Edwards

The man proves elusive.

On the border

A lot of interesting information on illegal immigration. Pass this info around.

Going Green?

Templeton on the myth of mass transit.

Edwards

More on John Edwards.

The economy

I know our local economy is ailing, but these guys haven't even been that long. Trouble for Starbucks.

More fun from the PRC

There are things more important than winning gold medals when the old commies get mad.

Iowa illegal alien raids

Here's a link to the Des Moines Register story on the weekend's festivities.

Celtic festival

This event looks like fun for all of us proud hillbillies. Do you think they'll toss any dwarves?

Ye Olde Gun Shoppe

Gun owners venture boldly into the brave new (post-Heller decision) world.

New free sports service

Sporting News Today is getting off the ground. It's worth checking out. I signed up.

John Edwards

Alex Koppelman weighs in on this lurid non-story/story. The author says that one reason the media isn't pursuing this is that Edwards is not a serious candidate to be Veep. But his name has been tossed around prominently for Attorney General. Koppelman makes some good points about the Enquirer's solid record for breaking major political stories.

Brett Favre

The bizarre offseason of Brett Favre continued this weekend as the Packers began training camp. Favre did not show up to practice, as he said he would. But then again, when was the last time Favre stuck to what he said?
Favre did send the required paperwork to the league, making his desire to return to the field official.
Good enough. If the man wants to play, he should play.
But Green Bay needs to move on.
Make Aaron Rogers the starting QB and get to work reshaping the offense. (The Pack also drafted rookies Brian Brohm and Mike Flynn this year).
The Packers need to trade Favre as quickly as they can, recognizing that the market for his services is limited by several factors.
How many teams need a frontline starter?
How many teams can afford Favre's contract?
How many teams would Favre play for?
Green Bay wants to get something for their quarterback. But it's time to clear the decks of this mess.
Favre's legacy in Green Bay is already tarnished. Why let it deteriorate even more?

My Sunday column

Barrack Obama should be ahead by 15-20 points in the national polls.
Lady Clinton has finally been dispatched and in theory, at least, all the Democratic Indians are back on the reservation.
Certainly the national press has been adoring and the money continues to roll in faster than you can say “forget public financing.”
Yup, Obama should be pulling away big right now. But, he’s not.
I’ve got a secret for you. A lot of folks — and I don’t mean just us uneducated, gun totin’, potted-meat eatin’ hillbillies — have serious reservations about the senator from Illinois.
You see, Obama talks real pretty but he doesn’t really say anything. That’s enough for a lot of folks, including yellow dog Democrats, old Trotskyites and college students who have never had to meet a payroll.
But for a lot of other people the flowery rhetoric is starting to wear thin.
Eventually, even the national media will catch on and at that point, Obama may finally come in for a long-overdue, sustained grilling. (Then again, maybe not).
John McCain won the Republican nomination fair and square. His perseverance during the dark days of the campaign was impressive. On the ropes and seemingly headed to oblivion, he hung tough and outlasted a crowded field.
Inspiring.
Unfor-tunately, it’s about the only thing inspiring about him.
To be fair, I’ve never been a fan. McCain has an reflexive authoritarian streak, which doesn’t always mix well with his oft-chronicled testiness. However, I don’t really care that he’s a crabby old man. In fact, I kind of like that about him and hey, being a jerk didn’t hurt Harry Truman in most folk’s eyes.
My problem with McCain is he’s often wrong on big issues like campaign finance and the Bush tax cuts. And his current take on the whys and wherefore of those bad votes is less than convincing.
But he’s right on Iraq. Or at least a lot more right than his opponent, whose school marmish take on the war on terror would be laughable, if not so dangerous.
The other night an ABC newsman pressed Obama on his pre-surge public assertions that the additional troops would not matter and that, in essence, the cause was lost.
Would the senator, the newsman inquired, now admit he was wrong?
Heck no!
Obama shuffled uncomfortably, offered a painful platitude about our troops doing their usual great job and then gave most of the credit to some mysterious shift in the Iraqi zeitgeist. I’m willing to give Obama credit for recognizing that there is more nuance to what has happened in Iraq than many lunkheads can grasp, but his failure to acknowledge the pivotal role a reinforced U.S. military played in the last year’s developments in Iraq is saddening and worrisome.
It is this failure, or refusal, to recognize the harsh realities and demands of the war which should concern most Americans. How can we ask our troops to carry the fight to a skilled, tenacious and remorseless enemy while our commander in chief sews white flags out of sheets taken from the Lincoln bedroom.
Which reminds me, Obama claims the Great Emancipator as his favorite president.
Excellent.
He would so well to study Lincoln’s leadership during the Civil War. There is much good and bad in the story. Valor and fear. Brilliance and foolhardiness. Great victories and crushing defeats.
But in the end, Lincoln won.
By God, he won.

