19 SEP 04: OPENING UP

Saturday was a day which found many closed things re-opening in Columbus. For instance, gates were opened on Chattahoochee River dams to handle floodwaters from the Atlanta area. We're waiting for word about how many kayaks passed through.

The higher river level left the Phenix City Amphitheater flooded - hopefully cleaning away all the sinful stuff which happened there over the summer, like music concerts....

The Columbus side of the Riverwalk did NOT appear flooded, so I went for a Saturday morning walk there. The stairs to Golden Park were open -- but red tape blocked the bottom of the stairs at the Civic Center. Only later did I realize why this was probably done. Animals from the Shrine Circus may have been lying in wait to eat me.

The obedient side of me refused to climb over the red tape, even to walk up the flights of stairs. To set a good example, I'd turn around and walk back to where I entered. Besides, an even tan on each arm looks much better....

Only one thing delayed my turning around at the Civic Center. A woman was walking my direction with her beagle - a beagle rambling around without a leash, which suddenly decided to make me the center of its attention. It walked up to me and started sniffing my legs. I stood there wondering if I looked like a fire hydrant or something.

I tried to dismiss the dog by holding up my hands and showing a grit-my-teeth grin. The beagle backed off, and began running around me in semicircles - all the time staring at me. It's great practice if I ever have to deal with Hollywood
paparazzi.

"He wants to play," said the woman who by this point had walked by the stairway. The beagle kept circling me - totally ignoring the Civic Center red tape. It turns out we had not one rule-breaker here, but two.

The woman kept walking east, but the dog wouldn't let me go. It kept circling me, barking on occasion. I kept my position at the bottom of the stairs, turning around only to keep the beagle in my sight. If it lifted its leg, I was ready to do
the same - only to kick away.

"Are you afraid of it?" the woman finally asked. I refused to answer the question, instead offering what seemed to me the more obvious one.

"Are you aware of the new animal control rules in Columbus?"

"Yes."

"The dog is supposed to be on a leash."

"It's OK. I have my leash here." It was in her hand, it was purple - and it had nothing attached to it at all. She might as well have been carrying keys to a car she traded in five years ago.

"Perhaps I'm misunderstanding the rule," I told the woman, "but I think the dog is supposed to be ON the leash." It's sort of like explaining to the "Click It Or Ticket" cop that your seat belt IS buckled - and you're sitting on top of it.

"I'll put the dog on the leash," the woman said. Then she turned around on the Riverwalk, tracked the beagle down and put the leash on it. At last, they had made a connection - and I was no longer a candidate for brunch.

Long-time blog readers will recall I've had other encounters with dog-walkers on the Riverwalk, who let dogs run all over the place and think merely holding a leash is enough. Do these adults let their children get away with this at busy
supermarkets, too?

Since I didn't answer the woman's "fear" question, I suppose I should settle it here. If a dog is running loose around me, I do get a bit concerned. Enough stories have made the news of dogs attacking people, and even killing them. At least during a hurricane, I have time to hide in a shelter if I wish.

E-MAIL UPDATE: Our comments on the LOST (Local Option Sales Tax) last Sunday brought a surprising reply, from Fraternal Order of Police President Randy Robertson:

To find out about the F.O.P. and their support of this tax please go to FOP9.net.

Thank You

Thanks to YOU, sir, for alerting us to a web site which apparently only came online September 1. Don't be confused by that name, though. The Fraternal Order of Police is NOT taking over a TV station.

You have to click on the "President's Page" to find details of the mid-August Fraternal Order of Police vote to back the LOST. Randy Robertson writes Mayor Bob Poydasheff has promised to "solve all of the F.O.P. concerns." Maybe the Mayor will ask Oprah Winfrey to provide a free set of new squad cars.

Randy Robertson explains the Columbus Chamber of Commerce acted as a liaison with Columbus Council, to get an assurance LOST money would provide for "financial needs of law enforcement officers." Aren't there professional negotiators on the SWAT team to handle this sort of thing?

In addition, the F.O.P. web site reveals the Chamber of Commerce plans to do a study of the wages and benefits for all Columbus government employees. Maybe now we'll find out why the operator of the Government Access Channel makes more money than a police captain.

Randy Robertson promises the Fraternal Order of Police will continue its campaign for improved public safety benefits. For one thing, the F.O.P. wants "an end to Compression." Exactly how victims of muggings would have their bruises treated remains unclear.

Let's see what else we need to catch up on this weekend:

+ Alabama's Diedre Downs won the Miss America pageant. It HAD to be those eyes - which seemed to keep staring into the distance, like she was looking for the perfect man to date. Too bad I was stuck at home, watching television....

The Miss America final showdown came down to Miss Alabama versus Miss Louisiana. Given how the L.S.U.-Auburn game turned out earlier in the day, I figured the judges would give Miss Louisiana a couple of extra points.

(Miss Georgia made the list of ten semifinalists at Miss America, making this the best showing for our region in years. Maybe we need more hurricanes to move through, to get sympathy votes.)

+ Alabama Governor Bob Riley gave a pep talk in the wake of Hurricane Ivan - declaring, "Nothing can defeat an Alabamian!" Obviously he hasn't been watching Crimson Tide football games the last couple of seasons....

+ Columbus shut out Jordan in high school football 19-0, and the WOKS announcers counted only 27 Jordan players in uniform. Either a lot of Red Jacket players are injured, or the band suddenly is a lot more cool.

+ Kendrick spanked Spencer 33-14 at McClung Memorial Stadium. I walked by this game at quarter-time, and was stunned by how empty the stands were. After all, the students had two extra days to work on their homework....

(I look at empty stadiums like that for local games, and can't help wondering if the presumed interest in high school football around here is overstated. Golden Park seemed to have more fans on Thirty Thursdays.)

+ Fencing already is up around the west end of South Commons. Either preparations for the Festival are under way very early - or the Shrine Circus is concerned an elephant might escape.

+ Instant Message to the woman who called to express concern about Columbus flooding during a hurricane: We're 396 feet above sea level - so the storm surge would have a VERY long way to go.

COMING MONDAY: Look out, Auburn, my Kansas Jayhawks are coming....

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