Fresh Loaf

Robert Novak, the man Jon Stewart caricatured as the “douchebag of liberty,” died today at the age of 78. Before he became known as one of the men who was “hurting America” with the show Crossfire, however, Novak was one of the most high-profile and well-respected political writers in the business, most notably with his colleague Rowland Evans and their Evans-Novak Political Report.

In his memoir, published a little over a year ago, Novak managed to weave in an incredible number of revealing vignettes concerning some of the most prominent men of the last half century, including this memorable anecdote on Atlanta tycoon Ted Turner:

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As manager of PAWS Atlanta, one of the city’s largest no-kill animal shelters, Philip Smith knows how much work it takes to turn abused and abandoned animals back into man’s best friends.

How do most animals find their way to PAWS?

For the most part, we try to get our animals from kill facilities. These places end up with a lot of injured animals, and unless we can bring them in, they’re just sitting there waiting for their time to be killed. We try to do what we can to give them the life they deserve.  All together, that probably makes up 75 percent of our animals. Others are dire cases, like the dog we found that was hit by a lawn mower. And about 20 percent are animals that people surrender to us.

We try to help as many people as we can — but unfortunately there are limits to how many animals we can take in, which is why we won’t take in litters of kittens whose owner hasn’t had their mother spayed. We know that the owner will be back here a year later with the same problem.

What condition are most animals in when they first arrive at PAWS?

We get a lot of abused animals. Ninety-nine percent of them are scared out of their minds, and it takes a lot to get them to where they can trust humans again.

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Number of people arrested during a Missouri town hall meeting on health care reform held by Democratic Congressman Russ Carnahan: 6

Number of Democratic congressmen who have received death threats from or have been hanged in effigy by health care reform protesters: 4

Number of people who “liked” Sarah Palin’s Facebook note accusing health care reform of potentially establishing “death panels”: 6,392

Number of attendees at Georgia Democratic Congressman Hank Johnson’s Aug. 10 town hall meeting: 1,500

Number of attendees at Georgia Republican Congressman Tom Price’s Aug. 1 town hall meeting: 60

Attendees at a joint town hall meeting on health care held by Georgia Republican Congressmen Nathan Deal and Phil Gingrey: 600

Number of attendees at the Deal-Gingrey town hall meeting who were visibly supporting President Obama or health care reform: 1

Increase in uninsured patients at Grady Memorial Hospital so far in 2009, compared to all of 2008: 67,000

Obama’s margin of victory over John McCain in the 2008 election, in which each candidate proposed plans for health care reform: 9,522,083

Sources: Facebook, 11alivenews, AJC.com, house.gov

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June 2009 U.S. unemployment rate: 9.5 percent

July 2009 U.S. unemployment rate: 9.4 percent

Number of months, before July 2009, since the U.S. saw a decrease in unemployment: 16

Number of points by which the Dow Jones Industrial Average increased immediately following the release of the new unemployment data: 142

Average U.S. weekly income, June 2009: $609.37

Average U.S. weekly income, July 2009: $614.34

Last month’s unemployment rate in Georgia: 10.1 percent

Jobs lost in Georgia since around this time last year: 209,500

Increase in Georgia jobs in health care and educational services, according to the most recent statistics: 12,000

Sources: AJC.com, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Washington Post

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Seven months after President Barack Obama was sworn in, a fringe contingent still suspects he’s ineligible for the post because, they claim, instead of being born in Hawaii — as the evidence makes clear — he actually was born in Kenya.

“I have seen the original vital records maintained on file by the Hawaii State Department of Health verifying Barack Hussein Obama was born in Hawaii and is a natural-born American citizen.”

— Hawaii Health Director Chiyome Fukino, in a statement issued July 27

“It’s just a few cranks out there. It’s like when the networks bring on the three remaining Klanners in America.”

— Ann Coulter, during a July 27 appearance on Fox News

“I have no idea where he was born.”

— U.S. Rep. Nathan Deal, R-Ga., responding to an interviewer who asked if he thought Obama was born in America and if he considered “birthers” to be crazy

“What I don’t know is why the president can’t produce a birth certificate. I think that’s a legitimate question.”

— Former House Majority Leader and current Senate candidate Roy Blunt, responding on July 29 to a question about Obama’s eligibility

Sources: TPM, AP, MSNBC

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Hardin construction — the big-name firm that has come under scrutiny for having been involved with the construction of both the Atlanta botanical garden walkway that collapsed in December 2008 and the partially-collapsed Centergy parking deck in midtown — has had two lucrative contracts cancelled by the University of Georgia.

