Liberal Lucidity

I've made my choice; it's time for me to cast my vote

2008-01-28T09:43:00.000-05:00

I woke up this morning going over my mental checklist of things to do today. And I decided that one of those things was to vote. I'm not even sure where I'll be or when I'm working next Tuesday. And the results in South Carolina this weekend helped me to make up my mind about whom to cast my ballot for.

Since it became obvious last October that former Vice President Al Gore would not be offering himself for president in 2008, I had been leaning towards John Edwards. He's the guy that I voted for in the 2004 Presidential Preference. And although I wasn't completely sure that I had done the right thing back then, I felt much more comfortable with him as my choice in 2008.

Edwards is a populist that just happens to hit most of the right notes with me. He's on top of healthcare issues that concern me, and could possibly affect me. And he's definitely in tune with my feelings about free trade, and what the free trade policies of people like the Bushes and the Clintons have done to this country. In short, outside of Dennis Kucinich, Edwards was the best fit for me.

I still feel that way. But I will not be voting for him today. With apologies to my many friends who are Edwards supporters, South Carolina was his last best chance to get a foothold in this race. And it just didn't happen.

I have so many friends and allies in the womens rights community that are supporting Hillary. Folks, I want to go there. I want very badly to join you. Way back in 1992, when I was working for and supporting Bill Clinton for president, I thought Hillary Clinton was someone that I would LOVE to see run for office one day. What an amazingly talented and intelligent woman with the guts to put herself out there and not be afraid to announce herself as a viable working partner to the man who would ultimately become our president!

I have always wanted more women to get involved in politics. I was thrilled to support Cathy Cox for governor of Georgia in 2006. And I'm looking forward to supporting Lisa Borders for mayor of Atlanta in the near future.

Women have had to fight their way to the table. And then they've had to put up with the smirking, the tush patting, and the condescension. They have had to go the extra mile and for less pay in many vocations just be true equals to their male counterparts.

My own mother is the reason why I care so much about what happens to women in our society. She was a woman that was shunned by her Baptist community in the 1950's because she divorced her first husband. It didn't seem to matter that she would have to sometimes stay home for several days behind closed doors in order to allow her black eyes or her busted lips to heal. To many, she was just a woman. And she was bound by her duties as a wife and a daughter of Christ as they mistakenly decided that it should be.

Here was a woman who was her class salutorian, with the intelligence to do anything that she wanted. But she never dreamed big dreams. Partially because she wasn't allowed to. Simply because she was female. She was encouraged to do nothing more than to find her husband, bear his children, and raise them according to religious and community standards.

She was also a woman, whom when my father became so sick and his business failed, had to step in and become a breadwinner, a disciplinarian, the head of the house, and everything else that my father had been in addition to being the loving and emotional heartbeat of her family. She worked in my high school lunchroom, and then K-mart, and then Goodwill. And she was someone who humbly accepted that anything above minimum wage was a "good day's pay for a woman."

This was a woman, that to her last day on this earth on February 12, 2007, gave everything she had away to others that she knew needed it more. My mother was an example of Christian liberalism without ever having known it. Because it was never her intention. But that is what she was. She gave of herself more than she ever received of anyone. And yet for most of her life she felt that she had no voice. That's just not right.

I would love for someone like Hillary to be her voice. But I just don't buy it.

I understand that women need role models, just like any other group does. And I understand that Hillary is that role model for many of today's women. I respect that. In a way, that is an accomplishment in and of itself. Believe me when I say that I'm with you in your intentions. I just disagree on the woman.

The Clintons that I thought I was getting didn't turn out to be what I had envisioned. Not out of what I simply wanted as a 20 year old thrilled to be involved in the elections process for the first time, but because of what I still feel to this day was promised - by them, themselves.

I thought I was getting one more step towards equality in the lives of those in the GLBT community. Instead I got "Don't ask, don't tell." And then in his second term I got the Defense of Marriage Act.

I thought I was getting someone who understood the value of the middle class, as well as the need to protect the lower classes from corporate America. Instead I got NAFTA, WTO, and other free trade organizations that have zapped jobs, family time with parents who now have to work 2 jobs to make what they used to make at 1, and decreased the power of the average American.

I thought I was getting someone who protested Vietnam because he loved America, not hated it. Because he wanted Americans to give their lives as a last resort, and for the right reasons. What I got was a president whose administration enabled a self-declared enemy of this nation (and in turn everyone that I care about) to leap forward by decades in missile technology possibly endangering our very lives. Meanwhile, we had their officials, including military leaders, renting out the Lincoln Bedroom.

To top it off, Hillary ended up supporting Bush's Iraq war.

I thought I was getting a Democrat. What I got was a Democratic president who ran his 1996 re-election campaign like a Republican. And then governed like one too. Ultimately, he hurt his V.P.'s presidential campaign in 2000. And, along with Hillary, tepidly supported John Kerry's bid in 2004. After all, Hillary didn't want to have to run against a Democratic incumbent in 2008. If there was ever any question in my mind about the Clintons' goals vs. Democratic goals (along with the good of the country), that was answered in the last 2 presidential elections. We are now left with 8 years worth of memories of the worst president (George W. Bush) to ever occupy the Oval Office.

No, the 8 years of the Clinton presidency wasn't all bad. It had its moments. And we were better off with what we got rather than another 4 years of George H.W. Bush or Bob Dole. But that doesn't fix everything. Furthermore, I'm not a Clintonite. I washed my hands of that in 1996 when I voted 3rd party as a protest vote.

And, yes, I know that it's Hillary that is running for president, and not Bill. But let's get something straight. She's used her 8 years as First Lady to say that she's more experienced than the other contenders. She also inherits the goodwill and affection that most Democrats had for Bill and his two terms in office. No matter what anyone says, her legacy is tied with Bill's. And she has used that to her advantage.

This is all fair game in 2008. Bill has thoroughly interjected himself in this race. And with each passing day he sullies his own reputation by playing the race card. The man who is beloved within the African American community and known as "America's first black president" is now dropping casual references to feel good, but failed campaigns past by African American presidential candidates. It's almost as if he's saying it can't really happen. That's so beneath him.

Could Hillary stand on her own two feet? The answer is yes. She had an opportunity as a United States senator to distinguish herself. Instead, she took the political DLC route and governed as her husband had governed in office with few idealogical or policy differences. That's not the Hillary that we knew in 1992. If Hillary had been running for president in 1992, I would've voted for her.

So, no, I cannot with good faith cast my vote for Hillary.

If I believed that her ambitions were about more than just power, I would do differently. If I believed that having Hillary as president would help the lives of the average woman like my mother, I would vote for her.

Call me an idealist, but I washed my hands of political centrism a year ago. Those of us on the left have bitten our tongues for the sake of political expediency too often. And we've gotten so little in return for it. Meanwhile these centrist politicians get exactly what they want. They get the power, they get the prestige, and it doesn't really matter what happens to average Americans who need them to be their voice.

Instead I'm voting for someone who I doubted a few months ago. I doubted his experience, his leadership abilities, and his political sustainance. But as time has marched on, I've come to respect and admire Barack Obama. He has experience in all the right places. Maybe not as an elected official. But as someone who has stood up and been counted in several different communities.

I will no longer doubt his leadership. This is a man that was against Bush's Iraq War when it wasn't politically advantageous to be so. To stand amongst the few and fight the good fight, that's courage. Anybody could do what Hillary did on the Iraq vote along with everything that she has done since. As her husband was so often accused of, she seems to govern by polls. But what Obama did took leadership.

And, finally, I no longer doubt his ability to put up a fight. We all know what the Democratic nominee will face this fall. It'll get ugly. But when things got ugly in South Carolina this weekend, Obama stood strong. He stared down Hillary's attacks at the last debate. And he has shown that he's not going to cower to a popular former president and party leader. He stood strong and he prevailed.

I have no idea what will happen next Feb. 5th. Or the week after that, or the week after that. But I suppose I can take what satisfaction there is from exercising my right to voice my opinion. No one should feel influenced by my choices in this race or any other. They should look into what's important for them and make up their own minds. And now, I've done just that.

Why do I have such a sense of dread about 2008?

2008-01-24T08:44:00.000-05:00

I have been tending to other things these last few weeks. Work, sick people, family and friends, my dog, and all that encompasses the life of a dead politician. And now I'm ready to throw an opinion or two out there. I just hate that it's going to sound so negative. But that's my general feeling on this cold day in January.

First of all, it was great to see Obama win Iowa. That really seemed to put the Clinton machine on its collective heels. However, it has also brought out the negative attacks from Bill. It's truly payback time isn't it? For so many years, Hillary worked dilligently behind the scenes as Bill's attack dog. Speaking of which, does anyone know where Lani Guinier is these days? The last time she crossed her old pals' path she became a Clinton political casualty.

Thanks in no small part to Hillary, "Kiddo" went from being Bill's nominee for Attorney General to being left to die a slow and painful death as the national media and Republicans destroyed her reputation. Now, Bill's repaying his debt to Hillary.

On the Republican side of things, why in the hell would Michigan voters prefer Mitt Romney over anyone? Perhaps the state hit hardest by free traders and their middle class-destroying policies, Michiganders preferred Romney, a confirmed and unrepentent free trader, in the Republican primary. That state may have distinguished itself as a prime example of how America could end up with not just one term of George W. Bush, but two.........

Back to the Dems, John Edwards (who probably best represents me and my views) is hanging in there. But he sure could use a win somewhere. Two months ago I thought that he might win South Carolina and Georgia. After all, he has Carolinian roots. Plus he has the support of several prominent Georgia Dems such as former Gov. Roy Barnes. But it's not looking good for him.

I have this sense of dread. With Edwards on the ropes, Obama may become our only hope for a win in November. However, he's being pulled into a mud slinging contest by two of the best smear artists around. That's not his game. And it's taking him off message and distracting voters. Why does it seem like we've been here before?

No one can defeat Democrats like Democrats themselves.

Why is it that we can have 8 years of the worst Republican leadership possible and still be looking down the barrel of another defeat? Why am I sitting here in January already dreading November?

"Evangelical Cancer" on the Military?

2007-11-16T09:04:00.000-05:00

I saw this article by Col. David Antoon on Truthdig via Alternet. He talks about some differences that he's noticed from his time at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado as compared to what he and his son experienced at his son's orientation..........

"Instead, my son's orientation became an opportunity for the academy to aggressively proselytize this next crop of cadets. Maj. Warren Watties led a group of 10 young, exclusively evangelical chaplains who stood shoulder to shoulder. He proudly stated that half of the cadets attended Bible studies on Monday nights in the dormitories and he hoped to increase this number from those in his audience who were about to join their ranks. This "invitation" was followed with hallelujahs and amens by the evangelical clergy. I later learned from Air Force Academy chaplain MeLinda Morton, a Lutheran who was forced to observe from the choir loft, that no priest, rabbi or mainline Protestant had been permitted to participate.

I no longer recognize the Air Force Academy as the institution I attended almost four decades earlier. At that point, I had no idea how invasive this extreme evangelical "cancer" had become throughout the entire military, that what I had witnessed was far from an isolated case of a few religious zealots."

Col. Antoon goes on to remind us of the ties between the oft discussed Eric Prince and Blackwater USA and the Bush administration that are deeply rooted in religion..........

"As described by Jeremy Scahill in his book "Blackwater," Prince, who attended the U.S. Naval Academy, comes from a wealthy theo-con family, is a "neo-crusader," and a Christian supremacist. He has been given billions of dollars in federal contracts to create a private army. COO Schmitz, another Naval Academy graduate, is a member of the Order of Malta, a Christian supremacist organization dating back to the Crusades, and happens to be married to the sister of Jeb Bush's wife, Columba. And Cofer Black, former coordinator for counterterrorism at the U.S. State Department and former director of the CIA's Counterterrorism Center, who was quoted by the BBC as saying "Capture Bin Laden, kill him and bring his head back in a box on dry ice," brings his own skill set to the Blackwater team as vice chairman.

The Christian supremacist fascism first reported at the Air Force Academy is endemic throughout the military. From the top down, there has been a complete repudiation of constitutional values and time-honored codes of ethics and honor codes in favor of religious ideology. And we now have a revolving door between Blackwater USA, which is Bush's Praetorian Guard, and the U.S. military at every level. The citizen-soldier military dictated by our founding fathers has been replaced with professional and mercenary right-wing Christian crusaders in control of the world's most powerful military. The risks to our democratic form of government cannot be overstated. "

Unfortunately, many mainstream, well-meaning Christians will dismiss such things saying that anything involving Christianity can't be a threat to our nation and our freedom. But they will be wrong about that. If the United States is ever to be toppled, it will probably involve fundamentalist Christians with fear and hatred of people who are not of their exact beliefs. And their weapon of choice will be the Holy Bible.

The whole article is worth a read...........

Speaker Richardson, I've got one for you too.........

2007-10-26T10:14:00.000-04:00

Before I start, I know this post won't be the most popular one I've ever entered into this blog. It's very true that I am the product of a man that looked at a Beta VCR and saw the future. As a result of those genes, I frequently find myself going against the grain.

Now, let's not kid anyone here. Even a part time glancer at this blog knows that I am against the death penalty. The reasons are many, and it's really not important to get into all of that right now. So you know where I'm coming from. What is important, is to point out the temerity of Georgia Speaker of the House Glenn Richardson.

Everyone remembers Brian Nichols. Not quite three years ago, he went on a courthouse rampage that left several people dead. Much of what took place happened in a very public way. There's no question about Nicholson's guilt or innocence. The only issue that needs resolving is Nichols' ultimate fate.

Understandably, many have clammored for the death penalty. Unfortunately, the Nichols case became a convenient talking point for politicians who favor such a punishment. In fact, last year, politicians from Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue to Speaker Richardson made good use of it.

So when a plea deal on Nichols' behalf for life in prison without parole came up, the very idea of such a disposition didn't sit well with folks like the Governor and the Speaker.

Not surprisingly, every Superior Court judge in Fulton County recused themselves from hearing the case. Not out of fear or for some unreasonable excuse, but because they all knew the Superior Court judge and other court personnel that Nichols attacked and killed. Enter retired Senior Superior Court Judge Hilton Fuller from another district to hear the case.

We have estimates of trial costs for Nicholson of upwards of $5,000,000 on both sides. Nicholson is being represented by public counsel. So in order to grant the Governor's and Speaker's death wish, this is the price that we must pay. The problem is that the defense has run out of money to mount a sufficient defense for a man that many want to see die. And before people get the idea that most of that money is going to the defense, it isn't. Prosecutors are mounting a huge case of over 300 witnesses that promises to keep Nancy Grace in business for quite a while to come.

In light of that, Judge Fuller has postponed the Nicholson trial several times. Fuller has also expressed his displeasure with the General Assembly for failing to appropriately fill the indigent defense fund coffers. Consider the General Assembly's cage rattled. Speaker Richardson wants a panel to probe Judge Fuller's actions.

In other words, how dare the judge point his finger at the very people who are responsible for the money shortage?

Apparently, Speaker Richardson feels that Brian Nichols is subhuman and not deserving of an adequate defense. Yes, Mr. Speaker, we all know that Nichols did it. And we all know how horrible the consequences of that terrible day have been for so many people. But Judge Fuller isn't the one to blame here.

Just imagine if Judge Fuller allowed this case to proceed with the defense attorneys not being given what they need to do their jobs. You should be able to smell the words "appeal" and "Supreme Court" and "retry" coming at this point.

Yet, Speaker Richardson's reaction isn't what I would expect it to be. Instead of working with the General Assembly and the Governor to find the necessary monies, he wants to have Judge Fuller impeached - impeached for nothing more than seeing that Brian Nichols is given his constitutionally protected right to an adequate and reasonable defense. You know, one of the bedrock principles that this country was founded on.

So Speaker Richardson, if you're so anxious to play judge, jury, and excutioner, go right ahead. But pay for it. Pay for your blood lust. We had a life in prison without parole deal on the table. But it wasn't good enough. You're getting what you want. So ante up!

I feel like picking a bone today.........

2007-10-26T09:04:00.000-04:00

Okay, in a way, I do actually get a small kick out of watching three Republican governors finger point, call names, and go running to the White House to tell on one another. But, folks, the water crisis is serious. Despite water conferences between the three (Florida's Governor Crist is new to the fray) from Tallahassee to Bainbridge to Dothan, the states of Georgia, Florida, and Alabama just can't seem to share the water. So, we'll likely see things settled in a federal court. Hopefully, it will be a settlement that all three states can live with.

Yesterday's AJC contained a guest column by Alabama Gov. Bob Riley where he had this to say in response to Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue's assertion that Florida and Alabama are trying to take Georgia's drinking water:

"Contrary to some of the recent heated rhetoric emanating in Georgia, Alabama doesn't seek to cut off drinking water supplies to the Atlanta region. But Alabama cannot stand by and watch Georgia make a claim on the water in those reservoirs as if it belonged only to Atlanta. Downstream communities in Alabama and Georgia depend on the releases from those reservoirs to meet drinking water needs in times of drought as well as to support industry. If the water is not released, then the industries will be forced to shut down, and thousands of Alabama and Georgia families will lose their source of income."

Not to be outdone, Perdue offered a response criticizing the Corps of Engineers and suggesting that the amount of water Gov. Riley claims that Alabama needs isn't accurate in today's AJC saying:

"I will not stand for negligence when it comes to protecting Georgians' water supply. The Corps of Engineers' culpability grows every day. I will continue to seek a reasonable solution from the president of the United States, and by working with my friends in Alabama, but I cannot allow Riley's inaccurate assertions to go unchallenged."

Perdue won't stand for "negligence", eh? Well, former Georgia Democratic Party chair, Bobby Kahn weighs in over at Peach Pundit, and points out that Georgia's water crisis might at least be partially blamed on the Governor's own negligence (h/t Amy):

"Before Perdue was elected, Georgia was implementing a water plan. The Department of Natural Resources was looking to build reservoirs in North Georgia controlled by the state that would be used for drinking water. Currently, the lakes that supply the water to the Metro Atlanta region are controlled by the Army Corps of Engineers and have other purposes, including providing power and serving downstream environmental needs. That plan has been delayed for at least five years. As a result, Georgia finds itself fighting the Corps because we waited."

It seems that as Gov. Perdue postures and gyrates before the state's media, throwing in a punch or two to please the home folks, he himself has played a role in our water shortage. Considering that last year was a re-election year for the governor, it's disappointing that water wasn't a large issue between he and his opponent. Come to think of it, neither was transportation, nor the overdevelopment of north Georgia, which also contributes to our water problems. Consequently, south and western Georgians as well as Alabamians and Floridians are paying a price too.

So I'm hoping that the armchair political QB's that spent 2006 defending the slimey tactics of the undynamic duo of Perdue and Mark Taylor, and being concerned more about winning the election than actually solving the problems of the state are now happy. Continuing to turn important races that should be based on a little thing called issues rather than Wikipedia entries or writing letters to the editor over sports section headlines.

And if you're reading this and feeling a finger poking in your eye, don't blame me. You can't fault us "idealists" for feeling this way.

You want a good dose of "realism?" Well, I hope you can drink this bit of reality. Whether it be mussel farmers, people paying higher prices for electricity, or those of us facing water rationing, someone is going to be hurting - at least for a while.

Somehow I doubt that the any of the three states are completely right about their arguments. But I know this much, Georgia (metro Atlanta anyway) has made some unhealthy contributions to this crisis that plagues us.

So for our part, I'd like to humbly apologize to our neighbors and friends in "the other Georgia" as well as in the states of Alabama and Florida. Try not to hold it against us all.

Ode to the Mullet

2007-10-14T15:51:00.000-04:00

Since I blogged about Izzy's slow recovery from his surgery a couple of weeks ago, many of you have continued to ask me about him. I'm glad to say that Izzy is almost back to his old self. But notice that I did say "almost."

One thing that has been slow to change is that his hair hasn't grown back where it was shaved, right on top of his little head. Now that it is coming back in little by little, he looks like a dog version of Billy Ray Cyrus complete with a doggy-mullet!

Which reminds me of 1984, when I - yes, I - had a mullet. But wait, wait.......if you're old enough, you probably had a mullet too! When I look at pictures of my teen years, I sometimes see my hair short and sort of spikey on top and longish in the back with a curl around my left ear. And before you ask, no, I won't be posting pics of that. ;-)

I was 12 in 1984, and I thought I was cool. I mostly wore tank tops or muslce shirts to show off my lanky arms and skinny upper body. I even wore cut off blue jeans now and then. But I also had a fascination with Panama Jack. I think the other difference in me that year was that I carried a pocket knife in my front pocket. It was a gift that I hadn't asked for. Nevertheless I walked around with it, along with my plastic comb handle sticking out of my back pocket.

I was thinking of Izzy's doggy-mullet this week and telling this same story to a girl that is 20 years old. It suddenly saddened me to realize that my mullet PRE-dates her existance!

Okay, now that I've given you an unpleasant visual, and perhaps rekindled some memories for you, it's important to remind everyone that even celebrities and sex symbols wore mullets. Soap stars, movie stars, sports figures, pin up girls and hunks, you name it and they had it.

Even fashionable women like tennis champ Chris Evert had one. I remember when she cut her hair off, perm fried it, and dyed it blond in a trashy, vampy sort of look so unlike the previous pristine Prissy Chrissy look with the long hair in a pony tail complete with bow. It was a part of her 80's power look, which she came up with when she switched from a wooden racquet to graphite and took up weight training in order to catch her great rival (and fellow mulleteer), Martina Navratilova.

By 1987, Chris' mullet did something quite scary. It grew wings! She curled her bangs over her forehead and created a tall dome on top of her head that extended down to her shoulders. Exactly what kind of hair products it took to perfect that look, I have no idea. Thankfully, my mullet never looked like it could fly away or knock down low flying planes like her's did.

So thanks everyone for asking about Izzy. Know that he's doing well and keeping me on my toes. As I look across the room, he's lying in the sun on his back tanning his pinkish belly. He looks comfy, so I may go over and do the same thing. However, we won't be sharing hairstyles!

Gore wins the Nobel Peace Prize

2007-10-12T09:13:00.000-04:00

Al Gore shares this year's Nobel Peace Prize along with the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate for their efforts to call the world's attention to global warming and the measures needed to fight it. The Nobel committee recognized Gore's early attention to the matter.

The committee's decision to also honor the panel was a smart one. Those men and women have made great contributions in taking out the politics of the issue out, and establishing validity to the idea that global warming is indeed happening, and that humans are contributing to it.

Of course, this will spur on more speculation that Gore might be talked into jumping into the 2008 presidential race. Personally, I'm just happy to see the guy finally getting the credit that he deserves on an issue that is affecting every living thing on this earth.

On MSNBC this morning, former President Jimmy Carter was asked to comment on Gore's Nobel Peace Prize. He said that he was extremely happy for Gore, and that he hopes that Gore will participate in another "political event."

Could he have been expressing his wish to see Al enter the race? I take it to mean that. Although he could've also been talking about a future run for president beyond 2008 as well. The Gores and Carters have always been extremely close, including several joint collaborations between Rosalynn Carter and Tipper Gore on mental health issues.

Contrastly, the relationship between the Clintons and Carters has never been friendly. Not only have they had policy disagreements, but personal ones as well. Even to the point of Carter refusing to attend the 1996 Democratic National Convention, and subsequent inauguration. As well as Hillary's snub of Rosalynn Carter at a late 90's event in Atlanta for Georgia Democratic women, in which Douglas Brinkely ("The Unfinished Presidency") quoted Mrs. Carter as saying was, "hurtful."

Although, it is important to remember that Pres. Carter did invite John Edwards to Americus, GA to speak earlier this year. So, I feel sure that he will actively support whoever the Democratic nominee ultimately is.

Does the new "Bionic Woman" have fembots and cheesy sound effects?

