Wednesday, October 15, 2003

The Rogue Mayor I live in Atlanta, GA, and if you want to relive the days of dirty southern politics, this is the town to see and hear it all. As "progressive" as this town is thought to be, it truly is a steamy, Faulkner-like "Mayberry" at its core. Some examples of the Atlanta Mayberry Hall of Fame? Although Ted Turner prides himself on being a Secular Humanist, as well as being rather liberal in his politicals leanings, this is the same "Boss Tweed" who pays his minions (or at least used to) far less in salary than his competitors.  The words "sweat shop" comes to mind. To add insult to injury, this "progressive" showed his true southern roots by remaining sock-less when he wed Ms. Fonda years ago.  How redneck can you get? Trust me; I used to work at the "Fatherland."  His philosophy was "Hey, if you don't want the job, there are hundreds of college graduates who will."  At a later date, I will really discuss the horror of working for "The Evil Empire." Yet, this man didn't participate or instigate one really philanthropic endeavor that supported the City of Atlanta.  And he gets a ballpark named after him.  Again, how redneck can you get? We have a Governor who was basically elected by the left-over cast of "Deliverance," because Gov. Sonny "Bubba" Purdue promised to return the state flag to it's original Confederate flag design. With these major "Ripley's Believe it or Not" revelations, all eyes are on the City of Atlanta. But the maelstrom that is about to come down upon the Honorable Mayor of Atlanta, Shirley Franklin, is the most incredulous in my opinion and misdirected. The real culprit that created the mess should be held accountable. Former Mayor Bill Campbell was a breath of fresh air in the mud-slinging Atlanta political scene, or so it seemed at the time he was elected in 1994.   Campbell seemed to energize the Vox Populi both white and black, and fed off of the success of one of the most influential mayors of Atlanta-- Mayor Maynard Jackson--and his campaign to make Atlanta the host city for the 1996 Summer Olympics. During this time of glad-handing and back-slapping surrounding the Olympics, this man paid no attention to the needs of an aging city with a crumbling infrastructure--a large sinkhole, created by an aging sewer and water system killed a woman when her car fell into the hole,  a year before the Olympics came to town--and chose to focus on the greed of the event at hand.  Oh, and let's not forget giving the homeless their own steamer trunks and telling them to get lost during the Olympics. Let's jump to 1999.  One of his trusted aides quits and then tells local authorities that Ole' Bill has been "dippin' from the till."  Allegedly, Mayor Campbell was taking payoffs.  But name him "Teflon Bill," because 11 members of his administration, including some of his top people, were convicted of the same thing, but he remains untouched at this point, sliding off the hot frying pan with ease.  And let's not forget the alleged Hartsfield Airport vending contracts, airport runway contracts given out to  friends of "Dippin from the Till Bill." And who, now, has to bear the brunt of this man's laziness and inattention to basic matters of the city's overall health?  Mayor Shirley Franklin. If any Atlanta citizen had a doubt about this woman's strength, they don't now. There was no real "honeymoon" period for the Franklin administration.  She came into office with a huge budget deficit landing in her lap. Mayor Franklin had the unwanted task of telling her staff, as well as other agencies under the aupspices of the City of Atlanta that they were being laid off. If that wasn't bad enough, just yesterday Mayor Franklin announced a 3 billion dollar infrastructure renewal plan that would cause water and sewer charges to triple within the next three years for Atlanta citizens. The reason?  Well, I'm sure others will conclude different things, but it is my feeling that the reason lies with the laxness and inefficiancy  of Bill Campbell and his staff.  How many folks told him that it was time to fix the crumbling sewer system since 1994?  I'm sure there were plenty.  But instead of focusing on how shit runs downhill, Mayor Campbell was concerned with other pressing issues.  Toward the end of his tenure, he spent most of his time playing the race card and claiming he was being investigated and targeted because of "racial reasons." So, now Mayor Franklin has the unwanted task of asking for state and local funds to help with this massive overhaul.  She is asking for at least 1 billion dollars from each.  She won't get it.  We are still in the middle of a recession and state and local budgets are already tapped out as far as they can go. Mayor Franklin, again, has to play the bad cop and tell her constituants that they are going to have to fork over, on average,  a total of 175-200 bucks for their water and sewer bill over the next five years.  And that's just private homeowners.  Commercial businesses can expect to pay upwards of 77,000 dollars in water/sewer bills. And where is Bill Campbell during all of this?  Oh, he's now a "radio talk show host."  I'd like to see some local media folks step up to the plate and start asking this man some real questions. The citizens of Atlanta, and the state of Georgia, deserve some answers.       4:48:40 PM    comment []