Cars being pulled out of the Centergy parking deck in midtown last month after it collapsed.

In April of this year Hardin received a contract to work on two new parking decks planned by UGA, for a grand total of $18.6 million. Since then, however, Hardin has been fined $6,300 by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration for inadequately installing scaffolding towers to support the Botanical Garden walkway.

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Only in Clayton County.

According to an AJC.com story, a Jonesboro man has been hauled into police custody for allegedly having sex with his dog.

Edwin Robles, 53, faces a felony bestiality charge, according to police. He was booked into the Clayton County jail in the early morning hours Friday, and was released around 9:30 p.m., according to jail records.

Robles is accused of performing the sexual act on his dog, named Chain, police said.

Police went to Robles’ home after receiving a tip from the Osceola County Sheriff’s Department in Florida, according to Lt. Rebecca Brown with Clayton police.

One wonders what that tip from the Osceola County Sheriff’s Department must have consisted of. It seems that the only thing more shameful than being publicly charged with bestiality is to leave behind a trail of clues that crossed state lines. Yikes.

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The Juidicial Council of Georgia, the policy-making body for Georgia courts, brought a welcome degree of common sense to Georgia’s courtrooms by making it clear in a statement released today that hijabs — headscarves traditionally worn by Muslim women — may, like similar head coverings allowed for religious or medical purposes, be worn inside those buildings during official proceedings.

The official ruling states:

“Head coverings are prohibited from the courtroom except in cases where the covering is worn for medical or religious reasons. To the extent security requires a search of a person wearing a head covering for medical or religious reasons, the individual has the option of having the inspection performed by a same-sex officer in a private area. The individual is allowed to put his or her own head covering back on after the inspection is complete.”

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While the debates in Congress over health care reform have intensified this week, members of Georgia’s congressional delegation are all over the map in their reasons for supporting, but in most cases opposing, significant government reform — some more vehemently and bluntly than others.

“The poor have no chance, under the current system, to get the kind of care and follow-up they need. This House bill … is a historic step toward a new approach to health care in America that can quiet the fear associated with health care costs. It can relieve the significant financial stress on families, especially during this period where money is very tight, and provide coverage for millions of Americans who are currently uninsured or may have lost their jobs.”

— Congressman John Lewis, in a press release issued July 17, after the Ways and Means Committee passed America’s Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009

“What we’re talking about is a move toward socialism. … You’re going to have a socialist bureaucrat in the exam room between the doctor and the patient.”

— Congressman Phil Gingrey, at a July 7 forum on health care reform at George Washington University Hospital

“[Canada and Great Britain] don’t have the appreciation of life, as we do in our society, evidently. A lot of people are gonna die. This ‘government option’ that’s being touted as this panacea — the savior of allowing people to have quality health care at an affordable price — is gonna kill people.”

— Congressman Paul Broun, in a July 10 statement on the floor of the House

Sources: AJC.com, Office of Congressman John Lewis, Media Matters

(Photo by Joeff Davis)

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The AJC calls attention today to Georgia’s boast that its Congressional delegation includes more doctors (four of the 16 currently in office) than any other state — which would seem to be a positive, considering the debates over health-care reform being waged at this very moment in Congress.

So just who are these MD’s who make Georgia so proud?

Well, there’s Rep. Phil Gingrey, of “Better Know a District” fame; there’s Rep. Tom Price, chairman of the Republican Study Committee; Rep. John Linder, who apparently counts even though he’s a dentist; and Rep. Paul Broun.

Yes, that Paul Broun, who once compared Pres. Barack Obama to Adolf Hitler and accused him of trying to establish a Marxist dictatorship. Broun also happens to be a licensed doctor. And who better to represent Georgia’s medical community on the national stage? After all, Broun has already demonstrated his scientific acumen by declaring on the floor of the U.S. House that all the suggested evidence in support of human-induced global warming — the academic reports, temperature records dating back for thousands of years, the bewildered polar bears frequently photographed swimming in vain for a block of ice — are all just part of a “one of the greatest hoaxes perpetrated out of the scientific community.”

I would request that Rep. Broun do his best not to embarrass Georgia anymore, but it may already be too late:

Under Broun’s [health care] plans, doctors and pharmacies would be encouraged to post prices for their services just as a restaurant might post a dinner menu. Doing so, Broun said, would spur competition and therefore help bring down costs.

Because who hasn’t wished their health care operated with the same level of efficiency and quality of service as a middle-tier chain restaurant?

