See Rock City

If you are in the area Caroline Monroe is playing The Red Light Cafe tonight at 9:30.

I've had her song "See Rock City" running around in my head for the past two days. Damn you Caroline!

Full disclosure: I'm a friend of Caroline's Diddy

Don't Panic Extended Edition

A full length Don't Panic is this week's Creative Loafing cover story. It opens with a pert but pertinent question.

"How has a cave-dwelling trust-fund baby with a video camera and a chip on his shoulder managed to outfight the most powerful nation in the history of Earth?"

One of the strawman myths of the "right" is the "left" doesn't want to fight the "War on Terror". Most of the "left" (except the looney cause junkies who want any excuse to take to the streets) with whom I've talked do want our enemies attacked and eliminated. They just want the battle to be fought with tactical and strategic common sense. Instead we have seen errors rolled in with mule-ass obstinance to create a giant dirty snowball of bad.

And now I am temporarily retiring quotation marks (including air ones) for the rest of the day.

Senator Shafer Responds on Stem Cells

This past April, in response to a column by the AJC's Jim Wooten and a post by Peach Pundit's Erick Erickson regarding the passage of Senator David Shafer's Saving the Cure bill and the defeat of Senator David Adelman's bill to create a repository for current unwanted embryos, I asked what I believed was a simple question. What do we do about the excess embryos that currently exist?

Via email, Senator David Shafer (R-Alpharetta) author of Senate Bill 148, Saving The Cure, responds:

I am not sure if Jim or Erick answered you, but my answer is that we should explore techniques that do not create unwanted embryos in the first place. For example, in Germany, fertility doctors produce no more than three embryos at a time, implant them all and, except under limited circumstances, are not allowed to freeze them. There are probably less than 100 frozen embryos in the entire country and no "problem"about what to do with them.

I reject the notion that ethics are somehow incompatible with progressive science or medicine. In vitro fertilization can be accomplished without producing thousands of "unwanted" embryos and stem cell research can be conducted without harming human life at any stage of development. There are ethical alternatives that, in many cases, are better science and better medicine.

The goal of my legislation earlier this year (http://www.savingthecure.com/) was to advance the types of stem cell research which are ethically noncontroversial and, in many ways, more medically promising.

Let the discussion begin.

Slow

Things are so boring everyone is playing fantasy football.

I'm taking the day off unless something really crazy happens.

Doravilla Update

Chief King is back on the job.

I see he has former Dekalb D.A. Tom Morgan as an attorney. My, oh my. How quickly the wheels turn when the lights are turned on and a respected, battle hardened litigator gets involved.

Hank Aaron: Class Act

In case you haven't noticed. I'm a fan of The Hammer.

Here were his remarks played last night after Barry Bonds broke his home run record.

"It is a great accomplishment which required skill, longevity and determination. Throughout the past century, the home run has held a special place in baseball and I have been privileged to hold this record for 33 of those years. I move over now and offer my best wishes to Barry and his family on this historic achievement.

My hope today, as it was on that April evening in 1974, is that the achievement of this record will inspire others to chase their own dreams."

And some people think there are no heroes left.

h/t: Atlanta Public Affairs

National Guard Extensions Hit Home

There have been many stories about the effect of extended National Guard deployments in Iraq. Most have focused on Katrina or the recent flooding in the Midwest. However, somewhat lost in the swirl of the politics, the recent firing of Doraville Police Chief John King brings it all home. One of the alledged reasons for the dismissal was his absence due to 18 months of deployment in Iraq. 18 months!

I'm not sympathetic to the Doraville City Council at this point but if you step back to view the bigger picture, one has to wonder just how small towns throughout the land are coping with losing vital citizens for months on end.

The Guard are our sisters and brothers and we should be proud of their service. But we should also be concerned that their gross mishandling is causing the tainted tentacles of mismanagement to reach down to the very neighborhoods in which we live.

h/t: Dorablog

When Craziness Lives Just Up The Street

There is local and then there is hyperlocal. In my opinion the best hyperlocal coverage in Georgia is Dorablog. I've lived within two miles of Doraville for over four years and I honestly feel I knew nothing about the place until I found Joseph G and his contributor's place.

Yesterday, they broke a big story before any of the the major media outlets. Apparently, in the middle of the night, the Doraville city council lost their minds and fired the police chief in a manner that may have violated state open meeting laws.

Georgia Open Meetings Law require that any evidence or charges related to an employee’s dismissal be open to the public. Any discussion or deliberation thereafter may be held in an executive session. The city attorney advised the council as such. Mr. Hart and Mr. Spangler began presenting their “charges” in public, but the council later voted to close the meeting to the public, even though charges and evidence were still being introduced. This action violates Open Meetings Law and was in direct contradiction of the city attorney’s legal advice.

Read the full story here. Even if you don't live in Doraville, hubris of this kind can occur anywhere and should be noted.

Sonny Perdue: Pragmatic Technologist?

