Ralphie Leads the Colorado Buffaloes to Athens

Ralphie, the University of Colorado's famous buffalo mascot, was invited by Uga VI and the University of Georgia to attend the football game between the two schools this Saturday in Sanford Stadium. These two are amongst the most famous and visible mascots in all of sport. So it made sense for UGA to invite Ralphie to make her first run in an opponent's home stadium ever. Ralphie has made bowl trips before. But this will be her first away game in Ralphie's 30 year tradition.

She was scheduled to be trucked in and arrive in Athens yesterday. And she will make a practice run at Sanford Stadium today. Despite a bad start to their year, Colorado sold its entire allotment of tickets and will have some 4,000 fans attending at UGA's 92, 746 seat stadium. As usual, the game is sold out. UGA will make a return trip to Boulder, Colorado in 2009. And yes, CU has already invited Uga VI to make the trip to Folsom Field.

When this game was scheduled 2 years ago, it was a made for TV type of game. CU was only 2 years removed from winning the Big XII conference, smashing both Texas and national runnerup Nebraska along the way. Since then they've played for the Big XII title twice more, including last year. But in the midst of some off the field problems and a coaching change, the Buffaloes are not performing up to their usual standard. In fact, when they lost their second game to Colorado St. for an 0-2 start, CBS released their hotel rooms in Athens sending the signal that this would be a regional broadcast only.

Still, that shouldn't spoil the fun. The mascot traditions of the two programs will be a sight to see. I hope that Ralphie and all Buffalo fans enjoy their trip to Georgia and make it back home safely.

Gov. Jim McGreevey's "The Confession"

I suppose most people remember the revelation of former New Jersey Gov. Jim McGreevey in 2004. McGreevey, who was a married father of two, broke the news at a press conference with his wife and his parents standing behind him. At the time, he was allegedly being blackmailed by an Israeli acquaintance that he was having an affair with. McGreevey decided to out himself instead of allowing it continue on. He left his office in shame and unsure of what his future life would be like.

I haven't heard much about McGreevey in the last couple of years. But today he appeared on Oprah to talk about that experience and to plug his new book, "The Confession."

McGreevey spoke about the situation and how it changed his life and the life of his soon to be ex-wife. He described his wife as currently being "in transition." It's always tough for a woman in that situation. One day she's the first lady of New Jersey. The next she's questioning a life that she's built with another human being.

Oprah asked him the dreaded question of the caught married man. If you're gay, then why get married?

McGreevey answered that he was in denial about who he was, despite the fact that he knew he was "different" by age 6 or 7. He expounded on his answer later in the interview by saying it was a mixture of "arrogance and denial" that made him think that he could be Gov. of New Jersey, a married father of two, be a closeted gay man, and pull it all off.

Similar to many in the LGBT community, religion played a role in why he kept his life a secret. Getting into politics was another reason. But he also spoke about something that many of us can identify with. He said that he had been called a "fag" in they Boy Scouts. He didn't want to be one of those. So he "added a layer" to hide himself. Those issues arose again in high school. So he added another layer. And so on, and so on. Pretty soon he was fooling even himself. Making himself think that he could keep it all inside and manage everything to his satisfaction.

He went on to read an excerpt from his book about the day that his wife was in the hospital having a difficult c-section. He was at home with his Israeli friend, who he says he was in love with, and willing to "give it all up for."

The former governor said that his previous sexual experiences with men had been limited to highway rest stops, dark allies, and bookstores. He sought out people like himself, those that couldn't be open about who they were for whatever reason. Once he got into politics, he felt that he couldn't meet someone in a bar for fear of being recognized.

To his credit, he talked about a lot of things that leave him in a less than flattering light. Lying to his wife, having an affair, and promising to help his friend with a job in his administration. He takes responsibility for his actions. And he calls his book a "moral inventory."

Giving him the benefit of the doubt, I applaud him for this. He's now with an Austrialian man and still living in New Jersey. The couple appeared to be happy with one another. And McGreevey appeared to be happy with being true to himself. Being the former governor of a state should provide him with some interesting opportunities to make something good out of this. You know me. I love a good redemption story.

Oprah did invite his ex-wife to attend. But she wasn't ready. In time, you have to hope that she'll be able to get on with her own life. What McGreevey did to her, there is no quick fix for.

I don't blog about my personal life very often, or about the people in it. But I suppose that one reason why I would give McGreevey the benefit of the doubt is that I can relate in some small way to his story.

No, I was never governor of a state. I was just a good little Baptist boy, and unfortunately in a situation where I couldn't be honest about who I was because of my job. Although truthfully, I wasn't ready to be honest with myself during that time anyway. But that was changing. And after 11 years on the job, I was ready for even more changes.

Just a few days before my resignation was to take effect, I was sitting in my office making sure that I was leaving everything in good shape for my successor. The phone rang and it was a friend of mine. This was someone whom I met through my work, and whom I had done a lot to help. I was used to taking phone calls from her. But this time her voice sounded a little different. She told me that she had attended her regular church service the day before and that my name "came up." From behind his pulpit, this minister of the gospel had outed me to his congregation.

Basically what she said was that he told the audience that "we need to do a better job of picking our leaders." Based upon things he had heard, he told them that I (he used my name) was gay and not someone of a high moral standard. Not because I didn't do a good job, and not because of any act that I had committed. But because of who I was as a person and who I chose to love.

Ever been outed in a small town? It's not fun. Everyone hears about it. Things of which are no one else's business are opened for public examination. People give into the really ugly side of themselves that casts aside all that they've witnessed and let their imaginations run wild. And unfortunately, you're not the only one that gets hurt. Those that care about you get hurt too.

So before judging Jim McGreevey too harshly, just remember everyone's circumstances aren't the same. We still live in a judgemental society that makes it hard for everyone to live so openly and carefree. Ultimately we have to decide our own paths. And unfortunately, sometimes others force you down a path for which you aren't ready.

Jim Martin's internal poll is great news for GA Dems!

I spent part of my Saturday at the Suwanee Days festival passing out literature for the Jim Martin for Lt. Gov. campaign. It was a beautiful day and a great time as this festival keeps growing. It was a great opportunity to talk about Jim and his vision for Georgia.

Even in conservative northern Gwinnett, Jim Martin's common sense Democratic ideas went over well. His folksy charm and presence made him a hit during the primary season. I think he appeals to a broad spectrum of people. And this can only help other Dems in Nov.

The Jim Martin campaign (as well as the Allan Burns US 7 Congressional campaign) will have a presence in this area again during the Gwinnett County fair this week, as well as at the Duluth Fall Festival in a couple of weeks.

On the heels of a good outing this weekend, it was great to get this email from Jim's campaign. It's an internal poll. But it gives us a lot of motivation to take this race right to Cagle in his own backyard as well as across Georgia............


I want to share some very exciting news with you today, with just seven weeks remaining before Election Day on November 7.

In a new statewide poll that we are releasing to the news media today, Jim is in a dead heat with Casey Cagle, his Republican opponent! According to the poll, which was conducted by the top Democratic polling firm in the country, Cagle draws support from 38 percent of likely general election voters to Jim's 34 percent, while the Libertarian candidate receives 5 percent and 23 percent of voters are presently undecided. The 4 percent margin that separates Jim and Cagle is well within the poll's margin of error.

What is even more significant is this: Casey Cagle enjoys greater name recognition - 53 percent to Jim's 39 percent - after his high-profile primary battle with Ralph Reed. But Jim is more highly regarded among voters who recognize him than is Cagle among voters who recognize him. Among voters who recognize both candidates, Jim leads Cagle by a 44 percent to 39 percent margin!

This new poll proves that Jim has a tremendous opportunity to win in November. Voters respond very favorably to Jim's story when they learn about who he is and why he is running. The bottom line is this: If we can tell enough voters about Jim, we will win!

To do that, we need your help now more than ever. Please take a few minutes to contribute online today. Your contribution of $500, $250, $100, $50, or whatever you can afford will help make a difference. There are only 50 days left and we need your help today!
Thanks so much for your continuing support,

Matt Weyandt
Finance Director and Deputy Campaign Manager


As noted in the email, the Libertarian candidate, Allen Buckley is running well with 5 percent of the vote. With the changes in Georgia's general election laws, Mr. Buckley's position in this race is very important, as each candidate is vying for 50% of the vote plus one vote.

Aging Hipster, Steve is backing Buckley in this race. As the election nears, check his blog for his thoughts on the Buckley campaign as well as others that he's endorsed.

Debate set between Allan Burns and John Linder

After much discussion, Congressman Linder has agreed to debate Allan Burns. The debate will take place at the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center in Lawrenceville on Thursday, September 28th from 7pm until 8:30pm. It will be sponsored by the United Ebony Society. Hopefully there will be more closer to election day.

