Links to Me
Recent Comments
Re: “Everything you wanted to know about RICO”
Great post, Stefan, but I'm surprised by the reaction among some commenters that the RICO charges are somehow prosecutorial overreaching. If the indictment is to be believed — and, sadly, I think it is — then Hall was overseeing one of the largest criminal enterprises in Georgia. Remember, RICO covers "corrupt organizations," which is what the APS allegedly was, with each individual member conspiring to do his or her part: the teachers and test coordinators handing out correct answers or changing the wrong ones; the principals applying pressure on the teachers; the administrators applying pressure on the principals; and Hall, at the top, firing whistle-blowers and educators who wouldn't play ball, rewarding those who did, and attacking anyone on the outside who questioned her incredible claims of testing gains. Recall that Bill Campbell also was prosecuted under RICO for turning City Hall into a pay-for-play cesspool of corruption. The fact that he beat the RICO rap shows that juries don't always follow along in connecting the dots, so Paul Howard has his work cut out for him. He doesn't have a great track record with the biggest cases (Ray Lewis, Brian Nichols), so I hope he does his homework on Hall.
Re: “My cat is handsome: A story in pictures”
I've met your cat, Gwynedd, and he's a total a-hole! But I must admit he's moderately handsome.
Re: “Poll confirms Mississippi, Alabama still retarded”
@JC — Yes, that thought had occurred to me, but somehow I'd rather not see those stats for Georgia.
@Cathy — This isn't about a difference of viewpoint. The president's religion isn't a matter of opinion. Instead, it's about ignorance — partly willful, partly the apparent cultural heritage of a particularly backwards part of the country. Oh, and, because the president's a black guy, with a healthy dose of racism mixed in. To me, that qualifies as — and I use the term in its most informal, juvenile sense — retarded.
Re: “Georgia as abortion battleground”
In the foreground? That's the Rev. Patricia Templeton, rector of St. Dunstan's Episcopal Church in North Atlanta. She spoke in opposition to the bill. But she canceled out by some woman from the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta who said HB 954 would save 1,400 babies a year in Georgia.
Re: “Atlanta Daily World building is latest Auburn Avenue historical site at risk”
@hgrady, I gotta agree with atlpaddy that "something happening there that may have been historic" does, indeed, make the building historic. The building was occupied from the late 1920s until recently by the Atlanta Daily World, the nation's oldest African-American daily newspaper and a pillar of the black community during Sweet Auburn's heyday. There's little argument that the building is historic, despite its unassuming architecture. In those days, most black-owned businesses weren't able to afford magnificent buildings, so that's an unrealistic standard.
Re: “Atlanta Daily World building is latest Auburn Avenue historical site at risk”
Actually, Kiteless, the magnificent, art deco Terminal Station, was replaced by the Richard B. Russell Federal Building. But I've since heard it on good authority that Tom Cousins is now really sorry for tearing it down. Hope that makes you feel better.
Re: “UPDATED: Reese Witherspoon got arrested in Atlanta, is a 'US citizen'”
Fabulous choice for video, Wyatt. God, I love that movie. Need to dig out the DVD and rewatch.