Atlanta Out Loud

2007-02-23T16:52:00.000-05:00

State version of fair tax plan introduced - Atlanta Business Chronicle:

Mitch Seabaugh, a Republican from Sharpsburg, has introduced a constitutional amendment that would ax state ad valorem taxes, corporate taxes and personal income taxes in favor of a higher state sales tax on goods and services. Called the Georgia One Tax, it could be on the ballots for voters in 2008 and be effective Jan. 1, 2010.

This is exciting stuff, and would put Georgia in the group of states who have the fastest growing economies in the nation -- all of which just happen to have no income tax.

Georgia's current sales tax is 4%. Seabaugh's One Tax would cap the new sales tax at 6.5%, making the measure "revenue neutral."

Althought this would not accomplish the FairTax goal of abolishing the IRS, it would be a good step in the right direction and would accomplish the following:

~ Ensure current funding levels for all government programs
~ Bring transparency to taxes and government funding
~ Enable workers to keep their entire paycheck (at least the state tax portion) and decide when to be taxed.

It would also tax segments of the population who do not currently pay tax like: illegal immigrants, black market, drug dealers, prostitutes, tax evaders, etc.

What better way for Georgia to support John Linder's FairTax plan that to put our money where our mouth is and pass the state version. I'll be keeping a close watch on this one and hope you will support it too.

2006-11-04T14:38:00.000-05:00

I received this email from Kevin Cherry's campaign for Public Service Commission back when I was ranting and raving about Cathy Cox and Mark Taylor not showing up for Gay Pride this summer.

Kevin Cherry has been a long time libertarian. Under his leadership as the Chairman of the Douglas County LP, legislation was written by libertarians to limit eminent domain powers. This legislation was introduced in the GA General Assembly last summer. In the PSC you can count on Kevin to be a defender of private property rights and standing up to utility companies when it comes to eminent domain.

While Kevin is straight, he attended and his sons attended PRIDE in Atlanta this year for the third year in a row. He has gone in previous years to promote the Libertarian Party's outreach with Outright Libertarians. One thing that upset Kevin this year, was the amount of press coverage that was given to Mark Taylor and Cathy Cox for declining their invitations to PRIDE, yet candidates that were present were virtually ignored by the media. While many didnt feel that the PSC race has any bearing on Gay issues, Kevin said, "The Gay community pays electric bills too." Being gay myself, I'm proud to be working on Kevin's campaign, and have long valued his friendship.

Sounds like just the kind of guy we need at the PSC!

2006-11-04T14:16:00.000-05:00

This FairTax Scorecard is pretty darn cool. There's all kinds of good stuff there. But, click on "Scorecard" at the top and see where your elected officials -- both federal and state -- stand on the Fair Tax.

Here's the letter I've sent to my Congressman, John Lewis:

The Honorable John Lewis
United States House of Representatives
343 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515

Dear Congressman Lewis:

The Fair Tax Act, a nonpartisan bill sponsored by Representative John Linder (GA) and Senator Saxby Chambliss (GA), removes the burden of the income tax and other federal income-based taxes. I have written to you in the past urging you to support the Fair Tax.

Your response to me contained untruths and outright lies about the effects of the Fair Tax. It will not, as your response stated, "deprive the government of funding for critical programs." Indeed, most experts agree that the Fair Tax will actually increase federal revenues.

As a champion of the working class poor, I am surprised that you would not support a measure that COMPLETELY UNTAXES THE POOR up to the poverty level. That is not the case with our current tax system.

Congressman Lewis, please reconsider your positon. Allow Americans to keep 100 percent of their paychecks, pensions, and Social Security payments. Provide a prepaid, monthly rebate for every registered household. Allow families to save more for home ownership, education, and retirement. Raise the same amount of money for the federal government by taxing the underground economy. And, make American products more competitive overseas. Do all of that by supporting the Fair Tax.

As a constituent, I am disappointed by your current position, but I am downright angry by your unwillingness to tell the truth about the Fair Tax.

Sincerely,

Adam Langley

2006-10-11T22:32:00.000-04:00

Well, at least one media outlet is coming out of the closet and admitting they had the infamous emails provided to them by Democrats quite some time ago.

"I know this with absolute certainty because Harper’s was offered the story almost five months ago and decided, after much debate, not to run it here on Washington Babylon.

In May, a source put me in touch with a Democratic operative who provided me with the now-infamous emails that Foley had sent in 2004 to a sixteen-year-old page."

Now, who has the pages' best interest in mind and who is trying to use them to score cheap political points?

2006-10-11T20:34:00.000-04:00

Hat tip to Gay Patriot for this:

In December of 2003, CBS News reported:

"President Bush’s goal of cutting in half a projected $500 billion federal deficit within five years is being dismissed as too timid by conservatives, unachievable by analysts and laughable by Democrats."

A month later, January 2004, CNN almost laughed at the President:

"Like a cowboy-boot wearing David Blaine, President Bush has promised to perform an amazing feat of prestidigitation: he’s going to saw the whopping federal budget deficit in half in just five short years.

But some observers warn the budget proposal he will submit Feb. 2, which will include projections of a greatly reduced deficit by 2009, will be little more than smoke and mirrors — unless he and Congress can show a lot more fiscal discipline than they have recently."

For sure, the bozos need to show more fiscal discipline. But, CNN, CBS and all the rest of the liberal media have completely ignored the fact that the deficit has dropped to $250 billion, achieving Bush's goals three years early.

So, remember this...

1. Tax Receipts have SOARED 35% since the Bush tax cuts were enacted.

2. Economic growth has averaged 3.89% since the Bush tax cuts were enacted (Clinton's economic growth was 3.87%).

3. Kennedy/Johnson, Regan/Bush(41), and now Bush(43) have proved that tax cuts stimulate economic and job growth.

And also remember that Nancy Pelosi proudly promises to repeal the tax cuts if the Democrats win the House. Vote accordingly.

2006-10-05T21:39:00.000-04:00

Democrats Revive the Gay Witch-Hunt | Jeff Gannon.com

He continues to say it better than I can...

The reaction of Democrats to the Foley scandal has produced an unintended consequence. In their zeal to take down the GOP leadership of the House, they have ignited a gay witch-hunt on Capitol Hill. What will be the ripple effect through the rest of the country?

Democrats say all the warning signs were there: A man known (or suspected) to be gay, in a position of authority, working with underage boys. Nancy Pelosi is claiming that Hastert and Company should have known this was a potential pedophile situation and done something about it sooner. What more should they have done based on the information that Foley was "overly-friendly" with male pages? Remember, that is all the information they had - nothing of a sexual nature.

Should Hastert have called in the FBI to search Foley’s office? The evidence could have been put in the same locked room with the files taken from William “Cold Cash” Jefferson. Should Hastert have called the NSA to tap Foley’s phone and data mine his online communication? Perhaps Hastert could have invoked the Patriot Act to see what kind of books Foley had checked out of the library. Maybe Hastert could have used the SWIFT program to see if Foley had bought lavish gifts for teenage boys.

What of other potential pedophile situations? Should men who are known or suspected to be gay be allowed to hold positions of authority working with teen males in schools as teachers and administrators? Democrats say yes! Should the Boy Scouts be forced to put men who are known or suspected to be gay in positions of authority working with teen males as troops leaders? Democrats say yes! Should a gay curriculum be taught in public schools with explicit discussions between men who are known or suspected to be gay with young male teens? Democrats say yes!

Should Republicans object to any of these things? Democrats say no! How on earth could the Republican House leadership have done anything else with Mark Foley that would not be portrayed by Democrats as intolerant gay bashing?

What should House Republicans do now? Following the "logic" of the Democrats’ rhetoric about Foley, they should not only purge gays from Congress, but also from their own party and from every segment of American society that might be an environment for pedophilia. Democrats say yes!

2006-09-27T22:36:00.000-04:00

Attempted Gay Rape, Murder Gets Little Notice | JeffGannon.com

This is just weird, and no a little bit eerie. A 40yo Pennsylvania man drugged, raped and killed a 23yo college kid last week. The eerie part is that the victim's name is Jason Shephard, which reminds us of one of the most gruesome cases of gay-bashing of all times.

The weird part is that the media, and particularly the gay media, is ignoring this brutal murder. I found out about it at JeffGannon.com purely by chance as I was browsing around the web:

The Old Media is downplaying the shocking aspects surrounding the case of a 40-year-old Pennsylvania man who murdered a 23-year-old man college student after drugging and attempting to rape the victim. The report in the Aberdeen American opens with:

'A Northern State University student who was found dead last week in Pennsylvania was strangled after rejecting sexual advances from a sales manager for the company he was interning for, authorities have said.'

Rejecting sexual advances? Fighting off a rapist after being drugged and is rejecting sexual advances?

It's ironic that the victim is Jason Shephard, his last name recalling another case involving homosexuality and murder. When Matthew Shepard was killed in 1998 the case got worldwide attention as a symbol of anti-gay violence. Don't look for much reporting on Jason's case, however. The perpetrator is gay and the victim was described by a friend as 'staunch Republican who liked to talk about his faith.'

Do a Google search. There's no coverage of the crime outside of the Philadelphia area where it took place and the upper Midwest where Shephard was from. Nothing in the New York Times or the Washington Post or the Los Angeles Times. No weepy segments on the Today Show or The View (c'mon Rosie, tell us what you think.) The GLBT media has yet to report the story and probably won't. Why is that?

When I first read that, I thought it was a little far fetched. So, sure enough, I did a Google search. There were two pages of results, and not a single one of them linked to a media outlet outside of Pennsylvania. I went to the HRC website. Nothing. I did a search. Nothing. GLAAD is supposed to be the media watchdog for us. So you would think they would have something to say -- if not about the murder itself, at least about the media ignoring it. But you would be wrong. They did, however, have extensive coverage about the San Diego gay bashers from two months ago going to jail. The "Award-Winning National LGBt Newsmagazine" (de-emphasis mine), The Advocate, had to report on it, right? Not. A. Word.

Are our "non-partisan" gay 'leadership' organizations and gay media really so callously inflicted with tunnel vision that they wouldn't report on a brutal murder of a gay kid because "the perpetrator is gay and the victim was described by a friend as 'staunch Republican who liked to talk about his faith.'"? Say it ain't so. But, then, prove it.

The Matthew Shepard Foundation

Jeff Gannon - A Voice of the New Media: General Archives

2006-09-27T22:00:00.000-04:00

Dem Suicide Alert: Market Near All-Time High | JeffGannon.com

On Tuesday, the Dow closed at a 6 1/2 year high, its second highest close in HISTORY. Its been less than 2 years since Democrats were calling the American economy the 'worst since the Great Depression.'

Rep. Charlie Rangel, the man who would become chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee if Democrats take over in November marked the occasion by telling reporters that he would not renew the Bush tax cuts that produced this roaring economy."

2006-09-18T22:25:00.000-04:00

This was no way to run a Beltline | ajc.com

Wayne & Keith Mason are none too happy about the way they've been treated by the City of Atlanta. The signs are beginning to show of my cynicism coming true -- the City of Atlanta will find a way to screw this thing up.

Two years ago, the Northeast Atlanta Beltline Group bought 72 acres from Norfolk Southern Railroad, five miles of what is now commonly referred to as the Beltline.

This was the first and only private-sector purchase of a key segment of Atlanta's proposed 22-mile Beltline. The Beltline was the centerpiece of Mayor Shirley Franklin's 21st century economic development vision. It was viewed as a public-private partnership. We believed in that vision.

For nearly two years, since we filed arguably one of the city's longest-running zoning applications, we have shared with city staff nine alternative plans for development along the Beltline. We have reduced density, created smaller building footprints, expanded transit right of way, identified access opportunities and conducted an independent traffic study.

We compromised our plans by proposing to donate more than half of our property to serve the Beltline:

~ 24 acres for transit to accommodate a double-track streetcar/trolley system;

~ A minimum of 15-foot-wide pedestrian/bike trails; and

~ 18 acres for 11 new parks.

Our projects would produce $100 million in tax allocation district revenues for the city to invest elsewhere along the Beltline for affordable housing, other land, transit and infrastructure.

We have had more than 80 meetings with neighborhood groups and civic leaders, and met with more than 100 business leaders during the past two years. The Georgia Regional Transportation Authority and Atlanta Regional Commission concluded that our proposal is in the best interests of the region.

Some neighborhood groups near the 10th and Monroe site mistakenly continue to believe that the Beltline is public property. The two high-rises at that seven-acre site represent only 20 percent of developed area, leaving the rest for open space.

The Atlanta Development Authority and the Beltline Partnership (a "public-private partnership"), to build support for the Beltline, crafted a plan calling for open space on our private property with no plan to pay for it. Their plan was developed without any meaningful input from us. At the same time, other nearby Beltline-interested developers were invited to sit at the table. Strangely, we were not invited to that table. This was no way to run a Beltline.

The community was misled to believe that our Beltline corridor had no development value. This was a huge disservice to Atlanta, and confused the residents.

This was no way to run a Beltline.

Our proposal consists of nearly 3,000 residential units of low, medium and high-rise buildings, including affordable work force housing, and 140,000 square feet of retail space throughout our five-mile corridor (the equivalent of driving from Turner Field to Piedmont Hospital along Peachtree Street). The ADA Redevelopment Plan calls for 11,500 units of residential density in the same area within a mile of our property. The ADA density levels would be more intrusive into the neighborhoods than our plan.