If you're a US Congress District 7 voter, make sure to come out and support Allan. He's very impressive up close and personal.

Allan and his team will also be making appearances around the Gwinnett County Fair starting tommorow (Saturday).

For more info. on the Burns campaign, visit http://www.allanburns.com/index.cfm.

"Miss Juanelle"

Yesterday, many of us noted the passing of one of our most famous female leaders, former Texas Gov. Ann Richards. Sadly, today, we need to honor someone who worked mostly outside of the limelight. Nonetheless, she was an important figure in Georgia politics.

Juanelle Edwards of Marietta was a tireless worker for the Democratic party and for many, many Democrat candidates in this state and nationally. Truly a Georgia treasure, "Miss Juanelle" was one of those people that you didn't always hear about. But her presence was well known. All of these events that have to happen in order to promote candidates and raise money for them (the life's blood of campaigns) are largely put on by people like her.

While she enjoyed some notoriaty during the Carter adminstration, Miss Juanelle wasn't someone who needed attention. All she needed was a good cause or a good candidate, and that was enough for her to lay it all out there for her beliefs.

However, more than just Democrats are lovingly recalling Miss Januelle's life and friendship today. Republican US Senator Johnny Isackson is also singing her praises.

From Jon Gillooly's Marietta Daily Journal article:

Carter sent his condolences Thursday afternoon.

"Rosalynn and I send our condolences to the Edwards family," Carter said. "A great supporter and long-time friend, Juanelle was instrumental in my political campaigns and a wonderful advisor when I was in office."

Roy Barnes, who appointed Mrs. Edwards to serve on the advisory board of the Little White House, said he was saddened to learn of her death.

"You know, there are some people who are what I call 'natural resources,'" Barnes said. "We think of natural resources as being mountains and oil and coal, but there are some people who are natural resources - they've lived such a deep life and affected so many people that they are living natural resources, and Juanelle Edwards is one of those.I know of no person who could call among her friends on a first-name basis presidents of the United States and governors, but had a wit that made us all remember what a wonderful person she was, and I deeply regret her passing."

Former U.S. Rep. Buddy Darden (D-Marietta) who served from 1983 to 1994 said Mrs. Edwards was the chief reason he decided to run for the office."She was a dear, dear friend and probably more than anyone else responsible for my decision to run for Congress in 1983," Darden said. "She was the lynchpin of the Democratic Party in Cobb for years, and probably the most well-known Democrat in Cobb County. She was one of a kind, and we're all going to miss her."

U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson (R-east Cobb) said Mrs. Edwards crossed party lines to become a good friend of his."Juanelle Edwards was one of the most energetic people I ever knew," Isakson said, noting they served together in such organizations as the Salvation Army and the Boys and Girls Club.Isakson said he even filled in for her a few times to teach her famous Sunday school class.

"She will be remembered for her humor, her red hair, her compassion and her wit," Isakson said, confirming rumors that he was the first Republican Mrs. Edwards ever voted for."That's what she told me and I never knew Juanelle to lie," Isakson said.

Pres. Carter says Dick Cheney is "careless with the truth"

Never one to mince words, President Carter was on CNN's Larry King Live last night expressing some thoughts on important subjects. While he reiterated his disagreements with Bush's Middle East policies, he kept his comments limited to policy.

However, the former president let it be known what he thinks of Vice President Dick Cheney and his posturing on Iraq and those that disagree with the administration.

Here's an excerpt from the transcript of last night's show:

KING: We're back with President Jimmy Carter. Your reaction to Vice President Cheney's assertion that the criticism of Iraq, the Iraq war, emboldens United States enemies and makes allies doubt American resolve.

CARTER: Well, the vice president unfortunately has been consistently very careless with the truth. He still maintains some preposterous comments and attitudes toward the origins of the Iraqi war, the circumstances in Iraq now and he's had a policy in my opinion of deliberately trying to mislead the American people by making untrue statements and there's no reason to give any credence to his ridiculous claims that you've just described.

KING: But why -- so you're questioning his motives? Do you think he doesn't really agree with what we're doing?

CARTER: I really don't know what his real policies or beliefs are but I do know that he's been most consistent since the very origin of the Iraqi war in deliberately misleading the American people by making false statements, statements that I'm sure he knew were not true.And this is a very serious thing for a highly placed official in America to do and even now he still will not admit, for instance, that Saddam Hussein was not at least partially possible for the 9/11 attacks, when the president himself has said that's a false statement.And to constantly say that anybody that criticizes any aspect of our misguided policies in Iraq are unpatriotic and imply our condoning of terrorist attacks is completely ridiculous and ought to be refuted forcefully by everybody.
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And it was very pleasing to my ears to hear the former president weigh on America's dependence on foreign oil, and the need to be proactive in dealing with our energy problems.

KING: Doesn't America's need for foreign oil impact all of our decision making in this?

CARTER: Yes, it does. I think we are now quite reluctant to take a bold stand for democratization or for peace in the Middle East and so forth if it would alienate major oil suppliers and that includes many of the Gulf States. Obviously it includes Saudi Arabia. It even includes countries in Africa like Nigeria. It even affects our relationship with countries in Latin America that provide oil, including Venezuela.But there's no doubt that our over dependence on foreign oil is a very major problem.

When I became president, Larry, we were importing about eight million barrels of oil a day. We spent four years putting into law some major conservation measures. And within five years after we passed those bills we had dropped down to about five million barrels of imported oil per year.We are now back up to 12 million barrels of oil imported and a lot of that has been caused by an abandonment of the requirement for efficiency of American motor vehicles. That's a major unresolved tapping of reducing our dependence on foreign oil.And now with the Hummers and other deliberately gas guzzlers that the American government has endorsed it makes it almost a farce to say that we have a good energy policy.

We also ought in other ways do things that would save energy by producing more from solar power.

But I would say the major unaddressed opportunity is to reduce the -- increase the gas mileage of the gas guzzlers that America is producing. This has not only hurt us in energy levels but it's made very serious inroads into the capabilities and the status of say General Motors and Ford Motor Company that have adopted American policies and are still producing gas guzzlers and now their bonds are junk bonds, they're laying off thousands of people whereas people who are producing more efficient automobiles are taking over a lot of the market. So, we've just had a very catastrophic, I think, policy in America of continuing to endorse gas guzzlers as a symbol of -- and a production priority of America.

Texas Legend and Hero, Gov. Ann Richards Passes

I was 16 years old during the 1988 Democratic Convention in Atlanta. And there are exactly two speakers at that convention who stood out in such a way that I never forget them nor their speeches. One of those two was JFK, Jr. And the other was Texas' legendary trailblazer, Gov. Ann Richards.

In her witty and charming way, she reminded us in a keynote speech that George H.W. Bush didn't have a silver spoon in his mouth, but a "silver foot."

Her time as Texas governor was important. Perhaps only a tough, motorcycle ridin' momma like Gov. Richards could stand up to the gun lobby in a state like Texas and lead the fight to make that state a safer place by banning certain types of weapons and "cop-killer bullets."

Married to a civil rights lawyer, minorities and women made progress during her time. She spoke like the average, every day Texan. And she remains a popular figure in Texas, earning praise from both major parties.

She died of cancer. But I feel sure cancer took a few licks from her too.

Here's an article on her death by AP's Kelley Shannon via Yahoo News.

Rome News-Tribune: Georgia is "plainly heading in the wrong direction" on poverty

A few weeks ago, the census bureau released some interesting statistics concerning poverty, employement rates, and healthcare. I blogged about these, see "What Have Republicans Done For Georgia Lately?"

Well the editorial staff of the Rome News-Tribune has sounded off on the subject. They agree that the trends are what's disturbing about Georgia's number. Since George W. Bush took office in 2001 and Sonny Perdue followed in 2003, Georgia's "heading in the wrong direction."

The editors state that "government doesn't cause poverty." That's certainly true, at least in part. But it's hard not to notice that Georgia's downward trends start with the changes in our national and state government. Whereas, previously, Georgia was heading in a different direction under different leadership. Just something to think about.............


The wrong direction

09/13/06
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IN THIS POCKET of comparative prosperity, sight can easily be lost that the State of Georgia’s economic picture can look pretty glum depending on where one is. Maybe this is not Buckhead, but it’s sure not South Georgia either.
Come to think of it, one’s geographic point of view may well determine if one believes the latest Census Bureau figures about the state’s poverty and medically uninsured levels.

Both, it appears, are increasing faster than in most other states.

For example, the number of those without medical insurance in Georgia climbed from 1.5 million in 2004 to 1.7 million in 2005. That’s 200,000, or double the population of Floyd County. Georgia is now tied for eighth among the states for having the most uninsured as percentage of population — 18.1 percent.

