Friday, May 29, 2009

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Mr. Burris Goes to Washington

Is there any chance this lying worm will keep his seat in the Senate? Yup, if he starts yelling racism. I predict he will use the word "lynching" within a week.

Books

Walter Mosley talks about his new new book, "The Long Fall." It features a new character. Fine. But I still want another Easy Rawlins novel.

Economics

Glad to see someone understands free market principles.

Politics and the little lady

What are they going to do, make critics drive Chryslers? Buy T-bonds? Join a union?

On the teevee

Mike Judge has a new show.

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

From the Land of Lincoln ...

Can you believe this sad sack fool is in the Senate? What a disgrace! And one had (has) the stones to do anything about it.

Social Security needs to go broke

So says Newsweek's Robert Samuelson. He says only looming disaster can force lawmakers to act, which tells you a lot about the quality of leaders we have in Washington. (One can just see Rahm Emanuel rubbing his hands together gleefully at "taking advantage" of just such a crisis.)

Charles Oliver's It couldn't happen here

Here it is from old Chuck.

The Cyber Czar

Imagine the hullabaloo if Bush has proposed this. Pretty soon every facet of life is going to be controlled by some federal czar.

Monday, May 25, 2009

Southern bookshelf

A Reynolds Price interview courtesy of the LA Times.

Will Rogers profiled

A big slice of Americana served up by a limey web site.

History

Gen. John B. Gordon was one tough cob. If you don't think so, read this story on his battlefield woundings.

Valkyrie

Bryan Singer's "Valkyrie" is a disappointment but not an unexpected one. After all, we know how it turns out -- the good guys fail -- and that's a pretty big storytelling impediment to overcome.
"Valkyrie" is the story of the plot to kill Hitler that almost worked.
Tom Cruise is the aristocratic Claus von Stauffenberg, the trigger man of the assassination attempt. Cruise's performance is dull, all grim looks and precision heroics. No room for complexity or depth of character. (How big a factor was Stauffenberg's Catholicism, for instance?)
The ploy kicks in quickly. A disaffected Stauffenberg is almost killed in the opening scene and before you can say obengruppenfuhrer he's plotting away.
The attempt itself is filmed dryly by singer. He gets in and gets out of the big scene at the Wolf's Lair, following Stauffenberg's flight back to Berlin and his desperate efforts to energize and organize his fellow coup leaders.
The best scenes are here, at Coup Central, where excitement and determination turn to uncertainty and then fear as it becomes evident the coup will not succeed.
Strangely,the movie generates more excitement with phone calls and counterplotting than it does with explosions and gunfire.
"Valkyrie" follows Stauffenberg to the bitter end, but his death has little impact. We just didn't know the guy that well.

Movies

John Scalzi looks at sci fi movies at the boxoffice.

Hitchens

Big Chris talks about insurgencies and the Tamil Tigers.

Reds

The Chinese talk tough but keep stashing $. From the Financial Times.

Newspaperin'

The AJC's new conservative columnist is a Dalton High grad. He is also friends with our wrestler/reporter Jamie Jones so we are trying to set up a cage match.

Tunes

Wilco's Jay Bennett dies. The band does I Got You.

Your free Sunday tune

Actually posted on Monday. Hey, it'a a holiday weekend. Steve Earle from "Townes" Pancho and Lefty. It's a great record. The same song by its author. And one more version from Willie and Merle.

Sunday, May 24, 2009

MMA

Machida whups Evans at UFC.