Good reading

I finished Rick Bragg's "Prince of Frogtown" this morning.
It's the third in what turned out to be a true life trilogy about his poor Appalachian family.
"All Over But the Shouting" focused on his mother and is one of the best books I've read.
"Ava's Man" was about his mother's family, especially his favorite grandfather.
"Frogtown" takes a brutal look at the other half of the family tree, the hell raising Bragg clan.
I'll write about the book more in depth later, but it's another powerful story — one that will hold special relevance for southerners, especially those of us just a generation or two out of the mills and fields ourselves.
Recommended.

Your Sunday tune

I know she's crazy as an outhouse rat, butthis woman can flat out sing.

The Election

More on Edwards and Obama from "Mainstream" Mickey Kaus, not exactly a right wing operative.

The Election

Maybe the future isn't so bright for John Edwards. I wonder if the mainstream media will ever take a close look at this. The LA Times had told its bloggers to steer clear of the story.

The Election

Credit where credit is due, by Victor Davis Hanson. corrects Obama's sappy revisionism.

Highway Song (a tune of the blues)

I have lost faith in I-75.
It dawned on me on my way to Cartersville on Thursday. Somewhere in northern Bartow or southern Gordon County the three busy lanes of southbound traffic came to a stop.
Car wreck?
Road work?
UFO crash?
Who the heck knows and who the heck cares?
Just file it in with all the other north/south trips marred by a transportation system that seems to come unglued in a moment's notice.
Last Saturday I took my family to the Braves' game. We almost made it without an incident, but then ran smack dab into the maw of "work on the downtown connector" which has been going on for awhile now. The city of Atlanta saw fit to map out a detour for those of us heading somewhere int he city, but of course the detour is badly marked and confusing as all get out. My favorite part was the detour directional signs that a tree branch was growing in front of and blocking. Apparently, no one on the city payroll of Atlanta has the brains or will to cut the dang limbs off.
Traveling north to Chattanooga is also an adventure. Does there always have to be a problem problem somewhere between here and there?
I remember when trouble on the interstate was a surprise. Now, the only surprise is when I can make it from Point A to Point B without beating my head against the dashboard in frustration.
Gen. Eisenhower would not be happy.

The Election

What fo you mean BIAS! A big time journalist comes clean.

All Blacks

The Falcons need to try this.

Business

And we can't get one. Publix doubles up in Cartersville.

The Second Amendment

The anti-gun crowd strikes again.

The economy

I gues my checking account it going to get more expensive. Trouble at Wachovia.

Braves game

I had four free tickets to the Braves-Nationals game on Saturday and took the wife and kid and my Atlanta lawyer buddy Bill.
In the sixth inning Alison took my daughter to the Cartoon Network playpen. They came back in the bottom of the ninth. Tired of getting up every time somebody wanted a Coke, I suggested she sit in the seat in front of me.
The crowd was thinning out, as the Braves trailed 8-1, and so she plopped down where I suggested -- on the second row from the right field wall.
About two minutes later Braves left fielder Greg Norton tagged a fastball to deep right, where it landed with a nasty kerplunk on my wife's right knee cap, missing my daughter by less than a foot.
Well, I think y'all know whose fault this was gonna be.
But the wife took it all in pretty good stride was not to damaged, though she did have a bruise on her knee the next day.
And no, we didn't get the ball.
Welcome to my life ...

