•Cynthia Tucker on Perdue's flag referendum promise.

It was a jarring moment, caught by TV news cameras as Georgia's governor-elect, Republican Sonny Perdue, celebrated his stunning victory Tuesday night.

As Perdue borrowed the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s famous oratory -- "Free at last, free at last, thank God Almighty, we're free at last!" -- to underscore the end of Democratic Party dominance in Georgia, one of Perdue's supporters, standing in the background, waved a flag emblazoned with the Confederate battle emblem.

Now Sonny has promised to bring the flag to a vote. However, he seems a little bit embarrassed by his race-baiting demagoguery. Tucker has some good level headed arguments and comments. She realizes that many people are being used.

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•SullyWatch with a great post and a great scoop.

Democrat Dave Freudenthal defeated Eli Bebout in the race for governor of Dick Cheney's home state, Wyoming. Republican outnumber Democrats two-to-one. So this defeat was special, but don't wait for Bush and company to bring it up.

In a story from the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle, Republicans tell why the voted Democrat for the first time in their lives.

Wood, 73, said she changed parties because she doesn’t like the direction the GOP is taking, on both the state and national levels.

"It’s swung too far to the right," she said midway through the evening.

"They (Republicans) don’t seem to be concerned with what’s best for the country, just what’s best for themselves,' she said.

There is some very good reading. SullyWatch also brings up the Johnson and Thune race from South Dakota. Petty much the same story as Republicans are voting as Democratic as they finally catch on to what the GOPers are doing. Maybe there is hope fopr the country.

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•A disturbing article on reinstatement of the draft.

Includes a nice little timeline of events. College and Canada would no longer be options to avoid it. I am sure wealth and political connections would still be.

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•What was the first word out of everyones mouth on Wednesday morning?

Did it begin with an "F"? Was the only vowel a "U"? Did you use it more than once? Well in honor of that word, a few links to help you more fully understand where the word came from, its proper use, and historical significance.

A Flash animation illustrating the most versitile word in the English language.

Ten historical uses of the word

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•The coming wave of conservative government is not going to be pretty.

Mark Morford of the San Francisco Gate:

As noted crusty and ruthless and largely unpleasant former Clinton adviser James Carville observed just after the election, "The American people just don't have a clue as to what's coming."

If you are female, gay, bisexual, atheist, black, immigrant, poor, progressive, intellectual, open minded, open hearted, if you hold alternative views, dress funny, dance, enjoy sex, read seditious literature, believe in peace and funky spirituality and don't particularly care for a sneering angry self-righteous well-armed anti-everything deity, you are about to find out. The hard way. And so is everyone else.

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•MWO reports a great bit from Crossfire.

Paul Begala lets lose with the truth after Bush's comments about Republicans running clean campaigns, and they can't handle the truth.

One of the more interesting aspects of the GOP gloat tour has been this, the White House straight faced asserts that Republicans who won, won because they waged positive campaigns. Oh? In Georgia they questioned the courage of Max Cleland, who had enough courage to volunteer for the Army, serve in Vietnam and lose both his legs and an arm in a grenade blast. His opponent never finished the Boy Scouts.

And in Texas, the Bushes ran an ad linking Tony Sanchez to the torture and murder of a DEA agent. Of course a Reagan Justice Department official came to Sanchez' defense, and the Austin (ph) American statesman said, "It gives sleaze a bad name."

Yes, sleaze has a bad name. It also has a new name: Bush. Shame on him.

Ouch, that is going to leave a mark. Actually it won't. Nothing like this will be reported by the conservative media, which is all media. Nobody will question Bush or the Republicans on this, lest they lose their white house press passes.

The initial stunned silence was followed by wild applause from the studio audience.

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•BLAH3 with a new Flash about the press.

The media has it own agenda now. There is no such thing as fair and balanced reporting.

Posted on Wednesday that I did not see, but really like:

Fair enough. They won, and now responsibility for stewardship of this great country rests with them. They now officially have enough rope to hang themselves.

War everywhere? They've got it now. Deficit spending? Done. Social Security? History. 9/11 investigation, Enron investigation, Energy Policy investigation? Only in Democrats' dreams. Birth control? Use it while you've got it. Better smoke what weed you've got and swear off, while you're at it.