My Sunday column

Bill Shipp has called it quits.
Editors who ran his twice-weekly column received a brief note from the veteran journalist-opinion writer on Tuesday. His piece filed earlier that day (which appeared in this newspaper on Wednesday) was his last. There wasn’t much more said than that.
Shipp’s column has appeared in this newspaper for more than 20 years.
His love for Georgia politics was obvious the whole time. Shipp was an old-school newshound unafraid to name names and anger the powerful.
He leaned Democratic and at times his pounding of Republicans, particularly Gov. Sonny Perdue, grew repetitive. He could also be one gloomy prognosticator of the future.
In the mid 1990s I spent a memorable if not enjoyable year as managing editor of the Griffin Daily News. Shipp came to town to speak to the Rotary Club.
For 15 solid minutes he sketched out a dystopian future for Georgia that would have scared the bejeebers out of Stephen King. The sky wasn't just falling, it was hurtling downward.
Transportation. AIDS in the prisons. Rising crime. Miseries at the Atlanta airport. Knuckleheaded political leadership.
Halfway through his spiel, I wanted to crawl under the table and cry.
But a funny thing happened on the way to our southern fried Armageddon. The sun came up. Georgia prospered. Georgia grew.
Most of the problems Shipp talked about were legitimate issues, and some still are, but most were also manageable, if not solvable.
Human beings have a handy talent for making changes, for surviving.
Twenty years later Shipp can still whip out a short list of dire problems that will have you singing the blues.
That dourness is part of his charm and quite frankly it’s part of what made him one of the most recognizable and effective political commentators in the state.
Readers knew that with Shipp you weren’t going to get a content-free blast of sunshine. He didn’t work for the state Chamber of Commerce and it wasn’t his job to sell cars or real estate or political candidates.
A lot of folks aren’t comfortable with that. Shipp didn’t care.
I’ll miss his twice weekly blasts.
---
Now, how to fill those two holes on our editorial page.
Shipp’s column ran on Saturday and Wednesday. We’ll probably shift some things around, but we are also in the market for new editorial voices, preferably with twang.
If you are interested in writing a regular editorial column and believe you have the chops to do it, contact me at 706-272-7735 or by e-mail at Jimmyespy@daltoncitizen.com
Also, if there is a syndicated columnist who you think local readers would enjoy, make that suggestion.
Remember, this is for the editorial page. So columnists should be issues oriented.
Maybe we’ll get lucky and uncover the next Bill Shipp.
---
The “new Newsweek” was unveiled this week.
Dogged by declining revenues and falling circulation, the venerable publication has been reimagined as a magazine of opinion and ideas, as opposed to the traditional breaking news publication.
I’ve subscribed for several years. George Will and Robert Samuelson wrote many terrific columns and there were often offbeat news features that grabbed my attention.
Still, I won’t be resubscribing.
During the presidential election Newsweek was firmly in the Obama camp, never missing an opportunity to take a shot at the McCain-Palin ticket. Some of the criticism was deserved, some questionable but much of it was just gratuitous and embarrassingly so.
When Obama, at a recent gathering of journalists, joked that “you all voted for me,” I can only imagine the crew at the Newsweek table falling over over themselves in laughter.
The most irritating thing about Newsweek’s political bias is not actually the bias. I don’t mind lefties making their points. But the problem is Newsweek editor Jon Meacham imagines his publication is balanced.
He thinks Newsweek covered the election fairly and promises more of the same in coming months.
Exactly. That’s why I am not resubscribing.
In the first issue of the “new Newsweek,” Meacham interviews President Obama.
I can see them sitting there, the rough and tough journalist smiling brightly, sitting snugly in the president’s lap.
Not on my dime.

Jimmy Espy is executive editor of The Daily Citizen. He blogs on a smorgasbord of topics at Espysoutpost.blogpsot.com

Saturday, May 23, 2009

Terminator of endearment

Thomas Hibbs likes the new Terminator film. Lots of explosions. From National Review.

Reds

Ya gotta love the bloodthirsty sons of guns.

Mayan mania

The latest version of looming Armageddon debunked by the good folks at Slate.

Guns

Obama and gun policy by the American Conservative's Kelley Vlahos. Should we be nervous?

Newspaperin'

Veteran columnist and Sonny Perdue foil Bill Shipp has retired. Here's a piece from the AJC about it.I wrote about him in my column as well.

Match of the week

Mil Mascaras ain't selling for Cactus Jack. An oddity from not so long ago.

Friday, May 22, 2009

The Braves

Glavine getting ready.

Eats

A good, rational piece on diet soda myths and facts. From Newsweek.

Reds

Chavez keeps on keeping on.

UK suicide watch?

If this is the stuff Parliament is now made of it's no wonder the Brits turned tail in Iraq. Suicides? You have to be kidding. This bunch of pampered pols is too busy killing liberty in the West to off themselves.