I've always loved the fact that Governor Sonny Perdue dresses up in silly clothes. My understanding is his habit of putting on every doo-dad a constiutent provides drives his staff batty. Especially his tendency to do it whenever a camera is near. But I've always thought it was one side of the Governor I could always relate to. Instead of the hard-nosed politician, it allowed me to view him as the goofy uncle who at the family reunion suddenly opens the flap on his overalls to moon everyone.

Now I have a new area where I can relate to the Guvner. He's a geek. The simple discovery that he can run a VI editor floors me quicker than any pictures of him partying with kids at a high school prom.

To see the true depths of the Guv's geekitude (as well as some interesting, possibly controversial, thoughts on the role of technology in government) read this thoroughly fascinating interview conducted by Stephanie Overby of CIO Magazine.

My Governor actually knows how to operate a UNIX system. Forgive me but that's going to take a while to process.

What's In A Name?

(Editor's Note: You should also read Wilson Smith's more visceral reaction to an interview request here.)

I think it's about time we all sit down and talk about names.

Let's start with mine. It's certainly an odd one which has caused consternation and tongue twisting among many. In order to get to the bigger picture, we need to start with my small story.

In 1995, I entered the online world in the same fashion as many other lemmings charging over the cyber-cliff. I joined AOL. Although "handles" had been around forever, the fledgling online service made them not only cool but a requirement. Pressed to come up with something clever on the spur of the moment, I chose grifterdrifter.

The etymology was quite simple. I had been known to run a few cards games, take a few bets and make spending money shooting pool. I also was known as a wanderer who never settled down, hadn't married and viewed apartment leases as one year relationships. Unfortunately for me, AOL limited screen names to ten characters. So I shortened the original down and griftdrift was born.

I tooled around the internets for the next six years under this unique handle and then one day I signed up for a message board focused on a particular television show. For reasons lost to time, I then shortened the name further to griftd.

Fast forward another five years and the creation of this blog. I made two decisions at the very beginning. The handle had become as much of an identifier for me as my real name so it would continue to be my nom de plume. The second decision was more difficult. I would remain semi-anonymous but would make no effort to hide my real name. Despite some unsavory experiences in the past, I had come to realize that trying to cover my tracks would eventually become soul consuming. It also rarely worked. On a more practical level, it's also a hell of a lot easier to google than my rather common real name.

I would not openly publicize my real name but I would make no real effort to hide it. If you ask, I will tell. When Wilson interviews me he certainly uses it. I can confidently say most of the Georgia blogging community not only knows it but also at times uses it to link to me. Never have I made objection nor ever will I. I don't hide it, I just don't advertise it.

So why bring all this up now? There is a certain new blog I mentioned the other day which is causing quite a stir. And most everyone is in a dither because they can't figure out who started it. The creators are completely anonymous and is the case with many attack sites continue to cling to that veil.

Given the above bio, criticism of anonymous authors may seem somewhat hypocritical coming from me. I also allow anonymous commenting on my blog. But I am also a strong believer in context. In this world where subtlety and nuance are at times lost, context truly matters.

So let's take a taxonomic look at one man's opinions of certain internet identifying conventions.

The Real Namers - (Erick Erickson, Jason Pye, Bernita Smith, Rusty Tanton, Amber Rhea, Amy Morton, etal.) The folks who have the bravado to paste their real names to their thoughts. There's not much to explain here but it should be noted the use of a real world name does give these folks a notch up in the credibility department. They are immune to attacks accusing of not standing behind their work. But with great power comes great responsibility. These folks can never sock puppet. If they do that credibility is immediately gone. They are quite simply stuck with public recognition forever.

The Semi-Anonymous - (griftdrift, Jmac, Audacity, Sara, flackattack, etal.) Also known as "The Handles". They vary in their level of anonymity from the completely obfuscating griftdrift and Audacity to those who actually incorporate part of their real name ala Jmac, Sara and flackattack. Most of them are known to their readers but a casual visitor would view them as a stranger.

Their actual identities are generally available from social networks, relationships within the blogging community and at times from open usage of the real name based on circumstance. Unlike the real namers however, their credibility is based primarily on context. The semi-anonymous develops a reputation based not on name but on the content of their work. If the work is credible and consistent, the handle can become almost as legitimate as a real name.

The Truly Anonymous - (trolls, tipsters, sock puppets) The truly hidden. They use the anonymous feature of blog comment sections, masked email and sometimes even entire sites to transmit their message. Sometimes they are harmless. Most times they are not. An individual usually has one of two motives for remaining hidden; fear of retribution or the desire to attack without reprecussion. Tipsters can fall evenly between both categories. Trolls and sock puppets live solely in the latter.

The tipsters can be vaulable sources of information for blogs and are treated differently across the spectrum. Some run their content without regard to accuracy or probative value. Others attempt to confirm before passing the information along. Some ignore them altogether.

Trolls and sock puppets live only for the damage they can cause. They are diametrically opposed to the semi-anonymous. Instead of creating an identity with the goal of establishing a reputation, they create their personalities to hide reputation. The sole purpose of anonymity is to free themselves of the moral restraints society associates with identity. Freed from recognition, they embrace tactics which they probably would not use in real life. For these reasons, the truly anonymous are always greeted with a great deal of skepticism and scorn. Usually they deserve it.