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As it turns out, just the AJC does.

Like the vast majority of the Braves’ highly touted prospects over the last decade — we’re looking at you, Wilson Betemit, Macay McBride and Brent Lillibridge — Jeff Francoeur didn’t quite pan out at the Major League level. After knocking 29 homers with 102 RBIs in his first full season in the majors, the fan favorite declined rapidly, first losing his power — 29 homeruns became 19, which became 11, which became 5 before last week’s trade — and then everything else. So the Braves did the logical thing and cut bait, trading Francoeur to the Mets before MLB’s arbitration process forced them to shell out even more money for a player whose on-base percentage is in regular danger of being lapped by his batting average.

Letting go of Frenchy, however, proved easier for the fans than it did for the scribes who’ve been tracking Francoeur’s every move since he was a local high school football star.

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Using the same logic that brought Poochie the Dog into the world, Ralph Reed — the man with more attempted resurrections than Jesus Christ Himself — vows to rejuvenate the now-moribund and heavily tarnished Christian Coalition, using a handy checklist of things that he’s been told are trendy:

“This is not going to be your daddy’s Christian Coalition. It has to be younger, hipper, less strident, more inclusive and it has to harness the 21st century that will enable us to win in the future. … It’s the political analog to the iPod and the iPhone. It would be cool. It would be transformative. It would transform our politics and bring younger people to our ranks. All of those are critical imperatives.”

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Percentage of Georgia adults who qualify as obese: 28

Percentage of Georgia children age 10-17 who qualify as obese: 37

Georgia’s national rank among the 50 states for adult obesity: 14

Georgia’s national rank among the 50 states for childhood obesity: 3

Number of the top 10 most obese states that are in the South: 8

Percentage of national health care costs associated with chronic disease, much of which can be traced to obesity: 70

Percentage by which a metro Atlantan is less likely to become obese if that person lives in a walkable neighborhood: 7

Extra number pounds of pounds the average person packs on when he or she lives in a pedestrian-unfriendly city: 6

Atlanta’s rank, out of 40, on a recent list of pedestrian-friendly cities: 22

Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Georgia Tech, Heartland Institute, Smart Growth America, Trust for America’s Health, WalkScore.com

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Number of cars that were damaged as a result of the June 29 parking deck collapse in Midtown: 38

Number of injuries: 0

Number of parking spaces not impacted by the collapse, according to a statement from Atlanta-based Hardin Construction Co., which built the deck, to help “put this incident in perspective”: 1,377

Number of times the deck has been inspected by the city since its 2002 construction: 0

Number of injuries resulting from the December collapse of a bridge at the Atlanta Botanical Garden, also built by Hardin Construction: 18

Number of fatalities from the bridge collapse at the Atlanta Botanical Garden: 1

Amount Hardin Construction was fined by the city for the Botanical Garden collapse: $6,300

Amount that Hardin received earlier this month from the University of Houston as part of a new housing construction project: $50,000,000

Number of parking spaces planned for two new parking decks that the University of Georgia is having Hardin build: 943

Sources: AJC.com, 11alivenews.com, Hardin Construction

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Farah Fawcett’s passing last Thursday prompted a generation of now-middle aged males to recall their frustrated adolescent fantasies. Michael Jackson’s death, on Friday, nearly broke the internet. The equally untimely death of householder-appliance pitchman Billy Mays, who likely succumbed to heart disease, inspired entirely different sorts of reminiscences.

Mays already had almost 52,000 fans on Facebook, over 2,000 of whom have visited his page since then to pay their respects. (Condolences ranged from “NOW who will I buy useless shit from?” to “zorbies won’t absorb my tears…and Mighty Mend-it can’t fix my broken heart” to “why couldnt the sham-wow guy die.”) Mays’ death pushed Twitter into another day of overload, while on MySpace users were hawking Orange Glo as collector’s items.

Though while the outbursts of sentiment following Fawcett and Jackson’s untimely deaths were not at all surprising, the phrase “infomercial star” that all the obits are throwing around wouldn’t even exist without Mays. So how to account for the impact of “the OxiClean guy” on the cultural zeitgeist?

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On June 23, South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford admitted to an affair with an Argentinian woman, following in a long line of less-than-faithful Southern politicos.

“It’s gonna hurt, and we’ll let the chips fall where they may. … The bottom line is this: I’ve been unfaithful to my wife. … I spent the last five days of my life crying in Argentina.”

— Sanford during a June 23 press conference

“There were times when I was praying and when I felt I was doing things that were wrong. But I was still doing them. … I look back on those as periods of weakness and periods that I’m … not proud of.”"

— Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich admits his infidelity in a 2007 radio interview with “Focus on the Family“

“I told my wife that I had a liaison with another woman, and I asked for her forgiveness. … You cannot beat me up more than I have already beaten up myself.”

— Former Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards, in a 2008 statement about his affair

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Blue Genes, the clothing boutique in the Around Lenox shopping center that has been broken in to seven times in the past eight years, might be getting a run for its money as the most burgled outpost along Lenox Road.

This morning, police began investigating yet another such burglary, this time at the Macy’s in Lenox Square Mall, where approximately 80 pairs of blue jeans worth an estimated $10,000 were stolen. Burglars found their way in after smashing a plate glass window at the front of the store.

These two victims are, of course, far from alone. Atlanta recently ranked second in a survey of the nation’s most dangerous cities, with property crimes increasing by 7.6 percent in 2008 compared with the previous year. And as the AJC noted, these recent break-ins don’t even set these two stores apart on their own block:

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Has South Carolina’s missing governor been located at last? One of his spokesmen has gone on the record, issuing a statement that Mark Sanford, who was completely out of touch for five days, was off “hiking along the Appalachian Trail” and will return to work tomorrow.

Which, if true, doesn’t quite answer the question of why his wife said he needed time to do some writing, or why she didn’t know exactly where he was, or why he’d elect to “hike along the Appalachian Trail” on Father’s Day Weekend.

It’s still a mystery as to why authorities revealed that they had tracked his cell phone to the Atlanta area — as it’s plain to see, the trail doesn’t exactly start in the metro region. And as Josh Marshall over at TPM points out, the fact that authorities were even worried enough to track down his phone in the first place raises questions.

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UPDATE: Gov. Sanford found (sort of)

If you see South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford strolling around Little Five, please let that state know ASAP.

According to the Columbia State, Sanford’s whereabouts have been unknown since last Thursday. Neither the governor’s office nor the division in charge of the governor’s security have been able to reach Sanford, who left the S.C. Governor’s Mansion in a black SLED Suburban SUV four days ago.

When asked, the Lt. Gov. and various state senators had no idea where Sanford might be. Surely his wife knows, though:

First lady Jenny Sanford told The Associated Press today her husband has been gone for several days and she doesn’t know where he is.

Oh. That’s odd.

Of course, he may just have wanted to get away from the kids and the stresses of running the great Palmetto State. The Columbia newspaper reports:

[Sanford's wife] said the governor said he needed time away from their children to write something.

The governor’s office issued a statement Monday afternoon: “Gov. Sanford is taking some time away from the office this week to recharge after the stimulus battle and the legislative session, and to work on a couple of projects that have fallen by the wayside.”

So where might the truant South Carolina chief exec be? Well, one clue suggests he might very well be near Atlanta. According to authorities, a mobile telephone tower in the area picked up a signal from his phone.

The South Carolina Governor has brown, slightly graying hair, and is of average height and weight. He is not known to bite or bark. The South Carolina Governor’s office can be contacted at 803-734-2100; in the event of a Sanford sighting, be sure to contact them with any leads.

(Photo courtesy South Carolina Governor’s Office)

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Organized hastily, primarily via Facebook, hundreds gathered over the weekend in front of the CNN center to express their displeasure with the Iranian government’s violent reactions to demonstrators protesting the results of the recent Iranian elections.

The AJC, while calling attention to burnings of the Iranian flag and photos of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, provided a basic profile of the organizers and attendees:

Most of the crowd consisted of Iranians living in the U.S. Many carried signs and placards reading “Where is my vote,” “Free Iran” and “Stop the violence,” the Associated Press reported.

The rally was organized by a group of Iranian students living in Atlanta, the Associated Press reported. The organizers said they do not support any candidate or political party in the Iranian elction and that the rally was endorsed by Amnesty International.

CL staff photographer Joeff Davis was at Saturday’s demonstration. And his shots show a mixed crowd, with assorted aims and inspirations.

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Number of years since “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” was adopted as federal policy: 16

Number of servicemembers discharged from the U.S. armed services since 1993 because because they were gay: 12,342

Number of times, including a June 8 U.S. Supreme Court decision, that federal courts have upheld the policy: 6

Percentage of Americans in favor of allowing gays to serve openly in the armed forces, according to a July 2008 poll: 75

Percentage of Republicans in favor of the policy’s repeal, according to the same poll: 64

Number of years ago a U.S. Navy committee determined gays in the military don’t pose a security risk: 52

Total number of countries that allow openly gay servicemembers: 26

Number of NATO countries, including the United States, that still ban gay servicemembers: 2

Number of Georgia congressmen who are co-sponsors of the policy’s repeal: 2

Sources: AJC, Servicemembers Legal Defense Network

This post has been altered to correct a typo in the number of NATO countries that still ban openly gay servicemembers.

