter and Hamas

There is much wailing and gnashing of teeth in Georgia these days over the latest actions of one of our native sons. President Jimmy Carter recently visited Hamas, the enigma which is the simultaneously a terrorist organization and the ruling party in the Palestinian Authority.

So why would Carter visit this group? To lavish them with hugs and kisses? To continue to prove to the world that he hates Israel?

Not really.

In his talks with Hamas leaders, Carter sought to persuade the group to declare a unilateral, 30-day cease fire in Gaza as a good-will gesture. But Hamas was having none of it. Early Monday, Carter said, he called Mashaal one last time to try and convince the Hamas leader to accept the idea. “I told them, ‘don’t wait for reciprocation,’” Carter later told reporters. “Just do it unilaterally. This will bring a lot of credit to you around the world, doing a humane thing.

Of course Hamas turned him down. So naturally Carter, named by Georgia blogger Erick Erickson as "history's greatest monster", flashed his famous grin and patted the misbehaving killers on the head.

Not really.

They turned me down. I think they’re wrong. I did the best I could on that. I don’t understand their rocket decision.

Another part of Carter's Hamas trip you may not hear from the Pharisees intent on dragging his heretical ass to the Sanhedrin was his attempt to attain the release of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.

In this he was also unable to sway Hamas.

There will be those who dwell on these failures, but it is doubtful in their crowing on the lesser accomplished they will whisper their apparent wisdom on how to accomplish the greater good.

Brothers

From our neighbors to the east.

Pastor Roger Byrd said he just wanted to make people think when he put up a sign reading “Obama, Osama — humm, are they brothers” in front of the Jonesville Church of God on Thursday.

Perhaps this fine man of God was inspired by the good works of Redstate nee' Erick Erickson.

h/t: Andrew Sullivan on McTruthyism

Abraham Receives Reprimand

Just heard on WSB and now it's on the AJC. DOT Commissioner received a written reprimand from the board but keeps her job.

For background listen to the podcast below.

Georgia Politics Podcast Episode 16

The gang once again joined together at Manuels Tavern to discuss the recent session, bloggers mixing in politics and the mating habits of political staffers.

Listen in on the thoughts of myself, Decaturguy, Catherine and Jen from Blog For Democracy and our always gracious host JosephG.

And yes I know it's Abraham not Abrams. I always screw up that name for some reason.

Songs In My Head

Songs In My Head

Another Lefty For Obama

Sam Nunn.

Though not a superdelegate to the Democratic National Convention, Nunn carries a deal of gravitas in foreign policy from which Obama could benefit. As one himself, Nunn could also help reassure conservative Democrats still suspicious of Obama’s position on the left-right political spectrum.

Nunn probably needs some good old fashioned vetting.

Hometown News

X-Files comes to Moultrie.

The video was shot from the yard of M´s home and in the nearby vicinity of the home, just east of Moultrie Georgia within the last couple of years. These contactees are not particularly interested in going public because they are Christians and do not want to be ostracized by many in the narrow minded local Christian community who think UFOs are the work of the devil.

Standing in my yard once I thought I saw a UFO. Then I drank another beer.

Boogeymen

Question of the day, gentle readers.

How many right wing boogeymen can a person put into one blog entry?

Communists? Check.

Particularly Chinese Communists? Check.

Associates of Saddam Hussein (But Rumsfeld etal do not count)? Check

Anti-war activists? Check

60s radicals? Check

The PLO? Check

Radical muslims in general? Check

Sandinistas? An oldie but goodie and also a check.

According to Erick it's all just vetting. Erick is this the same kind of vetting required for John McCain back in 2000 to be 100% sure he hadn't spawned a mix race baby?

The ghost of Roy Cohn is grinning.

Lewis Black On Evolution

And Georgia does not escape the snark.

Also don't forget Ben Stein's little fairy tale opens tomorrow.

For oodles of information visit Expelled Exposed.

h/t: PZ

This One's For You, Erick

Mark 2:15-17

And it came to pass, that, as Jesus sat at meat in his house, many publicans and sinners sat also together with Jesus and his disciples: for there were many, and they followed him.

And when the scribes and Pharisees saw him eat with publicans and sinners, they said unto his disciples, How is it that he eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners?

When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance

Menu

Screw politics. I'm just going to keep talking about food.

Why So Quiet?

Because of crap like this. And this.