No more blaming Bush

Obama has to step up now or there will be news like this. I don't overreact on fluctations in the value of the dollar, but if the current administration continues its currency wrecking policy, we will all suffer.

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Rasslin'

Charles Oliver found this great Jim Cornette piece on the emergence of hardcore wrestling. A really fine read for mat fans.

Movies

Richard Corliss on Sam Raimi's new horror pic.

Guns

Locked and loaded in national parks? Obama says he'll let it go.

Politics

You gotta keep stimulatin' the base.

The corruption busters

Like father ...

Shhhhhhhh ... don't say it

NPR this morning failed to mention that these fine fellows were Muslims. Evidently it had something to do with their plan, thus it must be of some relevance to the story ... you would think.

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Warren Buffett

The New Republic looks at the Oracle of Omaha.

More on Tarantino's Basterds

The early reviews are mixed. Real mixed. Real ... real mixed.

The new Newsweek

Norman Podhoretz gets a good laugh out of Jon Meacham's claim that Newsweek is unbiased. He's right of course and that's why I won't re-up my subscription. Meacham would be better off to call his mag a center-left publication with a crush on the president and sell to that audience. Like Olberman and Co.

Getting Hitler

Tarantino conquers France.

Politics

Say it ain't so, Harry. No, really. Say it ain't so.

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Dope

Legalize pot according to National Review.

Sunday, May 17, 2009

NBA

Kobe being boring?

Movies

I missed "Comanche Moon" when it was broadcast on CBS. I rarely watch movies with commercials and even the lure of a Larry McMurtry adaption from the "Lonesome Dove" series couldn't entice me to set aside three nights viewing time.
Last week I followed my plan and picked the film up from Netflix. Watching it in two sessions with no interruptions was worth the wait.
And so was the movie.
"Comanche Moon" fits second in the four film series. Gus and Woodrow are mature men, experienced Texas Rangers serving the state of Texas before the Civil War.
Their old adversary, Buffalo Hump, is back, causing the boys problems. Worse, his even nastier son Blue Duck is on the prowl, raping and killing at his leisure.
The story follows the boys final days in the Rangers and they pay their visit to a little south Texas town called Lonesome Dove. The Comanches, white men crowding them at every angle, are on the warpath, keeping Gus, Woodrow, Deets, Jake Spoon and Pea Eye plenty busy. They serve in the Rangers under a crazy Englishman named Inish Scull, a brilliant but highly eccentric commander who takes it on himself to track down his stolen horse. That forces his to cross paths with the vilest of the Indians, the torturer Ahumado.
Val Kilmer is really good as the flamboyant lunatic Scull and Steve Zahn channels Robert Duvall into this new version of Woodrow Call. I didn't like Kark Urban's Call nearly as much but he grows on you. Linda Cardinelli does fine as Gus's great love, Clara.
Overall the cast is excellent.
"Comanche Moon" is a bawdy and brutal tale and the made-for-tv format and more restrained budget limits how much you can do in those directions, but this production does a fine job of capturing the spirit of McMurtry's masterful work.

Saturday, May 16, 2009

Books

Ten great libertarian sci fi books.