This was no way to run a Beltline.

We remain hopeful that responsible city leadership will look at the Beltline's impact and opportunities throughout the city. We remain ready to help make the vision a reality.

This was no way to run a Beltline. I couldn't agree more.

2006-09-14T22:47:00.000-04:00

American 'outraged' over 9/11 miniseries | USATODAY.com - Today In the Sky

Apparently the Clinton clan aren't the only one's hot and bothered by ABC's "The Path to 9/11". American Airlines is miffed too.

...Executives objected to a scene in the television docudrama in which American employees in Boston are depicted allowing hijacker Mohammed Atta to board a flight even after receiving a security alert about him.

In reality, the incident allegedly depicted occured in Portland, Maine, on a flight operated by another airline. ABC claims the script is based on the report of the 9/11 Commission, but the network was forced to make script changes after challenges from former Clinton administration officials.

Huh? Does ABC really believe they were "forced to make script changes"? They should have said "We are a bunch of pansies and bowed down to pressure from some dried up old politicians named Madeline Halfbright and Sandy the Burglar."

2006-09-14T22:08:00.000-04:00

Costs may kill travel program | USATODAY.com

Oh this is bad. I don't travel as much as I used to, but even now, I think I would probably pay $200 to avoid those ridiculous security lines. The time involved isn't even what bothers me as much... it's the sheer stupidity and confusion of people going through security.

I do agree that the TSA should not expect this program to be "self sufficient" as they already have to pay those TSA screeners to process the same number of people.

"Registered Traveler advocates are lobbying the TSA against the $70 charge for screeners. Brill said the TSA doesn't have to hire extra screeners to run Registered Traveler checkpoints."

Given the increased efficiency of registered travelers, this program will require less screeners, not more.

2006-09-14T10:47:00.000-04:00

I woke up this morning rather blase -- nothing to be excited about, nothing to be sad about. But, little did I know what an important day it is...

According to Daily Candy's "The Weekend Guide" (yes, guys read it too... especially gay guys) today is National Creme-Filled Donut Day! Their claim is corroborated by The American Food Holidays Website.

Oh, what a glorious day!!!

2006-08-10T23:17:00.000-04:00

Seeger's will close on Aug. 19 | AccessAtlanta

This is bad. Real bad. Atlanta will be less of a city if Seeger leaves.

Hopefully Bob Amick, as obnoxious as he is, can make it work and entice Guenter to stay.

2006-08-10T23:16:00.000-04:00

Economic outlook: Georgia No. 1 in U.S. | Atlanta Business Chronicle:

Don't tell John Sugg, but there's even more expert support for the FairTax in Georgia:

Georgia's economic outlook is rosier than that of any other state in the nation, according to a new study by the father of supply-side economics.

Arthur Laffer, an influential adviser to former President Ronald Reagan, put Georgia at the top of his annual comparative ranking of state economies, a seven-category analysis that primarily focuses on tax and fiscal policy. That's up from fifth place in 2005 and a marked improvement from a No. 24 finish in 2002.

...

Laffer suggested the state might want to shift more of the tax burden to sales from property or income, an idea popular among state Republican lawmakers, who are currently examining the possibilities.

...

Perdue agreed that the state might do well to adopt a more consumption-focused tax system, perhaps after the fashion of the FairTax proposed by U.S. Rep. John Linder, a Republican who represents parts of north metro Atlanta.

2006-08-10T23:00:00.000-04:00

Georgia Fair Tax submitted for 2007 Session

Representative Steve Davis has already submitted HB 1667 - the Georgia Fair Tax bill. You can read the entire bill here. This is a fantastic opportunity for Georgia.

What do Texas, Nevada and Oklahoma have in common? No income tax. What else do they have in common? They are the first, second and third fastest growing economies in the nation.

~ Clark Howard at the FairTax Rally

Although the Georgia economy ain't that bad, the FairTax can only explode this state as a powerhouse economy.

Like the national FairTax bill, Georgians will be able to keep more of their paycheck and will have more control over how much they pay in taxes. But, there are a few differences: It includes no "prebate" to cover the tax of life's essentials and it eliminates personal and corporate income taxes, but not other taxes.

I'll follow it closely...

2006-08-10T22:19:00.000-04:00

Bus transit looks like the ticket for Beltline | ajc.com

I've said it before... MARTA's involvement with the Beltline project will prove to be it's downfall. They have made much fanfare of the community's involvement and the identification of a "locally preferred alternative." But, it appears now that MARTA may be stacking the deck and, as the usually do, getting by with the cheapest upfront cost, even if the long-term costs point to a different direction.

Atlanta Larry has a first person account of the recent meeting where no community groups endorsed MARTA's leanings. This is an important decision and it's important for us not to screw it up.

2006-08-05T22:50:00.000-04:00

What's the real federal deficit? | USA Today
The federal government keeps two sets of books.

The set the government promotes to the public has a healthier bottom line: a $318 billion deficit in 2005.

The set the government doesn't talk about is the audited financial statement produced by the government's accountants following standard accounting rules. It reports a more ominous financial picture: a $760 billion deficit for 2005. If Social Security and Medicare were included — as the board that sets accounting rules is considering — the federal deficit would have been $3.5 trillion.

Congress has written its own accounting rules — which would be illegal for a corporation to use because they ignore important costs such as the growing expense of retirement benefits for civil servants and military personnel.

How is this ok? A small (but growing) number of Congress members are beginning to realize that it's time for the federal government to come clean and stop cooking the books.

If it did so...

~ The $318 billion deficit reported in 2005 would become $760 billion.
~ Each household's portion of the deficit would equal $6,700, more than double the $2,800 given last year.
~ The running deficit since 1997 would equal $2.9 trillion, rather than the official $729 billion reported by the government.

And... before my Democratic friends get started, it's not just limited to those rascally Republicans:

~ The Clinton administration reported a surplus of $559 billion in its final four budget years; the audited numbers showed a deficit of $484 billion.

In addition, none of these figures counts the financial burden of Social Security or Medicare. If they did...

~ The government would have reported nearly $40 trillion in losses since 1997.
~ The new Medicare prescription-drug benefit alone would have added at least $8 trillion to our financial woes (a conservative estimate).
~ The federal government would have had a $12.7 trillion deficit in 2000 because that was the first year that Social Security and Medicare reported broader measures of the programs' unfunded liabilities.

How can Congress operate in such a way? This makes the passage of the FairTax all the more crucial. Our economy will continue to deteriorate (although it is certainly not doing as bad as Democrats would like for us to believe) until U.S. businesses and citizens achieve a level playing field financially, which the FairTax clearly accomplishes.

2006-08-03T19:40:00.000-04:00

S. Africans shiver through harsh winter | Yahoo! News

Damn that Global Warming!

2006-08-02T23:45:00.000-04:00

Senate approves drilling in Gulf | Washington Times

Somebody finally grew some balls to get something done in Washington.... even if it is for the wrong reasons.

The Senate yesterday voted to open up 8.3 million acres of ocean floor in the Gulf of Mexico for oil and natural gas exploration, but that sets up a tough negotiation with the House, which wants to expand exploration to an area almost 100 times that size.

With a vote of 71-25, many senators feared a political backlash in the November elections if they blocked a bill that promises to lower gasoline prices.

For the first time, lawmakers from Florida accepted a deal for exploration in the Gulf. The legislation grants the state a 125-square-mile buffer until 2022.

This is pretty cool too:

It also includes provisions to alter the federal-state split of oil and gas revenues that would net the highest-producing Gulf states -- Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas -- as much as $600 billion over the next 15 years.

Other than Texas, those states are among the poorest in the union, and need the revenue the most.

But you'll always have the bozos:

Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada kept Democrats from approving an expansion of the bill to include all coastal waters beyond the shelf.

Mr. Reid said the House bill or any version of it will never pass the Senate.

He said the United States "cannot drill its way out" of 60 percent dependence on foreign sources of oil and natural gas, but must look to renewable sources such as wind and solar power, ethanol and hydrogen fuel.

Can't we do both????

2006-08-02T23:12:00.000-04:00

First, our media helps terrorists make shit up.

Then, CNN lets Hezbollah "control" their "news" and presents it as "fact."

And finally, Anderson Cooper amazingly discovers that Hezbollah is anti-semetic.

But, nah, our media isn't biased...

2006-08-02T21:48:00.000-04:00

March of the 'Fair Tax' Sheep | Creative Loafing

I've wondered this aloud before: Why is John Sugg such an idiot? What exactly is his beef with Neal Boortz? And why is he such a sour puss about E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G?

His latest selective "journalism" effort us to ignore the man behind the curtain (of the voting booth) and dismiss the phenomenal showing of the FairTax in Georgia's recent primary.

Sugg refuses to debate the FairTax on its merits and on the facts. He instead spews forth with all kinds of jabs against Boortz.

Sugg worries that politicians will be "stampeded on the very complicated issue of tax reform." He illustrates the "complexities of taxation" with examples that to most people would seem crystal clear. Like most opponents of the FairTax, Sugg banks on YOUR ignorance. The most beautiful aspect of the Fair tax is it's simplicity!

The few real arguments presented have been nullified many times over:

"Sales taxes by nature fluctuate with the economy. If we have a recession, revenues will nosedive."

Look at the data... wages almost always nosedive during a recession far greater than spending. So, your perfect little income tax is already an inferior solution to the FairTax.

Sugg worries about the "tremendous impacts on state revenue systems." Yes, there will be tremendous impacts.... positive impacts. There is no reason why Georgia -- or any other state -- can't continue to collect an income tax (even though they, too, should adopt the FairTax and see their economies explode) while the federal government implements the FairTax.

John selectively quotes the Cato Institute out of context:

"Even the libertarian Cato Institute stated in a 2005 report that the prebate 'would get Americans hooked on receiving money from Washington each month, akin to a welfare check.'"

True, the Cato Institute said that, as they abhor any dependence upon government for individual responsibilities. But, that was one line from a massive report that found the FairTax would create the biggest boon for the American economy ever seen.

And then there's the tired old argument that people will cheat. Sugg's money quote is from some tired GSU staffer who wrote a report and is quoted as saying "People are going to look for ways to avoid paying." Well duh?!? And do people not look for ways to avoid paying now? Right now I can cheat on my taxes and not tell a soul. Under the FairTax it takes at least TWO people to cheat. I'm not sure about you, but I don't have many friends that are going to help me cheat on my taxes, much less a random clerk at the QuickTrip.

Sugg completely ignores other benefits like taxation of the underground economy. What is most confusing is that these Democrats and liberals are always whining about how the "working class" need economic help. Under the FairTax, those people the Democrats supposedly want to help will keep 100% of their paycheck AND pay zero taxes on the basic necessities of life. Once they spend beyond those basic necessities THEY decide how much they will spend and therefore how much they will be taxed.

The thing that scares opponents the most is that the FairTax is transparent. Voters will know exactly what they pay in taxes, unlike today's system. It will be on every receipt and any efforts to monkey with the system will be immediately apparent to voters, unlike today's system. But politicians like for us to be hoodwinked. That's where their power comes from.

As Boortz says, the FairTax will constitute the largest transfer of power from government to the people in the history of our contry.

Watch this video, and then tell me what part you don't like about it...

John Sugg must be brighter than all the economists (representing diverse ideologies and political thoughts) from places like Yale and Duke and the Brookings Institute, etc.

Has John Sugg ever had an original idea of his own?

2006-07-30T00:40:00.000-04:00

Just one more reason why I love John Bolton

2006-07-26T23:44:00.000-04:00

Bush nominates gay man to head global AIDS office | Washington Blade Online

Why is this news buried as a little blub under "(Other) National News"? I guess because it doesn't play into the "Bush Hates Fags" mantra of national gay organizations. A quick check of the Human Rights Campaign and The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force found not a single mention of the appointment. And they claim to be "non-partisan"?

Anyway...

President Bush nominated gay physician Mark R. Dybul July 17 to be United States Global AIDS Coordinator, a post at the State Department that has the rank of ambassador. If the U.S. Senate ratifies his nomination, Dybul would replace pharmaceutical industry executive Randall Tobias as head of a $15 billion program initiated by Bush and approved by Congress to combat AIDS in developing countries, with a focus on Africa. Bush appointed Tobias to another administration post. "[Dybul] is widely recognized as someone highly qualified for this position," said Carl Schmid, a gay Republican activist who serves as federal affairs director for the AIDS Institute, a national AIDS advocacy group. Dybul currently serves as acting U.S. global AIDS coordinator and chief medical officer at the State Department. He would become the third openly gay person to hold a U.S. ambassadorial position. President Clinton appointed businessman and philanthropist James Hormel as ambassador to Luxemburg. In his first term in office, Bush appointed gay career Foreign Service Officer Michael Guest as ambassador to Romania.

So the evil pharmaceutical execs are out of the henhouse and Bush has appointed more gay ambassadors than Clinton and the story is totally ignored by our gay "leadership."

Amazing.

2006-07-26T23:19:00.000-04:00

Saddam: If Convicted, Just Shoot Me | NewsMax

Saddam Hussein wants an elitist high-falutin' execution, if it comes to that.

