The Political Vine

Cable TV Could Get Its Mouth Washed Out.pdf
To view the following document, you will need Adobe Acrobat. Click on the image to download the latest version of Abobe Acrobat.
Click Here to view.
Click here to download

Clarifications

Have you ever read those instructions on stuff you buy in the pharmaceutical section of your grocery store? The ones that say "WARNING: Not to be used by persons under the age of 'X'." Or, the ones that read "WARNING: Do not use if you have these symptoms..."

We feel we need to, on occasion, warn our viewing audience of the following:

WARNING: If you are involved in politics in any manner (whether running for office, working for a candidate, holding a state party position, or county party position, etc.), you should be prepared to one day see your name in the Political Vine.

The Political Vine is a newsletter that prides itself on being able to provide facts, information, humor, and satire within an environment that sometimes escapes all bounds of normalcy. That is, the arena of politics.

So, it amazes us that people take things we write about SO seriously. Take, for example, this little blurb we wrote in the Teaser section of last week's Political Boxers:

"A Surprise At This Weekend's State GOP Convention? You Don't Say! Is it the possibility that Sadie Fields and Linda Parker will miss Sunday's Prayer Breakfast because they stayed-up too late Saturday night playing Texas Hold-Em against Paul Bennecke, Randy Evans, and Nick Ayers...or, will something else be amiss? Hmmm...No one but the Shadow Knows!"

From what we've heard, Linda Parker was quite upset with the mere mention of her name in this, as if we were accusing her of something. Had she actually read it...carefully...(as opposed to hearing some other knucklehead explain what his/her interpretation of it to her), she should have seen that there was NOTHING in it that criticized her. Or Sadie Fields. Or, Paul Bennecke. Or, Nick Ayers. Or, Randy Evans.

This is what is called "satire." See, we know that Linda and Sadie would never be playing a game of Texas Hold 'Em because that is a gambling game. However, for just the teaser (something designed to get people to open-up and read what could be true or to catch-up on what is true, or to just laugh at an impossibility, like the late-night card game), this was presented. Nothing in the text of the Boxers contained any other mention of Linda Parker, or Sadie Fields.

Are you folks getting this? DON'T take things or yourselves too seriously. If everything must be taken seriously, we advise you to exit the world of politics, post haste. Because if this little stuff in the Political Vine rattles you, the real world of politics should make you check-in to the Psych Ward of Grady Hospital.

Corrections

Last issue, we printed a rumor concerning Cobb County School Board Member Laura Searcy and her possible run for state house against current State Rep. Matt Dollar. We have been informed by Ms. Searcy that she doesn't live in his district.

We were also informed by Ms. Searcy that if we wanted to know the "truth" about the laptop situation in Cobb that we should call her. Now, we did try to reach her at the number she provided, left a message, and are still waiting for her call back.

However, we thought it might be kind of instructive to the folks in Cobb to see for themselves just how good Ms. Searcy's communication skills are. Now, remember, this is someone who is SITTING on the Board and is responsible for making decisions on how money is spent, on what is taught, and other aspects of the school district. This is what Ms. Searcy wrote to us, verbatim:

"Subj: recent adition
Date: 5/5/2005 1:41:22 PM Eastern Standard Time
From: Laura.Searcy [at a non-Cobb County e-mail domain]
To: politicalvine@aol.com
Sent from the Internet (Details)

I would appr3eciateit if your would casll me. So I canset you straight on a few facts that yoy seem to be missing. Like thae act that though the MDJ keeps printing it, there is no $100 milliond dollar laoptop plan. There is $25 million dollar contract period to that is consistent with the technology portion opf SPLOST. And I don't even live in Matt Dollar's District! If you are interested in hearing from a Republican elected official of 8 years about truth, call em."

Now look, folks, we know we misspell things sometimes, but, then again, we ain't (sic) sittin' (sic) on no danged (sic) county school board mulling over multi-million dollar decisions on how best to improve the school system!

Who Be Runnin' For What - Part Doe...(note: we certainly wouldn't want to outshine a Kobb Kownty skule bored member)

Senator Preston Smith (R) is considering a bid for Attorney General.

Robert Highsmith (R), former Deputy Executive Counsel for Governor Perdue (a position now taken over by the very competent Rebecca Sullivan, whom, we hear, loves meeting Open Records Requests head-on), was introduced in Savannah by Randy Evans as being highly qualified for the Attorney General position, and is firmly in the race for the Republican nomination for AG.

Senator Brian Kemp (R) will officially announce this Thursday of his intention to run for State Agricultural Commissioner.

A possible primary opponent for Kemp will be Gary Black (R/D/?), who is currently President of the Georgia Agri-business Council. Black has worked as a lobbyist for the AgCouncil and has many friends in the agriculture community. Most interesting about Mr. Black is that in the 2004 Presidential Preference Primary, he voted in the Democratic Primary. Hmmm...wonder if he was a Kerry or an Edwards supporter?

A possible replacement for Kemp's senate seat will be Kemp's brother in-law, Bill Cowsert.

Brent Brown (R) is considering another bid for Labor Commissioner.