My Sunday column

The results of Tuesday’s contested local elections in Whitfield County were — as Arte Johnson used to say on “Laugh In” — very interesting.
Claude Nix’s win in the sheriff’s race (Republican) was not surprising, but the margin by which he beat Paul Tipton was impressive. Nix took 61 percent of the vote, despite the fact that Tipton had never really quit campaigning since getting beat four years ago. This race was polite to the point of dull, probably because both candidates realized that for either one of them to beat Democratic incumbent Scott Chitwood in November, they had to pick up the other’s support after the Republican Primary. Will Tipton’s backers now rally to Nix or will they sit it out in November?
Nix and his supporters like to say he “isn’t a politician,” but so far the former GBI agent has shown he is a politician and a pretty good one. The subtle point being made with the “I’m not a politician” line is that Nix is a serious lawman while the incumbent is more worried about grabbing votes than grabbing criminals.
Of course, there’s no law of nature that says you can’t be both a good politician and a good sheriff. Certainly Sheriff Chitwood doesn’t fit the mold of a grizzled old lawman. Buford Pusser he ain’t. But Whitfield County voters have repeatedly kept him in office.
So how does Nix plan to unseat him?
Does he simply run on his resume? Nix has a solid background in law enforcement but Chitwood’s years of service as sheriff would seem to negate that strategy.
Does he go after the sheriff, aggressively attacking him for failures to adequately protect Whitfield Countians? That strategy might work with the Chicken Little crowd, but Chitwood would be able to counter with the fact that serious crime in the county has largely declined in recent years.
What about the “rising” threat of gangs?
Over the years Chitwood has bungled his response on combating gangs and this has created an opening for his political opponents. But no one pressed that issue harder than Paul Tipton and all it earned him was two losing campaigns. And, in reality, how many people in the county have had their lives seriously affected by gang activity?
Is Chitwood unbeatable?
Of course not.
Nix has a good background in law enforcement and comes across as an intelligent and capable man. He’s a Republican in a Republican-dominated county. He’s got some money and a cadre of highly motivated, energetic supporters. He can win.
But Chitwood also has his supporters — after all, he is the Democratic Party’s most high profile elected official — and has plenty of campaign cash to get his message across. He’s a veteran campaigner and knows the ground.
Expect a close election.

Jimmy Espy is executive editor of The Daily Citizen. You can read more of his take on local politics at his blog site, espysoutpost.blogspot.com

Your Sunday Tune

Steve Earle pays tribute to the great Townes Van Zandt. An amazing song and a heart rending performance. That's Nanci Griffith in tears.

Chattanooga and VW

You gotta love this ol' world.
Sixty-five years ago we obliterated the German economic infrastructure.
Then we spent the next two decades helping them rebuild it.
Now, we're bribing them to do the same for us.

The Election

McCain adviser Phil Gramm resigned this week after his description of Americans as whiners brought on such a storm of whining that Gramm thought it best to step aside, which he did with a noted absence of whining.
Not all Americans are whiners. There are still some stoic Gary-Cooper types out there. But let's face it, Gramm's comments were on target.
We are whinners.
Just look to that supposed font of machismo, the National Football League, and its most celebrated player, tough guy Brett Favre, who is now in full whine mode over he has been mistreated by the franchise which has paid him enormous sums of money while simultaneously weathering his proclivity for ill-timed interceptions and his tiresome annual andst-ridden "Will I play next year? I don't know." public broods.
In fact, one of our two "great" political parties is built on a foundation of ceaseless whining. "Why can't government do this for me?" "Why can't the government do that for me?" Blah. Blah. Blah.
When it comes time to vote for president, I may write in Phil Gramm.

Red State Update II

My favorite piece -- so far -- by these cracker geniuses. Just pick one.Salty language alert.