He asked the court to execute him by firing squad - "not by hanging as a common criminal" - if it convicts him of all charges and sentences him to death.

"I ask you being an Iraqi person that if you reach a verdict of death, execution, remember that I am a military man and should be killed by firing squad," he said.

"...not by hanging as a common criminal." Indeed! No common criminal here. Perhaps we should inflict some of Saddam's more gruesome torture of his victims upon him so that he has an appropriately un-common execution.

2006-07-26T22:59:00.000-04:00

The Anti-Jet Lag Plane

2006-07-26T22:55:00.000-04:00

The Anti-Jet Lag Plane | Guardian Unlimited Travel | News

The battle between Boeing and Airbus has changed dramatically in a very short period of time. All the hype surrounding the A380 has faded against delay after delay. Airlines are bailing on their already diminutive purchases.

Boeing's, on the other hand has already sold over 400 Dreamliner 787s. This is going to be a COOL plane.

~ New materials for the fuselage, allow a higher inflight cabin pressure, thus dramatically reducing the effects of jetlag.

~ Panoramic windows extend above the seat height, giving views even from the center of the plane.

~ The windows are made of electrochromic glass, meaning no blinds... just darkness at the flick of a finger.

~ The celiing becomes a "simulated sky" with hundreds of light-emitting diodes that can turn the cabin into daylight or a starry night sky. The idea is to set the interior to resemble the time of day at the destination.

All that, AND it uses 20% less fuel!

2006-07-19T22:06:00.000-04:00

U.S. family: Get us out of Lebanon | cnn.com

Make 'em pay... it's the law!

I am DISGUSTED by this family that has gotten so much media attention with their message of "Come Get Us" from Lebanon.

Lebanon has been on the State Department's list of places Americans should NOT go for ages. And it was not so long ago that Lebanon was occupied by Syria. The country has been war torn for decades and his a cess pool for terrorists. So what family in their right mind would take their children on a "vacation" to Lebanon?

Even if I think they are idiots, the Esseilly's certainly have the freedom to go to Lebanon. But, why should I, the American taxpayer, foot the bill to rescue their butts?

Word has it that we have rescued them, without charge. I hope they get a proper welcome home by the taxpayers.

In related news... Democratic stumblings get more and more delicious! From the FoxNews Political Grapevine:

Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi is calling on the president to immediately declare that the U.S. will start bearing the costs of evacuating its citizens from Lebanon, instead of charging them, saying, "A nation that can provide more than $300 billion for a war in Iraq can provide the money to get its people out of Lebanon."

BUT the president isn't authorized to reverse the policy - which requires citizens to pay commercial fare plus a dollar for government evacuation - since it's encoded in the 2003 Foreign Relations Authorization Act. That law was approved by the House and the Democratic controlled Senate in 2002.

Pelosi herself voted for the measure.

LOVE IT!

SEC. 208. EMERGENCY EVACUATION SERVICES.

Section 4(b)(2)(A) of the State Department Basic Authorities Act of 1956 (22 U.S.C. 2671(b)(2)(A)) is amended to read as follows:

`(A) the evacuation when their lives are endangered by war, civil unrest, or natural disaster of (i) United States Government employees and their dependents, and (ii) private United States citizens or third-country nationals, on a reimbursable basis to the extent feasible, with such reimbursements to be credited to the applicable Department of State appropriation and to remain available until expended. No reimbursement shall be required which is greater than the amount the person evacuated would have been charged for a commercial air fare at the lowest rate available immediately prior to the onset of the war, civil unrest, or natural disaster giving rise to the evacuation.'.

2006-07-19T20:34:00.000-04:00

FairTax Wins!

For the most part, I'm pretty darn happy about the election results in Georgia yesterday. Cathy Cox lost as she should have. Ralph Reed lost, thank the lord almighty! Cynthia McKinney may be sent home packing as she heads into a runoff with a supporter of the FairTax. All-in-all good results, and few surprises.

But honestly, one of the votes I was most interested in (and most nervous about) was this question on the Republican Ballot in Cobb, Gwinnett, and Fayette Counties:

"Do you support the 'Fair Tax' plan which is a federal national sales tax to replace the income tax?

The results...

County	Total Votes	% YES	% NO
Cobb	39,458	85.2%	14.9%
Fayette	11,517	85.3%	14.7%
Gwinnett	35,755	86.9%	13.1%

Granted, these numbers would be more meaningful if it were on both ballots. And, granted it was a litmus test for the Republicans. But, damn, anyone paying attention here would realize that FairTaxers vote and the FairTax wins votes.

Rep. John Linder said during the FairTax Rally that he was meeting with House Republican leadership to present the FairTax as THE issue they should run on this fall. This, along with similar polls, and all the economic data available should really seal the deal.

Trapped mouse thrown into fire gets revenge: sets home ablaze | ajc.com

2006-01-09T10:26:00.000-05:00

Trapped mouse thrown into fire gets revenge: sets home ablaze | ajc.com

FORT SUMNER, N.M. — A mouse got its revenge against a homeowner who tried to dispose of it in a pile of burning leaves. The blazing creature ran back to the man's house and set it on fire.

Luciano Mares, 81, of Fort Sumner said he caught the mouse inside his house and wanted to get rid of it.

"I had some leaves burning outside, so I threw it in the fire, and the mouse was on fire and ran back at the house," Mares said from a motel room Saturday.

Village Fire Chief Juan Chavez said the burning mouse ran to just beneath a window, and the flames spread up from there and throughout the house.

No was hurt inside, but the home and everything in it was destroyed.

Unseasonably dry and windy conditions have charred more than 53,000 acres and destroyed 10 homes in southeastern New Mexico in recent weeks.

"I've seen numerous house fires," village Fire Department Capt. Jim Lyssy said, "but nothing as unique as this one."

Karma sucks!

Swiss Banknotes

2005-12-18T21:54:00.000-05:00

I haven't seen much about this... even Google only comes up with 65 results. Thanks to Towleroad for turning me on to it.

A new series of Swiss Banknotes features a microscopic picture of the AIDS virus. The Swiss National Bank intends to introduce the new series by 2010. Eariler this year, twelve designers were invited to submit designs representing "Switzerland open to the world". You can see the entire slate of winners here. The designs could not represent individuals, inventions or achievements.

Not everyone is happy with the designs.

Since my first visit to Switzerland in 1999, I have always thought their money was some of the most georgeous in the world. Indeed, the rest of the world makes our currency look entirely hum-drum and boring. So why not make it cutting edge? I would expect nothing less of the Swiss. Perhaps handing over a bill depicting the AIDS virus after enjoying dinner with friends will remind people of the unseen and unspeakable horrors that many think have gone away.

Welcome to AJC! | ajc.com

2005-12-02T10:55:00.000-05:00

The Vent! | ajc.com: "Make a deal with millionaire Wayne Mason? Why don�t we just use eminent domain to get his Beltline property?"

The person who wrote this Vent may be the stupidest person in all of Atlanta. They clearly don't own any land. Eminent domain is the best example ever of abuse of government power. Let's see... Wayne Mason is willing to give the city land for the Beltline for FREE! You don't get anything for free without giving something in return. In return he wants some zoning allowances. Not a bad deal.

But this idiot wants us to "take" the land through eminent domain. But then the city would have to PAY for that land. Eminent domain is not a license for the city to steal.

Illogical.

2005-11-22T15:25:00.000-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving! I'm off to London for a proper American Thanksgiving. :-) I may have a chance to update from there, but not likely. Hope everyone gets stuffed for the holiday!

boortz.com: Nealz Nuze Today's Nuze

2005-11-22T10:31:00.000-05:00

boortz.com: Nealz Nuze | "WHOLE FOODS MUST CLOSE IN MASSACHUSETTS --- OR ELSE" This is simply amazing in a free market society!

Baby gorilla doesn't survive | ajc.com

2005-11-13T21:35:00.000-05:00

Baby gorilla doesn't survive | ajc.com This makes me cry.

Philly CheeseSteaks

2005-11-13T21:17:00.000-05:00

I'm in Philly right now for a week of classes at The Wharton School. I came in a day early just to play in the city for a while. I really like it here. It's a great walking city...

I spent Saturday wandering around Old City and hanging out at the National Constitution Center. I didn't feel like standing in line to see the Liberty Bell, so I settled for looking at it from the sidewalk through a window. I even stumbled across the Real World Philadelphia house, right beside the Betsy Ross house. No sign of Willie -- drats!

Dinner Saturday was at Morimoto's Restaurant. Yumm! I had the omakase (tasting menu) and it was worth every penny of the three-figure bill. Absolutely incredible flavors.

I'm rather unimpressed witht he Gayborhood here. Just doesn't really seem to be very vibrant.

Today before my classes started at Wharton, I walked -- yes, walked (the natives here can't believe it) -- to South Philly. All I wanted was a real Philly Cheesesteak. So, I went to the places where the cheesesteak supposedly began -- the corner of 9th and Wharton St. The most famous cheesesteaks in the world are made by two rivals -- Geno's and Pat's. I started off at Pat's "King of Steaks". I stood in the LONG line and practiced ordering -- you gotta get it right or go to the end of the line. I successfully ordered a "Wiz Wit" -- a Philly Cheesesteak with Onions and Cheeze Wiz. I was hesitant about the Cheese Wiz, but that seems to be how they eat them here. As if that didn't totally fill me up, I crossed the street to Geno's Steaks and ordered another "Wiz Wit" for my taste test. Hey, I came all this way and couldn't have one without the other. Geno's wasn't as intimidating with the ordering process and were generally nicer, although the line wasn't as long. An added bonus was the HOT Italian kid taking drink orders. He had Gotti hair and was mesmerizing.

Anyway, my conclusion for the best Philly Cheesesteak is Genos. The bread was more delicious, even though the sandwich wasn't as "juicy". Pat's is probably more famous, but Genos is the best for me.

Politics News Article | Reuters.com

2005-11-12T20:04:00.000-05:00

Alaska governor gets jet over public objections | Maybe this would be okay... IF... Alaska wasn't the biggest mooch in the nation in terms of per capital pork taken from the U.S. Taxpayers. When will we ever learn and put a stop to this shit?

Fauver v. Brodie

2005-11-11T12:01:00.000-05:00

Fauver leads race by three votes | We still don't know if there will be a runoff in the District 6 City Council race. Brodie will undoubtedly request a recount before the deadline next Tuesday.

The question will really come down to the 9 write-in votes. If those are counted in the total, then Anne Fauver gets 49.95 percent of the vote and Steve Brodie gets 49.90 percent. That would require a runoff. If those votes are not counted (and the Fulton Elections office says they have been disqualified), then Anne wins with 50% plus 3 votes and a runoff would not be required. No word on why the write-in votes have been disqualified.

This race is special because it is the only race in the U.S. where two gay candidates are running against each other. That's good... because in gay Midtown, there should be a gay representative on the Council. And there will be, no matter what happens.

I've heard rumors, but I can't confirm them as fact, that this may be the first race ever in Georgia where there will/may be a runoff where only two candidates were running against each other. Interesting....

UPDATE: Who knew "write-in" candidates had to be "registered"? Chrisishardcore did. He hints that there may have been a conspiracy. I'm not so sure the voters of Atlanta are that sophisticated, but I suppose it's possible. I'm hoping for a runoff.

Southern Voice Online

2005-11-11T11:27:00.000-05:00

HIV-positive man pleads guilty to consensual sex charge: Former Emory medical student sentenced to two years in prison, eight years on probation | I've followed this fascinating case since the beginning. It brings up so many issues, but not many answers.

I feel very sorry for Gary Carriker. He is (was) a very bright, good looking guy with a great future ahead of him as a doctor. In short, quite a catch! Now he will sit in jail for at least two years, with another 8 served on probation. Having a friend of mine in jail, my heart goes out to Carriker for the treatment he will receive from guards and other inmates there.

I'm not suggesting what he did was right. But, I've always thought there must be more to this case than is being reported. I don't have any theories about what it might be, but it's nagging to me. It would make more sense to me if some disgruntled ex-fling got pissed off and filed charges against Carriker -- typical scorned lover stuff. But, for it to happen multiple times seems strange.

Barebacking is a VERY common practice these days. It seems that everybody -- especially younger gay guys -- are doing it bare more often than safe. It amazes me the guys who are not only willing to have unprotected sex, but who actually don't have sex any other way -- no questions asked. Hell, there's even a specific chat room on Gay.com for guys who prefer things "raw".

Again, no excuses for Carriker, although I do feel sorry for him. Our decisions have consequences. Having said that, it takes two to tango and the responsibility for protection lies with both consenting adults. This was not rape... it was consensual. The decisions of Carriker's partners have consequences too.

Bottom line: if you're going to have unprotected sex these days, you need to assume you are doing so with an HIV+ person.

Home Page - United States Representative Tom Price

2005-11-11T10:36:00.000-05:00

This "Poll of the Month" shows up on Representative Tom Price's (R-Georgia's 6th District) website:

Poll of the Month

Do you agree with the recommendations of the President’s Advisory Panel on Federal Tax Reform?

