Karen Handel Is Not Katherine Harris - And this is not 2000. And the PSC sure as hell is not the President Of The US. It would be simple to say Harris is an idiot and leave it at that. But Kitty is also a meglomaniacal, crazy idiot who clearly placed party above policy in such blatant fashion that even hard-core Republicans blanched and in later years left her to wander in the wilderness. Handel, although arguably just as partisan, is far more clever.
Also, despite the wailing, what Handel did was clearly legal. Harris, the Florida Supreme Court and ultimately the U.S. Supreme Court actions in 2000 were, to be kind, dead in the gray.
And just to repeat, the PSC is not the President. If you want to make the argument that this is another example of a Republican trodding on long standing traditions of the roles of Constitutional arguments then you've got a winner. If you get overwrought with outlandish rhetoric to the point it turns people off then it will lose steam. Just some friendly advice.
Of Course It Is Partisan - I've only said it three times on my own blog and on several other blogs. Even called it dirty. Some are building a case that it is the latest in a series of partisan moves by Handel and that appears to be a strong argument. That's good! That is absolutely a fair issue and should be used against any future Handel candidacy. Blatant partisanship is pure red meat to independents like myself.
But continuing to ignore where I acknowledge this fact because you perceive I should be more upset is like a cold shower to an independent. The more you compare Handel's move to [insert dictator here], the more likely am I to dismiss your entire argument as the lunacy of the unbalanced.
Powell and the Law - I wrote that piece for two reasons - I have some experience with that system and it is a byzantine area where I believed some clarity for all would be helpful. For that, I was called a "shill for Handel". Thanks. Now, I have another answer when someone ask me why I'm not a Democrat.
UPDATE: And since this is now popping up on the other side's corrals, let me add, saying that there is no possibility of political motivation in Handel's decision is just as stupid as comparing the Secretary of State's office to Iran. You guys are probably going to win and everybody likes a winner. But nobody likes a gloater. A mistake Republicans frequently make.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Monday, July 14, 2008
Powell and the Law
The frenizied howling over Secretary of State Karen Handel's rejection of Democratic PSC candidate Jim Powell continues.
For some of the firebreathers, the rhetoric has moved beyond comparisons to infamous Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris to an affinity with third world dictators.
Fueling some of the anger is the apparent weirdness of the situation. So, let's take a layman's look at what the law says and if it answers three of the more popular inquiries.
Why would Handel submit the case to an Administrative Law Judge if she was just going to reject the decision?
Simply put, because the law requires it. O.C.G.A. 21-2-5 states "Upon his or her own motion or upon a challenge being filed, the Secretary of State shall notify the candidate in writing that his or her qualifications are being challenged and the reasons therefor and shall advise the candidate that he or she is requesting a hearing on the matter before an administrative law judge of the Office of State Administrative Hearings pursuant to Article 2 of Chapter 13 of Title 50 and shall inform the candidate of the date, time, and place of the hearing when such information becomes available. The administrative law judge shall report his or her findings to the Secretary of State."
Now here is where it gets weird. The law also allows the Secretary to modify or completely reject the Administrative Law Judge's finding. O.C.G.A. 50-13-41(e)(1) states "A reviewing agency shall have a period of 30 days following the entry of the decision of the administrative law judge in which to reject or modify such decision." In this case the "reviewing agency" is the Secretary herself. As strange as it sounds, she doesn't have to abide by anything the ALJ says.
So why have the Administrative hearing at all?
Because that particular hearing is the last place where evidence can be entered into the record. An ALJ has the power to subpoena, call and question witnesses. The hearing is the record of all evidence in the case. Following the hearing, that record is only item reviewed. No further evidence can be entered.
So what's next?
As we saw today, Powell exercised his right to petition the court for a stay. Once again, we return to O.C.G.A. 21-2-5: "The elector filing the challenge or the candidate challenged shall have the right to appeal the decision of the Secretary of State by filing a petition in the Superior Court of Fulton County within ten days after the entry of the final decision by the Secretary of State." Powell was granted the stay and now has the right to a review. There is no jury. There is no one present unless the judge wants them. The judge only reviews the record from the hearing. Critically for Powell, the judge is not allowed to contradict the Secretary of State's determination of the weight of the evidence. In fact, the judge is only allowed to either affirm the decision or remand for further review unless there has been a pretty drastic violation. A reversal is allowed only if the "substantial rights of the appellant have been prejudiced because the findings, inferences, conclusions, or decisions of the Secretary of State are: In violation of the Constitution or laws of this state; In excess of the statutory authority of the Secretary of State; Made upon unlawful procedures; Affected by other error of law; Clearly erroneous in view of the reliable, probative, and substantial evidence on the whole record; or Arbitrary or capricious or characterized by an abuse of discretion or a clearly unwarranted exercise of discretion."
Clearly tests 1-4 are not applicable. Test 5 (erroneous view of evidence) is where the Powell case lies and that's going to be a tough row to hoe.
So, the bottom line is what Secretary Handel did could be labelled partisan, even dirty, but based on the evidence so far it certainly was within procedure. And given the fairly high standard for reversal, Powell's chances of remaining on the ballot seem to be slim.
For some of the firebreathers, the rhetoric has moved beyond comparisons to infamous Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris to an affinity with third world dictators.
Fueling some of the anger is the apparent weirdness of the situation. So, let's take a layman's look at what the law says and if it answers three of the more popular inquiries.
Why would Handel submit the case to an Administrative Law Judge if she was just going to reject the decision?
Simply put, because the law requires it. O.C.G.A. 21-2-5 states "Upon his or her own motion or upon a challenge being filed, the Secretary of State shall notify the candidate in writing that his or her qualifications are being challenged and the reasons therefor and shall advise the candidate that he or she is requesting a hearing on the matter before an administrative law judge of the Office of State Administrative Hearings pursuant to Article 2 of Chapter 13 of Title 50 and shall inform the candidate of the date, time, and place of the hearing when such information becomes available. The administrative law judge shall report his or her findings to the Secretary of State."
Now here is where it gets weird. The law also allows the Secretary to modify or completely reject the Administrative Law Judge's finding. O.C.G.A. 50-13-41(e)(1) states "A reviewing agency shall have a period of 30 days following the entry of the decision of the administrative law judge in which to reject or modify such decision." In this case the "reviewing agency" is the Secretary herself. As strange as it sounds, she doesn't have to abide by anything the ALJ says.
So why have the Administrative hearing at all?
Because that particular hearing is the last place where evidence can be entered into the record. An ALJ has the power to subpoena, call and question witnesses. The hearing is the record of all evidence in the case. Following the hearing, that record is only item reviewed. No further evidence can be entered.
So what's next?
As we saw today, Powell exercised his right to petition the court for a stay. Once again, we return to O.C.G.A. 21-2-5: "The elector filing the challenge or the candidate challenged shall have the right to appeal the decision of the Secretary of State by filing a petition in the Superior Court of Fulton County within ten days after the entry of the final decision by the Secretary of State." Powell was granted the stay and now has the right to a review. There is no jury. There is no one present unless the judge wants them. The judge only reviews the record from the hearing. Critically for Powell, the judge is not allowed to contradict the Secretary of State's determination of the weight of the evidence. In fact, the judge is only allowed to either affirm the decision or remand for further review unless there has been a pretty drastic violation. A reversal is allowed only if the "substantial rights of the appellant have been prejudiced because the findings, inferences, conclusions, or decisions of the Secretary of State are: In violation of the Constitution or laws of this state; In excess of the statutory authority of the Secretary of State; Made upon unlawful procedures; Affected by other error of law; Clearly erroneous in view of the reliable, probative, and substantial evidence on the whole record; or Arbitrary or capricious or characterized by an abuse of discretion or a clearly unwarranted exercise of discretion."
Clearly tests 1-4 are not applicable. Test 5 (erroneous view of evidence) is where the Powell case lies and that's going to be a tough row to hoe.
So, the bottom line is what Secretary Handel did could be labelled partisan, even dirty, but based on the evidence so far it certainly was within procedure. And given the fairly high standard for reversal, Powell's chances of remaining on the ballot seem to be slim.
More Primary Stuff
The Atlanta Press Club has video of all the debate held over the weekend.
Check them out here: Atlanta Press Club Debates
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Also Democratic PSC candidate Jim Powell whose residency had been challenged has been disqualified by Secretary of State Karen Handel. What makes the Powell case so unusual was an Administrative Law Judged had ruled Powell a legitimate resident of the PSC 4th.
Naturally, Democrats are far from happy about this twist.
The crux of the conflict is in the bowels off residency law OCGA 21-2-27:
Section 14 states: "The specific address in the county or municipality in which a person has declared a homestead exemption, if a homestead exemption has been claimed, shall be deemed the person's residence address".
But then Section 15 states: "For voter registration purposes, the board of registrars and, for candidacy residency purposes, the Secretary of State, election superintendent, or hearing officer may consider evidence of where the person receives significant mail such as personal bills and any other evidence that indicates where the person resides".
Powell currently has homestead in Cobb County but receives mail and spends a considerable amount of time in his future home of Towns County.
A reading of the Administrative Law Judge's decision shows he deemed the considerable evidence of Powell's time in Towns to overpower the requirement of section 14.
Handel in her overrule stood squarely on section 14 stating Powell could have easily transferred homestead earlier in order to meet the 12 month residency requirement.
Although this particular decision is rare, its kind is not. The bottom line is Handel's decision was probably flavored by partisanship but it is based on an interpretation of the law which is arguably correct. For a politician, being able to snooker opponents while the law stands firmly as a backstop is the ultimate gotcha. It is the way things work in the real world and both sides do it.
Already some are floating comparisons of Katherine Harris. Honestly, some horses need holding here. Handel may be partisan. But she ain't crazy and she ain't incompetent. And the PSC, no matter how dear, sure as hell isn't the President of the United States.