Red State Update

If you haven't heard these two good ol' boys take on politics and current events, you're missing something. Here, I link you to their incisive segment on gas prices. But there's a lot more where this came from, so take some time, browse and enjoy a big hunk of wisdom. High priced gas and the noble wolf. Oh yeah, the language is PG 13.

God's Country ... and he can have it

Makes you want to throw up.

Batman

Jon Last loves it.

The kid

Took the three-year-old to vacation Bible school tonight at Fellowship and stayed around a few minutes to watch her. When the group leader opened with a prayer, my relatively unchurched young'n wasn't sure what to do as the other kids bowed their heads and closed their eyes.
Not wanting to waste her time and taking advantage of her unexpected privacy, she promptly began to pick her nose.
I love the kid.

Butch Sanders

There's a lot of scuttlebutt flying about longtime city administrator Butch Sanders' resignation this week. The heart of the matter seems to be personal, which comes as no surprise to a lot of folks who know him. We'll leave that be as long as it doesn't cross over into the realm of legitimate public interest.
But it will be extremely interesting to see who replaces him. After two decades of having "Butch take care of it" city council members have to fill their most important position.
Will they look in town? (They should.)
Will they throw the process open to the whole wide world? (They should.)
Will Spanish skills be required? (Probably not.)
The politics around this hire could become intense.

Georgia politics

One "local" politician who isn't in it to make friends -- John Meadows.

Thomas Disch was a very fine writer of science fiction.

The media

Was it only two years ago the AJC was reinventing newspapers and charting the industry's course into the future? Well, something ain't working

Uh-oh:That's my bank

Trouble at Wachovia?

Gangs: Just wondering

Is the threat of gangs in Dalton overblown?
Not if you ask some people. They'll make it sound like this town is being run by gang warlords who have the law abiding folk cowering in their homes.
Don't get me wrong. I know that gangs can become a very serious problem, but I wonder how many local people have actually had a run-in of any kind with a gang.
I know the graffiti is annoying. But is it a major problem?
Of course I recognize the death of Andre Johnson last year was gang-related, but it remains an isolated, though terrible, incident.
There is a serious gang presence in this town but the business of those fellows isn't harassing old ladies, it's moving large amounts of illegal drugs. The fewer problems they have with law enforcement the better for them.
I may well be wrong, but at this stage is "the gang problem" really affecting many people?
Not that it couldn't in the future. But what about now?

Tunes

Just about the perfect song done just about perfectly. Guy Clark and Dublin Blues.

Politics

McCain and the Hispanic vote.

Our Sunday editorial

Roger Crossen’s 23-year career with the Whitfield County Recreation department came to an end on Thursday. He resigned after meeting with county administrator Robert McLeod. Crossen, who has been the county’s director of recreation for 17 of those years, said he was given the option of resigning or being fired.
In his brief comments to a reporter for The Daily Citizen, Crossen said he was told the county wanted to “go in a new direction.”
On Friday, McLeod refused to discuss Crossen’s leaving.
County commissioners said nothing of value about the situation, shifting responsibility to the tight-lipped McLeod, who has been on the job for a little more than a year.
Crossen said he has never received a written reprimand for his job performance and referred to the ultimatum he received as “a big surprise.”
So, what exactly are the taxpayers of Whitfield County supposed to think of this sudden and impactful situation?
Apparently, your local county government could care less.
For the record, the removal of a department level manager transcends the usual “Bob runs the day-to-day operation” dodge employed by elected officials. And if they think we believe that this was a decision made solely by the county administrator, then the commissioners must really have a low opinion of the intelligence of the average county resident.
Of course they were involved in the decision.
If not, then they should resign en masse and let us set up an election where candidates who actually want to make tough decisions — and stand by them — can run for office.
Crossen has no shortage of critics and there may well be a case for his removal from the director’s job. Then again, maybe he just did a lousy job of stroking egos at the courthouse. That’s the point. We don’t know because the same people who want to pay a full time salary to a public relations flack won’t explain a major change in their administration.
Hiding behind “it’s a personnel matter” is a cop out. You don’t have to trash an individual publicly to make a case for change.
Certainly if I was a qualified applicant for the Crossen’s old job (or a new version of it) I would like to know how my job performance will be evaluated. And I would like to think that there was a system in place more concrete than personal whim dictating it.
If there was dissatisfaction with the way a 17-year veteran had been running the department and that dissatisfaction reached the level where his removal was warranted, then there should be a paper trail in his personal file that says so.
The Daily Citizen has requested that information and should get it next week.
Maybe that file will speak more eloquently than our county government officials.