Yes -- 4%
No, implement the Fair Tax -- 91%
No, implement the Flat Tax -- 3%
No, leave the tax code the way it is -- 2%

Judge Throws Out Charge in Gay Attack | ajc.com

2005-11-10T11:49:00.000-05:00

Judge Throws Out Charge in Gay Attack | ajc.com There is justice in the world. There's more about this here (which requires an annoying log-in, so use www.bugmenot.com) and here. The short version is that a kid in Philly tried out for American Idol. Afterwards, he was walking to meet some friends to tell them the excitement. A group of teenagers start harassing him and calling him "faggot", etc. He tries to run away and they jump him. He stabs one with a pocketknife and the thug dies. He sat in jail for manslaughter because his family couldn't raise the money for his bail.

Now, a judge has thrown the manslaughter charge out. Good. Justice is served. This kid actually did us all (straight and gay) a favor. The world is rid of another scum bag and all is well.

Boeing 777-200LR WORLDLINER

2005-11-10T11:28:00.000-05:00

Boeing 777-200LR WORLDLINER Wow!

From USA Today:

The 777-200LR Worldliner — one of Boeing's newest planes — touched down shortly after 1 p.m. (8 a.m. ET) at London's Heathrow Airport after an almost 23-hour journey of more than 12,586 miles from Hong Kong.

The record-breaking attempt is part of Boeing's fierce competition with its European rival Airbus. The Boeing 777-200LR Worldliner was designed to compete directly with the popular Airbus 340-500, which has a flight range of 10,380 miles.

Mileage Run

2005-11-03T00:45:00.000-05:00

I am doing something today I haven't done in ages. I'm going on a "mileage run" -- actually a "status run" if you want to be technical about it -- to guarantee my elite status on Delta for next year. Mileage Runs and Status Runs are flights that are taken by people who are addicted to frequent flyer miles or elite status on airlines for the sole purpose of earning said miles or status.

I'll easily make Silver Medallion on Delta, but not being satisfied with that, I'm going for Gold. So, I'm getting up at 5:00am for this madness:

Thu Nov. 3: DL 1121 7:15AM Atlanta -- Indianapolis 8:43AM
Thu Nov. 3: NW 3763 10:05AM Indianapolis -- Detroit 11:23AM
Thu Nov. 3: NW 0025 1:45PM Detroit -- Tokyo 5:10PM (Fri Nov. 4)

Sun Nov. 6: NW 0026 3:45PM Tokyo -- Detroit 1:20PM
Sun Nov. 6: NW 1505 3:15PM Detroit -- Indianapolis 4:24PM
Sun Nov. 6: DL 1131 8:04PM Indianapolis -- Atlanta 9:38PM

Almost as much time in the air as on the ground. Less that 48 hours in Tokyo and I intend to take advantage of every minute of it. God I love that city... and oh, how I love those Japanese boys! Not to mention this leads me to unlimited upgrades next year.

If you think this is absolutely insane, it probably is. But, I'm not the only one with an addiction to frequent flyer miles and elite status. In fact there is an entire cult over at FlyerTalk.com.

They are the only ones who understand the insanity that makes this OK.

President's Advisory Panel on Federal Tax Reform

2005-11-02T17:11:00.000-05:00

War has been declared. The President's Advisory Panel on Federal Tax Reform issued their final report yesterday and essentially copied the 1986 Tax Reform Act. Take away a few deductions, flatten some tax rates, and call it tax reform. Trouble is that the 1986 "reform" has been amended over 10,000 times to carve our special exemptions for various groups.

So the battle is on for the FairTax. Supporters of it clogged the White House switchboard twice last week and will do it again and again this week. Call them at 202-456-1414 and tell George we're done with the current tax code.

Sure it's a long shot. The FairTax takes mucho power away from politicians. They can't protect their power base by giving up their ability to manipulate our tax code for the benefit of certain voting demographics and specific support groups. But we gotta do it!

As hard as we're fighting enemies abroad, we're losing the war on internal threats to our economic security. Destruction from Within -- read it all.

Pandemic Flu

2005-11-02T16:55:00.000-05:00

Pandemic Flu NOW we're ready for the flu. We've borrowed $7.1 billion and got ourselves a website. Bring it on!

Give 'Em Hell Harry

2005-11-02T16:47:00.000-05:00

The Democrats showed just how pathetic they really are yesterday by hijacking the U.S. Senate. They have no ideas, no message, no vision, no hope. They can't even seize upon blunders of the Bush administration, so the throw a temper tantrum. They have to resort to hijinks like this to appease their slobbering base. They even have a website devoted to being stuck in the ancient past: Give 'Em Hell Harry.

Harry Reid, when making his grandiose remarks about the stunt (which by the way is the FIRST time ever that this rule has been used without notifying the other party in advance), had this to say:

"The Libby indictment provides a window into what this is really all about, how this administration manufactured and manipulated intelligence in order to sell the war in Iraq and attempted to destroy those who dared to challenge its actions."

Poor Harry must have fallen asleep during Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald's Press Conference last week and missed the part where Fitzgerald said:

"“This indictment is not about the war.”

What's interesting is that every main-stream-media report I saw or heard about this edited out the first part of the sentence when quoting Harry Reid. So, all the listeners heard was Harry droning on opining that "this administration manufactured and manipulated intelligence in order to sell the war in Iraq and attempted to destroy those who dared to challenge its actions." Maybe the MSM is trying to cover up Harry's obvious misinformation.

The Republicans get no points for yesterday either. What did they do in response? They rolled over like submissive little schoolgirls and agreed to form a 6-Senator panel to study pre-war intelligence. Hello!??!?! Why are they playing these Democratic reindeer games? The 9/11 Commission has already studied this and issued an extensive report on it's findings which included the conclusion that intelligence information was not manipulated by the Bush Administration. That didn't serve the Democrats so well, so when they run out of ideas, they shut down the Senate and resort to all they have left: "Bush lied, people died" and we need another investigation.

What a great strategy! ... For the 2004 election, maybe... although early indications are that it won't work even back then.

The BeltLine Partnership:

2005-11-02T10:48:00.000-05:00

More good news for The BeltLine: The Tax Allocation District was unanimously passed by the City Council Community Development/Human Resources Committee yesterday. The full City Council will vote on the BeltLine TAD November 7th.

Neighborhoods outside Beltline may benefit from aid | ajc.com

2005-11-02T10:40:00.000-05:00

The Atlanta Development Authority bought Jim Maddox's vote for the Beltline yesterday. Throw the bozos in SW Atlanta a few bones, and Jim's all for it. I guess it's a good strategic move on the part of the ADA, but I just don't understand the "what's in it for me" mentality. There are parts of this city I rarely visit, but somehow I feel that what's good for Atlanta -- any part of Atlanta -- is also good for me.

SetLoveFree.org - Repeal the Wright Amendment-- Message Confirmation

2005-10-31T23:32:00.000-05:00

Sometimes I've been known to criticize GLB organizations for become distracted by getting involved in issues that have nothing to do with being gay. This may be the most ridiculous example.

From GridSkipper via FlyerTalk: The National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce has come out against the Wright Amendment.

NATIONAL GAY & LESBIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE JOINS NORTH TEXAS GLBT CHAMBER TO OPPOSE REPEAL OF WRIGHT AMENDMENT

(Washington, D.C. - October 26, 2005) - Today the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC) endorsed the resolution recently made by the North Texas GLBT Chamber of Commerce to oppose repeal of the Wright Amendment.

Justin Nelson, Executive Director of the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber, applauded Texas’ gay business leaders for urging the entire community to unite on this divisive issue and for effectively communicating the concerns of gay-owned businesses and residents in North Texas who felt the direct impact of this debate. “We are pleased to stand by our Dallas business leaders as an influential, respected voice among all minority business leaders in the region.”

Nelson added, “We see our mission two-fold. By promoting economic growth and prosperity, we are fully committed to ensuring a seat at the table for many economic policy debates - and whenever possible, to partner with our local chambers to amplify their efforts. We also applaud American Airlines for more than a decade’s leadership to fair-minded principles that serve the community equally and respectfully.”

Now, the Wright Amendment is a horrible piece of trash that was put in place to put Southwest Airlines at a disadvantage to other airlines in Texas. If you don't know much about it, go read about it: SetLoveFree.org

But how the hell is this a Gay issue? General consensus is that it is a favor to American Airlines for their support of Gay folk over the years. But, geez.... FOCUS PEOPLE!

Hearing Archives :Committee on Ways & Means :: U.S. House of Representatives :

2005-10-31T14:01:00.000-05:00

Committee on Ways & Means :: U.S. House of Representatives The deadline to submit comments for the Congressional Record on alternative tax proposals, like the FairTax, is November 29, 2005. I'm working on mine.

“It doesn’t require a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority keen to set brush fires in people’s minds.” - Samuel Adams (1722-1803), principal organizer of the Boston Tea Party, member of the Continental Congress, & signer of the Declaration of Independence.

Politics and Policy | Senate Rejects Coburn Spending Bill Amendment To Transfer $60M From CDC Construction, Renovation Project to ADAP - Kaisernetwork.org

2005-10-27T10:33:00.000-04:00

Kaiser Foundation Daily HIV/AIDS Report | Senate Rejects Coburn Spending Bill Amendment To Transfer $60M From CDC Construction, Renovation Project to ADAP Tom Coburn (R-OK) is quickly becoming one of the greatest heroes American taxpayers have ever seen. Coburn now has his eyes set on $60 MILLION that is earmarked for the CDC to build "a Japanese garden and a stream on the agency's Atlanta campus." So we have Saxby Chambliss defending a $60 MILLION "gazebo of some sort" which would be "a nice place where employees [of the CDC] could go out in the open air and have lunch."

How nice.

Coburn, on the other hand, would like to give that money to ADAP which provides HIV medications to low-income, uninsured people who are HIV+.

Unfortunately, Coburn's efforts failed 14-85 with even the vast majority of Democrats -- who are supposed to be champoins for the poor, less fortuate and who say they want to make health care for eveyone a basic human right -- voting to kill the amendment.

Gays a force in council races | ajc.com

2005-10-26T10:06:00.000-04:00

Gays a force in council races | ajc.com

In a strongly worded letter to Georgia Equality criticizing the group's recent political endorsements, Keisha Sean Waites called the state's largest and most influential gay rights organization "defunct, impotent and ineffective.

The AJC calls us "No longer an oddity" I think that's funny.

Boi From Troy � Nunez Nixes Nuptuals for Next Year

2005-10-25T21:48:00.000-04:00

Boi From Troy | Nunez Nixes Nuptuals for Next Year But I'm constantly told by my lefty friends that the Democrats are champions of our rights and will always stand up for us. Yeah, just like Clinton did.

Opinion - Daniel Weintraub: United Nations moving to curb free expression - sacbee.com

2005-10-25T21:46:00.000-04:00

Daniel Weintraub: United Nations moving to curb free expression

Two big projects incubating deep within the United Nations should give pause to anybody who values political and personal freedom.

The United Nations is busy trying to regulate two key pillars of free expression: content and the means to communicate it. In this case, that means popular culture and the Internet.

One project is the longstanding goal of the Convention on the Protection of the Diversity of Cultural Contents and Artistic Expressions. That Orwellian mouthful is cover for a proposed policy to use governments to prevent individuals worldwide from gaining access to whatever culture and art they prefer to see and hear.

Although it is being done under the guise of protecting the people of developing countries from the influence of first-world - namely American - culture and art, many first-world governments, including France and Canada, have been enthusiastic supporters. They see it as a way to protect their national identities, as defined by their governments and frozen in time.

...

Still, with overwhelming support in the United Nations Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (UNESCO), the culture policy seems destined for approval this week. Only the United States and Israel stand opposed. The United States won't have to comply directly with the policy's edicts if our government does not ratify the agreement, but artists here who value a worldwide audience for their works still could suffer.

The latest draft of the policy is vague enough to justify pretty much any governmental intervention. It says, for example, that parties to the agreement may take "all appropriate measures to protect and preserve" their countries' culture once they deem it "in need of urgent safeguarding."

...

Will U.N.-sponsored thought control prove futile in the age of digital communications? One would think that with access to the Internet, people all over the world will eventually find a way to obtain any kind of art or cultural expression they like, even those their governments have deemed unacceptable. That's where the other United Nations project comes in.

The Working Group on Internet Governance has been toiling for years on a policy to shift control of the Internet from the United States, where the 'Net was created and nurtured, to an international body.

...

Chinese Web-loggers, who already must register their journals with the government, were recently dealt another blow when Microsoft agreed to block the use of words offensive to that nation's dictators - including "freedom," "democracy" and "demonstration" - on blogs composed on Microsoft's MSN service. And Cuba's Fidel Castro recently cracked down on librarians seeking to provide access to banned books. Does his government have an interest in keeping the Internet free?

American conservatives have long been suspicious of the United Nations, in part because too many of its members are nations run by tyrannical thugs, not democracies. For some reason that hasn't bothered those on the left who say they value human rights and freedom for oppressed peoples.

Now that the U.N. is moving actively to justify restrictions on free expression and to take over the technology that promises to level historic barriers to communication, perhaps even those who have looked the other way for too long will recognize that the only way to truly protect cultural diversity is to allow every person on the globe the freedom to think, write, hear and express themselves in whatever way they like.

Don't ya just love the UN???!?