UPDATE: According to comments at Tondee's, a Fulton Superior Court judge has issued a stay and placed Powell back on the ballot. The betting window is now open! Step right up Democrats! I'm even willin to offer odds that Powell will eventually be disqualified.
Loaf has confirmation.
Check them out here: Atlanta Press Club Debates
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Also Democratic PSC candidate Jim Powell whose residency had been challenged has been disqualified by Secretary of State Karen Handel. What makes the Powell case so unusual was an Administrative Law Judged had ruled Powell a legitimate resident of the PSC 4th.
Naturally, Democrats are far from happy about this twist.
The crux of the conflict is in the bowels off residency law OCGA 21-2-27:
Section 14 states: "The specific address in the county or municipality in which a person has declared a homestead exemption, if a homestead exemption has been claimed, shall be deemed the person's residence address".
But then Section 15 states: "For voter registration purposes, the board of registrars and, for candidacy residency purposes, the Secretary of State, election superintendent, or hearing officer may consider evidence of where the person receives significant mail such as personal bills and any other evidence that indicates where the person resides".
Powell currently has homestead in Cobb County but receives mail and spends a considerable amount of time in his future home of Towns County.
A reading of the Administrative Law Judge's decision shows he deemed the considerable evidence of Powell's time in Towns to overpower the requirement of section 14.
Handel in her overrule stood squarely on section 14 stating Powell could have easily transferred homestead earlier in order to meet the 12 month residency requirement.
Although this particular decision is rare, its kind is not. The bottom line is Handel's decision was probably flavored by partisanship but it is based on an interpretation of the law which is arguably correct. For a politician, being able to snooker opponents while the law stands firmly as a backstop is the ultimate gotcha. It is the way things work in the real world and both sides do it.
Already some are floating comparisons of Katherine Harris. Honestly, some horses need holding here. Handel may be partisan. But she ain't crazy and she ain't incompetent. And the PSC, no matter how dear, sure as hell isn't the President of the United States.
UPDATE: According to comments at Tondee's, a Fulton Superior Court judge has issued a stay and placed Powell back on the ballot. The betting window is now open! Step right up Democrats! I'm even willin to offer odds that Powell will eventually be disqualified.
Loaf has confirmation.
The Endorsements
A reminder of how things work. If it receives an endorsement it means I would vote in that manner. Issues and candidates are viewed through a prism of moderate sensabilities with a bent towards libertarian ideology. Most importantly, the Mule Rule will be generously employed.
Since it's a partisan primary with so few administrative positions or incumbents, the hitching post will likely be spared.
Now, let the blood flow.
Democratic Senate Primary - Vote Josh Lanier. Once the realization you are voting for a sacrificial lamb sinks in, the only rational process is to vote your conscience, your gut or just throw some random limb in the air and see which way it flops. So, let's see what we got. Three way. Cuckoo for cocoa puffs. Underseasoned arrogance. Sweet but dull. And Kinky Friedman. Weird is as weird does. Kinky gets my lever pull.
Dekalb CEO Democratic Primary - Vote Burrell Ellis. There's no Republican opposition so this one's for the whole ball of wax. The bad news is Burrell (it just rolls off the tongue) will likely let the bar hours rollback happen. The good news is he actually shows up to things and he's not Vernon Jones. Stan Watson is an interesting candidate but given the importance of this race and the lack of enthusiasm among the electorate, his penchant for not showing up to the debates is disturbing. Stan, we hardly knew ye. Ann Kimbrough is Vernon Jones Chief of Staff and has the keys to his political machine. Enough said. Ellis despite our differences on the critical issue of the late night drink knows the commission, knows the commissioners and knows how the county runs. Oh well, I guess the Mule Rule is kind of in effect.
10th District Republican Primary - Vote Paul Broun. Jesus. All Jesus, all the time. How Republican is the 10th? The two candidates actually debated over who loved Jesus more. Sources say Jesus was busy elsewhere. Paul Broun is a weird dude. On the one hand he votes for medical marijuana and with the other tries to get Playboy banned on military bases. Well, at least with the Maui Wowey vote he shows a whimper of supporting the individual. Unlike his opponent. So, pull for the strange Doctor from Oconee. Noseplugs will be handed out at the door.
5th District Democratic Primary - Vote John Lewis. If you don't, you are insane.
12th District Democratic Primary - Vote John Barrow. Once I inquired to an insider Democrat on the primary challenges to Barrow and Marsall. The response was "we just want to push him a little". I warned "be careful you don't push him right over to an R". The clincher in this race was a comment at Blog For Democracy stating John Barrow "is one of the most extreme right members of the Congress (in a moderate district)". Okaaaaaaaay. Actually, John Barrow is a moderately conservative Democrat in a moderately conservative district who still votes with his party the vast majority of the time. This vote should favor reality. Always a positive in these parts.
House District 80 Democratic Primary -Vote Keith Gross. Oh wait. Nevermind.
House District 81 Democratic Primary - Vote Chris Huttman. Republican Jill Chambers, even with her district trending Democrat, even with fellow Republicans boiling about her opposition to Dunwoody, will not be beat. However, Huttman gives them a puncher's chance. Besides, anytime some yammering blogger (possibly under the effects of chemicals) begins ranting about this and that, Huttman usually stops by to provide a comfortable straight jacket of facts. We got to support our own, right?
City of Dunwoody - Vote for incorporation. Yes, yes, I know. I've been one of the screaming in the winds prophets against the continued breaking of the Atlanta hegemony. And yes, I understand that the "citizens" of Dunwoody are so caught up in the euphoria of citifying, they don't really understand the risks and the costs of this venture. But the bottom line is Dunwoody, unlike the Frankenstein chimeras of Johns Creek and Milton, actually acts like a city. It has a paper (granted a certain bow-tied Napolean editor will probably profit from newly required legal notices). It argubly has a city core. It has an identity. So, let them have their new set of tinker toys. Later when one gets jammed up a nostril, we can all laugh at the crying.
Did I forget any? There are a shocking number of important elections tomorrow, yet sadly only 30% will vote. Don't be part of the ignorant 70%.
Since it's a partisan primary with so few administrative positions or incumbents, the hitching post will likely be spared.
Now, let the blood flow.
Democratic Senate Primary - Vote Josh Lanier. Once the realization you are voting for a sacrificial lamb sinks in, the only rational process is to vote your conscience, your gut or just throw some random limb in the air and see which way it flops. So, let's see what we got. Three way. Cuckoo for cocoa puffs. Underseasoned arrogance. Sweet but dull. And Kinky Friedman. Weird is as weird does. Kinky gets my lever pull.
Dekalb CEO Democratic Primary - Vote Burrell Ellis. There's no Republican opposition so this one's for the whole ball of wax. The bad news is Burrell (it just rolls off the tongue) will likely let the bar hours rollback happen. The good news is he actually shows up to things and he's not Vernon Jones. Stan Watson is an interesting candidate but given the importance of this race and the lack of enthusiasm among the electorate, his penchant for not showing up to the debates is disturbing. Stan, we hardly knew ye. Ann Kimbrough is Vernon Jones Chief of Staff and has the keys to his political machine. Enough said. Ellis despite our differences on the critical issue of the late night drink knows the commission, knows the commissioners and knows how the county runs. Oh well, I guess the Mule Rule is kind of in effect.
10th District Republican Primary - Vote Paul Broun. Jesus. All Jesus, all the time. How Republican is the 10th? The two candidates actually debated over who loved Jesus more. Sources say Jesus was busy elsewhere. Paul Broun is a weird dude. On the one hand he votes for medical marijuana and with the other tries to get Playboy banned on military bases. Well, at least with the Maui Wowey vote he shows a whimper of supporting the individual. Unlike his opponent. So, pull for the strange Doctor from Oconee. Noseplugs will be handed out at the door.
5th District Democratic Primary - Vote John Lewis. If you don't, you are insane.
12th District Democratic Primary - Vote John Barrow. Once I inquired to an insider Democrat on the primary challenges to Barrow and Marsall. The response was "we just want to push him a little". I warned "be careful you don't push him right over to an R". The clincher in this race was a comment at Blog For Democracy stating John Barrow "is one of the most extreme right members of the Congress (in a moderate district)". Okaaaaaaaay. Actually, John Barrow is a moderately conservative Democrat in a moderately conservative district who still votes with his party the vast majority of the time. This vote should favor reality. Always a positive in these parts.
House District 80 Democratic Primary -
House District 81 Democratic Primary - Vote Chris Huttman. Republican Jill Chambers, even with her district trending Democrat, even with fellow Republicans boiling about her opposition to Dunwoody, will not be beat. However, Huttman gives them a puncher's chance. Besides, anytime some yammering blogger (possibly under the effects of chemicals) begins ranting about this and that, Huttman usually stops by to provide a comfortable straight jacket of facts. We got to support our own, right?
City of Dunwoody - Vote for incorporation. Yes, yes, I know. I've been one of the screaming in the winds prophets against the continued breaking of the Atlanta hegemony. And yes, I understand that the "citizens" of Dunwoody are so caught up in the euphoria of citifying, they don't really understand the risks and the costs of this venture. But the bottom line is Dunwoody, unlike the Frankenstein chimeras of Johns Creek and Milton, actually acts like a city. It has a paper (granted a certain bow-tied Napolean editor will probably profit from newly required legal notices). It argubly has a city core. It has an identity. So, let them have their new set of tinker toys. Later when one gets jammed up a nostril, we can all laugh at the crying.
Did I forget any? There are a shocking number of important elections tomorrow, yet sadly only 30% will vote. Don't be part of the ignorant 70%.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Yugoslavia In Forsyth
Now that's funny.
And for the record, I absolutely adore townships. And the fact that a county the size of Forsyth elects commissioners county wide is nothing short of insane.
And this will probably get me accused of being a Democrat again. (Even though many Republicans also support townships)
h/t: Jmac
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Things I Missed
Things I missed while snorkling in the the Gulf of Mexico.