I used to think there was a way to bring sides together. That reasonable people would put aside ridiculous rhetoric in order to grasp the greater good. Maybe I was wrong. The thought of another six months of garbage spewing forth is enough to dull even the sharpest pen.

The other night a young woman accused me of being too sensitive. She said my fault is always seeing the good in people. Maybe she is right. Maybe the only way I get the mojo back is to become the righteous bastard I was about 15 years ago.

Until then...

Say Cheese!

We were probably too drunk to notice. Although I vaguely remember a sketchy looking dude walking around with a camera.

Stranger Photos From Virginia Highland

Food

Let's talk food for a moment.

I usually let my good friends at Inside The Sprawl, inDecatur and Decatur Metro handle this kind of stuff but there's a couple of special items I want to touch upon. Also politics is just not appealing this week - especially with the right wing spew machine already ratcheting up the fear mongering to the point of summoning the ghosts of the red scare.

First up, from the aforementioned Inside The Sprawl, Dine Out For Tornado Relief

On April 14th, restaurants in or near the path of the March tornado are donating 15% of the night's bill to relief efforts. Participating establishments include:

Dakota Blue
Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q
Ria’s Bluebird
Six Feet Under
97 Estoria
Agave
Flatiron
Grant Central
Redfish
Stella
The Standard
The Depot
Vickery’s Glenwood

As a patron of many of these fine places I would recommend them under normal circumstances. Given this generosity, all I can say is get your ass in a seat and eat some food.

Second up, an old friend returns.

Many of you ask who are the hooligans you see in the pictures of Saturday Stupids. They are exiles. Expatriates of a sort. At one time or another we all met at a little tavern called Jaggers. We swilled beer, gnawed on wings and ate pizza. Then one day our home was sold. Nothing tasted the same anymore - particularly the pizza.

Well glory hallelujah! The bar may be gone but the pizza is back!

Jaggers has re-opened in a small storefront in Sage Hill Shopping Center. It's delivery and carryout only. But you can get their classic pizza, salads and wings delivered by calling 404-876-8880.

Give 'em a try and see if the old magic is still there.

Deadtree Feud

FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!

More Al Swearengen, less Seth Bulloch please.

My Morning Wooten

Jim on the latest right wing zombie - Obama's flag pin.

Barack Obama cost me a dollar... I bet my colleague, Jay Bookman, that when Obama appeared before cameras for his Jeremiah Wright speech, he’d be wearing an American flag lapel pin...I lost...Obama has said he thinks actions, not lapel pins, demonstrate real patriotism. For enough Americans to represent the difference between victory and defeat in a general election, that’s a little ambiguous. That’s especially true of white, blue-collar types...I have to admit that I’m one of them. A candidate who wants to be President of the United States should not be uncomfortable wearing a flag lapel pin or think it’s cheesy. Symbols matter.

Jim, I'm a betting man too. How about this? Every time a Republican is seen wearing a flag pin I'll give you a dollar. Every time one is seen sans pin, you give me a dollar.

I'll gladly donate my expected windfall to a non-partisan charity. My personal favorite is Habitat for Humanity - also a fine example of action instead of rhetoric exemplifying belief.

The Sub-Prime And The South

Holy sweet Christ, look at Florida. Things have not been good down there for a while.

Full graphic here. California and the NE do not fare well either.

h/t: Atypical Joe

Saturday Stupids

Quote Of The Day

Rep. Jill Chambers (R-Dekalb) on House Republicans giving House Democrats an assist to cut an anti-abortion amendment from one of the Grady bills:

I’m tired of men in the Capitol playing vaginal politics

I know Rep. Chambers has had a rough session, cough Dunwoody cough, but that's a helluva way to cap it off.

h/t: Amy

Griftdrift on What Is Goin' On

Some advice gentle readers. Never agree to a radio interview the day after your birthday.

Wilson and I talk about Barack Obama, fishing, the legislature and other doo-dads.

Listen here.

April 4th

Amani at the Lorraine Motel and the King Papers Exhibit at Morehouse.

Friday PSA #2

Teh Drama

North Fulton Drama Club& Barrington Hall
present

William Shakespeare’s
A Midsummer Night’s Dream

May 2nd & 3rd, 9th & 10th, 16th and 17th (Evening)
May 4th (Matinee)

Evening Shows start at dusk (about 8:30pm) with seating beginning at 7:30pm.
Sunday Matinee starts at 4:00pm, seating to begin at 3:00pm.

