10 JUL 05: ANYONE FOR DENNIS?

OK, let's go through the checklist. I have an unopened gallon of bottled water. My pantry is filled with cans of chili, in case the power stays out for weeks. And I have four AA alkaline batteries - which I probably don't need, since no Columbus radio station has presented local news on Sunday in years.

Many people in our area took precautions and checked their inventories Saturday, as Hurricane Dennis moved toward the Gulf Coast. It's expected to come ashore sometime today -- and a few Baptists privately are hoping it strikes Biloxi, to teach those casinos a lesson.

Long lines of people moved north Saturday to get away from Dennis. Several hurricane shelters opened in east Alabama, including Auburn University's Beard-Eaves Coliseum. Please remember, that shelter is especially for families with high school football players....

(Hopefully people who seek shelter at Phenix City's Roy Martin Center will be told at some point exactly who Roy Martin is. In fact, the staff might want to inform the majority of area residents who probably don't know.)

Hundreds of military personnel sought shelter at Fort Benning, fleeing Eglin Air Force Base along the Florida coast. Why don't the air force pilots try breaking up the hurricane with one of those MOAB's - "Mother of All Bombs?" If we're not going to use them defeat terrorists in Iran or North Korea....

But people seeking hurricane shelter in Columbus faced a problem Saturday night. Motels across the city were full because of a Jehovah's Witness convention. Does their version of the Bible have a verse about taking in strangers?

The Columbus Convention and Visitors' Bureau estimated the weekend religious convention would bring $1.6 million to the city. Who knows how much money was lost from being unable to house coastal residents - well, except maybe for camping supply stores with tents to sell.

(Is it fair to say that based on the name of this hurricane, business at Denny's Restaurants is off sharply?)

Reports surfaced of gasoline price gouging along the Florida coast Saturday. But in Columbus, the stations with low gas prices tended to go down a penny to $2.16 a gallon. The managers simply will smile at visitors passing through -- never telling them about the 15-cent spike a couple of days before.

In preparation for Hurricane Dennis, gates were opened to release water from West Point Dam and Lake Oliver. If they're going to do this, I say it should be announced at least six hours in advance - so kayakers can go to the Chattahoochee River and organize races.

The release of water left part of the Columbus Riverwalk flooded Friday - but when I took my Saturday night run, the walkway was dry around South Commons and Rotary Park. You almost wish they weren't, to see if visiting Jehovah's Witnesses have enough faith to walk on water.

(Scattered barricades were in place on the part of the Riverwalk I jogged, even though there was no flooding. Will someone tell these safety officials I'm getting too old to jump high hurdles?)

The Saturday night forecast warned parts of the Columbus area could get six inches or more of rain, as Dennis comes ashore. Flooding could occur in "low-lying areas" - so please move all your children to the top bunks of their beds.

If that's not enough, Columbus could have wind gusts as high as 50 miles per hour from the hurricane. If the Miss Georgia contestants were still in town, all the stores might be out of hairspray by now.

E-MAIL UPDATE: Our Friday exclusive on the "Kenny Walker Fund" brought this reply:

Thank you for telling the other side of the Walker case, that of Glisson. Not once on TV or in the paper, have I read anything coming to his defense, other than a quick mention of the Friends of David Glisson. What happened to Walker was horrible, but it sure.... wasn't pre-meditated, and it wasn't done in malice. It was an accident. And when police have info that the people they're stopping are armed and dangerous, they tend to be safe and go in full gear. Has anyone asked "what were Walker and his friends doing at a known drug dealer's apartment anyway?". Glisson was doing what he was taught to do, and now he's out of a job.

One Columbus my [a**]. If a majority of the black community feels they're not getting a fair shake in life, then maybe they should stay in school until they at least graduate high school, and stay off the streets after midnight. Maybe then they'll have more opportunities in life than sitting on the Stoop at BTW public housing, sipping on a 40. It incenses me to see people complaining about their lot in life, when they are to blame for it. There are wonderful institutions established for those who are in poverty and seek a way out: public school and the military. It's not like you have to be a killing machine these days when you sign up. The military offers all kinds of choices.... if I were poor and couldn't afford college, I would go straight into the military.

AR

AR apparently wasn't here several months ago when former deputy David Glisson's backers had their one and only march downtown. We haven't heard much from them lately - so at least a few people in the Columbus area are trying to move on.

If AR wants to hear David Glisson defenders or questions about that night in December 2003, he should listen to local talk radio. Those things will come up eventually. On Mike Gaymon's WDAK talk show it might take ten years, but eventually....

But ouch - what does this writer have against "One Columbus?" Does he really want five or six? Well, then again it makes for an interesting Little League baseball tournament.

As for young people "staying off the streets after midnight" - don't be deceived. AR is being downright liberal here. David Glisson's attorney Richard Hagler would have the streets empty by 9:00 p.m.

True confession: there are times when you might catch me "sipping on a 40." But I refuse to apologize for it. Those 44-ounce giant soft drinks from RaceTrac are very refreshing on a hot summer day.

And we thank AR for encouraging young people to sign up for military service. There's no better way out of poverty than through the dangerous streets of Iraq....

Speaking of education, that's the focus of most of our brief items from the weekend:

+ A Georgia state report found 11 Muscogee County schools failed to make "adequate yearly progress." The most surprising one on the list is Double Churches Middle School. Perhaps the north side of Columbus still has hidden pockets where people are NOT brainy elitists.

(The list of schools falling short of "adequate yearly progress" also includes Jordan and Spencer High Schools. But enough about their football teams....)

+ Phenix City Central High School held two days of student "reidentification," as a new term approaches. Isn't this a great idea? Teenagers who were identified as geeks last year can try to be jocks now.

+ Columbus State University predicted fall enrollment will set another record, topping 7,500 students. I assume this includes the main campus, the downtown "arts" campus - and hey, doesn't Peachtree Mall have some unused store space right now?

+ Which uniformed Phenix City police officer was stationed Saturday night outside a McDonald's restaurant? Are that many people really trying to win prizes in that new PlayStation game?

(Was this another of those "off-duty" officers in uniform? I haven't heard any members of the Phenix City Police complain about their pay. But then again, I also haven't heard of any officers applying to work in Columbus.)

+ The web site which hosts this blog counts today's entry as our 700th post! Look out, Hank Aaron -- we're only 55 away....

COMING SOON: Why one of my feet looks redder than the other....

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