Former Senator Mike Crotts (R) is itching to run for something, perhaps Secretary of State or Insurance Commissioner.

On the Democratic side, a guy by the name of Shyam Reddy will be opposing Carol Jackson for Secretary of State.

Mark of The Beast Discovered To Be "616", not "666"...

Rumors have it that the long-thought sign of The Beast in Protestant religions of "666" is actually (we kid you not), "616."

This was reported in, of course, the far-left, anti-Ann Coulter online publication of World Net Daily, so, who should possibly believe this story?

We wonder, how many people have been wrongfully demonized over the centuries because they had "666" somewhere on their person? How many street numbers have deliberately omitted the number "666" because of this misinterpretation of ancient texts?

Looks like Grand Rapids, Michigan will have to change their entire Area Code as it is "616"...wait until the fundamentalist, "everything-written-in-this-Bible-is-the-truth!" whackos find out the real Mark of the Beast is "616"...hoo-boy, if you have "616" anywhere in your name or business, better change it quick!

So, what does this, if accurate, have to do with politics? Well, if one were to observe and read all the stuff claimed by the Religious Uptight-Right that it is perfectly acceptable to intermingle politics with religious beliefs, the discovery of this new interpretation is pretty significant.

Why? Because if an interpretation such as this, which has been around for, what?...several centuries?...can be found to be an incorrect interpretation, what ELSE in the Bible might have been wrongly interpreted by the Uptight-Right with regards to their religious beliefs and practices?

Last week, the pastor at a church in North Carolina expelled 9 members of his congregation because they didn't vote for President Bush in 2004. This is insanity. This is the reason why religion should not be so infused in politics. Because doing so muddies the concept of religion...a concept that, is open to people's free will to read and understand on their own, not have it brow-beaten into them for the mere sake of someone winning an election.

Since it has been discovered that this major detail about Satan has been discovered to be incorrect, don't you fundamentalists think something ELSE in the Bible might also be incorrect? Like, maybe a lot of what you have been taught is a case of a whole bunch of Bible authors and scholars wrongly interpreting the old scrolls?...Hmmmm...gee, golly...ummm...

Speaking of The Beast...

Rumors have it that Republican candidate for Lt. Governor, Ralph Reed, has recently been hired by the Cable Television Broadcasters Association. His purpose? To fight any attempt at requiring any cable TV station to adhere to any decency standards set by the FCC.

Don't believe us? Think we're just an "Internet gossip column?" Checkout the uploaded PDF file we have attached above...this is the article from BusinessWeek Online that describes the whole story.

So, this is what we're kinda confused about: Reed says he's against the proliferation/expansion of casino gambling BUT, apparently, explicit sexual intercourse, whether homo- or hetero-, shown on Cable TV will be perfectly okay with him if that is what the cable broadcasters decide to show.

Yeah...Buddy. Gotta love that Ralph...always looking out for whatever principles come with a big check made-out to him attached to them...

Convention Review

Umm..it's really late in the evening..we have to put this to bed soon...let's summarize the convention as this:

The Grassroots have a valid beef about Alec's management of the party. Though it is true that we gained control over the state house and maintained control of the state senate, all decisions were made in a dictatorial fashion, with no real involvement from the grassroots folks. Dictatorships were supposed to go out with the defeat of Roy Barnes. Instead, we appear to have a dictatorship right now in the state Republican Party.

In years past, there was a sense of "party community" in which there was communication from the state party to the grassroots and there were party-building activities like Rusty Paul's "Advances" and Ralph Reed's "Road to Majority" events. There has been nothing coming out of the state party but this basic message: Give us your money, give us your time, now go blow it out your rear-end and don't bother us with anything.

However, this we can tell you: The one who calls himself "Anthony-Scott Hobbs" wasn't the correct Trojan Horse to ride in on. A) He isn't a leader. B) He's slimy. C) He's not very reliable when it comes to telling the truth..about anything, even the most minor thing.

One rather humorous event we were told about was that Anthony stood-up in Friday's state committee meeting and demanded copies of the Treasurer's Report. He was trying to get ahold of something so that he could assail Alec's management of the finances.

What is so humorous about this is that copies of the Cobb County GOP's "financial books" haven't been provided to their committee in OVER a year! Plus, we are quite concerned that Mr. Hobbs and his relationships with his Treasurer(es) have been one in which the Treasurer writes blank checks to Anthony for expenditures not related to the party, but related to his "Citizen Georgia" and other non-party related entities.

Anyway, Alec, though he was reelected without opposition, might want to look at mending fences with the grassroots. Because, come the 2006 election, the grassroots might be so pissed-off that when the party wants help in working for reelection for Governor or other positions, the grassroots' activists might tell the Party to blow it out their rear-end. So to speak.

Randy Evans' Columns...

Column No. 756 (5/4/05, Pre-Republican Convention)

As Georgia Republicans gathered again for their biannual state convention, a mix of comfort and angst emerged from delegates and visitors from across Georgia. History amply evidences some the self-defeating tendencies of the Georgia Republican Party. Indeed, there was a time when it appeared that the one-time minority party would simply not accept success as an answer.

