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19 JUL 04: LAS VEGAS BULL RIDING

You thought you'd heard it all. You thought you'd read it all. But over the weekend, on the brink of the vote for Superior Court Judge - came an e-mail from Las Vegas! Oh no, did some candidate have a quicky marriage to Britney Spears?!

Your blog received its first e-mail from Las Vegas over the weekend - and we almost wished the "C.S.I." team was announcing it's investigating the accusations in the Superior Court Judge race. But no, here it is:

Hi Richard.

I enjoy reading your witty updates about my father, Bobby Peters. I'm writing from Las Vegas and have been trying to stay updated on the campaign with the internet, and of course with Bobby, Kelly, Grandma Nell and Susan's input. They have told me there are rumors circulating (surprise, surprise!)
about me and my relationship with my dad and I was hoping you could help me spread the truth. Apparently, my mom and my dad got married real young (which is true) and had me. Although, here comes the untrue part...I was born with a severe handicap and Bobby did not want anything to do with me and signed over custody papers for my mom to care for me and moved me out west. I would like to clarify this terrible rumor. First of all, I was born with no complications and lived in Columbus, Georgia until I was 2 years old with Bobby and my mom. Unfortunately, my mom and Bobby did divorce and my mom remarried my stepdad and yes, we had to move to Arizona, due to his job. Of course, Bobby was heartbroken, but also did not want to take me away from my mom, and therefore, with the my best interest in mind, he let my mom move across the states. Bobby always stayed very involved and sent me airplane tickets throughout the years to come see him and the family. We talked on the phone, sent video and tapes with our voices to stay in contact when we were not visiting one another. Both he and my mom, Joyce, made sure we kept our father/daughter relationship. I was appalled to hear about the rumor from my grandmother and it made me disgusted and sad to hear that people are believing such gossip....

Thank you!

Jennifer Bradley

Las Vegas, Nevada

I trimmed one line out of Jennifer's letter, because it was a blatant endorsement of Bobby Peters - and the Roxann Daniel camp still hasn't reached my standard of three "pro" letters to balance things out. Of course, since Maxine Hardy claims only two people read this blog, this is a high standard....

It's nice to see "ex-stepdaughter" Jennifer Bradley (as Bobby Peters called her Sunday night) is keeping track of her relatives on the Internet. We certainly don't want her thinking corrupted by those radio and TV talk shows and commercials.

To be honest, I had not heard the "severely handicapped daughter" rumor Jennifer Bradley mentions. If she was disabled, wouldn't a candidate like Bobby Peters want to display her for the public? After all, that approach works for Jerry Lewis every September.

I'm glad to hear Jennifer Bradley "was born with no complications" - but let's be honest. To be part of a family where the dad has been married and divorced twice, the complications developed after birth.

Jennifer Bradley's travels since Columbus have taken her to Las Vegas. What sort of odds do you think the bookies there would post on the Superior Court Judge race? A lot of people here have "given points," which haven't been taken....

Isn't it nice that Bobby Peters sent airplane tickets to Jennifer Bradley, for her to come visit? Many parents would simply sit at home and say, "You never call me" - even when a child calls every week.

I was not familiar with the name "Jennifer Bradley" - so I delayed posting her letter until I could confirm it. Susan Peters did so Sunday night, saying she could not believe the false rumor about someone shipping out a handicapped daughter. Now
if President Bush did this with Pat Buchanan, you might understand it....

Much to my surprise, my call to Susan Peters brought a return call Sunday night - from BOBBY Peters! Neither one apparently had any idea what Jennifer Bradley wrote me. Other political families can learn from this, about e-mail systems
with "B.C.C." lines. - for blind carbon copies.

Susan Peters says she's "very optimistic" about how Tuesday's vote for Judge will go. Bobby Peters didn't sound so sure, telling your blog that "it's in God's hands." I wonder if school board candidate Pastor Joseph Roberson would have agreed
with that Sunday -- or told worshipers it's in THEIR hands.

