29 JUL 05: WE SURRENDER
Thursday's "quote of the day" prize goes to Muscogee County Library Board chairman Tom Wade: "Our library is here to promote books and critical thinking and dialogue...." Well, the proposed Albert Paley sculpture accomplished most of that - as a lot of people spoke critically of it.
The Muscogee County Library Board voted Thursday to abandon the "Transformation" project. The board won't even seek private donations to put Albert Paley's sculpture in front of the Columbus Public Library. Sometimes the greatest transformation can occur in the human will....
The Library Board decided if Columbus Council won't approve the $250,000 for "Transformation," and so many members of the public don't like it, it was better simply to give up on the sculpture. So when does Albert Paley plan to put it on eBay?
Library Board Chairman Tom Wade said a sculpture in front of the library should promote "community," but "Transformation" became "a symbol of unhealthy controversy." He may be missing something here. Some people consider the library building ITSELF a symbol of controversy.
Library Board member and First Baptist Church Pastor Jimmy Elder said the library should promote "unity and education." So it's a bit like a church should be - only with all that wrong literature in favor of pagan gods.
The Ledger-Enquirer noted the other day the cost of "Transformation" actually would be more than $250,000. There would be extra costs for things such as installation. There's another lesson for the Library Board - order your next sculpture through Amazon.com .
The Library Board's vote doesn't settle the "Transformation" debate completely. There's still a contract signed by Albert Paley and the board. It appears attorneys will have to haggle over that. The lawyers for the artist probably will wear bright suits, and perhaps bow ties.
Library Board attorney Neal Callahan admits the next move in this matter is up to Albert Paley - but Paley has NOT responded to several recent calls. We'd all better hope he's not building a matching slingshot, to go with that sculpture.
Hopefully the Library Board has learned a valuable lesson, from the fuss over "Transformation." In fact, I doubt you'll even see any marathons of "Transformers" cartoons at the library anytime soon....
But if you think the Library Board is filled with big spenders, you should pick up the free brochure in the rotunda which tells all about the building. It reveals the library has limestone tiles from Portugal - because getting them from Alabama would have cost $750,000 more! That should appeal to the Georgia elitist in many Columbus natives.
The Columbus Public Library opened in January, and was built with city sales tax money. But have you noticed there's absolutely no mention of it in the new "City of Columbus Annual Report?" It mentions the Muscogee County Prison, but not the library! Is the city trying to increase prison attendance as well?
Last year's city report had Mayor Bob Poydasheff praising Ritmo Latino Inc. for its "sharp new office," newspaper and radio station. One year later the paper and station are gone, the office has moved to a nightclub and founder Jose Ricci awaits federal trial. So perhaps the library was left out of this year's report for a reason....
To be fair: the focus of this year's annual city report is safety and security. So the numbers about the Columbus Civic Center which appeared last year are absent as well. The less embarrassment about the Riverdragons' attendance, the better.
One page where you can make comparisons in the city report is the budget. For fiscal year 2005 which just ended, spending on public safety went up 2.2 percent -- but spending on criminal justice was down about three percent. So let's stop grumbling about the police, and ask District Attorney Gray Conger what's in his evidence room.
Now for other facts and figures we found on Thursday....
+ TV news message boards suggested Jessica Clark is the anchor who's leaving WRBL, reportedly to return to Florida. If that's true, there's one lingering question - does she get to keep that "Everybody Has a Story" dartboard?
+ Controversial Kansas preacher Fred Phelps announced he'll have picketers outside the upcoming funeral for an Opelika soldier, who died in Iraq. Will someone please inform this pastor that soldier was MARRIED - to a woman?
(Fred Phelps has decided Sergeant Christopher Taylor is in "the other place" with other U.S. soldiers from Iraq, because God is punishing the U.S. for college students trying to blow up his Topeka, Kansas church. But based on his thinking, shouldn't the ultraconservative Taliban have prevailed in Afghanistan?)
+ The Associated Press reported Atlanta's airport will lose some security screeners, in a federal reorganization. The Transportation Security Administration claims that reflects travel patterns. C'mon now - when did the Columbus Airport become a hip place to catch a flight?
+ Columbus Water Works admitted there's a sewage spill in the Cargo Drive area, affecting two creeks. One of them is Bull Creek - but I'll leave it to the (ahem) potty-mouthed bloggers to finish the obvious punch line which starts with "Bull."
+ The Georgia sales tax holiday began. Items of clothing which cost less than 100 dollars can be purchased tax-free through Sunday. At Parisian, I think this means you can buy a pair of socks.
+ A Georgia Senate committee held a hearing on whether to limit the interest rates of car title pawns. Pawn shop owners claimed they'd be unable to make a profit with a limit of 60 percent. [True/GPB Radio] Who really owns these pawn shops, oil companies?
+ Colonial University Village in Auburn hosted a fund-raising luau for East Alabama schools. NOW we understand why Tommy Tuberville was named a head coach in the Hula Bowl....
+ The Columbus Ledger-Enquirer unveiled its first blog. It's written by sportswriter Christa Turner, and is called "TurnerLoose." Well, that's just what Uptown Columbus needs to improve its image - an openly loose woman on Broadway.
(Be honest now - wouldn't you expect a blog named "TurnerLoose" to be written by Ted?)
+ Instant Message to the Ledger-Enquirer: After the space shuttle launched, you put it all over page one Wednesday. When NASA announced the grounding of future shuttle flights and declared "we were wrong," it didn't even make page one Thursday.
The critics who say you're pro-government might just be right.
BIG PREDICTION: When the next radio ratings report comes out in a few days, expect K-92.7 FM to make a big gain. Radios throughout my neighborhood switched to that station after its dial position changed - perhaps because these people are more into beer than Edgar Champagne.
SCHEDULED THIS WEEKEND: What Mr. Z sent me in the mail, after those phone calls....
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