Hellboy 2

I really want to tell you that this is a great sequel, worth of the original Hellboy picture. But it's not.
It has its moments, but the more often than not Hellboy 2 looks like any of a dozen other big budget, effects-dominated picture.
The cast is good and mostly the movie looks good. The flaw is in the story by the usually reliable Guillermo Del Toro. It's neither as funny or as sharp edged as the first film.
A big flaw is the whole "Golden Army" mythology that's supposed to awe the audience. Mostly the Golden Warriors look like cheap ripoffs of the Transformers.
Jeffrey Tambor is back as the bumbling head government agent but isn't as funny this time out, thanks to the lame dialog supplied by Del Toro.
Luke Goss plays an albino creature who is mighty handy with a sword. He's the top villain, but the character lack the heft that is needed. He never seems to be an foe for "Big Red."
As in the first movie Hellboy has a couple of top notch, bruising battles with assorted monsters. Those are highlights.
Ron Perlman is wonderful as "red" and Selma Blair fine as his mopey girlfriend, who bursts into flames when angry.
Overall, it's a solid summer film that lacks the zing of the original.

Flickers

A fascinating story by James Bowman about the the disappearance of the classic hero from American films.

Bob Barr

Not much aimed at the Libertarian candidate. So far.

Flickers

Let me recommend two movies.
First, you may have already seen "Juno," which is a about an eccentric pregnant teen who cuts a deal with a yuppie couple for them to adopt her child. Of course, the process doesn't go that smoothly. "Juno" was a big hit with critics and the ticket-buying public.
The movie deserves its success. It's well acted and best of all, avoids most of the cliches this kind of picture usually is built on. It has flaws -- that dad is a little too cuddly -- but they are overcome by the rest of the movie.
Second, and from a completely different direction, is "The Signal," a gory,low-budget, independent film made in Atlanta (called Terminus)in the story. It's a sci fi-zombie flick with three first-time directors each taking a third of the film. This not your standard end-of-the-world picture. You won't feel like you've seen this movie three times before.
The ending is a little fuzzy, but trying to sort it out is part of the fun.
An excellent debut for everyone involved.

See you in Hell(boy)

The second Hellboy movie, directed by Del Toro, opens this weekend. Here's a review. I'm going.

Oops, did I say that out loud?

The best thing (so far) about the Obama candidacy is that it is forcing Democrats to take a look at the real face of some of their leaders. For instance, the Reverend Jesse Jackson.
Suddenly, years of pretence and the stubborn denial to admit that the emperor' bum is bare, are over.
Democrats now realize that the Rev. Jackson may not be so reverent after all.
And that Hillary Clinton is mostly about Hillary Clinton (paranoid and scheming) and her husband Bill, is a mean-spirited fellow living under the perpetual illusion that the country owes Him, and by extension His Missus, its undying loyalty.
And let's step out of the strict party setting and bring in liberal icon Ralph Nader. Turns out he's an acid-tongued critic of anyone who doesn't sign on to his various and bumbling causes. There's a spooky Hitler-in-the-bunker feel to Nader.
It's been a kick seeing so many of the Democratic faithful ripping in to to the Old Guard.
---
Jesse Jackson is the epitome of the race-hustling Old Leadership of Black America. He was the king dealmaker -- helping to deliver the votes for liberal candidates while collecting his goodies and enjoying the title of Official Black Leader.
Obama, no matter what you may think of him otherwise, has accomplished more in two years that Jackson did in decades of "public service." The Ol Reverend must be burning inside. And now some of it slipped out.
Wonderful.