Sunday, October 12, 2003

Hurricane Boneesha? Okay, I pride myself on being pretty liberal in my political thought, and even in the year 2003 I still feel like there are certain injustices that need to be corrected with regards to the large number of minorities in this country. Yes, we have come a long way, but the level of racism is still pretty high in America.  The difference is that it's sometimes more hidden and subtle. But, at the same time,  sometimes I really think the PC Patrol has gotten way out of hand. US Representative Sheila Jackson Lee, from Texas, is outraged.  No, not over unfair housing practices against minorities, not over the proposed cuts in the federally funded Head Start program that President Bush wants so desperately to do away with, nor the increasing rise of African Amercian high school drop-outs.  Nope, Rep. Lee has bigger fish to fry. In a press conference, she stated her moral outrage that the names of hurricanes are racist, "too Lily white," and an equal number of minority and ethnic names should be given to hurricanes. Oh, I'm sure MLK, Jr. must be so proud, looking down on her. Knowing that he lost his life, so a Hurricane could be named "PDiddy." Is this what the civil rights movement during the 60's, where blacks and some whites were beaten, killed and hosed (literally and figuratively speaking) by Bull Connor and his southern cronies, really fought for? Yes, this is what those little girls in the Alabama church bombing lost their lives over: The fight to make sure hurricanes are named with ethnic/black names. Okay, fine.  Let's  name hurricanes Boneesha, Quantasia, Tyrone, Tawanna, etc.  No problem. However, I am going to hold my own press conference to discuss my own outrage that seems to be overlooked by our country and especially Rep. Lee. I think the names of new prescription drugs discriminiate against white people.  I'm tired of seeing new drugs with names like Propecia, Levitra, Flonase  This is blatant discrimination against all white folk in America! I'm going to plead with the drug companies to start creating drugs with names like,  "Dwight"  "Mary,"  "Phillip."   It's just not right that they pander to minority/ethnic names. I want my allergy medication  to be named "Hope."  I want my birth control pill to be named "Linda." I want my blood pressure medication to be named "Bill." I mean, this is America!  Who cares if an average of 2 American soldiers are being killed every day in Iraq?  Who cares that our economy is on the verge of tanking?  Who cares that we have an administration that would think nothing of barring Rep. Lee from joining their country club? Hell no.  I'm with Rep. Lee.  Certain things just have to be made right. Maybe I can get Jesse Jackson in on this.  Yes, he and his "Rainbow PUSH Coalition" can picket outside the offices of Glaxo Pharmaceuticals, shouting, "Down with Flonase, up with Hope" over and over and over.  Yes, we'll all lock arms, me, Jesse, Rep. Lee, Al Sharpton.  We'll sway back and forth, while singing,"We shall Overcome." Maybe Joan Baez can write a protest song about it, too.       10:26:52 AM    comment []

Saturday, October 11, 2003

Ahhnold!!!  Da new Governor !!   Is dis da house of Ahnold? Is this some sort of David Lynch production that we all just don't know about?  I'm waiting for that dwarf from "Twin Peaks" to dance across my room any second.  (note: that same dwarf is on HBO'S "Carnivale" too). A testosterone laden,"Eee-di-ot" makes his Aryan descent to the California 'Chancellorship'?  Sorry, I can't forget his thoughts on Hitler. Gray Davis was no winner--in office or out--but is this what American politcs has come to? In my heart of hearts I feel that recalls are un-American.  Davis was voted into office by a  majority, therefore that majority is stuck with who they sent there, and that means for the full four years.  Hanging Chads be damned, if we are allowing recalls of politicians like they are defective Firestone tires, then at least give me a decent "re-tread."  Governor "Plow-job" (Ahnold's accent laden words for a certain sexual act) makes Clinton look like he's a part of the Vienna Boys Choir, yet I sure don't see Baby Huey Karl Rove, Baby Huey Ken Starr, or the rest of the "boys" denouncing Ahhnolds' debauchery.  Oh no, if the nominee is part of the Grand Ole Party boys, then we can all look the other way, especially when Gov. Plow-Job says "I'm sorry."  Is that all it takes?  Do you mean Bill Clinton just had to say he's sorry?  Damn, someone phone Hillary!  The Lynchian feeling of this "movie" extends to the obvious ironic bonding of the Kennedy/Schwarzenegger clans. The comparisons between JFK and Gov. Plow-Job are just to obvious for me to even comment.  The Democratic pundits are urging all of us to support Gov. Plow-Job, for the good of California and its citizens, because he may be just the man to fix the ailing budget, etc.   But this man, at his core, has had NO formal political experience!  And he's not an Eisenhower either.  Okay, what's next?  Martin Sheen for President? Sister Cleo as Secretary of Defense? (being that she is a pretend psychic and all ).  Why do I envision a scene like this?: Gov. Plow-job meets with state leaders, California US Representatives, etc., and he asks two female interns to help him with his presentation. Sen. Diane Feinstein rises to ask him how he plans to deal with immigration in the state,  and to make a point about illegal immigration he grabs the breast of one intern, and then grabs the behind of  the other intern and says, "okay pretend dis is Calee-forn-ya, <holding the first intern's breast> and dis is Mex-ee-co <holding the other intern's behind>"...okay I'll shut up.   9:23:01 PM    comment []

Thursday, October 09, 2003

Hello!  Read, or don't read.  But, if you do read, try playing the opening theme from Ken Burns' "Civil War" series as you follow along.  Either that, or some Wagner.  Right now, I just finished watching some Juliette Binoche film, where she tries to protect this murderer (reformed) from the Guillotine.  Well, not to give away the ending or anything, but there is one line that Ms. Binoche utters at the very end of the film that I feel sums up the state of our economy at this very moment: "It didn't work; They had to finish the job with an axe." That's all for now! 4:09:30 PM    comment []