North Fulton Drama Club is proud to present William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Reserved Tables are available! For a mere $40, you can reserve a table for six on either the left or right side of the general seating area. Additionally, for just a few dollars more, you can pre-order your dinner from Roswell’s The Fickle Pickle!

Table reservations will be accepted until day of show. Catering orders for reserved tables must be submitted before midnight on the Wednesday prior to that weekend’s performances.

To reserve your tables, please visit our Virtual Box Office!

Performances will be presented on the back lawn of Historic Barrington Hall in Roswell, Georgia. The Hall is located at 535 Barrington Drive, on the south side of the Historic Roswell Square, near the intersection of GA Hwy 120 and GA Hwy 9

Friday PSA #1

Teh Sex

Sex 2.0 will focus on the intersection of social media, feminism, and sexuality. How is social media enabling people to learn, grow, and connect sexually? How is sexual expression tied to social activism? Does the concept of transparency online offer new opportunities or present new roadblocks — or both? These questions, and many more, will be addressed within a safe, welcoming, sex-positive space.

Respecting the confidentiality and protecting the identities of participants who wish to maintain a degree of anonymity will be a top priority at Sex 2.0
.
When? April 12, 2008

Where? 1763~A Deviant Place of Decadence, 1763 Montreal Circle, Tucker, Ga., 30084 (directions)

How much? $10 until February 17; $40 until March 28; $50 after March 28.

At Sex 2.0, everyone is a participant rather than a passive attendee. This is YOUR event!

Pirate

Songs In My Head

Finally made 40
Still wearing jeans

Saturday Stupids

Brother can you spare a stupid?

The Power Of Social Media

Our own Amber in Wired's story of how the media covered the Spitzer mess:

Lots of people were at South by Southwest [when the Spitzer story broke] and didn't have time to check e-mail every five minutes," says Amber Rhea, organizer of the upcoming Sex 2.0 conference in Atlanta. "It didn't matter. They used Twitter, text messaging -- they did interviews with hardly any advance notice.

Was it really only a year ago I resisted joining Twitter because I thought it was useless?

Laying Down With Lambs

"You guys should have said more", AJC Interactivity Manager Lea Donosky said slyly.

"It's not as much fun when we don't have anyone to fight. Maybe next time they can get the GPB people here", I replied.

Thursday night's Atlanta Press Club panel on Ethics and New Media was so full of peace and love it was surprising people weren't twining flowers in each other's hair.

Some among the gathered bloggerati remain cynical but considering merely nine months ago in a similar setting we were called "entertainers" the positive attitude of the panel springs hope. Only time will tell if it remain eternal.

An AJC manager explaining how new media is about the conversation! A corporate blogger talking about communities setting standards! A GSU professor acting like a free license radical! Talk of trust and credibility from the Equifax guy!

A sure sign of the changing times was the table of new media "renegades" frequently nodding in agreement instead of growling with displeasure. Of course there were the moments where the jeans and t-shirt clad began to respond to people directly without aid of the proffered microphone. Sometimes we just can't help our instincts. The desire to be heard is just too overwhelming.

Later at Manuel's one the panelist told me he walked over to talk to us after the event but he felt like the guy in the suit trying to fit in. He said we were a tough group.

I admitted we were. But once you to know us we aren't nearly that scary.

Pass the posies. God knows, kumbaya might be next.

My Morning Wooten

First the stones. Later the love.

Rite Aid pharmacy rolls out over-the-counter paternity tests at its 4,300 stores in 30 states. The paternity test costs $29 and comes with a $119 lab processing fee. Any male suspect should be legally required to submit to testing.

The difference between a company rolling out an innovative product and the government using innovation willy-nilly? The Fourth Amendment.

Who’d have thought it? France is expected to announce that it will double, to 1,000, its commitment of troops to Afghanistan. “We cannot afford to lose Afghanistan,” President Nicholas Sarkozy told the British Parliament. “Whatever the cost, whatever the expense, we cannot afford it.” I could warm to this guy. Of course, he could have included Iraq, too.

Of course he didn't say Iraq because unlike Afghanistan France has never had troops there. Basic math says doubling zero still results in zero. Of course this positive news does harken to the halcyon days where something like 90% of the world (including Iran!) supported our cause. Good times.

The U.S. Supreme Court got it right in telling Texas it could ignore President Bush and an international court. Both tried to instruct Texas to grant a new hearing for a Mexican now on death row for killing two teenagers 15 years ago. Local police prevented Jose Ernesto Medellin from consulting with Mexican diplomats. Under the Constitution the president executes laws but can’t make them, wrote Chief Justice John Roberts.