My dalton magazine column

My left knee hurts the most. It’s bruised and there’s skin missing.
My right bicep aches. I think the muscle may be detached.
My right foot is sore. At first I thought it was broken.
My lower back is twinging and my neck is a little stiff.
Let’s see ... that’s a hurting knee, an aching bicep, a sore foot, a twinging back and a stiff neck.
Geepers, I must have gone to the lake for a day of relaxation!
Yup.
Yours truly and the family unit motored over to lovely Lake Weiss in scenic Northeast Alabama recently. There we met up with the larger Clan Espy to discuss our claim to the Scottish throne. We also swam and fished and played cards and ate and drank.
It was a fine time and as usual I came home with more injuries than a rugby halfback.
I love summer, always have.
But summer doesn’t love me like it once did.
Thirty years ago I swear I could juggle stilettos while riding bareback on a flaming bronco as it forded a stream full of ravenous piranhas and barely get a scratch. Now, I pull a hamstring just unloading towels from the car.
Who stole my invincibility? Who stole my athletic prowess? Who stole my Errol Flynn-like sense of derring-do?
(My wife would argue that the fry cooks at Krystal’s are the guilty party.)
Whoever took these things, I want them back! And I want a few questions answered.
Whatever happened to that towheaded lad who could pick up rocks from his grandpa’s garden all morning, go swimming in the afternoon and then sit up half the night reading comic books?
Whatever happened to the lean, mean teen who would play a softball double-header during the day and then scale the fence at the city pool at midnight for an illicit swim?
Whatever happened to that daring college kid who would come home on the weekends to ride motorcycles, chase girls and go to dust-til-dawn horror movie quadruple features at the drive-in?
Somebody find that guy ... I loved him!
It’s not that Modern Jimmy doesn’t want to do these things. I still try some of them, as suggested by the list of injuries at the beginning of this column.
I ride a motorcycle on occasion and four back-to-back horror movies still sounds like a great way to spend eight hours. But the reality is that many of my former feats of derring-o are now feats of derring don’t.
If I tried to scale the fence for a midnight dip at the city pool today, more likely than not they’d find me at sunup — dangling there with crows eating my eyeballs.
Two hundred and fifty-five pounds just doesn’t sneak as stealthily as 190 pounds. (That’s why you never see any fat ninjas.)
I wish I could tell you that the summers of my youth were spent in rigorous preparation. Wait a minute ... check that.
The summers of my youth were spent in a headlong (and sometimes boneheaded) rush to have fun. I will not apologize for this. You’re only young once and it doesn’t last forever, as I realized the other day when I was bandaging my bleeding knee.
If I could do it all again, I’d do it all again ... except for that part about picking up rocks from my grandpa’s garden. That was a bit much.
----
Our ace layout man Chris Stephens reminded me recently that this is the third anniversary of dalton magazine. Thanks to everyone who has helped produce it, particularly original editor Terry Connor, who did a great job getting it off the ground. Thanks also to our advertisers who have paid the bills and to our readers who have warmly embraced the publication.

(Jimmy Espy is editor of The Daily Citizen and dalton magazine)

Envirostuff

Rising CO2 levels could be a good thing.

More sad news

Reny Shipp, the wife of longtime Georgia journalist and political columnist Bill Shipp, passed away last night. Mr. Shipp's column, which appears twice a week in The Daily Citizen, will be on hiatus after tomorrow.

Gainesville giveback

I don't think we'll see this practice catching on.

Ramona Connor's obituary

Here it is.

New Dalton Mag

The July-August issue of dalton magazine is making its way into circulation. The new football coaches at Dalton and Southeast are on the cover and there's a lot more inside this issue, including features on the Miss Resaca Beach, a Varnell man who makes his living as a woodturner and a profile of attorney Steve Farrow. Copies are available around town, by circulation or here at the office. And they are FREE. Also, the magazine is available online. Check out The Daily Citizen web page for the handiest link.