Leave no TV behind: Senator wants $3B for subsidy program - Oct. 21, 2005

2005-10-25T16:05:00.000-04:00

Leave no TV behind: Senator wants $3B for subsidy program Ted Stevens is at it again. He just can't keep his grimy hands out of the taxpayers' wallets. His latest fiasco is to sock me and you with a $3 BILLION tab to ensure old TVs will work when cable's transition to digital TV is complete.

From my Reason Express email today:

Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) wants to spend $3 billion to pay for converter boxes for older TV sets so they will still work after broadcasters switch to digital signals. It's in the Bill of Rights, you know.

Even more surprising is that Senators like John Sununu and John McCain are OK with it... albeit with a smaller price tag.

Townhall.com :: Columns :: The tax report by Bruce Bartlett

2005-10-25T11:17:00.000-04:00

Townhall.com :: The tax report by Bruce Bartlett

Clearly, the easy thing to do is support elimination of the AMT. It is stupid to have two separate tax systems operating simultaneously. However, I think the tax commission missed an opportunity to use the AMT creatively to implement radical tax reform. Instead of keeping the regular income tax and getting rid of the AMT, the commission should have considered getting rid of the income tax and keeping the AMT.

Shirley one of America's Best Leaders

2005-10-25T10:24:00.000-04:00

National spotlight is back on mayor Shirley deserves this. It's nice to have the "national spotlight" on Atlanta in a positive way instead of the way it was during the days of Bill Campbell. Shirley is probably doing more to "brand" this city than the $4.5 million spent by the Brand Atlanta campaign.

Reason: The Root of the Problem: The what's missing in the debate over U.S. vs. U.N. control of the Net

2005-10-24T23:34:00.000-04:00

Reason: The Root of the Problem: The what's missing in the debate over U.S. vs. U.N. control of the Net

It's not hard to see why the U.N.ternet lacks fans in the U.S. The organization has been doing what President Bush might call a "heck of a job" at such diverse tasks as peacekeeping and administering oil for food aid programs. And an organization where Libya can be elected to chair a human rights commission may not seem the ideal oversight entity for what is probably the most free and open medium the world has ever seen.

Gay rights group gives nod to Fauver | ajc.com

2005-10-24T20:39:00.000-04:00

Gay rights group gives nod to Fauver | ajc.com Overall we've got it pretty good here in the Gay-T-L. And when we've got it so good, we can afford to nitpick a little bit.

But Georgia Equality apparently thinks things are pretty much Shangri-la in Atlanta for gay folks. With only one exception, GE's endorsements for upcoming City of Atlanta elections encourage us to maintain the status quo on Trinity Street. I've written before about gays in this ciity being asleep at the wheel when it comes to elections. Most gay people just go with the flow and don't take the time to learn what the candidates are really about.

“I was amazed and appalled at the incumbents who have worked against equality for Lesbian, Gay Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Georgians and then turned around and asked us to endorse them,” said Chuck Bowen, executive director of Georgia Equality.

I'm more amazed at the incumbents who have worked against equality for LGB (sorry, I STILL REFUSE to include the T) Georgians and Georgia Equality endorsed them anyway!

For Mayor, Georgia Equality predictably supports Mayor Franklin. Even though I still contend that she is not the heroine of the gay community that she would like us to think she is... or that the gay community drools over hoping she is... she is definitely an easy victory. She's a great mayor by all accounts -- including my own -- but she doesn't measure up when you look strictly at her record on gay issues. In such a sure race, why doesn't GE just remain silent unless there is a truly compelling reason to go all out for the candidate. Shirley courted our vote and then turned her back on us in the Druid Hills case. She also allows her Police and Fire departments to harrass us in our own community -- or at least remains silent while they do so. Recent weeks have seen her police officers and firemen essentially raid Metro and Blakes over "fire code" overcrowding. I wonder if they also shut down East Andrews?

But I digress...

Georgia Equality gives a nod to Lisa Borders for City Council President -- another easy win with no real competition. But, hey, she marched in the gay pride parade, so she MUST deserve our support.

Uncontested incumbents Carla Smith from District 1 (a no-name "yes woman" at City Hall if there ever was one), Natalyn Archibong of District 5 (Do they even have gay people in District 5?), and Felicia "I'm Confused" Moore of District 9 get a thumbs-up from GE.

District 2 has an interesting race, all with unknown entities since Debbie Starnes isn't seeking re-election. In this race, GE did what it had to do... how could they NOT endorse someone named Kwanza?

I really wish I knew more of the story in District 4. I like the incumbent, Cleta Winslow with her hair that reminds me of Grace Jones and her manly mustache. But, this is one race where GE says throw out the incumbent and elect Kevin Edwards (who I know nothing about).

Probably the most intriguing race for gay folk is District 6, where most of us live and we have two gay candidates going head to head. GE wants us to overlook the fact that Anne Fauver sold us down the river in the Druid Hills case and tucked her tail in shame of us in the bar closings legislation. They'd like for us to re-elect her.

Howard Shook gets the shaft in District 7. Even though he's running unchallenged, GE did not endorse him.

C.T. Martin of District 10 refuses to answer the questions put to him by GE so he gets the cold shoulder too. There's a gay man running against him, but he's probably a liar.

I do hope GE gets their way in District 12. Derrick Boazman is a dispicable representation for our city, but having him at City Council meetings is just so much damn fun. GE is willing to sacrifice lesbanian Keisha Waites for the entertainment.

The most amazing endorsement of all by Georgia Equality has to be that of Mary Norwood. She's happy to wave to us in the gay pride parade as long as we don't get too close and she can run back to her lovely little straight life behind the picket fence of Buckhead when she's done. SHE'S THE ONE who shut down Backstreet, closed our bars just when things are starting to get interesting, and practically eliminated Sunday night partying because nothing good ever happens after midnight in Mary's world. She'd also like for us to stop having sex if it wouldn't be too much inconvenience.

So GE hopes things will remain the same for Mayor, City Council President, Districts 1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11, 12, and At-Large Posts 1, 2 and 3.

And they probably will. Yaaaawwwwn....

As boring as things seem, there was something really radical and exciting about the endorsements... something so cutting edge it will blow your mind. Gerogia Equality's own press release calls it an "unusual twist." Are. You. Ready. For. This!??!?! Georgia Equality endorsed "at least two Republican candidates."

Coburn Amendment

2005-10-21T10:54:00.000-04:00

Taxpayers of the United States lost in the Senate yesterday 82-15! Senator Tom Coburn tried to be a hero standing up for the American taxpayers by introducing an amendment to take a way the funding for the infamous "bridge to nowhere" in Alaska. He rightly reasoned that taxpayers should not spend $4.46 million dollars PER PERSON for 50 people to have this bridge. It would have also saved $229 million for a bridge to UNPOPULATED wetlands.

A HUGE added bonus was that Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska (the man who takes home more pork per capita than any other elected official in Washington) promised to resign if the amendment passed. Now THAT would have been a windfall for the taxpayers!

Unfortunately, the Senate did what they always do and shafted the taxpayers. Eighty-two senators, including our own Johnny Isaakson and Saxby Chamblis, told the American Taxpayers that it is more important to take their money by force and send it to those 50 people in Alaska than it is to reduce the nation's deficit and eventually let the Taxpayers decide how to spend that money themselves.

Interestingly, Mary Landrieu, voted YEA (one of 3 Democrats to do so) even though she's in the running for top Oinker of the Year too. She no doubt was salivating at the possibility of grabbing that money for Louisiana (Coburn had agreed to send $125 million to Louisiana).

This is the first time members of the Senate have gone after each other's pet pork projects. Instapundit reported on a interview by Jed Babbin on Hugh Hewitt's show with Senator Coburn after Sen. Patty Murray of Washington (who sits on the Appropriations Committee) threatened to take a "long hard look" at any projects in a state represented by anyone who voted for this amendment:

JB: Well, does that bother you, Senator? I mean, are you worried so much about Oklahoma projects?

TC: No. I don't ask for any projects. I ran on a platform of saying the biggest problem we face in our country is financial and economic, and cultural in Washington, that if we don't change that, I promised you I will not earmark a thing until the budget is in surplus.

JB: Wow.

TC: So I don't have any earmarks. So I don't have any...you know, there's no power over me to withhold earmarks, because I have none.

JB: Well, how tough is it going to be, though, to undo this culture of pork? I mean, the porksters are all around you. I mean, we're not naming names, but you're outnumbered there pretty solidly, so...

TC: Look, when the American people want things to change, they will change. Just as like in 1994, they changed?

Club for Growth has a statement from Coburn telling us that another amendment also failed:

Dr. Coburn offered another amendment to block funding for three special projects; $200,000 for an animal facility in Westerly, Rhode Island; $500,000 for a sculpture park in Seattle; and $950,000 for a parking facility for a private museum in Omaha, Nebraska. The Senate voted to table, or kill, the amendment by a vote of 13 to 86.

The only glimer of hope is that three Coburn amendments did pass the senate:

The Senate did accept three Coburn amendments. One amendment required that all earmarks be included in the bill’s conference report. This amendment helps lift the veil of secrecy that conceals the process of inserting special projects into appropriations bills. Similar amendments have been attached to the Agriculture, Military Construction and Department of Defense Appropriations bills.

Another amendment limits the amount HUD can spend on conferences to $3 million. Last year the Department spent $13.9 million on conferences.

The other Coburn amendment that was accepted requires the Community Development Block Grant Program run by HUD to cease violating a law that requires them report on their rate of improper payments.

What's the Repbulican-controlled Senate for again????

FairTax Update

2005-10-19T12:55:00.000-04:00

An update from Congressman John Linder:

From mid-May of this year through the end of September-more than four months-not a single member of Congress added his or her name to the FairTax bill. Yet, in just the last 45 days, amid a flurry of constituent phone calls, letters and town hall meetings, seven Congressmen and Senators have asked that their names be added.

The seven new co-sponsors are: Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK), Congressman Henry Brown (R-SC), Congressman Dan Burton (R-IN), Congressman John Carter (R-TX), Congressman John "Jimmy" Duncan (R-TN), Congressman Duncan Hunter (R-CA), Congressman Tom Tancredo (R-CO). All Republicans.

Progress... slow but sure.

Brand Atlanta

2005-10-18T13:32:00.000-04:00

I watched the Brand Atlanta pep rally held at City Hall on Monday (AJC coverage here). Everything about it just made me yawn. It seemed awkward and poorly planned. And what was up with Lisa Borders trying to talk so ghetto during her speech???

If the campaign committee really looked at over 100 logo designs, I would hate to see the losers. This logo doesn't covey ANYTHING about the city. Before you can brand something, you have to have a product. We have a great airport that makes it easy to travel here for conventions. But what else? Exciting night life? Nope. A cultural mecca? Nope. Beaches? Nope. Gambling? Nope. An aquarium and Coca-Cola are not going to pull people from around the world here.

The city's lack of character and excitement falls directly in the laps of the mayor and city council for the devastating blows they have dealt to anything exciting in this city. Shirley can compare this campaign to "What happens in Las Vegas stays in Las Vegas" but my prediction: this will flop miserably.

FairTax

2005-10-18T11:34:00.000-04:00

Tax Reform Panel Flops You Want Real Change? Support the Fair Tax:

"Obviously they haven't read the book, or they're lying about it, because the Fair Tax protects poor people as well or better than the current system does. What the Fair Tax doesn't protect are the special interests that depend on the existing behemoth tax labyrinth for special treatment by Congress."

Atlanta Public Affairs: Atlanta City Council Takes Chicken Shit Approach

2005-10-14T14:06:00.000-04:00

Thanks to Joseph for pointing this post out from DecaturGuy.

Atlanta Public Affairs: Atlanta City Council Takes Chicken Shit Approach. Interesting observation. I don't know if holding the vote on the day before election is chicken shit or courageous. I think the people for whom this is really a pivotal issue will take the initiative to find out how their council person voted. We'll know instantaneously on Channel 26 and it'll surely be on the 11pm news that night.

DecaturGuy also has some interesting observations on the District 6 Council race here and here. I'm still undecided in this race. Generally speaking, I vote against incumbents... and I definitely have my disagreements with Anne Fauver. But, she's done a good job on the budget and she supports the parking deck and the Beltline (both of those projects are pluses in my book).

Most gay people are blind politically. Anne Fauver has good name recognition. And most gays I talk to still think Shirley Franklin is a gay heroine. So, I think Anne will be victorious. But, we shall see...

Tax De-Form Panel

2005-10-14T11:57:00.000-04:00

It's very disappointing, but not surprising that the Tax De-Form Panel has taken the weak, easy way out. They did not reform anything. They did not do what the President asked them to do. And, they did not do what the people want.

Bloomberg has a good summary of what the did(n't) do here.

Regarding the FairTax, Connie Mack, Chair of the Panel, said "I get the sense -- I've picked this up since the first meetings we've had -- that this is an area the panel does not want to pursue." AMAZING!

So essentially, it was a done deal from the beginning that the panel was going to ignore all of the evidence for the FairTax and deliver another window dressing to the American People. They first put out a report titled "America Needs a Better Tax System" and then basically kept the same system with a few tweaks. They didn't simplify the tax code or promote economic growth. They essentially said there is nothing wrong with the current tax code except for the alternative minimum tax.