I'm going to let Sara handle this one. "What, you thought the Court was going to actually tell him he had to stop unconstitutionally spying on Americans without a warrant, issuing signing statements that negate the laws he passes, or holding in Gitmo in perpetuity thousands of people who happened to be in Afghanistan at the wrong time? Silly wabbit. This is the Roberts Court, and it will only smack down Bush when he does truly stupid out of character sh*t like try to help a guy on death row. In Texas."

The Consumer Federation of America gets reams of free publicity for its Big Oil is Bad message by predicting gas will be 75 cents a gallon higher before Memorial Day. The group could just as accurately predict where the stock market will be by Memorial Day.

For those playing Jim Non-Sequiter Bingo, B-42!

Let’s see. Should I believe today in global warming or, as the headline declares, that “Morale at CDC shows healthy improvement.” Hmmm. Global warming. It’s more likely.

And in the very next paragraph Copy Editor Jim! Wait, I'm not sure this one makes any sense either. O-32!

That's enough for today. I've got to spin something up on the APC panel. Those who go to bed at a decent hour already beat me.

Songs In My Head

A song for the weary

Let's Talk A Little Science

Any reader knows here in the Grift we occasionally divert on to side roads of music, weather and even science. But primarily the focus is on Georgia politics. Well, because of the video you see above, we are all going to head on to the scientific off ramp a bit more frequently in the future.

No, I'm not turning this into a science blog. There are many, mostly scientists, who do that deal much better.

But with Ben Stein's latest adventure, all who understand science and particularly evolution are required to speak up.

I was talking with an Emory chemistry professor last night and I posited that Kitzmiller vs Dover had effectively hamstrung the intelligent design movement. He responded, "but ironically they always find a way to evolve."

Expelled is indeed an adaptation of an earlier tool in the creationist array - appealing to a public who has little knowledge of the way science works and why the understanding of evolution is so vital. It is a tactic which tragically creates a vicious cycle of maintaining that ignorance by continually using their own "knowledge" to re-inforce that ignorance. We Americans continue our spiral into the sea of stupidity while nations as small as South Korea rise to new heights.

While it is true Edwards vs Aguillard a generation ago and Kitzmiller in this new century put to rest many large questions regarding creationism in our public schools, brushfires such as the one in Florida continue.

Stein and his ilk propose to fan these fires to re-ignite the conflagaration -which means the virtual bucket brigade has to be formed again. Scientists and layman together must grab a pail and dip some water.

UPDATE: MTheory clarifes his position at his blog. And just so there's no misunderstanding I agree with him. We just muddied the details a bit.

Pajamas Optional

Well, maybe you better throw on some real people clothes.

Let us join arms brothers and sisters and once again step into the maw of the lion.

The Atlanta Press Club is hosting a panel on blog ethics.

Ethics and New Media: How the Blogosphere is Affecting Journalism and Business

MODERATOR Dr. John Knapp, Director of GSU Center for Ethics and Corporate Responsibility

WHEN
Thursday, March 27, 2008
5:30 – 6:30 PM – Reception with hors d’oeuvres and cash bar
6:30 – 7:30PM – Panel Discussion

WHERE
The Commerce Club
16th Floor
34 Broad Street
Atlanta, GA 30303

You can register online here.

Kidding aside the APC panel organizers have always been gracious and their events have always been entertaining. Come on down and join hoo hah.

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.

Teach The Children

This is not a Daily Show clip.

For advocates of vouchers, until you show me how this can be prevented I cannot cross over to your side.

h/t: PZ

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.

Songs In My Head

Songs In My Head

Saturday Stupids

Booyah!

Just don't run off the road Amani!

Songs In My Head

New Blog

Something for your weekend.

Atlanta Bar Talk

It requires audience participation so everybody jump in!

My Morning Wooten

Let's go.

State Rep. Ron Sailor Jr. (D-Decatur) has the second-best excuse ever for missing 91 percent of recorded votes in this year’s legislative session. First best: “I was dead.” Second best: “I was engaged in a federal effort to catch other corrupt officials.”

Even I have to admit that's pretty funny.

How does a conservative or Republican know he/she is on the wrong track? The wrong people love what you’re doing... “This is something good, something we’ve been advocating.” NCLB is toast anyway if Democrats control Congress and the White House next year.

