Saturday, October 16, 2004

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16 OCT 04: FALL-OUT



Today certainly had all the signs of an autumn weekend. I went for a morning walk and noticed blazing yellow and orange colors. No, not on a tree - it was the first fire barrel of the season.



A house across the street from where I live has this thing about lighting fire barrels. Four years ago, there was one lit in the backyard on a Monday night in late July. It was the week of a political convention, so I assumed it was some sort of protest.



Even though the morning low was 45 degrees F., I did NOT turn on any heat - and in fact, I didn't even put a blanket on my bed. After working a full week on the overnight shift, I was so tired that I probably could have slept inside a tent in the median of J.R. Allen Parkway.



Another sign of fall is the series of candidate forums around the area. The Fraternal Order of Police hosted one this morning, with contenders for Sheriff, Marshal and Superior Court Clerk. Hold on - Superior Court Clerk?! Do police really care about which woman fills out paperwork best?



The Fraternal Order of Police has endorsed only one candidate in the November election - Gray Conger for District Attorney. For old-timers in the South, this must seem strange. Why would the Gray be endorsed by folks wearing blue?



I'm not on Randy Robertson's Fraternal Order of Police mailing list, so I don't know why they're backing "D.A. Gray." Perhaps it's because of Gray Conger's commitment to bring criminals to justice. Of course, he passed one case too tough to
bring to justice over to somebody in Albany who's too busy....



After a busy week, I need to catch up on some Instant Messages....


+ To Georgia Appeals Court candidate Howard Mead: I'm glad you chose to give up a job as a defense lawyer to enter public service. But it seems to me that's what your "high-priced defense attorney" opponents in the election are trying to do NOW.



+ To the Ladonia Piggly Wiggly store: Why does your store only have milk that's about to expire? Did the delivery truck break down along Crawford Road, after stopping in Phenix City?



+ To Extension Agent Joanne Cavis: My condolences to you. After all you've done to encourage area residents to save a million dollars, I thought sure you'd win the Nobel Prize for Economics.



+ To Russ Hollenbeck: I see you're back on the air, with a TV-16 morning show called "Reveille." Are you going to follow in the footsteps of Richard Smith in that time slot - and run for Georgia House in two years?



+ To Clear Channel Broadcasting: Thank you for finally finding a place to broadcast Georgia Tech football games. Now that they're on WHAL-AM, how about putting Alabama games on WSHE? I'd love to hear Eli Gold in Spanish.



+ To Landmark Church: What is this "Community Extreme" event you're holding Sunday? Are you trying to lure in people with extreme liberal viewpoints, so you can convert them?



COMING SOON: A new local book is out, and we'll have a review....



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