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RICHARD MORRIS AND PIG AT NORTH GEORGIA STATE FAIR: “You tell that Obama guy that I don’t look anything like Sarah Palin.”

(Photo by Joeff Davis)

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OMG y’all! Sarah Palin’s cybersecurity was like, totally breached, and all her e-mails and photos of aerial wolf hunting were stolen. And just like everything bizarre in this world, it turns out there’s a Georgia connection. It’s in Athens, the land of drunks, an Arch, and a bunch of bulldogs on street corners!

The Associated Press reports that the Internet anonymity service used by the person who hacked Palin’s Yahoo account is based in the college town I know, love and that I miss dearly.

From the AP:

Investigators were waiting to speak with Gabriel Ramuglia of Athens, Ga., who operates an Internet anonymity service used by the hacker. Ramuglia told the AP on Thursday he was reviewing his own logs and promised to turn over any helpful information to authorities because the hacker violated rules against using the anonymity service for illegal activities.

“If you’re doing something illegal and causing me issues by doing this, I’m willing to cooperate,” Ramuglia said. “Obviously this is the most high profile situation I’ve dealt with.”

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AIG: U.S. taxpayers save the insurance giant from its own bad investments via the Fed’s historic $85 billion bailout, which, despite its unfairness, was needed to prevent the worldwide financial bedlam that would follow an AIG collapse.

STREET CRED: Wall Street’s free fall has given Obama an opening, but while he does poll better than McCain on the economy, he doesn’t poll as well as a generic Democrat against a generic Republican.

PALIN: Not ready to be Hewlett-Packard CEO, according to former HP chief and McCain economic adviser Carly Fiorina, who then dug herself an even deeper hole by adding that McCain couldn’t lead the company either.

ALDERMAN: The convicted murderer was executed Tuesday for the 1974 killing of his wife.

ERR LIKE A SAILOR: Disgraced former Georgia lawmaker Ron Sailor Jr. is sentenced to 63 months for fraud and money laundering.

FUEL AND FAR BETWEEN: Ike has left the city of Atlanta with just 15 days worth of fuel, prompting the closure of two fueling stations and a plea to city employees to conserve.

STANDOFFISH: A fugitive wanted in a 2006 Atlanta murder is arrested in Chicago after a standoff.

THE YOST IS CLEAR: After being unexpectedly fired by the Brewers, there’s some speculation that former Braves third base coach Ned Yost could end up back in Atlanta.

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BACKS AGAINST THE WALL STREET: The Dow is suffering its worst loss since 2001 following the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers and the buyout of Merrill Lynch, with AIG possibly next, despite recently borrowing $20 billion from its subsidiaries. The Fed today infused $50 billion into financial markets to stem the freefall.

MCCAIN: Reconfigures his recent statement that “the fundamentals of our economy are strong.”

PALIN: Won’t cooperate with the ongoing ethics probe because she says Obama’s campaign has infiltrated it. Actually, she didn’t say that. Despite the probe being into her conduct as governor, the announcement that Palin won’t be cooperating was made by the McCain campagin.

JUST THE TICKET: Atlanta scofflaws will have two months, starting Oct. 1, to pay old parking tickets and have all late fees waived, a measure approved by City Council in hopes of collecting at least some money they otherwise might never have seen.

GASOLINE: Prices in Georgia are the second-highest in the country, although analysts say they should settle somewhere around $4 soon.

NATURAL GAS: Prices in Georgia may rise 25 percent this winter.

BARR VS. BLOOMBERG: The Libertarian presidential candidate will appear in federal appeals court in Atlanta today to defend his defamation suit against the New York City mayor, which alleges Bloomberg libeled Barr’s client, Adventure Outdoors Sporting Goods, by calling the Smyrna store a rogue gun dealer in his famous 2006 lawsuit.

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SARAH PALIN: The NY Times examines her governing style, which includes hiring several high school friends to high-paying state jobs for which they had no relevant experience.

BEAR MARKET TO FLEA MARKET: The Lehman Brothers investment bank announces it will file for bankruptcy, and despite the possibly market-soothing buyout of Merrill Lynch by Bank of America, the Dow drops 300 points.

FALCONS: Can’t overcome early deficit to the Bucs despite a near-comeback in the fourth quarter.

LAWYER MILLOY: The Falcons’ star safety was arrested on charges of DUI and speeding early this morning. No word yet on whether he will represent himself.

GALVESTON: Rendered a wasteland by Ike, with packs of stray dogs and loose steer wandering the sewage-strewn streets. Hurricane hold-outs now want off the island after lack of power and water has made it almost uninhabitable.

CUTBACKS: State lawmakers, judiciary and the governor’s office say they’ll cut back on their budgets in addition to upcoming state budget cuts made necessary by the colossal statewide shortfall.