Which judging by the opinions of most education professionals and the tepid response of even, gasp, Republicans at this year's State of the Union is a good thing.

Actress Halle Berry and male model Gabriel Aubry have a daughter, her first child. The two don’t plan to marry, but she wants you to know that they feel fully committed to each other. Semi-fully, anyway. Playing a mother in her latest movie helped convince her to be one.

Ah, the essence of the "conservative" dichotomy - Hollywood is irrelevant to mainstream America except when conservatives choose to believe the actions of a few prima donnas might cause the pure hearts in NormanRockwellLand to strip clothes and make like hedonists on mushrooms.

Headline: “Migrants fear changes in Georgia.” Would that be legal immigrants or illegal? —- ‘cause they’re different.

Copy editor Jim is back! It's migrants because that is what they are. Is it possible an editor at the AJC doesn't have a Webster's on his shelf?

Relocating the Georgia Department of Corrections to the old Tift College campus on I-75 in Forsyth is a smart move... A state department could save or grow lots of cities. No need, really, for them to be here.

Everybody grab hold of something. I agree.

DeKalb CEO Vernon Jones picked up serious primary opposition this week: former state Rep. Jim Martin of Atlanta. Good guy, but he starts off sounding just like national Democrats: “I believe we should respect our troops by using them more effectively and taking better care of them when they come home.” Democrats have decided a version of that line is the safe way to frame their opposition on Iraq.

Perhaps Democrats have consulted that most revered of political oracles - national opinion. Probably a smart move since somewhere north of 70% agree with the position. I'm convinced the other 30% occupy a ranch in Crawfordville and a particular office in the AJC building.

Selah.

Not What They Planned

This may change by the time you click the link but I'm pretty sure having their promo attached to the front of the video report of that poor woman killed by the stingray is not what the Gulf Shores Chamber of Commerce desired.

Watch here.

Songs In My Head

Random Scene From Lawmakers

Sen. Eric Johnson continuing an interview with Lawmakers while a choir in the background sings the National Anthem.

We anxiously await comments from Rep. Jack Kingston's office on this shocking turn of events.

Millielou

Far be it from me to talk about weird internet handles, but Mayor Franklin is Millielou?

Millielou is the nome de Internet of Mayor Shirley Franklin. Her latest message opened with a paragraph that smacked of weariness — followed by a torrent of frustration and familial outrage.

Mayor Millielou goes on to tear Creative Loafing a new one over coverage of her daughter's recent plea deal with the Feds. Personally, there have been times when CL's rhetoric made me wince. The alternative weekly's response should be interesting.

UPDATE: I just wanted to add that the lead in that entry is one of the best I've seen in a long time.

Every now and again, we receive an e-mail from Millielou, who is short, wears a huge blossom on her chest, and runs the city of Atlanta.

Don't know if that was Bob or Jim but that's a good one boys.

Juicilicious!

Spacey turned me on to a new blog and it's a hoot! Live Apartment Fire covers local media with a wink, a nod and a snark.

At least Martin wasn’t interviewing an attractive starlet. He tends to salivate openly in the presence of female hotness.

Now that's a kindred spirit!

Songs In My Head

The In Between

We finally reached a truce.

Following myriad pleas, cajoles and threats, my family finally agreed to not use certain epithets in my presence. After long arguments and subtle persuasions both sides realized the gulf of understanding was too deep to bridge and instead chose that very southern solution - polite silence.

My mother would occasionally slip and seeing me nearby would apologize. It was one of those stomach flipping moments where all realized the child now led the way and the parent would forever follow.

My brothers and sisters continued to follow the truce until our mother left us. With her passing we were placed in the position of the top rung of the family. Families, like the packs of predators which are their heritage, require leaders and perhaps it was that struggle for supremacy which led my siblings back to the hidden truth - they desired to again casually use certain words in my presence.

At first there were gentle corrections then as things turned ugly not-so gentle accusations. Soon, as four people splintered, sides were taken and I was inexorably pulled towards the brother who was most like myself - except he was 13 years older, a product of the turbulent sixties with its bussing and violence and although no one would ever say it was dominant in his life, bigoted.

He used certain explosive words as thoughtlessly as a man might use the word Coca-cola to describe what he was drinking. He flatly stated if his daughters brought home a black man he would remove them from his life. When told that Barack Obama may win the Presidency, he rolled his eyes and muttered, "what is the world coming to?"