Fortunately, members of Congress are elected by VOTERS, not by panels or the National Retailers Association. The revolution is well underway. There are some on the GaFairTax YahooGroup who see that as the silver lining. The panel dumped the whole tax reform ballywick back in the lap of Congress. Therefore, the fence sitters can't hide behind the Panel any longer.

Someone has suggested that the panel members be fired and sued for fraud by the taxpayers who are paying them to REFORM the tax system. I'd go along with that.

A Tale of Two Meetings

2005-10-12T16:35:00.000-04:00

In an email today from The Beltline Partnership, they extended the following thanks:

Thank you for the overwhelmingly positive turnout at the City Council Public Hearing. In the 4 hour session, 4/5 of the speakers expressed their support for the BeltLine and the BeltLine TAD.

But last week's AJC story didn't sound so optimistic about the Beltline...

Advocates had hoped the Atlanta City Council would vote Oct. 17 to create the tax district.

But the Beltline ran into a mountain of questions last week during 10 hours of discussions by council members. The council scheduled additional fact-finding meetings for Thursday and dates to be announced. Now, the earliest expected voting day is Nov. 7, the day before city elections.

Whether the council will consider such a controversial issue before the election is anybody's guess.

So which account is correct? Probably somewhere in the middle. I rarely trust anything the AJC says, but perhaps the "mountain of questions" the AJC refers to came from eternally-confused council members like Felicia Moore:

"I like the pretty pictures," Moore said. "But how do we make amendments to the legislation?"

Poor Felicia, she can never seem to understand the parliamentary procedure and how the meetings are run.

President's Advisory Panel on Federal Tax Reform

2005-10-12T12:00:00.000-04:00

President's Advisory Panel on Federal Tax Reform The Tax "Reform" Panel has caved. Indications are that their "tough choices" and "courageous reforms" will amount to nothing more than tax increases on the filthy rich and evil businesses.

Here's the email from FairTax.org this morning:

-----Original Message-----
From: FairTax [mailto:info@fairtaxvolunteer.org]
Sent: Tuesday, October 11, 2005 8:17 PM
To: Adam
Subject: FairTax to tax reform panel: Your report of our death is an exaggeration.*

Hello, Adam:

Yes, today the tax reform panel showed it was simply a "Washington-as-usual" panel.

How shall we react?

You might be angry. I am.

So let's direct our anger at the correct target.

Direct that anger at the panel -- and nowhere else.

But don't bother to communicate with the panel.

They have shown their true colors.

I suggest you communicate with the office of your congressman, Rep. John Lewis.

To be perfectly clear, let me say that a different way.

Do not direct your anger at your congressman, but do communicate to your congressman or his/her tax aide how fed up you are with the lack of leadership from the panel.

Tell them you are now looking for that leadership to come from your congressman.

You are looking for leadership from the House of Representatives and its Ways & Means Committee.

Tell them that "tinkering-in-the-margins" tax reform will not fly with you. We've already had that and it only makes the situation worse. It only makes America less free, less competitive in world markets, and costs jobs.

That Steve Forbes can't sell his flat tax, just like he can't sell his flat tax book, in your backyard.

That the French value-added-tax (VAT) will never serve this freedom-loving land.

That you want leadership from your congressman to get us the FairTax.

If he/she is a co-sponsor, time for leadership.

If he/she is not a co-sponsor, time for leadership!

Then go buy 10 more "The FairTax Books" and send them to 10 more friends.

Very best regards,
Tom

Thomas A. Wright
Executive Director
FairTax.org
tom.wright@fairtax.org

*I stole Mark Twain's idea with the subject line quote. The exact quote from Twain was, "The report of my illness grew out of his [a cousin's] illness; this report of my death was an exaggeration." Humor is important to successful communication. You may be angry but keep your good humor.

Incidentally, if you do contact Congressman Lewis' office, he will LIE to you regarding what the FairTax will actually do to our economy. In his letter to me, he told me how H.R. 25 (The FairTax bill) will deprive this government of much needed funding for critical programs -- ignoring the FACT that the FairTax is revenue-nuetral and will provide the same level of funding. So, politicians will still be able to build bridges to no-where. He will also tell you that the FairTax rate is really 30%, not 23%, ignoring simple rules of basic mathematics.

I've requested a meeting with the Congressman to discuss these lies, but he has ignored my request.

For Service, Speak English

2005-10-12T11:20:00.000-04:00

'For Service, Speak English' What's wrong with that?

The Ohio Civil Rights Commissions says it violates an Ohio law that makes it "unlawful for any proprietor of a place of public accommodation to deny the full enjoyment of the accommodations based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, age or ancestry."

Does anyone see "language" in that list???? I didn't either.

I remember once a shopkeeper in Brussels yelling at me as I was trying to puchase a diet coke and didn't understand how much it was: "WHAT DO YOU WANT?!?! FRENCH? GERMAN? ITALIAN? SPANISH? ENGLISH?" So, in one of my best smart-ass-white-boy moments, I replied "Nihongo, o kudasai!"

Road Rage

2005-10-12T10:28:00.000-04:00

Road Rage Cards This is hilarious. My favorite:

Ig Nobel Awards

2005-10-11T22:30:00.000-04:00

The Ig Nobel Prizes have been announced.

The winners

Physics: John Mainstone and the late Thomas Parnell of the University of Queensland, for an experiment that began in the year 1927, in which a glob of congealed black tar has been slowly dripping through a funnel at a rate of around one drop every nine years.

Medicine: Greg A Miller of Missouri for inventing Neuticles - artificial replacement testicles for dogs

Literature: The internet entrepreneurs of Nigeria, for using email to distribute a bold series of short stories, thus introducing millions of readers to a cast of rich characters, each of whom requires just a small amount of money so as to obtain access to the great wealth they will share with you.

Peace: Claire Rind and Peter Simmons of Newcastle University for electrically monitoring the activity of a locust's brain cell while it was watching selected highlights from the film Star Wars.

Biology: An international team of scientists and perfumiers for smelling and cataloguing the peculiar odours produced by 131 different species of frogs when the frogs were feeling stressed.

Economics: Gauri Nanda of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, for inventing an alarm clock that runs away and hides, thus ensuring that people get out of bed, theoretically adding many productive hours to the work day.

Nutrition: Yoshiro Nakamats of Tokyo for photographing and then analysing every meal he has eaten over 34 years.

Chemistry: Edward Cussler of the University of Minnesota and Brian Gettelfinger of the University of Minnesota and the University of Wisconsin, for settling the scientific question: can people swim faster in syrup or in water?

Agricultural history: James Watson of Massey University, New Zealand, for his scholarly study, The Significance of Mr Richard Buckley's Exploding Trousers.

Fluid dynamics: Victor Benno Meyer-Rochow of International University Bremen, Germany, and the University of Oulu, Finland; and Jozsef Gal of Lorand Eotvos University, Hungary, for using basic principles of physics to calculate the pressure that builds up inside a penguin, as detailed in their report Pressures Produced When Penguins Pooh - Calculations on Avian Defecation.

Beltline discussion ratchets up a notch | ajc.com

2005-10-11T14:16:00.000-04:00

Beltline discussion ratchets up a notch | ajc.com I'm a strong supporter of the Beltline. It represents a golden opportunity for this city that only comes along once. It could transform Atlanta from the sleepy hollow it is now to a vibrant city with character and excitement.

My fear, though, is that Atlanta will somehow find a way to take this terrific nearly perfect plan and screw it up royally. There are those in Atlanta, especially the activists in the NPUs that will automatically oppose any change, no matter how good it is. Some people just want to keep things the way they are. But, none of the great cities of the world became that way by not having a vision.

Atlanta is really like four, five, or six different cities existing side by side. People living in Southwest Atlanta have an entirely different experience from people living in Buckhead, or Downtown, or the Highlands. Each neighborhood has it's own attitude, but those neighborhoods are sometimes shy about showcasing what makes them all different -- out of fear in my opinion, that one neighborhood may get some advantage over the others.

The Beltline will be the engine that links us all together as Atlantans. The poorer neighborhoods will always remain poor if there is no reason for other Atlantans to go there. And even if there is a reason, there also has to be a WAY to get there. Atlantan's don't wander. I think of times I've been in New York, or Paris, or Tokyo and there are so many examples when I've been lucky enough to stumble upon something wonderful in those cities just because I was out wandering about. The Beltline will allow us to wander and discover great things about the "Other Atlantas" that we never knew existed.

But, people like Khalid Kamau oppose it anyway. He can't understand why trash piles up around his building because he's waiting for the Atlanta Development Authority to come take it away. Keep waiting, my friend. Khalid opposes the Beltline, not because it's a bad idea, but because the ADA is going to run it. The ADA will not screw up the Beltline because there are too many big players with huge capital invested to allow them to do so. So, Khalid can sit on his pile of garbage and wring his hands and wonder what to do while the rest of us turn this city into something great. And, some of that greatness might just flow down to Mechanicsville and miraculously the trash will disappear.

The Beltline is bold and exciting, and yes, risky. But keeping things the same is far more dangerous. The people like Khalid, who "would prefer the Beltline just disappear" should just get out of the way.

BIG brother

2005-10-08T15:03:00.001-04:00

e-Plate | electronic vehicle identification Is there anyone that can think Electronic License Plates are a good idea?

Found at Strange New Products

E-Plates are license plates that contain an electronic tracking system. As you drive your car around, the e-Plate will register itself with sensors mounted on bridges, overpasses, and other structures throughout streets and highways.

What this means is that we'll all be driving much more safely, the world will be less reliant on fossil fuels, our local governments will no longer be in debt, and insurance companies will know better how to serve us.

* Transportation departments will be able to monitor traffic flows in real time. They can identify places where traffic is flowing much faster than the posted speed limits, and law enforcement officers can be dispatched to those areas, ensuring that all commuters are getting to their destinations safely.

* Insurance companies will be able to view travel history for any specific automobile, noting miles travelled and speed limits breached, and adjusting premiums accordingly.

* Taxation and revenue departments can even use this information to determine which drivers consume the most gasoline, allowing them levy tiered tax rates on the most glutton of drivers.

* Motor vehicle departments can easily identify moving automobiles whose registrations have expired, generating an automated citation, and providing local governments with an easy method of boosting their revenues.

You think I'm being absurd? Take a look at the company's website, click on "Government", and read what it says.

Although presented in a happy, utopia sort of way, this can never be a good thing. Why don't they just imbed the tracking devices in our bodies? Oh.... that's probably next.

How America's gay rights establishment is failing gay Iranians | The Quiet Americans

2005-10-07T13:51:00.000-04:00

How America's gay rights establishment is failing gay Iranians| The Quiet Americans Amen! As Instapundit would say, read the whole thing. But, if you don't, here's the money quote:

Activists are more than willing to condemn the homophobic leaders of the Christian right for campaigning against gay marriage; but they are weary of condemning Islamist regimes that execute citizens for being gay.

Our gay leaders attempt to distract us. First up, Matt Foreman, Executive Director of the NGLTF:

"There wasn't a peep about the execution of juveniles in Texas. ... Let's not have double standards because it's a different part of the world."

"If we think that psychological torture and physical torture and rape and inhumane conditions are not part of our own criminal justice system, than people don't have a clue about the reality of our nation, let alone the conditions of Guantánamo, let alone the sanctions to keep prisoners in Afghanistan."

Next comes Faisal Alam, founder of a US organization for gay and lesbian Muslims:

"While we condemn the executions of gay teens in Iran, we must remember that until March of this year, our own country was one of only five in the world that executed juvenile offenders."

Those might have been seen as "hallelujah" comments if we were talking just about juveniles and the death penalty. But are these two men suggesting that the state of Texas is executing juveniles FOR BEING GAY?!?! The age-old trouble with our gay and lesbian lobby is their inability to stay focused on GAY RIGHTS.

The internet will never be the same again

2005-10-07T10:30:00.000-04:00

The internet will never be the same again. This is scary! Giving control of the internet to the U.N. will never turn out to be a good thing. It's a proposal by the EU to give control of the "root servers" to some sort of UN council. David Hendon, representing the EU, wants us to trust him on this one:

The really important point is that the EU doesn't want to see this change as bringing new government control over the internet. Governments will only be involved where they need to be and only on issues setting the top-level framework.

When has that EVER turned out to be true? Read that again: "Government will only be involved where they need to be..." Can anyone think of one example where that is the case?

Milton Mueller, author of Ruling the Root gets it right:

It's not clear to me that governments know what to do about anything at this stage apart from get in the way of things that other people do.

Does anyone think that members of the UN -- like China, and the Arab world -- give a damn about the freedom we enjoy today on the 'net? Hell, the UN Declaration of Human Rights even says all the rights it grants can be taken away instantly if they interfere with the goals of the UN. This is just the first step in a slippery slope to stomp all over the concept of Freedom of Speech. That internet sales tax hoax that has persisted for years? It's more real now than ever before.

And, frankly, the bottom line is we built the damn thing. If they want to control it, they can BUY it from us.