2007-10-11T18:03:00.001-04:00

Carter Slams Cheney; Al Gore Finally Getting his Due

2007-10-11T08:22:00.000-04:00

Former President Jimmy Carter took another swing at our amoral Veep yesterday, saying that Dick Cheney, "hasn't been right on hardly anything." Carter went on to call Cheney a "disaster" with "undue influence" on the president.

I'm sure that conservatives and the whacko right will come down hard on Carter for his comments, as they usually do. You see, they can't refute what he says with facts. Because the facts rarely support their efforts to cover up for wayward Republican presidents and officials. Instead, they'll try to dismiss Carter, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, and go back to thinking of new and creative ways in which to spin the the unspinnable.

They'll also spout out some kind of hullabaloo about former presidents not speaking ill of the current administration. Which is always a hypocritical route to take considering that former President Reagan spent 8 years distorting the records of Carter and even fellow Republicans Ford and Nixon, just to deflect any criticism from him. I guess when Carter started firing back at Reagan they thought that they were entitled to some sort of presidential exception.

But frankly, I appreciate it when the former president calls upon his wealth of knowledge and experience to pass opinions - both good and bad - about how the current occupants of the White House are doing. It's not like he held his tongue when Bill Clinton was in office. So if Republicans stomp their feet and give in to their usual anti-Carter rants, just suggest to them that they should actually consider what he's saying. Because all Carter did was state the obvious.

Meanwhile, former Vice President Al Gore, 7 years removed from having the 2000 presidential election stolen from him, can feel a certain amount of gratification. Draft Gore launched their last best move in which to attempt to lure Gore into the 2008 presidential race. I more or less gave up any real hopes that Gore would enter the race during the summer. Since then I've operated on the assumption that I'm going to have to choose from the current crop of Democrats to support. If I voted my heart, I'd probably go with Dennis Kucinich. If I went with our best chance of winning in 2008, I'd vote for John Edwards. However, it would do my heart good to see Al step in this race, and step over Hillary and give us a real shot at changing the fortunes of this country.

Instead, we may have to settle for supporting Gore's chances for a Nobel Peace Prize. Still, it's great to see so many people embracing Al. He's possibly given more to us than we've given him.

Hillary: First Iraq, now Iran?

2007-10-01T16:53:00.000-04:00

For someone who says that she regrets voting to give Bush authorization to use force against Iraq, Hillary sure has a funny way of showing it. Last week, Hillary became the only candidate for the Democratic nomination for POTUS to side with Sen. Lieberman to declare Iran's Revolutionary Guards a terrorist group. For a more informed read into exactly what the Bush administration has in store for Iran, thanks to the Hillary's and Lieberman's of the world, take a looksy at Seymour M. Hersh's New Yorker article, "Shifting Targets."

The only question is when do the bombs start falling on Iran?

Hillary's being roundly criticized for her support of Lieberman and Bush here, here, here, and here, and justifiably so.

h/t: Beyond the Clintons and BlueBloggin

My poor baby.........

2007-09-28T11:33:00.000-04:00

My friend Izzy is 11 years old now. He's normally picky, vivacious, spoiled, fiercely loyal, hard-headed, affectionate, and plays like a puppy.

But yesterday, he had to have a large mass (benign, thankfully) removed and 4 teeth extracted. His poor little head is shaved, he has stitches in 2 places, and he's still feelings the effects of the procedures.

He's just so pitiful. He can't stop staring at me. And he wants to be no where else but in my lap - which he is right now. This isn't the Izzy that I've known and loved for so long.

I know that what we did yesterday was for his own benefit. But I didn't expect him to be quite this way. Which makes me feel that I didn't ask enough questions before hand. I'm told that he should be "back to normal" in about a week.

Still, it's hard to watch him suffer. He whines and whimpers a bit from the pain. I give him the pills for pain that his vet prescribed for him. But only when he gets to that point.

So if you can spare a positive thought or two for Izzy today, please do so. Trust me, he deserves it.

"........bad people with evil intent"

2007-09-26T13:19:00.000-04:00

Wow, I hope that my Georgia readers and others will wander over to Lydia Cornell's blog and check out "Blackwater Takes Taxpayer Money." Lydia reminds us that Obama and Clinton are upcoming guests on Basham and Cornell Radio. Recent guests have included Kucinich and Edwards. Their interviews are available from their archives.

She also threw this in:

"Best selling author John Grisham is finally speaking out. He said the current administration is built around "bad people with evil intent" and contends President Bush played politics as thousands died in Iraq. "

She then includes an article by Corey Flintoff on Blackwater and its GOP and fundamentalist Christian ties.

Great read.......go check it out.

AJC's "Life or Death" series

2007-09-25T10:06:00.000-04:00

This week's AJC special series on the death penalty has made for some interesting reading for those of us that are interested in the topic. So far, lots of different angles have been covered by the AJC staff in terms of what kinds of cases get consideration, prosecutors and their personal feelings on the issue and what goes into their decision to seek or not seek the death penalty, concious and unconcious racism, jury perspectives, and the role of DNA in the acquittal of several residents of death row.

Regular readers of this blog might recall that I used to be in favor of capital punishment. However, over time, my position has changed. It has changed because I do not believe that the death penalty is a deterrent to crimes involving murder. Not to mention the fact that we now know for sure that there have been defendents found guilty of murder and sentenced to death who should not have been. Yes, the death penalty is fallible yet irrevocable once administered. Also, I don't think that I can morally justify the deliberate taking of life sanctioned by government, especially in light of such risk of getting it wrong.

More and more Americans are reaching the same conclusions that I have. The AJC's research shows that fewer prosecutors are seeking the death penalty, and fewer juries are willing to levy it. According to this Heather Vogell article in the AJC, here are some reasons why:

"Ten of the 38 death penalty states have put executions on hold — seven because of challenges that lethal injection constitutes cruel and unusual punishment, according to state officials and the Death Penalty Information Center.

Exonerations of death row criminals because of DNA and other evidence have also heightened fear that an innocent person could be executed, experts say.

Scott Sundby, a law professor and death penalty expert at Washington and Lee University, said he believes better training and support for defense lawyers also explain the drop in death trials. Three U.S. Supreme Court decisions since 2000 have underscored that the court will overturn a death sentence if the defendant is not represented properly.

The cost of death penalty prosecutions has climbed as capital defense has grown more thorough. Sundby said those higher costs, the reduced odds of victory, and a perception that perhaps the public isn't demanding death as it once did may all be discouraging prosecutors from taking death cases to trial."

But, rest assured, there are "though on crime" zealots out there that are trying to reverse these trends in spite of what we are finding out about the death penalty and the social issues surrounding it. Vogell notes that earlier this year, a group of them tried to change the law requiring a unanimous decision to impose the death penalty be changed to make it easier to get more death penalty verdicts. Surprisingly, we even had a Democratic gubernatorial candidate pander to those zealots in 2006 by coming out in favor of applying the death penalty to cases not involving murder.

I've mentioned this before, but I grew up in a home that was located approximately 15 miles from the heinous 1973 Alday murders, committed by escaped convicts from Maryland on a joyride through north Florida and south Georgia. Not only that, but based on the accounts of several different books and a movie on the subject, the killers drove right past the turnoff for our dirt road, not even 2 miles from where we lived. They also stopped at the mom and pop grocery store where I was later to work during my high school years. I even worked with an attorney that was assigned to defend one of the defendents in the original trial held in Donalsonville.

One of the most shocking aspects of this brutal crime was that it was so random. According to my parents, we were home. I was a little over a year old. So I never experienced the full shock of the actual events. But it left the people of our small, rural community devasted. By all accounts, these murderers killed good, decent, hard working people who may have been of simple means (as we all were), but were valuable assets to their community.

While the others received jail sentences, ringleader Carl Isaacs got the death penalty. Isaacs became the longest serving resident of Georgia's death row as he spent 30 years filing appeals and eventually won a new trial. During those 30 years, he spent much of it calling the residents of south Georgia "rednecks" and mocking the survivors of his victims by saying, "The only signifcant thing the Aldays ever did was to get murdered by me." However, Isaacs did eventually meet his date with death in 2003.

Perhaps even more cruel is the fact that the Alday family and the residents of Seminole County continued to suffer the consequences of Isaacs' and his friends' actions. With all of the male members of the Alday family dead, their widows and children lost their farms. The county, being one of the smallest and most poor in the entire state, was financially strapped and unable to provide some services to its own residents because it was burdened by Isaacs' endless appeals and chicanery.

So if anyone ever deserved the death penalty, it was Carl Isaacs.

I go into such personal detail, not to pretend in any way that I could ever understand the 30 year nightmare of the Alday survivors. Because I can't. I do it because I want those of you that care to read this to know that I don't sympathize with people who do such horrible things. My sympathies lie with the victims.

But even having known some of the people involved in one of the most traumatizing events in the history of the state of Georgia, I think it's important for people who support the death penalty to look into and understand the complexities of the issue. There are problems - serious problems that cross racial lines, economic lines, and go right to the heart of our sense of right and wrong. It's something that we all should consider.

One and done baby!

2007-09-24T08:45:00.001-04:00

Dawgs take it in OT in T-town! h/t Dawg Videos

Radical Christian Conservative "Activists" Gear Up for 2008

2007-09-23T10:20:00.000-04:00

First of all, if you haven't figured it out by now, if someone introduces themselves to you as a "Christian conservative activist," this is your cue to run away as quickly as you can in the opposite direction. Because these are people that are led by some of the most evil people on the face of the planet. It's not necessarily that they are evil people themselves. It's just that their fundamentalist "I'm right, you're wrong, and you're going to burn in Hell for all eternity" Sunday School brainwashing has prevented otherwise reasonably intelligent people from joining the rest of society in the 21st century where religion sits alongside science and reason.

I have said and will always believe that the downfall of the Republican Party was their late 70's marriage to the far right Christian evangelical radicals. President Reagan's alliance with Jerry Falwell's Moral Majority paid short term dividends. Falwell dishonestly convinced Middle America Christians that President Carter wasn't a Christian at all, but a man given to secular thought and a supporter of immorality. And Christians went to the polls in droves to oust Carter and annoint Reagan, a man who didn't even go to church.

Meanwhile, Carter spends the rest of his public life dirtying his hands with things that Falwell never, ever did. Notice that Carter doesn't spend his time touring Europe, Japan, Australia, etc. vacationing in lavish hotels and collecting hundreds of thousands of dollars in speaking fees, even though he could. Instead, he focuses most of his energy on helping people that are otherwise forgotten by most of the world - the sick, the starving, and poor people who have little control over their own lives. You know, the people that many Christians claim to care about but don't do anything for.

But those short term benefits are now long passed. Even many Republicans have begun to move away from radical evangelicals' dangerous fundamentalist philosophies while maintaing their own faith. However, someone forgot to tell President Bush about this trend. His adminstration is littered with quite a few of the dimmest minds of Falwell's Liberty University. Funny, I would've expected more accomplished people from places like Harvard, Duke, or Stanford.

These radicals have noticed the fact that they're losing their grip on mainstream politics. And they're meeting in Florida to rally the troops:

"In Tampa, most panels stuck to hot-button themes aimed at
getting Florida conservatives involved in politics: The Homosexual Agenda. Life Issues. Redeeming the Culture Through the Legal System. The Church and Voter Registration. Several speakers highlighted threats from militant Islam, an increased emphasis in the movement."

In other words, their tactics haven't changed. Preach and encourage discrimination and hate against the LGBT community, put the government back in control of a woman's own body and using the death penalty as a cruel and racist tool, misusing the legal system to enforce their rigid, fundamentalist, flawed beliefs, and refuse to seperate church and state. And if all else fails, ignore their own shortcomings by pointing out radicals of other religions.

One of the absolute few bright spots in Georgia politics in 2006 was the repudiation of Ralph Reed. For that to happen in a red state was a significant sign nationally. But that doesn't mean that these radicals have given up. They're obviously getting ready for another round of battles in 2008.

Thank goodness for the Blogroll!

2007-09-22T12:59:00.000-04:00

I didn't have a lot of time for posting last week. But I did do a lot of reading from the blogroll. Thanks guys and girls for keeping me informed..........

Mel means business (even on Saturday morning) with this youtube clip that she posted over at Blog for Democracy. The recall of various Chinese goods has been on my mind all year long as my archives will attest. So I'm happy to see that Wake Up Walmart is focusing on this.

Larry is all over Blackwater USA. They just happen to be major donors of the Republican Party, and they also have contracts with the our government to the tune of $500 million. No bids are necessary apparently. Along those same lines, Beyond the Clintons posted a youtube clip all about "Blood for Oil." Give that clip a look. Bush definitely has some low friends in high places.

Over at Blue Bloggin', nytexan blogs about an odd quote from our illustrious Yale grad prez.

Christopher picked up CREW's list of this year's "Most Corrupt Members of Congress" list. Not surprisingly there are only 3 or 4 Dems on the entire list. So I felt the need to congratulate Georgia's own Rep. David Scott for being one of them. You read all about his "service" to the public here.

David Sirota talked about the "New NAFTA." I never imagined that I would be so disappointed with this Democratically controlled Congress. From weak leadership that allows a president with approval ratings in the 20's and 30's to run roughshod over them to a sellout of the American middle class, it's almost as bad as having a Republican controlled Congress again.

Flack attack puts the spotlight on Sadie Fields. Leaving 200K poor kids uninsured isn't very Christian-like. And neither is lying about it. She needs some knee pads for her nightly prayers, because she's got a lot to ask for forgiveness for.

And Birmingham Blues made some interesting observations about the "Jena 6" story. She asked the important question of why black students had to ask for permission to sit under a tree where white students normally sit in the year 2006. Unbelievable..............

Oh, and I wanted to do a posting about UGA vs. Alabama this week. These two used to be huge rivals for about 50 years. In fact, Alabama's fight song "Yea Alabama" includes references to three schools, two of which are UGA and Georgia Tech.

But when Georgia Tech and Tulane withdrew from the conference in 1963, the SEC did some badly needed revamping of the conference schedules. Unfortunately, the UGA vs. Alabama series ceased to be an annual game. Still, when the Dawgs and Tide get together, it's usually a great game.

So here's hoping that Richt and the boys can "hunker down" tonight in Tuscaloosa. But they'll have to do it without Larry.

Ditch the Electoral College?

2007-09-12T09:37:00.000-04:00

Since Republicans are trying to move California away from a winner-take-all electoral state, perhaps it's time to seriously think about doing away with the electoral college altogether. This isn't a new question. There have been proponents of a move to deciding elections for POTUS by popular vote for as long as I can remember. But considering the popular vote would've spared the U.S., and indeed the world, a George W. Bush presidency these last 7 years, that idea sounds like one deserving of some thought.

Just think, Al Gore would probably be in his second term right now. Thousands of soldiers and possibly millions of Iraqi civilians who were alive in 2000 would still be alive today. Our country would be involved with peaceful, constructive plans of action for stability in the Middle East, and not the cause of further unrest. Millions of people around the world who either looked favorably towards the United States or at least were neutral would not look upon our country as the instigator of war and suffering. And thousands of people who have decided to devote their lives and the lives of their children to terrorism against the United States and its allies would likely be going about their business every day without giving us more than a second thought.

On the homefront, the city of New Orleans would likely be well ahead of where it is now in their recovery efforts from Hurricane Katrina. We would've never seen thousands of mostly poor, African American faces wandering around on I-10 bypasses wondering why no one seems to care as their loved ones suffer from thirst and dysentary, and their homes lay under water.

There would've never been an Attorney General John Ashcroft, Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez, or a Patriot Act restricting the freedoms of average Americans, while giving their government overreaching powers that could turn freely elected leaders into tyrants and dictators. There would have been no Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld to send our troops into action without all proper equipment and forms of protection. Corporations like Haliburton wouldn't have their own hotline to the Vice President giving them a very large say in our nation's foreign and domestic affairs. And maybe, just maybe the people responsible for 9/11 would be apprehended and dealt with long ago. Or maybe there would've never even been a 9/11? I don't know if that's fair to say or not. But an America led by Al Gore would not be in the quagmire it is today.

Yes, deciding the winner of the 2000 presidential election by popular vote sounds good indeed.

Every other elected office in this country is decided by popular vote. So why not POTUS? I understand the need for every state to ensure that it has some level of importance in deciding our leader. It should be a 50 state process with all 50 states getting to see the candidates up close and personal. But when you see how the polarizing tags of "red state" and "blue state" diminish the importance of some states by one party or another, I'm not so sure that we wouldn't be improving things by going to the popular vote.

I found the National Popular Vote website via BuzzFlash. According to them, these Georgians are amongst the hundreds of politicians nationally that support their effort.

My Common Cause bretheren have been supportive of this movement for a while too. Maybe it's time I considered joining them?

Bush and China and the Death Penalty

2007-09-07T08:42:00.000-04:00

Bush is in Sydney, Australia for the APEC summit. Yesterday, he spent 90 minutes with China's leader Hu Jintou. Amongst the topics for discussion were currency exchange, product safety, and North Korea. And Bush accepted an invitation to attend the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

New York Democratic Senator and China critic, Chuck Schumer, wasn't satisfied with the results of what Bush called a " very constructive " conversation with the Chinese leader, saying:

``We need to get China to start playing by the rules on currency, safety of exports, and allowing American companies in key industries access to its markets,'' Schumer said in a statement in Washington. Bush ``has maintained a `talk softly and carry no stick' strategy for China.''

Given the close, mutually beneficial relationship between China and the Bush family that goes back at least to 1974 when former President George H. W. Bush was ambassador to China during the Nixon administration, we shouldn't hold our breath on Bush doing a darn thing towards China. Since then, the Bushes have profitted from a few business ventures with the Chinese (Tiananmen Square be damned). This would include Uncle Prescott Bush building China's first golf course. Wow, now there's something to brag about...........

"Neil Bush, the third of George H.W. Bush's four sons (George W., Jeb, Neil and Marvin), is the latest family member to hitch his fortunes to China.

In 1974, President Nixon named George H.W. Bush as his ambassador to China, a position he held for two years. In the 1980s, George H.W. Bush's brother, Prescott Bush Jr., began pursuing business opportunities on the mainland. In 1988, he teamed up with Japanese businessmen to build China's first golf course in Shanghai. He struck up a long friendship with former President Jiang, whose son is now a business partner of Neil Bush.

Prescott Bush Jr.'s Chinese ties generated their own share of controversy. He was criticized for meeting with Chinese business and government leaders just three months after the Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989.

The Shanghai golf venture became an embarrassment when allegations surfaced that his Japanese partners were trying to get business contracts by bribing Panamanian leader Manuel Noriega. Prescott Bush Jr.'s ties to an American firm, Asset Management, were scrutinized in 1989 because it was the only U.S. firm able to skirt sanctions and import communications satellites into China.

When Asset Management later went bankrupt, Prescott Bush Jr. arranged a bailout through a Japanese investment firm later accused of having ties to organized crime. There was no evidence he was aware of the alleged mob connection."

The Chinese leader did seek to comfort Bush and Americans by saying that China was doing all it could do to ensure product safety. They did after all execute an official because over this earlier this year. I doubt that Bush even flinched over that considering his record on executions as Texas governor.

Speaking of China and executions, Amnesty International says that they continue to lead the world in executions. They are responsible for at least 91% of the world's known executions. This AI report says that it's impossible to know exactly how many people are executed in China each year because it's a "state secret." However, the "true number is believed to be as high as 8,000" executed in that country in 2006. There is also a report that Chinese school children were once a part of an audience of 2,500 attending the deaths of 6 men.

And I can't think about the death penalty without thinking of Troy Davis. Stay strong, Troy.

UGA "Dawgties" Cowboys, 35-14

2007-09-02T12:53:00.000-04:00

As expected, the 13th ranked Georgia Bulldogs defeated the Oklahoma State Cowboys, 35-14, yesterday to open the 2007 college football season. UGA controlled the game throughout, but the Cowboys were still in it at halftime, trailing only by 7.

But that's when UGA's much questioned young defense stepped up to the plate, made some adjustments, and shutout the Pokes in the 2nd half. OSU's offense was ranked in the top 10 in both yardage and scoring last year, averaging 500 yards of offense, including high powered showings vs. OU, Texas, a rout of Nebraska, and a win over SEC rival, Alabama.

UGA's other trouble spot, the offensive line, did a good job. They should continue to improve barring injuries. They only gave up 2 sacks on Stafford. And did well enough to spring Brown free for 2 TD's, and Southerland for another. Freshaman sensation Knowshon Moreno wowed the crowd with his moves and his speed.

Speaking of Matthew Stafford, the UGA QB went 18 of 24 for 234 yards with 2 TD's and 0 INT's. The difference in his poise and control of the offense is like night and day from this time last year. His WR's did a great job of holding onto the ball, which was a problem last year. And it was great to see SR. Sean Bailey have a good game after missing all of last year with an injury.

And how 'bout Mikey Henderson's big punt return? He backpeddled to his own 5 and ran 70 yards down to OSU's 25. That return all but sealed the Cowboys' fate.

For a better recap of the game, here's what the Athens Banner-Herald had to say.

From a Cowboy perspective, here's one blogger's take on UGA, Athens, and southern football in general.

Next up: The South Carolina Gamecocks

Should we boycott the Beijing Olympics?

2007-09-02T12:28:00.000-04:00

According to this Yahoo News article, Richard Gere thinks we should..........

"Why should the world reward people who are obviously so bad to their
own people, so bad to other people."

Here in Atlanta, we saw for ourselves what the International Olympic Committee is really all about. The IOC is filled with a werid mix of rogue, thuggish elites that think they're worthy of titles, such as, "your excellency." How the government of China treats its citizens is of no concern to them. Apparently as it was no concern to those that awarded Olympiads to Adolf Hitler and the peace loving USSR, who just months before hosting the 1980 Summer Olympics, invaded Afghanistan.

I love the Olympics and what they stand for. But I'm not for governments using them as a propaganda campaign to put on a friendlier face for the world. I suspect this is the only reason why China was ever interested in hosting.

And I say that as someone who was proud of Atlanta's Olympic effort to put on the largest games in Olympic history. Attending the 10 year anniversary celebrations brought back some wonderful memories. But thanks in part to the IOC, not all of our memories were good ones.

Gere has always been a champion of the Tibetan people, who have been abused by the Chinese, and serves as Chairman of the International Campaign for Tibet.

Dawgs vs. Cowpokes 'Tween the Hedges, Plus Predictions

2007-08-31T09:11:00.000-04:00

It's time! It's time! Every August goes by so slowly, as if it knows that it's about to yield to the very best time of year. I know we have another month of summer. But when fall collides with college football, it just doesn't get any better than that. Especially if you're a University of Georgia fan. There is no more beautiful campus during the fall than the UGA campus in Athens. And when the red n' black assemble, there is no greater spectacle than to stand from Sanford Bridge and peer down onto the lush emerald green grass and let your eyes wander through 93,000 of your closest friends.

When the 2000 Sudler Trophy winning Redcoat Band takes the field and plays the "Battle Hymn," "Hail to Georgia," and "Glory, Glory," my heart will be pumping! Hopefully the Dawgs can take advantage of a late season surge that saw UGA become the only team in the country to defeat 3 consecutive ranked teams: Auburn, Georgia Tech, and Virginia Tech to finish 9-4. UGA remains one of the top 8 winningest programs in the country this decade.

The 2007 season brings us a new opponent right away. The Big 12's Oklahoma State Cowboys venture into SEC country to take on the Dawgs. UGA will return the favor in Stillwater, OK in 2009. However, this isn't our first meeting. UGA defeated the Cowboys in Athens, and then again in Stillwater back in the 1940's. But what happened 60 years ago will have very little to do with what happens on Saturday. OSU defeated Nebraska last year and gave their archrivals, the Sooners, a scare. Then they went to the Independence Bowl and defeated Alabama in a shootout. So we know these boys can play.

As usual, many of the national know-it-alls have predicted OSU to win in an upset. Much like they did against Clemson in 2003 (UGA 30 Clemson 0), South Carolina in 2004 (UGA 20 SC 16), and Boise State in 2005 (UGA 48 BSU 13). I'd say Richt's Dawgs enjoy proving the "experts" wrong.