QUORUM: The revamped Clayton school board can now move forward with official business after reaching a quorum by recruiting two former candidates for board seats.

DOG CALLS 911: To report owner’s seizure.

LANIER: Not filling back up anytime soon.

LINGERING: Linger Longer Communities says it’s making progress on plans for its Jekyll Island redevelopment, but navigating the environmental laws and public input may be bogging down the process.

UGA: Drops to No. 3 despite staying undefeated, but still has four top-10 teams on its schedule, all SEC foes.

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My heart lets out a tiny squeal of joy when I read Women Against Sarah Palin, a blog where women can vent their despair, defiance and outrage at the selection of the Alaskan governor for Republican VP candidate. Check out the 100,000 and counting responses of women across America.
One succinct example:

Palin is pro-coathanger. I am not.
—Joanie D., 42, Washington DC

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Calling all bespectacled, no-nonsense women who steal the spotlight from their potential bosses when they’re not killing moose! Your services are requested for an “adult-themed video production” here in Atlanta.

The wonderful ladies at Pecanne Log unearthed this gem:

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The AJC’s Cynthia Tucker clearly struck a nerve on Wednesday when she used her column to demonstrate how Fox News Senior Falafel Correspondent Bill O’Reilly is a ginormous phony.

After calling her a “nut” a couple days ago, O’Reilly sent a camera-wielding goon squad to Atlanta this morning to ambush the Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist while she was carrying her groceries.

According to Tucker’s colleague, AJC columnist Jay Bookman, the goon squad yelled loaded questions at Tucker that blatantly misrepresented the points she made in her recent column, which noted O’Reilly’s selective outrage on the subject of teen pregnancy.

O’Reilly publicly condemned Lynne Spears after her 16-year-old daughter Jamie Lynn became pregnant. Yet, O’Reilly has been supportive of Republican V.P. candidate Gov. Sarah Palin, whose 17-year-old daughter Bristol is pregnant.

One can only guess at O’Reilly’s motives for sending a crew to ambush Tucker at her home. It sounds to me like the self-pitying talk show host was hoping to gather unflattering footage of Tucker to air on his show.

In other words, O’Reilly lost the factual argument, so he’s lashing out like a whiny little bitch.

If ever a grown man needed to be put in time-out, it’s Bill O’Reilly.

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“FIGHT WITH ME”: Says John McCain during his speech accepting the Republican nomination for president. I haven’t listened to the audio of his speech, but I assume he emphasized “with,” and not “fight.”

WARRIN’ POLICY: The New York Times examines how the hawkish and moderate wings of the GOP are vying beneath the surface to influence McCain’s foreign-policy compass, and what to make of his bellicose statements about Iran and Russia.

FIRING RANGE: After her aides improperly peeked at her sister’s ex-husband’s personnel files in an effort to get the Alaska state trooper fired, and then unsuccessfully pressured the public safety commissioner to fire him, Gov. Sarah Palin just fired the public safety commissioner, according to the Alaska state police union.

GATOR CHOMPED: The alligator that’s been sporadically spotted around Lake Lanier during the past month has been caught.

MASS TRANSIT: Can save the average Atlanta household $9,129 a year, according to the American Public Transportation Association. But APTA assumes the household would also get rid of a car, so those estimated savings include no longer paying to register and insure it.

NO BLACKOUT: Three Falcons sponsors bought the remaining 1,500 tickets to Sunday’s season opener to prevent a TV blackout. The game marks the beginning of the Mike Smith era, which players are thrilled about, especially when compared with the Bobby Petrino error “era.”

HOT PANTS: In addition to the ongoing rash of high-priced blue-jean thefts in Atlanta, four Gustav evacuees from New Orleans were arrested Thursday afternoon and charged with yet more blue-jean banditry. Hours earlier, Atlanta police arrested three other smash-and-grab suspects after a car chase.

HANNAH: Will bypass the Georgia coast today, bringing just wind and rain, but Savannah officials hope the false-ish alarm won’t discourage future hurricane wariness.

IKE THE DICKENS: The hurricane, which had been a Category 4 storm, is “extremely dangerous,” according to forecasters, even though it’s weakened to a Category 3.

TURF WARS: California’s attorney general and the nonprofit Center for Environmental Health are suing artificial-turf makers in Georgia and Florida for their turfs’ lead-based coloring, which the lawsuits claim violate California’s environmental laws.

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Zac Farber, a junior at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minn., gives his impressions of the on-going Republican National Convention.

Hurricane Gustav subsided, the Republicans were able to step off the political tightrope of balancing convention festivities with catastrophe sympathies Wednesday night and turn their efforts toward calming the storm surrounding their vice presidential nominee, Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska.

The Republicans tried to turn Palin’s string of scandals—firing a state trooper, soliciting pork for her hometown, mothering a pregnant 17-year-old—into minor peccadilloes.