We could continue to branch these trees further and reach finer details of the many characters in the metaverse that is Web 2.0 but I believe these thumbnails give a good start to discussion of anonymity and the internet. At the very least, hopefully it gives you an idea of how to view certain new websites.

The bottom line is context matters. It is important to view the entire big picture (motive, content, style) rather than focusing solely on how it is signed.

What Is Goin' On: Drew Westen Interview

We are in the dog days but not many hounds are howling. It's a good day to kick up the boots and listen to some podcasts.

Check out Wilson's thoroughly fascinating interview with Emory Professor Drew Westen on his new book "The Political Brain".

I had a chance to catch Dr. Westen at a book signing and his observations are interesting to say the least. He's definitely partisan and he was preaching to the choir but it was fascinating to see a room of Democrats get that fired up.

Download the interview here.

Geek Moment

What is DefCon?

Possibly the oddest convention in the world. It is an annual meeting of hackers. Bizarrely these criminals (well, by the letter of the law they are) mingle with federal agents (well, they don't say they are but everyone knows they are) in a kind of DMZ for internet security.

What is hidden camera journalism?

An ethical gray area in the field of investigative journalism. Reporters surreptitiously tape people in an effort to expose wrongdoing. The briteline is generaly considered to be it can only be used to record criminal activity.

How do these two thing relate?

Not at all. Until NBC sent a producer to this years DefCon with a hidden camera in an effort to obtain footage of hackers admitting to felony activity. Of course the hackers sniffed her out, lured her to a packed conference room by floating a rumor they were going to expose the feds and instead exposed her.

What is the lesson learned?

Don't f*ck with hackers.

The New John Barrow Thingie

In NASCAR August is considered the silly season. Drivers change teams. Teams merge. And occasionally true bad craziness like what happened yesterday in Montreal occurs.

It seems politics is not immune to late summer bull fruit looniness.

A new John Barrow "attack blog" was just launched.

Note the rather bizarre "Friends" blog roll. A strange mix indeed.

Now, I'm receiving emails from people trying to suss out who started this thing. Well, I don't know the answer to that one but it sure is fun to speculate. Maybe I should take book.

Some Florida News

Is Florida on the brink of recession?

Tax receipts from real-estate transactions are expected to be $132.6 million below what had been expected this year, state economists reported last week.Sales taxes -- which provide the bulk of Florida's general revenue -- are off $746.1 million as purchases of housing-related items such as carpeting, appliances and building supplies nose-dived.Corporate-income-tax collections for the 2007-08 budget year also were revised downward, by $236.2 million.

I recently visited our neighbor to the south and two things struck me. One of my brother's in-laws just bought a house for almost half the price it was listed at just a year ago.

Also, across from my brother's property, several years ago, developers bought a large piece of pasture land for a staggering sum. Their plan was to build a mixed use community. Shortly after the purchase, the ubiquitous construction trailer popped up. Now, a year later, the trailer is gone and the pasture still houses only cows.

Their are some dark clouds just over the southern horizon. The situation bears watching.

Songs In My Head

Fly proudly high in Dublin town
Hung they out the flag of war

Saturday Stupids

Solo stupiding today. We're a man down but some things must carry on.

Bridges

With the tragedy in Minnesota, many thoughts today are on bridges.

I found the above graphic at Andrew Sullivan's place. It was done in 1994. The red spots are where bridges are over 32% deficient. The blue are where the bridges are over 19% deficient.

If you can tear you eyes away from the big red splotch that is the entire state of New York, you can see that Georgia is mostly in good shape. Interesting though that the most troublesome areas are a swath along the Florida line. Where exactly did all the road money south Georgia legislators siphoned away each year go?

Fightin' Joe Biden

Oh my. The RedStateUpdate boys are a little riled that in the YouTube debate Joe Biden claimed they hurt the feelings of the good people of their home state of Tennessee.

Some people just don't understand how dangerous a redneck with one of them VCRin' machines can be.

I would just like to take this opportunity to deny any relation. Then again, we is in the South. We might all be relations.

WARNING: Video is not politically correct at all and has a few naughty words.

Everybody Hates Taxes!

It's the tax free weekend here in Georgia! Let the spending begin! Let the Wal-Marts and Best Buy's overflow with the writhing masses in search of cheap chinos and cut-rate computers!

So far today I have already received emails from two Representatives crowing about the joys of no taxes. Both shall remain unnamed but I will say one is a Republican and one is a Democrat. Guns and butter, especially butter, ummmmmm butter, will always cut across our most rigid lines.

Meanwhile, Speaker Glenn wants to completely axe property taxes. I have many deep and ponderous thoughts on this one but I will save them for later.

In the meantime, enjoy Rusty's tasty morsel on the matter.

And people say August is boring. Pardon me as I slather more butter on my pork.

Griftdrift Is Goin' On

You can now download my latest talk with Wilson Smith.

Wilson and I joked that we had both been out of town for several days and might not be able to fill a whole 30 minutes. Well, listen and you will find out that prediction was about as solid as my prediction on the 10th!

We discuss Genarlow Wilson, the 10th District special election and the YouTubes.

Download here!