The polite silence was irrevocably shattered when one of my nieces finally crossed that ultimate line of race. For the dating habits of a 19-year old girl, I was sent flying on a 400 mile trip to attempt to heal a broken family.

After many tears, the family did not heal completely but remained together. They reached their own uneasy truce. The father would not interfere but the daughter would not "put it in his face". My brother frankly told me that he knew we were different and there were things I took as the way of the world which he could never accept.

We as a society have moved so far in this particular struggle but it is close by where we struggle so hard. I could no more remove my brother from my life than I could cut off my right hand because it offends. But events of this week have shown that we must all work harder. We must be willing to tell those we hold most dear, "brother, I love you but when I'm around there are things you can't do".

And change will come. Perhaps all the ones we love will not change but with each passing of that love change will be inevitable.

Many months after the "boyfriend incident" as my brother sat rolling his eyes at the possibility of a black man being President, my niece standing just behind her father sotto voce told me, "I think he'll be a good President".

Georgia Reactions To The Obama Speech

Tom Baxter:


When W.E.B. Dubois introduced the concept of double consciousness, on the eve of the 20th Century, he was talking about the dilemma of African-Americans in his own time, of “measuring one’s soul by the tape of a world that looks on in amused contempt and pity.”


Thomas:


Furthermore, misguided is the outside observer who assumes a pastor to be wholly representative of any individual member of that pastor’s congregation. From my own history, I can cite several examples of ministers who successfully led my home church while simultaneously maintaining opinions contrary not only to my own, but to several others in our congregation.


Rusty:


There’s a lot of Old South in my blood, which often is simultaneously a point of pride and shame. Just as it’s not adequate to condemn the South as racist and backwards without trying to tell the rest of the story, I also feel that way about my grandfather. There was a lot more good in him than there was bad. A lot more.


JMac:


One can disagree with some of Obama's policy prescriptions in a perfect legitimate manner, but to deny the reality of what he was talking about is to plug your fingers in your ears, cover your eyes and pretend that America is something else. The truth is, it isn't.

Amy:

My sister is my political barometer. She's a SC democrat, but she doesn't drink quite as much Koolaide as I do. So, I listen to her, in part, to figure out how "normal" people are reacting to whatever is going on in the political world. She supported Edwards and now supports Obama, but last week, on one of my particularly busy days, she called me and said, "You better tell Obama to 'do something' about that pastor because I've got to tell you, I can't vote for him if that's who's going to be advising him when he's sitting in the Oval office, making decisions about war and peace."


My own shortly.

Random Thought

I haven't watched the Obama speech but will shortly.


Something to think about. Isn't it interesting how quickly he went from possible radical Muslim to crazy Christian?

Media Garbage

Would you like to know how many times I've been asked in the past year how my stories are approved/checked/vetted/edited?

Probably not.

I just wonder why nobody ever asked Bill Kristol.

Kristol, the so called brain of Quayle, in his regular New York Times column quoted the right wing rag Newsmax on Obama alledgedly attending the infamous July 22 sermon of Pastor Jeremiah Wright. Only problem is on that day Obama was about 1200 miles outside of Chicago attending an event in the tiny media black hole called Miami.

You would think a writer of the "esteem" of Bill Kristol wouldn't make an error which would result in the quick guillotining of any first year staff writer. You would think the so-called mainstream media would slowly roll their dinosaur carcasses over to witness their own doom.

Probably not.

CNN has Glen Beck, Fox has Sean Hannity and the Old Gray Lady has Bill Kristol - "commentators" who continue to use such paragons of the truth as WorldNetDaily and NewsMax.

Somehow, Kristol's "fatal" error made it completely through those much touted editorial processes of the world's premier news outlet yet new media citizen journalists or whatever the hell you want to call us on this day still have to answer questions about our credibility.

Here in Atlanta, we have a journalist on a radio station where her journalism consists of 2 minute break-ins sandwiched between the latest mind-numbing dentist's office music who flatly states she would never trust anything a blogger writes.

So here's the deal. Ask your questions but there will be no more answers. Instead you must first answer my question - have you ever read my blog? Until this is answered to my satisfaction, you will receive the same amount of respect from me that you obviously have for me.

Stormin' Stupids

Now me, I was scared. But Lieutenant Dan, he was mad. ~Forrest Gump

The Boiling Skies

As someone who grew up in tornado country bad weather usually doesn't rattle me, but a spinner ripping through the high rises of downtown Atlanta shakes even the hard core weather junkie.