Sad news

Former Daily Citizen publisher Terry Connor's wife Ramona passed away this morning. Ramona hasn't been well in awhile, but it's hard to imagine her not being with us.
Those of you who knew her will remember her feistiness, her sense of humor and her love for the newspaper business. (You might also have picked up on the fact that she was nuts about the University of Alabama football team.)
Despite her health battles, Ramona was a firecracker. What she liked she liked a lot and what what she didn't like, you heard about.
I wish Terry and Ramona's daughter Ryan the best.
Ramona was something else.

The Movies

"Hellboy" is my favorite movie based on a comic book. Here's an article about the sequel which debuts next week, just in time for my wife and child to be out of town, giving me the chance to go see it.

Speaking freely

Canadian Ezra Levant carries on the good fight. The keywords are pompous liberal Toronto lawyer.

Where is the US coverage?

News from Iraq that one would think would be of interest to Americans. Our enemy is reeling.

Cash

Every Sunday should start with this.

Too smart to vote?

My column from this week's Daily Citizen.

A tad more baseball

My apologies to the nice young man at Kroger who took notice of my Tom Glavine jersey and then started singing the praises of the "Cinderella" Chicago Cubs. I didn't throw my can of frozen orange juice at him, but I tossed some pretty savage denunciations of the Wrigley denizens and their loathsome followers.
Most of the time I stifle these urges, but some tmes the beast runs wild.
Man ... I hate the Cubs.

Home of the Braves

Atlanta fans may want to rush out and buy a copy of the July 7 Sporting News for its excellent cover story on Braves' shortstop Yunel Escobar and the five other men he defected from Cuba with. A fascinating story.

Recommended reading

Victor Davis Hanson on Security and Freedom.

Ron Hart

The latest column from one of our favorite wiseguy writers.

Spanked

My wife, daughter and I were joined by an old friend and fellow Spankee from Atlanta, Bill Mitchell, at the Asylum Street Spankers show in Chattanooga on Friday evening.
It was a fine time.
The weather was near-perfect. The crowd was large and receptive and the band was in fine form.
Speaking of the band. In its many incarnations a lot of talented performers have come and gone. The first time I saw them play, there were at least 10 players on stage. The core members are Christina Marrs and Wammo and both delivered the goods last night. Charlie King was a revelation and he earned major style points for the Ron Paul t-shirt. (It went particularly well with his CIA-conspiracy-girlfriend song.)
The Spankers are terrific musicians and showed their stuff. They're also great entertainers and kept the crowd laughing, as well as clapping along with the tunes.
If you didn't catch 'em this time, make a note to see the Spankers at some future date.
And kudos to the Nightfall Series in general. Nice venue and an interesting array of performers on the schedule.

Live Music

Check out the schedule for the Nightfall Series.

Years ago, possibly on my second tour in Valdosta, I wrote a short piece offering praise for Sen. Helms. I believe the subject was gun ownership.
Weeks later I received a letter from the senator thanking me for what I wrote. Apparently a friend of one of his siblings saw it in our paper and mailed it to her. The relative passed it on to Sen. Helms who wrote to me. It was a brief note, but very sincere. He mentioned that he didn't get a lot of positive press and that didn't bother him much but that it weighed on his family. He thanked me.
Being an idiot, I misplaced the letter during one of my many moves. But I still appreciate the fact that a man as powerful as Helms worried about his family's feelings and that he took the time to write me.

The News and Observer on the death of Sen. Jesse Helms.

Oh Canada!

Justice never sleeps with our neighbors to the North.

Music 2

A little extra info about the Asylum Street Spankers. By the way, their first album "Spanks for the Memories is one of my 10 favorite records.

