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20 FEB 04: GLISSON GONE

What?!? You mean that was a sonic boom from an F-16, which so many people in the area heard Thursday afternoon?! I thought it was the African-American community passing out in disbelief, after Deputy David Glisson was fired....

Muscogee County Sheriff Ralph Johnson dismissed Deputy David Glisson Thursday. The termination came ten weeks after Glisson shot and killed Kenneth Walker along Interstate 185 -- and two months before Jesse Jackson could make room in his schedule for a protest march.

It's still a bit unclear whether David Glisson was fired for shooting Kenneth Walker, or for not fully cooperating with an investigation. How strange would it be if Glisson's job came down to opening his mouth, as opposed to opening fire?

(UPDATED INFORMATION) Columbus City Attorney Clifton Fay says Deputy David Glisson submitted a statement to the Sheriff's investigation, and answered a narrow series of questions about the shooting of Kenneth Walker. Perhaps he's saving the big, wide-ranging interview for a supermarket tabloid....

Sheriff Ralph Johnson says he did NOT terminate David Glisson face-to-face or by phone. Instead he wrote a termination letter. If other officers follow the Sheriff's example, fewer drivers will be pulled over by mistake on the interstate.

The attorney for David Glisson issued a statement saying he's "very disappointed" by the firing. For one thing, the deputy missed that big job fair at the Trade Center by two weeks.

Attorney Richard Hagler says former Deputy David Glisson has been battling depression in recent weeks. It certainly hasn't helped that no community leaders have organized a rally in Glisson's defense. Why, not even the Ku Klux Klan has done
that....

Richard Hagler called the firing of Deputy David Glisson "premature," and blamed it on community pressure for Sheriff Ralph Johnson to do something. Well, we certainly didn't expect Sheriff Johnson to face questions on "The O'Reilly Factor."

Richard Hagler even hinted he may sue Sheriff Ralph Johnson, to put Deputy David Glisson back on the force. Will the Walker family feel insulted, if Hagler sues the sheriff before they do?

The President of the Columbus NAACP attended Ralph Johnson's Thursday midday news conference. Edward DuBose called the firing of David Glisson a "start" toward justice, and something "long overdue." We say the same sort of thing when our income tax refund checks arrive in the mail.

Edward DuBose stated he won't be satisfied justice has been done until the "Walker family is made whole." By that, does he mean a money judgment against the Sheriff's Department? Or is he trying to find Mrs. Walker a new husband already?

(Given what he said earlier this week, "justice" for Edward DuBose might mean tying David Glission to a pole outside the Continental Carbon plant - then making him breathe in black soot.)

Other civil rights activists probably won't be satisfied with the firing of David Glisson. The National Action Network wants Sheriff Ralph Johnson to resign. Rainbow/PUSH leader William Howell wants Georgia Governor Perdue to resign.
And we're a bit surprised no one's demanded Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones run Glisson out of his home in Salem.

There's also the matter of the "cop-cam" videotape of Kenneth Walker's killing. The G.B.I. has seen it, but the community at large has not. If this case had involved Paris Hilton, the tape would be on sale over the Internet by now.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation should submit its own report on the Kenneth Walker killing to District Attorney Gray Conger today. It reportedly will be full of facts, but NOT make a finding of guilt or innocence -- since after all, the civil rights activists decided that matter several weeks ago.

Sheriff Ralph Johnson says Muscogee County reopened its investigation of the Kenneth Walker killing because the G.B.I. was wrapping up its work. That's strange, because he declared the county probe was "over" in December [13 Dec 03] - so it's just like they always seem to say in television news: the investigation IS continuing.

(So much for Yogi Berra's line, "It's not over till it's over." In Muscogee County, it's not over even after the Sheriff says it's over.)

By the way, for all the "national attention" supposedly attracted to the Kenneth Walker case, did you notice only two TV microphones were at the lectern for the Sheriff's news conference? This Ralph Johnson is one sly politician - barely letting
anyone know he's doing damage control.

Sheriff Ralph Johnson says he'll now reach out to the African-American community, and attempt to mend damaged relations. We recommend he take this slowly -- starting with 30 minutes of time on WHAL-AM, preaching forgiveness.

BLOG UPDATE: I guess my campaign hunch was wrong. Supporters of Presidential candidate John Edwards announced Thursday he'll make a campaign trip to Columbus Monday. But please note he's NOT going to Plains on Sunday - because we've already seen this year that's a sign of political suicide.

Other things happened Thursday that seemed to center on Atlanta:

+ The Georgia Board of Education approved a new biology curriculum - and it DOES include the word "evolution." Of course, it might turn around and approve an English curriculum with "evil-ution" as an alternative spelling....

+ The Atlanta City Council debated whether to sell sponsorships of city parks to businesses. Of course, Columbus already does this. Didn't Dr. Dinglewood pay for the parkland, after opening his pharmacy? And how do you explain Bradley Park
Drive?

+ Basketball's Atlanta Hawks traded Rasheed Wallace to Detroit. Wallace played a grand total of ONE game with the Hawks, after a trade from Portland! Why, he didn't even stay long enough to pick up a technical foul.

+ A national report indicated three Atlanta interchanges rank among the 20 most congested in the country. Well, at least I did my part! I moved to Columbus seven years ago.

BLOG-BLAH-BLAH: Where's the worst traffic jam in the Columbus area, and what should be done about it? We'd like to hear from you, for a future blog topic. Write me with your opinion.

COMING THIS WEEKEND: Do clean cars run better? We're going to find out....

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