Catchin Up

Back at headquarters. A bajillion things to read. If something catches my interest it will go up but for now I just have to try to crawl from under the pile of babble.

Cynthia In A Suing Mood

It's just been too, too long since we had a Cynthia McKinney story here on the front page. When she's not seeking to lead the Green Party to the promised land, the former 4th District representative is busy keeping the law profession from certain bankruptcy.

Former U.S. Rep. Cynthia McKinney has filed a lawsuit against The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, claiming the paper libeled her in at least two editorials and a news article. ~from Editor & Publisher

Lawdy, after all the things I said last year, maybe I should be worried too. I don't know what scares me more. A libel suit or her knife wielding daddy.

h/t: Lazermike

Road Building

From a few days ago. Now on the road in Florida.

In The Land Of No Internets

I've made a tactical mistake. I decided to spend a few days visiting my brother's new place in Florida and completely forgot he built it so far back in the woods there is likely no hope for internets for a generation. So things will remain sketchy for the next few days.

In the meantime some screeds from others for your pleasure.

I haven't written much about the Michael Vick saga. It's all too awful. But Spacey sums up my feelings very well.

Paul Broun's first vote? To stop prosecution of those who use medical marijuna. Lawdy!

The baseball debate with Jmac continues.

Poor Jim Galloway. This morning, he must feel like the teacher who said "Lake Titicaca" in front of a group of third graders.

More later as I find hot spots.

Further South

Headed down to the Sunshine State. Back on the grid tonight.

Headin South

For the weekend. Nobody burn Atlanta while I'm gone.

Bicycle Pants Man

You Atlantans are surely familiar with bicycle pants man. If not you should definitely watch the above video.

But whatever you do, please, for God's sake, DO NOT USE GOOGLE IMAGES TO TRY TO FIND HIS PICTURE.

Life has been really bizarre lately.

And don't miss part II with more Keith the CVS Clerk!

A Girl Like Me

Amani, I have to confess. I must have been sleeping because I never heard about Kiri Davis' award winning documentary "A Girl Like Me". Fascinating stuff.

As I watch it, I can't help but recall the Don Imus controversy. The point I think many people missed in that whole mess was how ignorant many of us still are to African American culture. For all the progress we've made, we still have so far to go.

Still, we shouldn't be discouraged by the distance yet to travel. The conversation, the explanation, the exploration of not only our commonalities but also of our differences must continue. If not, we will all continue to sleep.

Let's Talk Baseball

With the Braves facing down Bonds and saying "not on our watch" as he chases down Hank Aaron's all time home run record, let's take a little break from politics and talk some baseball.

Jmac and I are having a friendly debate about the greatest player ever. I stand by my hero Hank Aaron and agree with ATLmalcontent that his all around play is continually underrated. Jmac would not even rate him in the top five.

Well, that's just plum crazy. But before we get to the passion, let's look at the cold hard facts.

Stats matter. In basebally arguably more than any other sport. So how does my argument that Aaron is greatest all around player ever stack up against other greats? Let's use Jmac's top five for comparison. First, we will look at each player's rank on the all time lists in 6 offensive categories (Home Runs, RBI, Runs, Hits, Total Bases, Steals). For simplicity sake. we will give someone a score of 100 if he is out of the top 100 all time. Then the rankings will be totalled and the players ranked from lowest total to highest total.

Player....HR....RBI....Runs....Hits....Bases....Steals....Total

Aaron....1....1....2....3....1....100....110
Ruth....3....2....3....2....4....100....154
Mays....4....10....7....11....3....100....135
Williams....15.....13....17....64....19....100....228
Cobb....100....7....2....2....5....4....120
Rose....100....86....6....1....7....100....300

Rank

1. Aaron 110
2. Cobb 120
3. Mays 135
4. Ruth 154
5. Williams 228
6. Rose 300

A few things obviously stand out. You could not ask for a more stark contrast of the dead ball era versus the modern game. Cobb's steals and the others home run totals vividly display a time when the ball was barely hit out of the infield. For this reason, Cobb will always be difficult to compare. So let's remove the two obvious outliers; home runs and steals. Aaron still dominates.

1. Aaron 9
2. Cobb 16
3. Mays 31
4. Ruth 51
5. Rose 100
6. Williams 113

Another things stands out. Many will be surprised Ted Williams doesn't rank higher in most categories, especially hits. Yet another demonstration of how his service in the military cut into his career statistics.

But is there a better way? How about we compare the six players to each other. With this method we can include career batting average.

Player....HR....RBI....Runs....Hits....Bases....Steals....Avg....Total

Aaron....1....1....2....3....1....3....4....15
Ruth....2....2....2....5....4....5....3....23
Mays....3....4....5....4....2....2....6....27
Williams....4....5....6....6....6....6....2....35
Cobb....6....3....1....2....3....1....1....17
Rose....5....6....4....1....5....4....5....30

Rank

1. Aaron 15
2. Cobb 17
3. Ruth 23
4. Mays 27
5. Rose 30
6. Williams 35

So there you have it. Aaron dominates any way you look at it. That is the cold hard statistical fact. So now let the passion begin.