Ashley Smith surprised at reaction to drug story | ajc.com

2005-10-07T10:00:00.000-04:00

Ashley Smith surprised at reaction to drug story | ajc.com Is she really as stupid as her words and actions indicate? So, she's a woman of God, will be signing her book at the "Family Christian Bookstore," and believes that God sent Terry Nichols to her. Yet, somehow she just happened to have a little crystal meth on hand to help take the edge off?!? Admittedly, I have not read her book, and won't, but WTF?

Sometimes Facts Just get in the Way

2005-10-05T14:42:00.000-04:00

I blame President Bush for a lot of our countries woes. But, I've been in a debate with some of my friends lately about the Bush policies effect on Global Warming and how that may have led to disasters such as the tsunami and Hurricane Katrina. I wasn't armed with the facts until my buddy Walter E. Williams helped me out.

Major categories 3, 4 and 5 hurricanes are relatively rare. If you check out the website of the National Hurricane Center, you'll find that the most active hurricane decade was 1941-50 -- recording 24 hurricanes, with 10 of them being giant category 3, 4 and 5 hurricanes. The peak for major hurricanes (categories 3, 4 5) came in the decades of the 1890s, 1930s and 1940s -- an average of nine per decade. Of the 92 giant hurricanes that have struck the U.S. mainland between 1851 and 2004, 61 of them occurred before 1950, long before global warming was an issue.

So, using the logic of the "Blame Bush for Katrina" crowd, the facts indicate that global warming is actually the fault of Franklin D. Roosevelt (a Democrat) and Harry S. Truman (a Democrat).

Those damn facts just get in the way.

2005-10-01T14:40:00.000-04:00

Politics 101: Perdue as I say, not as I Perdue

2005-09-30T01:09:00.000-04:00

Politics 101: Perdue as I say, not as I Perdue
Couldn't have said it better myself. Perdue is an idiot.

How The Banking Settlement Got Spent In Georgia - Forbes.com

2005-09-30T01:02:00.000-04:00

How The Banking Settlement Got Spent In Georgia - Forbes.com Ouch! Cathy Cox gets callled to task by none other than Forbes for her spending of the global settlement money as a disguised political move. I still love her.

Fair Tax vs. Flat Tax

2005-09-29T15:21:00.000-04:00

Fair Tax vs. Flat Tax Neal Boortz takes on Daniel Mitchell in a debate between the two tax reform plans. Mitchell cites examples of political defeat connected to the Fair Tax but fails to remember that Denise Majette essentially lost her race for the House because she ran around telling lies about the Fair Tax. He also forgets that HR 25 calls for repealing the 16th Amendment -- which answers his biggest criticism of the possibility that we would end up with both a consumption tax AND an income tax. The possibility of politicians monkeying with the Flat Tax rates is a proven precedent. Fair Tax wins.

2005-09-29T15:05:00.000-04:00

Democrats are so Tacky!

2005-09-29T14:57:00.000-04:00

Roberts Confirmed as Chief Justice

John McCain said it best a few weeks ago on explaining why he voted YEA on Clinton's Supreme Court nominees: "Because I understand that elections have consequences and one of them is that the victorious party is allowed to select Supreme Court nominees." Despite unanimous approval of Clinton's picks, bitter Democrats just don't have the same class.

Hall of Shame:

NAYs ---22
Akaka (D-HI)
Bayh (D-IN)
Biden (D-DE)
Boxer (D-CA)
Cantwell (D-WA)
Clinton (D-NY)
Corzine (D-NJ)
Dayton (D-MN)
Durbin (D-IL)
Feinstein (D-CA)
Harkin (D-IA)
Inouye (D-HI)
Kennedy (D-MA)
Kerry (D-MA)
Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Mikulski (D-MD)
Obama (D-IL)
Reed (D-RI)
Reid (D-NV)
Sarbanes (D-MD)
Schumer (D-NY)
Stabenow (D-MI)

Lawmaker to appeal denial of immunity in DUI case | ajc.com

2005-09-28T00:41:00.000-04:00

Lawmaker to appeal denial of immunity in DUI case | ajc.com As if our SAT scores, our Governor, and "Intelligent" Design don't make us look dumb enough... now we have a state legislator arguing that he can't be prosecuted for a DUI. Not because he wasn't DRUNK -- but because the state constitution does not allow state lawmakers to be arrested during sessions of the General Assembly. It was mentioned on Fox News by Brit Hume tonight. Graves should be forced to pay the taxpayers back for every dime it is costing the court system to hear this stupid defense appeal.

Oh, and don't miss the fact that his lawyer's name is "Bubba." Very nice.

2005-09-14T23:31:00.000-04:00

|| 11:31:11 PM

Sweet Revenge

Policeman fired over remarks to gay men. Good job, Anne Fauver! Gay folk in Midtown know all too well the discrimination shown by the APD... especially in the park after dark. With our "GLB Liaison" at the Police Department nothing but a figurehead and completely ineffective, this is all the more sweeter.

2005-08-10T00:33:00.000-04:00

|| 12:37:12 AM

Opponents Refuse to be Fair About the FairTax

They make it so easy to rebuff their arguments. Either they can't understand simple logic, elementary math, or they just refuse to believe something that seems too good to be true. Or they're just liars.

Opponents of the FairTax for the most part all argue the same points. Chrisishardcore.com has done as good a job as any of the critics of the FairTax in arguing against it in this post. Just for fun, let's untangle his arguments:

"I highly recommend this Michael Kinsley article on the Fair Tax. A few things: He's right when he says it is impossible for everyone to pay lower taxes. Not unless we massively cut government spending, which this Republican Congress and President has shown isn't happening any time soon."

Michael Kinsley was writing about the FLAT Tax, not the FAIR Tax -- two completely different animals. To find out how they are different, go here. The FairTax plan never claims that everyone will pay less. Most people will pay less, some will pay more, and everyone will know exactly what they are paying in taxes unlike under today's tax scheme.

One of the arguments I hear quite frequently from fair tax proponents (including maybe President Bush) is that the rich don't pay their taxes anyway. That's a good populist critique of the current system, and in many cases it's true -- the rich don't pay their fair share in taxes. The trick (so far) of the fair taxers is that under their fair tax, the rich on average will pay much less in taxes than they do now. A few bad apples pay almost nothing in income taxes due to creative accounting, but the majority of the rich pay about 30% of their income in taxes. Some guy that makes $10 million a year doesn't spend it all, he sticks most of it in savings to pass on to his heirs. Maybe he spends $4 million in a big year -- he'd pay 30% on that $4 million instead of 30% on the whole $10 million. The point is, he'd be paying about $1.2 million in taxes in a year when he spends a lot of his income. Even with tax aversion, the average wealthy American is paying substantially more than 12% of their income in taxes now. Way to make the rich pay their taxes!

Those evil rich. Just what is "their fare share." I've never heard the claim that the rich "really don't pay taxes." In fact, the top tier of wage earners pay the vast majority of taxes. It is true the corporations really don't pay taxes, and instead pass their tax liability on to customers, employees, or shareholders. As for the $10 million example: (1) the $6 million in savings would only go untaxed forever if it stayed in savings forever. Highly unlikely. (2) He doesn't owe tax "on the whole $10 million" BECAUSE the FairTax taxes consumption, not income. We'll skip the fuzzy math for now, 'cause we'll do some cipherin' of it in a minit!

In DeKalb County, when I buy something that costs $1, I pay 7 cents in tax. I call that 7%. The "Fair" taxers call that 6.5%. That's because they're using dishonest math. Here's a more extreme and relevant example.

The math here would be accurate, if we were talking about a traditional sales tax. But the FairTax is designed to replace the income tax not the county or state sales taxes. So, in order to compare apples to apples, we have to calculate the taxes the same. If you earn $10 and you take home $8, you've paid $2 in taxes. Most people would call that 20%. Since Chris wants to calculate it on the "pretax" amount, I suppose he would call it 25%. This is the eseence of an inclusive vs. an exclusive tax.

They say the Fair Tax would be 23%. That means, when your total is $1.30, the merchant would pass on 23% of that cost as tax. 23% of $1.30 is 30 cents. But that's really like buying something that costs $1 today and paying a 30% tax and getting to $1.30. It would not suprise me if they are using similarly dishonest math to calculate the current tax burden of Americans in their book.

See answer above. We have to compare apples to apples. The income tax which the FairTax will replace is an inclusive tax. Therefore, the rate for the FairTax is inclusive. An item you pay $100 for today (before you tack on additional sales tax) will still cost you $100 the day after the Fair Tax is implemented. It's 23% because the retailer will keep $77 and Uncle Sam gets $23. $23 out of $100 is 23%. Same with todays income tax. If you are in a 23% tax bracket, and you earn $100 you take home $77.

Now let me address another of the arguments of the fair tax -- that it would encourage saving. The savings rate in the United States is anemic. It's lower really than it's ever been, especially during a time of such relative prosperity. And yet, nobody saves. Well, the fair taxers envision a world where a tax on spending means that people would wisely not spend so much. But there's no proof this would happen. What's worse is that people who spend more than they earn would literally be taxed to death. If you think credit card borrowing is bad now, imagine tacking 30% onto every purchase. Someone that makes $20,000 and spends all of their money (on rent and living expenses) and goes into debt by an extra $10,000 that year would effectively pay a 35% income tax rate -- higher than even the rich pay now.

Responsible people will continue to save, irresponsible people will not. What will change, is the middle group of people who are responsible, but just can't do it under today's financial burdens. Those people will begin to save and that's a good thing. We've already pointed out the errors in the assumed 30% rate. But, let's stick with the example: a person who makes $20,000 but has $30,000 spending habits. Under today's system, that $20,000 wage earner takes home $16,225 if they are lucky enough to live in a state with no income tax. Therefore, he/she needs to run up credit card debt of $13,775. Under the FairTax, the wage earner gets a $3,775 raise, and therefore needs to incur debt of only $10,000. Of course the real answer here is to live within your means. If this example were of real concern, the National Retail Federation would not be so adamantly opposed to the FairTax. Their stated reason for opposition is because it would encourage savings.

Then Chris spins right back into typical Democratic problem-solving mode. The solution to every problem is to give TAX CREDITS or to FORCE people into a certain behavior. Some people may very well be beyond help and those people don't deserve the FairTax.

He encourages us to study the history of withholding presumably to expose all the cheating that goes on under such a system. Neal Boortz and John Linder do a great job of explaining the origin of withholding. The bottom line is that it was implemented so that taxpayers would never know exactly how much they are paying in taxes.

Finally, there's the doomsday prediction of some rich guy running all his personal expenses through a business to avoid paying tax on them. They can do that today and it happens. The business then passes those tax liabilities on to people like that $20,000 wage earner Chris feels so sorry for. The FairTax is not cheat-proof. But, right now, a business owner needs only himself to conduct the cheating. Under the FairTax, he needs himself AND a retailer to cheat.

Enough for tonight...

2005-08-09T22:07:00.000-04:00

|| 10:07:28 PM

What's not to love about the FairTax?

I just finished reading The FairTax Book. We are as close to building the momentum to get this thing passed, and thus change our lives forever, as we ever have been. This is, in my opinion, the most important issue of our time. It's more important than the War on Terror, more important than Social Security Reform, more important than Stem Cell research, more important than Gay Rights, and more important -- believe it or not -- than Steriod Use in Professional Sports.

I've already passed the book on so that more people can realize what an incredible plan this is ... and I've asked for it back so I can pass it on again and again.

I've bought a copy for Congressman John Lewis (D-GA). Generally speaking, I love Congressman Lewis. I write to him often and I usually get exactly the response I expected and hoped for. But, when I wrote to him about the FairTax, I was disappointed that he chose to spread lies about the plan in his response to me. The money quote from his letter is:

"Among other things, H.R. 25 would reapeal the income tax, abolish the Internal Reveue Service, and by doing so, would deprive this nation of much needed funding for esentially all critical federal programs."

Anyone who reads H.R. 25, knows immediately that the bill and the FairTax is desiged to be revenue-neutral. Not a single federal program -- we could debate the label of "critical" on most of them -- would go without funding. The government would receive the same amount under the FairTax that it does today. So, Congressman Lewis has either not read the bill, or is intentionally misleading his constituents about it. I've requested a meeting with him at his district office in Atlanta to discuss the matter.

2005-08-09T22:04:00.000-04:00

|| 10:04:03 PM

A Hyper-Hiatus

I've taken almost an entire year off. Why? Laziness probably ranks up there pretty high. But, beyond that Atlanta politics has frankly bored me stiff of late. Yeah, there are spurts of excitement here and there, but for the most part it's been a year of doldrums.

Now, I'm back ... not because things are necessarily more exciting, but just because I feel like it right now.

2004-09-24T15:57:00.000-04:00

|| 3:58:40 PM

The Art of Losing Friends
John Kerry is always yapping about how easily he can "bring the nations of the world together. If that's the case, then why did he do such a great job of alienating Australia, and perhaps the most important new ally we've had since the Cold War ended, Iraq. I wonder if he made new friends like this as a child on the playground.

For them to question the motives of the Prime Minister of Iraq is tantamount to calling the guy a liar. The Kerry chose the word "puppet"...

"The last thing you want to be seen as is a puppet of the United States, and you can almost see the hand underneath the shirt today moving the lips," said Joe Lockhart, a senior Kerry adviser.
Not exactly the way to build a meaningful international alliance. God help us if Kerry does get elected and then actually has to work with this "puppet."