Rand Knight pays almost as much for his haircuts as I do.
Keith Gross hangs on but the grim reaper is near. And the crowd goes...on snoozing.
Despite the departure of Three Way, Dekalb refuses exclusion from the weird with the Chris Huttman/Cecilia Hailey hatefest. Thanks to Hailey, I now have an image of Chris in a red dress stuck in my head.
And not wanting to be left out, the Republicans started their own fray.
Local TV news is still the best entertainment in town. In a can't stop watching a train wreck kinda way.
And finally, as I lazed in the warm Gulf waters, worried harpoons might start flying at my pale white belly, I realized I completely forgot about the Statesboro Herald Senate Debate. Well, none of you went either so pbffttttt! (Flack did watch it on the intertubes though)
Now, y'all come back Monday for the 100% guaranteed (we just ain't sayin' what we guantee) griftdrift endorsements.
Until then, there's stupiding to do.
Rand Knight pays almost as much for his haircuts as I do.
Keith Gross hangs on but the grim reaper is near. And the crowd goes...on snoozing.
Despite the departure of Three Way, Dekalb refuses exclusion from the weird with the Chris Huttman/Cecilia Hailey hatefest. Thanks to Hailey, I now have an image of Chris in a red dress stuck in my head.
And not wanting to be left out, the Republicans started their own fray.
Local TV news is still the best entertainment in town. In a can't stop watching a train wreck kinda way.
And finally, as I lazed in the warm Gulf waters, worried harpoons might start flying at my pale white belly, I realized I completely forgot about the Statesboro Herald Senate Debate. Well, none of you went either so pbffttttt! (Flack did watch it on the intertubes though)
Now, y'all come back Monday for the 100% guaranteed (we just ain't sayin' what we guantee) griftdrift endorsements.
Until then, there's stupiding to do.
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
Monday, July 07, 2008
My Morning Wooten
Game over, man.
Jim argues for another term of an actual Bush. Not the philosophical extra term flogged by Obama. An additional term by someone named Bush with similar policies as the current Bush.
Is there anything left to write?
Jim argues for another term of an actual Bush. Not the philosophical extra term flogged by Obama. An additional term by someone named Bush with similar policies as the current Bush.
Is there anything left to write?
Saturday, July 05, 2008
Friday, July 04, 2008
The Solemn Moment
232 years later, the solemnity of that one crucial moment, the birth of something completely new, echoes still.
Thursday, July 03, 2008
Disappearing In The Night
A little over one week ago, upstart Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate Rand Knight received the endorsement from the Georgia Association of Educators. Given Knight's relative underdog status, the blessing of one of the Democratic Party's cornerstone constiuencies surprised many.
Two days ago, a prominent Georgia blog reported a story claiming Democratic Party of Georgia officials subsequently pressured members of the GAE selection committee to retract the endorsement. The story claimed the information was provided by anonymous sources and gave no additional confirmation. It was then cross-posted on a prominent Republican leaning blog.
The following day, the story was picked up by a prominent Democratic blog but the entry was later updated to include an alledged denial by once again anonymous sources within the Democratic Party of Georgia.
Sometime between Wednesday night and the wee hours of the morning of July 3rd, without any explanation, all traces of the original stories disappeared.
UPDATES: DPG official Martin Matheny states any allegations of the party attempting to influence the GAE to retract an endorsement are false. He also states he does not know the reason the stories were removed but suspects the authors realized it was important to only print the truth.
Also, Georgia Politics Unfiltered, the blog which published the original story, has printed a full retraction and apology.
Two days ago, a prominent Georgia blog reported a story claiming Democratic Party of Georgia officials subsequently pressured members of the GAE selection committee to retract the endorsement. The story claimed the information was provided by anonymous sources and gave no additional confirmation. It was then cross-posted on a prominent Republican leaning blog.
The following day, the story was picked up by a prominent Democratic blog but the entry was later updated to include an alledged denial by once again anonymous sources within the Democratic Party of Georgia.
Sometime between Wednesday night and the wee hours of the morning of July 3rd, without any explanation, all traces of the original stories disappeared.
UPDATES: DPG official Martin Matheny states any allegations of the party attempting to influence the GAE to retract an endorsement are false. He also states he does not know the reason the stories were removed but suspects the authors realized it was important to only print the truth.
Also, Georgia Politics Unfiltered, the blog which published the original story, has printed a full retraction and apology.
My Hometown Headlines
Not dead, just intoxicated
A Moultrie woman called police on Tuesday, thinking there might be a dead body in her yard. As it turned out, it was her intoxicated grandson who was charged by police after he refused to cooperate with them.
Full story here.
A Moultrie woman called police on Tuesday, thinking there might be a dead body in her yard. As it turned out, it was her intoxicated grandson who was charged by police after he refused to cooperate with them.
Full story here.
Wednesday, July 02, 2008
Rep. Hank Johnson Interview
Videos abound!
Our friend and fellow "Conscientious Objector in the Culture War" Will Hinton interviewed 4th District Congressman Hank Johnson.
Above is Part I. Mark sure you follow the link and check out the rest.
Huge Registration Numbers
Republicans can't be happy about this.
Not according to Rasmussen. But still...
The number of Georgia voters has increased by 300,000 since the first of the year, with more than 4.7 million people on the active rolls for the July 15 primary, according to data released Tuesday.Could conditions number 3 and 4 actually happen?
Not according to Rasmussen. But still...
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
Dekalb CEO Debate
There's an important race on July 15 and it's not for U.S. Senate.
In the past 24 years, Dekalb County has had exactly three Chief Executive Officers. An extremely powerful but controversial position, many talk of altering or even eliminating the position in favor of a more traditional county chair. Yet, it is difficult to argue with that kind of stability. Once a CEO is elected, they tend to stay.
Since there is no Republican opposition in this race, the Democratic Primary will determine the County's next poobah. And no one seems to care.
Rusty of Georgia Podcast Network attended the recent CEO debate between candidates Burrell Ellis, Ann Kimbrough, Joe Bembry and Steen Miles (Stan Watson did not attend) and provides video of the entire event.
Above is the segment on the critical issue of the police funding. You can find the rest at Georgia Podcast Network. Watch. Learn. Choose wisely.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Statesboro Senate Debate Confirmed
The previously mentioned potential debate in Statesboro is now confirmed.
Democratic candidate Senate debate sponsored by the Statesboro Herald.
July 8th
7:00pm
Ogeechee Technical College
Joe Kennedy Building Auditorium
Confirmed to attend are Dale Cardwell, Josh Lanier and Rand Knight.
Jim Martin and Vernon Jones have yet to confirm.
Democratic candidate Senate debate sponsored by the Statesboro Herald.
July 8th
7:00pm
Ogeechee Technical College
Joe Kennedy Building Auditorium
Confirmed to attend are Dale Cardwell, Josh Lanier and Rand Knight.
Jim Martin and Vernon Jones have yet to confirm.
Florida Crude
Kevin Spear of the Orlando Sentinel does a good job of presenting both sides in the debate regarding off shore drilling on the Florida gulf coast. Reasonable people who are tired of hearing all the crazy talk would be well served to check it out.
My two favorite "myths" each side rolls out:
Oil rigs in the Gulf will disrupt the pristine view from the beach - The rigs are at least 50 miles out. On a good day you can only see 20 miles to the horizon. No snowbird basking on the sugar sand will ever know they are there.
There's plenty of oil in the gulf - According to the article one estimate has the entire east Gulf reserve containing a whopping half year supply based on current consumption rates. Those in certain talk radio circles would have you believe all that is required is sticking a straw through the silt to slake our thirst. But on two things everyone with sense agrees - we don't really know how much is out there and it will take a minimum of five years, more likely ten, to reach production. Consider these factors the next time you hear some loon ranting that drilling in the gulf will cause the price of gas to magically drop.
At the end of the day, it is a complex issue where both sides tend to roll out their pet myths. The only defense against the vapors of fear is education. Use it.
My two favorite "myths" each side rolls out:
Oil rigs in the Gulf will disrupt the pristine view from the beach - The rigs are at least 50 miles out. On a good day you can only see 20 miles to the horizon. No snowbird basking on the sugar sand will ever know they are there.
There's plenty of oil in the gulf - According to the article one estimate has the entire east Gulf reserve containing a whopping half year supply based on current consumption rates. Those in certain talk radio circles would have you believe all that is required is sticking a straw through the silt to slake our thirst. But on two things everyone with sense agrees - we don't really know how much is out there and it will take a minimum of five years, more likely ten, to reach production. Consider these factors the next time you hear some loon ranting that drilling in the gulf will cause the price of gas to magically drop.
At the end of the day, it is a complex issue where both sides tend to roll out their pet myths. The only defense against the vapors of fear is education. Use it.
Strange Rumblings In Democrat Land
Unfortunately, I missed the Fox 5 Democratic Senate Debate yesterday. Spain and Germany were playing in a little game across the pond and somehow it seemed more important.
I am now very sad because Vernon Jones finally showed up to something.
You can catch a recap by checking the live blogging at Tondee's Tavern.
Gay marriage, always fun for a roll in the mud, came up and according to those who did watch, Jim Martin opposes it. Decaturguy, in comments at Blog For Democracy, asks an important question. What was the context? Having not seen it, I can't say.
But it certainly is interesting the day after this declaration, members of the local LGBT community are holding a fundraiser for Martin. Methinks Jim might have some tough questions to answer. Or is this a case of certain Democratic thought process I've noticed over the years - we don't care as long as we win except when we do care. Sometimes it is difficult to determine when a candidate gets a pass and when they don't.
In other Senate news, the Democratic candidate with seemingly the most steam is young Rand Knight. As noted here and elsewhere, he recently received endorsements from two organized labor heavyweights. According to sources, this is a pure case of "froggy went a courtin'" but considering the closeness of these allies to the DPG this has to somewhat irk the powers that be. Knight also got a mention by Martha Zoller on this week's "The Georgia Gang". She labeled him as "interesting".