In an effort to quash the media frenzy, Bristol Palin was offered as a sacrifice to the eager cameras. The teen posed with a baby (her mother’s), a fiancé (her own) and the wholesome Cindy McCain, providing photographic evidence that the Palins are a happy family. (more…)

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The RNC is going strong now that weather patterns are no longer an issue. Also going strong are the multiple Palin controversies. But that didn’t stop the Republican VP candidate from presenting a speech invigorating to both right-wingers and the media.

(Photo by Joeff Davis)

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PALIN: Excites the crowd at the RNC with an aggressive speech aimed at Obama’s experience and celebrity. McCain makes a surprise appearance to support Palin, and reminds those in attendance of her national security experience.

OBAMA: Will give a prebuttal to McCain’s acceptance speech tonight on “The O’Reilly Factor.” Maybe this will come up.

KWAME KILPATRICK: The embattled mayor of Detroit has accepted a plea deal and will resign.

HANNAH: Takes a northward turn, and is now expected to bypass the Georgia coast and hit land on the Carolina coast. Savannah’s unlikely to be evacuated, but the Hostess City is still preparing for the uninvited guest.

HAITI: “The situation is as bad as it can be,” according to a U.N. official in Gonaives. The country has been hit by three tropical storms in two weeks, and more than 100 people have died amid flooding and mudslides.

PAKISTAN: Mad at the U.S. for an alleged cross-border raid that it says killed 15 villagers in the northwestern part of the country.

CLAYTON BOE: Gets one step closer to a quorum by appointing Jessie Goree to fill the vacant District 3 seat, but takes two steps back by holding another controversial closed meeting, which two members refuse to attend in protest. Meanwhile, Gov. Perdue is looking into how he could gain more power to intervene in troubled school systems, even if by constitutional amendment, but the earliest that could happen is November 2010, likely too late for Clayton.

WAREHOUSE FIRE: Shuts down North Avenue this morning near City Hall East.

SHOCKLEY AND AWE: Terence Moore fantasizes for UGA/Falcons fans how the beloved former Bulldogs QB could ascend now that he’s the No. 3 behind an unproven No. 1 and a mediocre No. 2.

BAD SPORTS? Spencer Hall at the Sporting Blog defends “the Atlanta sporting landscape” in response to mockery of the Falcons reducing ticket prices in hopes of avoiding a TV blackout for the season opener.

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Republicans are cheering their veep candidate Sarah Palin for delivering a folksy speech last night that denounced Washington “elites” and the “old boy” network, while extolling rural values and hockey-motherhood.

The speech was written by 49-year-old boy Matthew Scully, a man who so deeply detests Washington elites that he wrote or co-wrote every major speech for President George W. Bush during his first term, as well as speeches for noted D.C. outsiders Vice President Dick Cheney, Vice President Dan Quayle and former Senate majority leader and Republican presidential candidate Bob Dole.

Scully is the author of Dominion, a book that passionately defends animal rights and while righteously denouncing the cruel actions of hunters and farmers. Scully is a vegetarian.

According to his online bio, Scully lives with his wife Emmanuelle in a small town out west called Los Angeles.

The Republicans “just plain faux-lks” routine is getting surreal.

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One of my favorite conservative columnists is the Wall Street Journal’s Peggy Noonan. A former Reagan speechwriter. I don’t typically agree with her, but her prose is graceful and she doesn’t ooze venom, loathing and opportunistic cynicism like Limbaugh, Hannity, O’Reilly, et al.

Unfortunately, her column today on Gov. Sarah Palin was wishy-washy crap.

The Sarah Palin choice is really going to work, or really not going to work. It’s not going to be a little successful or a little not; it’s not going to be a wash. She is either going to be magic or one of history’s accidents. 

Peggy Noonan loves Sarah Palin. No, wait, Peggy Noonan hates Sarah Palin.

Noonan’s an experienced political hand who certainly has a more-informed opinion than most. She’s simply not willing to share it on the record.

It’s like Noonan’s got a gun to her head while gargling the Palin Kool-Aid; unwilling to spit it out for fear or pissing off her Republican fans, and unwilling to swallow it because she doesn’t want to be on the record saying anything positive about someone she knows is poison for her party.

How do I know what Noonan really thinks of Palin?

Because she accidentally told me today.

When she thought the mics were off after an interview on NBC today, Noonan called McCain’s selection of Palin “political bullshit” and said, presumably of McCain’s chances of winning, “It’s over.”

I eagerly await Buzz Brockway and gang at Peach Pundit denouncing of Peggy Noonan as a high-tech lyncher.

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The Republican Party line since Monday has been that all criticism of Gov. Sarah Palin is sexism. Apparently, someone forgot to send the “cry sexism” memo to McCain campaign co-chair and former eBay CEO Meg Whitman.