As for poverty in Georgia, it’s up to 14.4 percent after the third straight year of increases after it had fallen to 11.2 percent in 2002. The national average is currently 12.6 percent. Georgia now ranks among the top four states is having the fastest rate of increase in poverty.

NUMBERS LIKE these, along with typically miserable rankings in levels of educational attainment, explain much about why Georgia’s economic salesmen have an increasingly more difficult time attracting prospects. These trends certainly do little to back up the claims of “the New South” being the new land of milk and honey. It’s usually fairly hard to make money in places where more and more people have less and less of it to spend.

Still, it is equally disturbing to note that these official definitions of “poverty” and “no medical coverage” are hurled about without ever being put in perspective. There probably needs to be some sort of “misery index” to replace them — and misery is very much relative.

For example, federal poverty numbers are based on income and governmental benefits are not counted — not food stamps, not welfare, not subsidized housing and so forth. Similarly, “uninsured” does not mean uncared for as the ballooning size of Medicaid and indigent-care costs clearly attest.

This is not to say that being of very low income, or jobless, is comfortable or that having no medical coverage isn’t a nerve-wracking time of the heavy, heavy hangs over your head variety. It is only meant to point out that in the United States, the richest nation on the globe, misery is very much relative and more uncomfortable than truly agonizing.

THERE’S CONSIDERABLE truth to the old anti-welfare adage that the poor in America are better off than the rich in many Third World countries. They are.
You can be poor in Georgia and have a telephone, a TV set and even a car. You can be uninsured yet have a personal physician who knows you by name, even if it is at a public clinic.

Poverty and medical access are being defined in terms of what the majority, “the rest of us,” have and not so much by what is absolutely unavailable.

When’s the last time you read about someone having starved to death in this country? That’s only possible if they don’t know about the food banks and soup kitchens. When’s the last time the news reported someone bleeding to death on the sidewalk as hundreds of passersby stepped over him because if they called for help nobody would come?

Without dismissing the very real emotional and psychological upset that’s involved in finding one’s self in those distressing poverty/uninsured percentages, what’s most troubling about the latest Georgia numbers is the trend.

The state is plainly heading in the wrong direction. Unless corrected, that will wind up being bad for everybody. That’s why such numbers deserve attention, and should be seen as a call to action.

AND NO, not simply action by the politicians although the public should wish they weren’t so consistently trying to look for silver linings in dark clouds.

Government doesn’t cause poverty. It doesn’t remove medical insurance. Yet it is somehow expected to “fix” such things even though all of us hold some responsibility for them, including often considerable personal responsibility for winding up as part of the bad statistics.

Nonetheless, these numbers are regularly tossed out and receive the usual tut-tutting and little else. That’s not going to repair a thing.

Poverty and lack of medical insurance are a burden borne by all, as the bottom line on tax bills should make plain.

Even more troubling, although certainly nothing new, is the way the poverty figures break down racially. While 14.4 percent of all Georgians live in poverty, the number for whites alone is 8.8 percent. For Hispanics it is 20 percent; for blacks, 24.9 percent.

In America, the land of opportunity, things should only get better and better and such numbers never reflect they’re getting worse and worse. If that doesn’t deeply trouble you, it should.

President's Address: Just More Excuse Making

You know, when the country is engaged in situations as we are in Iraq and trying to fend off terrorists, you want to rally behind your president and our armed forces. It's a natural instinct ingrained in anyone with a sense of patriotism. The troops have my appreciation and support. But this is not a man that I can rally behind. It's been too long, and too bumpy a ride with George W. Bush.

While he won Georgia quite easily in 2000, he squeaked out a highly suspect and controversial presidential victory nationally. I'm tempted to say that it all went downhill from there. But that's not exactly true. His one shining moment where the country really seemed to believe in him was in the emotional days following 9/11. Most of us with misgivings about Bush put it aside because our nation was in trouble. For that, we've been repaid with a needless war in Iraq, further instability in the Middle East, and a severe lack of diplomacy in dealing with nations like North Korea, Iran, and Venezuela. This president loves to rattle his tiny saber.

When Bush took the focus off of his so called "war on terror" by putting Afghanistan on the backburner, and putting the full weight of our military on Iraq, it should've sounded some alarm bells. There were no connections between Iraq and 9/11. So why have we spent 4 years, billions of dollars, and wasted thousands of US, allied, and Iraqi lives?

Maybe a better question is, why did we re-elect him in 2004?

Last night, Bush defended his administration's actions post-911. He said that we invaded Iraq because Saddam Hussein was a threat. Well, Saddam didn't kill 3,000 Americans. And as evil and despotic as his reign surely was, we still have no proof that the US was under any direct imminent threat from him. We invaded in the name of "pre-emptive strike." This president apparently reads minds.

Bush says we're safer today. I don't buy it. I have no scientific gage to offer as proof. But I think it's safe to say that there are more people in this world today that hate America enough to want to give their lives to the cause of destroying us than there were on January 20, 2001, the day that he was sworn in as president. I don't expect him to be an appeaser. And I don't expect him to not put America first. However, I do expect him to not impose his own personal "pre-emptive" will on others while using the resources of this country to do it.

Foreign policy isn't a popularity contest. But this administration has been marked with a severe lack of diplomacy, and has caused even our own allies to move away from us. We, as Americans, believe that this country stands for something great. While he certainly isn't the first American president to tarnish this image, George W. Bush has damaged it in a way that's unprecedented.

Oh by the way, since the president's speech, the American Embassy in Damascus was attacked last night.

Senate Candidate Jack Carter Hospitalized and Jimmy Saves the Day

US Senate candidate from Nevada, Jack Carter was hospitalized for complications with colitis. But never fear, President and Mrs. Carter stepped in and continued campaigning for him as he recovers. Swing State Project blogs on this story.

Jack Carter, a former Georgia resident, is responding to medication and looks to recover according to media reports.

Meanwhile, President Carter, and grandson, Jason (thought to be a possible future candidate for office) campaigned mostly in Spanish to a Fiestas Patrias crowd in Las Vegas.

Jack is running against the Republican incumbent, John Ensign. He easily won his Democratic primary. And after trailing badly in both the polls and cash early on, Jack's made some serious gains in this race. His parents have played a big part in his success. But Jack himself has been winning over Nevadans who previously viewed him as a carpetbagger.

The Georgia Carters have been active in their son's campaign. Earlier this summer, they were reunited with former Vice President Walter Mondale at a Jack Carter fundraiser at the home of Michigan's superstar Gov. Jennifer Granholm.

I wish Jack a speedy recovery and good luck against Ensign.

Always Remember 9/11

Five years ago today, I remember noticing how beautiful the morning was. It was perfect with not a cloud in the sky. A hint of autumn was in the air as the temperatures had moderated from a hot summer. And the gloaming of the day had already started to make the days look like fall.

It was a day that was just like the day in which my father had died 4 years earlier. As sometimes happens when you notice a small reminder, I thought of my dad and how our lives had changed. But then I put it out of my mind. I needed to get into the office and prepare for a SPLOST election that was to happen in one week from that day.

I had already been at work for a couple of hours when my clerk comes into the office with her usual big, bright smile and a hearty "good morning." She talked about what a beautiful morning it was and how it was one of those days when she looked forward to going to work and seeing everyone.

Shortly after 9 a.m., she comes into my office and says that her mother had called and said that we were under attack in New York City. I dropped what I was doing and raced home to get a small tv set that I used for tailgating.

All along the way, I was listening to the radio. My mind was racing about what was going on. I thought of the one time that I actually layed my own eyes on the WTC. Why couldn't I remember more?

I was 29 years old. I gave a thought to my nephews approaching the age of 18. Selfishly, I thought about where I might be in 5 years. Was this such an event that it would change all of our lives forever? And if so, just how drastically? Where would any of us be? And what would we be doing in relation to the events unfolding in those very moments. This was big. This was something I had never witnessed in our own country before. I imagined this might have been what my dad felt like when he first hear of the attacks on Pearl Harbor.

Like everyone else, we spent the day watching what was happening. Up until lunch time, people might straggle in who didn't even know what was going on. They were too busy dropping their kids off at school, or working for their living to have known. But they stopped dead in their tracks, just as surely as we had.

I gave a thought to my brother's best friend who is a marketing director with Estee Lauder, and whose office was in Manhatten, near Central Park. What about my friend Kathy who was a US Air flight attendant? She flew out of Jacksonville, Charlotte, and Pittsburgh. Was she on a flight that was to be hijacked? I also thought of a niece who was attending the University of Maryland, not far from Washington, D.C. Who was flying today?