Where does this all go? Nobody knows. All eyes are still on Martin and Jones, but this is a strange year, bubba. Anything might happen.
Finally, down in the house races, the state's two most prominent progressive website, Tondee's Tavern and Blog For Democracy, are in a tizzy over the Augusta Chronicle's report on current 10th District congressman Paul Broun's "sordid" (actually not that atypical) past. My first thought is, didn't we hear all this before? Except it came from Republicans in the last primary.
The bar brawler in me enjoys seeing somewhat placid Democrats pull out the brass knuckles but I do wonder if this is really a path they are ready to tread?
15 days until the primary. It's only going to get weirder, my fellow travelers.
A Couple of Updates: Jen clarifies in the comments that the gay marriage question was a simple no.
Decaturguy on his blog clarifies why he thinks this is a little more nuanced than first blush. But also points out Martin should clarify his position pretty fast.
And Jason has video of the whole thing. So you can see for yourself!
I am now very sad because Vernon Jones finally showed up to something.
You can catch a recap by checking the live blogging at Tondee's Tavern.
Gay marriage, always fun for a roll in the mud, came up and according to those who did watch, Jim Martin opposes it. Decaturguy, in comments at Blog For Democracy, asks an important question. What was the context? Having not seen it, I can't say.
But it certainly is interesting the day after this declaration, members of the local LGBT community are holding a fundraiser for Martin. Methinks Jim might have some tough questions to answer. Or is this a case of certain Democratic thought process I've noticed over the years - we don't care as long as we win except when we do care. Sometimes it is difficult to determine when a candidate gets a pass and when they don't.
In other Senate news, the Democratic candidate with seemingly the most steam is young Rand Knight. As noted here and elsewhere, he recently received endorsements from two organized labor heavyweights. According to sources, this is a pure case of "froggy went a courtin'" but considering the closeness of these allies to the DPG this has to somewhat irk the powers that be. Knight also got a mention by Martha Zoller on this week's "The Georgia Gang". She labeled him as "interesting".
Where does this all go? Nobody knows. All eyes are still on Martin and Jones, but this is a strange year, bubba. Anything might happen.
Finally, down in the house races, the state's two most prominent progressive website, Tondee's Tavern and Blog For Democracy, are in a tizzy over the Augusta Chronicle's report on current 10th District congressman Paul Broun's "sordid" (actually not that atypical) past. My first thought is, didn't we hear all this before? Except it came from Republicans in the last primary.
The bar brawler in me enjoys seeing somewhat placid Democrats pull out the brass knuckles but I do wonder if this is really a path they are ready to tread?
15 days until the primary. It's only going to get weirder, my fellow travelers.
A Couple of Updates: Jen clarifies in the comments that the gay marriage question was a simple no.
Decaturguy on his blog clarifies why he thinks this is a little more nuanced than first blush. But also points out Martin should clarify his position pretty fast.
And Jason has video of the whole thing. So you can see for yourself!
Sunday, June 29, 2008
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.
It all begs the question. Besides billboards and cheap tv spots, on what is all that campaign war chest being spent?
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?
Friday, June 27, 2008
My Morning Wooten
Guns and butter edition.
Oh and Jim, the Inspector General didn't just find it "improper". In two cases, the report concluded the action was possibly illegal.
Selah.
Imagine that. The Second Amendment is real. We can keep and bear arms. Now let’s agree that when a gun is used to commit a crime, the problem is with the shooter and not with the weapon.Have some straw with your man, Jim. Or are you actually insane enough to advocate removing stricter sentences for crimes perpetrated with a gun? What exactly does the N.R.A. have on you?
Before Barack Obama tries his skills of persuasion on a bad guy who threatens us —- Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, no preconditions —- he should test them on a seriously bad guy who doesn’t —- Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe. Today’s runoff election there is an international joke. Fearing for his life, opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai has withdrawn. The U.S. can sputter in outrage, but our obligation is to deal with the bad guys whose existence threatens us.Like Saddam Hussein?
Two state senators of substance, one D, one R, opt out of the Gold Dome Games. Michael S. Meyer von Bremen (D-Albany) —- a former minority leader and one of two Democrats whom Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle allowed to chair committees —- qualified this week to run for a vacancy on the Georgia Court of Appeals.This surprises and saddens me greatly. Rep. Meyer von Bremen was one of the few fresh voices under the Gold Dome.
Headline: “Former president willing to help Obama campaign.” The former president is Bill Clinton. Help? Make Hillary the food taster.Whooo! That's a real knee slapper, Jim. I can't decided which is funnier - the implication someone may try to poison Senator Obama or that we would all be better off if Senator Clinton were dead. High comedy there.
Jim Durrett, executive director of the Liveable Communities Coalition, writing in support of the Beltline rail project, reflects the ancient view that those of us who live beyond I-285 are all trying to get to Atlanta’s downtown. Writes he: “We’ve spent the past 40 years building suburbs that are beginning to look unsustainable at $4 a gallon.” We of the “suburbs” are neighbors, not dependents, and when the state devises a transportation plan that moves us where we need to go, instead of just to Atlanta’s downtown, or in a circle around it, we’ll sustain ourselves just fine. Boss, we ain’t your young’uns.And we of the "city" are your neighbors, not your suckling teat. So you won't mind if we ask you to pay to park at places like Doraville and Chamblee MARTA station will you, Jim? All those Gwinnett cars must jam into the Marta lots just so their occupants can catch a cab back outside the perimeter.
The Justice Department’s inspector general says recruiters improperly used “political or ideological” considerations to find and hire conservative interns. Ideology can be considered in recruiting political appointees, but not otherwise. Justice officials should get more sophisticated in screening to hire conservatives. Anybody doubt that colleges and employers look for the codes in applications and essays to achieve diversity? Ideological diversity is important, tooThe report concludes that quality standards were sacrificed solely for the sake of ideological purposes. In other words, what conservatives have for decades bleated against regarding affirmitive action. The difference this time it is their people seeking favor for the sake of "diversity". How quaint.
Oh and Jim, the Inspector General didn't just find it "improper". In two cases, the report concluded the action was possibly illegal.
Selah.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Heller
The word regulate appears exactly three times in the U.S. Constitution - twice in reference to commerce and once in regard to an armed citizenry.
Despite the First Amendment explicitly stating "Congress shall make no law", we accept restrictions on speech every day, however, mention restricting the ownership of guns and some suggest we cross a rubicon of government intrustion on the individual. It is a confusion which abounds, shockingly has never been addressed by our highest court and ultimate clarity rests on the strange construction of our most discussed federal law.
The Second Amendment may be the most tortuous clause in an aged document laced with dated verbage and 18th century mannerisms. Filled with commas and awkward phrases, it seems to simultaneously grant the government the ability to regulate arms for the purpose of defense yet absolutely states the right of the people shall not be infringed.
With the ever escalating heat of the gun debate, most on both sides ignore this critical nuance. With backs arched, the absolutists either claim all regulation is unconstitutional or claim regulation all the way to prohibition is perfectly reasonable.
Both are wrong and despite the political spin you will hear over the next few days, Justice Antonin Scalia writing for the majority in Heller brilliantly explains why.
The majority ultimately decides that indeed government regulation is allowed in order to maintain security (the underlying purpose of the first portion) but cannot result in an absolute prohibition of individual ownership of firearms (the underlying principle of the second portion).
The District of Columbia with its absolute prohibition of handguns, as Justice Scalia referencing Miller states, weapons "in common use at the time", obviously uses the first clause of the amendment to attempt the utter destruction of the second clause.
Guns will continue to be regulated. However, regulation cannot overwhelm the ultimate right to bear arms. In the majority's view, even though it strongly avers the individual right, both must live in harmony.
It is in those harmonic moments where we discover the brilliance of the founders - radicals all but absolutists none. Whether "strict constructionist" or advocate of a "living document, all must understand the underlying principle of our greatest document is idealism tempered by reason.
Through this philosophical filter, Justice Scalia shows the Second is not so discordant after all. In fact, it sings.
Despite the First Amendment explicitly stating "Congress shall make no law", we accept restrictions on speech every day, however, mention restricting the ownership of guns and some suggest we cross a rubicon of government intrustion on the individual. It is a confusion which abounds, shockingly has never been addressed by our highest court and ultimate clarity rests on the strange construction of our most discussed federal law.
The Second Amendment may be the most tortuous clause in an aged document laced with dated verbage and 18th century mannerisms. Filled with commas and awkward phrases, it seems to simultaneously grant the government the ability to regulate arms for the purpose of defense yet absolutely states the right of the people shall not be infringed.
With the ever escalating heat of the gun debate, most on both sides ignore this critical nuance. With backs arched, the absolutists either claim all regulation is unconstitutional or claim regulation all the way to prohibition is perfectly reasonable.
Both are wrong and despite the political spin you will hear over the next few days, Justice Antonin Scalia writing for the majority in Heller brilliantly explains why.
...the most natural reading of ‘keep Arms’ in the Second Amendment is to “have weapons...The term was applied, then as now, to weapons that were not specifically designed for military use and were not employed in a military capacity...Putting all of these textual elements together, we find that they guarantee the individual right to possess and carry weapons in case of confrontation...Thus, we do not read the Second Amendment to protect the right of citizens to carry arms for any sort of confrontation, just as we do not read the First Amendment to protect the right of citizens to speak for any purpose.
The majority ultimately decides that indeed government regulation is allowed in order to maintain security (the underlying purpose of the first portion) but cannot result in an absolute prohibition of individual ownership of firearms (the underlying principle of the second portion).
The District of Columbia with its absolute prohibition of handguns, as Justice Scalia referencing Miller states, weapons "in common use at the time", obviously uses the first clause of the amendment to attempt the utter destruction of the second clause.