Here’s Whitman on Fox this afternoon, telling Chris Wallace that media prying into Palin’s past is not just fair, but also the “right thing to do.”

Who knows? Maybe Whitman did get the memo but chose to ignore it because, as an intelligent, accomplished person, she might very well be insulted by the McCain campaign’s crocodile tears about sexism.

I can’t wait to hear the revelers at Peach Pundit’s high-tech Palin pity party demean Whitman as a sexist tool of the liberal media.

(Speaking of talking points, thank you to Talking Points Memo for finding the clip)

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Your daily dose of wacky Sarah Palin art, courtesy of The Searcher on Flickr. (Click the link for an excellent pseudo-interview, as well.)

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Even though I don’t share its Republican political leanings, I appreciate Peach Pundit because its not only informative, but because it has several contributors who aren’t afraid to call B.S. on fellow Republicans.

Until recently, anyway.

Video surfaced yesterday of Sen. John McCain’s running mate Gov. Sarah Palin telling the secessionist Alaskan Independence Party to “keep up the good work.”

Keep up what good work? The work of breaking up the United States of America?

If a video surfaced of a Democrat telling secessionists to “keep up the good work,” Peach Pundit contributors would give themselves carpal tunnel syndrome demanding the Democrat leave the ticket. If video surfaced of Sen. Barack Obama telling members of the Weather Underground to “keep up the good work,” they’d be calling for his head.

There is literally nothing less patriotic than encouraging people to break apart the country.

But instead of expressing this at Gov. Sarah Palin, my friends at Peach Pundit are doubling-down on her candidacy.

In a post titled “The ‘high-tech lynching’ of Sarah Palin.“, the normally non-hyperbolic Peach Punditeer Buzz Brockway absurdly claims Palin is the victim of a smear campaign

In reality, she’s the victim of a “maverick” who added her to the national ticket without considering the consequences.

How can you root for a campaign whose slogan is “Country First” and still support the selection of a novice governor who tells secessionists to “keep up the good work?”

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When Sen. John McCain tapped Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate on Friday, several contributors to the local conservative blog Peach Pundit shared a group orgasm.

“I heart John McCain.” “Brilliant.” “Absolutely BRILLIANT!” “outstanding choice”

And my personal favorite: “John McCain has saved the GOP today.”

As it turns-out, the Palin pick is quickly turning into a disaster for the Republican Party.

In addition to some personal issues about which I don’t especially care (yet), it turns out:

a) Palin misled the public about her involvement in the so-called Troopergate scandal.

b) Palin was for the infamous Bridge To Nowhere pork project before she was against it.

c) Palin and herhusband belonged to a secessionist political group.

What do Peach Pundit’s bloggers have to say about this?

As of 11:25 this morning, almost nothing.

Maybe they’re just stunned, as am I, that McCain would pick a one-time secessionist for the number-two spot in a campaign whose slogan is “Country First.”

I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t be so quiet if Obama or Biden were the pork-loving, lying, secessionists in question.

UPDATE & CORRECTION: On Monday, the chairperson of the secessionist Alaskan Independence Party claimed Sarah Palin was a member during the 1990s. On Tuesday, she said she was mistaken. She was registered Republican during this period.

She did, however, send the secessionists a videotaped message in 2006 telling them “keep up the good work.” I’d like to know what she meant by that.

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We here at Creative Loafing Enterprises Inc. Ltd. like to stay above the dirt and the muck, opting instead to pursue truth with our swords of reason, research and…uhm…resolve? With that being said, I present thee:

(Photo Illustration courtesy of ICanHasWar.com)

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MCCAIN: Picks Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate. He’ll introduce her in Dayton, Ohio today.

ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH: Barack Obama accepts the Democratic nomination for president in Denver with a speech CNN analyst David Gergen calls a “political masterpiece.”

CLAYTON: School system loses accreditation, but can get it back at any point during the next school year if it can meet the SACS mandates. Superintendent John Thompson plans to appeal the SACS decision.

GUSTAV: Bearing down on Cuba as it becomes a hurricane, with a Tuesday landfall in Louisiana expected.

LANIER: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has slowed flows from the lake because tributaries and reservoirs south of Buford Dam were replenished by Fay.

UGA VII: The new mascot will be announced today and debuted tomorrow when Georgia hosts Georgia Southern in Athens.

RAMBLIN’ WRACK: Fay pushed excessive wrack, or decomposing seaweed that’s naturally washed ashore, beyond normal high tide in coastal Georgia, and it’s filled with trash.

RAMBLIN’ WRECK: Tech beats Jacksonville State 41-14 to open the season.

MEDAL OF SCIENCE: The nation’s highest science award will be given to Georgia Tech chemistry professor Mostafa El-Sayed, who’s working to treat cancer with cylindrical gold nanorods and lasers.

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