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•Sax by Chambliss appears to help cover up of wildlife poisoning.

Sixteen exclusive hunting plantations were investigated by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources beginning in 1999 for poisoning quail predators. Poisoned eggs were used to kill animals that feed on quail eggs. Poisoned eggs and poisoned animals were found on all 16 plantations, yet only four were ever prosecuted. The fines imposed were minimal.

DNR employees are now saying that the investigations into these plantations, some owned by some of Georgia's most wealthy and influential people, were stopped dead by political pressure.

State documents also indicate that plantation owners were complaining to DNR management and to [current Senator Elect and then] U.S. Rep. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) about the investigation.

At one point, Chambliss' chief of staff, Rob Leebern, complained that some of the plantations were being harassed by the government investigators.

Federal officials and the EPA became involved, but the DNR pulled out of the investigations, and began reassigning people. Currently the EPA has some civil suits pending.

It seems Chambliss has the courage to cover up, and possibly to shoot little birds.

•State revenue is forecast to fall.

Tax collections are down $277 million from projections for the state. Barnes had ordered all state agencies to eliminate 3% from their budget. Governor elect Perdue will have some serious budget issues to deal with. Who else is thinking "tax cut for the wealthy!"

Georgia is not in as bad a shape as neighboring states. The Democratic government has tucked away $900 million for a rainy day, and luckily has not yet had to touch it. Who else is thinking tap into it and then "tax cut for the wealthy!"

•Bobby Brown thinks he should be charged with speeding and nothing else.

"I think I was speeding and I think that's what I should be charged with. As far as anything else, I don't think I should be charged with anything," Brown said.

So I guess we should not worry about having no drivers license, no proof of insurance, nor about that little bit about possessing marijuana. He did say he was sorry, and that makes it all better.

"I apologize to the people of Atlanta and I apologize to the judge whom I failed to appear in front of and I'm just sorry. I'm trying to get my life back together and keep it together."

What was that last part about the judge he failed to appear in front of? Oh those were charges from 1996 he had a bench warrant issued on, because he failed to appear in court. They include DUI, no proof of insurance, and changing lanes improperly. I guess it is taking longer than 6 years to get his life together.

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Driving in Puerto Rico

My first story from Puerto Rico.

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The Republican assault on women's right to control their reproductive system begins now.

[The new Senate Majority Leader, Trent] Lott says not only will important legislation dealing with homeland security and the economy be moved along quickly, but also a key issue of importance to Christians: a ban on partial-birth abortion.

Next up, not letting women drive!

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What's in Winnona's future?

More mediocre movies?

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Who would have thought he would get into trouble again?

Such a nice, clean-cut young man. I wish police would just quit picking on him! Whitney could not bail him out, because she tries to avoid driving while stoned.

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You said Governor Barnes' education reform was not working?

This is what it is about. Getting the young kids turned around. Barnes was pushing reform in elementary school and pre-school. You have to start from the bottom and work up.

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Governor elect Perdue starts screwing up the state now!

First step, find turncoat Senators. Perdue wants to find Democrats who will turn against the leadership that helped elect them. Of course, this is just what he did in 1998. He decided not to dance with the party that brought him there. While Republicans blasted Jeffers for doing this, it does not seem to be a problem to do this if you are changing to the GOP. Imagine the Republicans being hypocritical?

Next step, redistricting. They always say they want to make thing more fair. Georgia is truly a mess. There are slim districts that run through five counties, with the constituents having no geographical ties. Don't expect a fair layout this time.

Lets work on the state flag next! Perdue has campaigned on having a referendum on the state flag. He pounded the campaign trail with "Remember who changed your flag." Damn if does not already appear to be back pedaling.

On Wednesday, he blamed the news media for raising the flag change as an issue in the campaign, but said, "We will convene in January and address the issue then. It is not at the top of my list."

Dumb, ignorant, racist rednecks get used again. I feel so bad for them. The Republicans used the flag platform to get these morons to vote for them. They have no intention of changing it. It is bad for business and bad for Atlanta. We do get to see what is most likely Perdue's first campaign lie with this issue.