Guns will continue to be regulated. However, regulation cannot overwhelm the ultimate right to bear arms. In the majority's view, even though it strongly avers the individual right, both must live in harmony.
It is in those harmonic moments where we discover the brilliance of the founders - radicals all but absolutists none. Whether "strict constructionist" or advocate of a "living document, all must understand the underlying principle of our greatest document is idealism tempered by reason.
Through this philosophical filter, Justice Scalia shows the Second is not so discordant after all. In fact, it sings.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Senate Debate Organizing In Statesboro
In the past three months, Democratic candidates aiming to unseat incumbent Republican Senator Saxby Chambliss attended debates in Athens, Atlanta and even Cumming. The lack of attention to middle and south Georgia has not passed unnoticed.
The Statesboro Herald is attempting to coax the pols to parts south of Hartsfield-Jackson.
The publication confirmed it is in the beginning stages of organizing a debate tentively scheduled for July 8th. Herald reporter Phil Boyum states Josh Lanier, Dale Cardwell and Rand Knight have agreed to appear. Jim Martin has not guaranteed attendance but expressed a desire to participate. Dekalb CEO Vernon Jones, not surprisingly, has offered no response.
Details will be published as they are released.
The Statesboro Herald is attempting to coax the pols to parts south of Hartsfield-Jackson.
The publication confirmed it is in the beginning stages of organizing a debate tentively scheduled for July 8th. Herald reporter Phil Boyum states Josh Lanier, Dale Cardwell and Rand Knight have agreed to appear. Jim Martin has not guaranteed attendance but expressed a desire to participate. Dekalb CEO Vernon Jones, not surprisingly, has offered no response.
Details will be published as they are released.
Senate Roundup
Only three weeks until the Senate Primary. Let's see what's going on.
As you can see above, Jim Martin has his first TV ad. If you are having a strange sense of deja vu, you must have been here for the 2006 Lt. Governor's race.
Rand Knight caught another (non)union endorsement. Piled on top of the recent AFL-CIO support, Knight's gathering the GAE to the fold leaves some scratching their heads. JMac attempts to explain. However he got them, Knight's transformation from a guy who seemed to drink too many Red Bulls to legitimate contender is startling. Someone on that campaign must be doing something right.
The AJC caught up with the three amigos. That story seems awfully familiar. But I doubt the boys care as they sop up press like a field full of cotton.
Josh has not returned my call yet. He's possibly running around south Georgia gathering his collections from his "Donate To Me" coffee cans placed at various convenience stores.
I don't know how the hell to get in touch with Cardwell for comment. Hey Dale! Help a brother out! Given your previous comments on unions, I'm sure you have something to say about fellow amigo Knight's recent coups.
As far a Three Way. As noted by your humble scribe and recently by the Georgia Gang, he still has a lot of signs in south Georgia and not a lot of noise elsewhere. Probably best that way.
Selah.
Tail Wagging
And the poisonous seep begun with Sandy Springs continues to spread. With each day it becomes more difficult to contain the hate.
Dunwoody votes on cityhood next month and now some yammering suit in Buckhead pictures himself standing alongside radicals Sam Adams and John Hancock.
No one is happy with the final gasps of Mayor Millilou's term. Whether your personal gripe is strange accounting practices, increased water bills due to the drought or the recent rise in crime, when Creative Loafing and Dick Williams agree, the water is starting to boil.
But those who feel the hot zephyrs of passion should be careful which tack they take. Victory in the creation of Buckhead City could be short lived as most doubt the central Atlanta core can survive any more shavings of the tax fat.
The aforementioned yammering suit Glenn Delk wishes to call forth stirring images of our founding revolution. He would be wise to heed another symbol from that time, the separated snake which must hang together or hang separately, or his new found Buckhead City could become the tail which twitches lifelike after the loss of the head until it also falls still.
Dunwoody votes on cityhood next month and now some yammering suit in Buckhead pictures himself standing alongside radicals Sam Adams and John Hancock.
No one is happy with the final gasps of Mayor Millilou's term. Whether your personal gripe is strange accounting practices, increased water bills due to the drought or the recent rise in crime, when Creative Loafing and Dick Williams agree, the water is starting to boil.
But those who feel the hot zephyrs of passion should be careful which tack they take. Victory in the creation of Buckhead City could be short lived as most doubt the central Atlanta core can survive any more shavings of the tax fat.
The aforementioned yammering suit Glenn Delk wishes to call forth stirring images of our founding revolution. He would be wise to heed another symbol from that time, the separated snake which must hang together or hang separately, or his new found Buckhead City could become the tail which twitches lifelike after the loss of the head until it also falls still.
Monday, June 23, 2008
Don't Vote
Every day I wish I could produce a teardrop of satire equal to the firehose which was George Carlin. I'd wish him Godspeed but I'm afraid his spirit would punch me in the face.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Friday, June 20, 2008
My Morning Wooten
We're gonna have some fun today.
Seriously though. If you haven't noticed the right's predilection for rolling out the golden oldie called the "red scare" this election cycle, you aren't paying very close attention.
Selah.
Oh, yeah, Shirley, sure. Cut the check. Atlanta taxpayers and utility customers are at the limit of their tolerance on taxes, and therefore the feds should cut a check. People want to know, she told a U.S. Senate committee, “why didn’t the federal government help us more?” The Atlanta mayor also thinks Georgia should raise the gas tax to help. Don’t tax me; tax thee to help me. Spend.Hey Jim, I'm a spending-hawk too. So, instead of carping the same old line about "tax, tax, tax", tell me your list of spending cuts and let's get to work. Maybe we can start with Chastain which Atlanta subsidizes and is enjoyed greatly by many a freeloading suburbanite. I bet we can come up with a whole list of cuts composed only of services cherished by many a Cobbite and Gwinettian.
Oh, goodness. Barack Obama’s in trouble with the lefties. He smokes. Cigarettes. He can’t be president. Hillary declared the White House a smoke-free zone in 1993.Next - the political perils of toe-picking.
Wall Street Journal reporters generally know what they’re hearing when conducting interviews about taxes, business and the economy. The outlook Barack Obama offers “appears like a return to an older-style big-government Democratic platform skeptical of market forces,” news reporters write. Change. To yesterday. But then those who have listened to him already know that.Darn that liberal media! They've even managed to brainwash some fine conservatives into the belief that this election is too important for the old scare mongering. Wait a minute...
Raul Castro, in what is being called his “boldest break yet from socialism,” directs state companies to develop a salary structure that pays hard workers more than slackards. Pay for performance. What a novel idea. One day even the teachers unions in this country will take the bold break from socialism. The view of the National Education Association is that merit pay “undermines the collegial relationship among teachers.” It will in Cuba, too, when the loafers discover that the performers have bigger paychecks. They’ll either work harder or organize.We always knew those shepherds of our children were really communists! Organized labor has always been a front for infilitrators of the Red Menace! Send the company men to the coal mine to root out those troublemakers!
Seriously though. If you haven't noticed the right's predilection for rolling out the golden oldie called the "red scare" this election cycle, you aren't paying very close attention.
Hmmm. Would we prefer to have the third term of George W. Bush, as Obama refers to the McCain candidacy, or the second term of Jimmy Carter, as McCain describes an Obama presidency? Easy call.Actually, most of us prefer living in 2008 with all its possibilities. Most. Not all, but most.
But it’s true. The effort by Gov. Tim Kaine of Virginia to restore voting rights to felons is an effort to kick up the Democratic vote. Except for former state school Superintendent Linda Schrenko and former state Rep. Robin Williams, both Augusta-area Republicans, all the people in jail are Democrats, wrongly convicted, too. I’m sure of it.Yes, yes. Nothing but Democrats packed into the hoosegows. Enron. Duke Cunningham. Scooter Libby. Jack Abramoff. Etc., etc., etc. Lord, how the Democratic Party will swell when felons are allowed to vote!
Pike Family Nurseries has to be kid-friendly. Its former CEO is one.Huh? An ironically childish riposte regarding the former executive's arrest for sexual battery (must be a Democrat!)? Well, at least we get a little criticism of a local company by the AJC - more than we ever hear about a certain sugar water slinger.
Selah.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Atlanta Street View!
Google Maps has FINALLY added Atlanta to Street View.
As you can see from the above, the usual pigeons were not on the patio the day the cameras came by. But those plastic adirondacks? Yeah, we put 'em there.
I also checked out my house and my car was in the driveway. Kinda creepy!
My Morning Wooten
We're going to focus on one salient point this morning, gentle readers.
An unneeded war. Foreign policy which wrecked the only remaining superpower's standing in the world. Attempts at suspending habeas corpus for U.S. citizens. Torture.
We could go on but instead let us roll that last word around the consciousness for a moment.
There are a great number of people in this country who understand exactly what change means.
The problem is that much of the country seems to be unaware of the 60s and 70s, while many of those who are still cling to the era. The old-timers of the flower-children generation want one last Woodstock on the White House grounds before they go...But the question, really, is to identify something in Obama’s promise of “change” that represents actual change.You may be right, Jim. You may be crazy. But you definitely ignore the point that most Americans understand exactly what happened in the past eight years.
An unneeded war. Foreign policy which wrecked the only remaining superpower's standing in the world. Attempts at suspending habeas corpus for U.S. citizens. Torture.
We could go on but instead let us roll that last word around the consciousness for a moment.
There are a great number of people in this country who understand exactly what change means.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Fever Dreams
Ahhh the joys of pain killers.
With Obama wrapping up the nomination, my current state of mind caused me to recall this.
With Obama wrapping up the nomination, my current state of mind caused me to recall this.
The first, despite the furious mental masturbation of all the political junkies, never happens. The last brokered convention was the Democrats in 1952. The refinement of the primary process carefully shepherded by the new class of profressional political rustlers has pushed the possibility of some open political brawl into the realm of fever dreams of the deluded.I haven't been right about many things lately but I sure nailed that one. Now I will reward myself with another Ben-Gay pain patch.