You think of all these things and you're not sure where to start. Later in the day, I would find out that all of my loved ones were safe. And as affected as we all were, I couldn't even put myself in the shoes of those who were actually there. Nor those who were waiting by phones anxiously awaiting word from their loved ones who worked in the World Trade Center, or the Pentagon, or who were flying that day.

And later, we would hear the agonizing phone calls to airline and police authorities. And the oh so personal phone calls to loved ones from people trapped in the WTC. To this day, I still hesitate to listen to those, feeling it's just too personal to know what they were saying.

Our world was changed forever. But what we didn't realize fully is that it had changed a long time ago. This didn't happen overnight. We had the 1993 WTC bombing. We had the bombing of the American embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. We had the bombing of the USS Cole. We had heard of plots to blow planes up over the Pacific. Events were happening. And yet we were talking about work, football, and Monica Lewinsky.

Hindsight is 20/20. But we no longer have the excuse of "not knowing." Life must go on. And morbidly reflecting back on 9/11/01 each day isn't healthy. But we must be aware of what's going on. And we must demand that the people we elect and those that they appoint are doing everything they can to make sure this never happens again.

Always remember those who lost their lives 5 years ago today. Always seek to understand why the terrible events of 9/11/01 happened. Let us remember that 9/11 is not a partisan issue. Richard Clarke said it best. We failed, Democrats and Republicans. I supported our efforts in Afghanistan. But I continue to be baffled by the war in Iraq. There's not much we can do about past events. But we need to be better focused on present events and their consequences.

We must finish the job of punishing those responsible. And we must always remain committed to preventing this from ever happening again.

Bush in Atlanta: "Unrelenting pressure on Al Qaeda?"

So George W. Bush beebops into Cobb Co., Georgia today and gives us a "progress report" on his war on terror. Sounds like the beginning of a joke right? Well, unfortunately, it's a complete and total joke. Mike Morris and Bill Montgomery of the AJC have a report on the President's Georgia visit.

He says that we are safer today because of actions taken by his administration since 9/11. Me thinks he needs to take another look around, starting with Afghanistan. You know, that country whose leaders aided the people actually responsible for the 9/11 attacks?

There is no doubt in my mind that for all of the Al Qaeda operatives captured or killed in his "war", there are now MORE people on this planet who hate the United States of America. Because of our actions in Iraq alone, there are many who have decided to dedicate their lives (and their death) to destroying us.

The Middle East is even more unstable now than when Dubya found it. Undaunted by what's happening in Iraq, Iran looms as an even more powerful threat. Muslim fundamentalists in places like Lebanon, Egypt, the Phillipines, etc. are even more radicalized in the wake of Dubya's lack of diplomacy and willful acts of war against a nation with no direct connections to the 9/11 attacks.

Follow my link to GriftDrift's blog. Because as he accurately points out, we have lost our focus on punishing those that killed 3,000 innocent people in the greatest terrorist attack on American soil, now almost 5 years ago. "Unrelenting pressure on al Qaeda," Mr. President?!! Then why have we forgotten Afghanistan? Why is the Taliban actually gaining strength there?

Well said, GriftDrift.

Check Out Bill Clinton's New Wheels

I bet this will make even Al smile.............

From CNN.com:

Clinton to get custom hybrid SUV
Specially outfitted Mercury Mariner Hybrid on its way to former president.


NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Former president Bill Clinton will take delivery of a specially outfitted "Presidential Edition" Mercury Mariner Hybrid SUV later this month.

The vehicle's customized interior includes unique LED lighting and a 110-volt outlet. The Mariner's rear bench seats were replaced by a pair of bucket seats and a center console that houses a fold-out writing desk. There are also writing desks that fold down from the backs of the front seats.

A Ford spokesman refused to discuss any alterations that may have been made for security reasons. The Mariner will be driven by Secret Service agents.

"The Clinton Climate Initiative is working with some of the world's largest cities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions," Clinton said in an announcement. "I'm happy to have a fuel efficient vehicle to do my part and I'd like to thank the Ford Motor Company for this."

The Mariner Hybrid, a slightly more luxurious version of the small Ford Escape Hybrid, gets an EPA-estimated 32 miles to the gallon in the city and 29 on the highway. (Unlike other cars, hybrid vehicles are often rated higher for city driving than highway.) It runs on a four-cylinder engine combined with an electric motor.

The Mariner Hybrid is the first hybrid vehicle and the first Mercury vehicle outfitted for presidential use, an honor normally associated with Ford's more expensive Lincoln brand and General Motors' Cadillac.

The vehicle will be formally accepted by Clinton during the Clinton Global Initiative conference set for Sept. 20-22 in New York City.

Details and photos: Standard Mercury Mariner Hybrid
Fortune: Making a difference, Clinton-style

My Belated College Football Roundup

Well this past weekend, everyone got into the swing of things in this new season. Nationally, I think that people who were writing USC off might be rethinking things. They killed Arkansas again. John David Booty might not be Matt Leinart. But he and others will do nicely in keeping the current streak of great seasons intact. In fact, I think they'll go undefeated and play the winner of the Texas/Ohio St. game in the BCS title game.

Speaking of the Horns and Buckeyes, they each did what they had to do. I'm sure both teams were thinking more of their contest this coming weekend in Austin than their opponents last weekend. Last year's game between these two was the best intersectional matchup (along with USC/Notre Dame). Both teams have had to replace quite a bit from last year. But each of these programs are very strong and are probably amongst the best 3 or 4 teams in the country.

In the ACC, Miami and FSU played their annual grudge game last night. Last year, FSU won but I thought Miami was the better team. It looked as if that might be the case again this year. But I don't think so. Both teams have strong defenses. And neither team has a reliable offense. Both teams combined for a ridiculously low rushing total. But the difference was FSU's offense was able to make a couple of clutch 3rd down conversions in the 2nd half. Miami left its best efforts on the field before halftime, and didn't take advantage of an interception deep in FSU territory. I don't believe either team will be a factor in the national championship race. But it was only the first game of the year. Things could come together offensively for the Noles.

Duke lost to Div 1-AA opponent, Richmond, 13-0 at home. I've never seen a Div 1-A opponent get shut out by a AA team. I've seen both them and Wake Forest lost to AA opponents like Appalachian St. many times through the years. But this has got to be a new low.

Virginia was crushed by Pitt. It's going to be a long season for the Cavs I'm afraid. But Clemson did what they were supposed to. And their season may ultimately be decided in the next two weeks vs. Boston College (who struggled to beat Central Michigan) and FSU. I can't wait to see what Virginia Tech has. Overall, I think the ACC will look like it did last year. No real heavyweights at the top. But some quality depth in the middle.

Georgia Tech put up a valiant effort against Notre Dame. The defense played its heart out. But Notre Dame's defense was just as impressive. Tech still isn't getting the ball to Calvin Johnson enough. He had a great first half. But they let the ND double team discourage them from going to him in the second half. He's taller than any guy trying to cover him. At some point, you would think the Tech braintrust would just say "damn it all" and throw towards him anyway. Tech would be a serious contender in the ACC if they had a better QB. But they don't. Still, they'll be tough to handle. If they avoid losing to Duke or NC State, they may end up with 8 or 9 wins.

Besides the game, once again both student sections in the end zones are right on top of the field. And they've been prone through the years to throw trash at referees and the other team's band and players. I'm not sure what the Tech AD is waiting on. They need to move those students to another place or start kicking people out. If not, someone's going to get hurt.

In the SEC, Tennessee came up with the big win over an overated Cal team. Not many are giving the Vols much of a chance to contend this year. But their problems haven't been in terms of talent. They've been between the ears. Ole Fulmer's shenanigans finally caught up with him. But he's taking a different approach this year. And bringing back Cutcliffe as OC is probably the best thing he could've done. Ainge had a rotten year last year. But we saw during his freshman year that he can play. Look out for the Vols. They are playing for pride. And they may be the best team available to take advantage of Florida's ridiculously hard schedule.

Speaking of the Gators, they handled Southern Miss after a sloppy start. SEC teams have run afoul of the Golden Eagles before. But Florida took care of business. They can't afford any slipups with teams like this. Much more difficult games loom mid season.

Auburn and LSU did as they were supposed to do. Auburn's the popular pick to win the SEC. Good pick. The pressure is squarely on them. And I think they represent the SEC's best hope to play in the BCS title game. I think they'll finish 3rd or 4th nationally and will have to settle for the Sugar Bowl.

Alabama overcame Hawaii and their Haka dance in Tuscaloosa. But it was a struggle. UK got killed by Louisville. It wasn't unexpected. But watch the Cards this year. I think they'll beat Miami and I think they get West Virginia at home. They are definitely in the running for the Big East title and a BCS bowl.