Grayson shot the above video of the aftermath outside the Georgia Dome. Fans were just leavin the SEC Men's Basketball Tourney.

Update: Rusty has a great roundup of local impressions.

My Morning Wooten

I'm only going to gnaw on one bone today.

The Georgia Senate passed a resolution to name the I-95/I-16 interchange near Savannah in honor of Justice Clarence Thomas. Insufficient. Name the state’s judicial building for him. Or Thomas County.

Here's a conservative idea.

How about we don't rename anything that already has a name.

How about we don't waste the taxpayer's money buying lovely little green signs displaying a person's name to add to the lovely red, white and blue signs which seem to adequately direct people around the outskirts of Savannah.

How about we leave the simple, sublime word "Justice" on the facade of our highest court alone instead of adding some bronze plaque, new carving or whatever godawful doo-dad our noticeably taste challenged legislature would design.

How about we leave a name which has served a county well for the past 183 years be. How about we avoid the financial and administrative nightmare of changing every sign, document, letterhead, envelope and poobah's nameplate in said county.

How about we conserve a little of the taxpayer's well earned money instead of spending it on some ill-conceived flight of ego. How about that, Jim?

Random Scene From Lawmakers

The House is wading into the Grady affair and as is usual it is not very pretty.

Witness the follwing exchange in the debate on HB 1299 which would allow the state to swoop in and take control of Grady Hospital is the board is not converted to non-profit in a timely manner.

Rep Mary Margaret Oliver (D-Decatur): Would you please specify how your safety net protects the citizens of my district that are funding $40-80 million of this funding.

Rep. Sharon Cooper (R-Cobb County): Well, Rep. Oliver apparently that is not enough and it doesn't meet what citizens from your district and your county actually...there are more patients that go and the cost is more to Grady than
what your county pays.

Rep. Cooper's argument regarding Dekalb may be true, but what is absolutely true is her county along with Clayton and Gwinnett racked up $16 million in bills at Grady in 2006 without paying one damned dime.

Grow up.

My Morning Wooten

Do what?

Public officials like Spitzer who cultivate a particular political image — whether that is as a change agent or a holier-than-thou crusader — fall quickly when their personal conduct fails to measure up. For Barack Obama, the stakes just went up in the Chicago trial of Tony Rezko, who is accused of bribing public officials and taking kickbacks. Obama has donated some $150,000 to charity, the allegedly illegal campaign contributions Rezko directed to his 2004 Senate campaign.

So in Jim-land, a disgraced politician caught performing some personal economic stimulus indicates potential problems for a candidate he doesn't even support? The whine you hear is the vibrating tenuousness of the through-line in Wooten's tortured logic.

What is it about the fellating of politicians which causes Republicans to read the bones as doom until the end of days for Democrats?

Local Boy Does Good

I suppose I should go to this.

On Monday afternoon, Sen. Saxby Chambliss of Moultrie will kick off his reelection campaign on his hometown’s courthouse square.

I need to check on things at the southern compound anyway.

Songs In My Head

The Block

Here's the deal.

I'm blocked.

And I have been for a while. I've spit out a few pieces over the past months but nothing to cause pride.

A good friend, a writer, once told me that writer's get blocked because they are fighting something and the block will continue until the struggle ceases.

I think I've figured out what I'm ramming my head against. Maybe tomorrow the struggle within will cease. But not today.

Of all days, not today.

My Morning Wooten

Jim is in quite a dither about the horror of Democrats in Florida possibly using a "mail-in ballot" to conduct a do-over primary.

Hanging chads, hanging mailman, here we come. Republicans really should not get too down about their prospects in November.

Wooten would have us believe people mailing a ballot would lead to a three ring circus, however during the debate on Voter ID in Georgia he was curiously silent on absentee ballot reform. On the other hand he was always eager to explain how not requiring grannies to show drivers license at the ballot box could lead to the ruination of the republic.

I'm Baaaaaaack!

No more Sarah Connor Chronicles. No more Project Runway. No more spring training. No more fishing (well, at least not this week).

It's a time of renewal and time to get this bad boy cranking again. I don't know everything that will unfold this week but I guarantee it's gonna be FIERCE!

Headed South

Going to catch the Braves in spring training. See you in a few.

Georgia Blog Carnival

Lastest Georgia Blog Carnival is up at My Mind Is On Georgia. Check it out.