Fresh Loaf

TAX BREAK: IRS extends tax deadline to May 19 for tornado victims in eight Georgia counties, including Fulton and DeKalb.

HOSPITAL SHOOTING: Three dead at Columbus hospital after a man goes on a shooting rampage. The suspect was shot in the shoulder by police, is in stable condition and charged with murder.

DEKALB POLICE: Grand jury calls for criminal investigation in six of the 12 fatal shootings by DeKalb police in 2006; DeKalb D.A. says the county will act on the recommendation.

TROY DAVIS: Attorneys ask state Supreme Court to reconsider its March 17 rejection of newly discovered evidence in the case.

GRAVE CONDITION: Tornado damage in Wren, Ga., unearths unmarked grave believed to belong to a Revolutionary War soldier.

WALK IT OUT: Norcross plainclothes cop tests testy drivers by walking back and forth on a crosswalk across Jimmy Carter Boulevard intersection, while uniformed cops lie in wait.

PRECESSION: President of Atlanta Federal Reserve says “slowdown” will last longer than previously predicted and may still become a recession. Also, AccessNorthGa.com expertly illustrates local effects of the economic downturn with this news graphic. [UPDATE: Apparently this story, and its graphic, have been taken down. But here’s a screen shot.]

LIFE IN THE FAT LANE: Overweight Henry County man is denied bus service, despite weighing less than the posted weight limit for hydraulic wheelchair lift on county bus.

WTF, MSM? Local bloggers attended the Atlanta Press Club event on “Ethics and New Media: How the Blogosphere is Affecting Journalism and Business” last night. We’re still waiting on impressions from such folks as Shelbinator, GriftDrift and MostlyMedia.

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If Nancy Pelosi proposed we get rid of all state taxes and have the US House of Representatives decide how much of that revenue the state of Georgia got we would be up in arms. This nation was built on the premise of the government that is closest to the people works the best. We can point to plenty of examples where centralization has reduced local control (US Dept. of Education), why do we want to do that here in Georgia?

— Chris Farris at Peach Pundit, arguing against state Speaker of the House Glenn Richardson’s tax proposal. CL’s Scott Henry wrote about the speaker’s plan last month.

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I live on one of the two lakes that are important indicators for the water supply. Folks, “we ain’t got no water up here”.

— Stevie at Metroblogging Atlanta on the metro area’s dwindling water supply. CL’s John Sugg addresses the problem at length in his current column.

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This is not the state being paternalistic, overbearing or unreasonable. It is simply good stewardship. The ball is now in Grady’s court to show otherwise.

— GriftDrift digs into the Grady mess.

I went to Grady’s emergency ward for the first time on Saturday evening to visit a friend who’d been in a car accident. I didn’t realize you have to go through metal detectors to get into the emergency room. I appreciate and understand why, but it’s still pretty depressing to ponder.

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Ronald Williamson
Ronald Jones
Clarence Dexter, Jr.

— GriftDrift rebuts AJC columnist Jim Wooten’s ridiculous pro-death-penalty rant with a list of 123 people whose erroneous death sentences were eventually overturned. Three of the 123 are named above.

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Feeding government in general, and a regional (read less accountable) quasi-governmental agency with more tax dollars is similar to enabling a drunk with more alcohol.

— Jason Pye is not pleased with tax-and-spend trends in Henry County.

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An Elaborate Prank on Atlanta Drivers

— Maigh at Metroblogging Atlanta offers an apt description of the 14th Street Bridge reconstruction clusterfuck.

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“He’s got medals on his chest! He’s done stuff!”

— GriftDrift links to “Leave General Petraeus alone,” a brilliant and tragic pastiche of the popular “Leave Britney alone” that appeared online after Spears’ weekend TV performance was savaged.

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Jeremy, in his early 20’s, is a friend of my son’s, and Jeremy told us he’d just joined the Marines. His recruiter told him that, most likely, he’s headed for Baghdad after he finishes his Paris Island training next month.

— Amy Morton at Georgia Women Vote worries about what the Iraq war is doing to people like her son’s friend Jeremy.

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Which of the following does George W. Bush need the most?

1. A milk enema.
2. A psychiatric examination.
3. A kick in the ass.
4. A one-way ticket to Baghdad with full desert gear.
5. An impeachment resolution.
6. All the above.

— Wilson R. Smith of the blog and podcast What Is Goin’ On? suggests possible ways to help President Bush get back in touch with reality.

Just out of curiosity, would you kick him in the ass before or after the milk enema?

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We did one lap around the park and then headed back home. We did get to see the giant AIDS quilt before we left, though.

-Me at Sallad.net recaps the weekend’s Atlanta Pride Festival. In thrilling detail!

I suspect that the festival-goers who had more fun than Sallad are probably too tired to blog this morning.

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Republicans pulled 70% in a 70% Republican district. Old school politics and old school names still matter. Most of us, yours truly included, tended to focus on issues too large while ignoring the fact voters tend to not care what we think.

-GriftDrift offers his take on the Democrat James Marlow’s third-place finish in last week’s special election to fill the vacant 10th Congressional District seat. The first and second-place finishers, Republicans Jim Whitehead and Paul Broun, respectively, face each other in a runoff July 17.

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Communism is like so rad and all that good stuff.

-ATLMalcontent on Cameron Diaz’s fashion faux-pas in Peru. Diaz visited Machu Picchu carrying a tote emblazoned with a Chinese red star and the famous Mao slogan, “Serve the people.” Tens of thousands have died in Peru due to war between the government and Maoist rebels.

If, like me, you are fascinated by the intersection of Communism and camp, you might be interested in this photo I took in Prague two weeks ago. Note the museum’s location.

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Today is election day in the 10th Congressional district of Georgia. Polls are open 7 AM until 7 PM and if you’re scheduled to work during the entirety of that time or if you cannot otherwise make it to vote, State Law requires that you get two hours off from work to go vote.Go Vote.

-I think Bloglanta wants us to vote today.

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Last night I rammed a can of Bud Light up a chicken’s butt . . .

-Paulie at Inside The Perimeter made dinner.

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The only given reason for pulling the suspect over was spotting him with an alcoholic beverage in his hand, not because he was driving a lawn mower down main street.

-GriftDrift, on a story from the Moultrie Observer about a man pulled over by police while driving a lawn mower down North Main Street.

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