Goofy
Yesterday, I twisted my shoulder pretty badly. It's the same shoulder I twisted just last month. Nothing so serious to require a doctor visit but annoying as hell. So now I have a BenGay patch on my back and am gobbling OTC ibuprofen like they are skittles.
Later this afternoon, when the bats arrive, I'll begin fearless predictions and faithless ramblings.
Later this afternoon, when the bats arrive, I'll begin fearless predictions and faithless ramblings.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Playing In Georgia
It's the question rolling around the addled minds of all political junkies - is Georgia in play?
A month ago I painted a scenario where Virginia plays the Florida/Ohio role in 2008. I'm sticking by that prediction but in the past year I also predicted Hillary Clinton would easily win the nomination and James Marlow would make the runoff in the 10th. So you have been warned.
But let's look at Georgia for a moment. Can Barack Obama flip a state which voted overwhelmingly for George Bush in 2004?
For your consideration, four factors which could be difference makers.
Vice President
Pro - It's only a pro for Obama if it is former Sen. Sam Nunn. Otherwise, Georgians probably won't care.
Con - South of Cordele most Georgians receive a mix of Georgia and Florida media. If John McCain selects popular Florida governor Charlie Crist as a running mate, a large portion of the state will see a face on the ticket which may be more familiar than their own Governor.
Bob Barr
Pro - Barr is the biggest name the Libertarian Party has ever nabbed. A native Georgian, he is polling somewhere between 3% and 5%. Some fevered Democrats have actually predicted he could pull 8%.
Con - No Libertarian has received higher than 1.6% of the vote in the last 20 years. Enough said.
Turnout
Pro - Despite a hotly contested Republican race, almost 100,000 more people pulled Democratic ballots in February.
Con - February is not November. A brutal campaign, disaffected Clinton supporters plus the possibility of an October surprise in the form of a Willie Horton style ad campaign gives McCain plenty of ground to gain.
African Americans
Pro - Almost 500,000 African Americans voted in the February primary and almost 90% voted for Obama.
Con - Only about 550,000 African Americans voted in the 2004 general election. It is a huge question whether the primary turnout can be maintained - particularly if Jim Martin knocks Vernon Jones in the July primary.
The first two factors are fairly clear but turnout is the more difficult beast to wrestle. Obama's ability to get so many new voters to the polls blows up most traditional political equations.
So is Georgia in play? Definitely. Maybe. I don't know. But the strange swirl of syncronicity certainly makes it intriguing.
A month ago I painted a scenario where Virginia plays the Florida/Ohio role in 2008. I'm sticking by that prediction but in the past year I also predicted Hillary Clinton would easily win the nomination and James Marlow would make the runoff in the 10th. So you have been warned.
But let's look at Georgia for a moment. Can Barack Obama flip a state which voted overwhelmingly for George Bush in 2004?
For your consideration, four factors which could be difference makers.
Vice President
Pro - It's only a pro for Obama if it is former Sen. Sam Nunn. Otherwise, Georgians probably won't care.
Con - South of Cordele most Georgians receive a mix of Georgia and Florida media. If John McCain selects popular Florida governor Charlie Crist as a running mate, a large portion of the state will see a face on the ticket which may be more familiar than their own Governor.
Bob Barr
Pro - Barr is the biggest name the Libertarian Party has ever nabbed. A native Georgian, he is polling somewhere between 3% and 5%. Some fevered Democrats have actually predicted he could pull 8%.
Con - No Libertarian has received higher than 1.6% of the vote in the last 20 years. Enough said.
Turnout
Pro - Despite a hotly contested Republican race, almost 100,000 more people pulled Democratic ballots in February.
Con - February is not November. A brutal campaign, disaffected Clinton supporters plus the possibility of an October surprise in the form of a Willie Horton style ad campaign gives McCain plenty of ground to gain.
African Americans
Pro - Almost 500,000 African Americans voted in the February primary and almost 90% voted for Obama.
Con - Only about 550,000 African Americans voted in the 2004 general election. It is a huge question whether the primary turnout can be maintained - particularly if Jim Martin knocks Vernon Jones in the July primary.
The first two factors are fairly clear but turnout is the more difficult beast to wrestle. Obama's ability to get so many new voters to the polls blows up most traditional political equations.
So is Georgia in play? Definitely. Maybe. I don't know. But the strange swirl of syncronicity certainly makes it intriguing.
Monday, June 16, 2008
Ramp Meters
The ramp meters are coming! The ramp meters are coming!
When these silent guardians popped up on my side of the perimeter, I pondered the madness which lay just over the horizon.
I remain cautiously optimistic. Previously, I was skeptical about roundabouts but having seen the effectiveness of the Lullwater/N. Decatur intersection, I am now their advocate. We can all only hope the ramp meters will also exceed expectations.
If not, at least we will have some fun with the new demolition derby mashup.
Ramp meters are traffic lights that are intended to control the number of vehicles entering and exiting the highway. They are to reduce traffic congestion on the ramps.Between the Downtown Connector re-paving project and the recent destruction of the venerable 14th Street bridge, Atlanta seems to be swirling in an orgy of transportation experimentation. Now, the already addled speed demons of the autobahns will be forced to pay attention to "stop lights" on interstate on-ramps.
When these silent guardians popped up on my side of the perimeter, I pondered the madness which lay just over the horizon.
I remain cautiously optimistic. Previously, I was skeptical about roundabouts but having seen the effectiveness of the Lullwater/N. Decatur intersection, I am now their advocate. We can all only hope the ramp meters will also exceed expectations.
If not, at least we will have some fun with the new demolition derby mashup.
Tagged
I've been tagged.
Normally, I'm the crusty old bastard who doesn't join in blogger games, but I'll make an exception here. But I won't tag anyone else so the madness can finally stop.
Seven Songs That I Currently Do Not Skip When They Play On My iPod.
1. Let It Loose - The Rolling Stones
2. Oh! Sweet Nuthin - The Velvet Underground
3. Many Rivers To Cross - Jimmy Cliff
4. Goodbye - Steve Earle
5. Killing In The Name - Rage Against The Machine
6. Outshined - Soundgarden
7. She - Gram Parsons
End tag.
Normally, I'm the crusty old bastard who doesn't join in blogger games, but I'll make an exception here. But I won't tag anyone else so the madness can finally stop.
Seven Songs That I Currently Do Not Skip When They Play On My iPod.
1. Let It Loose - The Rolling Stones
2. Oh! Sweet Nuthin - The Velvet Underground
3. Many Rivers To Cross - Jimmy Cliff
4. Goodbye - Steve Earle
5. Killing In The Name - Rage Against The Machine
6. Outshined - Soundgarden
7. She - Gram Parsons
End tag.
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Monday, June 02, 2008
Pascoe-Perez Joins Lanier Campaign
Recently resigned Democratic Party of Georgia Vice Chair for Constituent Services Virgilio Pascoe-Perez has joined the campaign of Senate Candidate Josh Lanier as Chairman.
The candidate responded to inquiry on the "hire" with the usual wit.
The candidate responded to inquiry on the "hire" with the usual wit.
Virgilio and I started a conversation when I first formed the exploratory committee in October '07 and it continues to this day. We've become great friends and talk daily about the issues, the future of America and this campaign. I trust and respect his judgement. I asked him to be Chairman so that he'd feel obligated to keep taking my calls.
Sunday, June 01, 2008
Words For The Day
"Some people will say that words like "scum" and "rotten" are wrong for objective journalism which is true but they miss the point."
Friday, May 30, 2008
A Legend Retires
On a cool fall night in 1994, I paid a scalper's price to witness my high school football team win a state championship.
In the three deep crowd on the chain link fence, I noticed a man with cameras standing among the students, the scouts and the alumni.
I'd seen him many times before. From my place on the field. From the crowd in the stands. Decades passed and there was always that man with those cameras twined all around his body - standing right there.
Real newspapermen are rare these days. Read the whole thing. It's worth it.
In the three deep crowd on the chain link fence, I noticed a man with cameras standing among the students, the scouts and the alumni.
I'd seen him many times before. From my place on the field. From the crowd in the stands. Decades passed and there was always that man with those cameras twined all around his body - standing right there.
October 1971: Walt Disney World opens in Orlando, Fla. John Lennon releases “Imagine.” “Jesus Christ Superstar” premieres in New York City. President Nixon nominates William Rehnquist and Lewis Powell to the Supreme Court.
And John Mercer joins the staff of The Moultrie Observer.
Fresh out of the Air Force, where he developed reconnaisance photographs, Mercer took the job as the newspaper’s photographer, and he’s happily retained that title ever since.Today is his last day of full-time employment here. He has worked for the newspaper for almost one-third of its 114 years.
Real newspapermen are rare these days. Read the whole thing. It's worth it.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
In Which I Hate On Everyone
The downfall of embracing Zen ways is at times the plain awful can be pushed back as a minor irritant and eventually pushed away as not mattering at all.
It's been a while since I've been pissed. So pardon me as I carve the block.
Scott McLellan - To my conservative brothers and sisters. It seems you've decided to take the tact that former prevaricator-in-prime is simply cashing in on the "Bush hate". Well, hate is a strong word but given approximately 70% of the country currently can't stand the sonuvabitch, I only have one word of advice - let the market rule.
To my liberal brothers and sisters. It seems instead of chortling "I told you so" for finally having hard core testimony about the nefarious imcompetence of your primary target, you choose to scream about McLellan being a liar a few years ago. A press secretary obfuscating? Next you'll tell me poker players bluff. Grow up and enjoy the victory. You don't get them that often.
Unions - I like unions. I especially like the fact they require certain standards for employees in certain industries which could result in my untimely departure from this world. Like keeping airplanes in the sky. Like loaded guns on movie sets. Like sign printing for political campaigns. Wait a minute. Scratch that last one.
