for 2 NOV 07: NOTHING'S PLENTY FOR ME

The original plan was for me to wash clothes at the coin laundry this afternoon. But then Al Sharpton told me no. And we all know how persuasive Al Sharpton can be - thinking back to how successfully he campaigned for President in 2004.

So there I was at the coin laundry Thursday afternoon, one day early - and ready to explain to people why I was there. Of course, nobody bothered to ask. In fact, someone left a note at the laundry asking "The Courier" and "Eco Latino" to stop leaving weekly issues there. Is that taking Al Sharpton's idea in the opposite direction?

As we first noted here last week, Al Sharpton of the "National Action Network" has called for a one-day nationwide economic boycott today. We're not supposed to buy anything - and I hope the people coming to Columbus for the Fountain City Classic will appreciate this, and sleep in their cars at South Commons overnight.

I found out through Thursday's "Columbus Times" that the national economic boycott is not really Al Sharpton's idea. It came from an African-American radio talk show host in Chicago - who I assume is barring all commercials from his program today, so listeners won't be tempted.

The newspaper article also noted that I'm not really the focus of this boycott call. The goal is for African-American people not to spend money today. So if I join in this, am I spoiling the experiment? Or am I making up for the customers at Chester's Barbecue, who probably won't care?

The goal of what some have dubbed a "National Blackout" is to send several messages. One is that African-American people have economic clout, and are tired of being ignored by governmental officials. Some of us already knew about that clout. Tiger Woods makes a lot more money playing golf than I ever could.

The economic boycott was largely inspired by the events in Jena, Louisiana. A group of people from Columbus went to Jena in September for a protest. But if any of those people are joining in today's boycott, I haven't heard about it -- and Davis Broadcasting stations haven't announced they'll be off the air.

Organizers hope the one-day show of economic muscle will convince the Bush administration it needs to step up the prosecution of "hate crimes." For instance, it's now two days after Halloween - and Columbus police have arrested no one for that noose inside the Columbus State University Davidson Center.

But a one-day economic boycott presents all kinds of potential hazards. For instance, there are plenty of high school football games tonight - and tickets for those games traditionally are sold at the gate. Besides, it's hard for visiting teams to play well after the players eat a mere sandwich sack lunch on the bus.

Some African-American leaders have talked of keeping their money within the ethnic community. They say other people groups practice "bouncing dollars" amongst themselves. But hold on -- maybe this means African-American people have taken this integration stuff a bit too far....

Lest there be any doubt: yes, I'll join in the one-day boycott and plan to buy nothing today. I prepared Thursday, by purchasing a couple of donuts for snacks and doing my laundry. And to be honest, some of us have done this sort of "boycott" thing for years. It's called keeping a seventh-day Sabbath -- and have you noticed how much power the Adventists have gained from it?

BLOG SPECIAL EVENT: The one-month collection of credit card offers began Thursday - and two came in the mail right away. And is it happened, one was for a solid black MasterCard BusinessCard. For Reginald Pugh at the Urban League, it would be perfect....

Both the offers which came Thursday were for business cards. My failed attempts to start businesses have put me on plenty of mailing lists. At least the offers with sample monogrammed pens are usable.

Speaking of cards - if you went to Lil Kim's Cove to challenge me at poker Thursday night, I should have told you in advance. I took the week off, because of some changes in my schedule. It really was NOT part of a grand strategy to keep the other players puzzled, so I can win again next week.

With the credit card count at "2 for 1," let's list some of the news events we noticed Thursday:

+ Columbus Police received a late-night Halloween call to the Uptown Tap on Broadway. The first report indicated a woman was there, wearing nothing but a "red G-string." There's no word as to whether officers called in members of the Columbus Symphony, to provide support.

+ Seven suspected illegal immigrants appeared in federal court, after being arrested at the National Infantry Museum construction site. An attorney for the workers admitted they broke the law, but suggested they might not have known they were doing it. Maybe we need to post more signs in Spanish, noting Georgia is part of the United States.

+ The Army Corps of Engineers agreed to review its plan for drawing water from Lake Lanier. So it appears Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue was the big winner, at the water talks in Washington. But for now, people who want to kayak on the Chattahoochee River in Columbus still have to dodge the hikers.

+ WXTX "News at Ten" took a camera inside that religious conference at the Civic Center. There was a small group of attendees on the floor - but the main seats on the side looked awfully empty. The Rod Hood Foundation might have done better holding an arena football training camp.

+ Spencer handled Hardaway 40-32 in overtime, and finished the high school football season 5-5. Compared with recent years, this record is downright remarkable. Let's hope none of the players are named in that government crackdown on steroid sales....

+ Instant Message to the RiverCenter: Did I see it right - tonight's Gregg Allman concert is presented by some kind of cardiology office? Wouldn't a hearing aid center be more fitting?

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