CNN's John King On The DemocratIC You Tube Debate

Shelby interviewing CNN bobblehead John King in the spin room of last night's DemocratIC Presidential debate.

Media on media! Media gone wild!

Georgia Thoughts On The YouTube Debate

A wrap up of local impressions on last night's YouTube Presidential debate.

Amani provides an insiders insight.

Shelbinator was on the ground and not only live blogged but also recorded video.

Grayson takes a turn on Shelby's efforts and is unable to resist taking a shot at all male Atlanta bloggerati as infantile, sexually repressed masses of goo.

Jason Pye also live blogged.

And Benson also live blogged.

Mike-el's wrap up.

If there are other's out there that I missed, drop a comment and I will update.

Democrat Debate Live Stream

Shelby backstage at the Dem Debate in South Carolina. Pretty cool stuff. Tune in.

I can't get the embed to work so GO HERE.

State Of Mind

Actual AJC headline.

Nichols Case Has Depleted State Defense Funds

How I read the headline.

Nicholas Cage Has Depleted State Defense Funds.

I have no idea what this means.

The Hammer

One other non-political thing.

Today's must read. A fitting tribute to the greatest baseball player ever. Period. No argument.

Mischief Managed

It took me nine hours to burn through Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows. It was a fitting end to a great series. But it has left me drained, so not much out and about today. Not much going on anyway.

But one item of interest is Shelby scored a press credential to tonight's Presidential debate in Charleston, S.C. He will be streaming live from spin alley. It should be entertaining.

Saturday Stupids

Tugs at your heart don't it?

Georgia Blog Carnival

Check out the Georgia Blog Carnival. A good roundup of things going on around Georgia.

The I Word

The Washington Post is reporting President Bush has basically given Congress the finger. This latest action raised the eyebrows of the rather reasonable folks at Central Sanity.

What exactly are they trying to hide? Perhaps a High Crime or Misdemeanor? Several possible options lie before Congress. They can use their "inherent contempt" power, which does not require the cooperation of the Justice Department, but will have the look of an internal witch trial. They can impeach Gonzales -- he's already on record lying to Congress and that's impeachable all by itself -- and the Senate can refuse to confirm a successor until this mess is settled and Harriet Miers appears before them. Perhaps they will talk about using the I Bomb on the President himself.

Son, when you have moderates talking about impeachment, it's time to fret.

A Life Shattered

"We are messing up the future of the next generation" ~Rev. Joseph Lowery

Serenity covered Juanessa Bennett's face. Certainly it must have masked a storm beneath. Quietly she stood on the steps of the Georgia Supreme Court facing the hoarde of media as her son's, Genarlow Wilson, attorney B.J Bernstein explained the legal intricacies of what just happened.

When asked her plans for the weekend, Ms. Bennett simply replied, "I'm gonna stay prayed up".

Prayer may be Genarlow Wilson's last best hope; for common sense and reason left this arena long ago.

"We could have five hundred hearings and the judge would still have to follow the law" ~Douglas County District Attorney David McDade

The law must take its course. The legal road began when D.A. McDade, known for being a law and order prosecutor, chose to bring the full weight of the justice system against Genarlow Wilson. We all think of the law as a black and white world where all is written in stone with no variation. In reality it is a place of muddled motivations and convenience. Suspects plead to lesser crimes. Prosecutors choose to charge based on chances of success. Sometimes they choose discretion.

"To insure justice..." ~ Preamble to the Constitution of the State of Georgia

A prosecutor is bound by law but is also bound to a higher contract. In its most base form, a prosecutor's discretion is used to grease the wheels. To get the business of the people done. But it also serves a larger purpose, for in the end all those who hold their hand and swear before the people of Georgia are bound to justice. On most occasions justice requires the punishment of those who have or would do harm to others. But on rare occasions justice requires mercy. As Abraham Lincoln once said, "let 'em up easy".

In charging Genarlow Wilson with aggravated child molestion, D.A. McDade certainly followed the letter of the law but it may be debated for decades whether he felt the spirit. Nearly three years later, justice last hope may rest in the hands of the Supreme Court of Georgia who on this day heard arguments for and against the release of Genarlow Wilson.

Justice is the last hope of one quiet woman standing on the steps of the courthouse

"We should change the name of prisons to schools" ~Genarlow Wilson attorney B.J. Bernstein

One has to wonder about the thoughts of Juanessa Bennett. All mothers hope their children hold promise. Just over the horizon, Genarlow Wilson's mother could see promise fulfilled. A son who excelled in academics and athletics. A child she would not have to worry about paying for college, for the colleges stood in line to beg him to come. A life destined if not for greatness, then success and security. Most mothers make simple requests; be safe, be happy, make me proud. Some spend a lifetime struggling to find these safe havens for their children. Juanessa Bennett had them in her grasp only to see them whisked away in a flash of indiscretion by her child and lack of discretion by a prosecuting attorney.

It is the testament to the will of a mother that Ms. Bennett still speaks of hope. She still sees promise for a son who now waits behind bars. Waiting for justice. Waiting to prove his will not be a life shattered.

Photo courtesy of Sara

At The Georgia Supreme Court

Media outside the Georgia Supreme Court waiting the participants in the Genarlow Wilson appeal hearing.

Sara live blogged the proceedings.