^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

for 16 JUL 04: WALK-KING

Oh oh oh! Today it's the "Tom Joyner Marching in the Morning Show." He's being promoted as one of the participants in a Columbus civil rights march. Hopefully organizers will make him feel at home, by marching past the Tom's Foods plant.

The demonstration from Brewer Elementary School to the Government Center is billed as a "Dignity Day March." It's inspired by the shooting of Kenneth Walker - but someone must have been confused. Sheriff Ralph Johnson is an independent, so he won't be on the ballot next Tuesday.

But back to Tom Joyner: his radio "Morning Show" last visited Columbus a couple of years ago, on the weekend of the Morehouse-Tuskegee game. That was football. This one seems to be political hardball.

There's only one problem with the posters promoting Tom Joyner's appearance at the Dignity Day march. Joyner's web site said Thursday night his "Sky Show" will be in Indianapolis today! I know Joyner is used to daily airline commutes, but an Atlanta connection after his show seems unlikely.

Could it be that one of Tom Joyner's radio sidekicks is coming to Columbus, to represent him? Are African-American ministers going to be comfortable if it's "Ms. Dupree," the psychic?

(Then again, maybe Joyner will speak to the marchers by phone. This would put him above President Bush -- who couldn't even bring himself to phone the NAACP convention.)

Even if Tom Joyner doesn't show up, several civil rights groups promise to be represented at the march. State officials are coming from the NAACP, the SCLC, the National Action Network - all the agencies which claim to promote unity, but often compete with each other for attention.

If any political candidates join in the Dignity Day march, they may have to be careful. This is scheduled to end at the Government Center, which still is holding advance voting for the Georgia primary. Politicians will have to act like U.S. runners at the Olympic trials, and cover their logos with duct tape.

The route for the Dignity Day march will head down Martin Luther King Boulevard. It will pass near the spot where Bianca Walton was shot last August. And it will go by a shopping center still urging you to "vote no for kids" - on last year's school sales tax question.

 

BLOG UPDATE: As if the Superior Court Judge soap opera couldn't get more complex, Roxann Daniel claimed Thursday campaign Treasurer Maxine Hardy NEVER made any accusations against Mark Shelnutt!  This must mean Hardy still has that position - and the judge obviously hasn't been reading this blog.

Judge Roxann Daniel told WRCG's "Talkline" the claim by Maxine Hardy about Mark Shelnutt offering a $10,000 payoff for a sentence reduction never happened -- that is, Hardy's CLAIM never happened! I may be a creative writer, but I do NOT tend to send e-mails to myself.

But wait, there's more! Your blog is hearing supporters of Roxann Daniel threatened Archway Broadcasting with a lawsuit, because its newscast mentioned Maxine Hardy's original e-mail here [11 Jul]. Huh?! Shouldn't these attorneys get my consent, before filing suit in my behalf?

So people don't misunderstand: yes, Archway Broadcasting had my permission to mention Maxine Hardy's e-mail about Mark Shelnutt. The blog was referenced on the air, so that's fine. The newscast didn't plug my album, but I can deal with that....

Roxann Daniel appeared in a new TV commercial Thursday night, emphasizing the Superior Court Judge race is "not a popularity contest." It's not?! Then forget the primary -- let's call Governor Perdue and see who he'll appoint.

Meanwhile, Thursday's Ledger-Enquirer reported Bobby Peters left campaign literature on a table near the advance voting registration counter at the Government Center. You'd think his house just across 9th Street would be an advantage enough....

E-MAIL UPDATE: Maxine Hardy may have claimed this blog has few readers, but our In-Box is proving otherwise. One of them answered a question we raised Wednesday, about a Georgia Supreme Court Justice:

You correctly remember Justice Sears as Leah Sears-Collins, as she used that name when she was a Superior Court judge in the Atlanta area before she was appointed to the Supreme Court. Since that time, she has divorced (hence the missing "Collins") and re-married. Her new husband is Haskell Ward, and in a gesture reminiscent of John Lennon, who changed his middle name from Winston to Ono after his marriage to Yoko, Justice Sears adopted his surname as her middle name and Mr. Ward adopted her surname as his middle name. It seems awkward for her to be Leah Ward Sears when he is Haskell Sears Ward, but that's evidently how they wanted to handle the whole "his name-her name" thing.

Bradford C. Dodds

Thanks for the explanation, Bradford. We should point out a deep hidden message in the justice's campaign signs - "Sears" is still in business, while "Ward's" is not.

(Did you ever think you'd see something like this - a Georgia Supreme Court justice compared to a former Beatle?)

Now for some croutons on top of the Thursday news salad:

+ The Bradley Library took down a "Rock the Vote" poster from the teen section, after a mother complained about it including the "P word." If this mom is a Christian, I hope she's careful showing her children the Bible - because in the King James Version, that word shows up seven times. [True!]

+ The Albany Herald reported nearly 19 percent of the staff at Georgia Southwestern State University never filed state income tax returns this year. So? Maybe now lawmakers will get the message, and give the faculty a raise above the poverty level.

+ WRBL reported several downtown businesses are developing a "Wi-Fi" network, so you can tap into the Internet from a laptop computer for free. Maybe I should move my grand plans for an Internet café to Victory Drive -- where the name "The Click and Drag" would fit in better.

+ About 20 area ministers took a tour of Fort Benning, including a visit to the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation. I can't help wondering how many ministers uttered the phrase "Prince of Peace" while at WHINSEC.

+ A different group of 13 ministers prepared to compete in Pooler, Georgia tonight - in an annual stock car race for members of the clergy! [True/OANow.com] Apparently for this night, the language changes a bit. For instance: "Ashes to ashes - eat my dust."

+ The "Doghouse Investment Club" had group tickets to the Columbus Catfish game. If the club is named doghouse instead of penthouse, these must be very conservative investors.

+ Instant Message to the man I saw wearing rollerblades, climbing stairs from the Riverwalk: Go up without touching the rail next time - else you're cheating.

To offer a story tip, make a donation or comment on this blog, write me - but be warned, I may post a reply.

If you quote from this in public somewhere, please be polite enough to let me know.

Copyright; 2003-04 Richard Burkard, All Rights Reserved.