26 MAR 07: ONE PERSON UNDER A PROTEST

"How you doin', Richard?" said the caller at 10:38 a.m. Sunday.

"Recovering from the flu," I said. My morning temperature had dropped to 99.8 degrees F. - and if the trend continued, the air temperature in Columbus might cross paths with mine by the end of the day.

"Recovering from the flu?" the caller said. "Did you take extra vitamin C?" Well, I drank orange juice for breakfast - but I do that just about every morning. I don't know if the apple filling in the sweet rolls counts for extra or not.

But my health and welfare was NOT why this man was calling. In fact, it never is. This was a man who by his own admission has been barred from four Columbus banks, assorted other businesses, and even the Government Center. And before you get ahead of me - no, his last name is not Arab-sounding in any way.

I've referred to this caller in years gone by with pseudonyms such as Mr. Z. (since he woke me up at 7:15 one Saturday morning with a complaint) Today I'm going to name him, because he's seeking intervention for his problems from both the NAACP and the F.B.I. If he can get those groups to work together before 2009, that will be amazing.

Drive down Warm Springs Road between Flat Rock Park and Manchester Expressway, and you might notice a corner house with the U.S. flag flying upside-down. The man who lives there is named Michael, and the flag is flying that way as a "political protest" - as he says everyone from homosexuals to "rednecks" have ruined his life. That's one broad-based coalition....

Michael has spelled out a long list of his personal trials, in a series of calls to me over the last two years. It all started after I did him a favor, and removed his name from this blog after it was spread all over town through an internal police memo e-mailed by "IsOurCitySafe." That e-mailer has been so quiet lately, I'm wondering if he's joined the Metro Narcotics Task Force.

But anyway: Michael was so happy that I removed his name two years ago that he called to thank me - three times in 36 hours. I suppose he considered me one of his new best friends. I looked on it more like an easy way to avoid a libel suit.

Since that incident, Michael's kept calling me -- sometimes for several days in a row, sometimes once in a while. Sunday's call was the first since last October, when he told me about his mother's home catching fire. Michael said he called 911 to find out his mother's condition, and was NOT treated well. Maybe if he called a more proper place -- like a hospital....

Michael's mom is fine, but Michael is the one with problems now. He told me Sunday he's about to have all his utilities cut off because he's behind in his payments. He's somehow built up a natural gas bill of almost $1,000, "and it hasn't even been cold." But from the way he talked, about half that amount goes back to last Thanksgiving -- so the interest rate may be what's really hot.

Put the natural gas, water and electric bills together, and Michael owes about $1,400. But about 45 minutes into his phone call, I made it clear that I can't afford to loan him that much money. After all, people I knew during my Atlanta years still owe me about $2,500 - and I went to church with them, in person.

Michael said he wasn't looking for my help in paying his utility bills. He apparently needed to "vent" to someone on a Sunday morning, and I was home to answer the phone. And since Michael admits he's been "institutionalized" over the years and has a paranoia disability, I save him the cost of a therapy session.

Michael says he's a "disabled veteran" who has been mistreated in numerous ways - far too many to list here. He's taken his complaints to the F.B.I. Civil Rights Division, the Georgia NAACP, Congressman Lynn Westmoreland, and even the Federal Reserve about banks barring him. When four banks don't seem to compete, you don't win.

. Michael describes himself as a "Christian conservative." But he misstated the location of one Bible verse during Sunday's phone call - and he also quoted to me from the pledge of allegiance: "One republic under God...."

"Nation."

"Whatever...." You probably can guess which political party he backs.

Michael hit a nerve with me by mentioning a "spirit of discernment" several times. As he seemed to wind down his one-sided conversation after 60 minutes, I advised him to pray for a REAL spirit of discernment - because he lacked it. Apparently no one's taught Michael that you don't do a recovering sick person any good by yakking at length about your own problems, and barely asking about theirs.

Michael finally got off the line after 80 minutes. He's vented to me for as long as 95 - and done it so often that I'll have to put him under a "ten-minute time limit" the next time he calls. I've done this before, and it sometimes annoyed him. But that's five times longer than a TV reporter gets during the 6:00 p.m. news.

Oh yes - my temperature dropped to 99.2 degrees after Michael's phone call, so it seems I'm finally over the weekend bug. I'm actually a little surprised it didn't go up....