Look, I know Democrats have to cater to organized labor but is complaining about signs not having a union label really keeping your eye on the ball? In a state that's notoriously anti-union? In a state where your victories have been few and far between lately? Really?
Voter ID - Just because the Supreme Court gives you standing doesn't mean you have a case. Memo to DPG: Karen Handel is right. Stop wasting money on this snipe hunt and move on to better things. Like voter registration and driving old people to the polls. I could be wrong but I'm betting this would be a far more effective method to break that old 45% barrier.
Barack Obama - 57 states? Confusing Buchenwald with Auschwitz? And do I even need to say Rachel Ray? This is the continuous crap feed which almost caused me to stop writing? Then, I think to myself, if this is the best the right wing noise machine can gin up, why the hell should anybody worry?
And now that the spleen has found its vent, its time for a karmic band-aid of love.
Tommy Irvin - I doubt Commissioner Irvin would recognize me but if I told him my mama's name and where we lived, he'd probably ask how the cotton fared last year. Get well soon, Tommy. There's far too few of us south Georgia boys left up here.
The hate will return tomorrow and continue daily until further notice.
It's been a while since I've been pissed. So pardon me as I carve the block.
Scott McLellan - To my conservative brothers and sisters. It seems you've decided to take the tact that former prevaricator-in-prime is simply cashing in on the "Bush hate". Well, hate is a strong word but given approximately 70% of the country currently can't stand the sonuvabitch, I only have one word of advice - let the market rule.
To my liberal brothers and sisters. It seems instead of chortling "I told you so" for finally having hard core testimony about the nefarious imcompetence of your primary target, you choose to scream about McLellan being a liar a few years ago. A press secretary obfuscating? Next you'll tell me poker players bluff. Grow up and enjoy the victory. You don't get them that often.
Unions - I like unions. I especially like the fact they require certain standards for employees in certain industries which could result in my untimely departure from this world. Like keeping airplanes in the sky. Like loaded guns on movie sets. Like sign printing for political campaigns. Wait a minute. Scratch that last one.
Look, I know Democrats have to cater to organized labor but is complaining about signs not having a union label really keeping your eye on the ball? In a state that's notoriously anti-union? In a state where your victories have been few and far between lately? Really?
Voter ID - Just because the Supreme Court gives you standing doesn't mean you have a case. Memo to DPG: Karen Handel is right. Stop wasting money on this snipe hunt and move on to better things. Like voter registration and driving old people to the polls. I could be wrong but I'm betting this would be a far more effective method to break that old 45% barrier.
Barack Obama - 57 states? Confusing Buchenwald with Auschwitz? And do I even need to say Rachel Ray? This is the continuous crap feed which almost caused me to stop writing? Then, I think to myself, if this is the best the right wing noise machine can gin up, why the hell should anybody worry?
And now that the spleen has found its vent, its time for a karmic band-aid of love.
Tommy Irvin - I doubt Commissioner Irvin would recognize me but if I told him my mama's name and where we lived, he'd probably ask how the cotton fared last year. Get well soon, Tommy. There's far too few of us south Georgia boys left up here.
The hate will return tomorrow and continue daily until further notice.
First The Explanation
Amani: 'Whatcha been up to?"
Griftdrift: "Just working the craft".
Amani: "How's that going?"
Griftdrift: "Not that good".
Many days I'm jealous of Jim Galloway and Thomas Wheatley. Deep in my lizard brain I know there are days when they also struggle, but the surface cortex, where the whining centers are located, wonders what it must be like to spend the day surrounded by other writers. Of course it is fantasy but it can be difficult to get past the image of bourbon soaked, smoked filled bullpens where somebody yells, "My god! Did you hear what Glenn Richardson's done now?"
I've been contacted by several people asking why I don't blog as much lately. When your in the depths of a whine binge, the mind roils around every conceivable excuse.
I've been travelling a lot lately. This is a fact but when I sat in my wifi-enabled hotel room not wanting to write about my latest poker adventure (something I know entertains my readers) something else must be amiss.
Everybody's got everything covered. Due to changes in my little business ventures, I've turned into a vampire. By the time I wake up each morning, the old guard and the new guard have covered everything under the sun. They do it well too and I feel I have nothing to add. I know there are certain readers who do not read every blog in Georgia and only come to my place to catch the latest news, but I can't force myself to be a simple repeater.
I became addicted to real reporting. Recently, I was interviewed by a grad student about new media. And if she's reading this I haven't forgotten about the release - I'll send it soon. She asked me what it was like to break a story and I told her it was like suddenly finding the pot of gold at the end of a treasure hunt. It's intoxicating. And addictive.
Soon, I wasn't satisfied with simple commentary. I had to find real stories about real people and tell them in practically real time. Fortunately for me, a few months ago a tip came my way about a potentially explosive story. After weeks of hunting, interviewing and researching I concluded either it wasn't a story or it was a story that was beyond simple ability. For the first time I felt despair. Failure is a terrible low after the highs of previous success.
But ultimately I realized the reason I wasn't writing was I felt awash in the negativity. I believed a Presidential election, especially one this important, would be a writer's dream. Instead, as the usual oil slick of awfulness began spreading across the land, I concluded it was only a vapor.
After writing six months about such obvious injustice as Genarlow Wilson, can one really get worked up about Barack Obama saying he visited 57 states?
This wasn't passion. This wasn't even parsing. This was nonsense.
But as it has in the past, last night poker taught me a lesson. Every poker player goes through a bad stretch. I call it swimming through the cold water. When you are in the ocean, through the vagaries of currents and thermoclines, you will suddenly find yourself in shocking cold water. You can't swim backwards. You can't stay there. You can only move forward and find the warm water again.
Poker also taught me something else. After a particularly hard turn at the tables, sometimes the negative can become your friend. Sometimes you must perform mental judo and flip the negative back on the blackness from which it comes.
Sometimes you have to embrace the hate.
Griftdrift: "Just working the craft".
Amani: "How's that going?"
Griftdrift: "Not that good".
Many days I'm jealous of Jim Galloway and Thomas Wheatley. Deep in my lizard brain I know there are days when they also struggle, but the surface cortex, where the whining centers are located, wonders what it must be like to spend the day surrounded by other writers. Of course it is fantasy but it can be difficult to get past the image of bourbon soaked, smoked filled bullpens where somebody yells, "My god! Did you hear what Glenn Richardson's done now?"
I've been contacted by several people asking why I don't blog as much lately. When your in the depths of a whine binge, the mind roils around every conceivable excuse.
I've been travelling a lot lately. This is a fact but when I sat in my wifi-enabled hotel room not wanting to write about my latest poker adventure (something I know entertains my readers) something else must be amiss.
Everybody's got everything covered. Due to changes in my little business ventures, I've turned into a vampire. By the time I wake up each morning, the old guard and the new guard have covered everything under the sun. They do it well too and I feel I have nothing to add. I know there are certain readers who do not read every blog in Georgia and only come to my place to catch the latest news, but I can't force myself to be a simple repeater.
I became addicted to real reporting. Recently, I was interviewed by a grad student about new media. And if she's reading this I haven't forgotten about the release - I'll send it soon. She asked me what it was like to break a story and I told her it was like suddenly finding the pot of gold at the end of a treasure hunt. It's intoxicating. And addictive.
Soon, I wasn't satisfied with simple commentary. I had to find real stories about real people and tell them in practically real time. Fortunately for me, a few months ago a tip came my way about a potentially explosive story. After weeks of hunting, interviewing and researching I concluded either it wasn't a story or it was a story that was beyond simple ability. For the first time I felt despair. Failure is a terrible low after the highs of previous success.
But ultimately I realized the reason I wasn't writing was I felt awash in the negativity. I believed a Presidential election, especially one this important, would be a writer's dream. Instead, as the usual oil slick of awfulness began spreading across the land, I concluded it was only a vapor.
After writing six months about such obvious injustice as Genarlow Wilson, can one really get worked up about Barack Obama saying he visited 57 states?
This wasn't passion. This wasn't even parsing. This was nonsense.
But as it has in the past, last night poker taught me a lesson. Every poker player goes through a bad stretch. I call it swimming through the cold water. When you are in the ocean, through the vagaries of currents and thermoclines, you will suddenly find yourself in shocking cold water. You can't swim backwards. You can't stay there. You can only move forward and find the warm water again.
Poker also taught me something else. After a particularly hard turn at the tables, sometimes the negative can become your friend. Sometimes you must perform mental judo and flip the negative back on the blackness from which it comes.
Sometimes you have to embrace the hate.
My Morning Wooten
Only a Sith deals in absolutes.
Or as many reasonable people believed and McClellan is confirming, Bush used fear to forward a radical change in American foreign policy by mirroring the philosophy of the Project For A New American Century. An shift so naive in its absolutes many of us non-loopy folks said at the time it would be stupid and tragic. Do you really think we have to wait that long to be proved right? Hell, do we have to wait at all?
If true — and we’ll have to wait for a more balanced historical accounting that includes first-hand accounts of the actual participants in decision-making to know whether Bush serving future generations, as I believe, or settling an old score for his dad, as the loopy-left believes — the news is hardly indictable.
Or as many reasonable people believed and McClellan is confirming, Bush used fear to forward a radical change in American foreign policy by mirroring the philosophy of the Project For A New American Century. An shift so naive in its absolutes many of us non-loopy folks said at the time it would be stupid and tragic. Do you really think we have to wait that long to be proved right? Hell, do we have to wait at all?
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
My Morning Wooten
Can you spot the logical fallacy?
Editorial Note: I normally don't comment on commenters. In fact I have criticized others for doing so, but here I'm going to make an exception here. Notice the first commenter jbmlaw, who obsessively tends to be the first commenter on all of Jim's pieces, rolls out the tired "predator" meme. Way to tee it up Jim.