We're supposed to believe that all Iraqis hate us with a vengence, but all Allawi could say is "Thank You, America." He even felt the need to thank the members of Congress who voted to authorize the war and the funding of same.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I particularly want to thank you in the United States Congress for your brave vote in 2002 to authorize American men and women to go to war to liberate my country, because you realized what was at stake. And I want to thank you for your continued commitment last year when you voted to
grant Iraq a generous reconstruction and security funding package."
He resisted the understandable urge to immediately chastise those who voted against it after they voted for it. Predictably, with their head in the sand, only 19 of the 49 Democrats in the Senate bothered to show up.

2004-09-24T10:46:00.000-04:00

|| 10:46:25 AM

Just another reason why the bogus war on drugs is a really stupid idea. Another productive life destroyed by a government jobs program called the war on drugs.

FareinHYPE 9-11
I never went to see that venomous filth spewing forth from fat-ass Michael Moore called Fareinheit 9-11. But I did have fun distributing this rebuttal to all of my friends. But, here's a movie that I will definitely pay money to see.

One Moron, One Vote
Neal Boortz has written an article about something I've thought a lot about. In fact, I just had a conversation about this with one of my liberal friends last night. Interesting that most Americans believe the right to vote by mass rule is a God-given right but it shows up nowhere in our Constitution. Of course, that's why most Americans also do not understand the purpose of the Electoral College. Anyway, I rather like the idea of voting as shareholders in America. My plan didn't include the giving away of a "free" vote by virtue of the fact that you are a citizen as Neal suggests but I can buy that. But one vote for every dollar you pay in actual taxes is a very intriguing idea to me.

Hey, I thought the Economy Sucked?
The AJC (via AP) reports today that there are 313 billionaires in the US right now. Thats up +51 from last year. But how the hell did this happen when the economy sucks so bad? And so much for that tired "rich getting richer" claim from Kerry & Co. There are MORE rich people (51 more at least), not just the SAME rich people.

The Stupidity of Smokers... This one should be Mother of the Year

2004-09-23T14:23:00.000-04:00

|| 2:23:17 PM

CBS Joins Michael Jackson Defense Team
Perhaps the photos of naked young boys found at Michael Jackson's home (which have obviously been denied as authentic by his defense attorneys) is another example of 'Fake but Accurate' evidence.

Now That's Valuable Research!
Thanks to researchers at a public university we now know that Swimming in syrup is as easy as swimming in water! Still no cure for AIDS or cancer.

2004-09-22T23:32:00.000-04:00

|| 11:29:33 PM

Fantasy Draft
No, it's not about Fantasy Football... it's John Kerry's world of make-believe. I know better than to surf the web this close to bedtime.

Instapundit notes today in a campaign speech, John Kerry responded to a question about the possibility of the draft: "If George Bush were to be re-elected, given the way he has gone about this war and given his avoidance of responsibility in North Korea and Iran and other places, is it possible? I can't tell you.”

The AP used that quote as the basis for an article with this headline: Kerry: Draft Likely to Return Under Bush. Huh? Did I miss something? Yahoo later replaced the AP story under the same link with Kerry says Bush in "Make-Believe" World. Pot, meet Kettle.

At first this seems a little weird. Then, Below Street Level suggests it may be an overzealous reporter trying to create the story. That seems like a reasonable explanation.

But then, it appears to have become a regular talking point of the Democrats with Max Cleland and Howard Dean trying to scare young people into drinking the kool-aid.

The only problem with all of this is that George Bush and the Republicans have never suggested the draft should be reinstated. It is Democrat Charles Rangle who introduced the bill (HR 163) to reinstate the draft.

In the words of the immortal James Traficant, "BEAM ME UP, SCOTTY!"

2004-09-22T16:30:00.000-04:00

|| 4:30:22 PM

AIDS Organization Declines Federal Funding, Citing Too Many Strings Attached.
I must have missed this a few days ago when it was announced. Federal funding of domestic AIDS initiatives is in a sad state of affairs. As much as that angers the hell out of me, good for Vermont CARES for telling the federal government, "Thanks, but your bullshit restrictions, none-of-your-business policies, and head-in-the-sand abstinence-only educational requirements are simply not worth the price for your "free" money. Vermont CARES is probably one of the most effective state HIV/AIDS organizations in the country. I can only imagine the struggling debates they had over this decision. Sometimes non-profits have to look beyond the dollars and simply do what is right to fulfill their mission. Vermont CARES did exactly that. Frankly, I'd be more inclined to give to Vermont CARES than our very own AID Atlanta -- a misguided organization if there ever was one.

2004-09-22T10:44:00.000-04:00

|| 10:44:04 AM

Bar crowd kills man over a cigarette. If only they had a smoking ban in Cleveland. Afterall, smoking kills.

Bush: No apology, no retreat on Iraq. Is the AJC suggesting that there should be an apology or retreat on Iraq? I'm not sure why President Bush even wasted his time with such a worthless organization as the UN.

"A subdued U.N. audience offered polite applause at the end of Bush's speech." Has anyone ever seen a UN audience that wasn't subdued? Of course very few of these "news" stories points out that it is UN protocol not to interrupt speechs with applause and to applaud politely at the end.

Perhaps President Bush should have called out Kofi Annan for helping Saddam Hussein steal food from babies.

Kentucky Town Is Overrun With Gray-Haired People On Scooters. Ah, our government at work! I have a personal disdain -- actually more of an obsessive rage -- against people on scooters. I know there are some (very few) that are medically necessary, but most are used to haul around their lard ass owners who can't walk to the mail box without an oxygen tank. And our government will pay for it, much to the delight of these blue hairs in Kentucky. I agree with the Mayor... the federal government caused this problem, now they need to come to this Kentucky town and fix it.

2004-09-21T14:29:00.000-04:00

|| 2:29:35 PM

Kerry on Letterman

Kerry laughs it up on Letterman. Supposedly Kerry is making the rounds of talk shows (he also did Regis & Kelly this morning) to make him more "likable" to the American public. If that's the goal, once again, he's failed miserably. He looked like such a misplaced dork sitting their forcing jokes with Letterman. And it was obvious Letterman couldn't have been more bored.

My favorite part was when Dave asked him specifically what he would do to bring more of our allies into the fold in Iraq. Kerry's response was something like "I would reach out to the nations of the world... blah, blah, blah... and bring the to the table to discuss the important issues... blah, blah, blah... like I wrote about four years ago such as global warming." Huh? Now we're going to forget about the war on terror and focus on the war on global warming?

And did anyone else find it ironic that the only other Letterman guest, and immediately following Kerry, was the band Green Day, promoting their new album American Idiot?

2004-09-21T14:15:00.000-04:00

|| 2:17:17 PM

China fines parents over $90,000 for having more than one child.

Meanwhile, the U.S. continues to give parents who have five children and no job free food and medical care.

2004-09-21T13:54:00.000-04:00

|| 1:56:17 PM

Smoking Ban sent back to committee

...where it will hopefully stay. Seems our City Council can't get their arms around what constitutes a bar. If they can stall long enough, it won't matter, as the Georgia General Assembly will, in all likelihood, pass a statewide ban next year leveling the playing field for everyone. Even so, it's still a horrible idea. I loved all the people who marched up to the City Council meeting to speak about the "public health issue" this presents -- especially the fat cow who couldn't catch her breath (I think she represented the American Cancer Society) after hurrying to the meeting. "Excuse me, I'm out of breath...," she said in the middle of her comments. That's because your lard ass is a public health issue! And she wants to legislate how others should live healthier lives?!? HA!

2004-09-21T13:34:00.000-04:00

|| 1:34:21 PM

From Monday's AJC Vent

"For all of you who have been hit by the hurricane, we're sorry. But we've sent all of your relief money to Iraq."

Excuse me?!?!? Your relief money???? This is a prime example of the welfare entitlement mentality that infects this country's work ethic today. I wonder how many people would continue to build and rebuild their homes in areas prone to hurricanes if they knew the federal government would swoop in each time to steal money through taxation from other Americans to rescue them financially? No one ever seems to weigh the risk of their choices until it's too late.

And some presumably "poor" not-too-brite bozo in Alabama had this to say about his disappointment in the state's relief efforts: "Poor folks have a hard time getting around with no gas." Funny, rich people seem to be able to drive forever with no gas.

2004-09-20T14:58:00.000-04:00

|| 6:23:03 PM

Bush cost me my brother.

No, you bone head little wench, Bush did not cost you your brother. Despite what you want to believe, military service in this country is still voluntary. Your brother signed up to defend this country and honorably serve at the order of the Commander in Chief. With all due respect to the deceased, my guess is that Sgt. Ryan M. Campbell signed up hoping for some government payouts for his college education. Then the government comes along and actually asks him to fulfill the commitment he made by going and defending America and we're supposed to get all teary eyed about it? Go see if any of the victims of daily terrorist attacks have any sympathy for you.

2004-09-13T09:49:00.000-04:00

|| 9:51:13 AM

Things that caught my attention...

Zell Responds. The summary: He's not an angry lunatic, he meant for the speech to sound that way. Yes, Dick Cheney opposed some of the same weapons systems as John Kerry, but Cheney did it after not during the Cold War. He had nice things to say about Kerry, and he meant them... before September 11, 2001. He's not a racist, but if he is, he's at least less of a racist than Jimmy Carter.

A Worse Candidate than Bush or Kerry? Doug MacEachern at the Arizona Republic thinks that describes Libertarian candidate Michael Badnarik. I'm not sure I can agree with that, but I'll write a followup on my disagreements with the Badnarik campaign a little later.

Komedian Kerry. Some jokes from John Kerry:

Presidential Assassination: "I thank you for the gift, but I can't take it to the debate with me." -- John Kerry, after being handed a semi-automatic shotgun at a campaign stop in West Virginia.
Vice-Presidential Assassination: "The Secret Service is under orders that if Bush is shot, to shoot Quayle." -- John Kerry in 1988 about the first Bush Administration's vice president.
Personal Injury: "Did the training wheels fall off?" -- John Kerry, after hearing of a bicycling accident injuring President Bush.
America's Youth: "When I came back from Vietnam in 1969, I don't know if John Edwards was out of diapers then." -- John Kerry, about his running-mate-to-be.
International Relations: "The Iraqi army is in such bad shape now, even the Italians could kick their butts." -- John Kerry, about Saddam Hussein's military.
Welfare recipients: "This guy takes more vacations than the people on welfare." -- John Kerry talking about his opponent during his 1996 senate re-election campaign.
Freedom: "A little more than 5,000 years ago, Moses said, 'Hitch up your camel, lift up your shovel, mount your ass. I will lead you to the promised land.' Five thousand years later, Franklin Roosevelt said, 'Light up a Camel, lay down your shovel, sit on your ass. This is the promised land.' Today, George Bush will outsource your camel, tax your shovel, kick your ass, and tell you there is no promised land." -- John Kerry, speaking to the Florida Democratic Convention in December 2003.

Yeah, we need to lighten up.

Thai Transvestite Elephant Polo Anyone?

Atlanta Out Loud

Jeff Gannon - A Voice of the New Media: General Archives

The Anti-Jet Lag Plane

Trapped mouse thrown into fire gets revenge: sets home ablaze | ajc.com

Swiss Banknotes

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Philly CheeseSteaks

Politics News Article | Reuters.com

Top News Article | Reuters.com

Fauver v. Brodie

Southern Voice Online

Home Page - United States Representative Tom Price

Judge Throws Out Charge in Gay Attack | ajc.com

Boeing 777-200LR WORLDLINER

Mileage Run

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Give 'Em Hell Harry

The BeltLine Partnership:

Neighborhoods outside Beltline may benefit from aid | ajc.com

SetLoveFree.org - Repeal the Wright Amendment-- Message Confirmation

Hearing Archives :Committee on Ways & Means :: U.S. House of Representatives :

Politics and Policy | Senate Rejects Coburn Spending Bill Amendment To Transfer $60M From CDC Construction, Renovation Project to ADAP - Kaisernetwork.org

Gays a force in council races | ajc.com

Boi From Troy � Nunez Nixes Nuptuals for Next Year

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Leave no TV behind: Senator wants $3B for subsidy program - Oct. 21, 2005

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Shirley one of America's Best Leaders

Reason: The Root of the Problem: The what's missing in the debate over U.S. vs. U.N. control of the Net

Gay rights group gives nod to Fauver | ajc.com

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FairTax Update

Brand Atlanta

FairTax

Atlanta Public Affairs: Atlanta City Council Takes Chicken Shit Approach

Tax De-Form Panel

A Tale of Two Meetings

President's Advisory Panel on Federal Tax Reform

For Service, Speak English

Road Rage

Ig Nobel Awards

Beltline discussion ratchets up a notch | ajc.com

BIG brother

How America's gay rights establishment is failing gay Iranians | The Quiet Americans

The internet will never be the same again

Ashley Smith surprised at reaction to drug story | ajc.com

Sometimes Facts Just get in the Way

Politics 101: Perdue as I say, not as I Perdue

How The Banking Settlement Got Spent In Georgia - Forbes.com

Fair Tax vs. Flat Tax

Democrats are so Tacky!

Lawmaker to appeal denial of immunity in DUI case | ajc.com

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