BLOG UPDATE: The Russell County District Attorney's office told us at midweek Constable R.J, Schweiger would go on trial Friday. But a judge apparently had other ideas - and the Hurtsboro Constable will face a "bench trial" at a later date, without a jury. They might have to bus in a judge from Huntsville, to find one Schweiger might consider unbiased.

R.J. Schweiger has pleaded "hardship" in his contempt of court trial. So court records show Phenix City's April Logan has been appointed as his attorney. You can't call Logan a "high-powered lawyer" - because she doesn't even have a quarter-page ad in the Yellow Pages.

E-MAIL UPDATE: The discussion continues about the supposedly-settled murder of a Fort Benning soldier....

Hello,

Lanny and Remy Davis have started a petition to urge the DA of Columbus GA to do the right thing and release their sons remains for a proper burial. Please visit the following link and sign your support. Lanny and Remy Davis made another attempt on March 15, 2007 to have Richards remains returned but after 4 years, District Attorney, Gray Conger of Columbus GA still refuses to release Richard.

Also, the Official Website for The Richard T. Davis Foundation For Peace is in construction and online for viewing. A wonderful and generous student at Columbus State University named Martha Garcia has donated her time and talent as Webmaster. We would like to ask all students with CSU to put their powerful voices behind this important cause. In fact, it would be ideal if the Peace Memorial for Iraqi Vets could be put at the Milgen Road site where the new CSU Dorms are being built....

Tell everyone you know, especially people in the military:

BRING RICHARD DAVIS HOME FROM THE WAR

Thanks for your support!!

Sincerely,

The Richard T. Davis Foundation For Peace

Wouldn't it be strange if the District Attorney became a "political casualty of war," when he had nothing to do with even one Fort Benning soldier going to Iraq? As another blog has noted, it's like firing the Secretary of the Army over a poorly-kept hospital in Washington.

We've heard from a couple of readers about what happened to the "memorial in the woods" set up by Spec. Richard Davis's parents, after land on Milgen Road was cleared for dormitories....

The construction team on Milgen Road packed up the little memorial the Davis' had in place and mailed it to their home in MO before the land was leveled months ago. It was quite a touching surprise.

It certainly had to be a surprise. Some Columbus pranksters might have tried to track down that location for a bizarre gang initiation.

A Sunday letter about calico cats brought this comment:

It sounds like that PAWS has a lot in common with that Peta group. Kill them all ! Don't do what is right for the animal just what they think is right. Shame on PAWS.

Huh?!?! I thought "People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals" was against the killing of most animals. It promotes vegetarianism, after all - with lines such as "soybeans, the other white meat."

But I have to admit there's one part of the PETA program I don't quite understand. What is this group doing to ensure animals are treated ethically - by other animals? Where is the effort to spend weekends in the woods, teaching coyotes to change their ways? Let's nip this "food chain" business in the bud, so to speak....

We'll save one more e-mail for another day - and move on to other notes from Sunday:

+ Columbus tied its highest-ever temperature for March, at 89 degrees. If you think this proves there's global warming, you didn't watch the NASCAR race at Bristol, Tennessee - where the announcers recalled one year ago, qualifying runs were canceled due to snow.

+ Russell County was added to the list of Alabama counties on a fire alert. This will put the pressure on some drivers - because they'll actually have to use the ashtrays in the cars for their cigarettes.

+ Columbus Police reported someone stole four new Pathfinders from Rob Doll Nissan. Three of them were recovered at the Booker T. Washington Apartments - proving after all these years, some people still don't understand how a "test drive" works.

+ The annual "Riverblast" celebration concluded at the Port Columbus Naval Museum. It was SO HOT a few visitors actually hoped the staff would fire water cannons.

+ The first "Georgia Marathon" was held in Atlanta. For years, the Atlanta Track Club staged a marathon on Thanksgiving Day. Don't people feel obligated to earn their turkey dinners anymore?

POEM OF THE DAY: Florida beat Oregon Sunday to advance to the NCAA men's basketball Final Four in Atlanta. The matchup inspired some "Seuss-ical" thinking....

Flor. and Ore. - Ore. and Flor.

Which team will be shown the door?

One team must win - which is Ore.,

Unless Flor. has the higher score.

Only one can play some more,

Going to the Final Four.

Which side really wants it more?

Fighting Flor. -- or either Ore.?

SCHEDULED TUESDAY: We try to make sense of some puzzling commercials....

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