Also, Vandy gave Michigan a tussle. The game was only 13-7 late in the 3rd quarter gefore UM pulled away. And Ole Miss won their underated rivalry game with Memphis. But it was close, as that game usually is.

I don't know what to make of South Carolina's win over MSU. Neither team looked great. But like FSU, the Cocks used a couple of big defensive plays in the 4th quarter to get them going. They always bring their A game for Georgia. Even though the Dawgs have more than doubled the Cocks in wins at Williams Brice Stadium, most of the games are extremely close. I don't see any reason to expect anything different this year. Many people will pick this as the upset of the week. But they always do so with this game. I think that helps to motivate Georgia and works against the Cocks. Though their fans don't really see it that way.

A future UGA opponent, Colorado, also lost to a Div 1-AA opponent. No doubt UGA haters will use this against them. But CU 's not that far removed from stomping a national runner up Nebraska team and playing for the Big XII title. No one would've seen this coming. Oh well, at least they're bringing their mascot Ralphie. It will be the Buffalo mascot's first ever trip to a road game. It's quite fitting since CU and UGA have the two best mascots in all of college sports.

The hometown Dawgs did what they were supposed to do. Mikey Henderson had one punt return for a td and should've had two. All 3 QB's that played did some nice things. But you can tell the fans want Stafford, who directed the team well late in the game. I think Joe T is the smart choice for the South Carolina game. The Dawgs rarely win that game with a flashy offense. They win it with defense and a sound running game. Georgia has both going for it. However, if the Cocks can burn the Dawgs with a couple of big plays, they can win this game.

This year is the year to get Georgia. So I would suggest that South Carolina and Tennessee take advantage of it. But nothing is a sure bet.

Tofu Kew at Little Bangkok

So I'm having Tofu Kew Sunday night, with my friends Beth and Helen, at Little Bangkok on Cheshire Bridge, and I'm laughing and having a good time talking about Helen's husband's fear of getting a massage by a pretty little masseuse, and his belief that he might suddenly "rise to the occasion." Unwittingly, I scoop up a light green object on my fork. Next thing I know, in goes a pepper!

The pepper is crunchy and slightly sweet; and then it explodes inside my mouth. Life takes a slightly unexpected detour over the next few minutes. At first, my mouth just loses feeling. But about 10 seconds after the numbness sets in, the pepper brings the heat!

I cough a little, and sip a little diet coke. Then it happens. An attack of uncontrollable hiccups sets in like I've never had before. Tears well up in my eyes. I can actually see the atomic aftermath eminating from my cheeks. Small, short, loud bursts coming far more rapidly than I ever remember for a case of the hiccups.

In a panic, I envision my proper, southwest Georgia mother staring at me with a glazed and fiery disapproving look. My table mates at first look horrified, and then little smirks creep up on their faces. The person at the table straight ahead looks up in dismay. I've distracted his conversation. Suddenly, it feels as if the whole room is starring at me.

My lovely and kind waitress comes over and pats my back asking, "You okay, you okay?"

Horrified of having hiccups in public, I take my water and step into the small, empty waiting area, slightly out of public view. The tiny lady behind the cash register has nothing else to look at but me in my most indelicate state. An odd thought comes to my head. "Is this what Tourette's feels like?"

To my surprise, the hiccups pass rather quickly. I go back to my table with a few too many sets of eyeballs watching my re-emergence into the dining area. But I say with a smile, "What the hell? Ain't y'all ever had the hiccups before?"

Well, instead of Helen's husband, we now had something else to laugh about. Maybe karma was getting me back for earlier making rude gestures and suggestions as I pondered the poor man's potential massage dilemma.

Instead of treating me like I have a disease, a diner or two passes by and asks if I'm okay, or comforts me with a hand on my shoulder and a smile. Guess there was no need for embarrassment after all, huh?

We pay our check and stand around outside my car as Helen smokes her prized after dinner cigarette. Then I notice a rather, tall, odd looking figure out of the corner of my eye. My head turns to the left and I see a person peering into the darkness of a parked car at the corner of the building, about 50 feet away from us.

I notice the man has a mask on his face. Not a Jason or Michael Meyers mask. But a pig snout over his nose with some sort of bushy wig on top of his head. The figure notices me looking at him and he starts to adjust his nose, making obscene gestures as he does. Then he stumbles across the street (no easy thing to do on this part of Cheshire Bridge Rd).

Such was a night at Little Bangkok. Oh, and the Tofu Kew was delicious, pepper withstanding.

In honor of the start of college football, some UGA and James Brown "old school"

I think this is from the 1976 Georgia/Florida halftime show in Jacksonville. Includes the Redcoat Band's "Spell Georgia" cheer at the end. Goooooooo Georgia Bulldogs!!!

Take A Bow Billie Jean!

photo by Jonathan Fickies/usopen.org


Billie Jean King, tennis champion and crusader for equality, was honored on Monday night by the U.S. Tennis Association. They attached her name to the national tennis center, site of the U.S. Open. It' s a tribute well deserved and a long time in coming.

King was largely responsible for the women having their own tennis tour. Through most of her career, womens tennis wasn't much more than a sideshow with ridiculously low prize earning opportunities as compared to the men players. She and 8 other women stepped away from the establishment and each signed a $1 contract with Virginia Slims and started their own tour. Thanks to BJK, players like Navratilova, Evert, Graf, Seles, and the Williams sisters have made a fortune playing the game they love. And women have had more opportunities available to them in the world of sport.

But BJK took it a step further when she accepted the 1973 challenge of former men's champion, Bobby Riggs. "Sugar Daddy" Riggs once said infamously, "Girls play a nice game of tennis - FOR GIRLS." With the weight of the womens movement on her shoulders, BJK creamed Riggs in straight sets in front of 30,0000 people at the Astrodome and a national tv audience.

Later in 1980, BJK, who was married then, was sued by her former hairdresser and friend, Marilyn Barnett for alimony. It was shocking at the time. BJK's sponsors began to drop her. Facing the end of her playing days, she lost her financial security. And BJK was blackballed by many in the tennis establishment. She responded by becaming an activist on behalf of the LGBT community.

When I think of equality, Billie Jean always comes to mind. Her stature as a prominent figure transcends the world of sport. She's an icon. And having her name (a woman's name no less) on our national tennis center will serve as a reminder of her legacy.

Help Contain Jack Kingston's Cumberland Island Mistake

Read today's AJC article by Stacy Shelton on the opening of Cumberland Island to further automobile traffic. Most of Georgia's environmental groups are opposed to this. Georgia's "Golden Coast" is still largely unspoiled with Cumberland Island being one of the most beautiful places for scenery and appreciation of nature.

The National Park Service is encouraging people to express their wishes for what they'd like to see done. You may do so before tommorow at: www.nps.gov/cuis/index.htm.

Relating specifically to this matter, the Georgia Environmental Action Network sent out this email:


Help Preserve Cumberland Island’s Wilderness

Dear Button,

We need your help to protect Cumberland Island and to preserve what is so precious and rare there – eastern, coastal wilderness where one can find solitude and peace in deep maritime forest.

Problem:

In the fall of 2003, Rep. Jack Kingston attached a rider to the budget bill that removed the wilderness designation from several roads on Cumberland Island and required that the National Park Service provide vehicle tours through the Wilderness to the north end of the island. The Park Service is now requesting input on the plan that will govern those tours. While environmental advocacy organizations remain opposed to the tours because their mere existence will negatively impact Cumberland’s wilderness experience, the details of the plan have yet to be developed and much can still be done to minimize that impact. Therefore, it is critically important that the public urge the Park Service to adopt a plan that will have the least impact to the Wilderness and the island’s natural resources.

Solution:

In developing the transportation plan, the National Park Service should seek only to meet the minimum requirements of the legislation and minimize the impacts on Cumberland Island’s natural resources, its Wilderness, and its wilderness experience.

Action Needed:

Please write the National Park Service by September 1, 2006 and urge them to develop a plan that has the least impact on Cumberland Island’s Wilderness and wilderness experience. Deadline for responding: Please take action by Friday, September 01, 2006.

The following organizations are participating in this campaign:

Altamaha Riverkeeper
Center for a Sustainable Coast
Georgia Conservancy
Georgia Conservation Voters
Sierra Club - Georgia Chapter
Southern Alliance for Clean Energy

What have Republicans done for Georgia lately?

Sonny Perdue and the Republican controlled legislature have produced about the same results for you as the Republicans have in Washington. For poor Americans, they're doing nothing more than giving misery a little more company. This AP article says that both Georgia's poverty rate and its number of uninsured citizens have increased - yet again. This continues a steady trend, under Perdue, of moving Georgia further and further away from the national poverty average.