Assorted rivals have been telling me all summer that UGA is going to start the year 0-2. Not an intelligent bunch, I know. But consider the schools involved. Almost all of them wear the unmanly color of orange. And, of course, the Gamecocks think UGA has lost too much for us to beat them. But that's what they say every August. How many years have we beaten them in a row now? 5? Who knows? Maybe this year will be their time to crow.

In other words, all they naysayers are the same cast of characters that have predicted UGA to falter every year since 2002. Oh well, I suppose if you keep predicting it every year, you'll get your wish someday. :-)

UGA, with all of its youth, needs to just weather the storm against Oklahoma State and South Carolina in the first 2 weeks. It doesn't have to be impressive, and doesn't have to be pretty. We just need to win those 2 games. By the time the Dawgs head into Tuscaloosa to take on the Tide in late September, we should be in better shape.

I think we'll have to win it in a shootout with the Cowboys as the young guys on defense get adjusted to their roles. So I'll go with UGA 34 OSU 24.

GO DAWGS!

---------------------------------------------

Here's a few 2007 season predictions:

The FSU/Clemson game could go either way Monday night. But even though they're both in the same ACC division, I don't think the winner of the game will automatically win it. Look for the Noles to improve with big time additions to their coaching staff. They still have Weatherford as the QB, which I don't know if that's a good thing. But the bottom line is the OL has to be able to block better. And they need to be able to run the ball to ease the pressure on whoever the QB is. I think we'll see them start to look like the FSU of old this year.

But I like Clemson (one of my favorite places to tailgate) to win the game. They're tough at "Death Valley" and have had a lot of recent success against the Noles. Their problem is that they can't finish a season the way they start it. Or at least that's the book on Clemson in recent years. I'll guess that Clemson will win the game, but the Noles will win the war.

Look out for Tech - yes, that's Georgia Tech - in the other division of the ACC. Our rivals don't get enough respect. Tenuta's defense is always good. And now the Tech offense has a QB capable of being a leader. Add that to RB Choice and the Tech offense could be dangerous. With that being said, look for Virginia Tech to avenge themselves vs. the Jackets and win the division. VT should win the whole conference. But if it's the Noles they're facing in Jacksonville, they seem to have a mental block against the team from Tallahassee.

Even though LSU struggled on offense a bit last night, VT will lose in Baton Rouge next week. And that will put LSU in the perfect position to earn a spot in the BCS national title game in January. That is, if they don't stumble somewhere. You never know in the SEC. And now that Saban is hanging his hat in Tuscaloosa, LSU vs. Alabama has taken on a whole new level of intensity. The Tigers are the SEC west favorite and I do think they'll hold off Bama and Auburn to win it.

The east is not so easy to predict. The big 3 - Florida, Georgia, and Tennessee all have some major question marks on defense. UGA has the added problem of an almost entirely new OL. Meanwhile, Florida has to hope that Tim Tebow can live up to all of the hype. But, lucky for him, he has all kinds of talent on offense around him. And finally, the Vols have the advantage of sporting a senior QB. As we've seen in the past, OC Cutcliffe can do wonders with QB's. But the question is can Ainge stay healthy? On the eve of the Vols' battle with Cal this Saturday, the main storyline is that Ainge is, once again, injured. With him, I think the Vols will win the east almost by leadership default. But without him, they'll fall apart as they did late last year. That could open the door for UGA, provided we restore order in Jacksonville. I know, I know..........Whoever wins the east, I don't like their chances vs. LSU. I'll go with the Ti-gaaahs as the SEC champs.

Other champs:

Big 10: Michigan
Big East: West Virginia
Big 12: Oklahoma
Pac 10: USC

BCS Title Game: USC vs. LSU

From the Blogroll: "Edwards is en fuego," Brzezinski Endorses Obama, Hillary Still Thinks She's the Best

2007-08-27T09:39:00.000-04:00

As I perused my blogroll this morning, a few items caught my eye. First of all, Amy, who recently returned from a trip to Iowa stumping for John Edwards, is all smiles after this AlterNet article on John Edwards' rebuke of "Corporate Democrats." I've been very happy with Edwards' support of labor, and his criticism of some of his fellow Dems for walking the same corporate plank that we criticize the Republicans for using.

She also reminds us that Edwards will be here in Georgia Aug. 29th on the campus of Georgia Southwestern State University in Americus. Also in attendence will be former President Jimmy Carter.

Remember all of the hubub surrounding Howard Dean's 2004 trip to Plains to attend church services with the Carters? It was said to be an unofficial endorsement of Dean. And it is true that Chip Carter worked in the Dean campaign. Could this be a signal from the Carters? I don't know if that's the intention or not. But I do know that they will not endorse who is quietly known to be their least favorite presidential contender.

Meanwhile, Christopher blogged about some good news from the Obama camp. President Carter's National Security Advisor, Zbigniew Brzezinski, picks Barack Obama over Hillary Clinton. Brzezinski says that for all of Clinton's so called "experience," Obama has a "better global grasp"than Hillary.

Clinton, who seemingly believes in the Bush administration's failed diplomatic policy of not talking to our enemies, has criticized Obama for his lack of experience and for being "irresponsible" in some of his comments about who to negotiate with, and about hypothetical foreign policy situations in Pakistan. Seems as though Brzezinski feels it's Hillary who is mistaken saying, "Being a former First Lady does not prepare you for being president.........."

And finally, Sid blogged about Hillary's controversial comments about Republicans and a potential terrorist attack before Nov. 2008. While I don't totally disagree with what she is saying, she says, once again, that she would be "the best" at dealing with Republicans in that situation.

Earlier, Hillary told us that she's the Democrat to look to when trying to fight Republican dirty tricks. After all, she and her husband were the principle targets of many of them in the 1992 presidential election and during the Clinton administration itself.

But what really disappoints me about Hillary and her claims about "dealing with the Republicans" is that she herself has moved so far to the right that she almost looks like a Republican. Over the course of her senatorial career, she's drawn wide praise from Republicans for her help in getting many of their bills passed. While I'm all for a spirit of bipartisanship when it's warranted, Hillary's crossed that proverbial centrist line too many times on several issues important to me.

Trying to make yourself look more like a Republican isn't what I call "dealing with Republicans." It's called joining them.

Progressive Daily Beacon: The DLC and their "Perfect Tempest"

2007-08-23T18:15:00.001-04:00

From the Progressive Daily Beacon:

"The consultants and right-wing DLC have convinced Congressional Democrats that they shouldn't aggressively confront Mister Bush's failed Iraq War or move forward with impeachment proceedings. The Democrats have foolishly heeded this outrageous advice and as a result, they have lost the support of their Progressive and Liberal base and, too, a growing number of Independent voters. The latest polling placed Congressional approval at an all-time-low --- 18 percent."

and.........

"The big problem, however, is that Congressional Democrats, the
consultants and the extremist DLC haven't merely isolated the Party's base; they've lost them for years to come. True enough, Hillary Clinton will, without significant support from the base, become the Party's Presidential nominee. But how will she win a general election without support from the Party's base? She can't and she won't. So, in the end, the consultants and DLC will have gotten what they wanted, but it'll be the Democratic Party that pays the price.

Here is the devastating flaw in the consultant class and Republican-like DLC's plan: In November 2008, the Democratic Party's base will
stay home. That likelihood will probably result in the Democrats losing control of Congress. Even if they should somehow manage to hold onto the House, the Democratic majority will be too small and prove useless. Still, regardless of the Congressional outcome, Hillary will be defeated by the eventual Republican candidate. Hillary and the Democrats are going to get hit with a double whammy: The Progressive and Liberal base won't be going to the polls and, sweet irony, soon as Clinton is made the Democratic Party's nominee, the Republican evangelical base will be whipped into a rabid frenzy."

I shamelessly c&p'd half of the article. But you should read the whole thing. Considering the general dissatisfaction with the DLC and it's performance, it makes sense. And I think it explains a lot of problems troubling the Democratic Party.

Think we don't have problems? We had an election stolen from us in 2000. We lost in 2004. We swept both the House and the Senate in 2006, yet those bodies have even lower approval ratings than a lame-duck, proven wrong, jackass in elephant's clothing president. And once again, we seem to be following the familiar path to defeat laid for us by the DLC.

Considering the dismal performance of the Bush administration, we should be upbeat and on top of this thing. But first we've got some housekeeping to do before the primaries.

Scottsdale, AZ Prefers Al Gore Too

2007-08-23T10:38:00.000-04:00

Christopher spotted this blurb about a poll of Scottsdale, AZ Democrats. Last week, the majority of 400 Michigan Dems polled said that they wanted Al Gore as their nominee in 2008, 36% to 33% over Hillary Clinton. Scottsdale Dems like Gore even more and Hillary even less - 51% to 14%.

Should I or anyone else really put a lot of stock in these hypothetical polls? I don't know. Hypotheticals sometimes produce different results from real situationsl. But Christopher suspects that it reveals a "weak-as-water" level of support for our current front runner. I think he's right, and that's bad news. Not only is it bad news for Democratic presidential hopes in Nov. of 2008. It's also bad news for Democratic hopes to keep their majorities in the House and Senate. We already know that a Hillary nomination for POTUS will all but kill hopes for electing more Democrats in Georgia and other red states. Hello another term for Saxby. :-(

But I think these two polls do have some significance in one sense. States like Michigan and Arizona aren't necessarily blue states or red states. They are true battleground states. They are potential swing states for one party or the other. If likely Democrat voters in states like Michigan and Arizona are not crazy about Hillary, don't expect the majority of voters who probably claim to be Independents in those states to vote for her in a general election.

I know, I know.......it's early. Lots can still happen with any number of Democratic and/or Republican candidates. I'm just sayin'......................

Sino-Russian Empire?

2007-08-23T09:33:00.000-04:00

Even though our last three presidents have called Russia and China "friends" of the U.S., I'm glad that others are paying more attention. I don't necessarily feel compelled to label either nation as an "enemy" of the U.S. per se. But I hope it was just the vodka talking when Bush 1, Clinton, and Bush 2 professed nothing but love and honorable intentions from those two former enemies of each other turned allies.

As we seem to have trouble sorting through the murkiness of post Cold War relations with certain nations, Bush 2 hasn't exactly made us the great "nation-citizen of the world" that most of us would like to see. That's why the selection of our next president may be of extreme importance in how the rest of the world views us for decades to come. Either we're still a major player and a nation for others to turn to, or Russia and China (particularly China) will continue to position themselves as our replacements.

It's true that the Russia of Vladimir Putin is not the Soviet Union of Brezhnev or even of Gorbachev. Back then, the Soviets were a known entity. However, Putin seems to enjoy popularity at home and credibility around the world despite rumblings of what's going on inside Russia herself. We're still not far removed from the poisoning of an ex Russian spy and critic of the Putin regime that's soured British and Russian relations. And now that former chess star Garry Kasparov is being harrassed by police and government officials because he's challenging Putin. If that's not enough, Putin has told Russian history teachers to gloss over the crimes and legacy of Joseph Stalin and make a hero out of him.

Then there's China. It's not every day that a general from a nation regarded as a "friend" threatens a nuclear strike against the United States. "Friends" also don't send tainted goods to be consumed and then warn the media not to make a big deal out it. And yet, somehow, Bush 2 has managed to bungle Iraq, Iran, North Korea, and his entire foreign policy so badly that a signficant part of Europe and the rest of the world now are looking at China (a nation where human, animal, and environmental rights violations are atrocious) as a reasonable voice.

I have criticized China a lot in the past. I don't even want to go to the Olympics in Beijing next year, fearing the Chinese will use them for propaganda purposes just as Hitler did in Berlin in 1936. But I don't criticize the Chinese government as much as I want because we, ourselves, have been so poorly led. After six and a half years of Bush 2, I feel almost hypocrtitical for critizing any other nation too much on most anything.

This is not an attack on the people of Russia or China. Those two nations are home to citizens that have made wonderful contributions to world history in all sorts of areas of knowledge and art. I, too, want to live in peace and harmony with those people and the rest of the world.

But we've created such an economic and diplomatic mess in our own back yard, that I'm afraid we aren't perceived to be as great as we once were. And I don't think it's wise to lose track of the fact that other nations, like Russia and China, have noticed this too.

"Take this Job and Ship it"

2007-08-16T14:16:00.000-04:00

Last year, North Dakota Senator Byron Dorgan wrote a book about the outsourcing of American jobs to sweatshops in foreign countries. Take this Job and Ship It: How Corporate Greed and Brain-Dead Politics Are Selling Out America, takes a look into how average Americans have been weaseled out of their jobs, and how we've been cheated out of tax revenue from the more than profitable corporations, who are working with certain politicians very hard against the American middle class. Trade surpluses to trade deficits, good manufacturing jobs being sent to China for 20 cents per hour wages, and phony tax haven Caymen Island offices are all discussed in this book.

Just the other day, Basham and Cornell interviewed Sen. Dorgan and discussed his book. If you'd like listen to the interview, press this. You can scan to the middle for the Dorgan interview.

Michigan prefers Al Gore

2007-08-15T14:53:00.000-04:00

Draftgore.com is all abuzz with a Detroit news poll of 400 likely Democrat and 400 likely Republican voters and their preference for our next POTUS. It revealed that Michiganders aren't completely happy with their choices for their respective party nominations for POTUS. 36% of the 400 voters likely to vote Democrat said they wanted Al Gore. Meanwhile, only 32% said they wanted frontrunner Hillary Clinton. And get this, he even led amongst women 36-33.

"Pollster Ed Sarpolus of EPIC-MRA said Gore and Thompson do well"because they have better name recognition and they are more well-liked."

"Michigan Democrats are more satisfied with their choices,but they still don't have a lot of love for Hillary or Obama. They do love Al Gore," Sarpolus said."

On the Republican side, Fred Thompson, who has yet to officially announce his candidacy, led the pack with 22% to Rudy Guiliani's 19%. Newt Gingrich picked up 15%, which was more than Mitt Romney's paltry 12%. Not that this is very important. I wouldn't recommend voting for any of those people.

Gore has said on several occasions that he would not be running for president in 2008. But he hasn't ruled out a return to politics. If he's listening to the over 200 "Draft Gore" groups that have sprung up around the country (Atlanta, Canton, Fayetteville, and Rome all have Gore groups) and the hundreds of thousands of signatures on "Draft Gore" petitions that have been sent to his office in Nashville, perhaps he can be persuaded to reconsider.

Amongst our current choices for the Democratic nomination, I like almost all of them in some way or another. I respect the knowledge and the resumes of Joe Biden and Bill Richardson, but both have faltered recently during forums. Dennis Kucinich probably best represents me and my views, but he has no chance. Barack Obama definitely has the makings of a political leader that I could follow. But he's someone that I would probably look to more in 2012 or 2016. And I supported John Edwards in 2004, and would not hesitate to do so again in 2008.

Obama and Edwards can't be written off yet. But Hillary seems to have things well under control. That spells trouble for the Democratic Party and for America in general. After all, I don't think we could take another 4 to 8 years of Republican "leadership." Likewise, I don't think America should be asked for another 4 to 8 years of the Bush-Clinton stranglehold on the Oval Office that has now lasted for 18 years. This country doesn't belong to them, and frankly deserves better.

If things stay as they are, about the only thing that could save us is if Al Gore entered the race in the fall. Forget about the poetic justice of righting the wrongs of 2000. That's in the past. I want this to be about our future.

For my .02 worth, I want someone that Democrats and Independents in both red states and blue states can rally around. Someone that Democrats running in red states wouldn't have to disassociate themselves from. And I want someone who isn't consumed with power and the drive to obtain more for personal gain. Hillary does not fit that bill. In fact, she's the exact opposite. However, Al Gore makes a much better fit. I guess it will come down to whether or not he wants to go through the nonsensical gauntlet that a presidential bid has become.

Why wasn't Hillary treated the same as Edwards at HRC?

2007-08-10T13:07:00.000-04:00

I came across this from John R. Bohrer at Huffington Post today. At the HRC candidate forum last night, John Edwards was asked about a comment credited to him in Bob Shrum's book No Excuses. The comment Shrum says Edwards made was, "I'm not comfortable around those (gay) people." Edwards denied having ever made the comment.

But according to Bohrer, there's another gay rights tidbit in Shrum's book concerning the husband of another presidential candidate who was also in attendance at the forum. However, Mrs. Don't Ask Don't Tell was given a free pass. I wonder why?

Shrum's book alleges that President Clinton advised Senator John Kerry to support a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage during the 2004 election. Clinton's office denies that Clinton ever made this suggestion to John Kerry. But, of course, while president Clinton himself did sign the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). John Aravosis of AmericaBlog does a little investigating suggesting that it would be quite Clinton-esque for him to have advised Kerry to "throw gays under the bus." A charge that a senior spokesman in the Kerry Edwards campaign says is true according to Aravosis.

Considering that President Clinton is Hillary's top political advisor, why wasn't she asked about an allegation made from the very same book that John Edwards was questioned on? After all, this is someone who said last night that she thinks that states should decide questions of marriage.

As Christopher said, that's quite a scary thought that in 2007 we have the leading candidate for the Democratic nomination for POTUS copping out by calling gay marriage an issue for individual states. Watching MSNBC last night, it was quite surprising to learn that even conservative talking head Tucker Carlson is more pro gay marriage than Hillary is. Folks, that's even scarier.

How shockingly unprogressive, even for Mrs. Don't Ask Don't Tell? No wonder Rupert Murdoch of Fox News loves her.

My girl? I don't think so

2007-08-08T07:38:00.001-04:00

So last night at the AFL-CIO Democratic Candidate Forum, Hillary pounds her fists on her platform and declares, "I'm your girl!"

What an odd occasion for her to choose to make that declarative statement! The AFL-CIO? Mrs. NAFTA telling labor advocates that she's their girl?

The woman whose husband, as president, ushered in possibly the two most destructive pieces of legislation ever to the American middle class, NAFTA and WTO. Even the old goat from Texas told us we'd be hearing a "giant sucking noise" with good American industrial jobs going to sweatshops overseas. On this, he proved to be right.

NAFTA and WTO allowed corporations to, once again, give the middle finger to the heart and soul of its operations - their employees. Big business said these people made too much money and their unions were too difficult to deal with. It would be much easier and cost effective if they sent these jobs to countries where people can be bullied and threatened for a few pennies an hour. We also shouldn't forget another side affect, the substandard goods being sent to us by China. Yes indeed, what an odd time for Mrs. NAFTA to declare she's our girl.

But I also can't forget that this is also the same Hillary that "took on" the drug companies and healthcare industry in 1993 and 1994. You know, her highly public failure that was so costly to the Clinton administration that they clipped her wings, and all but banished her to the White House living quarters until after the 1996 election.

"Our girl" says she's still fighting drug companies and the healthcare industry. Yet, she's taking millions from them in campaign contributions. She says the right things about healthcare. It's just hard to know whether or not she actually means it. After all, when someone is stuffing millions of dollars into your pockets, it's a pretty safe bet that they'll want something in return. So is Hillary really going to be our girl? Or will she be doing the bidding of the many, many corporate donors that have given her such a cushy lead in money and the polls?

So, I'm sorry Mrs. NAFTA, Mrs. Corporate Calendar Girl, Hillary..................you're not my girl. Not now and not in Nov. of 2008. You may have all of this sewn up. But that doesn't mean I have to give you my vote.

Is Georgia about to execute an innocent man?

2007-07-15T14:04:00.000-04:00

From Moni Basu of the AJC..............

"She never spoke openly about the murder of Savannah police Officer Mark
Allen MacPhail. Not with her friends, not with her family. Only years later did
she tell a cousin, who nudged her to "do the right thing" and step
forward.

Seven of nine key witnesses who implicated Davis in MacPhail's
murder have recanted their testimony since the 1991 trial. Others, like Johnson, later made sworn statements that shifted the blame away from
Davis.

Some say they lied initially or withheld vital information. They were
young then, as fearful of the police as they were of neighborhood thugs. Some
were in trouble with the law and say they acted out of
self-preservation.

Johnson is still scared of retaliation from the man she thinks really
killed MacPhail. But over time, she felt the risks were worth taking, especially
after her cousin promised to protect her."

-----------------------------

If you were responsible for someone going to prison and being sentenced to death, would you change your story and try and help the convicted if it wasn't the right thing to do?

Hopefully Gov. Perdue will do the right thing and stay the execution of Troy Anthony Davis set for Tuesday night. Because it sure sounds like the people of the state of Georgia are about to commit murder.

Take a moment to think about it, and consider helping Rep. Hank Johnson and Rep. John Lewis to see that justice is done for Troy.

Tuesday is the day.

Check your Chinese-made tires

2007-06-27T14:33:00.000-04:00

The list of tainted and defective goods imported from China grows. Seems like there's something new every week. This week it's tires.

"Although Hangzhou Zhongce disputed the assertion its products
were defective, the case broadened an ongoing controversy over Chinese imports in the United States. Recent cases include the widely publicized problem with pet food ingredients as well as recalls of toy trains and toothpaste.

"China has been asleep at the switch when it comes to safety inspections," Sen. Charles Schumer, a New York Democrat,
said.

Unfortunately, it's not just tires, toy trains, and toothpste. It's also pet food, fish, and cosmetics. Now there's some rumblings about honey imported from China.

All these goods used to be readily made in the good ole USA. The production of such goods provided decent playing jobs and benefits for thousands of American workers. But now we've outsourced those jobs at the insistence of corporations.

I'm all for businesses running as lean as possible. But not at the expense of American jobs and American families. And certainly not at the expense of the safety of ourselves and more imporantly our loved ones.

Why isn't this getting more attention? Probably because China owns most of our national debt.

AJC's David McNaughton: "China is poisoning trade with the United States"

2007-06-22T13:23:00.000-04:00

Such is the opening line of his op ed on the recent rash of unsafe food and goods made in China appearing on U.S. store shelves. Fish, toys, cosmetics, pet food...............what's going to be next?

McNaughton heeps scorn on the inability or unwillingness of Chinese officials to guarantee the safety of their products:

"No country has an unblemished record on food and consumer
product safety.China's manufacturers are more careless,
callous or unethical than other trading partners.

Poisonous diethylene glycol, which was detected in toothpaste
made in China, has been used more than once as a cheap substitute for a safe medical ingredient. Mislabeled diethylene glycol produced in China killed dozens of children in Haiti 10 years ago and more than 100 people in Panama in 2006.

This year, every one of the 24 kinds of toys ordered recalled by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission were made in China, The
New York Times reported last week. The FDA rejects food imports from China at 25 times the rate it turns back products from Canada, according to The Washington
Post."

Look and think before you buy.

What Has "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Done for Our Country?

2007-06-19T12:04:00.000-04:00

Christopher highlights a youtube video pointing out a few statistics and the possible rammifications of Hillary's husband's gift to gays, "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

Please sign the petition.

The Vatican's Ten Commandments of Driving: Does this apply to Atlanta?

2007-06-19T10:23:00.000-04:00

This news item out of the Vatican caught my eye. Considering that the metro Atlanta area is one of the worst places on Earth to drive, I thought I'd share it.

Here is the Vatican's "Drivers' Ten Commandments." How does it apply to your home town?

1. You shall not kill. (I've seen this one before, on Easter no less.)

2. The road shall be for you a means of communion between people and not of mortal harm.
(Ain't much communion or fellowship going on down on I-285, but plenty of harm.)

3. Courtesy, uprightness and prudence will help you deal with unforeseen events. (It will also get you flipped off by the person behind you.)

4. Be charitable and help your neighbor in need, especially victims of accidents. (We do have a Good Samaritan law don't we?)

5. Cars shall not be for you an expression of power and domination, and an occasion of sin. (Please, the power of a man's engine and his willingness to use it can make up for a receding hairline, protruding belly, or lack of penis size.)