Live music alert

The Asylum Street Spankers from Austin, Texas are headlining the Nightfall Concert series in Chattanooga (at Miller Plaza) tomorrow night.
I saw an earlier incarnation of this all-acoustic band several years ago at the Star Community Bar in Atlanta. They were fantastic -- gifted musicians with a wonderful ear for offbeat and sometimes powerful tunes. They are militantly accoustic and will let uncooperative -- noisy -- audience members know during a show, which is as it should be considering the band's keen craftsmanship.
The Spankers do a tremendous mix of what could be called roots music, country, western, jazz, bluegrass, pioneer rock and roll, blues, etc. etc, including some of the randiest material you've ever heard. (However, they've promised to make their Friday night show a G-rated family affair).
Christina Marrs is a powerhouse singer and everyone in the band -- everyone -- can flat out pick it. And the big fellow called Wammo ... well, you gotta get a load of him.
Opening act Natural Habitz plays at 7 p.m. with the Spankers due up at 8 p.m.

The Border

The anti-immigration crowd is gonna love the new book by Mark Krekorian who is interviwed here for NRO.

College football

Who says I never pay attention to Georgia Tech.

NRA misfire

I'm a member of the NRA -- unless my membership has lapsed -- and I support most of the organizations's efforts. But, as a member -- assuming my membership hasn't lapsed -- why do I have to be subjected to the big poohbah's Wayne LaPierre's rants?
Periodically every NRA members gets a call with "an urgent message from Wayne." Inevitably Wayne's "urgent message" works in Hillary Clinton, Ted Kennedy and Carrot Top and a plea for money. OK, just kidding about Carrot Top.
Wayne points to some piece of looming legislation and then shrilly and desperately begs for my support in defeating the latest One World-Clintonista scheme to disarm everyone but 50 Cent and Barbra Streisand's bodyguards.
Don't get me wrong. I appreciate a timely heads up on important legislation, but the way Wayne starts talking reminds me of the crazy Air Force in "Dr. Straneglove." You know, Col. Ripper, the one convinced the Russkies had sapped his "precious bodily fluids."
I can't even make it through these messages anymore. Instead of arguing with the determined young person who gets me on the line for Wayne's rant, I agree to listen and then hang up five seconds into the frenzied spiel.
The NRA needs to understand that not all its membership needs to have red meat waved in its face to want to eat.
Calm down, fellers.
Most of the time reason is on your side, so try being reasonable.

Heller

Radney Balko is not so excited about the court's decision.

Best sports story of the day

Earnest Graham signed a three-year, $10.8 million contract with the Tampa Bay Bucs yesterday.
Graham, who was a barely appreciated cog in Steve Spurrier's freewheeling offense at Florida, played his high school football at Mariner High School in Cape Coral, Fla. I know because I was executive editor of the local newspaper there for five years. As I do here, I helped out on the sports side during football season by covering some Friday nght games. Over a two-year period I saw Graham play several times. It was always a pleasure.
He didn't have blazing speed -- though he always seemed a little faster than the people chasing him. Graham was powerfully built, but not really that big.
He was one of those players whose various talents came together to create a special athlete.
Graham was a brute on the football field, a power-running, highly physical back who never shyed away from contact. He piled up yards and touchdowns at a record pace.
But the best thing about Earnest was the way he conducted himself. Wise beyond his years, he was also polite, intelligent and quietly determined to be successful.
President of his senior class, he was well-liked by his peers and highly respected by his teammates and opposing players.
His senior year Earnest played against another Lee County team which featured a very tough, very nasty defensive back who I'll call Buck.
On a sweep left, deep in the other team's territory, it was obvious that Earnest could race to the corner of the end zone without being touched. But out of the corner of his eye, Graham spotted the hard-hitting Buck trying desperately to get to him. Graham slowed and then veered back inside.
He and Buck collided at about the one. It sounded like a tactical nuclear weapon had detonated. The ground shook. The oxygen was sucked out of the stadium air.
For a second, both players' bodies halted at the point of impact.
Then Buck's powerful form wavered slightly. He stumbled back into the endzone. Graham crossed the line.
Touchdown.
As usual Earnest did nothing to celebrate, but that didn't keep a recovering Buck from walking up in his face.
The two players stared at each other.
An assistant principal looked to see if he had the phone number of the local riot police.
Then Earnest held his hand up in the air.
Buck eyed him for a second, then reached up with his hand and slapped it.
Respectfully.
Great play.
Great player.
Glad he got his cash.