From the Macon Telegraph:

Georgia's poverty rate, number without health insurance rise
Associated Press
ATLANTA - Georgia's poverty rate, along with the number of people without health insurance, have both gone up, according to recent Census Bureau data.
The increases are among the fastest in the country, according to the Census Bureau, which released the information Tuesday.

In 2005, an estimated 1.7 million Georgians were uninsured, up from 1.5 million the year before, according to a Census Bureau survey. Georgia was one of eight states whose two-year rolling average of uninsured rose. The state's two-year average climbed to 18.1 percent uninsured in 2004-2005, from 16.9 percent in 2003-2004.

That figure leaves Georgia tied for eighth among states with the highest rate of people without health insurance.

The state's increase "is a pretty big jump - a significant increase," said Bill Custer, a Georgia State University health insurance expert.

Meanwhile, Georgia's poverty rate rose last year to 14.4 percent, its third consecutive increase since 2002, when it had fell to 11.2 percent, according to census numbers. Nationally, the poverty rate was 12.6 percent, the first year since 2000 that the poverty rate did not grow.
------------------------------------------------

These results seem consistent with national trends during the George W. Bush administration.
The Progress Report paints this less than rosey picture:

The numbers "mark the worst performance in recent decades for poverty and median income during an economic recovery." The Bush administration "dropped the ball entirely" on poverty since the issue "forced its way to the top of President Bush's agenda in the confusing days after Hurricane Katrina." ("Does [President Bush] often talk about poverty? No," Tony Snow admitted recently.) But in a "sign that the income inequality may rise higher on the US policy agenda," Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson admitted this month that "many Americans simply aren't feeling the benefits" of economic expansion. Now it's time for Bush to take action.

And on health care:

Since 2000, the Bush administration has created three times as many uninsured Americans as new jobs: six million uninsured versus 1.9 million new jobs between 2000 and 2005. The cost of employer-based insurance increased 9.2 percent in 2005 as hourly earnings climbed by only 3.2 percent. The average costs of providing medical care for a family of four rose 9.6 percent. The Commonwealth Fund found 50 percent of families earning less than $35,000 a year reported having trouble paying medical bills. (The percentages are similar for families earning $35,000 to $49,000, making it more likely medical costs could drive them into poverty.) Ninety-five percent of companies polled by benefits consultants Watson Wyatt expect to restrict health benefits for retirees in the next five years. And recently, the administration angered governors by announcing plans to "cut Medicaid payments to hospitals and nursing homes that care for millions of low-income people." The administration's focus has been on health savings accounts (HSAs) and Association Health Plans (AHPs), proposals that "will not begin to solve the problems of the 46 million Americans without health insurance" and "will cause new dilemmas for those fortunate enough to have health care coverage." "We've had absolutely no federal effort or interest in insuring the uninsured since 2000," Emory University's Ken Thorpe said. "This has not been a priority of the Bush administration." To fill the void, states are working to provide comprehensive health care coverage.
------------------------------------------

So when Republicans like Sonny Perdue and Casey Cagle come around asking you for your vote this fall, remember the poor people of this state and country. And if you're hovering around the poverty line, remember, you might be next.

Republicans in trouble in Florida?

This year in Georgia, we've seen the Christian Coalition turn its back on its former head, Ralph Reed, who was running for Lt. Gov. Many in that faction either stayed home on July 18th or voted for Reed's opponent, Casey Cagle. Since then, pundits have been trying to figure out if that was a sign of discontent by Christians; or, is it a sign of the once powerful coalition losing its punch?

Mary Ellen Klas of the Miami Herald suggests that the Christian Coalition might have a similar impact in this year's Florida gubernatorial race. She reports that this year's group of Republican candidates have left conservative evangicals "disillusioned" and "uninspired." This is quite a turnaround from 2004 when that group was credited with ensuring a Bush victory in that state.

From the Herald:

Leaders of the conservative Christian movement in Florida say discontent with the national Republican Party and concerns over the war and the economy may keep voters home Sept. 5 because Florida's gubernatorial candidates haven't done much to inspire them.

That could spell trouble for Republican candidate Tom Gallagher, who is trailing in the polls behind rival Charlie Crist and is counting on reliable religious voters to show up in his primary race.

It also could mean trouble for the state's conservative Christian movement -- if it is left with no leader in the governor's mansion and see an end to their decade-long rise in influence.

''We're going to find out once and for all: Does the Christian Coalition/religious right continue to have the muscle that it was thought to have in Southern elections?'' said Matt Towery, an Atlanta-based pollster who last week released the results of a public opinion poll for the Florida Chamber of Commerce.

''Either the social conservatives are going to be motivated by Gallagher's statements and come out to vote,'' he said, ``or that group is going to prove to no longer be the major factor that it has shown to be in major Republican races.''

In the chamber poll of Floridians who labeled themselves likely voters, Crist's 19-point lead over Gallagher had narrowed for the first time in two months to 10 points. Crist's advantage: 39-29.

But a stubborn 29 percent of Republicans said they still hadn't made up their minds with the primary just over a week away, said Marian Johnson, the chamber's chief political strategist.

Evangelical Nancy Schaefer Joins Hands with Scientology?

Wow, Georgia state Senator Nancy Schaefer appeared at a ribbon cutting event in Atlanta for an exhibition sponsored by the Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR). A human rights organization? Sounds good right?

CCHR happens to be a group sponsored by the Church of Scientology that labels psychiatry "an industry of death." According to the Savannah Morning News article that I linked, Schaefer's also listed by CCHR as being a member of their board of advisors, which Schaefer denies.

My first exposure to CCHR was about 10 years ago when the group started an aggressive P.R. campaign to influence county and municipal agencies, and to boost their profile with officials that worked with mental health experts and facilities. Their stated goal was to influence these officials to seek routes (totally disregarding the restrictions of state law) other than county mental health departments and hospitals for people suffering with mental health problems. CCHR's literature didn't suggest other routes. But they offered to provide Church of Scientology brochures and books for free.

So isn't it strange that such a staunch evangical Christian, who is probably on the front row pew each time her church open its doors, would join a Scientology group?

In the past Schaefer has advocated doing away with mental health screening in public schools. She's also been an aggressive opponent of gay-straight alliances in public schools. Thanks to sanctimonious people like Nancy, many Georgia teens questioning or curious about their sexuality probably need the very psychiatric services that she purports to be against. Ironic huh?

By the way no offense to Scientologists, espcially Corin Nemec. I'm not worried about Scientology's potential influence on Nancy Schaefer. I'm more worried about Nancy Schaefer's influence on Scientology. ;-)

AL Democratic Executive Committee Rights a Wrong

Patricia Todd has, once again, been declared the victor in the Alabama Democratic primary for House District 54. Her quest to become that state's first openly gay legislator lives on. Todd received the most votes in the primary election, and then again in the runoff vs. Gaynell Hendricks. Now, a party executive committee has overuled an earlier ruling by a subcommittee to disqualify both Todd and Hendricks for failing to file a financial disclosure report with the party chairman and reinstated Todd's wins at the polls.

"Selective prosecution has been done to black people more than anyone else in this state," Holmes said. "Unless someone can show me the 59 more votes Ms. Todd received were illegal, there's no way you can deny her victory."

-Alabama State Rep. Alvin Holmes


This has been a contentious race with both sexual and racial undertones. Perhaps now that justice has been delivered, the Democratic Party of Alabama can come together for what will be an equally tough battle for them this general election season, as it will be for our Democrats in Georgia.

Democratic Party Committee in Alabama Subverts Will of the People

In an unbelievable ruling yesterday in Montgomery, a Democratic Party committee hearing the challenge of Patricia Todd's House District 54 primary runoff win disqualifies the winner and the loser because of an obscure Alabama Democratic Party bylaw. Todd, attempting to become that state's first openly gay legislator, won the primary runoff by 59 votes.

Todd's opponent, Gaynell Hendricks, contested election results based on the fact that Todd failed to file a financial disclosure report with the party chairman. Alabama's party's bylaws include a requirement that all candidates should file a financial disclosure with the party chairman 5 days before an election. Todd filed her normal report with the Secretary of State's office, but failed to file one with the party chair.

But here's the kicker: Hendricks didn't either. And according to a party official, no Democratic candidate has followed this little known rule since 1988. Hendricks' attorney argued that the committee should disqualify Todd, but not his client, because the complaint is filed against Todd and not Hendricks. He then played the homophobe card and argued that Todd did not want people to see that Victory Fund, a gay PAC, contributed $25,000 to her campaign.

The committee put aside common sense and took the easy way out. They disqualified both candidates and elected to select a nominee to appear on the general election ballot. But the decision must be approved by the party executive committee.

