19 NOV 07: GOING QUIETLY
The number seemed hard to believe - only one fence climber arrested this year on SOA Watch Sunday. Does this mean protesters don't want to go to prison, the way they once did? Or is this a statement about national obesity - that very few people can climb the Fort Benning fence?
As of Sunday night, the SOA Watch web site counted 11 total arrests from Sunday's protest outside Fort Benning. One person climbed a fence, while ten others walked onto post "through a side entrance." This is what happens when they keep Interstate 185 open all weekend.
SOA Watch also reports three protesters face local charges, because they carried crosses "whose size exceeded Columbus police regulations." I didn't know there was a city rule on these things. The people who roll a giant cross down the Riverwalk every spring need to turn it into firewood in a hurry.
The 11 arrested protesters were freed on bond Sunday evening, and are due in federal court in January. Wow - this could mean no Monday morning march down 12th Street, for an arraignment downtown. We hope Ruth Ann's restaurant isn't financially hurt by this.
The web site didn't show an attendance count. But one TV newscast said 9,000 protesters showed up at the Fort Benning gate Sunday. That's a big drop from last year's SOA Watch estimate of 22,000. And you can't blame the most obvious excuse for this - because Notre Dame's football team is dreadful.
The SOA Watch Sunday protest reportedly began with a blessing from the "International Mayan League." This is a new one on me. Why can't Maya Rudolph of "Saturday Night Live" have a simple fan club?
Presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich addressed the protest outside Fort Benning. He promised if elected, he'll make the closing of the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation a top priority. For the next two months, of course, Kucinich's top priority is how to raise more campaign money than Ron Paul.
Former Georgia Rep. Cynthia McKinney also showed up Sunday to protest WHINSEC. Would you want this woman endorsing your cause, after some of the things she's said and done in recent years? I'm a bit surprised she hasn't blamed the Bush administration's policies for the drought.
On the other side, Sunday's Ledger-Enquirer reported more than 20,000 people attended God Bless Fort Benning over the weekend. But it noted that crowd included about 9,800 soldiers and 2,000 officers -- so military personnel may have outnumbered civilians. We would have hoped for this rally to look more like Columbus than a city in Pakistan.
Last November God Bless Fort Benning held a "remembrance breakfast" on Sunday at Green Island Country Club. If it happened again this weekend, the Sunday night newscasts didn't show it. If you forget to attend an annual remembrance, should you be checked for Alzheimer's disease?
Maybe people on all sides in this annual showdown were a bit tired this year. WRBL decided the top story at 6:00 p.m. wasn't a rally or a protest, but an afternoon of light rain in Columbus. That probably matters more to everyone - because without water, people both pro and con will drop from dehydration.
Let's see what else climbed the fence of our thinking Sunday, to get our attention....
+ Callaway Gardens held its annual charity "Nightwalk" at the Fantasy of Lights. Gardens officials say they're trying to think "green" this year, with solar offsets of some kind being exchanged for the lightbulb power. I'm old enough to remember when a "solar offset" meant you put on suntan lotion.
+ The Columbus State women's soccer team lost in the national quarterfinals to Tampa. A close game came down to penalty kicks - which made some guys wonder why drill team members aren't kept on the bench for moments like that.
+ Tampa Bay drained the Atlanta Falcons 31-7. Fox Sports counted at least eight dropped passes by Atlanta receivers - so maybe they should turn up the thermostat at the Georgia Dome, to make things stickier.
+ Instant Message to Beacon University: I think it's safe now. Go ahead and change your clock on Veterans Parkway back to standard time. I mean, it's been two weeks....
THE BLOG OF AMERICA: There's still no word of contract talks in the Writers' Guild strike. One sticky issue could be who will write the contract - and whether an attorney has to join the union to do it.
+ The lack of writers didn't stop the American Music Awards from going ahead Sunday night. "Will.i.am" said a dirty word in the first minute of the show -- so be thankful the ABC censors were crossing the picket line.
(The American Music Awards had some strange results. Beyonce Knowles was given a special award for being an International Artist -- but she lost two separate categories to Fergie and Rihanna. I have a funny feeling this is a prelude of the presidential votes in January.)
+ Talks resumed Sunday between striking stagehands and producers of Broadway shows. The producers want a settlement by Thanksgiving - because if the stagehands don't have a stuffed turkey ready to bring out at the proper moment, who will?
+ Japan began its first expedition to hunt humpback whales in four decades. It's a good thing this didn't happen along the U.S. West Coast - because the fishers might target some pro football linemen by mistake.
+ National Public Radio reported the U.S. national debt is now at 50 trillion dollars. Now this is truly scary - because we can't even pay it by taking the Bill Gates family hostage.
(The national debt shows no sign of declining anytime soon. Especially not when billionaire Warren Buffett tells Alex Rodriguez to negotiate a 270-million dollar baseball contract....)
+ A cafeteria worker at the U.S. Capitol was fired, because a lawmaker asked for a grilled sandwich - and the staff worker served it toasted. Fine points like this matter with members of Congress, of course. When was the last time you heard of a Senate committee toasting a witness?
+ Pro football had its strangest moment of the season, when a Cleveland kicker forced overtime against Baltimore. Pat Dawson kicked a field goal which went off an upright, then the back of the goal post behind the back line. The officials were puzzled for several minutes about whether the kick was good - while in a billiard hall, there wouldn't be any question.
+ Houston edged New England 2-1 to win the championship of Major League Soccer. The MLS Cup final in Washington was NOT a sellout. This is what happens when Victoria Beckham's husband misses the playoffs....
+ Jimmie Johnson won his second consecutive NASCAR season championship. Since Lowe's is his sponsor, Johnson may face a handicap next season - and be forced to drive with two-by-fours sticking out the windows of his car.
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