Is it really so hard to understand that if you receive a government subsidy you cannot discriminate? Really? In 2008?Cheap rent is a form of public money given to a preferred group. You take their money, you invite their rules — and their meddling. The solution for the Scouts is to sever all ties with government, to either buy the headquarters or negotiate for the city to buy out its interest in the building and to relocate.
If Philadelphia is successful in punishing the Boy Scouts, it will be a sad day for community and for groups like the Scouts that have a reasonable basis for enacting and maintaining the membership qualifications they do.
Editorial Note: I normally don't comment on commenters. In fact I have criticized others for doing so, but here I'm going to make an exception here. Notice the first commenter jbmlaw, who obsessively tends to be the first commenter on all of Jim's pieces, rolls out the tired "predator" meme. Way to tee it up Jim.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Hurricane Preparedness Week
June 1st is the beginning of the hurricane season and this is Hurricane Preparedness Week.
Georgians don't normally think about hurricanes but we are way overdue for a hit.
Make sure you check out the Palm Beach Post's storm watch page. It's the best coverage on the net.
Libertarian Convention Coverage
Most don't know Denver is the host of two political conventions.
Last week, our good friend Jason Pye attended the Libertarian Party National Convention. Check his extensive coverage of the all things political and bizarre.
Monday, May 26, 2008
Memorial Day
Henry T. Elrod
Alma, Ga.
1905-1941
Elrod was born on 27 September 1905, in Turner County, Georgia. He enlisted in the Marine Corps in December 1927, and was appointed a Marine second lieutenant in February 1931. He attended the University of Georgia and Yale University prior to his entry into the Marine Corps.
On December 4, 1941, Captain Elrod flew to Wake Island with twelve aircraft, twelve pilots, and the ground crew of Major Paul Putnam's VMF-211 fighter squadron. Hostilities in the air over Wake Island commenced on December 8, 1941. On 12 December, he single-handedly attacked a flight of 22 enemy planes and shot down two. He executed several low-altitude bombing and strafing runs on enemy ships; during one of these attacks, he became the first man to sink a warship, the Japanese destroyer Kisaragi, with small caliber bombs delivered from a fighter aircraft.
When all the U.S. aircraft had been destroyed by hostile fire, he organized remaining troops into a beach defense unit which repulsed repeated Japanese attacks. On December 23, 1941, Captain Elrod was mortally wounded while protecting his men who were carrying ammunition to a gun emplacement.
He was posthumously promoted to Major on November 8, 1946, and his widow was presented with the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions during the defense of Wake Island
Alma, Ga.
1905-1941
Elrod was born on 27 September 1905, in Turner County, Georgia. He enlisted in the Marine Corps in December 1927, and was appointed a Marine second lieutenant in February 1931. He attended the University of Georgia and Yale University prior to his entry into the Marine Corps.
On December 4, 1941, Captain Elrod flew to Wake Island with twelve aircraft, twelve pilots, and the ground crew of Major Paul Putnam's VMF-211 fighter squadron. Hostilities in the air over Wake Island commenced on December 8, 1941. On 12 December, he single-handedly attacked a flight of 22 enemy planes and shot down two. He executed several low-altitude bombing and strafing runs on enemy ships; during one of these attacks, he became the first man to sink a warship, the Japanese destroyer Kisaragi, with small caliber bombs delivered from a fighter aircraft.
When all the U.S. aircraft had been destroyed by hostile fire, he organized remaining troops into a beach defense unit which repulsed repeated Japanese attacks. On December 23, 1941, Captain Elrod was mortally wounded while protecting his men who were carrying ammunition to a gun emplacement.
He was posthumously promoted to Major on November 8, 1946, and his widow was presented with the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions during the defense of Wake Island
Friday, May 23, 2008
My Morning Wooten: Semi-Aggreance Edition
The planets must be in a weird alignment. Jim and I are agreeing this morning. But not everything.
Have a good holiday weekend everyone.
Selah.
Georgia’s rushing to execute its murderers, you say. Would the “rush” apply to Jack Alderman, who murdered his wife in Savannah in 1974 —- 34 years ago —- or to Curtis Osborne, who murdered two people in Spalding County in 1990, 18 years ago? Stays were lifted on both.Bloody Jim is back.
Public Service Commissioner Bobby Baker finally wins all challenges to residency. His wife has a house in DeKalb; he has a condo in Athens, in the PSC district he represents. He spends most of his time in Atlanta. Duh. That’s where his job is. Requiring PSC members to live in districts is one of the dumber laws the Legislature has imposed. It should be repealed promptly.Have to agree on this one. You could argue residency is important for the legislature, but the PSC? Really?
The state has no business licensing home inspectors. Gov. Sonny Perdue was right to veto that bill. In his view, and mine, the marketplace and voluntary associations are perfectly capable of “regulating” those who inspect the homes for prospective buyers. In fact, the state should be looking for every opportunity to get out of the licensing business. Mostly, licensing is a way to keep out potential competitors. License physicians. Republicans should be deregulating, not piling on.Yep. A brief anecdote. About two years ago my family needed a real estate appraisal. We hired a family friend who promised one in six weeks. Six months later, still with no appraisal and under the threat of lawsuit, the appraiser returned our deposit. We then found another appraiser who produced the report in four days for 1/4 of the price. Lesson learned? We should have shopped around.
Whatever happened to the Great Speckled Bird newspaper? It died. All the young hippies went into academia or politics and/or into being old hippies.A surprisingly non-judgmental analysis of the long dead leftist publication. But I'm not going to let you off that easy, Jim. Even when you use the lash lightly. Given many of the hippies who hawked the paper learned a quick harsh lesson in capitalism (sellling papers=money to eat), I'm willing to bet you quite a few entrepeneurs and business owners emerged from that bunch.
I’d probably have to read the book to find out why 78-year-old Barbara Walters wants us to know that she once had an affair with a politician. It never occurred to me to inquire. Or care. People, especially those in sports and entertainment, are all the time telling us more than we want to know about their personal lives. Stop. Quit. Or else I go before the Tribunal of Right Wingers to get a cease-and-desist order.Step back, Jim. The market works in more ways that one. I wouldn't read that dreck but plenty of people do. Until the market changes, you and I will have to continue the onerous task of simply walking by these tripe buckets. Awful to have to resist that urge but that's the way it goes.
Barack Obama is determined to control not only his campaign but the campaign he will authorize to be waged against him. He tells Tennessee Republicans his wife’s comment that “For the first time in my adult life, I am really proud of my country” is off-limits. “If they [Republicans] think that they are going to make Michelle an issue in this campaign, they should be careful, because I find unacceptable the notion that you start attacking my wife or my family.” Bill’s fair game. So’s Michelle. If they make campaign speeches, they’re fair game. Spouses. Children. Parents. Pets. Sacred cows. All.A candidate trying to control the message on both sides? Say it ain't so! Oh, and I don't want to pay the archive fee at the AJC, so Jim can you tell me how you handled criticism of Nancy back in the 80s?
No crisis here, at least with the state’s system for testing middle school students. Failure rates ran as high as 80 percent. The levelheaded observation of Herb Garrett, director of the Georgia School Superintendents Association, charts the course: “Anytime you have that level of failure statewide, you’ve got to go back and re-examine the test and re-examine everything associated with the test.” Take a sip of water, a deep breath and go on living. Matching curriculum, instruction, testing and higher standards is a work in progressPretty much everybody agrees something is seriously screwed up with this test.
Good news. Somewhat, anyway. Syria and Israel resume direct talks. Syria wants the Golan Heights. Surrendering it invites disaster.Wait? Someone's talking to the enemy? Yet, no cries of appeasement? Something certainly can't be right here.
Thank you, Lynn Westmoreland of Grantville, Nathan Deal of Gainesville, Paul Broun of Athens, John Linder of Duluth and Tom Price of Roswell, who cast a fiscal conservative vote to sustain the president’s veto of the $307 billion farm bill. “At a time when net farm income is projected to increase by more than $28 billion in one year, the American taxpayer should not be forced to subsidize a group of farmers who have adjusted gross incomes of up to $1.5 million” per year, said the president. He lost. We did too.As the owner of a small sliver of farmland in south Georgia, all I can say here is...no comment.
Have a good holiday weekend everyone.
Selah.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
A Pruning We Will Go
While some are sadly hanging it up, I've decided to give it one more whirl.
I think I've still got things to say and by god I'm going to say them.
To begin the renewal process, I'm pruning the Georgia blogroll and the Georgia Voices. If you haven't written anything since March 1st, I'm taking you off. If you fall into that category but plan to restart soon, drop me an email and I will keep you on.
Selah.
I think I've still got things to say and by god I'm going to say them.
To begin the renewal process, I'm pruning the Georgia blogroll and the Georgia Voices. If you haven't written anything since March 1st, I'm taking you off. If you fall into that category but plan to restart soon, drop me an email and I will keep you on.
Selah.
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.
The rest are pretty good too. Check 'em out.
Old rule: Be good storytellers / New rule: more stories, less telling
The rest are pretty good too. Check 'em out.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Hamilton Jordan
Hamilton Jordan
1944-2008
Matt Towery:
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.
Yep. That's about right.
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:
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.
"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.
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.
As far as the court's affect on the welfare state? For those playing Wooten Non-Sequiter Bingo, O-42!
In the meantime, prepare yourself to hear the name McGovern a lot over the next six months. Its only just begun.
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.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
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.
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.
Monday, May 19, 2008
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.
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.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
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.
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.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
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.
Friday, May 09, 2008
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
Wednesday, May 07, 2008
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?
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
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.""
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.
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.
Monday, May 05, 2008
White Trash
Blanche has her own list of Stuff White Trash People Like.
Can't say I disagree with anything on the list.
Marlboro Reds are for older, crustier White Trash, mostly men.
Can't say I disagree with anything on the list.
Friday, May 02, 2008
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?
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