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5 JUL 04: FREEDOM OF THE PRESS?

Finally! We have our first e-mail supporting Superior Court Judge Roxann Daniel - well, maybe. Craig wrote us over the weekend. But we have trimmed his letter a bit, for reasons which will be explained:

I wonder why Sarah Clymer, who lives in Florida, gave such a strong endorsement for Bobby Peters in his quest for another government job [25 Jun]....

So let's see. If my opponent's supporter lives outside town, then the opponent is disqualified and my candidate wins. This logic may work in politics, but it never would on Dr. Phil.

It's become almost normal for political candidates to seek financial help from wherever they can find it. Georgia state candidates might go to New York or California. After all, Columbus workers tend to grumble so much about their wages that they can't possibly contribute to a campaign.

Sarah Clymer's name sounded familiar to me when I saw it - but a search under "attorneys" in the phone book found no such name. But then again, I didn't find today's e-mail writer in the phone book, either. So maybe he's already gone into hiding in Tennessee, under an assumed name.

Craig's e-mail was titled: "Bobby Peters - you'll be afraid to print this." Well, actually I'm NOT afraid to print that. It only costs ten cents at the library....

But when it comes to POSTING the rest of Craig's e-mail - well yes, I am a bit afraid. He makes an allegation that's potentially downright slanderous, and he offers absolutely no evidence to support his statement. I'd rather not be sued right now -- and my album has NOT sold enough copies to pay for defense lawyers.

Let there be no mistake: I am NOT Matt Drudge. I tend to check sources and get facts accurate before posting something scalding-hot here. Why Drudge hasn't been sued by that intern he claimed had an affair with John Kerry, I have no idea.

This e-mail was so explosive that it demanded I go to the accused parties for a response. I forwarded the message to Sarah Clymer - but as of Sunday night, there was no reply. Maybe she's visiting Columbus from Florida for a few days to file an absentee ballot.

I knew where I was likely to find Bobby Peters Sunday - but sadly, my searching for him at "Thunder on the Hooch" proved empty. Perhaps I showed up at the wrong time. Or perhaps Mr. Peters is trying to be so nonpartisan, he's not keeping national holidays this year.

It turns out I didn't notice any booths for any political candidates at Thunder on the Hooch -- not even any for the political parties. Don't politicians around here get it? You're supposed to wrap yourself in the flag during election years.

I signed up to be a volunteer assistant at Thunder on the Hooch. I showed up for a one-hour shift at 4:00 p.m. My relief help didn't come until 6:45 p.m. That'll teach me to be the only person to put my name on a sign-up sheet.

I happened to meet a man with the Cataula Volunteer Fire Department during my volunteer time. I asked him if Cataula had anything big planned for the holiday - but he answered, "We don't have anything big in Cataula." Such police scandals thankfully are left to Waverly Hall.

Before I forget, here's the updated count of e-mails in the Superior Court Judge race. Pro-Peters letters: 6, Pro-Daniel letters -- well, I'm tempted to say a NEGATIVE 1....

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