6. Charitably convince the young and not so young not to drive when they are not in a fitting condition to do so. (You mean like when they're 16?)

7. Support the families of accident victims. (Does this have anything to do with insurance premiums?)

8. Bring guilty motorists and their victims together, at the appropriate time, so that they can undergo the liberating experience of forgiveness. (It's called small claims court. I don't recommend the experience.)

9. On the road, protect the more vulnerable party. (I did this once for a lady with a flat as she was trying to get over to the right shoulder. She almost 911'd me.)

10. Feel responsible toward others. (I don't feel the love around 8am and 5pm.)

I didn't notice anything in there about affixing makeup, cell phones, tailgating, reading the paper while driving, or travelling in the left lane. To much of metro Atlanta's relief, that must mean it's okay. Uh huh, you know who you are................

What is it with China and our consumer goods?

2007-06-08T09:45:00.000-04:00

First it was pet food. Now you need to be careful about your toothpaste. Toothpaste made in China contains DEG (antifreeze). Chinese officials don't seem to be worried about it as they claim that DEG is in a lot of the goods that their own citizens consume. Isn't it comforting to know that so many of our consumer goods are made in a country where the government cares so little about the health and well being of their own citizens?

There's even some concern about fish imported from China's sewage-contaminated aquafarms and lead quantities found in makeup and even toys made in China. What's up with this? Is anything safe anymore?

When I read about news like this, the first thing that comes to my mind is how Wal-Mart has pushed so many formerly American-made products into the hands of the Chinese who are obviously having problems with quality control. Hey, anything to get the lowest price for Wal-Mart's customers................

Don't look for any Republicans to make too big of a fuss with the Chinese. That might make Wal-Mart mad. And we all know why Republicans don't want to make Wal-Mart mad.

Don't get me wrong. The fact that many a monied Chinese citizen paid for a night in the Lincoln bedroom during the Clinton administration isn't lost on me. In fact, I agree with Dave Sirota in his opinion that too many Democrats have been just as complicit as the Republicans in selling out our own workers and consumers to the Chinese.

So who's looking out for us?

Given our own problems in this country with recalls on items like peanut butter and spinach, the FDA seems to be short on manpower and resources necessary to effectively judge what Americans are consuming both here and abroad. That is, until people and animals start getting sick and dying.

Bush Comparison of Iraq to South Korea Called "Ignorant"

2007-06-08T08:37:00.001-04:00

In this morning's AJC, there is an op ed by Dr. Han S. Park, who is director of the Center for the Study of Global Issues at the University of Georgia. Dr. Park is recognized as an expert on Korean and Asian geopolitical issues. And he's often consulted and featured in programming by the History Channel, Discovery, numerous educational and political forums, as well as articles in various print media in his area of expertise.

As President Bush flails around trying to convince anyone that will listen that we need to continue a prolonged military presence in Iraq, Dr. Park takes exception with his latest attempt at justifying his policies by comparing the situation to America's military presence in South Korea.

Dr. Park leaves no doubt as to how he feels about the latest Bush excuse:

This idea once again shows the desperation and recklessness of
the Bush administration, as well as its deplorable ignorance of political and historical reality. The differences between the two cases are so drastic that analogizing Iraq with Korea is absurd and untenable.

and:

Our involvement in Korea was directly tied to an unambiguous
security interest for the United States, and indeed for the rest of the free world, in containing the expansion of the Soviet bloc. With Saddam Hussein long out of power, and with the administration sensibly ruling out the notion of a religious war against Islam, we are still left with tough questions regarding what we are fighting for, and for whom. Iraqi freedom? Or our own oil interests? Are the oil fields the "front line" we are defending?

and further:

Even in South Korea, after three long years of massive
destruction, great loss of American and Korean lives and our protracted stationing of troops for more than 50 years, we still do not have peace, let alone a victory. Since the armistice agreement (in actuality only a temporary cease-fire) in 1953, U.S. troops on the order of 30,000-35,000 soldiers have remained and will continue to remain in South Korea for an indefinite period of time. Thus, applying the South Korean model simply implies that our troops will stay in Iraq for decades, rather than years.

Dr. Park asks some great questions about why we're still in Iraq, a nation that we broke and now must help fix, as former Sec. of State Colin Powell once warned Bush before invading. But they are questions that are usually deflected by the Bush administration and the relatively few hardline Republicans still supporting them. The nation, our military personnel and their families, as well as the Iraqis themselves deserve an answer to those questions. Instead, we're usually force fed another heaping helping of apple pie (one would figure the "mission accomplished" debacle would've sufficed) and some drivel about "fighting them over there instead of fighting them here" (see open border, Ft. Dix, JFK, and terrorist camps in South America).

Bush's "ignorant" comparison of Iraq and South Korea smacks of a president desperate to excuse his policy decisions. They seem to do more for the interests of an industry that he, his family, and his friends like Prince Bandar (Bush) bin Sultan have well documented ties to than for the nation that he has the priviledge of leading.

Remember in 2008, America deserves better than this.

Dogfighting? What's the problem?

2007-05-23T07:43:00.000-04:00

I haven't blogged on the open investigation into Falcons' QB Michael Vick's possible involvement in dogfighting. Even though it sounds bad, I thought I'd wait to see if any charges would be filed against Vick first and go from there. But Washington Redskins RB Clinton Portis and Tackle Chris Samuels changed that.

As I was driving home from the NCAA tennis championships in Athens last night, I heard a clip of an interview that Portis and Samuels gave to a Norfolk, VA television station yesterday. When asked about the Vick investigation, Portis said if Vick were convicted of dogfighting and went to jail, that Vick would be "put behind bars for no reason."

According to this MSNBC report, he went on to say:

“I don’t know if he was fighting dogs or not,” Portis said in
the interview. “But it’s his property; it’s his dogs. If that’s what he wants to do, do it.”

As he was speaking, fellow Redskin Chris Samuels was in the background laughing and making jokes about "Animal Planet."

The good thing for Portis is that he has agents and representatives from the Washington Redskins to come in behind him and clean up any mess that his ignorant ass happens to make in public. The Redskins issued a statement for him supposedly clarifying his feelings on dogfighting, saying that Portis doesn't "condone" dogfighting.

Yeah right. His original statement was clear enough for me.

After the clip was aired, there was an interview with an official from the national Humane Society. He estimates that there are over 20,000 animal fighters in our country alone. And there are breeders that breed dogs for dogfighting purposes and ship them to other countries.

So if something good comes out of all of this, hopefully it will be more public awareness about
animal fighting. Tougher laws need to be enacted along with tougher punishments for those that take part in animal fighting, own paraphanelia, or breed for these purposes. And it needs to be started right here in Georgia.

But the Redskins and the NFL could make a real statement of their own and get the message to Portis, Samuels, and any other idiot in their league that thinks dogfighting is funny.

Oh, and Mr. Blank, I wonder what's going through your mind, as well as the social conscience of the Atlanta Falcons organization? **Because, as it is, there are reports that scores of dogs found on Vick's property in Virginia will have to be euthanized or treated for injuries and malnutrition. The people of Atlanta and the entire country are watching to see just what you're going to do about this.

**P.S. May 26th's edition of the AJC contains an AP article quoting Prosecutor Gerald Poindexter as saying that earlier reports saying that dogs found on Vick's Virginia property were injured and malnourished are "erroneous." No charges have been filed in the case yet.

For Tennis Fans

2007-05-21T13:21:00.000-04:00

These past few days, the University of Georgia has been hosting the men's and women's NCAA tennis championships. Athens has proven to be, by far, the most successful location for this tournament for the past 30 years. The beautiful Henry Field tennis stadium, the enthusiastic community support, the indominable Dan Magill, and UGA fans (5 to 6 thousand of them) have combined to make this one of the best and well run operations in all of collegiate athletics.

The Lady Dawgs bowed out of the quarterfinals last night to an underdog Cal Bears team that really played well. The Bears will meet Georgia Tech in the semis tommorow. Tech Coach Bryan Shelton has really built a nice program over on the Flats. They have yet to reach the heights of their Lady Dawgs counterparts. But a very nice rivalry is brewing. I like Shelton a lot and respect him a great deal. I can remember seeing him play Connors at Wimbledon in the late 80's. Tech's very lucky that this prodigal son came back to work for his alma mater.

The UGA men's team is in semifinal action right now vs. the University of Virginia. UVA is one of the few teams to have tested the Dawgs this year, as UGA went undefeated for a second regular season in a row.

For those of us who are stuck elsewhere, you can watch the matches live via the internet. Here's a link to live action going on as I type.

With the recent changes in my personal life, I have reached back into my childhood and started playing tennis again. I haven't played a match other than for fun since 1991. Work, life, and higher priorities are my excuses for only playing around 5 singles matches and maybe 15 doubles matches in the last 16 years.

That is until this April. I started playing with a very competitive guy, Chris, that has a nice game. He's also a fitness fanatic as he constantly breaks his personal records for things like most situps (3,420) in one day and miles ridden on a bike (163.5). He's actually better than I am, and definitely more fit. But I'm making some improvements in both areas.

Yesterday we played our 5th match vs. one another and I finally got a set off of him in a 3 out of 5 match. As is usual so far, I'm good for about one good set (usually the 2nd set) against him. But since its warmed up I've been tiring faster than he in the heat. I think we must have played about 2.5 hours yesterday with one long break to change courts.

We started out playing at the intramural courts on the UGA campus. But, after a set and a half, we yielded to the very polite womens coach at Vanderbilt University as our guests, who needed our court for his players to warm up. We wished him well and his players, and went to a different location.

The break must have bothered Chris, because I was able to take the momentum in our new surroundings and win the 2nd set in a tie breaker. Unforunately, I was a little too satisfied with my accomplishment and played very loose to start the 3rd. By the time I got back to playing decently, I couldn't win the big points. I led either 30-0 or 40-0 in FOUR consecutive service games only to lose all of them. And in my last gasp in the 4th set, I came back from 40-0 down on his serve to gain 3 different break point chances only to lose that game too. My goose was cooked, and so was my head in the mid day sun without a hat.

Maybe ole Steve needs to get me back into the gym and train me. And then I need my friend Jeff from Chicago to get down here and groove my strokes and help me with tactics. Because Chris, you're definitely kicking my ass! But it's been fun. Well done.

"The Assault on Reason"

2007-05-21T10:33:00.000-04:00

Peter, from Blog for Democracy, gives us some good reasons to pick up Al Gore's new book. He needn't apologize for being a fan of Al's. I am too.

Idealists tend to get blasted these days. But Peter embraces that mantle unabashedly. As for his call for more idealists to get involved in the political process, and make it work the way it should, I wholeheartedly agree.

Here is another good write up on Al's new book.

C'mon Jimmy, don't back off now!

2007-05-21T10:05:00.000-04:00

Former President Carter created a huge stir this weekend when he called the Bush administration "the worst in history," because of its lack of diplomacy and foreign policy blunders in the Middle East. Of course, Jimmy's known for saying what he thinks. He's been openly critical of Reagan, Bush I, Clinton, and Bush II while each were in office. He's also usually on the mark, as he was this weekend.

Of course, this puts the right wing spin machine into anti-Carter mode. They've learned their lessons well from the days of the Great Masterbator who was very successful at masterbating the masses by telling them what they wanted to hear while blaming his predacessors for all of his problems. Unfortunately for them, many more Americans, unhappy with what they've seen unfold since 9/11, have caught on to their schtick.

But this morning, Carter is backing off of his statements about the Bush administration. In this day and age when we really need truthful voices, it was refreshing to hear a fellow president tell it like it is about the current president and his administration. Politeness and tradition need not stand in his way of speaking truth to the American public.

Festival of Books puts the big picture together on Iraq and Bush

2007-05-14T10:12:00.000-04:00

Saturday afternoon I got caught up in the re-run of CSPAN's coverage of last April's L.A. Times Festival of Books. One segment included a panel of journalists and scholars, each having written books on the war in Iraq or aspects that greatly affect Iraq, came together to discuss the Bush administration's Iraq blunder, the role that corporate America plays in why we're doing what we're doing in Iraq, and our complete lack of dipomacy and lack of understanding of the Middle East. The panelists included Chris Hedges, William Langewiesche, T. Christian Miller, and Robert Scheer.

The highlights of the panel discussion included listening to Langewiesche expound on the notion that someone is indeed benefitting from what we're doing in Iraq, and its not the Iraqis, the American people, nor our soldiers who are fighting and dying for causes that have nothing to do with our national security. Langewiesche did not contain his criticism of our whoring ourselves out to corporate interests to only Bush and the Republicans. He also sent a shot accross the bow of our major Democratic candidates for 2008 as well.

I also thought Scheer's comparisons of the arguments against pulling out of Iraq to the arguments against pulling out of Vietnam in the 1970's. As he pointed out, Republicans argued that leaving Vietnam would be ceding southeast Asia to communism. Instead what happened was Vietnam and China went to war over a border dispute. Communism did not run rampant throughout the region. And, in fact, today capitalist ventures like McDonalds and Wal-Mart are doing quite well in both China AND Vietnam. As for fears that leaving now would mean that American casualties will have been inflicted in vain. As Mike Gravel says, their efforts were in vain the moment we attacked a country that represented little or no threat to us.

Scheer went on to use this analogy for our situation in Iraq. It's like a burgler who needlessly broke into someone's house and then refused to leave because of a fear that his victims can't survive without him. The Iraqis clearly want us to leave. Putting the best face possible on our forray into Iraq, if it was just to take out a tyrant like Saddam, we accomplished that. It's time for the Iraqis to have a chance to go about rebuilding their country and their lives.

But Chris Hedges was probably the most controversial, and maybe the most poignant. Having lived and worked for a long time in the Middle East, he has friends in Iraq and Iran. These friends are not government officials, and they have nothing to do with the military of either country, or any radical militia. They are simple ordinary citizens of their country, just as you and I are here. They are the ones that are caught up in the power struggle involving our governments, which sometimes do not have the best interests of the average American, Iraqi, or Iranian at heart. He says we owe these people an apology. First for invading the region in 2003 without provocation, and secondly for our failure to do anything about it by re-electing Bush in 2004.

Hedges goes on to say that he thinks that Bush should be impeached, despite his short time left in office. It's his opinion that it's the only way that the U.S. can restore its moral and legal authority as a world leader. He says that the Bush administration has broken both national and international law. And he's definitely correct in saying that we have created more enemies in this world since 2003 than we've killed or detained.

Hedges went on to renew his pledge that if we go to war with Iran, he won't pay his income taxes. Lets just hope that it won't come to that.

South Carolina is kicking our ass.............again

2007-03-30T09:35:00.000-04:00

Atlanta environmental law attorney, Scott Hitch, has the scorecard on the souteast's race for biofuels supremecy in today's AJC:

"However, Aiken, S.C., across the Savannah River from Augusta, is a great place for a biodiesel plant. South Carolina now offers a tax credit of 20 cents to 30 cents per gallon for production of biofuels (ethanol and biodiesel), for up to 25 million gallons per year, and a five cent per gallon retail rebate. Retailers and dealers receive a tax credit for 25 percent of the cost of biofuels equipment.

These incentives have just attracted a new $1.4 million biodiesel plant from Georgia. Farmers & Truckers Biodiesel's new plant will move into a renovated kaolin warehouse across the state line, and it likely won't build a second facility it had planned for Georgia."

and.........

"There are almost 50 retail stations selling fuel containing ethanol or biodiesel in South Carolina. In Georgia there are only three."

With as much progress as Georgia has made towards being a leader in the biofuels industry, we're still not doing enough. Hitch's simple comparison of what Georgia is doing to what our neighbors are doing reveals that we have some catching up to do. Especially against South Carolina, which is now taking more than just automobile plants away from us.

Republicans like Gov. Perdue, Senator Chambliss, etc. have been showing some support, really just giving more lip service to it than anything. But that's somewhat to be expected considering that the Republican party is the party of big oil and coal.

And we surely do have some Georgia Democrats working hard towards taking advantage of our state's natural resources and byproducts from other goods to make sure that Georgia is in the fight. But what amazes me is we still have some Democrats that either don't realize that we're falling behind, or aren't enthused with the potential investment, job growth, and tax revenue that could result from putting our foot down on the pedal on this now. But then again, who could ever accuse Georgia Democrats of being visionaries?

South Carolina's beating us up and taking our lunch money. Not because they're better, but because they're thinking more progressively.

Young Harris and Cathy Cox both pick winners

2007-03-30T09:07:00.000-04:00

Young Harris College has long been one of my favorite college campi ever since I first visited there as a child. Tucked away in the North Georgia Blue Ridge mountains on our borders with Tennessee and North Carolina, Young Harris is almost like a step back in time. With it's cute little 19th century Methodist chapel, its old but well maintained red brick and white clapboard buildings, that's a part of its charm.

But the selection of their next president is a clear commitment to continue moving Young Harris into the 21st century. Georgia's former Secretary of State, Cathy Cox, has accepted the challenge of being their next president.

I was pleasantly surprised yesterday when an alumnus of the school from Dawsonville called me to give me the good news. It's a role befitting Cathy in her now post-political career. I also think that she will find this more fulfilling for herself personally than practicing law, or pondering a run for the U.S. Senate. This kind of job will help her to utilize her knowledge and expertise as an administrator and executive, as well as her fundraising abilities for good cause.

Good luck to Cathy Cox and to Young Harris College. I think you're both in good hands.

Hoops, 2008, and Life Cycle Analysis

2007-03-27T10:48:00.000-04:00

I have been watching a little mens and women hoops in the last few weeks. UGA's Dawgs and Lady Dawgs have both seen their seasons come to an end. Overall, I would say that both had successful seasons. Georgia's men continued to improve under Coach Dennis Felton. The number of wins went up to 19 against a schedule rated in the teens in terms of strength. That's a positive step up from last season's 15 wins against a weaker schedule. Coach Felton wins and does things the right way.

Add to that fact that Georgia competed in the SEC east which sent 4 of 6 teams to the NCAA tournament. Each of the 4 teams won at least one round with 3 of them advancing to the Sweet 16. Tennessee and Vanderbilt, both, came oh so close to reaching the Great 8. Vandy got a rotten travelling no call at the end of their game that may have altered the outcome against Georgetown. But if there's any team left in the tournament capable of springing a big upset at the Final 4 in Atlanta, it might just be the Hoyas. Perhaps destiny is calling?

Coach Andy Landers' Lady Dawgs made their usual Sweet 16 appointment. His teams have made an incredible 24 of 26 NCAA tournaments, reached 17 Sweet 16's, 5 Final 4's, and 2 national title games. If there's any justice in the world, one day he's going to win the big one. At any rate, Coach Landers will be inducted into the Womens College Basketball Hall of Fame this year.

Poor Jon and Amy ended up slightly disappointed. Both of their teams went far into the tournament. But when you're a Kansas fan (Jon) or a North Carolina fan (Amy), your standards are a lot higher than most. Don't worry guys. Both of your programs are strong and in good hands. I'm sure you both will be struttin' your stuff with yet another Final 4 appearance soon.

On the 2008 Democratic Presidential front, John Edwards has decided to remain in the race despite his beloved wife's cancer returning. One of the bright spots of 2004 was being exposed to Elizabeth Edwards, a truly lovely woman both inside and out. She's passionate about her family, her husband, and her belief that her husband will do a wonderful job as America's next president. I wish her and her family a lot of strength and the best of luck in fighting that fight.

However, Katie Couric sure tried to make Edwards look bad for not dropping out of the race to concentrate solely on Elizabeth. Both Edwards went on 60 Minutes with her to explain why they are staying in the race.

Couric' tone was surprisingly judgemental considering her own experience with her late husband's cancer. Sadly, he passed away. But Katie stayed busy through that terrible time. It probably helped her. And it probably eased the mind of her husband. I know she's a big fan of Hillary. After all, Katie is one of the few journalists that Hillary turned to when she was feigning ignorance of her husband's affairs back in the 90's. Perhaps that's why Katie decided to play the hypocrite?

It's not just me that noticed this. Dave Sirota noticed too.

Meanwhile, Hillary is rolling right along. She picked up the endorsement of Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack, who was previously in the race, but dropped out. Tom Baxter tells us about Barrack Obama's successful trip to Georgia. And Al Gore heated up Washington last week with his testimony on global warming. Rumors of a 2008 run still persist.

Speaking of global warming, Don over at Life Cycle Analyis, has some interesting entries on both that topic and the new unrest in Kinshasa. It's good stuff, so check it out.

Rep. Brooks on the Wrong Side of Payday Loans

2007-03-27T09:10:00.000-04:00

I'm not sure why Georgia State Rep. Tyrone Brooks (D) plans to vote for Republican Rep. Earl Ehrharts's HB 163 which would legalize payday lending in our state. According to this AJC article by Carrie Teegardin, he says its because of a past experience that his grandmother had with a local finance company. He says they ripped her off, charging her a "60 percent rate on each dollar."

I believe Rep. Brooks' story. That kind of thing is commonplace within this industry, which is why it is suspect to begin with. However, I don't believe him when he says this is his reason for supporting payday lending. It can't possibly be. Either there's another reason, or he hasn't taken the time to compare payday lending to finance company loans or car title loans. The type of lending he is backing doesn't look like a better option than the finance company loan that he says is bad for consumers like his grandmother. In fact, it might be worse.

Under the provisions of Rep. Ehrhart's bill, borrowers would be able to borrow money that typically would have to be paid back within two weeks. Teegardin's article says the cost would be "$15 per $100 borrowed at rates of anywhere from 195 percent to over 1,000 percent." Then, there are insurance add ons that push the costs even higher.

Brooks says lower income people who can't get a regular bank loan or a credit card need payday loans as an option for unexpected expenses. Clark Howard says find another option:

"This is the wrong cure," said Clark Howard, the Atlanta consumer guru who hosts a nationally syndicated radio talk show. "In my book, [payday lending] just makes people more ill."

Payday loans came under fire when military men and women were being targetted and taken advantage of. In 2004, the state of Georgia passed a law prohibiting payday lending. The problem amongst military families was not limited to Georgia. The Center for Responsible Lending cited a New York Times analysis that same year:

An analysis by the New York Times reveals that at least one fourth of military households (26%) have been caught up in payday lending. Officials at the Army Emergency Relief office in Fort Bliss, Texas, estimate that 10% of the 10,000 active-duty military stationed there have needed financial counseling because of payday loans and other debt problems.

While he concedes that people were being taken advantage of by payday lenders, Rep. Ehrhart says that Georgia's 2004 law was all about finance companies' desire to "push out the competition."

However, Teegardin's article closes with this:

When asked to rate the options, most consumer advocates recommend a finance company loan over a payday loan or car title loan.

"Small loans across the country are expensive credit, but they aren't as hazardous as the design of a payday loan," said Jean Ann Fox, director of consumer protection for the Consumer Federation of America.

Finance company loans are usually paid back over months or even several years. Payday loans must be paid off at the next payday, something that's just not realistic for most struggling borrowers, the advocates say.

PDB Scorches Jack Kingston

2007-03-12T09:23:00.000-04:00

The folks over at Progressive Daily Beacon don't like Rep. Jack Kingston (R-D1) very much. In fact, they've pegged him as a "Republican extremist:"

"Kingston is, of course, anti-abortion and opposes stem cell research. He would say his position is based upon good Christian "pro-life" values, but as he is an enthusiastic supporter of the death penalty - "pro-life" seems to be a serious misrepresentation at best. Jack Kingston is a big supporter of extremist evangelical causes like those supported by Pat Robertson. Robertson, of course, is the guy who has regular discussions with "God" and blamed gay people for the attacks on 9/11. Indeed, Jack Kingston has sponsored Pat Robertson-like resolutions calling for the Ten Commandments to be prominently displayed in congressional chambers.