Yet, in rapid succession, Republicans captured statewide Constitutional offices, control of the Georgia Congressional delegation, the Office of the Governor, and eventually control of both Houses of the Georgia Legislature. And, with a near perfect session of the General Assembly behind them, it appears clear that the newly elected Republicans can in fact govern and govern efficiently.

Within majority status, however, there are new challenges. Republican leaders have to decide what parts of their game plan to keep, and what parts are not well-suited for a majority party intent on staying in control. Having seen the demise of the Democratic Party of Georgia, whose preoccupation with power and control strangled its opportunities to grow and expand, Georgia Republicans must be sensitive to striking the right balance between consistency of message and the stifling of new ideas.

As the minority party, Georgia Republicans effectively identified the problems that plagued Georgia for decades as a result of one-party rule. In coping with these issues, Democrats had a couple of options. They could have opened their ranks and encouraged new and different ideas from a new tier of leadership. They did not. Alternatively, Democrats could close their ranks while demanding unwavering loyalty to the directives of their leadership without regard for the effectiveness or wisdom of their ideas. This is what they chose.

The result was an ever dwindling number of decision makers with fewer and fewer ideas. Eventually, the steady contraction lead to collapse. New leaders, new ideas, and a new generation found there was no place for them within the Democratic Party in Georgia. The result was minority status with the best hopes resting on the shoulders of a few rather than the efforts of the many.

As Democrats discovered, the problem with control, however, is that it tends to inevitably move in the direction of efficiency, uniformity, and consolidation of power. This is not a Democratic or Republican problem; it is a power problem. Republicans will suffer the same fate as their Democratic adversaries should they follow the same path.

Debate is good. Diversity is good. Different ideas are good. Make no mistake, these things also make governing exceedingly difficult. In a system that fosters political entrepreneurship, the challenges are much greater. Different ideas from folks with differing backgrounds prompt contentious debates. Yet, this often laborious process in fact increases the likelihood of finding effective solutions and better answers.

Because this process is so difficult, the natural tendency of leaders is to bypass it with demands of unwavering loyalty. This inevitably leads to political stagnation and deterioration.

The Republican majorities are still too young to succumb to the tendencies of seemingly perpetual power. Most are just glad to be in power and are quite sensitive to any actions that might jeopardize it. But as they mature, extraordinary attention must be given to making sure that the normal gravitational pull of political power does not take hold. Otherwise, they will follow the path of the d - dinosaur that is.

Column No. 757 (5/11/05 - Re-examining Wayne Williams)

Why after twenty years would a top law enforcement officer reopen a closed investigation where there has been a conviction for two of the cases? This is the question which DeKalb County Police Chief Louis Graham must answer as he reopens five of the more than twenty murders of children which became known as the Atlanta Child Murders.

It is easy to question the timing and motives of Chief Graham. After all, why now, and for what purpose? Cynics might charge that his sudden action after twenty five years of suspicion is little more than a media grab leveraging off of a well-publicized tragedy for either political or personal gain. Indeed, it is rather obvious that there are plenty of other unsolved crimes in DeKalb County that merit the time and resources of the DeKalb County Police Department. Devoting valuable resources (as many as five officers) today for a crime which some believe was resolved over twenty years ago with the conviction of Wayne Williams could certainly be questioned. So why?

The best answer is also likely the true answer - because we do not know for certain and it is that important. From fourteen year old Edward Hope Smith on July 21, 1979 until the discovery of Nathaniel Cater on May 24, 1981, Atlanta lived in terror as more than twenty of its children were kidnapped and murdered. Early answers proved to not only be wrong, but also the product of stereotypes based on the circumstances of the children who were the victims. As a result, most of the investigations were perceived at least to be focused on finding easy answers and quick solutions.

At the end of the day, Wayne Williams was convicted of murdering two adults - Jimmy Payne and Nathaniel Cater. The evidence included, in part, fiber and hair collected at crime scenes and in Williams' home. With Williams' conviction, twenty two were deemed solved as Williams was presumed to have been responsible. No one has been convicted for these murders.

Since Wayne Williams' conviction in 1982, there have been many technological and scientific advances in the area of fiber analysis and forensic science. If the murders of some celebrities remained unsolved, or in doubt, there would no doubt be a rush for further investigation given the scientific breakthroughs in recent years.
In the Atlanta Child Murders case, no eyewitnesses, no murder weapon, no confession, and no motive. A case from over twenty years ago built on sciences and techniques that have improved and become more reliable begs for review. Just DNA tests now available for the blood stains in Williams' cars could shed greater light on the facts of this case. But there is an even bigger reason for review.

People, especially the families of the missing and murdered children, deserve to know. There is no statute of limitation in Georgia for the crime of murder, and there is a reason. Law enforcement should never stop looking until the crime has been solved. When a pattern of crimes is so directed at one community, this is even more true.

DeKalb County Police Chief Louis Graham took a brave step when he announced he was reopening five of the Atlanta Child Murders' cases. More importantly, he took the right step.