Now lets screw up transportation. Perdue is against the Northern Arc and plans to kill it. Since the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority involves the poor having transportation into the wealthy suburbs, get ready to see that go.

Perdue is also likely to review the operations of the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority, which Barnes created, and the state Road and Tollway Authority with an eye toward making changes in their operation. "I am a person who judges plans and productivity by results and I don't see any from GRTA," Perdue said during the campaign.

He plans to push telecommuting. Which is all fine and good, but the fast majority of jobs cannot be accomplished over a computer cable. The push on that fad has seen its time come and go. Georgia needs real transportation solutions now!

Do you think Georgians knew that this is what they were getting when they elected Perdue? Perhaps not.

Perdue's views on many issues are unknown to many Georgia voters because he didn't have the money for a competitive media campaign early on. In an Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll conducted late last month, 55 percent of respondents said they didn't know enough about Perdue to have an opinion of him.

Another story in the AJC covers how little people really know about Perdue.

"Honest to God, I don't know anything about him," Doran said as he walked his dog in the North Georgia town of Dahlonega. "If there were 10 men here, I couldn't pick him out. Is he related to the chicken people?"

Do you think Georgians voted for the man because they considered his platform and the effect it would have on their lives?

"I don't really know what Perdue will do," said Joyce Bolton, a grocer near Athens, "but I'm glad Barnes lost."

Finally, how about Perdue, a Republican, elected by white rural voters, using Martin Luther Kings famous quote to celebrate his election?

Frankie Wright of Snellville was offended that Perdue borrowed from the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. to declare in his victory speech that the state was "free at last, free at last, Thank God almighty, free at last" of Democratic rule.

"I really don't believe he said that," said Wright.

This should be interesting.

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Quote of election night.

"Well, that really could have gone better."

Josh Marshall of Talking Points Memo.

I laugh every time I read that. I have read it on his blog and almost every other blog.

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My thoughts on the parties and candidates.

The Republican party wanted it, fought for it, and won it. They also showed that misrepresenting themselves and negative campaigning works. They have convinced the middle that they are fighting for them, when it is fairly obvious that they were not. The Republican strategy of using the 9/11 and the war to obscure the truth worked. Now watch the party lurch right, and right into the front pocket of big business. They ran one hell of a campaign.

The Democratic Party showed complete incompetence. They never developed a platform. They never really explained the differences between a Republican and a Democrat to the voters. They never showed how the Republicans were misrepresenting themselves. They were scared and timid. Some Democrats veered into conservative policies. However, why would somebody vote for an imitation Republican when they could vote for the real thing. Democrats need to stand up for their core beliefs, and still appeal to the middle. That is what Clinton did so successfully. How is an imitation Republican ever going to inspire the Democratic base to get energized?

I think Barnes did a great job as Governor. He did what needed to be done, knowing it was unpopular. The only way the flag issue was going to be fixed was by ramming it through. Somebody had to be the bad guy. The same with the Northern Arc and transportation issues. I think Barnes's education reform was indeed working. SATs are really no benchmark. Children that age have had their education patterns cemented a long time ago. His campaign was pathetic, however.

Perdue? Lucky to be there. He misrepresented Barnes and himself. If he brings up a flag referendum like he promised, there will be consequences. I hate to see the repercussions for Atlantans. After his career as an elected official, I see him as spokesperson for Moon Pies!

Cleland is the man. With two legs and an arm left in Vietnam, he was pleased as punch to be serving his state and country. He had a few miscues and not a very effective campaign. He really should have hammered on the fact that he was one of the senators that first suggested a Department of Homeland Defense when Bush was still against it. He needed to explain that he could not vote for it because of some ill-advised parts that Bush was insisting on. Nobody ever really brought that up.