That's the problem with extremists like Jack Kingston. They beg and pray for the United States to attack Iran because it is a theocratic dictatorship...then they turn right round and support ideas that would make the United States into a theocratic dictatorship. Just like Iran is an Islamic Republic, Kingston mistakenly assumes the United States to be a "Christian" Republic. Folks like Jack Kingston believe Christian rulers to be "kinder and gentler" than Islamic rulers, but that rationale completely ignores historical events like the Spanish Inquisition and the Salem Witch Trials to name a few."

That does sort of highlight the Christian fundamentalist wing of the modern Republican party that has lead them to their ruin. It underscores their duplicity in "pro life" issues, as well as their condemnation of nations like Iran. You can't with any credibility call out one theocratic dictatorship when you're trying to establish one of your own. Kingston, himself, has heavily supported an administration that has limited us in our freedoms via heinous legislation like the Patriot Act. And he's used the guise of being a Christian to hide his tracks.

During Gerald Ford's funeral, much was made of his being the last Republican president (he was also very much a Christian) that was untethered to the Christian fundamentalist movement that hijacked the GOP beginning in 1980 with Jerry Falwell's Moral Majority. The Jack Kingstons of today don't realize how extremist they really are. They have truly lost the idea of a seperation of church and state, and why a group of Christians sought to make sure that the two didn't intermingle in the great new world.

Shirley Franklin: One of NPR's Leading Ladies

2007-03-09T13:14:00.000-05:00

America's number one mayor, Atlanta's own Shirley Franklin, is one of NPR's "Leading Ladies." This is just the latest honor for perhaps the best current public official in Georgial. She is NPR's 4th featured lady joining such luminaries as Carol Moseley Braun, Geraldine Ferraro, and Debbie Walsh.

Make sure and listen to her interview.

I also noticed that Hostile Takover author Dave Sirota is on NPR today.

Also, catch Gregory Feifer's look into "What Happened to Russia's Democracy?" In light of so many strange deaths and murders involving critics of Putin, we need to be paying attention to what is going on with a country that the Bush administration considers an ally.

So flip the dial to NPR and turn it up!

Shop Progressive! Costco vs. Wal-Mart/Sam's Club

2007-03-09T11:20:00.000-05:00

One of the side stories to the 2004 presidential election was the fact that the nation's two largest warehouse companies took sides. Wal-Mart went for Bush and Costco went for Kerry. When you look at how each does business and treats its employees, that should come as no surprise.

Wal-Mart's bare bones minimums in pay and practically no benefits at all for the supposed sake of the consumer (to whom it sells cheap, sometimes unreturnable crap-on-a-stick made in China) which they say they are looking out for. Sounds sort of like how the Bush administration has treated the American public for over 6 years now. Come to think of it, Georgia Republicans operate pretty much the same way.

Contrast that with Costco, whose CEO, Jim Sinegal, supports raising the federal minimum wage. Known to be labor friendly, here's why Costco can afford to support it:

Costco, of Issaquah, Wash., would suffer no direct impact from a higher minimum wage because its lowest-paid employees now make about $11 an hour, Sinegal said, adding that the average worker in the company's 504 stores in the United States makes $17 an hour.

"In my view, some of these industries that pay minimum wage are constantly turning their people," Sinegal said. "They spend more on turnover than they would in paying the additional wages."

The last article I linked to calls Sinegal a "maverick." Maybe, but I prefer to call it "progressive" thinking, both in the sense of thinking outside of the box as well as in political terms.

Perhaps this is all something that we might want to consider when we need to do our shopping. It pays to support businesses that support our values. And it makes no sense to do business with those that don't. It only empowers the Bushes, Cheneys, and Perdues of the world.

I'm not sure how often its updated, but the Pima County Democratic Party in Arizona has an informative website called Shop Progressive! It compares the level of commitment that major companies like Costco, Wal-Mart/Sam's Club, Apple Computers, Dell, etc. have to the two major political parties.

So give it a looksie and see who you've really been supporting.

Gov. Bill Richardson (NM) Democratic Darkhorse?

2007-03-08T16:27:00.000-05:00

That's what NYT writer David Brooks (via the Post-Bulletin) says anyway. He also calls Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico the most experienced Democrat running for president. He's probably right about that. It's hard to argue with Richardson's credentials. If we have to roll up our sleeves in the fall of 2008 and get behind Gov. Richardson, I won't be unhappy.

I was told in private by another Georgia blogger last year that my "views" and my blog with a name like "Liberal Lucidity" was probably poison to any candidate that I chose to say anything good about. I don't know if that's true. But I'll risk it and say that Gov. Richardson would represent me and many of the issues that I care about extremely well.

Hat tip to Vivian J. Page.

Ann Coulter Makes Nice With a Gay Porn Star?

2007-03-08T16:00:00.000-05:00

Oh this is just too good! Apparently Ms. Coulter, who called John Edwards a "faggot" at last week's Conservative Political Action Conference, on the same night and at the same event had her picture taken with an alleged gay porn star.

Seems the man in question has been hanging out with conservative talk show hosts complaining about his difficulties recruiting for the military around different college campuses, including his own Columbia University. He was at the CPAC event sharing his story, and I suppose he couldn't resist getting his picture taken with the equine-like Coulter. My apologies to horses.

Blogger, Joe. My. God. has scored an interview with him.

Gee, I guess conservatives need to start doing background checks at these kinds of events. After all, close minded exclusionaries can't afford to be hobnobbing with the riff-raff, right?

How did I miss this yesterday?

Conservatives Should Listen to Illai Kenney

2007-03-08T12:26:00.000-05:00

Ms. Kenney is participating in a strategizing conference being held by young African American students and professionals on how to harness their power and be a postitive influence in 2008. Her entry on Huffington Post mentioning this conference caught me eye. Not only was it spot on, but it also speaks to my negative feelings towards labels and the general misunderstanding of them that political spinmeisters create.

She's talking about her conservative grandparents. And the fact that politcal conservatives contradict themselves with some of their bread 'n butter issues. I think this country would be a whole lot better off if "conservatives" heeded this message from her:

"Conservatives should support energy efficiency, energy independence, and new technologies that will grow our economy. These political conservatives have words all mixed up and it can be confusing. Some conservatives want to use all the oil we have even if people have to go to war to get it and even if it pollutes the air making it hard to breathe. Their energy use and spending habits are actually very liberal. Some conservatives use the Bible and the Christian religion to make a big deal over the unborn and who can marry whom but they skip the part where they are supposed to take care of God's creation not to mention children and the poor. There is no conservative movement to care for the sick, feed the hungry, or clothe the poor so it makes me wonder what are they really thinking? How can you be pro-life and pro-war or pro-life and pro-death (penalty)?"

Obama and Clinton in Selma

2007-03-05T10:50:00.000-05:00

In case you were out of pocket and didn't get to view coverage of the events in Selma, NPR and the Montgomery Advertiser have multiple articles, videos, and audio files available at their websites.

Reviews seemed good for both presidential hopefuls. The only real snafu being that Hillary's folks didn't set up speakers outside of the church so that she could be heard by the masses. Obama's folks made sure he could be heard, causing some to leave the church where Hillary was speaking and make the short walk over to the church where Obama was.

From the coverage I saw earlier, it was good to see "the Dean of the Civil Rights Movement," Rev. Joseph Lowery, out and about. He appeared with Obama at the Martin and Coretta King Beloved Community Unity Breakfast. And later he attended Obama's speech and linked arms with the Senator from Illinois at the march.

Not to be outdone, Hillary made her first public post-announcement appearance with her husband, Bill in Selma. Former President Clinton was inducted into the National Voting Rights Hall of Fame.

I can't decide if appearing with Bill is a good thing for Hillary or not though. He makes her look like a rookie when mixing, mingling, and giving speeches. It's very natural for him, and anything but for Hillary. His coat tails will prove useful, especially amongst African Americans who seem to remain Bill's most loyal constituency. But the comparisons of the two will be inevitable.

Anyone Surprised? It's Ann Coulter After All

2007-03-05T09:07:00.000-05:00

Even though America has progressed to the point where public figures using hate speech isn't acceptable anymore, the word"faggot" is still the put down of choice for many teenagers. I'm guessing that no one knows this better than school teachers.

Well, Ann Coulter is no teenager (and looks it more and more every day), but apparently she doesn't mind tossing the word "faggot" around at even heterosexuals like John Edwards. So I guess it wasn't so surprising to see that she went even further into her rant and also used the word "raghead" when discussing homeland security.

To their credit, the Edwards campaign has responded positively. They've set a goal for raising $100,000 in "Coulter Cash" to turn Coulter's hate and willful ignorance into something positive.

Coulter is a shock jock without a radio program. Apparently, some heterosexual men find her too attractive for radio and like seeing her regularly on Fox News with Sean Hannity. They should look a little closer at her next book signing. Because the poor dear could use some masking tape and vasseline. Every time I see her, I don't think of her as an attractive woman. I just feel like saddling up a horse. Then she speaks..........

She has found a comfy little niche of Rush Limbaugh worshipping, Michelle Malkin reading, neo cons in which to sell books to. She caters to simpletons who would probably like to see this country revert back to a time when it was more acceptable to discriminate and string up folks that you don't like from the nearest tree. They're such an easy group to pander to, after all.

Coulter says things for shock value regularly. My standing policy on her has been to simply ignore her. But it really is time to get the point across to more Americans - particularly young ones - that it's not okay to use words like "faggot." To allow people to continue to do it so freely is sending a message that it's still okay to ostracize someone because of their sexuality.

I suppose she also thinks that enough people in this country hate Muslims, so it's okay to use the word "raghead." To do so is to be disrespectful to a religion, a group of people, and a culture.

Honestly, I'm not for censorship. But despite the social progress that we've made, there are still groups of people out there against whom hate and discrimination are still possible without consequences. This needs to change.

Ann, this is the year 2007, not 1987. It's time to let your hate go.

"How You Doin?"

2007-02-28T12:16:00.000-05:00

Last week was a tough one in terms of dealing with the double loss in my family two weeks ago. I needed a haircut badly last Wed. (the funeral was a week ago on that day), so I went to get one. The lady who normally cuts my hair was closed. So I went to a place where I had never been before.

I wasn't in the mood to wait, so I told the young lady at the counter to sign me up for the next available stylist. I drew a new stylist who was trying to impress her boss. Her chair was right next to the boss' chair. This is probably why I got the full treatment - cut, chat, and shoulder massage.

Anyway, she was a very nice lady, even though she seemed to be trying a bit too hard. She asked the normal questions a stylist that is good with customers might ask, "Are you married?" And, "No? Where is your family from?" And, "How are they?" The whole time I had my eyes closed and was hoping and praying that she would stop with her questioning. Overall, I've done very well with my grieving. But I hate to cry in public. I was trying my best not to.

Sure enough, I couldn't fight them off, and I couldn't hide the tears rolling down my cheeks. Of course, she was horrified. I explained to her what had happened. The whole salon grew quiet with my stylist, her boss, a woman who looked as if she could star in a show called, "The Real Housewives of Gwinnett County," and a Vietnam Vet cradling my head and patting my back to comfort me.

My stylist did a great job on my cut. But when I stood up from the chair she started crying too. So, I gave her a hug and ended up spending about 5 minutes consoling her. Bless her heart. She probably got a little larger tip than normal because of this.

I did salvage that day by going to Hon Yeh and treating myself to Hunan Chicken with white rice for lunch.

I'm so fortunate to have so many wonderful friends acting as a support system for me. A couple of them thought I needed a good laugh. This weekend, we went to see Eddie Murphy's new movie, "Norbit." It was silly funny, but funny indeed. So, for those of you who haven't met Resputia Lattimore yet, you really should go see the movie. It's good for a few laughs.

Dick Cheney's "Dangerous" Son-in-law, PALS Bingo, and a Little of This 'n That

2007-02-28T10:26:00.000-05:00

Art Levine has an interesting piece in Washington Monthly on Dick Cheney's "stealthy" son-in-law. Seems that Elizabeth Cheney's husband is the chemical lobby's very best friend, even to the possible detriment of homeland security. Levine goes as far as to say, "A flippant critic might say the father-in-law has been prosecuting a war that creates more terrorists abroad, while the son-in-law has been working to ensure they’ll have easy targets at home." Make sure you give this one a read.

Notice the steep stock market drop yesterday? The Gun Toting Liberal sure, and he blames Wal-Mart shoppers. He closed by firing this shot, "Just a couple of miles down the road from nearly every home, there lies a Wal-Mart, where you can shop at midnight with your hair sticking up in all directions in your slippers, and since everybody else in the building is in the same shape; there’s nothing to feel “uncomforatable” about, right? After all, it’s “convenient”, and “capitalistic”, and that’s what is MOST important; the “bottom line”, right?"

and.......

"But, HEY… you’ve saved a nickel on that can of Pork And Beans by shopping with China’s NUMBER ONE CUSTOMER, right? Proud of yourselves? How’s that portfolio look NOW? Thanks so much for crashing that 401-K I worked my BUTT off to grow…"

Human Rights Watch talks about being "disappeared" in secret prisons. It goes into the rare inside view given by former detainee, Marwan Jabour.

Here's part of their scary description of his story:

"His clothes were taken from him when he arrived, and he was left completely naked for a month and a half, including during questioning by women interrogators and filming. He was chained tightly to the wall of his small cell so that he could not stand up, placed in painful stress positions so that he had difficulty breathing, and told that if he did not cooperate he would be put in a suffocating “dog box.”

During the more than two years that he was held in this secret prison, Jabour spent nearly all of his time alone in a windowless cell, with little human contact besides his captors. Although he worried incessantly about his wife and three young daughters, he was not allowed even to send them a letter to reassure them that he was alive.

“It was a grave,” Jabour later told Human Rights Watch. “I felt like my life was over.”

On the 2008 Democratic Presidential front.........

Presidential hopeful Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) says we're on a "Collision Course with Iran" in a piece picked up by the Progressive Dems of America blog. He's questioning the Bush administration's use of "anonymous sources" for its information on Iran's nuclear program and its influence in Iraq.

As we all know, Hillary Clinton is attempting to become America's first female president. And Barrack Obama is attempting to become America's first African-American president. So here are a couple of interesting items.........

Ari Melber from the Huffington Post wonders why a new poll showing big numbers for Barrack Obama amongst African-Americans has been largely ignored. After all, mainstream media was all over an earlier poll that suggested that Hillary Clinton had a huge lead in this category. Hillary's husband is still immensely popular with African-Americans. So polling of this group will probably be used frequently as some sort of gauge for this race.

Meanwhile, Courtney Martin of Alternet asks "Does Being a Feminist mean Voting for Hillary?" Judging by her comments and the comments of AlterNet's reader's, Hillary's support from femininsts isn't as secure as one might think. Still, polls continue to show that Hillary is the front runner with the help of huge support from single females.

Sarah Wheaton of the New York Times blog, "The Caucus," says that Hillary is "playing the Gore card." Until recently, environmental issues have not been a big priority for Sen. Clinton. But she's making a smart move by participating in the Apollo Alliance's attempt to bring unions and environmentalists closer together. However, she's being accused of pandering by progressive commenters.

Not that I put much stock into the comments section of any blog, but could this be another sign of trouble for Hillary from the left wing of the party? If so, we know this wouldn't matter in a red state like Georgia where most Democrats are centrists or conservatives. But on a national level, could this be something for her to worry about?

Closer to home.........

The NYT talks about Paula Deen's soon to be released memoire, "Paula Deen: It Ain't All About the Cookin.'" Paula's from my neck o' the woods in the Albany area. And, of course, many of you are familiar with her wonderful restaurants in Savannah. So I'm always buying her cookbooks that feature many dishes that were common in my mother's kitchen like "copper pennies" and "pecan tassies."

Paula is an excellent role model for many people including those suffering from agoraphobia, single mothers, and those who must lift themselves up by their own bootstraps. And since the recent, almost simultaneous, passing of my own mother and grandmother, her mantra of the kitchen being the heart of the home and constant preaching of food, families, and memories ring very true for me.

And I would like to remind those looking for a way to do some good and have fun at the same time that PALS (Pets Are Loving Support) Bingo will be going strong once again this year. Atlanta's wonderfully entertaining Bubba D. Licious (Ms. Tammy Wynnette's long lost twin) will be back in her role as M.C.

Georgia's largest monthly bingo game usually attracts several hundred players a month and benefits one of my favorite charities, which helps support the pets of people who are suffering from critical illnesses and disabilities. Sometimes these pets are the biggest daily support system that these people have to count on. Make sure to peruse the PALS website for other opportunities to help.

Thoughts on Hillary/Obama/Geffen and the 2008 Dem. Primary

2007-02-26T10:30:00.000-05:00

For the past few days, we've been witnessing the first serious bruhaha amongst the perceived top two Dems, Hillary Clinton and Barrack Obama. Former Clintonista and gay rights activist, David Geffen, is supporting Obama for president and taking shots at the Clintons' honesty and integrity. Perhaps the chickens of the Clinton compromise on "don't ask, don't tell" have finally come home to roost?

According to Andy Ostroy, this might be the possible opening for Al Gore to eventually step into the race. And it's true, I've heard from a lot of Gore supporters that they would love to see a Gore/Obama ticket in 2008. Should Obama's bid ultimately fail, thoughts of this fantasy ticket sounds pretty good to me. It would also provide Obama a serious platform in which to continue his own political career and run again in the future.

And, no, I'm not underestimating Hillary. The revamping of her image over the past 10 years has been nothing short of amazing. She's still the odds on favorite.

And I'm sure John Edwards and another favorite of mine, Bill Richardson, will have plenty to say before it's all said and done.

And the Academy Award Goes to..........

2007-02-26T09:51:00.000-05:00

............."An Inconvenient Truth!" Al Gore's film won the Best Documentary category last night. It has to be a gratifying moment for my fellow Sierra Clubber who has taken his fair share of shots over the years as probably America's premiere environmentalist.

So take a bow, Al. Why not?

And Peter from Blog for Democracy calls for us to "come out of the wilderness."

Carter and Reagan on Energy: Revisionist History or Good Ole Hindsight?

2007-02-26T08:31:00.000-05:00

With the recent news of former President Carter helping to attract a biodiesel plant to his hometown of Plains, Georgia, the AJC's Dan Chapman takes a look back at Carter's influence in the development of alternative energy as president in an article titled, "Ahead of His Time."

For Carter's proposals and their mostly brief existences, Chapman provides a backdrop of what was eventually to happen during the two terms of Carter's wildly popular successor, Ronald Reagan. He also draws parallels between Carter's energy policy and what is happening today both within the George W. Bush administration and America today in general.

Some experts today feel that this is a comparison that clearly comes out in Carter's favor. The fact that none of his successors, Democrat or Republican, have done anything of significance to reduce America's dependence on foreign oil rankles Carter, who was a major proponent of taking the oil industry out of U.S. foreign policy, solar energy, and controversially nuclear energy. He was also the first president to ever mention "ethanol."

Carter's energy policies, call for conservation on the part of Americans, and the supposed "malaise speech" he gave in 1979 were fodder for his opponents and eventually helped push him out of office. But given the fact that politicians from both major parties, today, have joined the push for alternative fuel sources and a move towards lessened depenedence on foreign oil, the former president feels sowewhat vindicated.

From Chapman's article:

"As president, Jimmy Carter installed solar panels atop the White House. He championed coal and nuclear power. He taxed oil company profits. He created the U.S. Department of Energy. He introduced America to ethanol.

Oil imports plummeted during the Carter administration. Renewable energy research skyrocketed. Cars got more miles per gallon of gas. Thermostats were lowered to 55 degrees at night.On Feb. 2, 1977, Carter donned a wool cardigan and asked a national TV audience to conserve energy. Two months later, he likened America's struggle to reduce Middle Eastern oil imports to the "moral equivalent of war."

Was it all for naught?

Today, the United States imports almost twice as much oil as it did during Carter's final year in office. Ethanol, biodiesel, solar and other alternative fuels supply no more energy than they did in 1980. Americans drive Hummers that get 10 miles per gallon.

Pollution from cars, trucks, factories and power plants is widely blamed for endangering the climate. Conservation, according to a dismissive vice president, "may be a sign of personal virtue." U.S. troops are involved in a war in oil-rich Iraq.

Carter's call for conservation was spun as him blaming the American public for the energy problems of the 70's and for Congress' "lack of action" on serious energy policy changes. It was actually Teddy Kennedy, Carter's Democratic challenger in the 1980 election, that first dubbed Carter's "crisis of confidence' speech the "malaise speech." It was a caustic lable that stuck in the craw of the American electorate.

Even after Carter routed Kennedy in the Democratic primaries, the Repulbicans led by Reagan, picked up the "malaise" mantra and told voters what they wanted to hear, not what they needed to hear. In this instance, the "Great Communicator" also proved to be the "Great Masterbator" of the American voting public.

Again from Chapman's article:

"In early 1980, with the caucus in corn-rich Iowa upcoming, Carter called for $1 billion to stimulate ethanol production.

But Ronald Reagan, with his "morning in America" mantra, won the election. His administration soon began killing off many of Carter's energy initiatives.

Reagan halved the Energy Department's conservation and alternative fuels budget, according to Hakes. Spending on photovoltaic research dropped by two-thirds. Yet tax breaks for ethanol actually increased, prompting a surge in ethanol plant production.

Reagan's anti-tax, anti-government credo kicked into high gear during his second term. Energy tax credits for homeowners disappeared. With oil prices dropping, more than half of the nation's ethanol producers foundered.

Reagan rolled back fuel-efficiency standards for cars. And, in the summer of 1986, the solar panels atop the White House were taken down.

Reagan "ignored, even derogated, everything I had done," Carter said. "He spent eight years convincing people every problem in the country was my fault and that I was foolish and naive."

and.....

"We would be in much worse shape today without Carter, especially [regarding] the level of oil imports, greenhouse gas emissions and research on alternative fuels," Hakes said. "But we live in an age now where people want something for nothing. It remains to be seen whether we have the stomach to make the hard [energy] choices."

I'm often amazed by the way that Carter was criticized for speaking agaisnt Reagan policy during the Reagan presidency. After all, Reagan made a living off of repeatedly distorting Carter policy and blaming Carter (and sometimes even Nixon and Ford) for many of America's ills. Anything to deflect sound criticism of the long term effects of a popular snake oil saleman's miracle tonic.

I've already heard one Republican call Chapman's article "revisionist history." Looks like to me it's good ole 20/20 hindsight.

Chapman's article closes by asking Carter about George W. Bush's call for increased spending on alternative fuels:

Carter said the White House won't ever ask Americans to sacrifice.

"I haven't seen this administration do anything that would dramatically reduce demand for oil in this country," the ex-president said.

What should Bush do?

"Abandon Exxon and Halliburton and do what's good for this country and good for the American people," Carter responded.

And the likelihood of that happening?

"Zero."

That Dreaded Phone Call

2007-02-19T09:28:00.000-05:00

A week ago this morning, I got one of those phone calls that you dread, but you know will come eventually. A loved one has died, and it's time to go home and face it. With my beautiful 96 year old grandmother, challenged with Alzheimer's, it was no surprise. To also find out on the same day that my mother had collapsed and was on life support was a terrible shock. I was the last of the four children to get there, and it's as if she hung on until we were all together once again. Twenty minutes after I arrived, she passed too.

The eulogies at the double funeral were of great comfort to us all. Listening to personal stories of my grandmother sewing the Easter dresses of her best friend's children back in the 30's because her friend had to have eye surgery and couldn't do them herself. And I was reminded of how so many people from around our small community often sought comfort in my mother's kitchen, because they knew that's one place where they could find lots of love and understanding. My older brother said it best, "If you needed to know how to do something, you went to Mimi's. If you were in trouble, you went to Mama's."

It's funny, but when I think about the conflicts about being from conservative, baptist southwest Georgia and holding the "liberal" views that I have and express here on this blog, I realize that I got those views from my Christian background and from these two country conservative women that led by example.