My Sunday column

My nephew Brannon graduated from the University of West Georgia last Saturday.
West Georgia is also my alma mater and I have many fond memories of the place ... some of which I cannot detail in a family newspaper.
I also have some not-so-fond memories of West Georgia, the latest coming last Saturday when I had to get up at 5:15 a.m. on a weekend to make the trip for a 9 a.m. graduation ceremony. Let me tell you, the only thing 5:15 a.m. is good for is sleeping and commando raids. As Bill Cosby once said, if you’re sneaking around at 5:15 a.m. and you run into someone you know, don’t worry. They’re sneaking too.”
The original plan was for seven members of my clan to load up in my niece Kasey’s SUV and ride together. Kasey assured me that there was enough room. Kasey fibbed.
There wasn’t enough room and at the last minute yours truly was dragooned into driving. Of course the whole point of us going with Kasey was so that I wouldn’t have to drive, but drive I did. We had gone to Summer-ville on Friday and stayed the night there so we would be up and ready to jump in someone else’s vehicle bright and early for the trip. Instead, I stumbled behind the wheel of my own vehicle.
Riding with me were my older brother, Greg, and my stepdad, Ken.
Ken is the quiet type and not much of a complainer. Greg, on the other hand, complains loudly and constantly. “Speed up.” “Slow down.” “Watch that curve!” “You’re on the wrong road!” It’s endless.
But as irritating as his mouthing off is, his more aggravating tactic is the dramatic gasp.
He is the master of sucking in wind and putting his hand over his face protectively, like when one of those starlets in an old horror movie first sees the werewolf. Of course it’s funny when he does it to some other driver, but when you’re on the end of this drama queen treatment it can be maddening ... particularly when the original plan called for you to sleep all the way to Carrollton.
We arrived at the University of West Georgia safe and sound, despite my brother’s fevered fears, and entered the school’s fancy new gymnasium.
What an impressive facility!
At least that’s what I thought until I sat down and realized I was sitting in a seat designed for a man about 50 pounds lighter and three inches shorter than me. Now look, I’m not one of those fat people who goes through life bellyaching about how us tubbies are being persecuted. I got fat and now I am paying the price. I get that. But why in this day and age, when a large portion of the American public looks more like me than Clay Aiken, would they keeping designing seats for the average American male, circa 1853?
I squeezed into my terrorist interrogation device/seat and waited for the Big Show to commence.
Eventually it did, but not before I realized how hot, sleepy, hungry and uncomfortable I was.
The pasteboard sausage biscuit I had choked down on the road lurched around in my stomach while the neck tattoo on the young lady in front of me began to alter shapes, or at least it did in my discombobulated brain. My crisis of sanity was not helped by my daughter/pet monkey, who kept climbing into my lap and kicking me in the calves.
Finally, the graduates and faculty came in and took their seats. The orchestra played. The president of the university, who had the kind of jaunty accent you associate with a Kipling character, made a speech that included quotes from Kipling. (The man knew his strengths).
Just then my daughter kicked me again, my brother and step dad hogged the arm rests and my wife flashed me one of the unprovoked “You jerk” looks she periodically sends at me just for kicks.
That’s when I jumped up, screamed a profanity and stormed out of the building.
Just kidding.
Actually what happened next was even better.
My nephew, James Thomas Brannon Espy — son of my younger brother Tommy and as good a kid as ever drew a breath — walked across that stage and received a diploma for which he had worked his butt off for almost five years. Magna Cum Laude, baby!
And just like that, there wasn’t a better place to be than Carrollton, Ga., on a Saturday morning in May.

Jimmy Espy is executive editor of The Daily Citizen. He graduated from West Georgia in 1985, followed by cousin Jason (Class of 1996), niece Kasey (2006) and Brannon.

Politics

Fake veteran helped Dems win elections. We had one of these dirt bags scam us about 10 years ago. They deserve a serious beat down, but rarely get more than a slap on the wrist.

Wheels

Why can't I have one of these? A 1948 Tucker.

Your Sunday Free Tune

Kevin Kinney is Going Straight to Hell. An odd but interesting little video excursion.

George Will

The verdict on greed is in. It's bad. Now what?

Mark Steyn

Pelosi and torture.

Britain's scandal

OK, who has the better system for political corruption, us or the Brits? They do it like this. We do it more like this. You decide.

Friday, May 15, 2009

The Road trailer

It's not out until October but here's a look at the film version of Cormac McCarthy's The Road. I liked this novel a lot but it looks like they've beefed up the mom's role in the story. A powerful book and it looks like they've got the visuals right.

Panetta on Pelosi

The stories don't match. It's getting worse for Pelosi but she'll ride it out. Dang it.

On the border

Immigration declines. Maybe it was the jobs after all?

Pelosi's latest version

Performances like this are why some attorneys don't let their clients testify. If it was a prize fight, they would have stopped it 30 seconds in. Can any fair minded person believe this crap? NPR did the story this morning with a pro-Pelosi spin, editing this pitiful speech into a misleadingly coherent response.

Bill Shipp

The Marietta columnist's piece from The Daily Citizen on Wednesday.