Chambliss is truly a piece of garbage in my opinion. Anybody who questions a war veteran and triple amputee on courage is scum. I don't think Chambliss would have the courage to get out of bed, much less serve his country, if he was missing three limbs. When the record shows he used all deferments at his disposal to avoid service, that makes him even lower. I wish some television ads of him jogging would have been made while talking about the "bad knee" that kept him out of the war. His twisting and distorting of Clelend's voting records probably had Bush more aroused than viagra. The most telling thing had to be his speech after Cleland conceded. He did not say that he was pleased to be working for the people of Georgia, he specifically said that he was so happy to be working for George W. Bush. A rather interesting comment.

The press is not liberal. The right keeps yelling that as the press moves farther and farther to the right. They have figured hugely in the last two elections. They personally like Bush, so avoid bringing up question and stories that may be embarrassing to him. The hated Gore and pounded on him, keeping up the Republican misrepresentations. Fox News is a joke. MSNBC had Rush Limbaugh as a political commentator? CNN keeps veering to the right trying to hold conservative viewers. The press needs to become impartial again. Worry about truth, not ratings.

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The people of Georgia and the people of the country have spoken.

I don't like the results, and I do not like what is about to happen to our country, but that is the American way. I will live with it. Actually, as a straight white male, who is single with no children, many of the policies I am worried about will not affect me. I still think America could have done better. My worries? These are local and then national.

1) Georgia Governor Elect Perdue has said that he plans to hold a referendum on the state flag. Barnes accepted a lot of heat for changing the flag. It was a political hot potato that nobody wanted to touch. Yes, he rammed the change through. It was the only way it was going to get done, however. Georgia needed it changed. If they try to bring back the old one, their will be serious backlash to Atlanta, and some for Georgia. This issue needs to go away.

2) What will happen to the Northern Arc? This is another political hot potato and a huge example of "not in my backyard" politics. We need a complete outer perimeter. An outer perimeter that is complete will drain a very high percentage of trucks off 285 and other highways around Atlanta. People forget this. Trucks are a huge percentage of the traffic on 285, and a huge factor in accidents. Safety and energy savings would be big. Commute time would be greatly helped. The odds of getting a complete outer perimeter decrease as sprawl eats up the land that is needed. It would be almost impossible to get one now, but the Northern Arc as a partial perimeter would be a help. Many more delays and it will vanish also.

3) Schools are going to be hurt. Barnes was hammered by the last place SATs of Georgia. However, by the time kids are taking the SATs their scholastic efforts are pretty much set. The younger children have been doing better, and I believe Barnes was on the right track. Republicans normally divert money away from schools and children's programs. Other than trying to get part of their children's private schools tuition paid for by pulling money out of the public school system through vouchers, I don't see the Republican party doing much for children.

4) Locally and nationally I see children being the victim in this election. More specifically I see middle class and poor children being hurt. Read this editorial on this how children faired in this election. Republicans pandered to the seniors with promises of low cost prescriptions. Where do you think that money is going to come from? The huge tax cuts are also going to pull money out of programs for children. The huge tax cuts Bush has pushed through, where families with incomes of over $1.5 million a year will save $85,000 in tax cuts and families with an income of $20,000 save only $375, will become permanent. Deficits are increasing and are going to surge over the next 6 years. Do you think the government is now going to cut defense spending or quit handing out million and billion dollar bailouts to the companies that give them most of their campaign money?

5) Young seniors and older middle class are really going to pay the piper. Kiss Social Security good-bye as any serious form of supplemental retirement. The money will not be there as the baby boomers flood into the senior set. It is being drained, and will be depleted, by our Republican government. Defense contractors and oils companies will benefit, as will the richest of Americans. No form of Gore's lockbox plan will ever be setup. Company retirement plans will continue to be raided by their companies or just wiped out by a crashing stock market. Privatization will only further hurt it.

6) Women's productive rights will be devastated. Roe vs. Wade will be revisited, and if Republicans remain in power for more than 2 years, their will be enough votes on the Supreme Court to overturn it. It would take 30 years to change it back. Even if you factor out abortion, any type of planned parenthood and education about birth control and safe sex is going to be continually attacked and gutted by the right wing. Confused young women will be left without knowledge and information. The Republicans will let them lead this battle. Once all the birthrate skyrockets among young women, and poor young women, do you think the social services to help these babies and their mothers will be there? Mothers mired in poverty cannot afford the $6000 a year it costs to keep a child in daycare. There will be no programs to help them- see #4. There will be more babies in need and less money. The right wing wants the babies born, but does not seem to care about them once they are.

