Newspaper Page Text
ATHENS NEWS AND VIEWS
Just When You Thought It Was Finally Over:
Folks, we've got an election on our hands.
Still. But don't despair—it's a good thing,
because it means we Georgians have a chance
to swap out the old broken-parts Bushite
senator, Saxby Chambliss/who's been repre
senting us in Washington for six years. His
Democratic challenger, Jim Martin, is a good
man whose presence in the U.S. Senate would
do a lot more for this state and this nation
than having Chambliss back there would.
The key for both of them, though, is turn
ing people back out to the polls for the Dec.
2 runoff election. And here in Athens, as
in many towns statewide, early voting has
already begun. If you were registered to vote
in the Nov. 4 general election this year—and
whether or not you actually did vote—you
can vote in advance at the ACC Board of
Elections office downtown on weekdays from
8 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Wednesday, Nov. 26,
the day before Thanksgiving. After that, your
only chance is when the polls at the various
neighborhood polling places open from 7 a.m.
to 7 p.m. on the day of the runoff election,
Tuesday, Dec. 2.
That's Not All: Just about as important is the
runoff in the race for state Public Service
Commission. There,
Jim Powell—the
selfsame guy who
Republican Secretary
of State Karen Handel
tried to get thrown
off the ballot over
a residency dispute
(the courts finally
found her wrong)—is
making a strong run
against the one-time
Democratic PSC mem
ber now running as
a Republican, Lauren
"Bubba" McDonald.
McDonald is basically
a friend of the utility
companies that have to
wrangle with the PSC
over consumer protec
tions and environmental
regulations. Powell,
on the other hand, is
a retired Department
of Energy official with
knowledge of alternative energy sources that
would probably come in handy in these times
of whacked-out energy markets and global
ecological threats related to our continued
use of fossil fuels. City Dope says vote for Jim
Powell: it's an easy call to make, but you've
just got to get back out to the polls.
One More: Also on the runoff ballot, vot
ers will see the race for Georgia Court of
Appeals. In that one, two candidates are left
standing after the seven-person free-for-all of
the general election. Those two are criminal
defense lawyer Mike Sheffield of Lawrenceville
and Sara Doyle, a young Atlanta lawyer focus
ing on civil litigation and education law. For
what it's worth, the Flagpole pick in the gen
eral election, state legislator Michael Meyer
von Bremen, didn't make it to the runoff—but
he and Doyle were among the four listed by
the Atlanta Journal-Constitution last month as
perfectly good candidates for the job.
This time around, City Dope is going with
Sara Doyle, an intelligent and successful
Seen around town: a statement of solidarity with
Georgia death row inmate Troy Davis.
attorney who's already won accolades in her
short career. Mike Sheffield doesn't appear to
be too bad of a guy, but despite this being a
nonpartisan race, there are some disconcert
ing notes in his campaign history: According
to the Fulton County Daily Report, in a 2004
appeals court race Sheffield "took positions
against gay marriage and in favor of capital
punishment on his campaign Web site." He
also was the only candidate in that '04 race
to answer a questionnaire from the Christian
Coalition of Georgia (saying he agreed with
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia on
the cases that the questionnaire asked about),
and this year he answered the questionnaire
from the Georgia Christian Alliance, signaling
in advance how he might decide on issues
important to that group. One last note—again
from the Daily Report, which notes: "And he
received the early endorsement of J. Randolph
'Rand/ Evans, general counsel to the state
Republican Party, who has described Sheffield
as a 'good, reliable conservative.'" All that is
reason enough to vote for Doyle.
Athens' Own Moment of Zen: This column
would be incomplete without a note on Paul
Broun, Jr. and his anti-Marxist, anti-Hitler,
anti-Obama crusade. If you need to catch up,
please reference Prof.
Jim Cobb's excellent
Comment in this issue,
as well as the Nov. 13
episode of the "The
Daily Show," just in
case you missed it.
In Other News, Which
Does Exist: Despite the
runoff election, we can
all take comfort that
the whole votin' thing
will soon be departing
from the news cycle,
opening up opportuni
ties for discussion of
other, you know, impor
tant issues that need
airing. In that regard,
thanks are due to the
crew at the Athens
Banner-Herald, who in
their recent reporting
have not only reminded
us that the proposed
bio-defense lab is still hanging out there as
a matter of vital public interest for Athens,
but also have also uncovered distinct defi
ciencies in UGA's protocol for reporting lab
safety incidents to the appropriate folks in
the community. It's all food for thought, that's
for sure.
Along Those Lines: Also unresolved at press
time in the world of public affairs is the mat
ter of whether Troy Davis will live or die at
the hands of the state of Georgia. His death
penalty case having now bounced from court
to court to court, the prospects still aren't
good. But here's a word of thanks for the local
resident who displayed a message of support
for Davis, as seen in this week's photo. City
Dope just hopes that if the Davis case does
re-enter the news cycle this week, perhaps the
news will be good.
Ben Emanuel
Send your city dope to ben@flagpole.com.
COMMERCIAL SPACE FOR SALE OR LEASE
RENOVATION & NEW CONSTRUCTION
IN THE CHASE PARK WAREHOUSE DIST.
onetaspace.com • athenstownproperties.com ♦ briggscarney@gmall.com
HYDROPONICS
—— www.FloraHydroponlcs.com • 706-353-2223 • Mon-Sat 11 am-7pm .
2475 Jefferson Rd • Athens • in the Homewood Village Shopping Center
Tx FOR THE ,
Homeless
-V- '■
• featuring '
The Modern Skirts
November 23.2008 • S P.M.
at the Foundry Park Inn
Available At
•Area Sponsors
fvjwITO „
.
Ammotn
The 44! Show Featuring The Modern Skirts *
at 7:30 pm at
www.AthensMusic.net directly following the Harvest reception
Restaurant Sponsors:
O
FT. MARK'S
NORAMCO.
Pw 4 Mate Vandydt * Law Oftcw at John F Lyndon • rtams 4 Lfcen. LLP
Sever S Arcfrbaid • Or 4 Mn R. GJei Wggans
5S to •*/!»» •&»&*<*» B»,- Ear. * Tfw Broad Sfrwr Bar and CrJ • Cai n 7>os * Carafe* >• Csm Mu •
Cdi Pica • Choo Crw> • 680 • Ode Chey't • tVMjr* • F*j Cal* • F«*r*-ds's • Fi* PttaU Or* •
Georgia Cfe • The Cat** • The Grfl • TT* Gj*u Wrap • H*iy 5 wars • hers daeac*'-
Fondj • *™n»nn Kata • La Fe*rj • Las! R»ort • locoi • Many* Soy • ItoTs * rMMr • Mtan Bean • UcCa*
►A-tfoorn. Tha Uettig Pw* • Mem • The NaVmi • Cw* Garten • On Sw ftyter • CX*aA SlMttnM •
P.rar* Broad • Rachcft • Rear's • Shaw's Rtr. • ilKtari • SmtcOv iOtvj • fpuutty • Statudt* • Tad* &
irwa • Tha Sfeon • T‘«i • Unde Clt* • A'»«* OS • W* Wng Cal*. Sm-, 3^ 9tewr * CaM
NOVEMBER 19,2008 • FLAGPOLE.COM 5