The economy

Exactly the kind of insane protectionist policy that can extend and deepen a recession. That Congress is a pack of fools is clear, but where there no voices opposing this terrible legislation?

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Music

Steve Earle is on Tavis Smiley right now (Wednesday night). Found it by chance. Looks like a good interview. Maybe it can be found elsewhere or will be replayed.

Match of the week

I was living in Mississippi and saw Cactus Jack cut a promo vowing to kill Sting. It was so good I drove the next day to Mobile for the match. Cactus Jack vs. Sting at Beach Blast. I sat on the front row and you can see me in a few shots. The heat on this match was incredible and both guys delivered big time. Damn, I miss this kind of fun at the matches. Here's part 2. Great stuff.

Books

An old but very good NY Times story on Larry McMurtry. I just finished "Paradise" and am in a McMurtry frame of mind.

Movies

Sam Raimi returns to horror but its a lame arse PG 13 flick. Maybe he can pull it off. The trailer doesn't exactly rock.

Music

A good Q&A with Steve Earle. I've got his new one, "Townes" on order.

Rides

Seven US cars worth saving.

Guns

A Time piece looks at the looming constitutional battle over private firearms. Well worth reading.

Politics

Even AP knows the Biden stimulus claims are ridiculous.

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Politics

Nancy, just shut up. It's not like the Big Media is going to hold you to some ethical standard. Just let it slide, sweetie.

Sunday, May 10, 2009

History

The 10 worst presidents. From US News and World Report.

Bud Shrake, RIP

The Texan could write. This is the best article I found on his recent death.

The Reds II

Chavez shows Obama how a government takeover of industry is done the old way. Expect less oil, higher prices. When the industry finally collapses in Venezuela, the political fallout will be huge. Before that, the loss of production will push crude prices way back up. A few weeks back Chavez was reportedly bringing Big Oil firms back to clean up his mess. But it sounds like he had decided to go in another direction.

The Reds

No criticism allowed of the original Big Red machine.

Mark Steyn

On the Republican Party. From National Review.

UK politics

Not all the jackasses and scoundrels are in our government. The Brits have their share.

Politics

Washington gets the states hooked on its product. From the Cato Institute.

Your Sunday Free Tune

Not the greatest technically, but this a terrific version of "Piece of My Heart" with Janis Joplin. Catches the passion beautifully.

Friday, May 8, 2009

Torturing the truth

Oh my! Are you saying Democrats knew about the tactics employed against prisoners. Who'd a thunk it? Well, the CIA ain't taking all the weight for anybody.

NFL

A great piece on Jim Hanifan the broadcaster. Be sure to read the bit about his hamstring injury. The fans like him, so of course the Rams are booting him out of the booth. Maybe Alex Barron will hire him as a tutor.

Great moments in film

Who's pickin' the banjar here?" "

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Politics

Roger Simon calls bull on the John Edwards mess. I bet Oprah doesn't ask Simon on her show.

Health

Oprah follows the lead of noted medical expert Jenny McCarthy.

Match of the Week

Abdullah the Butcher vs. Andre from Puerto Rico. Don't look for much chain wrestling here.

Speech

Michael Savage talks back to the BBC. He's his usual charming self, but no threat to the UK.

Economics

The British raise tax rates. Soak the rich! Don't be surprised when Amy Winehouse moves to Atlanta

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Politics

Dems give Specter his just reward.

Speech

Ezra Levant recounts his battles against the Canadian "Rights" mafia. It's from Reason.

Free speech

Sure he's a loud-mouthed jerk, but is Michael Savage really a threat to the UK? I ask this because as another loud mouthed jerk, I'd like to know if they're going to blacklist me as well.

More MMA

Freak show fights featuring the likes of Butterbean and Bam Bam.

MMA

Wasn't it just the other day that Chuck Liddell was the monster of MMA. Now, he may be calling it quits.

Jack Kemp

Jack Kemp's big ideas recalled by Larry Kudlow. The light of the Reagan Era shined brightly on Kemp. It was a great time.

Economics 101

Robert J.Samuelson talks about the need for more oil and gas. "It's insane not to encourage U.S. production."