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The abrupt release of 300-game winner Tom Glavine by the Atlanta Braves, which the former World Series MVP said left him “blindsided,” has had a similar impact among the local fan blogs, all of whom have come to terms with the news in different — and in some instances conflicting — ways.

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They’re back, Atlanta. And this time, they’re prepared for your childish antics.

While the April 15 Atlanta Tea Party protest in front of the Georgia Capitol included Sean Hannity, local politicos and quite a bit of traffic, what the organizers didn’t necessarily account for beforehand was the sophomoric glee with which anchors and guests on major news networks, including CNN’s Anderson Cooper, would greet their declared intent to “teabag the White House.”

Tea Party April 15 at the Georgia state capitol

According to a press release issued by the Tea Party Patriots early this week, announcing their intended demonstration outside CNN headquarters today from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.:

CNN poked fun at and demeaned the Tea Party Patriots Protesters around the country on April 15th. …  The repeated use of sexual innuendo and other offensive language primarily centered around an alternate meaning of the word “teabagging” were insulting, rude, and lacked the decorum expected of a professional news organization.

Content like this is not family friendly.  As parents, we are outraged that your network incorporated these sexual innuendos and other offensive language into your news content as if they didn’t matter.

Though the Tax Day protests drew anywhere between 10,000 and 20,000 attendees (and Sean Hannity!), there was no sign of any demonstrators early this afternoon at CNN — and nary an indication that they even briefly distracted the hordes of summer campers and tourist groups that normally mill around the CNN Center.

Regardless of how many enthused teabaggers actually were offended by CNN’s coverage of their event, it rings a tad hollow, given that many of the most hilariously suggestive parodies came from the teabaggers themselves — such as the sign held up by 38-year-old medical professional Christian Stevens last April 15 in front of the Capitol:

“Stimulus check: $20.32. KY Jelly: $20.32. Coincidence? I don’t think so.”

(Photo by Joeff Davis)

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Michael Vick, the former Atlanta Falcons star quarterback, was released May 20 from a federal penitentiary in Leavenworth, Kan. He will be completing the final two months of his 23-month dog-fighting sentence in his Hampton, Va., home.

“Without one single doubt, Vick’s skill level will return. Will a team be interested in bringing him in to play? That’s difficult to determine right now on two levels: public relations and football. … He must be willing to do whatever it takes to help a team win as he rebuilds his life and career.”

— NFL exec Mike Lombardi, from his May 18 entry on National Football Post

“He’s erratic throwing the ball because of his mechanics. … It’s not his feet or his arms, it’s his release. … But now that they’ve got all these spread offenses, the Wildcat they’re running, a guy like Michael could be tremendous.”

— Roger Theder, San Diego Chargers assistant coach, quoted May 17 in the AJC

“I think Michael is just like so many other guys that I have seen. … It’s a young man that made a mistake and is looking for a chance to recover and move forward.”

— Tony Dungy, former Super Bowl-winning Indianapolis Colts head coach, to the AJC after meeting with Vick in Leavenworth

“We’re not interested in being part of a cynical ploy that’s nothing but public relations. … We believe that the behavior he has shown might very well be an indication of psychopathy and we’re asking for a brain scan and a thorough psychiatric evaluation.”

— PETA spokesperson Daphna Nachminovitch, on PETA’s rejection of Vick’s offer to participate in an advertisement for the group

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Number of Chrysler dealerships targeted for elimination nationwide by June 9: 789

Number of GM dealerships estimated to be eliminated nationwide by late 2010: 1,110

Chrysler dealerships set to close in metro Atlanta: 3

Chrysler’s net loss in 2008: $16.8 million

Amount Chrysler has received in federal loans: $4 million

Estimated minimum number of job losses as a result of GM and Chrysler cuts: 100,000

Estimated number of jobs that will be created at a new Kia parts plant in West Georgia: 7,500

Rank of Chrysler among 17 major automakers when it comes to the fuel economy of its 2009 line of passenger vehicles: 13

Rank of Kia: 3

Sources: Atlanta Journal-Constitution, WSB-TV, NBC-Augusta, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

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