From the Montgomery Advertiser:

State Democratic Party Chairman Joe Turnham was "very surprised" by the decision Thursday, said Zac McCrary, a party spokesman. Turnham believes the party's executive committee might change the decision based on an "archaic bylaw," McCrary said.

Attorney Bobby Segall told the committee earlier Thursday that if the party disqualified Todd for not filing a financial disclosure form with the party chairman it would also have to disqualify the party's nominee for governor, Lt. Gov. Lucy Baxley, and for lieutenant governor, former Gov. Jim Folsom Jr.

"Lucy Baxley is out of here. Just let the Republicans take over the state Senate and the House. Jim Folsom is out of here," Segall said in an emotional presentation to the committee. Committee members announced their decision about two hours after the hearing ended.

Lets hope that Mr. Segall is right and the executive committee overturns this ruling. The people of the 54th district have spoken. And they selected Patricia Todd as their representative. Overturning the will of the people on a technicality that has been violated by every Democratic candidate for the last 18 years is very un-democratic.

Hat tip to Birmingham Blues.


*Joe in Alabama has emailed me this response to the committee's ruling from the Alabama Democratic Party Chair, Joe Turnham.

Via Birmingham Blues: The Effort to Defeat AL's First Lesbian Legislator-Elect Continues

Thanks to my friend, Joe, in Alabama, I've been keeping up with the efforts to overturn the results of Alabama's Democratic primary for House district 54. Patricia Todd is bidding to become Alabama's first openly lesbian legislature. However, the race was decided by only 59 votes. And to make matters worse, Todd's opponent's mother-in-law is making an issue of the Victory Fund's involvement.

The blogger, Birmingham Blues, has been doing a great job of following this. She's even attending the contest hearing in Montgomery. For those interested in this ongoing story, I suggest reading her blog. In fact, she's one of my new additions to my blogroll.

Brokeback Walmart

The National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce has announced a partnership with Walmart. Apparently, they want an infusion of gay shoppers. Although their spokesperson said that gays are already a "significant" constituency. I know several of them, including a certain power lesbian. Don't worry I'm not naming names. ;-)

The retail giant is taking shots from the left and the right on this one. Conservative groups say that this will backfire on Walmart in small towns. And some progressives won't be happy to see some of their allies canoodling with a huge company that hardly offers benefits to its straight workers, much less domestic partner benefits.

No matter where you stand on the Walmart issue, the ensuing marketing for this should be priceless!! Any ideas? ;-)

Marilyn Geewax has the story for the AJC.

Coretta Scott King Panel Convenes

A panel created for the purpose of coming up with a way to properly memorialize Coretta Scott King is under way. Mrs. King, the first lady of the civil rights movement, passed away earlier this year. It's only appropriate that her home town of Atlanta come up with some fitting way to honor her.

Suggestions have already been made. But the panel probably won't submit an idea to the city council until the end of the year. I would expect that the panel will also be taking suggestions from members of the public at large.

From S.A. Reid's AJC article:

City Council President Lisa Borders said at least 100 ideas surfaced before the King Commission was formed.

Renaming Simpson Road in northwest Atlanta, an early proposal by Councilmen Ivory Young and C.T. Martin, hasn't yet been discussed, she said.
However, Young said commission members favor proposing a more prominent thoroughfare that cuts through more economically and racially diverse neighborhoods.

"The intent of the commission is to honor the sacrifice and service Mrs. King gave to Atlanta and her work in keeping Dr. King's vision alive," Borders said.

Commission members are appointed representatives from government, politics, business, community and the King family and King Center.

EPD Says No to Fund For Alternative Fuels

AJC editorial staffer, Lyle Harris takes the Envrironmental Protection Division (EPD) to task for "rejecting creation of a fund that would encourage investment in alternative fuels and promote energy conservation." A proposal for such a fund has been studied by EPD and the Dept. of Natural Resources (DNR) in response to the Clean Air Interstate Rule that went into effect last year. Harris goes on to call EPD's decision "pennywise, pound-foolish," and urges DNR to overule EPD and create the fund anyway.

Carol Couch of EPD offers a response below. Unfortunately it sounds more like a Perdue press release than a response to Harris' editorial. Ms. Couch offers no explanation for EPD's decision to reject the alternative fuels fund. In fact, she doesn't mention it at all. She does say that we have the potential to "use biomass from forestry and agricultural resources." But as Mr. Harris reminds us, it's only a promise of words without solid funding.

I encourage readers to look at the website for the state energy plan that Ms. Couch references in her response. To their credit, it seems to be a very user friendly site that encourages public input.

From this morning's AJC:


Energy down the drain
Lyle V. Harris - Staff
Thursday, August 24, 2006

When it comes to building a stronger economy and ensuring a healthier environment that benefits all Georgians, timing is everything. That's why state officials must endorse innovative strategies that move us closer to achieving those goals as quickly as possible.

Unfortunately, the state Environmental Protection Division is slowing our momentum. During a briefing this week before the board of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, the regulatory agency rejected creation of a fund that would encourage investment in alternative fuels and promote energy conservation.

EPD officials had been weighing the idea as part of their deliberations over new, federal clean air rules. Issued last year, the Clean Air Interstate Rule applies to 28 states, including Georgia.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency predicts CAIR will substantially reduce toxic air pollutants emitted by power plants, especially nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide, which contribute to smog and acid rain.

Affected states have been granted flexibility in how best to achieve the mandated air pollution reductions. EPD had been considering a worthwhile proposal that would require Georgia Power Co., the state's largest electric utility, to either reduce its smog-forming emissions by an additional 5 percent beyond the federal requirements or pay up to $9 million a year. The money would be used for ongoing energy efficiency programs or for grants and loans for renewable energy projects, such as wind, solar or biomass production.
Georgia Power's opposition to the fund is not surprising. The company understandably doesn't want to subsidize possible competition to its effective monopoly.

But while EPD Director Carol Couch publicly praises the potential of renewable energy and energy efficiency, the agency she runs opposes the fund, fearing its implementation may jeopardize the state's ability to meet a March 31 deadline to adopt the federal clean air rules. Couch also worries the fund may conflict with Gov. Sonny Perdue's ongoing efforts to craft a statewide energy plan.

Those arguments are spurious, at best. The EPD had plenty of opportunity to figure out how to include the fund as part of its rulemaking since the proposal was introduced two years ago, and it still does.

While Perdue's energy strategy is a good idea and long overdue, there's no guarantee it will include a reliable stream of revenue to diversify the state's portfolio of alternative energy sources beyond polluting fossil fuels.

The hard truth is that Georgians are energy hogs; on average, we consume 25 percent more energy than the national average. The quickest, cleanest and most cost-effective way to change that is to make conservation a top priority.
When the DNR board votes, it should overrule EPD's pennywise, pound-foolish recommendation and approve creation of the fund. Georgia doesn't have any more time, or energy, to waste.

--- Lyle Harris for the editorial board (lharris@ajc.com)

And from Ms. Couch of EPD:

State on target, studying ways to save energy
By Carol Couch
For the Journal-ConstitutionPublished on: 08/24/06

This December, a state energy plan will be presented to Gov. Sonny Perdue and will include sections to address renewable energy and energy efficiency.

Perdue officially launched Georgia's comprehensive energy plan on March 1 and directed the Georgia Environmental Facilities Authority to lead the development of the plan.

As director of the Georgia Environmental Protection Division, I am pleased to serve on the Governor's Energy Policy Council. The council will work with GEFA to oversee development of the energy plan. The plan will be organized in eight chapters on subjects including energy reliability, energy supply and demand, economic development and the environmental impact of energy production and consumption. The environmental chapter will include sections on air quality, water quality and supply, land use and waste management, and climate.

The principles being studied and evaluated as the plan is developed include:
Using renewable energy and practicing energy conservation are essential for Georgia's future.

Opportunity for renewable energy use in our state is substantial, particularly as it relates to the use of biomass from forestry and agricultural resources.
Renewable energy and energy conservation benefit air quality, lead to more efficient use of our water resources and contribute to energy independence.

The energy plan is being developed with a significant amount of public input. GEFA has created an interactive Web site at www.georgiaenergyplan.org through which the public may submit recommendations and comments.

The council will also host a series of public meetings around the state in September to present the latest draft of the plan and to hear comments. More information about those meetings will be on the Web site.

Carol Couch is director of the Georgia Environmental Protection Division.

John Linder Ducks Allan Burns, Yet Wants to Discuss Issues

Allan Burns is running for Congress in the Georgia 7th district against Republican incumbent "fair tax" guy, John Linder. Allan disagrees with him on many subjects. But thus far, Mr. Linder hasn't agreed to any debates. He says he wants to discuss the issues at a "town hall" meeting tommorow night at 5:30 pm at the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center in Lawrenceville. Allan wasn't invited. But perhaps some of his supporters will show up to ask Congressman Linder some pointed questions about what he's doing on the issues.