Sunday, May 3, 2009

Books

The Edgar Award winners for 2009. Take note, the great James Lee Burke is now a Grand Master.

Movies

Wolverine. It's not smart, but it's fun. And from Slate, a look back at the origins of this durable comic colossus.

Saturday, May 2, 2009

Need a laugh?

Dang, John Cleese is a funny man. The Germans.

On the border

Time goes down into the tunnels.

Jack Kemp, RIP

The conservative leader was once the bright hope of the Republican Party. It never happened for Kemp, but he led quite a life.

My Sunday column

So, Dalton Mayor David Pennington flirted with the idea of running for governor. Too bad the recently announced candidacy of U.S. Rep. Nathan Deal spooked Pennington out of the game.
Georgia needs a good candidate with a minimum of ties to Washington and/or Atlanta politics in the race.
Was Pennington that guy? Maybe not, but stranger things have happened — like an untested, African-American senator from Illinois becoming president of the United States.
At the state level, I’m sick of the current crop of politicians.
Georgia needs a give ‘em hell type, someone who’s made his fortune doing things boldly and independently — a Southern-fried Jesse Ventura.
(Mr. Wrestling II comes to mind, but the aging grappler who used to thrill the state’s mat fans long ago moved to Hawaii.)
It would be nice if this White Knight hailed from our part of the state, but it’s not necessary.
What about Deal, the veteran congressman from Gainesville? Deal came to Congress a Democrat and switched parties after the Republicans’ strong national showing in the 1994 elections. Twelve years later, with that Republican wave clearly having crested, he’s ready to head back home.
I have never thought Deal showed much more than cursory interest in this part of the district. He knows where most of the votes are, east of the mountain. But Deal would vociferously dispute my view, as he did on a recent visit to town. The veteran congressman definitely has his loyal supporters here.
Deal has made his bones as a conservative. In probably his finest moment, he voted against the TARP legislation put forward by President Bush.
He would probably make a competent governor. It’s just that this state needs more than mere competence.
Georgia needs a leader, an innovator, and a fierce advocate for smaller government, freer markets, someone with the moral courage to battle a political system that sits engorged in Atlanta like a creature from an H.P. Lovecraft horror story.
We need Snake Plissken in an Armani suit. Or for you old-timers, John Wayne in a Brooks Brothers suit. But our political system doesn’t create many great leaders.
David Pennington isn’t Snake or the Duke, but he’s smart, focused, determined and unafraid of criticism.
That’s a starting place.
Maybe someone else with those qualities will step up.

• • •

The Daily Citizen staff scored big in the Georgia Associated Press Awards this year. We won 17 regular awards, including seven first places. We also received the Photo of the Year and Story of the Year. That doesn’t happen often.
Of course when a story like the bombing of the McCamy Law Firm occurs, your coverage of the event is sure to draw a lot of interest and scrutiny by peers in the industry. Doing things right when covering a breaking news story of that magnitude isn’t easy, but it’s the kind of challenge that keeps a lot of us in the business. Winning recognition as AP’s Story of the Year is very satisfying.
The newspaper industry, like a lot of other industries, is struggling through these tough economic times. We have not been immune to this in Dalton. Our staff isn’t as big as it once was and every dollar we spend is looked at closely.
Yet our readership — print and online — remains strong. That’s because of the efforts of the people in the newsroom. Many of them have their names attached to specific awards this year, but the entire newsroom staff has been a part of this process. They are Wes Chance, Victor Miller, Larry Fleming, Jamie Jones, Charles Oliver, Lara Hayes, Daryl Cole, Misty Watson, Matt Hamilton, Rachel Brown, Marty Kirkland, Adam Krohn and Mark Millican. Each one of these people had a hand in what was accomplished last year and/or what will be accomplished this year.
Most of them worked on the bombing story and they did a great job, but the true measure of their professionalism is the effort they make on a daily basis, whatever the story.
I owe them my thanks.

Your Sunday Free Tune

Who says the gals can't rock? Chrissie and the Pretenders in the Middle of the Road. Live. A great incarnation of the band.

Politics

The American Spectator weighs in on America's new highway honcho. The man from MADD.

Friday, May 1, 2009