They were blood relations of past Georgia governors, a secretary of state, and several senators, representatives, bootleg millionaires, and others of more noble means. Yet, I doubt either of them ever had more than a handfull of paychecks in their bank accounts over what they needed to pay their monthly bills. But they were as "rich" or blessed as any of their relations. That was evident at their funeral.

They cared about other people. No one around them ever went without a meal or a place to sleep. They treated everyone the same. And it was my mother who taught me to never accept discrimination, and to never use racial slurs or to think in bigotted terms, or keep company with those that do.

They thought in terms of how things affected the world around them, not just themselves or only their family. They practiced on a small community scale, what some of us think should be done more around the world. Anything given by them was given freely with no expectations of anything in return. Yet, they received a lot in return for being the gracious ladies they were, mostly in the form of love.

Having been a caretaker and having watched my mother be a caretaker to my dad's mother, my father, and her own mother, this is something that will always be important to me. She constantly gave of herself to others. And her's was the most self-less soul that I've ever known.

My mother had a massive heart attack about 12 years ago. But her concern was not for herself. It was of Mimi. She said on several occasions that she asked only to live long enough to take care of her mother and not a day more. And so she did. Last Monday, that debt was paid in full.

If there are angels in the sky above, two more have joined their ranks.

Bravo and Snickers

2007-02-09T13:41:00.000-05:00

Sovo links to Zach Hudson's Washington Blade article about Bravo network receiving criticism from GLAAD. A recent episode of the network's "Real Housewives of Orange County" aired a heated confrontation between two teenage brothers. Their curse words were bleeped out. But their frequent use of words like "faggot" and "homo" were not.

Even though I hate them when used this way, I'm not the type to flinch every time I hear those words. Unfortunately, they are still the put down of choice for guys - particularly younger ones. I'm not even sure if they are fully conscious of what they are saying. It's so ingrained that it's probably just a reflex. But, therein lies the problem. They should be conscious of the meaning and context of those words. And it shouldn't be just a reflex. Perhaps bleeping those words out would help just a little bit.

Perhaps this sort of thing is the reason why so many people are upset over the Snickers commercial that aired during the Super Bowl featuring two men accidentally kissing and then acting disgusted by it. Snickers pulled the ad. But it was a commercial done in poor taste and judgement. And I can't help but feel that it re-inforces negative stereotypes about gay people and the fact that gay people do sometimes like to show their affections just as straight people do.

Though I do take exception to the commercial, I liked what A Typical Joe had to say about it. He says he "didn't find it homophobic." He just called it really bad.

Speaking of Bravo, when's Kathy Griffin's show bringing out the new ones? I miss her!!

A Little Inspiration from an Obit

2007-02-09T11:35:00.000-05:00

An obituary? Surely, Button's fallen off his rocker this morning, right? Well, maybe not exactly. I didn't know Ms. Natalie Cohen, the 94 year old Atlantan, who was a former local tennis champion and an umpire for 50 years. But I wish I had. She's gone now. But there are still things to be learned from her life.

Okay, so she's not that famous. But read her AJC obit. She died with no immediate family. However, she clearly had a wealth of friends, and made a lasting impression on many people. Not least of which was the fiesty, sexist, egomaniacal, wildly talented showman tennis player, Ilie "Nasty" Nastase.

Nasty, the exotic Romanian, was known to be charming in the best of moods and perfectly willing to embarass anyone in the worst of moods. Nastase's antics were so bad that the calm, serene, and graceful Arthur Ashe once quit during a match and refused to shake Nastase's hand.

Yet, he met his match in one Natalie Cohen. According to the obit, she apparently gave it all right back to Nastase and impressed him so that he returned to the tennis tournament the next day with a bouquet of flowers for her.

Ms. Cohen also made an impression at her alma mater, Cal-Berkely. Here's an excerpt from a Georgia Trend article about Ms. Cohen:

But one of Cohen's greatest feats had nothing to do with tennis. It had to do with firing up her alma mater's football team in its game against arch-rival Stanford. At age 74, she burst into the locker room of her California Golden Bears at halftime and delivered a pep talk that would have rivaled one of Knute Rockne's.

The Bears were so motivated that they raced back on the field, overcame an eight-point deficit and upset the heavily favored Stanford Indians, 17-11.

As a student at Cal, Cohen had changed the way women were treated at home football games. It was 1930 when she went to the opening game at Cal's Memorial Stadium.

"I sat with my friends, a bunch of women in Section RR next to the men's rooting section, where women were not allowed. As soon as the Cal team came on to the field, I stood up and let go with a beautiful 'Rebel yell,'" Cohen remembers.

"Immediately, a male student grabbed my arm, pulled me down in to my seat and said in a voice louder than somewhat, 'Sit down and be quiet!'

"Imagine the nerve of that guy! I asked why should I sit down and he said, 'Women don't yell.' "This guy is telling me I am going to be here for four years and I am not going to be allowed to yell for my football team. I'm thinking, he does not know Natalie Cohen.

"Well, for the rest of that first game, I did not stand up or yell again. But the next Saturday I arrived early at the stadium and brought a bunch of women with me. We sat in Row 30, Section RR, across the aisle from the men's section.

"When the men yelled, we would yell, almost in perfect unison. More and more women began to yell with us and by the next season we had cheerleaders stationed on platforms in front of our section to lead us in cheers."

She may be the only woman to have a seat dedicated in her honor. Seven years ago, in section RR, at the Cal home opener, Seat 1 was named the "Natalie Cohen" seat.

That's just too good of a story not to share.

Happy Birthday, Blog for Democracy!

2007-02-08T11:07:00.000-05:00

Well, looky here! BfD is now three years old. Even from my own limited time roaming the blogosphere, I can tell that BfD has been THE virtual lighthouse for Georgia Democrats and Progressives. We're blessed with an abundance of great political blogs and thoughtful bloggers of various orientations in our part of the world. But for me, BfD is the "go to" blog for information and insight into all that encompasses Georgia and Democratic politics.

Even when I disagree with some of their contributors, I always remember that we're still on the same team. And I admire and respect the work that many of them do for our candidates and causes. It seems that sometimes they are criticized more than what's fair (usually when a contrarian whines about some supposed "freedom of speech" guarantee that they're owed when they clearly have a false or negative agenda), and don't get enough credit in general. So just let me say to them "congrats" to all of the people that make that blog what it is. You set a high standard for us all.

Now with the niceties out of the way, there's only one question to ask: Who wants to take the birthday licks? ;-)

The War for Women

2007-02-08T10:16:00.000-05:00

History shows us that men are much more apt to start wars than women. Perhaps that's why more and more voters find supporting female candidates more appealing than ever before. But there have been wars started over women. And I think battle lines are being drawn for yet another one - this time for Georgia women voters.

This morning, Cracker Squire refers to an article written by UGA's Dr. Charles Bullock, perhaps Georgia's most respected political scientist, in Insider Advantage. Dr. Bullock talks about the challenges that lay ahead for Jane Kidd, newly elected chair of the Democratic Party of Georgia.

This paragraph in particalar caught my eye:

"By selecting a white woman to lead the party, Democrats put at the helm a representative of the key swing group in Georgia politics. When Democrats won statewide contests in the 1990s, white males gave significantly larger shares of their votes to the GOP than did white women. Women continue to display more loyalty to the Democrats making up almost 58 percent of those asking for Democratic ballots in the 2006 primary but only 48 percent of the Republican primary voters. However in recent general elections, white women have given the same levels of support as white men to the re-elections of George Bush and Sonny Perdue."

I found this interesting because of two reasons.

First of all, back in the 90's, almost 100% of the local elected officials that I worked for and with ran as Democrats, even though they supported and voted for Republicans nationally. They did this for their own political survival as the GOP had been so irrelevent in local politics for so many decades, running in the Republican primary would've left them vulnerable to a primary upset where fewer voters would participate. Or, locals used to voting for Democrats in general elections, may continue the trend and vote those party-changing incumbents out in November.

I think Jane's going to work hard on this. For those that still run as Democrats locally but vote for Republicans on the state and national level, she's going to try to find a way to bring those people back into the Democratic fold. It really starts with them. Voters in rural areas need to look at these Democratic officials as more than just DINO's (Democrat in name only). Rural voters need to be reminded that the Democratic Party is still the party of the people. And Democratic principles are their principles too.

And secondly, a lot of Georgia Democrats recognize the fact that women need to play an increasingly important role in DPG. We've had many to take all sorts of roles within DPG and run for elected office. But I think it will only help Georgia Dems to put more vibrant and talented women (like Jane Kidd) out front for the voters to see - particularly female voters whose numbers are undeniable in recent trends.

Perhaps some in the Georgia Republican Party have noticed. I find it interesting that the Republican-leaning blog, Peach Pundit, has broken with its own policy and endorsed a candidate for Georgia GOP chair. And their endorsee just happens to be a woman.

Personally, I think electing her Georgia GOP chair would be a smart move. From what I hear, she's bright, talented, and someone that can work with anyone. Like Amy from Georgia Women Vote, I hope they screw this one up and elect someone else.

Some Sierra Club of Georgia News

2007-02-06T12:33:00.000-05:00

Sierra Club's next Beer meet n' greet will be on Feb. 21st at the Radial Cafe in Atlanta. These get togethers serve as a social event for Sierra Clubbers and folks that might be interested in joining the Sierra Club. The beer will be freely flowing courtesy of the Sweetwater Brewing Co. Come talk a little biodiesel, public transportation, and other issues that Sierra Club is focusing on here in Georgia.

The Gwinnett Chapter will be hosting a free Global Warming Film Festival all Feburary long. I missed the Feb. 3rd film. However, there is plenty more to come on the 10th, 17th, and 24th:

Films:

Feb. 3 – Earth to America, 6:30pm
Feb. 10 – Too Hot Not to Handle, 6:30pm
Feb. 17 – Kilowatt Ours and Power Shift, 6:30pm
Feb. 24 – Power of Community and French Fries to Go, 6:30pm

Place: The film festival will take place at:
St. James Lutheran Church 4845 Jimmy Carter Blvd Norcross, GA 30093

Time: The doors will open at 6:30 and the films will begin at 7:00 pm.

For more information, please contact Annette Gelbrich, apgelbrich@yahoo.com, or 770-923-0905.

Also, the Sierra Club is endorsing a group called No New Coal for Georgia. From their website:

Georgia has the know-how to move us away from our dirty and dangerous over dependence on coal-power. Unfortunately, instead of tapping into this entrepreneurial opportunity an energy company, LS Power, based out of New Jersey, has proposed a giant 1200 MW coal-fired power plant in Early County. The proposed plant will further endanger public health, pollute our air and water, and contribute to global warming.

The fact is Georgia does not need this dirty power, LS Power representatives are on record stating that most of the electricity will be sold out of state. Instead, Georgia could tap into our abundant, homegrown, renewable resources like pine trees or the sun and use our energy more efficiently. This direction would provide jobs for Georgians too.

Fortunately the Governor and Georgia’s Environmental Protection Division (EPD) have yet to grant a final permit to LS Power. Join our coalition today and help us urge the Governor and the EPD to stop this dirty coal plant before it starts.

Who We Are:We are a coalition of concerned residents, groups and businesses from Early County and beyond.

In the coming months we will:

1. Educate the Public about the negative impacts a coal-fired power plant will have on our state and readily available alternatives.

2. Call on the Governor and the EPD to refuse LS Power’s request for a permit to build a coal-fired plant in Early County.

Click here to join us!

Ahhh, my old stopping grounds. As a teenager, I once suffered the indignity of waking up from a drunken stupor in the backseat of a car in the parking lot of the Quail Motel in Blakely. But that's a story for another day.......................

Lots of free stuff here, people. Come take advantage and do some good for Georgia.

Progressive Blogosphere Feeling Kind of Punchy

2007-02-06T10:29:00.000-05:00

Making my rounds, it seems like everyone has something to complain about. Not that I'm blaming them mind you. Just an observation..........

The Rude Pundit puts the "Rude" in "R-rating" on a regular basis. His latest entry is on global warming and the UN report recently released. Pretty much, we're all waiting to be rescued before we're "a crisp." Check him out. A little snarky humor about an earth-altering topic never hurt anyone.

Jon from Peach Pulpit will be happy to know that Georgia's two GOP senators made Evil GOP Bastards' Hall of Shame for their votes against raising the minimum wage. Almost immediately after Mark Taylor went down like a bloated whale against Sonny Perdue, Jon took the donkey by the ears and pointed us towards our next big opportunity in 2008 - picking off Sen. Chambliss. He created the Saxby Files so that we could keep up with one of Georgia's biggest embarassments. I'll have to look around in the Evil GOP Hall of Shame archives to see if there's anything about ole Saxby's record that should be added to Jon's site.

The punchiness isn't only towards the Republicans...............

OpEdNews.com has an article by Joshua Frank of brickburner.org where he expresses some doubts about Hillary, Edwards, and Obama. He says that they haven't done anything to really "distinguish" their positions on Iran from Bush's. I assure you, how candidates plan to deal with Iran will play a major role in who I decide to vote for in March 2008's Georgia Presidential Preference Primary. Tough talk for the sake of tough talk won't win me over. It'll make me run the other way.

Christopher of From the Left opines that the GLBT community may not exactly be enamored with Hillary. She might want to be careful. Because a group that at one time seemed to love her could become a major road block to winning the Democratic nomination, if she's not careful. She might want to have a talk with Cathy Cox (perhaps Georgia's Hillary) about the effects of a defection of gay voters and their political dollars.

Looking for Something to Read?

2007-02-06T09:22:00.000-05:00

Ever since I started this blog, I've been meaning to do a monthly book review. I like to read a couple of books a month (mostly non-fiction), but lately I haven't had as much time for reading. And as time marches on, my book list grows. In fact, I've probably got 5 or 6 books that I've ordered from Amazon in the last few months that still haven't been read.

But if you're not like me and you're looking around for ideas on what to read, here are some blogs that you might want to check out..............

Danny Yee's Book Reviews covers just about everything under the sun. Danny's an Aussie world traveller and he seems to have wide interests in both fiction and non-fiction categories. He's extremely organized as you can search for books under just about every category and subcategory that you can think of.

But one category I didn't see listed on Danny's site was horror. But don't despair! A Pensecola blogger named Tony has it thoroughly covered at The Horror Fan, a blog I found via the Aging Hipster. Horror is a dangerous genre if you aren't familiar with an author or his/her style. I usually only read these books in October (surprise, surprise).

Tony even points out a site where you can find free book downloads, SpecFicWorld.com. I've already downloaded a compilation of short stories that I'll read one night when I'm in the mood. Although, I readily admit that I'm far too tactile to do my reading via electronic means. Guess that's just one of my little personal quirks.

Closer to home, the Atlanta Media Bloggers lists both books and movies that they've experienced recently. The talented Spacey Gracey, who seems born to blog and be creative in general, has a hand in this, as do the folks at the Georgia Podcast Network. Though not blessed with an abundance of creativity myself, I do appreciate those who are.

So during these cold winter months, curl up with a good book. Be prepared to take a peek inside someone else's world. And hey, if that's not your thing, a new Survivor starts Thursday night. That's right.........another one!

The American Enterprise Institute Offers to Buy Scientists' Opinions

2007-02-02T09:55:00.000-05:00

.............that is, as long as they agree to criticize and refute the U.N's report (due to be released today) issued by 500 of the world's leading scientists saying that global warming is happening and is most likely influenced by the activities of humans. If you're a scientist and are willing to be bought, the think tank, sponsored by Exxon Mobil, will pay you the princely sum of $10,000.

So instead of encouraging further debate, AEI wishes to purchase debate. Somehow, I can't help but think that they are doing this for their own interests and the interests of their sponsors , not for the welfare of our planet.

Meanwhile, leading Democrats have been quick to respond to the UN's report:

"Although President Bush just noticed that the earth is heating up, the American public, every reputable scientist and other world leaders have long recognized that global warming is real and it's serious. The time to act is now," said Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., who with GOP Sen. Olympia Snowe (news, bio, voting record) of Maine crafted one of a half-dozen competing bills to address global warming.

Rep. Edward Markey (news, bio, voting record), D-Mass., a senior member of House panels on energy and natural resources, said that "for those who are still trying to determine responsibility for global warming, this new U.N. report on climate change is a scientific smoking gun."

Catch John Edwards' Speech Friday Morning

2007-02-01T18:14:00.000-05:00

From the John Edwards campaign..........

Tomorrow morning, John Edwards will be addressing members of the Democratic National Committee at the DNC's Winter Meeting in Washington, D.C.

I wanted to invite you to watch the speech live online beginning at approximately 10:40 AM ET on Friday, and to join us on the campaign blog to talk about Senator Edwards' address and his vision for changing America.

Simply come to the blog at 10:40 AM ET tomorrow for links to the live webcast.

North Georgia Wakes Up to Ice and Snow; Al's Nobel Nomination

2007-02-01T09:44:00.000-05:00

The picture above is actually from Asheville, NC. But you get the point. Georgians north of the Rome-Athens line woke up to a winter mix of ice and snow. Here, just a little south of that in Gwinnett County, we have a little bit of ice. Today just might be my designated day for some hot tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich. :-)

Elsewhere..........

From ice in Georgia to another report saying that global warming is "very likely" due to "human activity." Someone might want to make Georgia US Senator Saxby Chambliss aware of this. Although, I have a feeling he already knows this and just hasn't found this stance to be politically expedient.

Don't look for anything positive on this from certain Christian evangelicals either. Quite a few of them have taken the "dominion of the Earth" thing to the point that humans should be encouraged to rape and pillage Mother Earth. After all, for them, it's all about making life hell on earth for us heathens as they await a new earthly kingdom. Oh yeah, and homophobe Sen. James Inhofe (OK) might still be the biggest fundamentalist dunce in the US Senate.

In somewhat related news, MSNBC says that Exxon "posts record annual profit." Of course, it shouldn't be forgotten that in 2005 and 2006 many Americans suffered heavily at the gas pumps.

Al Gore has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. Norwegian Parliament member, Boerge Brende, says, ''Al Gore, like no other, has put climate change on the agenda. Gore uses his position to get politicians to understand, while Sheila works from the ground up."

There is still a push from some progressive groups to talk Al Gore into running for president in 2008. But, in his New York Times blog, Bruce Barlett says to look out for the "future President Clinton."

Last, but certainly not least, the irrepressible Molly Ivins has passed. She was a Texan that tried to warn us about "Dubya." That makes two strong Texas women (Gov. Ann Richards) that have died in the last few months. That's not just a loss for Texas, but a loss for us all.

Bush Administration Heading Down a Familiar Road

2007-01-31T01:03:00.000-05:00

As it was with Iraq, so it appears to be with Iran. The Bush administration's policy on diplomacy with certain nations is not to have any at all. Just throw a little rhetoric around and bang on a war drum. It's good to see folks on both sides of the aisle wanting to take Dubya's war drum from him. He clearly doesn't know how to play with it.

"What I think many of us are concerned about is that we stumble into active
hostilities with Iran without having aggressively pursued diplomatic approaches,
without the American people understanding exactly what's taking place," Sen.
Barack Obama.

Hillary wants Dubya to "clean up" before he leaves

2007-01-29T16:41:00.000-05:00

Colin Powell tried to tell the wing-eared one before he went into Iraq, "You break it, you buy it." Well, we all know what has happened in the 4 years since Powell's warning. Iraq is a nation that is indeed broken with seemingly little hope of recovery anytime soon. In the process, the Bush administration has almost completely fiddled away the spirit of goodwill and cooperation that the world showed our country in the weeks following 9/11.

What's probably worse is the fact that instead of eliminating terrorists, the Bush administration has inspired more acts of terror, as well as terrorists in-the-making. Now we find ourselves seemingly stuck in Iraq with Iran brandishing its potentially nuclear saber. According to Hillary, this just will not do. She tells him to "clean up" on his way out.

Of course, Dubya has different ideas. He doesn't want to "clean up." He'd rather build up, and send more young Americans into harm's way in a part of the world that resents our nation more and more every day.

As odd as it sounds, Iraq really isn't my biggest concern any more. That distinction now goes to Iran - a country that isn't monolithic, but is treated by the Bush administration treats as if it is.

The presidential election in 2008 cannot get here soon enough. The Democrats have an impressive and diverse list of candidates that would like to get to work in mending the fences we've destroyed in the last several years. Until then, George W. Bush reviews and tweaks his list of nations that he wants to "schock and awe."

Cardiac Dawgs "Do It for Broph"

2007-01-28T18:48:00.000-05:00

Before a sold out, raucous Stegeman Coliseum in Athens, the resurgent Georgia Bulldogs defeated their second straight top 25 opponent, LSU 57-54 today. The game was the third buzzer beater in the last 4 games for UGA, having won one at Arkansas and lost another one at Alabama last week. The Dawgs also went to overtime to beat national power Kentucky 78-69 last Wed. night.

This game stood out for a special reason. Before the game, the family of Kevin Brophy, who came all the way from Australia, was honored, and a scholarship in Kevin's name was announced.

Last July, Brophy, a member of the basketball team, was tragically killed in a car accident . Coach Dennis Felton's Dawgs have dedicated their season to their fallen teamate. The team wears "Do it for Broph" patches on their uniforms. The patch also appears underneath each goal stand at both ends of the court at Stegeman Coliseum.

Brophy played through a couple of Georgia's worst basketball seasons in recent memory. It's a shame that he's not here to celebrate the turn around that the Dawgs are experiencing. But according to the team and the coaches, "Broph" has indeed been here every step of the way.

Jane Kidd Set to Lead the Way for Georgia Democrats

2007-01-28T18:24:00.000-05:00

Congratulations to Jane Kidd, who was elected the Georgia Democratic Party's next chair. By all accounts Jane is a fine person and a great Democrat. She's known to be a solid fund raiser, and can put up a fight when she needs to. She should be instrumental in getting women back into the Georgia Democratic fold. For the first time, it feels like we can finally put 2006 behind us.

Best of luck to her. And congratulations to all of yesterday's winners.

The Grace of Willie O. "Pete" Williams

2007-01-25T12:28:00.000-05:00

I'll never understand it. After 22 years of imprisonment, and having been cleared of a rape conviction by DNA testing, Pete Williams walked out of the Fulton County jail yesterday a free man. One might would expect him to have harsh words for our legal system or for the person who mistakenly I.D'd him as the rapist. But not Pete. Instead, surrounded by loved ones, he expressed joy and gratefulness that this day had finally come for an innocent man. The Georgia Innocence Project made it all possible.

Perhaps we should remember this the next time a politician panders to the public at large by advocating the execution of rapists.

Don't think for a moment that I'm forgetting about the rights and the feelings of crime victims. But if we don't believe in prisoners' rights for any other reason, we should always remember the Pete Williams of the world.

May God bless Pete and reward him for the example he represents. And may we remember that there are likely other Petes out there in our prison system - maybe even on death row.

For other good reads on the release of Pete Williams and the Georgia Innocence Project, see Georgia Women Vote and Georgia On My Mind.

"Friends of God: A Road Trip with Alexandra Pelosi"

2007-01-25T09:49:00.000-05:00

Starting tonight, HBO will be airing a documentary made by the daughter of Speaker Nancy Pelosi. The documentary includes interviews with at least two of the high profile folks behind the pulpit in the Christian Right: Falwell and Haggard. I have a feeling that Focus on the Family won't like the results of this project.

From HBO's synopsis:

During her journey, Pelosi also visits with Rev. Jerry Falwell, leader of The Moral Majority and chancellor and founder of Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va., who articulates a commitment to change the country and urges his congregation to "vote your values" in elections. "Evangelicals are the largest minority block in this country," he says. "It's not a majority, but I don't think you can win without them. John Kerry learned that. Al Gore learned that. And Hillary will learn that in 2008."

The Georgia Guidestones

2007-01-23T10:56:00.000-05:00

Has anyone ever heard of the Georgia Guidestones, aka "America's Stonehenge"? I don't ever recall having visited Elberton, Georgia. I've never even heard of these guidestones which, to some, represent something very sinister for the entire world. The mysterious "Mr. Christian" (a Rosicrucian reference?) and the book he supposedly wrote adds to the story.