7) The environment is shot. Bush and the Republicans will gut every piece of environmental legislation. They have showed no shame in doing so before this election, and will only become more open about it now.

I could list more, but those are probably the top issues. Again, the impact of these on me is minimal. I think that the impact on the country will be huge in the coming years. Correcting these problems in the future will be almost impossible. Some leftist thinkers are envisioning a return to the gilded age. That may be an extreme statement, but one based partially in truth, I believe. However, while not an overwhelming mandate, the people have spoken. I hope they are now prepared.

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Some new machines have a little trouble switching votes.

It was apparent to the voters when it happened, evidently. It is very clear who you are voting for when you push the button, unlike the old style machines. You see a big "X" and the area in front of the name becomes orange/red. Even if it did it some, you could not help to notice it. You also have an opportuntiy to review and correct any votes before you submit them. This should not be a problem. If I was mean spirited like most Republicans I would say, "if you cannot see that you a making a mistake, maybe you shouldn't be allowed to vote," like they did during the Florida ruckus. But I am not that mean. I certainly do not see the problem affecting any races. It happened to only a few machines early in the day.

You can see the ballot in this picture. The large red boxes with a "X" show your vote as you push the buttons. If the wrong one lit up, you would see it right away.

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Do you want to know why Bush is President?

A quick and easy lesson by Alterman. Bush was charming, Gore was hated, and the press served us pablum that had nothing to do with issues and consequences of electing either candidate. There is no liberal media, and very little media of consequence. A read for everyone.

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New voting machines in Georgia given thumbs up!

They like them! They really like them!

Turnout appears to be heavy.

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Little Five Points going upscale?

The home for hippies, punks, Goth kids, tattoo parlors, second hand shops, and anything out of the ordinary is facing pressure from developers. As "inside the perimeter" continues to revitalize, property values climb, locals are forced out, and little quaint areas become homogenized. So now Little Five Points may become home to another Wal-Mart and Home Depot strip center, or some such bland suburban combination of box stores.

I venture into Little Five Points periodically to catch plays at the Horizon Theater. It is always a pleasure to see little Goth girls running around, tattooed people parading, lines snaking out of popular restaurants and bars, as well as homeless men humming trash barrels at each other. There are shops with incense drifting out the door, second hand stores featuring clothes like my mom used to wear in the '70's, art galleries featuring anything but, and funky little restaurants. It is Atlanta's most diverse and outrageous are. To think that it can now all be ruined by 800,000 square feet of corporate consistency does appall me.

Now don't get me wrong, I like corporate consistency as much as the next guy. When I am in a strange town, I like knowing that I can get a mediocre meal that is just like the mediocre one I can get in my home town. That is comforting. That is not what Little Five Points is about, however. I hate to see the changes that the winds are blowing.

You Neanderthal Ninnies!

One of the greatest comedic villains to ever appear on the small screen has passed away. I would say unexpectedly, but at 87 years of age, it really isn't unexpected. Jonathan Harris, known to millions as Dr. Zachary Smith, after a blood clot reached his heart while being treated for an unrelated illness. He shall live on in reruns for many decades I am sure.

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Police car has religious symbol added by officer.

Driving home today from work, I was passed by an Alpharetta Police car. Alpharetta is a bedroom community of Atlanta. It is maybe 20 miles north of the city. It has it own government, city hall, police and fire department. What amazed me about the car, tag number 131031 and car number 85, was that it had a little fish symbol on the back of the trunk lid. Who would have thought that the separation of church and state could be broken by a display on a police car? Police, who are trusted to protect and serve, displaying a religious preference seems odd. I wonder if Alpharetta would look the other way if one of its cars displayed the Star of David or an Islamic symbol? How about if one of it officers displayed the little evolution fish with feet? Probably not.

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Texas and Religion make great bedfellows.

Where else but Texas can a Christian school teacher become impregnated by a 13-year-old student. Praise the Lord! I bet she wishes she had been teaching sex education! What a shame the religious right wouldn't let her.