Here's the text of a Burns email I received yesterday:


John Linder Wants to Discuss the Issues - So Do We!

John Linder has announced a "Town Hall" meeting to "discuss the issues facing our nation." We think this is an opportunity for all of us who are concerned with the direction our country is headed, to voice those concerns and ask Rep. Linder what specifically he is doing about the high cost of gas and our dependence on foreign oil, health care and the uninsured, outsourcing of jobs, budget cuts in Medicare and education, the increasing violence and U.S. casualties in Iraq, and why its OK for members of Congress to get a pay raise but not minimum wage earners.

These are but a few of the many questions we have, and no doubt you have questions as well. An hour is not much time to discuss the significant challenges facing our nation and state, and we will once again ask for a debate to give the voters an opportunity to see where Allan Burns and John Linder differ on the issues and who will best represent the citizens of the 7th District in Congress.

If you plan to attend, let us know: info@allanburns.com


WHAT: John Linder "Town Hall" Meeting
WHEN:Â Â Thursday, August 24 - 5:30 PM to 6:30 PM
WHERE: Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center, 75 Langley Dr., Lawrenceville, GA 30045

Allan's campaign web address is http://www.allanburns.com/.

Sonny Perdue, State Ethics, And The Firing of Teddy Lee

If only we had known then what we know now. From the AJC, January 6, 2006:

Teddy Lee was never beloved by the General Assembly. As executive secretary of the State Ethics Commission, Lee had the job of investigating lawmakers accused of taking freebies from lobbyists or abusing their positions for personal gain.

Despite a hostile Legislature and a bare-bones budget, Lee served with distinction under four governors. On Wednesday, his tenure ended when the Ethics Commission voted 4 to 1 to fire him.

Derided as a ghost of Democratic regimes past, Lee was on borrowed time in Gov. Sonny Perdue's Republican administration. When Perdue was elected four years ago, he tried to force Lee out, but Lee refused, believing that resigning would undermine everything the commission represented: ethical, transparent and honest government.

Lee also believed that no elected official or political party was above the law. That's why the Ethics Commission sanctioned both Perdue and DeKalb CEO Vernon Jones, a Democrat, for campaign donation violations last year. Because Lee treated Democrats and Republicans alike and could not be denounced as partisan, Perdue had to plot his ouster in the shadows so the decision appeared to come from the commission alone.

But make no mistake, Lee's departure clearly reflects Perdue's wishes. Although it's true that the commission hires the executive secretary, the governor appoints the commission.

What's disappointing is that Perdue is supposed to be the ethics governor, at least according to the press releases his office pumps out with regularity. In support of that contention, Perdue points to the new ethics law that goes into effect Monday.

While the law prohibits legislators from immediately returning to the Capitol as lobbyists and increases fines for ethics violations, it doesn't limit gifts to lawmakers. The worst aspect of the bill may be a self-policing provision that creates a House-Senate ethics committee to determine ethical breaches by colleagues --- which is like leaving the fate of highway speeders up to a panel of NASCAR drivers.

Perdue and the GOP leadership hail the law as proof that a higher ethical bar has been erected in the Statehouse under their tenancy. Lee's firing suggests that if the bar was raised, it was to allow more political skullduggery to slip through unnoticed.

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

Sonny Perdue, wishing to be known as "the ethics governor" came into office in 2003 and shook things up. He began appointing new commission members, had his minions pass new ethics legislation. And then he targeted the State Ethics Commission's longtime executive secretary, Teddy Lee. As it turned out, Perdue's spiel about ethics was nothing but a smoke screen. In 2005, he became the first sitting governor in Georgia history to be fined for an ethics violation.

Teddy Lee wasn't popular with lawmakers because he made sure that many of them were penalized for their ethics violations. And when they didn't technically break the law, he went public and let the citizens of Georgia know when they broke the spirit of the law. Each legislative session, Teddy pushed to have new legislation introduced to clean up existing law with loopholes that were being taken advantage of. Needless to say, his efforts weren't always successful. But if his work didn't earn him a lot of friends, it earned him a lifetime of respect from those who played by the rules.

When Teddy Lee was on the job, guess what one of the very first assignments was when taking a job in an election official's office? You had to learn who this man was, and recognize him on the spot. Your job might depend on it one day. In some counties, his picture was probably posted on some back office wall like a wanted criminal in a post office. When he got a phone call from a concerned citizen about an election official not allowing him/her to see a financial disclosure, Teddy was never one to pick up a phone. He would make the drive to the offending office unannounced and unintroduced and ask to see the same public documents. If he was told no, the person he was dealing with was given a chance to correct themselves. But if they didn't, he'd pull out his badge and teach them a lesson not to be forgotten right on the spot.

Teddy was effective. He got things done. And anything involving his eyes or his signature was done correctly. He wasn't a purposeful menace to anyone. In fact, to most people, Teddy was (and is) a well-mannered and charming person with a great sense of humor. He merely wanted to make sure that laws were being followed by everyone - regardless of position or party association. He was one person who truly didn't care about partisan politics as it related to his job.

I suppose that's why Perdue knew he couldn't count on Teddy. He wouldn't look the other way when he needed him to. That was confirmed when Perdue was fined. So, Teddy had to go. Perdue couldn't fire him directly. But he was able to stack the commission with Republicans who were willing to fire Teddy. They eventually did.

And Georgia suffers for it.

For a DPG rundown of Perdue's history with ethics, click here.

I'm Glad Someone Else Doesn't Like IKEA

I hope rlpants at Echo and Sway doesn't mind if I repost his rant over here. I've had my own misadventures at the new IKEA in Atlanta. Basically, both times I've been, I felt like something on a conveyor belt waiting to be processed. Something happens to people when they go there. It's hard to explain. And it's just downright bizarre when folks start taking on this Euro-chic front as if their names were Anders and Lars, when their name badges say "Andy" and "Lamar."

With apologies to my friend, Michael Pernfors, the whole thing has caused me to question Sweden as a peace-loving nation. These IKEA's are spreading slowly but surely. And I'm just not sure that the legacy of ABBA will be good enough to overcome this. As far as I'm concerned, they can keep their dollup of lingenberries!

;-)


There are pros and cons to any retail establishment. Let it be enough said that...we got the furniture we needed, at a decent price, and very stylish, too.

It's what you have to go through to get it.

The IKEA store in the Atlantic Station area of midtown Atlanta is a big, blue monstrosity--the 15 acre complex includes enough parking for every yuppie in the greater Atlanta area, and some change. There were cars in the lot from all over the Southeast. The building itself is 366,000 square feet and includes a couple of restaurants, a play area for kids, and zillions of pieces of furniture and other home decor items.

There are, as far as I know, two levels to the store--the top level is the furniture showroom, and the bottom level is where you can actually buy shit. Items are classified into two categories--stuff you can pick up yourself, and stuff you have to wait several hours for.

My warnings to those considering shopping at IKEA are as follows:

--there's no signage that explains what to do or how to get things...anywhere.

--there are two people working there for about every 17,000 customers.

--they are both rude.

So we pick out some stuff on the showroom floor, we stay within our budget, and I do an ok job of retaining my sanity through the process.

Then we go to try and actually find the stuff we picked out. No major problems, but we chose two items that fall into the "we get it and then we hand it to you" category.

There was never any signage explaining this. On the nice little slip that explained what the red and yellow tags meant, there was no clue given as to who to approach to get this process started, and well, the two employees on the showroom floor were busy talking to other customers...so we asked a young man when we got down to the "pick out your furniture area."

This kid needs an absolute kick in his ass. He helped us, begrudgingly, and laughed sarcastically when Dawn told him the info he needed to look stuff up. She didn't know exactly what the number of two nightstands were, but knew the name. Every time--as they narrowed in to the item--they missed slightly (and it only took Dawn two tries to give him the correct information) he smarted off and smirked sarcastically...

This pissed me off royally and I spoke out--I told him, hackles raised on my neck--that "I could go find attitude somewhere else, I didn't need his" or something.

He ignored me and finally we got what we needed--but I just didn't appreciate that.

IKEA falls into the category of business I despise--the kind popularized in that most famous and for me, most hated episode of Seinfeld, the "Soup Nazi."

They have what people want, the price is right, and the demand is so high that they don't have to exhibit a pleasant attitude toward the customer.

I think the Southerner in me really comes out in situations like this. Let the "Soup Nazi" be rude to this Georgia boy, and he'll wear that soup. I'll just go home and make some brunswick stew. (ROTFLMAO)

I tend to enjoy shopping places where my business is appreciated.

No one's soup...or furniture...is that good.