A quick google search shows that someone even made a cheesy google video dedicated to them, with Hector Berloiz ("The Shining," "Sleeping With the Enemy") sounding music in the background. Actually, when you view the google video, you'll also see references to other videos with the mysterious guidestones as their subject. It's also a target of John Conner's anti-New World Order site. I'm not much of a tinfoil hat person, but since this is located in Georgia, it's very interesting to me.

Wikipedia even has an entry for them. How did I miss this?

From wiki's entry:

A message consisting of a set of ten guidelines or principles is engraved on the Georgia Guidestones in eight different languages, one language on each face of the four large upright stones. Moving clockwise around the monument from due north, these languages are: English, Spanish, Swahili, Hindi, Hebrew, Arabic, Chinese and Russian. The message in English reads:

*Maintain humanity under 500,000,000 in perpetual balance with nature.
*Guide reproduction wisely—improving fitness and diversity.
*Unite humanity with a living new language.
*Rule passion—faith—tradition—and all things with tempered reason.
*Protect people and nations with fair laws and just courts.
*Let all nations rule internally resolving external disputes in a world court.
*Avoid petty laws and useless officials.
*Balance personal rights with social duties.
*Prize truth—beauty—love—seeking harmony with the infinite.
*Be not a cancer on the earth—Leave room for nature—Leave room for nature.

A shorter message appears on the four vertical surfaces of the capstone, again in a different language and script on each face. The explanatory tablet near the Guidestones identifies these languages/scripts as Babylonian Cuneiform (north), Classical Greek (east), Sanskrit (south), and Egyptian Hieroglyphics (west), and provides what is presumably an English translation: "Let these be guidestones to an age of reason."

I've Been Tagged

2007-01-23T09:19:00.000-05:00

Steve has tagged me to name my 5 fantasy careers. Now I could start this entry with a little snark about poor ole Stevie who chose 3 high energy professions like rock singer, spy (complete with ninja garb), and ball player. Then, he chooses "sleep test guy." Well, I got a good laugh out of that one anyway! ;-)

For me:

1) Astronaut - okay, what kid didn't dream about this one? But as someone who counts how many states and nations he has visited, being able to go somewhere that so few others have gone is enticing.

2) Beauty contest judge - well, I almost did this one. I was asked to do it, but laughed it off. My brother got into this for several years, and eventually got to do this for either Miss Georgia or Jr. Miss Georgia. I can't remember which - it was in Columbus, I do remember that.

3) Tennis umpire - when I realized that I wasn't good enough to get a college scholarship as a player, I briefly thought that it might be nice to be an umpire. Don't laugh, because these days, the pro umpires in tennis get paid well, travel the world, and hobnob with people that I would probably consider hobnobbing with.

4) Alaska crab fisherman - because I'm a sucker anytime that Reader's Digest or Discovery Channel does a special on these men and women. "The most dangerous job in the world" as its known. But these crusty, hearty folks can make a lot of money in just a few weeks of work.

5) University professor - I have a few friends that got into this gig. I, too, would like to be paid to run my mouth, research what interests me, and write articles and books. Since I always looked up to my teachers, this seems like a natural for me. In fact, I've been told that I missed my boat.

Hmmmm, I think I'll tag Eddie from Chicken Fat. Just because nothing he says will surprise me. Well, "shade tree mechanic" would surprise me. But only because of his neighbor. ;-)

Carter Conference a Wealth of Perspectives and Information

2007-01-22T09:19:00.000-05:00

Unfortunately, I was only able to attend one session of the University of Georgia's The Carter Presidency: Lessons for the 21st Century. But I did catch earlier sessions from Saturday and also Sunday morning's session live on C-SPAN. For those that missed the conference but would like to see it, C-SPAN will re-air several portions of the conference this week.

First of all, for all of the criticism that he receives (sometimes, but not always deserved), UGA President Michael Adams and those involved with the planning of the event deserve a lot of credit for putting on a rare, first class and comprehensive look at a presidency that also included the general public. Dr. Adams, himself a former Republican fundraiser and Bush supporter, was extremely gracious and positively participated in all aspects of the conference. As many books as I've read, as many documents as I've reviewed at the Carter Library, and as many videotapes of speeches and appearances of the former president and first lady that I've either purchased or borrowed, I learned a lot from the weekend's panelists and discussions.

As the title suggests, the conference was a 3 day retrospective of Carter's term in office, its eventual affects on later presidencies, and drawing from those experiences what could be useful today. The conference was a bipartisan look that included former President Carter and Mrs. Carter and former Vice President Walter Mondale themselves, along with representatives from the Carter and Clinton administrations, Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, former US Senator from TN and former Reagan chief of staff Howard Baker, and various members of the news media that covered the Carter administration including Chris Matthews, Brian Williams, and Judy Woodruff.

I have yet to see any of Friday's sessions. But from what I've seen, the highlights for me were the sessions on the Middle East and foreign policy and the session on the press and their relationship with the Carter administration as compared to subsequent administrations.

I saw Mondale, but never got a chance to hear him speak on any of the topics. But I did get to see and hear the thoughts of another key figure that I've long wanted to meet - Carter's National Security Advisor, Zbigniew Brzezinski.

I've seen interviews on tv with Brzezinski, and I've read his 2004 book, "The Choice: Global Domination or Global Leadership." Although Brzezinski's writing style was a bit hard for me to read, I think it's an incredibly important book when trying to consider and gage our country's place in the world, particularly post fall of the Soviet Union and post 9/11. His book hits on a few similar themes as Noam Chomsky's books do, although in a way that is more academic and less offensive (some take Chomsky's view of America offensively), yet similarly critical.

Brzezinski still looks and sounds menacing with his Polish accent. But he comes across to me as more of a grandatherly type that's no-nonsense, but wise and hopeful for the future. He doesn't see a bogey man around ever corner. He remains optimistic about the future, even though he's clearly not an admirer of President Bush, Vice President Cheney, and the direction they are trying to lead the country.

As a southerner, discussions about how the Carters and people like Jody Powell, Hamilton Jordan, and Bert Lance were treated in Washington and by the press was very interesting. When I travel (to the northeast in particular) I sometimes get strange looks and a bit of condescension based purely on my accent. Apparently, it doesn't matter if you're the president of the United States. A southern accent brings up negative stereotypes for some people.

The townhall meeting for the general public, was largely like the ones they reguarly put on at the Carter Center in Atlanta. However, coming on the heels of Carter's book, "Palestine: Peace, not Apartheid," there were some pointed questions from a few Jewish or pro-Israel people in the audience. One described himself as a member of the Polish resistance during WWII and one was a holocaust survivor. Considering the racism that Israelis have faced and continue to face, people like the ones asking questions have taken offense at Carter's use of the word "apartheid." Those moments were tense considering the emotions involved. But I thought Carter handled it well. Ultimately, I believe that Carter is trying to do for disenfranchised Palestinians what he previously has done for Jewish dissidents in countries like the former Soviet Union.

Since Ronald Reagan is often times given full credit for the fall of the Iron Curtain and the end of the Soviet threat, I enjoyed the personal story that Rosalynn Carter told about visiting the Soviet Union after Carter had been defeated for re-election in 1980. Because of Carter's contact with dissidents and political prisoners like Andrei Sakhorov, a group of students took her to a secret meeting of people who gathered to speak out against the Soviet government. Ultimately, these people credited Carter with doing his part to weaken the Soviet Union from within.

Carter ended the meeting with a rarely told personal story about how he persuaded Egyptian President Anwar Sadat from leaving the Camp David peace negotiations. His voice cracked as he described the tense, nose to nose, standoff as Sadat waited for his helicopter to take him back to D.C.

I know this won't be everyone's cup of tea. But I do recommend catching this on C-SPAN. Given President Carter's age, the next time such a conference on his presidency takes place, he likely won't be there to participate.

Here are some links to the Athens Banner-Herald's excellent coverage:

changing role of first lady

inflation and Carter's re-election hopes

conference closes

During the week, I may go more in depth with some of the items I found interesting.

Destroyer of Worlds

2007-01-18T11:49:00.000-05:00

Okay, so he doesn't exactly live up to that moniker. After all, he did get beat up by the neighbors' cat the other day. But those squirrels had better watch out! This Yorkie eats his Mighty Dog every day!

Around the Georgia Blogosphere/This n' That

2007-01-16T10:56:00.000-05:00

I feel rotten because as I look around the Georgia blogosphere, I see some wonderful tributes to the memory of Martin Luther King, Jr. Time got away from me yesterday before I could put something personal out there. But if you haven't done so already, please take a look at Drifting Through the Grift and Will Hinton on Peach Pundit.

One of the things I did get a chance to do while out and about was attend the book signing of Sandra Lee at the Alpharetta Costco. She's even more beautiful in person than she is on televsion - if you can believe that. Since I love to use a crock pot, especially during winter time for stews and soups, I'm sure I'll be enjoying her crock pot cook book for a long time to come.

I want so badly to attend The Carter Presidency: Lessons for the 21st Century at UGA this weekend. President and Mrs. Carter will be there along with former Vice President Walter Mondale, former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, amongst others. I've heard and met each of the others before. But I've never had the chance to see Mondale up close. I feel that I should. After all, I almost got beat up in the 7th grade for having a Mondale bumper sticker on my bike and my trapper keeper. Maybe things will break for me so that I can catch at least one session.

Rusty, from Georgia Podcast Network and Radical Georgia Moderate, was kind enough to send a link to GPN's latest podcast. It happened to be about the Titanic exhibit at the Atlanta Civic Center that I blogged about last week. Rusty, Amber, and the gang from GPN produce high quality feautures and discussions on a variety of topics. Most of my Georgia readers will already by very familiar with their work. But some of you from Oshkosh, Yokohama, and Escondido might want to check them out.

I also want to hand out some linky love to 3 of my favorite bloggers. First, Rocky from Rambles by Rock has returned from his trip to Ireland. He's got some wonderful pictures from his trip. Take a moment to wander over there and give them a look.

Second, I can't remember ever highlighting Eddie's blog, Chicken Fat. Eddie's content is usually a lot different from mine - so maybe that's my excuse. But it only makes sense to call attention to him because Eddie is one of my favorites. He has the talent of story telling in the traditon of so many great southern story tellers. I think a lot of my readers are already readers of Eddie's. But in case you aren't, start now. His stories make me laugh and they make me think.

And last, but by no means least, Steve made a great entry on his blog, Aging Hipster, about kids in war torn countries such as Somalia going from orphans to killers with no childhood in between. I'm glad Steve blogged about this as we don't pay enough attention to what's going on in somewhat politically less conventient places like Somalia or Darfur. It also reminds me of why so many of our excuses for involvement in Iraq are such b.s. These things happen in too many countries every single day.

P.S. Griftdrift highlighted a neat new Georgia blog, Georgia On My Mind. Looks like the same proprietor as the one that does such a great job on History is Elementary. Check them both out. Eddie, I have a feeling that you and Ms. Elementary School Teacher will like each other's blogs a lot!

Is J. C. Penney Co. selling dog fur? Weekend News Roundup

2007-01-14T10:36:00.000-05:00

AP writer, David Koenig's article on animal rights groups questioning retail giant J. C. Penney Co. appeared in Saturday's Gwinnett Daily Post. Groups such as the American Humane Society and PETA are looking into tips that they have received from J. C. Penney Co. employees. According to the tipsters, the company is coats with dog fur collars made in China - of course, it has to be China. What's worse is that they claim to have been told by their bosses to use markers to write in that the fur is from "raccoons." This story has been around for a few weeks, but has now resurfaced because of Penney's determination to sell these coats.

Penney disputes these claims saying that the animals from China that are killed to make these coats are actually "Asiatic raccoon" despite their canine lineage. They also point out the Federal Trade Commission approves of selling asiatic raccoon fur. Despite this explanation, Penney actually felt the need to pull these coats off the racks before Christmas because of pressure from animal rights groups and complaints from animal lovers. According to Koenig's article, the coats are back on the racks under the "St. John's Bay" label and have been reduced dramatically in price.

China, who would like to hide its poor record on animal rights (amongst other things), will be hosting the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing. I would urge people that are thinking about visiting that nation and spending money there to look into what's actually going on there behind those bright, sparkly, multi-million dollar, state-of-the-art sports venues being built. While the people of China are valuable members of the world community and have been known to be great contributors to civilization throughout history, the government of the People's Republic of China is not nearly so praise-worthy when it comes to human rights, animal rights, and the environment.

The AJC had several items that caught my eye today. They are continuing its "Hidden Shame" series on the terrible neglect and abuse cases that are all too common at Georgia's mental health facilites. I can't lay the entire blame at the feet of Gov. Sonny Perdue. But I do believe that his drastic cuts in state funding to these facilities since 2003 have probably worsened the problems faced by the facilities themselves, the employees who are under a great deal of stress, and most importantly the patients.

Also in the AJC, Richard Halicks features the new book by Chris Hedges, "American Fascists: The Christian Right and the War on America." Halicks also has a great Q&A with Hedges. Hedges isn't afraid to point out that Christian fundamentalists are every bit as dangerous as other religious fundamentalists. He uses examples of extremism from Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell, Benny Hinn, and James Dobson who he says promotes the "theology of despair," an idea that rings true to me.

Hedges contends that while many of us laugh at someone like Hinn who claims that Christ will one day appear on his tv show and raise the dead, millions of us do not. He's taken seriously by many who are then encouraged to register to vote and then try and vote in right wing extremists that would like to govern this country, not as a democracy or republic, but from a hardline theocratic point of view.

For those of us who were raised as a Christian, we should not be afraid to read Hedges' book, which does not seem anti-Christianity at all. Hedges himself is the product of a Presyterian minister, and studied for theological degrees at Ivy League schools. He merely points out the dangers of mainstream Christian personalities that fly under the radar of scrutiny. Meanwhile, they give people who actually live by the tennants of Christianity a bad name.

Halicks articles are good reads. I will be adding Hedges' book to my reading list.

And lastly, I recognized the name of a very good Albany attorney with a social conscience who I had the pleasure of working with once a few years ago, James Finkelstein. I notice his letters to the editor in both the AJC and the Albany Herald from time to time. James makes a lot of great points in his letter protesting Bush's idiotic decision to send more troops to Iraq. And I very much appreciate his suggestion that Bush start by sending his and Dick Cheney's daughters first.

Titanic Exhibit Worth a Look

2007-01-12T09:06:00.000-05:00

Last week, my friend Sarah and I spent a couple of hours at the Atlanta Civic Center viewing the Atlanta Titanic Exhibit. She and I both have been Titanic buffs since childhood. We each had read Walter Lord's A Night to Remember and most everything else that we could get our hands on. With all that has been on display, neither of us had taken he opporunity to view remnants of one of the most famous tragedies of the 20th century. If you're in the Atlanta area and you're planning to visit the exhibit, you might not want to read my entire account of what Sarah and I saw in the exhibit hall, as I do give a lot away.

I have no personal connections to the Titanic. But my Mimi, who is now 95, and I used to talk about events that happened during her childhood. She was a little too young to have been cognizant of the event itself. But it was clear that the people of her generation were profoundly affected by Titanic, the discussions and resulting beliefs about (then) modern technology, and the stories told by the survivors.

My talks with her showed me that even a little girl from southwest Georgia, far removed from the icy waters of the north Atlantic, could be so affected by the totality of such a tragic event. It always amazed me that I could go to her and get some sort of perspective on such fascinating moments in time as Titanic, WWI, Pearl Harbor, the death of FDR, the assassination of JFK, man's first steps on the Moon, the fall of the Iron Curtain, and 9/11.

Upon entering the exhibit, you are assigned a passenger who was known to be on the Titanic the night she sank in April of 1912 off the coast of New Foundland. At the end of the tour, you learn the fate of your passenger. I'll withold his name in case any of you draw him, but he was a 3rd class passenger travelling with his wife, sister, and a group of travellers from County Mayo, Ireland. He and his family hoped to settle in Chicago.

The exhibit covers the whole of Titanic's life, as you begin with the White Star Line's building of Titanic and her sister ships, Brittanic and Olympic. Pictures line the walls of the dark exhibit halls showing important faces that had something to do with the concept and building of the ship. There were also lighted glass displays featuring mechanical part of Titanic recovered the ocean floor.

The exhibit then offers mock up examples of 1st and 3rd class passenger rooms along with dining utencils used in their respective dining quarters. There are also pictures of passengers known to be from all 3 classes, many of which show their families too. Personal objects such as spectacles, purses, shaving gear, and even garments like shoes, coats, and socks are on display.

There is even a mock iceberg designed to give you some sort of perspective as what 28 degree water feels like. And there is also a submersible like the one used in the recovery of Titanic. One of the most fascinating parts of the exhibit for me was to see objects that were lifted from the ocean bed and huge pictures behind them of the recovery of those very same objects, two miles below the surface.

Now you know when you go into these things, you just want to touch something. That's just human nature. I know that the more hands that touch these items, the faster they will diminish. But there was a piece of the actual hull of the ship in a glass case with an air hole at the top. I pictured in my mind's eye leaning over and reaching through the hole and touching an actual piece of Titanic - the ship that I read about as a child and never thought anyone (let alone me) would see again. But then an Ellen Degeneres/Lucille Ball moment appeared in my head - better not try that, Button! You already have this feeling of reverence and respect for the dead as their stories are brought to life for you. So even in my weakest moment, I could never do that. Admit it, that selfish thought would cross your mind too. ;-)

The story becomes even more personal in the last 3 phases of your visit. Because this time when they show you objects and personal affects, these are actually assigned to the known owners. You read their names, their stories, and their fates. Some are incredible, such as the man that was kidnapped and put into forced labor on a ship bound from Europe to China. He escaped his captors in Egypt and was on his way back to the states. It almost sounds almost too incredible to be true.

And then the dreaded moment comes. The passenger's (whose summarized life on a card that you hold in hand) fate is revealed. Unfortunately, I learned that the Irishman assigned to me and his family died sometime during the sinking or minutes afterward in the icy, intolerant waters.

The final room of the exhibit deals with famous people on the ship. We've all read about the Astors, the Strausses, etc. But there are two Georgians travelling aboard Titanic who died that night, the writer and Pike Co. native, Jacques Futrelle and U.S. Army Major Archibald Butt of Augusta.

Futrelle was travelling with his wife, but, thankfully, their two children were safe at home. His wife's last moments with him included him escorting her to a lifeboat and smoking a cigarette as he prepared himself to die. She was one of the wives who wanted to share the fate of their husband. But he convinced her that she needed to survive for the sake of their children.

Major Butt was quite a prominent man. He was one of Teddy's roughriders in Cuba and served as an advisor and personal friend to both President T. Roosevelt and President Taft. He had been travelling in Europe to clear his mind before returning on Titanic. Once he got to Washington, D.C., he would have to choose between his two great friends, Roosevelt and Taft, as they were now working against one another. Captain Smith personally informed Major Butt that the ship had struck an iceberg, and that she would sink. Major Butt then went to work shephering women and children to lifeboats.

The Arlington National Cemetary's website has this quote from survivor, Mrs. Henry B. Harris:

"But oh, this whole world should rise in praise of Major Butt. The man's conduct will remain in my memory forever; the he showed some of the other men how to behave when women and children were suffering that awful mental fear that came when we had to be huddled into those boats. Major Butt was near me, and I know very nearly everything he did."

"When the order to take to the boats came he became as one in supreme command. You would have thought he was at a White House Reception, so cool and calm was he. A dozen or so women became hysterical all at once as something connected with a lifeboat went wrong. Major Butt stepped to them and said: 'Really you must not act like that; we are all going to see you through this thing.'

"He helped the sailors rearrange the rope or chain that had gone wrong and lifted some of the women in with gallantry. His was the manner we associate with the word aristocrat."

At the end of the exhibit, all that was left was the really cheesy gift shop. There, one could buy Titanic magnets, plates, cups, saucers, candy, t-shirt, and assorted books and documentary. Some of the items almost seem inappropriate just after seeing the exhibit.

But overall, it was a great way to spend a morning if you're a history or a Titanic buff. Sarah and I had lots to discuss over our late lunch at Cowtippers.

B'ham Blues' Snarky Response to a Letter Writer

2007-01-09T15:05:00.000-05:00

In perusing the blogosphere, I got a good laugh out of Birmingham Blues' snarky response to a letter to the editor in The Birmingham News. Blues (Kathy), is a self-described " suburban housewife gone bad." She takes apart this letter from someone complaining about Pres. Bush's perceived bad press. She says that she hates to make fun of this type of thing. But when you read the letter, you'll see why she made an exception.

Good stuff, Kathy!

2007 Starting with a Bang

2007-01-08T10:41:00.000-05:00

We're only eight days into January - not only are we seeing new officials take office under the Gold Dome, but we may also see one man derailed before his year even gets started. We'll see if anything sticks. Either way, it's not something I feel like revelling in. But if the allegations are true, it can't be tolerated.

Tina at Dorothea's List is spearheading an effort to make sure that every Georgia legislator is aware of the plight of the mentally ill in our state's facilities. Please consider volunteering to take the word doc letter that she has prepared and send it to your county's reps. and senators.

Six executions are slated for this January according to the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty. This coming on the heels of alleged botched executions in Florida and California, and continued calls for a moratorium on the death penalty.

Closer to home, some of my friends and neighbors were affected by the January tornados that struck in Coweta, Gwinnett, and other parts of north central Georgia on Friday. Coweta actually suffered another tornado last night, and other areas are still under severe weather warnings. Hopefully it's as beautiful in those places as it is here this morning.

In better news, Georgia's first rural hispanic lawmaker is set to take office. Tony Sellier of Crawford County will be sworn in today. Unfortunately, Tony's a Republican. But I still recognize this as an important step forward for the political role of minorities in our state. I wish he and all of the other freshman reps. and senators good luck this year, along with all other elected officials.

On a personal note, regular readers know that I took a lot of time off from this blog during the holidays. And I thank those that checked up on me. I apologize for not having said so earlier, and I'm happy to know I was missed. Some important changes are in the works for me personally. So posting may continue to be light for a while. Check out my neighbors on the blog roll. They do a great job of keeping me and everyone else informed.

And I also want to remember the fact that January 8th is my father's birthday. He would've been 83 today. This October will be mark the tenth anniversary of his death. Moms, dads, and other guardians and caretakers are never perfect. But they're asked to do the most important jobs in the world. So I thank them all.

Happy New Year everyone!

Gerald R. Ford (1913-2006)

2006-12-27T00:24:00.000-05:00

America's 38th president, Gerald R. Ford (R) has passed away at age 93. The sad news comes Tuesday night. Given his age and considerable health problems of the last few years, it shouldn't come as a shock. But the passing of a president always calls for a moment to reflect and to show some respect.

In the wake of bribery and tax evasion charges, President Nixon's first vice president was forced to resign. He tapped Ford to step in largely because of his reputation for decency. And of course, when President Nixon resigned over the Watergate scandal in 1974, it fell to then appointed-President Ford to clean up the mess. Throw in the after affects of the Vietnam War, and he had quite a job on his hands.

In one of the more extraordinary post-presidential friendships, President Ford had a great working relationship with the man that defeated him for the presidency in 1976, Jimmy Carter. The two served on boards and commissions together. And they each participated in numerous studies and talks presented by the presidential libraries of both men.

As the first line of President Carter's ignaugural address said, thank you, President Ford, "for all you have done to heal our land."

Bush Suspends Executions in Florida After Botched Injection

2006-12-15T19:33:00.000-05:00

The AJC's Ron Word has a horrifying account of the botched execution by lethal injection of Angel Nieves Diaz in the state of Florida and the resulting suspension by Gov. Jeb Bush.

When the procedure is done correctly, it normally takes about 15 minutes with the condemned unconscious at least by the 3 to 5 minute mark. But according to Word's article, this execution took 34 minutes. Witnesses said that Diaz was moving, blinking, licking his lips, and looked to be trying to say something at the 24 minute mark. He also had burn marks in his arms where the needles were inserted.