When can we start publishing the political affiliation of child molesters? I can see it now:

Republican John Noname was arrested by Anywhere County police officer and Democrat Bill Goodman for molesting 8th grader and political independent Suzy Littlegirl. Noname is a church deacon and pro-life protester who may now add child molester to resume. He voted for Reagan twice, and Bush twice, although one Bush was younger than the other. He feels abortion is evil, but thinks little girls feel just dandy. He has said abortion should be outlawed in all cases, unless it involves getting rid of evidence, say his in the belly of a minor girl.

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Watch, email link to friends, and then vote on November 5.

Again, watch this, email link to friends, and then vote on November 5. Ask if any Democrats you know need rides to a polling station.

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Water should remain in the government's control.

In the book and movie Dune, water is bought and sold. Water is a much desired but scarce commodity. Water is a sign of wealth. And in fact, water is life.

Can Georgia be getting closer to that? With booming sprawl and a litigious battle over water flowing in the Chattahoochee with neighboring states, will water become a resource that is bought and sold? The Atlanta Journal Constitution is a little bit worried about that:

Now that Georgia -- known for its lush green landscape -- faces a crucial water shortage, some experts argue that the market is the best way to value and distribute water. But water-market experiences in other parts of the country and the world paint a grim picture of greed, injustice and environmental neglect:

In Texas and California, business has won the right to buy and sell water and water rights. Speculators can control important aquifers and through mismanagement even delete them to dangerously low levels. In Bolivia riots have broken out when the government has privatized the city's water system, and in the middle east, war could break out over, not oil, but water.

Georgia has been in a statewide drought for many years. Watering restrictions have become commonplace year round. Moratoriums on new construction have slowed growth and hurt the house building industry. This is prime picking for an "Enron" like management company to come in and privatize water distribution. Is our government moving that way, even though most Georgians assume that water will always be managed by our local government? Recommendations by the Joint Water Plan Study Committee do not include any such statements, as again the AJC points out:

Language guaranteeing that withdrawals from streams or underground aquifers would not impair long-term use and sustainability of the environment was deleted. While some committee members said it wasn't necessary, no state law or court decision guarantees that protection.

This is an issue that Georgians should stay on top of. Any legislation needs to be very specific on water being managed for the state's and it citizen's well being, not the well being of a private company's bottom line.

Probably not the best way to get you fiancé's attention.

Dawn Kirk has been accused of stalking herself. The 24-year-old stalked herself via the internet for a while, and then even escalated to stalking herself in person. Probably a bad idea to get the Roswell police involved. Then they ended up calling in the FBI. Now Dawn is facing up to five years is prison. The relationship with her fiancé has ended.

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Hey everybody, President Bush just called my house! No Foolin'!

I am sure you all are cynical, but it was really him. I didn't get to talk to him because I was busy using the bathroom and couldn't get my pants up in time, but he left me a message on the machine. Yes, the President left me a personal message. What did he want? Well he wants me to make America stronger, safer, and better by voting for John Cornyn for Senate and Rick Perry for Governor. He also wants me to vote for the rest of the Republican team. He said that one vote could make a difference. Well, maybe if it is the vote of a Supreme Court Justice, certainly not mine. Still, it was nice to hear from him.

I do question how smart the President is, however. See I live in Atlanta, Georgia- hence the blog name "Notes from Atlanta." So what is he doing calling me? Those guys are running in Texas and I can't vote there. Is he encouraging illegal voting? That could get me in trouble. I don't know, because surely he could see by the area code he dialed that I do not live in Texas. I hate to think that Bush is encouraging anything against the law and I don't think that he would, therefore he must just be plain stupid to have called me all the way in Atlanta.

I kind of wish I could have talked to him, because I had a question to ask him. I wanted to know what he thought about this one stock I have, and whether or not I should sell it. He seems to have great insight about stuff like that.

You know, with him taking time to call me himself and all, I am kind of sorry I didn't vote for him in 2000. If he wasn't a drunken, service avoiding, lying, blathering idiot who can't control his kids, much less his country, I would consider voting for him in 2004. Oh well, I guess I will just have to save the tape...... Oops.

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