Susan Peters she's never been involved with a wilder campaign than this race for Superior Court Judge. It almost leaves you wishing Donald Trump would show up at the loser's house Tuesday night to announce, "You're fired!"

I asked Bobby Peters where he plans to be after the polls close Tuesday night. "I'll be in Las Vegas!" he joked - thus proving someone in high places actually is taking my advice. [17 Jul] Scary thought, this....

So what about the Roxann Daniel side? I missed her comments on Edward DuBose's WRCG talk show Saturday -- but I'm told she called my web site "blog-SPITE." If I meet her face-to-face, hopefully she won't supply my clothing with any
Blog-spit.

Judge Roxann Daniel reportedly talked with Edward DuBose on WRCG about first husband committing suicide. I didn't realize this was part of her background. So you can vote for her -- or for Bobby Peters with two ex-wives, who never felt pushed that far.

CORRECTED: By the way, what's this I'm hearing about a Roxann Daniel aide allegedly calling "Talkline" Friday while Bobby Peters was on, and asking a question with a disguised voice? Add that one to the rather tall unconfirmed rumor pile -- but there must be other ways to audition for "Crank Yankers."

Since this is Georgia Primary Eve, let's have a pop quiz on your knowledge of Tuesday's races. Ready?

1. Which candidate has been accused of lying about his or her opponent? OK, change that - which candidate has NOT been accused of this?

2. Which U.S. Senate candidate is a Sunday School teacher? Is he better at it than Jimmy Carter?

3. Which two Columbus Council candidates have opposition on Tuesday - and why haven't any of them received very much attention?

4. What do the Democrats really mean by their sign, "elect a responsive school board?" Is this their secret code for "new superintendent?"

5. Which candidate for U.S. Senate is most likely to have a pizza party at his campaign headquarters -- since he founded a pizza chain?

6. Which candidates have been endorsed by the Ledger-Enquirer? How many people's votes actually were changed by this in the last election?

7. Who has better hair -- either candidate for Superior Court Judge, or Candice Cook?

8. Why has Nathan Suber tended to donate money to African-American candidates, while Jim Blanchard has tended to donate money to white candidates? How are they promoting "One Columbus?"

9. Which candidate for Congress calls himself a "rising star," even though he's run for office and lost twice?

10. How many candidates have made campaign appearances at Columbus Catfish games - looking for those two or three voters who could decide a close race?

11. Which state House candidate should be running ads on Sunny 100-FM - but seemingly is sticking to yard signs?

12. Which candidate for judge was described by WRBL as possibly being "too jovial?" Should you vote for the candidate who frowns the most in commercials?

13. Has any local candidate ever been caught by "The Big Red," running a traffic light?

14. Which U.S. Senate candidate is running ads on TV-16 - thus showing his campaign doesn't have a clue about the best way to spend money?

15. Why has former Governor Roy Barnes not said a word about the Superior Court Judge race? (He still hasn't returned my call from last Monday.) Is he simply hoping this whole thing goes away?

So did anything ELSE besides politics cross my mind Sunday? Well yes, actually....

+ Columbus Police reported a teenager tried to steal a Muscogee County school bus on Brown Avenue, but wrecked it and ran away. I knew year-round schools were popular, but Sunday classes may be going too far.

+ Richard Grove arrived in Columbus, as he attempts to paddle a kayak down the length of the Chattahoochee River. Grove says his biggest problems so far have been three dams along the river - since kayaks aren't equipped with padding to get over concrete.

+ I stumbled onto yet another Spanish music radio station in our area, not far down the dial from Ritmo Latino Radio. "Tiempo Latino" AM-1200 is based in Ozark -- so how does it have commercials for Five-Star Credit Unions in Eufaula and Phenix City, while the Columbus station doesn't?

+ Instant Message to Summerville United Methodist Church in Phenix City: Have you always had that short item in your bulletin called the "Ol' Coach's Corner?" Aren't you risking getting put on Fort Benning's banned list?

COMING TUESDAY: No politics! Instead, that story about the quarters.... we promise....

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FIRST UPDATE....