This is terrible. And this should never happen in the greatest nation in the world. Gov. Bush did the right thing in supsending executions until further notice. This will definitely be another black mark on our country's record of executing people.

Hoop Dawgs vs. Gonzaga @ Gwinnett Center Saturday

2006-12-13T17:38:00.000-05:00

North metro Dawgs and Gwinnettians in particular should check out the 2006-2007 version of the University of Georgia mens basketball team this Saturday as they take on nationally ranked Gonzaga University at the Gwinnett Center.

From georgidogs.com:

ATHENS, Ga. --- Remaining tickets for the Georgia vs. #16 Gonzaga basketball game this Saturday in Duluth at The Arena at Gwinnett Center can be purchased online here and by calling Ticketmaster at (404)-249-6400. The Arena at Gwinnett Center Box Office is open between 9:00am-5:00pm on Thursday and Friday and beginning at Noon on the day of the game.

Reserved seat tickets are $15 each and group rates are also available by calling 770-813-7681. GA Student tickets are $5 each and will be on sale beginning at Noon on the day of the game at The Arena at Gwinnett Center Box Office. UGA Students must present their UGA ID when buying their tickets. UGA Students may purchase one student ticket per ID and may carry up to four ID cards.

The Arena at Gwinnett Center doors will open at 4:00pm with tip-off set for 5:00pm.

UGA has added more quality depth to the roster and its showing on the court. The exciting freshman Takais Brown (pictured upper right) is a lot of fun to watch. And he should shore up a big hole in the post that has been troubling the Dawgs for the last several years. He's definitely a big part of the reason why this will be Coach Felton's best team yet.

Go Dawgs!

Sierra Club of GA Hosts Atlanta Screening of "An Inconvenient Truth"

2006-12-11T12:21:00.000-05:00

From the website:

An Inconvenient Truth and "Convenient Solutions" - Dec 13

Dec 1, 2006 --

What: FREE screening of An Inconvenient Truth
When: Wednesday, Dec 13, 2006 6:30-9pm.
Where: The Temple, 1589 Peachtree St NE, Atlanta. Please come to the FREE Sierra Club screening of An Inconvenient Truth on Wednesday, Dec 13, 6:30-9pm, at the Temple in Atlanta.

This critically acclaimed movie offers bracing facts and sobering predictions on global warming as well as practical solutions for ourselves and our elected officials.

The Sierra Club is hosting a free screening of this film in Atlanta at the Temple with a "Convenient Solutions" panel afterwards for attendees to ask questions and find out more about local efforts. We are trying to pack the house for the event (The Temple holds over 500 people) and are encouraging folks to bring with them a friend who might haves doubts or questions about global warming.

Too often our organization is just preaching to the choir—there are plenty of our friends and neighbors out there who don't have all the facts straight, invite them to come hear the facts and ask tough questions of our diverse panel.

Healthy, hearty refreshments and information booths before the film; Q-and-A with diverse, expert panelists after the film.

RSVP to erin.glynn@sierraclub.org or call 404-607-1262 x229.

If you haven't seen it already, make plans to see it and take part in the discussion following the movie. I consider this to be a great contribution to the world from Al Gore.

MARTA to Gwinnett?

2006-12-07T09:38:00.000-05:00

In this morning's paper, the AJC's Paul Donsky and Ben Smith are taking another look at Marta rail for Gwinnett County. They report that Bruce Le'Vell, Gwinnett's rep. on the MARTA board, has asked MARTA to commission a study to explore expanding MARTA rail lines into Gwinnett. Gwinnett Village CID has agreed to help pay the costs for the study.

This comes 16 years after Gwinnett voters soundly rejected the idea via referendum. But as the writers point out, Gwinnett's population has doubled since then. The demographics are changing. It's needs are changing. And frankly I-85 through Gwinnett during peak traffic periods is a nightmare.

When discussing rail transit, one of the main arguments against is always that metro area drivers will never give up the convenience of their automobiles. But, more and more, Gwinnettians are finding that working their way into downtown in the mornings and back in the afternoons is anything but "convenient." In fact, I pass by the park-n-rides at Discover Mills Mall and on Buford Hwy at I-985 all the time and those lots are always full. So quite a few Gwinnettians have already divorced themselves from their personal vehicles. Give them more reasons to do so and I suspect more will do the same.

Transportation is another critical issue affecting Georgians from north to south that was virtually ignored in the general election this year. Our "leaders" failed to lead us into any meaningful discussion. But it's also an issue that has a trickle down effect with an impact on our environmental situation and the very quality of our lives.

Lets hope that if this ever comes to a vote, the people of Gwinnett won't make the same mistake twice. Had there been a little more vision and foresight from leaders who stood against the referendum in 1990, perhaps some of our current problems could have been alleviated.

Well done, Bruce.

Remember to Vote Today

2006-12-05T09:41:00.000-05:00

Remember to cast your runoff ballot today. I can almost promise you that you won't face any lines today. With such a low voter turnout, that means that almost anything can happen in the races that you're interested in. So make sure that you make one more effort to support the candidates of your choice.

For me, it was David Burgess (D) for Public Service Commissioner.

Sen. Thompson and Wife Sascha Makes National News

2006-12-04T10:44:00.000-05:00

The odd story of the federal government trying to deport the wife of Georgia State Senator Curt Thompson (D - Norcross) made the Sunday's New York Times. Sascha Herrera, originally from Columbia, missed an immigration hearing back in 2005 because the notice and other case related documents were sent to an incorrect address. She married Sen. Thompson, a strong proponent of the rights of immigrants, earlier this year.

Because Sascha married a U.S. citizen, she should be allowed to stay here. But because the missed hearing occurred before the marriage, the government is taking the inflexible stance that she should be deported. If she is deported, it might be ten years before she could re-enter the United States.

Observers of this case and other immigration cases call the system "byzantine" and difficult to deal with. Perhaps fellow State Senator Sam Zamarripa said it best:

“It’s a very, very onerous system,” said State Senator Sam Zamarripa, a Democrat who was the first Hispanic elected to the Georgia Senate. “If the wife of a state senator can’t handle it, how can we expect people who are working in our labor force to handle the bureaucracy?”

“This is going to take a U.S. congressman or a senator to step in,” Mr. Zamarripa said. “To say, let’s wait a minute. Let’s think about this. This is a good person who deserves to be in this country.”

Sen. Thompson also says that his wife is a victim of a "notorio" that claimed he could do more for her than he actually could. He charged her $1300.00 for his "services."

In the state of Georgia, notaries public are little more than a glorified witness to signatures. There is little else they can do. Contrast this with other states, such as Florida, where notaries can actually perform marriage services.

Sen. Thompson has been a wonderful, truly progressive force in the state senate. He has a bright future in Georgia politics if he wants it. I can't say that I know his wife, Sascha. But Curt has a reputation for associating himself only with good people. Of all the things for INS to be worried about, I feel sure that Sascha Herrera is the very least among them.

It would be highly appropriate for officials, both Democrat and Republican, to step in and help the Thompsons. Hopefully there will a quick, reasonable resolution to this matter shortly.

60 Years Ago this Week: The Winecoff Hotel Fire

2006-12-04T09:07:00.000-05:00

All Americans remember the date December 7th as a "day of infamy" because of the Japanese attacks on Pearl Harbor, HI in 1941 that brought the United States into WWII. But in Georgia, December 7th is a day of tragedy for an additional reason.

This week, the AJC looks back at America's deadliest hotel fire, the Winecoff Hotel fire of December 7, 1946, beginning with this article by Cynthia Daniels. The Atlanta, Georgia hotel, built in 1913, was advertised as "fireproof."

In an almost Titanic-like scenerio, the supposedly "fireproof" building didn't have a sprinkler system or even fire escapes. Like the doomed ocean liner, the Winecoff tragedy would bring about sweeping changes in building safety codes.

Unfortunately, on the night of the fire, the Winecoff was filled to capacity. At least 116 people were known to have lost their lives because of the fire. From 1946 to 1971, the Winecoff Hotel fire was actually known as the world's deadliest hotel fire. The origin of the fire is still a debated topic today.

Amongst the victims were members of state high school Y Clubs. In fact, my high school has a memorial plaque on campus for several victims from my hometown. I'm sure there are similar markers in other schools around the state.

The event, the ensuing investigations, and changes in safety codes that followed inspired the book, "The Winecoff Fire: The Untold Story of America's Deadliest Hotel Fire," by Sam Heys and Allen B. Goodwin. A documentary, "Peachtree Burning," was also made.

Carter "hasn't given up" on Gore

2006-11-30T13:28:00.000-05:00

No, I'm not ready to endorse anyone for President in 2008 yet. But it's not too early to start sizing up the potential candidates. As I've said before, I'm "wide open" and willing to consider almost all of the major Democratic names being mentioned.

There's lots of talk about Barrack Obama, John Kerry, Indiana Senator Evan Bayh, General Wesley Clark, N.C. Senator John Edwards, Wisconsin Senator Russ Feingold, of course, Hillary, and our own Tina's favorite, Delaware Senator Joe Biden. There are others as well. But I think the eventual nominee will likely come from this group. Each of these potential candidates already have a lot of name recognition and support from admirers.

Meanwhile, according to Politics1.com, former President Jimmy Carter wants Al Gore to run for president again in 2008. Retreads usually aren't very popular, nor are they very successful. But there are many still in this country who feel that Gore was wronged in 2000. That doesn't automatically equal up to some huge advantage for him. But we do know that Gore captured the popular vote in the infamous year of 2000. That should probably mean something looking at the viability of candidates.

President Carter's public wishes reminds me of the fact that both Carters are closer to the Gores than they ever were to the Clintons. If you'll remember, the Clintons sometimes snubbed the Carters, whom they wished to distance themselves from, following the 1992 election. This lead to an awkward period between the two men and Carter's declined invitation to attend the 1996 Democratic National Convention.

The ruffled feathers seem to have subsided, especially after Clinton awarded both Carters the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2000. But I wouldn't look for an endorsement of Hillary for the Democratic nomination from the Carters, including Rosalynn, who openly has stated she wants to see a female president elected during her lifetime.

This should make for an interesting process as it unfolds over the next year and a half.

The Day the Roses Died

2006-11-29T10:15:00.000-05:00

Thomasville, the lovely "Rose City," was somewhat defamed as our illustrious Vice President Cheney made a visit. Reportedly, he stayed at a nearby hunting lodge. Hope no one was shot this time.........

A real man of the people, customers were asked to leave as Mr. Cheney needed to do some shopping at Kevin's of Thomasville. Of my many visits to this picturesque little town in southwest Georgia, I don't remember Kevin's.

I do remember the quaint historic downtown area with brick streets, a great barbeque restaurant called Fallon's, all the beautiful, but pricey antique shops, and the Pool Room, home of the best chilli dogs in the world.

Adorning a wall in this old hangout is a newspaper article about a man who once rode his bicycle all the way from Alabama just to eat a Pool Room hotdog. On any afternoon, you can still see older women lining up at the curb side window outside ordering their dogs. You see, a few decades ago, it wasn't "ladylike" for a woman to enter an establishment such as the Pool Room. So women ordered from the outside window. My mother, who is in her 70's, still observes tradition and doesn't dare set foot inside the place. She says if she did, she would feel a thousand disapproving looks from past generations of women who just wouldn't find that proper.

Celebrities like Thomasville native, Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman frequently make trips to Thomasville, especially during the spring time Rose Festival. Jacqueline Kennedy used to vacation in seclusion at a nearby plantation.

Such a lovely history for a lovely town. But just knowing that Dick Cheney has spent the night there makes me think the city council will need to spend a little money fumigating and cleaning up whatever residue that slug left behind.

Baptist Preacher Says Homosexuality Is Determined at Birth

2006-11-21T10:36:00.000-05:00

Yesterday morning, as I was making my rounds, I let the scan button find WSB to listen to Boortz. This is something that isn't always a healthy exercise for me and my "bleeding heart" ways. But sometimes he can appeal to the pint-sized Libertarian inside of me.

But I'll tell you this. I was thankful that he called our attention to a USA Today article by Oliver "Buzz" Thomas, a Baptist minister. Thomas is the author of a yet to be released book titled, "10 Things Your Minister Wants to Tell You: But He Needs the Job."

One of his top 10 things he wants to tell us is this:

"Despite what you might have read, heard or been taught throughout your churchgoing life, homosexuality is, in fact, determined at birth and is not to be condemned by God's followers."

The minister then backs his argument up for Christian fundamentalists with their own medicine: The Bible. WWJD: What would Jesus do indeed?

Thank you, Buzz. I'd love to hear what else you have to say on this topic and others. I have a feeling that I'll be giving your book to a few of my fellow Baptists as gifts. I love the title of the book. Because it sounds like a little comeupance for some sanctimonious folks that richly deserve it.

Happy Birthday, Merry Christmas, Happy Easter.........all rolled into one. ;-)

I wish GA Senator Curt Thompson was my senator

2006-11-21T10:11:00.000-05:00

The Dekalb Young Democrats and Atlanta Public Affairs both have noticed Georgia State Senator Curt Thompson's great piece in the AJC yesterday about why Democrats continue to lose the biggest statewide races. It all boils down to the fact that we're not offering voters an "investment" in the betterment of their lives.

I let Curt recruit me to phone bank (I HATE phone banking) this summer for the Cathy Cox campaign. This is a testament to both his persuasiveness and the respect that I have for him and his record. The man also has to be the most "plugged in" guy I've ever personally observed. His simultaneous use of his laptop, blackberry, and his cell phone left me startled. Check out his "virtual office" here.

If you haven't done so already, give his editorial a read as well as the excellent commentary I've linked for you.

Gwinnett Loses Wine South, Religious Fundamentalists Suspected

2006-11-21T09:35:00.000-05:00

For the last 3 years, one of my favorite things to do in Gwinnett County has been to attend the Wine South wine festival at the Gwinnett Center. For the last 5 years, the event has attracted hundreds of vendors from all over the world, thousands of wine enthusiasts and novices, and brought in a cool million per year for the local economy.

So with much chagrin, I read Bill Osinski's AJC article this morning saying the the wine festival will be moving to downtown Atlanta. The fact that it will be downtown isn't such a big deal. But for a county that is amongst the nation's fastest growing, and for one that is supposed to offer such a great quality of life for suburbanites, this is disappointing news to say the least. Especially when you hear the suspected reasons that founder and fellow Gwinnettian, Dan Thompson, offered:

For example, he said, the permit fees for the 40 or so area restaurants that operated sampling booths have more than doubled in the past three years, from $55 per restaurant to $120.

Also, the county imposed burdensome requirements for portable hand-washing stations for food handlers, then backed down one year, only to reimpose them the next, he said. The banquet halls used for the event already had more adequate restrooms for hand-washing, he said.

And people who submitted winning bids on bottles of wine offered in a charity fund-raiser silent auction were not allowed to take their wine with them when they left the hall, he said. Instead, they were required to make arrangements to pick up the wine some time after the festival and somewhere other than the civic center.

"Jumping through all the hoops was just a nightmare," Thompson said. "We were treated like street vendors selling funnel cakes — maybe even worse."

Thompson said the wine-centered nature of the event might have conflicted with some religious or anti-alcohol sentiments of some people in Gwinnett.

It's not as if Wine South was some gigantic drunken frat party. It was a civilized gathering where vendors could showcase their inventory to grown adults who enjoy wine. If what Thompson says is true, I can't believe they were treated that way.

Along similar lines, Rocky from Rambles by Rock commented on reading in the Atlanta Business Chronicle that a group of business people were going to lobby the state legislature to legalize beer and wine sales on Sundays. The notion is already being opposed by some Republicans who continue to tip toe around their alliances with both the business community and right-wing religious zealots who are offended by what day of the week people buy their alcohol.

I'm guessing that the fundamentalists think they've earned a good mark in St. Peter's book by bringing down Wine South and protecting Georgia's archaic blue laws. I doubt it. Me thinks all they're doing is embarassing themselves and bringing down the rest of us with them.

Royksopp's "Remind Me"

2006-11-19T15:06:00.000-05:00

Since I'm in a reflective mood................

I can't post the commerical via youtube at the moment because of the Blogger Beta situation, but I did find a copy of this Geico commercial with the great song that keeps running in my head. If you're like me and love it, you can click on this link to listen to the actual song, "Remind Me" by Royksopp. Scroll down to Melody A.M. to find it. Great song and great video too.

Back to Mayberry

2006-11-19T12:55:00.000-05:00

Well, it's Thanksgiving week. For me, that means it's time for a trip to my hometown to see the home folks. Today, it has provided me with some selfish time to reflect. I think most all of us that grow up and move away feel some sort of conflict when they go home. For a while, it created a sense of dread for me. But I've pretty much gotten over that.

You see, on my way out of town I was "outed." In a small town, that never makes for the best of goodbyes. In fact, some people simply skipped the "goodbye" part altogether. But the experience did have a silver lining. It has shown me who has been a true friend and who probably never was. These days when I go home, I just act like nothing ever happened, which works about 99.9% of the time.

Still, memories of my time there are mostly good ones. Even when something bad happens, you can't forget all of the good. Especially the good people that, in some way, had an affect on you. And there are plenty of memories that are neither good nor bad. But sometimes they provide little clues as to why things turned out the way they did.

When I go home, I'm always faced with the question of whether or not to go to church on Sunday morning with my mother. It would make her happy. But it's definitely not a place that I feel 100% comfy at these days. For instance, if I did walk through those doors, I'd have to worry about whether or not the steeple would fall down and kills someone. Thankfully, my mother doesn't mention it to me. So I don't feel an absolute need to go with her.

Her church is the same church where in the mid 80's, Brother Arnett was giving us a sermon on the sins of sex. It was the usual garden variety sermon that reminds us of how awful sex outside of marriage is. And yes, it included a couple of gratuitious mentions of homosexuality. That was one of his favorite targets, of course.

But I'll never forget that on this particular day, Brother Arnett's target was Tina Turner. I had just used up my allowance money by going down to Kmart and buying "Private Dancer." So I guess that's what made my ears perk up and pay attention. He railed against Tina's own "immoral acts" and her hit song's supposed encouragment of sex outside of marriage.

He bellowed and hollered. His face turned blood red. He wiped himself as he worked up a good lather. And as if to exclamate each individual word, he slammed his fist down on the pulpit repeatedly screaming, "It's got everything to do with it, Mrs. Turner!"

When we got home, my mother confiscated my new "Private Dancer" cassette. I suppose that it ended up in the same place that my Fleetwood Mac tapes had already ended up when my mother heard that Stevie Nicks was a witch - in the garbage can. Today, when I tease my mother about doing this, she claims that she doesn't remember anything of the sort. My mom and Tipper Gore would get along just fine.

Speaking of music, I notice that some bloggers like to tell you what song is currently in their head, like here and here. I like that you guys do that because it sometimes reminds me of songs I haven't heard in forever. In fact, I'd do it myself except that I would feel like a copycat.

People say that I have a very good memory. I don't know if that's true or not. I suspect it depends on the subject. But music is a way that I can remember things. Most any song that's ever made an impression on me as it came out, I can tell you what year it's from. Just because I associate a lot of memories with music.

For some reason the other day, I thought about the songs I was listening to when I had my two car accidents. An odd thought, huh? Especially when you're driving down the road. Karma, don't fail me now!

Anyway, my first wreck was when I was 17. It was Halloween eve in 1989. The girl I was seeing at the time, Kim, and I were driving back from a neighoring town where we were shopping. I had just bought Young MC's "Bust a Move." How appropriate!

As we were jamming down Hwy 84, I busted a move of my own. A dog run outs in front of the car on the 4 lane highway. I swerved to my left and hit the island on the driver's side. The car goes up on 2 wheels before spinning and out and coming to a rest with us facing the wrong direction.

Fortunately, no one else was on the road. I moved my car to the side and got out to survey the damage. But I already had that sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. I had not one, but two flat tires, both on the drivers side from the impact of hitting the island. But the best was yet to come!

Backing away from the car, I noticed something odd about my car. But I couldn't quite put my finger on the problem. I judged the car safe enough to drive to a pay phone to call the folks. Remember having to make a call like this?

Kim, who was previously shaking, was now given to fits of giggles. Since it wasn't her car and she wasn't driving, she was already able to see this as one of those incidents where we'll laugh about this later. I hadn't reached that point yet. It would take a few weeks for that.

Waiting for my dad to come, I inspected the underside of the car and found the inspriration for that knawing feeling I had. The impact with the island had done more than bust out two tires. It had also bent the frame of the car, which was not an easy fix. It was safe to assume that there would be consequences and reprecussions to come. And of course, that came true.

My second wreck was the same year. I skipped school that morning because my class was taking the ASVAB test. I had already taken it and scored about high as could be scored on it. So why take it again? Well, that was my explanation to my parents anyway.

As I was toodling casually down a residential street listening to the radio, I was thinking about what fast food joint to hit for lunch before going to school. Suddenly, I heard this loud screech and saw this car turn directly into my lane and hit me head on.

It seems that a certain legal secretary was late for work that morning. And since there wasn't much traffic on this side street, she made a rolling stop (to be kind) at the stop sign and lost control of her car as she turned.

It's true. You don't have to be going very fast to damage a car or someone. My head hit the steering wheel, cracking the wheel. My hand slipped upward from the wheel and hit the windshield so hard that I cracked it and put some tiny glass slivers in my fingers and knuckles. And my car was totalled. So was her's.

Instead of a song being on the radio, I heard something else as I slumped to my right. The local radio station's self ad jingle rang out, "W-J-A-Deeeeeeeee."

I didn't lose consciousness but I was leaning over stunned with my head level to the radio. To add insult to injury, my cigarette lighter pops out and hits me in my face. I don't know how this happened as I hadn't depressed the lighter to begin with.

But my musical memories aren't limited to car wrecks. Whenever I hear Nine Inch Nails' "Head Like a Hole," I am forced to remember being a junior in high school and thinking I had hit the big time when I was invited to hang out at a frat house in Valdosta.

I don't remember a lot from that paticular weekend. But I do remember the music blaring. And I was holding my beer, probably my 3rd or so (not much of a drinker) by this time, and pretending to smoke (wasn't a smoker) as I sat on the railing of a 2nd story balcony trying to act as if I belonged (I didn't). Some overgrown offensive lineman that could've swallowed me whole for a snack walked over to tell me and told me that I was "cool" and high five'd me. Sounds great, right? Wrong.

He accidentally high five'd me with such force (not that it would've taken a lot) that I flipped over backwards and landed on my back in the yard below. As Trent Reznor was telling me, "you're going to get what you deserve," I heard the door slamming as people ran out of the house and over my supine body to see if I was okay. Fotunately, it only knocked the breath out of me. Really cool, huh? Yeah right..........

At any rate, it's not all bad going home. So I'm not going to dread it when I head out on Wed. I'm just going to remember that all that happened there was just real life - the good, the bad, and the ugly.

PSC David Burgess Needs Your Help Dec. 5th

2006-11-17T08:51:00.000-05:00

As much as I would like to simply put this year's elections behind me, a good friend of Georgia's, Public Service Commissioner David Burgess, needs our help.

This is from an email that he sent out to Democratic volunteers and supporters:

"And your work got me the most votes in the Public Service Commission race—even more than my well-funded Republican opponent. But the presence of a third candidate has forced a runoff election for December 5, 2006. So now I need you once more.

I am the lone Democrat on the Public Service Commission. Georgians have felt the pain of spiked natural gas and electric prices, and without the voice of Democrats, we will hand over the Public Service Commission to big natural gas and the power industry. If we learned anything from last year’s record natural gas prices, it’s that we must fight for every seat on the Public Service Commission. We owe it to our fellow Georgians."

David needs our vote and any other support that we can offer. Please consider doing so today. And please remember to cast your vote in the runoff election on Dec. 5th.